14

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Jaune raised his shield and knelt, the shield almost touching the ground and leaning against his leg firmly. Pyrrha lunged forward and impaled the Creep over his head, her weapon holding the snarling creature up with the leverage brought on by the weapon in its shoulder. She withdrew, and he threw the creature off his shield and to the side, turning to smile at the Amazon.

"Your skills have improved markedly. You fight by my shield as though you had trained by it." She complimented, shifting her weapon and stepping back. Jaune slammed his shield into another Creep and threw it to the ground, Pyrrha stabbing her spear past him and into its throat. "Is this you…?" "A side effect of your Semblance, perhaps?"

The teams had divided, Ren and Nora on the other end of a large clearing engaging Beowolves and Creeps as they came. Nora batted aside the Grimm almost effortlessly, laughing happily while she did it, and Ren peppered the lightly armored ones down as they tried to flank her, only occasionally using his blades to disembowel and dismember. Ozpin stood in the center of the field, watching both melees with an amused smile, his cane planted firmly in the soil. Occasionally, in between claws, teeth and black fur, Jaune would see a Grimm rush the older man. When next he'd look, it would be naught but a smear upon the ground, smoke rising lazily into the air.

"Yeah… I think it's a side effect, or maybe a perk." Jaune ducked under a claw, kneeling again as Pyrrha fired several rounds from Milo, using Akuo as a brace for the rifle, and tossing the lesser Beowolf aside easily. "It's like a sense… I feel your instinct in the fight, and it sort of… flows. I just do what that tells me to do, you know?"

"I understand... in a fashion, at least." She said, standing up as the last Creep fell dead at her feet, yanking her spearhead from its back. Turning, she saw Nora crush a wounded Beowolf with a boisterous cheer, and she turned back to Jaune with a satisfied nod, "It would appear the battle is won, for now. Let us speak later?" "If you seek to keep this a secret, at least."

"Yeah." he said, nodding and turning when he heard the others walk up. He couldn't help smiling at Nora's wide, giddy grin, "Did you have fun, Nora?"

"Oh yes, yes, yes, yes! I squished so many Grimm! Like, thirty at least!" She bounced up and down, Magnhild bouncing on her shoulders so that it seemed almost weightless, even though Jaune knew better than that, "And Renny did alright, too, I guess. He helped." "Saved my ass twice… I need to improve."

"Yes." Ren said plainly, staring straight at Jaune with a small smile, "I helped."

"The battle went well with us as well, and I am glad for it." Pyrrha said brightly, placing her weapons on her back and breathing deeply. She straightened when she saw Ozpin approach from behind the Valkyrie, "Sir. I did not see you in the fight, are you alright?"

"Rest assured, Miss Nikos, that I am more than capable of holding our center and defending myself." He said simply, smiling pleasantly and twirling his cane, looking at the forest around himself, "I have missed this life, in a way. Walking in the woods is… pleasant." "I do so wonder if she has taken notice of my power as of yet…."

"Of course, sir." She returned simply, nodding and standing aside so he could take the center of the group and lead them out of the clearing and further towards the mountain. "Sir, you… You said you held the center? But I saw no battle there when I would look." "On his own."

"Mostly Beowolves and Creeps, as you yourself fought, quite well I would like to add. And you saw no fight because there was no fight, such Grimm are easily killed when you reach my level of... experience." "And power, of course. Power helps. Isn't that right, Mister Arc?" Jaune coughed in surprise at being addressed through the older man's thoughts, and Ozpin raised a brow coyly, "Mister Arc, are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine, sir." He said quietly, raising his shield to block a small tree limb that Nora had pushed out of the way, "Just winded, is all. Took a hard hit on my shield earlier. I'm fine, Nora." He added the last when the hammer wielder stopped, concern etched into her eyes, "Just tired, that's all."

"Better be, Jauney~" She said in a sing-song voice, slowing to walk behind her leader unconsciously, taking rear guard from him without a word. "The Queen has her eye on her knight~" "I won't let you get hurt."

He felt her protectiveness and smiled, sheathing his sword at his side and looking around at the trees. They walked for a while, listening to the sounds of the trees and the far off sounds of the battling Atlesians and Grimm to their East, likely the only reason their venture was going so lightly. But he could still feel… something, in the woods.

"Stop." Ozpin snapped lightly, raising a hand and tightening his grip on his cane. They did so, Jaune and Pyrrha moving to his side with shields and swords raised, Nora at their backs and Ren in the middle, all facing separate directions, looking for… anything. Ozpin stepped forward, out of their circle, looking first right then left. "Large clearing ahead, go now. I will follow as soon as I may."

They hesitated only a moment and then made to move, the forest silent apart from their armor clinking and the sounds of twigs breaking and leaves rustling. They walked for a minute, and Jaune could sense Ozpin following not too far behind, almost at the edge of his passive hearing.

"Mister Arc, I know about your powers. I know you hear me. I feel something in these woods, nearby and familiar." He almost tripped in surprise, looking over his shoulder at Ozpin with wide eyes, Pyrrha watching him closely and tightening her grip on her sword. "You may have thought of the Scrolls, but you didn't think of the Library's camera systems. Clever. Back to the matter at hand, however… "

Wood splintered on either side of them, a dozen Alpha Lupinus stepping from behind the trees, hate-filled eyes boring into them as a man dropped from above them in the trees, cackling loudly. He was wearing a long, leather traveling cloak, a dark ponytail was draped over his shoulder as he turned his head this way and that, leering at them almost predatorily. The team readied their own weapons, and Jaune could sense their fright as the man laughed brightly. The path they were on left him above them at the opening to the clearing, and the Grimm could sink into them from up the raised hill just as easily.

"Ah, finally here, finally here! I waited for hours for you to show up when my Mistress' bitch came to me! It's so rude, making your elders wait on you." Ozpin joined them, pushing past the group to stand between the man and JNPR. He cackled loudly, bending and holding his chest in his humor, "Ah, and the old man comes down from his tower! She will be so interested to hear that! You must be truly important, Jaune Arc."

Jaune flinched, mouth dry and sword shaking in his hands. The stranger's mind spun in voices, images and ideas, all twisting into a cacophony that Jaune could only compare to Beacon's classes. Ozpin turned, eyes wide, and looked at the blonde for only a moment before turning back to the man.

"Jaune, I can handle Tyrian on my own. However, your team will be required to hold the Grimm at bay until I can kill him. I need to know, can you do it?" Jaune blinked, looking at the men, then at the Grimm. "Jaune?"

"We can, sir. Trust me-"

"I don't want to hear it from you, Miss Nikos. I need to hear Jaune's answer." Ozpin interrupted harshly, flipping his cane around so the wooden shaft pointed at the man threateningly. "I need to hear him say it." "I need to know the strength of your resolve, Jaune."

"We can hold, sir." Jaune said quietly, turning from the man to his team with a nervous nod, "We can hold."

Ozpin nodded, turning back to the amused looking stranger with a serious glare and sliding a leg back, preparing for the fight. Pyrrha and Jaune pressed their backs together, their shields raised and ready. Nora and Ren stepped up to either side of them, weapons gripped tightly in their hands. Jaune closed his eyes.

"They have the high ground, Jaune, we have to take one side or we'll be slaughtered where we stand."

"Alphas…. Nora and I need to maintain our positions with them, or we'll be surrounded."

"I'll smash anyone who touches my team!"

"Jaune! You need to give us an order, what do we do?"

"If we stand with them though, Ozpin's back will be open. He needs us to hold them."

"Jaune!"

Jaune opened his eyes, turning to look at Ozpin's back with hard, blue eyes, before looking up at the Grimm. Raising his sword, he turned his head slightly, "When they start fighting, Nora and Pyrrha, go help Ozpin. We will handle the Grimm."

"There's twelve of them, Jaune, you can't-"

"We can do it, Ren." He dismissed simply, relaxing and focusing his power towards Pyrrha, feeling her shudder against his back as his mind touched every inch of her body, feeling her out, feeling her instincts, "We got this, guys. Get to Ozpin, protect him, and bring him to us."

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