9 Months To Live
Chapter 27 My Way.
Disclaimer:*Screen fades to Lone, who for some reason has an afro* Hi, I'm the Lone Wanderer, and I'm going to teach you, the joys of writing. I'll have the things flash at your screen of what you need to write along with blood-red crimson, orphan-tears blue, and maybe, between you and me, a little bit of dark humor. Then we're gonna write some little faunus racism, and because every joke needs a punchline, make their leader and sole representation be the world's biggest edgelord. Just remember, We don't make mistakes, just happy accidents-*Bolts off for the rights of RWBY, but gets hit with a blender to the groin* my happy tree...Don't own RWBY.
AN: Well, here we are. Took my sweet ass time, let me check the calendar for how long I've been gone and OH MY GOODNESS! Volume 6 started since I was writing, and it's definitely RWBY writing wise, though animation has stepped up their game. Once again we begin by addressing the previous reviews.
Thank you for all the positive feedback on all the action scenes I had in the last chapter! What kind of person would I be if I had a boring ass climax after all that buildup? Miles Luna? Nah, that ain't me. I'm the insane bastard who goes full throttle while doing donuts in someone's driveway at midnight blaring a dixie horn firing a shotgun.
However, I would like to thank Shadow of a Jedi for their review. I always appreciate the ones that point out the flaws in my work so I can improve on it.
"Where's the next chapter, Update already" I don't think I need to answer that one, so I'll make myself vacant. *Throws beta out the window, then jumps out* REMEMBER, BREAK MY FALL, OR I BREAK YOU!
Tai and Qrow raised through the corridors of the mountain base, carving a trail of destruction in their path. The two veteran huntsmen were an unparalleled force, even to the trained soldiers.
"Now, you're gonna tell me nice and slow, where are you keeping Ruby?" Tai gritted out as he held one of the remaining goons by his throat.
"Who-ech?" the guard squeaked out.
"The girl with red highlights, pregnant, kidna naive, and a whole lot more merciful than my friend and I here if we don't get an answer now!" Qrow growled, shifting his weapon to scythe mode and planting the blade right next to the guard's head.
"OH GOD PLEASE DON'T KILL ME, I'M THREE DAYS AWAY FROM RETIREMENT AND I WAS JUST ABOUT TO GO ON THAT MENAGERIE TRIP WITH MY HUSBAND!" The guard panicked, a clear stain forming around his groin.
"We aren't gonna kill you, what kind of monsters do you take us for?" Tai said, clearly offended by this.
"We're just gonna make you wish we did kill you if you don't tell us where the red head is NOW" Qrow pressed his sword just hard enough down on the man's throat to draw a pinprick of blood.
"I DON'T NOW THE EXACT CELL BUT THE PLACE WHERE WE KEEP PRISONERS IS TWO FLOORS DOWN, PAST THE MAIN HALL DOWN THE ELEVATOR. THE PASSCODE IS 1112, AND I TOLD DAVE TO CHANGE IT, IT'S TOO EASY TO GUESS, IT'S LIKE THE YOU COULD'T EVEN FIND THE EFFORT TO MAKE A CONVINCING CODE, BUT HE NEVER LISTENS AND OHGODPLEASEDON'THURTME!" The poor guard said before passing out in a rather pathetic mess.
Tai looked at the knocked at guard "So am I the only one thinking if threatening him might make it seem like we where homophobic?"
"What? No! It'd be more homophobic if we gave him the special treatment and avoided him. Besides, we're getting sidetracked"
"See, you say that, and that makes us seem like we hate gays!" Tai commented as the proceeded to make their way down the hall towards the elevator.
"Look, we don't hate gays. End of story. Besides, I'm sure that guy had it coming. Karma has a funny way of working. Remember that time that paint can fell on Raven, coating her hair in pink? She was stuck like that for weeks!"
"Qrow, that was your semblance. I saw that little eye flash thing that happens when you channel it."
"I repeat. Karma has a funny way of working. Now lets get going. We have a Rose to save."
"I guess we can say we really...Rose to the challenge?"
Qrow rubbed his temples. "Tai, you keep finding ways to make me wish I wasn't sober. Let's just save Ruby already damn it. Feels like she's been captured for at least over 2 years."
"Qrow, It's only been a week."
"Touche, my friend." The drunk commented as they arrived at the elvator, entering the suprisingly easy code, and descended down.
Qrow paused for a moment as some soft jazz began to play. "Jimmy, you have the weirdest taste in elevator music."
"Oh like you'd do any better."
The part time bird raised a hand to his chest "I have you know I have more style than you and Jim combined!"
"Your style is parading around in some raggedy cape smelling like booze and piss."
"Oh fuck you, Mr Spray Tan Soccer Dad."
Tai paused for a moment. "Being real here for a moment Qrow...Thank you. Not just for helping me save Ruby, but for being there for her, all her life. I know I wasn't exactly in the best shape after Summer passed away, and even more so after your dirty whore of a sister left me."
