"You sure about sticking with that?"
"I'm sure, Jaune. You need to be at your best, right now."
"I'm not sure how that is supposed to help considering it's me."
"Jaune." Weiss wasn't having it. "You've been at Beacon for three years now. Not only have you managed to maintain a regular status of a student, albeit really behind of the pack, you've also grown in those years."
"The same can be said about you guys."
"Yes, but that doesn't mean that you haven't."
Weiss held on to her oar, now cut to be closer to a staff. It could not match her weapon of choice. But right now, as Ruby or Yang would have put it, she is a mage with her Glyphs serving as her magic circles. Of course, actual mages exist and one of them happens to be Beacon's Headmaster, the Wizard of Four Seasons and the former king of Vale, Ozpin himself. What other things had that man done?
When team RWBY had been subjected to the real truth of the matter, of Jekyll and Winter, and all of this, she wasn't sure what to make of it. Pyrrha had been made aware of this before but that had been with the whole Cinder Fall fiasco from years ago. None of that applies right now.
As the two of them returned to the inside of the opera house, Weiss was reminded that this plan of theirs does not guarantee their freedom from this bounded field. For all they know, they would remain trapped in here until someone figures out a way to portal them out of it. But if nothing else, they could at least rest easier knowing that the Phantom would no longer threaten them and that alone would have to be enough for them.
It was Jaune that led the front, shield, aura, and semblance up. Had it been anyone else but the Servant, Weiss would have been confident that even the trained huntsman would struggle going through Jaune's defense. Pyrrha had taught the basics well enough but Jaune carved his own path forward.
Grip tight, front foot forward, Jaune kept his stance low. His shield was slightly slanted to his side with his sword taking the other side. His head was steady but Weiss was sure that his eyes were anything but. He had to pay attention to his surroundings and especially above him; it was a trick that Blake abused from her time in the White Fang.
There is usually a certain point that people look above them, Blake's words echoed in Weiss' mind. We would have used it to our advantage and ambush from above. You'll learn more about it in Greene's class.
Weiss wished that they were back in Beacon right now. She came here to Atlas to participate in the Vytal festival. She can't participate in the tournament, not with team RWBY's loss. As much as that brought some sourness to her tongue, she wasn't going to hold against anyone for her being brought along, even if she was sure that doctor Jekyll would have put himself in that line of fire.
The insides of the opera house still remained the same. The beams above them had no shadow moving. There was still light outside that it would make Phantom's near-black coat notable, contrasting against the browns above them. There were no traps that Weiss could see but Phantom could disguise anything as a trap.
Jaune shuffled his way forward, not making Weiss relax with how tense he was. His aura kept glowing that faint light that they might as well alert their enemy to their location. It was a shame that aura had visible lights that indicated their use. Jaune's use of his semblance on himself made the light brighter the longer it is used. Weiss could already tell when his semblances was being used from the luminosity of it.
The slightest noise, no matter how distant or faint, was enough to jolt Jaune's attention. Even Weiss found herself stiffening at the sound of it.
Then, they heard the distant booms from outside. The Grimm have resumed its siege against the Grimm.
"They can't fight on two fronts," said Jaune. He was shaking his head. But he kept his guard up. "I just hope that they could concentrate without me."
Weiss was of the same mind. Team RWBY at least had Ruby leading the way, making the decisions that she now realized that she had gotten accustomed to. Team JNPR didn't have that and as much as Weiss was confident in Pyrrha becoming the second-in-command just as Weiss herself was for team RWBY, Pyrrha would be compromised as well considering that it is Jaune's life that is put in danger.
"Three fronts," Weiss replied.
There's also the Servants to consider. Jekyll should still be in this Vault of Atlas that Winter talked to them about. If all things were going smoothly, that part should have the least problems with its only obstacle being the time and whether that it would genuinely work at all. Jekyll was to become similar to these Servants and better aid them in this fight but Weiss wasn't sure just how much better that it would do; they still haven't done anything in regards to Salem's immortality.
"I'm not sure if that counts, Weiss." Jaune knew what she was referring to.
"It might as well be," Weiss retorted. "We don't even know it's going to work. We only have one Maiden on our side. Salem has that and an inexhaustible army at her side. We got the Servant numbers but how much good are they going to be against an endless sea of black?"
"What's with the poetry?" Jaune asked.
Weiss waved it away with a dismissive hand. "Don't worry too much about it. Phantom has a weird obsession with poetry. He's a musician, so I suppose it should make sense."
"You don't happen to know any weaknesses that we could exploit, do you?" Jaune moved towards other topics.
