"Oh... Hey, Leader."
...
"What? No, I'm... Okay, well, I'm not fine. You know how I told you my dad disappeared and my mom raised me all by herself, right? And how that I'm half-demon? It's not exactly something I'm comfortable telling people about."
...
"Heh. Yeah, I know. I shouldn't acting so mopey. After all, I got you guys, don't I? You know, now that I think about it, our whole group's like one giant big joke. A guy who got resurrected by a demon, a ghost, a Fairy queen, a half-demon, a Ring of Gaea assassin and a jackass Samurai."
...
"Hey, Leader? Can I ask you something?"
...
"If you ever had to choose between coming back as a human being or staying as you are, what would you do?"
RWBY: Final Judgement
interludium V: To Become a Hero
Growing up in Atlas, Walter realized from a young age that simply being smart didn't automatically make you strong. Born as the son of one of the most influential and most powerful figures in the whole Kingdom, he had been exposed to a lot of things.
Cliche as it was, General James Ironwood had never been around much in his life. It was mostly up to his wife to look after the boy, who had spent much of his early childhood learning how to fish. It was a good past time, if one could learn how to get past the ugliness and horror factor that were fish in general. Walter didn't hate his father for being absent for most of his life. He understood he had an important job and all that.
But, there had been a few things that caused tension between the two of them.
When he was thirteen, Walter decided it was time to strike out on his own. He left Atlas and traveled around the four Kingdoms. Along the way, he ran into one of the few people he'd come to consider a friend. That being Jonathan Arc, and not long after, his family.
They were great people. They were nice and caring, and had this warm, family-like feeling that Walter hadn't truly experienced before. It was comforting. And suffice to say, he was surprised that Johnathan had so many siblings. It was unfamiliar to him, being an only-child and all.
Still, after getting to know him, the Arc family practically thought of him as one of their own.
Jonathan and him had hit it off, albeit the two of them were total opposites. Jonathan was bound by duty and honor, wanting to become a Huntsman so he could protect others. Like Yang, Walter wanted to become a Huntsman for the sake of adventure, and to prove that he was more than capable of being out on his own, if just to spit in his father's face.
He didn't want to be part of the military like his father. He wanted to be free and pursue his own path. His stay with the Arcs had been a fairly good one, though he eventually had to take his leave. He did grow a bond with the two males of the family, Jonathan and Jaune. The latter had, on more than one occasion, expressed his desire to become a Huntsman. Unfortunately, compared to Jonathan, his skills were hardly warrior material.
And obviously, it remained true to the present as Walter watched Jaune get his ass handed to him by some cocky asshole with a mace. "Ooh..." Chris winced as the mace smacked up against Jaune's breastplate, sending him flying and hitting the floor with a harsh smack. "That's gotta hurt."
"Why didn't he simply block and parry it? He has a shield, so why doesn't he use it?" Weiss questioned.
Nanashi shrugged. "Beats me. All I know is, unless he gets his act together, Cardin's going to-"
The mace struck Jaune in the jaw, making his Aura take a substantial hit. He staggered back and clutched his jaw before he rushed in with a yell, swinging his sword right at the oversized grunt. He was met with the mace and forced into a deadlock. "This is the part where you lose." Cardin Winchester smirked.
Jaune gritted his teeth, trying to push back. "Over my dead-gah!"
While Jaune talked, Cardin rammed his fist into his stomach, which was unprotected by his armor. The blonde choked, allowing Cardin to pull his mace free and smash it overhead, driving him into the ground,
Jaune's vision was blurred. He could only barely make out Cardin's shape as he stood over him, about to bring down the mace on him before the buzzer went off. "That's the match." Glynda Goodwitch stepped onto the stage. "Mr. Arc's Aura is in the red. If this were an official tournament duel-style match, he would be disqualified." She then turned her gaze to Cardin, who put his mace on his shoulder, looking particularly dissatisfied with the results. He scoffed and turned his back to the woman and Jaune, making his way off the stage, leaving the teacher to look at the other student. "Jaune, it has been weeks since you enrolled here. Please remember to check your Scroll to determine how much Aura you have left. It can allow one to know the difference between fight or flight. We wouldn't want you to be eaten by a Beowolf, now would we?"
"Yes, Ms Goodwitch..."
"Good." She then turned to address the class. "Remember, everyone. The Vytal Festival is only a few months away! It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale!"
Johnathan nodded resolutely. To be able to fight in the Vytal tournament was an honor. Walter let out a grin, excited by the prospect of fighting students from rival schools. Team RWBY shared his sentiments, with Yang pounding her fists together and Ruby pumping her fists and wriggling in her seat. Blake looked somewhat enticed by the idea while Weiss nodded in the same manner as Jonathan. Chris let out an eager grin, wanting the Vytal Festival to get here already.
Nanashi, however, thought little of it. He had seen the Vytal Festival from two years ago, and he was hardly impressed. Sure, the people he saw in action were skilled in their own right, but they wouldn't last two minutes against the monsters he fought on a daily basis from his world, much less against himself.
No...if he truly went all out, they would all be massacred pieces of flesh beneath his boot.
The Demons were never merciful, a lesson he learned the hard way when they killed Nikari and Manabu. Even he had fell to Demons, surviving only through Dagda's contract. Since then, he would never show mercy to his foes. he would definitely negotiate with Demons to have them join him, but he would never submit.
It also made him wonder, why would these people even bother with a glorified fighting tournament to celebrate the resolution of a global-scale war under the notion of peace?
If anything, it was a waste of time and effort when they could be fighting against their true enemies: The Grimm.
...oh well. It's not his problem.
As far as he was concerned, he needed to fight a way back home as soon as possible.
Then again... He was going to have to find some way to break the news to his family. Being raised under their care for so long, he couldn't help but forge an attachment towards them. One of the last few human emotions he was still capable of expressing. It wasn't going to boil over well, but he figured it was necessary. It would be a dick move to leave them behind otherwise without saying anything.
It was a bridge he would have to cross one of these days. For now, he'd just continue to play the part of the school boy. Even if it was annoying.
"So there we were, in the middle of the night...!"
"It was day."
"We were surrounded by Ursai..."
"They were Beowolves."
"Dozens of them!"
"There were two."
"But they were no match! In the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!"
Ruby, Walter and Yang certainly looked amused by Nora's tale, while Weiss and Jonathan were simply being polite, the former trying at the very least to look interested. Pyrrha was giggling into her hand while Chris rolled his eyes. Ren sighed deeply as his face fell in his hands. "She's been having this dream for over a month now."
"As interesting as that sounds, you do realize that when you kill a Grimm, they dissipate afterwards, right?" Walter asked Nora. "On the other hand, if it is possible, I'd say you found a hell of a way to get yourself on the market. The fur on those things do look pretty soft."
"I know, right?!" Nora cheered. "Why do you think we made a boatload of Lien?! If we could skin Ursas (wait is it Ursae?) anyway, if we could do that, we'd be rich! Rich I'd tell ya!"
Oct 25Jonathan sighed. "Walter, please." he said flatly. "Don't encourage her."
"Please don't." Ren agreed.
The only person who hadn't been involved in the conversation was Jaune, who had been idly picking at his food. Nanashi noticed this and tilted his head. "What's up with you?" he asked, startling him. "You still bummed about getting your ass kicked by Cardin?"
"Ouch. Way to rub salt in the wound, Nanashi..." Jaune winced. Then again, he had to agree with the kid. He did get beaten pretty badly out there. "And it isn't that. I'm just..."
"Frustrated?" Nora asked. "Constipated? Pent up?"
"Pent up? What?"
"Nora!" Ren cried. The girl giggled and stuck her tongue out as she knocked her head.
Jaune raised an eyebrow, but he didn't ask anything more. "I'm fine. Really." he insisted. "I-" A series of laughter erupted behind the group. The source was Team CRDL, who were gathered around a young Faunus girl with long rabbit ears. They all prevented her from escaping, clearly mocking her for whatever reason. All the while, the girl herself was desperately looking for an opportunity to escape.
Chris frowned heavily, clearly displeased by what he saw. "You know, I really do want to deck him." he said. "Seriously, what is this guy's problem?"
"Who knows?" Walter snorted. "He probably just enjoys being a douche." He was about to go back to his food before he looked more closely. "Wait a second... I think I recognize her. Isn't that Velvet Scarlatina, from Team CFVY?"
"Wait, seriously?" Weiss asked in utter bafflement. "She's a second year! Not to mention one of the best Huntresses-in-training in Beacon. Why is she letting Cardin bully her?"
"I bet ten Lien that girl with the shades is gonna see this and clock his lights out." Walter said. "Anyway, back to our favorite blonde Arc over here..."
"Seriously, I'm fine!" Jaune whined. "Look, Cardin bullies everyone! Name one time he's focused on me specifically!"
Walter gave him this 'Are you serious' look. Nanashi just stared at Jaune flatly. "Let's see, he knocked your books out of your arms that one time two weeks ago, activated your shield and left you stuck in the doorway, and my personal favorite, he locked you inside a locker and sent you flying out into the Emerald Forest. Do you want me to go on?"
"I'm surprised Jonathan hasn't kicked Cardin's ass yet." Yang remarked. "You do seem pretty protective of your little bro."
Jonathan chuckled. "I can say the same with you about Ruby. The moment you saw Cardin trying to pick on her when school started, you practically put the fear of God in him."
"Hey, it was either me or Nanashi." the brawler said with a grin. "And believe it or not, Ashi is worse~ This one time in Signal..."
Nanashi groaned and shook his head. "Can we please not talk about that?"
"Oh no~ You're not getting out of this one. So anyway, back in Signal, there was this one bully who used to pick on Ruby..."
"OW! Hey, that hurts!"
Yang was cut off again, this time by a pained cry. Turning back to CRDL, they immediately bristled with anger as they saw Sky Larke tugging at Velvet's ears, causing the girl a great deal of discomfort. "Atrocious!" Pyrrha hissed. "I can't stand people like him!"
"She's not the only one." Blake said in equal measure, eyes narrowed. Nanashi glanced at her and saw how she her fingers twitched, showing that she looked ready to leap in and protect her.
Chris beat her to it. "I'll be right back." he said, voice oddly even as he approached Team CRDL. They didn't seem to notice him, but everyone else had and watched with baited breath, wondering what he would do. Chris walked up to Sky and proceeded to grab him by the ear and pull, causing him to yelp and let go of Velvet's ears. "Would you idiots knock that off?"
"H-hey!" Sky protested. "What gives?!"
"Beat it, Branwen." Cardin scowled. "This has nothing to do with you."
"And I disagree." Chris replied. "You see, there are two things I hate more than anything. The first are idiots who think they're better than everyone else. And the second thing I hate are idiots who pick on cute girls."
Velvet squeaked, cheeks turning red.
"So you plan on defending this freak?"
"She's not a freak. If anything, the only freaks I see are you idiots." the resident ladies man of Team NICA said with a scoff. "I mean, really? Picking on a second-year student? Who just so happens to be able to kick your ass? Me thinks you got a death wish."
"You're the one asking for a death wish if you don't fuck off!" Cardin sneered down at him. "Besides, what could some bunny do to us?"
"You must be mistaken. I was never talking about the bunny..." Cris smirked as the leader of Velvet's team approached. "You might wanna turn around right about now."
Cardin raised an eyebrow and scoffed. He wasn't about to fall for it. Then he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around and-
*WHAM!*
Something struck his face at full force, sending him flying. He landed right on top of the table, smashing it beneath his weight. Startled, the rest of Team CRDL whirled around, about to fight but stopped when they saw all of Team CFVY in attendance.
"Excuse me, assholes..." Coco Adel, a girl wearing a fashionable set of sunglasses and a barret, growled as she glared daggers at the boys. "What the fuck do you think your doing to my teammate?"
The other two males of team CFVY step forward, the larger teen cracked his knuckles. Team CRDL gulped. They looked back at Cardin, who was picking himself up from off the floor, then at Velvet, who had taken refuge behind Chris, and finally at the students around them, who were all glaring at them and practically daring them to pick a fight with a team far stronger than them.
Dove made the smart move and pulled the group back. "S-screw this!" he said as he took his teammates and fled, grabbing a dazed Cardin as they fled.
Practically everyone was cheering at the sight. Jaune, despite his own cowardice and inability to intervene like what Chris had done, felt some satisfaction in watching Cardin being humiliated.
[Had to admit. It was a bit satisfying, watching that.] Dagda remarked. [Still a bit sickening. Why must people rely on each other, just to overcome such a stupid task? The girl was clearly capable of handling herself, so why act so meek and suffer the abuse? Staying quiet and enduring does nothing.]
Nanashi silently agreed. Just taking the abuse didn't mean it would stop. Cardin would feel emboldened, and who knew what would happen if he decided to step it up a notch?
Meanwhile, Coco looked at Chris approvingly. "Thanks for looking after Velvet." she said with the tiniest smile. "Nightingale Branwen, right?"
"Oh god, please!" Chris said with mock horror. "Call me Chris! I really do question what dad was thinking when he called me that."
Seriously, who the hell names their son that?! Their son! Nightengale sounds more like a feminine name! "Chris? Why's that? Wouldn't your nickname be Night? A shortened version of your name?" The large student questioned.
"Because Night sounds lame. Chris is just easy and simple." he insisted. He then looked at Velvet and flashed a disarming smile. "You alright there?"
"Y-yes, um... T-thank you." Velvet bowed her head shyly. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."
"Trouble for little ol' me? Oh, hardly." Chris rolled his eyes. "If anything, I'd say you can give trouble to those idiots. Speaking of which, why didn't you fight back? You could've mopped the floor with them, easy."
"I-I didn't want to...if I did, it would've made things worse."
"Well, not doing anything to defend yourself is only going to goad them to keep going. They would never stop their actions if you don't resist. You need to stand up for yourself and stop that crap from happening." he said bluntly. "Besides... You can't just stand there and tell me the prick doesn't deserve a good beat down."
"He's got a point, Vel." Coco said as she put a hand to her hip. "You gotta learn how to be assertive with men."
In response, the girl gave her a flat stare. "Like how assertive you are with clothes you consider tacky?"
"Okay, not that assertive, but you know what I mean."
Chris chuckled as he scratched his cheek. "Welp, I'll be getting out of your hair. Just give Cardin a good thwack for me if you see him again." He turned around, but stopped briefly and looked over his shoulder, giving Velvet a wink. "See you latter, little rabbit."
Velvet squeaked again, face burning. The resident males of Team CFVY bristled while Coco stared at his retreating backside. "Damn..." she said lowly before she turned to Velvet. "I like him."
"C-Coco!" Velvet squeaked in embarrassment. No one ever flirted with her like that before...
Chris, unaware of the conversation, returned to the table with a satisfied expression. Seeing the looks on everyone's faces, he tilted his head. "What?"
"Dude? That was a pretty ballsy move back there." Walter commented with a grin. "Standing up to that prick, and then flirting with Velvet when her team's standing right there in front of you?"
Jonathan sighed. "I see you know nothing of the word, subtly."
"Meh. When you have a dad like mine, you learn that being subtle can be a waste of time. Better to just be blunt about things and get it over with."
Nanashi gave his cousin a flat stare. "That may be true...but you do remember who Qrow is, right? You know, drunk off his ass, hits the bar like its some kind of daily ritual, loves to flirt on a daily basis? And may or may not have a crush on Weiss' older sister?"
Said girl choked. "Wait, w-what?!"
"Nah. More like unresolved sexual tension. They want each other, bad."
"Now, wait just a second-!"
Weiss attempts to bring the conversation back to what Nanashi said were ultimately in vain and the lunch period went by without further affair. Of course, no one noticed the depressed aura that hung around Jaune like a dark cloud as he sighed, lamenting once more than he was nowhere near as courageous as Chris had been. why couldn't he just stand up to Cardin? Why couldn't he be more like Jonathan?
The line of thought made him scowl and hang his head low. The only person who seemed to notice was Walter, who frowned in concern, but said nothing.
After lunch period, classes once again resumed. Team RWBY and half of Team NICA, Walter and Jonathan, were all sitting at their desks while their teacher, Professor/Doctor Oobleck sped around the classroom like some kind of speed demon, drinking from his thermos.
"What the hell does he put in that coffee?" Walter whispered to Jonathan. "I mean, seriously! Not even the good shit dad drinks does that to him! Is-is it some kind of creamer? The coffee brand in general?"
"I'm not even sure there exists a creamer that can add caffeine into a drink. It think it's just pure coffee."
"Must be some sort of experimental super coffee then. I mean, he's zooming around the room almost as fast as Nanashi's sis when she uses her semblance!"
Speaking of Ruby, the poor girl was having trouble keeping track of the man as he darted from one side of the room to the next. It also didn't help the man spoke so rapidly that "motor mouth" would be an understatement. Seated next to her, Weiss was trying her best to keep up with writing down notes. But the teacher was just too fast for her.
"Yes, yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, more popularly known as the Faunus War-" Oobleck said darting over to the map behind his desk as he smacked it with his pointer, all the while taking a drink from his coffee mug. "-humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie." He dashed again, this time in front of his desk and going for another swig. "Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!" Once again, the man was on the move, confusing his students further. Strangely, Pyrrha and Blake were more than capable of following him and even jotting down notes. "Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?"
Velvet, who was also a member of the class, shyly raised her hand.
"Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence!" Oobleck shook his head. "I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to White Fang! Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the War?"
Jonathan raised a hand. "The battle at Fort Castle, sir." he answered curtly. "General Lagune attempted to stage a nightly assault against the Faunus soldiers who were stationed at Fort Castle. It ultimately led to failure, however."
"Indeed, it did! Now then, can anyone tell me why this assault failed?" At this moment, Cardin decided to torment Jaune again by flicking a small paper wad at the back of his head, snapping him out of his sleep. His head fell out of his hand and banged against the desk. Muttering a soft 'ow', he looked up and recoiled when he found Oobleck standing in front of his desk. "Ah! Jaune Arc! Finally paying attention in class, are we? Very good! Excellent! Now then, tell me, what advantage did the Faunus have against General Lagune's forces?"
"A-Advantage? W-Well, well it was..." Jaune panicked. He did not know the answer. His eyes darted frantically, hoping to find something. Then he saw Pyrrha across from him, holding her hands above her eyes like binoculars.
'Binoculars? Really? I don't think that was it...what am I gonna do?!' Before he could despair further, Walter, who sat a row above her, tapped his eyelids and pointed to an open eye. 'E-eyes? Well...better than nothing...'
"It was...Eyes?" Jaune answered half-confidently.
Oobleck stared at him for a moment before he zipped back over to his desk and took a swig of his drink. "Not quite the answer I was looking for, but you are correct anyone care to elaborate on the answer?"
"Right here!" Walter called. "All Faunus have night vision, due to their animalistic traits. Lagune thought he could sneak up on them while they were asleep." The wild-haired teen cracked a grin. "Unfortunately, the poor bastard didn't know they could see in the dark. Not to mention they knew the area far better than he did. His men were all wiped out in under half an hour."
"That is absolutely correct, Mr. Ironwood!" Oobleck announced. "Because Lagune underestimated the enemy, the Battle of Fort Castle resulted in the victory for the Faunus."
Jaune breathed a heavy sigh of relief, mentally reminding himself to thank Walter for the hint. He glanced behind him and winced, noting how Cardin was fuming. 'Seriously, what the hell did I ever do to you?!' Chibi-Jaune cried in outrage. 'I get it, you're a bully, but for Dust's sake!'
He really needed to avoid Cardin now, since the guy was pissed. Once class was over, he was going to book it as fast as possible.
Sadly, Jaune had not been fast enough. He had only reached the door when Cardin rudely shoved him away and threw him to the floor, not even looking his way. Luckily, he had enough practice with his Aura so he didn't actually feel the fall, much less get hurt. Pyrrha had helped him up, all the while shooting Cardin a death glare.
"I really will break his legs..." she seethed, taking a page from Nora's book.
Jonathan sighed deeply. "At this point, I don't think even violence will help. We're training to become guardians of humanity, and here he is, acting like a stereotypical high school bully." He shook his head, then turned his attention to Jaune. "Jaune, are you alright?"
"I'm fine..." Jaune said lamely. "Just wish Cardin would get off my back."
"Well, I know his type of person. He won't get off your back unless you stand up to him and make him stop." Nanashi commented as he approached them. "Trust me. I've seen plenty of those guys back in Signal."
Jaune bit his lip. He understood that much at least, but how was he supposed to stand up to Cardin? What could he actually do? He barely knew how to swing his sword around. Hell, he didn't even know how to fight. He wasn't even supposed to be here at Beacon. Pyrrha seemed to notice his bitterness and anxiety. Her eyes softened as her mind began to work overtime. Soon, a solution came to her mind. "Jonathan, would you mind if I borrowed Jaune for a moment?" she asked the elder Arc brther, confusing them both.
"I don't see why not, but whatever for?"
Walter leaned in towards Nanashi, grinning. "Bet ya it's a confession." he whispered.
"No bet. It's a pretty obvious thing." The young teen shook his head. "Still...your brother seriously needs to grow a backbone, Johnathan. He can't let Cardin walk over him like that forever."
"That is..."
"Ah, enough about that. Why don't we go sneak and see how this goes?" Jonathan balked, staring at Walter with large eyes. "Oh, come on, Jonathan! You can't tell me you aren't the least bit interested and seeing whether or not your little brother finally scores himself a girlfriend!"
"B-but that is an invasion of privacy!" Jonathan protested, his cheeks red. Sadly for him, Walter's suggestion now left quite the impression on his mind. Truth be told, he had hoped that one day, Jaune would find a girl that would suit him, and take care of him when he couldn't. "B-besides, I hardly doubt Pyrrha is interested in Jaune like that."
"Maybe, maybe not." Walter smirked. "How 'bout it, leader? Feel up for some spying?"
Nanashi shook his head. "I'll pass." he told his partner. "I need to finish up the assignments. That being said, I do ask for details. Barring whether or not Pyrrha decides to, ah, go beyond just a confession."
"NANASHI!" Jonathan's face turned atomic red. Walter barked with laughter in response.
The wild-haired boy then dragged a reluctant Jonathan along. Nanashi watched them leave with some interest, but ultimately shrugged. Whether or not things played out like he expected wasn't his concern. As he turned around to leave, however, Dagda spoke up. [Hey, kid. You seen Odin around lately?]
"Odin?" he questioned. "I haven't brought him out in a while. Well, not since YHVH tossed us here. Why? Something up?"
[I can't sense his presence anywhere.] the demon informed his Godslayer, surprising him. [I checked with Krishna, but he has no idea where the bastard is, either.]
"That's weird... Did he summon himself for whatever reason?"
[Maybe. Why is anyone's guess. It's a bit troublesome to have a rogue running around, so I'll have Krishna and his snake keep an ear out. Last thing we need is unnecessary trouble.]
"Amen to that, Dagda."
Once Nanashi was done with homework, he had gone to use the shower. In the meantime, Chris was on his Scroll, fiddling around with it before it suddenly rang. "Hm? Oh, it's dad." he muttered in small surprise. He probably had a little bit of free time or wasn't anywhere close to a bar. One or the other. Since he had little else to do, he answered the call and put the Scroll to his ear. "Yo, old man. How's it going? Any girl with a skirt slapped you six ways from Sunday yet?"
[Ha, ha. Very funny, ya little shit.] Qrow Branwen laughed dryly. [I decide to call my darling little gift from my loins, and this is the greeting I get? You're killin' me here, Chris.]
"As if you'd have it any other way." he replied wittily. "Anyway, what's up? Finally have some time to yourself now that Ozpin isn't running you ragged with missions?"
[Eh, kind of. In a bit of a slump, and needed some encouragement. And unfortunately, my Semblance is keeping me from some good company tonight, so I decided to call my kid. By the way, I hear Green is your Team Leader. Tell the brat I said congrats.]
Chris rolled his eyes. "You can tell him yourself." he told his father. "And while we're on the subject of family, why did you send me to Beacon of all places?!"
[Well-]
"Dad, so help me god, if you tell you brought me here just for some 'family bonding' with my cousins, I will break your jaw the next time I see you."
[Okay look, it wasn't anything simple like that. I felt it was high time you needed some formal education, so I sent you to one of the best academies around. It doesn't hurt that you have family there as well.]
"You and I both know that's a load of crap. What's the real reason?"
Qrow went silent. For a moment, Chris wondered if the man had an actual reason for doing what he did. Then he heard his old man sigh. [...it's complicated, not to mention a long ass story. You know how Ozpin asked me to find some people, right? Well... Turns out these idiots might be a little more dangerous than I thought they might be.]
"So, you feared for my safety and dropped me off here?"
[Could be worse.] Qrow snickered. [I could have left you with your Aunt.]
"Don't you even dare!" Chris snapped back, causing his dad to laugh. "That's not funny! Those bandits would eat me alive!"
[Then quit your bitching and enjoy your youth. Anyway, I gotta go. Duty calls and all that. Tell your cousins their cool uncle says hey.]
"Whatever, old man." the teen replied before the call ended. Nanashi then emerged from the bathroom, having apparently gone to take a shower around the time he picked up the call. "That was fast."
"I don't like taking too long." he confessed. "Was that Qrow? What'd he say? Got turned down or slapped again?"
"Well, since he just told me that he said he was in a slump and needed encouragement, I'm guessing both. Oh yeah, he said 'hey'." Chris shrugged as he pocketed his phone. "Where's Walter and Jonathan?"
"Went to spy on Jaune and Pyrrha. They think she's finally going to confess."
Chris raised an eyebrow. "A little early for that... Then again, she does seem to be the aggressive type."
"Seemed so. But personally, I think she's just trying to help him out."
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't you see him during combat class? He was completely awful. His stance was weak, his guard was open, his attacks were wide and sloppy, need I go on?" Nanashi quirked a brow.
Chris shook his head. Honestly, he just dozed off when he saw Jaune getting his butt whupped out there and took his time elsewhere. "Still wonder why Ozpin chose to make him leader. Eh, then again, maybe it's for the same reason he picked Ruby as leader for RWBY." The door then opened to reveal Jonathan and Walter. Despite Nanashi's initial assumptions that they would be disappointed in what they most likely would have seen, or perhaps amused, one looked crestfallen and the other sullen. "What's wrong? You two look bummed all to hell. Did something happen?"
"You..." Walter ran a hand through his hair. "Could say that."
"What happened?" Chris leaned forward. "Something go wrong between Jaune and Pyrrha?"
"Actually..." Jonathan bit his lip, looking at the ground. "I think it is more my fault than anything." Seeing the confused looks on the two, he sighed. "You see..."
(Twenty minutes earlier...)
"Uh, Pyrrha? I know I'm going through a rough time, but I'm not THAT depressed..." The two overheard Jaune as they hid behind the wall.
"N-n-no!" Realizing what Jaune was implying and panicking that he might follow through wit it, she pushed him away. Much to the two's amusement, she shoved him to the floor. "That's not why I brought you up here!" She helped Jaune back to his feet and sighed. "Jaune, I know you're having a difficult time in class and that you're still not the strongest of fighters, so... I want to help you!"
"Wh-what?" Jaune blinked. She was offering help? Well, that was nice of her, he supposed.
"We can train up here after class where no one can bother us!" the Spartan girl said. "Though, if you'd like, I can invite Jonathan here as well. Two heads are better than one."
Walter groaned. "Oh, dammit, Pyr. You should have just made it a you and him thing!" he hissed.
Jonathan gave him a glare. "Shush, they'll hear you!"
Unknown to either of them, though, a dark look flashed on Jaune's face. "I... I don't think that's necessary, Pyrrha." he said. "And I'm fine, really."
"Everybody needs a little push from time to time." Pyrrha insisted, not seeing the problem. "And nothing pushes harder than family, right? Besides, simply because you're lacking doesn't make you any different from the rest of us. You made it to Beacon! Just like Jonathan. That speaks volumes of what you're capable of!"
"You're wrong." 'I'm nothing like my brother.' a small part of him whispered bitterly. "I... I didn't make it into Beacon, Pyrrha."
"Wh-what?" Pyrrha asked in confusion. The other two were the same. "What do you mean?"
"I mean...I mean I didn't get accepted! I snuck into Beacon!" Walter choked and Jonathan felt his eyes widen in shock. Pyrrha stared at him in much the same manner, stunned and left frozen in her spot. "I faked my transcripts. I mean I didn't go to combat school, I didn't pass any tests. I didn't earn my spot at this Academy! I lied my way here..." Jaune stared at the ground, hands balled into fists. "All my life, I wanted to be like my family. Like my grandfather. Like Jonathan. But I was never good enough." He gritted his teeth, fingernails digging into his palms. "Even now, I'm still not good enough..."
"Then let me help you!" Pyrrha insisted. "At the very least, ask Jonathan for-"
Jaune shook his head. "I don't want help! And not from Jonathan!" The curly-haired teen recoiled, as if struck. "Do you have any idea how hard it is, being compared to the one person you want to be like and no matter what you do, you're always ten steps behind?!"
"J-Jaune, I-"
"I'm tired of being the adorkable guy who gets stuck in a tree while being compared to his older brother who's always better than him! I'm tired of being the butt-end of a joke while my friends are out there, fighting for their lives! I want to be a hero! If I can't do that on my own, then..." Jaune threw his hands up in the air. "What good am I?"
No one had an answer. No one could tell him an answer. Johnathan stared at the ground. Did...did Jaune feel this way all this time? That he was constantly in his shadow?
Why didn't he notice? Why didn't he help him? What kind of brother was he-?
Walter snapped him out of his stupor. "Hey. Don't think like that." he told him. He then looked back and found Pyrrha, with a downcast expression walking away, after she failed to convince Jaune. The blonde himself was just standing there, face mixed with bitter regret and self-loathing. "Come on... Let's go before he notices us. I don't think he's in any mood for company right now. Especially ours."
Both Nanashi and Chris were surprised by this revelation. "Wait, so your brother snuck into Beacon by faking his transcripts? That was a pretty ballsy move."
[So he's a liar...what else is new?] Dagda scoffed, finding the whole thing somewhat amusing. [Everyone lies for one reason or another. Its simply a question of how far one lies to achieve what they need. We should know something about that, eh kid?]
Nanashi scowled. Dagda didn't need to remind him. But he was right. He knew that all too well. He could understand Jaune's reasons for doing so, if only a little. Even so, he thought Jaune was also an idiot. In his world, challenging a demon without any form of training or weapons was practically suicidal. You had to have some training, and had to be well prepared. Jaune just rushed in half-cocked, not fully understanding what he was thrusting himself into. He had to know that he would be fighting for his life against Grimm, yet he had no such experience in a fight whatsoever. It was as if he just decided to grab a sword and shield and declare himself a warrior.
A fool, through and through.
"I feel like...I might have made things worse for Jaune." Jonathan said, eyes filled with sadness. "I should have realized something was wrong. I should have known he felt like that."
"Hoi, don't blame yourself." Walter told him. "The way I see it, he still thinks the world of you. He's just angry that he can't live up to the same standards is all."
"Even so, I should've made more of an effort to prepare him. I shouldn't have just let him sit on the sideline."
"If Jaune wants to be a Huntsman, let him do things his own way. We can't keep holding his hand, Jonathan."
"I'm agreeing with Walter on this one." Nanashi said. "The way I see it, he needs to do things on his own. If he gets help from us, it won't mean anything."
"B-but..." Jonathan looked as if he wanted to protest. However, he soon caved in and sighed, dropping his head. "I...suppose you're right."
"So you guys are going to agree with his desire to not ask for help, even though he is horribly inexperienced and lack any and all type of formal combat skill needed to survive his chosen profession to not hurt his pride?" Chris questioned skeptically. "Because if you ask me, he doesn't even have any clue where to start. Leaving him alone like this is going to get him killed in the long run."
"Then if he has any common sense, he's going to realize that and learn." Nanashi replied. "Like Walter said, we can't hold his hand and hope for the best. As they say, experience is the best teacher."
And sadly, he had no idea how true those words would be.
Jaune realized, maybe an hour after Pyrrha had left, that he had majorly screwed up.
He sat on the edge of the rooftop, staring up at the sky as it was beginning to set, blue eyes brimming with barely contained frustration and anger. Pyrrha trying to suggest training to him, and her bringing Jonathan into it, hadn't exactly sat well with him. Don't misunderstand, however. Jaune loved his brother, and idolized him. He was everything he wanted to be. However, the fact that he was the more skilled and natural had cause some bitter feelings. Feelings Jaune himself was struggling to overcome.
Try as he might, he always felt offended whenever someone compared them. And he hated the feeling with a passion.
It must've been an hour now since Pyrrha left, disheartened after he turned her away. Now, here he was, trying to figure out what he was going to do. He imagined things would still be awkward, and he would not blame Pyrrha if she blabbed his secret. Way he saw it, he deserved it.
"I screwed up..." Jaune moaned, shaking his head. "Pyrrha must be pissed at me. Me and my stupid pride and big mouth. What the hell am I supposed to do?"
*Caw!*
Blinking, Jaune looked up and found a dark colored bird hanging near the roof, beady blue eyes locked on to him. At first, he thought it was a Nevermore, but closer look saw that it was just a simple bird. A raven to be precise. "Beg yer pardon, lad." Jaune saw an old man enter his field of vision, shabby looking and with a frosty white beard and cap. "You mind letting me sit here? It's cold today."
"Huh? Oh, erm, sure..." Not seeing a problem, Jaune nodded. Grateful, the old man sat down next to him, taking out what looked like a thermos. The blonde knight gave him a small look of confusion. What was an old man doing here at Beacon? Was he part of the staff? True, he hadn't remembered all of his teachers, but he would have remembered someone like this. "Sorry, but, who are you?"
"Just a simple old man passing by. No need to be alarmed." The man said as he unscrewed the thermos and poured a cup of steaming hot tea. "Would you care for a cup? It is quite chilly."
"Th-thank you, but I'm alright." Jaune politely refused. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, how'd you get in here? I don't think you're allowed to be here unless you have a pass."
The old man chuckled. "A trade secret. But please, don't tell anyone. I would hate to cause trouble for the people here." He then looked around the campus ground. "Still, what a splendid place. They teach young ones how to wield a blade of any shape and form, all to become warriors... It reminds me of Valhalla."
"Val-what-now?"
"Oh, don't mind me. Just rambling is all. What about you, my boy? Are you training to become a warrior also?"
"Y-yeah, I mean yes!" Jaime answered, yet his tone was unsure. "I mean, I want to be one, that's why I'm here after all..."
"Yet you seem troubled. Is something the matter?" The man asked, as if seeing through his hesitation.
Jaune thought whether to tell the man anything. He didn't really see the harm, but he wasn't also keen on telling the stranger everything. He decided on half truths instead. "Well... I guess you could say I don't really belong here. I can't fight worth a damn. I can swing my sword around, sure, but I don't know how to cut someone down. Hell, when I see blood, I freak out. Huntsmen are supposed to protect people. Not just from Grimm, but also bandits and the White Fang and other things. And my brother? He's good at it all. Me, I..." He sighed and scratched his head. "I don't know. I wish I was even half as good as he is."
