Well people seem to be liking this so far. Hope I keep meeting your expectations. I do not own RWBY or Kamen Rider. Betaread by LordHellPhoenix
Chapter 3 – Top of the Food Chain.
Jaune's POV
I slam my fist into the punching bag in front of me over and over before slamming a knee into it. I flow into a rhythm, the sound of flesh hitting the bag supporting it. I've come to find this relaxing, I need to do something relaxing now. I found a tablet in my room after Tsukasa left a week ago, I have no idea when he slipped it in there. In it was the history of Kamen Riders, so many heroes, villains, and those that were in-between. It's also scary to think that I'm not the youngest rider ever, no Fourze gets that honor. So many villains with world-ending plans, so much death and heartbreak, it boggles the mind. I have a huge legacy to live up to, this one even greater than the Arc's own legacy. Shocker, the things they've done, the lives they've ruined. Remnant is just their latest target.
BANG!
My next punch sends the bag flying off its hook and it slams into the ground.
"Wow, nice punch you got there, Vomit Boy." I turn around to see Yang grinning at me in workout gear of her own.
"Yeah, yeah." I set the bag back on its hook and begin pounding away at it.
"Oh come on, I gave you a compliment."
"A first."
"Okay that isn't true." I turn and stare Yang down and she looks away with a blush.
"Okay fine, I'll admit it was rare but you can't say it was the first."
"What do you want Yang?"
"Who says I want anything? Can't I just want to see how you're doing?"
"We're barely acquaintances Yang." Yang frowns at me and crosses her arms.
"Do you consider anyone a friend?"
"A guy named Matt, Ruby, and I think that Weiss and I have a tentative friendship. Other than that, no, no I do not." I go back to laying into the punching bag, I'm unbothered for a few minutes when a hand suddenly grasps my shoulder. I react instantly and grab the arm and throw the owner over my shoulder. Yang lands on the floor with a meaty slap and looks up at me in shock.
"Oum, Jaune. What the hell was that about?"
"Hey, you were the one that grabbed me from behind! Excuse the guy that's been stabbed in the back for not trusting someone grabbing him from behind." Yang gets up and glares at me.
"I get it, we shouldn't have believed that you were capable of attacking Weiss. We were wrong, okay." What the? Oh, she thinks I was talking about her and the others.
"I meant that literally, Yang." I take off my shirt and turn around to show her my back and point over my right shoulder at a small ovular scar. It was nonlethal but hurt like hell "I got that one three months in, a guy with a grudge against the Arcs" Yang is oddly quiet but then I feel a hand brush one of the scars from Merlot's work with a feather-light touch. I tense but keep from attacking as Yang's hand traces the scar as it goes up the spine and branches out at the base of my neck to my arms and up to the skull where it stops at the spot where the spine meets the skull.
"How did you survive?" Yang has never sounded this quiet, I have to look behind me to make sure it's her.
"Luck at first, then I got decent with a shiv and made sure people thought twice about attacking me." Yang blinks at that.
"A shiv?"
"It's a small kni…"
"I know what it is, I'm just surprised you used one."
"It was tough at first, nearly died the first fight I had with it when I hit a rib rather than the space between two." Yang's eyes widen and her face pales.
"You tried to…?"
"Considering he flat out admitted that he was paid to kill me, never said who paid him though, and was going to take pleasure in it I really didn't care. It was me or him and I won. I have another two kills from prison under my belt, all in self-defense." I stare at Yang and frown. "Is this the part where you say I can't hang around Ruby now? Because I really don't care what you want." Yang frowns and looks away before staring back at me with a fire in her eyes.
"You and me on the mat." I snort and throw my shirt back on.
"I'm not fighting for my right to be Ruby's friend." Yang's voice gains an odd undertone I can't place.
"I'm surprised, most men would do anything to lay hands on me."
"Do most men have wires threaded throughout their body?" Yang goes quiet after that and opens her mouth to respond only for my scroll to buzz from where I left it on a bench next to my driver and orbs. I go and pick it up and find Ozpin is calling me.
"Hello."
"Mr. Arc could you please come to my office. There is something we need to discuss." Huh, this is odd. Ozpin hasn't actually interacted with me that much since I came back beyond wanting a report on what happened with Shocker.
"Yeah, I'll swing by my room and change before I head over."
"Good, please be here in about an hour.
"Looks like we'll have to post-pone this little fight Yang, Ozpin wants me at his office." Yang nods and I grab my stuff before rushing back to my room. I grab a quick shower and change into my regular outfit before heading off to the tower.
"Jaune!" I don't stop when I hear Pyrrha call my name. I would have kept moving if Nora and Ren hadn't gotten in front of me.
"What do you three want?"
"We want to talk to you, please we want to make things right." I look at Pyrrha and Nora's teary eyes and Ren's stoic ones and remember the last sight I had of them as I was removed from the courtroom, they wouldn't even look me in the eye.
