As mentioned last week and reminded this week, there will be no update of Headmaster Arc next week (20th June) as I've been drafted to speak at an awards ceremony in Leicestershire for a client. That'll be taking all day for me, including work the day before to write my speech. Updates as normal after and around it. It's just the one update effected.
Cover Art: Mystery White Flame
Chapter 15
Qrow wasn't sure how he survived. The only thing he knew was that he stepped through the door, felt his scroll ring, reached for it, fumbled and dropped it, cursed his Semblance, bent over – and then a fireball struck Leonardo Lionheart in the chest.
"Arghh! It burns! It burns!"
Qrow looked back, eyes wide. "Wha-?"
That second of inattentiveness probably should have been the end of him anyway since Tyrian Callows rushed in with twin blades swinging. Qrow yelped and dodged back or tried to. His heels hit Leonardo, rolling on the floor trying to put the fire out, and Qrow tumbled back, swaying out of range of the blades as he windmilled his arms and toppled over the headmaster of Haven, striking the staircase and rolling backwards down it with a repetitive and pained cry.
"Ah! Ow! Ah! Ow! Shit! Argh!" Each sound came as he hit another step, then another, rolling down the staircase with no control over himself, fireballs exploding behind him every five feet or so, but never quite reaching him. "Ow! Ah! Ow! Ow!"
The staircase turned a sharp ninety degrees.
Qrow did not.
Momentum didn't really work that way.
Aided by a fresh explosion that gave him a little extra push, Qrow sailed off the edge of the staircase and into the air, where gravity took one look at him, nodded its head and decided `down` was as good a direction as any.
"Arghhh!"
"Kill him!" Cinder roared. "Before he can escape and find Ozpin!"
Qrow tumbled out of sight before he could hear anymore and wheeled in the air, turning face down as he saw the ground approaching, desperately thought about turning into a bird, then hit the floor face first before he could actually put that thought into action. Agony tore through him as he bounced twice and flopped on his side. His aura had prevented him breaking any bones, but his body still hurt like a bitch.
Footsteps echoed from above. They were coming to finish him off.
"Shit," Qrow grunted, pushing himself up and favouring one leg. He was on a balcony of some sort overlooking the main foyer, where students and teachers were still in some kind of stand-off. They hadn't yet noticed him or the wanted terrorists as all attention was focused on the impasse below. Qrow stumbled to the railing and slumped against it to try and catch his breath.
It didn't cross his mind that as well as sabotaging students and being a traitor, Leonardo might have been siphoning funds from Haven's budget. Say, for instance, maintenance and general repairs. The wooden railing was rotted already and Qrow's weight, so sloppily applied, caused it to snap and fall away, sending him tumbling over the ledge just as Hazel Rainart reached the bottom of the stairs and charged for him, entire body crackling with lightning.
"He's escaping!" Cinder screeched.
I'm really not... Qrow thought, whimpering as he saw the ground come up to meet him again.
This time, the people in the foyer noticed him. Hard not to when he struck down like a wet meteorite in front of them. He bounded twice and rolled onto his back, staring up at Hazel and Cinder as they looked over the railing furiously. A whispered argument was taking place between them.
They'd leave now, right? They wouldn't want to risk revealing themselves to so many people…
Hazel hauled himself over the railing.
"Oh, fuck a duck…"
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby's voice came from a side corridor. "Leonardo Lionheart is a traitor-"
Ruby paused in time to see Qrow haul himself along and roll to the side, brief seconds before a huge man – a well-known and internationally wanted man – crashed down on the spot he'd occupied, punching one fist into the floor and breaking through the marble tiles and a good few inches of concrete.
"Oh. I guess you already know…"
That was one way of putting it. And now the whole school knew as well. The attack on Beacon hadn't been live by any means, but news sites and broadcasters across all of Remnant had reported on it and used whatever footage they could get. It was the single biggest event to have happened in Remnant since the faunus wars. As such, the faces of Cinder Fall, Tyrian Callows, Hazel Rainart and Arthur Watts were well known.
Especially among huntsmen.
For the students of Haven, many of whom had been at Beacon during the final battle, no introductions were necessary.
"S-Students," Leonardo called, char-grilled and hurrying down the upper stairs with an expression of pure horror on his face. "There has – This is but a misunderstanding. If you'll all head back to your dorms and wait for-"
Cinder interrupted him with a fireball aimed straight for Ruby. Ruby was far too quick to be hit by that and darted to the side with her Semblance. The fireball struck the doorway she'd come through, caught the wood and set it alight.
"Headmaster!" one of the teachers yelled. "Watch out. That's Tyrian Callows beside you!"
Leonardo looked to Tyrian and bit his lip. He did not attack the man, even if he should have. Startled as those watching were, the truth slowly dawned on them.
"Enough!" Cinder sent a wave of fire down on the assembled students, forcing many to run for cover and others to engage their auras, take the pain and then roll around to try and put the flames out. "The time for subtlety is gone. Hazel, Tyrian, Lionheart, keep them busy!"
"Hngh."
