Jaune: Ahasver, why are you giving me this ring.
Ahasver: Because, foreshadowing...
There is a poll on my profile page for you guys to answer. I need this so I can better understand my readership. It's a poll on who's the best girl from Quintessential Quintuplets.
If you're weeb trash like I am, you should know who those characters are and have a preference.
As for the dungeon run, I'm going to keep it going for another two chapters because it's gone on for a while and I want to move on back to Vale. Someone did ask about including the Alpha more. I have a plan for him even after this mission is over, so don't worry!
Jaune pushed the door open slightly, peering inside the slit for anything in the room. He could see about three of those Descendents crouching in the centre of the chamber, resting for the moment. Each was covered in wounds from either Port's axe or the giant lizard's claws. They bandaged them as best as possible, but their methods were primitive compared to the medicine Weiss or the priesthood practised.
Good, they're not paying attention...
The Paladin looked back to Weiss and held up three fingers, signalling their numbers. The Princess nodded back to the boy, understanding what was going on here. Then, she prepared a spell and readied her sword for the ambush. Jaune did the same, preparing the telekinesis spell and his longsword.
Simultaneously, they burst through the door, throwing the metal panel open without warning. The Descendents tried to respond to the surprise but were far too slow to match Weiss and Jaune. Only one was able to reach for his sword as the trio stood immediately upon Jaune rushing inside.
Jaune swiped down with his enchanted longsword, shattering the resinous blade as if it were glass. Steel was no match for such a primitive material, rendering the Descendent without arms. Jaune then immediately followed up with a blast from his telekinesis spell, throwing him across the room. His body slammed into the wall, crumbling some of the stone he impacted but was knocked out due to the blow.
Weiss attacked the other two Descendents. She fired a wave of ice magic at the closest one to Jaune, throwing him away from the boy. The other attempted to dive for the Princess, but she was too quick for him. The girl leapt back, allowing the Old Valean to crash onto the floor. There, she cocked back her leg and kicked him across his face, knocking him out.
Now, with one remaining, Jaune sheathed his sword as he crawled away from the pair. The Paladin didn't let him escape, grabbing his ankle and dragged him over to the boy. Jaune lifted him up and wrapped an arm around his neck. Gingerly applying pressure to his carotid artery, Jaune cut off blood flow to the brain, and the Descendent passed out.
"Is that all of them," Weiss asked, inspecting the room for any other threats.
"Looks like it..."
Jaune dropped the Descendent he choked out, rolling him on his side, so he didn't asphyxiate on his vomit. In the recovery position, Jaune then checked his person to see if he had anything on him. Surprisingly, he was carrying some rubies and emeralds that were pretty valuable. Maybe they were worth around fifty lien each.
"I'm still having a hard time believing these are what's left of the Old Valeans," Weiss commented as she inspected the first one Jaune knocked out. "How does this even happen to someone in a thousand years?"
Glad to see she's back to normal.
Setting off from the courtyard after Ahasver gave them their items, he and Weiss had already cleared some rooms. Jaune managed to find a few valuables here and there, like coins or gems, but nothing significant. No magic swords or powerful items he could use to change the fate of this expedition. It grew to become frustrating at the lack of stuff there was in this castle.
Such a fact supported the idea the Valeans took everything with them when they abandoned the city. They wouldn't leave much else beyond what they could put on carts or carry. The survivors who didn't remain underground needed the valuables on their diaspora to other lands.
"That's what we're trying to learn," Jaune replied, examining the other Descendent Weiss attacked. "Maybe Professor Port can figure it out when we're done with all of this?"
He's got some coins and what I think are mushrooms on him... Guess these guys eat the fungus or use them as ingredients?
"Umm, Jaune..." Weiss called out from behind him.
Jaune turned around to see Weiss holding a vial in her hands. Immediately, he knew what it could have been. The boy suspected it was poison or something similar to what was used on Ruby.
Weiss uncapped the vial and wafted it to her face. The stench of its contents caused the girl to reel back in disgust. Jaune walked over and sampled it for himself, finding a pungent odour that made his stomach turn. It burned his nostrils; that's how potent it was.
"You think this is what the Alpha used on Ruby," Jaune posed, capping the vial and tucking it into a case on his side.
"Possibly," Weiss agreed, shrugging her shoulders. "We need to bring it with us for when we go back to Vale. The priests may need a sample."
"Ahead of you on that one," Jaune replied with a nod. "Maybe they can tell us what this stuff is..."
Maybe I can use it on Alpha as payback...
"Okay, let's keep moving then," Weiss said, going to the next door. "We need to clear as many rooms as possible."
Opening this one, Weiss looked inside, with Jaune glancing in from behind her. Jaune could see another hallway with nothing hiding in the shadows. Weiss looked back to him and pushed the door open completely, letting the rusted hinges creak loudly. Such a noise caused both teens to grimace as they gave themselves away.
Luckily, nothing was hiding out here. So the pair were left alone and to their own devices. However, Jaune and Weiss found several more doorways with more rooms behind them to explore. The search area continued to grow despite their best efforts.
"Where do we go now," Weiss wondered, eyeing the door to their right. "Most of the rooms we've come across are for storage or bedrooms..."
Yeah, not really enjoying finding a noble's quarters every time I kick a door down.
"Why don't we go higher up," Jaune suggested, gesturing to a staircase leading to a doorway above them. "Just clear this place from top to bottom."
"Hmmm, I don't see why we shouldn't," Weiss concurred, approaching the staircase. "What we've been doing hasn't been working so far..."
Jaune and Weiss climbed the steps and pried open the door. This room had definitely been sealed for some time, given the trouble they took to open it. Jaune finally got his fingers on the other side and pulled with all of his strength to break the rust on the hinges. However, as the door broke loose, it caused Jaune to lose his balance.
The boy slipped back as the door opened, sending his body towards the edge of the landing. His momentum carried him to the railingless edge, and his foot found no ground as he stepped off. Jaune's eyes widened as he realised he was about to plummet twenty feet down to the hard stone.
Oh, shit!
Weiss reacted immediately, dashing over to reach for him. She managed to snag his hand just as he tumbled over. However, she wasn't nearly strong or heavy enough to counter Jaune's fall. He ended up merely pulling her down with him. They each screamed at once as they fell the entire distance to the ground.
Jaune wrapped his arms around Weiss as she came over the edge with him. The pair spun in the air once before Jaune could twist them around to provide Weiss with a cushion. That cushion being Jaune's body which bore the full brunt of their combined weight. They crashed into the ground a second later, sending out a resounding cacophony through the hall.
As they came to a stop, Jaune's arms went limp, releasing Weiss. The girl threw herself to her feet to check up on the boy. Her words were lost on him as his ears rang. Again, Jaune could hardly breathe as three hundred pounds collided with solid stone, knocking the wind out of him. This time, without a pool of water to break their fall.
"Owwwwwwwwwwwww," Jaune groaned loudly.
"Jaune, are you okay," Weiss shouted, grabbing his gambeson and shaking him to get his attention. An expression of shock and fear was painted on her face as she examined him. "Say something!"
"Something..."
That was met with a punch to his shoulder. Weiss apparently didn't like that answer. He would have laughed had he not been so discombobulated. Though, from the look on Weiss' face, she was taking this much more seriously. What happened with Ruby clearly left its mark on her despite returning to a seminormal state.
"That's not funny," Weiss shouted, punching him again. "This is the second time this has happened, and you could have gotten seriously hurt!"
I know that... I feel bad now.
"I think I landed on a buckle," Jaune wheezed out. "Can you help me up?"
Weiss complied and grabbed Jaune's outstretched hand. Then, using all of her strength, she managed to heave Jaune onto his feet. Unfortunately, the boy's ability to stand was in question still, so she held him up and let him use her as a crutch. Luckily, Jaune could limp enough to move on his own but still used Weiss to move around quicker.
"Come on," Weiss directed, pulling him up the stairs. "Let's find a spot to rest for a moment..."
The pair climbed the stairs slowly but managed to make it to the top. Weiss led the way; going down the hall they opened up and found a room at the end for them to stay in. The Princess pushed it open with all of her strength, just getting it open enough for her and Jaune to squeeze through. As the path opened, Weiss came back for Jaune, pulling him off the wall she leaned him against.
"Here, sit," Weiss commanded, dropping him in a chair.
The feeling of his chair was terrific. Jaune stretched his back out as he took a second to recover from the fall. It allowed him to look around the new room they discovered. Weiss did the same but was able to investigate more thoroughly.
Where they ended up was a laboratory. This room was saturated with magic. It lit up Jaune's stigmata, creating a subtle glow beneath his armour. Both he and Weiss noticed this and understood the exact nature of this room. It wasn't quite a laboratory; it was a mage's study. Something that belonged to a prominent spellcaster of the city.
Holy crap!
This discovery caused Jaune to ignore his injuries and stand. He spun around, examining all the various equipment with an eagre expression. Weiss' jaw dropped as she zipped around the room, looking over all of the intact pieces with wonder. Jaune didn't know what they were going to do with all of this.
There were alchemy benches, enchanting tables, crystal balls for scrying. Everything one needed for a proper laboratory. Much of it had degraded due to time, but he could feel they were intact. Museum-quality pieces, but probably still functional. Though, any reagents or ingredients had long since decayed, leaving them with nothing immediately useful.
This was the jackpot he'd been looking for all this time. Yet, Jaune felt saddened finding it without Ruby. It was right under their noses the entire time, and she wasn't able to get a look at it for herself. As soon as she recovered from her injuries, Jaune wanted to take Ruby here to show her what they found.
What else is here?
He turned around and found a desk set against a row of windows. The head magister's workstation, if he guessed correctly. These windows overlooked much of the cavern beyond the castle, yet he ignored the view for documents on the table. Examining them, they were a cluster of intact sheets in the Old Valean language. Jaune dug through them, looking to see if there was anything of use.
As he searched through them, he came across a scroll. It was secured by a gold ring. Pulling that off and unrolling the scroll, Jaune found a set of glyphs written all over the sheet. Immediately, he knew what these were.
Enchantments?!
They were a template for a list of various enchantments. Jaune recognised them because one appeared much like the glyph on his longsword. Those used on Ruby's hammer and her whetstone were missing, but there seemed to be a few dozen here.
"Jaune, come see this," Weiss shouted from an adjacent room.
He didn't waste any time. Jaune bolted in her direction, throwing open the door with urgency in his pace. As he entered, the Paladin was given a view of a much more mouthwatering sight. Such that he nearly shouted in joy.
It was an arcane forge like the one Alexandre used. The design was nearly identical to the one he owned. Yet, as Jaune examined it, he could tell it had been deliberately sabotaged. Whatever vital component was used to produce the arcane flames was removed and destroyed if the crystal fragments on the ground weren't a clue.
But, they left the magic anvil intact. Unlike the one they found a few days prior, the glyphs on the side were untouched. As he realised this, Jaune's heart raced, and his mouth went dry. The Paladin only hoped Ruby could have seen this. She would have lost her mind.
Why did they just drop everything?
"What were they doing with all this," Weiss pondered as she looked over some more tools. She grew disappointed as there were no magic hammers or other arcane tools. "Look at this."
Weiss gestured to a steel behemoth standing against the wall. It was shaped like a human but more like a giant suit of armour over fifteen feet tall. All over the body were glyphs written in the language of magic. Jaune could feel the latent energy there, but it appeared unfinished.
"I think this was a golem," Weiss expressed as she drew a hand across the glyphs.
Yeah...
Jaune touched the glyphs as well. His fingers came to a section that seemed half-finished. Someone was in the middle of carving the script out but was interrupted by something. His limited knowledge of golem craft told him that it wouldn't activate without it being finished.
"Weiss, I don't think they were able to finish it," Jaune pointed out, showing her the script. "Do you know how to write the rest of this?"
"No, that would require something like a magic chisel," she explained, shaking her head. "You need it to infuse the metal with magic for it to move. Likely, they took the chisel with them when they abandoned the workshop."
Probably sold it or threw it in the lava... Maybe they broke the forge with it?
"Step back," Jaune commanded.
Weiss complied but looked on with a confused expression. She watched Jaune snare the chest piece with his telekinesis and rip it open. The move exposed the inner guts of the golem—everything the magi were using to power the machine was contained here.
"What are you doing?"
"Taking the core," Jaune explained, pulling himself up there and grabbing the crystalline power source. "If we can't use the golem, then we take what's valuable."
They couldn't use it, but a mage would be all over the device. Like most magical ingredients, they were rare and difficult to create. One from an old yet powerful civilisation like the Old Valeans would go for thousands of lien. It was precisely what he had discussed with Ruby back in Mountain Glenn. Only this time, he got lucky and managed to find it.
"That makes sense," Weiss agreed, going to grab some other pieces like potions or metals that looked to be worth something. "Are you going to take the anvil?"
"Yeah," Jaune chirped windedly. "We need something to bring back for Ruby. I want to make her something as a welcome back gift too."
Especially since we couldn't find Crescent Rose anywhere...
Jaune searched the courtyard after they set out, but Crescent Rose wasn't anywhere to be found. Ruby's scythe had up and vanished with no one having any idea where it could have gone. Weiss insisted that Yang hadn't taken it with her either. So, that could only mean one of the Descendents had stolen it and brought it deeper into their lairs.
It greatly angered Jaune, knowing the fate of the weapon he and Ruby worked on. She had poured her heart into helping him forge it and cherished the blade for every moment it was in her possession. But, even if Jaune could get it back, he still wanted to provide Ruby with something better. He now had the means to create an improved version for her to fall in love with.
"Of course, Ruby's going to love it," Weiss expressed, grabbing a pry bar and working on loosening the anvil from its mount. "Would you like some help with forging it? I know of some designs she would like..."
"Sure, why not?"
Ruby wouldn't mind something her friends made. Knowing it was from Weiss, too, would make it even more valuable...
Jaune and Weiss worked to remove the anvil, breaking the bolts holding it to the floor. Then, as a team, they carefully handled the artefact to not damage it. Finally, they were able to place it inside the bag of holding for safekeeping.
"All of this makes me wonder what they were trying to create," Weiss expressed her thoughts out loud as they did one last lookover of the room. "I've never seen a mage's laboratory and magic forge put together... Perhaps they were trying to make a wonder weapon?"
"A what?"
"A powerful weapon that would turn the tide of the war," Weiss explained further. "They were trying to forge iron golems here but didn't have the time to finish it..." She stepped up to the golem and looked over the interior of the machine. "They were so close and chose to abandon the project instead."
Wonder what would happen if they finished it?
Jaune went back to rummaging through the forge. After a few minutes of looking, he found a small box with a lock. Using a hammer and chisel, he snapped off the lock and tossed them aside. Upon opening it, Jaune revealed a small cache of jewellery. The presence of which caused his stigmata to glow.
Magic jewellery...
Taking one out, Jaune examined the piece. It was similar to the necklace he wore but with spiralled carvings surrounding some small doves. The gem in the centre was a perfectly cut opal the size of his thumbnail. A fine work that made anything Jaune had previously constructed look cheap in comparison.
What's the enchantment?
Dove's Vigour Necklace:
10% Bonus to Constitution
"Weiss," Jaune called out to her.
As he got Weiss' attention, Jaune made his way over to her. Without saying anything, he threw the necklace over her neck and gave her a nod. The look on her face was of confusion as she inspected the amulet. Jaune only attempted to suppress his blush at giving his crush a piece of fine jewellery.
The gem matched her eyes quite nicely. With all of the carvings of doves on the face of the amulet, it sort of reminded him of some of Weiss' qualities. Doves being the symbols of beauty, purity, and such.
Jaune felt like a loon thinking about it that way. But, he just came up with that since the practical reason for giving her the amulet was due to its bonus. Had he been in any other scenario, Jaune would have rather died than give a girl jewellery so boldy. But, protecting Weiss was worth the trauma.
"Oh... t-thanks," Weiss said, turning away from him.
Oh great, she's embarrassed too...
Guess we're both awkward. At least we share that with Ruby.
"Don't worry about it," Jaune replied, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He then let out a nervous laugh as he saw Weiss attempt to collect herself. "Figured you could use some protection..."
Without another word, the two left the room. They had picked over the lab, taking everything of value. Then, with their bounty, they made their way back to the courtyard to rejoin the others. Hopefully, they were able to find something useful.
...
Coming back to their meeting place, Ahasver was there waiting for them. The man stood quietly, smiling for no apparent reason. The danger of this place didn't seem to register in his mind, or he knew nothing could touch him. But, given his ability to appear across the globe, he had some ability to flee danger.
"Mr Arc, Ms Schnee, I see you were successful," Ahasver said to the pair. "The laboratory once contained magics that rivalled nature itself...'Tis a shame what became of it."
How did he know we found it...
Jaune and Weiss shared a look but chose not to broach the subject. Given this man's power, he likely had some sense of where people were at the moment. Of course, at such a high level, magic meant one was more superhuman than a regular human with spells to see the future or have sight beyond their eyes. However, with old this man was, he likely could work wonders with ease.
I wonder what Ozpin can do...
"Guys!"
Jaune turned to see Sun jump off the wall, landing gracefully with a roll. Blake followed behind, scaling the wall like a cat by leaping from ledge to ledge. As she reached the ground, the Assassin gave a light wave to her companions. Sun ran over to join the group and show what he recovered.
"So, we found the armoury," Sun announced, pulling out an old sword from his back. "Most of the stuff was gone, but we found this."
Sun showed Jaune the sword. It was a standard arming sword a frontline soldier would have used. In addition, though, this one had some remnants of magic left on the blade. Jaune could feel it pulsating from the runes just above the guard.
"It's damaged," Weiss pointed out, gesturing to the mark going across the runes. "Someone either broke it, or it was knocked over..."
"Still cool, though," Sun countered, tucking the blade onto his belt. "Wish we could fix it."
"Too late, someone stole the magic chisel from the forge," Jaune revealed in a disappointed tone. "Left everything else but that and some other items. We would have fixed up a golem for you if we had one."
"Well, can't ask for too much," Sun expressed with a shoulder shrug. "Lucky we're even finding anything down here. Those gremlins were all over the west side."
"They were regrouping," Blake explained the situation. "We won't have to worry about them now..."
Great, she killed all of them. If there wasn't enough bad blood between everyone down here already, she's not helping.
Jaune chose not to say anything about it. He needed to keep the group together. Crying over their methods could come later. All that mattered was clearing this place out and getting back to Ruby.
"Hello again~," the voice of Pyrrha came from behind them.
They all turned to see Pyrrha waving at them with Port behind her. The man was carrying a sack of items they found. However, both appeared to be in good condition. It was as much as Jaune could have asked.
"We found a larder," Pyrrha said, opening her bag and revealing some potions. "An earthquake likely broke the rest of the potions, so we only recovered a few."
Good enough...
"Then are each of you ready to proceed," Port asked, stepping around the girl and taking the centre of the conversation. "We will leave a cache of supplies here, but this will remain as our designated safe area. If we are separated by an attack, we will regroup here."
Looking around the circle, nobody had any objections. The condition they were in was as good as things were going to get. So, they set off through the other castle gate, leaving this area behind for a new frontier. The air remained heavy with thoughts of what the group would encounter deeper in the city.
...
Coming out of the tunnel beyond the castle, this new area was similar to the rest of the bridge. Jaune could only see more ruins below this level and the remnants of battles from the past. The most significant difference was the frequency of these skirmishes. It wasn't a few here and there; it was one every hundred or so feet.
"It looks like the Magi were suffering heavy losses," Pyrrha pointed out.
Like she said, there were more mage bodies all over the place than Warriors. Though, some of the bodies had oddly shaped wounds. Not just swords or clubs, but deep tears that were reminiscent of animals biting or clawing at someone. Jaune could only assume some doctrine changed among Warriors to use beasts in place of men for fighting.
"It seems so," Port agreed, kneeling and inspecting a body. "Enough, the Warriors were able to recover their dead initially. I would say this is more reflective of the end of a war than anything." The man then traced his fingers along one of the claw marks. "Before disaster struck..."
Hmmm...
"You think something else happened," Blake asked in a casual tone.
"Possibly," Port replied, cupping his chin. "I'm not sure of your theories, but much of this war took place in a short period. So something else had to occur for it to come to such an abrupt end. The presence of the enemy's dead means they were unable to reestablish order, and their society regressed soon after. Though, it is possible time has eroded whatever clues were here originally." He stood and continued his pace ahead. "If nothing else, we should continue. I'm sure we'll make more observations as we progress."
Silently, the group continued down the length of the bridge. Jaune was in the rear, walking with his giant lizard, Weiss, and Dreizehn. His eyes were peeled for anything along the walls or roads diverting off the main path. The leader could have missed something those following him could have spotted.
This place looks deserted... I thought we would see more activity from the Descendents by now.
Coming within a few hundred feet of the opposite side of the cavern, the group was met with a large building carved into the wall. This structure was massive, using pillars a hundred feet tall to support the roof. These supports were constructed in rows leading deeper into the stone with a hundred feet in between them. Above these supports on the face of the monument were reliefs contained in a pediment, which jutted out from the rock about a dozen or so feet. These reliefs depicted the heroes of this city fighting battles against other armies or gods communing with ordinary people.
"You think this is the palace," Sun asked the group. "Looks like it..."
"No, more like a temple," Pyrrha corrected, pointing to the pediment. "That style of architecture is used in Mistral for our places of worship. I think they're called corinthian columns... However, most important buildings use them or another variation on the style."
We'll see when we get inside.
As they approached the building, Jaune felt something whiz past his head. For a fraction of a second, he could see an arrow pass right by his face. The rush of air coming off the object ruffled his hair as it passed so close to him.
"AMBUSH," Port shouted, taking another arrow in the gut. He growled as the barbed head penetrated his skin but moved without difficulty as adrenaline poured into his system.
Immediately after, more and more rained down upon their position as someone off in the distance whistled loudly. Everyone reacted to this at once, turning to their right and moving to take cover against the wall bordering the road. Sun, Pyrrha, Blake, and Jaune were fasted and reached cover in a fraction of a second.
Weiss, however, didn't make it in time. As Jaune dove against the stone wall, he watched an arrow find its mark in Weiss' leg. The barbed head cut straight through the side of her thigh and blew out the other side. Blood came pouring out of the wound instantly as the head cut its way through. It began soaking into her pant leg, staining the cloth a dark reddish-brown.
Weiss...
The scream Weiss let out terrified him. It was blood-curdling and primal in a way. The Princess fell to the ground, continuing to cry out as she reached for the wound. Tears filled her eyes as the pain ripped through her entire body. She couldn't move the leg without crying in pain.
No...
Jaune reacted immediately, putting himself at risk for injury again to retrieve her. He dove as far as he could out into the open and snagged her hand. Sun and Pyrrha moved as one to grab his ankles and dragged both of them back to safety. A single heave and each was nearly thrown against the stone wall.
The Paladin saw to his friend, examining the wound on her leg. Luckily, the bone was untouched, only her flesh having been pierced by the arrow. He snapped the fletching off and pulled the rest through her thigh, gripping the shaft above the sharpened barbs. With another pained cry, Jaune removed the entire arrow from her leg.
Without thinking, Jaune cast Purify on Weiss. A soft white miasma grew in his hand as he conjured the magic. Then, turning to the Princess, the cloud seeped into her leg, neutralising any poison that may have been circulating in her system. Weiss watched with relief in her tear-filled eyes as the boy likely saved her life.
"What the hell do we do," Sun shouted to his friends. "They got us pinned down!"
"Move to the temple along the wall," Port commanded, pushing himself up into a crouch walk.
They're not going to leave us alone. So we'll be sitting ducks on the steps up there.
The Descendents were hunting them. They weren't satisfied with their prior actions. Professor Port's slaughter didn't even ward them off from pursuing the teens. They wouldn't stop.
If that's what you want, then fuck you!
His friends were in danger. Jaune had almost lost Ruby to the Descendents. He could have lost Weiss. Such a thought caused his chest to throb in pain. He could feel his rage build, and build, and build until there was no room left for it to go. His lips pulled back into a snarl as it snapped.
*Ta-Thump*
Jaune threw himself to his feet, leaving the safe confines of the stone wall. His gaze was met with the hundred Descendents perched on the side of the cavern. The Alpha was there, commanding his tribe to attack with volleys of arrows pelting the area where the group was sheltering. The man noticed Jaune there despite his blindness, and the boy's rage grew further. Even as the Alpha pulled back his own bow, Jaune refused to retreat.
You?!
He cast telekinesis with outstretched arms and opened palms. The boy's entire body clenched due to the fervour of this casting. There was no particular target for the spell. Jaune's magic lashed out on every piece of free debris in the area. Even the arrows that were whizzing past him. Nothing was left free from this unrestrained outburst of magical energy.
The ground began shaking as every rock was lifted in the air. The area around them was filled with a low-intensity noise that reverberated from all around them. From pebbles to boulders and pillars weighing hundreds of pounds, they each swirled around the boy in a dense storm of rocks. Any arrow that was fired at him was stopped by one of the rocks he had snared.
Jaune's body could hardly feel the drain on his magicka. All he could notice or cared to notice was the stream of blood pouring from his nose. Yet, in his rage, it became lost on him.
The Descendents picked up on what was happening, but it was too late. Jaune unleashed the hailstorm of rocks, launching everything he had in their direction. Waving his hands their way was all that was required. The only thing he could hear were screams filling the cavern as boulders smashed into the stone or whatever else got in their way. Jaune didn't remain to see what became of his handiwork.
He reached down and lifted a stunned Weiss into his arms. The others scrambled to their feet and started to run in the direction of the temple. In mere moments, they managed to cross the distance and found safety. Here, there was nothing to chase after them.
"Everyone, get inside," Pyrrha called out, waving for her group members to charge through the open door. Then, as the last person crossed through, she closed the heavy steel door behind them.
Shut-in, the group took a breather in the confines of the temple, nearly collapsing due to the effects of adrenaline on their system. Yet, Jaune didn't stop, setting Weiss down to take care of her. Pyrrha came to his aid, grabbing bandages to help bind her wounds.
"Whoa, Professor, you okay," Sun asked with worry in his voice.
Jaune turned his gaze upwards to find Port pulling an arrow out of his stomach. However, what concerned Sun was the look on the Professor's face. His skin had grown unusually pale, and his dark veins shone from beneath. The man was even sweating profusely. Jaune knew it to be the poison from their arrows acting on him.
"It's okay, my boy," Port weakly replied, falling to a knee. "I only need a moment. My passive allows me to resist the effects of all poisons... It comes in handy with my line of work."
"Jaune, we need to bandage Weiss' leg," Pyrrha spoke up.
Without a word, Jaune began working on the leg. It was still bleeding quite heavily. So, applying a burst of healing magic would seal the wound or whatever arteries were cut. With the sudden flash of magical energy, the bleeding slowed enough for Pyrrha to begin compressing the puncture with the cloth. Jaune then took the ends of the bolt and tied them off to keep the pressure on.
I think she should be okay for right now...
Scared the shit out of me, Weiss!
Jaune's heart raced just thinking about her getting hurt.
"We barely got out of the castle before getting ambushed again," Blake growled to no one in particular. "How did we miss them?"
"They knew we were coming this way, Ms Belladonna," Port explained, finally shrugging off the lasting effects of the poison. "However, I don't think they expected Mr Arc to use a spell much like this one..."
I don't care... They attacked us again!
Jaune tuned out their conversation and went back to Weiss' leg. He had torn her pants slightly to examine the wound, but it appeared fine. The poison wasn't affecting her, so they avoided another party member suffering its effects.
"Are you okay, Weiss," Jaune asked, looking her in the eyes.
"N-No," she stammered out between pained yelps, avoiding his gaze. Though, he could see tears filling her eyes as she clenched her jaw muscles. "It... It hurts a lot!"
Yeah, I know. Sorry about that...
Jaune was sure this was her first serious injury. Taking an arrow wasn't something everyone could shrug off. Port and Jaune could easily, but not Weiss. That was despite the bonus to her Constitution that she'd been given earlier. Frankly, Weiss was too weak to be taking hits like that.
"Here, drink this," Pyrrha encouraged, bringing a potion to Weiss' lips. "This should help with the pain."
Weiss drank the potion, and the effects quickly took hold. She was able to wipe away her tears and sit up without much concern for the leg. Pyrrha grabbed a bag for her to use a pillow, and the girl leaned against it, finding some modicum of comfort. However, as she settled in, the girl looked around and found something was missing.
"Where's Myrtenaster," she asked, growing frantic as she looked around for the sword. "Where is it!?"
"Whoa, Weiss, calm down," Jaune interrupted, kneeling down in front of her.
"Don't tell me to calm down," she shouted at him. More tears started to pour down her cheeks as her emotions flared. "I-I can't lose it!"
The girl attempted to stand up, but Pyrrha made sure she wouldn't move. Weiss tried to struggle, but the redhead's superior strength was too much for the injured girl to match. However, the Spartan shot Jaune a look that told him, 'go find it.'
Okay, I'll look around... Has to be around here somewhere.
Jaune searched along the path they came from, following Weiss' blood trail from the door. Unfortunately, the blade was nowhere to be found. The Paladin walked along the way, looking to see if it had been kicked to the side, but saw nothing. The blade vanished into thin air.
"Maybe she dropped it out there," Sun posed from behind Jaune. The boy stepped up to his side, looking out to the door with a fearful expression.
Jaune hated to give it to him, but Sun was likely correct. In the panic, Myrtenaster got dropped somewhere on the highway. That meant someone had to go out there and grab it.
Weiss loves that sword... I can't just leave it there.
Whatever reason that sword was so prized was unknown to Jaune. But the fact it was important to Weiss meant replacing it was impossible. He understood what she meant by not being able to lose it. The blade was some kind of heirloom or one of a kind piece that held sentimental value to her.
Crap...
"Whoa, you're going out there," Sun questioned, dashing in front of Jaune to keep him inside. "Dude, you just saw what it was like! What if there's more of them?!"
"Then watch my back," Jaune ordered, pushing past Sun. "Throwing those boulders at the Descendents might have created an opening. I can probably grab it while they try to regroup..."
Okay, let's do this!
Jaune pushed the door open enough for him to squeeze through. Sun followed behind, standing behind the boy as cover for any stray arrows. The two men dashed down the stairs and made their way back to the road. Diving back behind the stone wall, the two men snuck along the road, looking for the blade all along the way.
Come on, where is it?!
Jaune searched every inch of the road by the temple. As time passed, it was becoming obvious where she dropped it at. Both he and Sun shared a look that concluded Myrtenaster was at the site of their ambush. Without a word, they pushed on to return to that section of road, hoping to find it completely deserted.
...
Approaching it once again, Jaune spied the leftover pile of rubble from his telekinesis attack. He could hear the sounds of the Descendents coming from their ambush hideout. Groans of pain and conversation filled the air as their soldiers worked on sorting out the situation. Jaune tried his best to ignore them and just find the sword.
This is it.
Reaching the pile of rubble, Sun and Jaune turned over the rocks, looking for the sword. They moved every pebble as carefully as possible, trying to make as little noise as they could manage. However, clearing out most of the rocks, one slab was too heavy to move quietly.
Great...
Jaune and Sun grabbed the slab as one. On signal, they each lifted with all of their strength and tossed it to the side. Breaking the slab from its station, Jaune stumbled back and stood up to catch himself from falling. He quickly grabbed Myrtenaster and turned to race back to the temple.
However, the Descendents caught his eye. Before Jaune could move, he was able to observe them from a distance. Runners were scrambling to provide aid to their comrades. Some soldiers were bandaging wounds and applying compresses to lacerations or open tears in the flesh. Others were lifting boulders of the dead, trying whatever methods they had to move the heavy rocks.
The Alpha was there too. He was pushing with all his might to lift a stone off another Descendent. The creature crushed by the rock was still alive, clutching onto another's hand as his strength faded. When it finally died, the group gave up on moving the stone.
At that moment, the Alpha noticed the boys watching him. Despite neither making a sound, he turned in their direction and marched to the edge of the ravine. An expression of rage became painted on his face as he approached. Had Jaune been closer, he would have been able to see tears running down his cheeks.
Finally reaching the edge, the Alpha picked up Crescent Rose and hurled the scythe at the boys. The weapon flew past them, missing either of them, but it came close to Sun. However, Ruby's weapon became lost in the lava below, dipping below the superheated rock.
"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGHGHGGHHHHHHHHHHH," the Alpha screamed as he stood on the edge of the ravine. His cry was filled with pain that none could match so easily. The roar shook everything opposite of him, striking terror into the adventurers.
Several swirling masses were conjured on the bridge closer to the castle as the Alpha's scream trailed off. Jaune turned to find several Beowolves spawn behind the boys. Their snarling maws snapped and drooled with hunger as they set their sights on the adventurers.
Oh shit!
Sun was the first to run, followed by Jaune. The Beowolves were fast, yet their large bodies proved to be their downfall in this chase. The smooth stone caused the wolf-like Grimm to slip and fall over each other as their momentum could not be controlled. Jaune managed to slow them further by hurling silver bullets at them to cause damage.
However, as they managed to plant their feet and gain traction, they were on Jaune's heels the entire time. One nearly slashed at this back but missed by a hair. Luckily, Pyrrha and Blake were at the door, firing arrows or throwing whatever she could find at them. The Spartan was able to kill one by embedding an iron spear through the wolf's head.
As they reached the temple gates, Blake and Pyrrha shut the steel doors behind Jaune. One Beowolf slammed into the door, denting it, but they appeared to be kept safe from the demons. Unfortunately, neither of the group members could breathe a sigh of relief yet. The knowledge of Grimm being down here was cause for concern.
"Is everyone okay," Port asked, throwing some heavy furniture against the doors.
"Yeah, didn't expect demons to be down here," Sun replied windedly. "Everything's peachy..."
Jaune knew why they were here. Demons are summoned by battles or by random acts of nature. The emotions of the Alpha created them. He was so torn by the loss of those caught in Jaune's attack that he managed to bring them here. That's what he thought.
But Jaune was back in safety. He had gotten what he needed and could press forward. Their mission was to investigate these ruins. He had to remember that.
I need to see Weiss...
Jaune left the others and walked back to Weiss. He found the girl stressing out by herself, unable to do anything to help with how her leg was. Any weight on the limb, and she was in pain despite the potion's effects. As soon as she saw him approach, her face lit up, cheering the boy somewhat.
"Hey, I found it," Jaune weakly announced. "It's a little dinged up, but I can fix it back in Beacon..."
Jaune handed over Myrtenaster, and Weiss eagerly took it from the boy. She looked over the rapier, finding the guard was bent due to the stone falling on it. However, the girl appeared to just be satisfied with having the blade. It took a lot of weight off her shoulders, having it back in her hands.
"T-Thanks, I really appreciate this, Jaune," Weiss expressed with gratitude. Jaune couldn't see it, but she was tearing up because of how happy she was.
"Yeah, no problem," Jaune softly replied.
At least she's happy...
He stepped away from the girl to return to the others. They were standing by the door, discussing something that Jaune couldn't quite hear. As he approached, they opened up their circle to welcome him in.
"Mr Arc, we're going to secure this building and establish our camp here for now," Port dictated with a composed tone. "I think we need some rest after what happened. Ms Schnee' leg should be healed by tomorrow morning, and we can move on."
Yeah...
At once, the group spread apart and looked around the temple. The actual structure opened up immensely after leaving the entrance hall. It grew to become a large chamber with a smooth stone floor lit by torches dotting the area. Jaune assumed it was about two hundred feet by five hundred feet in size. Such a space was still dark with all of the braziers, but one could see where they were going.
Every twenty or so feet, there was a statue of either a hero or a group of Old Valean soldiers. Some were tragic works or men posed in victory. Though, all appeared to represent the Warriors or Magi from the battles the group had seen down here. The reliefs along the walls depicted the war in more detail.
"This is a monument," Pyrrha claimed, walking along the right wall and examining the reliefs. "It doesn't say how all of this started... Only the battles."
Many of the works depicted the Magi as being the ones who attacked first. Whoever created this was from the Warriors, apparently. They perceived the Magi as cruel or monstrous. In the sculptor's eyes, the Warriors were a group of staunch defenders protecting the innocent.
As they reached the end of the room, in the centre of the path was a statue nearly forty feet tall. It was gilded in some areas with a jewelled crown on his head. His face was covered by a mask, obscuring his features with a death mask depicting another's face. He held a large sword in his right hand and a staff in the other, planting both on the ground in a symbolic gesture.
At his feet was a plaque that Jaune could read, saying 'Our Lord: The Silent King.'
