Chapter 9
Ozpin stood looking out one of the window in his office; below him he could see hundreds of people. Most of whom were students going about their day. Yet he could also pick out the different uniforms of the various students.
The Vytal Festival was much closer now and since Vale was hosting it this year that meant students from the other Kingdoms that were participating in the tournament were arriving every day now.
Behind him he could hear his Deputy Headmistress cursing softly about immature children, as she was now forced to go through their finances to pay for the incident in the cafeteria earlier.
Due to some unforeseen circumstance, which still made him laugh though he wouldn't do that in front of her, they had apparently lost more than fifteen thousand Liens.
Goodwitch's semblance was good at repairing things such as the hole in the roof along with the destroyed support column. Yet they still had to order a two whole new days' worth of food along with four replacement vending machines that were destroyed beyond repair during the incident.
"Sir, they'll be arriving soon." Professor Goodwitch said after calming down a little.
"Thank you Glynda." Ozpin said after taking a sip from his mug.
"Is something on your mind Headmaster?"
"A great deal of things actually, but I don't trouble you with my problems Glynda." Ozpin said looking at her and before the normally stern professor could say anything the elevator at the far end of the room dinged.
Out stepped three people, two women and a man that were all dressed in sharp suits. The Vale Council had dispatched three people to come and represent them during this matter that they had forced on Ozpin.
"Headmaster." The lead woman said, she was short and her brown hair was tied in a tight bun behind her head. She was holding a digital tablet in her left arm; Ozpin found it amusing that she seemed to be scanning the room as if she was expecting something.
"Ah, I take it you're from the Council. I'm Headmaster Ozpin." He said walking towards them and held out his hand but the man raised a hand.
"We know who you are Headmaster but we're here to conduct our business immediately. So please call your recommendations up here so that we may talk to them. During which we will ask that you and your Deputy Headmistress be absent during the interview."
"Surely you don't mean to come here and force the Headmaster out of his own office." Glynda started but Ozpin glanced at her and she closed her mouth.
"I understand that it might be a little rude but we purely want to talk with your students in a relaxed environment and having you there might complicate matters." The lead woman said and Ozpin nodded.
"Fair enough, Glynda will you summon teams RWBY and JNPR here." The Headmaster said looking at the blonde woman who simply nodded as she pulled out her own tablet. Ozpin headed towards the elevator stepping inside with Glynda following him.
"Thank you for your cooperation Headmaster." The woman said and Ozpin merely smiled as the doors closed.
10 Minutes Later…
Jaune and his team along with team RWBY walked into the main lobby of Beacon's Tower. Inside they could see Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch.
"Crap, I hope we're not in trouble about earlier." Yang muttered from the back of the group.
"I doubt it, Professor Goodwitch wouldn't have waited this long to hand us a punishment about that." Blake said as the Headmaster beckoned them over.
"What do you think is going on?" Pyrrha asked from Jaune's left, he glanced over at her and for some reason she seemed to be smiling.
"Why do you look so happy?" He asked in return, her cheeks turned a little red at the question.
"Oh! I'm guess I'm just sort happy to have gotten in trouble with you all. This is actually the first time I've ever done something serious in breaking school conduct."
"Seriously? Yang's done so much worse on her own back in Patch." Ruby said from behind the pair.
"I guess because I've always had to be mindful of my sponsorships I had to make extra sure that I never broke a rule."
"Ah, the woes of the famous I see, not something we can relate with." Yang said in a good-natured manner but Jaune could see Pyrrha's eyes fall away at that comment.
"It's nothing to joke about Yang, the rich and powerful have just as many problems as anyone else." Weiss said and Yang simply snorted as they finally reached the pair of adults.
"I'm glad to see you all here." Ozpin said giving them all a nice good but knowing smile.
"What can we help you with Headmaster?" Ruby asked clearly eager but Jaune felt something was odd at how they met him in the lobby of the tower.
"I'm sure by now you may have heard from some of the older years, that around this time we send first years out to shadow a Huntsman or Huntress for a short time. Well I'm here to tell you of an offer to send you on such a mission ahead of time." Ozpin said and Ruby glanced around; most of team RWBY seemed to be okay with the idea.
"So you want to send us out early to shadow someone?" Weiss asked and Ozpin smiled.
"That's not for me to say actually, in fact, if you're so inclined to see where this is going then by all means step into the elevator and head up to my office." Ozpin said and this made Jaune look at his teammates as well. This was starting to be highly irregular and they could feel it but all that did was just peaked their curiosity.
"We'll go." Ruby said and Ozpin nodded before looking at Jaune who turned to his teammates. Nora flashed both of her thumbs up, Ren simply nodded and Pyrrha smiled as she nodded as well.
"I guess we'll go as well." Jaune said looking at the taller man and woman.
"Then by all means, step inside." Ozpin said gesturing to the open elevator to which the eight of them went into.
"And don't worry, even once you hear what this is about you'll still have the option to refuse." Ozpin said as the doors closed.
"What did he mean by that?" Yang asked but none of them could answer that as they went up. It wasn't long before they could feel the elevator come to a halt. The doors parted with a ding and the eight of them squeezed out of the elevator.
"Wow." Ruby said as they looked around Ozpin's office, none of them had been in it before. Jaune however was more focused on the three people seated in chairs before them.
"You must be team RWBY and JNPR." The woman in the middle said as she wrote something down on her tablet.
"Yes ma'am." Ruby said and she looked up at Ruby.
"You're Ruby Rose, correct?" She asked.
"Uh, yes, I'm Ruby Rose."
"Hmm, you're the leader of team RWBY. A bit on the nose with the name isn't it?"
"Ah, well I didn't pick the name." Ruby started to say but the woman just looked at Weiss.
"So that would mean you're Weiss Schnee, a pleasure to meet you." The woman said and Weiss curtsied.
"And you're the young Faunus girl, Blake Belladonna, from the dock incident with the White Fang." The woman said and Jaune could feel the normally quiet girl squirm a little.
"Yes, I'm a Faunus, is there anything specific you want to say?" Blake said but the woman merely gave her an amused look.
"It matters not to me that you're a Faunus or Human I merely stated your nature as a fact as this is business nothing more and nothing less." The woman said and Blake wisely kept her mouth shut.
"And lastly is Yang Xiao Long, half-sister to Ruby Rose."
"Yup." Yang said unsure of what else to say, the woman looked at Jaune now.
"And you're Jaune Arc leader of team JNPR? I have to say that's an interesting last name." The woman said and Jaune could hear his father's words echo in his head but he stilled nodded.
"Then there's Nora Valkyrie, you and Lie Ren here are orphans correct?" The woman asked and Jaune could see the two of them stiffen a little but Nora nodded.
"We are."
"If you don't mind me asking but how or why did you come here? From your records you indicated that you're originally from Anima."
"Well, Ren and I met someone who led us to Sanus where we stayed in an orphanage in an Outland town in the north. We would also get trained there until we were able to apply to Beacon Academy."
"And who was this person?" The woman asked but Nora and Ren exchanged looks.
"We don't know, no one ever told us who he was." Ren said.
"Interesting and lastly is Pyrrha Nikos, a pleasure to see you young lady."
"Thank you, it's nice to meet you as well Ma'am." The woman lowered her tablet.
"I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Thara Taup of the Vale Council and my compatriots here are Fiye Weston of the Vale Ministry of Defense and Sangria Rueda of the Vale Ministry of Commerce. Before we continue however there are some questions we'd like to ask all of you." Thara said as she leaned forward.
"First, this will be directed mainly to Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. Do you remember the name of the Outland town you stayed at?" The two of them nodded.
"And what is the name of that town?" They seemed to hesitate and Jaune could see Ren shifting his eyes a little in his direction.
"The town was called Nodens." Jaune sadly, knew this town. Nodens was the culmination of the Arcadian Sanus Campaign during the Great War. There the Arcadians would forge a temporary pact with the Vale-Vacuo Alliance against the Mantle-Mistral Coalition.