Hazel reared up in front of Qrow before he could collect himself. He had the presence of mind to get his weapon up between them defensively, but that didn't mean much to Hazel, who punched straight into it, slamming the weapon back into Qrow's chest and launching him through the air. He struck the burning doorway and crashed through it, landing at the feet of his other niece and her edgy friend.
"Uncle Qrow," Yang said. "Leonardo is-"
"I KNOW! THANK YOU!"
The hulking form of Hazel came barrelling through the fire and flames, knocking students aside and focused on Qrow. The students weren't harmed – a miracle since Hazel could easily have killed them if he wanted to.
Yang and Blake wasted no time and unloaded buckshot and bullets on the huge man, all of which bounced off his chest and shoulders without doing a thing to slow him down. Cursing, they dodged to the side as he came through, leaving Qrow, unlucky bastard that he was, to scramble to his feet and block once more.
Yet again, he was sent careening down the corridor.
"He's like a juggernaut!" Yang yelled. "Nothing is stopping him!"
Resisting the urge to shout `I know` again – he was the one getting his ass kicked by the guy after all – Qrow dodged and weaved, trying to avoid getting hit in the first place. From the corner of one eye, he noticed a young boy, fourteen at best, standing a little too calmly to the side of Yang. It had to be Ozpin. Wincing, Qrow looked to Hazel, who hadn't seen the boy.
If he did…
Ugh. The things I do…
"Get out of here!" he shouted to Yang and Blake. "I'll keep him busy!"
Jaune and Glynda had to be on their way by now. No way they hadn't noticed all this going on.
"You realise," Hazel said, watching the kids run, "That my instructions were to keep you busy. If you are wanting to keep me distracted and I am wanting to keep you distracted, this fight will soon become a farce."
"Don't suppose that means we can sit down and play cards instead? Tell our respective bosses we were keeping one another busy?"
Hazel cracked his fists. "I'm afraid not."
"Yeah. I figured…"
/-/
Yang held onto Oscar as they ran through the fire, using her body and aura to shield him. She wasn't actually sure if he had aura or not, but he was a) a kid and b) sort of the VIP they were supposed to be protecting. Miss Goodwitch would have her head if Oscar got hurt, and she'd look incompetent in front of the headmaster.
One of those propositions was more troubling than the other.
"It's the fall of Beacon all over again," Blake whispered when they came through.
It didn't take long for Yang to see what she meant. Tyrian Callows was dashing into and lashing out at students and teachers alike, while Leonardo Lionheart was fighting alongside him. The two weren't quite beating all the students and teachers – that would have been ridiculous – but they were keeping them occupied and pushing them back, attacking so suddenly that the students, still confused and alot of whom were unarmed, could do nothing but retreat. Some weren't even able to do that and were caught unprepared, thrown away with pained cries.
There was also a rather short girl with cropped black hair and two round blades slashing left and right, holding people away from two figures hurrying toward a statue. One of those was Cinder Fall, the bitch who had infiltrated and attacked Beacon.
The other…
Yang's eyes burned red. "RAVEN!"
"Miss – Yang-" Oscar corrected himself, sounding strained. "You must stop them reaching that statue! If they do…"
Growling, Yang held back from chasing off after her bitch of a mother. "What, the statue of the naked babe? The one with the chains?"
"Jinn," Oscar said. "And yes. They should not be able to access it but-" Oscar cut off as a loud groaning sound echoed across the corridor, the statue sliding back. "Oh no," he whispered. "No, no, no. Stop them!" he yelled, running forward himself. "Stop them no-argh!"
"Yoink." Yang caught the boy by the back of the collar and yanked him back, knocking him onto his ass. He stared up at her, utterly shocked. "You're not going anywhere. Leave this to me and Blake, yeah? You stay safe. Oi, Ruby. Look after Oscar!"
"Kay!" Ruby landed behind him and put her arms under his.
"No, wait," Oscar said. "I can hel-"
"I'm sure you can, but let's get you to safety first, hm?" Ruby said, smiling indulgently as she dragged him away.
Blake gave her a quick look, then nodded to Raven. "That your mother?"
"Yep."
"Will it be a problem if we badly hurt her?"
"If by `a problem` you mean me calling you the best teammate ever, then yes, it'll be a problem."
"Good." Blake looked around. "What's keeping Team RVNN and the teachers? I thought they'd be here by now."
"There must be an ambush or something outside," Yang said. "They can't have missed this. Come on. We need to stop my bitch-ass mom and Cinder from doing… whatever it is they're doing. Nothing good."
Nodding, Blake charged along with her, covering the distance between the backs of the two figures stepping down a staircase of some kind. They ducked past Tyrian and Leonardo, who were far too busy to stop them, but found their path blocked by the short-haired girl with the tattered outfit and twin circular blades.
"Sorry," she said, not sounding very apologetic. "But you're not going any further."
"I don't even know who the fuck you're supposed to be." Yang growled. "Move."
"The name's Vernal."
"I didn't ask! Move!"
