He slashed the massive blade of Crocea Mors greatsword form, cutting down another faunus, while he kept on running towards the waterfall. Ilia had already dealt with a good majority of their forces, leaving him with only the strays to take care of.
He jumped sideways, avoiding a gunshot, cut open the throat of the next faceless White Fang member, before jumping again and plunging his sword in the chest of the the one who had dared shoot him. How many had he killed by now? He had no idea.
He just knew that there were more and that they were in the way. Mors Renata flew in his grasp, barking when he pressed the trigger, aiming towards the rooftop of a nearby house. The heavy sound of a body hitting the floor followed soon after. He was in a frenzy at this point, intent on leaving none of them alive for a second longer. It's not like they could even be considered "people" anymore.
He bent low, charged up and unleashed a powerful three hit combo, cutting down two more enemies at the same time. He was getting close. The last building was behind him by now, their numbers started to thin out and he could hear the rumbling of the water.
He bent sideways and stabbed through the chest of the last faunus in his way, throwing him away like trash afterwards. He was on the verge of a cliff… right above his target.
Looking down confirmed it. That particular shade of red was unmistakable, coupled with all the classic Turned characteristics. It was going to be a difficult fight, he knew that much… but he couldn't hesitate anymore. The more he waited, the more everybody else suffered.
He jumped down, landing right across his enemy, whose singular eye fixed on him. He looked… neutral, his face emotionless. He gurgled for a bit, like a toddler trying to speak for the first time. But then…
Then he did.
"B… la… ke…"
Blake? He was muttering her name? Just how far his obsession ran…?
The red clad faunus kept on repeating her name, each time a bit louder, while his lips started peeling backwards, snarling like a hound.
"B… la… ke… pay…"
He clutched his head, until his rage reached the boiling point.
"Make… her… PAY!"
The target of his anger was out of his immediate range, unfortunately. Which meant that the scapegoat of his wrath…
Became Jaune.
.
.
.
ADAM TAURUS, THE BEAST
.
.
.
He barely had time to dive on his side before Adam's crimson blade almost dissected him right then and there. It seemed he had enough presence of mind to retrieve his katana that Yang threw down the waterfall, all that time ago.
Great, just his luck. He was even capable of speech too, even if only to mutter and curse Blake's name. He wondered what was exactly that made the difference, when it comes to the infection…
He shook his head. He could think about it later, for now he had a bull to stop. He deployed and raised his shield, just in time to block the next lightning quick attack. He slid backwards a bit from the sheer strength of the strike. Then another one. And another one.
The attacks came one after the other with a ferocity he never experienced before. With a grunt of effort, he pushed through the last slash, bashing Adam's body with the shield and giving him time to retreat.
Strong, fast and relentless. These were the defining traits of his adversary's fighting style… and it seemed all was the same on that front. The fact that he was a Turned didn't seem to be much of a damper. Probably just enough so that he wouldn't be outright blown away by his attacks, which was good, but didn't do much to improve his confidence.
Maybe he was trying to bite off more than he could chew…
No. He couldn't think like that. There were only two ways this fight could end. Either he won and lived…
Or he lost and he would die. And he was determined to make sure that the latter wouldn't happen.
Jaune had tested Adam's offense. Let's see how well he fared on the defensive. He rushed forward, posing the blade of Crocea Mors to slash his opponent's midsection.
His katana, named Wilt if he remembered correctly, intercepted his own blade, deflecting the strike. Using the momentum, he maneuvered the blade and attacked from the opposite direction. This time, the red sword blocked and they remained in a stalemate.
Neither of the two seemed to give or take any ground, which meant that they were roughly equal in terms of physical strength. It was while they were locked, that Jaune spotted a weakness.
Wilt was a beautiful weapon, masterfully crafted most likely… but the metal was cracked, right in the middle. The damage wasn't immediately noticeable, but the web was getting bigger and bigger the more Adam used his weapon, even if only a bit each time.
It wasn't a battle of skill, or overwhelming power. No… it was a war of attrition and strategy. Resist long enough for his opponent's weapon to wear itself out and then deal a strong blow to shatter it. Possibly before Adam could have the time, or presence of mind, to use that outrageously broken Semblance of his. The problem?
He wasn't sure he could survive that long. The faunus, apparently tired of the stalemate, headbutted him, the horns on top of his head amplifying the pain, and slashed again, sending him flying dangerously close to the edge.
Damn! Jaune didn't even have to check to know that his aura was barely hanging on after only that attack!
Pure instincts told him to move and he swiftly rolled, avoiding the downwards stab that would have surely killed him. He took three entire Boosters while he got back up, now genuinely afraid. He couldn't keep up with the faunus. He just couldn't. Adam was still way too fast.
