*Special thanks to /u/Goose_Is_Awesome over on reddit for inspiring the concept behind Jaune's shadow world. It's just the delightfully evil kind of idea I love. Why just have your shadow berate you when the whole world can be attacking your insecurities?*
Chapter 5
*Recommended Music: Backside of the TV (Persona 4 Soundtrack)*
"This tower does seem like the one that appeared with the Red Rog." Naoto said. "In my investigations of the Shadow Operatives, I found files that talked about a tower like this called Tartarus that appeared during another incident. I wonder if all three are related."
"The best way to find that out is to get to the top right?" Kanji asked. "If there are shadows here we should clear them out anyway."
"We need to be cautious." Yukiko cautioned. "Aigis suggested there could be more to this than we realize. She has more experience with this sort of thing than we do and I think we should take her warning to heart."
"Rise, can you sense anything?" Yu asked.
"It's hard to detect anything up there." Rise admitted. "There seems to be some kind of interference. It gets worse the farther up I try to scan. Maybe if we climb higher I can get a better idea of what we're facing. I can tell you that there are a few powerful shadows not too far up."
"Maybe the shadows are causing interference." Teddie suggested. "If we defeat them it might help."
"Alright then, let's do it!" Chie said excitedly. "The Team's back together for another case!"
"So this Jaune's world huh?" Ruby said. "It seems a bit…out of character." Team RWBY, joined by Aigis, Labrys and Helia stood in what appeared to be the main hall of a museum. A large sign read 'Remnant Museum of History' in bold letters. "I thought it would be less, I don't know, serious. Except when he was having trouble with Cardin, he's always been such a goofy and carefree guy."
"He's definitely in here." Helia confirmed. "Maybe there's more to him than you think."
"Welcome to the Remnant Museum of History." A voice said, seemingly from all around them. It sounded like an elderly man. "I will guide you on your tour through this fine educational establishment." The monotonous voice continued. "Please proceed to the Hall of Weapons, where you can see and learn about the arms of Hunters from throughout the ages."
The voice was strange, but there was nothing they could do about it. The group walked through the hall, paying little attention to the historical artifacts that lined it, until they reached an archway. At the top, a sign read 'Hall of Weapons' in blue letters, surrounded by depictions of various types of armament. It was the only way forward, so they proceeded inside. Ruby was fascinated by the weapons that lined the path. Most were antiques, but some looked entirely modern and highly complex. Even if they were not real, they were still interesting to her. Finally, the narrow corridor ended in another archway. A sign read 'Weapons Demonstration Arena: Employees Only' in bold red letters. Beyond was a dimly lit, large open area at the center of which was what looked like a giant metal sculpture of a Hunter in heavy armor.
"I think that sculpture's a shadow." Helia said. "I can't get a clean scan with my Persona, but it doesn't seem right."
"There is certainly something strange about it." Aigis confirmed. "My sensors cannot confirm it as a shadow however." She boldly walked up to the metal arrangement and closely examined it. "Very strange."
Suddenly, bright lights filled the space. There was a cheer and to the group's surprise; they saw a crowd of people seated on a balcony that surrounded the room. "Who are they?" Weiss asked with alarm.
"They're not shadows." Helia said.
"So what are they?" Weiss asked.
"Maybe they're another part of the illusion." Yang suggested. "This whole place is artificial, why wouldn't they be."
"Welcome to the Weapons Demonstration Arena!" The voice from earlier said with uncharacteristic enthusiasm. "You're all in for a real treat. Today we have the honor of hosting special guests who will give us a practical demonstration of modern weaponry. What better way to learn about these fine implements of warfare than to see them in action?"
The metal figure in the center of the room came to life, drawing a gigantic sword and pointing it threateningly at the group. "My scan's clear now, it's a shadow!" Helia warned.
*Recommended Music: Red Like Roses (Red Trailer) (RWBY V1 Soundtrack)*
"Our first demonstration is of Crescent Rose." The voice continued. "This weapon is a custom made High-Caliber Sniper-Scythe. It's fascinating, truly fascinating." Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose and took aim at the shadow. She emptied her clip at the shadow, each bullet denting its metal exterior and causing it to stagger. Yang charged at the shadow and leapt into a powerful punch. Before reaching her target, she slammed into an invisible wall and tumbled backward in a daze. "One at a time, please." The voice said. "Your turn will come."
"Looks like we've got to play along." Labrys observed. "Go get 'em Ruby!" Ruby slammed another clip into Crescent Rose, but instead of firing at the shadow, she turned it around and used the force to propel herself at her adversary. She spun through the air, her scythe clashing with the shadow's sword, pushing both combatants away from each other. The shadow swung its massive blade at Ruby as she ducked out of its path. She summoned Izanagi. The shadow was metal, so maybe it was vulnerable to electricity. The Persona unleashed a bolt of lightning at the shadow, but it reflected back at Izanagi, luckily immune to the element.
"Please, we are here to see your weapon." The voice implored. The shadow swung its sword at Ruby again. This time, she deflected the strike and dove toward the shadow. She hooked Crescent Rose behind one of its legs and fired, the recoil slamming the scythe into the shadow's calf and pulling it off balance. As it stumbled, Ruby leapt and swung her weapon around, slamming the blunt side into its chest. The shadow slammed to the ground on its back. Ruby jumped onto its chest and positioned Crescent Rose around its neck. With a squeeze of the trigger, the metallic shadow was beheaded. The shadow dissolved and disappeared.
"Bravo, good show!" The voice called. "Now, for our next demonstration!" Another giant metallic shadow rose from the floor to take the place of its recently defeated predecessor as the crowd roared. "Our next weapon is Myrtenaster, a Multi Action Dust Rapier. What can this elegant weapon do?"
*Recommended Music: Mirror Mirror (White Trailer) (RWBY V1 Soundtrack)*
Weiss stepped forward and faced the shadow. She was getting a bit tired of fighting giant metal men, but it had to be done. Using her glyphs, she raced forward aiming Myrtenaster at the center of the shadow's torso. The blade hit its mark, bent slightly and then slid to the side without doing more than denting the metal. The shadow grabbed her with its free hand and slammed her into the ground. It brought its sword down at her but she rolled out of the way before freezing the shadow's blade in place. As the shadow struggled to free its sword, Weiss used it as a ramp and ran up its arm. She slashed and stabbed at the shadow's head and neck. It grabbed her again and threw her across the room before wrenching its sword free.
Weiss cycled Myrtenaster and launched a line of flame at the shadow. It recoiled from the attack but quickly returned to the offensive, taking a massive swing at her with its blade. She bent over backwards to avoid the attack, cycled Myrtenaster again, and hit the off-balance shadow with a blast of wind. The shadow clattered to the ground and Weiss hurriedly froze its limbs to the ground. She raced to its head and using Myrtenaster as a lever, pried its head off. The shadow dissolved and disappeared, only to be replaced by yet another.
"Excellent, a true display of skill and resourcefulness!" The voice yelled. The crowd cheered. "Next up we have Gambol Shroud, a unique Variant Ballistic Chain Scythe. Let's see what this unorthodox weapon is capable of."
*Recommended Music: From Shadows (Black Trailer) (RWBY V1 Soundtrack)*
Blake charged the shadow, firing Gambol Shroud as she closed in. The shadow attempted to crush her with a vertical slash, but she dove out of the way, leaving an elemental copy behind. When the shadow's blade made contact, the decoy exploded, temporarily blinding the shadow. Before it could recover, Blake was behind it, slashing away at its joints. The shadow swept its arm backwards in retaliation, but Blake dodged this attack as well, leaving behind another decoy. This time, it froze on contact, trapping the shadow's arm in the process. Blake attacked its exposed shoulder and after a determined assault, managed to sever the giant's arm.
The shadow quickly swung its sword around, too fast for Blake to dodge. She managed to get Gambol Shroud in front of herself to block, but the force sent her tumbling to the ground. The shadow, enraged by the loss of its limb, charged at her and slammed its sword down with a powerful lunge. It only hit a decoy though and Blake managed to get behind it. She threw Gambol Shroud's blade, extended on its ribbon, and it hooked around the shadow's leg. With a powerful tug, she pulled it to the ground, the shadow slamming down on its face. Its back was not nearly as armored as the front, and she slashed away, ripping metal apart until the shadow dissolved and disappeared. Again, it was soon replaced by another.
"That was quite an interesting use of an interesting weapon." The voice said. The crowd roared in agreement. "Now, our fourth weapon comes in a pair. Introducing Ember Celica, Dual Ranged Shot Gauntlets!"
*Recommended Music: I Burn (RWBY V1 Soundtrack)
"It's about time." Yang said with annoyance. She ran straight at the shadow and leapt into the air, her fist ready to deliver a powerful blow. The shadow was ready and smashed its sword into her as she sailed into range. Yang flew across the room and slammed into the wall. She jumped back to her feet, her eyes red and her hair aflame. With an angry yell she charged back at the shadow. It swung its sword at her again but this time she slid under it before jumping up onto the massive shadow's shoulder. With one arm she grabbed it by the head and with the other delivered a series of powerful blows, using Ember Celica to enhance the power of each hit. With its free arm, the shadow grabbed her and threw her across the room.
Yang adjusted midair and landed on her feet. From watching the others it seemed the best strategy was to get the shadow off its feet. Once on the ground it would be more manageable. Yang raced toward the shadow which responded with a horizontal slash of its giant blade. Yang blocked the hit with one gauntlet and punched the sword away with the other, knocking the monster off balance. Yang got in close and punched the shadow repeatedly in the knee until the mechanical joint disintegrated. The shadow toppled. Yang kept up the pressure, jumping onto it and pummeling its head until it was crushed flat. The shadow dissolved and disappeared only for another to take its place.
"Brutal, but effective." The voice said. "Our next weapon is a High Pressure Chainsaw Flamethrower, Slash and Burn. Let's see how effective it is." The crowd cheered as Helia stepped forward to fight. She lowered her welder's-like mask over her face and charged.
As soon as Helia was within range she fired her flamethrower at the massive shadow, totally engulfing it. The shadow stumbled out of the fireball, flailing as it burned. Helia hit it with another blast, and though it was clearly distressed, the shadow kept advancing. Once it was close enough, it swung its sword at Helia who blocked it with her chainsaw. Sparks flew as the weapons clashed, and Helia was unable to resist the shadow's great strength. She was pushed back, her feet sliding across the floor as the shadow's sword continued to push her along. With Helia focused on the sword, the shadow lunged forward and punched her in the midsection with its free hand, knocking her to the ground.
The shadow lined up for a vertical slash with its sword, bring it crashing down at Helia. She caught the blade with her chainsaw, just barely resisting the strike. She rolled out of the way and let the sword slam into the ground, unbalancing the shadow. Too close for its sword to be effective, Helia blasted the shadow with her flamethrower until its torso glowed red-hot. She then plunged her chainsaw into the soft metal, easily mangling the shadow. It dissolved and disappeared.
"Things are really heating up." The voice said with a slight chuckle. Yang could not help but laugh at the pun. "Now, we have one final, special demonstration for you. It seems we've been graced with the presence of two weapons from another world! Together they will show you the best of what earth can devise." A cheer rose from the crowd as another shadow appeared; ready to fight the two mechanical maidens.
*Recommended Music: Spirited Girl (Persona 4 Arena Soundtrack)*
Aigis took aim and fired a volley at the shadow. The added power provided by the dust rounds Amber had provided seemed to have a serious effect as the shadow stumbled and struggled to block the onslaught. In a desperate attempt to end the attack, the shadow charged but Aigis was easily able to avoid it. She fired into the shadow's back, but it spun around with surprising speed and slammed its sword into her midsection. She was thrown a fair distance but mostly unhurt. The shadow charged again, swinging its sword wildly as it did. Aigis carefully aimed and shot the shadow in the knee. It tripped and slid to a stop on its knees. Seeing an opportunity, Labrys jumped high into the air and using the rocket boosters in her axe, launched herself straight at the shadow. With a single powerful slash from her axe, she cleaved the shadow in half from shoulder to hip. The two halves fell away from each other before the shadow dissolved and disappeared. Team RWBY took notice of the devastating attack. Their own assaults had been nowhere near as powerful.
"Very good, very good." The voice said. "That concludes the demonstration. On behalf of the museum I thank our talented guests for putting on such an entertaining and informative show. Now, if you would all proceed into the Hall of Heroes, we can continue the tour with an examination of some of the greatest Hunters and Huntresses in the history of Remnant." A door opened up at the far end of the room and a sign reading 'Hall of Heroes' lit up above it.
"I wonder how the others are doing." Ruby said as the group started to move on.
"I can call them with my Persona." Helia reminded her. "Rise, can you hear me?"
In their heads, they could all hear Rise reply. "I hear you. How are you guys doing?"
"We're alright." Helia said. "We just had a hell of a fight. How are things on your end?"
"It's been smooth sailing so far." Rise said. "We've run into a lot of weak shadows but they're not even a challenge." She paused for a moment. "Careful, that one's immune to electricity." She said to the Investigation Team without bothering to sever the connection with Helia. "There are a lot of them, but they're no big deal. I think we're closing in on a strong one though. This tower is just really confusing. It's like a maze."
"Okay, we'll let you know if anything comes up." Helia said as she withdrew her Persona.
"At least they're doing alright." Blake said. "This place is really bugging me though. Why would Jaune's subconscious create this place?"
"Well, he once told me his great-great-grandfather fought in The War." Ruby said. "Maybe he really wants to be a hero that lives up to his family's history."
"That would explain this part." Yang said. "There certainly does seem to be a focus on heroes." As they proceeded they walked past paintings and statues of famous Hunters and Huntresses from throughout the ages. Some of the names were familiar, famous heroes that were household names; others were more obscure, known only to the most learned, but no less heroic. The hall ended in another archway. The sign atop it read 'Fallen Hunters' Memorial'. The walls of the room beyond were covered with names and at its center was a huge stone statue. The statue had the appearance of a warrior, kneeling with its head down in prayer or contemplation, hands resting on the hilt of a sword that was stuck into the ground.
"This solemn place honors all the Hunters and Huntresses who lost their lives serving the people of Remnant." The voice explained. "Will our guests have their names added to the list?" The voice was suddenly very threatening, almost demonic. "Prepare yourselves or you will join the ranks of the fallen." The statue stood and raised its sword. Its look of sad contemplation was replaced by one of rage and hatred. It pointed its sword threateningly at the group as the path they had come from was blocked by metal bars.
"Something just doesn't feel right." Chie said with concern. "I can't explain it, but something about this place is definitely off."
"We're in a twisted tower full of shadows, of course something is wrong." Yosuke said condescendingly.
"I know that jerk!" Chie shot back. "I mean even for the shadow world something isn't right."
"I agree; there's definitely something weird going on." Yukiko said. "Maybe this place is the key to the whole thing."
"I wish I could find out more." Rise signed. "My Persona just isn't powerful enough to cut through all the interference. We've wiped out dozens of shadows and been exploring for hours, and it still isn't any better."
"If we keep going and killing shadows we'll find something eventually." Kanji said confidently. "We'll tear this place down if we have to." Naoto looked uneasy and Kanji immediately noticed. "What's up with you?"
"I just can't help but think about what Aigis told us." Naoto said. "What if this is a trap? What if by fighting the shadows and climbing the tower, we're actually bringing about something worse? Even when we dealt with the tower in the Red Fog, we were being forced to fight to siphon power away from our Personas. Maybe we're somehow contributing to the problem."
"Worrying about it isn't going to help." Kanji said. "It was rough but things worked out with that tower too. We'll keep kicking ass until we find out what's behind this whole thing, and then we'll kick its ass. The others are counting on us."
"Blunt, vulgar, and yet somehow inspiring." Naoto observed. "I still think we need to be extra cautious, but you're right. We have to keep at it, it's all we can do right now."
The group approached a set of stairs that led to the next floor. "Careful guys, there's a powerful shadow on the next floor." Rise warned. "There's more. Something about it is strange."
"I feel it too." Teddie added. "It's like I've felt the same presence before."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Yosuke asked.
"I don't know yet." Teddie replied. "It kind of reminds me of the times when I first met you, Sensei and the others. It's been so long, I can't quite remember." Those times were full of good memories and bad for all of them. They hoped this would represent a good one, but they all knew it would not.
*Readers, how would you feel if I posted some double-length chapters? I'm pretty far ahead in terms of writing, but I don't want to stop or change my release schedule. I'd basically make 2 chapters into 1, making the total around 6,000-7,000 words. Please let me know what you think.*