"Hey, don't sweat it. Besides, those girls where the only reason I didn't drink myself to death after her passing. Now, enough of the emotional talk buddy. I'm not nearly drunk enough for that. Now, let's find Ruby than shove my sword so far up Ironwood's ass he's gonna taste the steel I used."
Tai smiled as the door opened, showing a large open room. "Come on let's go!" Tai smiled as he walked out of the elevator
THUD
Tai looked behind him to see a large metal door slam down, cutting Qrow and a way out off.
A slow clap echoed throughout the large room, as Ironwood himself walked in. "Congratulations are in order for making it this far. But did you seriously think I'd take on two veteran huntsmen at once? I'm no fool."
"But you are a coward, kidnapping my pregnant daughter in the middle of the night with a full assault squad. And now you decide to separate me and Qrow from kicking your ass" Tai gritted our, adopting a combat stance.
"Only a fool would fight two veteran hunters at the same time. And I did what I saw would be the best option for the future, and made a decision not most would. The world is at stak-"
Tai cut him off as he punched him square in the jaw, the blow having enough force behind it to daze the former general. "Shut the fuck up about your whole conspiracy bull-crap! I didn't care about it when Ozpin spouted it, I don't care when you say it. Shit like that is why Raven left, why Summer is dead! Now, I'll be taking my daughter back now, you son of a bitch!"
Ironwood rubbed his jaw. "So… this is how it is."
"Just shit up and fight me!" Tai roared, flames flickering off his arms "BURN"
A column of flames blasted the former general from where he stood, the sheer heat warping the ground beneath them
Ironwood stood, his left sleeve scorched off, revealing his metal arm, pulsating white from the sheer intensity of the flames, but the man himself relatively unphased. "So this is the power of your semblance, the ability to supercharge your body with so much aura, flames literally ignite around you from the sheer heat it produces. But tell me, how long do you hope to last? The aura consumption of your semblance has always been a glaring flaw, as I seem to recall from battlefield reports from your allies and peers."
"It's not a flaw if I turn you to a pile of ashes and bolts." The enraged father growled.
The former general however, seemed unphased by the threat. "I always wondered what was superior? Your patented Xiaolong style or my skill at Atlas Military hand to hand?" The man pondered out loud as he ripped of the remains of his sleeve, reveal his metal arm in its full glory, a far more sleeker and advanced design than the one Tai had previously known him to posses. "Let the victor decide."
Tai was a skilled man to say the least. He was one of the few huntsmen ever to go into combat with no weapon, hand to hand combat being his specialty. One of his most prized abilities was to channel his aura into his fists to harden them to be as tough as steel, pummeling grimm with hides even some of the more advanced blades could not hope to peirce.
But Ironwood was proving to be a tough bastard, and it was pissing Tai off, flames running rampant across the room as two countered blow for blow, fist to fist.
"Your years of teaching have made you weak Tai" Ironwood said as he blocked a right hook, counter with a swift jab to Tai's gut, getting an audible gasp from the man as he spat out.
"Shut up!" The blonde roared, as he quickly recovered from hit before re-igniting his fists with renewed rage, going at him with a fury of punches.
Tai, in his near unyielding fury, forgot the one drawback of his semblance, the fact it consumes aura at an alarming rate.
That one blow by Ironwood, slamming him to the ground, was enough to break his aura barrier, the light golden glow shattering around him as he impacted the ground.
"Oh don't tell me you're already out of steam? I expected more from you Tai. All this talk from you in your prime, and now you're nothing more of a mere shadow of yourself, letting yourself be crippled by the loss of a traitor and Summer." Ironwood stated, turning his back to the fallen man, disappointed.
Tai gritted his teeth, and picked himself up.
See, aura is an interesting thing. Even when a person loses the natural aura barrier in combat, they still have sparks left, it's more of the body can't afford to maintain it anymore with what little is left.
However, still doesn't mean someone couldn't use this aura for on last attack. Tai almost laughed to himself, he clearly recalled telling Yang never to do something like this, but hey, he was a hypocrite at times.
Tai funneled his semblance down to his right fist, flames coating it, as he felt his insides burning up.
"You… can mock me. Hell, you can mock Raven, I honestly don't fucking care about her anymore. But, insult my deceased wife, insult the choice of a father to raise his children right… I WILL MAKE YOU BURN!"
Needless to say, Tai had one single word going through his head as Ironwood held his fist in his hand, slowly applying pressure.
"Focusing your aura into a final one for all attack, risky move, Xiao Long." Ironwood remarked as the bones begin to audible crack. "But did you really think that would wo-"
Tai however, at the last minute, had transferred his remaining aura to his uncaptured hand, and his all his might, sent it down on the villain's face, catching his completely off guard.
Ironwood stood, remaining still as a clear burn mark clashed across his face, Tai's fist still on his cheek, before one finally fell to ground, exhausted, beaten, and barley alive.
The former general rubbed his jaw, inspecting the damage. It was a clever tactic, he will admit, but a meaningless gambit in the long run. Even with as much aura as James had, even he felt the sheer heat and force behind that last blow, enough to cause some of his skin to blister and bruise. "Well played Xiao Long, but not well enough." He said, a disappointed tone in his voice. "But I have to fight Ozpin's little pet."
Qrow finally made his way into the room, some quick thinking, bird transformation, and breaking open some vents and making some wrong turns and entrances through the ventilation system (apparently Jimbo's little fort had a happy hour bar, that the a, and he finally made it into the room where Tai and Jimmy were battling.
And with the sudden spike of temperature, either some dumbass mistook the thermostat for the alarm, or Tai was going all out. Qrow could only hope that Raven had exaggerated about Tai's lack of stamina, finishing first and leaving the opponent unsatisfied…
Wait, was she talking about-
However, before the veteran huntsman could ponder his sister's sex life, he finally made it into the room, to see the grand bastard himself, walking away from Tai's battered and unconscious form.
"JIM!" Qrow roared out, shifted to his human form, slamming his blade down on the bastard, the former general raising his metal arm to block it, sparks flying.
"Qrow." Ironwood said with sheer loathing. "I hoped someone else would have ended you, or perhaps your liver would have given out on you, but it seems I'm not that fortunate."
"Seems I'm your bad luck charm, Jimmy."
"You always were a cocky son of a bitch." Ironwood growled, cracking the joints in his knuckles "But I think as much as you hate me, I think I hate you more."
"Awh, I'm honored. It took a lot of work to work that way up to the top of your shit list, and I intentd to show you just how much-"
The currently sober huntsman was however caught off as Ironwood gave him a vicious right hook across the the face, snapping Qrow back to the actual fight at hand. Qrow himself was actually quite shocked at this. All his previous barbs at the general had always been met with all bark and no bite, but figured now he finally showed himself as he truly was.
Qrow gritted as he raised his sword back up. He felt the sting on his jaw. Ironwood, robot arm or flesh, knew how to throw a punch, and even with aura it hurt like a motherfucker.
"Really Jim?" He spat "Going for my face? I knew you were jealous of my looks, but it's gonna take a lot more than that to have any lady not consider you 2nd fiddle when I'm around"
Ironwood merely scowled "Do you ever shut up?"
"You know, people say that all the time. My sister is always saying the same thing. You two should meet! You both betrayed Ozpin, so I'm sure you too would get right along!"
"You know, I beginning to see why Summer choose Tai over you. At least he knew when to shut up!"
"Damn James. That's the closest you've done to damage to me." Qrow said, a dangerous glint in his eye. The motherfucker wanted to bat where it hurts, fine! The veteran raised his sword forward, going into a slash. Ironwood rolled his eyes at the attack, raising his arm to block the blow, only to get no feedback from the prosthetic limb, and got the business end of the massive greatsword lodged in the damn thing.
"Hey Jim." Qrow said, his eyes having a dangerous twinkle in them. "You remember Winter?"
Ironwood blinked. "Yes?" He said, greatly confused. "What does Lieutenant Schnee have to do with this?"
"I fucked her. Nice and hard, and I'm talking the hardcore shit you wussed out of with Glynda."
Ironwood's eyes widened in fury. Ms Schnee was like a daughter to him, one of the few people he felt faith in, and that dirty filthy criminal drunken thug parading around as a huntsmen, did what!? "You Son of A-"
"Swallow this, ASSHAT" Qrow yelled, pulling the trigger on his weapon, the dual shotgun barrels unloading a fury of powerful dust charges point blank into the the former general.
Qrow smiled as the smoke cleared. Serves that son of a bitch right. Qrow gripped the handle and tried to pull out his sword, but was met with more resistance than possible. "Jesus Jimmy, what did you make your tin arm out of?" The man muttered to himself.
A set of steel fingers gripped the cross guard of the sword, crushing the shifting mechanism, forcing the weapon to be stuck in it's current mode. "Wouldn't you like to?"
Qrow looked at the barely phased form of Ironwood "Son of a bitch" he muttered before James grabbed Qrow's own weapon and flung him off of it, sending him flying across the room.
Qrow focused to shift himself into his bird form, flying behind Ironwood quickly and shifted back, drop kicking the bastard in the jaw and grabbing back his sword off the ground.
"Let's finish this Jim" Qrow growled.
"Very well. You two have done well. But I don't have any more time to play with Ozpin's failed pet projects." The former general gritted as he interested a fire dust crystal in a socket on his shoulder, his arm seemingly to ignite in fire. "This will be interesting. Can aura save you from a punch propelled by the same force equivalent to a a jet engine? Or will you're luck turn bad?" Ironwood stated as his arm hummed with sheer power, the entire room seemed to dim as the general tightened his fist.
Time slowed to a crawl, as Qrow barely had time to throw up his sword to block the blow.
Qrow's world went white as he heard a sickening crack, followed by unimaginable pain.
He looked down to see the mechanical fist through the metal sword, making contact with his leg, breaking it instantly as the shrapnel from the sword cut him all over, his aura extended.
