Jaune cuts down a few Grimm, tearing towards the second and third walls. Most people are gone, the few remaining defenders falling back further into Ansel. He looks for survivors, helping those he can.
He doesn't know how long he's fighting. An hour? Two hours? It couldn't have been more than that, right? Aching muscles begged him to slow down and rest, but he forces himself to keep moving.
If he were to look at himself in a mirror, he wouldn't recognize himself. Blood of those he couldn't reach in time covers him. Dirt and mud from being tossed around. Ash from trying to put out a few of the fires.
A Griffin crashes in front of him with a shriek, knocking Jaune backwards. On instinct he swings his wooden sword. If he were thinking clearly, he would have used Enhancement to increase its durability. Unfortunately, a lack of experience means he acts before he thinks. The wooden blade shatters from Jaune's immense strength, only annoying the Grimm.
His failure is taken advantage of by the beast, who slashes the boy across the chest. He rolls away, ignoring the burning of his chest. The Griffin rears onto its hind legs and screeches, a vain attempt of intimidation.
Jaune scowled and raised his hands in front of him. He'd lost his sword, but that was alright. He calls on his semblances to aid him. The course through his body, eager to be used.
He activates the first semblance he ever got, Leap, one that allowed him to jump far beyond what an average human could. When he'd first gotten it, it made him jump as a high as a Huntsman. Now though? He had increased his maximum height and his control.
He leaps forward, slamming his shoulder against the griffin. The force pushes the monster back, until it digs its feet into the ground. With Jaune right in front of it, the griffin eagerly lurches forward to swallow him. A mistake.
Jaune catches the Grimm's beak and forces it apart. His frustration makes him more violent than efficient. Instead of killing it quickly, he slowly spreads the creature's jaws apart until he hears a snap.
The noise returns him to his senses, and he continues his search. He comes across various Grimm. An Ursa that he used all of his strength increasing semblances to punch through. A Beowolf that he stomped on to break its neck. Everything becomes a blur the longer he fights. Feathers suddenly shoot from the sky, Danger Sense the only warning he had for the incoming strike.
He jumped away from the projectiles, scowling at his new opponent. The Nevermore seems to recognize him as a threat and is keeping its distance. A futile effort, as Jaune can still reach it.
Utilizing Leap to its fullest potential, Jaune rockets off the ground. The Nevermore can't even try to dodge; it doesn't have a chance because of how fast he moved. He grabs hold if the bird as it bucks and screeches.
"Stay still," Jaune growled. "It'll make this faster."
He slams his fist into the big bird's wing, earning a pained shriek. The Nevermore crashes to the ground, flapping pointlessly. Jaune is thrown off by the beasts jerking and thrashing around.
Jaune rolls away from the Nevermore, and into a nearby Beowolf. He growls in frustration and throws the surprised mutt as hard as he can. A grin shortly crosses his lips as he sees it go flying toward the skyline.
He's unable to revel in the satisfaction, the Nevermore bending forward and swallowing him. Inside its beak, he struggles against its strength. His eyes widen as he realizes he's tired. With a burst of adrenaline-fueled strength, he claws his way through the Nevermore's beak. It drops dead, leaving him panting in its fading corpse.
Jaune eventually staggers to his feet, shakily walking away. The semblance he used regularly had begun to give out from overuse. To keep on fighting, he needed to use semblances he didn't have experience with. Arrogance had made him believe that he was invincible while using his semblances, but he was quickly learning that wasn't true.
Jaune arrives at the final wall. His heart clenches at the sight of the rubble. For all the people he met on the way here, his father wasn't one of them. He has to be here. Otherwise, Jaune will have to return to the bunker. That's the only other place he can be. He makes his way into the rubble.
He freezes in place, upon seeing a body amongst the chaos. It's obviously his father. He's unmoving, a pool of blood around him. Jaune darts forward and grasps his father. He has no signs of life.
"Dad!" he shook his father to no avail.
Checking for a pulse reveals nothing. His father was dead. Limp and broken by the Grimm. Jaune knew it but didn't want to accept losing the man he respected above anyone else.
"Please, give me the power to bring him back!" Jaune cried.
His power doesn't respond. Nothing but his other semblances shifting awkwardly. He pleads and pleads but nothing happens. The wish he wanted more than any other wasn't being granted.
"Why isn't it working?" he muttered, voice cracking. "BRING HIM BACK!"
He rocks back and forth, holding his father's limp body and praying for his power to work. No matter how desperately he wishes for it, nothing happens.