"And I don't want to talk to you, now if you'll excuse me Ozpin wants to see me." I shove past Ren and Nora only to freeze when I feel the wires in me move back. Pain floods my system.
"AGGGH!" The force stops and I swing around and see Pyrrha looking at me in horror. She actually used her semblance on the wires, the bitch actually did that. I don't feel any guilt from the fist I plant in her face before she can react.
"Listen well Nikos, you pull a stunt like that again and I promise you it won't end well." I walk off and see from the corner of my eye Ren and Nora helping Pyrrha up. I feel my aura working on all the damage dealt to me, such a soothing feeling. I soon reach the tower and take the elevator up to Ozpin's office. When I exit the elevator I find Ozpin, Goodwitch, Ironwood, Winter, and a guy with a large sword waiting for me.
"Mr. Arc, so glad you could make it. Please take a seat." I take the offered seat and look at the assembled crowd in front of me.
"Does the Schnee have to be here?" Said Schnee fixes a glare at me, I now know who Weiss learned hers from.
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Forgive me for not being comfortable around someone that quite possibly hired hitmen to try and kill me." The guy I don't know laughs at that.
"He's got you there, actually why are you here anyway Ice Queen?" Winter opens her mouth only to shut it when Ironwood orders her to leave. She glares at the new guy and then walks to the elevator. Once Winter is gone I turn back to Ozpin.
"Now that the she's gone, what is it you want?" Ozpin sits up in his chair and rests his chin on his hands.
"Tell me, what is your favorite fairy tale?"
"The Shallow Sea."
"Hmm, and what do you know about the Tale of the Seasons."
"Umm, that's the one about the four girls that go and make an old man come out of his shell right. He gives them powers that go along with the seasons in return, right?"
"That is the gist of it. Would you believe me if I told you it was true?" I stare at him and then hold up my Beowolf orb.
"With everything that has happened recently I'm open to the possibility?"
"I run a group dedicated to fighting a shadow war for Remnant. There are certain things best left unknown to the general public. As you have a personal stake in this war I felt you would be an excellent addition."
"First, I am not giving you information on Kamen Riders or Drivers. Second, what stake could I have in this war?"
"I'm not asking for information on these Kamen Riders and recreating that Driver would be impossible. If I am right our ultimate enemy, the one that pulls the strings, helped in the creation of that device and the copies the White Fang uses." My hand tightens on my seat, another person to add to my shit list. I look around and see the other three in the room looking at me intensely.
"And this person is?"
"A woman named Salem, I'll give you more information after we go over why we need you." I look over the other people in the room.
"So, I know Goodwitch and Ironwood but I don't know the scruffy guy."
"Qrow Branwen. You know my nieces, Yang and Ruby." Okay I see the resemblance with Ruby but not so much Yang. "Now come on, now you get to see the big secret." With that I get lead into the elevator and Ozpin presses a button hidden behind a panel. It's a rather uncomfortable ride down the elevator. Eventually the elevator stops and we exit into some kind of underground basement. Goodwitch turns back and looks at me.
"Welcome to the Vault." With that she turns around but seems off her game, less uptight. I catch up to her and walk beside her.
"Are you okay, Ms. Goodwitch." She looks at me in surprise for a second before looking away.
"It's nothing Mr. Arc, I simply found out someone I cared about was killed." I want to question her but the look she gives me makes me back off. Eventually we reach the end of the hallway where a girl is in some kind of medical apparatus. Her face is heavily scared but I've never seen any scars like these and the Arc family album shows plenty of scars.
"What happened to her?"
"This is Amber, the current Fall Maiden. For the first time in history someone was able to steal part of her power. It's left her in this state, it's all we can do to keep her alive at this point." Qrow picks up where Ozpin left off.
"See kid, when a Maiden dies the power is supposed to go to the last person in her thoughts as long as that person is another young woman, if she's thinking of a dude or some old hag it's random." I look at Amber and Ironwood picks up.
"Using some of the newest Atlas technology we've managed to keep her alive but we have no clue what will happen when she passes." I look at him in confusion.
"Won't it just go to the next host?"
"Well what do you know, I thought this kid was supposed to be an idiot. Normally you'd be right but when you killed those guys in prison who do you think was the last person on their minds." What Qrow is implying hits me, her attacker would be the one that most likely would get the power. "I see it hit you, I didn't get a good look when I found her but the one that took Amber's power was female and looked young enough. On top of that the girlie that did this has the rest of the power. Worst but most likely scenario, the power goes to her to reconnect with its other half." I nod absentmindedly at that, it sounds likely.
"So, you need me to help fight the person that did this?"
"No, we have a plan to transfer the power to a new host before Amber dies." I round on that instantly.
"What happens to Amber then, or the new host." Everyone looks away, none of them meeting my eyes.
