Chapter 36 – Arcadian Secrets
Team C.P.P.R
Arcadia…
Time had not been kind to the old castle. Overgrowth consumed the old hours within the old dilapidated walls of the keep. Animals nested and stalked the land, but immediately hid when they saw the Huntresses walk inside of the town. Ruby looked from right to left, very slowly, gazing over the destroyed Kingdom. Somehow… she imagined it would be bigger. The largest part of the Keep was the castle itself. The actual population looked extremely small.
Crows flew from the trees that sprouted through the crumbling buildings, and as she turned, she saw the old skeletons left behind, cobwebs and inside the ribs and skull of the dead. "Oh, man…" Ruby gasped. She had seen the ruins from the Great War before, and seeing dead bodies was something she had sadly become accustomed to. Even either old or recently destroyed towns from Grimm attacks had now become something she had very little reaction to.
But this…
… this was something else.
"You'd think that the Landmark Restoration Society would have done a better job at looking after this place. Or at least doing the respectful thing and bury the bodies." Pyrrha stated as she looked at the body, knowing that was once a person. Who had a life, dreams, maybe even a family.
"That's assuming they even looked after this place." Cinder shrugged.
"Arcadia? The old Kingdom of Vale's King? Who the world believed ended the Great War heroically?" Ruby replied with a raised eyebrow. "They would have put everything they had into looking after this place."
"Yeah… I know it's been six years since the company was lost thanks to Killian… but this looks like it hasn't been touched since the Great War ended." Pyrrha agreed.
Penny walked forward, and she checked inside some of the old buildings, finding more skeletons, broken and ripped apart. "Oh, no…"
"What is it?" Ruby asked her, gently caressing her back.
"We never saw what happened to Arcadia in Jinn's vision… it never occurred to me…" Penny realised. "The Eclipse, it made the Grimm unstoppable. Nothing… nobody could kill them. The people of Arcadia panicked without their King… and the fear drew the Grimm to their walls." Penny explained as she walked away from the house, staring up at the rusted old defences.
Ballistas, Catapults and Cannons…
"Nothing they used slowed the Grimm down, and the people inside never stood a chance." Penny explained.
"Gods… the poor bastards." Cinder sighed.
"And the few who survived formed something new when the Moon was destroyed… Vale." Penny concluded.
"Come on… let's go… this place is giving me the creeps already." Cinder sighed, Pyrrha followed, but she stopped and looked over her shoulder, feeling like something… or someone was watching them. Ruby looked back at Pyrrha and gently touched her shoulder.
"You okay?" Ruby asked.
"I dunno… I've got a weird feeling… I swear someone is following us." She said, staring at the wall.
"Well, if there is – we'll deal with it when they show themselves. Let's just keep going, huh?" Ruby asked her, and Pyrrha stared for a few more seconds, then she nodded and turned around to join her. As they walked through the town, Jaune peered round the wall where she was staring at her, his eyes glowing fierce purple, stalking them from the shadows.
Team C.P.P.R walked towards the raised drawbridge over a rushing river. Lightning flashed overhead, and rain started to fall even harder. Pyrrha sighed, feeling the rainwater already drenching her red hair. Penny did the same, frowning at the water dripping off her long, fluffy locks. Cinder looked up at the sky for a few moments as the lightning flickered in the dark clouds, closing her eyes as she felt the chilly rain patter against her face.
She smiled… she had hoped she could smell that beautiful scent of rain once more… in case she never got to again before Noctus Putrida would claim her. But as her mind drifted towards the truth of her diagnosis, she glanced down to the Relic that dangled from Ruby's belt.
I need to know…
… I didn't want to at first but now… well… I think I have a feeling of what gave me this sickness… but I want to be sure.
But I think I know…
People like me don't deserve to atone… even for the worst things we did…
She looked away from Jinn's Lamp and then Penny blasted up into the air and slashed her swords through the chains that held the drawbridge, bringing it down. That was when it hit them, though, and Ruby raised a brow. "Wait… the Drawbridge was up… they didn't let the people into the castle to protect them." Ruby gasped.
"Seems Thaddeus and his Thirteen Knights weren't the only cruel people here. Even the rest of his guards were just as bad, cowards." Cinder scoffed, coughing softly as they walked across the bridge. Penny looked over the edge to see some skeletons in the water. All of them looked like they tried to jump, but clearly never made it.
But as they walked inside, they found something equally shocking. Their eyes all widened, finding more skeletons, all clad in Arcadian Armour. "The Knights…" Pyrrha identified, crouching down and wiping the dust off the armour, seeing the Arc Symbol. She closed her eyes with grief when she saw it, but she swallowed her sadness and stood up, noticing the deep claw marks in the armour, and the teeth marks in the skull and helmet.
"Raising the bridge didn't do shit, apparently." Cinder scoffed.
"The Grimm couldn't be killed under the Eclipse. And look…" Penny stepped out onto the bridge and she pointed at the stone walls, revealing the claw marks. "The Grimm just jumped across and climbed up the walls instead. None of the defences mattered to them. They just kept going. Until they got inside." Penny explained.
"Can't say these guys didn't deserve it, honestly. They abandoned they were sworn to protect to save their own skin. Only to be killed as well." Cinder stated, walking with Penny back inside, not noticing Jaune watching them from the roof of a building.
Ruby walked around the square and approached the front doors, finding they were already smashed open, probably by the Grimm. "They were trying to use the castle to survive, even that wasn't enough." Ruby said, then she looked at the dent in the doors. "Looks like an enormous Creep knocked the doors down, too."
"Come on, let's get inside. This rain's just getting worse by the second." Pyrrha said. She jogged inside and grabbed her long ponytail and wrung it tight, squeezing the water out, and shaking it off her arms. Penny did the same with her long hair, ruffling it so she could get it out. Ruby rubbed hers whilst Cinder just flicked her head to the side, getting the water out whilst wiping it off her arms.
Inside, they could hear the rain rumble against the castle, banging against the windows, and every now and then there was a flash of lightning, followed up by a clap of thunder. "Take it you can't just… turn the storm off, right?" Ruby asked.
"I could, but it could draw unnecessary attention. Remember, Salem could figure out where we are if I do anything too extreme with my powers." Cinder explained, shrugging her shoulders.
"Yeah, good idea. Only use them if you need to." Pyrrha agreed. Penny jolted at the next thunderclap, and Ruby cushioned her hand with a smile.
"You alright?" She asked.
"Yeah… just… storms remind me of when I was alone, y'know?" Penny stammered.
