Here we go

Cover Art: Serox

Chapter 42

General James Ironwood stood upon a balcony overlooking the training fields of Beacon and the Emerald Forest behind it. The air was still, the forest stiller, and a quiet and uneasy calm had come over the school. It was quiet. Unnaturally so given the excitement the Vytal Festival should have brought. The sun beat down on the school with the Vanguard moored a safe distance away. Both Chivalric and the Council had shown they could take over its weapon systems, and he wouldn't put it past the enemy to be capable as well. It would not be used in the defence of a school.

"It's been two days," Glynda said, walking up to stand beside him. "I don't know whether I want the calm to continue or for them to get it over with."

"I expect we'll have our answer soon. They've let us prepare defences."

"What does that mean? That they weren't quick enough to take advantage?"

"That they're confident they can break through them." James countered. "Always assume the worst. Then you can only be pleasantly surprised. You're not planning to evacuate the students?"

"On what basis? We can't close off the school because we think it might come under attack. Ozpin would need to explain why it's being done, and that would mean revealing the truth about everything." Glynda hesitated. Once, she might have defended the headmaster's actions, but it spoke a lot of how the situation had changed that she didn't. "There's nothing I can do, James. I can only get them out of the way quickly if an attack happens."

"That will be enough."

The forests rustled and distant growls and roars sounded within. That itself wasn't unusual. The Emerald Forest was known as a training ground for Beacon that contained its fair share of Grimm. They were normally more docile, though. At least unless human prey was sighted.

"The Grimm are sounding."

"They've been unusually active of late," Glynda said. "Ozpin believes it to be the influx of new transfers and tourists. The population of the city has ballooned since the festival began. Where there are people-"

"There are Grimm," he finished. He leaned over the balcony, narrowing his eyes at the trees. As if summoned by the thought, a flock of birds took flight to the east of the school, pouring out the trees and flying deeper into the Emerald Forest, away from Beacon. James touched his collar and spoke. "Winter."

"Yes General?"

"Send a scout drone over the forest. Eastern edge."

"Yes sir."

Glynda waited with limited patience for him to finish. "Something wrong?"

"The birds have been spooked."

"As I said, the Grimm are active."

"Something the wildlife should be used to living in the Emerald Forest. It doesn't hurt to be cautious."

They watched together as a small black spec detached from the Vanguard and flew over. The battleship was moored over a nearby mountain range rather than the city. It still contained Chivalric Arms' automated units, and though Clover and Marrow had personally crippled each and every one, removing core components and CPU's, they weren't taking any chances.

The unmanned drone flew around the school and off toward the section of the forest he'd indicated. Ironwood pulled out his scroll, lowering it so that Glynda could see the feed along with him and Winter on the Vanguard. The little drone rotated over the treetops, moving left and right with tight, controlled bursts of propellant and several rotary blades keeping it in place. Its camera peered down into the forest, struggling to break the canopy. There was no movement below.

"Looks like it's a false alarm," Glynda said.

James hummed. "Move closer."

After a quick assent from Winter, the drone dipped down. It didn't have the agility to fly between the trees and branches, but it bobbed and moved around until it could find a break in the verdant canopy. It lowered down toward it.

"What's that?" Glynda asked. "There's something manmade there."

"No movement or heat signatures, sir," Winter reported.

"It's rectangular," James muttered. "Metallic. Some kind of container…?"

"Could it be one of the missing SDC containers stolen from the docks?" Glynda asked.

"It could be. Winter. Can you get the drone down there?"

In answer, the camera view began to dip as the drone slowly and carefully made its way down the small break. The screen ruffled over leaves and it was bounced to and fro, but through some clever movement and twisting, the drone was able to get down without damaging itself or becoming trapped.

Once it was beneath the main line of branches and boughs, it was a much easier task to skim down to ground level and inspect the shipping container. There, on the side, the SDC snowflake emblem stood out proudly. One set of its doors was wide open, and the thing had been seemingly abandoned. The drone floated around the front and there was no sign of dust or crates within.

"The White Fang must have smuggled the dust out through the forest," Glynda said. "The authorities can't afford to monitor land swarming with Grimm. To think that happened so close to the school."

"No." Ironwood's gut tightened. "It didn't."

Glynda rounded on him. "What?"

"The containers stolen from the docks were taken out to the ocean. Penny's final data banks confirmed that. They were almost certainly smuggled away by sea."

"But this is one of the missing containers!"

"Yes. Which means it's come back. The White Fang collected it, removed the dust and have brought it back to just outside Beacon. The question is what they have repurposed an empty shipping container for."

"Storage? Arms and weapons?"

"Perhaps. And now it lays empty just outside Beacon at a time when we are expecting an attack." He knew she'd caught on by the sudden gasp and the way the blood drained from her face. James was already moving. "Winter, raise the alarm. All troops on standby. We are expecting-"

"The drone just went down!"

Ironwood swore. "Replay me the last thing it saw."

The visage on the scroll drew back, showing the drone floating around to the back end of the shipping container. Its lens took in the rivetted metal before a flash of light in the trees caught the operator's attention. The drone turned toward it, only to catch a muzzle flash. The screen became static.

"I'll draw out Jaune Arc and lure the White Fang in. Land your teams to pincer them once they're engaged."

"Yes sir!"

"Glynda-"

"I'll begin pulling the students out to the evacuation points." The blonde was already moving, and James nodded, impressed with the quick action. Not two minutes seconds later, the school's fire alarm began to ring. It looked like she was going to get everyone together on the excuse of a fire drill and then fill them in.

"Clover. We're a go. Where is Ozpin?"

"He's already moving toward the express elevator. I have Harriet monitoring him. He's definitely not attending the fire drill."

He knew, then. Ozpin was going to defend his most valuable asset. It rankled that such wasn't the students but there was little he could do about it now. Stepping away from the balcony, he moved through Beacon's halls, knowing the Ace-Ops would already be falling into position.

"Sir!" Winter barked. "Our Bullheads have been locked onto! We're having to bug out."

"What?" Swearing, he hissed. "What is locking onto you?"

"We don't have visual. The moment we started moving over Beacon's airspace, our systems detected an automated lock-on system. It has to be Atlas-tech for us to detect it so quickly. We can't approach without taking losses."

The White Fang had some kind of AA emplacement nearby. It was aggravating they'd managed that without alerting anyone. They must have powered it down and made a conscious decision to not target the drone and other passenger aircraft that had been coming and going all day. Clever. How they'd gotten hold of such equipment was something to look into later. His gut instinct said it was another of Chivalric's fuck ups.

"Emergency land wherever you are and make the rest of the journey on foot. The Ace-Ops and I should be able to hold the line. We'll let the White Fang form a beachhead if they wish. Property damage can be repaired."

All through the forest, the sounds of Grimm grew in volume, and there was far more than should have been allowed for being so close to the school. Ironwood swore as dark shapes appeared perilously close to the training fields. He had a feeling he'd figured out what the White Fang were transporting in those containers.

/-/

Unleashing Grimm on a school felt disgustingly wrong even to him, but they were huntsmen. They could deal with Grimm and could well pose a threat to him in enough numbers. Jaune watched through a pair of binoculars as the dark shapes formed their first wave, washing over the school and for the most part running around it to the back where gunfire could be heard in vast quantities.

"It looks like they've gathered most of the students behind the school," Adam said. "They're holding their ground there on the open terrain. It'll be suicide for my men to go anywhere near."

"Then don't," Cinder replied. "Our priority is the school building and what it contains. Jaune, are you ready?" The way she said it made it clear he better be. Lucky for them both that he was. Nodding, he moved out, flanking Cinder with Emerald trailing behind. "Once the fighting starts, we should keep a polite distance," she said. "I'm sure you can understand why."

"I won't catch you in my Semblance."

