So I posted the last chapter at an earlier time of the day than I usually do and I've learned not to do that.
But if you missed the last Chapter, please read that before reading this chapter.
Reviews:
Robbeeyy: Let's hope that everything works out in the end...
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Inside Jaune's inner World, Cinder watched the fight from inside Jaune's mind as the fight came to an end. She had been smiling the whole time as the fight happened and when it ended, she was glad that she could use this fight to further the plan she had formed for Jaune.
"What an opportunity..." Cinder said, "And while it pains me to say this, I do have to thank you Tyrian for this, if this fight never happened, then it would have taken me longer to convince Mr. Arc... and hopefully, when the time comes, you'll love what I have planned," Cinder said
Cinder then turned back to the chess board and she moved her knight back to its original space. She looked at the bord and smiled, and then she picked up her King piece and looked at it with a wicked smile.
"I'm sure you'll also love what I have planned... Salem,"
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Ilia and Mercury ran as fast as they could to the cliffside but were still a good distance away. They had sent Neo to get Goodwitch as they had no idea what was going on, but hoped she could possibly break up a fight if there was one, which seemed likely.
Both of them were notified about Jaune and Emeralds Aura lowering rather fast and so they rushed to see what was wrong.
"What the hell is going on with those two!?" Ilia cried
"Emerald had to be the one to start the fight," Mercury said, "She's been showing that she clearly doesn't like the situation that we're in,"
"But would she really start a fight with Jaune?"
Mercury nodded, "If she's angry enough," Mercury said
they made it to the back of the school and quickly raced to the cliffside. After a few minutes of running to the Cliffs, Ilia's eyes managed to see both Jaune and Emerald. However, she became frighted because Emerald was kneeling over Jaune, who appeared to be unconscious.
"Emerald! Jaune!" Ilia cried
Emerald turned around to see the rest of her team running toward her, she then turned back to Jaune and said something that Ilia only barely heard thanks to her enhanced hearing.
"Come on! Open your eyes you idiot!" is what Ilia heard
As the three reached them, they saw the scene before and they were all shocked by what they saw. Emerald and Jaune were wounded, Emerald has a few deep cuts around her arm and a big one across her waist, but blood had stained her clothes, she looked a little weak but was also fighting to stay awake. As for Jaune, deep cuts littered his body, however, there was a large stab wound on his upper right side which Emerald was applying pressure. Blood stained his clothes as well as his Armor, which parts were now scratched and cracked.
Ilia looked over to his hands to see his he had let go of his shield but hid blood was on it, his blood no doubt. As for Corcea Mors... The handle was broken as was the guard. The blade was still intact but the rest of it was broken...
Ilia and Mercury were both shocked and horrified
"Oh my Oum..." Ilia said
"We need to get him to the infirmary! Now!" Emerald cried
"Em, what the hell happened!?" Mercury cried "Did you do this!?" He asked, his voice sounding a little worried
Emerald shook her head as she pressed against Jaune's open wound.
"Then what the hell happened!?" Mercury cried
"That doesn't matter right now!" Emerald cried as she looked up at him "If we don't get Jaune to Peach he's gonna die!" she cried
Ilia sniffed the air and she could smell a completely different smell, it belonged to a person, but it was neither Jaune's nor Emerald's. Ilia then kneeled next to Jaune and looked at some of Jaune's wounds and saw some purple liquid inside a few of his cuts. She touched his wound and some of the purple liquid was on her fingers mixed with his blood. She tasted it before spitting it out quickly.
"Venom," Ilia said, she looked at Emerald, "What happened, Emerald? Who did this?"
Emerald didn't look at her but kept looking at Jaune's unconscious form. She then looked at a trail of blood and led off the cliff and a glare formed on her face.
"A Scorpian," She seethed.
meanwhile, far from the cliff and deep in the forest, Tyrian Callows walked away as fast as he could but not as fast as he wanted to, After all, he had a large cut across his chest, a gift from the Knight himself.
Tyrian chuckled as he walked away, despite the pain, he pushed through it and laughed. 'What a kid! He reminds me so much of-'
However, he couldn't finish his thought as he coughed out blood onto the forest floor. He wiped his mouth. Tyrian looked up and kept smiling and continued walking away, never finishing his thought...
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Jaune slowly woke up to find himself in the Infirmary. He looked at himself and saw that most of his wounds had healed. He remembered what happened with Tyrian and realized that he had failed and the Faunus mad-man had fled. Jaune was angry, no, he was livid. Enough of being weak, enough of being the fool, enough of waiting to see what happens, instead, he was going going to take the reigns and play this game his way.
Jaune got up out of the cot and saw his hoodie and armor set to the side, he saw how beat up it was and knew he was going to have to find a new set. He looked around for Crocea Mors but couldn't find it.
"Mr. Arc, what are you doing out of bed?"
Jaune turned around to see Ms. Goodwitch and Ozpin looking at him from the doorway. He turned back around and gathered his things. "I'm leaving," Jaune said coldly
Goodwitch stepped closer in his direction, "Mr. Arc, you were severely injured and not all of your wounds have-"
"I'm leaving and that's final," Jaune said "And if your wondering who did this, his name was Tyrian Callows, he was a scorpion Faunus and I'm sure you both know who he worked for,"
Both raised brows when they heard this, and Opin stepped forward and looked at Jaune with a curious look.
Ozpin walked closer to the young man, "What do you mean Mr. Arc?" Ozpin asked, "Who did he-?"
Jaune turned around and looked at the headmaster with a glare, "Stop it with the bullshit!" Jaune yelled, he then pointed at him and he walked closer to the headmaster, "You know damn well what I mean!"
