To both Hirshja and Ninjafox911, thank you very much for your words of concern. It really does mean a lot. I'm, well, I'm doing better and that's all I can really say after what had happened… and honestly, what had happened was something that I'd kind of seen coming in advance as opposed to everyone else in my family… so I guess I had already been braced for the impact in a sense. Didn't make what happen hurt any less, but I think I am holding up much better than the others who were blindsided by it.
But again, thank you very much for your concern. I hope things are going okay for you guys. Ninjafox911, I also hope that things are better now for you too and will continue to improve.
This, of course, goes all out to any and all who read this fic too – hope you all are doing okay. If you're going through rough times, may things improve for you all soon.
Stay safe, everyone.
P.S. Please read AN at end for some clarification on fic related things.
Chapter 43
It was with a heavy sigh that Ozpin watched listlessly as Amber remained comatose within that machine he'd placed her in. Her vitals were stronger than ever and overall, it looked like she'll be physically recovered soon enough.
Not that this mattered much since she was still in that blasted coma, but he needed whatever good news he could get at this point.
Especially when considering what had happened.
Two things of exceptional note – and that was putting things mildly – had occurred within a very short period of time. Firstly, teams JNPR and RWBY had gone out into Vale just yesterday afternoon and had ended up dealing with a most unusual situation, in the form of numerous cars and city-owned drones used for in-city deliveries and infrastructure usage had gone completely haywire, trying to attack civilians. This sudden oddity had lasted only ten or so minutes at the most and no one had been hurt thanks to the quick and decisive actions of the two first year teams, but given the string of incidents that precede this one, it only added to the public unrest in that particular area.
The second thing of note… had been the news he'd been informed of just earlier today:
Leonardo Lionheart, one of his good friends in this current life of his and someone complicit in the efforts against Salem, had been found dead in his office this morning.
Ozpin has lost many friends and loved ones throughout his lives, but it always hurt like hell whenever he had to experience it again. But sadly, he nor his other friends could afford to grieve the man's death much just yet, not when there was still so much to do in the shadow war against Salem.
When he'd been informed of this, there hadn't been a single doubt in his mind that Salem must have had a hand in this, for there was absolutely no reason for anyone not affiliated with her to go out of their way to kill the headmaster of a huntsmen academy, especially not on academy grounds at that too.
With this in mind, he'd been all too quick to inform Qrow, who'd gone out before hearing of this, and Qrow in turn had called up Raven – when they'd met with the bandit leader to form their little alliance, they'd made sure to give her a disposable scroll that already had Qrow's number added to it – and got the woman to run a quick but especially important 'errand.'
That is to say, Ozpin had gotten Raven to head to Haven and check on the Relic there. It'd been a hunch on his part since there was no guarantee Salem's forces would know of where exactly the vault was located much less of a way to bypass its defenses and quite the risk too since there was always the chance Raven would just take the Relic for herself and book it to parts unknown as one final 'screw you' to him. But to his somewhat pleasant surprise, Raven had dutifully acquiesced though not without some cynical remarks about this situation…
…And it'd been to his horror that upon the woman checking in with Qrow and him, it was revealed that the Relic was no longer inside the vault.
Somehow, Salem had figured out a way to open the vault without having the Spring Maiden – in this case, Raven – involved. The implications behind this were absolutely terrifying to consider. If Salem could do that with one vault, then what was to say she couldn't do the same with any of the others?
Needless to say, since this was confirmed, he'd spent most of his time holed up in his office making numerous calls and coordinating things with both James and the headmaster of Shade to reassess the defenses around the Relic of Destruction and Relic of Creation respectively
Sadly, relocating the Relics wasn't possible for they were currently in immobile constructs – a vault in the case of the Relic of Destruction while the Relic of Creation was serving as the power core for all of Atlas. This, of course, applied for the Relic of Choice as well and sadly none of the Maidens could simply be called up to open the vaults for them.
As the Relic of Creation was serving as the power core for Atlas, it wasn't in a vault and thus could technically be removed as needed – but without it, Atlas itself would immediately fall upon Mantle. Even if Atlas was relocated elsewhere and allowed to fully descend before the Relic was removed, that would still leave the people of the kingdom without power and only put them all at risk of Solitas' intense cold. An alternative power source would first be needed before they could even think of relocating the Relic and who knows how long that would take. Dust wasn't even an option since the amount needed to power a veritable sky fortress was absolutely ridiculous.
As for both the Relic of Destruction and Choice, as they were within their vaults still, the Summer and Fall Maidens respectively would be needed… but the Summer Maiden's whereabouts were currently unknown, having been allowed to travel much like Amber had been allowed to do and any and all guards he'd tried to send with her have been shaken off. The Summer Maiden did at least make regular contact with Shade's headmaster, so hopefully she can be recalled and move the Relic to another location once she returned.
Alas, as for the Relic of Choice, with Amber still comatose, they couldn't very well drag her and try to coax the young woman into opening the vault. Thus, the only way to do that… would be to first transfer the power of the Fall Maiden to someone else…
At that, Ozpin grimaced and looked away from Amber. To even remotely entertain such a thought sickened him, but more than that, it simply wasn't viable either. With Salem's advantage greater than ever before, he just couldn't afford to transfer the Fall Maiden power to another host since there likely wouldn't be anywhere near enough time to train the new Maiden how to wield the power properly and without risk. As inexperienced as Amber still is, she at least has a solid grasp of the basics.