"GAAAAAAAHHHH!" He screamed in pain as he fell to the ground in pain.
Ironwood looked at the fallen huntsman "You know, as much as that hurt, I don't think that compares quite to the levels of satisfaction I got from doing that to you, punishing you like the criminal scum you are and always will be"
"You know what they say about glass houses Jimbo… Everyone can see you jerk off your tiny-AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRHHHHHHH" Qrow could not even finish his insult as Ironwood pressed down on the broken leg with his boot, making sure to put his full weight on it, revealing in the pain it seemed to bring him.
"Two veteran huntsman, once the pride of Beacon, made into jokes. Pitiful." The Captain remarked as he left their unconscious forms sealed in the steel chamber. "I will deal with you as soon as I deal with the last of this attack on my base." He pulled a small communicator out of his pant's pocket. "Get the Meta up here, consider it ready for its test run. Time to have it squash the rest of these brats."
Jaune ran as fast as he could, following the trail of obvious destruction caused by Tai and Qrow. Wherever those two where was bound to be where Ruby was. After finding a man who had a very obvious encounter with Qrow and Tai, he got the embarrassingly easy code for the elevator and made his way down to the prison cell area.
The first thing he saw was the fallen bodies of Tai and Qrow. Jaune ran up to them and checked their pulses.
Thank gods above he felt the blood coursing through them.
However, he heard a slow clap echo through the room.
"Mr Arc, so we finally meet" Ironwood said.
"Where's Ruby?" Jaune growled, eyeing the man. He had no time for this superior motive bullshit.
"You are in position to ask questions. However, I must remark on you. When I first saw your year, I skimmed over you. The only thing I saw of any value was your extraordinarily large aura pools, but even that wasn't enough to convince me of your worth then." Ironwood said, "However, overtime you developed remarkably fast. Your strategic intellect paired with your skills as a huntsman make you a deadly combo, something I value."
"What are you getting at?"
"I want to make you an offer." Ironwood stated as if was that simple. "You're a smart boy, you know your headmaster has kept things hidden from you. Tell me, what has Ozpin told you? About the maidens? About Ms Rose's silver eyes?"
"I know enough."
"No, you don't. If Ozpin really shown any care, any effectiveness as a leader, he would have trained Rose to use the silver eyes, something like her kidnapping never would have happened if he actually told you or her of her legacy. And that's not all. Ozpin has knowledge and resources to find 4 incredible powerful people, the maidens. They could end the grimm as we know, but he hides them away, ashamed. You waste your time with him. I don't want to see you give so much to a cause that just keeps taking. I gave half my body, my title, my power, and for what? Empty promises and no results."
Jaune blinked. He didn't want to believe him, but the logical side of him held a point.
"I remember when I was your age, Ozpin came to me at the time. He told me of the maidens, the relics, told me of the real villain, Salem. But he told me one other thing. You ever wondered why Ozpin knows so much about the maidens, the relics, all it? The tale of the maidens speaks of a man who gave them their powers, but who was he?"
Jaune begin connecting the dots Ironwood was suggesting "No, you don't mean...but that means he's thousands of years old."
"Yes. Ozpin, if that even is his name, was the old wizard of legend. When the body dies, the soul transfers to another host, and overtime, they merge, and the process repeats. But what has he done with his time, his power?" Ironwood growled. "He has done nothing but fail! He is a parasite, living without any consequence, without care. The world can burn and he will live on. The grimm can take over and he will live. The nations can tear themselves apart, and what happens to him?
He.
Will.
Live
Free of consequence, with a fresh start and a new body." Ironwood spat out, hatred dripping in his tone. "He probably told you to go after the maidens? Right? Why hide them from the public, why not have them on the front lines fighting against the creatures of Grimm? He can save the world from the grimm, from the prejuices people hold have on faunus. But he doesn't. He hides in his tower, playing with his pawns and sending his higher pieces to die, alone and separated."
Jaune didn't know what to do. This information was shocking, and if Ironwood's speech. Was Ozpin really hiding that much? Did he really live as long as he did? The former Atlas general had so much reason to his actions, but there was one thing he had to know
"But why Ruby? For her silver eyes, whatever the hell they do?"
"Ms Rose and your children would be a valuable asset in defeating Salem. The Arcs are known for their almost inhuman amounts of aura, and that combined with the silver eyes,-"
"You want to turn my kids into super soldiers for you to control."
"And is that no different than what Ozpin does? Almost all huntsmen are the children of former huntsmen, you yourself are one."
"But I made that choice! I snuck into Beacon to get that fucking chance! You're not giving anyone a choice."
"Because when given a choice, most will choose wrong. How many hunters have turned or used their skills for their own gain than saving the public? Raven Branwen, Salem's followers, the list goes on! The system is broken mess that no ones wants to address. Sacrifices must be made in order for the greater good to succeed, and I'm the only one willing to make those sacrifices." Ironwood growled, then pushed a button on the panel "Send it the Meta. Have him fight Mr Arc. He is past the point of negotiations."