"You sound jealous."
"Kind of, but I love my brother. He's everything I wanted to be like, growing up." Well, that, and he saved him from a lot of embarrassment from his sisters. Pigtails were NOT manly. "I don't really belong at Beacon. Maybe I should... I should just pack up and go home."
The man hummed, scratching his chin. "I'd say it would be a waste of talent." he said, surprising Jaune. "Beacon started not too long ago, right? Which means you're jumping the gun."
"How do you figure? I can't fight to save my life. Hell, just today, I got my ass handed to me by some dumb jock with a mace!" Oh god, he hoped Cardin didn't hear him say that. Last thing he needed was to get a wedgie or something.
"Well, it is to be expected, given your lack of formal combat training. From what I could tell, you do not have much fighting experience, yes?"
"No...not really. There were times when my brother and Walter offered me to train with the,, but I would refuse. I wanted to learn and improve on my own."
"But because of that, you did not refine your skills as much as you hoped." the man nodded. "The way I see it, lad, you are like your sword from when it was forged."
"My...sword?" Technically, it wasn't his. It was meant to be given to Jonathan, but he turned it down and allowed Jaune to be its next wielder, provided he trained properly. He felt bad, taking the family heirloom without telling anyone.
"Yes. Before it had seen battle, it was forged from a blacksmith. Born of metal clumps, melted down and refined and hammered. You are an ingot, my body. An ugly little ball that has yet to be refined and made proper into a blade. You can't simply give up just yet. Not when you haven't had the chance to temper your steel."
"But how can I even hope to temper myself if I just keep getting thrown around like a rag doll? As it stands now, I'm a lost cause. I even pushed away my partner when she tried to help me, all because I needed to do it on my own."
"Then you simply need to do better, my boy." the man continued. "You need to try to become better, rather than hope." He took a drink from his thermos, then smiled. "I've heard the Emerald Forest is a good place to train. Quiet and peaceful, so long as you stick to the outer edge of the forest. Less likely to attract Grimm, that way."
"But how will that do me any good? I can't even beat a single person in a sparring match. What chance do I have against actual Grimm?"
The old man shook his head. "Not everything starts by killing a beast. Feel the movements of your blade. Learn what feels right and what doesn't. Swing your arm until you find a style that works perfectly for you. The quickest way to learn." He took another drink from his thermos, then screwed the lid shut before he stood up. "Well, I'll be going. Take my advice to heart, lad!"
"W-wait!" Jaune called out. "Just who are you? And how do you know so much? Why are you giving me advice?" The old man gave Jaune a crooked smile, showing off yellow teeth, a few missing, before he tipped his hat and vanished from sight, the door closing behind him. The blonde stared at the door for a moment before he sighed and shook his head. "What a weird guy..."
The raven that had been watching the two converse cawed again before it flapped its wings and took flight, vanishing into the night sky.
It had been a few days since his meeting with the Old man. During that time, Jaune had a lot to think about. Things were still awkward between him and Pyrrha. Cardin had still taken to bullying him on occasion, and Jonathan was also avoiding him for some reason. It was strange, but he thought little of it. For now, all he had to think about was how exactly to patch up his relationship with Pyrrha. He really did need to apologize for what he said. His best chance was probably the Forever Fall field trip they were going to be taking next Monday.
Still, he couldn't get the old man's words out of his mind. He had asked the faculty about old men, and the only person they could think of was Professor Port. Unless the man was capable of growing a beard and shedding a few pounds, he sincerely doubted they were the same, which made him curious as to who he could be. Still, he offered some sound advice.
The question remained, should he take it? If the Emerald Forest was a quiet place to train, it could be worth it. Provided he managed to avoid any and all Grimm that could come after him. Then again, what other choice did he have if he wanted to improve?
So he decided to take a gander and follow the old man's advice. The Emerald Forest was quiet, with only the occasional brush of leaves, whistling of animals and singing of birds. The air was somewhat cold, but not uncomfortable. It also did wonders to cool his body whenever it became too hot as he practiced.
At first, Jaune stumbled. He learned that the old man had indeed been correct. Every few swings felt clumsy and awkward, but a few felt more natural. As if it should be the way to move. It was a slow progress, but he was starting to learn. Of course, he also needed to keep himself in shape. The quickest way to do that, naturally, was to train his body. Every morning, he'd wake up for cardio to stay in shape while reading up a book on how to control his Aura. Some lessons the books provided flew over his head, so he made a note to remind him to ask help from someone who did know, like Pyrrha once he mended their relationship, or perhaps someone from Team RWBY.
Sweat clung to his skin as he swung his arm, throwing a few swings and trying his best to take on a stance that felt natural. His feet were parted, his arm was up so he could defend more easily, and his sword was close to his side. For any real practicality, he imagined he was fighting Jonathan. At first, he thought of Cardin so he could have some level of satisfaction, but Jonathan felt more natural, as if anyone could make someone sweat and fight for their lives, it would be his older brother.
And as one might imagine, he was having trouble as to how to face off against someone like that. Even if it was in his imagination. Once he realized it was doing more harm than help, he gave up and decided to take a break.
He sat down and chugged down a water bottle he brought with him. Just what was he thinking? Imagining to fight Johnathan. He's seen his brother fight. He was much more skilled and experience than he was. Once more, the comparisons between the gap in their abilities dampened his confidence. "This is stupid..." Jaune muttered as he doused his head in water. "At this rate, I'll just know how to practice cutting air."
*Caw!*
Alarmed by the sudden screech, Jaune immediately drew Crocea Mors and grew alert. Was that a Grimm?! His eyes scanned the treetops for any sign of a Nevermore. He didn't see any Grimm, but he did see the Raven that accompanied the old man the other night staring at him.
It was sitting on a branch, staring at him. It was a little unnerving, to be frank.
"I wonder what it's deal is..." Jaune wondered before he noticed something in the depths of the forest. In the shadows, down the path, he could faintly see a glowing light. "Huh? What's that?"
Something akin to a whistle rang in his ears. Then it was followed by the cackling boom of thunder. In the next second, the ground underneath Jaune exploded, and he found himself being sent flying.
"Hm?" Walter paused, in the midst of his daily workout when he felt a tremor rumble beneath his feet. "Anyone feel that just now?"
"An earthquake?" Chris wondered. "Well, least it isn't a Dustquake. Hate those damn things."
Nanashi was silent, instead he stared out the window with narrowed eyes before he whispered, "Dagda, do you feel that?"
[Aye.] the demon answered with a chuckle. [Looks like Odin's having fun out there. Let's go see what he's up to.]
Jaune groaned, his head swimming. "Anyone got the number of the Goliath that hit me?" he asked to no one in particular as he stumbled up to his feet, clutching his head. He was a little unsteady, but relatively unharmed. In front of him, the earth looked as if it had been struck with a case full of Fire Dust. Earth was ripped out from the ground, chunks of debris and rubble littered the ground. It was also scorched, meaning it was fresh. He could also see sparks dancing around the ground where the gouge was. "What in the heck...? What did this?"
"Consider me impressed." a cool, baritone voice called out to him. "That was little more than a Zionga. Aura is truly a formidable thing indeed."
Jaune looked up, finding the owner of the voice. His jaw became unhinged. 'Holy crap that guy is huge!'
Above him stood a figure much taller than the average human. It was discernibly male due to its slim yet bulk physique. It's body was clad in golden armor with what appeared to be a blue bodysuit underneath. Around his waist was a gold belt with a gemstone in the center. Flowing from his shoulders was a blue cape. His helmet was as gold as his armor, had a pointed helm and ears, and encompassed his entire head, yet depicted a completely human face. The most eye-catching feature about him was his eyes, the right was normal and green, while the left was what appeared to be blue fire.
In the figure's right hand was a spear, the blade on the tip fashioned into a jagged lightning bolt. He raised his left hand, and the raven from before flew up and perched on top of the limb.
"If it weren't for your Aura, you would have been burned to a crisp and incinerated." the golden figure said. "Perhaps there will be something to learn after all."
"Who-who are you?" Jaune asked, now on edge as he prepared his sword and shield. "What are you?!"
"I am Odin. Member of the Deity Clan, and servant to the Godslayer." the man proclaimed before he aimed his spear at Jaune, lightning cackling around the tip of his blade. "Jaune Arc... Show me if you are worthy of Valhalla. Show me you have the strength of a warrior. If you falter for even a second, you will die."
"Va-Valhalla?" Jaune questioned, hearing the familiar term before somewhere. Then it clicked. The raven, Valhalla... "Wait! Are you the old-!"
But he was cut off as Odin shot off another Zionga spell at the teen. Jaune reacted quickly and dove to the side as it passed by, immediately breaking apart the earth and incinerating a few trees. Jaune stared at the sight with an open jaw. 'What the hell kind of Semblance is that?!' he cried. 'If I get hit by that...!' Shaking his head, he turned back to Odin and braced himself. He could tell by the menacing aura he was giving off. He was serious about his threat.
If he failed, he was a dead man.
Gritting his teeth, he let out a roar and charged.
Nanashi stared at the sight with a mix of surprise, disbelief, annoyance and amusement. "...you have got to be kidding."
[Well, you can't say the kid doesn't have balls.] Dadga remarked. [This should be entertaining to watch.]
"I can't disagree. But the most likely outcome is that Jaune would die in the end. Death by electrocution or skewered."
[Maybe. I'm just more interested as to why Odin chose to approach him of all people.]
"Who knows?" Nanashi shrugged. "At any rate, we'll watch this play out. If he does get killed, I'll have Cleopatra use Samerecarm. Last thing we need is people asking questions about how Jaune died. Even if demons and magic don't exist in this world, I still don't want to take any chances."
[Fair point. But I agree... Let's say how this all plays out.]
[Play: RWBY OST - Divide]
The spear came dangerously close to skewering through his head. Jaune dodged, letting it slide over his cheek, only barely. Sparks touched him and he found himself being thrown away. 'What the hell?!' Jaune cried as his back hit the floor. 'The spear only touched me, and I felt like I just got electrocuted!' He quickly pulled himself up and raised his shield in time, blocking a strike. The force behind the blow was enough to make him stagger back, thrown off balance. 'This force...! Even if block, he hits like a truck! I need to dodge! Quick!'
"Too slow." Odin said as he thrusted his palm into Jaune's body, knocking him into a tree. Jaune felt the wind blow out from his sails and coughed haphazardly. "I counted at least forty different ways I could kill you after I threw you off balance." Jaune eventually found his breath and stood shakily on his feet. His arms felt like lead after tanking those previous hits. His knees almost felt like jelly from the shocks. "And I have yet to see you take any precaution. You neglect to anticipate your foe's actions and react accordingly based on their attacks. Such negligence will cost your life in a battle such as this."
The blonde knight glanced at his Scroll, which was attached to his arm. He was in the yellow, but another hit like that, and he was definitely going to feel it. And more. 'I need to get a ready on him, somehow!' he thought. 'C'mon, Jaune! Think!'
But Odin wasn't about to let him think. "Do not be distracted in the midst of battle!" The All Father of the Norse Pantheon declared as he swung his spear and slammed the shaft into Jaune's exposed side. The force of the attack was enough to send him crashing through a few trees. His Aura took a steep dive into the red after that.
"...ow."
Jaune stood up, no worse for wear. Okay, now was a time to panic. He sucked in a breath, falling back into a stance. 'No thinking fancy. No overthinking stuff. Just do what comes natural.' It was what the old man told him after all. To swing his sword in a way that felt natural.
So he did just that. He stopped thinking like he should, and fought how his body demanded. Odin dashed forward, moving at a speed far faster than any Grimm could hope to replicate and went in for a stab, intending to run the human through. Jaune, in a fluid motion, dodged to the left and threw his shield up against the spear, knocking it off course. The spear struck a tree instead. Following up was a spinning slash, aimed straight for Odin's unprotected back.
The blade did little to scratch the armor. In fact, it was repelled and practically bounced off, surprising him. 'What the?!' He didn't have time to think further as he quickly jumped away, avoiding Odin's counterattack by spinning around and swinging the spear, effortlessly tearing it out from the tree. More accurately, Odin tore the tree apart in a single movement when he went to strike. 'What kind of strength does this guy have?! And how the hell am I supposed to hurt him?!'
"Hm..." Odin stared at him, an eye narrowed. "Slightly better. Could use improvement. Perhaps I should kick things up a notch." He raised a hand, electricity cackling as he aimed his palm at Jaune. "Ziodyne."
A bolt of lightning, much larger and fiercer than before, shot out from his hand and hurtled straight at Jaune. The blonde knight quickly dropped down beneath the bolt to avoid it. It sailed overhead and struck ground much further away.
The result: A massive explosion that put the prior ones to shame. The earth literally shook and broke apart as anything within the blast radius was instantly incinerated.
"...I am so fucked."
"Okay, that?" Chris groaned. "That was a Dustquake. Who's the idiot fucking around in the Dust Mining Caves?"
"I do not know. But I thought the Dust Mining Caves in Vale were hundreds of miles from Beacon. Surely such a blast couldn't be felt all the way here." Johnathan commented.
"I don't think it's in the caves. It feels way too close to home in my opinion." Walter thought. "But it felt way too strong to be an earthquake."
Chris still felt a little miffed. He wasn't a big fan of Dustquakes, considering that one time in the bathroom. The less said about that, the better. As he was about to put his book away, having finished his reading for class tomorrow, he noticed something unusual. "Hey." he called out to his team. "Is it just me, or is that smoke out there in the distance?"
"Really?" Jonathan leaned in a bit, holding a hand over his eyes. "Hm... I think you're right. That seems to be in the Emerald Forest as well."
"Ah. That must be the cause of those tremors, then." Walter guessed. "Somebody's out thinning out the Grimm. Still, a bit excessive. What the hell are they using, dozen pounds of Fire Dust?"
"Either that, or they're really trigger happy."
Following Odin's blast of thunder, Jaune had now been forced to focus less on actually hurting the bastard and more more on dodging, less he turned into an electrocuted shishkabob. Such a feat itself was growing to be increasingly difficult as exhaustion and pain were limiting his mobility. It was only through sheer adrenaline that he was able to move out of the way.
Odin was fast. Inhumanely so, and he wouldn't let up for even a second. He continued to strike at him, either with explosive thunder bolts or strikes from his spear. Each strike was more than enough to throw him off balance, and it was only because of the adrenaline pumping in his veins that he was able to move quickly before he was skewered.
Frustration was quickly mounting. There had to be some way he could fight back against this guy. But no matter what he tried, nothing seemed to work. His sword just seemed to bounce off of his armor.
"You've started to slow down." Odin noted as he swung his spear at Jaune. The blond ducked out of the way and side-stepped a thrust, parrying with his shield and going in for a stab, only for Odin to deflect it. "Feeling tired?"
"You..." he panted, sweat pouring down his face. "Wish!"
He wen in for another swing, but Odin deftly parried it and slammed the blunt end of his weapon into his solar plexus. His Aura finally shattered, and Jaune felt his ribs crack. His body was sent flying through the air before he harshly fell back to the earth.
"It seems..." the golden warrior said, swinging his spear before he slowly approached Jaune as he tried to get back up on his feet. "That this is your limit. Such a shame. You have such potential, yet you squander it with useless sentiments such as pride and jealousy. Pride only rusts your blade. And jealousy hampers your swing. Only by tossing such useless things away can you truly hold a blade."
"Then..." Jaune coughed as he struggled to look up. "...what...what can I do?! Aren't heroes...supposed to do this by...themselves? How can I be one...if everyone tries to help me...?"
"You still do not get it." Odin shook his head. "By themselves, a warrior can accomplish little. One ant alone cannot hope to move a mountain. It is only through the strength of comrades and those who share in your ideals that you can hope to overcome insurmountable odds. For example, had you brought your team, you may have stood a chance. The boy with the dual firearms could have masked your presence from the Grimm, the girl with the hammer could have absorbed my electricity and used it for her own purposes, and your Spartan friend could have used her power to control my spear."
Jaune's eyes widened, realizing what Odin meant. He was talking about Semblances...but how could he know all that? Just who in the world was this monstrosity?
"However, because you allowed your own pride to cloud your judgement, you pushed those who could help aid you away." Odin continued. "Do you understand yet, Jaune Arc? Without allies to help you achieve your goals, your power, by itself is meaningless."
"Then...what am I supposed to do...?"
"Unfortunately..." He raised his spear, ready to deliver the final blow. "You will not learn the answer, young warrior, for you have lost that chance."
Time slowed to a crawl as Odin thrusted his spear forward. Jaune watched and closed his eyes, gritting his teeth in regret. 'Dammit... I'm sorry, Pyrrha... I...'
"JAUNE!"
The spear missed by a tiny margin. The sharp blade barely touched his cheek, creating a shocking jolt that pushed him back just as it had before and threw him aside. It pierced the ground, making Odin turn his head curiously. There, standing off to the side, was none other than Pyrrha, a hand outstretched and her eyes narrowed, Milo and Akuo in hand.
"P-Pyrrha?" Jaune gasped. "What're you doing here?!"
Odin would have asked the same thing, had he not noticed a familiar young man standing far off in the distance, looking on with a small smile and eyes watching with sharp intent. "...I see." he said, forming a little smile of his own. It seemed he had his master's approval. "It appears you have yet another chance to prove yourself, Jaune Arc. Stand, and draw your sword!"
Jaune was surprised by the sudden change of mind, but dare not question it. If he had another chance to fight, he would definitely take it! He forced himself up and readied his blade.
He would for sure as hell apologize to Pyrrha, but after they took this guy down!
[Well, that's a shame. I was actually looking forward to seeing him die.] Dadga said in spite of his growing anticipation. It was always fun to see how far humans could go if they truly pushed himself. Much as he hated to admit it, camaraderie was often necessary. [Still, do you really think they'll stand a chance against Odin?]
"Only one real way to find out." Nanashi answered as he watched. "I'm curious to see how it plays out. Who knows? Maybe Jaune will grow stronger because of this. Not every day you see a Huntsman fight a demon. Even if said demon just so happens to be a member of the Divine Powers and is holding back."
[Fair point. If Odin went all out, I doubt they would even survive the first blow. Still, why bother alerting that girl about the fool in danger? I assumed you would've let him fend for himself. If you wanted him to win with the strength of others, then why not his whole team?]
"Because it's like Odin said. Without allies, one's sole power is meaningless. Pyrrha is his partner, so I figured she would be the best choice given their little dispute the other day. As for not alerting Ren and Nora, having them join would be babying him too much. Jaune still needs to learn his lesson." he reasoned, making Dagda bob his head in understanding. "Besides. I'm sure sometime in the future, he'll come to thank me." This made the demon's eyebrow rise, but said nothing. Instead, they watched on as the duo fought bravely against Odin. For the first time since this whole thing started, Jaune looked like he now stood an actual chance. Odin had purposely allowed his own defensive abilities to lower, making it look like he was growing steadily weaker.
That being said, the Deity was not about to let them have it easy. There would be no fun if he did that. No challenge.
As he watched, Nanashi felt a sensation run over him. It caused him to momentarily stumble, his mind blanking out. For a brief moment, the green scar and markings on his body faded, and his eyes changed to their original dark brown luster before they returned to normal. "What the...?"
[Hm? Something wrong kid?]
"N-no, I..."
Just...what the hell was that? It felt like Dagda's spell to maintain his life fluctuated for just an instant. But that shouldn't be possible.
Stranger still... It felt like his heart had started to beat again, after so long. But that was possible. Not unless Dagda decided to bring him back to life in full, which he doubted. That would not come to pass, not unless he chose to do so after they found their way back home and he took YHVH's place as God.
Even so, it was impossible for that to happen now. Something else took place, but it didn't seem that Dagda noticed, which that in itself was unusual.
Just what the hell was going on?
-To Become a Hero: END-
Preview:
"What's up with them?"
"Sorry, did you guys happen to see Blake run past here?!"
"Jonathan... Would you mind helping me train with Pyrrha?"
"So, you managed to find one of these Relics?"
"You, who are tainted... You do not belong in His paradise."
Next Time: Unravel the World
Author's Notes
Oh, holy shit! I got this out on Halloween? Awesome~
So, I bet you guys weren't expecting Odin to come in. As much fun as it would have been to have Cardin be butt monkey again, I decided to change a few things. I won't finish the fight with Odin, as that will be up to your guys' interpretation. Just what could have happened, I wonder?
Either way, I feel like being trained by Odin, and helping him learn to accept help, would be much faster. Besides, being trained by a demon sounds pretty awesome, and I'm sure Jaune would be a hell of a lot stronger for it.
Anyway, if you can tell by the end of this chapter and by the preview, obviously there are a few things that will be changing. I won't say anything more, but what I can say is that Volume 1 of RWBY: Final Judgement is coming to a close. And damn do I have one hell of a fight in mind.
Anyway, tell me what you guys thought about this chapter, especially since I'm putting this puppy on high priority. Also, expect some MASSIVE updates to mine and Daemon's "Of Crystal Shards and Dust" story in the near future. When, I don't know, but what I can tell you is that we're dead set on pumping out chapters for that puppy like nobody's business. Especially with what we have planned for you all!
See You~