All in all, things weren't looking very good, not good at all. it was angering him, genuinely angering him, really. Every time he and his allies have tried to respond to one incident, an even worse one crops up immediately thereafter.
The only upside to all this aside from Amber's steady recovery was that one question had already been used up for the Relic of Knowledge, meaning that if Salem did summon Jinn, she'd only have two questions to ask the spirit of the Relic. It was a very small mercy, but it was better than nothing.
But this absolutely cannot stand. Now more than ever, action needs to be taken before the next big metaphorical storm comes their way.
His scroll beeped and he immediately answered it. It was Glynda.
"Ozpin," she began, deadly serious. "Teams RWBY and JNPR have been summoned to your office. They'll be there in a matter of minutes."
"Good. I'm heading back up right now. Meet me there," he replied swiftly before ending the call.
Turning around and making a quick exit, Ozpin steeled himself for what must come. He's made it a point to scout out and ultimately recruit allies over the course of years. In the case of Glynda and all of team STRQ, he'd slowly spent the four years they'd spent as Beacon students learning all about them and bringing them into the fold.
This was something he'd intended to do from the start with both RWBY and JNPR, if only due to Ruby Rose's silver eyes and the viability of Pyrrha Nikos as the next Fall Maiden as well as Jaune Arc's own abnormal might… but with all that has happened recently, to say nothing of JNPR's leader learning about Salem already, it was already time to properly bring them all into the fold.
He truly didn't wish to do this, not when they were all still so fresh, so untested when in comparison to older and more experienced teams, but time had long since ceased being a privilege he could afford.
As he reached his office and now awaited their arrival, Ozpin prepared himself to fill them in on the gaps in their recently obtained knowledge… all the while hoping that doing this would not result in their early deaths.
"Enter," called out the headmaster's voice as soon as Jaune, followed shortly by his friends, approached the door to the headmaster's office.
Opening the door and holding it open for his friends, Jaune immediately locked eyes with the man in question and then noted the presence of professor Goodwitch as well. Taking note of their general demeanor, the blond immediately knew what this was about.
He'd had his suspicions from the very instant his team along with team RWBY were summoned here, but now those suspicions were confirmed. He'd shared his suspicions too with his friends within the quiet sanctity of their dorms right after the summoning, and as he briefly looked at them all, he could see the gears turning in their minds too.
As he closed the door now, Jaune approached his partner and stood by her side. No sooner than when he'd reached her did the headmaster pressed some unseen button and the door audibly locked behind them along with the window tint dimming to the point where looking outside was borderline impossible.
Needless to say, it did take a couple of his friends – primarily Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha – off guard enough to make them nearly jump out of their skin. The deadly serious gazes of both the headmaster and professor Goodwitch weren't helping either.
"Thank you for coming," the headmaster now began before any of them could even think to say anything. "Allow me to get right to the point – Mr. Arc here had no doubt informed you all of what he learned about Salem, yes?"
"T-That's right, sir," Ruby squeaked out nervously. "He, uh, he told us all about her. Immortal Grimm queen… pretty scary stuff."
At that, the corners of the headmaster's mouth twitched marginally. Looks like he might have found Ruby's words rather amusing. He'd have probably chuckled a bit under different circumstances, Jaune silently surmised.
"Correct. And this information is something you've no doubt acted on yesterday to some extent," the headmaster replied as he stood up. "And I gather this is why that incident yesterday had occurred."
"An incident," professor Goodwitch now began as she looked at her scroll, no doubt reading a report. "that consisted of numerous cars, drones, and other machinery suddenly running rampant for approximately ten to fifteen minutes. You eight were at the center of it all, Ms. Nikos and Ms. Schnee using their semblances to slow down and otherwise prevent the cars from crashing into any civilians while Mr. Lie went into the shops to shut down the malfunctioning machinery there… while that happened, you, Mr. Arc along with Ms. Belladonna handled crowd control and moved the civilians elsewhere whilst Ms. Rose and Ms. Xiao Long took to the warehouses… is that correct?"
"That's correct, professor," Jaune answered. As it'd been his idea to go into Vale at all, he felt it best to take the lead in answering that question. "And as you've guessed, our trek into that part of Vale was due to some information we'd been acting on, information that we'd hoped would be beneficial to stopping at least one or two of Salem's agents."
Both the headmaster and professor Goodwitch looked to him, their gazes extremely intense. Most others would no doubt balk under such stares, but he stood his ground without issue.
"As I'd suspected," the headmaster began. "It would seem there's a fair bit of information you are privy to that my allies and I are not. That must now come to an end."
At that, even Jaune tensed. "Headmaster…?"
"Mr. Arc, as you've no doubt figured out, when we spoke of Salem, there was still a fair bit I was leaving out. Though you've proven yourself to be a noble person, I'm sure you understand why secrecy is needed in many cases… and especially so when concerning the existence of Salem," the headmaster said. He took a few steps around his desk so that he now stood by it. "But more than that, I'd held back the truth because I'd felt it wasn't right to drag you and your friends into this shadow war against her… at least not just yet. But with all that's happened recently, I've reconsidered that."