Ironwood clicked a button from behind the monitor, activating some sort of lift.
A massive thud, and a towering figure decked in an advanced armor, white plates covering a black mesh suit, and a helmet that it's visor covering it's entire head, the bronze tinted glass giving nothing away, came through the elevator. In it's hands was what Jaune could only describe as a canon with a massive blade curved around the bottom of it.
Jaune readied himself into a combat stance, his shield raised in front of him, his revolver at the ready and sword arm poised for action.
"Meta, dispose of him. He is of no use to me." Ironwood said as he exited the room, the door sealing behind him, leaving just Jaune and the armored beast.
"So, is there anyway we can just talk this out like civilized people or-" Jaune's sentence was cut off as a massive punch hit the shield, knocking Jaune back. "Or not, I guess." He grumbled. It seemed just like his luck.
The man, the Meta, as Ironwood had called him, was definitely stronger than him. Jaune's brain quickly scrambled in his head for an strategy. Figuring the armor must weigh at least a ton, Jaune figured the Meta was probably slower than him. However, the Meta's armor was far more advanced than his, meaning that it probably could enhance him in combat, but if he could shut it down somehow, it might help. The one thing he really need to look out for the Meta's semblance. It was an unknown factor to him, but it also went both ways in Jaune's favor.
Jaune decided to stick with a fight and flight method. Keep his distance from the Meta, and weight for an opening. The Meta however, moved surprisingly fast for a man of his size, and the armor seemed to have no weight to him. Jaune went for a jab with Croceas Mor, but the Meta seemed to dodge it, and punched the Arc in the face, dazing him. Jaune barely had time to raise his shield as the massive blade was brought down.
Who was this man-
BOOM
The Meta rather than reposition his weapon, pulled the trigger, having a grenade explode right on the shield, sending Jaune flying across the room.
Planting his sword in the ground, Jaune's grinded to a halt. Picking himself up, he focused on combat. Charging forward, Jaune began to engage the Meta. Croceas Mor clashed against weapon, as Jaune begun the deadly dance with the Meta. To a normal person, it would have seemed like a standstill, both not making any progress. But to the eye of any skilled huntsman, Jaune was slowly losing. He was landing hits on hulking man, but it was just that it wasn't making dents, while every blow from the Meta hit like a truck.
The knight felt was beginning to feel backed into a corner, and he knew that he needed to use his semblance, despite it's large aura consumption. Bashing his shield into the Meta, Jaune then jumped up, igniting his sword with his semblance as the blade coated in energy. The Meta looked up at Jaune, his sword ready to impale him, and much to Jaune's surprise, flickered away right before his eyes. Jaune's sword slammed into the ground, the blade stuck in the tile and concrete.
Not good. Jaune panicked as he tried to pull his sword out, but was greeted a metal fist to his face.
Jaune saw stars for a good second before shaking himself back to the current battle at hand. That alone had managed to harm him enough to the point where he felt blood dripping off his brow, his aura unable to take the full brunt of it.
He couldn't play around, he needed to focus.
The Meta's semblance must have been time manipulation or teleportation, something to that effect. So he needed to get some distance, or at least catch him off guard some way.
Pulling out his revolver, Jaune loaded some of his tactical dust rounds into it. This worked with Yang, maybe it would work with him.
Firing off a flashbang round, the area exploded in a flash of light. Jaune charged into the blinding area, his sword raised. Hit while he's dazed, hope for the best-
Jaune was caught by the throat and slammed down to the ground, his armor cushing most of the fall but he still felt his ribs and back hurt. The Meta was unphased by the flashbang.
How, it should have blinded him, unless that helmet-damn it. The helmet probably filtered it out.
Jaune swore as he barely rolled away from the punch coming right at his head. Quickly kicking the Meta in the chest, Jaune sprung up on his feet as the soldier stumbled back a bit.
The Arc sweated. This Meta seemed to be an unstoppable juggernaut. Maybe if he tried to riposte him, or a blindside him from behind, anything!
Sparks flew as the two met, blades clashing against one another. Jaune's arms burned as it felt like he was trying to hold back a steamroller with his blade. The pressure built and built, until Jaune began to notice something.
Fracture marks began to slowly vein through the metal of the sword. Jaune almost thought he was seeing it, but it wasn't till he heard a reptilian like growl from the towering foe followed by the man bringing his blade down hard on Croceas Mor.
The blade snapped, shrapnel of the blade flying everywhere, his aura protecting the Arc from the bigger pieces, but the smaller ones still hit him, scratching up his face and hands, and the once broad blade of the Arc family clattered to the ground echoing in the room.
Jaune could not believe his eyes. Croceas Mor, his family sword, the weapon his ancestors used for years… was shattered. The knight was left holding nothing but a hilt with some sharp bits of metal where it broke off. But he hardly had time to even mourn the legacy of his family.
