King: This one is very short. I think it's on part with the shorter chapters, but I wanted to get it out. See, here's the thing. I wanted to do something else (a couple things) but they turned out to be sub-1000 words. This happened twice... So, I decided to indulge in something for me instead. So, as my birthday gift to me, one of my favorite game series~ A tale of souls and swords, told once more.

Inspiration: Soul Calibur (RWBY)

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The screen opened with a voice over from Ozpin, "The first person you make eye contact with in the forest will be your partner for the next four years here at Beacon."

Yang kicked up her feet on the chair in front of her, "Another initiation one?"

The screen showed as Weiss skipped across the sky with her glyphs until she landed on the ground. "Ridiculous…" She walked forward and into the forest. She froze when the brush behind her moved. She drew her blade and readied for a fight, only to see that dolt from yesterday.

Ruby ran in and found Weiss to be her partner. "I…"

Weiss felt her eye twitch and took a breath. "Truly ridiculous…"

Ruby chuckled, "You didn't walk away this time."

Weiss took a breath and sighed.

Ruby and Weiss started to make their way northward, running into Blake and Yang. As a group, the four reached the ruins in record time.

Ruby jumped up from her seat, fist raised in pride, "Team RWBY forever!"

They started to slow, however, when they saw a giant Nevermore carcass.

Weiss sighed in relief. "At least we don't have to deal with that…"

Port was shaking with a sense of unease, "Why is the Grimm not disintegrating?"

"Fresh kill?" Yang shrugged. It wasn't unheard of for larger Grimm to take longer for the process of disintigation to start.

Ruby walked around the Nevermore.

Yang tried to stop her, "Hold it, Ruby! It's not breaking down. It's probably still alive!"

Ruby paused on the other side of the Grimm, "I don't think so…"

The side of the Nevermore kidden from them was torn a-fucking-sunder. Its wing was in half along the length of the wing. Its mask was broken in on one side. The body was covered in giant wounds that would cause blood to pool within seconds if Grimm could bleed.

Everyone in the audience was awestruck. They'd never seen a Grimm corpse, much less one so mangled.

Coco felt a chill run up her spine, "Holy shit… That's just…"

Ruby walked around the halved wing, uncertain of what could cause that. She knelt down to find small smoldering effects along the wound. "What happened to cause this?"

"More…" They heard a groaning voice within the ruins. A knight in azure armor walked out from the ruins. His helmet was adorned by a single, long horn and blood red horse hair flowing down to his back. One of his arms was almost Grimm like. In the other hand, he carried a giant sword of single edge, its form beneath seeming of flesh. Beneath his helmet, they could see cold, ice blue eyes.

Pyrrha shivered seeing those eyes. There was no mistaking that this was Jaune. But something felt off about him.

The yet unformed team RWBY entered their combat stances.

Yang grinned and slammed her fists together. "Can we help you, pal?"

The knight just groaned again. "More…"

Ruby eased, hoping to help someone in need. "More what? What do you need more of?"

"Need… more… souls!" The knight swung his sword toward Ruby.

The hooded scythe wielder tried to block the attack with her weapon, but the swing and weight caused her to fly backward toward the team.

Tai took in a sharp breath, recoiling a bit, "Shit…"

Ruby felt a nervous chill up her spine. "That sword is just… wrong. It's giving me some seriously bad vibes…"

"No kidding. Yang had to sit normally again, "That's weird looking metal…"

Ruby shook her head slowly, "That's… not metal."

"What?"

"There's metal on the blade and the handle, but the rest of… is actually flesh."

Blake placed a hand over her mouth, "I think I'm going to be sick…"

Yang caught her sister and helped her back to her feet, "Okay… Any ideas?"

Ruby groaned, "He's using a zweihander great sword: heavy, good at both attack and defense, and with serious reach. However, it relies on fluid motions. If we can disrupt his movements, we can gain an advantage."

Ozpin nodded. "Excellent eye for strategy…"

Team RWBY started to swarm around Jaune from four different angles. Unfortunately, Jaune swung his sword with the ferocity of a hurricane and blocked or parried all of their attacks with a single arc of his blade. The weight of his attack sent them all flying backward. Jaune groaned under the pain within his body. "Must feed…"

Nora turned among her associates, "Can he actually do that?"

Ruby nodded, "Heavier weapons at speed produce more force than lighter weapons. If you can't match the output force, you could be tossed off."

