A/N Ok this little story has been stuck in my head for months, and because of that I can't write the other ones consistently, so I sated my thirst on where this might go and I am surprised how it came along on its own. Nothing here is mine apart from plot of course
Carved to be part of a cliff face at the bottom, a great fortress stood guard over a vast field its walls a pristine white with gold ascents, along them stood watch thousands of men and women wearing white plate armor. The battlements held host to great batteries of the like none seen anywhere else, massive artillery that glowed a golden light, with a single seat for the gunner. On its front a crystal that glowed yellow.
Rows upon row of these batteries line the walls, and row upon row of soldiers stood guard, for beyond their massive golden gate etched with the symbol of a yellow double crescent one on top of the other lay a great host of monsters, of dark fel creatures.
The enemy of all intelligent life on their remnant of a world, they know no hunger nor fear, of rest or surrender. Feeding only the fear of their prey and their pound of flesh, Grimm was their only collective name, black with white bone crisscrossed by red vein like patterns.
And so great are their number, a black tide of malice and terror, not even the very skies are safe, darken blacker than a starless night. For the once great blue sky turned black with the Grimm that can fly, massive and numerous enough to cast a great shadow to the only thing that can cast light, the great bastion they came to raze.
Within the fortress, a great hall of its lord lay, each side stood 12 pillars of peerless white with hues of gold and blue, and lay at the end, at the very center of the hall a great throne and sat upon it is the last king that will ever grace these halls again, at least… for some time.
The man gazed at the people who knelt before him, 12 people, wearing armor, leather, or even robes. They are his greatest warriors, scholars, diplomats, sorcerers, archers and most of all, his greatest friends.
"Please, rise" he toned
One by one they did, men and women he came to know and cherish rose "She has come full force my King, I do not wish to bare ill news but… Lumen will fall, the last of our kingdom's bastions" one of the armored knights said his fist tightening.
"There is no spell nor Aura construct I can conjure that can help either my king, I… forgive me…" A woman, wearing robes said, her gaze falling to the floor.
A hand reached to her shoulder, a man wearing green leather with a red bow slung over his back "You have already done enough Morgana[1], none here can ask for any more of you" Morgana smiled at the bowman.
"Thank you, Arash[2]"
"Are they safe old friend? My family and our people?" the king asked a man with white hair holding scrolls and texts
"Aye, as we speak, they are passing stone ridge hidden from her sight. And with Lady Ariann is both Crocea mors, and the young Prince Beren[3]" The scholar said
The king nodded gratefully "Ozma, this may be our last life, but to you, please old friend, look after my family, watch over the line of Yvanna[4]"
Ozma, the Scholar nodded "This is my 3rd life, and it shall not be last till Salem is defeated. Rest easy my friend, once I leave this life behind, I will stop at nothing to ensure your blood survives."
"I still think you should've left as well Ozma, Salem knowing you are here, you are at risk of getting tortured before you are sent away to a new form" one of the knights said, concern written on his face.
Ozma shook his head "I was born Guilheart of the kingdom of Camlann [5], I may have taken over the body and soul but I am much of a citizen of this kingdom as he was, Guilheart may have been the scholar of the royale academy, but Ozma, is the warrior, and I shall be once more for our family and people"
The King nodded in thanks and stood from his throne the 12 companions knelt as he descended the steps. "I am King Antalos of house Arduin, 25th King of the Kingdom of Camlan. I ask of you all, will you follow me to my ruin? To hold the darkness banging on our gate so that our fleeing people may one day reclaim this land?"
"Yes, my King!"
Antalos was soon glowing a bright crimson, his eyes sharpen as it was encased by a dark red draconic helm, soon he was covered from head to toe by a gleaming crimson armor, his aura turning the throne room a tint of red.
"Then let us make war upon the foolish witch" Antalos raised his sword high as the 12 companions rose and held their weapons in hand. "Let us strike fear she knows not in her cold dark heart, so forever more the very name of us will make her shudder in terror…"
"TO DEATH!"
"TO DEATH!"
(…)
Gazing upon the defenders of the fortress, riding upon a mount of black scales and great size casting its shadow bellow. A woman whose malice and hatred knows no bounds, looked with contempt clear on her white alabaster face.
Who are these men to stand before her? She who was once their goddess, she who has power and influence greater than any other.
So why are these ants swarming out of their ant hill to face their doom with such determination and purpose, the other kingdoms she razed collapsed and died the moment her main army came within sight of their capital.
The mere sight of her broke the spirits of men.
So, why is it that, the soldiers of the hidden Kingdom of Camlann so resolute and fearless before her great host? While other defenders wept and ask of mercy, of which she gave none, these ones held their ground.
"So even insects can be of some entertainment" her voice eerily sounded to a dead sky "No matter, they will die just like the rest, Ozma you fool, I will savor your suffering once I captur-"
"SALEM!"
She was interrupted from her wicked plans by a man standing at one of the walls, the sight of his crimson armor alone seems to enhance the already fearless soldiers, a light blazing in every man and woman's eyes manning the defense.
"YOU COME TO MY HOME! MY KINGDOM! YOU SEEK TO DESTROY MY PEOPLE! BUT YOU WILL ONLY FIND YOUR RUIN HERE WITCH!"
"Oh, holy blade of assured victory, forged at the end of the world, its light forevermore shinning in the darkest corner of the world, I say thee true name for our hour of need is near, banish the wicked" the man whispered.
He held aloof a peerless white blade, adorned with gold and blue markings, the blade gave off a pure glow, a light in a sea of darkness, and not just the blade but all around the defenders, above their heads a ball of yellow floated, and soon he yelled
"CALIBURN![6]"
And he swung
The mighty blade released a torrent of light, bright and searing, turning the Grimm in its path to dust and ash, and just for a moment, the dark was driven back by the light.
And not even Salem was spared from its rage, as her mount roared in pain as its right wing was clipped and started to fall back down to earth, as if it was cast down by the divines. Salem managed to evade and cling onto a Nevermore, a great avian grim, considerably smaller than her now felled mount she pulled up and stood on top of the bird and glared hatefully at the man.
"I AM KING! AND YOU HAVE AWOKE MY RAGE! YOUR RUIN SHALL BE ON THESE VERY PLAINS, WITCH!"
The man gaze was aflame with power as he looked directly at Salem's red eyes, at a distance even she knew was impossible for her to be spotted.
But she was spotted, and she was hit, the beam was meant for her. An opening strike, a message that they fear her not. A slight shiver ran along her spine.
Madness, Salem knows no fear! She looked at the man with scorn, etching his face to memory.
"I AM KING ANTALOS OF THE HIDDEN KINGDOM OF CAMLAN! SO. I. SAY. YOU! AND YOUR GRIMM WILL KNOW FEAR!"
The siege has begun, the ruin of the great King and his mighty Kingdom has rung the evening bell.
But his line.
His blood continues to be the light at the end of the world.
(…)
Why am I even trying?
blue eyes shining like small sapphire against the sun rays scanned the hull of a bullhead, a group of 7 teens went about their time. He was seated away from six of them, he, Jaune Arc the weakest student of beacon, and as of one week ago, a liar who didn't rightfully deserve his spot.
He cursed himself, why, why did he put his trust on someone he only knew for 3 months? And on top of that someone who made their views clear on earing their keep. He looked to a beautiful girl with fiery red hair and dazzling emerald-colored eyes.
It hurt just looking at her, the 'Miss invincible' or 'the Goddess of Victory' or to him, she is Pyrrha Nikos his- no, former partner, as once his forged transcripts were made public, she cut ties with him.
She was the friend he never had.
"I am disappointed in you"
And she was the one that told everyone about it no less… she was one of the people he told his transcripts to after all.
Gritting his teeth Jaune looked away, eyes falling to the others in the hull with him.
Li Ren, the silent and pragmatic ninja-type fighter, loves tea and Zen 24/7 and is possibly his childhood friend. He also has one mean temper and a right hook. And all it took was an honest mistake that anyone could of made and his faker status.
He was the brother he never had.
"You could have killed Nora!"
The person next to him Nora Valkyrie is a bubbly orange hair girl that kept on talking about some farfetched adventure she had a couple of days ago, she kept bouncing around Ren and poking him every few seconds to get a rise from him.
She was like a little sister to him.
"Cheater"
Across from Ren and Nora is Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long, Blake the black-haired beauty was reading something, probably her smut or as she like to call it 'adult literature' while the blond bombshell Yang tried to take a peek which Blake maneuver away from.
"You don't deserve to be here"
"Stay away from my sister!"
And finally, someone that Jaune actually feels some hate for, more so than Yang for being an instigator of some of the insults on his person. The white-haired princess- sorry heiress Weiss Schnee. Where to begin with her, at first, she was his first true crush, and why wouldn't she be? Why wouldn't any sane male or female not have a crush on her? She was elegant, beautiful, smart, and as he found out a couple of months ago, insanely rich.
He began to court her, only to be continually shot down with brutal word play on why he was worthless compared to those that tried gaining her favor in Atlas. The tongue lashing grew worse when she found out he faked his way into beacon.
"I knew it! and you have the gall to try and woo me with your words!? It won't work! You will never have a sliver of the Schnee fortune!"
She thought that him, Jaune Arc wanted to date her all because of her money? how shallow did she think he was!? His mom will castrate him if he pursued a girl because of a weak reason.
Oh God my family
What would they say? That their child is a cheat? He only just gotten things to work between him and his dad again, but once they find out about him, his transcripts all that progress will take a hundred steps back.
Jaune sighed, his heart and mind heavy with the guilt and the barely restrained anger, the jeers the physical assaults and just team CRDL in general was pushing him over the edge and by the grace of whatever god out there the thing keeping him sane wa-
"You ok Jaune?" someone whispered near his ear, Jaune looked beside him and gave reassuring smile. Black hair fading into a soft red like the sky when the sun was about to shine on a particularly hot day, she was looking at him with those mesmerizing silver eyes that seem to glow, beaming at the sight of his own blue orbs. He always thought that her eyes are the most unique, he likes to think that they were silver because of how pure and kind she is.
Dear Lady Yvanna what did he do to earn the trust of this blossoming rose?
The only person apart from the senior years that stood by him and defended him, Ruby Rose the youngest student in beacon, and, opposite to him in every way, she was everything he was not. A great combatant, a prodigy in both mechanical engineering and weapon smiting. And she earned her way into beacon, not like him, the scapegoat of the beacon first years and their weakest peer.
"Yeah rubes, I'm fine, you should go seat next to your team you know. You're their leader after all" I said to her, wanting her to just… drop me like the rest of my so-called friends and my former Partner, she'll be all the better for it, associating with me is a social suicide. I took a sneak glance back at Yang and saw her glare at me.
The others also looked at our direction but didn't do or say anything, it was like they were waiting, waiting for me to do something else they didn't like to pounce and verbally smack me down like I'm some fleshy punching bag.
"And I'm your friend dummy" she said it so simply and without hesitation that it took all that I had to not hug her, something so kind and genuine, how she was related to Yang when they have polar opposite morals I do not know.
"Thanks rubes"
"No problem Jaune"
(…)
Fort Dunzter, a stronghold situated in a mountain range overlooking a good chunk of Grimm occupied territory, it was cold, grey and over all a place made to withstand a Grimm invasion and to be the first warning post for the other Forts along the mountain range. Two teams of Huntsmen and Huntress trainees were tasked to shadow and help the people that manned the Fort.
The Black Dragoons were a hundred man and woman strong group of veteran Huntsman and Huntresses. Their sigil is a black Lizard on a field of red coiling in on itself trying to bite its own tail these brave warriors has stood watch over Fort Dunzter for over 200 years.
And today they get fresh meat.
A man easily 6ft tall wearing a heavy brown coat and armor underneath stood waiting on a landing pad on his back a large war axe twice as tall as he was. He eyes the bullhead as it landed and drop its ramp, he approached their professor.
"It has been quite some time Port" the man held his hand up
"Yes, it has good friend" Port clasps the man's arm "Come, I'll introduce you to my students" the two walked over to the two Teams.
"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long Team RWBY led by Ruby" Port pointed to Jaune next "Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos and Lie Ren, Team JNPR led by Jaune Arc."
The man noticed the slight twitch on the faces of the other teenagers except Ruby's when Port said Jaunes role.
The man did not comment and stepped forwards, hands clasped behind him "I am Riley Orkris, Captain of fort Dunzter, look alive trainees, your days of being babied by beacon are numbered. As of the now you are the lowest of the low, I do not care about who amongst you have the highest grade or the better combatant. Out here, you survive, or you die"
Riley glared at the students; his brown eyes blazed under the cold grey mountain peaks and one particular student bore the brunt of that look. "Arc, I knew your grandfather, I do not usually have high expectations for those I just met, but you Arcs have a way of surpassing those expectations. Supper in 10, I'll have my second lead you to your bunks"
By singling out Jaune he inadvertently made him a target of questioning looks, Jaune sank in himself not sure on what to say but the gods seem to spare him just for today "Hey kids! The name's Derik and I'm ol' Riley's second! Come one little ones! Better start a moving or else you won't get any chow!"
(…)
Jaune was done setting up his gear, but with his team it was still… awkward, with them not even acknowledging his existence in their shared room, he was just thankful to gets the top bunk so if he turns in early, he can avoid interacting with his team, not like they were to begin with.
Jaune made his way to the mess hall, nothing to extravagant, just a kitchen that served meals, and tables to eat on, pretty standard. He looked around to where to seat, obviously he didn't want to seat with his team, and the WYB of team RWBY was a no go as well.
So, he quietly sat on an empty table eating his meal, not seeing a pair of eyes looking over him then to the other students. A few more minutes has gone by until Jaune's grey peace was broken by a tray being place beside him. Jaune didn't need to look who it was "Hey, rubes"
"Can you believe they don't have cookies here? Not even sweets! Just protein and carbs" Jaune chuckled.
"Well, we are in the mountains, but having sweets every now and then is good for moral" ruby slumped on the chair and began picking at her food, some mash potatoes and seared steak.
The two friends kept chatter light between them, and one can see the previous joy and happiness in Jaunes blue eyes, shinning just a little brighter.
Soon a familiar captain approached their table "Captain Riley, umm… good afternoon, sir" Jaune said looking at the intimidating man in the eyes.
Jaune must have done something because Riley let out a smile "At ease Arc, just checking in, so, how's the Fort treating you fresh meat?"
Ruby and Jaune did a double take at that "Fresh meat?" Ruby asked
"it's what we call any new arrival here, and we mean any, once there was a Vale council man visit and ol' Cap here called him, to his face 'Some fresh Tenderloin sap from some cushy house' and promptly boot his ass off this rock" another one said sitting next to Captain Riley who was across from Jaune and Ruby.
"So, your Lions' grandson, huh. Oh yeah, where's my manners, the names Derik, second in command of the 3rd squad" the man gave a toothy grin at both young teens.
"Lion? Sorry, I didn't meet my grandpa, only my eldest sister did out of all us" Jaune replied, a glint of interest shinning in his eyes, he has never gotten a peep from both his parents and his eldest sister Vivian on his grandfather, only a name. Gawain Solis Arc.
"A shame then, he may not have been the most skilled, but he was sure loyal. You can count on his blade on any war zone" Riley recounted; his eyes held nostalgia as he looked on the emblem of the Black dragoons.
"Cool… mom, dad and sis never really talked about him much" Jaune said
"Can't blame em' must be still grieving after all, he didn't really die a quick death, held off bout' a hundred Grimm of varying grades, hells, even killed a special grade Grimm while he helped a settlement near here evacuate" Derik recounted.
Ruby's eyes beamed in admiration "Woah… "
"Yeah… "Jaune supplied with equal awe.
"Old Gawain truly embodies what Huntsmen are, he fought because it was to protect, be it human or faunus he didn't care. He saw good in people, no matter how dark and broken they are as long as you have his trust, he'll fight for you tooth and nail, and, to a lot of people that trust is all they need to change" Riley finished his tale with a smile.
Ruby and Jaune silently listen to the aged hunter, for ruby his tale cemented her desire, her wish to become a hero that protected people's smile, just like her mother. but for Jaune he looked… conflicted, on one hand he had an awesome grandpa, and on the other another legacy that he felt he was tarnishing because of his subpar performance.
"Enough of the chatter, we are burning day light after all, and we still have to show you kids how we do things around here" Riley said finishing his meal, followed by Derik. The two stood up "gather your teams at the entrance of the mess hall, be quick about it"
Jaune and Ruby was surprised at the sudden change of tone and rushed to finished their meals
(…)
Ruby looked on in awe as they made their way through the aged Fortress, to some this little tour they were on was boring and uneventful. But to the little weapon nut it was far from it, especially after seeing their armory making her devise ways to improve her own crescent rose.
"And here kiddie's we have the observation and communications room, does what it says. Central command and early warning systems for the other forts and settlements" Derik pointed at a number of screens and short-range communication scrolls.
"Why not connect directly to the CCT?" asked Yang
"Cause' we can't afford having a 30-foot tower sticking at the middle of the court yard, not only does it look phallic as hell, it's also a major target for any airborne Grimm." Derik explained.
"Target? Like the Grimm knows to target stuff like that? You're joking right, Grimm are mindless monsters they don't even know the end of a rifle"
Derik narrowed his eyes on the blond "Girly I think time in the kingdoms blinded you on how Grimm truly act, if they were just any animal, we would have reclaimed 90% of the livable land and not hiding behind walled cities or flying as case with Atlas"
Derik locked eyes with Port "You haven't discussed about the special grades? Or even the higher ones?"
"Special grade?" most of the students voiced their confusion.
Port nodded "Yes, though we did skim a few of those, but we haven't gone in depth with the different classifications yet"
Derik only nodded and continued with the little tour.
As the day went on Jaune kept feeling a throbbing in his head, it was subtle when they landed, but after lunch it grew to an aching pain he can't ignore. Ruby, who was beside her friend noticed his plight and asked "you ok there Jaune?"
Jaune forced a smile "yeah Rubes, just a bit of lingering motion sickness nothing to worry about"
Ruby didn't look convinced and was about to voice his lie when
"Come on Sis, if faker here says he's fine then he's fine" Yang looped her arm around Ruby's neck and looked at Jaune with a predatory smirk, her eyes flickering between lilac and red "after all he 'wants to be huntsman' right~?"
Jaune didn't rise to the bait and just nodded and held in his headache, he bit his own cheek to distract himself.
Yang gave Ruby a smile her eyes stopped flickering color "see? never better, side's rubes, if faker here can't handle some dizziness, then he should just quit being a huntsman"
There it was, after his transcripts were made public a whole lot of people wanted him out of beacon, but a little-known fact was, if a student passed initiation, then they stay. If they showed promise and skill, they stay, and Jaune, no matter his physical skill is an excellent dare he says the best strategist in not just his year.
But the senior years as well, he passed initiation and even though some played him being partnered up with Pyrrha as the reason he did, video evidence suggest he came up with a plan and showed leadership skills.
Point is, the only way they could get him out of beacon was for him to want to, and boy did his first-year peers wanted him to get out. They did everything in their power over the week to make his life in beacon hell so he would be forced to leave himself.
Jokes on them they were up against an Arc, the only other way he was going to get the boot was if he died or did something that warrants a dismissal, like sexual harassment, and not even the most assholey and bitchest' student wanted him dead. It's one thing to bully him to the point of quitting and it's another to outright kill him.
So here he was enduring the constant bigotry of his peers, silently taking the verbal and literal hits. It is a testament to his will, to his conviction that Jaune lasted this long.
But there is a limit, something has to break
The throbbing kicked to high gear, he was wobbling back and forth, everything in his vision was a blur. He put his hand on an adjacent wall to support himself, he vaguely saw ruby dashing towards him then just as suddenly the pain stopped.
Groaning in pain Jaune leaned against the wall for support, "You're not ok, come on we need to go to the infirmary" he heard Ruby whisper next to him, his arm around her neck so she could support him.
Once sense came back to him, he saw the group stare at him, Port and Derik looked at him in concern but the others…
Disappointment
Displeasure
Annoyance
Impatience
Gratification
Jaune felt something bubble but didn't make it to the surface as it was interrupted by the sudden alarm and flashing red lights of the hallway.
"We are under attack! Port! Get the kids to the landing pad now! We can continue this tour on another day!" Derik yelled as he began to fiddle with his scroll.
"I want numbers now!" Derik ordered
"S-sir! I-I can't believe it t-the Grimm, T-they…"
"Damnit Geir get your shit together! How. Many?"
There was a pause as the group waited, baited breath a growing dread encompassing everyone.
"Tens… Tens of Thousands… I… we need to abandon the fort sir…"
Everyone became wide eyed at the news, so many Grimm were making their way here, and what do they have to defend? At most a hundred huntsmen and huntresses with static defense batteries.
"Sound the alarm to the neighboring forts and settlements, I want an evacuation of every living being in a 200-mile radius, we got ourselves a Grimm Festival" Derik grit his teeth in frustration "and call for immediate reinforcement from Vale"
"S-sir Derik! W-what's going on?" Weiss asked feeling a terrible presence.
"Keep moving, I'll tell you as we evacuate" Derik said as he made his way pass hall after hall out of the fort and to the landing platform. "a Grimm festival, a jolly sounding name for a terrible disaster, once every few years, Grimm in an area become too saturated with their own kind…
And seek to expand."
The student's audible gulped.
"Bullheads on route, we just need to hold out for 50 minutes" Port said after pocketing his scroll and hefting his blunder-Axe.
Derik winced "That's too long…"
"I-I think I g-got an idea" someone voiced in between pained breaths, they all looked and saw Jaune standing on his own feet after he was support by Ruby "There's snow build up at the peaks, right? Saw it when we arrived"
Derik nodded then widen his eyes a feral grin made its way to his face "Kid, you sure? Sounds a bit insane to me"
Jaune only nodded "We are dead either way…" he said
The students kept glancing back to and from the two, confused on what they were talking about, that is until Port chuckled "My, my mister Arc, I do not know whenever that is a cunning plan or a desperate gamble"
"Woah, woah hold up, what is faker taking about?" Yang asked a bit irritated.
Derik laughed "Well spitfire, Arc here wants to cause an avalanche and bury the approaching Grimm Festival, well them, or us maybe both"
The students looked bug-eyed at the plan; Ren looked furious "That is an idiotic plan that will get us all killed" he gave Jaune a death glare "The last time you planned something 'fearless leader' Nora was injured"
Jaune winced but stayed resolute and looked at Derik, some seconds passed by before Derik pulled out his scroll "hey boss, Arc got an idea for either doubling out chances of survival or an immediate funeral service"
There was a silence when Derik explained Jaune's plan, a very long silence after he was done.
"… I give you authorization, you have 10 minutes to plan and 10 more to execute, Grimm ETA 30 minutes" Once more there was silence when Riley actually agreed with the plan.
"…Madness…" Murmured Blake.
"it's all we got at the moment, alright little cub, what you got for us" Derik looked at Jaune expectantly. Jaune for a moment was tongue tied before he took a deep breath.
"All right it goes like this…"
(…)
There is so many
the white snowy mountain side blanketed by dark twisted coagulation of fel creatures, ranging from the lowly creeps to the massive towering figures of the goliaths, even the air is filled to capacity by Nevermores, Griffons, and Razorwings.
How can a fort, mighty it might be, survive in the face of this tide of despair?
Though their wills are shaken, they have yet to break
Along the walls of the Fort dozens of people were getting ready, placing turrets, calibrating their range finders for the few artillery pieces they have. But, a small group of students and their teacher were setting up charges above the pathway leading to the Fort.
Dozens of these charges were placed, as the Grimm were making their way from bellow.
"This is a stupid Idea…" Weiss said as she placed the last of the charges.
"Why are they even considering this, aren't they professionals? Shouldn't they have something that wouldn't guarantee our deaths?" Yang asked
"I guess things are really bad if they listened to Jaune of all people" Blake agreed looking at the rest of team RWBY
Ruby remained silent as she checked the time "4 minutes, let's go"
Ruby looked at the encroaching blob of Grimm making their way up the mountain, then to the much closer winged Grimm that were held at bay by the continuous bombardment of flak from the Fort walls anti-air guns.
But there was still more
With Team JNPR they worked in silence, non-dared to start a conversation.
"Ooo! This is gonna be so much fun! We haven't gone skiing before right Renny?" except Nora Valkyrie apparently.
Ren sighed "No, Nora we haven't" he glared at the back of Jaune "And it shouldn't be like this"
"Well~ your right about that, still! We could make an awesome pose before we freeze to death buried under a few hundred tons of snow! I bet we can make great popsicles! Well… some of us"
Jaune winced but continued to work.
Pyrrha remained silent as she looked at Jaune, her eyes held disappointment at her leader, she worked hard every day to reach her goals, blood, sweat, tears… heartache. All that hard work was spit on by Jaune, insulted even, as unlike her and the rest of their year, Jaune didn't do any work to get to where he was.
He did what she hated above all else.
He cheated
And that broke her heart, as over the months she grew to care for him, she thought that Jaune was different, that he wasn't like him. But then Jaune told her about his secret, his forgery, his trickery, she was infuriated that he lied and cheated like him.
Pyrrha shook her head noticing the timed charge in her hand having a small dent, she grew wide eyed and took several calming breaths. To keep her semblance under control and fixed the dent, "I am done here" she said
"Me to, let's get out of here" Jaune responded and started to walk back to the Fort not even glancing back at his team.
(…)
Back at the Fort the sound of heavy guns revibrated through the air, against the walls. It was deafening, But the Leader and Captain of Fort Dunzter remained impassive, calm and resolute, a bastion against the hopelessness of their situation as they desperately held of as many airborne Grimm they can see.
Riley glanced at a monitor showing the land base Grimm approaching, greater in number compared to their winged brethren. 'I hope your gamble pays off Arc' he thought, just as the Jaune and the other students made their way to the command post.
"I take it all went smoothly?"
"Yes Captain, we placed the charges so that most of the avalanche wouldn't hit our position" Jaune replied.
"Most?"
Jaune nodded "It's an avalanche sir, we can only direct its fall, pray that the landing pads are safe once it's detonated"
Riley winced but nodded "It's our best bet, 30 minutes before evac, prepare your selves, a Grimm Festival is as much of a natural Disaster as a category 7 hurricane"
"Captain the grounded Grimm are nearing the pathway!" someone called
Riley faced the screen and saw some of the Grimm passing the path towards the Fort "Get ready! Hold as much as you can, Arc how long did you timed those charges?"
"15 minutes sir! Just enough time to catch the majority of the Grimm"
Riley nodded "Derik"
"Captain!"
"I want you and 60 of our forces to the hangar at the landing pad, the rest will hold off the tide"
Derik went wide eyed as well as the students.
Derik took a deep breath and clasp Riley's shoulder giving him a tight squeeze "May the brothers judge you fairly Captain…"
Derik look back at the people "You heard the captain! All of you, out!" he shouted.
"W-wait! A-are we just going to leave him!?" Pyrrha called shock at how easily these men and women agreed and carried out their duty.
"Your still blind to how the world works, miss Nikos" Port came to the side of his students "This is what you all signed up to do, sacrifice, the ultimate price any Huntsmen and Huntress has to pay to save as many as they can."
Port gazed at his students, seeing a spark of fear and reluctance at his words, but, one gaze remained as unmoving, and unchanged. Deep, cobalt blue eyes shone even brighter at his words, opposite to quenching that ember he saw, it blazes brighter than ever before. 'You will go far Mister Arc; I just hope things would get better once we get back to beacon'
"Come, we must make haste" Port corralled his students, being at the back so he can see all of them. He noted that Jaune was at front shield already unfurled, sword at his side.
They arrived at the Hanger along with most of the people stationed at the Fort, Port looked at his scroll and back to the open skies.
Nothing
There was still no sign of the Bullheads, the Fort started to shake, violently as they heard the vibrations of bullets and munitions propelling through the air.
Derik the one leading the group called out "Range fighters! Open fire and keep those Nevermores and Razorclaws away from the landing pads!" soon a battle was raging on the hanger, Griffons that landed and started attacking fell to swords, axe or hammers wield by the desperate defenders.
Jaune was facing once such Griffon, rolling to the side to avoid a strike before standing and stabbing his sword through its neck killing it. he then held his shield up to parry and strike of the razorclaw that landed. All around him he saw the desperate fighting to keep the hanger clean for the Bullheads to land.
Just as he parried another Griffon's strike, he heard a loud explosion.
He then shouted "Avalanche! Brace! Brace!" he called as he looks up and saw some snow going towards them.
He gulped but steadied his stance.
He felt his body getting pushed, he felt the cold snow scarping against his skin
Then it stopped, moving aside the snow that piled on top and around him he saw the hanger and was glad it still stood, the small avalanche was also able to sweep away most of the Grimm and the loud explosion managed to rattle the airborne Grimm and they flew away for the time being.
He saw people getting up, dusting themselves and checking their gear and body.
Jaune was pained to realize of the 60 or so people they came here with, only around 40 or so made it.
He then felt a slap on the back "Well I'll be, your plan worked little lion" Derik was beside him, giving a toothy grin then pointed towards the sky.
Jaune looked to where he was pointing and saw 5 Bullheads rocketing towards them, relief flooded his body then happiness as he heard the cheers all around him. Some even thanking him, he just smiled sheepishly.
As the Bullheads landed every rapidly got on board and in less than 3 minutes, they began to lift off the ground, Jaune was with his Team, RWBY Port and Derik, all of them exhausted, feeling the 20 minutes of waiting felt longer.
'We made it, we are safe, they were alive none of them died' Jaune thought as was coming off his adrenaline rush.
But Grimm feeds on despair, and no despair feels more delectable when their prey are given hope.
Only to be ripped away from their grasp
The Bullhead Jaune was one started to shake, then he heard a screeching of metal. He looked on horrified as a Grimm he has never seen ripped a hole in the bullhead, its massive head peered inside the hull. Before it gave a roar, the first to react was Ren, he started to fire at the Grimm with his double pistols.
The bullets bounce off the thick bone plating on its head and one of them hit Weiss on the thigh, soliciting a scream of pain from her as her Aura was already low.
Derik was the next to react as he brought down his halberd and sliced the jaw off the Grimm.
The Grimm seem to be angered at this and tried to grab one of them as a last resort, the closes, unfortunately, is a wounded Weiss. Just before she was dragged down to the abyss, she was pushed away by Jaune, taking her place as he was dragged away into the vastness of the Grimm infested forest below.
Leaving only Crocea mors and its sheath behind
Jaune as he fell can only hear the pained cries of Ruby, and, either he was hallucinating because of the Motion sickness and stress of the day, the cries of the others as well.
(…)
He saw a great battle, on one side an army of humans, wearing white and gold armor, supplemented by towering stone like creatures, mounts like a dragon, giant wolves, a horse with wings. Fantastical creatures straight out of fairytales, all of them defending a great castle carved on the side of a mountain, on the other.
Creatures he knew well, Grimm, monsters he was learning to fight against, but something was odd with these Grimm he saw.
They looked more… feral, more monstrous, he has never seen any of these Grimm before. The only correlation with these Grimm and the ones he knew was the black body and bone like mask.
That is where similarities end, he saw a one eyed tentacled Grimm floating in the air, its eye encased by the bone plates, the tentacles were also muscled, armored, apart from its end that was pulsing red, the eye glowed red its entire form glowed a soft red. [7]
Another was armored with an exoskeleton of white bone plates. body shape is scorpion-like with four insectoid legs, two gigantic forelegs with four claws each, and a barbed tail. It has four sharp upper teeth with two mandibles on either side of its mouth in place of a lower jaw. It also has a shark-like fin on the back which glows with red energy. [8]
The last he saw was by far the most horrendous, a body and a head of a Lion, with a goat's head right next to the lions, its two front legs were feline with sharp and powerful claws. But the back one took a more goatish appearance with woofs. Its tale has the body and the head of a snake, its white scales and red eyes looked at the battle field with hunger. [9]
All of these beasts looked at the Castle with hunger.
He started to breath rapidly, scared and horrified at the sights he was seeing, the darkness was all encompassing, how can anyone fight these things? How can they hope to hold out against the despondency of their situation?
Then he saw the sky burn bright.
The light was like a tide that cleansed the field, burning and purifying the Grimm, He was at awe as the monsters that stroke fear in his chest was evaporated to ash, the light that originated from the castle stopped, and there stood a man with gleaming red armor holding aloof a sword he marveled at, its beauty a perfect counter to the evils he saw before him, he looked familiar but he shook that thought.
He then heard him speak
"I AM KING ANTALOS OF THE HIDDEN KINGDOM OF CAMLANN! SO. I. SAY. YOU! AND YOUR GRIMM WILL KNOW FEAR!"
And the battle begun, a titanic clash of light versus darkness, of kindness and malice of hope and desolation
(…)
Waking up in a forest Jaune looked around and saw thick forest canopy dimming the light that can enter, barely able to see 10 feet in front of him Jaune grunted as he stood up, noting that his aura is gone, broken for the first time since he awakened it during initiation.
He sighed "Well, things can't get any worse right?"
he tempted faith
A growl from behind made him stiff, and slowly looked behind him, meeting the half snarl of a Grimm with its lower jaw hanging by the thin sliver of black muscle.
And faith said screw you
Jaune ran, ran as fast as he could, he has no weapons, no aura, and he is alone in a dark, Grimm infested forest with an angry Grimm hot on his heals. He passed dark oak and thick bushes, never stopping, nor looked back.
The only indication that the Grimm was still after him was the broken roar and the thumping of the ground behind him.
He felt his legs burn, his lungs hurt for how fast they were working to supply oxygen to his body to keep pace with the speed he was on and brain functioning to perceive and react to the forest foliaged that were his obstacles.
If he trips, he dies
Jaune kept on running until he saw a cave entrance big enough for two men to walk side by side, he didn't question the timing or his apparent turn of fortune he dove straight in, the Grimm claw however managed to clip his back, gouging bits of flesh and blood.
Jaune screamed in pain as he toppled over the cave, scurrying away from the thrashing claw of the Grimm, hell bent on ripping its meal to shreds.
But it cannot fit in the narrow passage, giving Jaune reprieve and a chance to catch his breath, the stinging pain dulled as by the thumping of his ear and beating of his heart, greedily taking in breath after breath.
He rested for a moment, looking on as the few bits of sun light dimmed and the futile scrapping of the Grimm came to a stop, seemingly giving up on its prey. Jaune grunted and fished his scroll from hi pocket.
"Fuck…" he muttered at the broken and fractured device.
He slumped and a wave of hopelessness came to him, he was alone, no team, no food, injured, out of aura and most of all he didn't even have his weapons with him, and he has enough of a brain to know that the Grimm won't go away, they are immortal and have the time to wait for him to either die or try his escape.
'I'm going to die' he thought, after all that, the hard work, the resolve, time, sweat and tears he gave to chase a dream he so oh craved as a child. All the lies, the betrayal, anguish he endured, all of it, was worthless in the end, he will die alone and in pain.
He eyes grew heavy, his breathing becoming even as the sweet embrace of sleep took him at last
(…)
He was here again, but this time the battle was on full swing, yellow bolts rained down and monoliths of light towered over the battle field wiping out scores of Grimm.
Mythical beast dueled with dark horrors in a battle of the ages, all around him light and darkness pushed and pulled seemingly at a stalemate.
*────Roar! *
He turned his gaze at to the skies and was frozen at the gargantuan monster in front of him, its body was massive, red dorsal fins, spiked with bone a whale like body that floated in the air, around it is a murder of winged Grimm. It opened its maw, exposing jagged teeth and roared, spawning more and more of its smaller ilk.
All he could do was stare at the hopelessness he is seeing, seeing parallel of his own situation, no hope, no help and no heroes. Only desolation awaits these soldiers, the massive whale Grimm seem to tip the balance, slowly, the forces of the castle was pushed back, back to their walls.
Why they engaged the Grimm on open plains when they have a perfectly good wall was a mystery. He saw the final phase of this battle was upon them, Grimm were gaining ground, the defenders are being pushed back to their walls.
Then he saw a lone archer emerging from the battlements, wearing a green tunic, bloodied by the battle, face half covered in red, he held his bow the point of the arrow aimed at the large whale. Then impossibly, like how he saw the archer amidst thousands of others.
He heard him speak
« O' sacred Lord in Heaven."
"Radiant Lord, merciful, who bestowed upon me wisdom and strength."
"I call upon thee to witness my heart, my thoughts, and everything I've achieved."
"Now, creator of the moon and stars..."
"Behold my deeds, my death, and my Spənta Ārmaiti which I must carry out."
"After I unleash this last arrow with all my strength, my iron body shall shatter and annihilate me where I stand."
"────Stella! »
He let his arrow lose, in complete contrast to the beam of light he saw previously, done by the King of this castle, a simple blue trail followed the red arrow as it sailed towards its target. Like a shooting star against the black sky.
There was no great explosion, nor a spectacle of light, there was not even a sound only the struggle between Grimm and man. As once the arrow hit its mark, the whale Grimm simple didn't exists, as if it was never there in the first place.
He looked jaw agape at the feat, he felt his soul sing at the banishment of the whale, he eagerly looked back to the spot where the archer fired his arrow, a spark of hope sang in his heart.
But there was no archer to herald a great counter offensive, nor was there a person, only a red bow left on the ground, surrounded by motes of shimmering blue light.
And once more he awoke
(…)
Jaune woke up with a start, as he looked left to right at where he was, only to find blackness to the right and red beading eyes to the left. He shifted away from the red eyes and further down the cave, 'the cave… so it wasn't a dream I really am stuck down here, alone…'
Jaune teared up, eyes being obscured by the wetness of his tears as they fell.
"I call upon thee to witness my heart, my thoughts, and everything I've achieved."
He heard it once more, the words the archer spoke off in his dreams.
"Behold my deeds, my death,
Again, a mirage of the bowmen manifested in his mind, he saw his eyes, determine, brave, and most of all resigned…
Jaune opened his mouth to say the last words of the bowman "'After I unleash this last arrow with all my strength, my iron body shall shatter and annihilate me where I stand.' He knew he was going to die…"
A last image, one he never saw in his dream, or whatever he keeps seeing when he closed his eyes. The bowman turning to motes of light as he smiled at someone, he spoke 'my friend, this is where my tales end, thank you… for everything' before vanishing… leaving the red bow behind.
Tears once more flowed down Jaunes eyes, but not of despair.
'What am I doing… wallowing in my self-pity' with great difficulty Jaune stood up, using the walls of the cave as support. 'If I give up now then, they were all correct about me, about my ineptitude, of my weakness, then I will be the coward they say I am'
" 'Behold my deeds, my death,' huh?" Jaune chuckled "I haven't done anything to warrant my death no great deed for some higher power to examine for this guy…" he glared back to his left, meeting the malice of the Grimm that waited for him to exit with his own determination.
Jaune then felt the breeze behind him, he shivered then his eyes widen 'wind… a breeze! Then there's another exit to this cave!' once more hope bloomed in his heart. He looked back at the entrance and raised his hand.
"Fuck you" Jaune gave the finger and turned around, heading deeper into the cave
He left the awaiting Grimm as it roared at the insult
Minutes or hours Jaune didn't know, only that his wound was a lot shallower than he previously thought, that and his aura might have regenerated enough to heal it as the pain was dulled compared to when he was last awake.
He continued the dark path, using the walls as a guide, left, right, straight, left, it was a winding cave meaning it must have been man made by the feel of the walls alone, the smooth surface cannot be natural, that and he felt something metal stuck into the side of the cave.
A torch holder if he was correct.
Meaning who ever made these caves must be a settlement, or a long-forgotten ruin and he was going into a Grimm infested town…
Jaune continued to walk slowly, before he saw the exit.
It was beautiful, a massive expanse of forest inside a mountain range under the clear night sky, the lights of the stars bringing a sense of peace, the soft breeze making him relax as if his body was at peace.
"What, is this place…" Jaune mumbled, he soon noticed a shimmering light at the center of the forest, having nothing to do he made his way down. He slid down the side of the mountain, leaping and tumbling down as much grace as he can.
Meaning he faceplanted on the gravel and ate dust as he went.
Huffing and groaning he got up once more and saw the trees up close, they were lighter in coloring to the dark oak he saw earlier, the leaves have more luster to them than the ones out in the cave. Fireflies that emit a soft green glow, the hooting of owls and the occasional hiss of a snake.
He continued his scenic walk through the forest, sighing in relief he can actually enjoy the surroundings and not being eaten at the heel by a large Grimm.
Once he broke from the forest he saw a small clearing, the blades of grass glowed a gentle yellow, motes of blue light seem to glide and wink in and out of existence.
And at the center a familiar peerless sword lay buried half way to the hilt on a large boulder, 'impossible' he thought then he felt himself walk closer and closer to it, as if the sword was beckoning him to pull it, placing his right hand on the emaculate handle he tugged…
And tugged again, Jaune frowned, placing both of his hands this time he tried with all his might to pry the sword from the stone.
But it didn't budge.
Jaune sighed and collapsed on the ground, looking at the clear starry night sky, he closed his eyes once more, actually wanting to see if he dreams of the king, the archer and the castle once more. His breathing began to level and his face became relax as he drifted to on to the embrace of sleep, covered in the light of the sword.
(…)
The birds sang and the rustle of critters were heard, the bucks and boars grazed on the still glowing grass. Sun light peered down on the small clearing, causing one resident to stir.
Opening his eyes, he shut them quickly as the angry glare of the sun invaded his eyes, shield them with his hand Jaune sat up and stretched popping worn out bone and giving a moan of contentment. Jaunes cobalt eyes looked around at blinked, he felt refreshed, heck from what he can tell his aura is full and ready to be used.
He looked once more at the sword that he failed to pull, but he did notice that it somehow glowed a bit more brightly as compared to last night. Shaking away his thoughts he felt his stomach growl in hunger, Jaune got up and started to walk around, keen in either finding small game, a river, or some berries.
He continued further into the forest, only finding barriers as the rabbits were too quick for him to catch and seemed to know he was there when he stalked them, he was taught by his dad how to hunt, for the short time that he could.
But as evident to the small red splotch on his face the rabbits kicked him hard enough to actually cause his aura to drop.
Now he knew that maybe the rabbit had its aura unlocked, animals can have aura as well, as any living being with a soul can manifest an aura. the problem lies that this was a 11th rabbit he saw that seemingly has aura.
Walking for what felt like hours he stopped and dropped the berries he was carrying when he saw something that what straight out of a fairytale his mother would tell him and his siblings.
Just a few dozen feet in front him is a white horse with wings, wings, white bird like wings!
"What- how- huh?" Jaune was at a loss for words as the winged horse continued to graze on the grass and sometimes look at him, and huffed…
'Is the horse… mocking me?' Jaunes eye began to twitch and was about to voice his irritation when another winged horse arrived this one was colored bronze and was looking at him curiously, slowly this bronze horse approached him.
Jaune stood frozen as he looked at the amber colored eyes of the horse as it came closer and closer, once the horse a mere 3 feet away from Jaune it began to sniff the air, and gazed down and looked at Jaune.
Jaune on reflex held out the berry he was about to eat, the horse sniffed, then ate the berry, giving a satisfied neigh. Chuckling, Jaune bent down and gathered the berries he picked and began to feed the bronze horse with a red main.
'I must have died in that cave; this is just so unreal' he thought.
But he felt the horse take the berries on his hand, the hot breath of the horse and the soft hair, 'Rubie's gonna flip when she hears about this, Andromeda too' he thought imagining his best friend and little sister becoming rockets as they look over the winged horse.
'I think mom called them… Pegasi? Pegasus?' thought Jaune then he remembered another thing his mother's tale
"Hey there bud, you wouldn't happen to know the way out of this… place? Or if you can fly me out of here?" Jaune asked, hoping these are like the Pegasi in the stories and have enough intelligence to understand him.
He waited for a moment as the horse continued to look at him, minutes more passed and Jaune let a sigh.
"Yeah, I guess that was a lo- "he heard hoofs on soft grass and looked up and saw the side of the Pegasi exposed, as if wanting Jaune to get on top. First, he looked at disbelief, then a wide grin, 'oh I am so! gonna brag about this to Ruby and Andy!'
Jaune hopped on and held on tight on the horse's main as he let out a yelp when he felt himself lift in to the air, the passing wind screaming in his ear, the cool morning air washing over him, and the wide expanse of the hidden forest below him.
And, to his amazement, he didn't feel the dreaded Arc curse of airsickness
"THIS IS SO COOL!" Jaune screamed in joy as he held on tight "Screw you evolution!", he passed a flock of doves and saw the passing woodlands, a few more minutes passed as they neared a mountain side and the horse landed below the trees.
Jaune hopped off and patted the side of the Pegasi "Thanks for the ride, I enjoyed it very much" a large smile adorned Jaunes face.
The Pegasi gave a neigh that Jaune somehow interpreted as a 'welcome' the Pegasi then turned to walk forward, closer to the mountain side.
Jaune followed the Pegasi, he was excited to finally have a chance to get back to his friend and family, most importantly, he survived and found a super-secret mystical forest!
He continued to follow the Pegasi, but what awaited him wasn't a cave leading him out the inside of the mountain range but a ruined castle built flush against the mountain side, its broken walls being latched on by vines, forgotten pieces of a ripped banner hanging loosely on the walls.
But the darndest thing was the pried open giant double doors, silver and gold in color and the familiar half of a certain double yellow crescent symbol Jaune knew all too well.
"What?" Jaune voiced as he looked on wide eyed at the seemingly once Arc-owned castle in another time period.
'I know my family dates back to before the great war, but these ruins look like they were here for centuries if not millennia' Jaune thought.
A yearning in his soul, a force that made him move, something inside him sang to approach the ruined castle. He started to walk, walk inside his forgotten birth right, wanting to know more about what this place is, his Arc pride demanded it, he passed the ruined gate, he passed weird giant stone sculptures, he passed demolished wooden houses, broken pavement a destroyed fountain.
'a town center, then that's the castle proper then' Jaune approached the steps that lead inside of the castle, inside the mountain itself.
He passed demolished rooms, hall ways and other relics, but there was one prevailing theme, the armor and weapons held and worn by skeletons, he shivered when he first encountered one of the corpses, a skeleton without its lower half.
He came to a double doored room, he gulped debating if the curiosity he felt out ways the potential danger that is beyond these doors. He breathed in deep and resolved himself, 'screw it' he though looking at his side seeing the gleam of a sword and shield, there wasn't a skeleton holding them so he took it and gave a small apology and thanks.
He put the shield in front and sword to the side 'Just like what Pyrrha taught' Jaune winced at the reminder of his once partner but shook and got ready.
He slowly pushed the doors open, hearing the creaking of the aged hinges of the door, the soft gust of the wind on the other side. once the door fully opened Jaune saw…
A/N Yes, I'm doing that annoying thing other authors and anime episodes do so see you nerds in the next chapter.
Ok here are my inspirations, the castle is loosely based on Gondolin the hidden kingdom in Tolkein as well
[1] Arthurian legend
[2] Fate grand order Arash
[3] Tolkien Beren from the silmalirion
[4] Also from the tolkein verse one of the valar
[5] Arthurian legend yes I know Camlann is where Arthur dies at the hands of Mordred ending the kingdom of camelot in some stories, mainly fate but I want to have the opposite but also the same meaning, the last bastion of a dying kingdom and the final battle of said kingdom.
[6] Sword of selection baby
[7] Vel'Koz League of Legends
[8] Rek 'sai League of Legends
[9] run of the mill Greek chimera