Hello again everyone. I took a break due to my own patrons' suggestions due to something that happened to me IRL. Regardless, I am back and writing again.
Ozpin watched silently even as the students gasped at the scene of young Jaune Arc climbing up a tree.
As far as tactics go, it was the best he could do with the situation he was given. It allowed him to rest and prevent himself from getting attacked by multiple foes at the same time.
If the Grimm wanted to get him, they would need to climb the tree one by one as evidenced by the single Alpha Beowulf trying to climb after young Jaune Arc.
He nodded in approval as he saw young Jaune Arc kick down said Alpha Beowulf towards the ground.
Still, there was a problem though. The tree shook as they also saw an Ursa lean a paw against it.
Respite he might have but young Jaune Arc was still cornered.
"Jaune!" Ms. Rose squeaked out in concern even as Ozpin felt Ms. Nikos glaring daggers into his back.
He only stayed silent however even as Ms. Xiao Long crossed her arms frustratedly. "Damn it! Where is the Professor?!"
"There! That must be him!" Ms. Valkyrie pointed out a light passing above the tree Mr. Arc was on only for it to continue onward.
"He overshot." Mr. Lie noted gravely and Ozpin could now really really feel the daggers Ms. Nikos was aiming towards him with her eyes.
"He needs to hurry. Jaune has Nevermores on him now." Ms. Belladonna added and cold sweat now started to appear on Ozpin's forehead.
Did he make a mistake? Was he going to see a student die today? What would even happen to the timeline if Mr. Arc-
His throat locks in on itself as the tree shook again, more heavily this time as another Ursa leaned against the tree.
""Jaune!"" Both Ruby Rose and Pyrrha Nikos cried out and Ozpin watched as Mr. Arc desperately fish out his Scroll out of his pocket only for it to flash on his face before pocketing it again.
He saw the moment Mr. Arc began to lose hope only for steel to be injected into his spine as he suddenly shifts demeanor.
It was just on time because a third Ursa leaned against the tree and shook it heavily with the others. This time, the tree fell.
Cries rang out from the students but Ozpin only stayed silent as he saw Mr. Arc jump from the falling tree and draw his blade midiar with both hands.
His eyebrows then climbed upward when the sword began to glow, signifying the intense amount being pushed into it just as Mr. Arc swung it downwards right into an Ursa's snout
Light flashed and an explosion rocked the video as everybody gaped at Jaune Arc's action.
Incredible.
That was an Aura Slash! A superconcentrated version of it released point blank!
It looks like Mr. Arc had the proficiency the more advanced applications of Aura.
Ozpin grinned as his student showed a hint of his potential.
When people trained their Aura, they usually had multiple attributes they needed to measure.
These are the size of their reserves, the efficiency of how much they can improve their strength and other baseline qualities, their ability to manipulate it to certain parts of their body, and amount they could release in one single moment.
Jaune Arc just showed he had all of those in spades. More importantly, he also had a latent Semblance called Aura Amp.
Fantastic.
No wonder he becomes a formidable warrior like the Rusted Knight.
Regardless, Aura Arts would be something they would need to train him in in the future.
For now, Ozpin would appreciate the aftermath of Mr. Arc's desperate action.
Everyone gaped as they saw the effects of Mr. Arc's last attack.
Trees bent and splintered, the ground cracked and cratered, and finally, the Grimm, dead.
Ozpin chuckled as he saw Jaune Arc gawk at the clearing he just made. Still, the attack took its toll and rendered Mr. Arc incapacitated.
He wasn't worried though even as more Grimm began to appear and the students gasped worriedly.
After all, Jaune Arc has successfully bought some time.
He watched as an Ursa charged towards his downed student only for it to be tackled by a glowing tank of a man.
Ahhh...vindication. Almost nothing felt as good as having his trust rewarded.
The Rusted Knight wrestled the Ursa into submission and Ozpin chuckled as the students all watched in awe.
He took note of the glowing Magic Armor surrounding his new professor and observes how strong it was to deflect the Grimm's attacks.
It seems Ser Arc has a proficiency in manifesting the Magic Armor.
Perhaps it felt the most familiar to him considering his Semblance and its effect on his own Aura?
It would certainly explain how easy it is for the Rusted Knight to cover himself in Magic Armor which when coupled with his own surprising expertise in hand to hand becomes deadly.
The Grimm did not stand a chance.
Ms. Xiao Long whistled in appreciation while Ms. Valkyrie cheered enthusiastically at the brutality being shown against the Grimm.
Unbeknownst to them however, what they were currently seeing was nothing compared to the brutalization the Rusted Knight was going to do later.
He breathed deeply as he stared at the disintigrating Ursa on his feet. Shrugging to himself, he pulled his feet back and kicked the disfigured head off of its body.
Grimm, this was his first time fighting them after twenty long years and he didn't remember them being this fragile.
No, perhaps that was wrong.
The Grimm didn't get fragile. Jaune was just the one who got stronger. It was as simple as that. He had twenty years to train his Aura and Semblance and while he may not currently have his armor and Crocea Mors, he had magic.
Magic Armor clung above his skin like a second layer of Aura. It was so strong that he didn't even have to worry about most attacks coming his way.
He froze however when he heard the clanging of a sword dropped towards the ground.
He turned his head to see his younger self gawking at him and his eyes widened at the condition he sees him in.
Disheveled hair, tattered clothes, dirt and scratches on his face and hands, and his ass flat on the ground.
His younger self did not have a good time.
"Damn it!" He cursed worriedly as he marched towards him, his hand glowing with the tell of his Semblance.
"You okay?" He asks as he saw stiff shaky hands weakly lift towards him.
He kneels in front of him, letting both of his younger self's hands hold one of his.
"What happened?"
"Grimm."
Grimm indeed.
He cringes at that.
This was just supposed to be a training exercise! With the Elder Deathstalker and Giant Nevermore dead during the students' Initiation, nothing in the forest should have been insurmountable for these kids.
Nothing except a small Grimm horde that is. But still! There's a reason why they made the exercise a race and launched the students away from each other.
It's so that they would rush towards the cliffs while the Grimm were distributed among them. None of them should have been surrounded and bogged down like this unless...
It's been so long since he last fought Grimm that the most of what he remembers in regards to fighting them were the slogs he and his friends went through in Atlas...
His thoughts darkened as he revisited those memories for the second time today. He shook his head however when he heard a roar from the distance.
Great, more Grimm.
He needed to remember that they were attracted to...negative thoughts.
Palm. Meet. Face.
"You forgot, didn't you?" Pyrrha chuckled deep inside his mind even as Jaune grumbled back.
"Give me a break. It's been twenty years since I fought Grimm."
"What? What is it?" His younger self asked confusedly, jolting Jaune out of his thoughts even as Pyrrha giggled inside him.
"Tell me, what are Grimm attracted to?" He asks as he lays a glowing hand on his younger self's shoulder.
"Uhhh, people?"
Right. He could already hear Pyrrha laughing loudly in his brain.
"You are either concussed or really really clueless." He looks flatly at his younger self who only gasps before scowling up at him.
"Hey! You just called yourself clueless, you know?!"
His eye twitches at that but a smirk grows on his face as he hears the overgrowth around them rustle.
"Well, I never claimed to be perfect and just so you know, Grimm are attracted to negativity." He snorts before pulling his younger self up onto his feet.
"Wait, what?"
"DUCK!" He shouts as he pushes his younger self back on his ass with a smile on his face while a Beowulf leapt between them.
"That wasn't very nice." Pyrrha chided even as Jaune grabbed the Beowulf midair by its neck and broke it with a twist of his arms.
"What? He called me clueless."
"You called yourself clueless. He needs help by the way." Pyrrha points out, getting Jaune to turn his head.
He could already see another Beowulf trying to maul his younger self's arm and pull him deeper into the forest.
Alright, perhaps it was a bit mean of him to put his younger self on his back knowing that they were still in danger.
In his defense though, Jaune never really was that well-adjusted after twenty years in the Ever After.
Seeing the younger versions of his friends and talking to other people helped but it only took the edge off of him.
Only Aura replenished by his Semblance kept the kid from being harmed further.
"ARRGHHHH!" Terrified screams rang out even as his younger self blinded the Beowulf by pushing a thumb into one of its eyes.
Jaune immediately stomped on the Beowulf's back, killing it as it yelped in pain before pulling it away from his younger self.
"Don't be afraid. You're drawing them to you." He says, pulling his younger self up on his feet once again.
"That's easy for you to say! I had that thing trying to bite my head off!" His younger self screamed, pointing at the disintegrating Beowulf before looking towards him with wide eyes. "And what do you mean I am drawing them to me?!"
Jaune however only snorts at that.
"Everyone knows negativity attracts Grimm and even if you didn't know about it, Port should have brought it up in class."
"Be kind, Jaune. You forgot the same thing yourself." Pyrrha reminds and Jaune almost cringes as he hears his younger self say the same thing.
"Well I forgot, okay?! Besides, I had a lot more important stuff to worry about than Professor Port's lecture!" His younger self shouts, picking up Crocea Mors and standing back to back with him as the trees rustled around them.
Unwilling to admit his own forgetfullness, Jaune snorts, looking away from his younger self as he sees an Ursa step into the clearing.
"Oh yeah? What kind of stuff are you worrying about?" He asks carelessly as he cracks his neck.
His younger self however only screams at him frustratedly.
"Oh geez, I don't know! I wonder what stuff I could be thinking about other than Pyrrha dying! Weiss bleeding out in my arms! And a girl dying by my sword!"
Jaune froze at the tortured scream even as more and more Grimm circled them around the clearing.
"That would certainly do it." Pyrrha nods grimly inside him and Jaune could only release a breath at that.
No wonder the Grimm were being drawn to his younger self. He watched as Ursae, Beowulfs, and even Nevermores began to appear around them.
Before anyone could move however, a sound cuts through the trees.
Brrr! Brrr! Brrr!
His eyes look up as he hears the roar of a bullhead engine approach them.
And there he sees a sleek metal grey aircraft start hovering above their location with its side doors open.
It was the signal to the start of the chaos.
Ursae roared, Beowulfs leapt, and Nevermores divebombed towards them.
Jaune breathed and without hesitation, amplified his Aura, enhanced his strength, grabbed his younger self by the back of his hoodie and threw him straight up in the air.
This was not place nor the time for his injured and tired younger self to have a breakdown. That still leaves him with one problem however.
"AHHHHHHH!"
Jaune heard the scream but he had no time to think about it because he was already ducking under an Ursa's claws and punching it with an uppercut.
"Behind you!" Pyrrha warned but Jaune was not worried.
It did not kill it but his fist buries itself into the Ursa's gut and Magic Armor came to the fore as a Beowulf tried to bite his neck from behind.
Confident in his armor and Semblance, he lets the Beowulf's teeth grind just above his skin as he mindlessly throws it over his shoulder and into the reeling Ursa in front of him.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted as a frown grew on his face.
"What is it?"
"No, not you. Younger Jaune!"
Taking the time to look up, he sees his younger self trying to climb up the side of the bullhead, though numerous Nevermores harassing him hampered his progress.
Thinking quickly on his feet, Jaune decides to lure the Grimm onto him instead. By thinking the worst thoughts imaginable.
Twenty years of isolation gave him a lot of time to practice the infamous art of hating one's self.
Failures from those days of futures past in both Beacon and Atlas hounded through his mind.
Pyrrha, dead.
Penny, slain by his hand.
And more recently, Ruby, devastated by his actions.
He could hear Pyrrha trying to say something towards him but he focuses and recalls all the bad things that happened in his mind.
The last one was particularly easy to remember considering it just happened but the sight of Ruby crying on her knees almost knocks the breath out of him.
Which was a dangerous thing to do considering the Grimm suddenly renewed their efforts to get him.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha screamed and Jaune sidestepped the Ursa charging towards him like a bull.
Unable to stop its own momentum, the Ursa plows through the Beowulfs around him.
"It's working! They're starting to focus on you!"
Taking the opportunity to look up with a glower on his face, Jaune sees Nevermores diving towards him.
He clicks his tongue however when he sees some stayed neared the bullhead to harass his younger self by trying to scratch his face.
"He's going to fall!" Pyrrha gasped as they both saw his younger self almost slip off the bullhead as he tried to wave the Nevermores off with one hand while holding onto the bullhead with another.
Damn it. He needed more juice. He needed more negativity to lure every Grimm up there down towards him.
Luckily for him, he knew a tried and true method to rile himself up.
Casually grabbing one of the small ones diving for his head and crushing it in his hand, Jaune closes his eyes as he tries to visualize one of the most impactful persons in his life.
