The group stood there, panting heavily in the shadows of the several trees surrounding them. The approaching guards on their vehicles were nearing to an uncomfortable closeness, and despite the knowledge that they were invisible, they couldn't help but feel like the guards were going to spot them somehow.
Oscar focused hard, wishing that whoever was breathing heavily close to him would quiet down. He couldn't tell who it was, but he wasn't going to address them anyway, for the sake of not being noticed. He could feel his aura slowly draining, and he mentally thought to ask Jaune to ampify it for him.
No, that would cause a glowy light or whatever. Can't do that.
Weiss stood beside Oscar, panting for breath. Her sudden exertion, along with the abrupt change of her surroundings and the whole mental insanity she was currently on hold with had knocked the air out of her lungs, leaving her gasping for it. She was still partially unsure if she was even with her friends right now.
Ren and Nora just stood there, their hands intertwined to ensure that they didn't get separated at the moment, for assurance, and for the sake of love. Though Nora had been the one to grab his hand first as they had begun running, Ren had been slightly more relieved than her.
Qrow was standing close to Jaune, his eyes fixed on the security guards that were only a few yards away. His thoughts went from Ruby, to the guards, to their plan, to the person he suspected was possibly following them.
At least this plan might not flunk, he said to himself, The guards won't notice us, we'll get to the academy, we do whatever it is Oscar claimed he could do with Ozpin, we get the Relic, and then we leave. Shouldn't be too bad...Me, Raven, Summer, and Tai have gone through worse. Well, then again, that's assuming my luck won't intervene too severely.
He rolled his eyes.
Ugh, who am I kidding. Of course my semblance will intervene at some point. I'll just hope I can control it somehow. It's not easy, and most of the time I can't control it at all. But I have been able to, at least a little.
Shaking his head, he kept his gaze one the scene ahead of him, hoping that Oscar's current semblance didn't give out just at the right time. The chance was there, unfortunately, but it was somewhat slim. Oscar was a strong young man.
The security drove their vehicles to a halt in front of the trees, a few feet away. A small cloud of dust drifted from where the wheels stopped, floating away and disappearing. The guards all jumped out from their places, their guns out, and approached the trees.
"Where'd they go?" one of them asked, confused.
"I dunno," another answered, annoyed, "But we can't let them get away! Miss Schnee just fell through the window and joined them! Perhaps they were a threat to her, or bribing her or something."
The other security guards nodded in agreement before entering the woods and looking cautiously around.
"Stay close together!" one of them, a taller, more responsible looking man called, "They could be skilled infiltrators or spies and could be lurking about anywhere; don't let them surprise and overtake you!"
"Yes, sir!" they all shouted back with respect.
Blake glared at the guards, knowing they couldn't see her, while Yang held herself back from throwing herself forward and smashing their faces in. Nora and Ren held in their breath as the guards neared awfully close, Weiss took a deep breath, silently, and Oscar continued to focus.
"What in Remnant..?" a different guard said, stopping in his tracks right in front of Yang, "Hey, look guys! There's a random venting of hot air right here, if you pay attention!"
He chuckled and waved his hand in front of her mouth and nose, noticing the warmth coming from her air she was exhaling. Two of the guards joined him, curious as to what their comrade was saying, and soon enough, they, too, were laughing as they observed it.
"Hey, man, you're right!" one of them said, "How odd!"
Yang, who hated not breathing, decided that perhaps, since they were mostly covered by trees and there wasn't much of a chance that the other guards wouldn't accidentally bump into one of the members of the group, she might as well fight them off. It wouldn't be causing too much of a scene right?
"I wonder what's causing it!" a forth said, reaching in front of the others' hands and laying a hand right on a thick lock of her her hair. His eyes widened when he felt it, and a confused look came onto his face.
Yang felt a strong compulsion to crush the guy's arm and crush his fingers and wrist. Her eyes flicked red and her pulse rose.
"Now, Oscar," she muttered darkly to Oscar, who was right next to her. She heard him click his teeth in a slick, affirmative answer, and she smirked as she got ready to do what she wanted to do best at the moment.
Taking his hand off, the guard blinked and began stroking her hair, very much confused.