She shook her head. "We threw it away the moment I insisted on being Weiss and not this Christine of his. For the record, I do not regret that in the slightest."
"I mean, I'm not this Raoul guy either and I'm not planning on calling myself that considering the guy's reaction."
Despite the conversation, Jaune never turned around to look at her. He kept his face forward. Only relaxing his stance when they were about to turn in that hallway they had escaped from. Their hands intertwined and Jaune made a silent apology to Pyrrha but argued to himself that it was necessary since the Phantom could always just snatch one of them; better that they be snatched together than separate.
Weiss had summoned a small Beowolf, letting the thing move ahead of them. There was a risk that it could lead the Phantom towards them, but they would be aware if the Phantom was nearby. The command was that it would track for anything strange; if it found anything, it would attack.
Jaune's glow had faded in this moment of rest. Weiss' familiar was out there risking its own life without sacrificing the one who summoned it. They were fortunate that Glyph summons were still allowed within the bounded field. The Grimm familiar still possessed traits of the original but found no source of negativity. Either it was safe or the Phantom could conceal even his own negativity. Jaune's glow returned to fully recharge Weiss' aura reserves.
They were still cautious and peeked from their hiding spot before appearing fully in that hallway. The damage they left behind was not repaired nor was there anything that was returned to its place. The Phantom did not do anything to the place yet and they had no reason for thinking that it was trapped.
Above them, the ceiling remained cold as the lights stared indifferently at their current plight. Weiss and Jaune were unsure where the Phantom was. For all they knew, the Phantom had simply left them behind to wallow in their prison. Weiss shook away that thought; the Phantom better not have left them like this.
They stopped at the exact spot that Jaune had initially found Weiss. The damage to the hole in the wall and the damage that Jaune had done on the Phantom remained, still fresh and would have been warm still if there was any blood.
The hole that had been made was left open. What little wind still carried the faint sound of water.
"After you?" Weiss sounded so unsure.
But before Jaune could continue, he had to glow himself first. It was dark in there and Weiss was sure that the candles wouldn't do much in terms of lightning.
At first, the two believed that there was little to worry with how smaller the space appeared to be. But they remembered that the opera house itself was constructed with Phantom in mind. Even the walls themselves felt unsafe and both of them took each step painfully slow. Jaune's glow was the only reliable source of light but it also paints quite a target on them both.
Then, they made it to the place that Weiss had been. The gondola was at the other side; the Phantom must have used it to get there. The waters may have been shallow but neither Jaune nor Weiss wanted to submerge their feet anywhere near that. They also refused to believe that the gondola was somehow any safer. But they had to make a choice.
"I'll do the steering," Weiss suggested as a Glyph appeared, pulling the gondola towards them with careful patience. "Just… just stay close and don't let me go, okay?"
Jaune nodded.
Immature and childish memories invaded her mind. Earlier in the year, she had expected that Jaune would make yet another attempt at flirtation or courtship with her. While she will not deny the boy's then amazing improvements, he was still someone that had periodically threw a line or two her way. And now, here she they were, with Weiss herself not wanting Jaune to be away from her. There was something ironic about it if it wasn't the circumstances of their situation. Weiss will take what pleasure she can just to offset the horrid feelings she was having; having to face down a Servant, a being that not even professional huntsmen could do confidently, was one that worries her. And she was sure that Jaune felt the same.
He was gentle with her as he escorted her back to the gondola. Neither of them had let each other go out of fear that the Phantom would have somehow got to one of them. Weiss held Jaune's hand especially tight and gave a silent apology to Pyrrha. That girl would forgive them this time for sure, but Weiss would rather do it anyway; she made a mental note to apologize in person, even if nothing were to happen to them right now. Desperation calls for desperate moments.
Just as she had suggested, Weiss was the one that steered the gondola. It was calming them, knowing that it was her Glyphs that moved the gondola. A sense of protection that alleviated their problems a little.
But as they passed the spot that Weiss had fought off the Phantom, Jaune noticed something. "There are different paths."
Weiss never noticed it before. But Jaune's light illumined the place enough that Weiss managed to see a different path. Though both paths seemed to lean further in, one remained in the body of water while the other was landlocked. Neither of them could see hints of where each path would lead. Neither were sure which one had the Phantom or which one would have been safer.
Jaune made their decision for them. "Let's stay on land. We have a better fighting chance than on water."
"Right." Weiss nodded and guided the gondola accordingly.
They held each other tight again as they exited the gondola. Jaune's shield deployed and he remained in front. The path they chose was much smaller. There were patches of wet prints on the ground; the Phantom must have come this way.
Both were hesitant to touch a single brick in this pathway. The footprints had vanished after a certain point. Part of them were unsure if that was because the soles of Phantom's shoes had dried enough or he found his secret hideaway and stayed there. Not even the sound of music was heard which only made things worse for Jaune and Weiss.
The path they had chosen was small, only enough for three or four people to walk in here side-by-side. But that is if they were sandwiching each other. Jaune and Weiss kept their two-man line and Weiss was especially wary of the bricks on their side with Jaune being cautious of each step he was taking.
Jaune and Weiss would sometimes forget that they were supposed to breathe with how close the pathway was. It was difficult for anyone to fight in these even with a shorter blade. Jaune kept his sword facing forward and it didn't take long for him to realize that he couldn't just swing his blade; he could only thrust with it.
Whatever faint sounds that they initially heard, if they were what they thought they were, then it was all gone now. Neither of them were sure if they were that deep underground of the opera house but with the amount things between them and the rest of Remnant, it was a safe assumption to make.
All they could hear was the sound of their footsteps, their own breathing, and the rapid beating of their hearts, neither of which were synchronized.
Weiss nearly bumped into Jaune when he stopped. He was taller than her and so she couldn't see what was in front of him without leaning further out, a task that she didn't want to do earlier out of fear and one that she couldn't do now even if she wanted to now; she couldn't even get on her toes to see past his shoulders. His sword was lowered but his head kept to the same direction. His shield lowered and his shoulders methodically rose and fell with his breath. Though Weiss could feel his heartbeat say otherwise, there was a forced attempt at keeping himself calm.
"The path opens further," Jaune said. He didn't look at her, trusting that it was still her hand that was holding his back. "We could go back if you want to."
Weiss shook her head, though Jaune wouldn't be able to see it. "We made our choice. I don't know how another would help us right now. So let's just keep going, see where it goes."
"I know." He nodded. He cracked his fingers. "I just don't think we could retreat once we engage. Whatever happens there, we might have to fight for our lives."
"So long as we stay together—"
"That's also not guaranteed. Phantom controls the battlefield and everything in it. We don't know where we could hide or where we could run. All we know is that Phantom is going to keep us apart and we can't stay together for that long either if we do."
"Then we stay together as long as we can, find our way to each other when we're apart."
Jaune nodded. "Just wanted to make sure of it."
He raised his shield again and shuffled his way forward. He could no longer slant his shield and kept it right in front of him. The flat of his sword rested on the top of his sword as he shifted his body to make it a smaller target. Weiss is of a similar position with her occasionally looking back just to see if there was anything that might be following her.
Suddenly, there was an unease that came to her. She hadn't been looking behind them that much. Had the Phantom followed them all that time and secured their exit? She had spent too much time looking above them that she didn't consider that the Phantom could be at their back. Even if the path seemed the same, there was no telling how far away the Phantom could have been. For all she knew, the Phantom remained above them and behind them all that time and now Weiss couldn't tell when he had been following them.
The path slowly grew larger and more spacious and yet Jaune kept his stance as tight as he could, as if he was being confined further. Weiss could see beyond Jaune's form right now with how he kept himself as small a target as he could. She'd even argue that he was a smaller target than she was right now. Weiss followed suit though her feet faced opposite to Jaune's own. Someone had to watch the back now.
They heard the coming stream of water come again. Jaune stopped them both and Weiss could see that there was a major slant in the ground. Had anyone come rushing in, they wouldn't realize it until it was too late and fall down this path; it was trap, one made for Jaune.
"How much are you willing to bet that I would have ran in and trapped myself in whatever it is that waits for me down there?" Jaune asked.
"I'd bet the entire SDC," Weiss replied.
"That confident?"
Jaune looked down at the slanted path. The slope was far too steep that there was no means for him to hold onto. If he had buried his sword, he wouldn't go down further than what the sword allowed, forcing him to let go. Actually, the sword would only be dislodged by his weight after a few seconds. Neither of them were that willing to take that step just yet; there was no telling where it would lead and they were certain that they would be forced to separate by gravity.
There was no other path forward. Their only other option was back. Jaune and Weiss used this time to rest instead. Rather than rest on opposite sides of the wall, they rested right next to each other. Jaune was no longer bothered when Weiss had laid her head on his shoulders. Their hands still found each other in this moment of weakness but there was nothing else beyond the desire for safety, of knowing that they are right there and they needed each other if they want to overcome the Phantom of the Opera.
"So," Jaune opened up first. "Not exactly how anyone expected this year's Vytal Festival to go, huh? Which one do you think was stranger? This one or the last one?"
"Eh." Weiss shrugged. They had nothing else to do here but time. Even if they managed to escape and join the others, what good would they be? At least Jaune has his weapon with him, Weiss could only hope that someone picked up hers and she met them along the way. "Coming from experience, I'd say this one. I was going up against White Fang, nothing too special. You?"
"Grimm and some hacked machinery of Atlas, I think."
"You think? I don't recall Atlas sending that many paladins."
"In their defense, I might have been dumb and went straight ahead while the machines were busy shooting. I don't remember the details that well really, lost in the high and all that."
That sounded like a Jaune thing as far as Weiss is concerned. He was limited by his weaponry which forced him to come in close and personal. Weiss at least had some variety to her techniques and Dust certainly was an equalizer against many opponents. Jaune only upgraded his armor and weapon to be better suited to his own role as a front-liner, a strange thing when one considers his lackluster combat ability relative to other front-liners. Against Weiss though, Jaune would easily overcome her in direct confrontation.
Another minute of silence past. It was Weiss that spoke up again asking: "so… how's the relationship with Pyrrha going?"
Whether he was happy to talk about Pyrrha or just willing to take whatever distraction, Jaune was happy enough. "It's great. There's definitely the team dynamic thing that we're working on, but Ren and Nora are just happy enough for us. I kind of have to make some sort of adjustment if I'm going to be favoring Pyrrha without me realizing. How 'bout you? How's the sister-in-law thing going?"
"Can't say," Weiss replied. "With how these things have been going, and don't get me started on how those two finally got official, I'm honestly not sure how things would turn out. There's a hastiness I feel and that sort of thing could lead to problems, especially considering father and the company."
Jaune said nothing and only nodded. This wasn't his business. It wasn't Weiss' business for that matter and she wasn't about to pry either. She could wish them the best and she still believes that there is something about those two that Weiss would want to support.
When they had rested, they still did not move from their spot. Weiss pulled Jaune by his hoodie as he leaned forward just to see where the path goes. Weiss wasn't sure what it was but Jaune seemed calmer when he leaned back.
"We'll need your Glyphs," Jaune said. "Can you make different ones like a staircase? Or would one platform be enough and we could use it like an elevator?"
"The one Glyph should do better. But I will need you if we want to maintain it. There's no way I could maintain that while making our descent slow."
Weiss had to move to the front for this to work. Jaune began his amplification and Weiss immediately brought out her Glyph after.
One large Glyph appeared underneath them. Weiss had her eyes closed as she focused entirely on controlling the Glyph, she needed every bit of her senses honed just to focus on this. The power behind it was easy enough that she could do it without Jaune's semblance. But the control and precision to use it in this manner would drain her aura faster before she could travel a few meters. Even without looking, she was sure that the pathway down was going to be much, much longer than a few meters.
"Slow and steady, Weiss," Jaune repeated. "Slow and steady. We got a long way to go before we even get there."
Weiss nodded and kept her descent. On occasion, she could feel herself moving too much to one side that Jaune had to nudge her towards the other direction. Though she made sure to remain as straight as she thought the slope would be, there were gaps there and Weiss' concentration would wane. It didn't help that Jaune's aura had a warm feeling to it, almost comforting that Weiss could fall asleep.
After what felt like a long time, and Weiss felt confident that it wasn't that long at all, Jaune said: "we're halfway there. I can see another path. Just keep this pace."
Weiss nodded and maintained her Glyph. Denying herself of other senses, she became sensitive to each ticking second that it felt as though the seconds were minutes and minutes were hours. Jaune had to be waning in his semblance use. Even if he had used it on himself, he had to lose concentration sometime as well.
"Alright," Jaune said. "Just move to the left, your left. Where I'm holding you right now."
"I know where my left is, Jaune." Weiss still felt his hand on her left shoulder. Then, she felt a lightness on her Glyph and felt him pull her so suddenly that the Glyph vanished. Before she could scold him for it, she saw that they had made it to the bottom.
There was a body of water down there, seemingly where all the paths lead towards with the streams descending towards it. There was a gap in the walls, meant to trap the poor victim who fell here.
Weiss used that time to breathe again. Putting all her focus on it drained her mentally. Jaune had used that time to inspect the path they were now on.
Both of them froze in place as they recognized that faint sound: music. The Phantom of the Opera waited for them there.
AN: Somethings are just amazing timing. At the posting of this chapter, while going through a bookstore, I found me a printed copy of the Phantom of the Opera.