The war continues – but harken, a change on the horizon. Is that a heroic sight we see? Yes, sort of. It's some cover art for Beacon Civil War, provided by Jack Wayne on Deviant Art. You can check it there for a close-up.
Beta: College Fool
Cover Art: Jack Wayne
Chapter 4 – The First Blow
"No one seeks conflict. Sometimes it sneaks up on you, strikes before you notice. Kind of like women, really. One second you're single, the next – bam – jumped by both your teammates. Dunno why Qrow always gives me that luck, though. Doesn't it happen that way for everyone?"
Taiyang Xiao-Long, Blonde Bastard
Medical supplies or food; that was our quest. A quest which I've been unfairly saddled with, mind – but a quest nonetheless. I could remember playing video games like that when I was younger, albeit the enemies were usually far weaker and more grotesque in nature. Naturally, the beautiful women of Beacon were neither of those. Still, between the choice of the two assets, one seemed easier than the other, and it was that fact which kept me from truly panicking, and was honestly the only reason I was willing to give this a go in the first place.
"This seems unusually easy," Sky commented as we walked through the corridors. "I mean, can we really just walk up to the infirmary and ask for medicine?"
"I don't see why not," I replied. "It's not like this is a real war. No one's going to prevent us from getting supplies if we're injured." Not to us, anyway. Had it been CRDL on their own, and had it been Blake in the way, she might have.
"Jaune has a point," Ren said. "From what I recall, there are rules surrounding the medical facility and it's exempt from the war. Even with this being sprung on us so randomly, I imagine the faculty had time to plan and organise it. They'd have something in place to make sure no one was badly hurt." Ren scanned the corridor ahead, and only when it was clear did he continue. "If people felt afraid to visit the infirmary, then the smallest cut could become an infection that costs someone a leg."
I nodded and flicked open my scroll, reading through the handy list of rules Ozpin had thought to send to us. To every student, of course. There were instructions on how to win the war – most of which I skimmed over as being utterly unnecessary – but among them were the rules. Some were on how you had to treat prisoners, ensuring a minimum level of meals, freedom and care, along with rules that stated prisoners couldn't take advantage of that humanitarianism to escape. More importantly, however, were the strict guidelines surrounding the medical facilities.
"No one faction can take command of or limit, inhibit or control access to the medical facilities for any student," I read. "Should wounded from one side approach under the banner of seeking medical aid, they must be allowed to enter the facility without interruption. Failure to comply, or seeking to use such caveats for your own advantage, will lead to harsh punishment."
"What do you imagine harsh punishment means?" Dove asked.
"Nothing we want to see," Cardin grunted. "Whether it's Miss Goodwitch or that Doctor giving it, neither is a good option."
It was interesting how Cardin didn't show any of his usual racism towards Miss Tsune. Maybe he knew better than to annoy the person who might be responsible for putting you back together again if you were hurt, or maybe he was just afraid of her. Neither was a particularly bad reason.
"Still, this is a free win for us," I said, putting the scroll away. "We walk in, ask for some supplies and walk out. No problems."
I wish I'd kept my mouth shut. It took less than ten minutes for a problem to occur, and it appeared as Ren slamming out an arm into my chest, pushing me back and preventing the others from crossing around the corner. "Wait," he hissed. "Enemies."
"Girls?" Russel asked.
"If it were Grimm I wouldn't sound so worried." He gestured for us to stay back and crouched low. Of all of us, Ren was the quietest. And the fastest. And probably the strongest too, now that I thought about it. There really was no reason why he wasn't in charge other than my utterly undeserved reputation. "There are six, no, eight. Wait, there's another patrol. That's sixteen, and-" His voice trailed off in a muffle of curses.
"What is it?" I asked, voice low.
Ren's eyes were haunted. "Yang."
The name along was enough to send a rush of fear through me. I fell back, despite that I was completely out of sight already. My back bumped into Cardin's, but far from push me away, he seemed rooted to the spot as well.
(Cardin's previous run-ins with Yang hadn't exactly been favourable. Much like Pyrrha, Yang had once or twice thrashed all of CRDL in one against four spars.)
What was Yang doing here? Hell, what were so many girls doing here at all? The medical facility was off-limits, and even if it wasn't, why would they send one of their hardest hitters there?
"Maybe she's ill," Dove whispered.
It was an idea.
"She doesn't look it," Ren replied with a shake of his head. "She was scanning the corridors, not to mention she had her weapons out and there were sixteen of them alongside her. Unless they've come down with a plague, I think they intend to fight."
"They can't," I said, referring to the rules. "They can't impede us if we go in."
"But what about when we come out?"
I had no answer. The scroll came back out and a quick flip through the rules found the relevant section. Ren, Cardin and the rest of his team huddled around behind me to read it. "While none can inhibit teams or individuals from entering the medical facility, it is also expressly forbidden to use hide in the facility until the War Games have concluded. Patients will be dismissed with immediate effect once they are deemed fit and healthy by Beacon's medical practitioner."
"And not a line about what happens afterwards," Cardin hissed. "Damn it. They're not there to stop people getting in; they're standing guard to arrest those who come out. The second a guy is healed, they're rounded up and marched off as a prisoner."
"That's despicable," Russel said.
"It's genius," Ren countered. "This level of organisation espouses what we're up against. It's not just the propaganda messages encouraging to trade food for freedom, but now also guards about the medical facility. I wouldn't be surprised if they have checkpoints at strategic locations, too."
Neither would I, really, and I could imagine a few people with the nuance to suggest such things. Weiss and Blake were obvious choices, but Pyrrha was no slouch, and Velvet was damn intelligent when she had reason to be. I'd thought it suspiciously fortunate that we hadn't run into anyone before now, and the reason was clear. They wanted men to feel safe coming here. If we approached, Yang would smile, give us a wave and let us past. Then, once we were immediately kicked out for not being sick, she'd capture us and take what supplies we'd managed to sneak out.
This was the kind of organisation we were up against. This was what we had to deal with. Compared to this, how were the six of us (seven with Zwei) ever supposed to achieve victory? The answer was obvious. We weren't.
Our goal, my goal, was only to survive.
"Let's back out," I whispered. "We're done here. There's nothing to gain from staying."
/-/
With the medical facility out of the bargain, we quickly found ourselves skulking back to the quiet and confined corner of the Academy Yatsuhashi's base was located in. There wasn't much point going back empty-handed, but it wasn't like we could go where the food actually was, since the cafeteria was a hotspot of enemy activity. In fact, it was probably their headquarters.
"What do we do?" Dove asked. "How are we even meant to find more food? The first was a miracle."
"Jaune will find a solution," Russel said. The look he gave me was filled with a worrying amount of awe and belief. I didn't deserve it and didn't know how to deal with it. I nodded and refused to acknowledge it any further. Sadly, the others were less willing to do so, and all nodded in agreement, dumping the responsibility on me again.
"We'll figure something out," I said, more to allay their concerns than from any actual confidence. I made sure to use the plural `we`, however. My eyes scanned over the rooms beside the corridor, many of which had doors ajar and already open. That was intentional, I felt, though whether it was a move on the guys or girls part, I had no idea. It was a way of showing the room had been searched, of advertising that there was no point wasting time on it. If a door was closed, it either meant it hadn't been rooted, or that someone had taken to hiding inside.
None of them in the corridor were closed. No food by scavenging, it seemed, and even if there was, it wouldn't be enough to impress Yatsuhashi and his little group. Beacon was a school where food was provided freely in the cafeteria. With that in mind, there wasn't much need for students to stockpile more in their dorms, and what little there was usually consisted of sweets or alcohol. Right now, a little of the latter would have been nice.
"We could attack another female patrol," Cardin suggested. "It's what worked the first time."
"I'd like to avoid that," I said.
Cardin shot me a suspicious look. "Why?"
It was the first sign of suspicion I'd received from him in a while, and was probably a sign the effects of my bullshittery were fading. To be fair, we'd not had a single success to our name since the first feeding, and the heady results of that had probably departed. I wracked my mind for an answer that would please him, while also maintaining the image of control on my part. "The girls have already been alerted to our presence," I eventually said. "By now, the Girl Scouts will have reported back on what happened, but they'll expect us to have fled the area. If we attack another set now, we as good as scream our location over the PA system."
"Hm," Cardin nodded. "Makes sense."
"Once we're bigger, we can do that," Russel added. "Jaune needs to be at the head of a real tribe if we want to have a chance of winning, though."
"Yeah, sure…" I sighed. "That's exactly my reason. We should-" A distant thrum filled our ears and I came to a stop automatically, the others following suit. It sounded like it was above, and I raised my head towards the ceiling. "What's that noise?"
"Sounds like a Bullhead," Ren said.
"It's just a supply drop," Cardin said, waving one hand as though it were an everyday occurrence. "It's part of the War Games, apparently. A Bullhead flies over every eight hours or so and drops a crate of goods at a random location. First come, first served."
Now that he'd pointed it out, I could recognise the familiar hum of a Bullhead's engines. "What's in them?"
"No idea. Not like I've ever opened one. You and Ren didn't know about them?"
"We stuck to the far interior of Beacon," Ren answered for us. "I guess we never noticed, or just assumed it was a normal Bullhead for the school. They must still be shuttling food in and out. You say it'll be dropped in a random location?"
"That's the gist. Why?"
Ren pointed out the nearby window, and our faces pressed against the glass as we saw the Bullhead come to a stop maybe a hundred metres out, and two hundred in the air. It started to hover over a flat area of grass between this wing and the one next to it. Something fired from the vehicle, slamming into the ground, and a bright red plume of smoke started to rise.
Paradoxically, my stomach fell. I knew before looking what the expressions on everyone's faces would be, but I still turned around anyway, just on the off-chance I'd be wrong. Obviously, there was no such luck. Everyone was staring at me, Russel with stars in his eyes, the others expectantly. Even Zwei had his forelegs on my shin, head tilted upwards. I let out a long, beleaguered sigh.
"We've found our supplies."
/-/
"You want us to go in alone?" Cardin hissed. His eyes were wide and afraid; as well they ought to be since I was asking him to wander out with just his teammates into what was essentially a huge expanse of zero cover. He scanned the buildings on either side, but there was no telling how many faces watched from the windows.
"Four or six, it doesn't really matter," I said. "We'll be outnumbered either way if the girls come for this. You four are the strongest, so you can carry the most stuff when we get it."
He didn't seem entirely enthused with my impeccable logic, and once again rewarded me with a suspicious expression. It seemed Cardin wasn't quite so naïve. Either that or the fear was breaking through any goodwill I'd earned.
"And what will you and Ren be doing while we risk our lives like this?"
I tried for my most heroic smile, even as I have a very un-heroic answer. "We'll be keeping watch, of course."
"Keeping watch…" His eyes narrowed. "From the safety of the main building, I presume?"
"Someone has to do it, and we're faster than you guys. Look, it's all fairly simple. Ren and I will stay on the outskirts keeping an eye out for the girls. If we see anything, we'll give you the sign to run, and you get out while you can." I laughed in what I hoped was a confident manner. "Honestly, you'll be the safest of us all. You'll get advance warning as soon as any girls are spotted. Ren and I are the ones in real danger."
Or Ren was, to be honest. I was to guard the building we'd just come from, the quiet and abandoned wing where there were no war objectives. Ren, on the other hand, was going to keep watch from the other side, the wing that not only had a single capture point, but was also closer to both the infirmary and the cafeteria. I'd done that on purpose, of course, even if I did feel bad throwing Ren into such danger.
(And I'm sure that was a sign of trust in my abilities on Jaune's part, and nothing more.)
"This is the only way it's going to work," I said, pushing Cardin from behind. "Now go, quick. When that crate drops, you need to be on it fast."
"I'll be watching you," Cardin called ominously. Nonetheless, he took his team and stalked out into the open garden.
I breathed a sigh of relief once he was gone. If all went well, we'd come out of this rich in supplies and I'd have yet again proved I could be relied on. If it didn't go well, Team CRDL would be captured and Ren and I could go back to what we had been before, albeit now with all the other supplies from the Girl Scouts. Either way, I'd come out fine. As long as I was far away from the action, everything would be okay.
Did I feel bad for Cardin and his team? It's hard to say, really. This wasn't the kind of thing that would end with their deaths even if they did fail, so it wasn't like I was callously throwing their lives away. Besides, Cardin had smacked me around at Forever Fall and bullied me before. Maybe it was only fair I got my own back in some way.
That was only if it all went bad. If I saw some girls approaching, I would alert Cardin and his friends, as long as it didn't put me in danger to do so, of course. While I didn't much like the unusual faith they seemed determined to have in me, I liked the idea of not having four expendable meat shields even less.
As far as I was concerned, there were only two people that mattered in this war. Myself and Ren, and in that order. Maybe Zwei, too, but only because I dreaded to imagine what Ruby and Yang might say if he got hurt on my watch. I glanced down to him and he yipped happily at my feet. At least someone was having fun.
"Ha ha, it looks like we have some brave recipients," a familiar voice cried from the Bullhead. Peter Port leaned dangerously out the side, one hand on the vehicle's railing, the other inside it. "Hold the line, my boys. As always, I come bearing gifts!"
He dragged something out and let it fall, the tall, black-cased crate spinning through the air. Cardin and his team spread out lest it hit them, but the action proved pointless for a large parachute quickly spring out the back of the crate, arresting its fall. It started to drift down slowly.
Very slowly…
"Wonderful," I hissed. "I thought this looked too easy. That's going to take at least two or three minutes to land, and that smoke will be seen all around the academy." The girls would have passed the information along via whatever grapevine they had in place, and I could easily imagine them sending out people right now. I gave the area another nervous scan, but there was no movement. Had we pulled a quick one over them? Maybe they were busy putting down some guys on the other part of school. Maybe they just didn't need the supplies and figured it wasn't worth risking their time on.
Still, who knew Peter Port played popular video games. I was fairly sure this scenario had been used in at least ten games recently, and in almost the exact same way. It was nice to see someone was taking such pleasure at our expense.
Seconds ticked by, turning into minutes, and each of those felt like an age in itself. Every rustle of a bush, or sound of the wind through the grass, had my nerves tingling. I kept my breath low, eyes focused around me. Cardin and his lot seemed very small and vulnerable out in the open, but there had yet to be a shot fired. Even if there was, that would be a far kinder fate than anything else. They could tank that with aura and flee. The real risk was someone coming out to challenge them.
The crate slowly drifted down. My mouth felt dry.
"Jaune…?"
My stomach sank. The voice was familiar – which was all kinds of bad. I turned, praying to whatever deity existed that my senses had betrayed me. None of them answered. Little wonder I was an atheist.
"Jaune!" Nora happily cheered, stood at the head of six girls.
I ran.
She gave chase.
My shoulder impacted the door and it slammed open, me stumbling through it. Even while half-falling, I grabbed the edge and flung it shut behind me – only to whimper as I heard it crash open half-a-second later. I didn't dare look back. I knew what I'd see. Death and destruction.
"Oh, Jauuune!" Nora sang, her heavy footfalls hammering behind. "It's so good to see you. Pyrrha will be so pleased. It's not the same, you know? The team needs to get back together."
I gasped for breath as I took the stairs three at a time, one hand on the railing to help drag me up. My lungs burned by the time I reached the fourth floor. I glanced over the edge in time to see Nora skipping up without a care in the world. Her eyes locked onto mine and she smiled happily. How she could do that with whatever she had in mind, I had no idea. With a startled cry, I staggered down the corridor.
I've got to hide. I've got to hide. There was no way I could outrun her. I wasn't unfit, but Nora was ridiculous – she could run for days. I'd attended one of her fitness sessions before. I knew what she was like!
"Oh, Jaune~" she called. "You can run, but you can't hide~"
Really? I'd take my chances. The fourth floor classrooms were on either side of the corridor and I ducked into one, drawing the wooden door shut behind me. Zwei squeezed through my legs to get in, and we ducked into a cupboard. I held the corgi against my chest and squashed my hand over his snout.
A second later, the door to the classroom slid open.
"Are you sure he went in here?" someone asked. "It looks deserted."
"He's here," Nora replied confidently. "I know Jauney. He's hiding."
"Didn't you say he couldn't hide?"
"Yep. That's why he's hiding. He's smart enough to know it's his only chance." She giggled and stepped into the classroom. "That's why he's our beloved team leader."
At any other time I might have melted a little at that, but right now the ice running through my veins prevented that. These must be the Valkyries I'd heard so much about, Nora's own personal group of enforcers and warriors. If they were anything like her, then I didn't want to deal with them. I could only hope the others outside had noticed and taken appropriate action. If I was lucky, reinforcements would already be on the way.
"Maybe I was wrong," Nora said. "He isn't here."
I held my breath, even as I sagged back against the wall. She'd missed me. I was safe.
"Or maybe…" Nora giggled. There was a mighty slam before the door in front of my face was torn off its hinges. Magnhild swung back over her shoulder. "-he's in here! Hi Jaune!"
I let out a manly scream.
Zwei leapt from my hands, propelled either from fear or my voice. The corgi sailed through the air and struck Nora in the face. She fell back with a startled yelp, and I took the chance for what it was, ducking past her.
"Good boy!" I yelled, even as Zwei pushed off her face, ran for the door, and scurried out, abandoning me. "Bad boy! Damn it, Zwei!"
Nora roared angrily behind me, and it was instinct alone which had me ducking as a desk sailed by overhead, slamming into the wall behind me and shattering into pieces. I doubt she'd thrown it so much as knocked it aside in a furious charge. I kept my head low and crashed through a door, into another classroom. Eyes wide, and now trapped, I rushed over to put several desks between me and the entrance.
The door shook.
The wood splintered.
An eye appeared through the crack.
"Here's NORA! Oh wait, it's unlocked." She coughed and slid inside, closing the damaged door behind her. "If anyone asks…"
"It was like that when we found it," I responded automatically.
"Aw, Jauney," my teammate cooed. "You always understand me. I knew you'd be an awesome teammate when we first met, even if Ren said you looked a little weedy and weak."
"Excuse me?"
(In my defence, you did seem it at first.)
"D-Did I say that? Oh, you know me. I say things." She laughed it off, and her expression was soon replaced with a far hungrier one. "Where's Ren, Jaune? Where is he? He's always with you, so I know you know where he is."
It wasn't a surprise what she was focused on. Ren had always been the main goal, with me just a means to getting him. If I ratted him out, he'd be in trouble – the kind of which he might never recover from. Ren was my best friend, my only male friend in Beacon. The Bro Code dictated I carry his whereabouts to my grave.
"He's out getting supplies from the airdrop," I said. Sure, it was ratting Cardin out, but at least Ren would have a chance to run.
"Do you think I'm that silly?" Nora asked, settling her hands on one of the desks keeping us apart. As usual, she wore a huge smile on her face, but there was a certain edge to it now. "You'd not be running around on your own, Jaune. Ren is nearby. He must be. Ah, I can't wait to find him. We can be together." She froze, hands clapped before her. "Not together-together, of course. I mean, we've been together for ages, but that's different."
"Yeah, well, I told you he's outside," I said, pointing out the window. "You can probably see him from here if you take a look. I'm being honest, I promise!"
"You're trying to trick me into looking so you can run."
"I'm not!"
"You don't normally lie, but this must be to protect Ren, so I'll forgive you. You and he are like best male-friends like me and Pyrrha. Well, except the male part. At least I think. Pyrrha has nice boobs, but I've never seen her fully naked. Huh, I should check. Anyway, you're lying to try and protect Ren. I like that, Jaune. I really do. You're a really loyal friend and every one of Ren's friends should be loyal to him."
"You're really reading too much into this," I said frantically. "I'm not that good a friend. Seriously, I'm selling him out to save my skin right now. You can go catch him if you let me get away. I won't even try to stop you."
"Nope!" Nora giggled and swept three desks aside with her bare hands. "I won't let you trick me. If you're willing to risk your life to protect Ren's, that's fine with me. Pyrrha will be happier if I capture you both anyway."
"I'm not risking anything!"
"You're so brave, Jaune."
"Oh my God, you're worse than Cardin and his whole bloody team!" I broke right, hoping to get around her while she was busy with the desks. God only knew why she was so determined I was doing this to protect Ren, but maybe if I could reach him, she'd forget all about me. I made a dash for the door. If I could just- "Oof!"
"That was rude," Nora said, having caught my stomach with the end of her hammer. I was folded over the top, struggling to breathe. "We were talking."
"You… You hit me with a hammer," I pointed out, wheezing. "Also rude…"
Nora's eyes narrowed. "You compared me to Cardin. Ruder."
"T-Touché…"
"I'll let it go, though," she said, lifting me higher so that her weapon was pointed vertically upwards and I was balanced atop it like some kind of gangly effigy. "Now, come on. We need to find Ren and then we can get back to being a full team again. You'll be in prison, of course, but we'll look after you. Pyrrha's been going over all the different ways she'll keep you locked up ever since this whole thing began." She paused. "Honestly, it's kinda creepy. Even for me."
Yeah, that sounded about right. I still had no idea what Pyrrha had in store for me, but my instincts warned me finding out would be the worst choice available. Even worse than taking a huge blow to my aura, which – coincidentally – I was prepared to do.
"S-See you later, Nora," I said, grinning wildly.
"Huh?"
I slammed my foot into Magnhild's trigger, and the world erupted in agony.
There's nothing quite like a grenade going off on your stomach to make you appreciate how nice it is to not have a grenade go off on your stomach. I'd been launched by Nora's weapon before, though mostly through my feet and when I'd been ready for it. My gut was less sturdy, and spittle and air flew from my lips as I was propelled horizontally across the classroom. My aura remained strong. The window I crashed into didn't. The cool touch of the air outside was sweet and soft.
The ground wasn't. My body could barely move and my eyes were fixed on the blue sky, flickering to the side slightly as a black Bullhead shot away.
Hands settled under my shoulders, and Cardin's face filled my vision. It wasn't quite as pretty a picture and I whimpered softly.
"We got the crate," he said, equal parts joy and awe on his face. "You kept them distracted while we took it. I… I can't believe I doubted you. I hope you'll forgive me." He started to drag me away, my feet trailing across the grass. "You're a hero, Jaune. A damned hero!"
I didn't feel like a hero.
I felt like pain.
While I would not normally seek to end one of Jaune's chapters with an excerpt, I feel one is necessary here, if only to highlight what happened outside of his sight – a series of events Jaune himself would almost certainly make no mention of in his memoirs. While I was able to personally find a most poignant witness to interview, I feel I must prematurely apologise for what you will soon read. Although he is a great and loyal man, there is much to be said about General Cardin's style of writing, and his prose. None of it being particularly positive.
Lie Ren
Excerpt:
The Road to Manhood, Chapter 2
Written by General Cardin Winchester,
I have a confession to make, dear readers. You see, I was not always the brave and loyal soldier I am today, nor quite as faithful and devout as I ought to have been. Fear wracked me in those early days, and some of my Lord's actions spread the insidious seeds of doubt within me. I realise now that I simply could not understand his greatness, but at that time I was young, untested, and so very, very foolish.
It was with such fear that I led my unit close to the objective, scanning the nearby buildings more than we did the skies we'd been tasked to safeguard. Had any women descended upon us, our position would have left us open and exposed, a fact we all knew well. Morale was at an all-time low, and I doubt I was the only one to consider that our trust might have been misplaced.
"Do you think this is fair?" I recall Dove asking. "Those two are busy sitting out the action while we risk ourselves with this. Why aren't they out here with us?"
"He must have a plan," Russel replied. He was always the most devout of us, his faith worn as a badge of honour. Nowadays, I look back and thank him for what little strength I drew, but at the time it was with disdain that I regarded my fellow.
"I'm not sure he does," I growled – and forgive me, my Lord – for I continued, "I'm starting to think we made a mistake trusting Jaune on something like this. If he was a true leader he'd be out here leading from the front, not skulking in the shadows like some kind of coward."
My team muttered their agreements, all but Russel, who remained silent, knowing an argument would serve only the feminine cause. As the crate drew ever closer, we became increasingly aware of the tension in the air. Even though no one was within sight, it seemed obvious that eyes watched us. I nodded to Sky, and he took a position off to one side, prepared in case of ambush. Without instruction, Russel did the same to my left. While we were not, and had never been, the strongest team in Beacon, we made up for it with discipline and stiff determination.
But even I knew that would not be enough when my eyes spied her. Not them, for the girls with her meant nothing – not compared to the threat she posed.
Nora Valkyrie.
The Scourge of Beacon, Bane of Men, Slayer of Y-Chromosomes.
Our journey – our freedom – was over.
But harken reader, for in this desperate hour when all hope seemed lost, when my faith dwindled and my weapon-arm grew heavy, HE appeared. Like lightning he dashed from cover, drawing the gaze of the enemy almost instantly. While a terrifying force, Nora was well known for being more akin to a Berserker in mentality. She gave chase without thinking, and he, the very man whose courage I had questioned, led her away. Better still, some of her companions followed – until instead of six and the most dangerous woman in Beacon, we faced only three.
The sun seemed to shine brighter that day.
I tell you, reader, that you can never understand the feeling I felt – the transformation I went through. It felt as though I had been reborn. I wanted to sing, cry and fall to my knees at the same time. My body, I know not how to describe the sensation but to say that nothing I have ever felt again has come close to comparing.
My mace surged forwards and my lungs filled with air. "For Jaune! CHARGE!" I roared, with the voice of the heavens themselves. I suited action to my words, not once looking back to see if my companions followed me. I need not have. Their voices rose in adulation behind, and like a wave of righteous fury we fell upon the foe.
Ren, too, he who had been blessed to be His companion attacked from behind – and the reduced enemy forces were caught in a pincer between us. Like the hammer and anvil true, we smashed into and through them. My muscles sang a song of joy and glory as I swept from side to side, launching one girl high into the air before bringing her back down again in a cloud of dust. A second attacked me from behind, but was kicked aside by Lie Ren – a man I had once considered my enemy.
We shared a nod, and perhaps even more that went unsaid. As our backs touched, I felt that a bond had formed.
In the distance, a high-pitched scream of panic sounded.
"Listen!" I called, head held high. "Even now Jaune fights against them – even outnumbered and overpowered. Do you hear that woman's scream? He must have struck her down. Our leader, our Lord, our Saviour! Fight," I roared. "Fight like he fights!"
And we did. We fought. We fought until our bodies burned and a thousand cuts littered my frame, and still on, I fought. Through determination, grit and fervour, we cut down the foe and reduced them to groaning heaps on the grass. By the time the crate touched down, we stood victorious.
The crate was quickly revealed to us, a collection of food, medical supplies, dust and ammunition – all in quantities I had never thought to discover. We took all that we could and left the rest for the carrion. Perhaps other men would come and supply here once they knew it was safe. Perhaps they would be inspired as we had, by the victory our Lord had granted us.
Another victory granted by Him. An impossible victory snatched from the jaws of defeat. I knew then, dear reader, that this would be the man who would save us. I knew that he would take, shape and rebuild us. I was not prepared before, dear reader. Now, I was. On that bounty, I made an oath.
I would follow Jaune Arc until the ends of Beacon – and beyond.
And there we go, the war continues – and Jaune pulls off another unlikely win. Naturally, this will cause problems, especially when Nora reports back to the women. It's also clear Port has been playing too much PUBG, or maybe any of the other hundred or so games which use random air drops. But hey, the idea of a battlegrounds scenario is kind of what this is based off. Imagine Battle Royale, except that it's split into two teams – but one team is all organised, in team chat, and all got dropped next to one another. Meanwhile the other team is scattered around the map and filled with random people all with different agendas and languages.
And yeah, Cardin is the Sulla of this universe. Good times.
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur