Commission -- The Cat's Out of the Bag 013

Jaune was dreaming. He knew that much.

How did he know? It was hard to explain. He’d always been able to tell when he was dreaming, ever since he was a kid. Most people, when they figured out what they were experiencing wasn’t real and just a figment of their mind tended to wake up. For him, it didn’t seem to work that way.

He was also one of those people that remembered their dreams, long after waking.

So yeah – this was a dream. He knew that much.

He didn’t care.

Jaune felt comfortable. More comfortable than he’d ever felt in his life. A gentle breeze passed over him, the glaring sun warming his skin. He was laying in a field of flowers, every color of the rainbow. He’d been here before, though not in a dream. It was a place from his memories, deep in the past. Somewhere he’d gone with his parents, when they used to take the whole family camping. There was a glittering lake, and a field of flowers, and further beyond, in the south, snow laden peaks.

A beautiful place.

That was probably why his mind picked it.

Fingers softly carded through his hair, nails gently raking across his scalp. Jaune sighed, enjoying the sensation, leaning his face into the warmth he was resting upon. A soft scent tickled his nose, a mixture of vanilla and jasmine, and something else, something with a bit of spice. He burrowed further, basking in feelings of contentment and… love.

Jaune really liked lap pillows.

A gentle giggle reached his ears, and then a gorgeous face appeared above him, peering down at him with tender eyes. Molten honey.

Jaune smiled.

“Do you like that?” she asked, massaging his scalp. He nodded lazily.

“Mhm.”

“What else would you like?”

The suggestion was clear.

She leaned down, and Jaune lifted his mouth in preparation. Blake’s lips were close to touching his own when suddenly, her mouth opened, and gibberish spewed forth.

Jaune flinched as the loud, pounding drums pierced through the veil of sleep, returning him to reality. He blinked groggily for a moment, confused, before turning and reaching for his scroll on the bedside table. Someone was calling him.

Ruby’s face appeared, and within an instant, any lingering sleep was blasted away in a surge of adrenaline. Jaune hastily sat up and answered the call, holding it to his ear.

“Ruby?”

There was no answer beyond loud banging sounds, almost sounding like a scuffle. He was about to call her name again when the line went dead, and when he tried to call her back, it went straight to voice mail.

Dread pooled in his stomach, almost crippling.

They’d only been gone a day. The time blinked at him, as if taunting. It was the early hours of the morning, and glancing at the window showed him that the sun wasn’t up yet. Wouldn’t be cresting the horizon for another half hour, at least.

Something was wrong.

He could feel it in the pit of his stomach.

Jaune tried to get back to sleep but it was pointless. He tried ringing Ruby again but with the same results. When he tried Blake, Yang, Weiss – they all went to voice mail.

Unable to sleep, he showered. Their own mission was starting today but his mind was focused elsewhere, on his friends, on the girl that he – what?

Loved?

Jaune dressed, pulling on his armor and collecting his sword before leaving the room, doing his best to be quiet. Ascending the stairs, he ended up on the roof, and sitting on the edge with his legs dangling over the side, he peered up at the stars.

Did he love Blake?

He wasn’t sure if it was that serious, at least not yet. He liked her. He liked her a lot. He wouldn’t have kissed her if he didn’t, and he’d kissed her lots. He’d kissed her until his jaw had ached and his tongue felt numb, and even days later, he could still taste her mouth, could still feel her body beneath his palms.

He could still hear her sweet sighs echoing in his ears, those cute little whimpers, those pants of exertion as things got more heated. Jaune didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky as to attract such an amazing, beautiful girl, but he had.

He didn’t want to ruin it.

She liked him back, miracle of miracles, and he supposed if that was the case, they were probably dating now, right? They’d even danced and he technically had asked her out, though she’d turned him down, only to turn the tables on him.

They needed to talk about this, and soon – as long as soon came.

The dark sky began receding, the sun rising above the horizon. It chased away the chill of night, and he was left bathed in the early morning light. Jaune made his way back downstairs and found that they were still sleeping, so he woke them, one by one.

“Jaune?” Pyrrha asked groggily.

He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Time to get up.”

Pyrrha yawned cutely, rubbing her eyes. “What time is it?”

“Still early – but we’ve got our mission today, remember?”

“Oh, right…” she trailed off, sighing, before rolling her neck. She then hopped out of bed, realizing that he was not only dressed but already armed. “How early did you wake up?”

“Get ready first,” he said. “I have something to tell you. All of you.”

When everyone was showered and ready, he told them about Ruby’s call, and the fact that he couldn’t reach any of them.

