All right, I'm back.
My brother got a sweet fucking PC, so I spent the last two months playing ARK with him on a computer rather than Xbox as we've normally done since its a bit more compatible. We've been trying to go through all the maps beating the bosses on Alpha with the hardest settings possible. It was straight fucking torture, but we're almost there.
We're taking a break from it right now while he gets ready for school, so I should be able to post this next week as well. There's currently a pretty spicy hepatitis (A, B, or C? Not sure, yet) outbreak going on that my facility is going to be dealing with, so depending on how bad that is I may or may not have to delay posting.
The party entered the forests bordering Skystead with one last glance at the wide-open prairies behind them. Crossing the threshold, it felt as though everything had changed. No longer were they graced by the abundant sunlight but now shrouded in darkness. Only the thin slivers of light breaking through the canopy above gave the party any indication it was daytime.
This old-growth forest was beyond dense. Massive pine and oak trees created a thick wood unable to be travelled by large groups. Only the Grimm could push through due to the sheer mass of their hordes, leaving behind toppled trees and churned mud deep enough to swallow horses. A clear and definite path was left in their wake.
Jaune entered these woods, following the trail with a silent and grim expression. He focused on anything and everything—each snap of a twig or flock of birds scared from their roost. His friends followed him with weapons ready, waiting for what they feared would come.
"Nora, how big is this forest," Yang whispered to the girl behind her.
"A thousand square miles, easy," Nora replied, slinging Magnhild over her shoulder. "This place is huge."
It was untouched by man. Only a few settlements intruded upon this area. The residents of Skystead carved out a place for themselves, but much of it was left wild. This forest extended up and between Vale and the kingdom's easternmost towns, acting as a massive wall between the frontier and Vale. Settlers chose to live on its borders rather than cut back the wood, giving credence to how impossible it was to tame.
"Then how far do we take this," Sun asked the girls. "If that magic is messing with Ruby this far out, what about us? We can't check under every tree if it's gonna mutate us into something freaky."
"You should be okay, Sun," Weiss chimed in from the front. "Ruby has a deep connection to necromantic magic now. I'd say it was like trying to open a door when you have the key versus your foot. We should be safe unless we encounter a source of concentrated energy."
"Like the one we're walking to?"
"Potentially," she hesitantly agreed, hoping to not scare the group with her words. "We may have to take extra measures to protect ourselves in that case. If you begin to feel off, Jaune may be able to cleanse you."
Yeah, purify... Dispel magic.
If there was a portal, either of those things might be helpful. Jaune just hoped it was weak enough for him to deal with. If the magic was stronger than his level, it might require more dangerous methods to dispel. Such a technique could lead to an explosion or more portals torn open due to the magical shockwave unleashed by the original.
The sound of a branch snapping ahead of the party tore Jaune from his thoughts. Each readied their weapons, waiting for whatever approached to show itself. Jaune's breathing filled his helmet as the seconds dragged along. Yang stepped forth, ready to go check, but stopped herself as her senses picked up on it.
A crow flying out from a bush startled the group. Jaune and Yang leapt back to create space at the surprise, only to watch the corvid race into the trees above. From a branch, it cawed at the party incessantly.
Beyond the bush, the path climbed a slight rise in the forest that blocked the view of the path ahead. There, Jaune could hear something else approaching. It sounded like a large body dragging against the ground. Not like a corpse, though, far swifter than that.
Whatever this was, it soon began to pick up pace. Everyone moved to the side and away from the centre of the path as a hiss came over from the other side of the rise. Seconds later, a massive snake head emerged behind it, slithering faster than most men could run.
This was another Grimm. Immediately, it noticed the party standing in the open and raised its massive black head to look down upon them. A second head rose from behind and stood next to it. One white and the other black. Each moved in tandem with the other.
Without warning, they lunged for the party, targeting both sides of the path and effectively splitting the team between the heads. Jaune dove away as the black head crashed down right where he stood. The impact from the massive creature tossed mud and debris up, scattering it around and coating the party with a thick layer of dirt.
As the snake Grimm pulled away to target another adventurer, Yang sprinted up to the head with teeth bared and fist cocked back. Throwing her right arm with all her strength, she slammed it directly into the centre of the Grimm's skull. The crack from their connection echoed across the forest, scaring many birds from their roost and likely alerting more Grimm to their location.
With such a blow, the Grimm was sent tumbling back into a tree. The massive redwood shuddered and groaned from the enormous weight crashing against it. A crack formed where the two met, and the ancient tree began to lean away from the Grimm.
Nora watched this and sprung into action. Drawing back Magnhild, she charged to the tree and leapt at the falling wood. She slammed the war hammer against it with a shout, sending a shockwave through the thick trunk. Her weapon splintered the wood, snapping the tree's base like a twig and sending it rocketing away.
This caused a sudden shift in the tilt, turning the tree towards the Grimm instead. Jaune used his telekinesis spell to alter the course of its fall where the other head would have been. The rest of the party kept it busy as the massive trunk raced towards the earth.
Nora shouted, "TIMBER!" as the tree entered the last seconds of its arc. Pyrrha threw Blake away from the fallen site as the white head turned to watch the massive trunk crash on top of it.
The Grimm tried to slither away but could not pull itself out from under the tree's path. With a resounding thud, it was crushed beneath the trunk's weight. Sickening crunch sounds followed as the Grimm attempted to free itself, but a final snap caused the beast the fall limp. The entire creature soon began to turn to ash, allowing the massive tree to rest firmly in the middle of the path.
"You guys okay," Yang called out as she dusted herself off.
Everyone sounded off individually, pulling themselves out of the mud and returning to the main path. Just as the Grimm finally dissipated, the group looked about their surroundings. Nothing else seemed to be coming in. The forest appeared silent.
"Jaune, go up top and pull us up," Pyrrha said, holding her shield up and leaning against the tree.
Jaune followed her order and ran at the girl. Taking several bounds, he leapt off his right foot and planted the left against the brass guard. With a grunt, she utilised every muscle to send the boy rocketing into the air. As he raced to the top, his heart sank into his stomach from the inertia of the throw.
Landing atop the trunk, he was almost twenty feet in the air. He could see far more of the forest from here, getting a good few miles in all directions where the trees didn't block him. If more Grimm were nearby, they had plenty of hiding places, so Jaune didn't let his guard up for a second. However, the immediate area appeared free of any enemies.
"Okay, I'm gonna let down the whip," Jaune called down to the party.
Summoning Morningstar, he placed the chain whip on the trunk and tossed the head to his friends. The magical anchor preventing them from moving the whip was perfect as a climbing rope. Blake was first to scale the trunk, followed by the others. Weiss couldn't climb with her broken arm, so Jaune snared her with telekinesis and brought her to the top.
"There's something ahead," Blake said, looking through her spyglass.
Glancing in the direction she was, Jaune could just make out a few stones through the thick trees. Too far to make out anything in detail, however. When Blake handed the spyglass off, Jaune peered through it to further examine the situation.
Now, Jaune could clearly see what lay ahead. These stones were chiselled blocks stacked into columns. Many were toppled over, beginning to develop thick layers of moss due to their proximity to the forest floor. However, they were once placed in some sort of arrangement. Jaune figured it was some sort of ruin. They were not natural. That much Jaune was sure of.
"It's another ruin," Jaune revealed to the party. "Don't know how old this one is, but be ready if it's another Old Valean ruin."
"Orin didn't say anything about ruins out here," Sun expressed, crouching atop the trunk.
"It's the kind of thing you mention if you know about it," Yang added, glancing around at their flanks. "We're only a few miles deep here. A hunter or peasant would say something about it if they ran into it."
"Yes," Ren agreed, musing with a hand cupping his chin. "Maybe he had already cleared it? I don't think Orin would have just missed these ruins."
Lords would know all the land near their manor. Jaune often rode with his father and the Lord of Bar to survey the nearby areas. Lord Maximillian did not bother to check a map each time they travelled out of town. Every path or trail was known by heart. The only people more familiar with the land would be retainers serving the lord.
So, it was unlikely that Orin would have overlooked this section of forest. The King put him in charge of these lands, and for a lord to miss something this prominent and foreboding would mean dismissal at best. Jaune hoped he had cleared it out or was told by the previous caretakers that it was dealt with. Having to delve into ruins again with this many Grimm around was not ideal.
"Let's just check it out," Nora suggested, sliding off the trunk to the forest floor. Hitting the ground with a roll, she gestured for the others to follow. "Only thing we've seen out here so far..."
The others followed her lead, dropping down off the slick tree trunk. With the downed tree blocking their path, they were effectively trapped on this side of the forest. The only way left was forward, so Jaune continued on the course.
Let me see what's ahead...
Jaune summoned the White Hawk. He appeared with a dim flash of light, resting on the boy's arm and awaiting a command. Jaune pulled back his arm and tossed the bird into the air. It took off toward the ruins with a few beats of its wings. Their psychic connection fed Jaune a glimpse of the area ahead.
In his mind's eye, Jaune could see the ruins in question. It was a circular structure with dozens of columns surrounding the main building in a grassy clearing. The central complex was a long rectangular cubic building that was carved from a solid piece of stone. Facing their direction was the entrance, a crumbled hole leading to a black void beneath the structure. It had a design more akin to a temple than a dwelling meant for settlers.
However, the last ruins they explored hid an entire world beneath a simple exterior. Jaune was sure there had to be something else.
Commanding the hawk to fly further, Jaune was just about to enter the clearing surrounding the temple. When he reached the treeline, it felt as though the hawk had collided with something. Their connection was severed abruptly, throwing Jaune back due to the shock. Like he'd just fallen off a cliff in a dream.
"Hey, Jaune, you okay," Yang asked, shaking his shoulder. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she read him.
"Yeah, there's something over there," Jaune explained, unsheathing his sword. "Whatever it was, it killed my hawk."
The rest of the group shared glances before turning to the ruins. Jaune could see Sun's apprehension grow. Everyone else seemed to mimic that feeling as the seconds ticked by. Jaune felt good that he was the only one feeling nervous.
"Was it attacked," Weiss asked.
"No, it just hit something. I couldn't see it."
"Ohhh," Nora mumbled as her mind wandered. "What if it's 'a kills everything that touches it' ward?"
Great...
"Weiss or Jaune can detect it," Ren spoke up, grabbing a rock off the ground. "Then we need to see if we can find another way around..." He handed out some stones to the other party members. "When we reach the clearing, we can throw rocks at the barrier. That may be enough to tell us what kind of ward we're dealing with."
"If it is a ward, it could also be cast in a way to allow certain creatures in or out," Weiss added. "However, I don't know if this would result from an incursion or if someone put this barrier up. So, I would expect people the further in we go..."
A silence hung in the air after Weiss let that thought loose.
"I mean... We all had that in the back of our minds, right," Sun pointed out, trying to smile despite the growing fear creeping up his spine. "Buncha guys stole a magic box. Demon knight stole a magic staff. Now we probably gotta magic portal..."
Sun was right. Although you couldn't draw a line between these events, the absence of evidence was not evidence of absence. The other side of this chess board played the game very carefully. The group was merely the pieces here, going on a scouting mission. Could they connect the dots finally?
"We're safe until we get there, but just be ready," Jaune lowly asserted, moving ahead of the party.
Gotta focus...
Jaune honed his mind on the task at hand. One foot in front of the other. He didn't want to think about who was on the other side of that barrier. Just how to kill them when they showed their faces.
The walk to the clearing was met with no obstacles. Only a silent forest devoid of fauna. The groups' footsteps against the leaves and twigs littering the ground filled their ears.
As they approached the ruins, Jaune could better appreciate their size. Each block belonging to those columns was nearly his height. The entrance could have allowed a galleon to sail right through the opening. Any construction of this size today would need decades and thousands of people working tirelessly to assemble it.
Reaching the clearing, Jaune stopped as he could feel his tattoos light up. There was something here. His friends stopped as Jaune gestured that they were on the precipice. The air filled with a faint hum standing so close to the barrier.
"You guys feel that," Sun asked, pulling one of the rocks from his pocket.
"Yes," Pyrrha said, taking a deep breath as she pondered the sensation. "It feels like I'm standing outside during a storm."
Hmmm...
Jaune could see it. The feeling of rain coming down a few feet from you while thunder boomed above your head. Each quake those lightning bolts sent out could be felt in your chest. Even the air had a similar texture.
So, this is what strong magic feels like?
Why didn't I feel this in the Silent King's throne room?
Whatever this was, it was either a different form of magic or something more potent than the stave. Regardless, their objective lay in waiting on the other side. So, Jaune took the rock from Sun's hand and chucked it in the direction of the barrier.
The rock merely passed right through into the clearing. There was no distortion in the barrier or even a sign that it was there. Glancing back at his friends, Weiss was lost for ideas, and the rest seemed unsure how to approach this.
"So, it didn't kill the rock," Yang said, stepping right up to the barrier. "Gotta be for something else, then."
Without warning, Yang stepped through the barrier. Likewise, with the rock, there was no sign it harmed the girl. She merely walked right through, and a look of shock grew on her face. Jaune watched a little longer as Yang stood there, her head darting back and forth as she looked upon something.
What's going on?
Jaune followed her through the barrier. Taking that first step, everything changed as he crossed the threshold. It immediately felt cold as he stuck his hand through, and when the rest of him passed into the clearing, he could now see what Yang was looking at.
The barrier was not warding people off from approaching. It was hiding the contents from anyone who might look upon it. The grassy clearing and bright sun overhead was replaced with nightfall from some distant land.
The grass did not resemble anything Jaune had seen before. Thick, woody, needle-like auburn stalks filled that niche. Every inch or so, a bioluminescent band pulsed with low yellow light. Touching the 'grass,' Jaune snapped a piece off and held it in his hand. This piece almost had the texture of charcoal.
Glancing up from the grass, there was more vegetation surrounding them. Large mushrooms and other exotic plants filled this whole area. Glowing fan-shaped leaves dotted the landscape, like clovers interwoven among the grass. Vines bearing odd, alien flowers pulsed with bright purples or greens. The large mushrooms leaked dark tar-like fluids from pustules on their caps.
"What the fuck did we walk in on," Yang spoke in awe, turning to Jaune with that look of shock still painted on her face.
Jaune himself was speechless at the sight of it all. Nothing here was recognisable. He'd seen weird plants and flowers before, but this was something straight out of an adventure novel. Jaune doubted Doctor Oobleck or Professor Port could identify anything here.
Behind the blondes, the rest of the party entered the clearing. Gasps followed as they laid eyes on the alien landscape. Looking over his shoulder, Jaune saw their expressions matched his own. Slack-jawed and wide-eyed. The look of fear grew ever so slightly in some of his friends.
"A-Anybody know what this is," Sun asked, gripping his bo staff tightly. His voice quivered as he walked to the centre of the group.
Jaune turned to the sky, searching for anything he could grasp onto. However, the moon was not there. Only a blanket of stars hung above their heads. He could make out the shapes and clusters of nebulae casting their colourful glow onto the land, but nothing he could recognise.
"This is nothing like Anima," Pyrrha confidently said, using her spear to part the vegetation near their feet. "Ren, Nora?"
"Uh-Uh," Nora replied, swallowing hard as she glanced about.
"The only thing I can think of is this location was displaced from where it stood originally," Weiss posed, walking to the front of the group. "Almost like a pocket dimension taken from a larger body..." She gestured with her sword to the edge of the clearing. "If we walked to the forest on the other side, we would likely come out back on Sanus."
"Okay, pocket dimension, got it," Yang said, lacking any sort of humour or anything beyond awe. "How the hell did it end up out here?"
"I don't know," Weiss could only reply. She was lost for a rational explanation here. "A teleportation spell might have sent the temple and the surrounding area through, but to change the time of day relative to its destination is something else. I don't think anyone we know would be capable of this. Professor Ozpin or the Archmage of Atlas, maybe?"
Jaune clenched his jaw tight, hearing that idea posed to the group. He didn't like any of this. Only a few of the questions that needed to be answered had been solved. Arriving on the other side of this barrier just gave the group a few more. Queries that were clearly beyond his or anyone else's abilities to answer.
Suddenly, Blake sharply whistled and ducked low. Jaune and the others noticed this and followed suit. Turning to the girl, the Assassin pointed to the ruins' entrance.
"Something's coming..."
Jaune crouch-walked to the edge of the meter-tall grass and parted some stalks to get a better view. Ren and Blake crept to his rear and sat with him as they waited. Over the next few seconds, a dull repeating thud in the cadence of footfalls could be heard coming from the mouth of the ruins. It grew louder and louder as whatever Blake heard approached.
From the darkness, two piercing red eyes appeared. Their glow intensified as the creature behind them continued pressing forth from the interior. A deep guttural breath huffed from its maw with each step. The sounds of it walking could be felt in your chest.
Then its head and upper torso emerged from the shadows. Right away, Jaune recognised this as some sort of primate Grimm. A massive gorilla dwarfing any true hominid. Its canine teeth jutted from the upper and lower jaw as dagger-length tusks capable of impaling a man. The body of this creature stood nearly fifteen feet tall, with arms twice as thick as Jaune's torso. The Grimm used these massive arms to support itself as it walked, locomoting the several thousand pounds of sheer muscle towards its destination.
Anyone who would get in the way of this creature would be ripped in half. There was no way Jaune or anyone else in his group could stand up to it in a one-on-one duel. The walls of Vale would have a hard time stopping this monster from battering down the meters of stone blocking its way.
Jaune watched this Grimm exit the ruins and just stop there. It did not continue towards Skystead like the other Grimm. This beast was meant to guard the entrance. It paced back and forth as it did just that.
"Shit, what do we do now," Yang harshly whispered. "He's not leaving..."
"Maybe we should draw him away," Nora suggested, gesturing to the right side of the ruins. "One of us can distract him and let everyone else through."
"He might still be here when we try to leave," Weiss countered, trying to keep her voice down as she argued. "He's going to have us boxed in."
"We can't waste all our energy taking on this big guy right now," Yang hissed. Her lips pulled back to bear her teeth.
With that, Yang bolted into the tall grass. Jaune tried to reach out and stop her from doing something stupid, but she slithered right out of his grip. Blake had to tug him back to keep him from going after her. That left him and the others watching the grass ahead rustle as Yang made her way to the Grimm.
"We gotta move," Sun whispered, waving to the others to follow and make the most of her distraction.
Jaune cursed to himself as he ducked into the grass. Following Sun, the boy led the party to the left as Yang circled right. The Rogue snaked his way through the grass, trying to leave the stalks undisturbed lest they alert the Grimm with some tiny shift in his view. Expertly, he blazed a trail through anything that had already been stamped down or was naturally left open.
When the Grimm shifted his gaze in their direction, Sun froze stiff and dropped to his stomach. Jaune and the others mimicked him, laying as flat as they could. The sounds of armour plates grinding against themselves were the only indication of their presence. Each steel rattle made Jaune cringe in agony, hoping it did not just give them away.
The Grimm huffed loudly, shifting a few feet in their direction. The ground shook with each step as his heavy fists crashed against the earth. The vibration shook Jaune's entire body as he dug his fingers into the soil, reacting subconsciously to the massive predator. Those behind him responded the same to this beast. Everyone tried their hardest to make themselves seem as small as possible, hoping it might allow them to go unnoticed.
Ten feet from their position, the Grimm stopped. A long, protracted inhale followed as he took a whiff of the air. He then growled lowly, shaking each party member to their core with its base. Taking one step, he approached. The Grimm had their scent.
"HEY FUCKER," Yang shouted from up ahead.
The Grimm whipped around only to be met with an explosive detonating in his face. This fireball lit the night sky, engulfing the Grimm's upper torso. Shrapnel rained everywhere as pieces of lead and silver were sent rocketing in every direction. The beast's sheer size absorbed most of the ball bearings that would have peppered the party.
Jaune threw himself to his feet as the distraction was set. He watched the Grimm paw at his face, reeling from the damage the bomb had done. Its massive arms swung wildly as he attempted to simultaneously kill whoever injured him. As he spun around, Jaune saw the extent of his wounds. Half of the Grimm's face was missing, and it appeared as though the fireball had burned both of its eyes.
Everyone took this as their only opportunity, sprinting for the main entrance with everything they could muster. They crossed the threshold and ducked into the darkness one by one. Jaune remained until the last of the group was through before entering himself.
As he descended into the structure, his eyes could distinguish what most others could not. Two massive steel and wood doors rested ajar a dozen feet into the darkness. When Weiss threw out a light spell, his friends immediately sprang into action, closing the gate in a panic. Grunts and sounds of exertion echoed into the darkness as they pushed them shut, slamming them into place with a final crash.
When Nora pulled down the bar, sealing the door, the group breathed a sigh of relief. Sun fell against the wall, massaging his face as the adrenaline washed over him. Pyrrha and Ren carefully paced their breathing to calm themselves. The others took this second as a sign to rest and prepare for the mission's next stage.
"What's next," Sun asked the group. "Can't scout ahead; I'm completely fucking blind here."
Yeah...
Only three of their friends could see anything in this sort of darkness. Without light from the moon and the stars, Sun and Blake were blind. Everyone else was helpless in this scenario.
"Jaune and I should go," Ren suggested, drawing a few daggers from his belt. "Everyone follow behind, just in case. Keep the light off and be ready to help us."
"Hold on a second," Weiss spoke as the two began moving.
Weiss walked to a nearby wall, pulling along her light spell to brighten the space. The others gathered around her, glancing at the carvings chiselled onto the face with expressions of confusion. None knew what she was looking for. All they could see were strange symbols in frames depicting various past events.
"What are you lookin' at," Yang asked in a puzzled tone.
"The writing," Weiss revealed, tracing her fingers along the symbols. "I don't recognise any of it."
Jaune stepped to her side and began inspecting the runes. At first glance, they seemed like nonsense, but it was a written language. However, the characters were nothing like anything Jaune had read before. They were part pictograms, showing objects that anyone would understand. The other bits of the language were stranger. Sharp jagged looking symbols that almost shared a sinister appearance.
Glancing at Jaune's hand, he examined the symbols emblazoned on his tattoos but found no similarity. This was an entirely new language to him.
"Definitely, not from Vacuo," Sun commented, pulling out a parchment.
"It's not Yamato or Zhongguoren," Ren added, assisting Sun with rubbing the symbols.
"Crap, we don't know where this place came from," Nora cursed lowly from the side. "Does anybody see anything they know?"
A quick look at the group told Nora what she needed to know. Wherever this temple was from, it was unknown to them. There was no connection to a written language the party was familiar with. Had there been some trace of the language of magic, then Weiss and Jaune could have felt their way through it, but this seemed like it was alien to even that. It could have been older for all they knew.
"Dr Oobleck will have to figure it out with what we bring him," Blake cooly stated, watching the tunnel ahead. "I wouldn't bet on this place being around after we deal with the portal."
Yeah, she's right...
If Blake's theory was correct, this location might be pulled back to its origin. If the cause of the portal tethered the ruins here, breaking that may lead to that outcome. No one could say for how long it would remain. It could take the party with it, sending them to the other side of the world.
Jaune really hoped there was a bit of leeway on how quickly it happened.
Tucking the rubbing into a safe place, Jaune and Ren moved as quietly as possible ahead of their friends. Only the sounds of boot heels clicking against hard stones gave away their presence. Jaune moved stealthily in heavy armour despite the many plates threatening to rattle with every step.
"It's another lost city," Jaune whispered as quietly as he could.
"Hmmm," Ren hummed, agreeing with the boy. "Our ancient history is likely filled with these places. If the last city were anything to go off of, we should expect evil magics or some atrocity ahead."
"Yeah, it feels like that," Jaune replied, grimacing under his helmet. "Wonder what else they were up to?"
"I don't," Ren tersely replied. "I like to think the Great War ended much of these practices if they were commonplace."
Jaune felt that was a good way to look at it. The dangers of tampering with volatile magic were evident to all. Hopefully, enough so that few would be willing to travel down that road again. The hard reset thrust upon Remnant by the Great War was not worth the price that came with it.
Please let it just be a portal...
...
Pressing forth into the tunnels, time appeared to stretch. Jaune could not be sure about how long they walked this passage. No corridors were branching off from it, nor rooms scattered along its length. This was just a seemingly unending path.
"How far have we walked," Ren asked, clearly realising this as well.
"Don't know," Jaune replied, stopping in the middle of the path. "Didn't count my paces..."
"You guys feel it, too," Blake said as the party caught up to the pair.
"It's not an illusion," Weiss pointed out, tapping her sword against the stone wall. "I don't feel any other magic. An illusion would break with physical contact too."
"Why did they dig this far down then," Nora posed. "There's gotta be something the guys who built this place found."
Pyrrha stepped through the group and looked down the passage. A few moments of thought passed before an idea entered her mind. She reached into a pouch on her hip and withdrew a marble. She took the small ball and allowed it to escape her hand and clatter to the floor.
This ball did not just rest on the seemingly flat surface, however. Instead, it rolled forth, skittering across the smooth stones as if it were on an incline. The sound of this ball grew faint as it continued, disappearing from their sight into the void. A few moments later, it finally came to a halt, crashing into stone somewhere in the distance.
"Try sending the light down there," Sun suggested.
Weiss did as such. Pushing the wisp with her free hand, it raced down the tunnel, following the path as their prior experiment had. This time, the light began to become obstructed by their stone confines. Gradually, the course rounded out, and they could no longer see the light mass. Only the faint glow remained as their sole beacon.
"So, it's a spiral," Nora articulated, squinting to catch the light's last images.
"Means there's something important at the bottom," Yang concluded, grabbing her things. "Be ready, guys..."
Once more, the light was cut out, and the party tread forth in silence. The further they walked, a distant noise began to fill their ears. Not the gentle ambience of a cave, but something with more purpose. It was shortly after Jaune heard the unmistakable sound of laughter.
