Title: Berried Delights
Genre: Adventure, Hurt/Comfort
Summary: We've all heard the story of Pyrrha coming back as a Grimm. But what if, that night Beacon fell, Jaune had realized her plans sooner? Back then, if their positions were switched… would their… fates… be different? Would she have his life, and his hers?
A/N ON SCHEDULE! Hey, 08.00 PM's not that bad, right?
To triscythe59, I'm happy you think so! Thanks for reading!
To infinity unit 13, thanks so much for the praise! I'm happy you liked it!
To SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta, might as well put in as many references as we could, right? No point in hiding - and I'm glad you're still reading, thank you!
To CodofWar0, here it is! Hope you like it!
To Delta7344, yeah, sorry for the long ass wait! New chapter is already up! So, I guess... kept you waiting, huh?
And with that done, here we gooo!
Chapter 3: Hunter Trigger
In mere days, Vale was completely taken over.
Try as the Huntsmen might, the expansion of the tower was simply unstoppable.
They managed to slow it down, however. With the best tactical minds of the Five Kingdoms – Menagerie included- they managed to limit the Tower's roots and 'child towers', its substructures, quarantining them to the south section of Vale.
That meant, however, an immense and sudden evacuation policy.
One that also forced the Huntsmen to abandon Beacon Academy once more.
For many, this was yet another, even bigger hit to the already fragile morale. The rest of Vale was eerily reminded of their first time Vale had completely fallen, only this time the process seemed to take more time... seemed so much more agonizing.
And worst of all, the Jahat Tower still continued to grow, as if feasting on their despair...
... and the constant downpour over that portion of the city, toxic rain that seemed to coat the city in even more darkness with each passing drop, certainly wasn't helping either.
But within this sea of negativity, there were a select few that rose up.
A select few that would never give up.
A classic muscle car drove through the abandoned ruins of South Vale, its loud and aggressive engine the only noise for miles.
VRMMMMMM!
Inside, three people sat squished together while listening in to the radio, all in the off chance that they might get some Intel that would prove useful.
At least, that was what the ninja among them said.
"Vale is lost! Everyone with a sane mind better get out of here when they still can!"
"This is merely a setback in Humanity's future. We must hold steadfast lest we lose sight of it."
"Ah heard that some cultists are behin' all o' this! They probably worship Salem-!"
…but evidently, that ninja was wrong.
"Renny, turn that off will you?!" Nora shouted. "I'm trying to drive here! All this useless talk is killing me!"
Ren sighed as he followed his wife's requests. "I was just trying to be useful…"
"Heh. Who knew media could be so pointless?" The last member of their party piped up. Oscar sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, "Then again, didn't Cinder use the CCT back then to-!"
"-Take down Vale, yeah." Nora rolled her eyes, "Honestly, people can be so stupid sometimes."
"On that we agree." Ren nodded sagely.
Oscar sighed.
Currently, the three of them – A.K.A what remained of Team POLN, pronounced porcelain – were tasked with an important mission:
To make some noise in the very same South Vale that had been quarantined!
Their objective was simple: create as much chaos as possible, clear as much Grimm as possible. Supporting Huntsmen would then secure the areas that POLN had cleared, while POLN continued to move forwards until they could create a perimeter around the Tower.
It was part of a larger mobilization, one that consisted of all of the surviving members of Remnant's Saviors.
The Older Generation were tasked with handling the supporting Huntsmen coordination – they were much too old to do this whole thing again, people like Qrow and Glynda Goodwitch having retired a good time ago. As such, RWBY and POLN had been insistent that they take a more laid-back role, though no less important.
Of course, Team POLN weren't the only ones doing the clearing. On the other end of South Vale, Team RWBY had been deployed, to do much the same thing as they were doing.
All of this, while their trump card Ruby Rose was quickly heading to Atlas to do one simple thing:
To reclaim the power of her Silver Eyes.
Oscar rested his chin against the window.
He could still remember the briefing a few hours ago…
"My scientists have confirmed that the alternate energy research has born fruit." Ironwood stated in front of his allies.
First of them all was Team RWBY. Then, next to them, was Team POLN, and after that was what remained of Ozpin's old inner circle. Qrow, Glynda, Winter, among others.
