A Different Way Down: A RWBY fanfiction, by NotScot
The Vault Of Beacon, Part 2
A/N: I spotted far too many typos, so I've gone back through and corrected them. If you spot any other's let me know.
"Professor!" cried Jaune desperately.
The machine had stopped doing… whatever it had been doing to Pyrrha, and had now fallen silent. It's two occupants both lay motionless within their respective pods.
Pyrrha's eyes were closed, and she looked incredibly pale, but she was alive. Jaune could see her chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm as she breathed.
"Professor, what do I do? Is it safe to open it up? Is Pyrrha gonna be alright? What did this thing even do to her, and why now? What's happening!?" Questions poured out of Jaune in a frantic babble as he began searching the pod for some sort of switch or button to open it up and get Pyrrha out of it.
"Mr Arc, stay on guard. This fight is not over yet."
Jaune whirled around to face Ozpin, his anger flaring in response to what he had just heard. "Just tell me what's going on!" he yelled. "What have you done to Pyrrha!? What did you do to her!?"
Ozpin did not turn around. "There will be time for explanations later. Right now, we need to-"
"Look at me!"
Jaune had trusted Ozpin when he had said he needed him to stay on guard before. He had trusted Ozpin when he made Pyrrha get inside this machine that had caused her so much pain, and while they were fighting side by side to keep Cinder from getting to her. But his trust and patience had run out. Cinder was down, Pyrrha wasn't waking up, he was pretty sure the other girl's condition was just as bad if not worse, and Ozpin was refusing to look at him!
Ozpin's form tensed, but still he did not turn to face Jaune. Instead, he began to walk away.
Jaune had finally had enough. He turned back to face the pod and raised his sword high. With a yell, he thrust the point of the blade into the side of the pod, and began to force it open.
"No, stop!" Jaune heard Ozpin break into a sprint behind him, but he ignored him as he continued to pry the door off the pod. He was getting Pyrrha out of there, then the other girl, and he was taking them both to get help now.
A hand roughly grasped Jaune's wrist and began to push him away. "Mr Arc, wait! We have to-"
"I don't care!" Jaune wrenched his arm out of Ozpin's grip and shoved him back with his shield. "I'm getting them both out of here!" He jammed his sword back into the side of the pod and resumed his actions.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jaune saw Ozpin raise his cane as he moved towards him.
Jaune grit his teeth as he yanked his sword back out of the side of the pod and took a defensive stance, shield raised. A small part of his brain reminded him of the rather clear and present fact that he did not have any hope of actually being able to fight Ozpin by himself. The larger, more impulsive portion of his brain did its best to ignore that inconvenient fact.
However, neither he nor Ozpin had any chance to attack the other, as at that very moment, a black arrow embedded itself in the ground between them and exploded.
Ozpin had just enough time to raise his aura before the explosion sent him flying through the air, landing some distance away from the pod, which was now obscured by a cloud of smoke.
Foolish! How could you let yourself become distracted like that? You knew she was still a threat!
Scrambling to regain his footing, Ozpin scanned his surroundings for any sign of the enemy. His eyes sighted a red shape moving swiftly towards the obscured pod, a glowing blade clutched in one hand.
The time for caution and restraint was gone. Ozpin raised his hand and took aim at Cinder, calling upon the power, the magic, that dwelled within his soul.
There was a sound like a sonic boom, and a powerful pulse rippled through the air.
But his target was far too fast, and she had some magic of her own. A burst of flame ignited beneath her feet, launching her high into the air. She twisted, and hurled her blade towards Ozpin, forcing him to deploy his barrier to defend against the exploding projectile.
Ozpin's own attack had blown away the smoke obscuring the pod, revealing a sight that sent a bolt of raw panic through his body.
The glass had been shattered, and Pyrrha's body lay amid the shards, bleeding heavily from an alarming number of cuts on her arms, legs, and even her neck. Jaune was slumped against the far wall, his sword and shield lying some distance away from him, having been blown out of his grip by the explosion.
Pyrrha was defenceless, and Cinder was readying yet another blade to finish the job.
All thought left Ozpin's mind, instinct alone driving his next actions. Magic travelled down his legs, and twin bursts of wind sent him hurtling at immense speed towards the advancing assassin. Yet more magic travelled along the length of his cane, causing it to begin glowing green as it led the charge. No longer was the end of the cane blunt. Encased in magic as it was, it now bore a sharp point which thrummed with power.
Ozpin did not often use his magic in such a manner, and for good reason. His aura crackled as it absorbed the immense recoil from his hypersonic leap, and the protective barrier of his soul strained to prevent his bones from cracking under the sheer force of his acceleration.
The distance between himself and Cinder was closed in an instant, and the tip of his cane hit its target.
Cinder's own aura stopped the magic spear from piercing her flesh, but it did not succeed in completely nullifying the force of the impact itself. Her body was launched into the far wall with enough force to send cracks racing along its length, and the crimson light of her soul's power finally flashed and fizzled out. Her aura was broken.
Emerald light flashed across Ozpin's own body before likewise fizzling out. His aura had broken as well.
Ozpin fell to his knees, leaning on his cane to stop himself from keeling over entirely. He panted heavily, exhaustion finally overtaking the rush of adrenaline.
"Mr… Arc…" he gasped. "Are you… alright?"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," came the boy's reply. Either he had regained consciousness during Ozpin and Cinder's clash, or he had not been knocked out at all. Either way, he was alive, which was what really mattered.
Ozpin turned to look at Pyrrha, and his heart sank. She had not stirred at all, and to make matters worse, her bleeding had not slowed in the slightest. Evidently, her injuries were far more severe than Ozpin had initially thought.
"Miss Nikos… if you can… hear me…"
She did not respond.
"Pyrrha, say something!"
She did not respond to her partner either, even as he dragged himself over to her side and began to gently shake her shoulder.
"She's not breathing!" Ozpin heard the boy's voice crack, and saw tears begin to spill from his eyes.
Ozpin's own vision began to blur at the sight.
This was not the first time he had seen one of his own students die in front of him. It was not the first time he had seen a Maiden die either. It wasn't even the first time he had been forced to witness a student of his who was also a Maiden die because of his failures. He had seen more death than anyone else could possibly comprehend, yet it never got any easier to witness. No matter how many people he lost, it never hurt any less.
I failed again. All I ever do is fail.
How many times had he thought those words? How many more times would he have those same thoughts?
Will it ever end?
"Pyrrha!"
Jaune collapsed, sobbing against his partner's body. Desperate pleas for her to wake up fell on deaf ears. Blood continued to pool on the ground as the last of Pyrrha Nikos' life left her body. She was going to die, it was only a matter of time.
Ozpin turned his eyes to the crumpled body of the one who had inflicted such injuries upon his student. His gaze hardening, he lifted one shaking hand and began to prepare a final blast of magic.
At the very least, he could prevent Salem from claiming one more prize.
It's all my fault! It's all my fault! It's all my fault!
Pyrrha continued to bleed out in Jaune's arms, her pulse slowing down as she faded away. Eyes clouded with tears and throat burning with sobs, he pressed his hands against one of the larger gashes near Pyrrha's neck, desperately trying to slow the bleeding.
It was useless, he knew that, but he didn't know what else he could do.
Stupid! You stupid, selfish, useless waste of space! This is all your fault! All you had to do was listen and do your damn job! But no! You just had to try and act like you knew better than anyone else, when you don't know a damn thing! Pyrrha was counting on us to keep her safe! She was always the one looking out for everyone else, but when she needed help, you messed it all up!
Jaune pressed his other hand against another gash on Pyrrha's side. He might as well have been trying to stop water with a sieve for all the good it did.
You're not a Huntsman. You're a joke. You've never done anything right your whole pathetic life. You just ruin everything, and other people pay for it. A hero? Like your ancestors? How dare you pretend to be like them!
Fraud!
Imposter!
Monster!
"I'm sorry." Jaune hung his head in shame. "I'm so sorry! Pyrrha, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
You shouldn't have to pay for my mistake! You don't deserve this! Please, Pyrrha…
"WAKE UP!"
…
…
…
Gasp!
Jaune's eyes opened. Had he heard that? Had he really heard that? He hadn't imagined it, had he?
Pyrrha drew in a second, rattling breath.
"Pyrrha!"
She's breathing! She's breathing!
Jaune felt something then, a strange sensation throughout his entire body, travelling down and out through his hands. A warm feeling, as if warm water were flowing down his arms from somewhere within him. As the sensation became more pronounced, a shining white light materialised over both of his hands. It was a different colour from the light of his aura. This light was brighter, warmer, and it had spread out to cover Pyrrha's entire body, wrapping around her like a blanket.
The light was brighter around her cuts, which began to close up before Jaune's very eyes.
"Mr Arc…" Ozpin sounded almost as stunned as Jaune felt.
"I-I don't… I don't know what I'm doing," he admitted. Not that he was about to stop doing it. He wasn't even sure how to do that.
"Well, I for one am not about to complain. By all means, carry on, please."
That was a request of Ozpin's which Jaune was more than happy to obey.
"Mmng…" Pyrrha stirred, and her eyes fluttered open. Her gaze was unfocussed, and her brow was furrowed as she grunted in pain.
"Don't move," said Jaune. "Don't try to move just yet."
Green eyes searched and found Jaune's blue ones. "Huh?"
Jaune couldn't keep the relieved grin from spreading across his face. The tears streaming down his cheeks were no longer tears of sorrow. "You just rest, Pyrrha. Everything's gonna be-"
"She's MINE!"
An explosion went off behind Jaune. He turned his head, just in time to see a black sword hurtling towards his face.
He did not have time to move out of the way.
Ozpin was truly in awe of the sight before him. Even he, with his magic and millennia of knowledge, could not heal other people. That was one of the few things that magic could not do, being a power reserved exclusively for the soul.
He had seen Semblances capable of healing people before, but they were rare indeed. Miracle was not a word Ozpin used lightly, but right now, it was the only word he felt appropriate in this situation.
"You just rest, Pyrrha," said Jaune soothingly as Pyrrha stirred. "Everything's gonna be-"
"She's MINE!"
An explosion sent the somehow still conscious Cinder Fall hurtling towards Jaune, sword extended to strike a killing blow.
Jaune would not be able to avoid that blow, and Ozpin had a horrible suspicion that the boy's aura would not be able to defend him and heal Pyrrha at the same time.
Ozpin's fingers curled around the end of his cane and squeezed the handle.
No more.
The Long Memory was not a name that he came up with. In fact, he had never considered the need for a name for his cane. However, a very dear friend had christened it so after he had described it to her. Ozpin hadn't much cared for the name at first, feeling that it was a little too on the nose, but it had grown on him as time passed. Even more so after she passed away.
"So what does it do?" she had asked him while they were sat in his office. She had left Beacon years ago, yet she still visited him every now and then.
"It helps me to walk," he had replied with a small smirk. She had pouted at him at that.
"You know what I mean. What does that handle do? Besides make it extend."
Why he had explained it to her he didn't quite know. He had never told anyone else what his cane could do, preferring to keep that information to himself. Not because he was paranoid (OK, he was paranoid), but because… honestly, he didn't even know any more. He supposed keeping secrets had just become second nature to him after so long.
Her eyes had widened in awe as he finished his description, but then her expression became confused. "So how come you never use all that energy?"
"I have considered using it many times before," he had replied. "But I always come to the same conclusion. After all, it is hard to know when you are in your moment of greatest need. Suppose I were to find myself in a situation even more dire, and I had already used it?"
Her expression changed again, now looking rather worried. "But if you always think like that, you'll never use it until it's too late."
Their conversation had gone off in a different direction after that, and that was when she gave his cane the name she came up with. Her other words, her warning to him, he had pushed from his mind.
Right now, Ozpin's need was great. Not the greatest it had ever been, and certainly not the greatest it will ever be again, but right now he did not care about that. Before his very eyes were two people who needed his help. That was all that mattered right now.
Decades after the fact, Ozpin finally decided to heed the words of his dear departed friend.
He finally listened to the advice of Summer Rose.
Gears spun as the complex internal mechanisms of his beloved companion began to glow. The Long Memory had been storing kinetic energy for many thousands of years. Every time he used it to walk, to fight, to defend. The energy it contained was by now almost beyond measure. He didn't need to use all of it, just enough to finish this fight.
There was just one problem. He could only deploy one barrier at a time.
The instant before he unleashed the kinetic energy, he sent his dome shield to safely envelop Jaune and Pyrrha.
And then the entire Vault was consumed in a brilliant white light, and a deafening roar tore through the air.
Jaune shut his eyes tight, but his vision was still filled with a burning light that made his eyes sting.
That stinging was nothing compared to the pain in his ears. He couldn't cover them with his hands without taking them off of Pyrrha, and he was not about to do that. So he had no choice but to bear it.
The sound was gone after a few moments, but Jaune knew that did not mean it was over. For one, he could still feel the force of the sound through his body. Also, he could feel blood trickling out of his ears. His eardrums had burst.
Eventually, the light faded away, and Jaune dared to risk opening his eyes.
The area around them was utterly ruined. The machine had been reduced to scrap scattered across the ground, and the walls were all cracked and crumbling. It was as if a bomb had gone off.
He and Pyrrha were still encased in the green dome of Ozpin's forcefield. The professor had protected them from the blast.
Jaune looked back down at Pyrrha. Her eyes were closed once again, but her breathing and pulse were no longer laboured and weak. Her chest rose and fell in a regular rhythm, and almost all of the cuts on her body were now closed up. She was no longer bleeding. It seemed like she had just fallen asleep, no doubt exhausted after what had happened to her.
Jaune could not be more relieved. Well, maybe he could. They were still stuck underground, and he could only guess as to how the battle was going outside. But for the time being, he and Pyrrha were safe.
"Professor?" called Jaune. Or at least, he hoped he did. He couldn't actually hear his own voice. "Where are you?"
It occurred to Jaune that, if he really were deaf for the time being, he wouldn't actually be able to hear Ozpin respond to him. Therefore, he began to scan the room for some sign of the Beacon Headmaster.
Suddenly, the green dome surrounding them vanished, and a shadow fell over Jaune and Pyrrha.
Jaune looked up to see that a portion of the ceiling had given way, and was hurtling towards the pair of them. Thinking fast, he rolled Pyrrha away from himself, raising his aura to take the hit.
As it turned out, Jaune had burned through almost all of his aura helping Pyrrha's wounds heal, leaving him with very little to protect himself. As the large chunk of ceiling landed on top of him, he was pinned roughly to the ground. His aura fizzled and broke immediately, and blood began trickling from a large gash on his forehead and into his eyes.
A moment later, his consciousness faded as well, and he slipped into darkness.
Ozpin coughed, tasting blood as he did so.
His body, or what was left of it, was pinned beneath a large chunk of rubble. His arm, cane still clutched in its fingers, was some distance away. His organs were no doubt ruined beyond all hope of recovery, and he could only imagine what his face looked like.
He wasn't going to last much longer.
Well, we managed to last quite a bit longer than we usually do. Even so, this is one of my… messier ends.
Ozpin turned his head as much as he could to search for his students.
The transfer machine was gone, poor Amber's body no doubt rendered unrecognisable as a result of what he had done. He hoped that someone would find her. She deserved a proper burial at least.