"Don't worry." Ruby lovingly kissed her whilst holding her close. "I ain't letting you go."
Penny smiled, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead to Ruby's.
Pyrrha swiftly combined her swords together and transformed them into their rifle form, aiming down the hallway, checking for anything down there. "Remember… there could be Grimm here." Pyrrha advised.
"Yeah, be ready for anything, ladies." Cinder agreed, forming her swords. She checked down the next one to the right, whilst Ruby and Penny checked ahead down the middle, largest hall for anything. Cinder opened a door slowly, checking inside, only finding another skeleton of an Arcadian Knight and with lots of rainwater falling through the cracks in the ceiling.
She closed the creaky old door then returned to the front entrance, not noticing Jaune behind her walking across the bridge and disappearing into the shadows. Pyrrha shouldered her rifle, finger not on the trigger yet, and she used her polarity to open the door by the metal hinges. It creaked open, and a bat suddenly squeaked, flying past her. She yelped but didn't fire, sighing as the bat landed on the wall behind her, squeaking at her.
"Yeah, you got me good…" Pyrrha sighed, turning back to join Cinder. She was leant against the wall, then Ruby and Penny walked back to them.
"It's clear so far." Ruby replied.
"Yeah, nothing on my end, you?" Cinder asked Pyrrha.
"Just a bat, thinking it's funny to scare me." Pyrrha answered, making them chuckle.
"Imagine that on your tombstone. Pyrrha Nikos – The Invincible Girl – made vincible and very dead by a bat scaring her." Cinder described making them all laugh, even Pyrrha herself laughed at that one.
"Well, I'd certainly be remembered…" Pyrrha agreed. Then they kept moving, walking further into the castle. There were many paths, but some rooms had collapsed. Time had not been kind to this old castle, and the eighty years it had been left abandoned had caused the structure to collapse in places.
Ruby checked her corners. Grimm had quite the annoying habit of just sitting in a corner where you'd least expect them. But so far, the abandoned Castle seemed to be Grimm-Free. Somehow that made it even creepier, though. Penny scanned the rooms with her optics, checking for any signs of Grimm activity, but there was nothing. "None of this reminds me of what Jinn showed us… I remember seeing a hall and then a big room… looked like a tomb." Pyrrha said as she walked with them.
"Yeah, and the sword was just chilling there in the stone, wasn't it?" Ruby asked.
"That's right… well, this is a big place. Guess this may take some time for us to explore the whole place." Pyrrha shrugged.
"Let's not split up, though. There's a weird feeling about this place. I don't like it." Ruby stated, shuddering slightly.
They walked up the stairs together, and they found the barracks of the Guards on the floor above them. Old rusted weapons were left behind here, swords which all looked identical to Crocea Mors. Pyrrha approached one and held it in her hands, with Ruby stood beside her. She sighed, running her finger across the rusted old blade. "So this must be where Jaune's grandfather got this. He must have been given one from here…" Ruby assumed.
Pyrrha stayed quiet and then she lifted Crocea Mortem, even though it was highly modified and mixed with her own weapon to make it useful… it still looked like his sword in places. She sighed, shaking her head. "What would Jaune have made of all this? The extent of his lineage… Thaddeus…"
"If I knew Jaune, and I think I can safely say I knew him well… he would have kept going. Y'know? Even after some of the hardest things we'd survive, he'd always be headstrong. I always admired that about him." Ruby admitted as she walked to the window.
"He was inspired by you, believe it or not." Pyrrha revealed, Ruby's silver eyes widened.
"Huh?"
"He told me… that night before we went to Forever Fall, he said he was filled with guilt for fraternising with Cardin all the time. You were the one who helped him be the leader he was… I never got to thank you for doing that." Pyrrha sighed, which also made Ruby smile as well.
"I miss him." Ruby sighed, and Pyrrha nodded with a tearful smile as well.
"Me too." Pyrrha wiped the tears from her eye and set the rusted old sword down where she found it, and they kept walking through the barracks to find anything.
"Anything?" Ruby asked.
"Just more dead knights. This dude got it bad." Cinder chuckled. Her dark humour was not something the others shared, but they also knew that was her own way of coping with this kind of disturbing locale.
The knight was literally ripped limb from limb. Pieces of him were everywhere. It was quite the horrifying sight, but since Cinder had very little affection for these people, she couldn't help but chuckle at it. "What a way to go." She then kept on walking, trying to conceal another cough. She looked at her hand as she wheezed, seeing more blood. She tried as best as she could to hide the raspy breath, but it was getting harder.
How do I tell them?
What are they going to say?
I wouldn't blame them if they're glad… me finally getting what I deserve after everything I've done.
Penny easily lifted up some toppled over shelves, using her mechanical strength to her advantage, and she walked ahead to investigate. She opened a door and found a crow sat there on a windowsill. As Ruby walked past, it cawed and she yelped.
"VALRAVN!" The voice echoed in her head, making her stagger backwards and hit the wall. She panted, wide eyed, but then the hallucination quickly ended, and the sound of his wind chimes faded away as well. Penny gasped, turning and rushing over to Ruby.
"Are you okay?" She worried.
"Y-Yeah… damn crows…" She sighed, burying her face in her hands.
"You're still having nightmares about them?" She asked her. Ruby nodded, holding Penny's hands, then she reached down into her bag, picking up the still sealed letter from Qrow.
"It's funny… I hate him for what he took from us… for how he lied to us… you'd think I'd burn this thing. But… I can't… I can't even leave it somewhere…" Ruby said, staring at his symbol.
"You should read it, Ruby. It could help." Penny suggested. Ruby stared at it and she sighed, but then she shoved it back in her bag.
"Not yet… I can't…" Ruby said, but Penny gently caressed her cheek and smiled.
"When you're ready." She supportively replied, smiling warmly.
Ruby looked at the Crow, and it flew away from the window, out into the wild. Cinder walked up the next set of stairs and they followed her, finding another large room, and their eyes widened and what they had found… it was the biggest room by far.
No tomb, but it was the Throne Room. Surprising that it was up these stairs, but judging by the entrance they came through, they had not followed the main set of stairs, since those had collapsed a long time ago. They walked inside and found the two immense tables, still with the goblets and plates left behind, alongside the bones of meat that they had been eating. And at the very end of this old, dusty and web-ridden room was the throne. It was huge, but not as beautiful as it once was.
Cob webs and dust had claimed this once royal room, and they all walked towards it. Beside it was another throne, smaller but still royal. "Thaddeus and Delilah's thrones…" Ruby said in disbelief.