There was a few seconds of absolute silence as Jaune and his friends comprehended what the man had just said.
It was Pyrrha who then spoke. "Headmaster, do you mean to say that…?"
The headmaster bowed his head. "…From the start, it was my intention to eventually bring some of you into the fold… not because I want to, but because certain circumstances would've made it necessary. And now, circumstances have made it necessary to bring you all into the fold here and now. But to do that, we must be honest with each other." He eyed each and every one of them briefly but with an intensity that would make even the most battle-hardened warriors freeze in place. "I see it in your eyes – you all know well how much of a danger Salem possesses not just to any one kingdom, but to the entirety of Remnant. You've all done admirable work on your own, but now is the time for us to consolidate our might. But to do that, I must again reiterate how important it is we share what we know. You all hadn't simply strolled into that section of Vale on a mere whim – you'd done so intentionally. I wish to know why you'd done that… and in turn, I shall share what else I know."
The headmaster's gaze then softened. "…I know this is quite sudden on my part and incredibly unfair… but please. I truly wouldn't do this unless I felt it was genuinely necessary."
Jaune looked to Pyrrha, then to Nora and Ren. They all looked back at him and at each other. He then did the same with RWBY. And after doing so, they all looked back at the headmaster and professor Goodwitch with expressions of pure resolve.
As first years in a huntsmen academy, all they should've had to worry about was school, whatever few Grimm and run of the mill criminals they had to deal with on missions down the line and whatever other simple everyday things teens worry about. That they instead have had to worry about the likes of Roman Torchwick and the White Fang and now Salem was a hell of a far cry from the typical trainee life.
But whatever their personal reasons for doing what they do, they've all chosen the path of being huntsmen and huntresses, fully knowing in advance that there'd be days where the odds would be completely against them.
Dealing with the likes of Hazel and Salem and whoever else they're affiliated with may be a hell of a step up from the 'usual' stuff huntsmen trainees deal with… but at the end of the day, all this was no different from what aspiring huntsmen were meant to do – fighting against all odds to protect the daily lives of others.
With this in mind, Jaune stepped forward. "Alright then…" he said simply before launching into an explanation of all that's occurred these past several weeks and even further back.
A lot of what he had to say was just a rehash of certain things such as the two battles he's had with Hazel, but there was still plenty more worth telling – the conflicts with the White Fang, Tukson's help with both that matter and the matter yesterday, the conjecture he and his friends have come up with regarding all this stuff… he left nothing out.
Of course, over the course of this long explanation, his friends naturally chipped in, taking over the talking whenever they had more to add. This was especially true in the case of Blake whenever certain things regarding the White Fang and Tukson's involvement cropped up.
With the windows remaining tinted, Jaune had no idea exactly how much time had passed by the time they finished speaking, but he estimated that at least twenty minutes or so have gone by.
By the end of it, he and his friends could only stand there, feeling oddly lighter. It was as if some unknown pressure that had been holding them down had suddenly lifted. It was quite a nice feeling, if Jaune said so himself.
That said, seeing the way the headmaster and professor Goodwitch reacted throughout their explanation was quite something. He wouldn't go as far as to say it was worrisome but seeing them both – mainly the latter – look genuinely shocked and just somewhat angered by their clearly reckless actions was certainly worth noting.
He didn't expect it to make them suddenly change their minds or anything, but there was never any way to truly be sure.
Thankfully…
"I… see," the headmaster said as he let out a quiet sigh. "…You lot have kept yourselves busy."
"To say nothing of how reckless you've all been in the process," professor Goodwitch muttered, albeit in resignation. What was done is done, plus as Jaune had stressed, they'd done all that they'd done after taking into consideration everything possible. They hadn't just gone into things without thinking out the potential consequences.
"U-Uhm, so… are we gonna get in trouble for all that?" Ruby now asked on behalf of them all, the silver eyed girl nervous once again.
The headmaster then chuckled lightly. "I believe at this point, trying to stick you all in detention would be idiotic on my part," he joked quietly, getting just a few chuckles in response. The man then walked forward a bit so that he was now standing directly before the eight of them. His expression was as serious as could be. "…Now, as promised, I shall share what else has been kept secret, but before I do…"
The headmaster looked them all in the eyes. If his gaze had been intense before, then it was piercing the very core of their souls this time around. Everyone stood at complete attention, unable to so much as gulp or even twitch.
"I want to make it clear," the man said quietly. "Just how important this is. As is the case with Salem herself, what I'm about to tell you is not information that can be shared with others on a mere whim. And if you truly wish to take part in this, I need to stress how much I need you all to be willing to trust me… all the training you've undergone so far to get to this point, the rest of your time here at Beacon… all of that simply cannot prepare you properly for the danger Salem herself poses. Am I understood?"
Once more, they all stayed silent but their resolve showed through nonetheless. Things have come this far. Backing out now simply wasn't an option, not that they would've taken such an option in the first place.
Seeing their resolve, the headmaster nodded…
…And then, the man began to talk.
Ozpin watched carefully as every one of the eight students before him reacted to everything he had to tell them.
The existence of the God Brothers. The Relics. The Maidens. The silver eyes and their power… all of it.