"Hey, man," he mumbled, turning to the guard next to him, "I don't know what's right here, cuz there's literally nothing here, but it feels like hair or something...What is this, some kind of insanely camouflaged tree-"
Just before he finished his sentence, he looked back at where he was feeling, only to lock eyes with an angry, grinning, bright red-eyed huntress. He could just barely let out an alarmed shout before her fists punched him terribly hard in the face, sending him skidding on the ground.
"Time to attack, guys!" Yang called, rushing forward and pummeling the first guard she saw. After downing him, she slid on her knees, propelled forward with a shot from her gauntlets, and tripped the next guard, making him fall. She leaped to her feet and smashed the guard's back, making him smack into the ground and not get up.
Right after, she dashed at two different guards who were shooting at her. She dodged every bullet, shot herself upwards above them, and fired several punch shots at them, downing them as well.
Oscar, relieved that he was no longer straining his aura like he was, swung around, his cane extended, and smacked it into the face of an oncoming guard, using it to trip him and then punched him roughly in the stomach, sending him into a tree. Spinning his cane around, the tip of it hit the other three circling him, and they were finished off my a few swipes and slices from Ren.
Weiss summoned a few glyphs, boosted herself off of them, and dealt several well-placed strikes to two of them. As for Nora and Qrow, they simply smashed the rest of them with their sword and hammer, occasionally shooting once or twice.
The whole patch of security guards were very easy to defeat, and the whole group finished them off in about a total one minute and thirty-four seconds. Looking around at each other, then the groaning and unconscious guards laying on the ground around them, sighed with satisfaction.
"Well, that was super easy!" Yang said brightly, happy to get some fight out of her, "Barely an inconvenience!"
Nora nodded her head wildly in agreement.
"Indeed it was!" she said energetically, a wide smile on her face, "We totally crushed those puny security guards! That place should really get better back up, don't ya think?"
"Well, I mean, that's really one of the main reasons huntsmen and huntresses exist," Blake said with a shrug, "So, considering that we fight on the level that we do, and the fact that they need people to fight like that, really shows that lighter methods of defense exist."
"Eh," Qrow mumbled, "Let's just keep moving. It's only a matter of time before Jacques sends out a bunch more security and some notifications out to Atlas security to be on the watch for us...or anyone suspicious."
The other's exchanged glances, nodding to each other, and looked towards Atlas Academy, the top of its tallest tower just barely visible in the distance. Although it was right in view, and they weren't too far from it, it still felt like it was going to take forever to get there.
"Is everybody ready?" Qrow asked, glancing with a raised brow at everyone as he folded Harbinger and slid it away.
"Yup!" Yang answered, loading her gauntlets and giving him a wink.
"Uh huh!" Nora said, grinning wildly.
"Yes," Blake and Ren both answered somewhat flatly.
"Yep," Jaune said with a nod.
Oscar just nodded, a serious and thoughtful look on his face. Qrow nodded at everyone's answers, but wondered why Weiss hadn't. Averting his gaze from the others' he found Weiss standing stick straight, staring at the ground below her, eyes wide with what looked like a mix of fear and shock.
"Weiss?" he asked slowly, raising his brow again. Jaune looked over at her, and immediately, his heart went out to her. He slid his sword into his sheath and hurried to her side.
"W-Weiss? Are you okay?" he asked, confused as to why she was suddenly so upset, "What's the matter?"
"I-I..," Weiss stammered, trying to grasp what she was trying to say and what was going on in her head, "M-my mother...I just left her alone...again."
"I'm sorry, what?" he asked, hoping for some clarification. She looked him square in the eyes, a thin layer of tears covering over her eyes and making them shiny. She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, looking away for a moment before looking over at the entire group.
"My mother," she began, "I-I was waiting for all of you when she came by...drunk..."
"Wait, what?" Yang asked, taking a step forward, "I thought you said she never really talks to you."
"I know," Weiss continued, still wide eyed and looking dazed, "B-but she's currently...in a coma. She's going to die...and I left her. Some daughter I am."
She looked down, her fists clenched.
"And we can't really go back because we're on a time limit and we don't want to cause another scene that could get the Atlas Military involved and such."
"Um, what would you do if you did make it back, exactly?" Yang asked.
"I don't know," Weiss answered, "I-I just feel really bad about it. I don't even know what's happening right now. I couldn't at least stayed behind and helped her or something! Maybe just have at least been there for her death?!"