Sensing his despair, a Deathstalker approaches him, followed by a Beowolf. Goliaths, Nevermore's, countless Grimm he can't even recognize march towards him.
White hot rage, boiling and bubbling in his blood is all he feels when he sees it. He hates it, he hates the Grimm, and he's absolutely furious at his power not working.
Taking Crocea Mors from his father's hand, Jaune lets his anger manifest. His soul darkens, all the offensive semblances inside his soul rising to the surface despite his fatigue.
Activating his semblance catches the attention of all the Grimm, hundreds of eyes turning towards him when he prepares to attack. In his rage, he doesn't even consider holding back. With a swing of his blade at the sea of Grimm, pure annihilation explodes forward in a flash of inhumane power from the blade.
In a single moment, everything is decimated. Jaune laughs in satisfaction. Finally, they're all dead. He'd avenged his father and everyone else they'd killed.
Laughter growing, Jaune's voice catches in his throat when he turns to the village. What was left was now gone. What happened? Had it been-? No, Jaune wouldn't-? He hadn't meant to-!
"No, no, no," Jaune staggered towards into the town. The attack was only supposed to kill the Grimm, not destroy everything else. He hadn't meant for this! How many people had been caught in his attack?
Breathing rapidly, Jaune makes his way through the wreckage of the attack. Surely the bunker would still be intact. He couldn't have broken it. Each step causes his vision to blur, his legs shaking from exhaustion. He collapses to his knees when he reaches the bunker.
It's gone. All gone because of him. Glass turned to dust, wood and stone turned to powder. Nothing remains to show that a village had once been here.
He hadn't meant for this to happen. Jaune collapses to his knees, his vision fading in and out of focus. How was he going to explain to Saffron? To everyone? He couldn't accept this. Surely this was a mistake, a misunderstanding. Killing his family was something he'd never do!
Jaune's chest tightens, his breathing turning ragged. Leaning forward, he grasps at the ground. Thoughts race through his mind, a constant unending stream of words and flashes that he can't comprehend.
'I don't want to be here.' He thinks to himself.
His desire is granted as he loses consciousness, exhaustion finally overtaking him. The air shifts and distorts in response to his anguish, removing him from the source of his despair. The last thing Jaune sees as his vision goes black is a sea of sand approaching.
Random voices speak, mumbling and merging as Ruby wakes with a gasp. Her eyes snap open, quickly forced to shut again by the light from the hallway. Rolling around a bit reveals she's in a bed. After a few moments of letting her eyes adjust, Ruby recognizes where she is as the hospital. The voices she was hearing were coming from the television and patients.
"Yang?" she called in a raspy voice, trying, and failing to sit up. "Dad?"
"Ruby?" Yang sat in a chair in the corner of the room. Upon waking up fully, and realizing Ruby was awake, she immediately rushed to her sister's side. "I'm sorry for not keeping you safe!" Yang began to cry as she hugged her.
"What?" Ruby asked in confusion, beginning to pick up on more of her surroundings. There were people rushing back and forth in the hallways, people speaking and crying. And why was Yang apologizing? She didn't do anything. "Yang, what happened?"
Yang sniffled and wiped her nose. "Don't you remember?"
Ruby couldn't remember anything past seeing Yang in danger. Well, her eyes had started to sting, but nothing other than that.
"I don't remember anything past the Grimm. Where's Dad?" Ruby asked. "I thought he'd be here."
"He went to talk to some old guy," Yang said. "Dad was really mad with him. They were arguing about something."
"Really?" That was hard for Ruby to imagine. Her dad wasn't a confrontational person, preferring to calmly work out any problems he had and outsmart people he got into arguments with. It was part of him trying to be a "cool" parent.
"Yeah, I've never seen him so angry before," Yang shuddered. "I thought he was going to start yelling."
Someone starts wailing from another room, making Yang wince. She hugs Ruby again. "I was so worried…"
Another wail cuts her off, this time from a different person. Ruby can't see who it is, but the despair they're feeling is tangible.
"Even more," Yang muttered sadly.
"More of what? Why am I in the hospital?" Ruby asked again in frustration.
Yang was quiet for a moment. Silently, she walked over to where she had been sitting and fumbled the remote. The television flickers on, bathing the dark room with a dim light.
"-The Huntsman Academies still haven't put out an official statement about the response to the sudden Grimm migrations. People across Remnant have lost their homes and families to stampedes of Grimm, and current reports say that Huntsmen are being sent out to remove any Grimm remaining in populated areas. Atlas is sending their forces to help clear out the Grimm, but-"
Ruby forces herself to look away, eyes beginning to tear up. What was the point of so much death? There wasn't one that she could comprehend.
