Greetings everyone,
And welcome back to the long awaited story of everyone favorite duo, "The Knight and The Wizard".
Hard to imagine it's been eight months since I left off on this story but as many of you, no doubt, know is that I've been sort of all over the place and I had, for some reason, decided not to follow my own path for this story and instead opted to plan around the happenings in Volume 6. Nevertheless, this is a story focusing on Jaune/Ozpin's story and even though I'll be following the show's plot that doesn't mean that this will be a copy-n-paste story but it will have some things changed and moved around to fit around the narrative of this story.
And I have to say, this first episode and the second episode DID NOT make this chapter any easier for my story, mainly because of it's stupid flash backs! And as a result you will have to stretch your imagination on the exact capabilities of Jaune's Semblance, mainly because I needed to follow the story of separating the remainder of Team JNPR and Team RWBY while still trying to keep Jaune/Ozpin with Team RWBY. Also, let it be known that I may have made a mistake when I chose to refer to Jaune and Ozpin's "switching seats" as a form of fusion. But the damage has already been done and I'll just have to figure out how to go from there. Hopefully I can think of something that fits the narrative.
In other news, I'd like to thank everyone for being so patient in waiting and I hope all of you will continue to read along with the rest of us and enjoy the story.
Next Scheduled Release:
Dec. 2nd: "The Knight The Wizard - Ch. 10"
Make sure to Favorite, Follow, and leave a Review.
Till next time!
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Chapter Nine
Have you ever had a dream that felt so real that when you inevitably woke up you almost believed your were still asleep? Now try to imagine what that'd be like if you woke up hearing your own headmaster's voice in your head cause that's that shit I've been dealing with! Honestly, I'd take your problem over mine any day of the week. Seriously, you try living with the disembodied voice of a your previously-thought-to-be-dead-headmaster-turned-ancient-immortal-not-to-mention-magical-wizard! And to be completely honest, I was beginning to have my doubts about the voice inside my head.
Ever since that woman, Salem, said that eventually Ozpin's soul would take over my body it had only furthered the hatred that was burning in my heart for him. But my hatred for him didn't stem from the fact that his soul would eventually assimilate my own. Rather, it stemmed from the fact that it was my friends... my family... that would be the ones to suffer through his mistakes. But what made it all worse was that deep down inside me behind all of the hatred I held for him, I knew he wasn't truly evil. That if he had it his way he'd have never occupied my body and everything would go back to the way it was before. It made what I had to do next all the more serious but the first step to achieving that goal was located in the northern continent of Remnant, the militaristic kingdom of Atlas.
But the first thing I had to do first was eat the plate of piping hot pancakes before my teammate, Nora, had a chance to steal them away from me. Hey, say what you want about my predicament but if I can't enjoy a plate of pancakes coated in sweet maple syrup then there was honestly no point in going to Atlas at all.
Nevertheless, it'd been two weeks since we stopped the attack on Haven Academy and some of us, mostly Yang, Ruby, and Nora, were riding that praise from here to Vacuo. It didn't help matters when I found out, upon waking from my blackout, that Lionheart had mysteriously disappeared without a trace. And as much as I wanted to chase his cowardly ass down just so I could skin him alive I knew that it wouldn't amount to anything other than revenge. Revenge over the fact that he valued his own life over those of his kingdom. But, like Salem had said just before the surge of memories caused me to blackout... Even the greatest of men can fall from grace.
But, at least for now, I was contempt with watching my teammates' joke around with a smile on my face. After all, this could be the last time we ever get to have this moment of peace for a very long time. Chatting with the gang was a long time coming after the fiasco at Haven. Hell, I even found myself laughing at some of Yang's stupid puns. Perhaps the strange memories of the many men Ozpin had once called his reincarnations were having a deeper effect on me than I originally thought.
Regardless, I was extremely happy to be up and out of the bed I'd been confined to ever since my blackout. But what caused me to become furious upon waking was when I'd learned that Qrow, apparently having acted on the orders Ozpin had given him months prior, had decided to weave a web of lies surrounding Lionheart and his mysterious disappearance. The very thought of the coward living to see sunlight practically made my blood boil as I slammed my fist onto the dresser in front of me, causing the mirror that rested on it's counter top to shake violently. But when I glanced upwards to see my own reflection I, instead, see the face of my own headmaster, Ozpin, staring back at me.
"Mr. Arc, you know as well as I do that Leonardo was a good man." said Ozpin's reflection, the sound of condescending palpable on his tongue.
"Yeah, emphasis on WAS." I muttered under my breath at the thought of Leonardo walking away unpunished.