"No introduction?" Vernal grinned. "Didn't your mother teach you any manners? Oh, wait-"
Yang's fist swung through empty space as the girl darted back. Her follow-up came under her chin but was diverted by a twisted blade, only for Vernal to be sent skidding back as she unloaded her gauntlets at point-blank range.
"Rude," Vernal said with a smirk.
"Oh, for…" Yang sighed. "We're not doing this. Tell me we're not doing this."
"Doing…?"
"This pre-fight banter nonsense." Yang launched a devastating assault that would have broken a lesser person. Vernal was able to dodge and weave between them, but even she didn't come out unscathed, taking a kick to one leg and almost having her head cut off by Blake, who took the honourable approach and tried to shank Vernal from behind while she was distracted. "Stop talking and fight!" Yang howled.
"Tch. You can't beat me."
"No," Yang growled. "I'm not getting roped into this!"
"I was trained by Raven personally-"
"Stop!" Yang snapped a roundhouse kick toward the girl's face.
She ducked back. "And I…" Her smile grew. "Am the Spring Maiden!"
"I. DON'T. CARE!"
"She's not!" Oscar yelled in the background. "She absolutely isn't. Otherwise, she would be downstairs with Cinder."
"STILL DON'T CARE!" Yang screamed to both of them, burning with fire as she charged forward and threw a clumsy punch for Vernal's face.
Laughing, the girl dodged to the side.
Yang kept charging, sprinting past her entirely.
"H-Hey, wait!"
Blake was on Vernal before she could pursue, using her clones to keep her distracted even if she couldn't necessarily win. Yang's eyes were focused ahead, locked onto the back of Raven as she stepped down a flight of stairs leading below the statue.
"Yang, duck!"
Yang dove to the side and rolled, escaping several shots from Vernal before Blake was on her again and the two were exchanging blows. Behind, Yang saw Sun charge in to support her and knew her partner would be okay. Ahead, Raven had vanished out of sight, and Yang wasn't sure the statue wouldn't lock back into place, letting them escape.
Now or never.
The stairs led down into what should have been the basement but looked more like a cave. There were natural rock formations on every side, along with glowing blue panels on the floor. Dust, or maybe just some snazzy light system. Yang didn't really care and instead looked toward Raven and Cinder. Two on one wasn't good odds, especially when it was just her and they were older and probably a whole lot more experienced.
Just got to keep them busy. Distract them until the headmaster arrives.
With that in mind, Yang swallowed and made the dumbest decision she could. She yelled a battle cry and charged in.
"RARGHHHH!"
If Miss Goodwitch could see her, she'd have had words to say. Strong words. Words about not alerting the enemy to your approach when you had a perfectly good opportunity to strike while they weren't looking, or words about how wasting energy on volume when you could be focusing on a fight was more prudent.
More than that, she'd have probably just told Yang off for charging two deadly huntresses in the first place. Cinder turned and brought forth a ball of fire, one seared and scarred eye sealed shut while the other glowed with unnatural light.
Raven extended her still sheathed sword before the woman, preventing her from killing Yang. "This one is mine," she said. "In more ways than one…"
"None that matter," Yang growled, charging in. The sword was a problem, but Raven hadn't drawn it. Swords gave reach but were less useful in extreme close quarters. That was where she excelled. If she could get in close and nullify that advantage-
There!
Raven stepped forward with her left foot. Being right-handed, she had to draw from her left hip, which would be harder with that foot forward. Any swing would be clumsy and off-balance. Yang leapt in and pushed the advantage, throwing a fist toward the woman's sword arm and pulling the trigger in her gauntlet.
The shot went over Raven's shoulder.
Rather than draw, Raven had blocked and deflected her attack with the butt of her sheathe, a sheathe she now had between their two bodies as Yang crashed into her.
Yang's follow-up was blocked by the handle. A kick blocked by Raven's knee rising up. The woman's elbow came down, catching Yang's next attack and her desperate attempt to headbutt Raven and break her jaw was thwarted by Raven digging the butt of her sheathe into Yang's breastbone and using it as a lever to push her away.
"Weak."
It happened in a flash. Yang was pushed back by the butt of the sheathe, then it moved in a blur. The first crack caught her left wrist, the second her right ankle. The sheathe went between her legs and swung up sharply – and while she lacked testes to be rocked, that didn't mean it any less agonising and nauseating. She bowed forward, eyes wide and hands dropping between her legs.
Raven's final blow, delivered with one fist, caught Yang in the gut and lifted her up off the floor, suspended on the woman's fist. "You're too weak, Yang," she said, turning and hurling her away. Yang crashed down by one of the rock formations, breath torn from her lungs. "Stay down. You're not worth killing."
Bitch. Son of a… Yang coughed and fell onto her side, eyes watering.
That… That fight had gone a lot better in her head.
Raven and Cinder turned away from her, moving once more toward the rather ominous looking `doorway` - more like a portal – on the other side of the underground chamber. The sound of combat echoed above.
