Me trying to work today.
My family calling to say one of the horses is bleeding from the eye and they need my help to catch him and see what's wrong. Drive down to help. Hour spent. Then they say "While you're here can you help us give the new foal its first ever bath with tea tree oil shampoo?" Okay, fine, because I know he'll go nuts and my mother is fragile. Then after that, will I help roll a huge ball of hay to a field. Then will I hold the first horse while vet tests its eye. It's a sarcoid. Not good.
Then at the end I get the "We never see you much; you're always busy" speech like I haven't spent my whole Saturday there. Finish "helping" and realise it is six in the evening and I have had no time to write.
Ffs
This is going to be short and rushed. I apologise.
Cover Art: Curbizzle
Chapter 31
It was both a relief and a terror that his father was fighting Cinder.
Well, not his father, but close enough that Null, even while desperately fleeing and dodging the one known as Magnis, couldn't take his eyes off him. Dad… The word repeated in his head, filled with grief and longing. There he was, his father, the man who had been cruelly killed by Chivalric Arms. Alive. Breathing. An Anchor. Null's entire body burned, and he wasn't sure what he wanted to do – tell his father to run? Hug him? Die by his hand? What he was sure of was that every time Cinder attacked, he considered shooting her in the back even if it would end his own life.
The fact it wasn't his father didn't matter. It had been years since he'd seen him, and like most people, time took memories away and made them blurry. It was a chance to look at him again and drink him in, and Magnis was not helping by trying to cut his head off. Null snarled and opened fire without his Semblance, trying to force the far more capable version of himself back. It didn't work. The second his Semblance had been leaked by Headmaster, his foes had adapted. They'd never give him room to use it now.
"Adam!" he shouted. "A little help!"
Wilt slashed in from Magnis' back. The man twisted at the last second, parried, but even as he did so he tracked Null's retreat, broke off and pursued him. Damn it. Spinning, Null activated his Semblance, hoping he was far enough away from Cinder and Nicholas to not harm either, and dragged his handgun up. Magnis was almost on him, giving him time for a single shot before he had to cut his Semblance off. The single shot tore into the man's left leg and out the back in a spray of red. Magnis grunted but finished his swing, smashing his sword into Null's outraised hand. If he'd tried to hold onto his Semblance just a second longer, he'd have lost his arm. As it was, Null gritted his teeth against the pain and cradled it to his side. Not broken, he hoped, but the muscles had taken a beating.
I can kill him. One shot at a time. I have to kill before Cinder hurts father.
He didn't think he'd be able to just watch his old man die again, even if it wasn't his. If Cinder tried… shit, he'd have to kill her. Lose everything – his wish, his chance, his future. Damn it all to hell. Why was he here? What was he an anchor? At least it wasn't mom. Then, he really would have had to kill Cinder and commit suicide himself.
The tip of Magnis' sword caught his jaw and would have torn his face in two if not for aura. Null let himself be carried back instead, snapping back to reality in time to duck the next swing. Given how outmatched he was in melee, there really wasn't time to be thinking on such things. Magnis would have to die so that Nicholas could live. That was the only thing he needed to focus on.
/-/
Jaune was used to feeling outmatched. It came not only from being one of the weakest in Beacon and his fights with Cardin, but also his training with Pyrrha. Over time, however, he'd learned how to fight against people stronger than him. Not enough to beat Pyrrha, but enough to take Cardin down. Being so easily handled by Ashari, then, wasn't a surprise. Even down an arm, the man danced among them, wielding his borrowed Crocea Mors like a fencing rapier.
He moved in and around them, often stopping to lock blades with Pyrrha or kick Ren back, but only when he could be sure that their teammate was between him and the rest. He never let himself get surrounded. It was obvious he was used to facing unfavourable numbers.
They weren't. They trained and sparred against one another, but they were still first years, and the highly controlled and sanitised spars in Miss Goodwitch's class just didn't compare to real combat. That much was clear.
"Nora, go left." Jaune called. "Ren, focus on shooting. Pyrrha, keep Emerald busy."
"Are you sure-?"
That he could take Ashari on in melee alone? No, of course not, but that wasn't the point. "Just deal with her! You're the only one who can!"
Shield raised, Jaune charged the older iteration. He knew he couldn't win – but he didn't have to. When Ashari brought his sword up, Jaune ducked his head behind his shield and kept going, pinning the weapon against the man's body with his shield.
"Nora! Now!"
Grenades rained in. Jaune slammed his aura up a second before they exploded, casting both him and Ashari in dust and flames so hot they choked the very air from his lungs. Even if he was more skilled, he only had one arm – if he could just keep that arm pinned, they could wear him down from a distance. Gritting his teeth, he struggled to hold onto the man as Nora's grenades threatened to blow them apart. Ren was already shooting, placing his shots far more carefully to strike Ashari's back.
