...
Heya! A few months later, two vaccines later, a school semester later, and most of all, a few other things later, Gemstones is slowly on the uprise again. This was a side story we'd been planning for quite a while, just to give Gwen something. By the way, TV Tropes guy- edit that JNPR section. They are NOT "brought down to normal."
Firstly- I'd like to say thank you to the newest member, Zeus, aka Matt. He has been a fantastic writer, editor and friend these past few months. I trusted him enough to write his own episodes from scratch, with minor supervision by me. I'm very proud of him.
Second- given how the Fanfic mods don't care anymore, if this site dies, it will move to A03.
Third- here's the story. See you again soon.
"Uh, Gwen?"
Gwen snapped back to reality. She looked over to her student, and then down at the piece of notebook paper he'd erased a dozen times over.
"Is this correct?" he asked.
Gwen quickly did the calculations in her head. "Let's see... y=−6x−15's origin point is -3, 3. Good job, Jaune. I think you're really getting the hang of this stuff."
The blond smiled. "Thanks, Gwen."
"What about my question?!" her other student butted in. "This stupid tangent line stuff is gonna make my head explode!"
Gwen rolled her eyes before taking Nora's furiously scribbled piece of paper and scanning it. "Hmmm, you're close. From the table of values above we can see that the average rate of change of the population of fish is moving towards a value of 4 from both sides of t = 5 and so we can estimate that the instantaneous rate of change of the population of the fish is 400, not 300."
"How do you do this stuff so easily!?" Nora hissed. "Is it witchcraft?"
Gwen nearly turned beet red at the phrase.
"Or it's because she uses good studying tactics and balances her time well," a boy with a magenta streak in his shaggy black hair said. "Also, please keep it down, Nora. I don't want us thrown out of the library again."
She pouted. "Awww, but I swear, Gwen's amazing at this stuff! It's almost supernatural!"
"No, Ren's right," Gwen said with a smile. "I've been prepping for an ivy league school for a while, so I really know how to use memorization skills."
"I dunno, I'm kinda siding with Nora," a girl with her red hair in a waist-length ponytail said. "There's a certain 'magic' to Gwen's routine. I can't really describe it."
"See!? Even Pyrrha agrees with me! It's magic!" Nora yelled.
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Aaaaand that concludes our session for today."
"Dodging the question, eh! Seems like something a WITCH would do!" she added.
"Speaking of witches," Jaune said, smartly changing the subject before Nora turned this into a week-long discussion. "How about we all hop on over to that sandwich shop? I'm feeling pretty hungry right now..."
"Um, I'll pass. But thanks for the invite, Jaune," Gwen declined as she started to pack up her satchel.
Jaune frowned. "Oh. Uh, alright. You guys want in?"
Ren shrugged. "Well, Nora's already out the door. I'm just gonna go along to make sure she doesn't cause a commotion. Again."
"What about you, Pyrrha?" Jaune asked.
"I'll catch up with you two in a second," she said, eyes focused on Gwen. "Girl talk and stuff."
Jaune shrugged. "Alrighty. We'll be outside."
Pyrrha sighed as he left, putting a hand on Gwen's shoulder. "Are you doing ok? You seem a little distracted today."
"What? No, I'm fine," Gwen objected.
Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Don't think I haven't noticed you staying up late at night. I'm very worried about you, Gwen. Ever since... that happened, you've been kind of distant."
Gwen took a deep breath and looked away, eyes burning with shame. She hadn't wanted to put any emotional strain on her roommate. Pyrrha was kind and considerate and becoming a good friend, and Gwen didn't want to push her away because of her issues.
"Have you been going to those therapy sessions like I told you to?" Pyrrha asked gently.
"...yeah, actually," Gwen lied. "I'm on my way to one right now. I just didn't want to mention it in front of the others."
Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, but shook off the thought. "Alright. See you back at the dorm?"
Gwen nodded. "Don't forget it's your turn to vacuum tonight."
Pyrrha chuckled. "I won't, promise." She walked off, quickly regrouping with the others.
"She doing okay?" Jaune asked, concerned.
Pyrrha shook her head. "I think she's lying to make sure we won't worry about her. I wish I could do more...I hate lying to her like this."
"I do too, Pyr," he lamented.
The sandwich shop was surprisingly quiet for a Friday evening. People had either gone out for the night or just decided to barricade themselves in their rooms for studying or gaming or...other things.
Let's not focus on that.
Nora happily gobbled down her Ultimate BLT, not caring how feral she looked. She was starving and greedy right now, could you blame her? She hadn't eaten since noon.
Pyrrha quietly picked at her salad. Gwen's mood was really starting to worry her. She knew her friend's thoughts exactly: "Why should someone else get dragged down with me? I'm fine, don't worry. Enjoy your life, my suffering is my own."
She remembered the first time she met Gwen; moving day, just a few months ago-
Pyrrha was already setting up her bed when Gwen walked in, struggling to balance a few boxes of books on top of one another.
"Ah!" Pyrrha gasped, rushing over to help. "Let me take that from you!" She quickly set down the top box on the ground while Gwen regained her balance.
"Oh my god, thank you-" Gwen said as she got a good look at her roommate. Compared to her size, Pyrrha was a full head taller than her. Pyrrha swore she saw Gwen blush as she quickly set down her books.
"You must be Gwen." Pyrrha smiled warmly, offering a handshake. "I'm Pyrrha. I'll be your roommate for this year."
"I-it's nice to meet you." The other girl smiled nervously.
"I think I'm all set up here. Do you need some more help with your boxes?" she offered.
"Oh, sure, thanks," Gwen said. (She honestly planned to use magic to teleport everything to her from her car, but hey, roommate bonding time.)
The two walked down the stairs in silence. Pyrrha took it upon herself to 'break the ice'. "Sooo, what's the one word you would use to describe yourself?" she asked.
"Huh?"
"One word to describe yourself," Pyrrha repeated. "What would it be?"
"Oh, that's a hard one," Gwen noted. "Um...I guess, intellectual? But then again, everyone here is an intellectual. What about you?"
Pyhrra chuckled. Gwen's awkward 'adorkable' nature reminded her of Jaune, somewhat. "I suppose my word would have to be...righteous."
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Why that?"
"Oh, well, I tend to be the 'mom friend' of the group." Pyrrha smiled awkwardly.
Gwen snickered. "Honestly? I can see that."
"Everything ok?" Nora asked, looking up from her half destroyed sandwich. Pyhrra snapped out of her memories.
"Oh, yeah. It's just...Do you guys ever feel bad about lying to Gwen?" Pyrrha asked anxiously. "Like, she's a nice girl. Shouldn't we at least tell her about," she waved her hand around, "all of this?"
"I'm not sure she'd understand," Ren stated, looking up from his Caprese sandwich. "You saw how devastated she was after her grandpa's death."
"Plus, she's a normal girl. We're not exactly normal, are we?" Jaune chuckled, unwrapping his 'pizzawich'.
He had a point. The truth of the matter was that the four of them were Huntsmen from Mistral Academy, located in Europe. Fredkin University, similar to Mistral, was also an academy, but also a safe haven for Hunters and Huntresses. It was essentially their sister school.
Pyrrha had won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row. You'd think that would strengthen a girl's pride, right? Make her feel on top of the world.
Wrong.
Pyrrha HATED the fame more than anything. People sneering at her, whispering things about her skills, acting fake when they eventually lost to her...She hadn't really formed any meaningful relationships due to her status and talents. It hurt her, honestly. And everyone in the damn kingdom knew her name.
So, imagine her shock when her teammates had no clue who she was. Pyrrha also felt great relief when Jaune was revealed to be the leader, and for once, she was making actual friends. It was a fantastic change of pace.
And since no one knew who she was at Fredkin, she honestly felt free for the first time in years, so she begged Jaune to jump at the opportunity to investigate a Semblance trafficking ring going on behind the scenes here.
"I know, but still. She deserves to know the truth," Pyrrha huffed. "I'm her roommate, I have to sneak out under her nose and then act like I got a full eight hours of sleep..."
"I mean, my roommate is a party animal, she's, like, never home," Nora stated. "But yeah, I get that."
"We'll tell her eventually, ok? Let's just help her through her issues beforehand," Jaune said, giving a small smile.
Pyrrha smiled in return. "Ok. I'll start with talking to her tonight."
Unfortunately, that didn't happen, because Gwen was gone. Their dorm room was empty, but there was a weird scent in the air. Some objects on Gwen's desk were scattered about, her laptop was still on the table...Pyrrha genuinely wondered if Gwen did go to therapy after all. But after hours and hours of waiting, her roommate never came back.
Pyrrha pulled out her phone and scrolled to Gwen's account on her WhatsApp.
Pyrrha: hey
Pyrrha: did you go home for the weekend?
Pyrrha: is everything ok?
No response. Strange, she thought. She's usually so punctual...and Bellwood isn't too far a drive from here.
Pyrrha, starting to fear for the worst, rushed to her closet and pulled out her weapon, a spear and a shield. She went into the team JNPR group chat and sent a few messages.
Pyrrha: i think we should patrol tonight
Pyrrha: Gwen isnt in the dorm
Pyrrha: and shes not responding to my messages
Ren: That is indeed worrisome.
Nora: why on earth would they take gwen?
Jaune: she's associated with us- they'd take her to hurt her.
Nora: excellent point
Pyrrha: meet me by the statue in 10
Nora: which statue, eye following one or one of creepy poet man
Ren: I believe she's referring to "creepy poet man."
Jaune: can we focus on the fact GWEN might be in danger
Pyrrha was pacing around the dorm. Her anxiety was shooting through the roof- the junoesque girl couldn't bear to think about Gwen getting captured. This was the last thing she needed-
BING!
Pyrrha froze up- she looked back down at her phone to see a notification on the screen. From Gwen. Pyrrha hesitated, fearing it would be a ransom or some sort of trap.