Continuing towards the source of this voice, a faint light shone from far down the tunnel. This dim golden glow was only broken by a shadow pacing back and forth across the threshold. The closer the group came, the more they could see going on within.
Ten feet from the threshold, the entire party froze in place. They each stepped to the side of the path to hide in the shadows. Surely, the occupants of the chamber ahead would not notice their presence. From here, Jaune peered into the room to get a clear picture of what was behind all this.
Like the rest of the structure, the room was carved from a dull grey stone. These reliefs were finely chiselled in ornate patterns similar to the Old Valeans but with artistic liberties that significantly differed in places. Rather than the flowing spirals and animals of Vale, these depicted elements that could have only come from the Grimm. The sickening bone-armour plating and images of the demons lined these walls.
They knew about the Grimm?
This structure was far too old to be from around the Great War. However, demons had appeared in the Old Valean city far before that first known sighting too. It could only mean the Grimm had been around for far longer than anyone had known. The Silent King was not just an isolated incident.
Ozpin has to know...
Putting that thought to rest, Jaune leaned in to search the rest of the room. As his head swivelled to the right, the portal stood in the centre of the room, casting that soft golden glow. Though the vortex did not seem to be spitting out Grimm constantly, Jaune knew the party had to step in before that could happen. He only lingered as more caught his eye.
Standing before the portal were two men. One was a middle-aged man with tanned skin and dark hair. Much of his face was obscured by a thick moustache. The rest of him was hidden beneath a fine dark high-collared overcoat and slacks of the same colour. This outfit clearly befit those of the aristocracy.
The other was a far more unkempt man. Clad in white robes with a red undershirt, only his head could be seen. A mop of dishevelled grey hair, matching moustache, and beard hid much of his features. All Jaune could tell from this distance was that he was elderly and missing his right eye.
"Arthur, we are near," the grey-haired man exclaimed, hovering his hands over a small box. "Just a little more!" Suddenly, two jets of magicka erupted from his palms.
Focusing on the object, Jaune caught a momentary glimpse of it just as the box opened. It was black oak; and inlaid with ivory, gems, and silver. Exactly what Ozpin had described the night of the attack on Beacon.
Turning to his friends, Jaune gave the signal, and they all emerged from the darkness. Shuffling quietly from their hide, Jaune drew his sword and began circling around to the rear of the pair. The rest approached as gingerly as they could, creeping closer with the passing seconds.
As Jaune neared, he continued watching the mage work on the box. The magic pouring off this artefact caused his tattoos to burn with a searing pain akin to hot iron. How this box managed to withstand the energy was unknown, but there was enough here to cause severe damage if it ruptured. They needed to be careful lest the group buried themselves in this tomb.
A rock clattering across the floor echoed in this otherwise silent chamber. Jaune cringed as he heard the stone, glancing at Nora, who winced and gritted her teeth the second her boot caught the debris. The small rock rolled forth a few feet before coming to a rest, but the damage had already been done.
The noble turned and caught the group out in the open with nowhere to hide. He drew his own weapon, a steel handheld mechanism with a barrel and six chambers. Pulling a trigger beneath the cylinder, Jaune watched as it turned, and a large flash of fire and a loud bang erupted from the weapon. A missile ricocheted off the ground near Nora, who dove out of his line of sight and bolted to keep him from getting a bead on her.
Losing the Barbarian, he turned his sights on Jaune as the rest of the party scattered and sprinted in the mage's direction. Pulling the trigger again, Jaune watched the cylinder turn and another plume of smoke and jet of flame explode from the barrel. The next missile crashed into his shoulder plate but bounced off the thick steel with a resounding clang of metal on metal. Jaune's helmet became peppered with tiny flecks of lead rocketing away from the impact at breakneck speeds.
Blake appeared before him as he was about to fire a third shot, swiping at him with her longsword. The noble leapt away out of instinct, simultaneously drawing a fine rapier from his side to parry the blow. Blake pressed him further, pirouetting around the man to strike at his side, but the nobleman kept pace. His hand twisted the blade downwards with expertise that betrayed his level of training. Blake's sword met another parry as the noble swiped up at her from his previous stance.
The parry sent Blake stumbling back lest she took the sword across her chest, opening the girl up to an attack from the noble. In that split second, he raised his other weapon and trained it directly at her centre mass. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, a dagger crashed into his hand, knocking the piece away from the intended target. The force of the small blade broke his grasp on the weapon, sending it tumbling to the floor.
Before the nobleman could retrieve the weapon, Jaune snared the curious object with telekinesis, taking it in his hand. Down a weapon and surrounded on all sides, the nobleman watched as Pyrrha and Yang neared with blades and fists barred. The wheels in his mind turned, realising the position was no longer tenable. So, he backed away towards his partner.
"Merlot, it's time to leave," the noble squeaked in panic.
The mage was about to offer up an argument, but Arthur turned and tackled the man. The party attempted to stop him from fleeing, but another portal opened up beneath the two. Just as Yang snared his collar, Arthur and Merlot disappeared to the other side of the void.
"Shit," Yang cursed as she clenched the fine cloth.
"Well, there went that idea," Weiss said dryly from the rear of the group.
"Maybe it's for the best," Sun hesitantly posed, shrugging his shoulders as everyone turned to him. "I mean... one of them's a mage. If we knocked him out, what would happen when he woke up? Not much we can do to keep him from slinging spells at us if we drop our guard."
"We may be able to track one of them," Blake suggested, reaching out for Arthur's weapon. Taking the object from Jaune, she turned it over to expose the dark oak grip. A fine engraving was made there in gold leaf with initials. "AW... This weapon is unique. Only a few people on Remnant could have seen one or own something like this."
Jaune had an idea of what it was. Clearly, it used Dust to fire bullets, but the construction was entirely foreign to him. Someone like Pietro would know more about it and could reproduce the weapon. However, Professor Ozpin could figure out who forged the firearm. He would have the contacts necessary to deduce that information.
"Let's give it to Ruby," Jaune asserted, opening the bag of holding. "She can take it apart and poke around its guts. Maybe we can turn it into something useful for us."
Tossing the firearm in the bag, the group moved to the portal to secure the box. Before anyone touched it, they stood aside, allowing Weiss to poke and prod at the piece. Standing above the box, Weiss hovered a hand over it, letting her senses become in tune with magicka radiating from within the artefact.
"I can feel the magic coming off it," Pyrrha said, approaching from the side.
"It's strong," Weiss clarified, waving her hand over the box as she inspected it. "I don't know how Professor Ozpin missed this?"