…No, not quite all of it, actually – he'd kept to himself the fact that this humanity was not the first one to exist nor did he tell them of his own origins and curse. And he certainly didn't tell them of Salem's genuine immortality. That information would be far too much for them. That he's yet to even tell Glynda, Qrow, and James of that last detail said something. This was simply some bits of information that no one was quite ready for.
But nonetheless, he'd given the relevant information and it more than sufficed for them.
The way all of them reacted with absolute shock… yes, it was good he'd stopped when he had. Telling them of his curse, while probably the least mindboggling thing out of everything, would've just been too much. Qrow or Glynda could tell them of his curse at a later point in time or he could do so himself. What mattered was that he communicated to them just how dire the situation currently was, if only on the grand scale.
Again, it was worth reiterating that what he'd had to say had stumped them all, with many of them looking wobbly in the knees from the sheer mental overload. Not even the normally stoic Lie Ren of JNPR seemed so collected anymore.
…Except for Jaune Arc, however. Oh, the blond leader of JNPR very much sported a look of genuine surprise on his face, but at the same time it was obvious from even a quick glance that the teen was taking it all in much better than his friends. More than that, he could already see the teen recovering from the shock too, his blue eyes narrowing in deep thought.
"…That is the overall situation," Ozpin finally finished up after letting them have a minute to recover themselves. "I understand it's more a lot to take in – more than a lot – but I cannot say enough how badly it is needed for us all to come together."
"H-Headmaster," Ms. Nikos started in an unsteady voice. "Is… I… Just how have you and the others been combatting all this?"
At that, Ozpin couldn't help but smile brittlely. "Not easily, Ms. Nikos. Given the sheer number of Grimm in existence, Salem's forces have a vastly superior numerical advantage, more than enough to crush any human resistance. It is only thanks to Grimm hordes being suppressed before they could truly form either through overwhelming human might or usage of the Relics that the kingdoms have been able to come together in the first place. But even then, simply by being themselves, the Grimm have long since been picking away at all human settlements. From the moment this war against Salem began, it was a war of attrition… and on that front, we will eventually lose."
"I don't get it," Ms. Xiao Long now spoke up, her normally lively demeanor returning but with a critical look about her. "If you've been using these Relics every now and then to push back Grimm and stuff, then why not just do that now? Why let things just get potentially worse?"
Ozpin sighed. "Because as I explained, the Relics are what Salem wants. To take them out of their respective vaults, if only for a brief time, is to risk exposing them. With her having long since employed human agents to sabotage the kingdoms, that is just one risk we've long since been unable to take. For Salem to even obtain one Relic puts her at an even far greater advantage than ever before."
"Which has happened as of yesterday…" Ms. Belladonna now mumbled.
He closed his eyes in sorrow. In the course of his explanation, he'd also told them of what had happened just recently concerning Leonardo and the Relic of Knowledge.
"Which is why," Glynda now spoke, stepping in for him while he got caught up in his emotions though he could still focus on her. "We can't afford to bring any of the other Relics out so hastily."
"But with this Relic of Knowledge, can't she just ask where the Relics are exactly?" Ms. Belladonna questioned.
"She could," Glynda continued. "She just might. But even if she does so, she'd still need to figure out a way for her forces to slip inside and get the Relics out of there. Of course, she could also ask how to circumvent our defenses, but then she'd use up the remainder of the questions for this generation. For her, that wouldn't be too big a loss due to her longevity, but it would still potentially set back some plans she may have."
Ozpin opened his eyes now and motioned to Glynda that he'll take over talking once again. "We are considering relocating the Relics as another precaution, but that isn't something we could so easily do as I've explained. Even if we could move them today, we would need to take additional precautions to make sure they aren't stolen in mid-transport."
At his words, Ms. Xiao Long shook her head in disbelief. "Holy shit… I can't believe I'm actually here talking about stuff like this…"
Ozpin's mouth twitched slightly into a smile, understanding the Y of RWBY's amazement, but he suppressed it ruthlessly. "I understand that you all have many questions in light of all this… but perhaps you should all take the rest of the day to digest this. Perhaps tomorrow morning, we can all meet once again and go over things."
As much urgency as there was right now in needing to stay ahead of Salem, he couldn't simply force these eight teens to suddenly start marching to his tune here and now. In his haste during previous lives, he's done just that… and more often than not, trying to make people do as he wished right off the bat had disastrous results, rightfully so.
That was yet one of many things he couldn't afford having play out this time around. Salem was far too close now to driving them all to the very brink and beyond. If giving RWBY and JNPR until tomorrow morning to sort their thoughts out is what it would take to ensure they could all properly work together, then that's what will have to happen.
Besides, he still needs to coordinate with James and Qrow on their respective fronts – the former would be looking into the defenses in place for the Relic of Creation to ensure its safety while the latter had already been deployed towards the Grimmlands to search for any traces of the one who took the Relic. Raven and her tribe had also been tasked with tracking down whoever stole the Relic of Knowledge too within Mistral's territories. Given just how fresh Leonardo's corpse had apparently been, the Relic must have only just been stolen yesterday. Granted, that gave whoever took it – likely Tyrian Callows – a considerable head-start, but both Branwen siblings were expert trackers and he's also made use of his many connections to get any and all flights and cruises within a hundred miles of Haven grounded for one reason or another and inspected in case the man had snuck aboard any ship. Hopefully, Raven could also look into whatever criminal contacts she had too to check if Tyrian had tried alternate methods of swiftly covering ground.
