Arc Royale: Chapter 7

The attacker, a huntsman, followed through and swung down from above, but Knight had recovered enough to bring his sword up and parry it – to drive it away with so much force it spiralled out of the white-coated huntsman's hands.

Rather than panic or retreat, however, the huntsman brought a bare hand up and down, smashing something into the floor. Smoke ballooned outward, obscuring both him and Knight for a few seconds. The smoke only dissipated because a violent explosion ripped the cloud away, launching a smoking figure out toward them.

Knight crashed down onto concrete and skidded to a stop past Ruby.

"Knight!"

"I'm fine." He dug his sword down and used it to pick himself up. To her surprise, he was unharmed. His skin wasn't even blemished. The same couldn't be said for his armour, which was covered in soot and dust, but he as up and talking normally. Except for one thing. He had his eyes scrunched shut. "My eyes are burning. I can't – hngh! That wasn't normal smoke."

The faintest whips of the smoke billowed by them, and Ruby felt her own eyes water. Was that… tear gas? It was something like that. Ruby snapped her eyes shut until it was past. Knight kept scrubbing at his own eyes with his cloak, for all the good that would do. He'd need clean water to wash it out with. When Ruby told him that, he swore.

"I could have done with being warned about that ahead of time!"

Ruby wilted shamefully. He was a stranger here, unused to the technology they took for granted. "I…I'm sorry…"

"Hngh. It's not your fault. My lack of knowledge is a weakness we'll have to fix…"

The Huntsman who had incapacitated him hadn't pressed the attack. He was knelt by Grimm, speaking quietly to him. The Grimm nodded and let the other help him up. Meanwhile, the more typical, monstrous Grimm, surrounded them, presenting a barrier to attack. The rest of them had been dispatched by her team and JNPR, who were now taking in the new huntsman.

"D-Dad…?" Jaune asked.

Ruby could see why. The new huntsman… it had to be another Jaune, but this one was old. Not old-old, but easily over thirty. Dad and Uncle Qrow old. He had worn skin, a thick blond beard and sharp lines running down his face alongside the odd scar. His clothing, what little could be seen under the Atlesian military greatcoat, was criss-crossed with bandoliers and pouches, and Ruby saw more of the grenades he'd used against Knight. There was even a handgun strapped under his left armpit.

"No." the man said gruffly. "A thousand times no. I realise giving out information isn't in the spirit of this whole thing, but in the interests of not being called that again by you of all people, call me Ashari. Jaune Ashari."

"Another iteration." Ren said. "An… older one…"

"You could say that. Hello Ren." The man smiled tightly. "It's been a long time since I saw you alive and in one piece. Have you and Nora started dating yet? No?" he guessed when Nora blushed. "Well, don't worry. The whole together-but-not-together thing only lasts so long. I'm going to be taking Grimm here and retreating. I hope you don't mind."

"No way!" Yang shouted. She, Weiss and Blake quickly formed up opposite the man. "After we have you dead to rights? Not a chance. Surrender and we'll take you to Ozpin."

"I'd really rather not, Yang. Ozpin and I… We don't get along. It'd be wiser to let us go. You can call it your victory today – a fine feather for your caps."

"You don't have a choice." Yang used the same line she had on Xiong, the same that had brought out surrender from one iteration. This one might have gotten the drop on Knight, but it was a gimmicky victory, and he couldn't stand up to a whole team of them. Surely. "Or do you think you can take us all on?"

"Yes." Ashari settled his hands into his pockets. "Yes. I think I can."

Yang hesitated, stunned.

That was when he moved. Ruby shouted out another warning, but Yang was fully aware of the fist striking her chin and knocking her back. Of course she was. Before she could even scream, Ashari positioned and kicked her into Blake, removing her from the fight for a brief instant. Time enough for him to turn on Weiss, who was thrusting in with her rapier.

His hand caught the tip and warped the flexible metal to the side, aura sparking as he stepped in, gripped Weiss by the collar and pushed her up into the air and off her feet. He carried her weight with one hand over his head, disarmed her of her weapon with the other and choke slammed the heiress down onto hard concrete.

Yang and Blake were back up just as Weiss spat spittle and air from the impact. They charged in with Yang in the lead, fist flaming and Ember Celica unleashing at point-blank range and into… Weiss' back!? Weiss, who had been ripped back up off the floor and used as a human shield, screamed in agony and bucked in Ashari's grasp. It made Yang hesitate again, earning her a kick to one knee and a five-foot girl to the face. Both tumbled back.

Sensing the danger, Blake broke off her own reckless attack and waited for Team JNPR to reinforce. Pyrrha and Nora charged in, leaving her, Ren and Jaune to flank. Pyrrha took the centre on a remarkably unconcerned huntsman, keeping her shield up and thrusting sharply with her spear. He swayed left, right and then ducked under, gripped the bottom of her shield and pushed it up over her face to obscure her vision.

At the same time, he used his hold to drag her sideways into the path of Nora, who thankfully had time enough to cancel her attack before she delivered a fresh dose of friendly fire. Gambol Shroud wrapped around the man's neck, over his scarf, and Blake came swinging in on the other end. In a brutally simplistic move, he swept his sword up and cut through the ribbon, leaving an aerodynamic Blake on the other end to spiral off into a container. Ren, meanwhile, earned himself six snap-fire rounds from a handgun, knocking him out the air.

Pyrrha recovered in time to charge in alongside her partner, the real Jaune, to try and tie their quick opponent down. Ashari took one look at both, reached under his coat and tossed another canister onto the ground.

"CLOSE YOUR EYES!" Ruby yelled.

It was impossible to tell how many heeded her warning. Smoke billowed out in thick, noxious clouds and obscured the whole area. Regular smoke this time? Ruby heard coughing and hacking from within, but no cries of pain.

"Ruby!" Knight hissed. "What is going on? I still can't see!"

"He… The new Jaune is dismantling everyone! He's ripping them apart!"

Knight sucked in a breath. "He's killing them!?"

"N…No…" Now that Ruby looked, there were chances for him to push for a finishing blow, but the older huntsman was instead throwing people around. He wasn't even knocking them out, more… fending them off. "No one has died. Yet."

"And the Grimm?"

"They… They aren't doing anything… They're just watching…"

Why? This was his perfect chance to intervene and surround them. Unless… Was he afraid to attack and leave himself and the other vulnerable? Knight was out the fight, but for all they knew he could be joining again at any second. He must have been keeping the Grimm to act as a shield.

"Ruby, please," Knight whispered. "Get me some water so I can see. Hurry!"

"But you'll be vulnerable-"

"Go!" he shouted. It was a forceful, sudden command and Ruby found herself scrambling to obey. Water. Water. They were at the docks so there was plenty to go around, but she wasn't sure saltwater was what he needed.

It wasn't really a case of scooping some out the ocean since the docks were raised a good few metres above sea level. Instead, she looked around desperately and spotted a small lit-up cabin that was probably used as a security booth or place to stay warm by late-night workers. It looked like a CCT booth with an open door and a small desk inside. Keeping one eye on the battle, Ruby sped over to it and peeked inside. The person was gone – scared off ages ago by Grimm – but the signs were there. An open magazine, a radio lowly playing music, a cold mug of coffee and – ahah! A kettle. Ruby touched its side and found it as cold as the night. Perfect. Or as good as she was going to get. Ruby snatched it, tucked it under her side and activated her Semblance.

After years of it, she was used to taking a big stride whenever she did. Normal sized steps meant that when you suddenly sped up and crossed a big distance, you had to touch down with more momentum. By extending her foot further, she was prepared to land at her destination and not really step there. It was a safety precaution she'd learned through trial, error and tripping over furniture. As such, when Ruby took a big step, called on her Semblance and it didn't activate, she ended up almost doing the splits and quickly falling to the floor.

Which, in hindsight, probably saved her from the gunshot that shattered the window of the security booth just above her head. Glass showered down over her, propelled outward by the shot. Shrieking and ducking her head, she heard another punch through the thin material to her side and quickly realised it wasn't going to provide any cover. Ruby pushed out and darted for the nearest containers.

Or she tried.

Leaping out, she suddenly found herself moving in slow motion, or what felt like it to someone used to her speed. Her foot landed awkwardly again, and she tucked into a roll, again narrowly dodging another bullet, then scrabbled for the kettle that had fallen out her hands.

My Semblance isn't working! Why isn't it working?

Ruby heard fresh cursing and looked back to see someone in a drawn-up hoodie and track pants hastily trying to run around the booth and draw a bead on her. With Crescent Rose all the way back where she'd lost it against Grimm, she knew retreat was the right choice. At least until she could get her baby back. Abandoning the kettle, she ran for a gap between the nearby containers. The man pushed past the booth, snapped his handgun up in two hands and drew a slow bead on her. Blake would have snapped a shot off much quicker. Either way, it gave Ruby all the time in the world to push her aura up and direct it to her back.

Easy escape.

The gun fired.

Ruby was rammed forward right as she slipped between the two containers. Whatever had pushed her out the way had slammed her face-first into the metal so hard she bounced off it and hit the one behind her, slapping both hands onto it. They were shaking, as was she, as unfamiliar pain spread slowly and wetly across her body.

C-Crap. Did I bang my shoulder on the edge?

Wincing, she brought her left hand up to touch her right shoulder, hissing as it hurt so damn much. Enough that she whimpered and felt tears prick at her eyes. Those same eyes soon widened when she brought her hand back to find it slick with blood.

Her blood.

The same blood that was dripping slowly onto the concrete.

I… I… I've been… shot…?