"People all over the world were affected by the Grimm," Yang said. "It's thought to be the biggest Grimm migration in history."
"Do they know where the Grimm were headed?" Ruby asked.
"There hasn't been an exact answer yet," Yang said. "Just Northern Mistral. There was a cool video earlier, though. It was showed by every news station."
Yang pulled up the video on her scroll. After it finishes loading, she eagerly hands it to Ruby. It opens on a battlefield, dozens of Grimm already dead. In the distance, a blonde-haired boy is seen darting around and killing the monsters.
"Are you seeing this?!" A voice asked. "That kid just killed all of the Grimm!"
"He doesn't even look like he's trying," Another voice said in awe. "It's incredible. Could you make out who he was?"
The video cuts away a few seconds later. Ruby replays the video. Again. And again. And again. Eyes glued to the screen, watching in awe at the display of power. A real hero.
That power was that of a Huntsman. A modern tale that would become a legend. Ruby had to wonder, how old was he? The boy couldn't have been much older than Yang. Of course, the perspective of the video meant it was impossible to tell his height, but he didn't look much taller than Yang.
That power and skill; could Ruby be like that? He was around her age, so she must be able to. Ruby vows to herself to reach that level as she repeatedly watches the video. She would be a hero who saved people, just like her mother.
Salem stands alone in her tower. A normal day, plotting and waiting to gather the maidens and relics. In the back of her mind, a sudden migration of Grimm gives her pause.
Grimm moving on their own wasn't uncommon. In fact, it happened all the time. She couldn't micromanage every one of them all the time. But this many at once? Something had to be happening.
In annoyance, she tries to connect with the horde to see what's caught their attention. To her surprise, it doesn't work. All subsequent attempts fail as well. In mild panic, she calls the subordinate that would be best for reconnaissance.
"Watts! Come to me at once!" Salem ordered through her Seer Grimm.
A few minutes pass before Watts arrives. He enters the room with his usual swagger. "Yes?"
"Is anything big happening?" Salem asked.
"Not that I'm aware of," Watts pulled out a scroll. "Let me check-. Oh."
"What is it?"
"I suppose this wasn't planned?" Watts said. "There are reports from all over Remnant of Grimm migrating in the direction of Northern Mistral."
"What?" she looked at the scroll. Salem wasn't proficient with modern technology, but even she could use a scroll. The screen shows Grimm all over Remnant moving for a fixed location. One she couldn't discern.
What had caused this? She'd been in complete control of the Grimm for millennia, the only other one who could-
No. No, they couldn't be back. They weren't supposed to come back unless the relics were brought together! Ozma wouldn't have done that, even if he had the Maidens.
"Well, this is interesting," Watts muttered to himself. "Atlas has found where the Grimm are headed. They even have footage."
"Show me!" Salem hissed.
Watts hastily hands her the scroll. One the screen, a blonde boy swings his sword recklessly, and the screen goes black for a moment. When sight returns, the entire village he was in is gone.
Salem staggers away, reeling at the display of power. That type of strength hadn't been seen since the Gods were on Remnant. The boy shouldn't have that power. The last display of destruction similar to the boys was that of the Relic of Destruction.
Breathing becomes difficult for the self-proclaimed Queen as she tries to think of what to do. The Grimm not obeying her and a boy with an inhumane strength similar to, if not surpassing the warriors of her age, and was similar to the Relic of Destruction.
It was a warning that the gods have returned. Salem calms herself and thinks. No matter the reason, the boy was given power of the Gods. He needed to be taken care of.
The Grimm begin to obey her call again. Perfect, she'd need an army. Perhaps she could sway the boy to her side, so sending an envoy was necessary. If she couldn't sway him to her side, then she'd only need to keep the boy away from her. The Gods wouldn't grant him immortality, so she just needed to outlast him.
All humans died eventually, after all. For her, it was just a waiting game.
Thanks for Reading! Any advice about anything will be greatly appreciated. If a plot point doesn't make sense to you, please review and let me know. I'd be more than happy to explain it (unless I have plans for it), or to rewrite it so it makes more sense.
Big F for Jaune's attempt at being a hero and getting revenge. He's not going to be happy with himself when he wakes up. I can finally start Ruby's development now that she's getting to the age I think training starts in the show.