However, that was the anxiety talking. Pyrrha took a deep breath and looked at the message:
Gwen: Hey, sorry I left so abruptly- I got a message from home, and...I just needed to head back. Sorry if I made you worry. I'll be back as soon as I can. Thank you.
Pyrrha let out a relieved sigh. She really had been overreacting again. She closed her eyes to quickly collect her thoughts, and then quickly sent back an answer.
Pyrrha: Alright- thought something happened. Drive safely.
She quickly texted her other teammates on the situation and flopped onto her bed. She felt like crying out of relief- Gwen was safe, nothing to cry about, right?
Wrong.
She was still worried Gwen had ended up like the other victims of that ring.
Late Saturday night, Gwen tiredly stumbled through the door, running on fumes- the flight had been awful and the drive longer than she thought. Gwen was about to collapse. Pyrrha, dressed in her pajamas, closed her book and walked over.
"Oh. Hey," Gwen mumbled.
"Hey," Pyrrha said, rubbing her arm. "...you need a hug?"
Gwen paused. "I'd like that, yeah." Pyrrha wrapped the girl in her arms, Gwen leaning into it. Today's events had been so fucking weird. It felt nice to be back in the grasp of normalcy.
"Sorry for scaring you like that, Pyr," Gwen sighed. "I kinda panicked. I got the text and...assumed the worst."
"You're fine," Pyrrha comforted her. "It was honestly my fault for...well, causing the panic. Anxiety and all that. What even happened?"
"Oh, uh." Gwen stumbled to think of a lie. "...my cousin just got into an accident."
"Oh my gosh, Ben? What happened?" Pyrrha gasped.
"Sh- I mean, he, just...had a little gende-I mean, fender bender, had to go to hospital to get some stitches. That's all." Gwen crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping the horribly thought out lie would work.
Pyrrha figured Gwen was just tired, so she went with it. "I see. Well, I better let you get some rest. You must be exhausted."
"Yeah, I'm exhausted." Gwen yawned heavily. "I'm just gonna...sleep forever now."
"Wake you up for your morning jog, or do you wanna just sleep in?" Pyrrha asked as Gwen climbed into her bed (without even changing, she must have truly been out of it).
"I plan to sleep like the dead for the next few hours," Gwen mumbled. "Wake me up whenever."
The second her head hit the pillow, she was out cold. Pyrrha sighed, her shoulders sagging with fatigue. She went to shut off the lights, but looked over at Gwen's bed first.
Pyrrha threw a blanket over her roommate's prone form and patted her on the head. She then turned off the lights and hopped in her own bed (which barely fit her tall body, thanks college accommodations!).
Maybe tomorrow would be a better day for Gwen Tennyson.
"...although it happened a long time after the actual founding of the city. In this event, important secrets of the 4th Post-Atlantean epoch are reflected. This epoch, destined as it was to represent the dissolution-"
Jaune furiously scribbled down anything that sounded important- epoch, dissolution, Post-Atlantean. It was annoying to his neighbors, but Gwen didn't seem to mind. She would've let Jaune read off her notes, but she doubted he could read her cursive handwriting.
BZZ! BZZ! BZZ!
Jaune hated his phone right now. Who was even texting him?
"-of Hypatia, the outstanding woman at the turn of the 4th-5th centuries of our era...That will be all for today," the professor finished, closing her slideshow on the topic. "Have a nice weekend."
Jaune shook his wrist in pain as everyone began packing up their things.
"Get a good work out?" Gwen joked.
Jaune frowned. "Haha."
Gwen smirked before walking over to her professor's desk. "Professor Rumpole?"
The professor looked up from her bag. She was a short woman with a deep tan, standing at almost five feet tall. Her sandy brown hair went down her back, and was done up in a long braid bound by a golden cord. She had a wide, squarish frame that exaggerated her shortness, and wore anything you'd expect a teacher to wear.
"What can I help you with, Gwendolyn?" Rumpole asked.
"I was wondering if you had time next week to meet about the paper I'm doing," she asked politely.
"Remind me again- what was your topic?" the professor inquired. "I've admittedly forgotten."
"I'm doing the topic of Geomancy- I'm unsure on one of the sections, and I wanted to see if you could offer some pointers."
"Ah, of course. Just send me an email so I won't forget," Rumpole laughed.
"Thank you, professor. Have a nice weekend!" Gwen smiled as she walked out the door.
"You as well, Miss Tennyson," Rumpole called after her.
"So, how do you think you did on that quiz?" Jaune asked as he followed Gwen out of class.
Gwen thought back to the beginning of class- every few classes Rumpole would give out a 15-question quiz first thing in order to make sure her students were following the course work… and to give students a sort of 'grade buffer' so they wouldn't have to worry so much about the final exam (which was worth 40% of their final grade).
"Probably an A, B at worst. Rumpole's quizzes are always kinda wonky," Gwen answered. "How about you?"
Jaune sighed loudly. "A B is sounding great right now."
Gwen patted him on the back. "There there, you'll survive. Have you been doing the flashcards?"
"It's helping, but I just keep on blanking on certain questions. I think it's just test anxiety," Jaune huffed. "But whatever, it's the weekend. I'm just gonna relax."
"Shouldn't be too hard." Gwen smiled as they stepped out of Steiner Hall and into the crisp October air. The leaves had just turned red and orange and were already starting to fall.
Jaune took a deep breath, relishing the cool air. "It's the type of weekend where you just wanna relax with a good comic book and lose track of time," he said dreamily.
"Well, for you. I wanna curl up with The Broken Sword," Gwen chuckled. "I'm gonna go get some coffee. You wanna come with?"
"I gotta take care of something with Ren," Jaune told her, checking his phone. "Hang out later?"
"If I have the time," Gwen said. "See you back at the dorm."
Gwen walked off while Jaune leaned against the brick wall and checked his messages. There was a frenzy of texts from Nora, all of them in caps.
Nora: THEY STRUCK AGAIN
Nora: THREE KIDS MISSING
Nora: WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS
Jaune sighed tiredly and looked up at the sky. It looked like this wouldn't be the weekend to reread all of his X-Ray and Vav comics.
Jaune quickly returned to Pyrrha's dorm room, where the group had gathered. "Who got nabbed this time?" he demanded to know.
Pyrrha held up her scroll. "She was a girl named Umbra. Her semblance was unorthodox but effective."
"Was she from around here?"
"She was a Huntress on leave, like us," Ren explained. "She was trying to get away from the action."
"Crap," Jaune hissed. "Do we have anything else that we can use to trace them?"
"Sadly not," Pyrrha said quietly. "We might've hit a dead end on the case."
They stood in silence for a moment.
"What if we asked Gwen?" Jaune suggested.
Nora snorted. "What's she gonna do?" she scoffed. "Study the case like hell and get an A on the test? She's not a Huntress, she's just a normal girl."
Jaune rubbed his neck. "Well, she knows the nearby areas better than we do. And what if she's heard something that could help us? Wouldn't hurt to ask, even if we don't get anything out of it."
"...maybe," Ren allowed. "Our line of work is dangerous. We share the same dorms. We might have been putting her in danger to begin with."
"Still, I'd feel awful for bringing her into our lives like this," Pyrrha said sincerely. "She's my roommate, and not to mention, she's been... through a lot."
Jaune shook his head. "Maybe you're right. Sorry, dumb suggestion on my part. For now, let's go on patrol."
"Let's just keep all of this on the down low," Pyrrha told them, holding her spear and shield. "We need to find the victims before-"
She never finished her sentence. The sound of the door closing caught her off guard, and Gwen stared at her, wide eyed.
Jaune gasped. "Uh, hi Gwen! Pyrrha was just, uh, showing us her DIY weapons of Wonder Woman!"
Gwen honestly would've believed the lie- those weapons did look like something out of a superhero movie- had something not stuck out to her.
"Is that so?" Gwen asked, setting down her coffee. "Can I see the spear?"
The four friends shared a glance. Pyrrha nervously handed her roommate the heavy weapon. Gwen nearly dropped it, but was able to prop one end of the spear on one of the beds. She examined the armament carefully...before flicking a switch, transforming it into a rifle. Pyrrha gasped before snatching the spear out of Gwen's hands.
"Uh, it's a really...weird Wonder Woman?" Jaune stuttered out.
"You're all Hunters," Gwen stated, a hint of betrayal in her tone.
"Wait, you know about us!?" Nora gasped. "Maybe she is a witch!" Ren quickly covered her mouth with his hand, and the two of them watched and waited.
"You...know about us?" Pyrrha asked nervously.
"The gun combo gives it away," Gwen explained. "Plus, Ben's best friend is- no. That isn't the focus right now! Why did you guys keep this from me?!"
"We're undercover!" Jaune exclaimed, eyeing the door. It was closed, but he was still afraid someone might hear. "We assumed you were just a normal girl, or a spy, or just that...We felt you wouldn't understand."
Gwen's eyes narrowed, before she eyed a drawer left ajar. She stuck out her hand and a projection of a pink hand shot out, closing it shut.
Jaune jumped back while Gwen gave him a look. "I understand, alright."
"WITCH!" Nora yelled, breaking free from Ren's grasp.
"H-how did you do that? Is that...is that a semblance?" Jaune asked, standing behind Pyrrha for protection.
"My secret." Gwen crossed her arms. "I've also been hiding that since the start."
"So, wait, you're a Huntress?" Ren wondered, putting his hand back on Nora's mouth.
"Nope. I'm in a way different bus than you guys." Gwen furrowed her brow. "I'm basically magic."
Nora let out a muffled 'I called it!'
"Magic? You mean like glyphs?" Ren asked.
"No, like full blown magic," Gwen said. "I have multiple grimoires and everything. I literally summoned a demon in this room just a few weeks ago."
"The RA would not approve of that," Jaune muttered.
Ren finally put his hand away from Nora's face. "Well, I guess Jaune's right. We could ask her," he shrugged.
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Ask me what?"
"Do you…" Pyrrha cleared her throat. "Do you know any tracking spells?"
Gwen wanted to be mad at them. But she'd been thinking about a lot of things as of late, one of them being: what if she actually became a Plumber? Max's death had left a notable hole in Gwen's heart, and she was still crushed that she wasn't there to help. If she could prevent the same thing from happening to someone else...
Gwen put her hands on her hips. "You've come to the right person, I guess."
"A-alright!" Jaune said, eyes wide. "We're gonna go suit up. Uh, Gwen, you might wanna disguise yourself, just in case."
"We'll be ready in twenty," Ren announced. "Meet us by the Edgar Allen Poe statue."
"Right." Pyrrha nodded as the other three left the room, leaving the roommates alone.
Gwen looked at Pyrrha's outfit. It was...extreme, to say the least, what with the figure-hugging brown and gold corset, the dark brown micro miniskirt with a trailing red sash tied at her waist, and honest-to-God armored thigh high boots. The outfit was completed by brown opera gloves, a bronze gorget around her neck, and a bronze circlet with green teardrop gems on thin chains at her brow.
Gwen blinked. "That's… a lot."
Pyrrha blushed. "I'd be lying if I said this was my agent's idea."
"You willingly dress like that?!"
She cleared her throat. "In my defense-" Pyrrha flexed her impressive biceps. Gwen looked at them and raised an eyebrow.
"...yeah, that's valid."
"So, you never actually told us why you knew about the Hunter community," Pyrrha pointed out, watching as Gwen opened a drawer full of spell books.
"Ben's best friend is one, believe it or not," Gwen explained, digging through it. "Honestly, our family's no stranger to the supernatural. To make a long story short, we fight aliens."
"...what?"
"I'm not making it up. I know it sounds like one of Nora's dreams, but my family actually fights aliens," Gwen insisted. "I personally never saw the appeal. I just had magic as a hobby...but that's another story."
"...we really need to sit down sometime and talk about your backstory," Pyrrha said, thoroughly invested. "Any chance your cousin can lend a hand?"
"He's...busy investigating another case," Gwen admitted. "It kind of ties into my grandpa."
A beat of silence.
"Oh," Pyrrha whispered. "I see."
"We don't need him, to be honest." Gwen pulled out a heavy book. "I'll be enough."
"I do think you need a disguise, Gwen." Pyrrha motioned to her outfit. "To keep you from being identified."
Gwen looked down at herself. "You have a point. How about..." She flipped to a page in her book, and in a flash of pink light, she wore a Venetian mask with a cat-like face. Said mask was black and pink, with black bordering the edges and going straight down the center of her mask. The pink part was on the inside of the ears and around the black outlines of the eyes. To match the mask, Gwen wore a tight black jumpsuit accompanied by a pair of pink gloves and a stylized pink tool belt.
"That kind of spell is so convenient!" Pyrrha exclaimed in awe. Then she looked down at her own outfit and pouted. "It takes forever to put this thing on."
"How do I look?" Gwen asked, modeling the costume. "I literally just came up with this outfit."
Pyrrha looked at her appraisingly. "Looks perfect for you, honestly. The black suit is a nice touch for stealth."
"So, is the rest of the team dressed similar to you?" Gwen wondered as the two walked to the Edgar Allen Poe statue. Pyrrha had covered up her armor in a red cloak, hiding it from onlookers but also protecting herself from the misting rain. Gwen just covered herself in a spell that would repel the water from her person.
"Hm? Oh, no," Pyrrha chuckled. "Mine is obviously inspired by my Greco-Roman roots. The others vary in style, see?"
Pyrrha motioned over to her team standing by the statue- and she was definitely right.
...or mostly right. Jaune had just thrown armor over his favorite bunny rabbit hoodie. Said armor was a white diamond-shaped chest plate that cut off above his lower abdomen, and placed over his shoulders were a pair of white spaulders with rerebraces set under them. Gwen wondered why he hadn't worn much else.
Nora's style complimented her well: she wore a collared black sleeveless vest with a blue central front section with red accents; said vest had her lightning bolt and warhammer emblem on the back. Under it, she wore a white sleeveless t-shirt with a heart-shaped cutout above her bust line, paired with white detached sleeves. Her short pink skirt had a single white layer under it. Her white ankle boots had pink soles with part of her emblem on them, with low heels and pink laces, the tops folded over revealing the pink lining. She also wore a silver armor piece that wrapped around waist, under her breasts, and around the back on her neck, with metal connecting each piece together at the front.
Ren's outfit was admittedly Gwen's favorite of the bunch- he wore a dark green, diagonally-buttoned, long-sleeved tailcoat that was red on the inside, with black and gold trimming and pink cuffs. The trimming went down the right side of his torso and formed a black collar. To go along with all that, he wore a black long-sleeved shirt and light-tan pants with black shoes. Very traditional and very stylish.
When all was said and done, Gwen suddenly felt more underdressed than Jaune at the moment. It didn't help that the group stopped and stared at her outfit.
"Ooooh~! Nice Catwoman get up, Gwen! Do you have the whip too?" Nora asked excitedly.
"What? No!" Gwen held up her hands. "I don't wanna send that message, you know? Keep it PG."
Nora pouted. "The one thing missing from a cool outfit..."
Jaune shook his head. "Nora, she looks great. Let's leave it at that. Ren, could you do the honors?"
"Of course," Ren said, as he put his hand on the plate of the statue. An nigh invisible wave of energy, presumably Aura, rippled across it. The eyes of the statue gleamed for a brief moment before it split in two and opened up, revealing a winding staircase that led into darkness.
"Woah," Gwen muttered as Ren went down the stairs.
"Don't wait up!" Nora giggled as she followed.
"So, the school is in on it too?" Gwen asked Jaune.
"Yeah," Jaune replied, leading Gwen and Pyrrha down the stairs. "Originally, we were just here to get some schooling away from the craziness of the Hunter and Huntress field. Simple as that. Stuff here counts for credits at Haven. Great program, there's a bunch of kids from our old school here."
"I'm waiting for an 'until' here, there's always an 'until' with these situations," Gwen announced.
"Well, a few weeks ago, a few kids from Haven started to go missing," Pyrrha explained. "We all figured the worst had happened."
"Semblance trafficking," Jaune said, his voice solemn. Gwen shivered at the thought- she'd seen what a semblance could do firsthand, thanks to Ruby and Yang. Those two were pretty strong...and if these kids got taken? There was a chance the people they were up against were even stronger.
"We were told to investigate. And we've been keeping it under wraps ever since." Jaune sighed. "Again, sorry for lying."
"Honestly? I get the whole keeping secrets thing," Gwen reassured him. "You're talking to someone who knows magic."
"Yeah, about that...what's up with that?" Jaune asked.
"Long story short, magical gemstone gave me powers," Gwen said. Pyrrha and Jaune shared a look before looking back at her. "My life is interesting, I know."
"It...yeah," Jaune conceded. "Anything else we should know?"
"My cousin can turn into aliens, his other best friend can turn into mutant versions of those aliens, they're led by a fire breathing dragon alien, aaand another alien lives with him," Gwen deadpanned. "Oh, and there's a girl with a gun. We've never really talked. I don't know her deal."
Nora turned to face her. "Gwen, have you stepped into my dreams? Cuz that's my dreams right there."
"Let's just focus on the priority at hand," Ren announced as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "We need to report to our leader. I'm not really sure how she's gonna react to us taking in outside help."
"Got it," Gwen hummed. She would be let down and a little hurt if this leader turned her away, but she understood- these were dangerous affairs she was getting herself into.
Gwen followed the group into a strange dungeon version of an office. Maybe it'd be more akin to a superhero hideout...if she actually knew what those looked like. Superhero media was Ben's forte, not hers.
"Oh, by the way." Gwen turned to Nora. "Quick question."
"What's up?
"You guys have a name, right? Like, formed from your initials?" Gwen asked. "What is it?"
"Our team name is JNPR!~" Nora said gleefully.
"JNPR...wait, so, Jaune is the leader?!" Gwen exclaimed. Jaune gave her a nervous smile before looking back at Pyrrha.
"Yeah, we were all surprised." Ren smiled serenely. "Well, at least it took a potential weight off Pyrrha's chest. She's already pretty famous and would've been judged to hell and back for every choice she made."
"What about my stress?" Jaune asked, a bit hurt. "I'm a person too!"
"Hey, our fearless leader shouldn't stress! He should strike fear into our enemies!" Nora said proudly. "ALL HAIL OUR LEADER!"
"...Nora, don't...don't say that," Gwen said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Why? What's wrong with it?" Nora asked guilessly.
"Just don't," Gwen cautioned as they reached the 'Leader', who was sitting in an office chair facing a large map. The chair spun around upon their arrival. Gwen's jaw dropped for a brief moment- the leader was-
"Professor Rumpole," Jaune saluted. "Sorry we were...a little late."
She wore brown pants with a loose, dark green tunic cinched with a brown leather belt at her waist. The most notable part of Rumpole's outfit was a sleeveless long coat, dark brown and coarse on the outside with glittering flecks. Both rustic...and probably cost the lady a small fortune. And considering college professors didn't make all that much to begin with...
"It's fine," Rumpole huffed. "Not like there's lives on the line or anything. You better have a good excuse."
"We kinda sorta do." Nora grinned, pushing Gwen forward. "We found our secret weapon!"
Rumpole scanned the girl up and down. "Miss Tennyson, is that you behind that mask?" she demanded to know. She had to admit- not many things surprised her in this day and age.
Gwen nervously lowered her face mask. "Uh, hi." It was always weird to see a professor out of class, but usually that weirdness was reserved for grocery shopping and other such mundane tasks. Seeing her professor in a Huntress hideout? That went beyond weird.
"Uh, did you get my email?" Gwen asked nervously. "About the meeting?"
Rumpole blinked. "Yes, we'll...we'll be good for that time." She shook her head to get her bearings back. "I never took you for the Huntress type, Miss Tennyson. You did a fantastic job blending in."
"Oh, I'm not a Huntress," Gwen clarified, putting her mask back on. "Are you familiar with the Plumbers?"
"Gwen plunges toilets?" Nora whispered to Jaune.
"Not exactly, Miss Valkyrie," Rumpole said. "The Plumbers take care of alien related crimes. I take it you're a member of them?"
"...yes. Well, I'm still technically in training, but I'm allowed to work independently," Gwen lied, like a liar.
Rumpole pondered that. "Well, experienced or not, having a Plumber on site can only be beneficial. Team JNPR can fill you in on the case. Get to work," Rumpole finished, waving them off. "Time is of the essence. Who knows what they've got planned..."
"This was her room," Ren said quietly as the group approached Umber Gorgoneion's door. Said door was heavily decorated with random stickers and pictures of cute animals. The names 'Gillian' and 'Umber' were emblazoned in the middle of the mess.
"We really should've kept a better watch over this one," Pyrrha sighed, her voice filled with regret. "Gillian Asturias went missing not too long ago. Figured they'd come for her roommate as well."
Ren tried the knob. "It's locked. Gwen, do you have a bobby pin I can borrow to pick the door?"
"I do, actually," Gwen said, reaching into her pocket- she always carried some bobby pins and hair ties in case she needed to put her hair up. She was glad the practice paid off.
But in the blink of an eye Nora shoulder charged the door, loudly flinging it open. The group jumped in shock as she walked inside the dorm, brushing herself off.
"What?" Nora protested. "Rumpole said 'time is of the essence'. Those guys could be kidnapping someone else right now!"
Jaune rubbed his forehead, something common whenever Nora did something rash. "She has a point," he conceded. And with that, the others walked into the dorm.
Gwen and Pyrrha, despite being first semester freshmen, tried to keep their tiny dorm room as clean as they could. It was admittedly difficult, considering there were two girls sharing it. Dust and food wrappers and dirty laundry accumulated quickly, but the two girls had done their best to keep it at bay. It didn't help that their particular dorm was fairly old, which explained why there was so much dust in the first place. It was why Gwen lamented the fact that she couldn't get into one of the better apartment dorms on campus- not only were they newer, but they were all in beautiful colors, inside and out.
Sadly, it seemed Umber and Gillian hadn't cared about their wonderful apartment at all. The entire place was filthy: the front door led into a carpeted front area, where the colors were probably once purple, but the layer of black dirt on the ground made it hard to discern; the kitchen to their left had dust collected on the counters, along with stinky, unwashed dish towels and high piles of dishes in the sink; and while both bedroom doors were closed, there was a lingering stench in the air that made Gwen think the source was coming from inside one of them.
Gwen quickly cursed the fact that these people got her dream apartment and ruined it before getting back to business. "Which one is Umber's room?" she asked, looking around and trying not to breathe in through her nose.
"If I had to guess..." Pyrrha opened a door that led into a bedroom- it was also a pigsty, but it looked less like a disaster zone and more like a mess a teenage girl would make. The walls lining said bedroom conveniently had a few photos of Umber posing with friends and family. Gwen took a look at her appearance- she was a dark skinned young woman, fashioning her hair into dreads and wearing dark mirrored glasses in...every photo of her.
"Must be a fashion statement," Nora commented, picking up a pair from Umber's desk and jokingly putting them on. "Sooo, Gwen! Do your thing?"
"With pleasure." Gwen's grimoire floated up from her leather case and flipped open. Her eyes lit up as she took a deep breath. "Praeteritum prodere, iam ostendi. Ostende nobis facere quae fata!" she chanted, and the room was coated in pink light. The group watched in interest as light formed around Umber's twin sized mattress, creating a perfect projection of the girl...though it was only a pink silhouette that lacked any of her features. The group oohed and aahed at the sight of pure magic.
"Impressive," Ren mused, approaching Gwen's left. "What spell did you use?"
"A spell that reveals the past," she answered. "We'll know exactly what happened, and if there were any other parties involved."
The group watched the projection toss and turn in bed. Trouble sleeping, or nightmares? The girl slowly sat up in bed, waiting a moment, before walking out of the room. She hesitated in the kitchen before stepping out into the hallway. "Follow her," Gwen ordered, motioning to Ren and Pyrrha. "I wanna see something."
"Uh, Gwen, no offense, but, I give the orders here? Team leader?" Jaune said nervously.
"Oh, right. You tell them to do that. I wanna see something." Gwen marched on over to Gillian's room.
Jaune huffed and shook his head. "Do...do what she said." Ren and Pyrrha nodded as the two of them followed the projection.
Gillian's room was messy. Far messier than it probably should be, actually. There was a single photo on the desk, of (presumably) Gillian and a boy. She was a fair-skinned woman with black hair braided into two loops on either side, and the boy shared her features with his black hair tied into a ponytail. The two were most likely related- siblings?
"Woah. Looks like a tornado blew through here!" Nora exclaimed. "That, or I made myself at home."
Gwen repeated the previous chant, and a projection of Gillian sitting at her messy desk appeared. It looked like she was writing something, given her hand movements of flipping an invisible book and writing with a pencil in the other. Studying, probably...
Gillian suddenly stood up, closing her invisible book between her hands. She walked out of the apartment, just like Umber.
Gwen's brow furrowed. "The plot thickens," she murmured, turning to Jaune. "That can't be a coincidence, right?"
Jaune's brow furrowed. "I seriously doubt it. Let's see where the trail goes."
The group followed the projections down the hall, down the stairs, outside of the building, and into the courtyard. Thank God it was empty tonight- imagine how strange a sight it would be to see a bunch of 'cosplayers' following around what looked to be two pink ghosts.
The girl's past selves walked out into the streets and into a back alley.
"Okay, so, any ideas on where they're heading?" Gwen asked.
"Nope." Jaune shook his head. "It's weird. Even though they're in a trance-like state, their sense of direction is amazing. Has to be because of a Semblance."
"Or just really powerful technology," Gwen pointed out.
"Why would you say that?" Ren asked nervously.
"Well, I've been hypnotized before-"
"Okay, seriously, WE NEED MORE DETAILS," Nora exclaimed. "Your life is so goddamn interesting. Which is weird, cuz I always thought you were, like, destined to be a cat lady when you were older."
Gwen shot Nora a strange look. "Seriously?"
"Hey, I see what I see."
Gwen felt uncomfortable. They were in a seedy bar in the more… questionable part of town. She could easily see some members of Ben's rogue gallery meeting up here, probably talking over cards about how they almost did the boy hero in. And maybe the scythe girl, if she had been with him at the time.
Suddenly, Gwen felt someone staring at her. She turned her head to see a creepy older guy with a scar, eyes focused on her backside. Gwen, feeling sick, opened her grimoire. Her eyes scanned the pages and, in a subdued flash of pink light, Gwen wore a blue hood and cape, hiding her person from unwanted attention.
...maybe that's why Ruby always wore a cape.
Jaune took note of Gwen's quick costume addition. "Creepy stares?" he asked quietly.
"Yeeeep." She sullenly flipped her hood up. "I really shouldn't be here."
"None of us should be, honestly-"
"No, I mean-!" Gwen sputtered. "...Jaune, I'm gonna be honest. I'm not a Plumber."
Jaune's expression changed to shock. "Wait, really? You could've fooled all of us."
"I only agreed to help because...I dunno, I don't want to be on the sidelines anymore." She looked down at her palms. "When I was younger, I didn't really do much with my powers. At the time, I just wanted to be a normal girl with a secret hobby. Most of my family embraced weirdness, but my parents did their best to keep me normal-ish."
"Ish?"
"...Yeah, sending me on that summer trip with my grandpa kinda nixed that." Gwen sighed. "Anyway, I regret not being more honest with myself. I'm gifted with these amazing abilities, and I just sat around pretending everything was normal while my cousin and my grandfather risked their lives fighting the unknown. I… I could've saved him."
Gwen looked like she was on the verge of tears. Jaune looked around, unsure of what to do.
"I… I can kinda, sorta empathize with you," Jaune revealed, helping Gwen over to a table. "I was the same way."
Gwen looked up, sniffling. "Really?"
"Well, like I said, 'kind of,'" he began. "My family has a long history filled with great Huntsmen and Huntresses." Jaune set his sword and shield on the table. "I inherited this from my great-great grandfather. He fought in the Great War and gave up his life for my family...and I wanted to be like that, a great hero and warrior. Someone people could respect. One problem though."
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"
"I, uh, had no powers, my family forbade me from joining any of the Huntsman schools, and no aura," he listed off. "So, I did something stupid: I faked some transcripts."
"You what?!" Gwen gasped. "Jaune-"
"I know, I know, incredibly stupid on my part. No one else besides you and Pyrrha know about it." Jaune cringed. "I want to say I regret it. I nearly died on the first day. Pyrrha had to unlock my aura for me, and while I'm improving, I still suck pretty bad."
"I really don't understand how you can relate," Gwen said flatly.
"I didn't want to be on the sidelines anymore either," Jaune clarified. "I know this job is crazy dangerous and hard, but I can't deny the issues everyone else is dealing with. It just doesn't feel right flat out ignoring the problem altogether. So...I get your angle. And while I'm not really the best with words, I know what you're going through. And I'm here to help."
Gwen smiled. "Thank you."
He smiled back. "No problem."
"...so, I have to ask," she said, smirking slightly. "How did you forge those transcripts?"
"Well, that's a funny story-"
"Jaune! Gwen!" Ren cried out, running over. "We have a problem."
"What, were we found out?!" Jaune shot out of his chair.
"Worse." Ren grimaced as he turned to the ring in the center of the bar.
There was an electrifying tension that filled the room, and the ring of people began to murmur excitedly. The announcer threw his arm toward the eastern wing of the arena, lights blaring as they focused all on the entryway.
"Aaaaand coming in, our most promising new challenger! She's the Queen of Lightning, The Thighs of Thunder, clocking in five foot one inches and weighing an incredible 300 pounds of pure unbridled muscle. Here she is, The Queen of the Castle herself, NORA VALKYRIEEEEEE!"
As the smoke blasted through the entryway, the sound of thunderclaps and lightning strikes filled the air. Nora stepped through as she wore...quite possibly the most ridiculous getup. But hey, that was the wrestling ring for you! Donned in a full body cape with her emblem emblazoned proudly on the back, her hair slightly spiked and her outfit as bright and pink as ever, Nora raised her hands to show off double peace signs, her triumphant laughter roaring as the crowd went absolutely nuts.
Nora's eyes were sparkling with pure determination. She wanted to face her opponent and knock them down a couple hundred pegs and maybe put them six feet under, ten feet if she was lucky. She was going to bury this man and she wouldn't stop until the bell tolled.
Making her way to the arena, hopping up on the turnbuckle and laughing some more, she quickly hopped down before pointing at her foe. Speaking with the same bubbly but fierce tone that shocked her friends to their core:
"You're in my castle now, bub! And I'M its Queen! You wanna get out of this ring alive? You gotta get through me, because I'm the cream of the crop, and my journey to the top is startin' with YOU!"
And the crowd ate it up.
"...she can't actually be 300 pounds of muscle, can she?" Gwen had to ask.
"It wouldn't surprise me if she was," Ren sighed, shaking his head.
"What about the outfit?" Jaune asked him.
"Wears it under her clothes at all times." Ren's shoulders sagged with exhaustion. "She's been dreaming about this for a looong time."
Gwen wondered if Nora and Ben would get along, and then immediately decided to never have them meet ever.
"And her opponent!" The announcer suddenly gasped. "Could it be?! The legend himself?!" Fog filled the arena. Groans of agony and pain could be heard over the cheers of the crowd, as something crawled out of smoke. It was a man dressed in black latex...or, at least that's what Gwen thought. Upon closer inspection, it looked like the man was wearing a trash bag as a wrestling outfit. His mask had white markings over the eyes, giving him the appearance of Venom from Marvel Comics.
...this was a stupid bar.
"GAAAARBO'S HERE!" the wrestler groaned, and the crowd cheered louder and louder. "Augh, lemme just...slide down these stairs..."
"Gotta give him credit," Ren deadpanned. "He's committed to the bit."
"And he should really be committed," Gwen huffed.
"Now THAT is a stylish bag he's wearing!" the announcer said as Garbo finally crawled into the arena.
"I...AM...GARBO!" the wrestler roared, and the crowd erupted into cheers once more.
Another announcer cut in. "Now, this isn't the same Garboman you're used to. This is Garboman-Man. He's possessed the body of an even better wrestler following his loss to 'the Final Pam' and the 'Nundertaker'."
Garbo grumbled as he looked at his opponent. Nora stared at him, unphased. "Garbo...will face you..."
"And Nora...will destroy you!" She smashed a bottle on her head and grinned, showing off all her teeth.
Pyrrha walked over just in time to see Nora's antics. "I should be surprised, but in all honesty? Not really." She sighed as she watched both combatants go at it. Nora was already unleashing a volley of hits, while Garbo absorbed them with ease.
"I'm...gonna make sure she doesn't do anything crazy," Jaune said nervously. "Cuz right now, Nora may seriously do some real property damage."
"Good thinking," Pyrrha agreed. "Now, you two." She motioned to Ren and Gwen, her voice uneasy. "I need to show you something."
Gwen and Ren shared a concerned look, before they followed the warrior through the occupied crowd.
While it wasn't obvious, there were guards in a seedy place like this. It wasn't just 'every man for himself', it had a hierarchy, with a king at the top.
The king sat on the throne, utterly bored. It was a quiet night, all things considered. No new transport, no new grub...and Rumpole might have her suspicions on what was going on. The king gritted his teeth- everything needed to be in order around here.
A messenger suddenly walked in, and with her the possibility of entertainment.
"My king," the messenger bowed. The king motioned for her to stand.
"What do you have to report?" he yawned.
"Well, there's an incredible match happening on the main floor," she said. "I thought you'd like to know that."
"Booooring. Those fights aren't always fun. Especially with my semblance in act..." The king wistfully looked at his hand.
"Oh, well, take a look at the combatants." The messenger pulled out a tablet- on the screen was Nora piledriving Garbo into the mat. The king perked up.
"They found us," a hooded figure said.
"Really now?" The leader mused. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped."
"Are we going through with the plan?"
"Yes." The leader took off his hood. "Do it."
"Of course."
Gwen found herself queasy for good reason- when you were in the quietest place of an incredibly loud arena, you could always tell something evil was lurking around the corner. Plus, the halls were dark and damp and (possibly) moldy.
"Watch your step," Pyrrha advised. "This place is gross."
"You don't need to warn me," Gwen gagged.
"What did you find?" Ren asked.
"Take a look for yourself." Pyrrha stopped in front of a door marked 'storage.' She slowly opened it, and what was inside nearly made Gwen scream. Dozens of kids, frozen like statues, their weapons hung on the walls like trophies. The scariest thing was their faces, not filled with fear or with sadness...but with a bitter resignation.
"...what happened to them?" Gwen asked as Ren and Pyrrha walked in.
"Like all weird things, this is another Semblance. Although..." Ren looked at one of the statues. There was actual gray dust collecting on them. "There's no semblance out there that could possibly last this long."
"I doubt this is magic, too," Gwen pointed. "I know it could be, but…" She knocked on one of the statues, and a shimmer of aura washed across it. "Ever heard of a statue having a living aura?"
"None of these are Umber or Gillian," Pyhrra exclaimed, looking at their faces. "They could still be around!"
"For now," Gwen said, scared.
"I'll go inform the others," Ren announced. "...well, I'll inform Jaune. And after Nora gets done, I'll inform her."
"Sounds good to me." Gwen said, and Ren ran off.
The two redheads stood in silence for a few moments.
"...do you have that strange feeling we're being watched?" Pyrrha asked, out of the blue.
"Now that you mention it, yeah." Gwen narrowed her eyes as she looked around the room.
Neither of the two noticed a small blur quickly moving behind the frozen victims. The hidden individual silently spun their projectile in their hands. In what seemed like seconds, the would-be assailant moved out of cover and was about to strike, only for Pyrrha to turn and hold out her hands. The assailant froze in place and was pulled forward.
It was….Umber?
She was clad in her Huntress outfit, a mostly black outfit with fingerless gloves, combat boots, and leather armor additions on her shoulders and knees. The only metal on her was her chestpiece, a barely noticeable green trim outlining the armor piece.
Pyhrra held Umber in place, her hands outstretched- there was a strange black aura surrounding them, something Gwen was only now noticing.
Her eyes moved over to Umber's outfit- that metal chest piece she was wearing was surrounded by that same aura. Gwen easily put two and two together-
She grinned. "Ferrokinesis?"
Phyrra smiled. "You catch on quickly."
"Alright, let's see if we can get this mind wipe thing off of her," Gwen said as she reached forward. Her hands lit up as she said, "Surgit." And then she waited-
"Was that supposed to do something?" Umber scoffed.
Gwen pulled back in shock. "No. No! You're doing this of your own free will?!"
"Hey, I like to cause problems on purpose." Umber grinned as she shook her glasses off her face. They fell to the ground and her eyes lit up- Gwen and Pyrrha felt themselves freeze, their bodies slowly becoming petrified.
"You willingly did this to those poor kids!?" Phyrra cried out.
"Oh yeah, the reserves." Umber hummed. "Well, I helped freeze them. Someone else helped prolong the experience. My Semblance only works for, what, a few minutes? But with her support, it becomes nearly infinite. Those kids don't feel anything. They're not dead, they're not sleeping...they're just stuck. Is that wrong?"
"YOU STILL KIDNAPPED THEM!" Gwen's eyes lit up and a tendril of blue energy whipped itself at Umber, breaking her focus. Pyrrha's eyes narrowed as the spell broke.
"Now look at what you've done," Umber scolded as she pressed a button on her scroll. She reached to her side and pulled out a whip- one of many. She turned her fury towards Gwen and let loose with her weapon. Gwen blocked all the whip strikes with some blue barriers before she sent out a wave of energy to throw Umber off her balance.
Pyrrha jumped in and bashed the girl with her shield. Umber fell back, but then kicked her legs into the air, spun on his hands, and did a double back-handspring.
Gwen blinked. "That was excessive."
Umber and Pyrrha stared each other down - and in a blink of an eye, Umber threw two of her whips at the redhead, trying to entangle her. Gwen's grimoire suddenly flew forward and opened up, swallowing the whips and allowing Pyrrha to strike back quickly. She shifted her spear into shotgun mode and began firing. Umber barely dodged the bullets- pistol fire was one thing, but shotguns? Pretty powerful. A shell struck her arm, taking a chunk out of her aura. Umber growled as she glared at Pyrrha again, her hair standing up. Pyrrha felt her body freeze again just as she released a powerful shield toss...that narrowly missed her target.
"Pyrrha!" Gwen yelled, her grimoire lighting up. She clamped her eyes shut as a burst of light suddenly filled the room. Umber's eyes were forced shut, her hold on Pyrrha gone.
Pyrrha smiled. "Suddenly, I wish you were on the team from day one."
"Hey, I don't wanna hog the glory," Gwen joked, shutting her grimoire. "Finish her off."
Pyrrha jumped and threw her spear at Umber, who quickly dodged to the side. There was no way that spear would hit her, Umber thought. And she was right. That spear smashed into the ground, stuck like Excalibur. That was one weapon out of the-
CLANG! Umber felt pain envelop her head, and she fell to the ground unconscious. Umber was so focused on the spear, she didn't realize...that Pyrrha's shield was spinning right behind her...
"That was easy," Gwen deadpanned.
"Yeah, I agree," Pyrrha said, looking back to the way they came. "What are the chances that she sent out an alert and she was just a distraction?"
Gwen paused to think. "Pretty high."
"...well then." Pyrrha raised her hand, and her spear and shield were summoned back to her. "Best not get too comfortable. Who knows how many are out there..."
...there were a LOT of them out there in the crowd. As if signaled, anyone working with Umber and whoever commanded her brought out and put on masks. The masks were actually more ornate than one would think, being mostly silver in coloration except for the crown-like top, which was bronze. The masks themselves seemed to be a depiction of someone's face, with only the mouth left uncovered. They drew their hidden weapons, some had guns, others blades.
No one noticed at first, more focused on the fights than anyone else in the crowd. That lack of focus gave them more than enough time to start moving. They knew who they were looking for.
Gwen, Ren, and Pyrrha were more focused on the guards moving towards them, so at first they didn't notice the one guard sneaking in behind them, hatchet at the ready. Right before he attacked, Pyrrha used her shield and swung back, slamming the guard in the gut and making him double over. With one more upper-cut smash, Pyrrha floored the guy.
"Nice," Gwen said appreciatively, watching the quick beating Pyrrha dished out. Two more guards moved in, both armed with hatchets much like the first guard. But before they reached the trio, instead of Pyrrha dealing out a beating, Jaune charged in and slammed his shield into the back of one guard's head. The other saw his comrade go down and immediately turned, swinging his hatchet down. Jaune brought his sword up to catch the strike. With an easy misdirect, Jaune was able to throw the guard off balance before he used the pommel of Crocea Mors to bash the guy right in the face. There was a sick crack that Jaune winced at; the guard's nose was broken.
"Sorry!" Jaune muttered to the unconscious man as he stepped over the two of them and headed over to the other members of his team.
Even Nora had gotten into the action now, using the shaft of her hammer to restrain a guard from behind. With her incredible strength, she hefted the guy up and slammed him into the ground hard, actually cracking his mask. With a graceful flourish of Magnhild, she raced over to her team. By now, the crowd had taken notice and began to rush for the exits. Well, everyone not wearing a mask that is.
"So, we doing a movie-style last stand? Back-to-back, taking on the horde of baddies?" Nora smirked as she gripped Magnhild and gave a mad grin. "Cause I am ALL for it!"
"I wouldn't call this a last stand," Gwen started as her hands glowed, "but why the hell not?" The guards rushed in from all sides, giving the new team their time to shine.
Pyrrha was able to deal with the guards that came her way with a mix of shield bashes and non-lethal strikes with her weapon, which had now taken on its sword form. Two of the guards aimed their guns and fired, but she quickly brought up her shield and let the bullets bounce off of it harmlessly. Once the two needed to reload, Pyrrha threw it and, directing it with her Semblance, had it slam into both of them, knocking their guns out their hands and then slamming into their heads.
Gwen used a variety of different spells, ranging from telekinetically grabbing guards and knocking them together to turning the very ground beneath them into quicksand, sucking them in and trapping them. A few mana disk projectiles were tossed out as well, shattering against the guards as they fell.
Jaune was holding his own pretty well. As guards rushed him with axes and smaller swords, he easily countered their strikes. Though, if one was paying attention, some of his moves seemed to mirror Pyrrha's, though there were enough small differences to make them his own.
Nora was an absolute powerhouse, swinging her hammer around and sending people flying. Everyone who went up against her ended up either having masks, bones, or both being broken. She hadn't even used the alternate mode yet, but the situation hadn't gotten that bad yet.
Ren took out the guards who rushed at him with systematic grace, using a mix of martial arts and his own weapons, Storm Flower. The two bayoneted machine pistols were mostly used like daggers, disarming the guards before Ren managed to get in a few good hits, even tossing one of them into a group and making them all collapse like game pieces.
But they just kept coming, an endless army constantly surrounding them. But that's when Ren got an idea. He knew it would work, but….he almost felt bad for what the guards were about to go through. Almost.
Ren grabbed the sorceress by the shoulders. "Gwen. I know this request is going to sound utterly crazy coming from ME of all people, but I can assure you, I am requesting this with good reason."
Gwen blinked. "Uh, okay?"
He pointed at his partner. "Hit Nora with a lightning spell."
Gwen blinked. "Uh..."
"Trust me, just do it." Ren said, his tone serious. Gwen gave him another strange look, but flipped her grimoire open anyway.
"Nom inpulsa!" Electricity crackled around Gwen's fingers as she hurled a bolt of lightning at Nora. Her body quickly absorbed the attack, her eyes lighting up, her muscles flowing with energy. Gwen backed up as Nora grinned evilly.
"What did she..."
"Nora's Semblance," Ren said flatly. "Gives the ability to produce and channel electrical energy into her muscles, giving her enhanced strength."
"...her strength wasn't already being enhanced?!" Gwen shrieked.
The next few seconds were a blur. Nora ANNIHILATED the crowd within seconds, smashing legs and heads with her hammer.
Gwen's jaw hung open as Nora stood triumphant over the bloody battlefield.
Things weren't over yet though. Despite Nora obliterating most of the guards, the last three appeared. One of them seemed to be one of the main bosses, wearing a mask with a golden base and a silver crown. The two guards he brought with him were armed with swords...and living shields.
"Enough!" the leader announced as he drew his own ornate sword. "My king demands you surrender, or we perform a live execution on these two." He emphasized the point by waving his sword towards the two people he had captive. One of them was the other missing girl, Gillian. The other was a boy with black hair tied into a top knot, with a silver diadem over his head. He wore a blue linen duster embroidered with spirals, the shapes almost swirling on the fabric. Both of them were still frozen by Umber's Semblance. With her defeated though, the effect would wear off soon.
"I would rather not. They've served as excellent gladiators and my king does get bored rather easily. But you Huntsmen can't bare to see innocents, hurt now can y-"
The thug was cut off when Nora shifted Magnhild into a silver grenade launcher, loading in fresh rounds.
"You really shouldn't do the whole villain monologue thing, buddy. It gets real old," Nora rolled her eyes as she took aim.
"But- you- you'd hit them too!"
"Wow, you must really think I'm stupid." Nora fired, and her smoke grenades detonated, blocking the view of the thugs. Before the fog entirely obscured them, the leader noticed that one of his enemies was gone. Several thuds sounded from within the cloud. The three thugs fell out, unconscious, as Ren walked into view, the prisoners safe and unharmed. It would be about three minutes until Umber's Semblance fully wore off, freeing the two of them entirely. The second one was shaking like a leaf, looking around in panic and confusion before noticing Ren and his team.
"Y-you have to help us," Jax stuttered, gripping onto Ren's shirt. "They're...they're just MONSTERS! They expect us to fight and kill one another!"
"Calm down," Ren said soothingly, putting his hands on Jax's shoulders. "You're safe now. You're in the hands of people you can trust, you got it?"
Jax nodded- he was so happy to be in the company of powerful Huntsmen. It felt nice to know he didn't have to fight anymore.
Gwen's mood was notably better after they left that seedy bar. She didn't know what it was- the sense of justice, the way she'd saved all those people, or just...how proud she could imagine Grandpa Max would be if he knew.
That was the first time in months she'd had a happy thought about her grandpa.
Jaune and Pyrrha couldn't help but smile as Gwen walked with a skip in her step.
"I honestly never expected her to be so...powerful," Jaune said quietly, as he and the others walked down the staircase.
"Makes you think we should trust her more than just being a study buddy, huh~?" Nora grinned. "I'd be game to bring in another girl to the team! It gives us an advantage."
"Over what, exactly?" Ren asked, amused.
"Red heads." Nora grinned. "I'm a redhead, Pyrrha's a redhead, Gwen's a redhead- when have you ever seen so many redheads in one place?"
He scoffed. "Come on, Nora, that's..." He paused to think.
...when WAS the last time he saw so many redheads in one place?
'Yeah, a bit of a longer pause than you thought there'd be, huh?" Nora teased. Ren didn't want to admit it, but yes. There was.
"A-are you guys always like this?" Jax stammered.
"Kind of," Jaune admitted sheepishly. And then he turned to Gillian, expression serious. "So, uh...what happened to you and your brother?"
"We were kidnapped and forced to fight for our lives," Gillian said apathetically. "I've coped by closing off all emotions, whereas my sniveling brother has coped by unleashing all emotions."
"They made us do...unspeakable things..." Jax shivered. "I may never be the same..."
"Uh...huh." Jaune was concerned but for some reason, he just wasn't sold on their story. It was strange how these two were the only ones to break free of Umber's Semblance. Sure, Jax had an alibi- he'd been freshly frozen, but Gillian...that was the real mystery.
The group reached the base, and Professor Rumpole looked up from her work. "My word," she exclaimed, rushing to them. "You found Jax and Gillian!"
"We didn't just find them," Gwen told her. "We found ALL of them."
The professor's jaw dropped. "I'm...I'm impressed!" she said with a smile. "Miss Tennyson, thank you- I have no idea what sort of luck you brought to the table, but..." Rumpole walked on over to Jax. "What did they do to you?"
Jax fell to his knees as he hugged the shorter woman. "They...they made me do awful, awful things, professor." Professor Rumpole was caught off guard by the display, but she hugged the boy back regardless.
"Miss Rumpole, about the other kids...they were frozen by Umber's Semblance. We don't know why it won't shut off, but if we can get some help-" Pyrrha turned and accidentally bumped into Ren. "Oh! Sorry Ren, I..." She looked into his eyes, finding them glazed over and glassy.
"Nora?"
Pyrrha and Gwen looked over to see Jaune waving his hands in front of Nora's face. She too had that strange glassy eyed look. "Hey, Nora, what's going on?"
"It's useless to try and snap them out."
The remaining three turned around to see Jax standing back up. His hunched and scared persona had vanished; he now stood taller, a cool air surrounding him. "They're just asleep. I'll wake them up when they serve no use to me anymore."
"Serve no use?" Jaune repeated, just before Nora put him in a painful wrist lock. Ren did the same with Pyrrha. Gwen tried to do something, but her feet wouldn't move. She looked down to see her shoes being melded into the ground by what looked like gold, of all things. Her eyes darted over to Professor Rumpole, who now had a glassy eyed look to her.
"See, Jill?" Jax grinned, as the girl in question put her hands to the back of Jaune and Pyrrha's skulls. "Told you that 'sniveling act' would work. And you doubted me."
Gillian huffed, blowing some hair out of her face. "I didn't doubt you. I just said-" Her eyes lit up, and an invisible barrier of glass broke around Jaune and Pyrrha. "-it's stupid."
"D-did she just break our aura?!" Jaune gasped.
"No, no...I just stole it," Gillian said with a smirk, before starting to drain Gwen of her aura.
"Allow me to explain who we really are." Jax grinned maliciously. "My sister and I are the heads of the Crown. We're simply constructing an army of powerful Semblance wielders to topple Vacuo's empire."
Jaune looked at Jax in bewilderment. "Wait, wait, hold on a second. Topple Vacuo?!"
"Indeed," Jax replied. "Are you familiar with the concept of 'aura doubling'? It's an interesting theory. It suggests that if a person were to acquire two auras around their person, not only would their physical abilities be stronger, but they'd have an incredibly powerful Semblance."
"It's impossible to do that," Pyrrha spat.
"'Impossible?' What a funny word to use," Jax mused. "My sister managed to find a way." Gillian finished draining Gwen of her aura and walked over to her brother. She put her hand on his shoulder and suddenly, it looked like multiple invisible sheets of aura were being layered over Jax's body. "Viola."
Gwen stared, awestruck. "She… she can drain and supply aura?"
Gillian shrugged, expression smug. "I guess I was just born lucky."
Her eyes narrowed. "That would explain Umber's Semblance."
"All you did was weaken her aura," Jax explained. "We were just going to wait until she got up, but we decided to have some fun with the three of you before we finish you off."
"I don't get it! Why overthrow Vacuo of all places? It's literally a desert! There's NOTHING to conquer!" Jaune yelled.
"Is it not our birthright to reclaim what was lost?!" Jax shouted back, pointing a sword at Jaune's neck. The trio looked notably uncomfortable as Gillian physically lowered her brother's arm.
"Pardon him, he's got a temper," Gillian said calmly. "Let me explain."
She rolled up her sleeve to reveal a strange crown-shaped birthmark. Jax turned around to reveal the same birthmark on his back shoulder. (Gwen noted that Gillian's mark looked more like an actual tattoo, but there was probably a reason for that.)
"This is a mark forgotten to history, linked back to a fearsome king. Few remember his name, but those who do shudder at the mere mention. This is the mark of Malik the Sunderer, the first king of Vacuo," Gillian explained.
"The man used to rule the whole damn world." Jax sneered. "He had everything at his fingertips...and then the empire fell, when he refused to adhere to 'justice' or some bullshit. You know, I used to believe in justice. I assumed there'd be better judgement. But I've seen how people act- cheating the system, denying that crimes even happened, lack of integrity...it's disgusting. This planet deserves a king who knows what's right, because he himself is a paragon of justice."
Gillian raised her eyebrows at that, but stayed silent. Her brother was just having an ego trip and NOT delusions of grandeur. How silly of her to question the king.
"So, I decided I needed an army. Started small, with this garbage dump of a college town, away from Lionheart's eyes. I studied the best criminal minds in order to capture my prey," Jax bragged, resting his arm on the hypnotized Ren's shoulder. "Sunk my teeth into whatever I could work with. And at times, if we were rescued, I would pretend to be a victim. Get close and strike. Worked pretty well with these two." He slapped the back of Nora's head.
"You won't get away with this!" Jaune yelled.
"Fighting behind other faces, huh?" Pyrrha scoffed. "No wonder. You've got the face of a petty little coward."
Jax glared at her. "I suppose I'll have to make an example out of one of you for denying me. As king, I declare an execution. Gillian, may your arrow be ever true..."
Gillian quickly loaded her bow and aimed. She slowly moved between Jaune and Pyrrha, deciding who to shoot. And since they were both drained of their aura, a shot to the heart would be absolutely lethal.
"I'll take care of the girl," Gillian finally declared, aiming the arrow at Pyrrha. "We'll just say Little Miss Perfect tried to relive her glory days, only to succumb to an accident. Sounds good to you, brother dear?"
"Oh, absolutely," Jax sneered, crossing his arms. Gillian pulled back the bow, and Jaune began to scream and cry. Nora and Ren stood there, stone faced and silent, but Gwen was sure if they were conscious, they'd be screaming and crying too.
Pyrrha struggled to free herself. There had to be a way to escape-
Gillian let the arrow fly-
And Gwen...her eyes shrank in fear.
It was happening again.
An easily preventable tragedy.
...and she was here to stop it.
Gwen SCREAMED as her bindings snapped. She held out her hand, and a blue aura stopped the arrow in midair. Gillian gasped, but Gwen wasn't done.
"ERADICO!" she yelled, flinging the arrow back at Gillian and Jax. The arrow exploded, sending their captors back. Gwen didn't waste any time getting Jaune and Pyrrha free. Both stared at her, awestruck.
"Thanks," Pyrrha said, picking up her weapon.
"...that was fucking awesome," Jaune declared. "Too bad we're sitting ducks, though."
"Maybe not." Gwen's grimoire flipped open and her hands lit up. She put them on Jaune and Pyrrha's shoulders and concentrated. "Magnus Vox!" The spell restored their aura, just like that.
"How did you-?" Pyrrha stuttered out.
"Long story," Gwen said with a shrug. "Argument with a Huntress friend, had to team up with her, learned to appreciate each other's strengths and weaknesses...and she punched a dude into the sky with this spell supercharging her aura."
"...we REALLY need to hear more about your life, Gwen," Jaune said, picking up his sword and shield.
Jax grumbled- how did that girl still have her aura?! That was impossible! Gillian drained her dry.
"I thought you said you took care of all of them!" Jax yelled at his sister.
"I...I assumed so as well," Gillian responded, looking down at her hands. "Unless...that girl has something beyond aura."
The siblings gave each other a look and smiled. "If that's the case...she could prove to be a useful pawn. Perhaps even a battery for you to freely abuse." Jax stood up and drew his weapon. "Support me from the back. The girl is mine."
"Understood." Gillian nodded, and Jax ran towards Gwen.
Nora rushed at Jaune and jumped in the air, trying to pummel him to the ground using her hammer, but Jaune dodged just in time. He bashed her stomach with his shield, sending her flying to the wall. Jaune winced. "Hope she doesn't get mad about that when she wakes back up..."
Nora stood up before charging at him once more. This time she changed Manghild into its grenade launcher form. She then jumped again and shot twice. Jaune ran as fast as he could as the world around him exploded. Nora's grenades were always deadly, knocking out chunks of aura at a time.
Jax chuckled. "An excellent weapon. Imagine her with even more aura."
Before Jaune had time to react, Nora smashed into the ground, sending herself flying over...and slamming her hammer into his head like he was a whack a mole. Jaune collapsed to the ground, utterly humiliated.
"...I will...feel that...in the morning..." he wheezed, seeing stars.
Just as Nora readied for another swing, Pyrrha's shield slammed into her side. "Sorry, Nora!" she yelled, summoning her shield back. She felt HORRIBLE about beating up her friends. She couldn't tell if Jax was honestly doing this for fun...or if he was somehow testing the group's abilities.
Pyrrha's ears perked up, and she held the shield in front of her body- Ren pulled Stormflower's triggers and unleashed a round of bullets at her. The warrior responded by jumping over the bullets and straight at Ren. He avoided Pyrrha's follow up attack- a thrust forward with her spear- and put his palm forward in an aura infused strike. Pyrrha was sent flying back, but she easily landed on her feet.
"Impeccable aura control from that one," Jax commented. "I knew those two were special."
Pyrrha huffed, deciding to level the playing field. Her semblance activated, various metal objects started hovering around her. The hypnotized Ren raised an eyebrow just as Pyrrha struck- she jumped onto a makeshift platform, Ren firing more bullets at her. Metal shifted to block as she jumped from platform to platform.
Ren's eyes followed her carefully, waiting for the girl to mess up- but, keep in mind her moniker: The Invincible Girl.
She wouldn't be going down anytime soon.
Jaune quickly realized how lucky he was to have his team. Not only were the best friends a guy could ever have, but they were basically like family to him. (Even if they got on his nerves sometimes.) Not to mention that, all around, they were all pretty kickass in the battlefield.
Jaune wished they were less so, especially when hypnotized.
Pyrrha shielded them from another explosion. "We can't keep this up for much longer!" she yelled. "Sooner or later they're gonna break through!" Jaune paused as Pyrrha continued to cover them. "Jaune?!" she yelled, waving her hand in front of his face. "NOT THE BEST TIME TO SPACE OUT!"
"I got it!" Jaune yelled as he jumped over the barricade and into the crossfire. Pyrrha watched in horror as he raced across the battlefield.
"Okay, this better fucking work!" Jaune yelled as he avoided bullet fire and grenades. He stopped at the halfway point. Pyrrha caught onto Jaune's plan, praying it would work-
Ren and Nora charged at Jaune, their weapons drawn and their eyes angry-
Pyrrha pulled him up into the air by his shield-
And Ren and Nora were left charging at each other.
The sight of their best friend attacking the other, the person most important to them, was strong enough to snap the other out of the hypnosis. Ren and Nora narrowly missed hitting the other, and Jaune let out a sigh of relief. Pyrrha lowered Jaune to the ground as he began breathing heavily.
"Easily not...the dumbest thing I've done..." he huffed. "But it's up there..."
Jax, as Gwen was quick to find out, was lethal- his fighting style accentuated his brutal nature as he aimed for all of Gwen's weak points. Thrusting at her eyes, below the sternum, and at the larynx- he was her deadliest opponent yet.
Gwen blocked all of his blows with basic blue barriers that shattered like glass when struck.
"Tell me, how're you sleeping easy, knowing that you're hypnotizing these kids?" Gwen yelled, firing a magical blast of energy from her palms. "Locking away their consciousnesses?!"
"Oh, I don't think about that," Jax told her, creating an aura shield that blocked her attack. "I'm only thinking about myself."
"And you're okay with that?!" Gwen shrieked, holding out her hand. "Adfishio Potentia!" Multiple beams of energy shot out from her hand. Jax couldn't block all of her blasts and was hit dead in the chest. Gillian flung another arrow at Gwen. She gasped as she threw up a shield to block the attack...
Only for the arrow to stop in mid air. Gwen looked over to see Pyrrha, holding the arrow in mid air with her magnetism. The redheads smiled at each other-
Gwen felt something cold seep inside her mind.
Her limbs locked up as something gripped her mind with its putrid claws, tearing at her memories and cherry picking what it wanted to see. Her happiest moments, her embarrassments, her nightmares… it tore at her mind with amused satisfaction, not even caring about the toy it was manipulating.
Pyrrha was shouting her name, even as Gwen's eyes grew glassy.
Magic sparked at her fingertips, and Gwen dug deep. She thought about her grandfather, how she failed him. She thought about her selfishness, disregarding her powers- her gifts- for years, thinking them useless. She thought about Pyrrha and Jaune and Ren and Nora, her first friends since coming to college, how kind they were, how they accepted her, how they risked their lives to save Jax and Gillian's victims-
Gwen screamed and threw Jax out of her mind.
She landed and glared into Jax's horrified face. "How dare you?!"
The man- no, boy- in front of her shook his head. "Impossible. Impossible! You should be hypnotized like all the others!"
"You BITCH!" Gillian screamed, only to be struck in the head by Pyrrha's shield. She collapsed to the floor, bow and arrows scattered around her. Pyrrha summoned her shield and looked at her friend, concerned.
"Are you okay?"
Gwen tilted her head towards her friend and made sure to soften her tone. "I got this."
Jax was still talking. "Oh, you would be a perfect pawn!" he crowed, not even caring that his sister was unconscious. "I just need to cut you down, as many times as it takes-"
"OH, FUCK YOU!"
Jax sputtered. "Excuse you?!"
"I want you to listen to me!" Gwen roared. "If you wanted to come after Jaune, or Nora, or me, fine! That's the life you chose! I'm talking to you! LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME, YOU COWARD!"
Gwen glowed a menacing blue-
"Do you think you're better than everyone just because you bark your orders the loudest? That you lazily sit on a throne and use your sister for your personal gain?!" Gwen yelled, the energy around her sparking dangerously. "And this bullshit about restoring a monarchy? You think the world will just accept some arrogant, weak, pathetic CHILD as a leader?"
Jax backed away in fear.
"You fucked with my head. You fucked with Nora's head. You fucked with Ren's head," Gwen hissed, her hand lighting up. "Now...it's your turn."
And Jax SCREAMED-
Gwen skimmed his brain, like she was flipping through a filing cabinet or changing channels on a TV. Flashes of life events, random surface thoughts and recent memories, the battle she's just had, only in the opposite perspective, through the last few days… which she quickly skips to months, years, the last decade.
The life that's laid out before her… it's just sad.
Jax, as a child, was a menace. The type of neighbourhood bully that would laugh at Gwen if she wore her glasses or call her 'pretty… pretty ugly', or something equally unoriginal. He acted out, wanting to be the center of attention, a class clown that everyone turned to. But as Gwen looked further, she learned he didn't attend any sort of normal school, but a farmstead or campground…
A half remembered conversation with Ben bubbled up, about how Ruby was practically raised at this Huntsman Training Camp, run by her father. Or perhaps her hometown was filled with Huntsmen, and she learned the trade as she grew up, training in a field like this.
It seemed that Jax had grown up in a similar circumstance, with one key difference.
Gwen knew that Semblances could be powerful things, flashy and overbearing. But she also knew that they weren't everything, as Jaune could attest. Jax had a different perspective.
On the Campground, he was hardly the biggest kid, and certainly not the strongest. Peer pressure had pushed Jax to be some sort of showman in a desperate attempt to gain friends, or simply some passing admiration. He was still bullied regardless; children were ruthless and scary from his point of view, all alone with her glasses and braces and chemistry set-
Gwen has to clear her mind. She'd been fueled by his emotions when she'd delved into his mind, and they were bleeding through, mingling with her own fears.
So. Jax had been bullied. It excused nothing… but it seemed all changed when he unlocked his Semblance, with the tables finally turning. Some Semblances were flashy, full of light, power, energy, and rock music blaring. Jax's? His Semblance was Mind Control: small, subtle, and disturbing if utilised correctly.
And it seemed he'd exercised it in full force.
It began with ordering his bullies to stop hurting him, and they did. It continued with Jax ordering them to give him their sweets, comic books, game consoles, until he amassed a small horde.
The adults of the Camp found out, and he'd simply ordered them to be happy for him. To help train him in honing his abilities, which only reinforced his control upon them.
It was a vicious cycle that quickly led into a self-serving superiority complex.
Gwen sighed. Jax was simply an overblown, egotistical bully. Not an alien, barely a Huntsman, with a Semblance that swayed people to his own cause. He was a sad, small man who wanted to feel better about himself, because he had been hurt. But he had made Gwen so, so angry, and if she'd made a snap decision, Jax would've been dead. Or Gwen would have used his Semblance against him, lobotomizing him...
What could she do? If he was merely imprisoned, Jax would just influence the guards to let him out. He could influence someone with money and power to hide him away, if he had the brains about him to consider it. If Gwen retreated and dropped her guard for even a moment, he could reflectively use his Semblance to influence her, to turn her on Team JNPR.
She needed to do something.
Gwen got a horrible, wicked, evil idea, but a necessary one.
(Or so she told herself.)
Gwen could make edits, make it so that he couldn't activate his Semblance ever again. In the grand scheme of things, it wouldn't affect his survival in the real world: Jax's Semblance worked on people, not Grimm, and his combat training had deteriorated so that he was barely stronger than the average human. At best, he'd learn to improve his skills, like any regular non-Huntsman.
It wouldn't help the people he'd already used it on, but perhaps in time, the effects would fade without reinforcement. At the very least, she could prevent him from doing this ever again.
Gwen dove deep into his mind, all the way to his motor controls. She found the tether linking to the Sixth Sense of a Semblance… and with a tug, she severed the connection.
Jax fell backward, his head pounding from whatever just happened. "What….what did you just DO to me?!"
Gwen shook her head, the energy around her slowly dissipating. She rubbed at her eyes and blinked, realizing she was back in the real world… and was able to properly glare down at Jax.
"The way you use your Semblance? It's just another part of the brain. And considering just how fragile the human brain is, it was easy to cut you off from your Semblance," Gwen said darkly.
Jax could only stare in true shock and horror. Gillian, who had stood back up just before Gwen came back to the real world, did the same.
"What….what ARE you?!" were the only words the would-be king could cry. Gillian was about to respond when suddenly, gunshots rang out, impacting right between Gwen and Jax.
Three more individuals appeared, each one wearing a face obscuring gas mask. Gwen could make out some details about them. One of them was a broadly built man in a green muscle shirt and gray pants. The other two were women, one of them with flowing auburn hair with a single dyed streak in it, the other with spiky pink hair and wearing a black robe. Gillian immediately rushed over to her brother along with the other three.
The redheaded attacker, once she reached Jax, held out her hands and threw them in an upward motion. The ground between Gwen and Jax heaved and shot up in tandem.
"GET HIM OUT OF HERE!" she shouted to her companions. Nora immediately brought out the grenade launcher and started blasting away at the makeshift barrier. The redhead skidded back with each hit but she kept the shield up. The green-clad and pink haired attackers handed the siblings gas masks of their own.
"You owe us for this, 'your majesty'," the green one snapped.
"I am not in the mood," Jax muttered exhaustedly as he put on his gas mask. Gwen had already joined Nora in the attack, blasting the rock wall, taking out chunks of it. Each hit pushed the redhead back, her Aura flickering each time.
"GREENY, I SWEAR TO GOD!" the redhead shouted back as the green-clad attacker released a white smoke cloud, covering a large part of the room. Those caught in it without gas masks would find that the smoke smelled HORRIBLE. Eye-wateringly bad.
The five of them coughed and gagged from the smell. Under all the sound though, footsteps echoed out. When Gwen had collected herself long enough to summon up a spell, she used a strong gale to clear away the smoke.
Jax, Gillian, and all the others? Gone.
The king still wore his crown.
The five of them returned to the secret Huntsmen office underneath campus. Professor Rumpole, upon arrival, cleared some space on a corkboard. Before, it was covered with the "Missing Persons" posters for Jax's would-be soldiers, all of whom were now recovering from Umber's Semblance. She got pictures of Jax, Gillian, and Umber and pinned them to the board at the top, marking them as "Huntsmens' Most Wanted." It still concerned her that the two had gone to such lengths. Gillian seemed like the most level-headed of the two but Jax? Even without his Semblance, he'd still fight for his throne.
"Well, at least we cleared the missing persons mystery," Pyrrha said, trying to raise spirits.
"And now we have our own evil arch-ENEMIES!" Nora shouted, "Hey Gwen, your cousin probably has a big rogues gallery right? Think we're gonna end up fighting some of them?"
"Honestly? It wouldn't surprise me. Huntsmen and aliens always seem to overlap at some point," Gwen chuckled.
"Sweet, we might get to actually see some!"
Ren moved closer to Gwen and whispered, "There aren't any electric aliens are there?"
Gwen shrugged, and Ren could only imagine how horrifying an alien-charged Nora would be.
Nora, in response, beamed at the thought.