Frantically, Yang dug for her scroll, managing to flip it out and use her nose to push one of the contacts, calling. They needed to know. Needed to-
"Ya-" Jaune answered, then corrected himself, "Miss Xiao-"
Behind him, Yang saw foliage.
Were they…
Were they still in the fucking forest!?
"HELP US ALREADYYY!"
Fire rushed in for her. Yang cursed and let the call end, not so much dodging as she did roll onto her side and away. Her legs still weren't working, and her knees were fused together. In a weak attempt at a rebuttal, she unloaded Ember Celica at Cinder.
The buckshot pattered harmlessly off her.
Raven prevented Cinder from continuing the attack.
"Don't tell me you're sentimental now," Cinder hissed. "She called for reinforcements."
"All the more reason for us to not waste any time." Raven turned Cinder toward the doorway, striding to it herself. "I will open it and you can collect the Relic. Once we're done, our deal comes to an end. I do not want to see you again."
"You won't."
Raven touched a shimmering shape on the portal's front. Lights flared, particularly the blue ones below, and an ominous shattering sound echoed in her ears. Wind blew and a smell like a sandy desert assailed her nostrils. Wasting no time, Cinder marched through the portal and out of sight.
Yang staggered to her feet and after, at least as far as she could before Raven turned.
"Don't bother. You're too weak to make a difference. You'll only get yourself killed."
"Why-?" Yang wheezed. "Why are you doing this?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"They attacked Beacon. K-Killed Ozpin. T-Tried to kill us." Yang wavered, one leg almost giving up as she stumbled to one side. Catching herself with one hand on a wall, Yang limped on. "E-Even if you ran away, y-you have to care. About Beacon. About mom. About dad."
"I don't."
"Then what about the world? B-Because they're working with the White Fang and Grimm. They'll use… use whatever is in there. You think they won't use it on you? That they'll let you go?" Yang laughed. "O-Once you're not useful to them, t-they'll kill you."
Raven raised a single eyebrow. "If you're doing the `limp up and talk` plan to make me lower my guard, then blast me in the chest, I'll warn you it's not going to work."
Yang's fist shot up.
She blasted Raven in the chest.
When the smoke cleared, her mother was still standing there, arms crossed and eyes glowing. "Satisfied?"
"Bitch…"
"That is the least of what I have been called." Striding forward, Raven batted away Yang's feeble attempts to attack her and picked her up by her jacket, lifting her feet up off the floor. "The nail that stands out gets hammered down. You'd do well to sit where I left you and not make a fuss. If you're lucky, Cinder might let you live."
Raven tossed her aside once more, this time by and to the side of the door Cinder had passed through. Hardly ten seconds later, with Yang still struggling to catch her breath, Cinder returned with an object in hand. Yang wasn't sure what it was supposed to be, only that it was gold and blue and obviously important because Cinder cradled it between her hands like it was the most dangerous thing alive.
"Finally," Cinder whispered. "Something goes to plan. The Relic of Knowledge." She caressed the thing. "You've done well, Raven. As good as your word. Now, it's time to see if Jinn can be as good as hers."
"You're going to use it here?"
"Safer than up top," Cinder replied, "And my mistress only needs the one question. She has said I might use the others as reward for finding it. She is patient enough to wait until the next round of questions. To her, such time is immaterial."
"Hm. I guess so. A question I'm wondering is if you'll be as good as your word."
Cinder started, then looked Raven's way, uncomprehending for a moment. It was almost like she hadn't noticed Yang was there – which was a very real possibility since Raven had tossed her behind where Cinder came from. Seeing her not sat where Raven had left her the first time, Cinder must have assumed she'd fled.
"So," Raven said. "Is my work here done?"
"Of course. You're free to go." Cinder nodded once. "We only needed your power to open the vault. Your association with us is complete."
"Then I'll leave before things get any hairier." Raven swept her blade down and opened a portal in the space before her. Before she went through, she turned back to look at Cinder, and past her, at Yang. "Good luck."
Yang stared at her mother's back.
Did Raven just… wink at her?
/-/
Jaune wasn't sure why he was charging into a situation he had no hope of really handling on his own, only that it was expected, and that Yang had looked to be in real trouble. His body moved before his brain could point out the flaw.
That might have been a good thing, since it fit his image.
"Team RVNN, assess and control the situation. Glynda, find Oz-Oscar and get him out. Neo, I need you to go ahead and find Yang."
Neo looked annoyed.
"And stab Cinder in the throat."
Her eyes lit up and she winked out of existence, moving on ahead into the school while they travelled on foot. Her Nevermore cawed and swooped away when she vanished, landing on Nora's head. The girl cooed at how `cute` the deadly creature was.
They saw and heard the chaos before they got into the school. A fire was raging on an upper floor and discharged ammunition was everywhere. Students dragged the wounded out, many of the older teachers who had no doubt rushed in to try and defend their students. They saw their approach and cheered weakly, recognising them from the news or having seen them in person.
Jaune wasn't sure they should. It was him, Glynda and a single team of students.
That wasn't the reinforcements they needed.
