Happy to announce that nothing crazy has happened today. At least yet. Maybe my week of insanity has come to an end. One can hope so. It only cost me a laptop and a day or two being sick.

Yay?


Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: Dishwasher1910

Book 9: Chapter 15


"The west wall! The west wall is down!"

The screams echoed through the tolling of the bells as I pushed through the mass of Labour Caste filling the streets. The Guild, along with almost every student in Beacon, fought alongside me, all of us struggling against the sheer mass of people.

"Stay calm!" Alchemist Oobleck bellowed. "Stay calm and make way. Clear the streets!"

It was no use. Someone crashed into and cut him off, while bodies hemmed in on me from every direction. I could have forced them back with my Strength, but they'd be thrown to the floor and crushed. The momentary hesitation cost me, and I toppled back, caught by Ren who propped me up against the horde.

"Get out the way!" Yang yelled. "We're trying to save your lives!"

"Run!"

"Grimm! Grimm!"

"The wall! The wall has fallen!"

I could just make out the wall over their heads – people fleeing off it and fighting on the ramps, trying to reach the ground and pull back into the streets before they were surrounded fully. It was causing a cascade effect as Grimm took the walls and then ran along them, forcing more and more of the defenders to give way. It was going to spread across every wall in the city if it continued. They couldn't be held. And with Ironwood dead, there was no use trying to hold them.

But if we could just reach the walls, we could help the Heroes retreat safely. If only these idiots would get out the way. "STOP!" I screamed, wading through the sea of bodies with my arms before me, forcing people left and right. "Stop panicking! You're going to get people killed!"

More and more civilians poured into us. The panic was spreading, forcing people out of homes that weren't even close to the west wall. There was no telling where they were even running to, just that it was away from the west wall.

A woman slammed into my front and tried to run through me. She resisted all efforts to be turned aside, wide eyes and mad, lashing out and screaming in my face. Several more hit the back of her and tried to claw through her. Weiss cried out as someone knocked her down and I lost sight of her under the sea of bodies. Blake cried her name in alarm and lashed out, knocking someone down and fighting her way through to save the fragile Mage.

The screams, pleas and cries for mercy intensified. Faces filled my vision – as though every single person in Vale was trying to fight me at once. Weiss wasn't the only one down. So many students, those of less sturdy Classes, had been bowled over. The frenzied mob didn't even realise. Or didn't care.

"STOP MOVING!"

The command erupted from somewhere behind me. I felt an immediate desire to do as asked but shrugged it off quickly, my Resilience taking hold with a pale flicker of blue eyes. Others weren't so fortunate – the woman in front of me suddenly going rigid and stiff, eyes still wide and rolling in her skull, but her body no longer under her control.

"Labour Caste!" the voice continued, still with that powerful, commanding, quality. "Step to the side and press yourselves against the walls. Make way for the Heroes. Heroes, continue as you were."

The command was granted to those of the Hero Caste and I could still feel the weight on my muscles. I didn't count as a Hero. Ignoring it, I managed to look back, where I saw Ozpin stood with his arms raised. The ocean parted before him, men, women and children stepping aside toward the walls, standing there like a crowd to a parade. It was like my first time in Vale, where the people had cheered the oncoming of new students to Beacon. Myself among them. There was no cheering now, only stunned and frightened silence.

Charisma. It was terrifying like that. At least this use of it is easier to swallow. And necessary.

Blake helped Weiss up. The Mage was bruised and bleeding from her lip, curled up on her side with both arms over her face. She was limping slightly, already unfit to fight on the front lines – and before even coming across a single Grimm. The panicked townsfolk had already damaged our combat potential.

No one was dead as far as I could see. Well, none of ours anyway. A few bodies further down the road hadn't moved and I just knew they were Labour Caste who had fallen or been knocked down, now crushed to death under the feet of their fellows. In the mad melee no one had noticed but now a few of the people – forced into an eerie state of calm – had and wore expressions of outright horror. In their fear, they'd become worse than animals.

"Students," Ozpin said. "Move on and secure the retreat. Do not join the fight. Those of the Labour Caste able to fight, stay. Those unable, make your way calmly down the sides of the street to the next refugee centre. Wait there peacefully until you are taken care of."

About half of the people began moving, walking in single file but now on the edges, allowing us a thoroughfare through the main road. Others were already running ahead while I shook off the last effects of Ozpin's Charisma and hurried over to Weiss and Blake.