Guess he was here when the city died out... Must have built this when everything was done.
Jaune moved past the statue, looking for anything at the end of the room. The entire group met at this one point, coming across an iron gate sealing something behind it. Jaune looked through to find a large crystal at the end of the path. From here, he couldn't tell what else there was.
"There's another inscription," Blake pointed out, gesturing to a plaque above the gate. "Can anyone read it?"
"Cinder Fall," Port read in a calm voice. "Cursed Dragon Witch and leader of the Mage Rebellion. Upon her defeat, she chose to seal herself inside a magic crystal than accept capture. May she be forgotten here for all time..."
Someone's in there?
The crystal was her tomb.
There was a lever next to the gate. Nobody went to pull on it initially, looking at each other for their thoughts. With no one saying anything, Jaune reached out and pulled the lever.
It activated the gate mechanism, lifting the heavy metal bars out of the way. As a group, the adventurers descended further into the bowls to inspect the crystal. The air became heavier with an anxious tone as no one was sure of what they were doing. Yet, as they approached the tomb, everyone stopped a few feet away.
They were able to see the contents of the crystal clearly. It was a woman a little older than the students were. She was around twenty to twenty-five. To everyone, it was obvious how attractive this woman was, bearing an appearance with no equal. So beautiful, Jaune was struck dumb seeing her initially. Her ashen black hair reached down to her hips, partially covering her left eye. Finally, the woman's figure was slender yet full. Oddly graceful at first glance.
Cinder was curled into a ball, having pulled her legs up to her chest. The woman was without clothes, so her posture covered everything one might have seen. It also showed the teens the many scars covering her boy. Dozens crisscrossed her back, leaving healed, but pronounced marks all over her. Around her neck, there was an electrical burn where a necklace could have been.
"What do we do about her," Sun asked the group. "Should we just lock her back up?"
"What if she gets out," Pyrrha posed to the group. "Cinder must be a high-level spellcaster. If someone released her, she could be a threat to everyone."
They had no idea what Cinder was capable of. She could have been a league above Ozpin or Goodwitch, putting their skills in the arcane to shame. Such a person getting loose was too dangerous to leave behind.
"What if she isn't," Blake countered the Spartan.
"What do you mean," Jaune asked before Pyrrha could reply.
"Those are whip scars," Blake pointed out, gesturing to Cinder's back. "That's the mark of a slave. It's obvious what the rebellion was about. The Magi were slaves!"
Blake has a point...
Jaune had seen those scars in Poncier. While he couldn't be sure the rebellion was about freeing themselves from slavery, the signs pointed in that direction. Cinder could have been lashed for her crimes, but that mark around her neck was from a collar with some sort of shock function—the kind of thing a house slave would have owned.
"We can't leave her here either way," Jaune concluded, turning back to the group. "If someone lets her out, she could be a danger to everyone regardless of her being a slave or not. If we can break open this crystal, maybe we can surprise her and take her down before she can do anything. Just don't attack her unless she tries to do the same..."
"How do you intend to do that, Mr Arc," Port asked the Paladin.
"I can use an ability," he explained, lifting his hand and clenching his fist. "It's an antimagic field that can dispel this sort of thing. It will drop the crystal, and we can get to her." Jaune turned around to face the crystal. "So, step back thirty feet and get over here as fast as you can."
Everyone nodded in agreement to this plan. Cinder was too dangerous for anyone else to handle. They had a responsibility to deal with her before someone let her loose, either on purpose or by accident. At least now, the group could do it on their terms.
With everyone out of the way, Jaune placed a hand on the crystal. Using his Antimagic Field ability, a wave of light pulsed out from his body. This single pulse vanished into the walls as it served its purpose. Jaune stepped away as the crystal suddenly disintegrated into a flurry of particles.
At once, Sun and Port dashed over to catch Cinder as she fell from her confines. Standing her up, they watched as the woman seemingly regained consciousness. She appeared dazed and finally opened her eyes to reveal two amber-coloured irises. Looking around, the gears in her mind attempted to figure out what was going on.
"AAAAAGGGHHHH," Cinder let out a fearful scream.
She wrenched herself from Port's grip, punching him in the chest with a burst of magic that sent him careening into the wall. Cinder then turned and delivered a solid kick to Sun's groin. The low blow folded the boy over, causing him to crumble to the ground.
Jaune responded by unsheathing his sword and dashing towards her. However, instead of fighting him, Cinder cowered. She fell back, landing on her butt, screaming as she attempted to shield herself from her attacker. This reaction prompted Jaune to half, stopping the others from attacking her as well.
Is she afraid of us?
"Hey, can you understand me," Jaune asked Cinder in a calm tone, sheathing his sword. He kneeled down to her level and took off his cloak. "Hey, we're not going to hurt you..."
Cinder moved her arm slightly, looking Jaune in the eyes. The look of fear still remained strong on her. However, as Jaune covered her with his cloak, she appeared to accept the garment readily. It did not diminish her terror in the slightest.
"W-Who are you," Cinder stammered out, backing into the hall's corner. "Where am I?!"
She can speak Common? How is that possible?
Cinder should be speaking Old Valean or Valean.
"I'm Jaune," he calmly replied, gesturing to himself. "You're in an Old Valean city. Do you remember anything? Your name?"
Cinder shook her head. The girl couldn't remember anything. At least that's what she was telling them. It would have been a persuasive lie otherwise. She convinced Jaune.
"Your name is Cinder Fall; you were imprisoned down here," Jaune explained, stepping away from her. "From what they say, you lead a rebellion and lost. Old Valean's call you a dragon witch."
"I-I don't remember doing any of that," Cinder nervously blurted out. "I don't remember anything!"
I get that...
Jaune looked to Blake. "What do we do?"
"Take her with us," Blake replied, giving her perspective. "She's not a threat, and we can't abandon her here."
Yeah, you're right...
Jaune looked to Professor Port. The man was being helped up by Pyrrha. He had taken a pretty hard hit, knocking the wind out of him. For Cinder to do that to a man wearing plate armour was impressive, especially with Port being a high-levelled knight.
"Are you okay, Professor," Pyrrha asked, kneeling down to help the old man up.
"I'm afraid I'm feeling my age catch up to me, Ms Nikos," Port groaned as he took Pyrrha's hand. "Not quite the young lad I once was..."
Jaune turned his gaze to Sun. The boy was throwing up on the ground and grasping at his crouch. Jaune could only imagine what someone who could toss around Professor Port could do to a less powerful adventurer.
"Just leave me here, guys; I'll catch up..."
Okay...
"Cinder, come with us," Jaune beckoned, reaching out to offer her a hand. "We can get you some clothes, and we'll take you back to Beacon in a few days."
Cinder apprehensively took his hand. Lifting her, Jaune helped shield her body better with his cloak. The woman seemingly blushed as the Paladin draped the cloth over her. Once she was fully covered, Jaune walked alongside the Witch, holding her shoulders as he brought her back to camp.
Sun looking over the carnage Jaune caused: Jaune, are we the baddies?
A new waifu has entered the fray!
Now, I think Cinder would be an awesome character if you used her like Jalter from FGO. Just a charismatic tsundere (because Cinder's got that tsun-tsun energy) that has a goal in mind. It's why I like Jalter (she's my waifu) more than vanilla Jeanne.
But yeah, so this is going to be a quasi-good Cinder in this story. I think without Salem, Cinder could have actually turned out as a good person with flaws. However, she has come across Jaune! Our lady killer and his band of merryfolk have basically recruited (kidnapped/rescued?) her into their circle of friends. Such a place where none can escape!
Class: Paladin
"Gather 'round, Paladins!"
"There is a difference between the other classes and us! When those Knights and Chevaliers fled at first sight of monsters! You were the ones to take their place! You walked right up to those monsters and wrapped your hands around those fucker's necks! And you did not stop there! Killing everything in your way until there was nothing left!"
"That is the difference between them and us. Those bastards who were too busy keeping themselves in food and wool can keep all the glory and fame for themselves! Boasting about their deeds as if they sacrificed something!"
"We fight to keep the people safe! To keep the Drowners out of the latrines and Goblins from ploughing our milkmaids! Knowing that no other class has our virtue! Our dedication to our craft!"
Level Thirty
Strength 61 (+1)
Agility 26 (+)
Defence 35 (+)
Perception 40 (+)
Constitution 58 (+1) + (.25 x 57) = 72
Intelligence 60 (+)
Charisma 31 (+)
Willpower 32 (+10)
...
Abilities
Arclight
A high-intensity explosion of light, equivalent to that of the sun. Burns the flesh of undead and magical entities. Momentarily blinds living and non-magical entities. Sudden magical intensity can cause affected to flee regardless of status.
Active Debuff:
Turn and Face The Sun!
Longinuslanze Testament
A most unholy weapon. Forged by our lord to answer to only one master. He who has the will to dominate such a blade.
It shall sunder any armour. It shall never miss its mark. It shall grow with your own strength. Its holy light searing all who stand to oppose it.
In turn, you shall become vulnerable to attacks whilst wielding this unholy relic. It shall challenge your mastery by forcing you to fight at your full strength.
Active Debuff:
Turn and Face The Sun!
White Hawk
This aethereal hawk shall be forever bound to you. As its master, only you may give direction to this bird of prey. Whether it be scouting the path ahead or distracting your enemies.
...
Purify
This ability can remove impurities from any material, whether they be food, drink, or metals. This renders them in a poison-free, diseaseless, and pure quality with the added benefit of destroying curses.
...
Antimagic field:
Activating this ability will destroy established magical spells within thirty feet. It will only affect spells that have been cast and anchored to a particular area or object, not on your person or beyond your strength. (Wards, latent natural magic, or other ritualistic spells)
...
Passive: Magister's Lament
Your Passive is a double-edged sword. While you may proficiently cast magic beyond the limits of your Willpower. It is limited in other instances. Not being able to cast harmful offensive magic or any magic on yourself.
...
Miscellaneous Knowledge/Buffs/etc.
Monster Slayer
Spent years studying the various monsters of Remnant. Knows the different species and taxonomy of each known creature. Understands the weaknesses of most known monsters.
Armour and Weapons Smith
Worked a forge for his entire life. Jaune is able to judge the composition of metals, and know the condition of his weapons and armour.
...
Gear:
Jaune's Breastplate
Level Seventeen
Materials: 2% Silicon, 0.60% Carbon, Remainder is Steel and Leather
Minimum Stat Requirements:
Strength: 32
Agility: 16
Defence: 22
Constitution: 30
Eagle's Armour
Level Twenty Eight
Materials: Unknown Alloy Ratio of Enchanted Steel and Corundom, Carbon Steel, and Leather
Minimum Stat Requirements:
Strength: 57
Agility: 25
Defence: 30
Constitution: 39
Bag of holding:
Magical satchel that connects to a pocket dimension. Can store up to seven-hundred pounds while maintaining the bag's original weight. Items must be able to fit through the bag's opening.
Buffs:
This specific alloy of steel and corundom is less dense than normal steel while just as hard. It has a strength to weight ratio similar to menachanite allowing the user to build a thicker armour without sacrificing for weight.
This armour was also specially built for you. The measurements fit your body exactly, allowing it to be worn as a second skin granting a tremendous degree of flexibility.
Necklace of the Bulwark
+25% Bonus to Constitution
Morningstar
Magical whip of unknown origins. Is capable of causing explosions when prompted by its user.
The Swan Knight's Ring
"Ah, my beloved dearest swan!
Behold this horn, this sword, this ring, and bestow upon him all three
For the horn shall aid him in his time of need,
and the sword shall deliver unto him victory most fortuitous
But this ring shall serve to remind him of me,
so Gottfried himself may know the name of he who freed you from torment and disgrace!"
Whoever shatters this ring shall be led to what he has lost.
Spells:
Infusion:
This spell grants one the ability to infuse the desired object with materials ordinarily unable to be bonded together. The strength of the unaltered item determines how much of an effect can be added to it.
Be warned that stressing the target with too powerful additives can result in the atomisation of the material and, possibly, a sudden explosive decomposition.
Telekinesis:
Casting this spell allows you to move objects with your mind. Within a visible range, anything you can levitate is dependent on your personal strength and willpower. Once, cast upon, the item is subject to your directions and will perform whatever manoeuvre you are capable of imagining.
Be warned that this spell drains magicka rapidly.