"No way, you all are going to just what? Rip that power out of her and hope for the best?"
"Yeah, sounds about right." I glare at Qrow and then think about what he said. Ruby is his niece right, and she was brought in two years early.
"Its Ruby isn't it, that's why you brought her in early. You want to gamble on her life." Qrow looks at me surprised while the others look shocked except for Ozpin.
"No, it is not Ms. Rose. She has something else special about her." I glare at him, this is so wrong. "No, we are considering a few different students, we want you to protect our candidates. It would be less suspicious if you did it. So far it is down to the rest of Team RWBY and Ms. Nik.."
"HELL NO! I will not spend any more time around her. I can watch over Weiss, Blake, and Yang just fine, I don't get murderous thoughts when I see them." Ozpin taps his cane to the ground and I quiet down. The echo rings out through the Vault.
"Mr. Arc, this is beyond anyone of us or our personal feelings, we are talking about the safety of the world. Salem was bad enough but now she could be working with this Shocker group. So please set aside your personal feelings for now and perhaps you might find yourself getting back on good terms with your old team." I snort at that, fat chance. I start walking towards the elevator but stop and look back at the four of them.
"I'll keep an eye on WBY and Nikos but don't expect me to be act nice. Also, you can say this is for the greater good and all that, perhaps you're right. But keep in mind that Merlot thought what he was doing was for the good of humanity, I'm finding it hard to not picture him as part of this group of yours." I don't want that information on this Salem woman now, this is too much. I take the elevator up and walk out of the tower towards the courtyard. That was wrong on so many levels. Messing with aura is a touchy subject with me after having those aura negation cuffs on.
"Hey there Jaune." I will deny to my dying day that I screamed at that. The snickers and looks on team RWBY's faces lets me know I they will never let it go.
"Wow, for everything that changes. Good to see somethings stayed the same Vomit-Boy." I can't help but look at team RWBY in a new light now. Ruby has something that made Ozpin take her in two years early and the rest of her team are being considered for this position as a Maiden. It's never quiet with those four around is it? I pause as something feels off, it's like I'm being watched.
"So, what are you girls up to?"
"You owe me a spar so we needed to find you."
"I told you I'm not fighting you to be friends with Ru…" I tense up and feel the hairs on the back of my neck stick up.
"Uhh, what's with the seriousness Jaune." I look around and then hear footsteps moving around but attempting to remain silent. I slip the Beowolf orb into my Driver.
"Something isn't right." A flash catches are eyes and I duck, a blade passes over my head and pierces a pillar behind my head. Blake's voice reaches my ears.
"Ilia?!" The blade above me retracts and I get back up. In front of me is a girl that looks to be about my age. Her brown hair is pulled into a ponytail that curls at the end, dark spots decorate her skin, and she is wearing some kind of stealth suit. What really catches my attention are three things. First is how dull her eyes are, second is that her arms and legs have the same scars that Merlot's surgeries gave me, and third is what is without a doubt a Driver around her waist. Her driver looks like a handlebar with two "eyes" on top of a black face of sorts. Her weapon is also unusual, it's designed like a chameleon with the tongue functioning as the blade and the tail as the grip. Suddenly the "tongue" retracts fully and the "mouth" closes before opening up and revealing another "tongue" that looks like a tube. The grip then repositions itself into a shape that looks like a …
"Shit, IT'S A GUN!" Projectiles start firing and we all duck behind the pillars. "Blake, how do you know that girl?"
"She's a member of the White Fang, we were friends once." I poke my head around and duck back as another projectile nearly hits me. I pull the switch and press the eye.
"HENSHIN!"
"Beowolf Helm! Wolf Left the Pack, Claws Ready to Attack!" I rush Ilia and dodge that blade of hers. I smack the weapon away from her and grab her arms. I take a good look at her, the scars are definitely from Merlot's work. That clouded look in her eyes freaks me out though, it's like she isn't there. I knee to the gut pushes me back and she grabs the left handle of her own driver before twisting it.
"Devour! Predator!" Black mist surrounds her and then disperses after a second or two. Black and white armor covers her. In the center of her chest is a bright red orb, her faceplate a black plane of material with what looks like a Grimm-lizard skull biting down on it, a red horn sticks out on the forehead of the helmet and two red dots that look like eyes gleam on her helmet. On the outside of her forearms short, sharp-looking, bone-like blades stick out and from the looks of it there are more on the back of her thighs. I jump back from a kick, yep definitely more blades. Soon I have to stop examining her armor as I have to focus more on dodging or deflecting her blows. (Look up Danton's Evolude form, and ignore the odd white pieces framing the face, for the base of this.)
"Gahh!" I slide back several feet from one blow. Before I can react, I feel something hit my back and send me flying. I land hard and scramble to my feet. This Ilia is tough, let's see if she's Ursa-tough. I switch in the Ursa orb and pull the handle.
"Ursa helm! Stronger Than Them All, Get Ready for A Brawl!" My helm takes on the appearance of an Ursa's skull, jawbones wrapping around the sides and bottoms of my head. This form focuses on strength, other than my helm the only armor I have is my chest plate which now covers part of my stomach. Thick gauntlets now cover my hands, while they won't cut anything but a punch from one of these will hurt like hell. My boots are minimalist now but are similarly strengthened. Ilia is on me in a second, speed and strength are a lethal combination. Now however her blows don't push me back. A fistfight begins between the two of us, it's pretty even so far. For each blow, I give her she gives me two but I have more power behind mine. Ilia disengages from me and snatches her weapon from the ground. I push down on the horn once then wait a second before pushing it down two more times.
"Ursa Biting!" "Ursa Chomping!" My arms begin to burn their muscle mass increases. Black mist pours around my hands and a war hammer forms. The head of the hammer is designed to look like an Ursa's paw with spikes coming out of it. I rush at her, this is my slowest form but she meets me head on with her blade out. It soon becomes clear who has the advantage in this round. While even a glancing blow from me sends her flying back she'll get six or even strikes in for my one. A strike to my wrists makes me let go of my weapon and Ilia twists that handle again.
"Go For The Jugular! Predator Strike!" Energy runs along Ilia's blade and she lashes out far faster than before. I get hit with multiple stabs and slashes before I manage to grab her blade. I can feel my armor about to collapse, I'm drained but I'm not going down that easily. I use my free hand to initiate a Massacre.
"Ursa Massacre!" I tighten my free hand into a fist and pull Ilia closer as black energy gather around it.
"RIDER PUNCH!" I read about this technique from Tsukasa's notes, it varies Rider to Rider but in the end, it's always devastating. My fist slams into Ilia's helmet and I release my grip on her weapon. She gets sent flying back and I collapse to one knee.
"Hunt's Over." my armor fades away and Ilia gets back up but her armor is gone as well. She's covered in cuts and bruises and I'm sure I'm no better. Her weapon is back in gun form and she points it at my head only to stop when shouting reaches our ears. With that her form shimmers and then she's gone. I stand back up and ignore the burning in my legs. Those eyes of hers, I don't think she's all there anymore. Wouldn't be the first brainwashed soldier Shocker produced.
Time skip – Jaune's Room
I finally got out of Ozpin's office after giving a blow-by-blow report over my fight with Ilia. I'm currently going over Tsukasa's notes, looking for any similarities in Ilia's abilities and I've managed to find it. Kamen Rider Amazons, AR Riders that share similarities to Kamen Rider Amazon. The Amazons aren't humans, they're a species called … Amazons. Ignoring that for now. The Amazons Riders are some of the more physically powerful riders. Apparently, Shocker tried to attack their world but their soldiers wound up being … eaten, that is a horrible way to go. Given the similarities of the Drivers and the armor they probably based Ilia, who I'm guessing is now Kamen Rider Predator going by what the belt said, off the Amazons. Looks like Ilia doesn't have the insane regeneration, thank Oum, but the speed and strength are definitely there.
Blake gave me a bit more personal information on Ilia, she was a more radical White Fang. Perfectly willing to fight and kill those that wronged Faunus but not a complete bloodthirsty sociopath. The fact she's from Atlas of all places is surprising. Ilia actually went to one of the big, fancy schools while hiding her Faunus traits until a mine accident with lots of casualties gave her away. As a chameleon Faunus, she can change her skin color or extreme emotions do it for her. She felt sorrow over the mine accident while others laughed at the death, she broke some of said girls' teeth apparently. I can't really blame her for that one.
Speaking of Faunus traits those must have been enhanced as well, I saw no technology used when she disappeared. Blake said she couldn't just disappear into thin air but she did just that. Given Shocker's involvement and the way she acted, not even taking a shot at Weiss, not reacting to Blake, her focus on me and nothing else, I am definitely leaning towards brainwashing. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right. I guess we'll see at some point.
I need more strength, I was a few seconds from getting killed today. I turn my head and stare at the green and black orb on my drawer. The last time I tried to use that thing I nearly went wild and I was barely able to rip it out of the Driver. However, this new threat means I'll need to figure it out. This is almost enough to make me miss the days where being a complete weakling was my biggest worry.
Hope you all like this chapter. Any ideas for new forms are welcome, I already have some figured out but any fresh ideas are welcomed. Also looks like we'll have to say goodbye to the Heisei series soon. It was a good run while it lasted, hope the next batch of Riders don't disappoint us.
Next time on Kamen Rider Kiba
"How do you think I got my hands on your blade?"
"So you're the new rider Tsukasa mentioned."
"Gaia Memories?"
"Violence!"
"Now, count up your sins."