"I'm amazed they're still here… this entire room is still in such good condition, considering the rest of the castle." Cinder commented. The Fall Maiden then walked past them and sat down in Thaddeus' throne, crossing one leg over. She then fidgeted. "Wow… it's not the most comfortable chair. At least Salem's was actually comfortable."
"You sat on Salem's throne?" Penny asked in disbelief.
"When I was a kid, yeah. I think she enjoyed watching Tyrian and I being idiots like that… the kids we were…" Cinder then pondered that as she stood up from the chair. "Y'know… after seeing what Jinn showed us, I think I get it… why she wasn't that stern with us when we were kids…"
"It was like having children again." Pyrrha said.
Cinder nodded. "Gods… I always thought things were so simple. Black and White… it was easier. But… after seeing all that? I still wanna stop her once and for all… but a lot of things she did make sense now." Cinder admitted.
Penny then looked at the throne, and she giggled, surprising them. "What?" Ruby asked with a smile.
"Oh… I'm just imagining how many people here would be so bored whenever Thaddeus made his speeches." She giggled, then they all chuckled as well.
Ruby shot past Cinder and sat in the chair, putting on a silly, gruff voice. "Bring me more wine and food! Someone polish my crown!" They chuckled at her silly impressions. Even Cinder cracked a smile and chuckled with them.
"I bet someone threw something at him once or twice." Pyrrha joked.
Ruby stood up from his throne looked at the windows. They were broken, wind and rainwater were blowing inside. Wind was picking up more and more by the second as the storm got worse, then Cinder looked out the window, noticing the docks, and the waves that were crashing into it. "Damn, looks like a hurricane. Hopefully, it doesn't get too bad." Cinder shrugged.
Pyrrha turned and walked towards a spiralling staircase. It was small and more private. "Wonder what's up here…" she pondered. They all followed her as they left the Throne Room.
They walked up there, but before they did, Ruby stopped and looked back at the throne room, and she raised her scroll's camera up. And snapped a photograph. "There… for posterity."
She returned to join her team, walking up the winding stairs to find the next room… but no jokes were here, because they knew what happened here. Their eyes widened at what was before them… it was Thaddeus and Delilah's bedroom. They all stood there, and a chill ran across their bodies.
"This… this is where Thaddeus murdered Delilah…" Pyrrha remembered, and Cinder walked around the gigantic bed, sliding her fingers cross the old sheets. Dust and webbing had covered them… but you could feel the darkness of this place. Where he murdered her for power.
"All so he could be immortal…" Cinder sighed. They could all still remember the look on his face after he killed her and his eyes flushed purple with darkness.
"I still wonder the same thing that Oz asked him… was it all worth it?" Ruby stated, shaking her head. The four of them were quiet for a while, paying respects to a woman that they never even knew. But she always seemed like such a loving person, who fell in love with someone who was crueller in his heart than she'd ever expected. Penny then looked at the still open wardrobe with the old clothes left behind, feeling the velvet in her hands.
"Her dresses were beautiful… matched her perfectly." Penny softly said.
"She had fire in her too… she didn't go down without a fight. That's something we can be proud of her for… even when dying… she wanted to stop him." Cinder stated.
"She deserved better…" Pyrrha agreed.
"Sometimes it's hard to remember that Salem isn't the only evil in the world… and sometimes isn't the worst." Ruby stated, then they turned to walk away from the bedroom, letting the memories of Queen Delilah rest.
They walked back into the Throne Room, and they saw another staircase, one that lead to the roof of the Castle, most likely for the archers and upper catapults to fire from. "Let's check out the top, see if we have any bad news coming for us." Pyrrha suggested.
"Good idea." Penny agreed, but Ruby stopped and unclipped the Relic.
"Cinder, could you hold on to it down here? With all that wind, it'd be real embarrassing if Jinn just gets blown off my belt." Ruby shrugged, making the Fall Maiden chuckle.
Gods, they're noticing, aren't they?
"Sure." Cinder agreed, taking the lamp and holding it in her hands. They walked up the stairs together, leaving Cinder below. She stood there, and suddenly she felt her breath get weaker and weaker. "No… oh gods… please not again…" She gasped, and coughed violently, grasping at her breast in pain, spitting out blood, even some came dripping from her nose and eye. She wheezed in immense pain, like she was on fire from the inside.
She laid against Delilah's throne, wiping the blood away as her attack faded. It wasn't as bad… but there was a lot of blood. She wiped it away slowly. Her vision blurred and red in places, but she quickly wiped away the blood that leaked from her eye. Then blue smoke vented from the lamp, forming into Jinn, who was mirroring Cinder's position by laying against Thaddeus' throne.
Cinder glanced at the Spirit, and she sighed, her voice damaged from the coughing. She sounded huskier and huskier by the second. "Would you like me to tell you?" Jinn asked her. "Remember… this is no real question… more of a… confirming your suspicions…"
Cinder looked at her and rubbed the blood from her nose, coughing up a little more blood and spitting it on the floor, and she pressed the back of her head against the wall. "Yeah… tell me…"
Jinn floated over to her and she gently put one arm around her shoulders and another softly to her chest, and Cinder looked at her. She could not physically feel her touch, but the expression alone made her feel better. "The Fall Maiden Powers… like all Maiden Powers… are transferred through intimacy. The last woman in a person's thoughts would claim the power, usually someone they care for deeply. But that was not how you claimed the powers, Cinder." She explained.
Jinn sounded so soft and consoling as she spoke. "You killed Amber and stole the power from her. An action like this always has a cost, and Ozpin ensured the spell would not permanently stay with a… False Maiden… and it curses the host. Curses you so that you will die from some form or another… in yours… it is Noctis Putrida. That is why it has mutated in you, not from natural causes like everyone else… but because of a curse bestowed from the very power you stole." Jinn answered.
Cinder closed her eye, and she exhaled. "I knew it… I think I always knew deep down that was what this was… someone like me? I don't deserve a chance to make things right… the only way things can be made right for me… is if I die." Cinder said, but Jinn shook her head.
"No, Cinder… you still have time." Jinn assured.
"Time for what?" Cinder wheezed.
"To decide who you want to be with the time you have left. You are not the woman you were when you murdered Amber… you have changed. You now have a choice to make sure you are remembered for the good you have done. Do not waste this chance you have." Jinn said with a small smile.
Cinder pushed her hand against the floor, and Jinn floated up with her. And despite how much pain her entire body was in, she stood tall and regain her strength, rubbing the rest of the blood away. "Thanks… Jinn." Cinder said to the Spirit, whom smiled and faded away.
