A Different Way Down: A RWBY fanfiction, by NotScot

The Vault Of Beacon, Part 1


A/N: Lesson learned, don't mess with the default settings. Apologies for the horrible formatting of before. Hopefully this looks a bit better.


The elevator descended, far too slowly for Ozpin's liking.

Were the situation not so dire, he might have laughed at the irony of someone like him never having enough time. It would not have been a cheerful laugh.

Time has never been on our side. It was always her ally, not mine.

"Pyrrha, where are we going?" asked Jaune. The boy looked very confused, and quite worried alongside.

The young huntress-in-training said nothing. She hadn't said a word since she ran up to Ozpin. Amid all the chaos, she had sought him out, and followed him without any hesitation as he led her and her partner toward the Vault.

Now, however, that determination had faded. Pyrrha no longer looked so sure of herself. She was doing a very good job of masking her emotions, but Ozpin could see the slight tremor in her hands and the tightness in her expression. She was, quite appropriately, scared.

Jaune seemed to notice this as well, because he didn't press her for an answer. Instead, he simply placed a hand upon her shoulder, letting her know that he was there.

They truly were perfect partners for one another, in Ozpin's own opinion.

Ding!

The doors opened, the elevator having reached its destination.

Ozpin ran out of the elevator and down the corridor towards the machine. Pyrrha and Jaune followed closely behind.

"What is this place?" Ozpin didn't know if Jaune was asking that to him or to Pyrrha. Either way, he ignored the question. There wasn't enough time to explain.

There's never enough time.

"It's a… vault," replied Pyrrha hesitantly. "A type of vault."

"You've been here before?" Jaune sounded even more confused. "But what would a school need to hide?"

The accusatory tone in the boys voice made Ozpin wince slightly. No matter how many times he heard that tone, no matter how many times people learnt some of his secrets, it never got any easier to see their faith in him erode away. Given what he was about to do to this boy's closest friend, Ozpin could hardly say he didn't deserve such scorn.

As the trio approached the machine, the sleeping form of Amber came into view, lying in the pod on the left. She was so young, barely older than Pyrrha herself. Maidens didn't often last very long as it was, but Amber…

"Who's that?"

Jaune had stopped in his tracks, staring wide-eyed at the comatose girl inside the strange contraption. Ozpin could only imagine what was going through the boy's head right now.

Ozpin stood before the main console, and began to type in the first access code.

"Jaune, I-"

"Pyrrha! Get to the pod!" Ozpin cut her off before she could say anything to Jaune. She looked to Ozpin, then to Jaune, before turning and moving over to the pod on the right.

"Mister Arc, if you would like to help, stand guard," ordered Ozpin. "No-one else can be here right now."

For a brief moment, Ozpin wondered if Jaune would challenge this demand. However, Jaune swiftly drew his sword and readied his shield, settling into a guarding stance facing the other way.

He truly had changed, thought Ozpin. No longer was this the same boy who was in over his head and struggling to find his footing. Now he was a strong huntsman-in-training worthy of the title, and firm in his conviction.

He was still in over his head though. But then again, they all were.

Pyrrha turned to face Ozpin, uncertainty all over her face.

"What do we do now?"

Ozpin entered the final access code, and the machine began to come to life. Mechanical hums filled the room, and the two pods' inside lights flickered on as they raised upright, ready to commence the transfer.

"We," replied Ozpin. "Do nothing. You, Miss Nikos, have a choice to make." He hit the final key, and the door to the empty pod slid open with a hiss.

Pyrrha looked at the pod, then at Jaune. Her expression changed from uncertain to… sad. Tears began to well up in her eyes, which she wiped away with her hand.
Ozpin knew that there really wasn't any choice, and it seemed Pyrrha knew this as well. He could not be certain what this process would do to her, but he had a general idea.

He would not wish it on anyone, least of all one so promising as Pyrrha Nikos.

The pod slid closed, now occupied by Pyrrha.

Ozpin moved to press the key that would begin the transfer, but stopped. He knew he had to do it, he knew that they had no other choice. Even so, he stopped. "Are you… are you ready?" he asked.

Pyrrha gave him a single, small nod.

"I need to hear you say it." Because even though he was forcing this choice on her, he needed to know that she was still making the choice herself. He was about to take away so much from her, he couldn't take that away from her as well.

Pyrrha lay back in the pod, staring straight ahead. No more tears threatened to spill from her eyes, which had now, he saw, regained some of their fire.

"Yes." With that one word, her choice was made.

"Thank you, Miss Nikos." Ozpin turned to Jaune. "Mr Arc, don't turn around. No matter what you hear, you need to stay on guard."

