Darkest Days

AN: A lot's been going on in the world lately, but I'm trying my best to keep up with this story.

Enjoy the next chapter, everyone, and stay healthy out there.

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!" Chancellor Denathor's words echoed the room and the hall beyond, "You allowed the Ring of Darkness to slip out of your fingers and head straight for Mordor!"

Faramir stood up straight, "Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long are well known Huntresses, heroes of the Battle of the Five Armies. They will achieve their mission."

Denathor scoffs and places his hand on his forehead, "You expect me to put my faith in two women that have as few victories under their belt as you?!" Denathor leaned back in his chair, "It should have been brought here… to be kept safe and away from Salem…"

Faramir gripped his hands, "Look outside! Does this city LOOK safe, Father?! If I had brought the Ring here, Rourke would have laid siege to the city weeks ago. At least now, here, at the mountain, we have a fighting chance."

Winter spoke up from behind Faramir, "Chancellor, with the Beacons of Marathon activated, all we need do is wait until the other kingdoms answer. Atlas will survive."

Denathor looked at Winter with a furious glare, "You will not speak… this is between me and Supreme Commander Numenor, am I understood, Colonel?"

Winter nodded, quietly grinding her teeth behind her lips. General Ironwood was also present, Winter may not be under his command anymore, but he didn't like seeing her being treated that way.

He walked up beside Faramir, "You have my word, Chancellor, Atlas will not fall."

Denathor half smiled at Ironwood, "I don't doubt that, General. But could you tell me with absolute honesty… would you have let the Ring go if it was under your possession? Would you have betrayed me so?"

Faramir felt a pain in his heart, he didn't do what he did to betray his father, it was to protect him. Immediately he thought back to what Rourke said to him, "You will never be enough…"

Faramir was pulled out of his memory when Ironwood spoke honestly, "Yes… For the good of Atlas, I would have let it go."

Denathor nods, "Very well… Leave us."

Faramir remained as Ironwood and Winter started to walk out, she looked back to see how stiff Faramir looked from behind, and she couldn't help but feel for him.

When they walked out, Denathor stood up from his chair, "Boromir would have brought me the Kingly Gift… Why did you fail us both?"

"Boromir wouldn't have given it to you, father…" Faramir spoke plainly, "That ring is corruption incarnate… Only Rose had the ability to deny it, and no one else…"

Denathor didn't accept that answer, "Boromir was strong, he loved our kingdom, he would have died for it."

"He did… but before that he was corrupted by the Ring," Faramir gathered what strength he could to tell his father what Yang had told him. "The Ring almost made him forsake his oath… he was going to kill Rose, and he would have killed you, father…"

"Wh-What?" Denathor was shocked and angry, "Why would you ever think that?"

"As a position of power, the Ring would have coaxed him into taking it from you, by any means…" Faramir swallowed his sorrow, "I saved us both from that fate."

"BOROMIR WAS LOYAL TO ME! NOT SOME RING, A WIZARD OR A DAMNED WITCH WITH WINGS!" Denathor shouted again, this time speaking as a grieving father instead of a frustrated leader of a kingdom. His grief caused him to briefly collapse beside his desk, Faramir rushed to him and caught him. Denathor looked up and briefly saw Boromir behind him, "My son…"

Faramir looked behind himself and then back at his father, his look went from relief to despair as he looked at Faramir. Denathor stood up and wiped his tears, he turned away from Faramir and whispered, "You are free to go, Commander…"

Faramir walks out of the Chancellor's office and the doors close behind him, for a small instant he lets his emotions go and tears drip from his eyes. He placed his hand over his mouth and tried so desperately to hold it in, he would have failed if he didn't feel a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Winter there, giving him a look that meant that she would support him no matter what.

Faramir quickly recovered, mostly by force, because now was not the time for tears. He looked ahead to General Ironwood waiting for them.

Faramir walked out of the castle with the General, "Thank you, for speaking up for me, General."

"I called it like I saw it… and to be honest," Ironwood dug deep to say the following, "I hope that I would have had the courage to do what you did… letting the ring go."

Faramir smiled, "I'm sure you would have."

"Now all we have to worry about is a massive army coming straight for us…" Winter said with a bit of sarcasm in her tone, causing Faramir to chuckle and nod in agreement.

At the now conquered city of Aletsch, Rourke could be seen standing at the tallest building's roof, looking at the mountain that holds the fortress city.

"It breaks my heart, if it was still beating… I designed the layout of that fortress, and now look at it, a shell of its former glory." Rourke said with almost sadness in his tone, but mostly disappointment.

The air began to freeze around him, he didn't have to look to see who was approaching him from behind, "You made it during the Mantel Civil Wars… How unfortunate that it didn't live up to its potential…" Jadis placed her hand on Rourke's shoulder, rather seductively, only for it to be grabbed by the wrist by his hand.