"Can you tell us who holds this town?" Weston asked the first thing he said since they arrived.
"Sir, as far as we know the town is governed by a selection of its own members." Ren said and the man leaned forward.
"But is there anyone else there?" Ren tilted his head.
"I'm not sure what you mean." Weston leaned back.
"What do you all know of the Hurin Valleys?" No one said anything until Weiss finally sighed.
"They're a series of interconnected valleys in the northern portion of Sanus about a five hour flight from Vale."
"Alright and what do you know of its role during the Great War?"
"It was the site of the largest battle up to that point during the war, though not between the original combatants but with the fighting centered on Arcadia's invasion." Weiss said and the man nodded.
"Very good Ms. Schnee, to compound your answer, the Hurin Valleys has access to the largest river in the region. The Turin River, which allows for a fast but ample supply of resources or manpower to be moved from deep within the continent to the western coast. In times of peace it was a major highway of commerce for the Outland towns and Vale. During the Great War however it became a strategic target. As up to that point much of the fighting was further east or north. However the towns within the Hurin Valleys had no allegiance to either side but to the largest town within the Valleys, which so happens to be Nodens. As the first year of the War drew to a close it became clear to Vale, Mantle and Mistral that the Hurin People had formed their own Army. While alone it would be beaten by any of the Kingdoms it dawned on us that if the Hurin Valleys did side with someone it could end the war. For us, if Mantle or Mistral took control it would allow them an excellent point to launch attacks against Vale itself. Yet if we took it then the Mantle-Mistral Coalition knew that it would be impossible to assail Vale without a lengthy fight against either our Eastern Army or the natural defensive barriers that the Hurin Valleys would provide. Thus that would bleed them just as much if not more than us. Alas no one expected Arcadia to join the fray, in less than a month they landed three armies on Sanus. However the largest force was on the northern shores of Sanus where they quickly defeated the Vale, Mantle and Mistral forces that were in their way then captured or forced the Hurin Valleys under their rule. Then as you know the Four Kingdoms set aside their differences for a while to face them."
"That's enough history Weston, I'm sure they would rather know why they're here." Thara said and leaned forward.
"What we want from you is to help a Huntress that is escorting a Vale Envoy to Nodens."
"What's the purpose of this Envoy?" Jaune asked.
"Excuse me?" Thara asked.
"As your colleague just said, Nodens became a willing territory of Arcadia and if memory serves me correctly even after the Four Kingdoms destroyed four out of the seven Outland towns in the Hurin Valleys, Arcadia still beat the Four Kingdoms. Then it wasn't until nearly a year after that they decided to join the Vale-Vacuo Alliance on their own terms. Yet when the war ended, the Hurin Valleys all but fell off the radar yet Arcadia never said that they would fully pull out of Sanus. So despite wanting nothing to do with the Four Kingdoms or the outside in general, those that came to their banner in the Great War wouldn't be left behind. So by following that logic someone must think that Arcadia is still controlling Nodens to some degree otherwise you wouldn't have kept up the subject for so long." Jaune pointed out and Thara smiled.
"It seems this one knows more than he lets on. Tell me, Mr. Arc, why is it that you're saying that Nodens became a willing territory when for all accounts of Valean history would point to witnesses of the retreating Valean Army seeing a force of armored warriors marching into the town. A force I might add that was so dangerous that they won most of their battles even when we outnumbered them in a four to one scenario. On top of that, what makes you so certain of the actions of Arcadia when even after they joined our side in the Great War they never listened or consulted with us or Vacuo to the point that it wasn't so much an alliance but just a promise not to fight us?" Thara asked and Jaune suddenly felt very warm.
"I don't know what to say Ms. Taup other than that I'm merely calling it as I see it." Jaune said feeling sweat pop up on his skin at the inquisitive stare of the beaurcraut. Everyone seemed to hold their breath for what seemed like forever before Thara smiled and began to laugh.
"I'll have to remember to thank Ozpin for picking such fine students." She said before sighing loudly in a strangely content manner. Jaune himself felt more than a little relieved to have the attention taken off of him, he had made a rookie mistake and nearly put himself in a position of being found out.
"As for the purpose of this mission I'm afraid I can't tell anyone of you what it is. As such you'll either have to figure that out as you do it or you won't in which case it doesn't matter. Though that all depends on whether or not you decide to accept this mission in the first place." Ruby glanced around.
"I guess we'll discuss it over and come to you with our answer." She said but Thara shook her head.
"I'm sorry that I didn't make this any clearer but this moment is your one and only time to decide. We'll let you talk amongst yourself but we desire an answer sooner rather than later." The woman said before clasping her hands together. Jaune walked to the far wall by the elevator door before turning to his teammates, though specifically wanting Ren and Nora's thoughts.
"Thoughts?" He asked, keeping his voice low as he put his back to the three sitting Valean Representatives.
"I wouldn't mind going." Nora said and Ren nodded as well.
"Same, I feel that I would have a whole new appreciation of Nodens now." Jaune looked at Pyrrha who smiled.
"Well I have no issues about it and it seems like Ren and Nora have their hearts set on this despite the circumstances." Jaune nodded.
"To be honest, I actually don't feel all that comfortable but if you're all cool with it then I'm fine as well."
"Wait Jaune, why aren't you comfortable?" Pyrrha asked and Jaune shrugged.
"I don't know, I guess it's because this doesn't really feel like a Huntsman sort of thing but more of a Government job."
"Well to be fair, Huntsmen and Huntresses do get jobs from the governments. If you think about it, generally speaking a Mayor or elected official are the ones putting out job requests thus we'd be working for a government." Ren pointed out and Jaune just shrugged as he turned to look at team RWBY. It was a bit surprising to see that they weren't a unanimous vote.
"I don't care what Vale wants with some Outland town." Blake said before dropping her voice.
"There are more important things to focus on." Weiss clicked her tongue.
"I can't believe how narrow minded your view on this is Blake, you said it yourself that you believe that the Arcadians were the ones to hit Roman at the docks. If this town really is connected to Arcadia then you might be able to find some answers there."
"We need to figure out what Roman's up to not what, they, might know as it was probably just blind luck." Blake cut off whatever else she was going to say as the team realized that Jaune and his own team were looking at them.
"So?" Jaune asked acting as if he hadn't overheard their conversation.
"Uh, I think we should go but let's throw it up to a vote anyways." Jaune could see Ruby, Weiss and Yang holding their hands up. Blake however looked as if she drank some sour milk.
"Well, that settles it." Ruby said looking at him and Jaune turned to the Valean Representatives.
"We accept your mission."
Later That Night…
Thara Taup stepped onto the balcony of her apartment; the night was cool as she pulled out a cigarette and lighted it. She took a deep breath before exhaling a small ring of smoke; behind her she could hear the soft click of a door.
"Ma'am I'm surprised you're here already." Thara said without looking back.
"Well after the dock incident, all our operations within the city have grounded to a halt. Roman's laying low and the White Fang seemed to have pulled out most of their major assets. So I've got an ample amount of spare time to use." Lilith Arc called out.
"It was to be expected, when the Dock Operation failed, it was bound to rock the boat quite a bit." Thara said and turned to walk back inside.
"Ah, can you put that out? I'm not much of a fan of smoking." Lilith said and Thara flicked the cigarette away with a soft chuckle.
"You can come back covered in blood and guts but a little smoke bothers you?" She said as she came inside and Lilith shrugged.
"Well if you smoked a better brand then I wouldn't complain so much."
"Not true, I've switched brands three times already and you complained about each of them."
"Anyways, you've got anything good on your end?" Lilith asked and Thara nodded.
"Well it seems Vale's finally making a move." She began and Lilith raised an eyebrow but kept silent.