Bursting through the open doors, Jaune's eyes widened and he rolled low, dodging a student flung his way and stumbling, rolling onto one shoulder and across the floor, where he slammed into a beefy pair of legs.
Leonardo Lionheart looked down on him, eyes wide, Neptune Vasilias in one hand, struggling to escape.
"H-Headmaster Arc," he said nervously. "I-I can explain."
"A… A little help…" Neptune choked.
Leonardo was launched back before Jaune could do anything. He recognised the tell-tale invisible force of Glynda's Semblance, and thanks to Jaune tangled in his feet, Leonardo fell like a cut tree, yelling in panic.
Recognising an opportunity when he saw one, Jaune dove on top of him and slammed a fist into the man's face. His knuckles bruised and his wrist flexed, but the blow knocked Leonardo's face to the side, stunning him.
"RVNN with me!" Glynda yelled. "Leave the headmasters to fight!"
Wait, what? That's not a good idea at all!
The second of inattentiveness as he looked over – and to be fair, Glynda and the team were against Tyrian Callows – cost him. Leonardo managed to bring a meaty fist up into his jaw and knock him back. Jaune fell on his ass and winced, then rolled to the side when Leonardo surged up and tried to tackle him.
The two headmasters, two of the most influential people on Remnant, grappled on the floor like angry children. On Leonardo's part, it was desperation, not wanting to let the legendary strategist, Jaune Arc, have a chance to think.
On Jaune's part, he just fancied his chances more in an unorganised and chaotic wrestling match than actual swordplay. He didn't even know what Leonardo's Semblance was and didn't have one of his own to toss around.
That didn't mean it didn't hurt. Neo had driven the importance of dodging into him, but it was hard to dodge when you were on your knees. Or on your back, with a larger man straddling you and trying to squeeze the air out of your lungs. Jaune's hands fasted on the faunus' wrists, trying to pry them off.
"Why!?" Leonardo growled. "Why did you have to come? Everything was going so well. Everything was finally going to work out. And I – I wouldn't have to do this! Why did you have to interfere? HOW DID YOU KNOW!?"
"K-Know what?" Jaune croaked.
"Don't play me for a fool. You're a genius, a mastermind." Leonardo's eyes were wild and wide. "You knew from the start, didn't you? Figured it out straight away and played along. I should have known. Should never have underestimated you." Leonardo dragged Jaune's head up and slammed it down onto the tiles.
Pain erupted in the back of his head and his vision dimmed. His grip on the man's wrists slackened as his body was deprived of oxygen. Desperately, he tried to drive a knee up into Leonardo's back, but he didn't have the room or strength, and Leonardo had his aura.
"You knew all along and played me!"
"I - I..." Jaune choked. "I have no idea... what you're even talking about..."
"You knew, but it doesn't matter in the end. Goodnight, Jaune Arc," he said. "With this, I'll be safe!"
"CAWW!"
Feathers and black filled his vision as the Nevermore descended, crashing into the faunus' face and clawing and pecking away, screeching the whole time. Leonardo cried out and let go – only for a second, but a second was all Jaune needed to roll to the side and break hold, push his hips up and dislodge the man far too busy trying to protect his eyes to focus.
Heaving for breath, Jaune looked on as the Nevermore took off toward the ceiling, dodging as Leonardo swung for it. "Damn Grimm! Cinder said those were on our side!"
Panicking, Jaune pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and reached down for Crocea Mors. He paused at the last second, spotting something better ahead of him instead. Neptune, recovering from his own beating, saw his gaze and nodded.
"Arc!" Leonardo howled, charging back in.
Jaune's hand settled on the metal haft of Neptune's trident. He didn't have the foggiest on how to use it, but the weapon had a simple charm to it, that of being a pointy blade on the end of a big stick. Rolling over, he braced the butt under his arm and against the floor, then pointed the blade toward the charging faunus.
Leonardo struck it like a freight train. Aura flared, flexed, but ultimately held. The air driven out of Leonardo's lungs, however, made him bend double over the tip, hands catching the haft as he gasped for breath.
Jaune noticed a trigger by the haft.
Leonardo noticed it too and shook his head, trying to get off the weapon.
"I've no idea what this does," Jaune wheezed, reaching for it. "But I hope it hurts like a bitch!"
As he pulled it, there was a brief thought in the back of his mind that he was going to be awfully embarrassed if, like Crescent Rose, the button just made the weapon transform into a convenient carry-state or something.
Neptune didn't let him down.
Electricity arched up the haft from a generator fixed somewhere above the hand grips. Blue light tore up toward the blades, jumping and crackling over Leonardo's body. It raced up his arms and into his stomach, up through his chest and even over his face, where his eyes and teeth seemed to almost glow. Aura protected the body from a lot of things – blunt force, cutting and so much more – but it didn't make someone immortal, nor did it stop you getting hungry, sunburnt or electrocuted.
Just like how aura hadn't protected the team of girls Neptune fought against in the Vytal Festival.