Ozpin saw the boy's grip on his sword tighten, but he nodded, nonetheless. "Do what you need to do, Professor."

Ozpin allowed himself a small smile, before turning back to the console. He pressed the last key, and the transfer began.

"I'm so sorry."


Jaune was scared of what might be coming for them.

Jaune was worried about Pyrrha and what she might be about to do.

Jaune was confused as to what was even happening right now.

But Jaune was not about to let them down. If Ozpin needed him to be on guard, then he would stand his ground and stop anyone from getting to the people behind him.

He would stop them from getting to Pyrrha.

He heard the strange machine begin to hum louder, and an orange glow began to fill the room from behind him, casting long shadows across the stone floor.

And then Pyrrha began screaming.

Jaune began to turn, ready to rush to Pyrrha's side and stop whatever was causing her so much pain. He had to help her! She was his partner, his friend, his…

No matter what you hear, you need to stay on guard.

Jaune wanted to turn and help. He wanted to smash that machine and pull Pyrrha out. But he couldn't. He mustn't, because someone could be coming for them right now, riding down the elevator to attack them and-

Wait. Why is the elevator coming back down?

Pyrrha's screams were now being drowned out by the noise of the machine, which was making sounds like an engine about to explode. But Jaune did everything he could to tune it out, because someone was coming!

At the far end of the corridor, the elevator doors opened.

"GET DOWN!"

The black arrow shattered against Jaune's shield. Had he been a second slower, it would have embedded itself in the chest of the other girl in the pod.

Cinder Fall's smirk gave way to a small frown as she manifested a second arrow, turning her aim towards the other pod.

Pyrrha's pod.

Jaune sprang towards the other pod, shield ready to intercept the projectile before it could hit its target.

Cinder let her arrow fly, and Jaune realized too late that he had fallen for her trick.

"Enough!"

The orange light of the machine was masked by a bright flash of green.

Jaune had always wondered what Professor Ozpin's Semblance was. Nora had suggested, only half-jokingly, that it had something to do with the hot chocolate he was always drinking wherever he went. Jaune himself had put forward the theory that he could stop time. There were a lot of clock gears in his office after all.

Big green forcefields was not something anyone had suggested as far as he knew. Not that he was complaining right now.

Ozpin stood back up, cane in hand, his barrier dissipating as he adopted a combat stance.

"I will only say this once," he called, his voice carrying over the noise of the machine. "Leave now."

If Cinder said anything in response, it was drowned out by the machine, which had carried on with whatever it was doing to its two occupants. Jaune had no idea if Pyrrha was still screaming, or even if she was still awake. Or worse…

No, don't think like that. Pyrrha will be fine. She's strong. She'll be OK.

Jaune turned his full attention to Cinder. She was no longer holding her bow, instead gripping two curved blades. Like her arrows, they too were made of black glass.

She didn't have those on her when she arrived.

Jaune didn't have time to consider where exactly these new weapons had come from, because in an instant she had closed the distance between them and was moving to slice at his neck.

Crocea Mors may not have been as fancy as some other weapons, but it was every bit as durable as anyone else's, especially when Jaune channelled his aura through its edge. Black glass met white metal, turning Cinder's blade away. In the same motion, Jaune spun on his heel to deliver a shield bash to her side.

Cinder stepped backwards to avoid the hit, then advanced again to continue her attack. At the same time, Ozpin launched himself across the room, cane in hand, to join the fray. He intercepted a blow aimed at Jaune's leg and replied with one of his own aimed at Cinder's side, knocking her back.

Jaune and Ozpin had only a brief second to catch their breath and retake their stances before Cinder recovered her footing. She advanced once more, and the real battle began.


Ozpin's body was not as young as it used to be, but he was still a powerful Huntsman, and more besides. But right now, he couldn't afford to go all out. If he were alone, he wouldn't need to worry at all. He could've drawn upon all of his power to fend off this assassin without issue. She only had half of the Fall Maiden's power right now, he could handle that much at least. But he was not alone. Pyrrha and Amber were here as well, and if either of those two girls were caught in the crossfire of this clash, then all of this would have been for nothing. He couldn't risk that, which put him at a rather alarming disadvantage against an opponent who had no such qualms.

As he was now, he could not hope to best Cinder Fall in single combat.

Fortunately, he didn't need to. Because there was one other person present.

"She cannot get past us," Ozpin said to Jaune, amplifying his voice to be heard over the noise of the machine.

The instant he finished that statement, two black blades swung for him from either side. He blocked one with his cane, letting his aura absorb the second. Glynda would have had some rather choice words for him if she saw such a sloppy defence, but dodging wasn't exactly an option right now. He couldn't afford to give Cinder any chance to slip past him.

Jaune was by his side a moment later, thrusting his own sword at Cinder's body, forcing her to twist to avoid his attack. Ozpin launched a thrust of his own, which was turned aside by Cinder with a flick of her blade before following through with her other sword.

Once again, Ozpin took the hit, his aura flaring to absorb the damage as he continued to go on the offensive. Beside him, Jaune forced Cinder to fall back slightly, shield and sword moving to intercept, parry and attack in quick succession. With both of them fighting her at once, Cinder's attention was split between them, yet she showed no signs of faltering. The assassin's skill was clear to see. Even fighting two opponents at once, she did not seem to be particularly threatened.

Cinder's blades began to glow, gaining a red hue and giving off significant heat. In one fluid motion, she leapt backwards, flipping through the air as she launched both of her weapons at her opponents, conjuring a second pair before landing.

Ozpin could immediately see that this attack was not one he should allow his aura to absorb. Instead, he sent a pulse of energy into his cane as he swung it. The glowing sword was intercepted by an arc of green, exploding in the air and scattering shards in all directions. Ozpin moved swiftly, cane dancing through the air as he deflected a dozen sharp projectiles in rapid succession.

His young partner was less fortunate. Jaune's shield was durable enough to take the hit, but the explosion still sent him skidding backwards, just barely remaining on his feet. Ozpin spared him the briefest of glances, just enough to make sure the boy's aura hadn't broken, before turning to launch himself towards Cinder.

It would seem Miss Nikos was not exaggerating when she said her partner had so much potential. Even so, he likely cannot take blows of that calibre too often. He will need a moment to collect himself.

With Jaune safe behind him for the time being, Ozpin allowed himself to tap into some more of his power. He focussed his energy into his limbs, preparing for one of his more… elaborate techniques.

Cinder resumed her attack, her new blades slashing through the air with vicious intent. Ozpin engaged her directly, adopting a defensive stance for the time being, parrying and blocking each of Cinder's attacks while simultaneously continuing to stockpile the energy he needed to make his move. A few glancing blows got through, chipping away at his aura a little more each time, but not enough to cause him any real worry.

This exchange lasted about ten seconds, but that was all the time Ozpin needed. With a powerful swing, he knocked both of Cinder's weapons up and away from her body, leaving her wide open to his next move.

Time seemed to slow down as the stockpiled energy was released. Ozpin drew back his cane and shifted his footing, adopting a stance that resembled a fencer. Then, allowing lifetimes' worth of muscle memory to guide his body, he lunged forwards and struck his opponent.

Again.
And again.
And again.
And again and again and again.

With his own perception of time accelerated as much as it was, from Ozpin's perspective he wasn't moving much faster than he usually did in combat. However, to anyone else watching, it would have been quite the sight. Even to the eye of a trained Huntsman, his arm would have been a blur as blow after blow after blow struck Cinder's body, almost juggling her in the air as her aura visibly flickered, clearly struggling to cope with so much punishment.

In all, Ozpin's cane struck Cinder fifty times, all in the span of around two seconds.

As the rush of energy began to subside, Ozpin's perception of time began to return to normal. With his final blow, Cinder was launched back across the hallway, her body tumbling across the stone floor before coming to rest some distance away.

She did not get back up. However, Ozpin knew better than to assume she was beaten. After all, her aura had not broken yet. She was still a threat.

Of course, even if her aura had broken, she would still be a threat. The magic in her body, the power of the Fall Maiden she had stolen, did not run out so easily. She may only have half of it, but that was still enough to make her extremely dangerous.

"Professor!"

Ozpin did not turn to acknowledge the boy. He readied his cane once more, preparing to deliver-

Ozpin paused, realizing that he had indeed just heard his student's voice behind him.

The noise of the machine was no longer drowning him out.

The process was complete.


Author's Note:

Well, after years of reading other people's work, I have finally decided to have a go at writing some of my own. And I have decided that I don't like this website's interface very much. It's going to take some getting used to. If you spot any weird formatting errors, I apologise.
(I'm also still figuring out how to use this website in general. Tech-wizard, I am not.)

This is a bit of a 'for-want-of-a-nail' story, if more than one nail were missing. The first being 'what if Pyrrha did become the other half of the Fall Maiden'? The other nail... well, you'll just have to wait and see.
Expect part two of this in the next week or so, and part three onwards will be added whenever I get a free moment.

Reviews and criticism of all kinds will be welcomed with open arms. I want my writing to get better, and the best way to get better at something is to be told at length and in great detail how much you suck at it (at least, that's what I've heard).

Until next time,
NotScot.