"Maybe another spell masked it," Ren speculated, keeping a healthy distance. "It's possible the enchantment kept it out of Ozpin's sight."
"How's it connected to the Black One, then," Nora asked from behind Ren, using him as cover. "No one ever told us who that was or if someone got kidnapped."
Hmmm...
Without warning, the box began to shudder violently, rising off the small pedestal Merlot set it upon. Then a bright aura of light erupted from inside the container, shooting a beam of concentrated magic into the portal. This energy jet caused the rift to grow and wane with each passing second.
Immediately, everyone except Jaune leapt away from the portal and retreated fifteen feet away. Hoping to stop this, he raised a hand to the box and cast dispel magic on it. The moment the ability was activated, however, another pulse burst from the box. This wave of energy slammed into Jaune, sending him flying back towards his friends.
The pain of landing on the hard stone was dulled by his armour. Jaune just rolled into it, sliding to a halt in front of his friends. Nora, Pyrrha, and Yang stepped to his side with weapons readied, prepared for what might happen in the coming moments.
However, they did not expect this.
From within the portal, a figure appeared. Humanoid. A little shorter than Jaune. By the shape, it was a woman.
"Uhhh, guys," Nora hesitantly called out. "What is that?"
When this person finally breached the portal, Jaune was shocked. It was not just a woman, but something more. Her skin was a deathly pallor, with dark veins or tattoos on her arms and face. Bone white hair was done in a half-bun with six offshoots tied off with black leather straps. Most striking was this person's face. Two eyes marred by black sclera and a crimson iris stared back at the group. Between them, a black crystal set on her forehead.
With each step, her long, flowing black dress billowed out. Her black and red-accented cape dragged along the ground. The sound of heels clicking filled the room. Jaune noted the high collar connected by a button, partially exposing her chest in a vertical ellipsis.
She didn't wear any armour.
"Hmmm," she hummed in a deep reverberating tone. "The fools who summoned me could not meet me themselves? A poor excuse for servants..."
Jaune drew Ira Rubrum from its scabbard. Taking the plough stance, he ignited the enchanted silver blade with a silent command. The red blaze pushed back the darkness, hissing as the flames danced along its length.
"Be ready, guys," Jaune warned, gripping Ira Rubrum tightly.
The woman smiled darkly at the party.
"Where my previous servants have failed, I believe you will succeed," she said, raising one hand above her head.
Snapping her fingers, the clap of her fingertips echoed throughout the room. Jaune expected something to happen but found no immediate effect taking place. No wall of fire or bolt of lightning crashing against them. Yet, Jaune remained unmoved, keeping his distance from the woman.
However, from his side, Pyrrha strode forth. Nora attempted to grab her but failed to get a hand wrapped around her arm. Other party members called out to the girl but received no response. They could only watch as the Spartan walked right up to the Witch.
Pyrrha?
As she reached the Witch, Pyrrha turned to face the group. Her eyes appeared dull and lifeless, with massively dilated pupils. The Witch then wrapped her arms around Pyrrha's neck and smugly smiled as she embraced the flame-haired warrior.
"Try not to kill them, my dear," she commanded, slackening her grip.
In a flash, Pyrrha raced forth like a loosed arrow. The party could hardly process what happened as she was already in their midst. Jaune could only leap to the side, narrowly avoiding the sharpened tip of her spear, yet was still too slow to get out unscathed.
His armour suffered a deep gouge alongside his left shoulder, tearing bits of metal from the enchanted plate. The shock from the blow did not stop there, rippling through his entire body like he'd been kicked by a horse. Any more, and his arm would have likely snapped under the pressure.
"GUYS, DON'T HURT HER," Nora cried as Pyrrha rushed to the back of the group.
The words of Nora's plea may have reached her friend's ears, but there was little way of ensuring they were carried out. Pyrrha did not stop her attack due to their shared bond. She continued to complete the Witch's orders with no hesitation.
Jaune watched as the Spartan dashed directly for Sun. The Paladin charged to intervene, but he was too slow to make it there in time. Pyrrha's spear twisted in her fingers, utilising the blunt end as a club against the boy. Sun only managed to raise his staff above his head to block the attack, meeting halfway between the teens. The clash of their weapons lasted only a fraction of a second as Pyrrha's strength overpowered the wood and steel holding the staff together.
Where the staff split into those nunchucks, it snapped as if it were nothing. Sun's eyes widened as he attempted to duck out of the way and protect his head, just managing to slip past Milo and take it to the shoulder. The gentle muscle and bone faltered immediately under stress, cracking and tearing as the club broke his collar bone and anything else caught beneath the spear.
Sun cried in pain as his nerves caught up, forcing him to drop his staff and crumble to the floor. Just as Pyrrha stepped over the prone boy, Yang continued the fight, tackling Pyrrha's waist and attempting to throw her to the ground. The Spartan caught her footing effortlessly, planting her feet and digging her heels into the ground. No matter how hard Yang pushed, there was nothing she could do to move the Spartan from where she stood.
Pyrrha raised her fists and took the opening Yang provided to slam them directly into Yang's back. The force of the blow dropped the blonde to her knees, yet she still tried to pull Pyrrha to the ground despite the pained expression painted on her face. Pyrrha continued to pound on Yang's back without mercy.
Just as she was going to deliver another strike to Yang, Nora finally intervened, throwing her arms around Pyrrha and using the surprise to throw her off Yang. This act only earned Nora a right elbow to the face, dashing her across her nose and fracturing the fragile cartilage with little effort.
She's not gonna stop...
Each of his friends moved to restrain Pyrrha, but nothing was working. She would not yield without breaking the hold over her mind. So, biting back every nerve in his body, he turned to face down the Witch.
The woman watched on with a slight grin as she turned a friend against her comrades. As her eyes met with Jaune's, she seemed to encourage the boy to charge at her. Without hesitation, he met the challenge, bolting at her with his sword drawn.
Leaping up to the raised platform, Jaune swung Ira Rubrum in a wide arc towards her neck. The flaming silvered sword roared against the air as it raced to cut down the Witch. Just as it was about to slice into her alabaster skin, it stopped, caught on a weapon summoned at the very last second.
In the Witch's hand was a scimitar crafted of fine obsidian-coloured steel like a shard of midnight. Jaune's tattoos flared at its very presence, alerting him to whatever magic it may have been imbued with. Taking no chances, Jaune immediately fell back and out of its range.
Behind him, Jaune could hear the sounds of his friends fighting with Pyrrha. Suddenly, a shout diverted his attention entirely. Quickly, glancing back, he watched Pyrrha grab Ren's leg before cocking back her shield. With a sickening crunch, she used Akouo to chop down on his leg and snap the femur as if it were a twig.