Leonardo was blasted back, tumbling onto his rear smoking and twitching. His leg kicked, a faint smell of ozone and burnt skin emanating from his body. He wasn't dead, not from something like that, but it didn't look like he'd be fighting anytime soon.
"That was amazing, sir," Neptune said, stars in his eyes. "You were incredible!"
How-? I rolled around, nearly died, was saved by a Grimm and then used YOUR weapon to beat him.
Sighing, and knowing that even if he did have the time to explain, Neptune wouldn't believe him, Jaune rolled to his feet. "Thanks for the help." He pushed the trident back to the boy. "If you're hurt, get out. If you can stand, watch Leonardo for me and make sure he doesn't try and join the fight."
"Got it." Neptune stood woozily. "I'm not in great shape, but I can prod a man and press a button."
Judging from the look on his face, pure raging fury, Neptune was going to give Leonardo a few prods even if he didn't try and escape. Jaune couldn't bring himself to blame the guy. Having a traitor as your headmaster – that would be like if Ozpin had been specifically trying to kill his students. It must have been horrifying to realise that every fallen student, every lost comrade, was not an accident, but potentially something your own headmaster had orchestrated.
Dusting himself down and standing tall, Jaune drew his sword and surveyed the scene.
Glynda was engaging Tyrian Callows in melee – not an ideal situation for her, but something she was probably doing so that Tyrian didn't slaughter anyone else. His feet moved in her direction immediately, but he held back. Glynda was as good, if not better, then he was. His intervention would only make that fight more complicated, and Ren, Nora and Velvet were doing what they could to help.
Off to the side, Ruby was out of the fight entirely. Something so unusual he had to stare to make sure she wasn't dead. There was a boy beside her – far too calm given the absolute chaos around them. Ozpin for sure. Seeing him, Ozpin's eyes widened, then drifted to Leonardo and narrowed. Ozpin nodded grimly.
Qrow was missing. So was Hazel. Off together, probably.
Blake was fighting some girl who was obviously trying to retreat – hardly even fighting back at all and instead holding Blake off as she made her way to a window. He didn't know if it was Cinder's latest replacement for Mercury and Emerald or not, but if Blake wasn't dying, she didn't need help. All in all, the only ones missing were Yang and Pyrrha.
And Cinder.
"Shiiit."
/-/
Finally. Finally, something was working without blowing up in her face, and without Jaune being there to ruin it all. Cinder let out a happy laugh, rare for her but safe because there was no one to hear her. It wasn't unexpected for Raven to flee the second her job was done, any more than it was for her to have lied to her face.
Once they had the Relics, they'd swing back to kill Raven and take the Spring Maiden's power, taking it for herself and adding to the growing pool of power within her.
Had she the full power of the Fall Maiden, she might have killed Raven then and there, but the situation on the surface was problematic enough that she didn't see the point in creating yet another enemy. Besides, Hazel, Tyrian and Lionheart would be enough to hold the school off. Not to win, but to distract them long enough for her to do what they had to do.
Holding the Relic up before her, Cinder spoke. "Jinn, Spirit of Knowledge, I summon you. Answer my questions and impart unto me your knowledge!"
Blue smoke pooled out from the Relic, frothing from it and falling to the ground where it coalesced slowly, spreading out and then upward, forming into the shape of a tall figure floating a foot or more above the ground. Had Cinder not been prepared for it, she might have been surprised to see a naked blue woman-like creation festooned with golden chains.
As it was, she could only smile.
The power of the God of Light. A power I might soon have.
Jinn, the Spirit of Knowledge, possibly the most powerful creature on the planet – even more so than Salem. And yet, Jinn was chained and bound, trapped within her Relic and forced to obey the whims of any who summoned her. What a pathetic existence.
"I am Jinn, Spirit of Knowledge." The blue woman regarded her with interest. "And you are not Ozpin. How interesting."
"Ozpin is dead!"
"No," Jinn said calmly. "He is not."
Biting back her retort, Cinder ignored the words. The Spirit of Knowledge would know everything, but Salem had warned her to be careful of what words she used. Even a simple question like `what do you mean` might waste a question.
"You have summoned me from the Relic of Knowledge, Cinder Fall." Jinn's eyes travelled over her shoulder for a moment, back to the portal she'd been brought from. They flicked back a moment later, a small smile on the creature's face. "There are two questions remaining this era. Ask and I shall impart knowledge upon you but know that I cannot speak of the future. Any question you ask, I shall answer. I cannot lie."
"I know how this works," she snapped. "But two-? I thought. No, that's not a question. Don't answer it!"
Jinn chuckled. "I may speak to explain my purpose without the use of a question. How, otherwise, would anyone know what I can do? There were three questions this era, but Ozpin has already used one of them. There are two remaining."
Blast! Even reduced as he was, he still managed to get in her way. It didn't matter, though. It was only a small set back and not a problem. Salem only needed the one question to learn the location of the vaults. The other two – or the other one question, as it turned out – was hers to use as she wished.