The hope was that Tyrian could be intercepted and the Relic taken back before it could fall permanently into Salem's hands.
"Headmaster…" Ms. Rose suddenly spoke up, snapping him out of his thoughts. "With what you said about my silver eyes…"
"Yes, what about them?" he responded gently.
The girl bowed her head for a second, seemingly steeling herself. "My mom had silver eyes too… did she… maybe have something to do with this war against Salem?"
Ozpin did a good job keeping his cool outwardly, but inwardly he was hurting at the sight of the young girl's expression. "…Yes, she did. Alongside the rest of team STRQ, she willingly joined the fight against Salem all those years ago. She'd learned to harness the latent power of the silver eyes to an incredible degree and proved to live up to the legend of silver eyed people being the best warriors… She'd gone on a mission into the Grimmlands, where she'd encountered unknown complications… and we lost contact with her immediately thereafter."
He looked at the girl with sorrowful eyes. "I'm sorry, Ms. Rose," he said, letting his true self – that of a man exhausted from centuries of loss and failure – show through. "Had I known of what would befall your mother, I would've done all I could to ensure she made it home safe and sound. Much like your uncle and father, she was a dear friend."
Ms. Rose bowed her head again, the girl looking to be on the verge of tears. Even so, she managed to hold the tears back. "I… Thank you, headmaster," she said softly after several seconds. When she looked back up, it was with a look of steel about her. "This really is a whole lot to take in… but I'm gonna do my best to help out. I've always wanted to be like my mom – a great huntress that always bring happy endings about… it's about time I start trying to do just that."
The ancient wizard smiled now, genuinely at that. Even Glynda, stern as she always is, looked at Ms. Rose with a tenderness she rarely showed anyone. Ms. Rose truly possessed a simple soul. And as he once thought, that may very well be what is needed to triumph against Salem in the end.
And speaking of simple souls…
Ozpin now directed his attention towards Mr. Arc. For all the young man's enigma, he too appeared to possess a simple and straightforward soul, albeit one backed by a truly absurd power and keen mind.
As if sensing his gaze, Mr. Arc ceased to blankly stare straight ahead and now matched his gaze. "Mr. Arc," Ozpin began slowly. "Before we call this meeting to an end, are there any comments to make on your part?"
Given just how many surprises the blond has come at him with up until now, Ozpin's interest in the teen's war potential – a term that honestly sickened him, but had to be said nonetheless – was at an all time high. To say he was interested in what the teen would have to say was quite an understatement.
"None at the moment," the blond leader began neutrally, only for his serious expression to then shift marginally. "…No, on second thought…"
"Yes?"
"In light of the attack on city hall, the incident just yesterday that my team and RWBY were involved in yesterday, and headmaster Lionheart's murder, just what is the immediate plan going immediately forward?" the blond asked. "With everything you've just told us, it's now clear that Salem's plan is to cripple Vale from within before steamrolling the entire kingdom with Grimm… all in order to give her all the time needed to search for the Relic of… of Choice, right? In hindsight, it's now obvious that Hazel and whoever else is with him are here to cause mass panic and bring low Vale's defenses, which just makes them that much greater of a priority to deal with… and considering the spontaneous event yesterday, they'd probably just left the kingdom for the time being… and that means that they'll be back at some point to pick up from where they'd left off."
Ozpin blinked, as did Glynda.
Even the other students here blinked and exchanged looks of genuine surprise.
The students had all been so utterly overwhelmed by all the info he'd essentially dumped on them that the few of them who've spoken so far have asked only one or two questions at a time and even then, it was just for some minor clarity regarding the current overall picture. As to be expected given their current shock. And yet, here Jaune Arc already was, seemingly fully recovered from the shock of it all and asking questions about the immediate future in addition to providing an excellent point in the process.
Alas, in light of that, Ozpin could only answer in an almost lame tone. "As of now, we've nothing concrete in mind," he slowly admitted. "Due to Hazel's extremely high level of power and martial might in addition to whoever else is supporting him here, there's no proper protocol in place to deal with threats so… unique. Compared to the sort of people Salem has used as her puppets before, her current generation of agents are outliers, Hazel especially. But make no mistake, my allies and I are trying to think up something here. Sadly, while Hazel is someone well known to us, the identity of this mysterious hacker or whomever is with him is completely unknown to us, which is what is giving us such trouble."
The blond nodded. "Information is power… and in this case, the lack of concrete information is this mystery hacker's power…"
"Indeed." Ozpin could only nod in full agreement. "But you say they've left Vale? Earlier during your explanation of yesterday, you didn't say you saw an aircraft or some other vessel flee the scene."
"We saw nothing of the sort," Mr. Arc confirmed. "But in light of everything, it's clear it was just a distraction meant to keep us busy. There's no way such a thing would've happened unless we'd been closing in on them and if they could pull off something like that, then attacking us wouldn't have been much more of an issue most likely. That the oddity yesterday ceased after ten or so minutes hints to me that they'd simply chosen to fall back instead. Retreating deeper into Vale, while feasible, wouldn't make much sense since we would've just kept on searching and eventually force their hand again. With that in mind, it would just make much more sense if they left Vale outright with the intent to return to the kingdom at a later time."