"Regardless, I simply believe that it is best for the people of Mistral to remember Leonardo for the actions he's made... And not the mistakes he's created." said Ozpin, frowning in the mirror's reflection.
"Well, sometimes we need our elder's mistakes in order to learn for ourselves." I argued back, furrowing my eyebrows at the ghostly apparition that occupied the mirror's reflection.
"I'm afraid it isn't that simple, Mr. Arc." said Ozpin, frowning at a memory that briefly flashed before my eyes, causing me to grab my head in minor pain.
But before I could continue to try and grill Ozpin for more answers, the sound of my room's dorm swinging open captured my attention, causing me to turn my head and see the familiar face of Ruby, her silver eyes were filled with worry at the sight of my pained expression.
"Jaune? Are you feeling okay?" she asked, her tone was sweet and motherly as she took a few steps towards me.
"I'm fine, Ruby." I lied, not wanting to add to the list of problems she was already going through. "Just a little migraine. That's all."
"Oh... Well, Uncle Qrow says we should probably get ready to leave soon... I, uh, just wanted to check up on you." said Ruby, fiddling with her thumbs as she nervously kicked some dust beneath her boot. The action, itself, was nothing to scoff at but for some reason I couldn't help but find it endearing.
A smile slowly wormed it's way onto my lips as my body moved on it's own, wrapping my arms around her short frame before pulling her into a warm embrace. Her face, now red from embarrassment, was nuzzled close against my chest, that was luckily covered by my pumpkin pete's hoodie. Silence fell between us as I held her in my arms, a feeling of longing and nostalgia filling my body with every second. But, eventually, she pulled away from my embrace, leaving me with a strange emotion within myself as she made her way back to the opened doorway. But as she turned her head to flash a smile at me another memory flashed before my eyes and in Ruby's place was a mysterious woman, whose identity was clouded, appeared in her place. And just as quickly as the memory had come so, too, did it disappear into the depths of his mind. And ruby, like the mysterious woman, was gone from my sight.
"W-Who was that?" I asked aloud, still holding my head as I tried to force myself to remember that woman.
"A phantom of a time best left forgotten, Mr. Arc." said Ozpin, frowning in the mirror's reflection. "Now, we must depart to the others. I believe that it is time we discussed with the others about our next move."
And though every part of my soul wanted nothing more than to chew Ozpin out, deep down I knew that all my arguing would ultimately amount to nothing. So, instead, I chose to grab my supplies and venture outside the confines of my room and out into the living room where the others were busy preparing themselves for our trip. Though, judging by the frown on Weiss's face I could tell that I was not going to be hearing anything good.
Qrow, having seen me walking in, smiled at my form before taking a short swig from the silver flask he kept in his jacket's pocket. "Heh, glad to see you're feeling better, Spellsword. I was actually starting to get worried for a second there." he said with a teasing smirk that, despite my overwhelming hatred towards him for having a part in Pyrrha's panic attack, I couldn't help but return.
"Yeah, Jaune, what the heck happened back there with Lionheart?" asked Yang, pushing herself from the couch's back support to look at my face in curiosity. "When we found you in his office you were passed out and Lionheart was gone."
And while I wanted to do nothing more than tell everyone the truth about the memory flashes and about Salem's message for some strange reason I found that I just couldn't tell them... But why couldn't I though? I knew that they'd believe me and that they'd still have my back... But I just couldn't risk it telling them the truth... And the worst part of it was that I was more than willing to lie to my own friends if it meant protecting them. Was Ozpin's control over my body happening faster than I had thought? Was I even going to have enough time to help the others before I was lost to the collection of hosts Ozpin had "eaten" so many years ago?
So, despite the pain the lies would inevitably bring down upon me, I lied once again to my closest friends and allies... And I hated myself for doing so... But I hated Ozpin's next words even more so.
"Trust me, Mr. Arc." said Ozpin, the words of wisdom spilling from his mouth like a waterfall of painful regrets. "Sometimes a pleasant lie is better than a painful truth."
"So, Lionhert used a dirty sneak attack and got away..." grumbled Yang, her lilac eyes briefly flashing red at the imagine she held in her mind. "Fucking cowardly lion..."
And though I wanted nothing more than to agree with Yang right then and there the sound of Qrow clearing his throat captured our group's attention as we all turned our heads towards him. "Regardless of Leo, we need to focus on getting the Relic of Knowledge to Atlas. It's the only way we can ensure it's safety since the Spring Maiden isn't around to seal the vault back up."
"Speaking of the relic." said Weiss, raising her hand gracefully into the air. A sight that had Qrow nearly sighing in annoyance at her. "I believe it is in everyone's best interest if we knew EXACTLY what it does. If we understand what it is capable of then we can better plan on how to protect it."