And Cinder had thought long and hard. An answer to any question might be worth more than all the dust on Remnant but could just as easily be squandered on information she could find out through hard work and a few questions to the right people. It had to be something not only valuable, but something she could use immediately, and which would serve her well.
"I have my first question." Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself. "My mortal enemy, Jaune Arc, headmaster of Beacon-" Just in case Jinn tricked her by thinking up some other Jaune Arc. It wasn't impossible for two people with the same name to exist. "I must defeat him."
She had thought to ask the secret to his strength, but that might just be hard work, strategy or some other asinine and useless answer. Anyone could say the secret to their success was determination or belief and be correct. That would be a waste of a question.
No. She had to go deeper. Something she could use.
"What is Jaune Arc's master plan to defeat me, and by extension to defeat Salem?"
Jinn's eyes glowed. The spirit leaned her head back, looking up toward the ceiling as power crackled around her and mist pooled through the vault.
"Jaune Arc's plan," she began, voice like the tolling of some distant bell. "His master plan…"
"Yes?" Cinder leaned forward. "Yes!?"
"Is to have Neo stab you in the throat."
Cinder waited.
Jinn stood patiently.
Cinder waited some more.
Jinn's eyes stopped glowing.
Cinder exploded.
"That can't be it! There has to be more! His plans for Salem," she hissed. "I asked for both! I asked for the plans involving us as a whole, not just his plans for right now!" And besides, he was in Beacon. How could he stop her now?
"I cannot answer questions based in the future," Jinn reminded her.
"I'm not talking about what plans he will make, only what plans he has!"
"Those two things are the same," Jinn said, with an amused smile. "His plans for you are to have Neo stab you in the throat. His plan for Salem is to come up with a plan for Salem, preferably when the need becomes imminent."
"T-The need…?" Cinder was struggling to breathe. "B-But we destroyed Beacon-"
"Beacon has not been destroyed. I have answered your question, Cinder Fall. There is no plan beyond your throat being perforated in the immediate future, and even that is an unknown future. I can only comment on the plan he has made."
"He's gathering information," Cinder realised. "That's why he doesn't have a plan! Because he doesn't know all the variables." Her mind whirred. "Of course! Then that means there's still hope. Genius though he may be, he cannot form a master plan without knowing everything."
Mocking though she may be, Cinder knew it was the truth. Jinn could not know the future as that might be changed, so she could not reveal a plan that had not yet, and might never, be made. As much as it may have seemed the wish was wasted, the discovery that there was no plan as of yet was a powerful one. It gave them an edge.
"I have the step up on him," she said. "He is lost and foundering, unable to bring his strategic might to bear. "But time is of the essence. If he discovers more, he might create a plan from which there is no escape."
Jinn brought one hand up to her mouth and chuckled. "Sure," she said, as though she were enjoying some secret joke. "Why not?"
The Relics. They had to gather the Relics. No amount of planning could get around that kind of brute force. "Jinn," she shouted. "I am ready for my second question."
"Ask, then," Jinn said, head raising over Cinder's shoulder again. "Ask and know that once this question is passed, no other may be asked for one hundred years. Make you question count, or you shall find that my Relic is useless, for you or the one you call master."
Cinder's eyes narrowed. She knew that already. What was the point of bringing it up? No matter. Some stupid foible or rule of the Relic designed for the ignorant. Cinder opened her mouth. "Where are-"
"Oh, Spirit of Knowledge," a voice behind her yelled, frantic and rushed. "Does Jaune think I'm hot?"
Cinder's heart stopped.
No.
Impossible.
"He does," Jinn, the Spirit of Knowledge, said with a sly smile. "He feels guilty about it, but he's been attracted to you since the first day he saw you. And yes, Yang, he notices whenever you strut your stuff. He only tries his hardest not to show it."
No.
No, no, no.
"Heh." A weak and painful laugh came from behind her. "I knew it. Hell yeah…"
Cinder turned, slowly and robotically, eyes wide and heart somehow still not beating. Behind her, slumped against the vault and just out of sight, behind where she would have stepped through the portal, a blonde girl lay slumped, one hand over her stomach.
No…
"Oops. Did I just ask the last question?"
"You did," Jinn confirmed. "There are no questions remaining this era."
No.
"No," Cinder said, word slipping from her mouth. "No, no, no…"
"Oh. My bad." The girl, the absolute bitch, grinned at her. "I always was… a bit of a loud mouth. Guess that means I fucked up your plans." She laughed. "And hey, I'm a blonde too. Guess we're just not lucky for you."
"No, no, no," Cinder repeated, eyes coming to life, burning with maiden light. Fire wreathed around her hands, tearing up over her skin up to her neck. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Not the same, and yet before her right then and there, it was Jaune who sat at the base of the rock, smiling cockily in her direction. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"
Her plans.
Salem's plans.
The Relic of Knowledge.
Ruined.
All ruined.
Cinder brought her hands up, summoning a great wave of fire above her head that burned like a second sun, melting rock above and around them as it hissed and bubbled, causing even her skin to char.
"Heh." The dead girl grinned, determined to go out with the last word. "I bet Jaune never thought you were sexy."