He dived sideways again, before raising his shield again, like at the start of a battle. What to do…?! He needed something to close the gap between them! Even if only for a bit! Just enough to allow to capitalize on the cracks on Wilt!
It was while he was barely blocking the attacks that he remembered. What did the auras that he gathered always said at the end?!
Use this Aura to become stronger.
Become stronger…? Could he? How did it work? And what would happen to the person whose aura he consumed?!
Another heavy strike made him slide back again. With a staggering gasp, he realized that he had no choice, if he wanted to finish his mission. Making use of the small window of time that Adam had inadvertently granted him, he summoned the Dashing Veteran's Aura… Professor Port's very soul. He closed his eyes, silently apologizing to the jolly old man…
And he squeezed his hand.
Almost instantly he could feel it. His own aura was refilled to the max, his muscles strained underneath his hoodie, the fatigue disappeared. He felt good. Better than ever before!
Adam's attacks had always looked like red blurs to him, up until then. But now… they were perfectly visible. And now that he could see them… he could counter them.
With a flip of his wrist, Crocea Mors came down, violently clashing with Wilt. The crack on the red katana became bigger. Then again and again, their weapons met with bright sparks, driven by the Turned's mindlessness. When his opponent noticed, it was too late.
Mors Renata came up and barked once more. The bullet soared towards Adam, who used Wilt to block again, on instinct. The consequence came immediately. Half of Wilt soared through the air and down the waterfall, back in its watery grave.
The faunus gawked at him, then at his beloved weapon. If he was angry before, he was definitely furious now…
Adam screamed all of his unyielding wrath.
"PAY! MAKE… THEM… ALL… PAY!"
The remaining half of Wilt went back inside the scabbard, Blush. That pose… that familiar red swelling power…
Jaune cursed, sheathing his own weapon and transforming it in its greatsword form. Mors Renata's bullets weren't going to help. He needed to finish it with a single strike! He ran forward, raising his blade above his head and slashed just as Adam was about to unleash his Semblance.
The faunus dropped to one knee and for an instant, he thought that the fight was over.
"Ma… ke… th… em… pa… y…"
Oh Brothers…
With one last burst of strength, Adam released all the energy that he had stored during their fight. The small island they were fighting on was cleanly slashed in two, one half diving down towards the water below. Everything was still for a moment.
That… was way too close for comfort…
Jaune hobbled on his feet, clutching his bleeding shoulder. His aura was busted, destroyed in that one singular hit. But the boost that he had received from Port's soul was just enough to allow his survival. He gasped and rasped for air, like a dog. His eyes remained forward, towards the source of all that destruction.
Adam Taurus was still on his knees. Wilt and Blush were both gone, probably down below with the rest of their battlefield. And he was not moving.
He walked towards the red bull faunus, waiting for one last surprise… which never came. He stood above the other man, Mors Renata clutched in his hands and pointed towards his defeated opponent's forehead.
The former leader of the White Fang seemed to have one last spark of clarity, probably because he was about to die.
"Glo… ry… to… the… Whi…te… Fa… ng…!"
Jaune squeezed the trigger, finally putting a definitive end to the terrorist that gave them all so much grief.
Good fucking riddance.
.
.
.
CORRUPTION ERADICATED
.
.
.
Obtained: Wrathful Beast's Aura
Aura once belonging to Adam Taurus, obsessive terrorist and former leader of the White Fang. Similarly to Banesaw, Adam's transformation revived him from his eternal rest, bringing him back to the place of his greatest failure. But his anger and lust for revenge were so great that it allowed him to keep a sense of self.
Use this Aura for a superior purpose and save Remnant.
It was over… he won…
With a shuddering sigh, he fell backwards on his ass, not having the energy to move right away. He had to stop for a bit and allow his aura to regenerate, so that he could use some of his Boosters and recover.
A small laugh escaped him. He did it. He had done it!
He defeated Adam freaking Taurus! Even if…
Even if he had to sacrifice his former professor's soul for it. His good mood plummeted right away. He could feel the effects of the boost vanish now that the battle was over. It wasn't even permanent…
Damn it… damn it! That's what happens when you let emotions dictate your actions! He faced off against an enemy that he had no hope of defeating and somebody else suffered the consequences of his miscalculations!
He covered his eyes with the back of his hands. He won, sure… but the victory felt hollow.
He knew that this line of thought made no sense. Peter Port was dead already. He likely could never come back. He was the exception, not the rule. The rest of Team RWBY were also going to be an exception… but all the others were probably stuck being dead. So, there was no point in being upset. If anything, he knew that the old man would have been more than happy to allow him to consume his soul, if it meant giving his student the power to win.
So… why? Why did he feel like… like he failed at doing something…?