Ozpin pushed up his Glasses a little, "Mr. Arc, whatever it is that you've come to learn, I can explain everything," he told the blonde teen
"Explain what? Explain about the Maidens? Explain about the evil woman an ocean away with a deep-seated hatred for you? Or about the Relics that are in each of the four schools?" Jaune asked
Ozpin was surprised that he had known about so much but he had a feeling that either Emerald oR Mercury had told him about Salem as well as what she was after here in Beacon.
"I've heard everything, and I've had enough," Jaune said "I will not be manipulated by you anymore!"
"I never-" Ozpin began
"Stop with the lies!" Jaune cried as he cut off Ozpin, Jaune then tapped him in the chest with his finger, "You've manipulated Pyrrha! you Manipulated Ruby! You manipulated them both into believing that they are heroes! That they have some sort of destiny! But all you are is sending them, and even us to our deaths! over a war you can't even fight! You do nothing, but that's what your good at huh!? You let Cinder walk right in these halls! You let everything happen! SO how many deaths are on your hands!? Do you even remember their names!? Their families!? DO YOU!?" Jaune cried
Ozpin didn't answer and looked down. His silence pissed Jaune off and he grabbed Ozpin by the collar and pushed him against the wall, shocking Goodwitch.
"ANSWER ME YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Jaune cried with a heated glare as he looked at the headmaster
Goodwitch was about to react but Ozpin signaled her not to do anything. Ozpin looked at the blonde teen and saw the hatred, anger, and most of all, sadness in the boy's eyes, Ozpin knew that despite the young man's outburst, Jaune blames himself the most.
Ozpin let out a heavy sigh, "Mr. A- Jaune... I remember all of their names, I remember all their faces, I remember how I failed them..." Ozpin said
Jaune still glared at him and then let him go roughly before he picked up what was his and left the Infirmary. Goodwitch was about to go after him, but Ozpin put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her, and just shook his head.
"What are we going to do Ozpin?" Goodwitch asked "He's emotionally unwell and now he's somehow figured out what we're up against... this is something I never thought would happen," She said
"Nor I," He replied, "As for what we do... we just have to sit back and see's what happens," Ozpin said with a sad sigh.
Goodwitch looked at the headmaster before turning back to the hall, still watching the blonde teen walk down it with a huff. She understood what was wrong with him, what he was going through, but she couldn't help but feel that he had a point...
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Ilia, Emerald, Mercury, and Neo walked around the school looking for Jaune. Ozpin had told them that he and Jaune had an argument and that Jaune had left in a huff and that he would no doubt need his team. So in concern, Ilia told the others to help her look for him and even Emerald agreed without being mouthy. Right now the group had checked the arena but he wasn't there, nor was he back in the room or was in the cafeteria.
they were nearing the locker room to see if he may be there as he needed to put his armor away. However, as they approached, they heard loud banging sounds and rage-filled grunts, and angry yells. Ilia rushed in without hesitation and the others followed her inside, and when they entered the room, they were surprised by the destruction.
They still heard the banging of metal but focused on the lockers that were tipped over and a few had some pretty big dents on the doors, but that wasn't the only thing that was in the doors. Blood stained a few doors of the dented lockers, they ventured deeper into the locker room only to see Jaune punching another locker with all the force he could muster and a feral and angry expression was the only thing on his face, his knuckles were bleeding rather badly as the entire outside of his hands and knuckles were covered in blood.
Ilia gasped and raced over to stop him, only for Mercury to push her back and rush up to him. Mercury wrapped his arms under Jaune's and moved backward, which stopped him from hitting the locker more, but Jaune still tried but Mercury held onto him tight.
"Take it easy Arc!" Mercury cried
"Let me go! Let me go!" Jaune cried as he tried to escape Mercury's hold, "Let me god damnit! You son of a bitch! Let me go right now! I'll fucking kill you! Let me go!"
Mercury grunted a little as he struggled with Jaune, "Damn it! Stop struggling! This is for your own good you idiot!"
Jaune growled and snarled as he still tried to break free from Mercury but Mercury was not letting up, and Ilia raced up to him and tried to calm him down.
"Jaune! Jaune! Calm down! Please!" Ilia cried "Please! Please!"
Jaune still tried to get out of Mercury's hold as he still snarled and growled, but as he realized it wasn't doing anything, he began to tire and his growls and snarls slowly turned into sobbing and the angry expression on his face turned to sadness and tears began to form in his eyes as Ilia begged him to calm down.
Mercury could feel Jaune tire and hear the sobbing and so slowly, he let go of the blonde and saw as he slumped to the ground in tears.
The four watched the sobbing teen as he sat on the ground of the destroyed locker room and cried and sobbed. The four almost couldn't believe it, not once since they knew Jaune, even Emerald and Mercury who knew him before they were part of his team, had never seen him cry or break down like this. Seeing it... seeing Jaune break down and cry, let them know just how much emotion Jaune was holding in. It hit them all.
"It should've been me! *hic* it should ha been me..." Jaune sobbed out "Why... *Hic* why... *Hic* why..." he continued sobbing.
Ilia was choked up with emotion and walked over to him and kneeled next to him and rubbed his back. Mercury looked at him with a shocked expression and watched him cry, not knowing how he could help, which made him upset and angry for some reason. Neo watched with unease as she too, had no idea what to do, but she did feel bad for whatever the boy was going through. As for Emerald, she felt the worse, she had been the one to say a lot of awful things before Tyrian attacked, and despite what she said and how harsh her words were, Jaune still defended her and helped her, and seeing him in such a state... it made her regret what she said to him.
However, all four of them could see one thing...
Jaune Arc was hurt. Scared by what he had seen, by what he has felt, and what he has lived through...
Cinder was right.
This is what happens when people like Jaune hand over their trust, their safety, and their children, to men who claim to be guardians...
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"Keep moving Forward" - Monty Oum