Chapter 15: Arc Angel
(Beacon Academy, Ozpin's Office)
For the most part, things had been progressing just as Ozpin had hoped. He hadn't anticipated the swarm of Grimm though, so Adam had been acting with Salem's blessing this entire time. Either that, or Adam was just a distraction, but from what?
He glanced at the aura meters he had up on his computer. Ozpin's heart had threatened to jump out of his chest when Cardin's aura broke, and Velvet's went into the red, luckily Roman had been able to save them. Until moments later, when Roman's aura also broke, and died soon after.
It now looked like that most of the fighting was over, Adam was, more or less, the only active enemy combatant and based on the feed from the Atlesian AWACS he was being fought by Jaune and Weiss.
Ozpin swore. This was exactly the situation he wanted to avoid. He had no desire to have to call Jacques and tell him that Weiss was dead, or worse, captured by the White Fang.
He was interrupted by the elevator's ding.
Ozpin's eyes immediately snapped to the elevator. That shouldn't happen. He was the only one who could override that elevator during a lockdown. The doors opened to reveal Tyrian.
"Professor! I had hoped to find you here! I had some complaints about my accommodations." Tyrian said.
Ozpin stood, taking his cane from where it leaned against his desk. "So, this was her plan all along? Does Salem want me dead that badly?" Ozpin asked, "That seems a little excessive."
"Oh, I'm just cleaning up Cinder's mistake. My actual mission was a failure, for now." Tyrian said, "I do hope you don't have any regrets, because if you do, I'll make you take them to the grave!" Tyrian cackled as he deployed his weapons, and charged at Ozpin.
Ozpin sighed, and reached for the magic, creating the forcefield that had become his trademark. He had already cheated death once this year.
He wasn't sure that he'd be able to again.
Well, I might be seeing you again a lot sooner than I would like, Oscar.
(Beacon Academy, Airfield)
Jaune's worst nightmare had come to life. Adam Taurus was only a few feet away, and was about to attack him and Weiss.
I won't die here.
"Call it, Jaune." Weiss said, bringing him back to the moment.
Adam's gaze flickered between the two, as if he was waiting for them to make the first move.
"Let's start with Disruption, see where that gets us." Jaune said.
With that, Adam had apparently had enough, and charged at Weiss. He drew, his sword arcing through the air aimed directly at Weiss's neck, only to be stopped inches from its intended destination when Weiss snared the blade in a Hold glyph.
"What?" Adam said.
Jaune attacked, landing a slash to Adam's midsection. Weiss backpedaled, dropping her glyph and surging back in when Adam finally completed his attack, retaliating with a series of thrusts.
Jaune pressed the attack, doing his level best to force Adam's attention off of Weiss. Unfortunately, it worked, and Adam went after Jaune. At first, Jaune was on the brink of being overwhelmed, Adam was at least as fast as Weiss, and each strike carried all of Adam's hatred.
Then it clicked.
Adam wasn't blitzing him because he knew that Jaune might not be able to defend against it, but because that was the only way Adam knew how to win!
Adam swung at Jaune once more, Jaune took his sword in a two handed grip and blocked, holding Adam there.
"You don't have a chance against me, and you know it, boy." Adam sneered, "You're going to die protecting her."
"You don't get it, Adam." Jaune retorted, "Weiss has never needed me to protect her, and I'm not about to start now. LOCKDOWN!"
Jaune and Weiss moved as one. Weiss stabbed the ground with Myrtenaster, causing a wave of ice dust to freeze Adam's feet to the ground. Jaune jumped back, and mechashifted Crocea Mors to its greatsword mode. Jaune focused aura in his blade and swung, he slipped just under Adam's guard and caught him in the midsection. Jaune shifted Crocea Mors back to sword and shield mode as Adam was sent flying.
Adam flipped, landing squarely on his feet. His hair begun to glow a bright crimson, and his aura begun to crackle. "Make your peace with this world, boy." Adam growled.
Adam slashed, sending a wave of aura at Jaune, Jaune retaliated with a wind slash. The two attacks met in the space between them, canceling each other out. The three fighters moved again, rushing towards each other.
Adam planted his foot firmly in Jaune's gut, then smashed the hilt of his sword into Jaune's head. He went down, reeling from the brutal attack.
"Jaune!" Weiss said, Adam didn't give her time to say much else, and attacked Weiss in earnest. Weiss weathered the onslaught, dodging what she could, then parrying the rest.
"Just die already!" Adam roared, taking his sheath in his free hand, mechashifting it, and blasting Weiss with buckshot.
The thing about aura, was that while it protected you, it didn't stop the pain. So, Weiss screamed, as taking three shotgun shots to the chest is incredibly painful. Unfortunately for Adam, that was all it took to bring Jaune back from his cranial re-adjustment.
"You bastard!" Jaune said, rushing at Adam, hitting him in the back with an overhand strike. Adam whirled around, and unleashed a point blank Moonslice, hitting Jaune squarely in the chest. Adam expected the attack to break Jaune's aura at the very least.
It didn't even flicker.
They clashed again, coming face to face, with only their blades between them.
"Your aura's bound to be running low after that." Adam said, grunting from the exertion.
Jaune grinned, "You'd think that, wouldn't you?"
Weiss summoned her Boarbatusk, sending it careening at Adam, Jaune ducked out of the way, having heard the telltale signs of a summoning glyph. Adam was able to block the charge, but the Boarbatusk was still able to force him back. Adam blew away the summon with another shotgun blast, and Jaune took advantage of the momentary opening to change tactics.
"Arkos!"
Are you watching, Pyrrha?
When Jaune and Weiss had been brainstorming tactics for fighting Adam, Jaune had realized that they were perfectly capable of using his and Pyrrha's team attack, so they added it to their arsenal.
Weiss immediately came to Jaune's side, and they both charged at Adam.
In his arrogance, Adam unleashed his most furious and rapid series of attacks yet, expecting Jaune and Weiss to be pushed back and overwhelmed.
When Jaune was attacking, Weiss was defending, and vice versa. For a time, they were at a stalemate, their blades dancing in the space between them, but slowly and surely, Adam started taking hits.
"How?" Adam seethed as he started taking hits, "HOW?"
Adam had a valid point for once. Arkos required a comically large amount of coordination and trust, which Jaune and Weiss had by virtue of hours of training, and their sometimes sleeping arrangement.
They knew exactly what the other was capable of, they knew exactly how much space the other took up, they knew the sound of the other's breathing, put simply, they knew each other, and they knew how to combine their separate styles into a single front that no enemy could hope to overcome.
Adam had enough of this farce. He had expected the Schnee to be this strong, but he had seen the boy's Vytal Tournament footage, either Adam had been purposely misled about his strength, or he had grown rapidly in the intervening months.
Adam lashed out with the pommel of his sword, slamming it against Weiss's temple, then kicked her away, causing her to land in a heap on the ground.
Jaune froze. Weiss wasn't moving. She wasn't getting up. She wasn't-
"How long should I let you cry over her broken body before I finish you?" Adam said.
Before Jaune could say anything, he heard Winter over the comm, "Don't lose focus, Jaune. Weiss still has most of her aura, Adam just rattled her."
Adam was waiting for him, and he had to know that he and Weiss at least had a chance at beating him. Maybe now would be the time to try to talk sense into Adam, get him to surrender?
It was worth a shot.
"Adam, I have spent more time than I care to admit trying to get inside your head." Jaune said, "Sure, I don't know what it's like to be hated and oppressed for what I am, but your hatred... I can understand that."
"Trying to empathize with me?" Adam scoffed, "Trying get me to surrender?"
Jaune continued, as futile as it might be, "Someone left scars on me too, just not as visible. The more I tried to figure you out, the more I realized, you're what'll happen to me if I give in to my hatred for the person that hurt me. Adam, you can walk away from it like I'm choosing to do."
"Walk away from it? Just forget it all?" Adam retorted, "How can I? How can I just forget it all when I see it every time I look in a damn mirror! That I was marked as property by an oppressive regime that keeps Faunus at the bottom!"
Gotcha.
"So, why the hell are you trying to kill the one person who wants to change that more than anything?" Jaune said, "Why are you trying to kill Weiss, who wants nothing more than to change the SDC to provide a better future for everyone?"
"She's a Schnee." Adam said, "She's guilty."
Jaune's eyebrow twitched. "Holding the children guilty for the sins of their father? That's the hill you want to die on?"
"I've made my choice, boy." Adam said as he took his stance, "Now make yours."
"I've already made it, Adam." Jaune said. "I made it the day I stole Crocea Mors and ran here to Beacon. I'm a Huntsman. I'll always make this choice until my dying day."
"As will I." Weiss said, coming to stand beside Jaune, her weapon ready.
"Then die together." Adam growled.
His hair glowed red and his aura crackled, the telltale sign he was charging a Moonslice, so Jaune yelled their best hope to the heavens.
"Arc Angel!"
Weiss formed a glyph under Jaune, and he used it to launch himself at Adam, focusing aura in his shield as he went. Adam swung, unleashing the Moonslice, which collided with Jaune's aura fortified shield, but did nothing to slow him.
Upon arriving, Jaune shield bashed Adam, who staggered from the hit. Weiss created multiple glyphs around the two, and began pinballing between them, and attacked Adam from the sides and rear, while Jaune attacked from the front.
After a few seconds of this, Weiss returned to Jaune's side once more, and both of them thrusted their swords at Adam, Jaune using wind dust, while Weiss used fire. Adam was sent flying as the cyclone of fire hit him.
"No, not like this!" Adam roared, "I WON'T LOSE TO A SCHNEE!" Moving faster than ever before, he surged forward, and slashed at Weiss, knocking her down again.
Her aura flickered.
"DIE!" Adam sent another Moonslice out, using the last of his stored energy, and Weiss wouldn't be able to move out of the way in time.
Jaune moved to intercept it.
As he moved, and saw the wave of hate bearing down on him, Jaune finally realized it. The answer he had been searching for ever since the Battle of Beacon.
He realized why Pyrrha had gone to fight Cinder, and why she had kept him from going with her.
It wasn't to fulfill some grand destiny, not to live up to the expectations that had been placed on her, by Ozpin or by anyone else.
It was for one simple reason. To protect her friends.
Not again, can't let it happen again.
Jaune hadn't had time to block, he had barely made it in time to intercept, so the Moonslice hit him full on. Unlike the others, that had just impacted, this one exploded, cutting, tearing, and slashing at Jaune for what seemed like eternity.
He screamed.
After the smoke cleared, Weiss was horrified by the aftermath.
Jaune was still standing somehow, but he was slumped over, arms limp, and keeping himself upright by sheer force of will. His armor had fallen away, and his hoodie and jeans were torn to tatters, barely preserving his modesty.
Worst of all, Pyrrha's sash had been ripped to shreds.
"Well, boy, if you're so eager for death..." Adam said.
Jaune turned to look at Weiss, and she knew what he wanted to say, but couldn't.
I love you.
However, Adam hadn't realized that by injuring Jaune, he had made two critical mistakes. He had convinced Weiss that she needed the Arma Gigas...
And he had unleashed the unbridled rage of Nora Valkyrie.
"YOU BASTARD!"
Adam whirled around to face this new threat, and saw Lie Ren, completely devoid of mercy, and Nora Valkyrie, charged with enough lightning dust to give Salem pause.
"Who are you two supposed to be?" Adam asked.
Refusing to even acknowledge Adam's question, Ren said, "We won't let you hurt our family."
They charged, gun fire and grenades alike arcing towards Adam, he weaved through the fire, and delivered a brutal kick to Ren's midsection.
"No!" Jaune said, he tried to move, to help, to protect, to do something, but instead he collapsed.
Weiss knelt next to him, "Don't worry, Jaune. I'll protect them."
He nodded, then handed her the sword of Crocea Mors. "I swear that if one of us should fall in battle-"
"I will take up their weapon, and wield it as my own." Weiss recited. "By my word as an Arc."
With Crocea Mors in her right hand, and Myrtenaster in her left, Weiss walked forward, plunged both blades into the ground, and began to summon the Arma Gigas.
Ren slipped under Adam's guard, and landed rapid fire palm strikes. Adam staggered, then recovered, only to have to dodge Maghnild screaming towards his head.
A summoning glyph appeared before Weiss, and began to glow brighter than ever before.
Listen when I say,
I swear it here today.
I will not surrender, this life is mine.
The Arma Gigas emerged from the glyph, ready to knock Adam into next week.
Nora grinned. "Pull!" She yelled.
Weiss smiled, having paid attention to Jaune's stories of going shooting with his father, she knew exactly what Nora wanted. Under Weiss's urging, the Arma Gigas stomped forward, and uppercutted Adam, sending him flying, only for Nora to leap up, and slam him back down, creating a lovely crater.
Adam made no attempt to move, either he was dead, too injured to move, or he had wisely decided to give up.
The Arma Gigas disappeared, now that the battle was over, there was only one thing that mattered to Weiss.
"Jaune, are you okay?" Weiss said, panic seeping into her voice as she knelt beside him, "Say something!"
"Ow."
The relief crashed down on Weiss all at once, and tears started flowing, "Never scare me like that again! Understand?"
Jaune smiled, "I love you, too."
A good distance away, Qrow smiled. Everything had turned out alright, despite his continued presence. "Hey, wait a sec," Qrow said, "Where's Roman and his pipsqueak?"
"He's dead."
Qrow and Winter whirled around to see an incredibly worn out Velvet. "What did you say?" Winter asked.
Velvet held up a finger, silently telling the two Hunters to wait while she caught her breath. "He saved me and Cardin." She finally gasped, "If it wasn't for him, we'd be dead."
Velvet continued, "Can we get the school opened up, at least long enough to get Cardin to the infirmary? His leg is hurt pretty bad, and his aura isn't doing much."
"Sure, kid." Qrow said. He keyed his comm, "Hey, Glynda, the battle's over, can you undo the lockdown?"
The response he got was nothing like he expected, "Qrow, I need you to come to the headmaster's office. Right now."
Qrow froze. None of them, not even Ironwood called Ozpin's office "The headmaster's office." It was always "Ozpin's Office."
"Glynda, what is it?" Qrow asked.
"Tyrian escaped." Glynda said, judging by her voice, her teeth were clenched, and she was barely holding herself together. "Ozpin's dead."
At that moment, Qrow's scroll vibrated.
I swear, if Ozpin jumped on the death message train, I'm going to... get just about as drunk as usual, probably.
Qrow looked at his scroll, and promptly started walking towards the school, taking a swig from his flask as he went.
"Qrow, what happened?" Winter asked.
Qrow turned to her, "Tyrian broke out of your fancy forcefield cell and killed Ozpin. Looks like he made a run for it."
For once in her life, Winter was close to speechless. "How... can I help?"
Qrow almost responded with sass, but then he remembered, he and Glynda were the leaders now. "Have your guys come in and handle cleanup. Adam tore through Sienna's people, and the kids are probably exhausted, and I know for a fact that there's at least two of them that are injured."
Despite the circumstances, Winter raised an eyebrow, "Careful, Qrow. You almost sound like a responsible adult."
Qrow scoffed, then trudged off.
Don't remind me.
(Beacon Academy, Infirmary, Cardin's Room)
Cardin felt like a failure.
He had gone to the CCT with Velvet to protect her, but had ended up needing saving, first by her protecting him, and then by Roman Torchwick, of all people, bailing them out.
He closed his eyes, and remembered what he had said to Velvet after Torchwick had gotten there, with his leg injured, she had attempted to carry him.
"Just leave me! I'm not worth it!"
"You're worth it to me!" She had replied.
He glared at his right leg again, as if he could force it to heal from sheer force of will, which normally he could.
Normally.
Whatever bullet or explosion he had gotten hit by had messed it up past the capabilities of aura healing. So, he was getting a partial cybernetic replacement, courtesy of Atlas.
Cardin was jolted from his introspection of yesterday's events by a knock on the door. "Come in!" He said.
Velvet walked in and took a seat in the chair next to his bed, "Hey, Cardin!" She said, "How're you holding up?"
Cardin smiled for the first time since the battle, "Pretty well, unless I count being stuck here until the Atlas docs come make me a cyborg."
"I didn't mean physically, Cardin." Velvet said bluntly.
Damn it, she was on to him. "I'm fine, Velvet. Sure, I got knocked around a bit, but that'll happen to all of us sooner or later."
"Again, not what I meant." Velvet said, merciless in her line of questioning, "Why would you ever think you're not worth saving?"
Part of Cardin, the part of him that still clung to his image of manliness, wanted to wave her off. Wanted to tell her that he would've just called for the rest of his team to come get him. The problem was, Velvet had seen too much of him to believe that facade.
"Because... I don't deserve it. Especially not by you." Cardin said after a brief pause.
Cardin continued, "I treated you like shit. Sure, I've... reformed, but even then I don't even think I'm worthy of your friendship, much less anything else."
Velvet's heart started doing all sorts of interesting flips and somersaults. "Cardin, if only you could see yourself how I see you. I see a man who had learned from his absolutely repugnant behavior, and has chosen to be better."
Velvet continued, "Not only that, I've seen the real you, the you that you don't show anyone, outside of your team. You're kind, you're protective of your friends, and even though you're by no means the best Huntsman, you still made the choice to be out in that mess!"
Cardin had to concede that point to her. Ozpin had been very clear after the briefing. They had been under no compulsion to participate in the battle. It had been their choice, each and every one.
Velvet cupped his cheek with her hand, "Besides, I forgive you. For everything." Cardin flinched and tried to look away, but Velvet gently kept him where he was.
Cardin screwed his eyes shut, "But... what if I relapse?" What if I hurt you again?"
Velvet frowned, even with all the progress he had made, all of the self-loathing Cardin had built up was still painfully evident, and the only way to break through it was to speak his language, more or less. "Then I'll kick your ass."
Cardin leaned into her hand. There were so many more problems to deal with. The aftermath of the battle, catching up on schoolwork, and of course, surviving the devastation that would result when Cardin's father found out that he had fallen in love with a Faunus.
They'd figure it out, the same way that they had defended the CCT tower, and the same way that Jaune and Weiss had defeated Adam.
Together.
(Beacon Academy, Infirmary, Jaune's Room)
The doctors had told Weiss that Jaune had been extraordinarily lucky, if it hadn't been for his massive Aura reserves, that final Moonslice from Adam would have killed him. As things stood, he just needed to sleep it off while his Aura did its work.
However, that kind of unconscious Aura healing came with consequences. It prioritized vital areas first, leaving non-critical injuries for later. As a result, Jaune would be left with quite a few scars on his chest and back. Not to mention the scar on his face.
Compared to Weiss's scar, it was much smaller, but all the more noticeable. It started low on the right side of his forehead, went through his eyebrow, then ended at his eye. Weiss rubbed her thumb across the hardened skin and sighed.
This is a reminder to me to not take him for granted. If his Aura hadn't held out for as long as it did, Adam could've taken his eye... or worse.
She turned around, hearing the familiar click clack of Winter's boots, and a smile spread across her face as Winter entered the room.
"I thought I'd find you here, Weiss. How is he?" Winter asked.
"He's fine, more or less," Weiss said, "At this point, he's just sleeping it off."
Winter hummed noncommittally, then frowned, "Weiss, why did you feel like you and Jaune had to fight Adam? And why did Jaune's father agree with you?"
Weiss gestured to the other chair in the room, "You might want to sit down for this, Winter." Weiss said, "We'll be here for a while."
Winter raised an eyebrow, but took the offered chair anyways.
"This will seem a bit... roundabout, but I need to lay the background first." Weiss explained.