"Ever since the Dock incident, the Vale council has been going on and on about us to the point that they want to test their luck by sending an Envoy to Nodens." Lilith cocked at her head at that.
"Nodens? There isn't anything there for them, if they're trying to truly find evidence there to pin on us about the Factory and Dock attacks than they're not entirely bright."
"I don't actually think that is what their goal is ma'am. From what I've gathered it seemed that this doesn't have to do with internal security but more along the lines of global interests." Thara said and Lilith leaned forward.
"How so?" She asked but Thara just shook her head.
"I don't have anything concrete as the Vale Council has been holding more and more private meetings thus excluding anyone that isn't on the council itself."
"So they're playing it close to their chest, do they suspect a spy?"
"Yes but not just from us, some of the Vale Council members have, in unofficial channels, made it clear that they feel that a decent percentage of the Faunus that work in Parliament are in fact sympathizers with the White Fang."
"That's actually smart; the White Fang had been getting bolder and closer in their movements to Vale. Alas the debacle at the Docks blew any chance of capturing Roman or finding a White Fang H.V.T but what else can you tell me."
"I know Atlas has been making waves about their distrust of Arcadia."
"That's not new, ever since the end of the Great War they thought we've been trying to take control of the Four Kingdoms. Which to be honest, I think the High Lord is fool to not do." Lilith said and she could see Thara look uncomfortable at that.
"Look the High Lord already knows my thoughts and reasons about that but in the end it's his choice. Besides even with the Irkalla Siege finally winding down, I think things are in motion that might force or bind his hands in this." Lilith mused and Thara cleared her throat.
"There's another thing, the Vale Council sent a request to Headmaster Ozpin for loaning some of his more exemplary students to use as muscle to help protect their Envoy." Thara said and Lilith nodded for her to continue.
"Well it turns out that one of the teams that Ozpin has offered is led by Jaune Arc." Lilith frowned.
"And what did Jaune say?"
"He accepted the mission." Thara said and Lilith pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance.
"When are they supposed to leave for this mission?"
"Most of this mission has been compartmentalized but I believe that they should be leaving this Friday." Thara said and Lilith cursed silently.
"Then it's too late to try talking him into backing off, he'll just have to handle the consequences."
A Few Days Later…
Jaune woke at the crack of first light, today was the day that they would go on their first mission and he had more than a few reasons to be nervous.
His aunt had sent him a message saying that the chance of his cover being blow was all but guaranteed. Though how she knew that he was going on a mission was beyond him however he knew that what she said was true.
During his summer of training, he remembered reading about the Sanus Campaign and knew that the Hurin Valleys were the closest thing to a full blown Arcadian Province among the Four Kingdoms.
"Jaune?" A voice interrupted his thoughts; he turned to see Pyrrha was already up and dressed.
"Oh hey Pyrrha, excited?" He asked and she smiled.
"Very, this will be the first time I'm going to an Outland town and one that is supposed to be steeped in history along with a close affiliation to Arcadia."
"I understand the history and the exploration part but what does Arcadia have to do with your interest?" Jaune asked and she shrugged.
"I mean who wouldn't be interested in seeing that Kingdom? A Kingdom so old that it can be traced back to the Old World when even Dust wasn't discovered."
"I guess when you put it like that it makes a lot of sense at why you're so interested." Jaune said as he took out his travel bag and began to stuff some spare clothes into it.
"Actually, I'm sort of curious about what happened in Ozpin's office a few days ago."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that conversation you were having with Ms. Taup. She was right in questioning how knowledgeable you seem to be in regards to Arcadia's actions with Nodens. While I'm sure you'd say it's just history and that somewhere someone wrote down something like that. The manner in which you explained it felt as if you were correcting them not just putting forth an idea you heard." Pyrrha stepped closer to Jaune and he felt nervous again.
"Jaune." She said staring intensely at him.
"Uh, yes Pyrrha?"
"Don't lie to me." She said narrowing her eyes at him and Jaune could feel sweat breaking out once more.
"I-I won't." He managed to say.
"Who are you Jaune?"
"I'm me." He replied instantly but he knew that might not have been the right answer as her face twitched in anger.
"You're last name is Arc, it's known that the Ruler of Arcadia last name is also Arc. In fact the name Arcadia has the word in it. So tell me, are you related to those Arcs or not?"
"No." Jaune said but the moment he opened his mouth it was painfully slammed shut before he fell onto his back. It took him a second to realize that Pyrrha had punched him.
"I said don't lie to me." The red hair girl said as she crossed her arms.
"Now I'm going to ask you one last time Jaune and if you don't tell the truth I'm going to continue beating you." Pyrrha said as she reached down to grab the front of his shirt and pulled him up into a sitting position.
"Are you from Arcadia?" She asked and Jaune hesitated before slowly nodding.
"Who are your parents?"
"My mother is Arabella Arc, leader of the Sisterhood and my father is High Lord Alexander Arc, the rightful ruler of Arcadia." Jaune said as Pyrrha let him stand up.
"So the King and Queen of Arcadia are your parents?" Pyrrha asked and he nodded.
"What's going on?" Ren asked from behind, Pyrrha turned to see him and Nora were awake now.
"Jaune's been hiding that he's apparently the son of the rulers of Arcadia." Pyrrha said and Nora looked confused.
"So?"
"So!? This is important! He's been hiding this from us because he didn't trust us! Doesn't that piss you off?" Pyrrha asked.
"Well, we actually already knew." Nora began before Ren put a hand over her mouth.
"You knew!?" She yelled then turned back to Jaune who had backed up a few steps.
"Why did you tell them but not me? Am I not your friend? Do you not trust me!?"
"Pyrrha wait." Ren said putting a hand on her shoulder.
"We confronted him about it as well and he didn't want to tell us back then so don't blame him." She turned her head away but Jaune saw the flash of pain on her face and reached out to take Pyrrha's arm.
"Look Pyrrha, I'm sorry I hid this from you but allow me to explain my actions." The red head looked at him as he gestured for her to sit down. Once it was clear that she wasn't going to punch him in the face again he began to recount the last five months to her.
30 Minutes later…
"So to condense this all down, your father wanted you to keep who you are a secret in order to keep you from getting caught in the political battlefield of being the son of the ruler of a Kingdom that's, in mild terms, disliked by Four Kingdoms." Pyrrha said as Ren and Nora who had both taken showers were busy packing their things up.
"Yea pretty much." Jaune said from his bed.
"I understand that a little more and I apologize for hitting you earlier but I still feel a little hurt that even after Ren and Nora figured out you still decided not to tell me anything."
"And I'm sorry about that but honestly I had no idea how to go about that as well. I mean what was I supposed to say, hey Pyrrha what was our assigned reading last night and oh yea I'm a part of the Royal Family of an entire Kingdom."
"When he says it like that, he's got a point." Ren said from his bed and Pyrrha sighed as she checked her scroll.
"I guess you're right Ren, once again I'm sorry for hitting you Jaune but you should go get ready now. We're supposed to be at the Docking Area about an hour and a half from now." Pyrrha said as she stood up and held her hand out. Jaune however didn't shake her hand; instead he gave her a quick hug as it seemed more appropriate to him.
"I can't be mad at you for hitting me Pyrrha as I should be the one apologizing." He said before picking up his clothes to head into the bathroom.
Pyrrha was left standing there with her hand still raised; Nora walked up to her and could see how red the taller girl's face was. Nora simply laughed before tapping Pyrrha's forehead which brought her back to reality.
"He got you good with that Pyrrha." The shorter girl said as she went back to sitting on her bed.
"I didn't think he'd hug me." The tall girl said as she sat down again.
"We can see that since you had the perfect chance of grabbing his butt there." Nora said.
"Why would she grab Jaune's butt?" Ren asked and Nora just clicked her tongue.
"You just don't understand the mind of a young maiden Renny, once she's got a tasty for her Beau's delicious booty ain't nothing is gonna stop her from wanting more of it." Nora explained and Pyrrha just looked at Ren.
"What does that mean?" The stoic teen just shrugged as they continued getting ready.
An Hour and a half Later…
"Hey!" Someone shouted from behind Jaune as he and his team along with team RWBY walked through the front door of the Academy's main cafeteria. Turning around he was surprised to see that it was Cardin that was calling out to him with the rest of his team behind him, he lowered his travel bag.
"Uh, what's up Cardin?" Jaune asked as the taller teen walked up to him.
"Is it true?" The taller teen asked and Jaune just raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, is it true that you guys were handpicked by Ozpin to go on a mission for the Kingdom?" Cardin asked and Jaune looked behind him only to see the others were still walking towards Beacon's main avenue.
"Yup, we were pretty surprised about that as well but how did you hear about that?" Jaune asked.
"Are you kidding? It's been the buzz of the school the last day and a half now."
"Honestly I didn't know that at all." Jaune said and Cardin looked surprised at that.
"Whatever you say man, just go kick some ass out there for us." Cardin said slapping his arm and walked back inside. Jaune stood there for a few seconds thinking but ultimately just shrugged as he slung his bag over his shoulder then jogged to catch up with the others.
"What did Cardin want?" Pyrrha asked as Jaune rejoined them.
"Ah, he just wanted to say good luck on our mission."
"How did he know we were going on a mission?" Ren asked from the other side of Pyrrha and Jaune shrugged. He honestly felt like that was his number one answer to half the questions being thrown at him.
"Apparently it's been spreading among the student body for the last few days."
"That's odd; I don't believe anyone of us would talk about this." Pyrrha said but Ren shook his head.
"We might not talk about it." He said leaving off the obvious implication when he looked over at team RWBY. The four girl team had pulled ahead and Jaune could see that they seemed to be having a heated discussion amongst themselves.
"Ah come on Ren, I don't think they'd run their mouths off about it as well." Nora said and Ren nodded.
"Maybe but what if someone overheard them?"
"Well someone could have overheard us as well." Pyrrha pointed out.
"And you'd be right about that if we actually had talked about it."
"What do you mean?" The taller girl asked.
"I mean, Nora and I didn't want to talk about it because of Jaune who himself is already having a hard time due to the nature of Nodens background."
"Oh yea." Pyrrha said as she looked down and after a moment she looked back up.
"Well, I guess we can talk about it now." She said and Ren nodded.
"So do you two really not know who brought you there?" Pyrrha asked.
"I actually really don't remember much about the man aside from him being big." Nora said.
"Well I believe that may have to do with his armor. I want to say that he wore a large suit of armor and carried a winged spear." Ren said and Jaune felt a smile cross his face.
"Why are you smiling?" Pyrrha asked looking at him and Nora gasped.
"Do you know who we're talking about?" She asked and Jaune shrugged.
"Maybe, I've met someone who carries a winged spear before when I was younger though I haven't seen him in more than a few years now. So I can't be sure that it's the same person."
"Oh I hope I can see him again." Nora said almost wistfully.
"I agree with Nora, I would love to thank the man that helped us get on this path." Ren added and Jaune nodded. He knew Champion Forianus tended to do a lot of solo missions so there might be a chance that he found himself in the Outlands of the Four Kingdoms some time ago.
When they get to Nodens he might be able to get in contact with his family or the Praetorian Household. He knew Areto would be more than accommodating in finding answers.
"I see you all made it on time." A voice called out and Jaune looked up to see Thara Taup standing in front of a relatively sleek but long airship. Behind her were a woman and a man.
The woman had bright purple hair that was tied in a loose braid that rested on her left shoulder. She wore a green plaid shirt with a sleeveless grey vest over it along with blue jeans and brown shin high boots. The only form of armor on her could be seen on her shoulders, elbows and knees pads.
Jaune had a feeling that she was a Huntress that they would be serving under. Though it mostly was because he could see a sawed off lever action shotgun in a holster on her right thigh and a metal whip on her left hip.
Next to her was middle age man with salt and pepper hair. He dressed in a grey three piece suit with a black tie and white dress shirt underneath along with black dress shoes.
"These are the people you'll be accompanying on your mission, the lady is Fusia Aster the Huntress that will be leading the overall mission and with her is Gibeon Nauo representative and Envoy of the Kingdom of Vale." Thara said gesturing to them with a wave of her hand.
"Nice to meet ya'll!" The woman called out with a wave, her voice laden with a relatively thick accent.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all." The man said a light even tone as he bowed his head before standing up straight again.
"I do believe we have a schedule to keep, it'll be a five hour flight at least to the Hurin Valleys." He said looking at Thara who nodded.
"I wish you all the best of luck on your mission." She said looking back at them, though Jaune swore her gaze lingered on him a little too long for his taste.
"Alright then everyone get aboard the ship please." Fusia called out and the ten of them boarded the airship.
Outlands South of Vacuo…
Desmond Storm cursed loudly as he jumped out the second story window of a building. Behind him, the screams of the dying were punctured by the loud sounds of fighting. Though from what he saw it was more like a massacre.
Dusthand was a relatively small town with a population barely over a thousand people. Living at the very edge of the Vacuoan Desert made it difficult to sustain a large population but it was still a comfortable life.
Bandit attacks wasn't a rare phenomenon but only the truly desperate or bloody thirsty would attack them. As Desmond took a turn, he skidded to a halt on the sandstone road, ahead of him he could see men battering down a door.
These men were tough looking people; he had yet to see a single one that wasn't a well-muscled man. All of them wore fur cloaks or cape with sections of leather or plate armor on their arms or legs with strange horned helmets.
Many of them carried large round shields with a strange eight prong star painted on the surface, while also carrying large axes, swords and maces. A smaller portion of these warriors carried thick looking bows or short spears and moved in groups.
Desmond had already seen a number of the town's militia breaking under the hail of arrows or spears before the main groups charged into them, slaughtering everyone they could even if they were surrendering.
The screams of the dying brought him back to reality as these, marauders, were lighting torches before throwing them at the building.
He ducked into a side alley, as a few of them turned in his direction. His body was covered in sweat and his heart felt as if it was going to break out of his chest.
Running down the alley he found himself at the outer wall of the town, he needed to find one of the gates. Looking left and right he could see people running around in panic as some tried to organize a barricade while most were simply trying to escape.
"Desmond!" A voice called out and he turned to see a burly old dog Faunus carrying an old bolt action Vacuoan service rifle with a Kilij at his waist with an old Vacuoan musette bag draped over him.
"Kha?! You're not dead?!" Desmond exclaimed and the older man barked out a laugh which the more Desmond thought about the more it seemed kind of manic.
Kha Aslani was a notable member of the town. Aside from being the oldest person in town, he was also the one that drilled the town militia every other month in learning how to use weapons to defend against Grimm or Bandit attacks.
"Don't get me wrong boy, we're up shit's creek with no paddle in sight. They've taken the south and east gate and are pushing to the north gate all while holding most of the merchant quarter and putting the main avenue to the torch. The Mayor and most of the town militia have been killed and these maniacs are just slaughtering everyone they see at this point." Kha said then nodded towards him.
"Do you not have a weapon?" He asked and Desmond shook his head.
"I didn't get a chance to arm myself when they stormed the eastern gate." He said and Kha held his rifle out to him.
"Here take this then, I assume you know how to use a rifle." Desmond nodded as he took the rifle; Kha took off his musette bag and handed that over as well.
"So what is the plan?" Desmond asked as he noticed that people were gathering around with anything they could carry.
"We're gonna use the west gate to head down to the river to hopefully get away from these people." Kha explained.
"They're coming!" Someone shouted down the street from them, they both spun around to see a lanky looking teen firing a revolver. He only managed to get two shots off before something hit him in the chest, a short spear.
He cried out in pain before falling back onto the ground. Half a dozen men armed with bludgeons, handguns and hunting rifles ran over immediately. Two of them dragged the teen away while the others fired their weapons, occasionally ducking back as an arrow or spear came at them.
"We don't have much time now." Kha said softly then turned back to the assembled bulk of the townsfolk with them.
"Alright! We need to move now! Women and children are to be in the center, anyone armed or that can fight needs to take the lead or watch the side alleys and building! But I'll also need some volunteers to watch the rear with me!" Kha shouted and the people immediately moved into action.
Soon enough Kha had thirty able body men and boys standing before him. All armed with revolvers, shotguns, hunting rifles, machetes, bludgeon, short swords and spears.
"Desmond, do you know the way to the next town?" Kha asked without looking at him.
"Sunmere? That's about four hours down river?"
"Good, I want you to take them there."
"Me? What about you?" Kha turned to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm going to keep these bastards occupied Desmond while you get those people on as many boats as you can." Desmond recoiled a little at that.
"Are you crazy? That's a suicide mission Kha, there must be hundreds maybe even more of them in the town."
"My boy, you have to trust me on this, let this old dog do what he needs to do." He said and Desmond nodded unsure of what to say to dissuade him.
"Kha! They're coming!" Another man who held a boar spear called out and Kha looked to Desmond who nodded in return. Desmond took off towards the front of the group calling out for everyone to start moving.
Kha looked back down the street; the four men that had been covering the alley were running towards him. Beyond them Kha could see their attackers come out of the alleyway.
"Rifles to the front!" Kha called out and a dozen men of various ages moved forward in a line.
"Open fire!" He called out and the men began to fire.
Kha had served time in the Vacuoan Army when he was younger and he winced at seeing how sporadic their firing was. Though it was the best he could do, he turned to a tall lanky man with a shotgun that he recognized.
"Owin, grab anyone with a handgun or a shotgun and form a secondary line behind the riflemen. When I give the order I want you to cover them as they fall back then tell them to get up onto the walls." Kha didn't get to finish as Owin jumped forward to push him aside. There was a roar of a shotgun firing and someone screamed in pain. More gunshots roared out and the sounds of fighting erupted around him.
Looking up Kha could see Owin racking the slide of his shotgun before firing at a man that carried a long hafted axe. The shotgun had been loaded with red dust shells, the man fell back screaming with multiple charred pellet wounds on his naked torso.
Kha rolled to his feet and winced as he stood up. He supposed his old age would be a detriment for this as he drew his Kilij from its scabbard. A tall burly man wielding a chipped short sword and round shield came at him.
Raising his blade he met the man's sword at an angle allowing it to slide down the edge of his blade then as it hit his crossguard he pushed the sword aside. Alas the man simply smashed his shield against him and he stumbled back.
He barely had any time to turn aside the man's follow up thrust before following through with the motion bring his blade around in an overhead cut. The blade edge connected with the man's face and Kha saw the splash of blood arc through the air as the man fell.
Alas there was no time to think at how the man didn't have his Aura unlocked as a second man wielding two short axes came at him. Kha blocked one of the axes but could do nothing as the second axe came up and smacked his face with the blunt top of the weapon.
He could feel the sharp edge press painfully into his side but it wasn't able to pierce his Aura, though he reckoned that he wouldn't be able to sustain too many blows like that. Thankfully he didn't have to worry about that as one of the men that stayed behind appeared hit the man in the back of the head with a bludgeon.
Kha didn't get a chance to thank him as more of these crazed men charged them. The man that had saved him took a blade to the stomach from one of them and Kha watched as the man laughed manically as he swiftly pulled his sword out then decapitated the townsman.
All around him the townsfolk were dying, men yelled and screamed whether it was rage or fear Kha didn't know as he was pretty sure he was yelling as well. He ducked under a blow from a mace and stabbed upwards.
His blade dug under the ribs of what he was surprised to see was a woman, though the look of rage in her eyes and battle scarred body made it difficult to differentiate her from those around her.
Behind him he could hear another blast of a shotgun going off near him and Owin appeared next to him. The tall man fired again blasting the arm off another man that was beating one of the younger townsfolk to death with the haft of his weapon.
"We need to get up on the wall; we can funnel them into a chokepoint." Owin said as he racked the slide on his weapon.
"Go! I'll be right behind you!" Kha wheezed, his body ached all over and he found it hard to continually block or parry the blows aimed at him. He could hear Owin call for the others to follow him, Kha jumped back as someone tried to hit him from the side.
He simply jabbed his blade forward, the sharp tip of the blade seemed to embed itself easily into the man's side. Looking around he could see the fighting shifting as the attackers followed the retreating townsfolk, pulling his weapon free he moved to follow the others.
The smell of blood and smoke seemed to choke the air around him as he entered a small doorway. The bodies of what looked to be two of the town's deputies lay against the wall both of them had arrows sticking out of their chests.
Huffing and puffing he made his way up the stairs inside the town's wall. He could see two younger teens, one armed with a handgun and the other with a long dagger watching the doorway as he came up.
Once on the wall he could see that there were less than fifteen of them standing. There was also four more people sitting against the bulwark but they looked to be in bad shape with major stab wounds or lacerations.
Kha knelt down on the wall; sweat pour off his face like a leaky faucet. Looking at the town, he could see a number of large fires being started in the distance. Large black columns of smoke rose into the air and he could still hear the sounds of people in terror echoing in the distance.
"Oh shit, look at the river." Someone whispered and Kha forced his leaden limbs to push himself up. Turning around he saw a heartbreaking sight, their attackers were out in force setting the river dock on fire.
At a quick glance he'd safely say that there had to be at least three maybe four hundred warriors butchering the fleeing townsfolk while firing flaming arrows at boats that tried to sail away.
"We have to surrender or we're all going to die!" A man screamed and Kha could see him rocking back on forth. At first he was gonna reprimand the man but he was covered in blood, the man looked up at him at him and Kha could see that there was no reason left within him.
"Moron, you've seen them, there's no way they'll accept our surrender." Another man snapped at him and Kha turned to look back at the river. He was just south of eighty and he reckoned he had lived a good life. There were its ups and downs but looking back at it he wished he could relive them once again.
"They're coming!" Someone shouted and fighting resumed but Kha didn't pay attention to it. Nor did he really look down at the massacre by the riverbank. Instead he looked to the sky, a flight of birds passed over head with the sun shining down on them.
He felt tired and was more than a little scared. Yet despite that he felt more or less at peace with himself. Someone screamed and gunshots rang in his ears still he didn't look.
After a while he realized the sounds had stopped and finally looked around him. Seven figures dressed in large spiked plate armor stood over the bodies of the men he had been with.
Looking at the stair case he could see that the two young teens that had been guarding it were cut in two, their intestines in a bloody pile on the floor. Glancing around him could see that Owin's head was in the hands of one of the warriors, the look of terror before death still etched on his face.
To his right, the man who had been screaming hopelessness had the back of his skull blown open; a handgun lay just out of reach.
One of the armored giants said something in a harsh language and pointed his large serrated sword at Kha's weapon.
For some reason Kha felt like the giant was trying to tell him something. Looking around he could see that while they all looked relaxed overall, there was a slight sense of anticipation. The giant barked out again and gestured down at the sword then to him.
"Ah, so you want me to fight." Kha said as he finally realized that the armored giant was trying to say.
"Fight or die." One of them said and Kha winced a little at the voice. It was deep raspy voice with an edge that remind him of a sharpening a knife or a man prone to violence.
Kha simply smiled as he raised his blade, the giant in front of him starting making weird gurgling sounds and he had a feeling that it was supposed to be laughter. The other plated warriors moved back to watch them.
Not wanting to waste time Kha leapt forward and the warrior moved quicker than he'd imagine anyone would in that bulky armor could. Kha immediately realized something was off as the familiar weight in his hand of his beloved Kilij sword was gone.
Looking at his right arm he casually noted that everything past his elbow was gone and blood was spilling out onto the already bloody rampart. He didn't fall to his knees no matter how shaky they felt beneath him.
As his vision began to turn to black however he looked up at the sky, the sun shone in his face but he no longer felt its warmth but he still smiled as he finally slipped out of consciousness.
The seven armored warriors ignored the old man as he fell off the wall and looked out at the burning town each reveling in their victory just as an eight warrior appeared at the staircase.
This warrior wore purplish blue armor with golden spirals that shifted and twirled on his armor. In his hand was a large serrated greatsword with bright blue runes that flowed back and forth on the dark silver blade.
Blue light gazed out of the sockets of the warrior's helm and the seven before him tapped their weapons to their helms. The warrior tapped the tip of his greatsword on the ground and blue flames erupted on the fallen bodies before him. The seven warriors before him didn't flinch or make any moves as they were all aware of their lord's sorcery.
"Oaraur, gather your marauders and take what remains of this town for supplies." The sorcerer said and a warrior holding twin war axes turned to walk away.
"When will we strike back at those imperial dogs?" A warrior with a serrated sword and shield asked but the sorcerer shook his head.
"We're not in any position to strike back at them you fool; the Great Host was shattered by them and those creatures that struck our flank."
"This world is so unlike our own; I wonder what it is the Pantheon wants us to do here?" A third asked and the sorcerer laughed harshly.
"What else would they have us do but wage everlasting war?" In the distance the Marauders by the river bank finally gathered into a semblance of organized groups then began to take whatever they could get their hands on. Food, water, fur, and anything metal to be melted down in order to forge or repair equipment.
"I still wonder my Lord, who was it that opened that portal?" One of the warriors asked. The sorcerer didn't know either as he remembered the feeling of power oozing out of it, both familiar yet alien in its nature. He didn't like being in the dark to what was happening especially when it involved him.
In the back of his mind something tickled him in a sense of familiarity. Power was being manipulated near him, power he realized much like that which has saved his forces from total ruin on that snowy battlefield.
A red and black portal opened up at the far end of the wall. His warriors raised their weapons and even he readied his greatsword.
Yet only three people came out, one of them had a crazed look in his eyes; the second was larger than the other two but simply stood there with his arms crossed. The third one was a wiry thin man with a mustache and an arrogant gleam to his eyes that annoyed the sorcerer as he did an extravagant bow.
"My Lords, we're here on the behalf of our Queen."
Elsewhere…
Jaune woke up when he felt someone's hand on his arm, blinking rapidly he remembered that he was in an airship. Pyrrha was in front of him, a smile shone on her face and he gave a smile of his own.
"What's up Pyr?"
"We're descending." She said as he looked around to see everyone standing up and collecting their stuff. Jaune stood up as well and stretched his back feeling a pop that felt surprisingly refreshing.
"Are those Bullheads?" Yang called out and Jaune turned to see both teams crowding around one of the airship's portside windows. Jaune joined them and could see over Ruby and Weiss that a grey Valkyrie was in the air about three hundred feet from them.
"Why are their Bullheads propeller based?" Weiss asked.
"Actually they're a different design from our Bullheads." Ruby pointed out.
"Bullheads have a more teardrop shape but these are kind of wider if not flatter."
"They're also more armed." Blake noted pointing at the quite visible chin mounted weapon.
"What are they doing?" Nora asked.
"I'd imagine they're communicating with our pilot and dear diplomat to make sure we're who we say we are." Fusia said from behind them, Jaune turned to see the Huntress was still sitting down looking more than a little bored.
"What makes you say that?" Jaune asked and Fusia waved her hand indifferently.
"I've escorted more than a few trade convoys into the Hurin Valleys. The Creatures of Grimm have a strong presence at its boundaries. This is also why you can see the Arcadians having gunships in the air to verify incoming traffic isn't a hostile." She explained.
"Ms. Aster is correct. The Arcadians are a people that live by sword which is also why they tend to die by it." Gibeon said from the small staircase that led to the cockpit of the airship.
"I don't think that's necessarily bad, aren't we kind of like that as well?" Jaune asked but this time Ruby shook her head.
"Not really, Huntresses and Huntsmen are supposed to be symbols of peace, we're heroes that save those that can't save themselves."
"And you're saying that the Arcadians don't do that as well?" Jaune asked and Ruby shrugged.
"I don't know, I've never really heard of an Arcadian Huntress or Huntsman." The younger girl said and Jaune could see his teammates staring at him at that point so he dropped the subject.
"Whoa, so that's the Hurin Valleys?" Pyrrha asked and Jaune turned around again to see what she was talking about. As they dropped below the clouds he could see a large mountain side with tall trees covering the landscape as far as they could see.
"I don't see any town." Weiss remarked.
"That's because we're not flying straight to Nodens." Gibeon said from behind them.
"Why not?" Weiss asked.
"The towns in the Hurin Valleys don't particularly like foreign aircraft in the air space near their them as such they have their, friends, issue warnings or threats to anyone that does come too close." Fusia said before yawning.
"And occasionally they'll shoot them down before they get too close."
"How could they do something like that?" Ruby asked her voice rising whether in fear or outrage Jaune wasn't sure.
"Well during the Great War, the Mantle-Mistral Coalition would be the first ones among the Four Kingdoms to use air ships to drop bombs on enemy forces. The town of Pryderi located at the eastern edge of the Hurin Valleys would be essentially bombed to oblivion by said ships which saw to the deaths of thousands with many more injured. The Hurin people do not forget those that crossed them, as such all foreign vessels are advised to steer clear of air space above the Hurin Valleys." Gibeon explained.
"That still doesn't make it right to threaten innocent people." Ruby said.
"And it isn't right to judge a group of people who govern their territory as they see fit." Jaune said softly as the whine of engines grew louder. The ten of them could feel the shifting of pressure as the airship descended, the field of tall green trees filled their view.
As the weight of the airship finally settled down, Jaune could see ten soldiers dressed in black hard-shell armor and webbing with green woodland fatigues underneath form a line on the portside of the airship.
He suddenly felt very warm as the side doors of the airship opened with a loud hiss. Everyone was picking up their stuff but he had yet to grab his belongings.
"Jaune?" Pyrrha's voice called out and her hand touched his arm snapping him out of his momentary pause.
"Are you okay?" She asked and he turned to see her really close to him. Her green eyes locked on his and as much as he wanted to look away he couldn't. He could see a mixture of worry and excitement in her eyes.
"I'm fine, just a little nervous is all." He said and she gave him a warm smile.
"Don't worry Jaune, I'm here for you." She said in an assuring manner so he nodded in return before picking up his bag and his sword belt which he took off for the flight but was now too lazy to put it back on at the moment.
"Alright let's go." He said after taking a deep breath and followed her towards the portside doorway where a small ramp was set down in the dirt. Ren, Nora, Fusia, Gibeon and team RWBY were all arrayed at the bottom of the ramp.
Jaune immediately took in a deep breath of the cool mountain air, which seemed to refresh him, as he walked down the ramp behind Pyrrha. However he realized that in front of the ten man squad he saw earlier were two very distinct figures.
Both of these figures wore resplendent white armor with a gold trim on the edge of their pauldrons, their black surcoats with the golden crest of his family fluttered silently in the wind. Each carried a large bone white heater shield much like his own however they carried a separate scabbard for their swords.
"Comitatus." Jaune said softly and Pyrrha glanced at him a little confused at the word.
"Why do they have your crest?" Blake accused as she spun around ignoring the annoyed hiss from Gideon.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Jaune said.
"What are you hiding from us?" Blake asked as she reached for Crocea Mors and he dropped his bag to push her hand away but it was too late.
The ten soldiers behind the two armored warriors raised their weapons as the two armor plated warriors dropped into a stance with their shields held in front as they drew their swords. The blades crackled to life and Jaune could smell ozone as their energy fields activated.
"Stop fucking around." Fusia snapped as she drew her own weapons. Team RWBY also drew their weapons as more soldiers appeared to either side of the airship then multiple people began yelling at them.
"Drop your weapons!"
"Hands behind your heads!"
"Move and we'll drop you!"
"Stop! This is all a misunderstanding!" Gideon called out but it didn't seem like anyone of them were inclined to listen. Jaune sighed as he realized how right his aunt was as he unbuckled Crocea Mors from his belt and opened the shield as he stepped forward.
"My name is Jaune Arc, son of High Lord Alexander Arc!" Jaune called out raising the shield with his sword still inside of it. While the soldiers seemed to hesitate a little they never took their rifles off the, however he was mostly hoping that the Comitatus Praetorians would recognize it.
Much to his relief they did, visible relaxing they quickly sheathed their blades before dropping to kneel before him. This prompted the soldiers to relax as well before shouldering their rifles and giving a crisp salute to him.
Jaune turned back around to look at the others, Gideon and Fusia looked thoroughly confused. While team RWBY all had varied looks of surprise, Blake having a face that either suggested she felt vindicated in something while on the opposite end Weiss looked like she was in pain.
His own team just looked tired, though he didn't understand why they looked more tired than he felt at what he just did so he turned back to the assembled group of soldiers.
"Alright, who's in charge here?" One of the Praetorians looked up.
"That would be me Lord Arc." Jaune nodded.
"Name and rank?"
"Decanus Andeis of the 3rd Comitatus Centuria serving under Centurion Tava in Nodens we didn't mean to draw our weapons on you." The man said his voice slightly distorted by his helmet's built in vox.
"I understand Decanus there's nothing to worry about, as you can see I'm a part of the delegation of the Valean Envoy Gideon Nauo. Huntress Fusia Aster here is second to the Envoy so treat them according to their position that being a top priority regardless of the fact that I'm here." Jaune said gesturing to the two and there was a slight whir of motors as the man nodded then stood up to move towards the pair. Fusia had already tucked her weapons away and Gideon didn't look like he was going to have a heart attack anymore.
"I apologize for that unseemly display good sir and ma'am." The Praetorian said before bowing his head towards them.
"Ah, it's, not a problem. Two different cultures can often lead to misunderstandings at the beginnings but as long as we have an open mind I am sure things will go smoothly for the both of us." Gideon said with a forced laugh.
"Then would you please follow me." The Praetorian said and the second one stood up to move away. It was then that Jaune realized that to their north was a relatively small mountain pass, which had a large stone fortification built in front of it with walls curving backwards to connect with the mountains.
Andeis gestured for them to follow; the soldiers took up position not only behind them but on either side as well. As they cleared the nose of their airship Jaune could see that the flat ground ran eastward about another two hundred feet while only being a hundred feet wide. Yet around the middle of it was a paved road leading from the forest up to the fortification.
"Well that was intense." Yang said as Gibeon and Fusia pulled ahead to talk with the Praetorians. Jaune sighed as he tucked Crocea Mors back onto its belt and slung it over his left shoulder.
"Tell me about it." He said as Pyrrha handed his bag to him.
"Well I thought we were going to have to fight a bunch of soldiers because Blake was being a weirdo and what not."
"Yang." Weiss said as she pinched her nose.
"Oh right, rhetorical."
"What I want to know is why Jaune was lying to us." Blake asked and Jaune sighed.
"I never lied to you guys; I merely omitted something is all."
"Right, of course you would say that." She said and Jaune felt a twinge of annoyance.
"Out of all the people here it's funny to hear you complaining about something like that." Jaune replied heatedly and Blake narrowed her eyes at him.
"What? You can comment about me keeping my background secret but touching upon the fact you're a Faunus and used to be in the White Fang is off limits."
"Guys, stop it let's not fight now." Ruby said and Jaune clicked his tongue.
"You can't play both sides Ruby, I've had to listen to Blake talk shit all year long and now I've got to listen to her being a big fucking baby about this."
"You know Jaune, you act like you're the victim here but I remember seeing people in the same armor as them killing innocent Faunus." Blake said pointing at the armored forms of the Comitatus.
"Innocent? Funny I heard it was terrorists that died in an ambush when they got caught breaking the law by trying to steal Schnee Dust containers. Not only that but they were seen in the company of notorious criminal Roman Torchwick but I guess it's never their fault when they get caught in bad positions it's everyone else's fault."
"They didn't need to die." Blake hissed back stepping closer to Jaune but he shook his head.
"I guess robbing or blowing up trains, firebombing businesses and beating up or killing people are acceptable when it's humans." Jaune said tensing up as a hand came sailing for him but even as his own hand came up to stop it another hand blocked it for him. Jaune was surprised to see that it was Ren of all people that stepped in.
"You two need to cut this out." He said calmly and Blake snatched her hand out of his grip.
"This is going to be annoying." Weiss said as Blake stalked silently forward away from them, Pyrrha stepped up next to Jaune.
"Are you sure you should have antagonized her like that?" She asked and Jaune sighed.
"Maybe not but it felt more like she was looking for an excuse to dislike me."
"What was that about Faunus dying?" Nora asked.
"Ah, well you know how Ruby and Blake got in trouble for being at the Dock's the night Roman was there? Well it turns out that there were also some, people, who look like those two up there that attacked and killed the White Fang members that were assisting Roman." Weiss explained.
"Wait, then Jaune's got a point, why does Blake care that criminals and terrorists died?" Nora asked.
"It's not like that exactly Nora; Blake was once a member of the White Fang. She believed in the core values of their cause which is now putting her at odds with his people who seem to have a less delicate or soft handed approach to it." Weiss explained softly and Nora hummed a little as she looked forward again.
"At the same time, I can't really blame her for despising what happened to the White Fang. I was there and those people killed them without a second thought." Ruby said.
"It's their job isn't it?" Yang asked.
"It's thinking that it's okay to kill them without proper justice is what's irritating Blake." Ruby argued.
"Do we not kill as well?" Yang asked.
"The Creatures of Grimm are different, they're soulless monsters."
"Then what if someone, a person with a soul, tries to kill you? Do you hold back while they go all out?" Ren asked.
"I would only use what force is necessary." Ruby said and Ren sighed.
"But how do you know what force is necessary? The amount of force to put let's say Yang or Pyrrha down would be more than enough to take someone like me or Weiss however you know how much Aura we have. So what happens if you meet someone without Aura but you don't know it and so you use the same force as you would on Yang or Pyrrha and you kill them outright? How can you judge what someone else needs to do when you can't even be sure who you yourself might meet?" No one said anything as they approached the stone fortification.
Pyrrha was amazed to see the structure, it stood at least twenty feet high with towers spaced out every three hundred feet in either directions. Looking down she could also see that a ditch had been dug at the foot of the walls and inside she could see row upon row of razor wires.
Directly in front of them a heavy looking wood gate that opened up for them and they moved inside however she noticed that it wasn't a straight entrance. It hooked a sharp left and Pyrrha realized that there were metal slits built into the walls just above an average person's height.
"It's actually standard practice to not have straight gatehouses." Jaune said next to her.
"Why?"
"Well if an enemy broke the gate a simple entrance would lead to a straight shot of them getting inside. However we've constructed our gatehouses with a sharp turn that creates a chokepoint controlling enemy movement even after breaking the gates. You see these slits in the walls? They only open outward so soldiers can fire down on the enemy as they try to push through while not being able to return fire at the defenders." Jaune explained as they turned left where a second gate opened for them.
There the ten of them could see more people, mostly soldiers that sat around at tables, fires, or moved in and out of long wooden buildings. To their right, a little more than a mile away, they could see three interconnected square towers of varying heights, on the central one was a red flag with the golden Arc crest.
"That's Nimedos Keep, it's there that Major Meleshenko of the 3rd Battalion's and his command staff is located. They're in charge of the southeastern mountains." Andeis said turning to look at the group as they closed in again.
"I'd like to ask something." Gideon called out and Andeis nodded to him.
"I'll be happy to facilitate any questions."
"In the Four Kingdoms a single army battalion is generally clocked at being about seven hundred people so if we had to protect the same territory then they would be hard-pressed to complete cover the ground with so few people. So how effective could this single battalion be at their assigned role in covering the mountains and properly manning this fort?" Gideon asked.
"Well to start off the standard Arcadian battalion is a thousand fighting men and women. At the same time they're not the only military personnel here, attached to the battalion are three Heavy Weapons Companies, which essentially mans the heavy support, field guns and other defensive weaponry that you may see around us right now." Andeis explained.
"How big is the Arcadian presence here?" Fusia asked and the helmed head of the Praetorian looked at her.
"That's not important." He said simply as six vehicles appeared from behind one of the barracks near them. Jaune could recognize three of them off the bat as the standard Tauros Rapid Assault Vehicles with heavy stubbers on top. The other three however seemed to be modified versions that replaced the weapon system for additional passenger room.
"Once aboard these soldiers will escort you to Nodens where Governor Kagiris is waiting for your arrival." Andeis said gesturing to the vehicles.
"Are you coming with us?" Fusia asked Andeis but the Praetorian shook his head.
"I'm afraid not I have other duties assigned to me after I sent you on your way." Fusia nodded as she extended her hand which the Praetorian took. Pyrrha found it an odd sight, Fusia was only six feet tall with a slim build whereas Andeis was seven feet tall and much larger in the armor. Which now that she thought about it, the other one had the same build as him.
"Alright then we'll split it up. Jaune, Ruby get your teams settled in then join me and the Mr. Nauo in the lead transport." Fusia called out and the two of them nodded as all them of them split up to their respective transports.
Once everyone was in, the convoy moved north, inside them however they couldn't see out as the only windows were in the front.
Jaune however knew that there was a reason why he had been called to the front along with Ruby. Ten minutes into the journey Gibeon finally leaned forward to look at Jaune.
"So were you ever going to let us know who you were or were you hoping to keep it hidden from us?"
"I have my reasons and I did not believe it would be necessary to tell you that sort of information in the first place."
"It's necessary when we're traveling to a place that your people have jurisdiction in. Do you understand that had something happened earlier without your stepping in then Vale could be held responsible for anything that happened to you?" Gideon said as he ran hand over his hair.
"Had you told us beforehand then we wouldn't have let you come on this mission at all and as much as I would want to send you back I can't now since they know you're here already."
"I don't see why it would be necessary to send me and my team back." Jaune said and Gideon laughed harshly.
"Of course you don't get it since it's not your job to get it."
"Then why are we having this conversation."
"Because the Kingdom of Vale didn't know that it had another Kingdom's royal member amongst the population in Beacon Academy. Whatever happens to you now becomes our responsibility whether or not we agreed to it in the first place." Gibeon snapped and Fusia put a hand on his arm.
"Look Jaune, you have to realize that you're going to put Vale and essentially the Four Kingdoms in a tight position. If let's say, you get sent on a mission during a later year in Beacon and something disastrous happens like bad information and you die. Your family can use your death or injury to gain justifiable retribution against Beacon and by extension Vale. If they do that than the other three Kingdoms would be forced to choose sides. Atlas would stand by Vale as they see themselves as the shield or sword arm of the Four Kingdoms and Mistral has close economic ties with us and Atlas so they'll back us up. Vacuo would probably join as well since they're not organized enough to get into a serious fight with any Kingdom let alone yours. Which in the end would mean another Great War but I assume your people have grown in strength and power just as the Four Kingdoms have which would lead to even deadlier battles than the first Great War." She said and Jaune rubbed his eyes.
"It won't be like that, my father didn't even want me to do this and I highly doubt he would use me to justify going to war with the Four Kingdoms."
"You never know." Fusia began but Jaune cut her off.
"I do know, this is my father, my family, we're talking about here. I already have a sister that became a Huntress, if she could without any consequence then there's nothing to worry about with me. I'm trying to become a Huntsman because that's what I want to do so you have nothing to worry about." Jaune said and no one said anything as they continued driving.
Elsewhere…
He stepped out of the portal onto what seemed to be a large courtyard with two of his lieutenants and was greeted by a strangely familiar sight. The sky wasn't blue but a dark red with a shattered moon in the horizon.
In front of him however was a person, if he had to guess it was a woman judging by figure. However even he could tell that she wasn't normal even by normal standards.
She was deathly pale which contrasted her black robes. When she turned to them he could see dark veins on her arms and face while her irises glowed a soft red. Yet power seemed to ooze off her like a dark mist, much like the mist he saw from the fallen creatures that had attacked the flank of the Great Host.
"Ah Doctor Watts, I see you brought me an interesting guests." She said calmly as she moved towards them.
"Yes my queen, this one was the only one that accepted your initial invitation." The arrogant man said as he moved to kneel in front of her but she stopped him with a gesture.
"You've done well Doctor; you may all proceed with the original plan while I talk with our guests." The woman said and he tightened his grip on his sword.
"Come now Sorcerer, I'm not your enemy." The woman said as his two lieutenants spread out to either side. Aside from him, they were the best magic casters amongst his retinue, he reckoned they could take on almost anything save for the Gods and their greatest servants.
For now that is.
"I believe we're owed some answers witch." He finally said and the woman paused
"Witch huh? I guess that's one way to describe me." Her eyes began to glow more intensely.
"I do hope that you take the care to not call me again."
"Then answer me, where are we, who are you and why did you bring us here?" He said lifting his greatsword up to rest it on his shoulder.
"Where are we? That's simple; you're in my domain. As for who am I. I'm your host that so kindly offered an escape route from the destruction of your army against our mutual enemy's forces on that snowy field."
"And who might your enemies be?" The sorcerer asked.
"Life, Death, Humans, Faunus, You, the Gods. It matters not who they might be for if they stand in my way, they are my enemies." She said with a smile and the sorcerer laughed.
"If I had the skull of every person that has said something along those lines, I would be able to make an empire out of them."
"Do not mistake me for the failures that dwell among your ranks that follow that so called Architect of Fate, I do not play anything for the joy of it, I have goals that I wish to accomplish as such I will complete them." The woman said and in the distance the sorcerer could hear howling. In the desolate lands beyond them he could see a sudden mass of creatures, the very same creatures that had robbed them of their victory.
"Why are those things here?" He asked.
"Well this is where they are made before I send them into the world." She said and he realized what she meant by that. He gripped his greatsword with both hands as his lieutenants readied their own weapons. Behind him he could hear the faint shifting of feet as the trio that brought them here reacted to him.
"I would think carefully of what you're doing there Sorcerer as this is a fight that you will not win." The woman said in a low voice, the baying of creatures increased in the distance.
"I don't know what game you're playing but you can't fool me witch as I feel you gathering your power to you in the Ether." The sorcerer said and she smiled.
"Beings more powerful than you will ever be have died trying to kill me."
"Then you have never met someone like me witch." He said as blue flames burst out on his greatsword before he lunged at her.
My, aren't things heating up for some people.
Jaune's secret is out.
Blake's got a new target to point her near destructive obsessive attention on instead of the White Fang and Roman.
Ozpin's being Ozpin and Glynda's got a talk with the bank coming.
Dr. Watts and his stupid mustache is disliked by everyone.
Salem's throwing some shade at some feather fuck that likes to scream "Just as Planned"
On a side note, no background/lore/story info for this chapter cause I forgot to edit one in time.
Anyways let me know what you thought of the Chapter or the story as a whole in the Review section or send me a PM.
Till Next time!