The Meta grabbed Jaune by the throat and slammed him into the wall, letting out a guttural growl. They wanted to finish with their prey, and it no longer stood a chance against it. The hunt was over. It was going to make this quick, for they knew they had better things to do than to play with a broken toy.
Dots begin to fill Jaune's vision, and he knew he was fading fast. The Meta paused from apply more pressure, and cocked his head, before releasing the knight, Jaune collapsing weakly onto the floor, the speakers crackling to life.
"You know" Ironwood's voice spoke through the loudspeakers "it's amazing how someone like you has lasted this long against the Meta. Truth be told boy, I was expecting you to have fallen instantly to him. But even now, you attempt to rage against the inimitable. Your aura while immense, must be mere sparks at this point. I will give you this last chance to give up now and escape with your life, or continue on like a fool and be killed by the Meta. I'm doing this to stop Salem, and I can't afford to waste anymore time and resources on a failure."
Closing his eyes, Jaune gritted his teeth. If only he had been a little stronger, if only…
Qrow looked at Jaune in the bar after he and Ruby had their fight. "Don't waste what time you have in this life, 'pecially with the career we have. I-Misfortune spent most his life pondering the what-ifs, the could-have-beens and missed his chance. Don't make the same mistake kid."
A freshman Jaune slumped down in the dorm hallways, Ruby looking at him. "I, uh... I messed up. I did something I shouldn't have, and now Cardin has me on a leash, and Pyrrha won't even talk to me, and I'm starting to think coming to this school was a bad idea…. Awh, who am I kidding. I'm nothing but a failure."
"Nope!" Ruby said to him as she sat down next to him.
Jaune looked at her weirdly "Nope?"
"Nope!" Ruby grinned "You're a leader now, just like me. It means we're not allowed to fail."
"But… what if I am a failure of a leader?"
"Nope!" She said simply.
Jaune blinked. "You know, you are not the easiest person to talk to about this kind of stuff."
Ruby let a light chuckle, joining him on the floor. "Nope!" She shrugged. "Maybe you might have been a failure as a kid… you probably might have been when we first met!"
To this Jaune groaned, defeat hitting him harder.
"But! You can't be anymore! You wanna know why?"
"Why?" Jaune deadpanned.
"Because it's not about you anymore." Ruby stayed. "As the leader, you have the weight of everyone riding on you. I feel it everyday, more from Weiss's incessant nagging. But do you know what happens when you fail? It's not you anymore. It's your whole team. And we can't really afford to let our teammates down by being failures can we?
"Nope." He muttered under his breath, giving himself a very weak grin. "Until Ruby is free, until my children are out of your clutches, I refuse to surrender!"
Ironwood's brow shot up as he saw the knight's form beginning to move.
The Arc got up on one knee, his entire body shaking from the sheer amount of strength it was taking for him to press on. This idea was suicidal at best, but he didn't have any option. "My name…" He said, gripping the broken hilt with both hands "Is Jaune Arc, and an Arc...Never goes back on their word. I don't know what you trying to do, but you're in my way to Ruby, so FUCK OFF"
With a roar, Jaune channeled all of his aura into his the broken hilt, the energy replacing the broken blade in gleaming glory.
"A pity." Ironwood's voice crackled through the speakers "though not unexpected. Meta, you may have your way."
The monster of a man cracked his neck, raising his weapon.
Jaune knew that his last ditch plan was double edged at best, suicidal at worst. The Aura blade gave him an offense, at the cost of his defense.
Jaune brought down the glowing blade down, crashing against the Meta's. However, it was clear that the modified soldier had the advantage in pure brute strength. Jaune, however refused to give up. He had so much at stake.
Ruby.
Their children.
The world. He would not give up. For his family, for the world, for Ruby. He was losing, what could he possibly do? Just give up and surrender, turn down his blade and…
Wait...THAT'S IT!
In an instant, the glowing aura blade around the ruined sword disappeared, the Meta lurching forward due to the sudden disappearance of his opponent's weapon. Jaune wasted no time. Summoning all his strength, Jaune jabbed the ruined Croceas Mor into the chest of the Meta, the sword erupting once more in golden light, his aim true as it pierced the white armor, going straight through the end, burning a small hole straight through him.
The Meta let out a mighty roar of pain and fury, getting up and raising his weapon high above his head ready to end the Arc.
Jaune waited for the blow, raising his ruined shield up in defense, but the only thing he heard was a thud.
He looked up from behind his shield to see the Meta had collapsed, defeated on the ground.
Jaune stood over the Meta's fallen form, panting. He did it. He stopped it, now all he had to do was find Ruby and-
"Well done Mr Arc." Ironwood said, slowly clapping as he came down from the platform above.
God damn fucking Arc luck can suck a cock.
Jaune raised his broken sword with as much strength he had in him, which sadly wasn't that much. Fighting the Meta had drained him of just about everything.
"James, stay your fight with him. I think Mr Arc has more than earned his happy ending."
Jaune turned around to see Ozpin himself, cane in hand, walking in the room. "Besides, we both know who your fight is with." Turning to Jaune, he placed his hand on the knight's shoulder. "Take this as a gift. This bit of energy should be enough so that you can get out of here."
With that, a faint green glow surrounded the headmaster, and slowly went into Jaune. The effects were almost immediate, as Jaune felt like he no longer was fighting to stay conscious.
Jaune looked over to Ironwood. "Sir, are you sure you want me to leave you here with him?"
"Mr Arc,I have made many mistakes in my long life. I think it's time I answer to some. Besides, I think we've let Ms. Rose wait long enough. Go. I need to settle this matter one on one." Ozpin stated, straightening his glasses.
The knight nodded, then bolted out of the room, heading towards the prisoner section of the old base, leaving the veteran hunters by themselves.
Ozpin looked at the former general "James, it doesn't have to be this way."
Ironwood raised his pistol "Bullshit."
It was almost sad if one paused to think over the conflict. Here, two friends, with the same goal in mind, stood apart, their ideals too alien to the other, too extreme. Both weren't right, both weren't wrong. But it was past the point of words. And with that, two of the most deadly hunters in history begin to clash, and the vibrations could be felt for miles.
The fight outside was slowly beginning to turn towards the rescue party favor, but at a stubborn crawl that was still unbalanced on some ends. Yang and Nora were beginning to tire out, the sheer power needed to take on the paladin mechs taking their toll.
However, in the heart of the mountain base, above and below, all the fighters remained oblivious to the growing grimm hoard slowly surrounding the mountain valley, as far away a foul lady began to grin darkly as an almost guaranteed doom approached the human conflict, cementing the beautiful tragedy to come.
Omake: Dungeons & Dolts
Jaune smiles as he opened his package from home, seeing the dusty old rule book along with enough dice to have Professor Goodwitch think he was running an illegal gambling ring, but this was far from it. God, he was gonna have so much fun introducing the gang to this! Just imagine the possibilities in the world of Grimm & Gauntlets!
"-there was a hundred Ursa!"
"It was only 10 Beowolves."
"-Ren was bleeding out!"
"-Was just a light scratch."
"Nora, stop telling whatever bizarre adventure you and Ren had, I have something great to show you guys!" Jaune proclaimed as he pull up to the table holding a large box.
"Don't you have any imagination Weiss?"
"I have you know I've been praised for my creativity and imagination!" Weiss stated, before zoning off..
"Mommy, Daddy, look at this drawing I made of-"
"Weiss, Daddy is very busy right now stripping faunus of their rights. It's honestly adorable how they think they're people. You can show your mother, if she's even sober, that shallow whore."
"OH LIKE YOU'RE ANY BETTER YOU GOD DAMN SON OF A-"
"-eiss?" Ruby called out, shaking her hand in front of the ice princess, snapping her attention back. "You okay? You kinda zoned out for a bit."
"Come on Weiss! It will be really fun!" Ruby said, her eyes sparkling from the thought of playing a game.
"Fine. I'm playing Weiss Schnee, the.." She paused, looking over the sheet that had the character classes listed on it " sorceress."
"Weiss, you named your character after yourself."
"Yes, what about?"
"This is a role playing game! A game where you can be someone you normally aren't! Ruby is the half-elf ranger Lindsay Quartz, Blake's the shady tiefling rogue Arryn Yang's an orc bard named Barbara, Pyrrha is the fighter Athena, Ren's Hanzo the monk, and Nora, while I'm fine with you being a halfling barbarian, Queen Pancake Explosion is not a real name."
"Yes it is!"
"We'll get back to you. But Weiss, come on, you need to come up with something!"
"Fine, my character's name is… Winrova La Neve!"
"That's a start. Wanna give her a backstory? She's a wizard, right? Maybe make her of noble descent, maybe part of an aristocracy?"
"Fine! She's a noble princess who left.. to go on adventures because she refuses to succumb to her greedy father's wishes to be his puppet, and refuses to end up like her miserable mother who spends the day drinking her regrets away, and even her older sister has unreal standards for her, when I just want to be a normal person!"
"Wow… okay." Jaune said, everyone at the table giving her the side eye at Weiss's sudden rant. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Just peachy." Weiss gritted out. "Let's just start."
"Alright, roll for stats everyone!"
One hour later, everyone had finally finished their characters, with decent stats all around, with stand outs being Nora's 19 strength, Yang's 18 in charisma, and Ruby's stuttering 20 in dexterity. Unfortunately, Weiss was the only one to roll a 1, which she gave to her charisma score.
"People should natural flock to me by my sheer presence" She huffed as she assigned the score reluctantly.
After this, the game FINALLY begin.
The party starts heading down a simple path, as you have recently been contracted by the powerful Sorceress Glados Southwood to take care of a monster problem that has begun to attack the local towns.
The first one to speak was Barbara the Bard, a rambunctious lass with proficiency in the piano and-
"Why on remnant did you pick the bagpipes as one of your instruments?" Jaune questioned Yang, looking up from his GM screen.
"The fuck's wrong with bagpipes?" Yang glared
"Nothing, just not a common pick. Most people pick the lute, or the flute..."
"I have you know I actually know how to play the bagpipes, taught by my Uncle Qrow!" Yang said with a grin, oblivious to the gestures of nope Ruby was making behind her. "I think I actually might have brought them with me! Wanna hear?"
"NO THANKS!" Everyone said at once in a mix of terror and fear.
"So, remind me, what kind of rewards are there in store for us from here? Money, fame, booze?" Barbara stated.
"I think we're doing this to save the villagers! I mean, we're heroes, it's what we do!" Lindsay said optimistically.
"I thought we were going to force them into the the kingdom of Noraian!" Queen Pancake Explsio-
"Nora, no."
"Nora YES!"]
Jaune rubbed his head, a migraine beginning to form. Maybe this was why he took such a long break from the game, not even 5 minutes into the actual campaign and he's already feeling like he's herding cats with ADHD. "Ren, please help have her character have a name she's happy with...that's not Queen Pancake Explosion."
Samantha Vahala, self proclaimed Queen of pancakes and explosions, stated loudly.
"I believe the people have enough to deal with in their regular lives Sam." Hanzo stated calmly.
As the session went on, Jaune had slowly had his patience tested. Nora had started a cult around herself with orphan followers, Blake wanted to make the game a civil rights movement for her race, and Yang… oh god.
At least Ren, Ruby, and Pyrrha were easy on him, focusing on the quest he had planned for the party.
Jaune cleared his throat "Alright, let's wrap this session up. You guys are reaching the end of this mountain dungeon…" Jaune said darkly. Oh he was gonna enjoy this part…
As the party made their way to the last section, the top of the mountain, littered with gear and gold. You all suddenly feel the ground shake, and a massive roar echoes in the horizon.
Yang paused for a moment "I'm gonna seduce the dragon."
"Wait, you can do that? Why would you do that?" Blake questioned.
Jaune blinked "Sadly, I heard this move before. Roll charisma with disadvantage."
Barbara the Bard slid over to the horrible fire breathing dragon, who had just finished attacking Hanzo, dropping his unconscious body on the ground.
"Hey there Sparky, come around these parts often?"
The dragon looked at Barbara, fire burning in it's mouth, until it just suddenly stopped, and then tried to adopt a smooth persona, slithering over to the bard, looking at her with great interest.
"For the record, this is the first time anyone's actually succeeded in the seduction." Jaune groaned through his palm.
"I can't believe she rolled a two 20s, even with disadvantage!" Ruby remarked in awe.
"I refuse to believe." Blake muttered
"And I stopped caring." Weiss deadpanned, numb to the disappointment.
"I guess you could say I layed the dragon!" Yang said cheekily.
"GOD DAMNIT BARB"
Bonus Omake because I'm sorry for taking so goddamn long and may have been marathoning a new show in my down time in case you couldn't tell by this: My Huntsmen Academia OR another Volume 5 ending but with Jaune having a more badass semblance than being support slut
Jaune slowly shed off his armor until he was left is his regular bunny hoodie and jeans.
With little explanation, steam formed around the Arc's body begin to make some serious muscle gains, increasing his mass exponentially, turning him from the once scrawny beanpole to someone's who could decapitate someone by flexing them in a headlock. His hair clumped together in the front into two large antenna-like bangs, sticking straight up, and his eyes became blocked by his brow, casting a heavy shadow over them.
"No need to fear, BECAUSE I AM HERE!" Jaune smiled boldly in his new form, his body now a towering hulk of muscle, something even Hazel felt slightly inadequate next to this aryan chad. "I will fight you now, will All my Might!"
Cinder scoffed "You made an illusion of yourself being stronger how cute-"
"REMNANT SMASH!"
The rather stupid maiden barley had time to register the punch that her like the force of a thousand hurricanes condensed into a single blow, as she broke through the roof of the building. Looking back, she was horrified to see her entrails, knocked out of her.
and then the pain kicked in.
Jaune stood triumphantly as he raised a fist up in victory. Hazel at this point had picked up Emerald, who was shellshocked at Cinder's defeat, and bolted as fast he could with Mercury, everyone to much in awe at the sheer scope of strength they had just witnessed.
All of the heroes where looking at the Arc, looking statuesque, like a pillar of peace and justice. Even Raven was begining to think that if Oz had someone like this behind him, maybe she mad the wrong choice after all. Hell, maybe she should have stayed and raised her daughter, rather than lying to Tai and...what's-her-name... Sang about going out for cigarettes.
However, the image was quickly ruined as Jaune deflated back to his normal weenie form in a puff of smoke, coughing up blood in the process. "OH GOD EVERYTHING HURTS." The Arc complained as his muscles spasmed from the forced exertion.
Raven quickly shook her head as she opened a portal. Nope, she was definetly right. Oz's plan is fucked. She was gonna do her own thing.
With blackjack and hookers.