Last chapter had a pretty strong response, I've noticed… and some didn't exactly seem too fond of it. Fair enough, is just how things are with anything. That said, I feel like some of the negativity was due to some confusion caused on my part.
Firstly, just to be forthright, the powerscaling in this fic is significantly different from how it is in canon and will make sense in due time. Personally, I feel it makes a hell of a lot more sense than the rather wonky scaling the show has.
Secondly, yes Hazel's semblance has been reworked. He still can't really feel pain for the most part, but this is merely an off-shoot of his reworked semblance more than anything else. Of course, said semblance will be revealed in due time.
Thirdly, regarding the first point, if it feels like what Hazel and Jaune did was greater than what the RWBY cast are capable of in canon, well, you're partly right but also partly wrong – the RWBY cast has plenty of feats well above superhuman throughout the show even if latter volumes don't really put much 'oomph' in them anymore. But said feats are still very much present. Hell, Qrow sliced off part of a building from many meters away during his fight with Tyrian and that was just from the latter blocking his strike. So, the whole town shaking from Hazel's and Jaune's clashing isn't really too far-fetched, especially since they specialize in brute strength for the most part.
Fourthly, if it felt like Jaune was fighting stupidly, he really wasn't. Certainly, he was emotionally compromised in all sorts of ways that hampered him, but it was more than just that. He was trying to capitalize on his smaller build and agility, but Hazel was clearly much faster than his size suggests and could keep up. And when Jaune managed to memorize the man's initial movements and adjusted accordingly, Hazel simply changed up the speed of his attacks as well as their pattern in order to throw him off. So, again, it's not as if Jaune was just trying to power his way through the fight.
So… yeah. Not trying to make excuses or anything here – if you loved the last chapter then great and if you hated it, that's also fine. I'm merely trying to clear up some stuff that in hindsight I clearly should've made more obvious.
Additionally, this chapter, while intended to explain the aftermath of the fight from the very start anyways, will also be including additional exposition as well.
Anyways, time to start. Hope you enjoy!
P.S. I'm so damn happy – Light, the company that made the Dies Irae visual novel, had gone under due to their parent company going bankrupt. But just recently, Light officially announced that they're back in business – and with a new VN already in the making! Silverio Ragnarok, sequel to Silverio Trinity! I can't wait to see what epicness will unfold when it's released next year!
Chapter 25
"I'm truly sorry for all this," Jaune said again, for what felt like the hundredth time to the blond.
He was speaking to Dean, who was also one of the survivors from the attack on Sol just the other day. Aside from some bumps and bruises obtained from all the shaking and debris being thrown around, the mayor of the ruined town was just fine physically… but it was clear that he and the other survivors were still hurting emotionally from what had happened. To be expected since, again, it'd happened just the other day.
Still, Dean was taking things rather gracefully, all things considered.
"Please, stop apologizing," the man said gently. "You and your friends did what you could."
"But even so…" Jaune began.
Dean smiled sadly. "It's just how things are. Such is the price of living out here like we do – sure, we're all self-sufficient because of it, but it's not like we can always repel whatever comes our way. And I know you already know this."
Jaune grimaced. He did indeed know this very well – people out on the frontier lived out there for any number of reasons.
Some lived out there because, if they lived far out enough from the kingdoms, lien doesn't hold any real value and so they instead engage in other forms of trade to keep their own little economies going. As such, suddenly going to living inside the kingdoms, where lien is very much needed for everything and the lifestyles and technology there are extremely different from their own, adjusting can be insanely difficult if not outright impossible.
Other lived out on the frontier because they could be considered rebels of sorts, holding values and beliefs that differ greatly from what's considered the norm in the kingdoms. Rather than stay in the kingdoms and risk getting arrested for one thing or another, they simply chose to leave and establish themselves elsewhere, where they could be left to their lonesome for the most part and not be judged too harshly for it.
Then, in the cases of some places like Sol, where they clearly operated on a lien based system and do have some level of technological development and skills that could be transitioned into something manageable within any of the four kingdoms, the reason behind them still living outside the kingdom walls is painfully simple: having been out here for entire generations, it's just something they're used to, something they're content with.
And something's not broken, no need to fix it.
These are the primary reasons why people live out here in the frontier, but there's still plenty of other reasons why villages and towns get established so far out.
But no matter the reason, everyone that lives out here are well aware of the risks involved – bandits, random thugs eager to start trouble wherever, natural disasters that could horribly impact their economies such as sudden droughts or famines… and of course, Grimm.
Places out on the frontier don't have too big a taboo against calling the kingdoms for help, but for the most part, they tend to hold a very realistic viewpoint towards potential outcomes. They know that there's only so many huntsmen and huntresses around and that it takes time to mobilize. Anything could happen within this timeframe. If help comes, then great. If none comes in time or at all, then that's also fine – such is life.
Dean and the people of Sol, while clearly happy for any help at all, grew up with this viewpoint. To them, the loss of their homes, while certainly saddening, is hardly unexpected.
And Jaune, from his travels, knew this too. But that didn't mean he was just okay with how things had turned out.
Dean chuckled a bit now, clearly bemused by the expression he must have on his face. "Ah, seriously, boy. You're too young to be beating yourself up over this."
"…Maybe," Jaune admitted. "But even so, things could've – should've – turned out differently. My emotions were getting too jumbled up. I should've seen a lot of things coming."
"Ah, come on, Jaune. Just how could anyone predict the Grimm acting so damn smart like that? How could anyone have expected them to pull off a stunt like that? To say nothing of that one man too…"
Jaune grimaced again, knowing what Dean was saying was true, but even so, he'd let that man's words get to him and he'd paid a price for it.
"But wow," Dean then said, looking him up and down from where he sat in the hospital's waiting room. After he'd been looked over and patched up upon them all arriving at the hospital in the first place, he's been stopping by regularly to check on the other people from Sol that had been more seriously injured and thus were still here. "Can't believe you're already looking so good. You healed right up real quick!"
Indeed, Jaune was already almost back to normal. It'd taken a whole day to heal most of his external wounds like the cuts and bruises, while his bones and muscles had begun their healing processes. As of now, while he wasn't fully healed just yet, he was able to be up and about, though his bones were still only partially restored and his muscles were rather tender.
"…It's a gift," Jaune said lamely, trying to smile but faltering. "Just what will you do now?"
He was referring to not just Dean himself, but to the rest of the survivors from Sol too. Their homes had been pretty leveled and their crops and work fields torn up during all the fighting.
"Mm. Well, for now, all we can do is just heal up… as well as mourn those that couldn't make it," the Faunus mayor began solemnly. "After that, some of us will head back to Sol, see what's left standing at all and see if it can't be rebuilt. The thing about living out here is that a lot of what we do is really reliant on nature… and nature always recovers from the hits it takes. It just takes some time. Rebuilding shouldn't be out of the question."
"But… what if it is?" Jaune asked.
"Then we may all have to go our own ways, assuming we can't just find another good spot of land to settle down in," Dean replied calmly. He did look a little sad a moment afterwards, but not too much. "If it does come to that first option, well, it's definitely going to be a sad parting – I'll miss my drinking buddies something fierce. I'll miss everyone else too… but our ancestors had to go their own separate ways too back then at some point or another. If they could do it, then we can do it too."
"I… I see. I hope it doesn't have to come to that," Jaune began. "But if it does, I wish you all the best of luck."
Dean smiled. "Thanks. It means a lot. Now… I think it's about time you go and head out with your friends. Can't keep that bullhead thing waiting, right?"
Following the news of the breach that had happened back in Vale, just about every team out in the field was getting recalled, those that could be reached and could afford to do so, that is. Seeing as Sol was kind of no more along with the Grimm that had attacked it, this meant JNPR's mission was technically over. As such, when Jaune's recovery speed was noted by his friends, they'd been the ones to reluctantly call for a bullhead pickup.
It'd just arrived about ten minutes on the outskirts of this town – Zion – and his friends were just in the process of bidding other survivors from Sol as well as the hospital staff here a very reluctant and sad goodbye
That's what Jaune had been doing too, aside from apologizing – saying goodbye.
"I really wish we were leaving under very different circumstances…" Jaune muttered.
"It is what it is. Besides, Vale – your home – was attacked. Would be bad to not go and check in at the very least," Dean commented. "Don't worry, Jaune. You and your friends did what you could. That at least most of us are still alive after what'd happened wouldn't have been possible if not for you four. I know for a fact the others feel the same way. So keep your chin up – you protected us. You'll always have our thanks for it."
When Jaune tried smiling now, he did a much better job than he did a moment ago. "I… thank you, Dean. But if you ever need anything…"
"I know who to ask for," Dean said with a small smirk. "Well, then if you ever see that one man again… make sure you give him a good thrashing for us, alright? Don't know what kind of part he played in the attack and all, but he's just got that punchable face, you know?"
Jaune actually snorted a little. "I'll make sure to do just that."
The two of them then shook hands and Jaune took his leave.
A few minutes later, his friends exited the hospital and they all left for the bullhead. And right after that, they began their silent and solemn flight back to Vale.
James Ironwood let out a sigh for the umpteenth time that day as he all but collapsed into the chair directly across from Ozpin's desk. And when his friend silently offered him a cup of hot cocoa, James wasted no time accepting it in order to calm his nerves… but not before taking out his flask and adding a little alcohol to the mix.
When he took a good chug of the hot drink, the mixture tasted just as bad as he'd expected it to, but the kick it gave him was most welcome.
"I see you're slowly becoming like Qrow," Glynda commented from nearby. "I suppose I should warn the students to be on the lookout for flying pigs."
The Atlas general grimaced; being compared to that rowdy drunkard was never a good thing.
"Well," Glynda then started. "It's not as if I don't understand how you feel."
"Indeed," Ozpin now said as he took a long drink of his cocoa. "Due to the Breach and the immediate aftermath of it, we haven't had to time fully go over what had happened yesterday. James, I believe you've already debriefed your specialist who was involved, yes?"
"I have," the general said. "You've already done the same with team RWBY, right?" It was this team, a team that Winter's sister Weiss was part of, that had assisted the older Schnee in her mission over the past few days.
Ozpin nodded. "Glynda, if you would."
The blonde nodded and pulled out her scroll to fiddle with for just a few seconds. James' own scroll pinged and he pulled it out, seeing that he'd been sent the transcripts of said debriefing.
"As you can see, according to the statements of each girl, team RWBY first began their mission with the Vale Police Department routinely enough – being explained the basics of what was known about the White Fang's activity within Vale and how they were to assist the police in assisting the Atlas military in researching what was known about the White Fang's most recent movements," Glynda began. "From there, Ms. Schnee admitted rather reluctantly to having used their mission to allow herself to meet with her sister, specialist Schnee, with the express purpose of assisting her. Due to the fact that they're huntresses-in-training, the police chief didn't have too much trouble allowing this to happen and essentially dumped them onto your specialist and her men."
James nodded along as he listened; it lined right up with what Winter had first started with during her own debriefing.
He continued to listen in silence as Glynda continued her explanation.
According to what team RWBY had said, they'd mainly been helping out with paperwork and research whilst Winter had focused on primarily on actually looking for anything that could lead to the White Fang cell's newest location. Unfortunately, things had gone quite cold on the trail by this point so Winter had essentially been going in blind. This had continued for a majority of the day or so until somehow the team of aspiring huntresses came across a tip that pointed to Mount Glenn being where the White Fang was now set up at… in addition to word of Adam Taurus himself being there as well.
From there, Winter had taken team RWBY along with her personal team to Mount Glenn as quickly as they could, for this unknown tip had also mentioned just a bit of whatever was being planned. Given what ended up happening, this tip was right on the money.
That said, upon having reached the ruins that lied atop Mount Glenn's surface, the large team had combed the whole area as thoroughly as possible before finding a cave that led somewhere below the mountain itself.
It had been there that they'd encountered the White Fang.
From there, things had gotten quite chaotic, according to team RWBY as well as accounts from Winter and her men. The White Fang forces there may have been caught completely off guard, but Winter and her own forces had been rather underequipped for the sheer amount of manpower the White Fang had somehow gotten out there. Nonetheless, they'd taken advantage of the White Fang's surprise to swiftly incapacitate a number of the weaker enemies, the grunts.
It hadn't been until Adam Taurus along with a tall chainsaw-wielding lieutenant of his that things had gotten truly dicey, for they'd been able to cut their way through a few of Winter's men before the specialist and her most elite grouped up to take the two on. As that had happened, team RWBY along with the few men Winter could spare had been tasked in stopping the train the White Fang had loaded up with Dust – the very same Dust that Roman Torchwick had been stealing, judging by the fact the now deceased thief had been working with the White Fang recently.
Again, given the results, they'd failed to stop the train, but had managed to detach some of the train carts well before it crashed into Vale, the resulting rubble having served as sufficient barricades in keeping a lot of the Grimm from rushing into the city.
Still, more than a few Grimm had been able to make their way into the heart of the city and more than a few civilian casualties had occurred, much to everyone's sadness and horror, but thanks to the combined forced of Vale's police department, the many, many soldiers that had been brought to Vale in addition to the huntsmen that had been able to mobilize swiftly, the Grimm were quickly dealt with. It'd just been that first several minutes of complete unpreparedness that had taken everyone so horribly off-guard.
"They've quite the informant," James commented dryly as Glynda finished talking.
"Indeed," Ozpin quipped in agreement. "It's very much obvious that team RWBY is keeping more than a few secrets. But we're hardly ones to talk."
James tried not to flinch. "That aside," he began. "What's the status of the teams you've sent out on missions?"
In the aftermath of the conflict, a lot of things had occurred. A number of White Fang members had been taken into custody, including the lieutenant that had been by Adam Taurus' side. However, Taurus himself had managed to escape during all the chaos. Additionally, while a number of Grimm had been kept away from Vale due to the rubble that blocked their path after they fell down into the tunnel, he'd tasked a handful of teams of his own soldiers to head in there and deal with them before they could potentially claw their way through all the debris.
In addition to this, other forces under his command were working with the council's own workers in cordoning off the entire section of Vale where the Breach occurred, fully intending to quickly fill in the hole the train had made.
"Those that can be recalled are already on their way back," Ozpin responded. "The rest that can't due to the nature of their missions are still going to carry them out, obviously."
James grunted. He'd figured as much. Alas, his paranoia was all but demanding every student to be called back to Beacon. If the White Fang had been able to pull off a stunt like this, then there was no telling what else may come next.
Fact of the matter is, if it hadn't been for team RWBY's informant, who most likely had some connection of their own to the White Fang, then things could've ended up a lot worse. And there was no guarantee that such another convenient tip would ever come again.
With the Vytal Festival slowly rearing around the corner, more and more measures must be taken to ensure everyone's safety. It was just too big an event for any radical to ignore.
"With what's happened, what has the council been saying about the Vytal Festival?" Glynda spoke up, asking the question James himself had been thinking of.
Ozpin sighed, looking older than he already was. "They still intend to go through with it. Their reasoning is that it would help everyone take their mind off all the chaos recently."
"Are they mad?!" Glynda all but yelled.
James grimaced. "I can't say I'm too surprised by that; they aren't exactly stupid or ignorant… but politics has always been its own unique beast and they're slaves to it."
"Indeed. In any case, we will once again have to work around things. I've already contact Qrow to inform him of the Breach and to try making contact with his sister."
"Seriously, Oz? Raven? Even assuming Qrow is able to find her and her merry band of criminals now, do you really think she'll want anything to do with any of us?" James asked.
"Or vice versa…" Glynda added.
"I know. But despite our own efforts to be more proactive, there's simply too much going on behind the scenes for us and our own all too small circle to keep up the good fight. We need to start bolstering our own forces and prepare for whatever shall inevitably come next." Ozpin now stood up and proceeded to down the rest of his cocoa before looking out the glass wall of his office. "The White Fang, whether they know it or not, are playing to the Queen's tune… and we've still yet to discern the identities of her real servants."
Out of the corner of his eyes, James saw Glynda shoot Ozpin a dirty look. He was tempted to question it, but managed to hold his tongue. Glynda, as Ozpin's closest subordinate and comrade, was just a bit more privy to the man's secrets than he was, James could admit. The blonde only ever shot the man that look whenever there was something he was doing or thinking of doing that she didn't agree with, which seemed to be more common a thing nowadays. She would also shoot him that look whenever it seemed like he was keeping a particular thing secret.
Alas, there was absolutely nothing that could be done to get Ozpin to spill whatever he really knew. James fancied himself as a paranoid and incredibly stubborn man, willing to do whatever it takes – within reason – to learn all he can to better protect Atlas and the other kingdoms… but Ozpin, in turn, was someone who could take secrets with him to the grave no matter what gets thrown his way.
Thus, as tempted as he was to force the issue, now simply wasn't the time for it. They needed to remain united. It was the only way they'd have any real chance against the Queen. The last thing they could afford was to have any in-fighting.
James didn't like it, but it was just the way of things.
So, he ignored the look Glynda was shooting Ozpin in favor of getting up. "Then I guess I don't have much choice other than to trust Qrow… God, that just gives me the shudders," he quipped upon standing. "…I'll be taking my leave then. There's still plenty of paperwork that needs to get done and since the council has seen fit to keep the Vytal Festival going, I suppose I should start planning out security for it as a precaution. I just hope that, whatever the outcome with Raven, she won't try to undermine us. It wouldn't be the first time, after all…"
Ozpin turned around, looking ready to say something, only to fall silent. When it looked like he wasn't going to speak after all, James merely nodded to both him and Glynda before leaving the office.
Once again, he was feeling a little left out of the loop. It was far from a good feeling. And as much as he trusted Ozpin to one day fill him in, there was no telling whether or not him knowing this unknown information was really that bad a thing.
In any case, while he's stepped down from a potential conflict wth Ozpin just now, that didn't mean he was going to sit idly by and let his longtime friends do all of the heavy lifting from the shadows.
It was high time he did a little digging of his own.
Who knows? Perhaps his own investigation into whatever is going on behind the scenes here will be fruitful for them all.
Following his meeting between himself, Glynda and James, the day had continued on for Ozpin in a dull manner, a surprise given the 'excitement' that the Breach had caused. It really never ceased to amaze him just how quickly people could adapt after facing such horrors.
Of course, this isn't to say everything was perfectly fine and dandy – there'd been plenty of collateral damage done during the Breach by the Grimm and the people that had slain them, to say nothing of the casualties that had occurred during the Grimms' mercifully brief rampage. Public outcry and concerns were at an all time high, civilians demanding answers and reassurances, things that the council and he himself were doing their best to provide without giving too much away.
The headmaster sighed, feeling so very old. There was just so much that had to be done – addressing pubic concerns, trying to persuade the council to cancel the Vytal Festival or at least push it back to a later date, driving the White Fang out of Vale for good, rooting out Salem's own agents… the list just kept on going.
This wasn't even getting into the subtasks that made up those primary objectives too…
Several hours go by with him keeping busy as headmaster of Beacon, forcing him to push back other self-imposed tasks. It was honestly making him a little antsy, for once again, he could feel it – how different this battle with Salem was turning out to be compared to the past.
In this age of technology and extreme subterfuge, there truly was no telling what could happen.
"Ozpin," Glynda suddenly said as she entered the office. "Team JNPR is back."