"And if they were able to cause the incident yesterday, to say nothing of the fact they've remained hidden up until yesterday," Ozpin now added, murmuring more to himself than speaking to the others. "Then they'd no doubt have the capability to sneak back into Vale as needed…"
He couldn't help but shake his head slightly. Once again, Mr. Arc was surprising him with how sharp he is. All this information is the sort of stuff most students wouldn't be able to pick up on – no offense meant to any of his students both past and current, but as teens, they're not going to focus much on the greater picture unless truly needed.
"…Thank you, Mr. Arc," Ozpin then said, nodding in gratitude. "…You've given me much to think about just now. But please – go back to your dorms, all of you. Try to take some time to truly take this all in. Rest up. And tomorrow morning, after breakfast, please come back here – there will be much more to discuss."
With the veritable bomb he'd dropped on them, none of the students seemed too keen on trying to argue with him right now, instead only able to do no more than just share some looks between each other.
Then, after a moment, they all slowly took their leave after bidding him and Glynda a good night. Only Mr. Arc, once again proving how special an individual he clearly was, seemed to stride out of the room without so much a pause in his steps. He might as well have been having just an everyday conversation with them rather than having been on the receiving end of several life-altering revelations.
After they left, Glynda sighed, grabbing his attention. "I know that with all that's happened, our hand has been forced… but I really do hope we don't go too far on this matter, Ozpin. I will not doubt the resolve they all showed earlier, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with us potentially making them do things they just aren't ready for, circumstances be damned. If making others do things they don't want to do, things that they probably just aren't even remotely capable of doing, was that easy, things never would've gotten to this point."
Ozpin nodded, gracefully conceding to that point. If there was one thing that truly bothered him about this war against Salem, it was just how many he's had to manipulate in order to succeed in keeping Salem ultimately at bay. The phrase 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions' has never been more true than for him. That there were still some secrets he was keeping from Glynda, Qrow, and James said a lot about how much he'd been manipulating them too, even if he did truly value them as his friends.
To now do the same with children that were not even in their twenties… it hurt him. It honestly felt as if some other piece of his withering soul had just shriveled up for good and died.
"I know, Glynda. Truly, I do." He stared at the door to his office, still picturing the forms of his students from earlier. It filled him with pride to see that resolve in their eyes, even with how shaken they'd been with what he's told them, but his pride was kept in check by the situation at hand.
Using young people in this war against Salem was by no means anything new for him but using first years of all people was something a bit novel. Normally, he truly would never consider such a thing, for no matter how talented any number of individuals may be, they were still only first years who've yet to truly tap into their potential. It was only due to Ms. Rose's silver eyes, Pyrrha Nikos' potential as the next Maiden candidate in case circumstances called for it, and Jaune Arc's own abnormal power that he was even already considering ways to utilize them out in the field. Plus, not even Salem herself would probably think him desperate enough to use first years to even think of directly combating her forces, so there was that too, no matter how marginal an advantage it was.
But he and his allies needed every advantage they could get. By the Gods, he could only hope that this move of his won't be in vain.
Not for his sake, for the sake of both RWBY and JNPR… he's lost too many people already. To lose such bright, young souls because of his own failings would be just too much to bear.
The rest of the day passed by in what felt like the blink of the eye. Given just how late it'd already been by the time they'd even gone to see the headmaster, it wasn't as if they'd missed out on much as a result, except for having to have a late dinner, but none of them minded so much. After all, they had far too much on their minds to even consider worrying over something as trivial as eating later than usual.
Of course, because there was just so much on the minds of both RWBY and JNPR, when it finally came time for them to head to bed early for the night, it proved all but impossible. As a result, much time was spent with each team speaking quietly of what they'd just learned within the confines of their dorms and it wasn't until well past midnight that they finally retired for the night, albeit reluctantly.
Jaune was the only exception here, still awake and alert even though it was now already three in the morning. This whole time, he'd just been lying there under the covers and staring at the ceiling the whole time.
His mind was a whirlwind of thought and yet there was an oddly structural nature to this seemingly messy mental state of his, things clicking into place like pieces of a massive puzzle. And with each piece of this figurative puzzle falling into place, he only felt that much more energized, fatigue being an alien thing to him as of this moment.
With the full picture now in place – the relevant picture, that is; he still felt that the headmaster had been leaving some details out for some reason – he couldn't help but feel an odd sense of… well, a sense of fulfillment. A eureka moment, one could say.
This was it, he felt, this conflict truly was something he was meant to be a part of. Not to carry it out, not to merely be a footnote in this ongoing war, but to outright end this conflict for the sake of everyone.
And when that particular thought formed in his mind, his whole body practically seized up, as if he was about to have a massive seizure. Such was the sheer impact this thought had on him in this moment.
From the very moment the headmaster had first told him of Salem's existence, Jaune had felt a sense of purpose about him that had bordered on nirvana almost. And yet despite that, he'd still felt… off. But in hindsight yet again, he realized that feeling was due to lacking the full picture. And again, even though he felt the headmaster was still leaving out some details here and there, the more complete picture he now had was enough for him.
Could it be…?
In light of his second battle against Hazel, he'd come to the conclusion that his semblance's influence upon him was ultimately just an amplification of traits that he already had… but what if there was something else to it too? Not necessarily some grand fate or destiny for him, for that implied he had no control whatsoever over the matter, but something similar enough where he still could choose to get involved and whatnot.