"Pay attention, Little One..."
Jaune whipped around as the voice reached his ears, only to find the Witch standing before him. He could not react as she backhanded the boy across his chest, sending him sprawling across the stone. The wind knocked out of his lungs, Jaune forced himself to stand despite the pain shooting through his body.
Just as he stood on his feet, the Witch was already there with sword brandished. She struck out at the boy with the black blade, bringing it down overhead to cleave at his shoulder. Jaune could barely parry the blade using Ira Rubrum held above his head this time. The blades clashed in a bright flurry of sparks; Jaune angled the sword to slide off him and to the right. When the scimitar slipped off Ira Rubrum, Jaune took the opening to twist his arms and change his stance to mimic her attack.
Chopping down at her right flank, he was nearly able to cut into her ribs when the Witch spun around to block him. Switching hands in that fraction of a second, she twirled about to make an upwards slash at Ira Rubrum. As blade struck blade, Ira Rubrum was ripped from his hands.
The force behind her attack was beyond what Jaune could have expected. There was no holding onto his blade. He felt it slip from his grasp as his eyes widened in shock at his disarmament. The Witch continued her play, pulling back her arm and thrusting the blade at Jaune's abdomen. Its sharpened tip ready and willing to gut the boy.
"SHIELD," Jaune shouted, throwing his hands out in from of him, casting a spell.
As the magic danced from his fingertips, a large glyph formed as the Witch fully extended her arm. This caught her off guard. As though she wasn't expecting the boy to cast any spell, the sword stabbed into the glyph and embedded itself into the magical rune.
Blake appeared behind her when she moved to break the sword out of the bind. The Assassin, true to her class, used the distraction to backstab the Witch. Using her flaming sword and dagger dripping with some sort of poison, she leapt from the shadows holding each in a reverse grip.
Jaune watched as Blake fell onto the Witch and buried both blades deep into her body. The flaming sword scorched everything it encountered, boiling flesh and blood like water. The dagger merely sank into the Witch's ribs, allowing whatever coated the knife to course throughout her bloodstream.
However, rather than cry out in pain, the Witch jerked upright at the sensation, seemingly unaffected by being impaled like this. Blake saw this and tried to dismount but was too late. Just as she withdrew the blades, the Witch spun around to engage her.
The Witch leapt at Blake just as the Assassin did, slicing directly at her neck with the dark shard, attempting to decapitate or incapacitate the girl. Blake only just managed to lift her weapons up to catch the sword and shift its direction to the right and away from her body. The steel blades erupted in a shower of sparks as they danced across each other.
Jaune took the opening and summoned the Dragonslayer. Hefting the massive blade above his head, he stepped up behind the Witch as she fought Blake. Without hesitation, the Paladin threw everything he had in his body to bring the greatsword down onto her. The blade moved with enough momentum that no man could realistically stop it. Its length was greater than any could hope to dive out of the way and make it out unscathed.
That's what Jaune's instincts told him as he attempted to slice across the Witch's back. Just as the blade was going to dig into her shoulder, her head turned slightly and recognised what was about to happen. She then bent her body in such a way Jaune didn't think possible. Like her figure was more rubber than flesh. She folded herself in half, leaning backwards at the waist, allowing the sword to sail over her and into the stones at their feet.
What?!
Jaune's eyes widened at the move, and attempted to pull the sword out of the stone, but was far too slow compared to the Witch. He could only watch as, in the next split seconds, she cocked her arm back and delivered a brutal backhand to Blake. Her fist and the Assassin's cheek met, breaking the latter as the punch carried her off her feet.
Blake was sent sailing across the room towards the shrine at its centre, slamming into the hard stone next to the stairs. Colliding with it back first, she merely slumped over, knocked out or worse. The sight sent chills down Jaune's spine as he watched more of his friends fall around him.
Time seemed to stop as the Witch turned her gaze back to him. Jaune immediately ripped the sword from the ground and put the massive steel wedge between him and her. The Witch only began circling the Paladin, waiting for an opening.
He could not cast a spell without her attacking him in that split second. Arclight was effectively useless right now when he needed it the most. Jaune had to find a way to land a hit without it. He just needed an opening.
Behind him, his friends were still fighting Pyrrha. Only Nora, Yang, and Weiss remained on their feet. The trio of girls could not land a blow, no matter what they tried. He could hear Nora rush at Pyrrha, prodding her defences, only to be sidestepped and thrown to the ground. Yang pounced on the Spartan right as Nora fell, throwing a punch at Pyrrha just to have it blocked by her shield. Weiss could not cast spells without interruption, keeping her effectively out of the fight. Pyrrha just moved too quickly for the girls to gain any ground.
The pause in the duel only lasted moments as the Witch pressed forward, leaping at Jaune with her sword ready to thrust down at him. He could finally move and used the Dragonslayer as a shield to block the attack. The Witch's sword danced off of Jaune's and to the right, causing the Witch to be thrown off balance. Jaune then pulled back and away from the Witch, giving him enough space to do what he needed to.
Thrusting his right hand out, Jaune cast Arclight at the Witch. The flash of light blinded him as it erupted from his fingertips, but he needed to take the risk. However, as his vision cleared, he found the Witch right in his face. There was seemingly no effect.
Jaune dropped the Dragonslayer and attempted to create distance, but he needed to be faster than this nimble opponent. As he stepped off his right foot, the Witch threw another punch, aimed directly at his chest. Jaune raised his arms to block the attack, trying to divert the blow away from him, but could only watch as her other arm rose from her side.
She batted Jaune's arms down, opening his body up, but rather than strike where he was most armoured, she went for his left arm. Using her fist, she chopped down on his forearm like a cleaver. When the blow landed, Jaune felt the steel plates buckle under her immense strength. It carried further, bending the fragile bones underneath until his radius and ulna snapped from the stress.
The pain was immediate. Adrenaline did nothing to dull the pain of his arm snapping. Jaune had no time to scream as the Witch continued her onslaught. The Paladin tried to put out his other arm to shield himself from the following blow, but it was only batted away like before.
The Witch backhanded him across the face. Beneath his helmet, Jaune could feel the strike like it was a red-hot iron against his skin. The force was enough to rip his helmet off his head, snapping the leather straps holding it in place. The helm danced across the floor, rolling away from the fight and out of Jaune's mind as further blows came.
Jaune reached for Crocea Mors and ripped it out of its sheath, using it with his only good hand. However, the Witch immediately swiped at it with her sword, knocking it from his fingers. The frost-enchanted blade skittered along the ground and out of his reach.
The Witch followed with a kick to Jaune's stomach, buckling him over the leg and sending him rolling across the stone. He could only get a breath in as the Witch took her time to pursue. She confidently marched towards him, ready to continue beating Jaune into the ground.
On his right, Jaune could see his friends still fighting. Now, Yang and Nora had finally gotten a hold of Pyrrha, locking her arms and legs in their grasp to keep her from moving. It gave Weiss enough time to ready a spell, summoning a large ice spike using her sword. The shard of bright blue ice danced in the air as Weiss finished the incantation. The moment it fully manifested, Weiss hurled it towards the Witch without hesitation.
The ice spike sailed at her like a loosed arrow ready to impale the Witch upon itself. As it was about to cut into her, she raised her sword and sliced right through it. The shard exploded behind her as the two halves raced past. Weiss then immediately began casting another spell, trying to rush and throw whatever she could at the Witch.
Distracted by the spell, Weiss could not see what was happening right before her. Pyrrha ripped herself away from Nora in a fraction of a second, freeing her spear arm from its hold. She then immediately drew Milo back and launched it at the Mage.
Nora shouted a warning, but it was too late. The spear sailed across the distance to its intended target, blurred into a reddened streak from its sheer speed. Weiss could only move a few inches to her right before Milo reached her. Jaune watched as the tip of that spear cut right into her abdomen.
It did not stop until the tip erupted from Weiss' back. Blood began to pool around the spear, darkening the Mage's white robes and turning them crimson. Weiss' face only contorted into a look of shock as her mind caught up to the reality of her situation.
Her knees buckled and gave out beneath her. Weiss collapsed to the ground, slumping over onto her side. Jaune froze as he watched on. He could not see her move or even breath. Weiss only lay there lifeless. A pool of blood grew from her side.
No...
WHAT DID YOU DO?!
Jaune's lips pulled back as he threw himself too his feet. With a bestial roar, he turned to the Witch and bolted toward her. The pain of his broken arm did not even come to mind. Only the thought of killing the Witch filled his head.
LONGINUSLANZE TESTAMENT!
The golden spear manifested in his hands, burning bright with its holy light. Its bloodred runes roared to life alongside the magic contained inside. A gold-coloured miasma coalesced around the blade and shaft as Jaune cocked the weapon back, aiming directly at the Witch's chest. Everything around him blurred as the spear carried him to his target.
She attempted to strike at Jaune, but the spear rendered her sword null. It snapped the black blade in half as the Paladin entered her guard. With a final shout from Jaune, he pulled his arm all the way back, planting his feet before thrusting forth with every ounce of his strength.
The Witch could not avoid this attack. Her eyes widened as the swirling magical aura split her flesh before the blade had a chance to taste. The blade finally carved its way through her ribcage, following a path bored exclusively for it, erupting from her back with a geyser of black blood. When Jaune reached the crossguard of the lance, he continued pushing, lifting the Witch off the ground and into the air.
SMITE...
Jaune's muscles tensed with new vigour as energy began to course through his veins. A massive jet of light burst out from the spear in a flash of gold, roaring like a raging inferno. This ray of crackling magic swirled and lashed out all across the Witch's body, carving it up as the rays danced between her and the lance.
Despite this, though aflame with a holy fire, the Witch grit her teeth and raised what was left of her sword. She cocked back her arm and thrust the broken weapon into Jaune's chest. The jagged blade cut through his armour like it was nothing, slicing into his abdomen right below his ribs.
The Witch continued to push the sword in deeper, drawing blood from the boy. However, just as she was about to reach the hilt, another blade burst through her chest. A curved flame-bladed weapon imbued with energy buried into her back.
Jaune looked beyond the Witch and found Ruby holding Crescent Rose aloft. As his arms failed him and his hold on the Witch loosened, Ruby pulled hard on her scythe, dragging her off the lance. In that same motion, Ruby twisted her body and ripped Crescent Rose through the Witch, tearing her in half.
The Witch's body fell to the ground, profusely bleeding out as Ruby stood over her. Yet, despite being bisected, the Witch reached out, trying to grasp ahold of the Reaper.
"Interesting," she spoke, seething with blood pouring from her mouth. "We will meet again."
"Guys," Blake called out from the distance.
On the shrine, Blake reached up and grasped the box, slamming it shut with a loud clap. The moment the container was closed, the body of the Witch disintegrated into ash like other Grimm. The portal swelled and immediately collapsed as well.
With that, there seemed to be an immediate peace take over the room. Jaune stood there breathing slowly as the adrenaline washed out of his system. Ruby nodded absentmindedly to him, holding Crescent Rose as the black blood dripped from its blade.
Suddenly, the blood coating the blade appeared to move up the weapon and towards Ruby. This mass of liquid raced towards her for seemingly no reason until Nora ran up and knocked the scythe from her hands. The weapon clattered to the ground and began shaking as the blood soaked into the weapon. Moments later, the quake stopped, and a black ichor started to continuously drip from the blade.
"What was that," Ruby asked, looking down at Crescent Rose in shock.
The question did not have a chance to be answered as the sound of Weiss crying in pain filled the room. Everything in Jaune's body set alight as that voice registered in his ears. He whipped around and found Yang crouched over the girl.
Weiss?
Jaune took a single step towards her and broke out into a sprint. Nora and Ruby were right behind him. They fell in around their friend as Yang tried to grasp Milo while Weiss thrashed about in pain. Nora did not hesitate to grab the spear and snap it in half just above where it entered her.
"Ruby, take her," Yang ordered, lifting Weiss off the ground.
Ruby immediately picked up Weiss in her arms, and they both turned into a swirling vortex of roses, racing up and out of the chamber. A small trail of blood followed them out as Ruby disappeared from sight. Jaune tried to go after them but stopped as a hand wrapped around his wrist.
"Jaune, grab your stuff and help us," Nora said to him, pulling the boy away from the door.
Looking over the room, his friends were a mess. Sun was lying on the ground, clutching his ribs and shoulder. Ren hobbled along on his leg until Nora took him in her arms. Yang lifted an unconscious Pyrrha off the ground and over her back.
Seeing his friends in this state, Jaune moved with only one thought in mind. He grabbed his things and anyone who needed help walking. Jaune needed to get back to Weiss and ensure she was all right. That came first. So, when a new ability revealed itself to him, he completely ignored it. Only the name registered in his mind.
Son of the forest
The Arch-Bitch herself has arrived. That was also a long fucking fight to write about. I didn't write the fight on the rest of Jaune's friends' side because that would have been twice as long, but Pyrrha still folded everyone like an omelet.