Impossible. That was the first and only thing that came to mind. Not how much it hurt, not anger or fear or anything else. Just disbelief. Her aura was fine! She'd barely used any! She wasn't some rank amateur either, even if Weiss commented on her age. She'd been fighting Grimm for years, and her aura hadn't failed outside a sparring match since her tenth birthday. Despite all the intense training and all the bruises and bumps she'd received, she hadn't once in her life been shot by an actual gun before.

"Hurts… Oh gods, it hurts…"

Footsteps. The man was coming for her. Disbelief was quickly replaced with fear, raw and primal, and Ruby slammed her injured shoulder against the container, dragging herself along with her good hand and forcing herself to run as a normal person would. No Semblance and now no aura – it didn't take a genius to figure out the two were connected.

"Knight!" she screamed. "Yang! Anyone! Help me!"

"Ruby!?" Yang shouted back, then roared angrily.

Yang. Y…Yes. Yang would save her. Her big sister who never let her down. Ruby sobbed for the first time in years, the pain and fear leaving her feeling helpless in a way she hadn't since mom died. Huntresses relied on aura; it was a part of them, their lives and their careers. To be without it was… it was horrible. It was like waking up to find your blood was missing. Without aura, you couldn't be a huntsman. Skill alone wouldn't cut it when one errant claw from a Beowolf meant death.

All I have to do is make it to Yang. She… She'll know what to do…

"Come out, come out, Ruby." A voice behind her sang. It was familiar. Too familiar. Jaune's voice. Ruby gasped and forced her unsteady legs to move faster. "I know you're in here. In control of that b*stard in armour, too. Taking you out will-" He rounded the corner ahead and saw her. Ruby froze, and the man – Jaune – smiled cruelly. His eyes… They were… They were colourful. Multi-coloured. "There you are." His eyes swirled and turned with colour, and he brought his gun up. "End of the-"

"Rarghhhhh!"

Of all things to save her, it wasn't Yang and it wasn't Knight. A Beowolf – an honest to goodness creature of the Grimm came slashing in from the man's left, roaring at the top of its lungs and hurling itself forward. The man's eyes widened and instantly flicked back to his normal blue.

"Wait-" Too late. The Grimm knocked him down and bowled over him, snarling and flailing its arms hysterically. "No!" he yelled. "I'm on your side! F*ck's sake, Grimm! Call it off, you idiot. I've got her right here!"

Ruby felt her aura return – the tell-tale sensation of it trying to help her injured shoulder. The second it did, she embraced it and activated her Semblance, blurring away from the irate man still trying to draw a bead on her from under a Grimm. Petals smashed into his face and he screamed angrily as she rounded the corner and raced back to Knight, skidding to a stop at his side.

Yang was on her a moment later, wrapping her up tight in a hug. "Ruby! Oh f*ck," she hissed. "Your shoulder? How-? Who did this? Crap. Stay still – Knight, I need your cloak. Bandages."

"Take it," he grunted, struggling to keep his eyes open. The white bits were an angry pink and his eyes glistened with moisture. It was obviously painful for him to keep them open. "I'm useless here. Curses!"

Ruby babbled the story of what happened while Yang took Knight's cloak and ripped a chunk off, then wrapped it tight around Ruby's shoulder. She'd need stitches for this, that was obvious, but a bandage would at least stop the bleeding. While Yang and Knight digested the news, she looked back to the fight. Funnily enough, losing Yang hadn't really changed the dynamic any. Ashari was still an elusive shadow refusing to be caught, but neither he nor Grimm had pressed the advantage.

Even though they could.

Weiss hit the ground and struggled to get up. Ren landed, picked her up and retreated behind Jaune and Pyrrha, who both looked like they'd been through a blender and were content to hide behind their shields. It wasn't every day you saw Pyrrha Nikos gasping for breath and on the defensive, yet here they were.

Knight wasn't the only strong iteration in this war. They should have expected it to be honest, but Knight seemed so out of the ordinary and Barista, Hunter, Fate and Xiong hadn't done anything to convince them the standard of Jaunes was going to be that high. They were all mostly normal – different backgrounds, but not that much above her friend's fighting level and definitely not in the same bracket as Knight or this Ashari guy.

"I can take him." Knight hissed. "He isn't that fast, and I could cut through him in one swing. It's landing the attack that's going to be difficult. He went straight for my eyes."

"He knew you'd be a problem." Yang surmised. "Must have picked that up watching you against his pal. Hell, he figured out you were the main threat and found a way to deal with you in, what, two minutes? Three? What kind of monster is he?"

"He's a Huntsman." Ruby answered.

"I know but-"

"No. He's a huntsman, Yang. Not one in training like us. This is a proper huntsman. He's Jaune but after Beacon." Long after Beacon by the looks of him. "I… I think we should get out of here."

"Retreat? But-" Yang took in Ruby's pale face, much of it from shock and her injury. "Shit, you're right. We can come up with a plan for next time. Maybe get Knight a pair of sunglasses and-"

—Arc Royale: Chapter 7