"Yeah, we want to know just what the heck makes this trinket worth so much trouble." Yang agreed, crossing her warm meaty arm over her cold metallic prosthetic arm.
And Qrow, turning his head to look at me, only raised a mere eyebrow in my direction. And by the gods that ruled above did I hate that look he was giving me. But, I knew that this action was not for his own benefit but for the group's benefit as well. And so, once again, Ozpin and I became one once more. Our hand reached out the the relic that rested on the table before us, our fingers looping around it's circular handle as we lifted into the air to be seen by the others of our group, it's form growing larger in our possession, most like due to some magic mumbo jumbo.
"The Relic of Knowledge." we said, hiding our mirth at the sight of Ruby's sparkling silver eyes. "While looking like an ordinary trinket as Ms. Xiao Long had playfully put it, we can assure you all that it is incredibly dangerous if placed into the wrong hands. You see, once every 100 years or so, the user may ask a total of three questions and the lamp, if it is able, will provide an answer."
"Intriguing." said Ren, placing one hand on his thigh and the other on his chin as he looked at the swinging relic in awe.
"That's incredible..." said Blake, agreeing with Ren sentiments towards the power this treasure truly held.
"Wait." said Ruby, raising her hand as if she was trying to capture our attention so that she may be called upon. An action that a part of us found endearing while another found it cute. "You said it would answer a question only if it was able to. What did you mean by that?"
"Well, the relic, while powerful, is not without it's drawbacks." we answered, placing the relic onto our waist line to keep it from falling to the ground. "The lamp cannot tell of events that have yet to happen. And, as we said before, it can only answer a total of three questions every 100 years or so."
"Well, that's not SO bad... Though, it does add a LOT of pressure." said Yang, sighing to herself at the thought of traveling with something as valuable as an national treasure that was capable of answering any question someone had.
And we couldn't help but agree with her in her feelings towards something as dangerous as the relic of knowledge. And the worst part about being bonded with an ancient wizard was that we had no need to imagine what kind of damage an object as powerful as this could cause if placed into the wrong hands. Mainly because one of us had lived through those lifetimes.
It wasn't until we finally noticed a hyperactive aura presence beside us that we turned to see Nora, crouching beside us as she looked at the relic that hung by our waist with a crazed look in her eye before she leaped to her feet and wrapped an arm around our neck and shoulders. "Then let's put it to a vote! What should we ask first? Oh! Can we ask it for more questions?" she asked before latching onto our shoulders before shaking us with extremely levels of force. "CAN WE ASK IT FOR MORE QUESTIONS!?" she shouted, shaking us so hard that we very nearly unfused before Ren was able to reel in his crazed lightning rod of a partner.
"Nora, please stop shaking Jaune and Mr. Ozpin." said Ren, facepalming with a heavy sigh. "And need I remind you that these are QUESTIONS and not WISHES?"
But, even though Nora had come dangerously close to forcing our fusion to end, we could help the lighthearted chuckled that escaped between our lips at her hyperactiveness that we had come to love. Which only made it that much more painful to lie to not only her but everyone else as well. "We're afraid you be able to ask the relic anything at this moment." we said, smiling only slightly at the sound of Nora grunting in frustration. "The questions were used before Ozpin sealed it away many years ago."
And even though our fusion entitled us the ability to share memories of past experiences there appeared to be some memories that Ozpin had gone to great lengths to hide away. Even from the very person that was currently hosting his own soul. It only fueled Jaune's anger towards the ancient wizard for not only hiding valuable information from himself but from his friends as well. And it only made Jaune hate himself more for agreeing with his actions to begin with.
"Well, at least now we know what it is. And we'll be sure to keep it safe!" said Ruby, the voice of hope that had the power to ignite a fiery passion within us all.
But not even the hopeful words from Ruby could make the feelings of guilt and remorse that were filling my body go away, as my fusion with Ozpin was ended and I was myself once again. And as the others went back to packing their supplies to ready themselves for our trip to Atlas, all I could do was stare out at the city of Mistral down below as a feeling of deja vu caused me to grow anxious at the thought of crossing an entire continent with a national treasure.