There was a noise like footsteps. Ozpin turned his gaze in the direction of the noise. Pyrrha was walking over to him. Her wounds were, for the most part, healed. A few larger gashes had not quite closed up entirely, but she was no longer bleeding from them. Ozpin supposed that they would scar.
"Miss… Nikos…" Ozpin forced the words out. "My cane…"
Pyrrha stopped walking. In the gloom of her surroundings, Ozpin could not see her face, but he could see her tilt her head in confusion. With his one remaining arm, he gestured to the severed one to her left.
A moment later, The Long Memory was clutched in his other hand, and Ozpin felt himself begin to calm down. It was a childish thing, to be comforted by an inanimate object, but Ozpin had learnt to cherish the small sparks of innocence that remained within him.
"Thank… you…"
Pyrrha crouched down, and Ozpin could finally make out her face.
She was crying.
"Listen… to me…" Ozpin gasped. "You have to-" He broke off, coughing painfully, blood filling his mouth. He spat it out. He had to give Pyrrha his last words. "Haven… Go to… Haven… Leo will… help you…"
Pyrrha nodded.
"Say what… you need to do."
Pyrrha wiped the tears from her eyes. "Go to Haven. Find Leo. He will help me."
Ozpin nodded, before letting his head fall backwards. Above him, the holes in the ceiling gave him a view of the sky above ground. Stars twinkled above them, and the shards of the moon cast beams of silver light downwards. It was such a beautiful sight.
There was a distant roar, and the sky was obscured by the black body of the Wyvern.
Ozpin's face twisted with rage. In all the chaos of their battle, he had forgotten about the threat above ground.
"One… last thing…" Ozpin raised his arm and took aim, pointing at the hole in the ceiling. "Give this… to Qrow."
Ozpin's fingers pressed the handle of The Long Memory once more, and the gears within began to spin again.
"Step… back."
Pyrrha backed away, closing her eyes and covering her ears before she turned around.
For the final time in this life, Professor Ozpin called upon his magic. He summoned his barrier, shaping it to form a cone around The Long Memory, the opening pointed upwards.
Kinetic energy, funnelled and focussed by his barrier, erupted skywards. A beam of raw energy tore through the ceiling, the sky, and the flesh of the giant Grimm that was blocking his view of the stars. With a strangled screech, the Wyvern disintegrated like any other monster.
Ozpin's arm fell to his side, fingers still clutching the handle of his precious cane with what little strength remained in them. Once again, he looked up at the sky, at the stars. He wanted the last thing these eyes saw to be those stars.
Moonlight shone down upon his face as Ozpin felt his body begin to grow cold and numb. His vision began to darken, and he felt the last of his breath leave his lungs.
With a final, small smile, the Headmaster of Beacon, Professor Ozpin, died.
Author's Note:
I said it would take a week, but when the inspiration hits, you just have to get it down on paper (digital paper, in this case).
This chapter concludes the first half of our prologue. The first nail has been switched, so now it is time to switch the second one. I won't give too much away, but here's a little preview to give you an idea:
"I never wanted this! I wanted equality! Peace!" Blake fired twice. She knew it was a useless gesture, but she wasn't going to lay down and let Adam trample all over her convictions.
"What you want," Adam spat, blocking both shots lazily. "Is impossible!" Rather than use his weapon, he simply backhanded her across her face, knocking her down.
This, combined with the character tags I have used, should give you some idea of what to expect.
It won't be cheerful. You have been warned.
Don't expect daily uploads to be a common thing. I already had most of this chapter written already when I uploaded the first one. The second half of the prologue is going to be a bit longer than the first half, so it'll likely be a few weeks before you see any more updates.
In the meantime, please do feel free to review to your hearts content! I wasn't expecting to get any reviews on the first chapter at all, so thanks to the two of you who did! I really appreciate it!
Until next time,
NotScot.
P.S: Yes, that was a Prince Caspian reference. Well done if you spotted it.
