Jeanne cleared the way. With her Maiden powers still quite active, she managed to create a path of least resistance, allowing herself and Jaune to push through and rush towards Salem. The rest of their team followed them which had been expected. What wasn't was that teams RWBY and CRDL did the same and the adults along with them. Raven did not join, expectedly, and neither did Oscar which was unexpected.
Looking back at it though, Jeanne couldn't blame the boy. Whether that was simply a case of not having as developed a body as the others or simply that Salem would recognize the next host, it was probably the latter case that prevented Oscar from joining them. Raven was pretty much away from most of the group and did not at all look like she was about to join them either. The other adults in there were probably just sticking around to keep them safe.
No, wait. Jeanne heard the older blonde man, probably Yang and Ruby's father, call out to his daughters. "Yang, Ruby! Get back here, all of you!" It was falling on deaf ears as even Qrow was trying to call out to them.
CRDL was somewhat the same. "Cardin, are we really doing this?" asked Russel in-between breaths.
"Not if we get to them first!" Cardin replied. "Reckless idiots."
"Well, this is disappointing," Jaune commented. He heard it just as well as she did.
"Let's not talk about it." Jeanne just kept running. The moment had already been ruined to begin with. However, she could feel her steps getting slower. The protests by the girls were getting to her. Wasn't this supposed to be a serious moment of a final confrontation? Jeanne used to feel it but that feeling was being lost as the seconds past and their arguments showed no signs of stopping.
The group continued onwards with most of the others being reluctant to be involved at all, at best. The rest of team JNPR shared the same sentiments and gave Jeanne, who was in the lead, their silent condolences; it was a good thing perhaps that they haven't encountered Jacques Arc in this group; there was no doubt in either Jaune nor Jeanne's mind that the father wouldn't let them go with this.
For a moment, Jeanne paused. Was their father alright? She shook her head. Now is not the time to look for him. They had more pressing matters to attend to. However, with the argument still ongoing, she was having a hard time regaining that lost momentum.
The fallen figure of Monstra began to dissipate. With how large it was, that would take quite some time. Blackened clouds filled the air but none of them were worried much; it mostly came from the fallen Grimm.
Nope. Try as she might, Jeanne couldn't get over the current mood of the teams. JNPR said nothing but there was no lying on those expressions of theirs. CRDL and RWBY were at odds with one another with how apparently reckless the latter was. The two other adults were in agreement. I can't continue like this.
Jaune could guess what she was feeling. "Okay everybody, stop!" JNPR already knew what was coming.
Teams RWBY and CRDL stopped as well, though for different reasons. CRDL seemed to look at them as though sense had returned and the two adults shared that sentiment. Team RWBY, minus Weiss, did not.
"Jaune!" Ruby made to protest. "We're not about to let you run off into danger."
Yang, being the caring older sister that she is, agreed. "Yeah, you need someone to look after you guys." Apparently not caring enough to want to bring said younger sister out of this but caring enough to at least stick around to not let any harm come to her.
Eh, Jeanne thought. Ruby wants to be a huntress anyway.
Taiyang and Qrow managed to catch up. "Oh no, you don't!" Taiyang said. "You kids don't know what you're dealing with!"
"Dad," both whined. "You already told us about Salem. Immortal queen of the Grimm, we get it."
Jaune and Jeanne were impressed for a moment. Not even they could have that sort of sync.
"Apparently not enough," Taiyang replied.
Jeanne buried her face in her palms. None of them were taking her lead seriously. Only team JNPR did and they had the benefit of being on the same team as her throughout their entire journey. Weiss, maybe a little. But there was no denying the doubt that painted the Schnee heiress' face. Weiss was staying out of it.
CRDL, on the other hand, was in full support of retreating back. Cardin looked like he would go for her after this.
"Psst." Nora moved next to her. "Would it help to say that we're technically licensed huntsmen and huntresses?"
"We're also still younger than those two." Ren pointed to the other two adults. "And I doubt that Raven would vouch for us even if we find her."
"On the bright side," Jaune said. "At least we have more time to think about what to do about Salem. Considering, we just shot her out of the sky. I don't think she would be happy to see us."
The two groups continued to argue amongst themselves. On one hand, yes, they do have an opportunity to drive Salem back. Jeanne would personally say that it would be a permanent solution here but she wasn't about to give them that hope. She doubts their belief without their having to see it; Weiss needed to see it first before she did.
Speaking of Weiss, she was trying to play mediator between the two. If only Winter was here; she had been there too and Jeanne was certain that the specialist would at least carry more weight behind her words than any of them.
"Do you two need a distraction?" Pyrrha whispered. "I think this is going to take a while."
Jeanne shook her head. "Thank you, Pyr. You're the best. But no, let it out of their systems for now." They will come after them if they did. Whether that was to stop them from going further or to join them depended on who one was referring to.
"We might as well get comfortable," Jaune suggested. "No Grimm yet which I suppose is a good thing."
"They're over there." Nora pointed back to Vale.
"I'd be impressed if this would draw them here," Ren agreed, gesturing the argument.
Team JNPR found their spots comfortable. Jeanne wanted to keep going, she really did. But with the mood being the way that it was, Jeanne couldn't find it in herself to continue. Not especially when they would be stopped and hindered.
"Pyrrha," Jaune said. "Think you can see something from here."
"Nope." Pyrrha shook her head. She didn't even bring out her scope. "Wouldn't be able to make it out from this distance, even if I squint."
Ren's eyes went somewhere. "Is that Raven?"
Their vision followed where Ren's was at. True enough, a bird was fast approaching them and was making her descent.
"What is going here?" Raven demanded. "I saw you all charge in like reckless idiots and now you're here having a domestic? Do you people even know the meaning of urgency?"
"Rae," Qrow sighed. "You don't get to be the mother this time."
"Excuse me?" Raven argued. "Is this really what this is about? I genuinely thought otherwise but no, an actual domestic." She paused. "Right. Only the ice princess here only knows."
As Raven went on with her explanation to the doubtful, Jaune leaned in closer to Jeanne. "Should we show them something?"
"Like what? Maiden powers didn't do them any good."
"Alright," Nora called out suddenly. "Drunkard, the flask."
"Hey!" Qrow called out as the flask was pulled away from him and onto Pyrrha's hand. She took a whiff of it and nearly reeled back before tossing it towards Jaune.
"Uh," Jaune asked. "What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Give me that!" Qrow took it back and popped off the cover. "I'm too sober for this." He took a sip and paused.
Jeanne had a feeling. "It's water, isn't it?"
Judging the reaction on Qrow's face. It most certainly was. She doubts that it would be enough but that is a start.
"Don't even try asking," Raven said before Qrow could even move his lips. "I don't either and neither does the old man." The latter part of that made Qrow spit said water.
"Not even Oz?" he asked.
"No, dear brother." She shook her head. "Not even Oz."
"That doesn't change anything." Taiyang approached team JNPR. Behind him were teams RWBY and CRDL; the latter being watchful of the former, Ruby especially, probably her semblance. "That is practically humanity's greatest enemy. An enemy that you pretty much shot down."
"Maybe she died from the fall," Qrow said. "Did you guys consider that?"
"She's immortal," Raven said. "And I mean immortal. Why do you think I left in the first place?"
Qrow had many things going in his sober head. Everyone did. "You didn't tell us why you left!"
Raven dismissed it. "Details."
The adults continued to argue while team JNPR stuck around. Team RWBY tried to sneak closer with CRDL following behind. There was a look of betrayal coming from three of the girls' team with Weiss just not getting what was going on.
"So are we going or what?" Yang asked. "We got her down and you guys obviously have a plan."
"Correction," Ren replied. "Jeanne has a plan. Or Jaune." He shrugged. "Sometimes, it's hard to tell. But they are mostly the same anyway so it hardly matters." He then turned to her. "Speaking of plans, have any yet?"
"Honestly," Jeanne said. "I was hoping that headmaster Ozpin would be here."
Raven must have heard her for she opened a portal. "You don't believe me? Why don't we ask the old man himself? Yang stay."
"I'm not your daughter," Yang replied.
"Yang stay," Taiyang repeated as he joined the Branwen siblings through the portal. "Boys keep them here."
"I'm not a dog!" Yang protested. When the two had left, she spoke up again. She oddly recovered fast. "How long do you think it's going to take?"
"A while," Pyrrha guessed. "Did you see how long they were arguing?"
"I didn't really pay attention much."
The two teams turn to face CRDL. "Hey," Cardin said. "Just because there's nine of you doesn't mean we're going to back out. That woman is dangerous! What is with you people and danger?"
Weiss played mediator. "Let's not get to hasty here. On one hand, yes, I can vouch that JNPR has… peculiar ways. On the other, we could use the help."
The portal reappeared a minute later. Raven had this smug look of superiority on her face while the other two had disbelief. Qrow was looking at them with a stink-eye as he approached. "Yeah, do me a favor and turn this back." He presented the flask to Jaune.
"Uh," Jaune replied as held the flask, unsure of what to do. It wasn't like he was simply pointing on where to toss the net with the fishes or him taking rations from the bag. "It is done?"
Qrow took a sip and his eyes widened. "Full flask too, huh?"
"So, can we go?" Ruby asked permission like she was just going on a hangout with friends.