So, Weiss explained to her sister how the Arc family's traditions were born out of a combination of their heroic heritage and their tendency to be hopeless romantics, Weiss told the story of Atreus Arc, and how he had ensured the founding of what would become the kingdom of Vale, and finally, Weiss explained the Knight's Oath, and the promises that she and Jaune had made to each other.
Winter leaned back in her chair. "Weiss... if the tabloids find out about this... an Arc in all but name thing, they would make a scandal out of it."
Weiss nodded, "I know. Which is why we're keeping the circle of people who know small. Only Jaune's family, you, and the rest of our teams know about this. We aren't going to tell anyone else."
"Not even father?" Winter said, a teasing note slipping into her voice.
Weiss laughed, "Absolutely not! He already dislikes Jaune enough as it is!"
Winter laughed along with her sister for a time, then her face fell. "I'm afraid that I have to be the bearer of bad news, Weiss. Ozpin is dead."
Weiss's eyes went wide, Ozpin dead? That didn't seem possible! "How is that even possible?" Weiss said, slipping into her "Ice Queen" persona.
"Tyrian escaped his cell during the battle, killed Ozpin, then left. I know you had a run in with Tyrian, do you have any insight? Qrow refused to tell me much more."
Drat! This is going to be awkward! "I'm sorry, Winter. If Qrow wouldn't tell you more than that, I can't say more." Weiss gulped, bracing herself for Winter to start pushing.
"I see." Winter said, "I'll be leaving Vale within the next few days, to oversee moving Adam back to Atlas for trial, if you can think of anything, please let me know."
"Wait, Adam survived?" Weiss asked.
Winter nodded, "Yes, your friend's... slam dunk, as she called it, was what broke his aura, he then sustained injuries from the impact. The most serious of which was a broken leg."
Weiss broke out into a giggle fit, "Please tell me you told Nora that!"
Weiss cocked her head in confusion, "I did, and she was just as amused as you are. Your friends are certainly an... odd bunch."
Weiss smiled, "Yes, they are certainly odd. And I wouldn't change that for the world."
(Beacon Academy, Glynda's Office, The Next Day)
Glynda's office was remarkably smaller than Ozpin's, a fact that Jaune was secretly grateful for, as it allowed him and Weiss to be close, and claim it was for the others' comfort.
Everyone was surprised by Glynda's office to an extent, as it revealed another side to their ever strict teacher. For a being such a... exacting teacher, her office was rather cozy. Chairs that could only be described as comfy, decor that evoked a living room instead of a teacher's office, plus there was the dish of candy on her desk.
With only RWBY, JNR, and Qrow here, that could only mean that they were going to discuss the implications of Ozpin's death on their efforts to stop Salem.
"We do not have much time before we must make our next moves, so I will be brief." Glynda said, "Ozpin has taken a page out of Miss Nikos's book."
"Uh... what?" Ruby asked lamely.
"He rigged a death message." Jaune said.
"Indeed, Mr. Arc." Glynda said, "I think that upon viewing it, you will understand why time is of the essence."
Glynda plugged her scroll into her desk, and projected the video, allowing everyone crammed into the office to view it at once. It showed Ozpin sitting at his desk. Glynda hit play, and Ozpin began to speak.
"Glynda, Qrow, James, and Teams RWBY and JNR, if you are watching this, then I have died. Please listen closely, as the things that I am about to tell you are of vital importance."
"With me dead, Salem and her cabal will grow bolder and begin making more overt moves. We must do the same."
"Hold on, he's talking like he's still alive." Yang interjected.
"There is a secret about my mission to stop Salem that I have hid from you, but now circumstances force me to tell you."
"More secrets." Jaune deadpanned. "Wonderful."
"I have the... ability to reincarnate."
Ozpin paused to allow any outburst to pass. "What the hell?" Nora asked, "He can't be serious."
"Before, my past selves never put much thought into understanding what determines who I reincarnate into. But because of my brush with death during the Battle of Beacon over the break, I did some research into my past lives."
"Oh, he's serious." Nora said to no one in particular.
"I found that my lives cycle through the kingdoms, always in the same pattern. Vacuo, Atlas, Vale, and finally, Mistral. Armed with this knowledge, and given the increased intensity of offensive moves from Salem, I went looking for my next..."
Ozpin trailed off and looked into the distance. Almost as if he was deciding something.
"I prefer the term Companion. It is the most apt, as by the time you watch this, I will be a voice in the next person's head. I will guide them until such time as they are ready to uphold my mission on their own."
Ozpin took a sip of his hot chocolate, "As I travelled Mistral, I came across a farm. That's not unusual for that part of the kingdom, but this particular farm had a rather serious bandit infestation."
"After dealing with the bandits, the owner of the farm invited me to stay for dinner. A woman by the name of Olivia. I accepted, and as a result met her nephew, Oscar Pine."
"At this point, I learned why my predecessors never went looking for their next... lives. It felt like someone was walking on my grave. There is no doubt in my mind as a result. Oscar Pine must be protected."
"I have only one request. Don't let him suffer from my regrets."
The video ended, and the reality of the situation sunk in. Ozpin was... technically alive, and in the head of an unaware Mistralian farmboy.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Nora asked, "Let's go grab an airship, go to Mistral, and pick him up!"
Qrow chuckled, "It ain't that easy, Leg Breaker. For one thing, we can't just take an airship. That would be too conspicuous. We have to be... delicate about this."
Nora grinned at the nickname, "So... is there a plan then?"
Glynda nodded, "Indeed." She pulled Ozpin's cane out from behind her desk and handed it to Qrow. "Two of you will accompany Qrow to Mistral to retrieve Oscar before Salem's forces catch wind of this."
Weiss narrowed her eyes, "How long is this mission going to take, exactly?"
Qrow shrugged, "Don't know for sure. Judging by the location of the farm the kid's at, and the fact we're going covert, at least a couple weeks, minimum."
Jaune raised an eyebrow, "Minimum?"
Qrow nodded, "Yeah, minimum. If people need help along the way, we'll stop and help, as long as it's prudent."
Weiss sighed, "In that case, me and Jaune are out, I'm afraid."
"Wait, what?" Jaune asked, "Why would we... oh no."
Qrow grinned, "Let me guess, you have a social engagement in Atlas over break?"
Wait, is the semester that close to being over? Jaune thought.
Weiss simply nodded, and Qrow sent an apologetic glance at Jaune.
"What about our classes?" Ren asked.
"An excellent question, Mr. Ren." Glynda said, "As it will be expected that you will be fighting Grimm, you will receive top marks in any Combat and Grimm Studies classes that take place while you are away on this... extended training mission. For your other classes, you will receive a simple Pass grade."
Ruby and Yang's hands immediately shot into the air. "I volunteer!" They said in unison.
Glynda raised an eyebrow. "Is your eagerness due to the fact that you'll pass all your classes in the meantime?"
Yang chuckled, "That's part of it, sure, but there's another reason."
"Ever since we were kids, we've always wanted to go on a mission with Uncle Qrow!" Ruby explained, "We're not going to pass this up!"
Glynda turned to Qrow, "Any objections?"
"Nah, it's cool." Qrow said, "We're leaving in three days, I'll send you packing lists tonight."
Yang gave him a thumbs up, and Ruby gave him a salute worthy of the most gung-ho Atlesian solider.
Glynda shook her head, "Well, if that's everything, you're all dismissed. Take some candy, though. I dare to say you've all earned it."
No one in the room would have ever dared to disagree, even if there wasn't candy at stake.
A/N: And so we see, that once again, Adam gets exactly what he deserves. Having him die here would be exactly what he wanted, dead at the hands of a Schnee and those close to them, instead he's denied his opportunity at martyrdom.
Please read and review, any and all constructive feedback helps me improve. Tell me what you liked too! I love hearing about it.
Next Chapter: Operation: Protect The Farmboy That Totally Doesn't Have Ozpin In His Head.