Ah dammit, I meant to upload this yesterday but I totally forgot. Awfully sorry everyone. Without any further ado here is the latest chapter, enjoy :)
It was mere moments before the once deserted platform became a hive of activity, hundreds of boots drumming against the cracked stone beneath them. Inside Blake could feel her heart sink, with so many of the White Fang around, stealth would no longer be an option. They would be left with no choice other than fighting through to board the train, fighting people that she would one have called her brothers and sisters in arms. It was entirely wrong yet unavoidably necessary. With a sigh she drew her weapon and readied herself. The tip of Gambol Shroud's blade quivered a scant inch from the paved platform underfoot as her hands trembled.
All around her she could hear her friends readying themselves, the rasp and clicks as Ren reloaded Stormflower with a fresh magazine. The series of mechanical whirs as both Yang's beloved gauntlets, Ember Celica and Nora's hammer Magnhild unfolded to their full length. A slight smile touched to Blake's lips as she imagined the head of Nora's mighty hammer poking out over the top of the crates they were hiding behind. Yet there was one sound that she was not entirely familiar with met with her ears and left them twitching under her bow. It was also a series of clicks but there was something else, it sounded similar to the fuel injection system of an engine. Turning her head she was met with Oobleck's weapon for the first time and had to take a deep breath to stop herself from laughing.
He was crouched behind her cradling his signature Thermos of coffee, yet it wasn't in its usual guise. From the base had sprouted a long staff fully four feet long, and the lip of the container had pulled back to reveal a small nozzle from which a small flame burned in bright contrast to their surroundings. It seemed so very obvious that it would be his Thermos which would serve as his weapon, so obvious that she should have seen it before. Yet despite all of these thoughts and a brief visual scan of the weapon, she was still struggling to tell just what it was that his weapon did, seemingly it was some form of fire based weapon but beyond that she simply didn't know. Once she had quelled her amusement again and steeled her nerves, the golden eyed faunus turned to Oobleck with a look of some expectancy.
Sorrow seemed to cross Oobleck's eyes for an instant as he considered the ramifications of what they were about to do, he knew that whatever happened people were going to die and yet somehow he still had the strength to carry on and do what needed to be done. It would not do to bow out now, untold numbers of people were depending on them to step in and stop whatever plot Torchwick and his criminal band had in store for the innocent population of Vale. He locked eyes with the young huntress to be and recalled his own experiences at her age, his first assignment. Those had been much easier times, times without such uncertainty and fear. Steeling his nerves and taking a drink of bitter coffee from his Thermos he gave a sharp nod to the four teenagers around him.
It didn't take long for everything to become a mass of confusion. Yang loudly announced their entrance by slamming a fist into the crates which they had previously been hidden behind. A loud report rang out as a shotgun shell discharged from her beloved Ember Celica, spitting fire out infront of her and reducing the crates to mere splinters. After that, all descended into a mass of chaos as the five of them fought with a hitherto unseen ferocity towards the train ahead. Blake lost herself in the feverish joy of battle, her sword singing as it cut through the air, each carefully calculated swing meeting with the members of the White Fang whom were bold enough to make a move against her. The harsh sounds of clashing steel and gunfire echoed around the abandoned city ominously, doubling the cacophony of sound around them and threatening to perforate their ears.
Off to her sides, Blake caught the occasional glimpse of her companions as the fight went on, looping swings of Nora's hammer connecting with bodies in the throng of White Fang brothers and sisters around them. Every hit threatening to send their victims into orbit. With her heightened senses, Blake could just about discern the crunches and cracks of shattering bones as Magnild reduced skeletons to powder. Yet perhaps most disturbing of all, the thing which truly sent shivers running up and down her spine was the sheer look of glee on the Valkyrie's face. She enjoyed battle, she loved the thrill of conflict and it showed.
On and on Blake fought, her movements running on little more than instinct at this point. The train was drawing steadily closer and closer yet their pace was nowhere near what was required. At the very front of the string of cars Blake could make out an aged locomotive painted with a faded maroon paint, a huge column of thick black smoke rising from its smoke stack as the ancient machine began to build up a head of steam. They were running out of time and if they didn't hurry, they would surely run out of time.
"Nora! Earthquake!" Blake bellowed in an authoritative tone as she struggled to be heard over the harsh sounds of battle around them. Seemingly her team heard the command as the Valkyrie leapt into the air and towards Yang. The brawler was ready in wait, her hands already having formed a stirrup in preparation. Just like a well oiled machine, Nora's foot found its place in the brawler's hands and immediately she was launched straight up into the air. The Valkyrie's giggles could be heard as she somersaulted over and over, spinning around with her hammer held out. Blake was left to brace herself as the Valkyrie's arc met its peak and she began to descend gaining speed. She brought her hammer round in one final swing and slammed it into the station's platform. The slabs underfoot were wrenched from their place as huge cracks spread out in a cobweb fashion as splinters of rock flew up in a cloud of dust. The whole world seemed to shake and tremble underfoot under the might of Magnhild. The surrounding members of the White Fang found themselves staggered under the might of the Valkyrie, leaving them in disarray. Blake and her team seized their opportunity and darted forward, putting on a burst of speed and leaping onto the side of the train. So far so good.
Jaune double checked his things for what must have been the sixtieth time, making sure that he had everything. Once contented that he had rounded up everything that he had brought with him he took care in nearly folding it and packing it all up into his old kitbag with a smile. It was far from a genuine smile and never reached his eyes. In truth he wasn't all that keen on leaving his home again for the chilly mountaintops of Vale. Yet with everyone in Avalon all working together, the majority of repairs had been completed within only a couple of days. With the repairs done, Jaune and his team no longer had an excuse to stick around and, despite his protests, they were once again due to head back to Beacon academy.
It was a few more moments before he was contented with both the balance and distribution of weight within his pack. All of the essentials were within easy reach should he need them. With a sigh and a heavy heart, he made his way through into the hallway and dumped his bags before heading through into the kitchen. His Mom was stood by one of the counters, preparing numerous sandwiches for their trip. The blonde knight smiled, it was just like her to do something so kind and he couldn't deny it would inevitably lighten the mood for their trip. Ruby did, after all, get grouchy when hungry.
"When does Dad come home?" Jaune asked as he entered the room, slightly startling his mother.
"Well, his last message said that he should be back in the next couple of days." She replied, never once taking her eyes off what she was doing. "I'm sorry Jauney... I know you wanted to see him and your sisters but they are Hunter and huntresses, their lives are dedicated to helping fight off the Grimm just like you and your team did. He was so proud when I told him..."
"Really?" Jaune cringed internally, he hadn't meant to sound quite so desperate for approval but he had seen his dad so rarely in recent years that even the slightest scraps of information from him were the most valuable things in the world.
"Yes really, I told him everything that had happened here and how you were leading a fantastic team. He said that nothing had made him happier." She replied with a wide smile, pausing in her activities and turning to face him for a moment. Jaune smiled and took a few steps, closing the gap between himself and his mother before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a long hug. Just knowing that his parents were so proud of him left him with a warm feeling in his heart, a warm feeling which would not easily be extinguished. His mother held him for some time until a soft 'ahem' from the blonde leader's teammates, stood in the doorway, brought the two of them back down to earth. Jaune pulled away, tears still rolling down his cheeks. He knew that the time was coming that he would have to leave home once again to return to Beacon academy and his busy life therein. Just having hugged his Mom for a few minutes had reminded him all over again of exactly what he would be missing. It was torturous.
His Mom seemed to realise what it was that was going on in her little knight's head. Reaching out, she gently cupped his cheeks in her cold hands with a tenderness that only a mother could show. Her green eyes lit up as she smiled sweetly at her son. Using her thumbs, she deftly swept away any traces of the tears which mere moments before had been clinging to his cheeks before leaning in and pressing a tender kiss to his forehead.
"Don't fret Jaune, you'll be back home before you know it. I have our Marron to keep me company so I wont be alone. You are needed at Beacon, the world needs both you and your team. Be strong now, just like you were when you first left. Steel yourself, keep your head up and don't look back." Mabelle spoke with a tone of authority that made it clear to his teammates just where Jaune had inherited his leadership skills from, he had grown up under one of the best leaders in remnant, a woman capable of leading a family through thick and thin whilst successfully reigning in seven daughters and a son. There were few that could boast such an accolade without the support of another as Mabelle had done. Jaune steeled himself and wiped his cheeks clear of any tears before giving his Mom a semi-confident smile. He nodded to her and turned to face his team again.
"Is everyone ready for the return journey? Anything left here will take months to get back to you so make sure nothing is forgotten." His voice sounded weak and broken still after having allowed his emotions to flow free. His teammates all gave him a nod to assure him that they had indeed checked and double checked their equipment numerous times, likely under the ever watchful eyes of the Schnee heiress. It never failed to amuse Jaune just how organised Weiss was, watching her pack her backs according to a specific checklist of items so as to insure that nothing could possibly be left out. In many ways he found it to be an enviable quality since she was never short on equipment during live training exercises whereas both he and Ruby had often been caught without particularly important yet easily forgettable items.
With a final look over at his Mom, Jaune nodded and signalled for his teammates to step into the hallway before following after them. He watched as the three girls gathered their bags and took a step to retrieve his own. Quite suddenly the air was knocked out of him and the whole world span as he was tackled to the ground. He hit the ground and finally saw that the one whom had tackled him was Marron. She had him wrapped in a tight hug, her hands feeling like bands of steel around his torso. She buried her face in his chest, warm tears soaking the front of his hoodie as she cried softly. Jaune cradled her head into his chest and rubbed her back soothingly, he spoke softly to her though his voice wavered with barely contained emotion.
"Hey little one, it's alright. I'm not going to be gone for too long, I'll be back before you know it and we can hang out again." He smiled warmly as she looked up at him with her deep and beautiful brown eyes. They sparkled brilliantly through a film of tears as Jaune leant forward to whisper to her "Perhaps if you're good, and Mom says it's okay, you can come and stay with us during the tournament. Pyrrha is competing don't you know, and Weiss' family are real important so maybe we can get front row tickets to all the matches."
Marron's little face lit up at the suggestion, her eyes rocketing to look at both Weiss and Pyrrha. Both the girls smiled back and nodded, each saying something about arranging just that. It was no secret that Weiss in particular had taken a liking to Jaune's one and only younger sister, indeed, Marron's sweet nature and big brown eyes seemed to have melted the Ice Queen's frozen heart as the two had seldom been apart during the few days that their team had been stationed in Avalon. After the fighting had finished, Marron had spent the days with the three girls, helping them with their jobs and often asking Weiss about what her home in Atlas was like. It was the first that any of them had seen of Weiss opening up as she told of the lush gardens and beautiful views from her family's grand estate.
With Marron seemingly cheered back up and filled with hope, Jaune climbed back to his feet and stepped over to his bags just as Port came down the stairs from the room he had been staying in. He had his own neat pack on his shoulders with the handle of his Blunderbax hovering just over his right shoulder, seemingly ready to be drawn at a moment's notice. Given what had happened during the incursion, Jaune seriously doubted that that would ever be the case. With the help of his sister, Jaune shouldered his own rucksack, adjusting the straps to better distribute the weight across his shoulders. His Mom stepped through from the kitchen and handed him a small bag with enough sandwiches in it for the five of them. With a final nod of thanks, he belted Crocea Mors around his waist, glad to have its familiar weight hung from his hip again. Whenever he took the sword off, he always felt almost incomplete as though a part of him were missing.
Content that his weapon was hanging properly he reached out and rested his hand on the door handle. He paused for a moment to steel himself again before twisting it and opening the door, stepping outside and beginning his way down the path to the gate. His team fell into single file behind him as they all walked with shuffling steps. Every one of them had a heavy heart as they walked away and down the road, the Arc residence had become much like a home away from home for all of them during their short stay. Even Weiss whom seemed to have been against the idea of their staying there, seemed to have warmed to the place. The blonde knight couldn't help but wonder if she had been won over by the simplistic style of living that he had grown up with, it certainly presented a contrast from the vast manors which she must have grown used to living in back in Atlas.
The five hunters and huntresses headed off down the road. Turning around, Jaune stopped to cast one last forlorn glance at his home. He could already feel the heavy pit of homesickness forming within his stomach. He took a deep breath and turned away, jogging slightly to catch up with his teammates and Professor Port whom was unusually subdued and quiet. The five of them walked in silence the whole way back to the area they had first landed in. Just as they did, a Bullhead aircraft came out of the sky, touching down in front of them in a whirlwind of dust and dead leaves. Right on time.
One by one, the five of them removed their kit bags and threw them onboard before climbing on after them. Jaune went first and offered a hand to the remaining members of their group, each of them offering their own mumbled thanks which the blonde struggled to hear over the engines. It seemed that perhaps he wasn't the only one that would miss the place. Even as he thought about it, the doors were closed and he was forced to find his seat. Once again he found himself sat at Pyrrha's side along the port side of the craft with both Weiss and Ruby. Opposite them sat the portly Professor, still silent. Even once the aircraft had taken off, he remained thus seemingly tackling some form of dilemma.
Jaune watched the Professor intently as the minutes ticked by and his teammates slowly drifted off to sleep, the red haired champion falling asleep and slumping onto his shoulder again with the same peaceful expression as last time. He broke eye contact with Port for a moment to look down at her. With a smile he took pause to sweep a stray hair out of her face. His gaze then fell onto his other two teammates, Weiss and Ruby had fallen asleep on one another forming an arch of mutual support. Ruby was curled right up to the heiress' side whilst Weiss herself slept with the same look of composure and dignity that she always carried. Just as he was about to return his attentions to the teacher, the older man's voice broke the silence in the cabin. It was loud enough to be heard over the engines yet quiet enough so as not to disturb the three sleeping teenagers.
"Mr Arc... I need to discuss something with you." It was a simple statement yet it was more than enough to set Jaune on edge. It was... unsettling in the least.
"What is it Professor?" He replied.
"What happened back in Avalon... with the Night-Fury. I feel as though I owe you an apology. I failed in my duties as your assigned huntsman. You have every right to report me for such cowardice upon our return however I feel that before you do, I should at least explain why I behaved like I did." The famed Professor Port had lost all of the confidence and arrogance which he would ordinarily have carried himself with, instead there only seemed to be what Jaune could describe as 'the real Port'. He didn't reply and instead waited for the brash Professor to continue.
"Well... That is not the first time I have ever encountered that Grimm Mr Arc. In my work as a huntsman, I have killed hundreds of Grimm of all different kinds. None of them ever really held any fear for me, they were beasts that I had to kill... If I didn't then it was possible that they might kill someone innocent. Yet the Night-Fury is a Grimm that haunts only my darkest nightmares and throws me into the icy clutches of incapacitating terror. The cause of this terror is an event from long ago and is indeed the reason that I chose to become a huntsman. When I was very young, around the same age as young Marron is, my family and I lived in a small town in Atlas. It was a town which prided itself on its sense of community, every member helping one another and sharing the load among themselves. I lived with my mother and my older brother, both were people whom I loved more dearly than any other on the face of the earth." The Professor's voice began to crack and tears were already rolling down his cheeks yet still he continued on even as Jaune began to listen with renewed interest.
"My Mother was as far as I can remember the most kind of women, she would never speak badly of anyone nor would she shout. My brother was my role model, the father-figure whom I had been looking up to in the absence of a father. He was always there to offer me guidance and his wisdom with whatever issues I may have had... That was until one day the sirens rang out. I can remember it so vividly. It was a bright summer afternoon with the sun shining, my mother had brought both my brother and I to the town's market when they sounded. Everything around us became panic and chaos as the towns people all made a dash for the town shelter. My mother took my hand in hers tightly and pulled me along as she and my brother ran through the streets. It was then that we first saw it, even as the columns of people all packed into the streets heading in one direction for what they thought would be safety... it appeared. A great dragon, black as the night is dark with great wings a full fifty feet wide. It rose up in the sky and blocked out the very sun itself casting what seemed to be the whole town in its shadow. It reared back and loosed the very roar that still haunts me to this day and dived straight for us all. I could have sworn that as it did, its eyes were fixed on me, those horrific red eyes... eyes straight from the bowels of the seven hells themselves. There was nothing that we could do, it moved too quickly... and we were too closely packed into that street. In a final desperate action my mother shoved me out of the crowds and down a side alley. I looked back in terror as the last thing I saw was that beast open its maw and loose a torrent of flame incinerating anything in its path. The last I saw of either my mother or brother was her face, smiling in defiance, before she was engulfed in flames... I can still hear the screams... every night when I close my eyes. That is why I ran... That is why I was a coward." Port finished, the whole time he had been speaking, he had been openly sobbing, never taking his eyes off of the steel floor of the cabin as he revisited the crushing pain of the anguish and sorrow of his loss. The blonde had no clue what to say, what was there that he even could say. There were no words that could console a man after such an event, no words that could heal the scars left on a man after witnessing the two individuals he most loved being killed in such an act of senseless violence.
"I still don't know how it was that I survived, I should have died that day and if it hadn't been for the actions of my dear sweet Mother... I would have perished along with so many others." The professor continued between sobs "There were only a handful of the townsfolk left, a few that had made it to shelter. They looked after me as best they could but... there was nothing they could do to stop the night terrors which haunted me every night afterwards... nothing they could do to help me out of the crushing abyss of my own loss... Seeing such wanton destruction changed something in me, I never wanted anyone to feel such loss as I had, such fear. I swore to devote my life to killing these monsters, yet when the moment came I couldn't even stand against the very beast that had taken my mother from me. I-I saw it there in the sky and everything came flooding back. I was nothing but a child, a child before the storm..."
Jaune paused for a long moment, looking at the proud man reduced to tears in front of him. It was a shocking visage to see someone brought so low by something so horrific. In his mind, the blonde considered just how it might have been that he would have acted if both Marron and his Mom had been taken by so big a Grimm when he was only little and deep down, he knew that he would have been even worse than the professor had been. In truth he was impressed that Port had managed to hold himself together so well all these years, driven by the single-minded determination to get stronger and prevent something so shocking and horrific from ever happening to another. He simply couldn't condemn a man that had been through so much.
"P-Professor..." He began nervously "I'm not going to report this... I mean everyone makes mistakes. I-It was only my team that kept me fighting that thing... If it hadn't been for them I would have run too. That thing was the most scary thing I had ever seen and I-I don't blame you. I have no idea what it's like to lose so many people like that but I don't think I could have done half of what you did...I-It can be our little secret." Jaune finished and offered a weak smile to the professor.
Port looked at him with a mixture of surprise, awe and perhaps even respect. Ozpin had been right, this young Arc boy had the spirit and attitude of a great hunter, just like his father had before him and his grandfather before that.
"Thank you Jaune... I cannot tell you... Just what it means to me for you to say this. Your family would be proud of having raised the young man that you have become. You will make a fine hunter one day Mr Arc... with your team at your side I have no doubt."
Jaune smiled, a hint of pride growing within him as he looked at the professor. Behind him, the sun shone through their craft's port holes. The blonde watched the sky drift by as he wondered just how his team would react to his decision. Somehow he doubted that they would approve yet it wasn't a matter of approval. It was one of morality and doing what was right. For Jaune that meant forgiving Port... The four of them had come out of it alive and though some of the town guard had fallen, Jaune couldn't blame their deaths on the Professor, nor did he believe that they might have been prevented by his helping he and his team fight off the beast. No, a measure of mercy was what the blonde believed to be necessary.
Broken lighting whipped past overhead as Blake and her team climbed up and onto the roof of their train car. Back inside were yet another group of unconscious White Fang members, individuals foolish enough to square up to both team BRNY and the famed Doctor Oobleck. Despite presenting very little in the way of a real challenge, they were certainly a nuisance and slowed them down an awful lot. Yet no matter how many of them came or how strong they were, the small band dealt with them swiftly. But what Blake found troubling was that they had to find even the slightest trace about what the White Fang were doing with a train packed with dust. It simply didn't add up.
An earth-shattering kaboom rang out through the train tunnel, followed by a sudden and forceful wave of pressure which launched them all forwards as a giant fireball bloomed behind them. Many of the White Fang's anguished cries could be heard as a select unlucky few found themselves launched off the side of the train and straight into pipes, old signals and signs. Their mangled bodies flashing past as the train moved on. Behind them, a huge plume of fire followed them before petering out. Blake cried out in total agony as did many of the Fang around them, to her it felt as though someone were stabbing a blade right into her faunus ears. In a desperate attempt she reached her hands up to her bow only to draw back again. It felt oddly... wet... Taking a moment she looked at her fingers to find them slick with blood. She had to quell a wave of panic at the sight before her team dragged her up and onto her feet. They seemed to be shouting something at her but she couldn't hear past the ringing in her ears.
Blake watched on as Yang dashed forward and lifted the hatch on their train car and as she did, Blake saw something which chilled her to the bone. Fear. Yang looked, for the first time since they had met, genuinely terrified. She turned to face the group, eyes wide and shouted something that Blake couldn't make out past the persistent ringing but the next thing she knew Oobleck had slung her over his shoulder and dashed to the end of the car swatting aside the few surviving members of the Fang. Just as he leapt with her to the next car, the one they had just been on detached. Looking back, the leader of team BRNY saw the look of anguish in the White Fang still stood on top of the car. Some of them tried to make the jump only to fall short and hit the tracks below staining them red with blood. The remaining few huddled together on top of the train car that Blake and her team had only just been on. It drifted away, the hopeless looks on their faces. Blake couldn't understand why they looked so down, they were away from the fighting. Surely it was only a small matter of waiting to be rescued.
Then it exploded.
Blake was once again thrown back, the ringing in her ears louder than ever. Weakly she sat up and looked back, tears upon her cheeks as she watched the fireball abate. Light streamed through the dust from a new and gaping hole in the ceiling. Grimm of all kinds poured in, Beowolves, Ursai and Death-Stalkers, hundreds of them. Their eyes glowed a malicious orange in the dim light of the tunnel as every single one of them began thundering after the train. It was even as she watched that it clicked. Torchwick was leading a gigantic horde of Grimm straight for Vale.
"He's leading Grimm to the city!" she yelled. She may not have been able to hear herself but she could feel the strain on her voice. Her teammates seemed to have reached the same conclusion, with a nod Oobleck set Blake on her feet and led the way across the top of the train, forging a path straight for the engine and swatting White Fang members aside. Seemingly he knew what needed to be done. They had to stop the train.
So there it is, yet more drama is on its way. I really do hope that you enjoyed this chapter, Im back into my stride again and loving every moment that I can spend writing this tale. If you enjoyed it, please do favourite and follow. I read all the reviews so if you have any suggestions or criticisms don't be afraid to drop them there. Thank you all very much for reading and as always, I've been TheFlagshipArkos and I will see you all in the next chapter.