It wasn't until two hours later as I sat upon the bench at Mistral's train station, surrounded by my friends and allies that I heard the sound of rushing footfalls coming from the gate that I turned my head from I was sitting to spot a familiar red cape. A smile came to me as I watched a gleeful Ruby run past several people with a bag in her hand. The smile on her face reminded me of all the hell she'd been through the past several weeks and it only caused my admiration for her to grow larger than before. Here she was, a girl who was supposed to be attending her second semester of Beacon, trying to save the world from an evil no mortal man had ever faced before. And here I am, a boy with little-to-no training in combat and fused together with the soul of ancient wizard, who also happened to be my academy's former deceased headmaster, also trying to save the world from an evil no mortal man had ever faced before. Heh, talk about drama, am I right? Either way, it certainly didn't stop the toothy grin on Ruby's face as Yang turned to her with an expression of anticipation.
"And?" asked Yang, the lights of the station's platform bouncing off of her metallic prosthetic arm as she smiled at her younger sister as she pulled out a brown paper bag with the words "gift shop" written on it's cover.
The sheer sight of the gift shop's logo and bag were enough to pull a sigh of annoyance from the ice queen of cold shoulders herself as she rolled her eyes at her teammates' antics.
"What an absolute waste of time-" she began to say just as Yang decided to cut in before she could voice her feelings on the mysterious bag of souvenirs.
"What did you get me?" asked Yang, trying to reach for the bag in order to see for herself what was inside the bag of mysteries only for Ruby to childishly pull the bag away at the last second before facing her older sister with a gleeful grin.
"You'll have to wait and see!" Ruby said in a singsong tone as she tried to fend off against Yang's constant attacks on the bag of mysteries.
And, as much as I love to watch Yang being made to look like a fool, I knew firsthand that her pension for "accidental" destruction was not something you wanted to witness. Luckily, another, who held a pension for "accidental" destruction, was close by to stop the mayhem. And honestly, that was more unbelievable than the fact that there was a disembodied voice in my head.
"Oh, I can't believe we're taking a train to Argus! The beautiful northern coastline..." said Nora, dancing around the benches we all sat upon before coming to a stop with a quizzical expression. "You really think it's too early for beach season?"
Heh, now there's an oxymoron for you. Beach season in the freezing north. Course, now that I think about it, it has been a long time since I last had the chance to defend my beach volleyball champ title. Yang did say she planned to school me the next chance she got.
"Argus is well known for their pristine white sand beaches and beautiful crystal blue ocean waves." said Ozpin, the aforementioned disembodied voice that was now as much a part of myself as my soul was to me.
"Yeah, a fun beach day is the last thing I need right now." I mentally said back to him with a frown on my face. "Just dealing with you and all of your baggage is enough, thanks."
"Mr. Arc, if this is about what Salem had said before you must understand that Salem will say anything if it helps her achieve her goals." said Ozpin, reminding me of the words she'd last spoke to me.
"Funny. It sounds like you guys have A LOT in common." I replied with a blatant scowl on my face. "It's a wonder you guys ever fought at all."
Upon hearing my words the annoying voice of my headmaster was silent in his reply, earning me another victory against him. He knew that I was right after all. I knew that Ozpin would say things just the way I needed to hear them in order to get me to fall in line and I also knew that if I gave any such leeway that I could kiss my life goodbye and I'd be joining the millions of souls he captured over the years. And as much as I wanted him gone from my body I also knew that without him and his guidance, we'd be, as Qrow had so adamantly put it, up shit river without a damn boat. So, at least for now, I was determined to see this through to the end in hopes that I can be rid of both Ozpin and Salem as quickly as possible. It wasn't until I caught a glimpse of two unknown men walking towards us that I realized my conversation with Ozpin had pulled me away from my surroundings.
The two men walking towards us each wore a prideful smile on their faces and held their weapons in their arms like badges of honor. Please, after all of the shit I'd been through I was pretty sure rated lower on the intimidating scale than a mouse. Nevertheless, I turned my gaze upon them just as my fellow teammates and friends had done so. Though, it was the voice of Nora that answered the call of duty as she leaned over the bench to look at the two unknown men.
"Aaaand you are?" she asked, nearly causing me to smile as it seemed her words had almost caused the two guys' confidence to drop like stones in water.
"Why, Dee and Dudley, of course!" said the former, now calling himself Dee and his partner, standing to the left of him, Dudley. "The Argus Limited's very own Huntsmen. We'll be keeping everyone safe as we pass through Grimm territory."
Ah, so this was douchbag numero uno then that meant the other guy was-
"But, for a generous tip, we can make sure your passenger car get's EXTRA special attention should things get...dangerous." said Dudley, sending a flirtatious wink towards the females of our group of misfits only to receive several unamused looks from them.
Douchbag numero dos, got it.
But before any of the girls could voice their rather verbose feelings towards the two creeps the voice of Ruby's uncle and Ozpin's associate, Qrow, cut through the place like a scythe threw a Nevermore's neck. The two so-called Argus Limited's Huntsmen both turned to look at the strikingly-sober Huntsman stroll up towards them before standing in front of Yang and Ruby, his nieces.
