Palace of hearts.
A fortress from where the infamous Queen of hearts dwelled, ruling the Ever After with an iron grip.
Team RWBY rushed through the dull grey halls at top speed cutting down the occasional card soldiers that came their way. The card soldiers as weird as they were, looking like a comical combination of a person and a game card, were lethal with their surprising speed and flexibility.
Yet it was nothing team RWBY could handle. With the help of the denizens of Ever After they dragged most of the Queen's forces outside her palace and managed to sneak in, to put the Queen down once and for all.
That and the fact that the Queen held the last piece of the puzzle that would allow them to come back home.
"We should be almost at the throne room," Weiss told them." If the map given by Chesiree is accurate that is…" She clocked her tongue.
"Man I hope it is, all these corridors look the same! I mean It's called the palace of HEARTS yet everything here is grey!" Yang complained.
"It's not like the owner is the best person around Yang, I think at this point it's just to rub salt into everybody's wounds. With what she did here she could give Salem a run for her money." Blake added.
"We got one shot at it, we have to prevail." Ruby uttered "We have to go back to Remnant! It's been months since we've been here. Monty knows what is now going there!"
With that said the team rushed to their destination. Not even five minutes later they entered a large hall with enormous columns going up until the very ceiling that was shrouded in darkness as the only source of light were the torches. Unlike the whole area, this place was a bit more decorated. While still everything was made out of the same grey stone, the columns were decorated with large black banners with bloody red heart on them.
The symbol of the Queen of Hearts.
The impossibly long hall only added to the oppressing feeling of the whole place as only the sounds of their footsteps echoed through the hall.
Not one other sound.
After what seemed like an endless run they finally arrived at the massive golden doors with a red heart in the middle that lead to the throne room. In front of that doors stood a lone figure, motionless almost like a statue..
"It's him" Ruby whispered gripping her weapon tighter." Knave of Hearts"
The ruthless enforcer of the Queen's will, the butcher, the silent blade. His titles could go on each less flattering than the other.
The imposing caped figure towered over the team Ruby with his height. His robe might have been white at some point in time but now it resembled more of a shade of grey just like the wall around him. His once-white helmet was now rusty looking. The gossiping was going he never cleaned the blood off his armor…
Team Rwby never encountered him but they all saw his handy work. Chesire warned them that in terms of pure brute strength he was stronger than the Queen.
" Ok so we just bring tall, creepy, and oh so edgy down, and the road is clear." Yang cracked her knuckles.
"Well this brings back memories" Weiss readied her rapier as the knight resembled the machines she used to fight.
"Let's be on guard," Blake warned eyes the man before her. He stood like a sculpture making no move to even acknowledge their presence. The darkness of his visor was impenetrable, most of his features obscured by his cape.
Yet the helmet seemed familiar, the style even with faded colors nudged Blake somewhere yet she could not put her finger where.
"Team! Bullet Storm!" Ruby yelled and changed her scythe into a sniper rifle opening fire, with the rest of the team following.
The knight did not move an inch and just took the punishment, bullets bouncing back off him like it was nothing.
"Let's see how you will like this!" Weiss changed the cartage and fired a flame round at the knight. With the materials, she picked up in Ever After she shot was more of a torrent of fire than normal flame dust round.
The wave hit the mark causing a large explosion, enveloping the knight whole. When all was set and done only a large fire remained in front of them.
"Great job Weiss! Now put it down and le-" Yang was about to five hive her friend when suddenly...
STEP
A silhouette began to be visible through the flames.
STEP
Accompanied by the glow that did not come from the fire
STEP
For some supernatural reason, the flames parted as the Knight stepped out of them. His cloak was now aflame but the figure did not seem to mind. The reflected like seemed to give him almost a demonic look as the darkness of his visor seemed endless, the red glimmer made it all more threatening.
Team Rwby braced themselves, that show of nonchalance set them on high alert.
As if to mock them the knight slowly reached to the hem of his burning cape and in one swift move pulled it was throwing it to the side.
Underneath it was a full body of what was once white armor with gold finishes, covering the figure from head to toe. Now all of this was rusting away. Chainmail filled the gaps in the plates, making him look like a walking tank.
This time all of the girls were hit by the wave of disturbing familiarity. But that was impossible. Only they fell here.
They exchanged more and more frantic looks. The Knight's armor was strikingly similar to Jaune's armor.
But that was impossible. They have been here for months and did not even hear a shred of gossip of other remnant dwellers being there, well aside from Neo who was currently fighting Queen's army outside.
Yet Knave has been here for at least 3 years…
"Guys I know it might be crazy but…"Ruby bit her lip unsure if she was going crazy." Doesn't this guy's armor resemble Jaune's?"
"I…see the similarities…"Weiss hesitantly added." But Jaune was still up when I fell and he was fighting Cinder-"
Only thanks to her lightning-fast reflexes she was able to block a massive strike from the knight. Yet still, the force of the blow sends her back flying dozens of meters back. The large man was inhumanly fast. She used her glyph to safely land but was still shocked by the ferocity of the attack.
None of them even noticed when he drew his sword.
It was a claymore, you don't quickly draw a claymore. The rest jumped back their weapons ready yet the Knight's sword itself only added to their doubts.
The color scheme looked exactly like Pyrrah's Milo with the only difference being a large emerald pommel of the sword…that looked exactly like the one used by Penny.
"Come on, this guy can't be Vomit boy." Yang kept the guard tight mildly disturbed by the speed. "Jaune would never harm an innocent and we all had seen what this monster did."
"Can we talk about it after we subdue him and see his face?" Blake the sole voice of reason said.
" Maneuver 7!" Ruby bellowed. Blade and Weiss rushed forward engaging the knight. Weiss went low while Blake attacked from above.
With lightning speed, a storm of stabs and slashes was unleashed upon the Knave yet the man seemed unfazed by it. With the speed matching their own, they deflected every strike.
His deflect was precise and deadly as he did not allow a scratch on his armor. Blake and Weiss did their best to keep him busy yet every time their blades crossed their bones were shaken to the very core.
The man's strength was simply unbelievable. He was about to deliver a devastating slash at Blake but a timely Yang bullet came right in. With help of Ruby, Yang shoot like a missile at the enemy. The leader of the team RWBY followed right after to deliver a finishing blow.
With speed and ferocity, Yang punched at the knight hoping to land a solid hit yet the man did not permit it. He used his sword as a shield and blocked Yang's fist with it.
The sheer power behind the strike forced him back as the blonde girl pressed the attack. Ruby in a second was upon them raising her scythe to deliver a devastating blow.
"Take that!" She yelled bringing the Crimson Rose down on the knight.
Technically the strategy was executed perfectly. From Weiss and Blake acting as a distraction to Yang overpowering the opponent with Ruby sealing the deal.
What Ruby did not predict was for Knave to grab the edge of her scythe with his free hand and stop her in her track completely. She tried to yank her blade out but it felt as if it was stuck in a hydraulic press.
Knave not wasting a second delivered a brutal kick to Yang's stomach sending her flying in the air. Then with one fluid move, he rammed Ruby on the floor, using the fact that the girl did not let go of her scythe.
The force was so massive that the girl bounced up in the air only to be kicked like a ball and crashed into charging Blake that went to help. Two girls collided and were sent flying back in a tangled mess of limbs.
Arching his arm back he threw Crimson Rose at Weiss. Yet the Schnee girl did not panic and caught it using her glyph.
Holding his sword in two hands the Knave stabbed the floor with the tip of his blade standing still like a sculpture again. Crimson red hearts on golden doors shone menacingly with the reflected light of the torches.
Team RWBY hastily collected themselves looking at the man with a growing sense of unease. He could have stuck them with his sword but he did not…
The realization that he wasn't serious was chilling.
That was an unsettling thought. They did not hold back yet he handled them like a bunch of kids.
Ruby opened her mouth to initiate another plan…
"Leave" A dark, cold, rusty voice sounded through the empty halls shocking the girls to the very core.
If there was one thing in Ever After that was constant was that Chesiree was a nut job, Queen of Hearts was a bitch and that Knave never spoke. No matter how the denizens cursed, taunted, or raged at him he never ever spoke.
