EDIT: Apologies, didn't put in the chapter name and had to delete and repost!
A/N: I almost didn't get this done on time, but finished it late last night. These pair of stories will break over 100k words as of this chapter, something I haven't done in a while, it's been quite a ride!
Haven't had any reviews in a while, but people are still following, favoriting, and reviewing, so I must be doing something right. A big thanks to those who are reviewing, favoriting and following though, it's definitely a motivating factor to get these chapters out.
Anyways we are approaching the finale soon, and I'm excited to get the ideas in my brain out into text for you all to see. I hope you'll enjoy it. Now onwards with the story!
VVVVVVVVVV
Less than a year before the 80th Vytal Festival Tournament.
The sun was starting to set at the Arc family home. The bright orange star which spread its warmth across Remnant cast an orange glow as it began to disappear over the horizon. In the home's courtyard, striking a wooden training dummy slightly bigger than him, was Jaune Arc.
The teenager was practically snarling and every strike on the dummy only seemed to fuel his frustration. Armed with a wooden practice sword, he wasn't using Crocea Mors like he wanted to because if he did, they would run out of training dummies and then his father would be displeased.
His father.
He was at the point where he could care less if his father was angry at him. His father was ALWAYS angry with him, angry and disappointed. Which would be fine if Jaune was a lazy good-for-nothing son, but the young Arc was legitimately trying here. Every time he asked the old man to train him, his father would look at Jaune like he just brought a thousand-year curse on the family. How the hell did he have a right to be disappointed when he couldn't even be bothered to help his own son!?
Jaune brought his blade awkwardly down on the dummy's head and the wooden sword flew from his fingers. He couldn't believe it, disarmed by an inanimate object. The frustration he felt within him boiled over and he grabbed the dummy and pushed it over in a fit of rage. It fell onto the grass rather loudly.
"Whoa what did that dummy ever do to you?" He heard Jasmine ask. Jaune could see out of the corner of his eye that his elder sister was leaning on the training dummy to his left. But he was too angry to respond. "Wow something must really have you riled up if you won't even joke with me."
It had been months since Jasmine had given him Crocea Mors, since then she had been going on more and more missions. Although she visited whenever she could, he was beginning to see her less and less. Each time he saw Jasmine he saw that she looked more and more tired, but not physically.
"It's dad." Jaune finally answered when he felt calm enough.
"Still not agreeing to train you?" She inquired.
"He won't budge!" He exclaimed. "He keeps saying that I won't be able to handle being a huntsman! But how does he know when he won't even teach me a single blasted lesson!"
Jasmine looked at him with a strangely neutral expression. "Jaune, what does being a huntsman mean to you?"
"It means protecting lives and slaying monsters. It means getting to travel the world and see what Remnant has to offer. It means getting to go on heroic adventures and saving the day." He answered without hesitation.
Jasmine kept staring at him, her lips pursed, something she did when she was having a mental debate in her head. After a few moments she spoke. "Yes, becoming a huntsman means being able to do those things." Her lips curled downwards into a frown. "However, acts of heroism and selflessness come at a price."
Jaune shook his head. "Anything would be better than staying here."
Jasmine broke eye contact with him. "I don't know about that. It's pretty safe here."
He snorted, "Yeah, safe and boring."
"Outside this house, beyond Vale, Remnant is a harsh place." She said, getting a faraway look in her eyes, after a few long seconds she looked him in the eye again. "Jaune maybe you should... Maybe you should stay here a little longer..."
The words barely left her mouth when he angrily growled. "Are you kidding me Jasmine!?" He said, incredulous. "You're on dad's side now, is that it!?"
The elder Arc calmly shook her head. "That's not what I'm saying and you know it. Dad's harsh, but in his own strict way, he's trying to protect you."
Jaune jabbed his right index finger at his chest. "I'm sixteen, soon to be seventeen, I don't need his protection anymore." He sighed and knelt down to grab the training dummy he had tipped over. "I want to be a huntsman more than anything Jasmine." He hoisted the dummy back to its original position. "Beacon is going to have another round of first-year students starting in a few months. I want to be one of them."
"Jaune, there's no way you can get into Beacon on your own."
"I know." He looked at her then. "But don't you have a friend who's pretty good at forgery?"
Jasmine's eyes narrowed. "I'm not going to help you cheat your way into Beacon."
"Please Jasmine." He pleaded. "I know the world out there is a much harsher place." His face hardened. "But I think it's an even harsher existence sitting here stifled."
Jasmine pursed her lips again and Jaune waited anxiously. This was his last shot and it was a long one. He was a kid with no training trying to get into the most elite huntsman academy in Vale. That thought had not eluded him, but if he had to stay at this house hitting targeting dummies with wooden swords for one more damn year he'd go insane.
Finally his older sister closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. "If this is what you really want, I'll talk to my friend."
Jaune felt like he could touch the setting sun he leapt so high, letting out a very excited cheer at the height of his jump. He was going to Beacon!
"But know this." Jasmine said, interrupting his celebration. "The world of a huntsman is not all glory. It can be a terrible and downright cruel way of life." Her face turned deathly serious. Enough so that it killed some of Jaune's buzz. "The freedoms and luxuries the four kingdoms enjoy come at a price."
Despite the sense of foreboding his sister gave off, Jaune still couldn't stop smiling. "Thanks Jasmine, you won't regret this, I'll make you, father and the rest of the family proud, I promise."
VVVVVVVVVVV
Present Day.
Jaune rolled to his left and felt the wind from one of the brutes' clubs as it smashed into the ground he had occupied a moment before. As the young Arc got to his feet, he spotted the brute nearest to him following through with his assault. The giant monster swept its club across the ground horizontally, heading straight for Jaune. He nimbly leapt over the swing and was about to strike at the brute's head with his sword when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Jaune looked to his right to see the second brute swinging his club right for his torso.
The young Arc only had a second to bring his shield up to take the blow. Sparks flew off Jaune's shield as he was propelled into the wall behind him. The pain in his spine was just making itself known when the first brute planted his left foot into his shield, embedding him further in the wall.
His frustration getting the better of him, Jaune activated his semblance, in a brilliant flash of white light, the first brute was pushed away from him by an invisible force. The club-wielding monster lost it's balance and fell onto it's back like a tree that was just chopped down. Jaune stepped out of the hole the brutes had put him in, his lips peeled back into a snarl. Every second he wasted here was another second for Richter to catch up to Pyrrha. He needed to end this fight as quick as possible.
The second brute stepped forward, the club in his right hand coming down in a horizontal arc towards Jaune's left flank. The young Arc summoned his aura and held up his shield. The brute's club collided with the shield and was stopped cold. Jaune immediately plunged his sword into the brute's gut. It doubled over and let out something resembling a grunt. Reaching up with his left foot, Jaune kicked the brute in the abdomen, pushing the giant monster away and pulling his sword out in one smooth motion.
Jaune' s mouth opened in a battlecry as he charged at the second brute, but the giant monster wasn't as incapacitated as he thought. With it's left hand, the brute delivered a brutal backhand that slammed into the left side of Jaune's face. The young Arc felt himself get knocked off his feet as he was sent tumbling to his right. He bounced off the wall a couple of times before eventually coming to a stop, slamming his back and the back of his skull into another of the room's walls.
While Jaune was trying to shake the stars out of his vision, he reevaluated his strategy. He could use his semblance and brute force his way past these things, but then he'd be too taxed to be much use to Pyrrha when he found Richter again. However, the brutes hit hard and were deceptively fast. He hated to admit it, but he had to take them seriously. Should he chip away at them and wear them down? No, that would take too long. Go all out on the offense? No, too risky. An idea suddenly popped into the young Arc's head and he smirked, it just might work.
The second brute raised its club over its head and Jaune braced himself. The giant monster brought it down on the young Arc's skull, or it would have, had Jaune not fired his shield from his arm. The chain attached to the shield looped around the brute's neck and the young Arc reeled himself in, landing on the brute's shoulder blades. He stabbed Crocea Mors into the nape of the monster's neck and it let out what he could only imagine was a pained shriek. While he did some damage, it wasn't enough to kill the brute, for that part of the plan he needed to have some patience.
The second brute began trying to wildly buck him off, but thanks to the chain around its neck and his sword, Jaune was locked in pretty tight. The first brute had recovered and was now shuffling towards them from behind, its club raised high in preparation to strike. Jaune smirked, just how he thought it'd play out.
As the first brute began to bring its club down, Jaune pulled his sword out of the second brute and leapt away at the last moment. Instead of the first brute's club turning him into a bloody paste it crushed the second brute's skull. The giant monster went limp and fell to its knees before unceremoniously falling onto its belly, unmoving. Jaune grinned in satisfaction as he began reeling his shield back to his arm with the chain, one down.
Unfortunately, the first brute moved swifter than the young Arc had anticipated. It brought its left foot forward and field goal kicked Jaune right in the gut. The young Arc felt the wind flow out of his lungs from the hit, he had been unable to get his shield back in time to block it. He slammed into a wall with his shoulder blades, hitting hard enough to dislodge some debris from the ceiling, which fell on him as he landed on his hands and knees on the floor. The debris was heavy and Jaune found he didn't have the strength to shrug it off of his back. Through a small hole in the pile of rubble that he was buried in, he saw the first brute closing in.
The frustration began to set in again. He was not going to be killed in some creepy lab while Pyrrha was in danger. No way in hell.
With newfound strength, Jaune managed to move his shield-arm, raising it protectively over his head just as the first brute came down with its club. The monster's heavy weapon crashed into the rubble, slamming into the young Arc's shield. The force of the blow scattered the debris that had pinned him. He half-expected the shield to buckle from the force behind the attack.
But it held.
Quickly getting over his shock, Jaune tightened his grip on his sword. With one mighty horizontal swing, the young Arc cut the brute's legs out from under it. The brute fell onto its left side and Jaune wasted no time, hastily maneuvering himself so he was behind the giant monster. He plunged Crocea Mors into the tumor on the brute's back, the monster seizing up and letting out a death rattle before finally expiring.
Jaune doubled over, his hands on his knees as he greedily drew in air to his lungs. That had been more difficult than he had anticipated, but it looks like his training with Ozpin was paying off. Two tough enemies slain all by himself. Now he just had to deal with Richter.
The sounds of battle echoed through the lab as Jaune ran through the corridor that Pyrrha and Richter had ventured through minutes before. He met no more opposition, just a trail of burned or cut down bodies. The smell of blood was thick in the air and Jaune did his best to breathe through his mouth.
"Pyrrha! I'm coming!" He shouted, gaining speed as the sounds of fighting drew closer. The young Arc heard his red-haired teammate cry out in pain, followed by the sound of something heavy thudding into a wall. He grit his teeth as he pushed himself to move even faster. He had to make it in time!
Jaune pinpointed the battle just beyond a thick steel door that had its top hinges ripped off, causing it to slant across the doorway leading into the room the fight was taking place in. Using his shield like a battering ram, Jaune slammed the steel door out of his way, ripping it off its remaining hinge and sending it into the wall directly across from him. His eyes widened at the sight that greeted him.
Richter's left hand was wrapped around Pyrrha's neck. He had pinned her against the northernmost wall, his blade pointed at her neck, less than a meter away. She was covered in bruises and her teeth were clenched in a grimace as Richter held her firmly. She didn't look like she'd be able to defend against Richter's finishing blow.
"Get away from her!" Jaune roared, racing across the room in record speed. He deflected Richter's sword upwards, knocking it harmlessly into the wall to the left of Pyrrha's head. Richter easily dislodged his weapon and performed a swift overhead slash aimed at Jaune's skull. The young Arc met blade with blade and his knees buckled slightly from the impact. He grimaced, Richter was strong, but he could handle it.
The grey-cloaked demon's eyes flashed behind his mask. "Move." He ordered simply.
"Not on your life!" Jaune responded. The next thing he knew he was sailing backwards through the air, impacting what he guessed was the eastern wall behind him with such force that he saw spots in his vision. As Jaune rose tentatively back to his feet, he decided to reevaluate his previous assessment.
Richter was really freaking strong.
"It wasn't a suggestion." Richter replied, He slammed Pyrrha hard enough into the northern wall to cause cracks to spider out from her point of impact. Ruby's friend released the scarlet-haired huntress from his grip and she collapsed into a heap at his feet.
Jaune saw red as he charged towards Richter, leading with his shield. He tried to ram the grey-cloaked demon with it, but his opponent was far too nimble, leaping backwards before he could make contact. Richter shifted his sword into a revolver and fired three shots, each one was a ball of grey flame about as large as the palm of Jaune's hand. The young Arc used his shield to block the shots, Dust and smoke billowed forth from where the fireballs impacted, engulfing him in it.
Still, Jaune surged through, parting the smoke and stabbing with Crocea Mors at Richter's midsection. The grey-cloaked demon was still in mid-air and he twisted so that he was parallel to the floor, spinning like a top and maneuvering himself just above Jaune's lunge. Richter descended behind the young Arc and delivered a shot from his revolver that landed right between Jaune's shoulder blades.
The young Arc found his face rushing to meet the ground. His forehead bounced off the floor as he skidded forward, heading right for the western wall. Snarling, Jaune pushed himself off the floor, landing with his feet on the western wall. He straightened his legs and propelled himself back the way he had come, holding his sword high and bellowing a defiant roar at Richter. The grey-cloaked demon responded by standing fast and taking aim with his revolver.
The young Arc grimaced, he had seen Ruby's friend do this same trick against the White Fang lieutenant with effective results. It was too late for him to try and dodge, so there was only one thing for him to do. Raising his left arm, Jaune brought his shield up, if he couldn't dodge the shot, then he'd have to trust his defensive capabilities to block it.
Richter opened fire when Jaune's shield was mere inches away from his revolver. A loud report sounded in the young Arc's ears as his vision became swarmed by smoke. A powerful shockwave sent him sailing backwards, but he managed to land on his feet. Jaune dug his heels in, holding on for dear life as momentum carried him almost to the western wall, where he stopped with his back less than a meter from it. Looking across the room, he saw that Richter had been knocked back in similar fashion, only he had almost crashed into the room's eastern wall. The two combatants glared at each other for a few moments.
Surprisingly, it was Richter who broke the silence. "Why is this girl so important to you?"
"I was only able to make it this far as a huntsman because of her."
Richter glanced at Pyrrha's downed form. "Are you really talking about that girl lying in a heap over there?" He asked skeptically.
Jaune felt his anger spike. "You don't know anything about Pyrrha!" He shouted angrily, rushing at Richter. The grey-cloaked demon mirrored his action, shifting his revolver back into a sword, the two were headed for a collision course at the center of the room.
The two combatants exchanged fierce attacks in the center of the room. While Richter was more agile than Jaune, the young Arc's shield made up for the openings in his defense he would otherwise have. As the two continued to trade blows, Jaune couldn't help, but be unnerved by Richter. It was his eyes, those glowing orange orbs looked disinterested, it was like Ruby's friend was already thinking ahead. Like he was an afterthought.
And it pissed him off.
The young Arc brought Crocea Mors down in a diagonal slash, which Richter nimbly sidestepped, moving to his right flank. He quickly rotated counter-clockwise and stretched out his left arm, bringing it towards Richter's left side in a backhanded strike. The grey-cloaked demon was forced to abandon his attack to block the shield with his left arm, elbow and right hand. Jaune felt his shield-arm get shoved away from his opponent like it was a wet noodle, but he used it to his advantage. The young Arc spun clockwise this time and lashed out with his sword in a horizontal slash. Richter was forced to perform a backwards somersault to avoid being chopped in half.
Jaune pressed his advantage, taking a few more swings at Richter, who kept somersaulting backwards to avoid the attacks. During a backhanded horizontal slash, Richter suddenly threw his sword high into the air and landed on his feet. The grey-cloaked demon caught the outside of Jaune's right wrist with his right hand. To the young Arc, it felt like his right wrist was suddenly caught in a vice grip.
Richter straightened the fingers of his left hand. He struck lightning-fast, like a snake, and Jaune felt his head snap back as his opponent nailed his jaw with a chop. He staggered back a step and nearly lost his lunch as Richter slammed his left palm into his gut. The force of the blow sent him sliding backwards on his feet by several meters. Richter leapt into the air, caught his sword in his right hand as it descended, and brought it down on Jaune's left collarbone in a vicious cut. Blood flowed from the point of attack.
But it wasn't Jaune's blood.
Richter leapt a safe distance away from Jaune, the grey-cloaked demon's eyes widening slightly beneath his mask as he stared at his now bloody right hand. Richter's sword had landed blade-first into the floor behind him, near the southeastern corner of the room. Jaune's eyes widened, Richter was off-guard, he had an opening!
The young Arc stabbed forward with Crocea Mors, aiming for Richter's head. The grey-cloaked demon tried to lean back to avoid getting hit but he was half a second too slow. The tip of Jaune's sword pierced Richter's left cheek, just under the orbital bone, cracks spread across the left side of the grey-cloaked demon's mask as he reeled backwards. Crocea Mors dislodged from Richter's cheek, leaving behind a trail of blood. Jaune tried to stab Richter in the face again, but his opponent hastily leaned to his left and the blade passed by harmlessly to the right of his head.
Richter countered with a left hook, but Jaune was able to crouch under it. The young Arc immediately answered by slamming his shield into Richter's chest. He heard his opponent's distorted voice grunt in pain and was about to strike with Crocea Mors again when Richter suddenly grabbed the top part of his shield with his right hand. Jaune felt himself involuntarily pulled forward and off balance by his opponent, who proceeded to slam the top of his head right between his eyes in a vicious headbutt. A large colorful circle exploded in the center of Jaune's vision as well as the pain to go with it. The young Arc cried out and held his face with his right hand, what the hell was Ruby's friend's head made out of?
Even though Jaune was dazed, he still had enough presence of mind to see Richter turn and head for his sword. Jaune grit his teeth, he wouldn't last too much longer in a straight-up fight, Richter's strength was unnatural, he would outlast him. The young Arc reared his left hand back, there was only one chance and he prayed to whatever powers that watched over man that he would have enough aura to do it. Jaune activated his semblance, but instead of cloaking his entire body, he focused it all on his shield. The kite-shaped piece of metal began glowing white and soon became enshrouded in his aura.
The young Arc returned his attention to his opponent, who was just a few paces from his sword. He had one shot, hopefully his aim was true.
Taking a few running steps, Jaune brought his left hand forward in a throwing motion. The shield slipped from his arm, rocketing towards Richter at breakneck speed. The grey-cloaked demon turned back around and extended his left hand, his aura clashing with the aura from Jaune's shield. For a few moments, it was a standstill.
And then Richter budged a few inches.
Orange glowing eyes widened underneath the grey-cloaked demon's mask as he brought his other hand forward to help stop the young Arc's shield.
And still slid back a few more inches.
"Impossible…!" Richter said in disbelief. Jaune chose not to respond verbally, instead channeling his remaining aura into his shield. A roar escaped from the young Arc's throat that was almost primal. With a last surge of aura, He pushed Richter off his feet, into the eastern wall, and then through it. The impact was so strong the cracks spidered over the whole wall. Smoke and dust billowed out from the hole Richter had made.
Jaune fell to his hands and knees, breathing heavily. That had taken too much out of him, his arms felt like rubber as he fought to keep from eating the floor. But as exhausted as he was, he couldn't help but feel a sense of triumph. He had saved Pyrrha, he had saved the girl he loved.
As if his thoughts summoned her, the scarlet-haired huntress was at his side. Pyrrha's right hand tenderly went to Jaune's left cheek and he lost himself in her green eyes. It was her, after all these months, he had found her again. The long search was finally over.
"You did it Jaune." Pyrrha said softly to him.
Jaune gave her a small laugh. "Yeah, I hurt all over though, being a hero sure can be a pain in the ass sometimes."
Pyrrha smiled, "Being a hero is tough." She leaned forward and Jaune found himself mirroring her action. It had been too long since he tasted her lips. The scarlet-haired huntress suddenly stopped though and the young Arc looked at her questioningly, noticing that something had changed in her smile.
"But being a fool is worse."
Jaune had barely registered what Pyrrha had said when he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He looked down to discover a sharp piece of metal piercing his gut. It took him a moment to realize there was a hand holding the piece of metal.
And that hand belonged to Pyrrha.
Confusion and pain all whirled around in Jaune's brain like a storm. Pyrrha had stabbed him? But why? Why would she ever do that?
"…Pyrrha?" He managed to say, he felt his strength leaving him as blood began flowing from his gut like a river.
"You poor naïve fool." Pyrrha callously said, standing up. "You actually went this far, it's impressive in a pathetic kind of way."
Jaune's right hand weakly went to the sharp metal buried in his stomach. "….What are you talking about?"
"I guess I should reward you for your blind stupidity, you did save my life after all." Pyrrha said, an uncharacteristic evil smirk on her face. Before Jaune's eyes she began to melt and reform. The scarlet hair turned mint-green, the captivating green eyes turned crimson and her skin darkened. The young Arc stared on in disbelief as he was no longer looking at the form of Pyrrha Nikos.
He was looking at Emerald Sustrai, fugitive of Vale.
VVVVVVVVVV
A/N: Emerald makes her debut in this story! Poor Jaune, getting trolled by her.
I was in a fighting mood while writing these, so two fight scenes in one chapter :D.
NEXT CHAPTER: Now with free reign in the hidden lab, Emerald begins to set in motion her plans. If she succeeds there will be ramifications that all of Remnant will feel. Will she be stopped before her plans come to fruition? Or is a new era of darkness approaching?