"Yeah, I got a tip for ya." said Qrow, keeping his hands in his pockets as he frowned at the two Huntsmen. "Buzz off." Though, I don't think his threat went quite as well as he thought it did. Most likely due to the stupidly hilarious faces Ruby and Yang were making at them. "Heh, looks like Mistral's really scraping the bottom of the barrel these days." said Qrow with a smirk causing the fuming Dee to immediately retort in frustration.
"Hey!" he shouted in anger, pointing his right index finger at the man standing nonchalantly before him. "You're talking to a-" Only to be cut off as Qrow pulled out his scroll, revealing a certified Huntsman License, ending Dee's retort and silencing the two Huntsmen.
"A Professional Huntsman, right." said Qrow, sighing before putting his scroll back into his pocket. "Well, it seems one of you HEROES left the staff entrance to the caboose wide open." His words causing both Dee and Dudley to turn back around and see that the door had been left open and unguarded. "Be a shame to lose your job before it even started, huh?"
"I...I didn't do it!" said Dudley, causing his partner, Dee, to look back at him with furious annoyance before scoffing at his poor excuse.
"Come on, dummy." said Dee, turning his back on our group as he and Dudley both walked back to their positions, leaving us alone to gather our thoughts.
Suddenly, the feeling of Ozpin's presence in my head voiced his own feelings on the sudden arrival of the Argus Limited's own Huntsmen, Dee and Dudley. "I do hope those weren't Beacon graduates."
And as much as I wanted desperately to disagree with him if only to annoy him I couldn't help but agree with him. I mean, just imagine what Beacon might've been like if those two were there. It only made me realize how strangely glad I was that it was us, a team of barely experienced students and a former teacher, that was going off to save the world from a tyrannical queen of Grimm.
"Gotta say, I was kind of feeling overwhelmed by the fact that we're the ones saving the world." I said aloud, causing the group to turn to me. "But then people like them come along and it makes me really glad it's our jobs and not their's." And seeing their expressions of agreement was all I needed to see as I turned back just in time to see the two Huntsmen disappear into the caboose's staff entrance.
Suddenly, a feeling of nostalgia filled my body as a brief flash of memory appeared before my eyes along with that very same mysterious woman that plagued my vision just hours prior only this time I could see more of her figure besides a white cloudy silhouette. This time she wore with a white robe-like dress and a smile on her face. For some reason or another this mysterious woman, whose face was shrouded in a white fog, felt strangely familiar and yet I was almost certain I'd never met this woman before. Could she be apart of Ozpin's memories or was she one of the many, many lives Ozpin had ruined due to his mistakes? And just as quickly as the memory had appeared it quickly vanished just as fast leaving only a painful feeling of longing and regret. I brought my hand to clutch at my head, grimacing as I waited for the pain to subside as the world around me began to fade back into existence and in the mysterious woman's place was Ruby, who looked at me with an expression of worry as I held my head.
"Are you alright, Jaune?" she asked, the worry she felt towards me nearly causing me to voice my feelings before I opted to deny her worry.
"I'm fine, Ruby." I said with a smile on my face, feeling horrible that I was lying to my friend. But I knew that if I alerted the others to what was happening to me it would only cause more problems for them. So, at least for now, I was determined to keep what was happening to me a secret from them. The only question was...
What was happening to me?
It had started the very moment I'd woken from my blackout that I was bombarded with memories that belonged to neither Ozpin nor myself. These were the memories of those Ozpin had previously called his hosts. Some of their memories were peaceful, showcasing brief moments of joy and love that filled my soul with a sense of nostalgia. While others were filled with senseless bloodshed and war, the memories of endless killings and betrayal were enough to make me vomit. I could feel every scar, every painful mental scar left embedded onto their souls like they were my own. And the words that stranger had said to me at the start of my journey only made me question Ozpin's integrity further. I knew that deep down Ozpin was not truly evil, not like Salem was. But I also knew that Ozpin was more than prepared to use whatever he had to achieve his goal of stopping Salem even if it meant losing a few pawns. It only furthered my feelings of hatred towards the parasitic soul that latched onto my own. If I didn't stop Salem and break this curse that I was afraid this journey with my friends could very well be my last.
I just hope I have enough time.