Closing one's eyes in battle would usually get one killed but Jaune wasn't worried. None of these fools except an Ursa can even dent his Magic Armor and even then, he was already pushing his Semblance to thicken said armor around him.
It was the first time he felt himself straining his Semblance but he didn't let it stop him. He grunted as he felt his mind and soul stretch but he only used the irritation to fuel his negativity.
Negativity that was still increasing as the image of a particular person started to come to mind.
One bright amber eye looked hatefully at him as wavy, shoulder-length, black hair framed a pale face. Yet the features were blurry and Jaune finds the woman staring back at him almost unrecognizable as two decades worth of time took its toll on the memory of even his most hated foe.
Luckily for him, Pyrrha was there to understand his thought process, pick up his slack, and then add on to it.
"Do you believe in destiny?"
"Yes."
Cinder Fall fires an arrow with a victorious smile on her face.
Jaune's eyes snap open and he roars his heart out as his fist instinctively fly out to hurt Cinder Fall.
Ozpin told him that magic responded to imagination and intent. Well, Jaune imagined breaking Cinder's face and he intended to do just that.
The Cat told him that it was based on feeling and his body just does it. Well, Jaune was feeling quite a lot as he imagines his fist making contact with Cinder's face and well...his body just does it.
Instead of Cinder however, an Alpha Beowulf receives his wrath.
"RAAAAGGHHHHHH!"
BLACK FLASH!
The poor Grimm.
His ears popped as thunder clapped, bone armor shattered, and the Grimm disintegrated into smoke.
His eyes squinted while negativity and Destruction spewed all around him in flashes of black lightning as the force of his blow pierced through the Alpha Beowulf.
In the aftermath of it all, his eyes blaze furiously and his face locks itself into a snarl as the attack destroys everything in its wake.
Trees splintered and the ground looked like it was raked in one particular direction as every single Grimm behind the poor Alpha Beowulf who took his attack head on died pathetically.
It was the most successful attempt of offensive magic he had done so far and yet it was a double edged sword.
Unlike the first time he did this particular move against Ozpin, he did not feel free.
The clarity that hits him now leaves him seething instead.
He does not see himself. He does not see Pyrrha. All he sees is Cinder Fall.
It seems like there was nothing quite like the first-hand memory of Cinder killing his partner in terms of riling him up.
In fact, it was still riling him up.
His mind strained as dark thoughts filled his head.
It was clear to him now. If only he was stronger, faster, better, Cinder would be dead.
Instead, Pyrrha was dead. Penny was dead. And so were the numerous people who died during the Fall of Atlas and even of Vale.
He was sure Pyrrha was screaming at him but in that moment, he could hardly hear her as every single memory he had about Cinder brightened.
Negativity festered and every single pair of red eyes locked onto Jaune at that.
Even the Nevermores harassing his younger self turns towards Jaune and dives down towards him.
And yet despite accomplishing his objective of luring the Grimm away from his younger self, he does not leave for safety.
He does not run towards Beacon's cliffs, nor does he amplify his strength to leap straight into the sky and grab onto the bullhead past the Nevermores.
Instead, impotent and desperate rage rises up inside him and his body loses itself to its one desire.
Killing her.
And yet Cinder Fall was not here.
The Grimm were, however.
And so Jaune Arc roars, consumed by hatred, anger, and grief, he rips and tears the Grimm apart.
"Holy shit!"
Jaune heard the pilot of the bullhead curse as they both looked down on the ground to see a veritable of Grimm swarming below them.
Yet the pilot did not curse because of the Grimm horde itself.
Nor did Jaune gawk over the bullhead's edge at the sheer number of Grimm he was seeing, at least not completely.
No, the reason he and the pilot were gawking was the man currently below them.
The Rusted Knight.
Whatever numbers Jaune faced earlier? It was nothing compared to how many they were down there and yet...his older self slew the Grimm left and right.
Beowulfs, Alpha Beowulfs, Ursae, and even Alpha Ursae converged below them into what looks like a black wave rushing towards one location only to die ignobly.
Trees fell, the ground shook, and roars were heard as they hovered uselessly above the battle, nay, the massacre below.
He gulped as he saw an armor made of light stop every single attack while his older self ripped Grimm apart with his bare hands.
"RAAAAAGHHHHHH!" He roared and Jaune was pretty sure that if the Grimm had blood, his older self would be bathing in them.
Damn.
Jaune had a long long long way to go if he wanted to be strong like that.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
He fumbled for his Scroll as he heard it ring loudly in his pocket only to see Headmaster Ozpin's name flashing brightly on it.
Without hesitation, he accepted the call and was immediately bombarded by multiple people calling his name.
"Mr. Arc, I-" Headmasted Ozpim greeted as his face flashed through the Scroll only for Pyrrha and Ruby to interrupt him.
""Jaune!"" Pyrrha and Ruby shouted as they tried to look over Headmaster Ozpin's shoulder.
"Fearless leader!" Nora jumped from behind Headmaster Ozpin, almost crashing into the older man only for the Headmaster to immediately pull away and monopolize the Scroll.
"Ahem, Mr. Arc, as I was saying, are you alright?"
"Uhm, yeah. Other than being a bit tired and dizzy, I am fine."
"Wonderful. I'm directing you to return to the cliffs-"
"Wait! What about him?!" He cuts off apologetically, looking down towards the continuing massacre below.
Jaune would normally never interrupt his elders but this was not a normal situation. Luckily, the Headmaster only nods understandbly.
"Do not fear, he will be fine. In fact, I daresay we should be more worried for the Grimm than the Professor. Gods know I would have to find other training exercises for Beacon now that the Grimm population in the Emerald Forest is being culled."
Jaune nods reluctantly at that. The Headmaster was right, they should be worried more for the Grimm than his older self judging by how he was bulldozing them no matter the size.
But still...
"I guess we can't really help him right now but what if he needs it later?"
It only takes one mistake or a little bit of carelessness for things to turn from bad to worse.
He should know. He just experienced it after all. Getting chased by Grimm only to let carelessness and an Ursa corner him into a tree as Grimm gathered around his area was not fun.
Lessons were definitely learned after that experience.
Headmaster Ozpin only smiles softly at him.
"Do not fret, I will look after him. You still have your question to ask him after all. I'm sure he would be able to answer it once he cools his head down. In the meantime, I recommend regrouping with your friends here and learning more about the future. Ms. Rose asked him a very insightful question earlier after all."
His eyes widen and perks up at that knowledge. Ruby asked a question and the Rusted Knight answered? Part of him was indignant that they didn't have the patience to wait for him but part of him was also curious and excited at the fact.
He was especially curious to know what Ruby asked and if they learned the name of Pyrrha's killer. His eyes harden and his fists clench tightly on his scroll at that thought.
Something must have shown on his face because he hears Headmaster Ozpin chuckle at him.
"It seems you have made your decision. Have a safe flight back, Mr. Arc. We will see you in a few minutes."
He only nods shyly at being seen through before smiling thankfully back at the Headmaster. "Of course, Headmaster. Thank you and I will see you in a few."
Dropping the call, he looks towards the pilot who was still gaping at his older self. "Let's go. The Headmaster wants us back at the cliffs."
The pilot jolts at that before looking at him doubtfully. "We're leaving him?"
Jaune only shrugs at that before waving his hand downward.
"Apparently. It doesn't look like he needs help at anyway."
The pilot snorts at that before angling the aircraft back towards. "You got that right. We'll only be liabilities if we even try to do anything. Besides, I think I see some larger Nevermores coming in from where the old ruins used to be."
Jaune stares towards the distance at that and nods as he sees three black specks flying towards their direction.
They were certainly bigger than the bird-sized Nevermores he encountered but they were undoubtedly smaller than the one Team RWBY killed during Initiation.
He closes the bullhead's doors as he feels it accelerate, ignorant of the fact that if he only waited two more seconds, he would have heard a certain name coming from his younger self.
"CIIIIINDEERRRRR!"
The name echoed loudly throughout the forest with only the dead, the dying, and about to die Grimm there to hear it.
Cinder sneezed as Lionheart entered her room.
Pathetic.
He was already entering a student's dorm room feebly, the least he could do was take a bath to prevent Cinder from getting allergies.
Her lips curled in distaste as Watt's then followed with a raised eyebrow.
Well, this confrontation was going to come sooner or later.
She snapped a finger and Emerald suddenly stretched a Scroll out towards Watt's from beside her.
It was time to send him to Vale.
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