As Weiss slid across the ground, she slammed the blade of her weapon into the ground and froze Jaune's lower body solid. As he tried to struggle, the ice rose up to cover his torso. His arms encased, only his head and sword were spared the frozen prison. Jaune roared out in frustration and tried to wriggle out of the ice, to no avail.

Yang and the rest of team gathered again, looking toward the frozen man, "So… now what do we do with him?"

Blake shrugged, "We can't leave him. He might attack someone."

Weiss returned her weapon to her side, "I say we take him to Professor Ozpin."

Weiss nodded, agreeing this was the best option.

But they didn't have to wait. A large cloud of dust formed as Ozpin landed into the forest. "I know I said we wouldn't interfere, but I think it best to make an exception. I had hoped you would stay dead."

Team RWBY turned to the headmaster, confused.

"But you put yourself together again… Even found a new host. Soul Edge."

The sword in Jaune's hand started to shake before the flesh center quivered separately. A moment later, an eye snapped open within the blade's center, looking directly at the headmaster.

That was just wrong.

Ruby wretched and fell toward the floor, threatening to vomit.

Velvet went stiff and shivered in fear. The sword was an unnerving sight before it opened its eye. Now, knowing its alive, it was a horror show.

Neptune got caught up on one word. "Host? Wait… is that thing…"

"Release the boy, Soul Edge. He's not what you want."

Jaune groaned, "I… refuse…" The sword spoke through his voice, its influence holding his mind hostage. "I will devour your soul…"

Ozpin sighed and swung his cane, crystals forming along the end and creating a sword of shimmering, ice-like crystals.

Ruby gasped, "Woah!" She spun around to the headmaster, "Can your cane do that?! What kind of dust can do that?!"

Ozpin glanced between the screen and Ruby, "It… does not do that…" But I could make it happen with magic… What is this world?

Jaune roared out and Soul Edge began to exude a malicious aura. The aura spread up to Jaune and the ice started to crack. Jaune's arm snapped forward, the ice shattering apart. He swung the blade and destroyed the rest of the annoying ice in his way.

Ozpin held his sword forward and the cane fell off as the crystals shattered away. He now held a short sword with two interlacing blades that stretch up into the sword-like form.

Ruby was awestruck. "What is…"

Tai turned to his daughter, "What is it?"

"That sword… It's not any metal I know. Any form that makes sense…"

Jaune growled, his eyes turning blood red as the eye of his blade shrank in anger and maliciousness. "Calibur…"

Ozpin swung his blade into a fighting stance, "I won't let you create another Knightmare."

Yang snickered a bit at the pun since it was Jaune, their favorite wannabe knight.

Jaune roared and leapt up to swing his blade down on Ozpin, who parried the attack like it was nothing. He grabbed Jaune's arm and swung it around his body, forcing him to drop the sword. He kicked Jaune away and stomped on the sword's eye.

Qrow recoiled. "Yikes. That's got to hurt."

The sword recoiled, screaming through Jaune. Ozpin held up his blade, ready to break that blade again, only for Jaune to tackle him off the sword. Jaune tried to pick up the blade, but Ozpin kicked him off balance. With a flourish, Ozpin slammed his blade into Soul Edge's eye and out the other side.

Ruby couldn't hold back the vomit this time. That was just nasty.

Jaune roared out in pain, clutching his head. Jaune fell over into the fetal position, unable to handle the pain in his mind and his very soul.

It was hard for Jaune's friend to see this. He was a person they respected/liked/liked. Hearing him cry out like that was hard to hear.

Ozpin looked down at the hand flipped his blade in hand.

"He wouldn't…" Glynda was more than a little concerned Ozpin would try to kill him.

Ozpin grabbed Jaune's hand and placed the sword's hilt into his palm.

Glynda sighed in relief.

Yang looked over to the teachers, "What's going on?" All she got was shrugs.

The calmness of Soul Calibur washed over the young knight. His raging soul began to subside. His mind now at peace. Jaune took a breath, his red eyes returning to their deep blue. His body was now calmed. "Where… am I?"

Ozpin nodded and knelt next to him. "The Emerald Forest. What is your name?"

"Jaune… Jaune Arc." Calibur, now with a new wielder, formed into a massive, ice-blue great sword.

Ruby gasped, "It can change based on its user?!" That was genuinely insane. This wasn't a mecha-shift. This was a complete transmutation.

"Well, Jaune, I'm afraid you're stuck here for a while. Welcome to Beacon."

As they all left the area, the camera zoomed in on Soul Edge. It opened its damaged eye slowly. This was a story of two swords, eternally retold. So long as Calibur existed, so too shall the Edge.