"How is she?"

"Her ankle is injured," Blake said. "Twisted, pulled or torn. She isn't going to be fighting."

"Idiots," Weiss spat. "I can't believe them. They're worse than the Grimm. At least those kill only when they intend to!"

I cursed and looked around. Someone had to take her back to safety, but we were some of the highest-level people here and we needed everyone we could get. Ruby was missing, already knowing she'd be no use and delivering messages far more important to the other walls, sounding the retreat before they could be overwhelmed. Many of them wouldn't even know the west wall had fallen.

"Ellayne!"

My student flinched, half-running past me but coming to a stop. I grabbed her arm and hauled her to me, pushing Weiss into her hands.

"Get her back to Beacon and to a healer."

"What?" Ellayne held onto the Mage with one hand, the other wrapped so tightly around the hilt of her sword that I could see her fingers turning white. "But I want to fight. I can fight!"

"Weiss can't." I barked. "Someone has to get her to safety, and we're needed. Go. You can come back after." I saw that she was hesitating, looking for a way to respond. "Don't waste time! Every second is a life lost. Go!"

Ellayne snarled and pulled Weiss away with bitter tears in her eyes.

The rest of us rushed ahead, leaving Ozpin to organise the Labour Caste who could fight. They'd be using my forged weapons and perhaps doing so unwillingly, forced by Ozpin's Charisma. It was wrong, yet the whole situation was wrong. Now wasn't the time to get worked up over an ethical dilemma.

"Help the Heroes retreat!" Coco ordered, voice raising above the approaching melee. "No heroics. No last stands. We need every fighting hand we have if we're going to win this, so live!"

I roared my agreement, my battle cry mingling with a hundred others.

/-/

Crocea Mors sang a song of death. A sweep severed a furred and muscular arm, a step took me beyond, a thrust pierced the ribcage of a beast and I pushed it back with a shoulder, drawing the blade out of its falling body. I stepped over it with a furious cry, blood singing and heart pounding so loud it echoed in my ears.

Blake screamed beside me – an inarticulate howl of rage as she leapt up, dodged a claw and landed on the chest of a Beowolf, crossing her blades and tearing out its throat, using its body as a springboard as it fell back to leap up and somersault away, landing on the shoulders of a bull-like Grimm and drive a dagger down into its skull.

I understood her words, even if she didn't use them. Heat rushed through me – anger and joy and even lust, every emotion raw and in my face as adrenaline bubbled and surged through me. Blake was gorgeous, covered in blood and ripping the monsters to shreds. A primal part of me wanted nothing more than to stride toward her and capture her bloodstained lips with mine.

Instead, an Ursa approached, sweeping its giant paws and tossing Grimm asunder. A monster – an Ancient Grimm – one so dangerous that it had nearly killed Ruby and wiped our entire party in our first Dungeon so long ago. Back when I'd been Level fifteen or sixteen. A far cry from what I was now.

I matched its roar and waded toward it, flanked by two Heroes I didn't recognise. I didn't need to. Their sounds, wordless screams, communicated their intent immediately. Our eyes met – the briefest of nods. An understanding. I surged in and they went left and right, flanking as I brought my sword down in a two-handed swing, lashing out at the claws cutting down toward me. A shattering crack sounded as steel met bone. Bone gave way and flipped up.

The claws missed me, paw striking down into stone. I stepped onto it and stabbed down, pinning it in place as the Heroes closed in – one spearing a lance into the monster's ankle to bring it to one knee and the other leaping up the other side, using a sword so much larger than my own to cleave off an arm at the shoulder.

A burning ball of fire rushed over our heads and struck the thing in the chest, exploding with heat that washed over me. The monster toppled back, fur on fire and blood oozing from a grievous wound. It crashed down, killing a score or more of lesser Grimm. A victorious roar came over every Hero there, echoed by me and continued by Blake.

This. This was what we lived for. Not the controlling of Labour Caste. Not the hunting of cabals or the maintaining of peace and order. Nor the smithing I'd been locked to for so long. The thrill of bloody combat had returned, and I bathed in it, like I had with my first kill so long ago – when even back then I'd been horrified at the remorse I didn't feel.

A horn came from behind, sounding reinforcements. Fresh bodies joined the melee and we were called back. My hand was still wrapped tightly around the hilt of my weapon and my heart was pounding. I felt strong enough to keep fighting but forced myself to step away. It looked like Nora wouldn't, so I reached out and gripped her shoulder.

Frenzied eyes met mine, so maddened that I thought for a moment she might attack me.

And then Ren spoke. "Nora. It's time to fall back."

The Barbarian blinked. The glow in her eyes faded and she shook her head, splattering my chest with droplets of blood that had made her more redhead than ginger. "R-Right," she said, laughing briefly. "Whoah. That was a rush. Sorry, Jaunie."

"Nothing to apologise for," I said, stepping back along with her and Ren, nodding to the Heroes who pushed in to take their spot – rested and recovered. I saw Taiyang among them. He shot me the briefest nod, but his eyes sought out Yang, his relief palpable as he smiled and rushed into the fray, fists ablaze with fire and ice for each.

The walls were abandoned now, and we'd fallen back to the streets, using the buildings as natural barriers to funnel them into narrow chokepoints. I'd never realised it before but the sides of the houses – those facing the walls – were almost universally bare, lacking doorways and with windows only on the upper floors. The Grimm couldn't get through them easily.

The streets themselves were wide enough that it took twenty people shoulder to shoulder to block them – but that wouldn't have left room to swing a weapon. Instead, Heroes fought in a looser formation ahead of a Soldier Caste spear wall and a Labour Caste militia one behind it. A few Grimm made it through, but few enough in number that the Soldiers could deal with them.

The militia looked shaken but steady. This was their first taste of real combat, armed with the spears I'd forged them and clad in light armour. I doubted any Grimm had made it through to them but seeing how everyone else fought would teach them a thing or two. Or at the very least buoy their confidence. Some of them were shouting along with the Heroes, yelling out support and cheering as Grimm died by the hundreds.

"Heroes coming through," a high-ranking officer said, "Make way."

The spear wall stabbed the butts of their weapons down and several of them stepped back and aside. They didn't open entirely, rather make narrow channels that I and the others could squeeze sideways through. They closed behind us just as quickly, forming a barrier against the Grimm once more. The very moment we were through, the less disciplined militia was patting our shoulders and yelling things at us, excited and frightened but taking comfort in our strength.

Honestly, I couldn't tell what they were saying. With the adrenaline fading my own heartbeat was the loudest thing in the world and I could finally feel all the little aches and pains I'd ignored in the fight. I smiled and nodded back anyway, laughing and clapping arms and shoulders to offer what support I could. Ozpin was gone now, which meant every person here was here because they were ready to fight and die to protect their city and families. Men, women and even some teenagers among them. They deserved all the respect I could give.

"The houses have all been evacuated now," Yang said, with a bit of a sneer in her voice. "Those that didn't evacuate themselves and nearly start a riot anyway. According to the brass, we'll be pulling back and giving ground."

"Any idea why?" Pyrrha asked.

"To let Salem in," I said.

"What?"

"It's what Ironwood was talking about before he died. He said that we can't get a proper attack on Salem because of the distance – but once she's within the city, we'll have a better chance of getting close."

"Assuming she enters. She might just orchestrate things from out there."

I hoped not. We were banking on her theatrical nature not letting her be a distant bystander. She'd always liked rubbing our faces in it before. Seeing hope fade as a person died. "This is her final battle to wipe us out. I think she'll want to do it with her own hands."

Ruby appeared in a blur of red, panting lightly. She hurried to hand a rolled-up message to someone in charge of the Soldiers, then came over to us. Yang swept her up into a hug.

"Yang, I'm fine."

"What's happening in the city?" I asked, knowing Ruby would have the best idea. "How are the walls?"

"West wall has completely fallen," she said. "The north and south are being evacuated but there aren't any breaches yet. It's more fear of the Grimm spreading from the west. The east wall is fine and being held."

The east wall was Beacon's wall, and since that connected to its own inner wall rather than the city's, the Grimm from the main wall wouldn't be able to reach it. They'd have to breach the gatehouses connecting the two walls, and those wouldn't fall easily. That left us one safe spot in the city. Would the civilians be evacuated there? Maybe if things got worse.

"Anything else?"

"Vacuo is fighting in the north streets. Sun was okay, last I saw. The Soldiers have figured out they're stronger than them even if they're Labour Caste and aren't trying to hold them back anymore. South is okay." She shrugged. "Less Grimm at the moment, but there'll be more when they finally get over the wall. A lot of them are throwing themselves off and dying."

Mindless Grimm. They'd scaled the walls by flat-out forming living siege ramps to reach the top, but there was no such ramp on the inside. Some of them made their way down the ramps we'd constructed, but far more just took the straightest path to prey – walking off the edge. While some survived the falls, not all did, and since the dead dissolved, there was no cushion of bodies for them.

"That's a small mercy," Ren said. "For how long it will last."

"Not long," Ruby said. "There are four more breaches in the west wall now and the Constructs are gone. It's not bad here, but the fighting is worse further along."

Shit. That must be where Ozpin had gone off to with the teachers. Without the numbers being thinned by the walls, the Grimm would be pouring through much like the Labour Caste earlier, using their weight of numbers to push through the defenders even if they were individually weaker.

"Do they need us?"

"No. They want us back at Beacon."

"What?" Yang said. "Why?"

"They're going to start evacuating the weaker civilians – those that can't fight. Ozpin thinks Salem will try something if she realises what's going on."

Evacuations already? We'd only just lost the walls. I bit my lip and looked back, then sighed. Maybe they just wanted the weak and elderly out the way to avoid another issue like before. The others were already moving so I threw my thoughts aside and chased after them.

/-/

Mages knelt in lines forming squares on either side of the spot the portal was to be opened in. Weiss was among them, as were others that I recognised – and Glynda Goodwitch in command. Ironwood's absence was noticeable, and I gritted my teeth together. The metallic tree nearby and branching above stood as his tomb. His and so many other Mages and Sentinels. The loss was obvious – both in terms of us having less spellfire to clear the streets, and how many first year Mages were in the portal array.

Weiss hadn't learned it until our second year, and these were obviously nervous. Glynda was explaining it to them at that moment, covering topics like flow, tension and mana stability. Things I'd never heard of and couldn't understand.

The courtyard nearby was packed full of people. All of them were elderly for now. The young and the infirm were outside Beacon's walls shouting angrily, with mothers wailing and children screaming in fear. They were in no danger; the Grimm being kept so far away that they couldn't even see them. There was no denying the panic. The wall had fallen, and the Grimm were within the city. Something that had never happened to these people before.

We stood atop the walls of Beacon, looking down on what had to be five or six thousand people clustered together. Despite being told to bring nothing but themselves, some had belongings and cases with them. Human selfishness would forever be a thing.

"If Salem realises what's going on it's going to be a massacre," Yang said. "There isn't room down there to swing a cat, let alone fight Grimm."

"That's why they didn't open the portal in advance," Ruby said. "They're afraid she'll notice. It's going to happen quick. Open it up, push them through and be done with it."

"Where does the portal go? Atlas?"

"Too far." Blake said. "Maybe the Archmage could have opened one that far with his finest Mages, but with them gone, we're working with students. It'll probably reach Kingsport. They can take the ships there and sail out to Atlas."

Hopefully Salem wouldn't have Grimm there or in the ocean. No Heroes would be going with them. They were much too needed. That would leave everyone here on their own but for a small contingent of Soldier Caste to man the ships. If Grimm attacked on the open waters, they were very much dead. Which isn't much difference from what's going to happen here. With any luck, Salem will be drawing all the Grimm to Vale and they'll ignore these people.

Though if Vale fell it wouldn't matter. She'd make for a defenceless Atlas after, then swoop round and destroy Mistral's smaller army. It was now or never and all we were really doing was getting the civilians out our way. It sounded cruel.

But not nearly as cruel as doing the old first because if Salem did notice and send Grimm here, it was better the elderly die than the children. I had to wonder how many people had figured that out. Judging from the tension in those beside me, the rest of the Guild wasn't ignorant of the fact. Someone had to be first, though. Someone had to test the waters.

And those strong enough to fight were being asked to do so in the defence of Remnant.

"Once the portal is open, we shall move quickly," Glynda said, voice reaching out over the murmurs of the crowd and to our ears. "There is no telling if she can sense the magical energy or react to it. Civilians will be moved through swiftly – and you are to keep moving on the other side. Do not stop to stare or gawk. Do so and you shall risk the lives of everyone behind. Move and spread out."

"Those of you holding the array will need to ration your reserves appropriately. If a few people run out that won't invalidate the portal, but enough do so and it will snap shut." Glynda didn't say what would happen to those in the portal at that time. I couldn't imagine it would be pretty. "Concentrate only on maintaining a steady flow while I direct the energies. Should the Grimm attack, trust in your comrades to defend you. Do not stand and fight. Do not panic."

How terrifying would that be? To just sit there with your eyes shut and hope you weren't killed. My hand fell to my weapon. It'd be up to us to keep them safe.

"Coco," Glynda said. "You and your team shall enter the portal first. Ensure the area is clear as quickly as possible. Every second is paramount."

"Got it. We'll shout the all-clear within seconds, I swear."

Glynda nodded and stepped back. A silence descended over Beacon. Under the shade of the Ironwood tree, the Warlock raised her hands. Her eye glowed green and light flickered in the empty space before Coco and her small team.

I looked out toward Salem, holding my breath. No reaction yet. Nothing out the ordinary.

The portal blurred to life and showed an empty street. It must have been Kingsport. Coco ran through without being told, taking her people with her. I counted in my head. One, two, three, four, five-

"All clear!" Coco yelled, running back through. "Go, go, go!"

The people piled forward. It was an orderly mass at first but quickly descended into chaos that not even the Soldiers with them could get under control, and Glynda was too busy maintaining the portal to step in. Did they not realise her concentration determined whether they lived or died? How stupid were they?

Very, apparently. I could see one couple dragging a case behind them, blocking the path for others as they tried to save some important belongings.

A monstrous roar in the distant tore my eyes away, and Crocea Mors from its sheathe. I held my breath. The combat out in the streets was still raging. The walls teemed with black shapes, many of which fell to their deaths. My heart beat hard and fast as I waited for some huge monster to rise up over the walls on mighty wings.

Nothing. There was nothing.

I glanced back. About half the people were through now and no reaction from Salem. Maybe she didn't care. Maybe this only helped her – less people to deal with. Maybe she didn't realise or couldn't react in time. Either way, it looked like we were going to get away with it.

"Spread out!" Coco yelled through the portal, over the heads of others teeming in. "I can see you people just standing there. You're blocking others. Move your asses!" I couldn't see what was happening, but she unstrung and drew her bow. "Move or I'll move you! Yeah, that's better."

Still no Nevermore. No dragon. No delivery of Fleshborers.

"That's the last of them," Coco said to Glynda. "Do you want the rest now?"

"No." Glynda closed the portal once she saw the courtyard was empty. Many of the students lurched forward to catch their breath. "We will take an hour to recover," she called out, "and to get the rest in here in an organised manner. If we push them through now the ones on the other side will only get in their way."

An hour? It was a long time, but I could see the Mages needed it. They weren't professional Heroes. The professionals were out there fighting, or already dead. I leant back against the battlements, fingers tapping atop the stone, at least until I noticed Pyrrha tense beside me and realised it was driving her insane. I immediately missed the little distraction. Others were checking their weapons and armour or stretching muscles. Outside, the Labour Caste were being told the good news of the elderly's escape and their being next. The begging and screaming came to a stop, and they calmed down once they were inside the walls.

"Funny how it relaxes them despite the fact the walls of Vale fell," Blake said. "Salem has already shown walls mean nothing."

"Please don't say that too loud. We don't want them going crazy again."

"I'm not an idiot." The Assassin looked relaxed, but I knew better. The way her eyes darted left and right and how she kept drawing and sheathing her daggers, seemingly without realising it, spoke volumes. "The lines are falling back again. Giving more ground. Salem is approaching the walls."

"You can see that far?"

I wasn't the only one interested. Ruby, Yang and Pyrrha turned to listen and look out over the city. I couldn't make out the detail myself.

"My eyesight is good. I can't see her but I her carriage Grimm stands out. I'm not sure it will fit between the holes in the wall, though. She might dismount." She sighed. "I can't tell if that's a good or bad thing. She'll be harder to find."

"Let's assume good," Pyrrha said. "I doubt she made the thing that way solely for convenience. It probably had a way of protecting her. Without it, she'll be vulnerable."

"Maybe more vulnerable…" Ruby whispered. "But still the most powerful being on Remnant."

"That's still better than nothing. Everything has a weakness."