Ah. Well now, that was excellent timing given he was just finishing up the last bit of paperwork for the day.
"Send them in. I shall debrief them personally," he stated in as calm a voice as he could manage. Given what he'd already known in advance of the mission he'd sent them on, the fact that it seemed like all of team JNPR made it back was truly a pleasant surprise.
Now just to see if anything they said could prove useful…
Some odd minutes later, the team was ushered into his office. The four of them had certainly seen better days… but they were alive and well and that was more than enough to partially soothe his old heart.
"Headmaster, you wished to debrief us yourself…?" their leader, Jaune, asked with obvious confusion.
Ozpin looked the blond leader up and down quickly, noticing how he looked the worst off out of the bunch, what with how dirty and ragged his clothes were. The headmaster also noticed that one of the teen's two blades was nowhere in sight…
"Indeed," he began coolly. "Seeing as I was the one to assign you four this mission, it's only fit that I debrief you. Now then, please take a seat. Care for anything to drink before we begin?"
After a quick reply to his question followed by procuring some herbal tea for Jaune and his fellow male, Ren, while Nora Valkyrie had some hot chocolate and Pyrrha Nikos indulging in just a large glass of water, Ozpin took a seat behind his desk while the four sat comfortably on the opposite side.
And from there, they all launched into it.
From when they first made it to Sol up until when they'd left the town of Zion, team JNPR told the headmaster all they could remember, down to the very last detail.
Once more, Ozpin found himself rather surprised and impressed. He could count on both hands the number of time any huntsmen team has ever had such an amicable relationship with the populace of wherever they'd been sent to, let alone the setting up of traps with help from said populace.
But of course, it'd been what they ended up saying about the Grimm and an unknown man – Hazel – that really ended up catching his attention.
It took considerable effort to keep from balling his hands too tightly into fists; it was worse than he'd feared.
Based off what he silently listened to just now, it seemed Hazel somehow held some measure of control over Grimm, which was a most terrifying thought. It was bad enough that the man was powerful in his own right, but to now have somehow gained the ability to direct Grimm was severely unexpected.
Just like that, Hazel's already high threat level skyrocketed.
"I… see," Ozpin said after a moment.
From start to finish, he'd listened to what the team had to say in complete silence, partially because he'd felt it best to get the whole picture first before asking specific questions, but also partially because once the four of them started to talk, they just kept on talking. Surely, team JNPR's collective nerves were frayed after having to endure such an ordeal for their first mission.
"...This man," he began as he focused on the matter at hand. "What exactly can you tell me about him?"
They'd provided a quick description of Hazel and his actions – actions that left Ozpin quite horrified. The man was clearly going off the deep end more and more – but that had been about it. It was now time to get their individual impressions of the man.
Alas, it looked like the four of them were left befuddled by his question. They all then looked uncertain, not quite knowing what to say. But of course, this really should've been expected – in the midst of such an unexpected series of events, they probably didn't have much reason to pay Hazel that much attention lest they risk the Grimm slay all the townspeople.
…No, wait – there was one among these four that didn't look unsure. And really, Ozpin chided himself for not seeing this coming.
Jaune, as always, proved to be the exception.
"He was powerful," the blond began in a quiet but firm voice. "Had he really bothered to, he could've killed us all."
The blond leader's simple words left Ozpin momentarily taken aback. But then he regained his composure and motioned for the blond teen to continue.
Out of the four, Jaune had provided the least amount of details, having only really provided a general overview of the events he was personally privy to.
Thus, it was now Jaune's turn to explain in great detail just had happened – how Hazel had intentionally set things up so that they'd meet, their battle, and how things had ultimately ended… the J of team JNPR spoke of it all down to the very last detail, including the truly frightening list of injuries he ended up suffering from by the end of the battle.
By the end of his explanation, Ozpin could only lean back in his seat a bit, truly shocked.
He'd known from the start that Hazel's strength was an abnormality amongst people in general and that the same could really be said for Jaune, but the details provided just now proved to him just how abnormal both men really were.
Shaking the whole town, even the entire area, generating shockwaves with their attacks and more… these feats were not actually uncommon amongst professional huntsmen given that even trainees can casually deflect multiple bullets and easily the handle the recoil of guns that could take down large Nevermores. Why, even the likes of Qrow, who were more focused on agility and delivering precise strikes, could cut off portions of buildings from meters away just from the sheer force of their swings.
But to this extent? The only ones capable of feats to that degree were few and in between. And that this had been accomplished by a seventeen-year-old trainee and a man who clearly had still been holding back? It once again confirmed for Ozpin that Jaune Arc and Hazel Rainart were truly abnormal.
But Hazel more so than the teen, given that, again, he'd apparently done all this without going all out.
It would certainly explain why no one else he's sent Hazel's way had been able to actually take him down, however… not that this information made him feel any better.
"You said that something felt off when you fought him," Ozpin finally managed to utter after taking a minute to digest all this. "Do you think you can describe this?"
