Being back at Beacon felt… weird to say the least.
He remembered the halls, the corridors, the classrooms and everything else inside. He didn't expect the school to be in perfect conditions. It was laughable to think that everything would be fine. He didn't expect what he saw.
Ruins. Nothing but ruins and destruction as far as the eyes could see. Beacon was wrecked beyond recognition. The beloved Academy that had taken him in years ago when he was unprepared for the struggles of a huntsman's life… was basically gone.
Anger overtook his body for a brief moment, he saw red. He wanted to make them pay. Whoever had done this NEEDED to pay. How dare they?! How…!
He took a deep breath, in and out quickly. He couldn't think like that. The bastards were long gone. Not dead, but probably far, far away from there. He steadied his emotions, getting them back under control.
Losing his mind wouldn't help now. He had to explore the place, see if anything was left.
He didn't have to look far.
Of everything that had been utterly wrecked and destroyed, one lonely tower was left intact. The headmaster's office. That's where he was going then, he supposed.
Getting to the place wasn't difficult at all. There were no Grimms, weirdly, and the road to the tower had been cleaned of debris. If the first situation weirded him out, this one made him suspicious. This was too easy. Where's the catch?
Reaching the base of the tower, he saw something unique. A stall, merchant if he had to guess, new and shiny, but empty. He furrowed his brows and went to take a closer look.
Nothing was inside, and no one was manning said stall. The weird factor shot up to eleven at this point, and Jaune silently wondered if he should just turn back and leave.
But he knew better. He didn't want to go back to wandering aimlessly. He was here for a reason, and by the Gods he was going to find out this damn reason!
He left the stall alone and moved on, finding the small hall inside empty as the rest of the Academy, but the elevator door was open, and the light was turned on. Electricity was still running? Curious…
He stepped inside the elevator, wary, letting the door close behind him.
He didn't even had the time to wonder which floor he should head up to when the machine moved on its own, heading… down?
Once again he was speechless, but then, memories flashed in his brain. An underground floor, his partner Pyrrha inside a weird machine, shouting and suffering. An arrow… and then darkness.
He… he was heading down where Ozpin had tried to turn his partner into a Maiden. Only that wasn't where he stopped.
If anything, he was heading even deeper underground. Another floor underneath Beacon? How many more were there, what the hell?! More secrets… damn it Ozpin…
When the elevator doors finally opened, he was greeted with a hall similar to the one in the first underground floor. The architecture was basically identical. What changed were several things.
The first and most noticeable was a pedestal, right in the middle of the place, with three openings on it, two small and one big.
The second was a big portal at the end of the small room, double his size and inactive.
The third was a white, glowing writing on the floor, calling to him for whatever reason.
The fourth was an open hallway to the right of the room, apparently heading down. He tensed his jaw, not understanding what he was seeing. He had never been more confused in his life.
At the end, his curiosity won out and he headed to the hallway first. Descending the brief flight of stairs, he found himself in the last place that he had expected. A forgery.
Cold and inactive, sure, but a forgery nonetheless, complete with hammers of various sizes, an anvil and anything that the place could possibly need. The only thing missing… was a blacksmith. Nobody was here, once again.
Then, something caught his eyes. There it was something on the anvil. Filled with curiosity, he picked it up.
Obtained: Aura Reader
Jaune looked at the item from multiple points of view. It was a small glass, barely fitting in his palm, circular. He had no idea what it was, but he decided to take it anyway. It was important, that much he could tell. The how was a mystery though. Great, just what he needed. More questions. He pocketed the glass and turned around to leave the room.
He crossed his arms, in thought, while he went back up the stairs. And the question marks just kept on piling up. He was getting sick of it…
Back in the previous hall, he looked at the glowing sign. It seemed the only thing left of interest to him, since the portal was shut down and he had no idea what to put on the pedestal. He reached the sign, got down on one knee and slowly touched it.
An electric feeling ran up his arm, and the sign disappeared. With contempt, he took a couple of steps backwards… then, a figure rose. One that he recognized. White hair, glasses, green clothes and a scarf, with a cane and a mug of coffee at hand.
Headmaster Ozpin. Only that he was… translucent and see through.
The figure spoke.
"Greetings, Brave Huntsman. Or Jaune Arc, as I should probably call you. It is a pleasure to see you once again, and I'm happy that you were the one to answer the call".
Call? What call?! Why did the supposedly dead headmaster had risen from the ground?! Why was he transparent?! This place was supposed to answer his questions, not make him ask more of them!
The… "man" before him chuckled, probably amused by his questioning look.
"Do not fret, , I shall answer all of your questions to the best of my abilities. But, as of now, I might as well address the more… obvious concerns. First thing first, how am I alive and why am I see through, correct?"
Jaune nodded, awaiting the start of his much deserved explanation.
"My presence here is all thanks to that small fraction of magic that I had left. It allowed me to leave part of my conscience, of my being if you would, here in case the situation went out of control. Which it probably did, if the elevator brought you here. So I am not actually headmaster Ozpin. Not completely, at least. I, or this part of me, was to stay here, awaiting the Brave Huntsman chosen by the Gods".
That title again. Two times he had been called that. He noted it, but didn't comment on it.
"This also answers the question of why you are here. If I had to take I guess, sometime during our crusade against Salem, you have lost your life, correct? The Gods brought you back, as one last chance to turn things around. The reason is unfortunately unknown to me. It could be anything ranging from sympathy towards humanity to spitefulness towards Salem. Only they know. But, point is, you are back thanks to them. You answered their call, even if subconsciously. Which brings us to your mission. And this place, of course, since the two are correlated".
Jaune made sure to pay extra attention here. The most important part was coming up.
"Brave Huntsman, your mission is as follows. You have to travel to all four of the Kingdoms of Remnant. In there, you must face off and defeat powerful enemies and obtain their Aura, which you will use to power pedestals, like the one before your eyes right now. Two smaller souls and one special which I will talk about in a moment. These Auras will power up the portal, which will bring you face to face with another enemy. They are the guardians that keep the other Kingdoms out of our reach. You must defeat them to reach the other Academies, and the other Kingdoms as a consequence".
Auras… like the ones the twins from before had given him. He had to collect them. Which means…
"You are going to have to kill your targets. Grimms unfortunately do not possess an Aura, so it must be people, human or faunus, it does not matter. So long as they are strong enough. Which also brings us to the special Auras that you must collect. They belong to exceptional individuals, which may as well be our only hope against Salem. You have met them. They were your friends after all".
He… met them? Him? Useless, powerless Jaune Arc? Friends with arguably the most important people on Remnant right now?! Who…
"I'll give you a little hint. There are four pedestals, one in each Academy. The leader was a very important person to you".
Four? And important? The only people he could think about are…
No way…
"Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Blake Belladonna. Yang Xiao Long. Team RWBY. Yes Jaune. I'm talking about them. They have been captured… and corrupted. They are now part of Salem's army. You must find them… and free them in the only way possible".
By killing them. But… they were their last hope. How could he just… and they were his friends, how could he be expected to strike them down?! It didn't make sense!
"Fear not Jaune. I am not done".
He gulped down, suddenly feeling faint, but determined to let the man before him speak.
"The last part of your mission is correlated to them. You see, each member of Team RWBY also possesses one of the four Relics. The plan consists of gathering them all and having the Gods bring back to life your friends, so that they may defeat Salem once and for all. Once Team RWBY is back on our side, your mission will end. You may help afterwards, but it will no longer be a requirement. Understood?"
Understood? No. Not at all. It couldn't be real. It was complete insanity! How…
But he was alive again, wasn't he? He remembered dying. Then… he was breathing once more. So… was it really so farfetched?
The headmaster sighed in front of him.
"I understand that this is a very tall order for you. It's perfectly understandable. You are required to strike down your friends, the people most precious to you. But I beg of you to do this. If you don't, then Remnant is doomed, alongside everyone on it. Including your family".
His… family? Fuck, he had forgotten about them! The guard had said that they were in Vale city. He had to find them too on top of all of this!
"I know what you want to do. And unfortunately, I must ask you to stop. Time is already short as it is. You cannot afford to waste it".
Jaune clenched his fists and grinded his teeth, but relented, knowing that the headmaster was right. This was bigger than everyone else.
Ozpin nodded at him.
"Thank you, Brave Huntsman. I appreciate you realizing the situation we are in. Now, back to business, I see that you have already picked up the Aura Reader from the forgery".
Aura Reader? He meant the palm sized glass that he had found down there?
"That special glass is infused with part of my magic. That little that was left of it anyways. It allows you to lock on the Auras that you must collect, on top of giving you a brief summary of the people whose Aura belongs to".
That… sounds extremely useful. No more wandering around like a headless chicken at least. That sounds nice…
Out of curiosity, he summoned the Twin Bouncers Aura, much to the surprise of Ozpin.
"Oh! I see you have already obtained one Aura! Splendid, this is great news. Who did it belong to?"
In response, Jaune picked up the Aura Reader and checked the Aura.
Aura belonging to the twin sisters Melanie and Miltia Malachite, daughters of Miss Malachite and bouncers of Junior's Club.
Melanie is the calmer one, dressed in white and armed with sharp boots. Miltia is the red one, brash and quick to anger, armed with her deadly claws. They ensured that The Club was a safe place for people to unwind in, until something in them changed. They killed their boss and took over the Club, for reasons unknown.
Use this Aura for a superior purpose and save Remnant.
Melanie and Miltia Malachite. He shall not forget their names.
Ozpin spoke once again.
"One last thing before you proceed Mr Arc. While coming in, you probably noticed the stall outside, right? The owner should now be back, and he shall trade useful items to you… for the right price, of course. I just ask you to keep an open mind. You might be surprised as to whom you will find there. There on the pedestal you will find the proper currency to get into business with him. Now go, Brave Huntsman. Gather your second soul and then come back here, and your next target shall be revealed. And if you have any questions, feel free to call upon me again. Farewell, Mr Arc".
The phantom disappeared, leaving the glowing sign on the floor once more.
Jaune held his head in between his hands and stopped for a moment, trying to make sense to everything happening.
Auras, Relics, Team RWBY, resurrections… he had to sit down and think.
Only that he couldn't. Time was quickly running out. He had to make sense of everything while he went. Stopping or turning back was not allowed.
Reaching the pedestal once more, he noticed something that he hadn't seen before. Some stones of various colors, not really impressive at first glance. He picked them up anyway.
Obtained: Precious Stones X5
Taking the elevator again, he reached the main hall once again and stepped out of the tower.
Where to now? Taking out the Aura Reader, he held it in his hands again, unsure of how to use it. Until a light came out of the object. Taking the glass between his thumb and index fingers, he followed the light beam with his eyes, to the last place he wanted to go.
Mountain Glenn. The second Aura that he had to collect was there. He gulped once more.
The place was infamous for various reasons, and now he had to go there. Fucking damn it he could never catch a break…
He sighed and resigned to his fate, until a voice from behind him stopped him.
"Hey, knight boy! Come here for a second!"
Knight boy? Who…
He turned around and froze, his hand immediately going to the pommel of Crocea Mors. This… this guy should also be dead, right?!
Why, of all people, was Roman Torchwick, manning a merchant stall?!
The thief raised his hands with a smile.
"Wooo tiger, calm down. I'm not here to hurt you or to fight you. I just want to talk. Come here please?"
He was about to tell the guy where to shove it, but he remembered Ozpin's words. Be open minded uh? Alright then.
Jaune nodded and reached the stall, making Roman's smile widen.
"Welcome to my stall, kid! It's not much, I will admit, but it contains everything that a huntsman like you might need. If you can pay for it, of course".
Pay huh? He showed the stones that he had picked up from underground, asking if he had to use them.
Roman snapped his fingers at him.
"Correct my blonde friend. These stones may not look like much, but they are extremely valuable. Bring them to me and I shall exchange them for useful items for you. For example, one of those stones equals five Aura Boosters, or three Fire Dust Bombs. I don't have much more in stock unfortunately, but that will change overtime, I promise. So, you want to make business?"
At the end of it, Jaune spent two stones for five additional Aura Boosters and three more Fire Dust Bombs.
Roman chuckled.
"Thank you for your patronage. In exchange, I'll also throw in a little tip, on the house. You have to reach Mountain Glenn, correct? I saw where that beam of light was headed. Well then, normally you would need a bullhead, but the only functioning one only does the trip between here and the station in Vale. But, there is another road. The Breach. From there, you will reach your destination in a day or two if you keep a good rhythm. Be careful though, the White Fang is still there, and they are definitely NOT friendly. Why am I telling you this? Well, that's simple. There is something there that I need you to fetch for me".
Jaune groaned. There's the catch…
"Now now, do not groan. It will be worth it, I promise. I ask you to find my scroll. I lost it there some time ago. Find it and I will reward you handsomely. What do you say?"
He gave a little sigh, but agreed. He had to go there anyways, might as well look for this scroll of his.
Roman clapped his hands once.
"That's what I like to hear. I shall be waiting for you then. And don't forget to bring me more stones!"
Jaune waved while he left, heading back for the bullhead that had brought him to Beacon earlier.
Mountain Glenn uh? Really the last place he wanted to go to. It was not not going to be pretty, at all…
Oh well. Might as well move. Mysterious Aura that he had to collect, beware. Jaune Arc was on the hunt.
Hello? Is this thing working?! It is? Noice.
And here we go again, chapter three of Auraborne is here. Slightly later than usual, but I finally got off my lazy ass to write this, thank the Gods.
A very dialogue and exposition heavy chapter, as I had anticipated, but I hope it wasn't too bad. Me? I'm not especially proud of this chapter. Not much Soulsborne shanenigans, but it had to be done. I hope it wasn't too dull.
So Jaune finally discovered his mission, and is now on the hunt for the next big boss to take down. Will it be a smooth journey? Of course not, but don't tell him!
Review responses!
Prime117: I have probably lost your attention after this chapter, but I shall regain it soon, I promise.
merendinoemiliano: There it will be Aura tecniques. Not so many and not extremely powerful, but there will be some. Thank you, and I love your ID. As an Italian, it made me chuckle.
kiro10: Keep it up I shall. I can't stop after the numbers that I made in under two chapters. You guys absolutely blew my mind. And more you had! Let me know your thoughts, I appreciate all kind of constructive criticism.
Ultimate Kuuga: Hello, glad to see you again. Most people are very much insane, but not all of them. He will not gain the Auras of everyone he defeats, only the particularly powerful people. And yes, it is indeed lore time ahahah. And about Ruby and Yang… yeaaaaahhhh… kind of awkward uh? Thank you for reading!
xalmasyz: Thank you for the compliment and thank YOU for reading. This game that you described sounds very interesting as a concept, maybe I'll read something more about it myself. Sounds like a survival game, so not my genre, but I will definitely give it a look.
And that's all. Thank you to everyone who favourites/followed (there is really too many of you, much more than I expected to be honest), to everyone that reviewed and everyone that read silently, you guys are epic.
That's all folks!
Ta-ta for now!