Salem was a mage-based Class. Or so she'd shown. The usual weakness with mages was that they could run out of energy quickly and lacked the same Constitution melee Classes had. I doubted the latter held true for her since she'd been fast enough to beat Raven and strong enough to dig through my breastplate with just her finger.

I gripped the stone before me and took a deep breath, watching as the mass of Grimm outside the wall that denoted her presence came ever closer. It didn't seem like she cared to interfere with the evacuation. Her focus was solely on the battle itself. Soon, we'd have the chance to get close to her; to attack her directly.

And to be attacked by her in kind…

"She exists in our world now," Blake said. "She's bound by our rules. If you hit her, she'll bleed."

Her hand stroked the handle of one of her daggers and I knew she was thinking about her own chances of that. Assassins had ever been the bane of Mages. I touched my hand to her wrist and shook my head quickly. "There are stronger Assassins than you out there. Let them have a go first."

"Of course. I wasn't suggesting otherwise."

I sent her my best `I know you were` look and let go. To be fair, we were all thinking it. I longed for the chance to strike at her despite the fear I felt, and Ruby was no doubt considering how her own speed could close the distance. In the close quarters of house to house fighting, Salem would be vulnerable. More so than she'd ever been before. Even with her Grimm, she only had two eyes. Two eyes and one life to lose.

This was our chance. Our only chance.

Less than an hour later, the second round of portals were called and opened. Coco went through again, called the all-clear and noted that ships had been taken out to sea. The infirm and the young were sent through, some crying for parents that wouldn't be going with them.

Again, we watched the horde and waited. Again, Salem made no effort to stop us.

"Maybe she doesn't have the power," Ruby said. "She knocked three more holes in the walls and Jaune said she only ever attacked the CCT three times. Maybe that's her limit."

"Or the limit of what she's comfortable expending," Ren said. "I'm sure she's keeping some power to herself in case anyone gets close."

"Ruby might be right, though," Nora said. "I mean, what's the point from her side? If she wins here, she can kill all those people at her leisure. Might as well use the energy it would take on the people who can fight back. It can't be cheap sending Grimm into Beacon like she did with the CCT."

I almost pointed out that hadn't been cheap on us either. Hundreds of Mages dead and the Archmage with them. I knew it wasn't what she meant. It had to cost Salem something to make all those Grimm, and they'd been specially designed to take over from the Mages and control the Constructs. That couldn't be an accident. They'd been designed that way. The Fleshborers, too.

Did it cost her more to custom make Grimm? Was there a finite pool of material for her to work with? The fact she took two months to gather the army suggested so. Maybe we'd taxed her hard enough that she couldn't risk more for harmless civilians.

"Miss Rose." Ozpin stepped out onto the wall, pushing through students before they realised it was him and made room. His robes were clean of blood but not soot and ash. He looked fatigued but still regal in his own way. "Miss Rose, I have need of you."

"Oh." Ruby stepped away from us with a sad little sigh. "Okay. More messages?"

"Not this time, no. Something far more important." Ozpin looked to me. "And you, Mr Arc, I shall require as well."

"Leave the walls?" I asked.

"It should be fine." The Sage looked out over the city. "It doesn't seem Salem is going to react. And if she does, two less people won't be a loss. Come. This is just as – no. This is far more important."

"Sir-" Yang tried to step in.

"Miss Xiao-Long, it is not my intent to keep anything secret from you. Once I explain the situation to Miss Rose, she may tell you all as she wishes. But right now, Glynda needs you to defend her. Please entrust me with your sister and guildmate. They shall return to you within the hour."

Yang, thoroughly cowed, stepped back and closed her mouth. No one else saw fit to comment so with a worried look to Ruby, which she returned with a nervous shrug, I followed Ozpin, Ruby in tow. The others parted ways for us, and he brought us along the wall and down the staircase, then into the main school building. The grand hall that was normally so busy stood empty, the towering pillars silent and lonely. Out footsteps clacked across the marble floors as Ozpin led us not up toward his office, but down. Down toward where I knew the school's vault to lay.

I didn't dare speak. Something about Ozpin's sharp words to Yang told me this was serious. Desperate, even. Ruby had sensed it as much as I for she kept looking to me like she wanted me to take that first step. In the end, Ozpin did it for us.

"James and I were working together before his death." He breathed out sharply, voice tinged with grief he couldn't afford to show. "While he spent every day in the CCT conducting the Mages of Atlas, he spent most nights with me, discussing our options. Neither of us slept much. Two hours here, an hour there. The candles in my office burned low and had to be replaced many times a night."

"About the battle?"

"About Salem. About Remnant and its fate. You both know what is at stake. We do not fight for Vale, but for Remnant as a whole. Should Salem defeat us here, nothing would stop her sweeping aside the other Kingdoms. We have the best of Vale, Vacuo and Atlas at our side."

Only Mistral remained, and the Kingdom was weak after their war with us. Salem could take however long she needed to gather her forces before marching on them. They wouldn't stand a chance.

"We had been looking for a way to defeat her, naturally. Ironwood already told you our intent to draw her into the city where we might strike at her."

"He was trying to develop a spell powerful enough to kill her."

"Yes. That hope is gone now. The strongest Mages are dead. We're left with Vale Mages – far weaker than our Atlas counterparts – and students. We will still try but developing new spells has ever been the speciality of Atlas."

"We'll have to do it the old-fashioned way," Ruby said. "Cut her head off."

Ozpin chuckled. "Yes. Yes, we shall. Many will be trying that in the coming days. I expect our losses will be greater now that she can take part in the fighting herself. Even if she shows no interest in doing so, we simply must attack her. We have no choice but to cut this off at the head."

"And if we do?"

"If we do, then we will abandon the city," Ozpin said frankly. "We could portal or break out and leave Vale to the Grimm. Homes would be destroyed, but they would dissipate in search of prey. We could pick them off and reclaim the city in a few months. It would be a loss but not an unacceptable one, and Remnant itself would be preserved."

It sounded good. We didn't even have to clear the Grimm out. They didn't want to take the city after all and wouldn't stay in it if we were gone. That was assuming they didn't just cease to be when she died. Salem created them. Maybe her death would uncreate them.

"Killing her will prove difficult, however. You yourselves have witnessed her speed and strength, to say nothing of the Skills she will have gained. Raven was already an impossible foe. She will be far worse."

"You're not inspiring confidence…"

"Would I be able to? You have experienced her power. What could I say that would make you feel better about our chances?" Our silence told him all he needed to know. "James and I ran through many options, however. Some more palatable than others. All carried risk, especially to those who might be asked to undertake them. But it has ever been a Hero's lot in life to risk their lives – and to give it – in protection of those weaker than them. Ours is to fight and die for honour, duty or perhaps just for those we love. The reasons differ from person to person."

Something about his words disturbed me. Duty reminded me of Tyrian Callows. Honour of Cinder Fall. Love of Qrow, or perhaps of Summer Rose. All Heroes who had fallen and died, cast away in their own manners to better serve the Kingdoms. Some had done so willingly while others were abandoned, but all shared one similarity. Their efforts had cost them their lives. I didn't like how Ozpin was leading us in with that.

"We do what we must. We all do. For even the smallest chance of defeating Salem, we accept the greatest of risks. That is what defines us as Heroes." He looked to me. "Not our Class as many would have you think, but the decisions we make. A Farmer who picks up a hoe to defend his family is a Hero. A Blacksmith who chooses to fight alongside those stronger than him is a Hero."

Ozpin stood before the vault and held out his hand. Lights flashed and the great doors opened, letting out cool air that washed over us both. Ruby's hair fluttered back as she looked ahead, eyes growing wide at what stood inside.

"And a Hero," Ozpin said, "Requires a weapon."

My stomach dropped.

Inside the vault and upon a pedestal stood a shimmering weapon.

A scythe.


Dum-Dum-Dummmm!

Or rather:

"No!"

"But-"

"No!" Jaune snapped. "You can't do this. I mean, I haven't banged her yet!"

"EH!?" Ruby shrieked, cheeks red. "W-What-?"

"I haven't banged Ruby yet," Jaune said reasonably. "Therefore, she can't go off and get killed. We at least need a brief romance scene followed by hot and steamy sex in the ruins of a city. It's how these things go."

"Mr Arc, I don't think-"

"N-No. I think he's right." Ruby couldn't quite meet anyone's eyes as she held a hand out to stop the headmaster. "M-Maybe Jaune is onto something here. You know, like a ritual or morale. Or… um…" Her cheeks flared. "Or something…"

Ozpin looked between them and sighed.

"I'll give you thirty minutes."


Next Chapter: 7th October

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