Sorry everyone about taking so long with this. For the first time in several months I was afflicted with writer's block and I literally only got inspiration last night. Usually I know exactly how I want to write each chapter but for the ending of Volume 5, rewatching it from a writer's perspective, it's all crazy chaotic with so many empty opportunities that when I tried to fill them they felt wrong. In the end I stuck with what I have here, so I'll be splitting it into two parts.
Have fun~
Also recently I've been actively streaming on twitch, the link is on my profile and on my twitter which is also linked to my profile. In case anyone was curious about what I sounded like well there you go.
Chapter 50: The Coming of Spring Part 1
"Come on kid, dragon breath might have gone easy on you but I won't," Qrow beckoned as he stared down Oscar. The boy in question bit his lip in anxiety as he took up a combat stance against Qrow, his fists stretched so his right was leading his left, and his foot stance mirrored for perfect balance.
His training had been going smoothly due to Nova's teachings. In the span of two days, Oscar had the stamina to at least keep up with Jaune while running but he couldn't exactly pass him, especially when the blonde started sprinting, still, this was an incredible improvement compared to how he was on the first day.
Due to Ozpin sharing information on how to use his body from past experience, Oscar was able to move fluently even if he wasn't proficient in the art of hand to hand combat. Fighting with Ozpin's… err… his cane was easier than his fists but he wasn't sure if it was due to Ozpin's preferences or his own. The lines between him and his mental partner were becoming blurred and it was something he didn't want to dwell on…
Oscar threw himself at Qrow and the two began to slowly pace a sparring session, with mostly Qrow blocking the blatantly obvious attacks from the young boy. Oscar could hold his own against an ordinary person for sure, but against more experienced enemies it would be entirely one-sided.
Normally Nova would be the one dueling the boy and teaching him as he went, but as the days droned on, the tension riding in the wind could be felt. The eve of battle was near, thus being the leader he was, left instructions for Ruby, Jaune, Weiss, and Oscar to train with Qrow while he tried to learn his own limitations.
Without a weapon at his side, Nova felt empty. Taking up a battle stance felt awkward and hollow without the comforting feeling of his trusted partner Asura, but she was in pieces scattered in the wind, and all he had were his wits and his fists.
"If all else fails I can kill them with my sense of humour…" Nova grumbled as he stood with his left arm stretched outward.
"Hey, Nova….?" A familiar voice said.
"Yes, Ruby? He responded without opening his eyes.
"Watcha doin…?"
Nova felt his brow twitch, "Trying to concentrate… the real question is what are you doing? Shouldn't you be practicing your aura shield?"
"I did, and Yang said it was passable so I get to rest now. I came to see what you were up to," she said sweetly.
Nova sighed, "Ruby, sweetheart, as much as I love your company, I need to focus right now, so either sit quietly and wait for me to finish, or go harass Weiss."
"Can't, she wants to train some more."
"A good work ethic to have…" Nova responded with a taunting tone.
"Bleh, she's no fun!"
"Ruby!"
"Okay fine…" she responded and Nova could hear the shuffling of her feet and the soft thud of her sitting on the ground. He waited a few moments until he was sure she was silent before he began concentrating again.
Since the acquisition of his new arm, he hadn't been able to test its limitations. It felt like his old arm, but more… comfortable, if it could be described as that. Clenching his fists felt like he had more control over its movements than his previous appendage.
'If the stone works the same way as it did when it was in Asura then….' He thought as tried to channel his powers onto the stone. He could feel the heat building up inside him like a rising flame, engulfing his soul and manifesting itself through his aura.
Ruby watched in awe as Nova's left arm began to glow bright orange, and the reddish leathery skin began to erupt with the same fiery scales that happened when he used his power, encompassing his arm until it was like an armoured appendage, the fingertips were clawed like daggers and the knuckles were also spiked. The Agniseki sat neatly in the center atop his hand, glowing with heat like an open flame.
Nova opened his eyes and studied the evolution, rotating the arm and flexing the claws, "Well this is new," he said surprised.
"So your new arm isn't just for show?" Ruby asked tilting her head cutely.
"Apparently not… it's responding to my powers, resonating like a medium… if I'm right then…" he channeled his aura into the fist and reared it back before thrusting it forward in a powerful punch that superheated the air as it flew, causing an effect like the breaking of the sound barrier as it thrust skyward. Out of the fist, shot a blast of fire that illuminated the area like a flash of light, a Jetstream of an inferno that seemed to burn the very air as it traveled. Even Ruby had to shield her eyes from the display. It reminded Nova of the time he was testing his powers at Patch, but it was much stronger and didn't drain him nearly as much... with this he might even be able to keep up with Cinder's seemingly unlimited power...