“That isn’t so unusual. The signal outside the kingdoms can be very spotty at the best of times,” Ren reasoned.

“Which explains why I can’t reach them, which is fair – but that doesn’t change the fact that Ruby called me, in the middle of the night,” Jaune pointed out. “We told them to call if they needed us.”

Nora’s mouth was a firm line, her brow furrowed. “You really think something bad has happened?”

He hoped not, but hope only went so far.

Breakfast was a somber affair. Pyrrha did her best to try take his mind off it, drilling him on Huntsman procedure. It helped distract him a little but not for long.

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Ren said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder as they made their way to the airship docks. “They have Oobleck with them. He might be…” he trailed off, searching for the correct words, and so Nora took over before he could find them. “He might be a total spaz but he’s a fully licensed Huntsman. He’ll know how to handle any trouble that comes their way!”

“Nora,” Ren sighed. “That isn’t what I was going to say.”

“What? I mean he won’t know what to do and they’re doomed? Renny, you have to be positive when you are trying to cheer someone up!”

“I – what? No,” it was rare to see Ren flustered, and despite his mood, even Jaune cracked a smile.

That smile didn’t last long. A long, wailing sound reached their ears. They all paused, and Jaune felt his stomach tie in knots.

He knew what that sound represented.

There wasn’t a person on the planet that didn’t.

Big city, small town, village in the sticks, it didn’t matter. As the warning siren continued to blare out across Vale, it ignited a primal fear in everyone who heard it.

Grimm.

Jaune rushed over to the edge of the cliffs, staring out over the city. He could already see air traffic being diverted, civilian airships making their way towards Beacon Academy, even those that had been prepared to land. Footsteps pounded against the asphalt of the landing pads, and turning, Jaune saw students pouring out of the school.

Vale was under attack.

And he knew. He just knew that Team RWBY was at the center of it all.

Dread threatened to choke him, but Jaune refused to falter. Hands balled into fists, he took a deep breath, voice filled with resolve as he said, “Come on. The city needs our help.”

Their airship was already ready for them, so they boarded quickly. Their Huntsman – the sheriff that they were meant to shadow for the next week – they were going to meet him at location, meaning it was just them.

It meant that without a licensed Huntsman, it fell to Jaune. He was the leader of Team JNPR, which placed him in command.

“Get us down to the city as fast as you can,” Jaune ordered the pilot. She nodded quickly and began doing her pre-flight check, the ramp closing behind them as they found their chairs. Soon they were lifting into the sky, the engines roaring as it carried them up, up and up. There was nothing gentle about this ride, sacrificing comfort for speed, and Jaune felt his stomach swoop as they dived towards the city at full speed.

Pyrrha’s face was hewn from stone, her emerald eyes cold like ice. Nora’s hands gripped her chair hard enough to crack it, while Ren was a sea of calm, eyes closed. Jaune struggled to hear over the pounding of his heart, yet he felt no motion sickness as they rocketed over the city.

“Where do you want me to drop you?” the pilot asked.

“Find the source of the breach,” Jaune said, keeping his eyes peeled. “I don’t see airborne Grimm, so they must have come through one of the walls…”

He trailed off, spotting smoke rising from downtown. He frowned.

That was not anywhere near the walls.

“There,” he got up, stumbling as the airship jolted, before grabbing the back of the pilot’s chair and pointing. “Take us there.”

“Roger,” she jerked them around, banking harshly. Jaune tightened his hold on her chair, gritting his teeth as the g-forces pressed on him.

As they approached, he saw how they’d entered the city.

“They breached us from below,” the pilot uttered in disbelief. “How did they…?”

“That isn’t important, not right now,” he cut her off. “Relay these coordinates to all the other bullheads from Beacon. Tell them that the Grimm have entered the city from below, and that,” he paused, seeing the carnage. “There are already casualties. Open the doors.”

The pilot instantly followed his instructions, the ramp lowering as she began relaying his message over the Beacon Academy emergency channel. His team met him at the back of the bullhead, and they peered down, two dozen feet above the ground. They were at the epicenter, positioned directly over what used to be a park. The ground was now a gaping wound, dirt and shattered concrete upturned, trees uprooted, the nearby street cracked and sinking into the ground. Jaune saw Grimm pouring forth from the hole in the ground, Beowolves, Ursa, and more.

Dead bodies littered the ground like discarded, broken toys. Screams echoed from the storefronts as Grimm tried to get inside at the people, windows shattering and doors splintering, the creatures of darkness driven mad by the fear clogging the air.

Amongst all the wreckage, there was a derailed train, the leading car nothing more than misshapen steel.

Gunshots filled the air, and Jaune recognized the familiar crack of Crescent Rose.

“Nora, Ren – create a kill box around the hole, take as many Grimm as you can out before they can spread,” he commanded. “Nora, I hope you packed all your grenades.”

She gave him a swift salute.

“Aye aye, captain!”

“Pyrrha, I want you on top of these buildings. Single out the most troublesome spots and deal with them, then return to your post.”

She nodded. “Got it.”

And that left him down on the ground, alone.

Jaune was scared. More scared than he’d been at any other point in his fledgling Huntsman career so far. But he wasn’t scared for himself.

He was scared for the people of Vale.

“Let’s go,” he said, and then with his heart in his mouth, he jumped.

He really needed a better landing strategy.

Jaune hit the ground hard. His aura protected him from damage, though he felt the pain keenly lance up his legs, ankles and knees screaming in protest. Nora and Ren quickly set up around the hole, Stormflower cracking as bullets tore into dark flesh.

Jaune unsheathed his blade and got to work.

He wasn’t the best fighter. He knew that. But that didn’t stop him from leaping into the fray. His first opponent was a Beowolf, the creature roaring in challenge as it rushed him. Jaune grunted as he braced himself, meeting the charge with his shield. Wicked claws rasped across the face of his shield, gleaming fangs snapping at his face as it strained, trying to rip his throat out. Crocea Mors plunged into its neck, effortlessly piercing its thick skin and slicing through tendons and muscle, a geyser of blood erupting from the wound as he wrenched his sword free. It collapsed to the ground and he moved on, keeping his cool, leaping at another, and another, and another.

His arm swung with all his might, cleaving Grimm apart with every stroke. Insectoid Grimm, small and malicious, encircled him on all sides, but their bodies were fragile, weak. Jaune spun, slamming them aside with his shield, and cutting the rest down as they flew at him, attempting to tear his flesh with drooling mandibles.

There was a sudden explosion that rocked the ground, and caused Jaune to stumble. Flames poured from an upturned car, several Grimm howling as they were immolated. The roar of engines filled the sky as more airships arrived from Beacon, and Jaune saw students leaping from them in droves, from all four Huntsman Academies.

Soon the streets were filled with dying Grimm.

Yet more continued to pour out of the breach, despite Ren and Nora’s best efforts. The spike in negativity brought airborne Grimm, Nevermore casting shadows as they arrived in great big flocks. Jaune caught his first sight of Team RWBY then, a flash of yellow in the corner of his eye. Yang launched herself into the air, her gauntlets roaring as they carried her higher. She slammed into one of the massive Nevermore, an uppercut that rocked its head back before she kicked off its body, spinning, and unloading a viscous combination on another. A streak of red followed, intercepting a smaller Nevermore that tried to take Yang from behind, Ruby appearing in a cascade of rose petals, her scythe cleaving through its wing.

He felt instant relief, yet his eyes swung around frantically.

Where was Blake?

But he didn’t have time to search. Jaune flinched as something roared right behind him and he moved on instinct, diving away and rolling. He was lucky he did, the ground shaking as an Ursa Major barreled at him, enraged.

Long, sharp claws lashed at his throat, deflected by his shield. The strength of the hit made him stumble, but he quickly regained his footing, counter attacking. The Grimm howled as his blade sliced open its arm to the bone, blood spraying across his face.

The Ursa towered above him, hulking, menacing, but he remembered – he had killed one of these before. Forever Fall forest, defending Cardin, his sword finding its neck effortlessly. His shield had moved on its own, and later, he knew Pyrrha had helped him, but he didn’t have that help now. It lunged at him and he met it head on, avoiding its claws and slashing it across the belly, below its bone plating. Steaming hot innards spilled out across the ground but he was still moving, pivoting off his outside foot and leaping, bringing his blade back around in a reverse strike. The keen edge split through its neck, its head rolling off its shoulders before the body fell with a crash.

“Watch out~!” a voice screamed.

Jaune spun, bracing his body behind his shield. A tremendous force slammed into him, and with a rush of sudden strength and a blinding flash, the Grimm was halted. It was massive, a Boarbatusk three times the size of the one Weiss had defeated in their very first Grimm Studies lesson. Its long, curled tusks strained against his shield but the recoil from its previous attempt had cracked them, making them brittle and weak.

How had that…?

A shadow passed over them, and then suddenly, a ribbon was looping around its thick neck. Jaune grinned, now knowing who had called out, and with a sudden heave, he shoved as the ribbon grew taut.

The Boarbatusk squealed angrily as it choked, pulled upwards, exposing its vulnerable underbelly. Jaune thrust with everything he had, impaling it, Crocea Mors buried to the hilt. The Grimm thrashed, and with a twist, Jaune ripped his blade out through its side. It slumped, rolling over onto its side.

“Jaune!”

Blake landed in front of him. Jaune wanted to hug her, to kiss her, but this wasn’t the time for that.

“Are you okay?”

“Am I okay?” he couldn’t help it, laughing. It was a tad hysterical. “Are you okay? I’ve been trying to call you!”

“We couldn’t – we lost signal! We were underground.”

“Duck!” he suddenly barked, and she listened without hesitation. The leaping Beowolf skewered itself on his sword, and Jaune was forced to kick it off the end.

“What happened?” he asked frantically.

“The White Fang, they – with Roman Torchwick, and the train,” she rushed out, Gambol Shroud shifting into its pistol form and cracking, Blake unloading on an approaching Grimm. “They did this!”

Jaune scowled. “The Grimm – they keep coming. Where’s Weiss?”

“She’s around,” Blake grabbed his shoulder and flipped over him, her weapon morphing back into its blade form. She slammed it through the face of an Ursa, kicking off its chest and flipping back over him. “Why?”

“We need to plug that hole!” Jaune pointed. “She can use her Ice Dust to seal it!”

The skies were rapidly filling with more Nevermore, flying in from the Emerald Forest. Most of them were of the smaller variety, but some were challenging the size of the one they’d been forced to fight during initiation. Old, powerful and deadly, their strong wings carrying them and casting shadows as they swooped in.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

Blake nodded. “Ready!”

Jaune started running, shoes pounding against the ruined street. One of the large Nevermore zeroed in on him, a shrill shriek piercing his ears. Spinning around, he crouched, angling his shield, and Blake leapt, her heeled boot finding purchase on the face. Arms and body tensed, Jaune roared as he stood, flinging her with all of his strength. Blake flew into the air, several shadow clones appearing around her. She vaulted off the nearest one, her blade flashing, streaks of purple cutting great big rends in the Nevermore’s face. It continued diving, leveling out, its talons flashing at him. Jaune rolled to the side, sword lashing out, and removed its foot at the ankle. Blake cartwheeled down its back, hacking at its spine before flipping off it, the Grimm hitting the ground with a crunch and tumbling wildly, feathers flying everywhere.

Blake landed in a crouch, one of her legs extended out to the side, and she looked even more beautiful now than she did in her ball gown.

Jaune shook his head.

There was no time for that.

A sudden whirl caught his attention, and looking around, he spotted Coco from Team CFVY. The slender girl strut forward without a care, carrying a massive rotary machine gun, the barrel winding up.

The sky was filled with death.

Dust rounds cut down every Grimm in sight, the pure force of each bullet pulverizing the smaller Grimm, while the larger ones were cut in half, their bodies ragdolling as they were turned into tenderized meat. Bullet casings rained down all around her, and within moments, she had reduced the air threat to almost zero.

“Woah,” Jaune uttered, in awe.

Even Blake was mesmerized by the carnage.

A large tremor rolled through the ground, and from the hole rose a massive King Taijitu, the serpentine Grimm’s eyes gleaming with malice. Nora shouted in warning as she evaded its first lunge, her warhammer slamming into its head. It rocked from the blow, dazed for a moment before the rest of its body curled free, the two heads rising up.

“Come on,” Jaune said, and Blake nodded, rushing forward with him.

It was the biggest Grimm he’d ever seen in person. Bigger than the Nevermore and Deathstalker from initiation, standing dozens of meters tall, each head towering over them menacingly. Long, gleaming fangs curved from his mouth like slender sabres, venom spraying from the tips.

Coco was out of ammunition, the last of it used to clear the skies. A blur of red slammed into one of the heads, a loud clang sounding as Pyrrha’s shield rocketed off the first head and struck the second, slashing large gashes into their flesh. She appeared in a flurry of sword strokes, her movements sublime, flipping through the air as they attempted to swallow her. She cut long, gushing rends through their thick necks, landing in a crouch before cartwheeling away, moving too fast, too precisely for them to hit.

There was no wasted movement.

A stream of fire scorched the white head, Jaune feeling the heat, even dozens of feet away. Weiss flew in atop her glyphs, leaping from symbol to symbol, blurring as her rapier flashed. She struck quickly, her slender blade plunging into one of its eyes before she was forced to retreat, the black head surging at her, jaws snapping shut just short of her feet.

They were all here, Ren unloading along its flank while Yang slammed her fists into his body, blowing large chunks of flesh free of the whole. Ruby dashed around them, scythe flashing, carving it to pieces, and Blake threw her weapon, Gambol Shroud spinning as it discharged, looping around one of the heads. She offered a hand and Jaune grabbed it, moments before she hauled them up, carried by the thrashing Grimm. Jaune felt his stomach swoop, weightless, and then he was up high, the pair of them flung into the sky.

Their eyes met, and Jaune saw she was smiling, a smile full of teeth. She was beaming.

They reached the height of their momentum, and for a moment, they were suspended, perfectly still. Their eyes remained locked, and it felt like an age.

Gods, she was beautiful.

Jaune fell like a comet, the weight of armor pulling him down. Inside, he was freaking out, but externally, he kept his cool. He wasn’t about to make a fool of himself in front of the girl he liked.

Tightening his hold on Crocea Mors, Jaune roared as he fell like a guillotine. His blade sliced cleanly through the thick flesh, carving out half of its neck in a single stroke. His sword bit deep enough to strike bone, and the black head spasmed, eyes rolling as his blow killed it, blood spewing from its mouth as he continued down, hitting the ground with enough force to crater the earth.

On the other side, Blake struck, slamming into the top of the white head, her blade sinking down to the hilt. The white half of the King Taijitu stiffened, her weapon piercing the skull and brain, and it jerked before it fell, Blake leaping free as it crashed to the ground, writhing in its death throes.

It was a much more elegant kill than his own, but he didn’t care.

But it wasn’t over.

“Weiss,” he shouted. “Seal it!”

She hesitated before understanding his words, nodding quickly as the chamber on her weapon spun. Twirling, she stabbed the blade into the ground and with a flash of white, sharp, serrated ice spread across the large breach, flash freezing several Grimm that tried to make it through. Weiss’ face was full of concentration, her brow furrowed as she pumped all of her Ice Dust into the creation of a seal, several tons of ice covering the hole and plugging it.

It was done.

Atlesian droid soldiers were helping to put down any of the remaining Grimm, and students rushed into the surrounding stores, evacuating terrified civilians. Jaune glanced around sadly, spotting several bodies strewn in the street.

They’d stopped things from getting any worse, but lives had been lost today. Normal people, going about their lives, secure in their knowledge of their safety – and then this.

“Jaune!” Ruby shouted, dashing up to him. “That was…” her excited voice trailed off, her eyes settling on the same scene he was.

“Ruby,” he sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Silver eyes shimmered, and she nodded, her smile brittle. “I tried to call…”

“I know,” he said. “I got it.”

Their teams came together, and suddenly, they were all hugging. Now that the adrenaline was beginning to wear off, all the fear and anger was rushing back in. Yang’s hands were shaking, crashing back down off the high of combat, and Jaune felt his own body responding in a similar way.

“That was a good call,” Weiss said after they all separated. “I should have thought of it sooner.”

“You were fighting for your life, and the lives of others, don’t be so hard on yourself,” Jaune said, and she smiled at him awkwardly, fiddling with her rapier.

Sirens filled the air, though this time, it was the sound of emergency services, not the warning system. Police, fire and medical arrived on the scene, paramedics rushing through the destroyed streets and attending to the injured while firefighters stormed one of the half-collapsed buildings, searching for survivors and doused the flaming car that exploded.

“What do we do now?” Nora asked, looking around grimly.

It was Coco that answered, her team gathering around the fashionista as she approached.

“We report to Beacon,” she said. “Ozpin and Goodwitch will want our stories, especially for you guys,” she said this part to Team RWBY. “You guys were on that train, weren’t you?”

She put the pieces together remarkably fast.

Ruby nodded.

“Wait a minute,” Pyrrha suddenly exclaimed. “Where’s Professor Oobleck?”

“Doctor, it is Doctor,” a voice said sharply, and as if summoned, he appeared, looking a little scuffed but unhurt. “I didn’t earn a PhD for nothing, I’ll have you know!”

“Oh, um, sorry?” Pyrrha apologized, grimacing as he leaned into her personal space.

“Accepted!” he said before straightening up. “And Ms. Adel is correct. We now report back to Beacon, emergency services can handle things from here.”

This is the last chapter for The Cat’s Out of the Bag for now. Semblance of Emotion is back next week.