Weiss sighed and covered her face with her hands.
"There are just so many mixed feelings," she said, her voice a soft and emotional, "On one hand, I feel almost relieved that Father won't be fighting with someone so much anymore, and I don't have to worry about seeing her drunk anymore, or hearing about any 'problems' she caused. But on the other hand, I feel so upset because she and Winter are the only family I have left who seem to care about me...about each other."
A tear fell from her hands, which likely had a small pool of the salty liquid in them.
"I just..," she whispered, her voice strained and a sniff following, "My family is so messed up. It's so hard to deal with sometimes, even when I'm not even with them."
Jaune's face softened and he put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to lower her hands and look at his calm, deep blue eyes. He gave her a light, comforting smile and then pulled her into a hug. At first, she was surprised, and didn't even think to hug him back. But after a moment, she did, and the two of them stood there, hugging.
"It's going to be okay," he said, his eyes closed and a smile on his face. Despite his calmness and reassurance, there was also a bit of sorrow in his voice, and everyone around them knew where it was coming from.
Weiss sniffed and closed her eyes, hugging him tighter and feeling more tears running down her face and dotting on the sleeve of his black hoodie. Yang smirked at them and then walked over, joining in with their hug and making it a three-person one.
"Yeah," she said, agreeing with Jaune, "It's gonna be alright; you've got us, after all."
Ren and Nora exchanged glances and soon after, were added to the hug, and before they knew it, everyone but Oscar and Qrow were hugging Weiss and each other, smiling. Oscar and Qrow just stood next to each other, watching with light smirks as they all stood there in one big group.
"I wish I knew them all as much as they know each other," Oscar commented, his arms folded like Qrow's, "I want to join their hug, but I feel like that'd be a little awkward." He blushed a little and looked down at the thought.
Qrow chuckled.
"Good to see you've still got some of yourself after all, kid," he said, giving Oscar one of his soft looks, "You've been a whole lot of Ozpin lately." Oscar looked down even more at that sentence, feeling that lingering shadowy feeling of fear come over him.
"Yeah," he said, nodding his head slightly, "I haven't wanted to. It's a little scary seeing how much of him I've been showing. I think it's been scaring Ruby, too. She even told me herself, and that breaks my heart."
"Yup," Qrow nodded, "And I'm quite concerned about her. She was burning up when we left. Poor kid."
Oscar sighed and shook his head a little, averting his gaze back to the sweet scene in front of him and trying not to think about the numerous worries that constantly nagged and clawed at him day in and out.
"I just hope she and the babies are okay," he said, worried, "I dunno what kind of effects her condition has been giving her. It's done a number on her, but the babies?" He sounded exasperated.
"So they are twins," Qrow said, his voice low, "I'm not surprised."
Oscar shrugged.
"We've come to that conclusion," he answered, "Seeing how, according to you, she's nearly twice the size Summer was with her at that stage of pregnancy. As well as size, the amount of movement she has been experiencing is proportionate that of two fetuses-"
He paused as if confused at his own statement, then shook his head and continued on.
"Basically, it looks like she has two babies, not one."
Qrow nodded, even feeling a little unsettled at how Oscar had just began slipping into 'Ozpin mode' for a moment there. Sure, it wasn't exactly compltely like somethign the headmaster would say in words, but it was certainly a large portion of the wording.
Nodding his head, Qrow looked back to the six teenagers embracing each other, some silently crying, some not crying at all, and all smiling. He felt good seeing them all like this, but missing Ruby in this mix made it feel a little hollow. She belonged in this moment, and yet, she wasn't there.
Sighing, he shook his head a little, the moments and events of the previous days shuffling through his head, along with some others from his past. Things were really an odd mix of bittersweet at the moment.
Weiss couldn't help but cry a little more, surrounded in the love she had hungered for so long, and only received from Winter and the people around her.
"Don't ever forget we're here," Blake mumbled in her ear, "We'll always be here for you, as teammates and best friends. Even if you have been a little salty once and a while."
The group chuckled and shortly after, unembraced. They all looked each other in the eyes, smiling, and then began brushing off the warm, sweet atmosphere of everything around them.
"So...what do we do now?" Blake asked, seeming to have sort of lost the main objective at the moment, "We have Weiss back, and Ruby's kind of not here at the moment..."
Weiss suddenly seemed to snap to the present, the tear stains on her face and the wet in her eyes not at all matching her now current appearance. A look of soberness had crossed her face, and now she looked mildly worried.
"Ruby," she said, facing Jaune again, "Why isn't she coming? Is she okay? What happened?"
The group exchanged glances, some of them surprised at the fact that Jaune hadn't told her or something. But altogether, they all realized that Weiss didn't know about Ruby and Oscar. She hadn't a single clue, and she was likely unprepared for the shocking news to come.
"Well..," Jaune began, looking down and scratching the back of his head, "She's kind of..."
Weiss raised a brow, confused and even more worried. "She kind of what, Jaune? What is it?"
The group all exchanged more glances, as if mentally debating how to approach the answer to her question. Qrow looked down, shaking his head, and then raised his brow at Oscar, who was feeling decently embarrassed and afraid. He gave him a look, seeming to imply something.
Flat out or sugar coated?
Oscar sighed and took a step forward, mentally and physically resisting the task he was about to perform. His hands bunched into fists and his cheeks began to glow a little, warming his face. Taking a breath, he exhaled slowly, feeling nervous at Weiss' expectant blue stare.
"Ruby is..," he began, deciding all at once to simply blurt it out as Qrow had suggested, "Ruby's pregnant. With my kid."
Weiss opened her mouth to say something, but stopped short, her eyes widening with surprise, shock, and absolute confusion. She held up a finger, taking a breath to talk, but stopped again, blinking with puzzlement.
"I'm sorry," she said, looking like the breath had been knocked out of her, "What?!"
Oscar sighed and looked down, expecting this reaction.
"She's pregnant," he repeated, "And I'm the dad. Yes, I know it sounds ridiculous and I'm not sure if you even though we were ever together, but that's whats's happening right now. She's sick and staying at Maria's house with Maria, and we don't want her to come on the mission with us because we don't want her or the babies getting hurt, plus she's sick...very sick, and-Oh, did I mention that we're probably having twins?!"
Oscar gasped for a deep breath after his sudden blurting out. Weiss blinked again, taking it all in for a moment like it had been a massive wave that had crashed into her. Her teammate, who was a whole two years younger than her, the pure, innocent, somewhat naive girl training to be a huntress, her leader, was expecting a baby.
Now, as to why that whole concept shook her so hard and made her feel so odd and strange about Ruby, she didn't know. But with the added confusion and emotional craziness of her mother's inevitable and approaching death, along with the sudden change in atmosphere, and then the news of Ruby's pregnancy was too much for her.
She felt her legs trembling and her head swimming. It was only a moment later that she found herself in Jaune's arms, half standing, half leaning against his chest while he half held her. Her eyes were half open, and she was half awake. A while lot of halves.
"Weiss?" Jaune asked loudly, waking her fully, "You okay?"
Weiss stood up on her feet, straightening herself, and brushed herself off for no reason in particular. She felt her cheeks glowing some as she looked at him, thinking about how he had caught her again and helped her. Memories of his CPR from a few weeks earlier flashed in her head and she shook them away.
But with those memories and this moment came a new realization.
Ruby's with Oscar, which means that Jaune can't have her anymore. That means...that means that he has no one right now, and he's probably sad about it. Maybe, from the fact that he liked me before, I could tell him how I feel and we could be...together!
She smiled widely, not realizing that she did it for real, and hugged herself close. Her heart skipped a beat, warm and cheerful, and she turned around to face Jaune, only to open her eyes and remember what was happening.
The group all stared at her as if she were crazy, and she immediately found out why. Zipping back to the present again, she cleared her throat and quizzically looked at Oscar, a brow raised.
"How and why?" she asked, putting a hand on her hip and giving him a salty look. He sighed again and looked down with shame, then back up into her icy glare. He wondered how to explain it, considering for a moment to ask Blake to summarize things again like she did with Maria.
Then he finally came up with a decision. Clearing his throat, he took a step forward.
"Well...it's a bit complicated. Just know that neither of us would ever do something as foolish as that under normal circumstances. Things were a bit...odd, I'll just say, and we don't have time to discuss it."
Weiss raised her brow higher, looking hard at him for a few moments, then shook her head and turned around to the others.
"You're lucky I'm just relieved that she's...fine," she said stubbornly, "You're also lucky that I care about her very much and would do just about anything to ensure her safety and wellbeing. So that being said, I'm not going to ask about it until I can talk to her myself, okay?"
"Got it?" Oscar said, partially confused. Weiss nodded at him and then out her sword away, which had still been in her hand from her escape.
"Dang it!" Yang yelled, scaring half the group out of their wits, "She took that way better than I expected!"
Ren sighed and rolled his eyes, reaching his hand out towards Yang, who grudgingly slapped fifteen lien into it. Nora looked surprised and delighted at Ren, who just shrugged at her, confusing her even more. Qrow, Weiss, Jaune, and Oscar stared at Yang, partially surprised, partially disgusted, partially annoyed, and a smidgen humored.
"You're...betting?!" Weiss snapped, leaning more on the disgusted side, "At a time like this? Unbelievable!"
"Why would you do something like that?" Jaune asked, clearly confused, "I mean, of all people, Yang, I thought you'd be one to condemn someone who bet on your pregnant sister...or, well, someones reaction to the news of your pregnant sister. A-and you Ren, betting?!"
He covered his face with his hand and sighed.
"What is going on right now..."
"Look, we don't exactly have a bunch of time right now," Qrow interrupted, "So if we wanna get that Relic before any Atlas Military come out looking for us, assuming that Jacques already sent some out, or will, if he hasn't, we'd better scram. Now."
"Yeah, I think we should really get going," Oscar agreed, scratching the back of his head.
Weiss looked slowly up at the smashed window of the Manor, a million thoughts and emotions passing through her as she did. She was mentally torn between going back to her mother, or staying with the group as planned. No, she couldn't go back to the Manor, not after what she did to get out. Everyone would notice her, too, so what was the point. She couldn't even help her mother.
"I think we can beat that Relic guardian or whatever, pretty easily," Yang said, smashing her fists together and grinning, "I bet even me and Qrow could drop them, seeing as we're both epic fighters.
"We are all somewhat equally skilled," Blake added in, "And that level of skill is decently high, so I'm sure we can get past whoever is guarding the Vault."
"Let's do this, guys," Jaune said, stepping to the front of the group, "Let's finish our objective and get out of here."
"Alright!" Nora yelled excitedly, "Let's get that Relic!" Ren shook his head, lightly smirking, and gently shushed Nora with a simple gesture. A few security guards still lingered by the part of the gate where they had been standing before. Didn't want them to hear.
The group all looked up at the barely visible outline of Atlas Academy in the distance, an eager feeling filing them at the sight. It was time to put the most important step of the plan into action. Now.
Taking a deep breath, Jaune began leading them forward, all at a somewhat faster pace, leaving behind the groaning and mostly unconscious security guards laying in the snow behind them.
The group walked swiftly through the streets of Atlas City Main, all bunched closely together. Jaune stood at the front with Oscar, Nora, and Ren behind him, and then all the others following. Qrow followed at the back, watching carefully around them in case of anything suspicious.
The snow was falling again, this time, to the group's relief, softly and lightly with no chance of evolving into any kind of blizzard. The streets were just as busy as they had been when they first entered, except, now not everyone was as rushed. So that was nice.
"Which way to the Academy?" Jaune asked, leaning his head slightly back so that Oscar could hear. Oscar looked ahead, trying to remember the exact location of the Academy and how to get to it.
"It's..," he began, squinting and looking around, "That way." He pointed to a road leading to the right, the way it lead hidden by the buildings that lined it. Jaune nodded affirmatively and then steered the group onto the road. No one said anything as they walked, a tense atmosphere of focus thick in the air.
A few people walking past or looking through windows gave the group a few stares, probably because of the weapons on their backs and the serious looks on their faces as they marched through the streest all together in one cluster. But no one tried to stop them or question them and simply continued on their way.
It was about a half hour later when they all found themselves standing right in front of Atlas Academy, its massive, grand structure awing nearly every person in the group. It's tall, magnificent walls glistened off the reflexions of the tall lights that shone on it from a few yards away, hanging from large posts.
The other parts of the building, other than the intimidating walls, held many windows that revealed warmly lit rooms, contrasting with the cold feel and look of the place. The main colors of the whole academy consisted of whites, silvers, and a few different shades of blues and grays.