Cinder screamed, dragging her hands down.
"DIE!"
Yang's moment to shine. Literally, perhaps.
And thus, the Relic of Knowledge received what was perhaps its most `interesting` wish. Probably a nice change from being locked up in a cave for several hundred years.
Omake:
"Why are girls so hard to understand?"
"Hm?" Raven looked up briefly from her bed, where she was busy sharpening her sword with Summer's whetstone, which ahs had `borrowed without permission` from the hidden compartment in the chest under Summer's bed.
Really, her teammate was asking for it in trying to keep it hidden.
"What do you mean? Women are easy to understand. We eat, sleep and piss just like you do."
"It's Summer."
"Ah." Raven grimaced and tried to weigh the `pain in the ass` level of moving to avoid this conversation as compared to having to get up and move. In the end, Qrow was marginally less annoying than being forced to give up her comfy spot.
But only marginally.
"Why does she like Tai and not me?"
"I don't know."
"Ray, I'm serious."
"As am I. I do not see why anyone would find that bumbling idiot appealing." Raven hummed and tapped his chin. "Except in a purely physical sense. He does have a nice ass."
"Ray!"
"What? I'm sure your behind is adequate."
"Am I ugly, Ray?"
"Exceptionally."
"RAVEN!"
Sighing, she put the sword down. "What do you want from me, Qrow? We're siblings. To me, you'll always be the annoying brat that wouldn't stop crying when we were younger. Of course I don't think you're sexually attractive. That would be messed up." Knowing what this was really about, she cut straight to the point. "You want Summer."
"I like Summer."
"Don't go native on me here, Qrow. You want to bend her over and-"
"I want to date her!"
"Going native," Raven warned.
"Not being an asshole," he fired back. "I'm not after a quick fuck, Raven. I like her. Seriously."
Ugh. Well, at least with this, Raven could see a little more reason. Taiyang was annoying with his attempts to woo and impress her, and even if he was strong – something she grudgingly had to admit – he could still be a pain in the butt. Summer, on the other hand, put up with no shit. It was why Raven pushed so hard, because she could see a glimmer of herself in there whenever Summer would growl, clench her fists and look like, for a brief moment, she was actually considering murder as a viable solution to something she or Qrow had done to annoy her.
It would not be a bad thing to have Summer be a part of the tribe.
"Very well," Raven said. "I shall aid you in your endeavours to fu-"
"Woo."
"To too Summer." She grimaced at the word. Woo? Really? "Tell me what you have done so far, and I shall offer my advice. A woman's advice."
"Right. Well. I haven't done all that much so far. Just tried to talk to her more."
"Have you told her how you feel?"
"No…" Qrow looked at her. "You think I should?"
Raven stared back. It took her a good minute or two, but eventually her mind started working again. I take it back, she thought. Men and women are nothing alike. Clearly, something went wrong in the heads of men decades ago.
"Yes, Qrow. I think you should let her know that you want to – that you are interested in her. Otherwise, HOW WILL SHE KNOW!?"
"I was thinking I could make it more romantic by showing her. You know, make it clear through action? Actions speak louder than words."
"Hm." Not a bad idea, actually. She had always been more of an action person herself. "I suppose the method doesn't matter as long as you let her know in no uncertain terms. How else can she ask you to take her until she screams your name if she doesn't know you want to be between her-"
Qrow was bright red. "Raveeennnn!"
"Oh, for…" Her brother was an idiot. "Whatever, Qrow. The point is that if you are going to show her your feelings, it needs to be something which shows you are strong enough to provide for her."
"You think strength is the key?" he asked, suspicious. "I dunno…"
"Use your eyes, idiot. How does any animal in the wild secure a mate? They show off their capability to support them. And Summer is a huntress. Do you expect she will settle for some weak little cretin who cannot stand up to her? She would walk all over such a person! She needs someone strong. Someone who can fight alongside her."
Someone frankly better than Qrow, but hey ho, the tribe needed strong blood and Summer was just about awesome enough to be a part of it. Hm. Summer Branwen. It had a nice ring to it. Unlike Raven Xiao-Long. Who could ever imagine such a thing? Not her. No way.
Though Taiyang does have a nice butt…
No, no, no. She was getting distracted.
Like twin peaches.
"Look, I'm a woman. I know what I'm doing."
"Well, okay. I'll trust you."
/-/
On the other side of Beacon, minding her own business, Summer Rose shivered.
Why did she have the feeling someone had just walked over her grave?
Her eyes narrowed.
And why did she also have the feeling Raven was rummaging around in her stuff again?
"Raven…"
A cliff hanger in an omake? How cruel. Yeah, but only because even as I write this, I'm thinking `sheesh, this is going to go on for like 2-3k words. I can't write that and have any hope of finishing this on time`.
So yeah, a continuous omake of sorts.
Will Qrow-Kun be able to show Summer-chan his affections? Or will Raven-onee's advice not prove up to par?
Well… we all know how that part goes at least.
Next Chapter: 27th June (Two Weeks)
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur