-I intend to come back to this chapter to flesh things out more. It's been 8 years since I wrote anything, and I feel a bit disappointed in how my creative mind has diminished since.-
Chapter 1: Pawn to D4
Jaune could hear the Atlesian Airship's hull rattling against the wind from within the troop compartment. He gripped Pyrrha's sash harder, struggling to maintain his focus on the mission at hand. His other hand was on a meditating Ren on his right, boosting the lithe man's aura as he concentrated on his cloaking Semblance.
Ever since they entered Valean airspace, he could hear his heart pounding fast and irregularly, like the beat of a bad dance number. One beat punching through his chest, the other ringing in his ears. It's just like any aerial insertion mission. Assess for a potential LZ. Implement the landing strategy. Secure the LZ. Advance to the objective. Extract. he drilled in his head.
Another scrape against the exterior shook him from his mindscape, and startled the team of Hunters. Ruby grasped onto Crescent Rose, steadying herself back in her seat.
"This exactly like move-in day three years ago. Minus the view. Brings back any good memories, Vomit Boy?". Yang said. Seated across from Jaune, her jokes betrayed the shaking of her flesh and blood arm.
"Memories, yes. Good ones? Some. As for our first Vale Airship into Beacon? Hardly," Jaune replied. "For starters, instead of teachers and staff, there's an army of Grimm and an unaccounted Wyvern waiting to greet us once we touchdown."
"And this time, we're the ones breaking in," Ruby added. "Everything we've done up to this point was just running away, or surviving to fight another day. Salem's always been one move ahead of us. But today's the day we been waiting for; to give her a wrench in her plans, and take the Crown," she said, her voice adamant.
"I'm gonna break her and anyone else still with her," Nora boasted, slamming Styrkrhild's pommel to the floor. "No Grimm, creepy scorpion, or metal leg guy is getting in our way!" Yang pumped her fist in approval.
"Don't want to run into any of them if we don't have to," Jaune said. "We'll have to be careful and stick together. Ren is going to be instrumental in cloaking us from the Grimm, and Emerald will act as a secondary defense if his Semblance misses something. Ruby and Yang take point, while Nora and Blake cover our cloakers. I'll maintain all your Aura, and Weiss will provide general support. No going off on your own, even if you can take these Grimm out on your own."
The pulsing in his head grew louder even as his trained nerves steeled themselves. The beating is regular. But it's not attached to my heartbeat, he thought.
"Your plans almost never fail, Jaune," Nora beamed. "We'll never leave your side or let you leave our side ever again, fearless leader," Nora said. "You can always count on us."
"I'm glad to see that everyone is motivated in their own way," Ren chimed in. "Nora, please remember. Jaune has got a point. It's not about exterminating Grimm. We have to break into the Vault under the old Tower, retrieve the Relic, then extract as soon as possible. Only take out the Grimm directly in our way," he reminded Nora.
"Still breaking!" Nora pointed out gleefully. Ren could only smile gently at his excited companion.
"I'm with Nora on this one, Ren!" Yang cheered. "The faster we break Grimm, the faster we break into the Vault, steal the Crown, and be on a one-way trip back to Vacuo. I've been dying to try out Infernus Celica and these triple-O shells on something all day,"
Ren chuckled. "Let us hope we don't have to confront as much Grimm as you are prepared for, Yang. Stealth and speed will serve us well."
"That's right. Plus we have Weiss, Blake, and Emerald with us to help," Ruby said. "We're a whole army!"
Quickly, the four hunters began to happily chatter amongst themselves like any other day as Jaune muted the world around him into noiseless static, diving into the rabbit hole of his mindscape where the heart pulsing continued to foment.
"Do you believe in destiny?"
"Remnant to Jaune! I asked if you think you can take down a Beowulf in one slice again!"
"He's not answering because you called him Vomit Boy again, Yang!" Ruby whined, her voice bringing Jaune's senses back into the world.
"Jaune, c'mon man. Look, I'm sorry I called you VB again," Yang giggled. "Gotta lighten the air up here, you know?"
"That's just our fearless leader doing what he does best; leading fearlessly!"
But one look at Jaune was all it took for Ren to frown. "Something is wrong. You are disturbed, Jaune."
"It's just in my head," Jaune replied back, trying to assuage his concerns.
"I can see that. Your Aura is strong as ever, but it's turbulent, like two currents meeting in the ocean," Ren pointed out before clearing his throat. He turned to the rest of the group. "Maybe you need a rest from our jokes from time to time. Let us bring our focus back to our mission."
Jaune stood from his seat in shock, hands raised. "No, no! Please Ren, it's okay. I can't take all the fun out all the time. I'm fine," Jaune assured them, "I'm fine. All this planning, this aerial insertion, this sneaking mission, maybe it is all getting to my head. I don't exactly have a great track record when it comes to plans that include flying machines," he pointed out.
Nora pouted. "Jaune, you're our best friend, and so are we. We trust you, and your plan, and we're going to make it work," she said earnestly.
"And once we're on solid ground, you can just leave the rest to us," Yang assured him. "Ruby and I'll take point. You've never let us down before, Jaune, and I don't think that'll change."
Ruby nodded in agreement. "The Rusted Knight never fails! Whether it comes to cooking, cleaning, or even slaying Grimm!" she exclaimed joyfully. Jaune smiled, wondering when the last time he heard Ruby jubilantly claim something so outrageous.
"The Rusted Knight would be nothing without his friends. You're the best teammates a guy could ever ask for." Jaune began to walk towards the door to the airship's bridge. "I'm just gonna check on the girls up front. Get a little fresh air," Jaune said. Before Ruby could protest, he had already exited the troop compartment.
Yes.
"...and that is how you correctly adjust the throttle of a decommissioned D77-TC Atlesian Airship to override the public sector limiters and restore it back to military spec," Blake proudly stated.
Emerald and Weiss continued to stare at Blake as if she had grown a third head.
"How do you know so much about previously classified limiter overrides on military hardware?!" Weiss demanded.
"...because," Blake answered.
"Regardless, for our safety we should not resort to the limiter removals. These airships have not been serviced since Atlas fell, not to mention the Gravity Dust for the lift assist is running dangerously low. Who knows what kind of stress we putting on the components inside this thing just by flying it?" the white fencer pointed out.
"Still don't understand why we couldn't just have Raven teleport us there," Emerald stated. "Would've been easier and faster."
Blake groaned. "For the last time, it doesn't work that way..."
The doors to the bridge opened for Jaune Arc. He greeted the three women with a soft wave of his hand.
Weiss was the first to wave back, smiling at the knight. "Jaune, I thought you'd be staying with the others in the troop bay," Weiss said. "What are you doing here?"
Jaune walked down the bridge towards the vectorized radar render of Beacon Academy. He sighed , as the once familiar school was unrecognizable, rubble laying where grand buildings centuries of years old once stood. He rolled his shoulders like an old man stretching his muscles. "It get a bit stuffy," he answered Weiss. "And there aren't any window seats either."
Weiss turned to look at the vector radar, recalling their brief time in Beacon before its Fall. It brought back memories of a distant life, full of laughter, strife, growth, and of course, a fair share of danger. All of which, she had to admit, self-imposed. "There isn't much of a view to speak of here, either," Weiss added. "To come back here, where our lives as students ended, is not quite a happy homecoming."
Jaune could see that the Beacon tower was now in view through the cockpit's windshield, just over the horizon. His breathing slowed, each breath becoming deeper as he fixated on the Tower and the Fall. "It doesn't bring back any good memories," he confessed. "We lost too many friends here. Friends that we were supposed to make lifelong friendships with. Even enemies that I'll never reconcile with.I don't want to lose anyone else here."
Emerald shrinked back into her chair, trying to remain as unnoticed as possible.
"It is unfair that our path should take us back to that day," Weiss said, placing a hand on his shoulder to ease his pain. "But it is what we have to do," Weiss continued on. "If we're going to win back a world worth living in, then we have to do it. But we promised that we'd all do it together, Jaune. Not alone." Jaune let out a small chuckle. "And what is so amusing, Jaune Arc? I demand you to tell me immediately," Weiss said, feigning a stern attitude.
"Weiss, you've must've been hanging around Ruby a lot lately, because that sounds like something Ruby would say," Jaune told her. "Something a hero would say."
A sly smile stretched across Weiss face. "Truly? I was actually thinking of a certain Rusted Knight," she playfully corrected him. "And last I heard, the Rusted Knight I know is a hero, too."
Jaune grinned back at Weiss. "Thanks, Weiss. Hope I can keep it up."
"You already are," Weiss told him gently. "For one, you're not leaving our fates to chance like certain headmasters, if your battle plan you told us before we left is anything to go by."
"Now, where'd you learn to say nice things lik-"
I will claim what is ours.
Before he could finish his sentence, a flash of hot, searing heat struck Jaune Arc's mind. He let out a pained scream as he fell to the floor on his knees before Weiss.
"What the heck, Jaune?! What happened?" she cried out. Emerald and Blake turned around to see Jaune writhing in pain. Wasting no time, they began to radio in the team in the troop bay for assistance.
He tried to focus on Weiss's blue eyes as she steadied him, but an entirely different picture danced across his eyes. A dark, starless sky with the fractured moon overlayed Weiss's face. This ghostly vision began to track an object streaking across the sky, with a glowing white-gold aura inside of it.
An unfamiliar hand rose, lined up straight against the streaking object. Jaune could only tell that it was a woman's hand at first, pointing at the golden aura with an index finger. He gasped as he saw a black bow materialize out of flames in her hand, aimed at what appeared to be an Atlesian Airship.
Weiss gasped at the sheer terror that overcame the knight's face. At that same moment, Ren burst through the bridge's doors, trying his best to maintain his Semblance.
"Jaune. That not your Aura I saw.. It's-"
"Cinder. She's here," he answered Weiss. "And she knows we're here."
You were supposed to have died with the others. Time to finish this little game.
Atop the ruins of the Academy's dormitories, Cinder brought forth a wicked glass arrow and notched it upon the bow's string, her sights trained on the white-gold Aura in the sky.
With a smirk, she opened her hand, and let loose her fell arrow.