"WOAH!" She squealed when the fire finally stopped, leaving a rather sweaty Nova.
Nova dusted himself off a bit, "It's like that time I tried to pour all my aura into my fist… I am so glad I didn't hit Tai with this…"
"YOU THREW THAT AT MY DAD?!" Ruby exclaimed in horror.
Nova flinched, "Well, no… I didn't use my power at that time, just my aura, and it came out like a tiny fire punch, so Tai didn't get hurt… I think."
Ruby sighed in relief, "Oh thank Oum. If you hurt dad, I was gonna knock your head around like a football… though I think he deserves it."
The threat caused Nova to flinch, "Please don't do that…."
Suddenly everyone rushed into the backyard, "WHAT WAS THAT?! IS IT AN ENEMY?!" Nora screamed wielding her hammer.
"Calm down guys, I was just testing my firepower, kinda… no need to be so on edge…" Nova said sheepishly.
Everyone sighed and put down their weapons, "Okay… okay… I think we all need to just take a break." Nitro said as his gauntlets retracted into their armbands.
"Yeah… maybe we're all on way too jumpy" Yang groaned, leaning her chin on Hex's shoulder. The purplette just calmly kissed her cheek and pet her head.
"Well, not that tensions aren't high already but… I just got a text from Leonardo," Qrow said pulling out his scroll.
"What's it say?" Jaune asked curiously.
"He wants us to have dinner with him tomorrow, and he specifically said not to walk with our weapons because we'd be dining with other guests and he doesn't want to alarm them… He says he has some important matters to discuss as well…" Qrow explained folding his arms, his expression was deadly serious.
"Smells like a load of bullshit to me…" Nitro said squinting his eyes as he read the text.
"My thoughts exactly. Ninety-Nine percent chance this is a trap." Qrow said.
"So… weapons or no weapons?" Nora asked causing everyone to deadpan.
"What do you think?" Ren turned to her, folding his arms.
"Weapons…?"
Ren just nodded confirmingly.
"YAY!"
That night Ruby and Nova tucked into bed, with her head nestled under his chin, laying on his chest as she toyed with his fingers.
"Nervous about tomorrow?" she asked realizing neither of them was in the mood to sleep.
Nova took a deep breath which caused Ruby's arm to rise and fall back down in time with his torso, "I just have a really bad feeling that something we're not expecting is going to happen."
Ruby giggled, "Well… I guess we just need to expect the unexpected!"
"Ruby, I'm serious. There's like a twisting in my gut that's telling me that… no matter how ready we might think we are, we're not nearly as ready as we should be…"
Ruby rolled over so she was staring at him in the eye now, "Nova, remember what I said a few days ago? Whatever happens, we face it together. There's nothing we can't accomplish when we're facing this as a team."
Nova cupped her face and ran his thumb across her cheek and smiled, "You are just the silver lining in my sky of clouds aren't you…"
"Someone has to be… mmph!" she was silenced when his lips closed around hers. She leaned down and pushed into him, melting against his lips, pouring her heart to him as he tenderly pulled her close. When they broke apart she nestled herself in her original position.
"I'm starting to feel more confident now, maybe we should do that again!" Nova prompted.
Ruby giggled and lightly flicked his forehead, "Go to sleep, or else I'm hiding the coffee in the morning."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Try me."
Nova didn't want to try her.
The next evening the party moved as one unit, striding with purpose toward Haven Academy, weapons strapped at the ready. Amidst all the strategies and planning, one thing was resonated in everyone's minds… whatever they were about to face, was going to be a pivotal point in their lives, it felt like Beacon all over again. Now was as good a time as any for the world to know that Nova Flareheart was alive and kicking.
Haven Academy was empty and deserted, just as it was the day they arrived.
"Dinner party and no one's here? He's not making an effort to hide the fact that this is set up in the slightest…" Hex droned as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Well, I hope your improv skills are good because we're acting without a script," Nitro said elbowing his sister. The tech wizard stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry at him before pulling out her handheld radar and scanned the doorway.
"Doorway and hall are empty. Only life signs I can see beyond this door is Lionheart walking around and I think a bird that flew in from the outside. Either way, it's safe to just stroll right in." Hex said putting away the device.
Nova and Qrow looked at each other before nodding. Everyone readied themselves and Oscar just gulped.
"Hey, kid," Nova said turning around to Oscar. "We got your back, I would say don't be afraid but fear keeps us on edge, so be afraid but also be ready."
"You're not making much sense…" Oscar deadpanned.
Nova chuckled and slapped his back, "That's the spirit!"
Qrow pushed open the doors while Nova stood at the back so he was covered by the others. No need to alarm Leonardo before the trap was sprung. The halls were empty as well, just like the courtyard. No decorations or signs of guests. The only things that were in the room save for Leonardo were the grand staircase that snaked around either side of a statue of a deity-like woman with golden chains and accents wrapped around her waist, neck, and hands.
"Leonardo!" Qrow called as he spotted the headmaster standing atop the grand staircase that sat at the center of the room. "I thought this was a dinner party? Where are the guests?"
Lionheart flinched at the sound of the voice and looked rather, terrified, "Qrow! Students! I… I thought I said not to bring your weapons…?"
Qrow relaxed his shoulders, "Come on, we're huntsmen. We can't just leave them behind even if we wanted to. More importantly… you said you had something to discuss right? Did you get word from the council? Are we getting support?"
"Oh come now Professor, I would say I came unarmed but it seems I have two!" Nova called out from the back, stepping into the front of the party.
As Lionheart's eyes fell upon him, he felt his heart stop, "Y-Y-You! You're alive?!"
"Of course! And I came to look for my favourite headmaster in the world! The man who stabbed me in the back and covered up my disappearance!" Nova said with a sickeningly sweet smile.
Lionheart felt a cold chill run down his spine, he hadn't accounted for the dragon prince, "Come now… that seems a little strong… it was just a simple misunderstanding…"
"Hmph sure, whatever." Nova rolled his eyes and folded his arms, giving Lionheart the best bitch face he could make while in his male body.
Weiss snickered at his actions, the boy was getting good at it.
"Look, Lionheart, are we really getting the support or not?!" Qrow pressed, his eyes sparkling with anger.
Lionheart looked like a mouse, despite his name, "About that… you see…"
As they were about to continue Yang spotted a lone raven sitting on the railing, eyeing them, a bird that looked all too familiar, "Mom…?" she asked hesitantly.
Qrow instantly drew his sword and shot a bullet at the raven, which easily dodged and fluttered to the ground behind Lionheart, and transformed into the Branwen.
"If you're going to shoot me, then shoot me. That was insulting." Raven said brushing her clothes off.
"Raven! What're you doing here?!" Qrow roared holding Harbinger up.
"OH! I just knew we'd see each other again. Have you come to reunite with your favourite dragon, my feathered friend?" Nova asked cheerily to which everyone, even Qrow almost choked on his choice of words.
They all expected Raven to explode with rage, but the Branwen surprisingly remained calm, "I'm here because you've been scheming little brother," Raven said directing it to Qrow.
"Hey don't ignore me!" Nova protested.
"Planning to raid my camp and take the Spring Maiden by force? No doubt you know how poorly that would go…" Raven said folding her arms.
Qrow's eyes widened and looked at Lionheart, "You! LEO WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
"He did what any sane person would… join the winning side…"
"Rave-rave! I thought we were friends! Ditch the old man and give us the Spring Maiden, we can stick it to the man… err woman!" Nova said with mock hurt.
"Psst! Has anyone noticed that Nova's acting a little loopy?" Nora asked whispering to Ruby.
"That's rich coming from you…" Ren said.
"You're noticing this now?" Weiss asked.
Jaune shrugged, "I… thought this was normal…"
"I think that fall from Beacon tower scrambled his noggin… but it's fine, he's still Nova!" Ruby affirmed.
"Ugh look at you all, acting like the fate of the world isn't hanging by a thread. Typical of Ozpin to let children handle his work for him while he sits in his office drinking coffee… though I guess he hasn't reincarnated yet so he's probably rolling in his grave." Raven seethed.
"Raven please, join us and we can work together! We can defeat Salem together!" Qrow implored.
"Beat Salem?! All those years of spying for Ozpin and you still don't get it?! There's no beating Salem!" Raven gritted her teeth.
"Yes, there is…" Ruby said drawing Raven's attention. The reaper's expression was serious, "We've done things that most people would say are impossible! And we were only able to do it because we didn't do it alone! From that experience, at least I can say that we can do anything if we work together!" she implored, reaching out to Raven.
The crimson-eyed Branwen bit her lip, "You sound just like your mother…" she said in a low voice.
In that instant, Raven cut open a portal with her sword and out, shot a fireball that collided with Ruby sending her flying.
"RUBY!" Nova called out as he watched his girlfriend struggle to her feet.
"I'm… fine…" Ruby said dusting herself off.
Out of the red portal stepped a group of people that Nova did not want to see anytime soon. Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, Vernal, and a large unfamiliar man stepped out.
"Oh great… the three stooges have multiplied… " Nova groaned as he stared face to face with Cinder who, upon seeing him, went from a smug evil grin to shocked fear. His eyes landed on the tall burly man that was with them, "I don't know who you are…"
"Hazel, and shit I was supposed to say it's none of your business…" Hazel grumbled.
"YOU! You're alive?! How are you here?! I watched Onyx cut you down!" Cinder seethed as her eyes began to glow.
"It's nice to see you too Cindy," Nova said grinning madly.
Jaune's eyes fell on the brunette and he felt his blood begin to boil. Standing before him was the woman responsible for putting Pyrrha in a coma, the one responsible for tearing everything apart but he had to contain his anger.
"Cinder!" Qrow snarled, "How long has Raven been a part of your group?! HOW LONG?!" He roared.
"Oh don't get your knickers in a twist birdman, your sister is a recent addition. Old and Grey over there… well… let's just say sneaking into the Vytal Festival was just one of his many works… isn't that right Leo?" Cinder smiled turning to him.
The older man in question just rubbed his arm ashamed.
"Totally called it!" Nova fist pumped in the background.
"So it was you! I really didn't want to believe it, but all this time, all those huntsmen that disappeared. It was you! You sent them out and let her kill them!" Qrow seethed.
"Just a small price to pay for the future~," Mercury said smiling.
"So this was all just a setup?" Qrow asked again.
"Yup! And our mutual friend Onyx should be arriving at any moment with the White Fang in tow… I imagine he'll be quite surprised when he discovers our dragon friend is alive…" Cinder said.
Nova's eyes widened, "That monster is coming?! Talk about a party… I should've brought cake…" he sneered, his expression darkening.
"How can you people be so broken?!" Jaune yelled finally exploding, "How can you just sacrifice so many innocent lives for your own gain?! What are you even trying to achieve?! Do you not care who you've hurt…?" He said tears streaming down his face as the images of an unconscious Pyrrha, lying in a hospital bed, unable to wake up floated in his mind. The pail and now frail body of the once undefeated champion, the love of his life. It stung him to no end that the person responsible for all of that was staring at him with a smile on her face like she was on cloud nine.
"Who are you again…?" Cinder tilted her head.
"I'm the one who's going to kill you!" Jaune roared, unsheathed his sword, and ran in swinging.
Nova facepalmed, "I said keep your cool! And they say I'm the hot-headed one…" he then rushed after the blonde.
Meanwhile Raven turned to Vernal, "You take care of the heiress, don't use your powers, it'll be a waste."
"Raven!" Qrow yelled as he launched himself at his sister, blades clashing. "We're family! How could you turn your back on us like this! Even your own daughter!"
"Were we still family?" Raven asked as she fought against his strength, bearing down her weight on the blade.
"I used to think so… but not anymore!" he roared pushing her back.
"Come on princess, let's see if you live up to the Schnee Family name…" Vernal said getting into a battle stance
"Hmph, as far as I'm concerned, I'm not a Schnee anymore…" Weiss spat.
The two fought in a game of chase, witch Vernal throwing her chakram crescents that were more like giant crescent swords than disks at Weiss who was dancing around on glyphs trying to avoid them. At first, the Schnee tried to deflect the attacks but they proved to have too much force behind them as if the air was against her.
"She's fast..." Weiss cursed as she tried to dodge around and attack Vernal, but the girl was just too nimble.
Weiss tried to summon a knight to aid her but the form was shattered before it had a chance to properly materialize, by Vernal's weapon.
"Come on Schnee, you'd have to do better than that…"
"You're right…" Weiss smirked. A white glyph erupted behind Vernal who stood a few meters from her, and out came the swinging hand of a knight wielding a sword, but just the hand.
Vernal was knocked away, but not before throwing out her chakrams which flew around the room before colliding directly with Weiss, forcing her to her knees.
-With Ruby-
Emerald swung at her with her sickles but Ruby dodged and tried to swipe at her with Crescent Rose. The green-haired girl backflipped out of the way and shot rounds at her which were deflected by a spinning scythe.
"Emerald you don't have to do this! It's not too late to turn your back on Salem, there's good in you, I know it!" Ruby pleaded, she knew that Emerald was capable of doing good, that there was still hope for the girl, but a large part of her wanted to cut down Emerald right there. The memories of that time at Amity Arena, when Emerald tricked Ruby into wasting time so that Penny could be torn to shreds. The painful feeling of helplessness that followed after… it wasn't something that Ruby could forget.
Still… if she could get through to her, she would be willing to welcome her, so she pushed down her darker thoughts.
"Salem?! I don't care about Salem, but I owe Cinder everything! And if Cinder is working for Salem then I can't dispute her. I'm only who I am today because of Cinder, and her guidance. Without her, I would be nothing!" Emerald countered.
"And is that really a good thing? Are you someone you can be proud of?" Ruby countered.
Emerald bit her lip, "That doesn't matter! If you want to fight then take it up with her!" the green-haired girl's body morphed into that of Cinder and launched herself at Ruby.
The reaper dodged only for the image to fade into nothingness while Emerald blindsided her. Ruby didn't want to hurt her, not too much… but if she needed to then… so be it…
Yang and Mercury were also duking it out, hand to hand, "Blondie, I think you owe me an apology for my leg…" Mercury said tauntingly.
Yang sneered, "Yeah… you're right… I'm sorry…"
This caught Mercury off guard, "What…?"
"I'm sorry I didn't break it clean off and shove it up your ass!" Yang yelled as she threw herself at him, landing blow after blow while the grey-haired boy desperately tried to block all her punches. He wasn't getting an edge on her anytime soon…
Meanwhile, Oscar had turned on to Lionheart. The older man looked confident as he sized up to the smaller boy, on his wrist was a shield with strange markings and colours.
"I don't know who you are boy… but you best back down now before you get hurt…" Lionheart threatened.
"It's funny seeing how you looked so spineless before, but now that you're facing a kid you're suddenly all confident," Oscar said with false bravado.
Nora and the others had engaged with Hazel, who stood almost twice their height, probably a foot shorter than Onyx. They were attacking him at all sides but he was facing each attack head-on, though they weren't using their full strengths, neither was he.
Oscar was able to focus on Lionheart knowing there were no external threats. "I'm not just some kid…" he said as the silver handle at his waist unfurled into a familiar long and black cane that caused Lionheart's eyes to widen.
"That cane! Y-You're…!" wasting no time Lionheart spun the disk on his arm until it landed on a red gem, which caused a molten rock to appear in the air like magic and shoot out at Oscar who blocked it with his cane. The explosion did some damage to his aura but it wasn't that much.
'Remember your training' Ozpin said in his mind as Oscar danced back and forth from Lionheart's attacks.
'Just let me fight!' Oscar countered as he let his body fall into the rhythm he adapted over his training. Easily outmaneuvering Lionheart and beating him back.
Meanwhile with Jaune
"Let's do this Jaune!" Nova said readying his fists.
"No…" the blonde turned to his leader.
The dragon tilted his head, "What…?"
"No! Please… just let me do this on my own… for Pyrrha…"
"Well alright… I should save my strength for Onyx anyway…."
Nova stood by and watched as Jaune and Cinder dueled. As much as he wanted to step in, he needed to be on the lookout for Onyx. If that man showed up… they'd all be in mortal danger…
"You will pay for what you did to Pyrrha!" Jaune screamed as he recklessly swung at Cinder, at least it looked reckless. In actuality it was a careful strategy that Nova taught him, his swings were made to look reckless by his arm movements when in reality they were precise and accurate. It was a way to throw the enemy off guard while landing the attacks.
The first few were avoided by Cinder, but the strategy was working, soon enough Jaune's blade came so close to Cinder's face that when she attempted to dodge the blade cut her mask that covered her damaged eye.
This infuriated her to no end. "YOU INSOLENT FOOL! YOU DO NOT KNOW THE POWERS YOU CONTEST!" with a blast of fire that erupted out of nowhere, Jaune was forced to the floor, with Cinder holding him down with her leg.
"What's driving you?! What is it that possesses you to fight those who are clearly superior?!" Cinder asked, genuinely infuriated by the blonde. She didn't know why but he angered her. "Is it Ozpin? Is your loyalty to him what matters so much that you would risk your own life?!"
"Hell… no…" Jaune coughed out from under her foot, "Fate of the word… Ozpin… none of that matters… what matters is them…" he turned his head to see his friends all fighting their battles. "They're the reason I fight…"
"Oh really~," Cinder said with an evil glint. "You sound an awful lot like that dragon over there…"
Nova had a sickening feeling as he watched Jaune struggle. He was about to step in when Cinder suddenly flicked her body around, and in a split second, generated a glass spear and threw it like a Javelin at the downed Weiss.
"NO!" Jaune and Nova yelled as they tried to get to the spear in time, but they were too slow. They all watched in horror as it sailed through the air uncontested, driving itself right through the ex-heiress' left side, through her back and right out through her front.
"WEISS!" Nova yelled, drawing everyone's attention.
All the fighting ran to a halt as everyone turned to see Weiss, standing there in shock as she struggled to breathe, a giant spear stabbed through her body, fizzling into black dust before she collapsed onto the floor, choking.
Instantly Ruby, Jaune, Ren, and Nora rushed to her side, "Oh no no-no-no… WEISS PLEASE!" Ruby screamed as tears flowed down her face, the Schnee girl's body becoming paler by the second as her eyes fluttered closed.
"NO WEISS YOU CAN'T!" Ruby continued to yell.
Nova stood in horror as he watched the scene unfold.
"Serves her right… damned Schnee…" Cinder said unapologetically.
"You… HOW DARE YOU!" Nova growled turning to Cinder.
"Hmph how dare I?! Please… you can't…"
"You have hurt them for the last fucking time… I generally live by the rule of no killing unless necessary… but now… now I think that every second you breathe in a stab in the face of the universe!" He snarled.
Cinder was about to counter when she suddenly felt a cold chill run down her spine… or was it hot?
Everyone in the room suddenly felt the temperature increase drastically, the air began to shake and the floor began to crack and break from an invisible pressure that seemed to emanate from Nova.
"YOU WILL DIE!" Nova roared, the voice emanating from his throat sounded like an actual dragon's roar mixed into his voice. The air around him began to violently combust until his body was covered in flames, only his silhouette showed through… and the glow of his mismatched eyes that screamed murderous rage.
Cinder was glued to the spot, the man standing before her was unlike anything before. It wasn't a teenager… it was like staring at the visage of a demon from the depths of hell itself… a dragon with a bloodlust… The fear sealed her mouth shut, even Mercury and Emerald were rooted, unable to tear their eyes away from him as every survival instinct in their body said the moment they looked away, they'd be dead.
"NOVA!" Ruby called out, her voice ringing like a bell in the world's quietest room. "PLEASE! WEISS CAN'T TAKE THIS HEAT MUCH LONGER!"
Instantly Nova's flames dissipated as he sobered up, his mind calming down. The look of sheer terror on his enemies' faces satisfied him to no end.
"Sorry, Ruby… how's she doing?" Nova said turning to her.
"Not good… her aura's really low… she… she might not…"
"DON'T SAY THAT!" Nova tried to cut her off, and deny the truth… but the concept remained. Weiss could die.
"Yes… scurry on and look after your friend… we'll be going…" Cinder said saucily as she regained her composure.
Nova growled, baring his fangs, "Mark my words Fall… I. Will. End. You."
Cinder felt the beads of sweat forming but she wouldn't let him have the satisfaction of knowing that he scared her. "Come on, while we have the advantage… the White Fang will clean up this mess…" she said calling the others.
Lionheart and the unfamiliar large man remained while Vernal, Raven, and the others followed Cinder. Lionheart placed his pocket watch in the amulet of the statue that sat at the base of the stairs, its clock turned rapidly until it clicked, and the statue sank into the ground revealing an open passageway down.
"NOVA! YANG! STOP THEM! WE'VE GOT THIS COVERED!" Nora yelled startling Yang out of her trance.
Nova glanced back and forth between the retreating forms of Raven and Cinder to the barely alive Weiss. "FUCK!" he cursed as he and Yang ran in after them. He just hoped he would make it back in time to deal with Onyx.
"Where do you think you're going? If you want to go after them, you'll have to get through us… all of us…" Emerald said as she and Mercury blocked their path, Mercury multiplying to further cut off the routes.
Nova snorted, "Really? You two? Stop me? Get over yourselves and step aside… or else…" he threatened, the claws on his arms growing to a dangerous length, the right arm glowing a fiery aura. Emerald felt her breath hitch in her throat.
"I don't have time to waste so either you step aside… or we make you…" Yang snarled.
"We're not afraid of you." Mercury countered.
"Your legs beg to differ," Nova smirked pointing to his knees which were wobbling in fear despite them being mechanical.
The moment his gaze was turned Nova grabbed him by the throat and Yang swept Emerald's legs from under her and tossed them away from the entrance to the underground of the school.
"Ruby, Hex, Nitro, protect Weiss… we'll make this quick," Nova said darkly without looking back.
"Nova wait!" Ruby ran up to him and tackled him from behind, "Don't… do anything stupid."
"When have I ever?" Nova said smirking.
"Now's not the time for jokes…"
"Sorry, it's a defense mechanism."
"The last time you did something like this you ended up dead! Please… for my sake… making it out alive comes first… the mission comes secondary." Ruby pleaded.
Nova sighed and reached behind him to ruffle her hair, "I will. Besides, Yang's got my back, right big sis? (A/N: Whenever Nova says big says, read it like Onee-chan")
Yang chuckled, "Definitely."
Ruby reluctantly let him go and watched their forms disappear down the rabbit hole. It was then that it hit her, "Wait, big sis? When did that happen?"
Meanwhile, Oscar and Qrow were staring down Hazel and Lionheart.
"You're letting a kid make a fool of you… get yourself together old man," Hazel said as he picked Lionheart up off the ground.
"He's not just some kid… he… he's Ozpin! He's already reincarnated!" Lionheart said finally drawing attention to it.
Instantly Hazel snapped to Oscar's frame and noticed the cane he held in his hands. "OZPIN!" Hazel roared, his voice trembling with fierce rage.
'Oz… what did you do to this guy? He looks like he wants to scramble your… err our intestines and tear our brains out through our noses…' Oscar said in his mind.
"A rather graphic description young man, what have you been exposed to?" Ozpin genuinely asked.
"Horror movies and that didn't answer my question"
Ozpin didn't get a chance to respond when Hazel suddenly pulled out two yellow uncut dust crystals from the pouches on his waist and stabbed them into his forearms.
Oscar's eyes widened, "Did he just inject himself with dust?!"
"A barbaric fighting style, that is not only dangerous to yourself but it also causes extreme pain… to infuse oneself with dust like that…" Qrow said in horror as he watched Hazel's veins glow bright yellow from the dust and his eyes begin to glow.
"It's his semblance, it dulls the pain so he can't feel it. That's why he's able to fight like that." Ozpin said as if answering the overhanging question of why isn't that man screaming in agony.
Weiss' condition wasn't stabilizing, in fact, it was getting worse by the second. Jaune desperately tried to keep the pressure on the wound while Nora propped Weiss's head onto her lap. Ruby, Nitro, and Hex were dealing with Emerald and Mercury, normally the fight would've been over already given their training but Emerald's semblance was messing with their heads. None of them had a chance to learn the aura sensory field yet and as such, they were struggling to fight against visual hallucinations.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this… Nova said I was our frontline, the shield to protect us all… but I couldn't do anything… Weiss please you can't die!" Jaune pleaded, tears streaming from his eyes. He felt like a failure, there was nothing he could do. He failed to protect Pyrrha and he failed to protect Nova, and now he had failed to protect Weiss. If he could give his aura to heal Weiss he could.
Then the feeling began to swell in him like a burning sensation, a crystal clear light that shined from him on the inside. All of a sudden his body began to glow bright white, his aura began to pour into Weiss covering them both. It felt like the time he was generating his aura field during training, except it was more like net than a shell.
"W-What's going on?!" Jaune asked not taking his hands off of the wound. Suddenly Weiss began to stabilize, her breathing began to become more even and her pained expression was relaxing. Jaune could feel the open wound under his palm begin to slowly close.
"Jaune… are you… healing her with your aura?!" Nora asked incredulously.
"Whatever it is, keep going it's working!" Ren said.
"I think this is my semblance!" Jaune said excitedly, he'd gone his whole time as a huntsman without it, to think it would take the near-death of one of his friends to bring it out…
Back with Hazel and Oscar, the boy was getting smacked around like a punching bag, barely able to dodge Hazel's strikes while some collided despite his efforts.
"What did you do to his guy?!" Oscar yelled aloud.
"You mean he hasn't told you? I dearly apologize boy, it seems you'll just be another victim of Ozpin's deceit… Why don't you tell him Ozpin? If you're listening that is…" Hazel growled.
Ozpin sighed, "Hazel's twin sister, Gretchel Rainart, was once a student enrolled at Beacon Academy, despite her brother's protests. She tragically lost her life on a training mission and Hazel blames me for what happened."
Oscar's face contorted into horror, "WHAT?!"
"Now you know kid… I'm sorry it has to be this way for you… no hard feelings alright?" Hazel said walking up to him.
"Did she know?" Oscar asked getting into a defensive stance.
"What?"
"Did she know the risks of being a huntsman?!"
"SHE WAS JUST A CHILD!" Hazel roared.
"SO AM I! BUT I KNOW THE RISKS! I'M WILLING TO TAKE THEM FOR THE GREATER GOOD! SHE KNEW THEM AS WELL SO YOU CAN'T BLAME THIS ON OZPIN!" Oscar countered angrily.
"YOU DON'T GET TO TELL ME WHAT SHE KNEW!" the large man then angrily charged at Oscar.
"Oscar please… he's damaged in a way that can't be healed, let me fight him…" Ozpin pleaded.
Oscar sighed, "You're right… this isn't my fight… but this is my body, and I will beat him…"
"Suit yourself… but at least use my knowledge," Ozpin released the fighting strategies to Oscar who reluctantly accepted them. He didn't want to adopt Ozpin's style but he didn't exactly have a choice.
The moment Hazel neared him, Oscar leaped over him with incredible height and kicked the man in the back causing him to stumble. This caused Hazel to fly into an even further rage, he began blindly charging at Oscar. The boy tried to remember his training and combined it with Ozpin's style, leaping off the staircase and ducking into Hazel's blind spot, striking at him rapidly with the cane, the weapon not exactly doing a lot of damage considering it was just a glorified stick, still he was doing something.
Hazel was being led around and tripped over by Oscar who was growing more confident by the second the longer the fight drawled out. A few kicks and stabs later Hazel was sent crashing through the wall of the academy, breaking into the outside world.
"Well, well, well… Hazel Rainart… getting your ass handed to you, never thought I'd see the day…" A dark and all too familiar voice rumbled.
Hazel got up and dusted himself off from the rubble. There, standing in the moonlight was the towering frame of Onyx 'Steelmane', clad in his black-trimmed coat with fur collar and spiked shoulders. On his belt hung a large mechanical rectangle, the folded form of Draco Belthor, and his eyes void black, that seemed to accentuate the mad grin that split his face.
"You… stay out of this… Ozpin is mine!" Hazel roared as he gestured to Oscar who looked confident standing at the foot of the staircase.
"So… the old bastard's already reincarnated… in a boy of all things. Well, I'm not one to get in your way… but if you fail… I'll gladly, step in," Onyx said with a dark grin, releasing a bit of his power, the darkness of the night seemingly morphing around him and the entirety of Haven trembled briefly.
It was only for a split second, but every person within the school felt that power, and instantly their bodies shook, their minds resonating with one thought.
"Onyx… he's here…" Nitro said grimly as he pushed back Mercury with his fists, at least he thought it was the real one, it wasn't exactly easy to tell when there were five of them.
"I felt it too… we might be out of time…" Hex grimaced as she threw her chain taking out a clone of Mercury that dissipated into thin air, another illusion by Emerald.
"UGH THIS IS GETTING NOWHERE!" she roared.
"Hex, can you handle this? The others will need some backup… especially if the White Fang is here."
"We're fine, right Ruby?" Hex turned to the reaper.
"Yeah, just go!" Ruby yelled as she spun her scythe to deflect Emerald's bullets.
As Yang and Nova rode the elevator down, they felt the tremor, Nova's eyes widened, "He's here…"
"Nova no… we have to take care of this first. After we have the relic then we can head back up. If we don't do this now then Salem wins… this is more important." Yang implored.
"But Yang… he could kill everyone!" Nova panicked.
Yang shook him furiously, "Get a hold of yourself! Our friends aren't so weak to fall so easily!"
Nova had to mentally slap himself, the fear was getting to him, "You're right… the only thing we can do right now is to have faith…"
Things felt a little awkward, especially for the mini-fights that were happening across the board. Writing this was actually kinda annoying because it was a series of practically meaningless fights with no conclusion for the sake of stalling for time, and I didn't like that idea, so I kept trying to come up with ways for it to make sense. In the end, all my plans fell apart so I had to roll with how the series did it and not how I would've preferred to do it. The reason being that I have things planned that prevent me from deviating from the general cannon here.