"Better safe than sorry."

Cinder had to moderate her pace to let him keep up. He could tell that annoyed her, but she knew the use he had far eclipsed any time wasted. By the time they reached the edge of the trees, the Grimm had moved on entirely. He wasn't sure how Cinder had managed to keep the Grimm coming back and attacking them, and he didn't really care to find out. Beacon rose up ahead, once a school he'd longed to attend, now a prison within which lay his final sister.

I'm coming, Amber. I'll save you.

The three of them hurried down the main path, between two great archways that ran out like aqueducts. Huge pillars touched down to the ground as sweeping architecture led to the main academy building, its great spire rising in the centre to pierce the heavens. It was beautiful.

Nicholas had told them stories about his time in Beacon before he'd expressed his own desire to go and then the stories stopped forever. He'd always known that was his fault, and though his sisters never blamed him for it, he knew they missed the tales. Dad made the place seem larger than life, and in a way, it was. It must have looked mystical to those coming to live their lives there.

"They're letting us in the front door," Emerald said.

"No doubt expecting to spring a trap and catch us within," Cinder replied. "Hmph. A trap is only useful so long as it remains undetected."

"They might just want the students away from me." Jaune said.

"Perhaps. Let's proceed carefully."

Cinder led, her hands at her sides but empty. She'd given him some brief instructions about her Semblance, enough to make sure he didn't accidentally interfere with it. He knew that she wasn't as unarmed as she appeared. He also knew exactly what Emerald's Semblance did, which was why he kept his aura wrapped up tight and ready to burst through it. There was no obvious reason for them to betray him, but that didn't mean there wasn't something deeper.

Passing through the open doorway, they spread out, checking the corridors and finding the school practically abandoned. The White Fang had begun to come up behind, Adam shouting them into position, leaving half with their backs to the school to prepare an ambush for anyone looking to do the same to them.

This was all going too easily. Beacon were letting them in.

"Our information suggests they're being kept beneath the school."

"You sure are informed, lady."

Cinder flicked her hand to the side, creating a sabre from seemingly nothing. It pointed toward a shabby looking man Jaune remembered from Mistral. The huntsman who had confronted him in the bar. He couldn't remember the man's name, but his black-grey hair and stubbly face were familiar.

"Relax." He strolled slowly out into the middle of the corridor. "I'm here to talk to the kid. Not you."

"Null works with me, Qrow Branwen."

"My name proceeds me." He grinned roguishly. "And didn't I tell you to be careful about falling in with the wrong sort?"

Jaune pointed a gun at him. "That would be before huntsmen tried to murder me."

"And then you murdered them. Two wrongs don't make a right."

"Doing nothing would have led to my death. I still need to save my family from the one you serve."

Qrow winced, his fingers touching a silver flask at his waist before he pulled them away. His weapon remained holstered, but the distance between would be enough for him to draw.

"Like I said, I'm here to talk to the kid. What you're looking for is up ahead. Elevator down. Ozpin is waiting. I'm not here to fight you, Jaune. All I ask is a moment of your time, then you can go follow your new girlfriend."

Cinder considered for a moment before dismissing her weapon. Slowly, she walked past Qrow, the huntsman moving aside to prevent any sneak attack. She didn't give him a choice to follow and Jaune scowled, fingering his weapon. Sadly, Qrow stepped back into his path, preventing him from following and freeing his sister. That was not a wise decision.

"Move aside, huntsman. I only want my sister."

"Wish I could give her to you, kiddo. Not fair what's happening to her."

Jaune's eyes hardened. "What is happening to her?"

"She's safe for now. Alive. Ozpin… not all of us agree with what he's doing but her Semblance – it's stronger than yours. Much stronger."

Jaune's heart skipped a beat. His was bad enough. Atlas were willing to do anything to get hold of it. If Amber's was stronger and they already knew that, then would Menagerie really be safe for her? What lengths would they go to in order to capture her again? Damn it. No one deserved to have a Semblance on his level, least of all an innocent like Amber.

"No one will use my family while I'm around to protect them."

"Fuck." Qrow ducked his head and muttered something under his breath. "This isn't what I wanted to talk to you about." He looked up again. "You saved my niece's life. Ruby Rose. You're the reason she's back safe and sound."

He supposed he had, but he wouldn't take credit for it when all he'd wanted was to take Fields' life. "What of it?"

"I wanted to thank you for it. You might like to know she and her team quit Beacon. They couldn't stand to live in a place where the headmaster would abandon them like that. They also couldn't stand how the media turned on you. For what it's worth, they tried to get your story out. They tried to frame you as the good guy."

"Hah. I've been trying ever since Atlas. It won't happen."

"I'm sorry, kid. You don't deserve all this."

"I don't." Jaune agreed. "No one does. But since no one will stand up for us, I have to."

Qrow sighed. "Nicholas wouldn't have wanted you to become like this…"

"Dad wouldn't have wanted to die!" Jaune hissed. "He wouldn't have wanted us to be experimented on, tortured and used like lab rats!" He pointed Mors at the man's chest and his eyes flickered gold in warning. "Don't you dare tell me what he would and wouldn't have wanted me to do. I'm here for my sister. Get out my way or fight me but make the decision quick either way. I've somewhere to be."

"I tried to talk you down. I hope you remember that."

Snorting, Jaune moved past him. "It's too late for talk to fix everything. Far too late. Your headmaster should have considered that before he joined Chivalric Arms."

"They never worked together."

"No. They became one and the same."

/-/

Cinder flipped back and summoned forth two arrows, nocking and loosing them directly at Ozpin. The headmaster stepped aside, dodging one and spryly knocking the second out of the air.

"Salem has chosen her latest minion well," he complimented. "But you're a little too young to have any hope of besting me." He set the cane down with a loud click, leaning on it. "It's not too late to reconsider your choices. Salem will not be around for much longer."

"She is immortal."

Ozpin's lips curled upward. "Not for much longer."

Cinder scowled and loosed another arrow, forcing the immortal to defend himself. She had seen with her own eyes the immortality of the one she served and been told of how Ozpin's own worked. They were not comparable. He was clearly bluffing.

Behind him, the two Ambers were secured – one lay locked in a tube, her dark skin suffused with greenish tint due to the liquid within. The second, Amber Arc, lay on a medical bed little different from any other, less than two metres away. Ozpin quickly moved between them, showing his intent to defend both.

"I bested your maiden. Her power is mine."

"That power was always mine," Ozpin replied. "You do not deserve it."

"And do you deserve the girl you've kidnapped? You made a powerful enemy there. I'd thank you for the ally you've all but forced upon me. He's proven quite useful."

Ozpin chuckled. "It was a sacrifice worth making. I've gained something far better than his Semblance."

What did that mean? Cinder's eyes narrowed. Once this was over, she could inform Salem and she would decide what to do. For now, the only thing that mattered was the Fall Maiden. Getting to her was going to prove difficult, however. While she was confident she could kill Ozpin with that power, doing so without might not be possible alone. Emerald had been left above as well, necessary to divert Ozpin's reinforcements from arriving.

"Hesitating already?" Green light flickered around Ozpin's hands. "I thought you wanted my magic."

Cinder opened her mouth to answer but paused as a loud `ding` sounded far behind. The smallest of doubt disappeared as she saw Jaune Arc stride in, alone, angry and with his eyes glowing several colours at once. It didn't take him a second to notice his sister and the man keeping her away from him. His gun shot up, aimed directly at Ozpin's face.

"Nice of you to show up, Jaune. Did Branwen hold you back?"

"He wasted my time."

Ozpin's eyes sharpened. "What have you done with Qrow?"

"You shouldn't worry about him, old man. Worry about what I'm going to do to you if you don't give me my sister." Jaune didn't come to stand next to her. He kept a decent distance, allowing her Semblance to remain. "Release Amber to me."

The wizened old man sigh. "I cannot. Your sister has a great part to play in the world, Jaune Arc. Her name will go down in history as a great hero. Her destiny is to right a wrong that has plagued-" Ozpin twisted suddenly, moving his head out the way of a bullet.

Jaune's gun smoked. His teeth were gritted as he snarled, "Give. Her. Back!"

"I don't do this because I want to, child. I would like nothing more than to save her and you, to have saved your mother and father. Don't make the mistake of thinking I enjoy this." He brought his cane up. "It's for the good of Remnant. It is to protect millions of innocent people."

"Matthew Fields said much the same thing."

"I'm not some money and power hungry businessman."

"You could have fooled me!"

Jaune rushed in, closing the distance so he could bring his Semblance into effect. Any other opponent would have moved back, but Ozpin had to hold ground to defend his assets. Cinder smiled ferociously and shouted out, "Push him back! Once the maiden is dead, I'll have the power to kill him!"

Ozpin knew that as well. He leapt into Jaune's attack at the last second, striking the gun aside and letting the shot fire off into the dark. He twisted, hooked his cane over the firing arm and pulled back sharply. Bone would have snapped if Jaune's Semblance control wasn't there. He ended it just before the crack, flooding his arm with aura.

That meant Ozpin's came back, too. His cane lit up with green light as he stabbed out like a rapier, thrusting several times in quick succession. Jaune's aura flared and blistered as he skidded back.

Only for a moment. Snarling like a wild animal, he charged back in. Wild, angry swings forced Ozpin back. The fighting was too close for explosive rounds, but every hit Jaune struck ignored aura. Every counterattack Ozpin landed was blocked by it. Little by little, the far more experienced man was driven back. Not by skill, but by the inexorable reality of someone with aura fighting against someone without.

Cinder took her chance and skirted wide, drawing a new arrow and nocking it. The shot flew true, but Ozpin lurched into its path and caught it mid-flight. He navigated the melee with Jaune between them, forcing her to run further around for a clear angle on the tube and the maiden within. He couldn't keep it up forever. All she needed was one clean shot on a girl locked in a coma, then the power of the Fall Maiden would be hers.

Jaune tanked Ozpin's cane on his shoulder and gritted his teeth through the pain. He swung an arm over to hold it still, then pushed Mors at the man's face, activated his Semblance and pulled the trigger.

The bullet was stopped by a shimmering wall of green light appearing before the old man's palm.

"What-? But you shouldn't be able to-"

Ozpin released his cane and slammed a palm into Jaune's stomach. Again, and despite Null being active, a burst of green light erupted against his stomach, launching him back. He skidded along the floor, rolling onto all fours and releasing Null to let his aura flood back to the wounded area.

"H-How…?"

"There is more in this world than aura and Semblances, Mr Arc." Ozpin said as he walked slowly down the steps toward him. "There are things you cannot possibly understand. Your Semblance does not make you as powerful as you believe it does. Not against me."

That didn't make sense! He'd been less than a metre away, well within range of Null. His own aura had been down, which meant Ozpin's had to be as well, so how had he used his Semblance-? Snarling, Jaune rose and charged back in, slamming a foot down within range and activating his Semblance once more. Light of shimmering gold, purple, green and every other colour imaginable took hold in his eyes. Mors came up, barking four times as he shot at the unarmed and defenceless old man.

Yet again, the green light came and parried each, then he sent a twisting spear of it out that Jaune had to throw himself away from. It impacted the ground and exploded, crackling over the floor like lightning.

"I really wish it hadn't come to this," Ozpin said. "I'd love nothing more than to ask you to join me, explain things, make you see, but I don't think we will ever see eye to eye on what your sister must do."

"Amber isn't your toy!"

"No. She is so much more."

"Not on my watch!"

Moving in close, he snapped a fist out that Ozpin dodged, then tried to drive a knee into his stomach to no avail. Old as he looked, the man was a huntsman. An amateur like him could never match up. His next blow was deflected and then turned against him, Ozpin pushing him past and driving an elbow into his back. Stumbling, he swung back, only to have his wrist caught. Ozpin drove a fist into his stomach so hard Jaune spat blood. His aura crackled and nearly shattered from the force of it.

Wheezing, he clamped down tight on Ozpin's hand with both of his, then pushed forward with all his might, wrestling the man back. Rather than fall, Ozpin gave ground, moving away to steady himself.

"Cinder!" he yelled. "Now!"

The headmaster gasped and threw Jaune aside, rushing forward with arm outstretched. "No!"

Jaune heard the twang of the bowstring and the whistling arrow. Glass cracked as the black bolt slammed home, striking a perfect hole through the glass visor and impacting the older woman's chest. Amber, the older Amber, gasped and opened her eyes, then, without a word, slumped in the tube. Her forehead fell against the glass, blood running down her chest.

"Yes!" Cinder cried. "Yes! Finally! The power of the maiden is… is mine…?"

Her voice failed her on the last. Cinder stood with her bow discarded and her hands open before her. She looked down on them in confusion. Jaune pushed himself up from where Ozpin had thrown him, unsure what the issue was. The woman she wanted dead was dead. Wasn't this the part where Cinder was meant to be more powerful?

"What… I don't understand. Why am I not inheriting her power…?"

"Hahahaha." Ozpin laughed, holding a hand over his chest. "Ha ha ha." He shook his head, trailing off with a victorious smile. "Now, you see. The power of the Fall Maiden isn't yours. It isn't anyone's anymore. While your Semblance is powerful, Mr Arc, it pales in comparison to the power your sister's wields, even when she's unconscious." His hand rested on Amber's brow, brushing some blonde hair aside. "A power that does not take away aura and Semblance, but which takes away something far more dangerous. Something far more ancient."

Cinder gagged. "N-No. That can't be…"

"The power existed within poor Amber and would have passed on in her death. However, by preventing the magic taking hold, young Amber Arc here prevented it from being able to do so." Ozpin raised a hand, touching the air around him. "I wondered if it would come back to me, but it seems it has faded into nothingness instead. Perhaps that is better. I had the Relic of Choice moved back into its vault for just such an occasion. Do you know what that means, my dear?"

"You… You…"

"It means," he continued, smirking. "That the Relic of Choice is forever sealed away. As there is no Fall Maiden who can open its vault."

Jaune pushed himself up. Magic? Relics? Maidens? He spat blood, eyes focused on his sister. That was the only thing that mattered. If this… magic he spoke of was what he'd used to attack him while he was under Null's influence, then that meant he wouldn't have it if he was close to Amber. Ozpin was vulnerable.

Cinder trembled. "It's… gone…? That's not possible…"

"The maidens were created by me. They never were and were never intended to be eternal. With Amber's aid, I can erase the other three as well. Seal the Relics away, seek out your master and kill her once and for all."

The man stepped away from Amber, out of range of her Semblance, and emerald light crackled to life around his hands and fingers, burning down his cane until it spread out over the floor. Jaune stood his ground. Cinder staggered back, face pale and body shaking, lips moving rapidly as she mumbled and whispered to herself.

"But first," Ozpin said sadly. "I must dispose of you. When Amber awakes, I will tell her how you were betrayed, Mr Arc. I will tell her of how you were stabbed in the back by Salem's minion, and how you died in my arms despite my best efforts to save your life. If she is anything like you, her thirst for vengeance will ensure she stays focused."

The cane flew back to his hand and clacked down on the ground.

"But for that, you both must die."

Ozpin. Ozpin. Ozpin. To be honest, I can't blame him in a way. It's evil but intended for good, and the ability to get rid of Salem once and for all is too big a thing to let morals get in the way of. In a way, he's already won by forever locking one of the Relics away.

The Brother Gods will never be summoned again.

Next Chapter: 14th December

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur