Beneath The Elder Tree Chapter 7
"Okay, everything ready back there?"Yang asked while grinning.
When she looked back she saw NPR and RWBY give their thumbs up.
"Alright, the Jaune express is ready to go! March!" Yang pointed forward.
In a square formation, Teams RWBY and NPR carry their unconscious knight towards the infirmary with a specially reserved stretcher just for him. Ruby even embroidered the Arc insignia on it so that no one would take the stretcher by accident.
"It's really nice of the staff to provide Jaune a personal stretcher. I mean, now that I think about it… how many times has he been K.O'd?" Ruby chimed in.
"More than I would like to count…" Ren said plainly but one could plainly recognize the tinge of depression.
"It's his own fault anyway "Weiss giving her two-cents.
"Hey, snow angel. Need I remind you that you sent him there more than half the time?" Yang mentioned jokingly.
"If he had learned to stop being such an insufferable dunce earlier on, then he could have avoided those trips!"
"Whatever helps you sleep at night… hmmm?"Yang began shaking the end of the stretcher she was holding up, Jaune's head flopping helplessly from the vigorous motions.
"Yang what are you doing!?" Pyrrha shrieked using her other hand to keep Jaune's head steady.
"We've had to lug this guy for I dunno how many times and isn't he a bit heavier than last time?"
"That's to be expected. He's been training heavily and all the work outs are definitely showing results. I do strongly believe he is overtraining though. So it may not have been the best way but I do appreciate you knocking him out."
"I would say anytime Pyrrha but our bumbling knight is growing and it's only a matter of time. He forced me to put a lot of effort to knock him out and this was when he was as steady as a twig."
All of them looked at each other before focusing on the sleeping form of their lovable goofball before proceeding to the infirmary.
The group arrived at the door to the infirmary
"Nora. Open the door please" Ren asked in his usual fashion
"Sure Ren!" Nora slammed the door open. "DR. ZEPHYR WE HAVE A DELIVERY!"
Through the curtains a bespectacled doctor poked his head through the curtains and smiled as he saw his usual visitors. He stood up and saw his regular patient and couldn't help but sigh before smiling softly.
"Who did it this time?" the doctor asked jokingly
"…I did…" Yang raised her hands a bit sheepishly
"You are definitely going to reach the record for the most official KO's Ms. Xiao Long. Can't say it's a good thing for those you will be knocking out though. Have you ever considered submission holds?"
"Yeah but most of the time people use it to cop-a-feel. So I don't really bother with em"
"Well if that's the case, then I can't really argue with that. Just dump him in the usual spot and you all can return to your classes."
Somewhere else deep underground…
In a certain SDC dry-dock where the S.S Queen Fury, a new Dreadnought class airship that had been commissioned by the Vale Defense Initiative (VDI), was undergoing the final stages of revision.
She was a mighty war vessel that incorporated the latest in Schnee Dust Innovations and would be a key center-piece of the festival.
She was truly a marvel of dedicated Schnee engineering, armed to the teeth with Auto turrets, Howitzers capable of firing interchangeable Elemental Dust-munitions, adaptive plating, built-in drone barracks, and deep strike drop pods. It had exceeded even that of what was requested in the initial request by the VDI.
It had the capabilities to be a mobile command center, having the state of the art control room with the purpose of disseminating and analyzing large amounts of data. Large living quarters, only the best medical facilities, and Mess Hall.
But what took the cake was not the weapons or the viable tactical options but the highly volatile prototype dust reactor which only needed 45% of the required dust to produce the energy required to power half of Vale.
"Such a shame, she would have served the White Fangs goals well. Orders are orders though… Wolf Squad and Eagle Squad, move out and begin the preparations."
"Roger…"
"Moving out…"
The white fang operatives led by Adam Taurus had managed to bypass the security, discarded their initial disguises and began summarily executing the patrols and once the area was clear, he then ordered the operatives to begin the next phase.
On the ground level of the facility, the head administrator was running towards his office as fast as his legs could take him. He split up with his bodyguards as they attempted to retake the facility and activate the lock-down protocols while he sends out a distress signal.
"This is impossible. The whole facility was compromised in under a few hours. There's a traitor in the SDC board, there is no other way they could have breached this area without triggering ANY of the security drones. This place doesn't even officially EXIST! I have to let Director Schnee know about this."
The man muttered to himself as he opened the door to his office. The thought never occurred to him that someone managed to disclose the location of his hidden office as well.
The man was incinerated on the spot.
"Well that takes care of everyone"
Cinder Fall then sat casually in the Main Office observing phase 1 of their plan through the hacked camera feeds. A sadistic smile graced her face, her mind filled with thoughts of all the "fun" they were going to bring to the festival.