Ironwood continued. "With this, we can now safely remove the Relic of Power from Atlas while keeping it afloat… and then, use that Relic to restore Ms. Rose's Silver Eyes."
Qrow scoffed. "Sure you ain't gonna go all berserk on us like you did years ago, tin can?"
Ironwood bristled – but he kept his calm. "Atlas' fall back then was close… but it didn't happen in the end. And after all these years of peace I would like to think that I have learned from my mistakes."
"Doesn't change the fact that we're not gonna have too big of a role to play anyway." Qrow shrugged. The crow turned to Oscar, "Hey kid. You sure this might work?"
"I don't know…" Oscar shook his head – this idea was one part his own, found after hours of brainstorming… but when he had brought it up with Ozpin, he only received a feeling of 'it might be possible'.
Only a feeling. Despite all this crisis, Ozpin hadn't said a word to him.
And so he told the rest as such.
"Well if that's not concerning…" Qrow shook his head.
Ruby spoke up and assured her Uncle. "It's fine, Uncle Qrow. I'm ready to try. It's our only chance."
Qrow sighed. "I know. I just… Ruby… We've already lost Pyrrha. I can't…"
At that, the room fell silent.
True, it had been months since Ruby and Oscar and their initial assault, months since the Jahat tower had first appeared. But the wound was still raw – they still felt the space Pyrrha had left behind, and even more than that, the fatigue that this fight of theirs wasn't over.
Even after they had all thought that these years were their Happily Ever After…
But then, a set of steps entering the room had knocked everyone out of their thoughts.
And when everyone raised their heads to see the new arrival, they recognized the person that had last been with Pyrrha.
"It will work." Felipe said to Ruby. "Trust me. I know."
…And he was the other part that had initially given the idea. The one that had suggested it together with Oscar.
But for some, that wasn't enough.
"And how do you know?" Yang couldn't help but ask – this was her baby sister after all. "What, you some kind of magician like Oz too?"
"…Something along those lines." Felipe said. "All you need to know, is that I have a… connection with the Prince of Grimm. And that I want to see him taken down as much as you all do."
"You say that, but we don't know a lick about you yourself." Blake shot back, "And now we're supposed to trust you out of the blue?"
Felipe's amber eyes peered into Blake's golden ones. "Pyrrha trusted me. And I know she was the most sceptical of others out of all of you. …Isn't that enough?"
"Yeah, and what you did got her killed." Weiss said back. "You've made me wonder; why you didn't wait for all of us and insisted for her to do it by herself?"
"…Because The Prince should have been weaker." Felipe relented. His shoulders seemed heavy, "His hatred burns stronger than I had thought… and with his movements, he continues to grow stronger every second we leave him alive."
All fell silent. They mulled over Felipe's words…
Because like it or not, the only reason they had even managed to slow down the Tower's advance was because of everything Felipe had told him in the previous months. And with Ozpin so silent, he was their only lead.
A lead whose information had given them enough to limit the damages.
A lead that continued to give information willingly.
A lead that Pyrrha had trusted.
"Very well then, Mr. Felipe." Glynda peered through her glasses. "We will take your word for it for the time being."
She coughed into her fist and sent another sweeping look around her comrades. "Now. With everything ready, all that is left for us is to fix the execution of the mission. From me, I believe that this way would be the best…"
And as such the briefing went, eventually fixing on the method that Oscar had just remembered in present day.
But along the discussion, Oscar very much noted the way that Nora and Ren kept shooting careful and analysing looks to Felipe.
And of course, he knew it was because this person was the very last person that Pyrrha had ever trusted.
Other than Oscar…
He was all that they had left to remember her by.
For another part of Team JNPR had been lost to the sands of time and tragedy.
A bump on the road knocked Oscar out of his thoughts. And as he focused back on the streets before him, he noticed that they were finally, finally finding some Grimm.
Nora smiled wickedly. "Time for some action."
And Ren and Oscar couldn't help but agree.
They had spent these last few months mourning. Planning. Introspecting. For another member of their tight-knit group had fallen, joining her loved one in the world beyond.
And in these last few months, had it not been for Felipe, that sadness might have consumed them all.
It was he who advised them that the Prince of the Grimm only grew stronger with negative energy. Only got more powerful, only got more unbeatable the more they let their sadness consumed them.
Not everyone had accepted that advice at first. But when they took a trial run of his intel and it somehow managed to save an entire district from the Tower, then everyone had actually listened.
Oscar himself didn't have any bad blood with this stranger. He trusted his mentor 100%, and if she saw something in him in her last moments then so be it.
So now, after months of ruminating, they were now finally striking back… and all of POLN had one emotion they had agreed to share, to believe in.
To avenge their fallen leader…
…They would feel vengeful and excited to.
Oscar smirked too and leaned out the window with Ren as Beowolves were blocking the road they were passing through. With a flourish of his hands Ren took out StormFlower and aimed it at the Grimm. Meanwhile, Oscar took out his metallic hand and gripped a new weapon that he had made.
A bronze-constructed powerful handgun with the impact of a rifle round within its five-shot-magazine.
It was very much inspired by the weapons of his fallen master. Milo and Akuo… to speak and to listen…
So for this one, Oscar had dubbed Meminisse… to remember.
And in that remembrance… of the legacy she had left behind…
Ever since the day Ozpin had entered his head, Oscar was pressured with the trust of other people. Some people still turned to Ozpin, after all, and that often meant him by extension. And then, when he began training with Pyrrha and the rest of what would eventually become Team POLN, he didn't miss the way they looked at him and saw another, similarly barely trained swordsman that was once in their midst.
And now, he held the legacy of his mentor in his heart and in his hands.
In some ways, Oscar felt alone – who else had the weight of so many people riding on their backs? Not to save the world, but to make sure that their sacrifice wasn't in vain?
From hopeless, loving knight to an immortal and regretful king, and now to a formerly Invincible Girl who mourned for many years – all those that died seemingly left their trust to him before they did so, and in that way Oscar knew he'd never be the same as anyone else.
In that way he felt alone.
Oscar shot a glance to Nora and Ren. With a smile, he elbowed the ninja and motioned to wards their car's radio.
"Hey, Ren? How about we set the mood?" Oscar asked with fake sweetness.
"Hm?" Ren raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile on his face. "Well, I always did hear that music was a great way to calm one's nerves…"
"Or pump us all up!" Nora cheered. "Come on, let's get those chemicals flowing Renny! Put in our favourite song!"
"Heh. All right." Ren smirked and popped in a CD in their car, a song that Oscar had been very much listening in to recently – and as such, spread to Nora and Ren as his closest friends among all.
The ninja cracked his knuckles as familiar words began to play from their speaker, accompanied by his wife grinning like a madwoman – which she was – and their local former farmboy looking at the incoming Grimm with nothing but anticipation.
I'll endure the exile…
And Ren didn't miss the way Oscar shot them all one more relieve smile.
Because Oscar knew, that even as alone as he was, at least he still had others who knew and supported him.
"Grimm coming up!" Nora shouted. "Alright, let's do this people!"
"Right behind you, Nora." Ren stated.
"Yeah! Let's kick some ass!" Oscar cheered. And then, he smiled as the remnants of POLN began to slaughter the Grimm in their way.
I'll endure the exile…
One, two, three, one by one the Grimm began to fall.
And so by each second…
Team POLN took their VENGEANCE!
The darkness of night falls around my sword, the Huntsman within loses control.
They all laughed as the creatures of evil fell to their efforts, their black ooze swept up by the wind as their car sped past.
Gotta let it out, gotta let it out!
Gotta let it out, gotta let it out!
Seeing how well her husband and her little brother figure was killing the Grimm, Nora whooped and pressed a button underneath the dashboard.
As soon as she did so, a pair of grenade launchers popped up from under the hood of her muscle car. And with glee, Nora stepped on the gas and pulled on the trigger behind her steering wheel.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
"WHOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!"
This King that's inside has ahold of me, clenching its power, trying to break free!
The Grimm were getting thicker now, growing from Beowolves to now Ursas two times the size of their car blocking their path. They roared threateningly as their sheer mass and number daunted POLN.
With a grin Oscar jumped out by the window and stood at the roof of their car.
Gotta let it out, gotta let it out!
But it didn't scare neither of them. Instead, Oscar and Nora and Ren only felt a burning passion to defeat them. To avenge their fallen comrades, to make sure they didn't die for nothing, and to finally finish their fight!
Of that, they swore on their very soul!
Gotta let it out, GOTTA LET IT OUUUUUUUT!
Oscar screamed as the Ursas rushed at them too, the two forces of nature clashing in the streets of a ruined Vale.
"FOR PYRRHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
Move fast, baby, don't be slow!
Step aside, reload, time to go!
All the Ursas fell as they were killed by Oscar's precision shots. Reloading as fast as he could, Oscar spotted another wave of Ursas running towards them and leaping to feast on his flesh.
And yet, before they could so much lay a hand on his skin, a flash of Mistralian green had kicked them all away and stood in front of Oscar protectively.
Ren held both StormFlowers tight as black ooze trickled down their blades. He held his stance in front of Oscar and smirked.
"Not going to be that easy." He taunted.
A screech, and they all looked up to see a flock of Nevermores rushing towards their car.
Oscar had a brief flashback to the last time he had encountered such a flock – but this time, he refused to be slowed down as he was in the tower.
I can't seem to control!
All this rage that's inside me!
Oscar yelled and shot his mechanical arm at the Nevermores. It hit one of their beaks true, easily punching through the bone.
But this time, Oscar's mechanical arm attack wasn't just a simple rocket punch.
Oscar smirked and tugged at a new string that was now attached every time he fired the mechanical arm. Now, as he pulled, he was able to pull himself into the sky, reaching the same level in the sky as the other Nevermores.
With a grin Oscar unsheathed Long Memory and engaged the Nevermores in mid-air combat.
"COME ON!"
And with all that was happening, it all seemed to happen in slow motion.
Pullin' shots, aimin' dots, yeah, I don't miss!
Down below, Ren punched away any Grimm that got close and shot dead any that remained far away. StormFlower was like a second limb to him, nothing but a green blur as he cut the throat of an Ursa that had gotten too close and shot the skull of a Geist that thought it was able to silently approach.
Branded by fire, born in the abyss!
The ninja smirked as his eyes glimmered with silent rage and promise. With skills he obtained after years of fighting and even more from introspection and meditation, not one claw laid a hand on his wife nor his car.
He simply wouldn't let yet another one of his family die.
Red hot temper, I just can't resist!
Up in the air, Oscar dodged attacks left and right as he nimbly twisted in the air. His sword pierced a wing, and then a skull, and then another's claws. He danced in between the Nevermores like a figure skater, his determination and rage to avenge pushing him through; and aided by the silent and borderline instinctual advice of more than a thousand years of experience.
He had all this pressure inside of him, and also all this anger and vengeance for what had happened to people who simply didn't deserve it.
He swore to himself, whatever happened next, he simply couldn't live with himself if he failed the wishes of those who had knowingly or unknowingly given their hopes to him.
All this vengeance inside me!
And down beneath Ren was Nora, laughing as she devastated hordes of Grimm – or at least what would've been – without any mercy whatsoever.
She gleefully pressed the trigger on her steering wheel again and again, revelling in the sight of Grimm guts splattering her windshield, wiped by her visors, and then splattering again.
Because deep down, she knew that she was dying with despair. How could she not, when Pyrrha had left them too?
Now, it was back to her and Ren again. They were alone again.
JNPR was well and truly gone, the family that she had found after years of searching with Ren having taken from her grasp once more. Taken by evils she had been too weak to defeat, and proving to her that all her strength meant nothing.
She was weak, and her brother and sister from other mothers had died.
But this time, she would not let them die in vain. They would live on in her memory. They would live on in her actions.
They would live on as her source of power.
And so she laughed as she killed Grimm left and right without abandon. "Come on, you sons of bitches! COME HERE TO MAMA!"
Up above, Oscar continued his combat with persistent motivation. He didn't let up as all kinds of airborne Grimm assaulted him. It only fuelled his drive even more.
"HAHHH!" He swung Long Memory around him and cut multiple Nevermores in half. Shooting a brief glance to the ground, he saw that Nora and Ren were furiously speeding away from where he was.
"Heh, moving fast are we?" Oscar smirked and fired Meminisse behind him. With a loud BANG! He was propelled forward, the sheer recoil of the gun sending him flying across the sky.
BANG! BANG! BANG! Oscar continued to fly through the skies as he fired. He came across a flock of Geists that blocked his path. With a grin, Oscar balled his mechanical fist and slammed his shining knuckles through one of its skulls.
Oscar then focused on the raging emotions he was feeling. On the pressures he was saddled with… of the legacies he was carrying…
And the thousands-year-old King whose silence was deafening in and of itself.
All of these thoughts runnin' through my head!
He chuckled as his metal fist made contact, but more so, he laughed as that very same fist began to shake and shine a bright white Light.
"AAAAHHHH!" BOOOM!
With that scream Oscar released a pure form of Magical power, inherited from Ozpin himself, and with that release he destroyed any and all Grimm around him.
Arm on fire, veins burnin' red!
Beneath, no longer able to contain herself, Nora skid to a stop and leapt out of her car, Magnhild in her arms as she immediately smashed a Beringel's head in.
CRUSH!
She smiled as she spun, swinging Magnhild around still and killing any stragglers caught in her wrath.
Meanwhile, Ren had jumped down from the roof of the car and began darting from ruined building to ruined building. He fired StormFlower in rapid succession, killing many a Grimm before they had even realized his presence.
Oscar looked down and saw Nora and Ren standing their ground. From the skies, he could see that Grimm were beginning to swarm them.
Just as they needed to, they had attracted a massive swarm. And judging from the faint smiles Oscar could see on Nora and Ren's faces, they too were enjoying their vengeance.
POLN screamed and shouted as they continued to fight, felling Grimm with their weapons. The Grimm roared back in kind as they threw themselves at the Humans, their hatred for humanity the only thing keeping them alive.
A sea of darkness threatening to snuff out a small but bright light…?
THEY WOULD NEVER LET THAT HAPPEN!
And it was at this moment that Oscar decided to bring this battle to a crescendo.
"HAHHHH!" Oscar yelled as he aimed down at those who threatened what he had left. He focused his emotions again, felt the rage and protectiveness simmering within him…
Frustration is getting bigger…
…and with that, he fired his Meminisse.
"BANG! BANG BANG!" Oscar yelled.
And then, followed by a chorus synced by Ren, Nora, and Oscar:
"PULL MY HUNTER TRIGGER!"
Nora laughed as they said their chorus together, smashing Magnhild over a Beowolf's toe. She kicked it away and exploded it with a grenade, singing as she did so…
"Embrace the darkness that's within me!"
Ren leapt to his wife's side and cut open an Ursa that was swiping for her head. He stood his guard, eliminated any Grimm that dared to lay a hand, and smirked with an echo of:
"No hiding in the shadows anymore!"
Oscar felt his emotions still grow – he knew that the moment he had used his Light Magic power, he often got carried away… but right now, fighting after mourning for so long… he found that he couldn't care less.
His body began to glow bright with Magic, supercharging his weapons as he cocked his mechanical fist back, one thought echoing in his mind…
'When this wickedness consumes me…!'
Oscar scowled as his mind flashed back to all that he had experienced.
A simple life that was disrupted by Ozpin.
An endless war that dragged on and costed many lives.
A grieving mentor who died the same way her lover did in the end.
He felt his emotions reach a bubbling point; and, releasing all this pressure, he screamed and flew down to the ground, punching the asphalt with Light Magic and thinking of one simple thing. And then, he shouted it out with a voice that destroyed his throat:
"NOTHING CAN SAVE YOU AND THERE'S NO WAY OUUUUT!"
BOOOOM!
Team POLN (Porcelain)
The Dreaded of the Grimm
"Whoo!" Nora rubbed sweat off her eyebrow as she leaned on Magnhild and admired their handywork. "That was a nice workout!"
Nora Valkyrie
Thunder Bomber From Hell
"Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did, Nora." Oscar breathed out, shaking his mechanical arm as it hissed and let out steam. "Sheesh; gotta hold back next time…"
"That was an amazing attack though, Oscar." Ren complimented. "A concentrated blast of Magic and Aura… enough to destroy the entire wave we were fighting…"
Lie Ren
Master of the Lie School of Shin Kumoyuri
"Yeah? Well, I just couldn't stand them anymore." Oscar said. He grimaced then, "Ah- and speaking of not standing…"
"What are you- oh right, right." Ren shrugged and went to the trunk of their car. Together, they opened it and resisted the urge to laugh.
In the trunk, bound by ropes and a gag, was Felipe; who was trying so hard not to puke on the spot.
"Mmmmfff!"
Ren shook his head fondly. "Alright alright, let's get you up." With ease Ren pulled him out and slung Felipe over his shoulder. He seemed to have no intention of letting him go soon…
Though, he did have the courtesy of removing the gag from Felipe's mouth.
Rrrrip!
"Gah! F-Damn… I'm never riding with you again." Felipe groaned. He bit back the bile rising in his throat, "Ohhh, I hate motion sickness…"
Nora chuckled. "Sorry, but see, I'm not exactly a slow type of girl. Time is precious and I want this job done yesterday."
"I noticed…" Felipe bit back. He groaned, "You know, I would've gladly come with if you had just asked. But instead, you had to kidnap-!"
"Borrow!" Nora said.
"Kidnap. Me." Felipe insisted.
Ren came to his wife's defence. "You'll find that we're not as easily trusting as the others. They might be okay with waiting for you to come in once Ruby has the Relic, but that won't stand with us when it looks like you were just sitting there doing nothing."
"I-!"
"That's why we brought you along to the field, so you can't just sit there and manipulate us if that's what you were planning." Ren cut him off. "Do you understand?"
Felipe sighed. "Have I not proven my worth enough?"
"You'll have to do extra since you're the last one who ever saw Pyrrha." Nora answered, voice uncharacteristically deathly serious. "We don't take kindly to people who lie to or about our family. So."
"Hmph." Felipe shook his head, "Personal experience, I bet…"
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Nothing…" Felipe sighed. "Anyways. So I'm here. Now what?"
Oscar was the one who stepped up then. True, this wasn't in the original plan that everyone had devised… but Felipe being here was actually a boon.
With a motion of his hand Ren put Felipe down and sat him on the street. Oscar approached him with gentle steps, doing his best to make himself as non-threatening as possible.
"Mr. Felipe," Oscar began with the most cordial tone he could manage, "You seem to know a lot about this… Jahat Tower. What we want to do now is to damage it as much as we can before Ruby comes. We want to hurt it the best way possible so her entry to Vale can be much easier, not to mention the Tower itself.
However, POLN – us - believe that we can perhaps do something more." Oscar said, "Mr. Felipe… you came to Pyrrha first when news broke out about the Tower attack. Despite knowing that she has the Maiden power and not the Silver Eyes. One is the ultimate deterrent against the Grimm, their very antithesis; the other simply allows one to control the elements."
"We can match that power. We can do it if we try – and Pyrrha… we loved her like the whole world."
Oscar lent his hand to Felipe. "So please… whatever you saw in Pyrrha, whatever you trusted her with… please show it to us too. Show it so we can avenge her and complete her mission."
Silence reigned. Felipe's eyes had seemed to sharpen, his amber eyes peering into Oscar's soul…
…Before he sighed and turned away. "You'd do all that for her…?"
"Of course." Oscar said immediately, "She died so we can live… the best we can do is move forward and make sure what she sacrificed doesn't go to waste."
"…" Felipe sighed as he turned back to Oscar and gave him the barest of nods. "Fine. I'll help you."
"Thank you, Mr. Felipe." Oscar bowed in response. He then turned to Ren and gave him a short nod. With that, Ren stood Felipe back up and cut open his ties.
Srk!
Felipe rubbed his wrists as he looked at this new Team he was supposed to lead and help now; the remnants of Team POLN…
Didn't this seem nostalgic?
Felipe turned away to hide his bittersweet smile and then turned look at the skyline.
He could see the Jahat Tower, just like he had seen it first when he came to Pyrrha.
But now, he could also see smaller, more compact towers that have grown around South Vale, Towers that were sending particles of dark energy from their tips to the base of the main tower.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment. "I see… so that's the move you're planning…"
Then, when Felipe opened them again, he met PLON's eyes with determination.
"We must first rid South Vale of those subtowers." He said, "Fortunately, they lack the oppressiveness and the regeneration ability of the main Jahat Tower itself. Standing here… there are four in total, one in each direction of the compass from the tower itself."
Ren nodded along at the direction of the subtowers. "I can sense darkness coming from there…" He muttered, "But that darkness is moving – I'm guessing the Jahat Tower requires the subtowers to expand its reach on negativity?"
"Exactly." Felipe said, "However, I also believe that these subtowers should be of no real challenge to us – at least, not if we move in quickly."
"Oh, we can manage that~!" Nora said sweetly. "After all, didn't we just clear a horde in two minutes?"
"I'll hold you on to that, then." Felipe sighed. He looked to Nora again, and then to Ren, and then to Oscar.
"Contact Team RWBY and inform them of all of this. The faster we can rid of these towers, the better." Felipe said, "And as for us… we're heading to the closest one. About fifteen miles east."
"Alright." Oscar sheathed Long Memory, now gripping Meminisse in a single grip with his mechanical hand.
Oscar gripped it tight and gave Felipe a thankful smile. "Lead the way, Mr. Felipe."
They had walked – walked – the rest of the way there, clearing what little remained of the Grimm after their earlier fight.
It hadn't taken long for them to reach the subtower – a tall, triangular spike of darkness that grew from the ground and reached around two stories tall. Dark energy sparkled from its peak, flying to the skies and coalescing to create new Grimm that took to the skies and ran in the streets.
North Subtower
Petty Source of Darkness
Felipe had questioned why they hadn't taken the car; not that he had liked it, mind you, he had very much voiced that Nora's driving was the stuff of nightmares. To which Nora had only laughed in delight and dangled her fob keys at Felipe.
"With the press of a button the car will come to me directly!" She smirked, "So just tell me when you want a ride, and I'll make sure we have a gooood timeeee~!"
"No thank you." Felipe covered his mouth, "I value my life too much."
Nora laughed and held her stomach.
"Guys, focus." Oscar said. They now stood right before that North Subtower, its sheer Negativity can be felt even by the sheer atmosphere. Oscar's lips set to a thin line as he looked the tower down, "We better destroy this thing as soon as we can."
"Hm…" At that, Felipe took a stand beside Oscar and examined the subtower closely. It didn't seem to react to him, didn't seem to spawn more Grimm despite their proximity – perhaps their earlier fight had fully drained it?
And so, Felipe voiced that theory, to the sighs of relief from everyone there. Not that they didn't enjoy fighting… but this was going to be a long mission.
Felipe stepped back. "I can safely say that we can destroy this without it hurting us back." He nodded as he said, "Your actions, and the lack of immediate negativity around it, has stifled its production of the Grimm. And not to mention, you have me here. We can take this down like any other building."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "With you here…?"
Felipe waved his hand as he stepped back. And then, before Ren could process that further, his StormFlowers – no, all of their weapons, even Long Memory and Magnhild itself – began to glow blue.
"Aura fortification." Felipe smiled. Runes then began to form on their weapons, glowing blue and in the shape of a moon split in half.
"With my Aura. Now, your weapons are much stronger than before." He said sincerely. Stepping back, he let Team PLON stand their ground and aim their weapons at the North Subtower. "Gentlemen… Nora… fire at will."
Oscar's lips twitched upwards.
Ren smirked.
Nora grinned.
BANGBANGBANGBANG!
RATATATATA!
BOOOOOOMMMMM!
In mere seconds the Subtower was destroyed, becoming nothing but rubble and ashes. They all had to cover their faces as blue smoke erupted from their combined firepower, a small shockwave almost knocking them off their feet.
And as the smoke cleared, Nora smiled in glee as she looked at the utter destruction that they had caused.
"Oooowh yeah! Take that!" She cheered. "Aw this is gonna be a piece of cake!"
"Don't get too cocky just yet…" Felipe smirked. "Though I agree… that was a good show- ah!"
But then Felipe stumbled as he had said that, falling to a knee as he coughed.
Ren was the first to rush to his side. "Hey. What's wrong? Was that blast too much for you?"
"N-Ngh… no, I'll be fine." Felipe quickly pushed Ren away and stood back up on his feet. Like usual, he leaned on his sword for support… and yet, Ren could somehow feel that… that he was fading?
No, that can't be right…
Felipe waved a hand at Ren's direction, erasing his concerns away. "Don't think. Just… let's go." He pointed to the Jahat Tower in the skylines…
And it was to POLN's immense pleasure that they noticed a small yet noticeable chuck had fallen off, one that didn't regenerate.
Crackcrackcrack…! The chunk fell yet didn't even hit the Emerald Forest below, having disappeared into black dust mid-fall.
Oscar couldn't believe it – after all these months of waiting, and all it took was…
"D-Did we do that…?" He trailed off.
"Indeed. Though it is by no means a significant blow… even the strongest men can die from a thousand cuts." Felipe smirked. Indeed, they still had a lot more to do, and the Tower would always exist as long as the Prince was inside… and yet he also knew that morale booster was one hell of a thing.
And it wasn't as if he was exactly lying either. He never did that. "So… let's keep going until the Prince is finally vanquished."
"Yeah. Let's." Oscar grinned and took the first step forwards, assuming point for POLN and their new associate to dive deeper into South Vale. Nora, Ren, and Felipe followed suit, their order from front to back as such. Their gait was unfalteringly confident, with each step echoing in the streets.
They were doing this together, and they won't let anyone stop them. For their motivation, their mission was one part the one agreed upon with RWBY and the others…
And another part was their souls burning for vengeance.
Felipe took the back guard and sighed internally in relief when no one commented on it.
It was for the best, for beneath his robe, he felt his skin beginning to wither, felt his body beginning to fade into blue Aura dust that trailed behind his every step.
If Ren or Nora or Oscar knew…
With each step he was getting slower and slower, with each passing moment he was becoming weaker…
Felipe bit back a sigh. No, they'd see this through. He had waved Ren off when he was concerned, he'd simply hold on a bit longer and do those kinds of things again. That he knew he could do.
With his secretly fading existence, all the while the Prince grew stronger…
Yes, they'd see this through.
He trusted them to, trusted her to.
?
She was falling.
She didn't know how long she had been, but for what seemed like years that was all that she knew.
She was falling through an endless, pitch-black abyss… and yet, more than that, this place seemed to be filled with emotion.
She didn't know why, but she had felt it since day one.
Sadness, anger… but somehow, these emotions seemed to instead drive the others.
Happiness. Hope. Care.
Love.
That emotion had started out small, at first. But with time, the longer she fell, she felt in grow and grow, felt it consume the abyss around her, until in the end she felt as if she didn't mind if she fell for another eternity.
That love seemed to connect to her – seemed to have been born from her own soul, and now was tying itself back to repair her broken spirit. She felt rejuvenated, felt whole, and yet…
…Why was her heart feeling bittersweet the longer that love healed her?
Try as she might, she couldn't figure it out. She had thought long and hard, had run through all her memories, but the answer always eluded her.
And then, one day, she felt the pitch-black abyss began to change color.
She saw, around her, how the abyss began to glow… began to change as a blue hue overtook it… and then, it seemed to struggle with itself, until eventually it erupted in a sea of yellow.
FLASH!
In the middle of the Emerald Forest, Pyrrha Nikos opened her eyes and knew.
"Hah…."
Breathing out, Pyrrha looked to the side and saw Felipe sitting on a nearby rock, looking at her with a knowing glint in his eyes. Then, Pyrrha looked around, and she noticed that the Darkness and the Grimm had overtaken the Emerald Forest… and yet, the area where she was laying in was completely untouched.
It was clear; he had protected her, healed her. But she remembered, that when she had called out to him back then, when her hand phased right through him…
And now she knew, that he was merely an apparition in her head, formed by his Aura having been inserted within her. That didn't mean he was any less real though, she would wager a bet that this form was also connected to his real physical form.
But what she knew even more than that…
Pyrrha met Felipe's eyes, and the glint in his eyes confirmed it to her.
There was only one person whose soul was that connected to her, who she felt such a connection to…
Because she was the one who released it from its confines, was the one who unlocked his Aura and had sworn on it with her own soul.
She didn't know why he had kept it a secret, though she had her guesses.
He had always been insecure. Had felt that she was only dragging her down. But it didn't matter now.
"A sword to split a soul, huh?" Pyrrha echoed to Felipe. "Now I understand how you know all you know."
"…" Felipe didn't say. But he did look at her expectantly.
He wants me to say it. He wants me to know.
He still wants me… after all these years…
"…Then I suppose it's appropriate to say." Pyrrha smiled, tired, worn down, but it was more genuine than any smile she had in the last eight years.
Pyrrha choked back tears.
"….Hello again, Jaune."
Felipe - the Light side of Jaune Arc – smiled back in relief and echoed her words.
"Hey, Pyr."
A/N And done! Lemme know what you thought, and read and review!
Thanks and see you next time!