Cinder approached the lamp and held it, sitting down on Delilah's throne instead of Thaddeus' this time, resting while the others make sure they are not being hunted. She heard the sound of them walking down the steps.
They're not running, that's a good sign.
Ruby approached her first, whilst Penny and Pyrrha followed. "How's it looking up there?" Cinder asked.
"Saw the Praetorian Knights. They're searching for us. That was expected, though. We saw them the second we left after using the Relic. All thirteen of them are here still, getting closer. We shouldn't waste too much time." Ruby explained, and Cinder stood up, offering the Relic back to her.
Ruby furrowed her brow. "You okay? You're sweating and kinda look… I dunno…" Ruby said.
"Yeah, it's nothing. Don't worry about it." She lied. She gave the Relic back and walked towards the stairs they came from.
"You don't seem fine." Ruby finally said aloud.
Cinder stopped and closed her only eye, sighing. "Look… you said it yourself… we haven't got time. Let's just get to that Relic." Cinder said, walking ahead of them. Ruby reattached the Lamp to her belt, then glanced over to Penny and Pyrrha.
"What's going on?" Penny whispered.
"Something's up with Cinder… I won't pry, but… she seems sick. I'm getting worried." Ruby said to her girlfriend.
"I hope she's okay… she's nice now." Penny said to her, which made Ruby smile slightly.
"Yeah, she is…"
They walked down the stairs and eventually returned to the original floor they started on, and found the next set of stairs down to the lower levels, underground levels – to be specific. Cinder stood at the stairs that descended into darkness.
"Well… nothing spooky about that…" Ruby groaned.
Pyrrha reached into her pocket and pulled out her scroll, turning on her flashlight. Penny also activated her night vision in her eyes, and Ruby pulled her scroll out as well. "If a tomb is gonna be anywhere… underground is definitely a safe bet." Pyrrha said, walking down there first. Everyone else followed her with Ruby at the back, and as they walked into the darkness, eyes were watching them, despite them not even realising it.
They shined their flashlights around, making sure nothing was lurking in here as best they could. They found old wine cellars down here, and Cinder approached one, holding it in her hands. "Damn… bet this stuff is worth a lot these days." Cinder commented.
"Bet it won't taste great." Penny said.
"Probably not, but you'd be surprised how much some people would pay for stuff like this. Y'know, 'cause it's rare." Cinder stated, but she slid the bottle back into the shelf where she found it, then rejoined her team. They continued to walk through the dark halls of the underground area.
But as they walked, they found light through some windows, revealing this area to be, in fact, connected to the walls that overlooked the docks. The waves were massive now, crashing against the piers repeatedly, throwing huge amounts of water everywhere. Every impact from the waves could be felt ever so slightly, even from in here.
They noticed more and more things in here. First it was a wine cellar… but now… it was a dungeon…
They found old cells with the skeletons… and even mummified remains… of prisoners kept here. And old torture equipment here. Cinder approached a table, finding all sorts of horrific tools for inflicting pain. "This… this is horrible…"
"Every castle has its dungeon… I bet Tyrian would love some of the toys kept away here." She chuckled.
"Looks like these people died from starvation or dehydration… maybe both… the Grimm don't look like they got to them. Not like everyone else…" Ruby said as she looked at the cells, seeing them. For moments Ruby felt like she could hear their screams as the torturers had their fun with them.
It angered her, made her clench her hand into a fist.
She stood up and kept walking. Then Pyrrha spun around after hearing something clink behind them. She aimed her rifle down there, but this time, she was not alone. Everyone drew their weapons, staring at the darkness where they heard that sound. "Come out!" Pyrrha yelled.
Penny scanned the darkness with her night vision, but she could see nothing in the shadows. "I don't see anything… but I heard it." Penny said.
"Could be a Geist… they like to mess with people." Cinder suggested.
"Yeah… be ready… if it is, then it's probably luring us into a trap." Pyrrha agreed, so they kept on going, but were all on edge. They walked down the next set of stairs and found another long hallway, but this one… was different.
They found it had two more available paths – straight ahead, which looked obvious, and a side path. The other one to the right was collapsed. The main path straight ahead, though, was very interesting… because there were these giant statues of Knights. Arcadian Knights all stood in the same pose, with their hands atop the pommel of their swords, blades pressed down against the floor.
They walked forward, but suddenly heard the sound of rumbling above them. Cracks spread across the ceiling and Ruby gasped, pushing Penny forward and jumping away. The ceiling collapsed, filling the room with a thick layer of dust. They coughed and shone through the enormous wall of rubble to find Ruby. "RUBY! RUBY!" Penny shrieked with fear.
"I'm okay! That was close…" Ruby panted. She then tried to climb up the rocks, but she couldn't fit through the gap.
"One sec…" Cinder assured, forming a ball of wind in her hand to blow it down, but Ruby's eyes widened.
"Wait! This place is unstable as it is… don't risk it." Ruby said. She then turned left. "There's another path here. I'll see where it leads. Hopefully, it links up with you guys."
"And if it doesn't?" Pyrrha asked.
"Well… I'll come back here, and if we have to, then we'll blow it down. Only as a last resort… we didn't come all this way to be buried alive." Ruby explained.
Penny reached through a gap to the love of her life, and Ruby smiled, holding her hand and kissing it. "Keep going, I'll catch up." Ruby told them, walking down the path to the left. Penny closed her eyes, then closed her hand into a fist, turning and following Cinder and Pyrrha to keep following the strangely ceremonial path.
But…
… on the other side of the rubble, Penny made a grave error.
That wasn't a statue by the door they walked through… it was Jaune. He slowly lifted his head and opened his glowing purple eyes, then turned and followed Ruby, spinning his sword through his fingers.
Pyrrha, Cinder and Penny followed the statues, their eyes amazed at how well preserved these statues were. "This is it… we saw this in the vision…" Pyrrha in awe.
"You're right… the Relic must be down here." Cinder agreed.
They kept following the statues, and Cinder ignited a flame off her index finger, lighting the torches left behind, one by one. Slowly but surely, the room lit up, and they approached the end of the long path…
… only to find…
… a wall.
"The hell?" Pyrrha stammered with confusion. Penny furrowed her brow.
"Um… that's a wall." Penny observantly commented.
"No shit." Cinder replied, then she walked around, looking for some sort of mechanism. "A hidden leaver maybe?"