Jaune now took a few seconds to mull the question over, even closing his eyes in order to seemingly relive that battle. "…It felt as if he had another form of defense up, in addition to his aura and own natural durability. I can't say for certain what this additional defense is, but it didn't seem to be like an actual barrier though… and if struck hard enough, it's still possible to seemingly get through it. In any case, it felt as if it was the work of his semblance, so that much I can be certain of."
"Interesting…" Ozpin muttered.
Based off what little he knew personally about the man and what else he's managed to dig up on him in general, he'd initially deduced the man's semblance to be the dulling of pain, but it seemed young Jaune here felt differently. Given that he fought the man and survived in addition to having quite the sharp eye, Ozpin felt confident in being able to rely on the blond teen's word.
Still, this intel he was getting here was worrying. Whatever plans he'd been recently cooking up in order to deal with Hazel would have to be done from scratch again.
Now, that being said…
"I'm sorry things turned out this way," Ozpin said softly, meaning every word.
He'd taken a big risk by sending team JNPR out on this assignment. He'd essentially risked their lives as well as that of the townspeople for what ultimately amounted to just a bit of concrete info on Hazel. That they'd survived in addition to keeping most of the townspeople alive throughout the entire mission was nothing short of a miracle.
"We just did what we could, headmaster," Pyrrha suddenly spoke up, smiling as best she could. However, it didn't take a keen eye to note how fragile said smile looked.
"Yeah. I mean, one day we would've had to do something crazy like this anyways, right?" Nora added in, the normally energetic girl speaking quite tiredly.
Her partner, Ren, could only nod in agreement.
"It is what it is," Jaune then said neutrally. "And in any case, those people had needed help. It was only natural to provide it… no matter what the consequences would've been."
"…" Ozpin made a sound that not even he himself could fully identify. But he could say with certainty that team JNPR's resiliency had left a fair impression on him. "…Indeed. Thank you four for your time. Please, go and get some rest. You've more than earned it."
Three out of four teens were fairly quick in doing just that, mumbling out tired replies before getting up out of their seats.
But once again, Jaune proved to be the exception. "You guys can go on ahead," he started quietly. "I'd like to speak with the headmaster a bit more. Assuming that's not an issue, sir."
Ozpin blinked in surprise. "Not at all, Mr. Arc."
The NPR of the team reluctantly took their leave, though not before shooting their leader worried looks.
And so, it was only him and one Jaune Arc all alone in his office. The two of them simply stared at one another in dead silence for a minute or two, as if to wait to make sure no one else was around.
Finally, Ozpin spoke.
"Well then, Mr. Arc… what's on your mind?"
Jaune was feeling extremely tense when he'd asked to speak with the headmaster in private. Now that the man in question had spoken, the blond was actually reconsidering this.
But just when was the last time he's ever truly backed down from something he's committed himself to?
"I…" he began slowly. He was slumping forward a bit in his seat, shoulders hunched up. His still healing nerves felt like they'd explode from just how nervous he was feeling. Nonetheless, he forced himself to continue. "…Honestly, I was just hoping to speak a bit more of what… what happened."
The headmaster nodded slowly. "Are you referring to the battle against this unknown man?... You did suffer a truly horrifying number of injuries… perhaps-."
"No, it's not that," Jaune interrupted, albeit softly. "…I was certainly hurt much worse than ever before, but that's honestly nothing."
The headmaster quirked an eyebrow and then made a motion with his right hand, wishing for Jaune to explain.
The blond leader closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to settle down. It took a solid minute, but this did have some degree of success. If nothing else, he was able to sit properly now and lower his shoulders.
"It has to do with… well, with what the man said to me," he finally managed to utter. "He was a man of few words, relatively speaking, but even then… what words were said, well…"
"It had an impact on you," the headmaster finished for him. "…Tell me then – what did he say to you?"
Jaune thought back to that battle, reliving every single moment with an intense degree of clarity. Every word spoken, every expression the man had made… he remembered it all down to the slightest detail.
He proceeded to tell the headmaster literally every word the man had spoken to him but did so in a quiet tone as the impact of those words still was weighing down on him. The headmaster listened quietly and patiently to the very end.
It took only a few minutes, if that, for Jaune to finish doing this and it was another minute longer before the headmaster finally spoke.
"Mr. Arc," he began as he leaned forward a bit behind his desk. He placed both hands atop his desk, his cup of cocoa having gone forgotten for the time being. "Let me ask this: just what do you think about what this man had said? How did it make you feel?"
Jaune had seen those two questions coming from the very start, but even then, he was still unable to answer immediately.
It took him a few seconds to compose himself as he thought over it all again. After doing so, only then did he speak. "…At first, it just left me in a state of shock," he started. "But after calling me a fake and stating my kindness to be a weakness… that was when I started to feel genuinely rattled."
He paused for another few seconds, trying to reorganize his thoughts, only to then start speaking again almost unconsciously. "I…" he trailed off to lick his lips really a quick, a nervous tick of his that he'd thought he'd long since lost. "…Ever since I was a young boy, when I'd first awakened my aura and semblance, the only thing I'd ever really focused on doing was helping others. I was obsessed with this, to the point where I started to train myself into the ground before eventually just taking off to help others. At first, I just helped out people however I could within my hometown, but that just didn't feel like I was doing enough so then I branched out into the other towns nearby… but then that soon proved to not be enough.
"At some point, I just started to journey well out of the comforts of my own hometown and the surrounding area, heading right for the frontier – it's the area that I figured where people could really use my help… and I was right. There were plenty of Grimm to be slain, bandits and gangs and other types of criminals that were preying on the people out there, and that's to say nothing of other things that could threaten the people's well-being out there like natural disasters.
"No matter what it was, I helped people, saved them from all the troubles that I could save them from. I didn't always succeed, especially not at first, but I still did the best I could. I did my best to learn whatever skill would be needed to help others, be it something as simple as helping someone repair a busted pipe to something much more essential like more advanced first-aid. I really did my best to help everyone that could be helped, sir.
"…Of course, I learned along the way a lot of important life lessons, the hard way at that too – it seemed like that was just the only way I could learn such lessons. But no matter how heavy the toll was on me, I just kept on trudging on – after all, there were others that still needed help, so I couldn't afford to just let them suffer any longer.
"A-And… every time I helped someone, they'd always thank me for it. At some point, some of these people I aided even went as far as to call me a hero, a title I did my best to live up to. They deserved nothing less than my absolute best. Of course, there were those – the ones that I failed – that didn't accept the outcome so gracefully; they proclaimed me useless and yelled all sorts of grief-stricken words at me… words that I deserved. After all, I'd failed them…
"But even then, I just kept on going, I had to. And this is what I did over and over and over again for years. And even though I may not have always succeeded, I still try to at least content myself with knowing that I'd done what I could… and yet… after what that man had said…"
"…It feels as though he was invalidating all you've done," the headmaster gently interjected. "…Mr. Arc… take a breath. Release your grip too, please."
Jaune stared at the headmaster unblinkingly for several long seconds before realizing that he'd just been rambling. And at some point he'd really started to grip the armrests of his chair tightly; it was a miracle he hadn't crushed them under his grip.
The headmaster waited whilst he tried to relax, after which he spoke. "You say you had to help people," he began. "Like it was an unshakeable compulsion… tell me, Mr. Arc… compulsion or not, did you sympathize with anyone? Felt for them during their times of crisis."
"Of course," was Jaune's immediate answer.
"…I see now," the headmaster said as he closed his eyes. "I understand now why that man had called your kindness a weakness."
"Y-You do?" Jaune asked, stupefied.
"Indeed," the headmaster replied. "It's not that kindness in and of itself is a weakness, but rather the extent of your kindness. Mr. Arc, you just said yourself that no matter what kind of toll was placed on you, you kept going… your desire to help is truly admirable, but it's now obvious to me that you were placing everyone else's happiness and well-being far above your own."
The blond winced. His own family had said as much multiple times.
"As for the 'fake' comment the man had made to you… it seems you yourself don't view yourself as a hero. Do you perhaps feel the man was right?"
At that question, Jaune's heartrate quickened. A mixture of genuine anger and grief now gripped him and it started to feel as though he was on the verge of hyperventilating.
How could he not? After all, it was the truth.
"…Yes," Jaune eventually managed to say. "He is right. I'm no hero, just a fake."
"But why do you feel that way?"
Jaune looked down in order to hide his wince from the older man. He'd told Blake and Pyrrha of what happened in his past, when his family had been attacked… but he'd left out a key detail. For some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to tell them this detail.
But the headmaster… he was someone in a position of authority and a degree of professional confidentiality. Another way of putting it would that there should be a degree of objectivity here, unclouded by any real emotion.
Jaune was never one to even think of seeing a psychiatrist for anything, but after what had happened in Sol, the headmaster would suffice.
"…My semblance," he started, slowly raising his head but not quite looking the headmaster in the eyes just yet. "It gives me a great deal of power… but in return, it affects my own mentality. Ever since I awakened it, there's always been this… this powerful push within my own mind. Help others, save others, strike down evil… these words just started to repeat infinitely within me back then and all I could do was obey. Such was their hold over me. It became a function of existence for me – just like how we all we all breathe without any thought or effort on our part because we need to breathe, I help others, save others, smite evil because I need to. The only real thought that goes into these actions is how best to carry it out."
Jaune finally looked the headmaster in the eyes, his blue ones meeting the headmaster's gray eyes. "…I've no real say in this matter. As much as I sympathize with others over their struggles, I don't always want to go as far as I do, but again I have to. So… yeah…" he just trailed off awkwardly. Once again, he'd really just been rambling. He may have been stating the honest truth, but really he could've at least tried to think it out and words much more concisely and clearly. But in any case… "That man is right – I'm no hero. I'm just… I'm just a slave. And a slave has no choice in any given matter."
For what felt like an hour – in reality, perhaps only a minute or two – he sat there in silence, staring at the headmaster, whose composed expression was finally broken. Jaune, normally so good at being able to read other people's expressions, couldn't quite read the other man's – there was just too much emotion in it to really tell which one was the dominant one. The only thing he can be sure of is that he'd certainly left the headmaster feeling quite surprised.
Then, the headmaster started to recover himself, regaining his composure… but even then, not completely. "Mr. Arc…" the man trailed off, seemingly trying to compose his own thoughts. "…For what reason did you come to Beacon?"
"To find a purpose," Jaune answered quietly. "I know you said in your speech before initiation that Beacon isn't supposed to just give anyone a purpose just like that or anything… but even then, I'd hoped that at least by being here and being exposed to whatever would come my way that maybe, just maybe… I just want something to truly strive for, headmaster. While I may not always want to go as far as I do – at least, I don't think I do – I do at least want to be able to really concentrate my efforts on just one thing. To simply go through live, aimlessly helping one person after another… that's no way to live. I… there's just no telling how much longer I can just keep on living my life like this."
What he just said was a confession straight from his heart, one that left even him surprised. He'd come to Beacon for two reasons – one, to find a purpose to truly dedicate himself to and two, to try and normalize himself somehow per his family's desperate pleas. He'd felt these were two things he genuinely wanted and indeed, he did want to achieve these goals… but until now, he hadn't realized just how desperately he'd wanted to do something about his own condition.
…Had the mental effects of his own semblance somehow suppressed his true feelings so deep down? Considering how suddenly he'd lost interest in most of his hobbies from back then like dancing or playing the guitar, it wouldn't surprise him if this was the case.
And the fact that this thought didn't leave him horrified was just another horrifying indicator of how little free will he really had in the face of his own semblance.
"…I truly wish I had a helpful response to all of this, Mr. Arc," the headmaster began.
But the man didn't have to continue before Jaune started to nod his head. "N-No, I understand, sir… this was a lot to suddenly dump on you. For that, I'm sorry."
There was an awkward pause and Jaune suddenly stood up, his mind swiftly becoming a mess in the wake of all this.
"I-I should get going, sir. Wouldn't want to keep my team waiting," he said hastily before turning to leave.
"Wait."
That one word, spoken with authority yet also with a quiet kindness, made Jaune freeze in his tracks, not even daring to turn around.
"Yes, sir?" he managed to utter.
"I doubt this man was ever the first to make comments along those lines, no matter how seriously the words were spoken…" the headmaster stated and rightfully so. "So, what was it about this man in particular that rankled you so much?"
"…Because," Jaune slowly replied, thinking back again to that man. He remembered vividly the angry yet so very weary look in his eyes, the resignation that had been present in his huge body.
"…Somehow, he'd felt a lot like me," Jaune continued. "…Now that I think of it… it was almost like looking into a mirror."
The headmaster said nothing in response, seemingly rendered silent yet again by the words just spoken. Jaune couldn't take it anymore. His mind was slowly starting to unwind.
"I'll be taking my leave, sir. Thank you for your time… and sorry."
This time, when he started walking, the headmaster didn't stop him.
As you can tell, this was just covering the aftermath of the events at Sol. And for the first time, you get a real good look at Jaune's mental state. Now, I'm sure the whole mental effect his own semblance was having on him was painfully obvious from the start, but now it's explicitly stated within this fic and now with this done, expect to see some deconstruction going on with his mindset and actions. I can only hope that said deconstruction will turn out in a concise and thought-provoking manner.
Now then, before any of you start to wonder why the hell Jaune suddenly started to act like this, there's a number of reasons for it. First and foremost, while his own semblance makes him a determinator among determinators, it's not as if any and all mental/emotional trauma he's gone through is just completely shrugged off – it just gets buried deep, deep down. And it goes without saying just how dangerous repressing your own emotions can be.
Secondly, as was also pointed out several times already, Hazel and Jaune are reflections of one another (this is something that will be further expanded upon over time) and it was his encounter with the man that sort of triggered Jaune's innermost feelings bubbling up. Hazel's own words to him didn't help either as this chapter shows.
Thirdly, Jaune was already kind of skirting that dangerous line of instability from the very start of this fic, it's just that now in the wake of this mission that he's been officially pushed over said line.
As for why he told all this to Ozpin but not his friends? That's easy, just look at ourselves in real life – just how often do we tell our loved ones every single thing that's been deeply bothering us? Just look at how many people will unload damn near all their secrets in therapy, when speaking to a psychiatrist, but keep all of this bottled up when speaking with family and friends. Same situation, just different setting.
Anyways, yeah, just wanted to clear all that up in advance. Hope this makes sense.
Also, don't think this is the end of things just yet – next chapter will also be continuing the aftermath of Sol and the Breach, but will be done through the points of views from other characters.
Now then, until next time, everyone. Take care!