When the sword fell from the man's hand, he knew something else was coming. Wildly, he leapt for the limb before it could disappear into the coat – if he could grab it- A knee drove up into his gut, his hands missing as he buckled over. Ashari drew out a large, blinking grenade and Jaune barely managed to shout a warning before it was sent spinning toward Nora and Ren.
They weren't blind and made distance before it exploded, tearing down a section of wall, but that was time enough for Ashari to grab Jaune by the hair, yank him up and deliver a powerful headbutt to his nose. Stars exploded before his vision and his hands weakly flailed against the older man's. Without another arm, Ashari couldn't stab him, but he kicked Jaune's legs out from under him and kicked him again on the way down, sending them rolling away gasping for air.
"Jaune-" Ren called.
"I'm fine! Keep the pressure on! Don't let him dictate the fight!"
If Ashari started controlling this again it'd be a repeat of the docks fight. Their only hope was to keep him on the back foot, keep him busy, and trust in Pyrrha to do what she did best. Ashari might be far beyond their level, but Emerald Sustrai was not. You're all better versions of me but you come with weaknesses too, he thought grimly. I don't disappear if my anchor is dealt with. He trusted Pyrrha implicitly to beat her, which meant all he had to do was bite back on the pain, push himself up and charge back in. He did so, bleeding slightly from his nose but determined to keep fighting.
"You really are me, aren't you?" Ashari whispered under his breath. Jaune heard it. "It's like looking back in time."
"I'm not you! I'll never be you!"
His wild swings forced the man back, ducking and weaving without the sword he'd dropped. Aura allowed Ashari to fend the blade off with his hand, but only slight diversions and light parries. It wasn't about skill here, only overwhelming a one-armed man, so Jaune swung like he was trying to fend off a wasp with a stick, left, right, left, right, left, right. It was the kind of technique that would have made Pyrrha cry.
Out the corner of his eye he saw his partner in a fast-paced melee with Ashari's anchor, blades spinning and flying and aura flashing wildly. Beyond them, Nicholas held his own against Cinder while Magnis – Magnis was bleeding badly, slowed down by numerous wounds inflicted on him by Null and Adam both.
He won't be able to hold on, Jaune realised dully. It hurt more than any other iteration had. There was no one else he'd really connected to on an emotional level. He's taking Null and Adam on alone. No one could win that fight when Null can turn your aura off at will.
A fist caught his jaw and knocked him back. "Eyes on me," Ashari said.
"Why?" Jaune snarled. "Why are you doing this!?"
"Why are you?" he fired back. "I gave you the chance to run. It exists now. Take your team and go – meet up with Team RWBY, stake your ground and fight us as a group. It's your best chance for dealing with Cinder."
"I'm not leaving my dad to die!"
"Null won't-"
Ashari's eyes narrowed and he leaned his head to the left, flicking his hand up as well to catch something in his fist. The wood snapped under his grip and Jaune had the briefest moment to realise it was an arrow of all things before the packet strapped to the side erupted in Ashari's hold. A thick, spore-filled smog exploded out from his hand, clouding over Ashari and him both and causing Jaune to hack loudly. It didn't sound like he was doing any better.
As the cloud spread, another arrow struck the ceiling nearby and burst with yet more, and another further down, over the fight between Magnis and the other iterations. The corridor was soon full of the thick, choking spores, and Jaune wasn't the only one struggling to breathe.
In the midst of it, a hand grabbed his arm and hauled him back. He let it, trusting that if he was being moved away from Ashari then it was Ren, Nora or Pyrrha. He only realised it wasn't when he was pulled out the cloud and recognised the green coat the man wore, the hood up and a cloth wrapped around his mouth and nose. "H-Hunter?" he choked. "I-I thought you ran."
Ren's iteration didn't reply. He shoved Jaune toward Ren and Nora, twisted and fired another arrow back toward Ashari that struck the floor and burst into yet more spores. Pyrrha had already backed out and was shooting Hunter shocked looks. Ren certainly wasn't any better.
"We should go." Hunter said, voice muffled by the cloth over his mouth.
"But dad and Magnis-"
"Will run if they have any sense."
"He's right." Ren said, gripping Jaune's arm. "Your father is only fighting to keep Cinder off of us. Off of you. I'm sure he'll flee at the first opportunity if we're safe. You know that."
He knew dad would run, but he wasn't sure Magnis would be able to. The moment he turned his back, Null would shoot him dead. Even then, what could they do? They'd barely been able to hold Ashari off, and only then because the man blatantly avoided killing blows. He'd hoped Pyrrha could take Emerald out, but there was no guarantee that wouldn't just set Ashari off and make him start taking them seriously.
Magnis was fighting on despite blood pouring from several gunshot wounds and numerous cuts across his body. He looked back as if sensing Jaune's fear, analysed the situation in an instant and waved his hand away. The instruction was clear, even if it burned a hot and ugly hole in his stomach.
"He's right." Pyrrha said. "We can't do all this alone. With Team RWBY, the teachers, Ironwood and the other iterations we can fight them, but staying here will just get us picked off one by one."
"Jaune." Ren said urgently.
It was his call to make as leader.
The worst of calls.
"Retreat. We find Fate, Warchief and the others, and then we come back and save Magnis."
Or, as was more likely, avenge him.
Damn it. We were supposed to do better…
/-/
"Ruby!"
Hearing someone call her name brought Ruby's frantic rush through Beacon to a skidding stop. The voice was naturally familiar and not all that specific given how many of Jaune there were now, but she was surprised even so to see who was running toward her. "Fate? Shouldn't you be with Team JNPR?"
He looked to be in an alright state. No cuts or torn clothing, no signs of injuries or a flagging aura. She knew he was experienced from all the different lives he'd been through but to be this fresh? He must have been able to avoid the worst of the fighting. He slowed from a jog a few metres away from her and then continued at a slow pace.
"I'm trying to find them. I wasn't with them when this all started and then shutters started closing. Where is your team?"
"Cut off by one of those shutters," she admitted. Crescent Rose dipped as she let out a sigh. "I'm trying to get back too."
"Great. Any news about Knight?"
"Not yet. He's probably okay though. Right?"
"He's the strongest person in this war by far." Fate agreed. "I don't see Grimm being able to kill him. That's why you're so important. No one has a chance against him but if they can just take you out…" He trailed off, eyes tearing away from her and lips drawing thin. Ruby didn't like the things he was saying any more than he did. "We… We should stick together," he said. "Find our way back to our teams as a pair. Safer that way."
"Okay. We can-" A hand gripped Ruby's shoulder as a body took its place directly behind her, closer than she really felt comfortable over. "F-Fate?"
The hand tightened. "I'm sorry."
Cold and sharp bit into her lower back and drove a gasp from Ruby's suddenly parted lips. Aura shot forth by instinct alone, preventing the blade from working its way any deeper. It was deep enough at an inch or more, having parted skin and cut into muscle. Ruby shrieked and tried to dive forward only to flail weakly in Fate's grasp. She managed to turn herself around, still held by the shoulder and hunched over, to see him grasping his sword, now bloody, and wearing a pained expression.
"Why!?" Ruby screamed. "Let go! No!"
"I'm sorry!" Fate snarled and dragged her back. "But if I don't do this, my Ruby dies. I'll make it quick. Don't make this harder than it has to be-"
A shadow struck the point between them, bowling into Fate's arm and body with force enough to let Ruby slip away. Her Semblance kicked in and she flashed ten metres away in an instant, one hand going to her back and coming away bloody. He… He'd really tried to kill her. Fate had… Her eyes burned angrily, and she looked for him, only to see him trapped on the other side of a figure garbed in grey and black with a domed helmet and glass facemask.
"Agent…" Fate sneered.
"Rose." the iteration called. "Flee. Find your team."
Normally, she would have stayed, would have asked why he was helping her and if she shouldn't return the favour. Normally, she wasn't bleeding profusely and feeling sick and weak to her legs. Swallowing her doubt, she turned and fled, rose petals and splots of blood flying out behind her as she whooshed down the corridor and away.
"Of all the timing." Fate spat at his foe. "After I'd worked myself up to go through with it as well. Did you just happen to find us or were you looking?"
"Ozpin never trusted you." Agent said. "Not once."
"Oz-? Hah, of course you'd be his. And of course he wouldn't trust me. No immortal can trust another. We both know the lengths we'd go to for a chance to escape our curses. Nothing is off-limits. No crime too great." He brought his sword up into a guard. Opposite him, Agent snapped out a crackling, electric cane. "Do you really think you can beat me with gadgets, trickery and a few years of training? I've had over a thousand years of combat. There isn't a weapon in Beacon I'm not proficient in."
Agent didn't deny it, nor did he boast of his chances. The glass mask slid open to reveal Fate's own face, steady and calm, but with a determination that spoke all too readily of the fact he was prepared to die. Expecting it, even. "Perhaps not." His voice was clearer in person. "But I can buy Ruby time to escape."
"Minutes at best."
"Minutes are all she needs."
Fate's eyes narrowed, his lips peeled back, and with that slight warning he shot forward.
Annoying to come back off my expo and have my first weekend be a shortened chapter but I suppose my family also missed me for a full week while I was there. Argh. I'm fine with that and all if it's not a whole day spent chasing horses and dealing with heavy labour in this burning heat we have at the moment.
I was angrily asking myself why it's always on THIS fic... then the answer was obvious. We all work Mon-Friday, they do church Sunday, so Saturday is just the obvious day for them to try and reach me. And since this falls on Saturday lol...
Honestly, if it continues to be a thing I may change my update slot to Friday. At least then I could get it done and released during the week.
Next Chapter: 2nd July
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