That's why they called him Silent Death among other things.
"We won't!" Ruby replied taking her weapon back from Weiss." We will end the reign of Queen of Hearts and free the people of Ever After!"
"Yeah! And go back home and end the rein of another queen bitch in Remnant!" Yang added.
"Throw Cinder in the lot too," Weiss added with spite. What the white-haired girl did not expect was laughter…coming from the Knave.
It filled the hall with dark amusement sending the chills down their spines. The coldness in It put Weiss's ice to shame. It was a laugh of someone utterly devoid of heart. The very sound crushed their hope and dimmed the light of the torches, making the darkness shroud the Knave like a coat.
It felt like an abyss that laughed at them.
Suddenly the laughter stopped and the air changed in instant.
Only thanks to top-notch reflexes and instant the girls were ready for the Knave was upon them in instant.
With a mighty cut, he slammed his sword to the ground creating a shockwave that scattered them, shattering the floor at the same time.
"Stick together!" Ruby cried in vain as Knave descended upon her with a mighty overhead slash. The girl dodged nimbly slashing with her scythe. Knave blocked it with his claymore using his free hand to grab her.
Using the momentum she used her scythe handle as a pole and twisted her body in a way that her feet were facing the knight. Then in one fluid motion, she slammed her feet in his face making him let go of the scythe.
Ruby knew that once he grabbed her, she would be in a world of pain.
"Yikes!" Ruby yelped when the Knave buried her under the flurry of vicious stabs forcing her back rapidly. Her teammates rushed to her air.
Yang from the left, Blake from the right taking pressure from Ruby who quickly switched to the ranged option placing well-aimed shots at the Knight. Blake slashed the armored leg feeling the resistance of the armor yet bit by bit she was getting closer to the sensitive back of the knee that was the least protected.
Yang on the other hand kept the top of the knight occupied. For she needed to buy time for Weiss who was in the middle of summing her knight. It was painfully obvious that Knave was a juggernaut and they needed more brute force to crack his defenses.
She used the hit-and-run approach avoiding closer combat. It was obvious that man used his free hand well. She doubted that she could escape from his hold so it was better to play it safe.
Yet being a CQC it disturbed her how well he faired against 3 opponents with such various styles.
Yes, they were scoring some hits now and there but at a very tedious pace. The man's defenses were simply insane. No move was wasted, no but exaggerated enough to find but the tiniest opening.
But the Knave was far from the defensive fighter.
With a mighty slash, he cut the air before Yang seemingly missing if not for the white arc of aura coming from the cut.
Yang crossed her arms in front of her as dodging was impossible, put her metal arm forward. The aura slash connected eating into her arm forcing her back by sheer force.
"Yang!" Blake screamed getting distracted for just a second. That cost her dearly as she was rewarded with a devastating kick right to the face.
Aura or not receiving a metal heel of Knave's boot hurt like hell. Faunus girl was sent flying and crashing into the nearest pillar.
Ruby seeing that Weiss already summoned the knight and sent him her way accelerated her fire rate to draw Knave's attention from the approaching construct.
Weiss using her glyphs created a path that she summoned that could slide towards her enemy without so much a sound.
The summon knight raised its humongous sword high and brought it down upon unsuspecting Knave creating a large cloud of smoke and debris upon contact.
Ruby teleported next to Weiss leaving a trail of Roses behind her with Yang and Blake quickly joining them.
"Think we got him?" Yang asked critically inspecting the deep gash on her metal arm. It still worked but she doubted if she could take another hit like that.
"That is becoming ridiculous…"Blake mumbled as the dust settled. Knave was kneeling on one knee while holding his sword over his right shoulder.
Weiss knight tried to force its blade down further but Knave did not give him an inch.
Weiss felt her mouth become very dry.
"The gravity glyph should make this blade weight four tones…" She choked gripping her rapier tighter.
Slowly as in some horror movie, Knave pushed himself up overpowering the knight. Weiss grunted intensifying the pressure but she just couldn't hold him back.
Not without effort Knave pushed the knight off and before the construct regained its bearings Knave cut its chest, shattering him like glass. Weiss drew a sharp breath as the shockwave came back to her.
"Weak"
Team RWBY flinched as if someone slapped them.
Knave's single word held so much contempt it almost burned like a hot iron. He pointed his blade at them.
Then everything went to hell.
In instant, he began to glow white rapidly slashing air before him sending multiple white arcs at them.
The girl jumped out of imminent danger avoiding the lethal hits. Each arc left a clear-cut line in the stone floor and pillars. Yet that was only the beginning.
If Knave was fast before now he put his previous speed to shame. In a blink of an eye, he was upon Blake who managed to create a clone to avoid his first hit yet this didn't buy her enough time to avoid a brutal slash. She screamed as the flat edge of the blade hit her chest and plummeted her to the ground breaking her aura.
Not giving the other one time to breathe Knave rushed Yang. The girl with her hair flaming unleashed a barrage of punches but the man just tanked it. He grabbed her by the strands of her flaming her and headbutted her viciously.
The force was so great that even Yang's aura could not protect her. Her nose cracked with trails of blood coming out of it. Dazed she was defenseless against a brutal knee to the gut that left her kneeling on the floor clutching her stomach.
Weiss and Ruby exchanged frantic stares as the bumblebee part of the team were annihilated in seconds. The fight began to go terribly wrong for them and they needed to win this.
Or all would be lost.
"Let's get him with stinger" Ruby whispered. "Drop some electric dust for good measure"
"On it." Weiss put the correct bullet in her rapier and allowed herself to be taken by Ruby. Having a teammate that broke the sound barrier makes the tactic of turning your other teammates into living bullets feasible.
Ruby put up the very top of her speed making herself virtually invisible to the naked eye. When she moved like this time slowed down and it looked like everybody moved at a snail's pace.
NOW!
With one last spin, she released Weiss at the Knave, herself being right behind her this time aiming to do some real damage.
A straightforward attack even at the high speed had one fatal flaw. Once seen they were easy to dodge even if they were seen once.
Knave sidestepped allowing Weiss to harmlessly pass him. He was about to deal with Ruby when he noticed something up in the air.
Electric dust crystals.
His head slowly turned to Ruby who was wearing the biggest shit-eating grin since the start of this fight her sniper rifle ready.
BANG!
With one well-placed shot of the electric dust round the crystal shattered creating sparks of electricity that quickly got to the other ones via chair reaction.
The funny thing about electricity was that aura or not it affected a person. While Huntsmen had higher tolerance and could recover way faster than your average person they were still affected.
Those splits of seconds were all that Ruby needed. She closed the distance in a blink of an eye and swung her scythe upwards aiming for Knave's neck.
The man being the monster he was, was already recovering yet he was too slow to completely avoid the hit.
The tip of Crimson Rose got right under his helmet yanking it violently off his head. Not wanting to bask in her way too small victory she quickly disengaged before the man did anything else and joined Weiss's side. She did not even catch a glimpse of his face but she could have sworn that his hair was…blonde.
Despite Ruby's presence and Blake and Yang already about to collect themselves Weiss felt like in some horror movie.
Knave stood with his back turned to them bits of electricity still going over his armor. Yet Weiss had a sinking feeling of what she was about to see. She just knew deep down in her heart that this fight was about to get way more dramatic…
Knave faced them, making Weiss gasp along with Ruby who covered her mouth his her free hand.
For before them stood no other than Jaune Arc.
Yet he looked different. The most noticeable feature of him was that now Jaune had a short beard with his hair coming back to what it used to look before Atlas. His features were now sharper losing most of the boyish traits…
In short, he looked older.
"Welp fuck me I got my ass handed by Jaune…" Yang got to them holding her nose.
"Leave" Jaune spoke again giving them a cold glare. "I won't repeat myself"
The girls exchanged worried looks. What happened to their friend that he became like that?
"Jaune!" Ruby moved a bit forward." I'm so glad that you're ok!" She could feel the incredulous looks her teammates gave her right now.
"I think he's far from ok…"Weiss mumbled looking into the blonde's cold empty eyes. Whatever happened to him it was no longer the Jaune she knew. She recalled the last moments when he tried to save her. He was whispering consoling words into her ears while suffering at the same time. She recalled the despair in his eyes and she flew over the edge…The raw horror that broke her as she tried to reach him...
The Jaune who stood before her was nothing like him. For some unknown reason, her hand traveled to her pouch where she held a gift from that obnoxious Chesire. Much to her shock, it seemed to…pulsate.
"We were so worried! We didn't know if you made it or not." Ruby dragged on." We were looking for you!"
Jaune remained silent looking at her.
"Please! Help us win this Jaune! We can come back to Remnant together and-" Ruby was interrupted when Jaune moved forward. Yet he did not dash but simply walked up to her. She heard her team ready their weapons but she held her arm to stop them.
When he walked up to her again she was struck by how tall he grew. While he was tall before now he seemed to tower over her.
"And then what?" He gazed into her eyes making her flinch. It was like there was nothing there. "Defeat Salem and Cinder?, don't make me laugh" He spat making Ruby squirm under the venom in his voice. "You're too weak to do that."
"Jaune!" Weiss pushed forward." What happened to you!? Why are you fighting us?! Aren't we friends?!" She had enough of Ruby tiptoeing about the subject.
"Because I understood."
Weiss was surprised by how much those words froze her soul. Her lips suddenly became very dry.
"Understood what?" She hated how small her voice was.
"What needs to be done to defeat them, what needs to be sacrificed." He looked at Yang and Blake. "For what we had before I will allow you to leave, Queen of Hearts will soon open the gateway to Remant and we will put Salem and Cinder down."
"What then?! Replace one tyrant for another!?" Blake accused.
"Preferable alternative to annihilation." He replied." She wants to rule not destroy."
"So you sacrifice everyone for that!" Yang uttered with disbelief.
"You still don't understand…they are willing to sacrifice everything for their goal…I finally understood why I couldn't defeat Cinder…She was willing to go through any length for power…no matter the pain, no matter the struggle no matter the blood she spilled…how a weakling, like me, could stand against that?" His face finally flashed an emotion, yet team RWBY wished it would be something else that bottomless hate.
"I was a weak, coward blundered by emotions, by reliance on others, by my damnable heart." He slowly moved his hand to his chest plate. Apparently, there was an option to open the plate.
"I understood that if I did not sacrifice everything I won't attain victory…" His words were hollow, echoing through the halls." Queen of Hearts opened a path to power for me."
In one move her opened his left chest plate revealing what was inside.
Weiss being the closest opened her mouth in a silent scream as the rest of the team followed.
In the place where his heart should be there was a hole. A black, gaping, empty hole filled only with darkness.
"I gave her my heart and she gave me power."
"Oh Jaune…"Weiss felt tears gather in her eyes. "You were all alone here all this time?" She connected the dots. Knave appeared here three years ago…Jaune right after killing Penny which probably reignited his trauma after Pyrrha got thrown into this strange new world all alone.
Lost, frightened, and vulnerable...
Jaune stared at her emotionlessly.
"You had no one to turn to…"She recalled her own mental breakdown and the support she got from her team. But Jaune? He had no one here, all alone to face his demons.
"I did not need anyone"
"if that is so why did you allow her to take your heart away?" She asked putting her hand in her pouch and wrapping her fingers around the gift she got from Chesire. "Why did you give the best thing you had?"
"Best?" Now there was dark amusement in his voice. "That made me weak, vulnerable, pathetic!"
"It made you strong!" Ruby shouted. "When everybody was down after Beacon it was YOU who gathered your team and helped me to get to mistral!"
"Yeah! In Atlas, it was you who kept us from tearing each other!" Yang added.
"Your kindness and your selflessness were always the most potent traits in you, Jaune!" Blake supported," You always treated everybody equally no matter who they were!"
"So what?" He answered coldly shutting them up. "Where did it ever get me?" he tiled his head dangerously with a sneer on his face. "Such strength that cannot achieve a thing is worthless." He closed his chest plate." Join the Queen of Hearts or run"
"We will never do it!" Ruby uttered." We will kick her ass and turn you normal!" The rest of her team nodded feeling the time to talk was nearing its end.
"Then you will die."