Now, an important question for the direction Jaune's story will take. Do you think he'd go lone wolf in Vacuo until Beacon or do you think he'd be interested in helping inspire people as a hero in Mantle/Atlas? I'm leaning towards the Atlas option (because I think a version of Winter's outfit on Jaune would look sick) but I can think of some stuff to do and have him stay in Atlas. Either way, Ironwood and Ozpin are going to be looking for him.
As for a daily question: What was the level of technology during the Great War? We know mechashift existed back then due to Jaune's weapon, but not much else. So, I'd like to know how far people think the technology was during this time.
Now, time to respond to reviews!
sakuralove light - I'm glad you liked the first chapter and hope the rest are up to your standards.
Not comfy making - Jaune doesn't have reality manipulation, it was just me trying to capture how the gods speak. Jaune can wish for semblances, so while broken, its not as broken as that.
Chuck B. Winanaki - Jaune can't shape reality, that was just me trying to be dramatic. What he can do is wish for "semblances." They're more like superpowers since they don't use aura, but they use his own energy if that makes sense. When I said it was more than aura, I was referring to how it's a power given directly by the Gods. Since it was given by the gods, I assumed that that would be even greater than magic and aura. Ruby, like Jaune has to learn how to use her powers. She'll understand them more as she masters them. Taiyang sure doesn't want Ozpin anywhere near his girls, but they're going to make that a bit difficult for him.
For your second review, I won't say much about the limits yet, though some were revealed in this chapter. I plan on Jaune and Ruby butting heads in the future, but they aren't going to be enemies. Just... hesitant friends at worst. I always saw the God of Darkness as the more childish of the two, so I wouldn't be surprised if he were to try to get Jaune to be more destructive. Yeah, I mean, it's a god against a human. There's been nothing to show that people can stand against the gods, so I doubt Salem can control the Grimm more than the God of Darkness. It just wouldn't make sense. And I never thought about how the Wyvern had to be lured there. I thought it didn't go there because it was Cinder's plan, not Salem's. Yep, Jaune isn't invincible. Powerful, yet, but nowhere near invincible. He's pretty much a superhuman among superhumans, but he can still be killed. It'll just be very difficult to do so. Ruby did get a hint of what the dark means. In humans, it represents negative emotions while the light represents positive emotions. I think I'll use your suggestion for one of the abilities of her eyes. The scorpion is alive, but it was just one of many Grimm. It won't be anything big, Jaune cut it down in his mad rush to save people. For the Salem bit you mentioned, I just imagine Ozpin getting nagged over the phone lol. I'd agree with you about the power of the Gods, but didn't the God of Darkness revive Ozma? That would mean he had power over life and souls. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're saying. Raven's makes me wish we'd get a proper explanation on magic and what differentiates it from semblances. Qrow just makes me feel bad for him. He needs a lot of hugs.
Guest - I'm glad you liked it! I hope to improve, so if I get someone's characterization wrong, feel free to tell me.
CriticaofRandomness - I'm happy you think it's good. I have plans for the story, so I should be writing it for a while.
Resium - Glad you think so. That's a big part of telling a story imo. If it's interesting, even things you don't like about a story can be overlooked. Though, I hope that people like most things about the story.
SentinalSlice - I'm planning on doing elemental stuff, so don't worry. As for magic, what he has is like magic. Power given directly from the gods. So, shapeshifting would be possible, but it's something he'd never really think of. We don't really know the limits of semblances in RWBY, and magic isn't thought to be real, so he probably wouldn't try. I mean, in the show the characters were certain that turning into a bird couldn't be a semblance. Since Jaune thinks his ability is a semblance, he wouldn't think to try that.
Gonsmoss - That's fair, I have some ideas to give Jaune trouble. Jaune can't actually manipulate reality, I was just trying to make it sound cool. As for Ruby's power over Jaune, I was thinking of a general debuff. It'll affect anyone, but will hit Jaune especially hard. I plan to make him care about her too.
Guest - Yeah, she did. For now, at least.
Wolf0830 - Yeah, I get what you mean about the first chapter. I plan on fixing things I don't like about my writing as I get advice and improve, so thanks for your help! In the first chapter, I imagined Jaune to be around 9 and Ruby around 7. The reason Grimm attacked Ruby in chapter 2 is because the Grimm were moving all across Remnant. This happened to a lot of people, but Ruby stuck out more than most. As for your nitpick, I know that, I just forgot. It's one of those things I never really think about until someone reminds me. I always forget lol. I'll just say it's Jaune being uninformed. I hope to get more advice from you in the future!
See ya!