Numerous towers, lined with rows and rows of lights emanating from windows surrounded the main structure of the place, giving it the feel and look of a single city. The whole academy looked like a civilization or something.
The high roof of the main square of the top went up and up until it formed a tower of some sort, showing a large glass panel that revealed the barely visible shapes of a desk or something, likely the headmaster's office. A second, much smaller level resembling a balcony stood above the office, seeming to contain nothing but another place to stand and view what stood below.
"Wow..," Jaune marveled, his eyes wide as he took in the Academy's appearance, "That's some place!"
"Eh," Yang said with a shrug, "Beacon looked better."
"I agree," Blake added, "This place looks...cold."
"Well, I mean, it is wintertime here," Nora said as if it were completely obvious, "Why wouldn't it look that way?"
Blake shook her head, looking mildly exasperated at the thought of trying to explain to Nora what she meant. It was a simple concept, but she didn't feel like waisting a few seconds talking about it. It was time to focus.
"Alright, we're here," Jaune said, turning to Oscar, "Now what?"
Oscar squinted and looked up at the tower part of the Academy, mentally computing his plans and the general layout of the place, as far as he could remember from Ozpin, anyway.
"Now we need to get to the top of the tower," he answered, still looking up at it, "But we don't want anyone to think we're up to something."
"And how do you propose we do that?" Weiss asked, sounding a bit salty. Oscar continued to stare at the top of the tower, then looked back at her, smirking and answering in an almost playful tone.
"I'll teleport us there.
They all exchanged glances and the nodded, shrugging. Oscar closed his eyes and focused, trying to think back and sort through all his reincarnations. Teleportation certainly wasn't a recent one, that was for sure. It was somewhat far back. A few moments later, his hands began to glow again, and the whole group following.
The green glow encasing them caught the attention of a few of the people nearby, and they watched with curious eyes, somewhat afraid and partially excited. Sometimes huntsmen or huntresses would show off and display something once and awhile in front of the civilians, so most of them were just curious.
And it was no surprise to them when the whole group suddenly disappeared in a flash, a slightly visible green glow appearing at the very top of the tower right after. Without another thought, everyone payed little heed to the scene and continued on with their lives.
At the top, the group all appeared in a bright green sensation, gasping as a strange hot wave seemed to shoot through them as they landed. Oscar fell to his knees upon landing, panting a little at the effort he had just exerted.
"Well," Yang said, catching her breath from the excitement, "That was efficient!"
"Uh huh!" Nora agreed, giving Yang a cheerful thumbs up.
They all looked around, taking in their surroundings and coming back to themselves. They needed to act quickly and as carefully as possible, not to mention be on the lookout for the Relic guardian or whatever.
The top of the tower was the roof of the headmaster's office, a rather windy spot. They were also very high up. In the center of the platform they were standing on was a long thin metal pole, likely a lightning rod or an internet connection device.
A thin metal border lined the sides, only about half a foot high, the edges of the floor lower than the area they were currently standing on. The edges slanted some, making the main platform seem raised, when the sides were simply lower, slanting down.
A cold wind blew steadily west, making everyone feel cold and restless. Looking around, they didn't see a Vault, though. None of them really knew what any of the Vaults looked like, though, other than Oscar, who had Ozpin's memories of those places, and Yang, who had been to one herself.
"Wait, where's the Vault?" Weiss asked, confused.
"Yeah, where is it?" Yang chimed in, looking around, "I don't see one anywhere, at least not like the one I was in. How could a Vault like that even be at a place like this? There's no room and this place is jeepers high!" She shivered at the height they were at, staring down from the edge.
Oscar glanced around, then walked over to the metal pole, scanning it up and down, and then smirking.
"It's right here," he answered, reaching out his hand and placing it gently on the metal rod, closing his eyes and focusing. Everyone exchanged glances, hoping that no lightning would suddenly strike or something, electrocuting their key to the Relic.
"Well, wherever it is, could you hurry things up a bit?" Qrow said restlessly, carefully watching the area they stood in, "I have a bad feeling we're being watched." His hands slowly balled into fists and he squinted at a group of Atlas troops in the distance, far below on the ground.
"I have that feeling as well," Ren said, standing next to Qrow, "My aura senses it."
"As does mine," Oscar answered, his eyes still closed and focused, his voice carrying some form of an Ozpin accent, "Be on your guard."
Nora and Ren nodded to each other and pulled out their weapons, going back to back and keeping their eyes pealed for anything that could possibly disturb their mission. Yang loaded her gauntlets and grounded herself. Blake took out Gambol Shroud, keeping it in gun form, and sighed, wishing she had her full katana at hand.
Weiss, now holding her sword, stood straight near Oscar, her eyes fixed on the Schnee Manor. Although she had set the majority of her mind and focus on their mission at present, she couldn't help but think about how her mother was doing.
Was she still in her short coma? Had she already passed? Or had she miraculously woken up, still alive, and was now recovering from her fatal condition? Had her father found out yet? Had he found that she herself was missing yet? Was he doing anything about either?
Shaking her head, she tried to avert her complete and undivided attention on their current situation, but she couldn't completely and fully pull her mind from her family. It didn't help that they had probably seen the smashed window, too...
Oscar felt the hot energy coursing through his body and flowing through his hands into the metal pole. But this was not semblance energy or aura; this energy was pure magic. Ancient magic he seldom used and hadn't in over two lifetimes. It was also the only magic capable of making the Vault appear.
"Are you almost done?" Blake asked, feeling a little more antsy now, "Because I think there's a platoon of soldiers coming our way...and they seem to be asking people questions or something."
Oscar gritted his teeth and shook his head, already beginning to feel sweat forming on his neck and face.
Just focus, Oscar. Stay in your state and continue to extract the magic from yourself. From your soul.
He could feel the Vault emerging. The even hotter sensing of its presence drifting from the pole like a heavy gas leak in a pipe. It was almost ready to come out; he could feel it, and it wouldn't be much longer now until it would appear in front of them all in one big burst.
"C'mon..," he grunted, the cold wind seeming to warm immediately as it hit his face, "Just...a little...longer...!"
"Um, guys?" Nora said, suddenly going stiff. The others' gazes were transfixed on Oscar's performance and efforts on summoning the Vault, and they paid no heed to Nora's perplexed statement. She continued to stare at the astonishment before her, eyes wide in shock.
"Guys!"
Nora's loud call seemed to jerk everyone, other than Oscar, to attention. They wiped around to see what Nora was pestering about, wondering if it was silly or dead serious. But when they laid eyes on what she was pressing them about, they too were staring in bewilderment.
"Oh my gosh," Yang gasped, "No more block-ups, please!"
"I've got it!" Oscar shouted triumphantly, exhausted and relieved as the glowing blue doorway appeared before him, a gentle cooling mist pouring from and around it, all over him in a soothing, almost minty smelling aroma.
But when no one answered his exclamation, he turned around, wondering what was the cause of this, only to have his eyes squint and his turned to a straight line as he saw what everyone was staring at.
Qrow, however, didn't look surprised at all. His eyes were narrowed and his mouth was set into a frown as he locked eyes with the man standing in front of them. His hands balling up tightly into fists, he glared at the man, all of the puzzle pieces coming together in an instant.
There, standing in front of them, sword out and icy eyes glinting in the soft glow of the Vault's blue door, stood Vorst Schnee. His familiar face looked solemn and very serious, a warning seemingly stamped out on it. His following statement sounded more like a command, and his voice sent a chill down everyone's spine.
"You're not going anywhere."
And alas, Vorst has returned! I apologize for the late-ish update, folks, got another busy week with Christmas prep and stuff. I don't exactly have a small family either, so there's also that, too.
From now on, by the way, I will be advertising one or two stories in these author's notes. These will be stories that I've either read, am reading, or would like to advertise in general.
Story Advertisement: Deafening Silence, by TheAngelOfFate. (Oscar and Ozpin fans, read this)
A Silent Connection, by ArthurSG. (NeoXJaune fans, read this)
A whole lot of silence, as you can see. XD But anyway, be sure to check out those stories if they catch your interest or you just want to read another good fan fiction.
Also, you're welcome, Sweet Guest (I'm calling you that now) for answering your questions last chapter XD Glad I almost made you cry for Weiss. I'm not a personal fan of her, but whatever. :P And Firewyrm, thanks for the names. :D (All names are put in review for me and my sisters to decide; I'll be blunt and say we've liked a lot of the names so far, so thank you all so much; please keep em coming!)
Thanks for reading a tune in for more chapters!