A short rest and three Aura Boosters later, Jaune was back on his feet once more, ready to tackle the remaining parts of Mistral. He had both of the auras that he required to reveal the location of the next friend that he will…
That he will have to put down.
The thought still gave him the shudders, even after already having dealt with Yang. It was never going to feel better, he just knew it. Which, admittedly, was a good thing, since it meant that he was still keeping his humanity intact. It was the most important thing, to never lose sight of who he was. The moment he did, he would start to lose hope… and the infection would take over him, like…
Like Ren.
He pushed his former brother out of his head. He grieved enough. It was time to move on, even if it was the most difficult thing he had ever done.
He was stuck on the small rock platform, which meant that the only way back was to use his Proof of Passage. How the hell did Yang and Blake even managed to come back after defeating Adam…?
Beacon was as quiet as usual. Saphron, Terra and Adrian were all asleep, cuddled up together. It was a shame that his scroll had been broken in the battle against Salem, otherwise he would have loved to take a picture, both in case he needed a pick me up later on…
And for blackmail purposes, of course.
But alas, no dice. Shame, better luck next time. He nodded at Taiyang while he passed by, who was briefly resting, before heading down to Gunmetal for some upgrades. In truth, he only had enough for a couple, but it was better than nothing.
Obtained: Mors Renata +2
He walked through the portal back to Haven, where he placed Ren and Adam's auras in the slots. The gate briefly shimmered and changed scenery, showing…
Another island. Wow, shocker.
The houses were still Mistralian in style… in truth it wasn't particularly different from the rest of the kingdom… except for a small detail.
The streets were literally filled to the brim with bodies of different faunus, of all breeds and races. The portal focused more on an enormous house towards the middle, the scene changed to dojo styled interior, where, finally, his suspicions were proved correct.
Blake Belladonna was standing at the center, with the usual pasty white skin and black veins, showing that she was Turned as well.
She had her weapon, Gambol Shroud, clutched in her right hand, her eyes were closed… until they opened suddenly, seemingly staring right at him, before the portal shimmered one last time, showing Beacon once again.
An island close to Mistral, mainly inhabited by faunus and with a strong connection to Blake. There was only one place that fit that description…
Menagerie. That's where she was hiding. And with her there, the Lamp of Knowledge couldn't be too far off.
Good, he had a destination. The only issue was… how was he supposed to reach Menagerie? He doubted that there were still ships that sailed towards it…
Or were there? Honestly, he used to take a bullhead without a pilot back when he was in Vale and he needed to get to Beacon, so maybe there was a pattern there?
Things just couldn't be easy, ever, could they?
He exited back out with the elevator, nodding at Roman while he went and buying a couple Ice Dust Bombs, just because he could, racking his brain on what he was supposed to do, when a female voice coming from his back almost made him jump.
"So… you survived. Good, very good! I'll admit, I was getting a bit concerned…"
Ilia Amitola still enjoyed sneaking up on people, huh? What a nasty habit…
But still, she said that she was doing some research on her own, but just in case…
"Blake is in Menagerie, yes, I know. I was going to just go there and wait for you… but then I remembered that you would have no way to follow me if I just take the last boat. Which meant that I had to be here and wait for you to come back. Even if… I expected to come from Shuyō Dōro, not from Haven. How did you…?"
Jaune shook his head. No time for explanations now.
"Right, we gotta hurry. Come on, the boat is close by, we just… gotta walk a little bit. Are you ready? We won't be able to come back for a bit, after we go".
He nodded, being as prepared as he could be at the moment. Ilia nodded back and together they started the final leg of their journey through Mistral.
Blake… hang in there just a little longer. Your suffering… will end soon.
Hello?! Is this thing on?! It is?! Noice.
Welcome, dudes and gentleladies, to another episode of Auraborne, the show where throwing yourself headfirst into a boss fight is the Sigma way to handle things.
And so, Adam Taurus fell under the blade of our protagonist, even if a price had to be paid for it. Godspeed Peter Port, you damn legend!
Blake is now the next objective in Menagerie, and Ilia has officially joined the party. Will they be able to handle the treachery of the island and free our… "favorite" cat faunus from her torment? Who knows at this point!
Review Responses!
Essiter1987: And I will once again tell you that it's okay and I appreciated your suggestions. Jaune did indeed win, through one of the usages of the "secondary" auras… and sheer dumb luck. Just like in an actual Soulsborne game! Adam was one the "main bosses", necessary to progress the story. The only actual Legendary bosses are the Team RWBY members.
merendinoemiliano: Thank you, I always try my best with the action, even if I don't always think it's as good as it should be. Ooooohhhh, I see… well, that kind of dry humor is something that most people generally find funny, myself included, so I'm glad that you are a fellow complain enjoyer.
That's all folks! Ta-ta for now!