But, it seems like the bitch we all know as Destiny had other plans as a few miles into our thought-to-be-peaceful journey we were ambushed by a group of Manticores being led by a Sphinx as the Argus Limited raced through the snowy countryside. And here I thought this journey was going to be a breeze! Thanks a lot universe! Nevertheless, at least I had Ozpin's experience to see me through this battle as I leaped backwards onto my hands, avoiding an incoming fireball from one of the flying Manticores that exploded against the train's armored plating. These Manticores that landed on the train were not making my life any easier as I closed my shield back into it's sheath form as I charged a nearby Manticore with my sword and Ozpin's cane in both of my grips.
Jumping into the air, I managed to kick the Manticore's armored face plate, launching myself into the air before falling back down to plunge my sword's tip into the back of it's neck, ending it's existence and allowing me to pull up my shield just time to reflect an incoming fireball back at the flying Manticore that had launched it. If that didn't make matters worse, the fact that that idiot, Dudley AKA douchebag numero dos, was stupidly drawing the Grimms' attention towards the passengers still onboard the train was not doing us any favors.
Seeing a chance, I ran towards the trigger-happy Huntsman as my teammates covered my tracks, firing a barrage of grenades and bullets at the flying Manticores. As I leaped from train car to train car, I was able to kill of two more Manticores that landed in front of me. A quick slice to their bodies with my sword was enough to bring them down. Though I knew that it was mainly Ozpin's skill that allowing me to survive this nigh-impossible encounter. Nevertheless, I was able to make it the train car where Dudley was preoccupied with shooting at the flying Manticores with his peashooter of a rifle. Upon which, I angrily grabbed his shoulder and turned him to face me as I returned his surprised expression with my own look of determination.
"Stop! You've gotta shut these turrets down!" I shouted over the roar of gunfire and Grimm screeched as Dudley looked at me as if I had grown a second head, though at the rate I was losing my body to Ozpin I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.
"Are you insane! No way!" he shouted back, turning at the just the right moment to see another Manticore being obliterated out of the sky thanks to the turret's automatic firing system causing the idiotic Huntsman to pump his fist in excitement. "Yes! Another one down!"
Having enough of his idiotic behavior, I reached out with both arms, grabbing the collar of his shirt and turning him towards me as I glared into his eyes, obviously surprised by my show of strength.
"I said stop!" I shouted, scowling at his stupid face. "We have to lure the Grimm to the back of the train!" Only for my command to fall upon deaf ears as he angrily shoved me back with a glare.
"What does it matter if they're all dead!?" he shouted back before turning to fire back at the Manticores that flew around the train's right side, firing off several fireballs from their open mouths.
Suddenly, a strange sight befell our eyes as we watched in confusion as the Sphinx and the still-living Manticores leaped off the train and took off into the air as if safely keeping their distance away from the train's exterior. It wasn't until I turned to look ahead of us that I realized why that was. What looked like a mere few feet from where we currently stood was the telltale sign of a train tunnel. One that was clearly too small to allow them to pass safely underneath it. Seeing the impending doom heading straight towards us, I turned towards the others, who were all as confused as I was and shouted with all of my might,
"TUNNEL!" I shouted, before taking off towards the open segments between the train cars and just barely managing to make it to safety in time. Unfortunately, Dudley did not fair as well as I had in his attempt. As evident by the sound of his forearm's bone snapping as the blood that was clotting beneath his skin. His groans of pain filled my ears I immediately reached for him, pulling him inside the train car so that I could treat his wound.
It was right about then as I was busy using my Semblance to heal his arm that Qrow and the others entered our train car. And by the look on Qrow's face I could tell that He was not happy knowing his request had went ignored. The usually drunken bringer of bad luck shoved Dudley into the wall, causing him to groan in pain as he cradled his arm.
"I said, turn those damn things off!" shouted Qrow, snarling at Dudley as I remained silent, still using my Semblance to heal Dudley's broken arm.
"Those THINGS are what's keeping us alive!" he shouted back, unknowingly adding fuel to the anger that festered in Qrow's body.
"Us, sure, but they're putting the passengers in danger!" Qrow shouted once more, earning Dudley's ire as he turned away to face Qrow's fury.
"I'm the one the hired for this hob, okay!?" he shouted in anger. "I'm in charge here!"
"Oh, forgive me if I'm not exactly reassured!" shouted Qrow, continuing to argue with the injured man rather than shutting up and thanking the world for the ever-brief moment of piece.
The cries of the passengers in the train car ahead of us were not helping the situation though I couldn't blame them for that. They had all assumed that this journey would only be a short trip and they'd all be in Argus as if nothing bad had ever happened in Mistral. It only made the weight of the Relic of Knowledge that hug on the side of my waist all the more heavy.
"Get off me!" shouted Dudley as he shoved Qrow back with his free hand.
"Look, if you two morons had been doing your job instead of shaking down passengers, maybe we wouldn't be in this-" But before Qrow could finish his insult towards the injured man, who had not just moments ago lost his partner to the Manticore ambush, the sudden appearance of Ruby was just enough to silence his harsh words. Seeing her face as she walked towards Dudley and myself was all I needed to know as she opened her mouth.
"Please just shut off the turrets." she pleaded, glancing at me as I turned to look at the man I was still healing.
"Trust us, we know what we're doing." I replied, giving him my trademark Arc smile before he in-turn looked at our expression of determination, no doubt knowing that we trusted our experience to help us see this day to it's end.
And with a heavy sigh as I finished healing his broken arm just enough so that his own aura to heal it on it's own, he looked upon us with a mixed expression. "Fine" he said softly, using his free hand to pull out his scroll in order to shut down the train's turrets.
In that moment, it was Nora that gave our weary group a sign of hope. Something that she had found herself doing ever since the start of our incredible journey and one that I was more than happy to see her do as she turned towards her partner, Ren, with a quizzical expression.
"Ren, could you use your Semblance to mask everyone on this train?" she asked, immediately putting the idea into all of our heads. "With the guns off and emotions hidden, they might lose track of us!"
Pondering this idea, Ren brought his hand to his chin before lowering it with an expression of uncertainty. "Hm, I never attempted to affect this many people." Pointing out a very obvious flaw in Nora's otherwise hopeful plan. A plan that almost went unfulfilled if not for Ruby pointing out that this group had what essentially amounted to an amplifier, only instead of electrical guitars being amplified it was their aura and, by extension, their Semblances.
Myself.
"Well, you've never had Jaune's help before." said Ruby, smiling at the idea as Weiss's eyes widened in realization.
"He could amplify your Aura!" Weiss readily agreed as did the others.
And for a moment I was feeling excited at the thought of seeing this plan come to fruition. If not for the presence of a very VERY annoying voice in my head. "May I, Mr. Arc?" asked Ozpin, causing me to sigh before willingly deciding, against my better judgement, to allow the two of us to fuse into one once more. Our souls became one. Our bodies become one. Our minds became one. We were 100 percent in sync as we opened our eyes to gaze upon our students and friends. "I'm afraid there's one complication..." we said, turning everyone's attention towards us as we reached for the relic that hung from our waist, raising it to meet their field of view. "The Grimm are also attracted to this."
Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me right now!
This entire time we've been carrying a goddamn dinner bell strapped to our waist!?
Upon seeing the mysterious object that we held in our grasp, Dudley was the first to voice his thoughts. His eyes indicating his level of confusion over the events transpiring before his very eyes. "What's that?" he asked, sounding genuinely confused over the relic sheer importance in this situation. However, if not for the intervention of Qrow stomping his curiosity into the dirt, he may have asked a question he'd rather not have been answered. But it was the voice of Yang calling out on Ozpin's withholding of precious need-to-know information that had nearly caused the two of us to split.
"Why didn't you tell us that before!?" she shouted at the two of us as we placed the relic back onto our waist.
Luckily, Ruby stepped in just in time to save us from Yang's ire and allowed the two of us to safely split from one another thereby grant me control over my own flesh and blood body.
"It doesn't matter right now." said Ruby, her silver eyes becoming a sign of hope even as her older sister crossed her arms with a huff. "Every second we're on board this train, we're putting everyone else in danger. Get the passengers to the front cars, you'll still mask the emotions and kill the turrets. Jaune, do you think you can amplify Ren's aura from a distance?" she asked, turning towards me as I pondered her question.
"If Ozpin and I combine our strengths then maybe but..." I said, as I began to cast doubts upon myself until I felt the gentle touch of Ruby's smooth hand on my cheek, causing me to look into her bottomless silver pools.
"Jaune, I know you can do this." she said with a soft smile filling my heart were a feeling of heightened euphoria.
Even in the face of sheer impossibility, Ruby still held the tiniest shred of hope that everything would work out in the end. I don't know if I'd call that wishful thinking or immense stupidity. But, either way, it was her hope that lit the fires of determination within ourselves. And it was yet another reason I knew I'd willingly follow her to hell and back.
"You're right. I can do this, I promise." I said with a smirk and a fire in my eyes. I knew I could do this because I had to do this. I promised after all and an Arc never breaks a promise.
Seeing the fire burning in my eyes. Ruby turned back to see that others were staring at us with deadpanned expressions, causing our cheeks to redden from embarrassment After coughing her blush away Ruby tunred back towards the others with silver eyes filled to the brim with determination. "Anyway, if we can cut the back cars with us and the Relic on them, we can deal with the Grimm. You just have to make sure the rest of the train makes it safely to Argus."