"Mr. Taurus, you have done well. I'm impressed", Cinder lazily mentioned through their comms.
"I don't need your words, All I do is for the White Fang… and we will finally have our vengeance", Adam replied emotionlessly.
If Adam had a choice he wouldn't be working with this lunatic but all Adam needed to do was obey.
Cinder then snapped her fingers and out of nowhere a man wearing a trench coat and fedora came out of the shadows, creepily walking over to her side.
"Yes my mistress?..."
"Shade it's time for you to take the stage"
"As you command…"
Shade went over to the charred remains of the head administrator and began sniffing the remaining essence of the man and his body began to change. Sounds of bones breaking and squelching filled the room.
After a few minutes, Shade's body has morphed perfectly into the Head Administrator, down to his genetic code.
Down in the underground dry-docks, the white fang operatives heard the sound of Cinder's soft giggling over the comms.
They were paralyzed into fear until she had stopped. Their primal instincts were warning them about something very important but they decided to ignore it and just focus on they're orders.
Jaune suddenly jolted from his sleep before rubbing his head.
"Ow… What hit me?"Jaune groaned to no one in particular before he remembered how he was magnificently sent flying.
Jaune replayed in his mind how Yang narrowly dodged his aura slashes and was going to think of ways to better improving it but he had noticed the room was dark. He looked at the windows and it was already evening, dinner time was probably almost over.
On the bedside, there was a note, a sandwich, and a carton of milk:
Mr. Arc, with all the times you have been sent here,
I really do worry for your health, but I do know you
Have been making the effort to become stronger,
I am your doctor after all.
I fully support this but please refrain from engaging
Powerhouses like Ms. Xiao Long in
An exhausted state if you can help it. You're a smart lad.
Please don't forget to lock the door.
P.S. I already informed your friends so take your time.
Dr. Zephyr
"Thanks Doc." Jaune whispered gratefully before digging in to the sandwich.
After inhaling the sandwich and milk, he got off the bed and began stretching, his joints making audible pops, wrote a thank you note and left it on the doctor's desk.
He walked out of the infirmary shortly after and locked the door behind him.
"I suppose a nice evening stroll would be good, I've been out for the whole afternoon. *sigh* I suppose I should be lucky I didn't get knocked out all the way to next week." Jaune's shoulders slumped a little bit while he walked the grounds around beacon, his feet taking him on a steady pace to the Sanctuary.
His feet steadily increased their pace as his mood improved the closer he got. Jaune was practically elated that he was going to have another session with his Uncle Raz. Not many can claim to have been taught by THE founder of Beacon.
He trained with his Uncle Raz within the Heart of Elder Tree for what subjectively seem to be about half a day as the perception of time there is different from the corporeal world. He would wake up exhausted and very hungry, but the skill and exercise integrate with his physical body. His hoodie has been getting tighter recently and was thinking it would be a good time to get a larger size.
"I wonder what he'll teach me this time?"
In Beacon's Dining Hall
The two sister teams RWBY and NPR, were chowing down on their dinner and somehow the atmosphere seemed to have been very different lately as if something or rather someone was missing.
"… I wonder what's taking Jaune so long…he's normally up by now", Pyrrha voiced out her worries as she ate a modest dinner.
"Yes, your right… he would usually be waltzing in right now as if nothing happened.", Ren added softly whilst his left hand was propped under his chin.
"Jaune doesn't play with us as much anymore…", Nora pouted as she downed her meal with less gusto than usual.
Team RWBY looked at their sister team and couldn't help but feel the same. Jaune never knew it but he was a natural mood-maker, capable of keeping people in high spirits with his natural adorkable charms. Without him, it just wasn't the same.
"You don't think he's hiding something from us again… do you?", Ruby addressed to her friends.
"I don't think he's hiding something from us Rubes… I know he's hiding something, my Yang senses are tingling!", Yang throwing her two cents in.
"uhhh sis that could have just been that almost expired burrito you ate the other day…"
"Hey!",Yang clutched Ruby into a headlock.
"In any case, the answers we seek can be found from the horse's mouth itself, we ask Jaune himself whats going on and move from there. It's part of a leader's duty to keep his team and friends in the know.", Weiss putting forth the best plan of action.
Blake silently ate her tuna sandwich as she observed her comrades thoughts on Jaune's new routine and knowing the oblivious blonde, he probably has no idea that they were worried about him.
She wasn't that worried about Jaune as she knew exactly where and when he went.
No
She was not stalking him, just a concerned friend keeping a close eye on him.
Who the hell is she kidding? Not that anybody knew anyway, so it doesn't matter.
Unfortunately for her, Yang had a nose for getting leads and Blake's overall mood and behaviour was very different from the rest of them.
"Hey Blake what do you think?" Yang grinned at Blake as she directed the whole attention of the table to her feline partner.
"Huh?", Blake was definitely caught off guard and the look in Yang's eyes had mischief written all over it.
"Blake I couldn't help but notice that you and Vomit Boy had been getting really close recently, and I'm quite surprised that you aren't as concerned as the rest of us… that can only mean one thing… You know something don't you?"
"We have been interacting with each other recently… but that doesn't mean I know where he goes all the time. I'm just as worried as you guys even if I don't show it."
"If you say so…-" Yang not entirely convinced and she was about to continue her questioning.
Nora suddenly jumped up on the table and began pointing to nowhere in particular and declared, "ITS TIME TO GO AN A JAUNE HUNT!"
The two teams looked at each other and nodded their heads in agreement
"Saved from the inquisition… for now.", Blake thought to herself.
Two teams had literally scoured over all of Beacon looking for their wayward knight and were vaulting and running all over the place.
They had searched the clinic and saw through the windows that it was empty; they checked the training rooms… heck they even checked his locker just in case he somehow got locked in.
After a few hours of searching, it was one hour before curfew time
"Where the heck is he? Was stealth one of Jaune's hidden talents?!" Yang huffed out in frustration.
"Not that I know of… but thanks guys for trying to help us find Jaune, once he gets back well go ahead and give him… a thorough questioning" Pyrrha had a sadistic grin towards the end, a promise of payback for the worry he caused everyone.
Shortly after the two teams made it back to their rooms and bade each other a early good night's sleep.
Blake was really concerned at this point as Jaune was usually back at least an hour and a half before curfew and somehow always managed to put his team at ease but this time he was very late.
She was concerned that something could have happened to him and no one would be able to find him. There was just one more place to check but she remembered her promise to keep it a secret for Jaune and also for herself since she liked the peace and quiet the sanctuary provided as well as the… opportunities it provided… but that could wait, Jaune's safety was her biggest concern.
Once she believed her teammates were asleep, she stealthily went out the window, moving through the shadows towards the Sanctuary.
None the wiser that the rest of her team mates were counting on it, their respective smiles as they lay on their beds hinting of the things to come
"Ok good work Jaune, though from what I can tell, we have definitely gone way past the usual time we set for ourselves tonight.", Uncle Raz helping Jaune up after he had completed the training course that was setup within the heart of the Elder Tree.
"Yeah, if I'm calculating it right, it's almost lights out…"Jaune couldn't help but yawn at the end. He has really been pushing himself to the limit.
"We have done a great deal recently and you have been improving by leaps and bounds, though I feel you may have been neglecting your other responsibilities. So for the time being, spend the next days with your team and friends, Jaune. I shall call you when I deem it suitable to continue your training."
"Aww…", Jaune shoulders slumped as he looked at his Uncle Raz.
Raziel couldn't help but notice the look in Jaune's eyes and sighed. He approached Jaune and put his hands on his shoulders.
"Jaune, I'm not going anywhere. You on the other hand have a life to live and special moments to spend with your comrades. So go on… I'm sure they must be very worried by now."
"Okay, Uncle Raz, you're probably right."Jaune smiled as Raziel ruffled Jaune's hair.
"….", Raziel detected someone had entered the sanctuary and began grinning.
"Whats up?", Jaune curiously looked at Raziel.
"Your neglect has finally caught up with you and it's time to face the music. Bye Jaune, see you sometime next week and good luck!", Raziel cheerilyinformed his pupil as his consciousness was unceremoniously booted back to the physical realm
It didn't take that long for Blake to reach the Sanctuary, she could have made it there faster if she didn't have to dodge the nightly patrol drones. Despite not being one of her cherished memories, working with the White Fang allowed her to hone her stealth abilities to what it is today.
After all, breaking into heavily guarded institutions, a little sabotage here and what not were her specialties.
She slowly walked into the clearing and there she was astounded by what she had found.
The flowers and at the very heart of it was the Elder Tree, whose petals and leaves were gently lighting up the clearing with their very distinct glow.
And right there floating in front of the Elder Tree, bathed in a slowly whirling vortex of aura, was the Knight they have been searching for.
Blake slowly approached the knight and the grass beneath her feet lit up wherever her feet would fall.
Her were thoughts trying to make sense of what was going on in this place, it was… otherworldly. And what made it even weirder is the overall feel of the place… she tried to recall what it was… It was Jaune's aura combined with something else! The whole place resonated with it and made one feel all warm and safe.
"Somehow I'm not surprised; researchers always did note that 95% of the time, Aura was a good indicator of one's best character or trait…",Blake thought to herself as she made her steady approach to the slumbering knight.
Suddenly the swirling vortex of aura surrounding the knight had dissipated and landed gently down on the grass, still sleeping.
"You better have a good explanation for this Jaune…", Blake hurried over to the knight and placed his head on her lap as she checked his vital signs. After a minute of checking his carotid artery and wrists, there seems to be nothing wrong with his vitals.
She sat there looking upon his face and gently traced its features. Her hands moving up to play with his soft golden locks and paused momentarily when Jaune's sleeping face cracked a smile and she couldn't help but feel the same.
"What a troublesome knight you are. If there is one thing that I can say about you is that… you are too kind. My intuition is telling me that you are once again caught up in something weird and you aren't going to tell anyone…to protect us", her voice being gently carried into the air
Blake's eyes now looking towards the shattered moon
"I've never in my whole life, seen someone consistently do what you do and live so earnestly. You are strong Jaune Arc, regardless of what other people say. But even that strength can succumb in time without support… and it's high time to remind you that you have comrades who are more than willing to stand by your side…"
"Whether you like it or not…", a smile graced her face as she pinched the knights nostrils closed, effectively waking him from his slumber.
Jaune flailed a bit as he woke up and stood ram rod straight, trying to survey his surroundings but stiffened as he heard someone call his attention directly behind him.
He slowly turned around and there he saw Blake standing behind him. Her arms crossed and a rather ticked look on her face with Gambol Shroud out, his instinct was telling him that whatever was coming… he probably deserved it.
"Uhhh… Hi Blake… What are you doing here on this fine evening?" Jaune asked sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.
"I'm just here to teach a certain someone a lesson… that's all."She replied non-chalantly, but the ice in her words sent glacier like shivers down the knights back.
Jaune slowly pointed at himself, Blake simply smiled and nodded before she quickly shot out Gambol Shroud. The Knight managed to roll out of the way, and drew Crocea Mors.
"….Okay…"
Jaune thought to himself as he continued to weave, duck and dive out of the way of Gambol Shroud as it swiftly cut through the night air.
"I'm currently up against one of the most beautiful and intelligent people I have ever come to know. Her expertise using her variable chain sickle-thingy makes her attacks near unpredictable…goddammit!... The things I get myself into… Not to mention she has perfect vision in the dark…wait… I think I can use that…"
Jaune thought to himself as he grunted as the sickle had deflected of his shield and jumped to the left to avoid being tangled up. He was currently at a disadvantage as he just barely managed to keep up with her speed.
Blake nimbly moved upon the field keeping the knight just in range for Gambol Shroud's Chain mode and she found herself quite impressed with how the knight was adapting and decided to increase the ferocity of her attacks.
Gambol Shroud sung as it whipped across the air, and managed to bring a few cuts and bruises to our wayward knight. Jaune held firm waiting for the opportune moment to even the odds.
His patience was rewarded when Gambol Shroud directly struck his shield and was deflected downwards. In one motion he quickly wrapped the chain around his sword arm whilst his foot kept the sickle part on the ground.
And with a mighty pull, he managed to get Blake off balanced. There was still quite a distance between the two so he began the next step. He gathered his aura and emitted a mighty flash of Aura that it even generated substantial heat.
Blake eyes were not able to adapt to the sudden change of light and was forced to close her eyes to lessen the pain. She relied on her hearing and the knight was a few steps from her and she decided to flip backwards and managed to evade a horizontal strike. Her eyes though still a bit blurred, could now see that Jaune was not going to let her get away that easily.
The ninja flipped and somersaulted, narrowly evading Jaune's strikes and managed to switch Gambol Shroud to Katana mode and the two crossed blades in earnest.
Jaune was definitely using his strength to his advantage. His strikes were like meteors, crashing upon Gambol Shroud and Blake's arms were feeling it. She honestly didn't think she would need to but she felt it was high time to show Jaune who he was dealing with.
Blake's form faded in and out, using her semblance, as she struck the knight from varying degrees and angles.
Blake's eyes widened in that the knight had blocked all of her attacks, as if he knew where she was going to strike. Her thought were cut short as the knight resumed his furious charge without pause, his eyes ablaze with his white aura.
The battle continued on as the sound of metal clashing upon each other resounded in the air.
It was starting to frighten Blake how Jaune managed to uncannily block each and every attack she threw. His form was relaxed yet firm, his eyes only looking forward at her, his whole being dedicated to this battle she started.
Jaune channelled his aura to his feet and charged forward with a shield bash, the air distorting around him. At the same time Blake switched Gambol Shroud to Chain Sickle Mode, searching for the opportunity to restrain and trap the knight.
"I think that's enough for tonight…", Raziel who had been observing the battle decided it was high time for the two to stop and make up already. Maybe even help Jaune out with… other things.
Raziel grinned at the prospect, after all, Faunus were terrifying lovers, if what Elias' tales regarding his honeymoon with Illiana were correct. Then again it could have just been coincidence since their honeymoon aligned with mating season. Oh well…
As the two were about to clash once again, a root quickly shot up out of the ground and managed to trip Jaune as he was inches from Blake.
"What the-!", He let out a startled yelp as he lost his balance his face colliding with Blake's chest. The two were tumbling across the field and slowly came to a halt. The two were breathing heavily with Blake ending up on top of Jaune, mounted over him as Gambol Shroud poised over his neck.
With Jaune sensing that the battle was officially over, he couldn't help but be mesmerize at the womanly form that sat on top of him.
Her amber eyes stared deep in to his own, her white skin faintly illuminated by the vast expanse of the starry sky. And for some reason he can faintly smell something sweet but decided to ignore continuing the train of thought.
"Looks like I win…", she breathed out not sure if the faint heat on her face was due to exhaustion or something she's not quite ready to admit… yet. One thing's for sure, she's enjoying the sight of the knight's current expression.
"Foul play… I call for a rematch… but you won, so what do you want?" Jaune grumbled in between breaths as he pouted with a slight blush as he glared at the Elder Tree.
"Tell me why you've been so distant with everyone. "
"Would you honestly believe me if I told you?", Jaune's asked in all seriousness and Blake was taken aback by his tone of voice but nodded her head.
"Fine… but can we move to a more comfortable position? What I'm going to tell you may take a while…", the knight hoping to get out of this compromising position, as Blake's soft and firm hind quarters seem to be quite comfortable on his stomach. A man can only take so much of a woman's soft touch before reason jumps out of the window.
" I dunno, I kinda like this. And how do I know you won't try to run away?", Blake teased the knight as she sweetly whispered to his ear.
"You'll catch me as soon as I do anyway.", the knight replied with a roguish smirk
Blake relented and the two sat side by side with their backs to the Elder Tree, as Jaune revealed his mission, as Blake attentively listened on.
"This is a lot to take in…", Blake's mind trying to process everything that was just revealed to her.
"Hey, imagine how I felt when I was told that I had to somehow rally the world to finish something that so many others couldn't", Jaune replied empathically
"It's a heavy burden to bear… but remember Jaune, you don't have to do this Alone. I'm sure our teams and maybe some of the professors can definitely help"
"Yeah… I know… but for the time being, I'd like for just a few people to know. Since the impending doom of humanity is not the kind of thing we just drop on people. So for the time being can this just be a secret between the two of us? I want to be the one to tell the rest of our teams. ", the knight asked sincerely
"Alright. If you say so, but they are going to find out sooner rather than later. Yang is on to us."
"Thanks Blake. That means a lot to me"
There was a comfortable silence between the two hunters as they just relaxed beneath the Elder Tree, enjoying the beautiful night sky.
After awhile the two continued to enjoy each other's company as they walked back together to their dorm rooms.
They stood in front of their rooms and waved each other a good night.
Blissfully unaware of what awaited them on the other side of their respective doors…
No good deed goes unpunished after all
Author's Note: ... Definitely not one of my best chapters but what the hell, lets get this story moving, I can refine this later on. So guys how have ya'll been doing? Can't say much for myself except I finally found the time to continue with this tale. But all the same hope you enjoyed this chapter as we are almost over with the prologue... YES... this is a prologue...
So I would like to shout out to my fellow weavers of fate for having provided many a warriors and unique characters to this tale. A EVEN BIGGER shout out to my man Tsumibito-En for being my head Grimm Researcher, oh the fun chaos we will create together.
I'm refining the OC rosters and dynamics to ensure that they will be seamlessly added to the tale and will notify the Fate Weavers that had added them via a Google Drive Doc. So hope you guys can create a GMail address if you dont have one already so that we can refine them together and balance em out...
I know I have started a rather ambitious tale here but I am very much willing to see it through to the end and provide only the best for my readers.
So gimme your thoughts and stuff
Razyangel signing out.
PS: WHY SO MUCH YURI RECENTLY! Check out Pieces Out Of Line by Wrathie Winsre for all the GAR that only Shirou Emiya could ever provide.