"JNPR can go," Taiyang replied. Before his two daughters made to protest, he continued. "The rest of you will be behind us." He gestured to include Raven.
"Then," Jeanne said standing back up. The rest of Team JNPR did the same. "Let us walk the rest of the way." She didn't have it in her to run nor jog. She was in no hurry anymore.
It was a long way before they would reach Salem. Even if they ran it would take a while and that was assuming that the ground was even and not; it was not. Jeanne was impressed at the sheer size of the Grimm for making her think that it had been that close to them. Or was it her new trick that pushed it back? She wasn't sure. Either way, they still had ways to go before they would reach Salem.
One thing was certain, Salem was the woman that Jeanne had received visions of. Each step closer, though still quite far, made that clearer. It was hard to tell sometimes but there were clues that she could pick up on. With Jaune, she always had a second opinion on virtue of that connection that they shared.
Behind them, the girls, minus Raven, had eager anticipations written on their faces. Jeanne envied them. They still had enough spirit to keep the adrenaline going. The others with them were reserved and cautious. JNPR and Raven had the calmest expression having been used to it by now.
Further behind them, in the distance, Vale was doing well enough in fending off the Grimm. Nobody really paid much attention to a small group of people making their way outwards though they most likely felt the loss of their momentum without two of the Maidens present.
She stared hard onto that view. Vale. It wasn't a kingdom she'd known too deeply, having mostly been in Beacon during her academic years. Jeanne's time in Mistral had been mostly spent travelling as well and thusly never got to stay for long. After all this, what waits her, she wondered.
Taking a deep breath, she shook her head and kept going. That was a matter for a different time. Right now, her priority was to get to Salem. Hopefully she calmed down enough not to attack them on sight.
/-/
Salem was not at all calm. If anger and frustration had its signature written on a face, it had just recently marked it on hers. After all, she had just been shot down from the sky and fell to what normally would have been anyone else's death. But for her, she was obviously fine physically. As fine as anyone who felt every bone cracking, every flesh tearing, and every organ splattering at the moment she landed. The only solace she had was that none of those spears, fueled by the magic of the Maidens, had struck her directly.
Monstra was taking its time in dissipation. For something so large, it was to be expected. However, much like most whales when they come up to the surface to breathe, Monstra had a repugnant smell that Salem could feel her nose die and revive, always bring in that new sensation of scent that made things worse before her nerves would think to shut that function down. In fact, her nerves also kept dying and reviving from this.
Finding the Sword of Destruction had been a more painful task than trying to get out. It took some time, and repeated revivals of the senses that enough of it returned to her. Constantly generating winds, she blew away any of the scents just so she could search for that accursed Relic.
"Oh thank the gods!" Salem managed to find the Relic without much Grimm remains on it. There were still a few stains and smudges present but the sword wasn't drenched in it unlike the ground beneath her.
Stepping out of Monstra, Salem set the Grimm on fire. It began with the tiniest of sparks but in time, that would eventually envelop the whole thing, if it didn't dissipate fully first; this was simply speeding up the process.
A moment of weakness, she cursed herself. That had been a moment of weakness. She had given herself in to the moment of memories. That calm and soothe that she gripped tightly made her forget that she had forgotten what it is that people think of her, now more than ever: a monster. A monster meant to be destroyed and conquered.
Despite the healing and remolding that she had after that sudden trip back to Remnant, Salem still felt the shock and pain of it. One would think that she would have been used to it by now. However, whenever she was being reformed, that also meant the new sensations every time. She would need to get used to all the same kind of shock and pain again if she wanted it.
Looking around her, minus the still dissipating Grimm, there was no one else around. Whoever was the Maiden that through those spears must have done so all the way from Vale.
Her hand gripped the sword tight. If that Maiden decided to attack her directly, then she was a bold one. Perhaps, her dear Ozma had yet to inform this one about her circumstances. It always was the case ever since he had been more open about it.
"No matter," she said. "It will all end the same way, anyway." There can only be one ending. Humanity uniting? She's giving them that chance right now. Whether that would stick or fade away given time is something that she doesn't know nor does she care to know. It will end soon; her immortality will come to an end. Be it by her hand or theirs.
The rest of her body was reforming. Her bones were being broken again as they reformed. It was always a pain and one that she never got used to. Her flesh was being torn and reformed again until she was fully back to how she was before.
When it had finished, Salem stayed in place as the numbness of the pain went away. It had been a while since she had last felt pain of that scale. Good. That was good. That made getting angry easy. She needed to direct that anger somewhere. If she wasn't mistaken, they would be in Vale.
Salem took her first step in this reformed body. It wasn't painful but it certainly felt like a new sensation; it always was like this, every time.
AN: Just venting and unrelated but I wish we had some sort of hint on the Summer Maiden.