Upon hearing this, it was Ren that walked towards us with a strange expression on his face before he look into our eyes. There was no need for words to be exchanged between us. The two of us reached out to clasp one another's arms before pulled the other into a hug and just as we were about to break apart Nora suddenly appeared to join in our goodbye hug. And for some reason that tickled the back of my head I had had a feeling that this would the last I'd ever see of my two teammates for a very long time.
"Promise you'll meet us in Argus." said Ren, pulling himself away from our team hug as some streams of tears fell from Nora's eyes.
And with a heavy heart and even heavier mind, I promised my brother in arms that I'd see him again in Argus. With our final goodbyes the two of them raced off to begin evacuating the passengers towards the front half of the train, leaving the rest of us to plan out our next move. After a few more minutes and the passengers were safely inside the front cars, we all exited back onto the top of the train cars where Ozpin and I fused together once again. The feeling of Ozpin's power added onto Jaune's immense pools of Aura filled us with adrenaline. All of Ozpin's knowledge over the manipulation of Aura filled our mind as we lowered our hand onto the train's roof, our eyes closed as the others fended off the attacking Sphinx and Manticores.
"Imagine it as if it was a wire." we thought to ourselves, willing our aura to move how we wanted it to be moved and shaping it into what we desired it to be. "Imagine that Ren is but a conduit for our Semblance." And though it was feint, we knew that feeling of calmness under fire better than anyone. We latched onto Ren's aura, empowering his Semblance with our own. And as we felt a strange sense of calmness envelop our souls before it slowly faded further and further away we knew that our hair-brained plan had worked by some miracle. But now that left the most dangerous job to the rest of us as we turned back with our sword in one hand and our cane in the other to face down our opponents.
Charging towards the nearest Manticore, we slid beneath it's form, slicing at it's underbelly with our sword before latching onto it's scorpion-like tail and landing on it's armored back, blocking the tail's tail with our cane as we empowered our own Aura, increasing our strength as we leaped into the air just time to attack a flying Manticore as Ruby cut the one beneath us with her scythe. However, upon noticing that her uncle was struggling against the Sphinx, she immediately turned towards her cat-eared teammate, Blake.
"We've gotta ground it!" shouted Ruby as we used our shield to reflect one final fireball back towards the flying Manticore that fired it, causing it to explode in the air in a flash of fire and black smoke.
"On it!" shouted Blake, turning her weapon into it's kusarigama form. "Yang!"
Hearing her name being called, Yang took off, killing a Manticore that stupidly tried to face her, before sliding beneath the Sphinx's body and landing on the other side of the giant beast just in time for Blake to launch her weapon over the Sphinx's body before Yang immediately punched the weapon, sending it rocketing underneath the Sphinx's body and back around over it's top. After repeating this loop for a few more times until the tip impaled itself onto the train's roof, the two girls pulled on the ribbon's two ends with all their might, keeping the Sphinx from flying and allowing Weiss ample to time to use her glyphs to freeze the Sphinx's wings that were then completely shattered by both Qrow's and Ruby's bullets. Upon seeing the Sphinx reading itself for another fireball, the two scythe wielders readied their weapons of choice before launching themselves at the Sphinx, using the recoil of their weapons to accelerate their rotation until their bladed weapon met the Grimm's body, bisecting it's torso and finishing it off for good. But before the life could be drained from it's unholy eyes, it's mouth opened to reveal the fireball it was previous about to fire at them. Only for the fireball to completely miss them and crash onto the train track ahead, destroying them in the process and all but ensuring that our trouble were far from over. Where it not for Weiss and her black glyphs and our combined strength and Semblance amplifying everyone's Aura, we were all but certain that our lives would've ended that very moment.
After the train had "successfully" crashed into the snow banks below the tracks and we were certain everyone was alive and in one piece, the two of us unfused causing me to fall to my knee in the snow. The pain of fusing with Ozpin and trying out a new technique in a literal matter of seconds caused more strife than I cared to admit. Nevertheless, at least everyone was safe and sound. All six of us.
"Hah! Still alive!" shouted a very elderly voice from inside the destroyed segment of the train. The sound causing all of us to turn back and see a short elderly woman with a strange set of high tech goggles on her face and a smile on her face as if what had been a dangerous trainwreck had been nothing more than a pothole on the road or even stranger a goddamn roller-coaster. "That was a close one, huh?" she asked aloud, laughing like a crazy woman. And it was in that moment as we all stared in confusion at the elderly woman that I realized a single truth.
That destiny was a colossal bitch and she hated me with a fiery passion.