And get involved he will do… and end this conflict he will intend to do.
Yes, now more than ever, this was his chance to save people. Just how many centuries or even longer have people been plagued by the Grimm, with Salem at the helm? If there was indeed a way to defeat her, then he would gladly do whatever he could to make it happen. And who knows? Perhaps in this process, he and the others could even learn of a way to be permanently rid of the Grimm too. No longer would people, especially those out on the frontier, have to live in fear of the Grimm. No longer would there be fatalities at the beasts of darkness' collective hands.
Of course, even if such a thing was possible, it wouldn't be as if conflict itself would cease to be – conflict was just a part of nature; so long as life existed, others would always clash for one reason or another. But even so… if by eliminating Salem and the Grimm could prove possible now, either by his own hands or through perhaps the usage of these Relics and whatnot, then it was a possibility well worth trying to make into reality.
But with the scale of this conflict now fully known to him, Jaune also realized how underprepared he and his friends were for all this. That the headmaster and his allies have been fighting this war for so long and were now on the visible backfoot despite their greater level of experience and resources said much about how difficult combating Salem would be. That Salem had the likes of Hazel on her side as well only added to the difficulty.
This was truly an uphill battle. But Jaune would strive to meet the challenge wholeheartedly.
And on that note….
Silently getting out of bed, Jaune grabbed his scroll and dialed the headmaster's office number after heading into the bathroom for some privacy.
The headmaster answered before the second ring could even begin. Whether the man was just a light sleeper who'd chosen to sleep away in his office or had simply been that busy coordinating things was unknown, but the blond was leaning more towards the latter in light of everything.
"Mr. Arc, is something the matter?" the headmaster immediately asked without missing even a single step, which only further leant credence to the blond leader's latter hypothesis.
"No, nothing of the sort," Jaune began slowly. "Just… I know we'll likely be discussing this after breakfast, but I just couldn't help but say it now – if my friends and I are to help make a difference, then we're going to need to be much more prepared than we are now."
"On that, we're in full agreement," the headmaster responded instantly and quite bluntly. For it was very much true. No matter how talented and dedicated his friends may be, they were still only first year trainees. Going up against a foe as long lived and cunning as Salem, with all the Grimm at her command and people like Hazel under her thumb would be suicidal as they currently are. Even for him, well aware of his own abnormality, it would be ridiculous to march against these forces underprepared.
Granted, it's not as if training intensely for however many weeks or months will suddenly allow them to directly combat Hazel and other people of a similar level to him on even footing. It just wasn't going to happen. If first year trainees could be brought up to a level in just a few months where they can challenge and defeat professional huntsmen level foes with years or even decades more experience than them was that quick and easy, then what would even be the point of four year academies like Beacon?
That said, well, Jaune himself would be an exception, but again that was due to the abnormality known as his semblance.
Even if such a thing was possible, time was of the essence. Even if his friends and he could be brought up to a level ready to fight directly alongside the likes of professor Goodwitch and Ruby's and Yang's uncle Qrow, that would still take months and that was time they simply didn't have.
There was just far too much to do in terms of getting ready. Everyone training as intensely as they could, Ruby learning to harness the mysterious power of those silver eyes of hers, even himself… he honestly didn't even know where to begin.
But even so, as muddled as his thoughts were right now on that matter, Jaune still managed to swiftly continue speaking. "Quite recently, I'd managed to get a replacement for the blade that was destroyed during the mission in Sol. The blacksmith had added a Dust function to it, headmaster. I'm thinking of getting my other blade upgraded so that it has the same feature."
"Oh?" The headmaster seemed intrigued. "I didn't know you were dabbling in Dust usage, Mr. Arc… but I do approve."
"No… I haven't used Dust in a long time," Jaune replied, just a bit sheepishly. "I tried back when I was first starting out on the frontier… the results tended to be explosive. I haven't used Dust since then due to how oddly unsuccessful I've been at using it at the time. I haven't even had a chance to try out the Dust function of my blade yet… but even so, I'm going to need every advantage I can get, especially since a third battle between me and Hazel feels inevitable."
"I see. Well, given our… partnership now, I see no problem in getting your other blade modified. As we both very well know, this is certainly no time to be sitting around for our foes' next move." The headmaster, though somewhat surprised by his sudden admission, seemed to also sound approvingly. Looks like Jaune's penchant for taking initiative was an admirable trait. "But, Mr. Arc, even if we do go down this route, you'll still be left with only two blades to use here… even if you do learn how to use Dust proficiently in conjunction with your blades, you'd then find yourself hard-pressed to switch Dust types should it come to it, not unless you're willing to switch out replacement blades or the like."
"Then let's just make more blades," Jaune immediately said.
At that, the headmaster became silent. A second goes by before the man speaks up again. "…Mr. Arc, if that's what you want, you'd be walking around with not just two blades anymore, but possibly up to seven blades total."
"That's exactly right, headmaster," Jaune answered strongly. "It may seem impractical, but I'll make it work. I have to."
"…Very well. I'll put in a request for the blades right now. When you and your friends come see me in several hours, leave your unmodified blade with me so that I may send it in for modification. As for any other preparations that need to be considered, for yourself and for the others, we can discuss that at the meeting too."
"Thank you very much, headmaster," Jaune said gratefully. "I'll make the most of it once they're ready."
There was yet again another brief pause on the headmaster's part before he spoke again. "…I know you will, Mr. Arc. Just try not to push yourself too far – we need all the manpower possible for whatever our foes may have planned next."
"Understood. Try to get some rest, sir."
"You as well, Mr. Arc."
Jaune then ended the call and proceeded to just stand there within the pitch-black restroom, having not even bothered to turn on the light when he'd first stepped inside. As he stood there, he envisioned, or tried to, what exactly would come next.
He honestly couldn't imagine what exactly Salem and her forces would do next, but he knew one thing – it wouldn't be long before Vale is once again filled with chaos.
Ozpin stared at his phone as though it was some alien object. No, not necessarily at the phone itself, but rather he tried to stare through it at who'd been on the other end of the call just now – Jaune Arc. Obviously, he failed at this endeavor, but he could nonetheless picture the blond leader standing before him all too well.
Once again, he found himself taken aback by the young man's abnormality. Though the boy was still clearly taking in all that he and his friends have learned earlier, he was taking to it all too well, just a bit too quickly…
…It was rather disconcerting, to be perfectly honest now.
Between the blond teen's previously unnaturally focused and awkward mental state from before the mission to Sol and his clearly abnormal power and growth rate, Ozpin was of the opinion now more than ever that Jaune Arc was by no means like others. It wasn't simply something that could be attributed to a semblance either, no matter what sort of mental influence the still unknown semblance may have on the teen, but something else entirely…
But that what that something was, not even Ozpin could fathom.
At any rate, it didn't seem like this otherness was necessarily a bad thing… but he found JNPR's leader to once again be all too eager to throw himself into danger for the sake of others. Even with the improvements to the teen's mental state in more recent days and weeks, Jaune Arc was still someone who possessed traits not found in most others at all.
Ozpin sighed as he thought on that.
Ultimately, though, there wasn't really anything he could do about that, at least not at this point in time. For all his oddities, Mr. Arc is genuinely a good person, one driven to do the right thing no matter the odds. To be suspicious of him would be wrong, if only because of how painfully earnest he is in his desire to help people and combat 'evil.'
The ancient wizard just truly hoped the blond wouldn't push himself too far. He was swiftly proving himself to be a very valuable ally… and asset. To push himself to his breaking point so soon would be a terrible thing to have happen for an entire host of reasons.
But such what-ifs were things he really couldn't afford to dwell on right now. There was still so very much to do.
He'd been coordinating not just with James just now, but also Qrow who'd confirmed his arrival to the borders of the Grimmland, in addition to him having been making constant phone calls to connections he's long since established in the other kingdoms, all for the sake of staying apprised of any and all oddities, now more so than ever. After all, just because Salem was clearly gearing up to take down Vale didn't mean she couldn't be making preparations to stir up chaos in the other kingdoms. Tight coordination was thus required to make sure everything seemed okay for the time being.
…He did nonetheless take a moment or two right now to make a request for the swords Mr. Arc so desired. It'd be rude, after all, if he just forgot about such an earnest request from a student just because he was busy with other stuff.
Yeah, as you can see, just a revelation chapter of sorts, one for both sides involved. In Jaune's case, he got to hear the full relevant story behind Salem and her general plans and Ozpin got to realize for good that something is truly different about Jaune… and that difference may not entirely be something due to his semblance.
In any case, Jaune and his friends are now in on the secret for the most part. But don't think they're just going to be Ozpin's pawns now or anything. They'll still very much have their own autonomy, but once again it is Ozpin who holds all the cards when it comes to information on the grand scale of things. However, as noted in this chapter, Ozpin and his allies are not in a good position strategically so it's not as if they're going to be manipulating JNPR and RWBY left and right or whatever. Ozpin recognizes this, especially after hearing all that both teams had to say about their own unsanctioned activities and though it went explicitly unsaid, he realizes he'd be a fool to try making them do exactly as he tells them to do.
After all, as I'm sure we all know quite well, if people work best when provided target goals and are left to their own devices in carrying them out, then just leave them be unless it seems like they may screw up. This is what will happen in this case – Ozpin isn't going to micromanage either team. He'll provide them all the assistance they will need, but if he needs them to look into something or whatever, he isn't going to be giving them a huge list of do's and don'ts. Hope that makes sense.
As for Jaune, if it feels like he's kind of regressing to how he was before the second battle with Hazel, there is a reason for that and it will be expanded upon in later chapters. The exact nature of his semblance will also be finally explained in good time too.
As for him wanting more blades and the like, it's to give him that much more of an edge in battle when he goes up against Hazel. He knows fully well that despite his own power growing all the time, power alone won't always make a difference; versatility is needed, especially since as far as he knows, there's no telling what else could possibly be thrown his way now. All he knows for certain is that compared to all the other threats he's gone up against up until now, Hazel and Salem are in a league all their own.
Oh and his inspiration for this fic, Christopher Valzelide/Keraunos from the Silverio VN series, is known for using 7 blades too. I'm just making him more like the guy in that regard, heh.
Anyways, hope that all makes sense. Expect things to pick up in the next few chapters.
Until next time, everyone. As always, please stay safe out there, now more so than ever before.