They started fiddling with every little thing they could find, and even Penny activated her scanner, searching for anything mechanical here. She searched everything, even scanning the concrete wall itself, but there was nothing there. It was literally just that.
A wall.
"I… I don't understand… this whole place looks like it's leading somewhere… why would Ozpin make it all look like this if there's nothing here?" Penny pondered as she looked around.
"You think this is another trick to throw off Salem?" Pyrrha asked.
"Or we're missing something." Penny said. Cinder approached the wall, and she pressed her ear against it, then she gritted her teeth in anger.
"I'm going with tricked. It's just a damn wall!" Cinder growled.
"No, this can't all be for nothing." Pyrrha disagreed.
"Pyrrha, I can hear the damn ocean through it. It's the outer wall of the keep, that's it." Cinder stated, pacing back and forth.
Pyrrha approached the wall whilst Penny and Cinder panicked at the possibility that all of this has been for nothing. But Pyrrha pressed her ear against it and her hand against the wall… but then she noticed something… strange.
A gold light shone around one of her fingers, and she looked at it, ignoring the sound Cinder heard of the ocean crashing against the piers outside. She moved her hand across the wall, hearing a voice in the back of her mind… she could not make out the words, but she knew… it was Jaune…
… not the Brothers Grimm…
… Jaune.
She held her hand over the wall, finding a handprint, glowing gold… she pressed her hand against the print and gasped. The concrete cracked and crumbled before them. Cinder and Penny were silenced by disbelief at what was happening here as the wall collapsed. "What the… how did you…" Cinder stammered.
"I didn't…" Pyrrha answered.
The entire wall disintegrated… revealing a room… through a glowing doorway.
"It's a Vault… like the ones in all the Academies… a secret vault." Cinder gasped in awe, and they all walked into the Vault. Unlike the others, it did not look like an oil painting, it was just as real as the world they came from. Penny smiled at the marvel of how this was hidden.
"This is amazing!" Penny squeaked with joy.
"Oz, you clever old bastard…" Cinder admitted.
And lodged in a stone was the Relic of Creation.
Still in the form of a sword, just as it was when Thaddeus transformed it into its new shape. Pyrrha approached the sword, with Cinder and Penny around her. Surrounding them were some more of those statues that they saw outside, all in the same pose.
Cinder approached the sword, and she grabbed the hilt and yanked it as hard as she could… but nothing. She pulled hard, but it wouldn't come free. "Damn…"
Penny then took her turn and grabbed onto it, blasting flames from her thrusters to rip it out. But even with the force of her thrusters, it still wouldn't budge. "Come on, you bastard, make it easy for us?" Cinder sighed, but then they both looked at Pyrrha. She looked at her hand and furrowed her brow.
"I… have a hunch…" she said, still hearing the calming voice of Jaune in the back of her mind, and she approached. "A long time ago… I used my aura to unlock Jaune's… and when we… were together… we bonded our auras. It's why I felt him die that night… maybe… a part of him is still with me." She hoped, walking up the steps to the rock the sword was rammed into.
"One final security measure to protect the sword… only the aura of an Arc can draw it… or someone who was bonded with one…" Penny summarised with wide eyes.
Pyrrha looked at Cinder and the Fall Maiden nodded her head.
She took both hands and clasped them around the hilt… and pulled… and to all their amazement, the blade moved, slowly being pulled from the stone. Smiles formed on their faces, and Pyrrha pulled the whole sword out, holding it high, and she cried with joy. Even in death… he was with her.
"FUCK YEAH!" Cinder cheered, and Penny bounced joyously.
Pyrrha sniffled as she stared at the sword, holding it close. "Thank you… Jaune…"
But the moment was shattered, as they turned to see one of the stone knights suddenly cracked, and it swung its sword at Pyrrha suddenly. She gasped and immediately deflected it with the Relic. A bright flash burst from the impact, and she tumbled across the floor. The statue slashed its sword across the ground, throwing sparks and it glared at them. "Who has come for the sword?" The Stone Knight snarled.
"Oh boy, looks like Ozpin made some guard dogs!" Cinder yelled, blasting fire towards the statue. It slashed at her, but she rolled out of the way, launching fireballs at it. The Knight deflected one fireball but then had one explode against the side of its head. A huge chunk of its head broke apart with lava leaking down from the molten rock, but it held the sword over its head and swung towards her.
"NONE SHALL LEAVE WITH THE SWORD!" The Stone Knight roared, but Penny flew around the room, firing a powerful beam of green energy into the Knight's chest, burning straight through it. The knight crumbled into dust before them, and then the others all awakened to defend their relic.
One jumped from where it was standing, slamming the blade of its sword down at Pyrrha who rolled aside, keeping her hand tightly clasped onto the sword, but she still slashed across its leg with Ira Red, then jumped up and drove the Sword of Creation straight through its torso, cutting straight through the middle, destroying it.
Cinder blasted up into the air, and launched down, cutting through the arm of another and then blasted a huge icicle through the head of the Knight, destroying it. Two more stood before the entrance, and the three went to attack so they could get out of there.
But behind the two, they saw someone sprinting behind them. "Yes! Ruby, we could use a-" Pyrrha called, but instead they saw a massive sword stab through the chest of the one on the right, and then it cut the other clean in two in no time at all. The killer kicked the crumbling Knight to the ground, and he stood before them.
"That Sword… belongs to my Queen." Jaune growled.
Pyrrha didn't even know what to do. She felt her whole body freeze and Ira Red dropped from her hand. She nearly dropped the Relic as well, and her eyes were wider than they ever were before. Her blood ran cold, seeing what he had become, pale skinned and ice white hair with those… frighteningly familiar burning purple eyes.
Penny gasped as she looked at his hip, spotting the Relic of Knowledge dangling from his hip. "No… Ruby? WHAT DID YOU DO?" Penny yelled, blasting towards him, only for him to aim his shield at her, firing a single powerful projectile into her chest, blowing her against the wall and onto the floor. He didn't even look at her, he just walked towards Pyrrha.
If it weren't for her aura… that shot could have killed Penny.
"J-Jaune?" She trembled, feeling her heard pounding as he walked towards her. He was so much larger now than he was before…
How is this… how is this even possible?
What did Salem do to you?
Jaune…
"Drop the sword." Jaune coldly growled as he got closer and closer.
Cinder formed her swords, teeth gritted and ready to kill him if he left her no choice. Penny groaned slowly, getting back up with smoke trailing from her chest, scared for where Ruby was.
He has Jinn… where's Ruby?
"Jaune… it's me… Pyrrha…" she stammered. "You're the man I love… I…"
He suddenly swung his sword at her, pressing it against her throat. She gasped as he stared down at her. "I only remember the weakness I felt when around you… nothing more." He snarled. He then glared directly into her confused and terrified emerald eyes. "Give me the Sword, Pyrrha. I will not ask you again." He warned.
Cinder stared at her and saw her grip loosen.
"Pyrrha… don't." Cinder stated.
"Jaune…" Pyrrha trembled, but those were not the eyes of the man she loved… but they were frighteningly familiar. He suddenly reached for the sword and grabbed it, pulling it from her loosened grip. He rose and turned to walk away from them. Cinder's eye widened, and she blasted towards Jaune, only for him to shoot her down as well.
He did not say another word, he just walked away with both relics. Pyrrha was frozen, unable to find the words to describe what was going through her head.
But the Brother of Darkness appeared over her shoulder, with some things to say. "So now it all makes sense… we sensed she had used the dark necromancy once again. Why his soul eludes us. Salem has it under lock and key. His mind scattered to the winds, his flesh mangled and made… into her own warrior. With a mask you would seek to caress, not deface. Inspired." He chuckled in her mind, but she snapped out of it when she saw Penny rush to her, grabbing her by the shoulders.
"Pyrrha! Pyrrha!" Penny called, as Cinder got up and blasted after Jaune.
"I… he's…"
"I know, but he has the Relics, Pyrrha. We have to stop him! And we need to find Ruby!" Penny stated, and she shook Pyrrha desperately.
Pyrrha was shellshocked from this revelation, but then Penny held her head, making her look at her. "It's not him… you saw his eyes… it's just like…"
"… Thaddeus…" she stammered. "What has she done?"
"I don't know, but we need to go after him before Salem teleports him back to her! She'll have all the Relics!" Penny yelled, and that snapped her out of it.
"Y-Yeah…" Pyrrha stumbled, and she shook her head and rushed with Penny to catch up with Cinder. The Fall Maiden was launching herself down the hall towards Jaune, who turned and fired three shots at her. She dodged the first two, but was clipped by the last. She tumbled across the floor and slashed her newly formed Battleaxe at him, but he stopped it with his sword, then kicked her in the chest.
Pyrrha caught up and stared at Jaune again, seeing those eyes.
It was the same.
It was Thaddeus Rex's eyes…
What did Salem do to Thaddeus?
He aimed at them with his shield, charging up the cannon, until suddenly a cyclone of rose petals banked around him from behind. He turned just as she threw herself into him with a defiant roar, smashing him through the wall so hard it exploded. The wall shattered and the two of them tumbled down the slope towards the pier.
"RUBY!" Penny screamed, and they pursued the two as they bounced and rolled down the side of the cliff towards the pier. Ruby nailed the landing, sliding across the slippery floor, drawing Black Thorn. The Relic of Creation tumbled across the floor and so did the Relic of Knowledge. Ruby sprinted at Jaune as he was about to get back up, but she hooked her scythe onto the back of his neck, smacking his head against the floor.
She slid past him and grabbed the Relic of Knowledge, clipping it back onto her belt, then turned to Creation, which was sliding back and forth on the pier, getting scarily close to the sea. The whole pier was sloshing back and forth from the storm. Lightning crackled in the sky above as they fought.
She sprinted for the sword, but Jaune fired at her, then he charged towards her, drawing his sword and slashing at her. She rolled back, narrowly avoiding the explosive shell he shot, then stared at Jaune. Purple embers trailed from his cursed eyes as he paced back and forth, snarling savagely. "Jaune… what has happened to you?" She gasped, and he snarled viciously, like a wild animal back at her. "Y'know, outside the obvious."
Jaune sprinted towards Ruby, swinging his sword at her, but she stopped it with her scythes. "Damn it! It's us! Your friends!" She yelled desperately, but he stamped down against her knee, then smashed his shield across her face.
"I am the Salem Knight! Salem's Inquisitor!" He roared, he slashed at her again, but she hooked her scythes onto the blade and threw it away from him. But he punched her and grabbed her by her hood and legs, swinging her around and throwing her down on his knee, causing her aura to flicker, nearly breaking. If it weren't for her aura, that would have paralysed her. "WHO YOU WERE MEANS NOTHING TO ME NOW!" He roared, before throwing her away from him and the Relic.
She slid across the pier and pulled her black and red hood up, glaring back at him as waves crashed behind her. He aimed his cannon at her and fired, but Ruby rolled out of the way and fired her revolvers back at him. He raised his shield, then turned as Cinder suddenly threw her fist into the side of his face. The impact blew him across the pier, and he fell into the sea.
They looked around for him, but he suddenly burst through the surface behind Cinder, stamping down on the back of her neck, pinning her against the floor. Pyrrha stood there, unable to even draw her weapons on him, but she saw the Relic of Creation sliding around the pier. She sprinted for it, whilst Penny flew around above Jaune, firing her energy beam down at him, whilst also having Floating Array rotate around her back.
He raised his shield, refracting her beam across the battlefield, cutting the pier apart where Pyrrha was, stopping her from getting to the Relic at first. But then she jumped for Creation and grabbed onto it, but the chunk of pier she was on collapsed beneath her, throwing her into the water. She screamed in the water as she felt the water throw her back and forth, smashing her into the supports. She swam up to the surface, gasping for air as she clambered back up top.
She turned to see Penny slashing her many swords at Jaune, but he now had his sword back, blocking them all with each swing. Then Cinder ignited her hand and pressed it against his leg. He snarled with anger and she blasted out from under his boot the second his force lightened, and she hovered in the air, blasting lightning down towards him. He aimed his cannon up at her, firing multiple shots at her, but she dodged these and dove at him, burying the axe into the ground where he was.
Jaune swung his knee up into her face, then grabbed her by the back of her head, smashing her into the floor with significant force. Penny flew at him as he slashed across her, knocking her down into the water. He turned his gaze to the two holding onto the Relics and they tried to retreat, only for a massive wave to knock them across the pier. The Relics fell from their grasp, but Ruby quickly caught Knowledge before it dropped into the sea.
Pyrrha scrambled for Creation until he kicked her in the face. He punched her hard, over and over, then went for the sword. Pyrrha suddenly rolled onto him and held him down against the floor as hard as she could.
"Jaune! Jaune please stop this!" she begged as Cinder got back up in the background and Penny burst through the surface of the water, still flying. She turned and nodded at Ruby to go. They had to keep the Relics safe, no matter what. "Jaune, you're the man I love! We wanted to start a family together, remember?" She screamed over the storm. "I know you're still in there! Please, it's me!"
Nothing she said seemed to get through, but she turned and saw Cinder jumping at him with her axe above her head. "Cinder, no!" she begged, desperately not wanting to lose him again, but Jaune shoved her aside and dodged the incoming blade. She stamped down on his throat to hold him down.
"It's not Jaune! It's a monster she's made!" She yelled back at Pyrrha, and went to bury the axe in his face, until another wave from the storm crashed into them both. They slid across the pier, and as Jaune tumbled, Penny flew through the wave and smashed her fist into his face. As he tumbled, he stumbled back to his feet and grabbed his sword, sprinting after Ruby.
The Hooded Rose looked back and gasped as Jaune tackled her down onto the rocks protruding from the sea. They both tumbled across them and Ruby reached out as Black Thorn was thrown from her grip, tumbling between some rocks, getting stuck. She reached for them, but Jaune stood above her and grabbed her by the hood. He swung her around and smashed her face into the hard black rocks with all his might, roaring with fury.
The first hit broke her aura, but he kept on smashing her face over and over into the rocks, bloodying her face more and more.
"RUBY!" Penny shrieked, blasting to her.
He flipped her over and punched her over and over with both fists, bloodying his hands. Every hit made Ruby get closer and closer to death. Pyrrha drew Ira Red and Crocea Mortem and she sprinted at Jaune.
He drew his sword as he stood above the dying Ruby Rose, and he thrusted down towards her…
But something stopped him. He stared down and growled with hatred, seeing Pyrrha crossing her swords together, tears streaming from her eyes, stopping him. She thrusted him back, and slashed him up the chest, protecting Ruby. Ruby spluttered blood, and seeing her face… made Penny go berserk.
"NO!" Penny roared, and she spun Floating Array around and fired a massive full powered green laser at Jaune.
The Salem Knight barked in pain, taking the beam to his shoulder, being pushed across the rocks, until he raised his shield up, reflecting the beam upwards and cutting through one of the Guard Towers. The beam cut it clean in half, sending the old structure crashing down into the deep with a colossal bang. And soon, the massive wave was thrown at them. Jaune tumbled away whilst Pyrrha held onto Ruby and Black Thorn as the water rushed by.
Her blood was mixing into the salt water, but now she was completely unconscious from the extreme beating she suffered. "Cinder!" Pyrrha called out, and the Fall Maiden burst through the water and landed beside them. "Get Ruby out of here, get her to the lighthouse over there!" Pyrrha begged her. "Penny and I can buy you some time."
"You sure about this?" Cinder asked.
"I have to." Pyrrha said, and Cinder nodded. She crouched down and picked Ruby up with her weapons rested on her belly and then flew off to protect her.
Jaune clambered out from the water, scowling at them, sword in hand. Penny descended beside her, weapons at the ready, and she nodded at her. Pyrrha turned and saw the Relic and jumped for it, grabbing onto the hilt as Jaune charged at her. But Penny flew and grabbed Pyrrha, holding her close. She went to fly, but Jaune caught onto her boot. The three of them flew high into the air. Pyrrha kicked at Jaune's face to get him off, but they spun out of control, crashing through the broken glass of the Throne Room.
Dripping with both sea water and rain water, they rolled across the floor, smashing through Thaddeus' throne.
Jaune stood tall, holding his sword tight whilst Pyrrha held onto the Relic of Creation. She did not know how to use the thing, so she didn't even try to. She attached it to the magnetic strip in the back of her clothes to keep it there and raised her swords. Penny floated up in the air, rotating her swords, then Jaune fired at them. Penny dashed aside whilst Pyrrha levitated the cutlery with her polarity, launching a storm of them at Jaune. He raised his shield to block the incoming knives, forks and spoons, but as he lowered the shield, the tearful Pyrrha Nikos smashed her fists down on the top of his head. As she landed, she then jumped again, and back flipped, kicking up his jaw.
He crashed against the floor, snarling as he got back up, spinning his sword through his fingers. He raised it up to be eye level, then he shot forward, and stabbed at Pyrrha. She deflected his incoming blow, then slashed across his leg, dropping him to his knee and she swung towards his face. He caught her hand and effortlessly lifted her, swinging her around and throwing her against the wall.
He turned and held his sword up, stopping the many swords of Floating Array from hitting him. She glared down at him with anger at what he did to her girlfriend. He punched her in the face, but she launched back at him, kicking him in the chest and blasting flames into him. The attack knocked him back a few steps. He then charged up his shield, making it up extremely loud, and he fired it like a machine gun, flicking it upwards towards Penny. Explosive rounds shattered the marble floor and multiple shells impacted against Penny, blowing her across the room.
Pyrrha then threw one of her swords at him and gasped, watching as the sword stabbed straight through his chest and protruded out the other side. "No… I'm sorry… I…"
But he turned and glared at her with a sinister smirk, laughing darkly. He grabbed Crocea Mortem lodged in his heart and ripped it out like it was nothing. Her eyes widened, and he fired at her once again. The shell hit her in the chest and she tumbled across the floor. Then she turned to Penny. "He can't… be harmed… he's like Salem!" she called to her.
Penny stared at Jaune and blasted towards him, spinning through the air, turning herself into a saw blade, all her swords cutting across his armour relentlessly. She then punched him in the face and launched two swords into his shoulders and smashed him down against the ground. He tumbled across the floor, then stared at Pyrrha. She rolled aside, trying to protect the Relic, but he caught her ponytail and smashed her face into the ground.
He immediately grabbed onto the sword, pulling it from her magnet. Penny flew around him, launching her swords down around him, and she then shot down at him, smashing both her boots into his chest, pinning him down against the ground. But Jaune grabbed her by the throat, and threw her off him, and he rolled his shoulders as they healed, black smoke leaking from the wounds.
Pyrrha got back up and looked around with wide eyes, because the Praetorian Knights had arrived. All eleven of them, jumping inside through the window, bursting through the doors, or flying through the collapsed staircase, forming in each corner of the room. Penny landed beside her, then hardened her glare at Jaune.
He pointed his sword at them. "It's over." He growled.
"Not yet." Penny answered. Pyrrha nodded at her, and Penny transformed her Grave Dust Swords into a barrier around Pyrrha, and her eyes shone bright green. Her core went critical, and she unleashed a defiant roar, throwing her arms back. Jaune's purple eyes widened, and the entire room exploded as Penny detonated the Ultimate Weapon.
A blinding green ball of energy erupted out of her, completely destroying Arcadia and incinerating all the plantlife within the blast range, wiping out the town and the history behind the place. As the blinding light faded and the building collapsed, Penny's Grave Dust barrier crumbled and Pyrrha fell.
But Penny still had enough power left before collapsing to fly after Pyrrha, catch her, and fly off as fast as she could.
Jaune crashed to the bottom as the building crumbled around him, and the two escaped. Jaune stood tall, ash falling from his armour, scorch marks healing immediately, and all the Praetorians stood tall, very damaged and wounded by Penny's attack… but still alive. He stood with the remaining Eleven of Thaddeus' Thirteen Knights and held the Relic of Creation in his hand.
He snarled and went to follow the trail where Penny was flying off to the lighthouse where Cinder took Ruby. "Well done… my Knight." Salem spoke through one of the Praetorian Knights.
"I have not completed my mission. They still have the Relic of Knowledge… I have failed, my Queen." He lowered his head in defeat.
"Incorrect, my Knight… you have acquired the Relic, which has remained hidden from me for nearly a century. But now you must return." She commanded.
"What of Knowledge?" He asked, turning to the Praetorian Knight she was speaking through.
"Worry not… they will come to us." She assured, and she sounded like she was grinning.
Jaune turned towards the open portal, and walked with his Praetorians, returning to Evernight.
Penny continued to fly across the sea, and only just lost altitude as she reached the Lighthouse. She slowed down and lowered Pyrrha to the floor before collapsing. She was not offline though, just needed some time to recover. "Nice work, Penny…" Pyrrha chuckled, gently caressing the back of her head.
Cinder burst through the door with a shocked expression. "By the gods, I thought you did that. Is… is he…" Cinder asked.
Pyrrha shook her head. "No… he can't be killed… he's like Salem now…" she answered.
"Fuck." Cinder sighed, pushing one hand through her hair.
"R-Ruby… is she…" Penny weakly stammered. Pyrrha helped her up, and they walked inside to see that Cinder had made a bandage with some ice to her head.
"She's alive. Just needs some time to heal… Jaune really gave her one hell of a beating." Cinder said, and Penny immediately sat beside her, cradling her hand, gently stroking Ruby's cheek. Cinder then turned to Pyrrha.
"Look… I'm sorry I…"
"No… I'm sorry. I… I still haven't wrapped my head around what Salem has done, but… that isn't him… or if it is… we need to get Thaddeus out of him." Pyrrha explained.
"I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought his eyes looked familiar." Cinder replied. "But he has Creation, doesn't he?"
"Yes… he was the one stalking us… waiting for me to open it. Or just to find it." Pyrrha sighed. "Damn it… we nearly lost both the Relics…"
"She's not gonna stop until she has Jinn now…"
Suddenly they felt their scrolls all vibrate, including Ruby's in her pocket. They all pulled the scrolls out, and their eyes widened.
It was the Emergency Broadcast System.
The same one everyone around the world was seeing. "What the hell is going on? They never activate this…" Cinder questioned. Pyrrha turned and projected the screen into the air, and Penny looked up at it with shock in her eyes.
They saw… all the Kingdoms…
They were being locked down. Black Gallows were trapping people in their homes, not letting anybody leave the cities. One by one, the cities were becoming giant prisons for everyone inside. "What the hell is happening?" Pyrrha questioned.
Suddenly the footage of the Kingdoms hard cut to a feed of… Killian.
He stared at the camera, appearing to be somewhere in the desert with the Gyrfalcon landed behind him. He held his hands behind his back… and they saw the signs of his fight against Dutch and Robyn, bruised and cut up. But worst of all… he looked sick and tired… and terrifyingly insane now.
"I have always sworn myself to my duty to protect the people of Remnant from every single threat in existence. At first I believed Salem was that threat… but in time I realised she was right." Killian explained. Pyrrha clenched her hand into a fist with anger at him. "Our world is so close to being saved, but there are four individuals stopping us from completing our work. Cinder Fall. Pyrrha Nikos. Penny Polendina. And Ruby Rose." Killian said, and Cinder gritted her teeth.
He stared at them and sighed. "Team Copper… I am now speaking directly to you. I understand you believe that what you are doing is right, but your actions are going to doom the people of this world. So I am going to give you a choice – you can either deliver the Relic of Knowledge to Salem and do your sworn duty as Huntresses and save the people of Remnant – Or… you can all watch as I burn the Kingdoms to ash."
Pyrrha felt the entire world gasp when he said that. In Vacuo, Eryka scowled whilst everyone gasped at hearing the threat. She looked at Winter and Dutch, who knew that now… more than every… they had to stop Killian.
He had to die now, not just for revenge.
He was too dangerous now.
And in Menagerie, Nora covered her mouth in shock at hearing this, eyes wide, whilst Sienna narrowed her eyes with anger. Blake squeezed Yang's hand, and they looked at one another.
In the Summit's Claim, Li clenched his fist tight with anger at this threat.
"I have four bombs… one under each of the Kingdoms… with enough power to wipe them and everyone in them off the map. That's all it will take." Killian warned. "And if that alone will not convince you… then Cinder Fall… will you allow the only thing that brought you joy to be taken from you?" He asked.
The recording showed a live feed of Salem sat with Amber, and Salem smirked at the camera. Cinder's eyes widened, and she gasped.
"No…" She stepped forward, glaring at the feed.
"I never wanted this… I wanted to protect Remnant… but you have forced my hand. You have one hour to respond… and I hope… you live up to the vow you swore."
The feed went black.
This was it…
… no turning back.
Author Note - We are now in the Endgame of Act 3 ladies and gentlemen...
Final Act of this... well... Act... XD (Not final chapter, just to clarify, just final chunk lol) As you can imagine Volume 8 gave me inspiration for that final part with Killian's Ultimatum. I love this chapter though, real culmination of all the set up I have been doing.
And not even joking, David and I have had this chapter planned for YEARS. Hell this was one of the first things he ever came up with for Eclipse, was Jaune Vs Pyrrha at Arcadia, before Team CPPR was even a thing. Of course adding the rest of the gang just made it even better. This was definitely one of my favourite chapters I've written for both Eclipse and KoG just for how well it worked.
And I hope seeing Jaune as the Salem Knight finally fight was awesome to see, our boy is a terrifying monster now. Who cannot be killed so it seems.
And now Jinn is the last Relic that Salem needs... and now they have no choice but to bring her to Salem. Everything is culminating!
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter!
- Matt