"Save it for our victory, m'lady," Rourke smirked while gripping her wrist tightly.

Jadis smiled, "Your job is simple, Rourke, lay siege, pillage and plunder. Do whatever it takes to exterminate the city, do not stop the attack until the city is ours."

Rourke lets her go, "There is still a matter of a Star Knight and Mithrandir to deal with…"

"Leave the Knight to me."

Rourke looked to the other side of him and saw Jackie picking her sharp teeth with her fingernails, extraordinarily long fingernails. "I've always wanted to kill a Knight."

"As for the Wizard, he is mine…" Jadis said with absolute certainty.

At the front gates of the city, Ozpin stood beside his old friend Ironwood. James looked down at the ground beneath the wall and looked at the steep slope, steep enough for people to walk up it but it would be difficult for an army. The only 'easy' way up the mountain to the castle is the pathway to the front gate, built back when the castle was originally part of the mountain. History nicknamed it the 'Bloody Gate'.

"When they designed the Witch Mountain Protocol, they believed it would deter ground-based Grimm from making attempts to climb up here… but for an army of Orcs, it should be difficult, no?" James asked.

Ozpin shakes his head, "Hard to say… Rourke has never been known to play by the rules, nor Jadis."

"To think I would be facing off against one of the most ruthless strategic minds of Mantel's history…" Ironwood said as he gripped his normal hand, "I'm almost honored."

"I'm sure he would be too," Ozpin said with a bit of a smile, making Ironwood smile back.

Ironwood's smile disappeared as he asked Ozpin a serious question, "Will our allies come?"

Ozpin wasn't sure, he didn't want to answer and give Ironwood false hope or scare him, so he said the only truthful thing he could think of, "Courage is the best defense we have now…"

Weiss received a call to report to the Chancellor at his office, as she was walking, she quietly scolded herself on potentially getting caught. When she reached the door to the Chancellor's office, she saw Faramir waiting outside.

He held his hand up, "He's wrapping up something, they'll let us in in a minute."

Weiss stands on the opposite side of the hallway, at attention. Faramir looked at her with a smile, with her in an Atlas Uniform, she almost looked like her sister when they first met after Boot Camp.

"You wear that uniform great, Weiss," Faramir said with pride, then he looked somber, "Though I feel it is not what you wish to wear when battle comes."

"For years I trained to be a Huntress, to serve the people of Remnant, not a single leader," Weiss said with a bit of disappointment in her tone. she then looked up at Faramir, "I'm sorry, it's just-"

Faramir waves his hand, "No, I understand. Winter often told me how proud you were when you graduated after Beacon. You were so eager to go out into the world and help people from every kingdom," He thought of the times he spent with his brother on their monthly patrols, meeting all the people of their kingdom and often traveling to other kingdoms and visit other cultures. Then he thought about Boromir and what he said to him when the war initially kicked off, "But in times of war, we must sacrifice what we want and stand in defense of our people to our last breath."

Weiss' face showed her concern, "That's just it… I honestly don't know if I can do that… I wish I knew."

Faramir walked up to Weiss and placed his hands on her shoulders to reassure her, "You'll find your strength when it matters most, I've seen it happen for every soldier I've ever met, and Huntresses." He finishes with a proud smile.

Before Weiss could thank him, the door opened, and the guards let them in.

Chancellor Denathor was being served food for Lunch, as he was eating, he was looking at the holo map of the country. It had become evident that a mass of hostile creatures was enroute to Minas Tirith, and the city of Aletsch was the only thing in its path.

"Is there any particular reason why you haven't formed a counterattack to take back Aletsch and the river?" Denathor asked.

"At this time, Chancellor," Ironwood stated, "There is nothing to spare for a counterattack. Our only chance for survival now is to hold up our defenses here and stand our ground. We must also evacuate the lower levels of the city and move the families to the higher levels and into Atlas Academy."

"Hunker down and pray, is that it?" Denathor asked with annoyance in his tone, "Atlas is the pinnacle of Remnant's advances in technology and now we are forced to resort to hiding behind our walls? NO!" Denathor pointed at Faramir, "Take a battalion and TAKE BACK THAT CITY! Take back the city your brother saved!"

Faramir clenched his fists, "Permission to speak freely, Chancellor?"

Denathor scoffed, but then waved his hand, "If you must…"

"By now you probably wish that I went to seek out the Ring that day, don't you?" Faramir had been holding this in for some time, and now it was all coming out at once, "Had it been me, Boromir would still be here, defending our people, and I would most likely be dead…"

"Faramir!" Weiss exclaimed.

"No, Weiss, it's true…" Faramir held his hand out to motion for Weiss to stop talking, "That's what he wished had happened! That I was dead… and Boromir was alive…"

Silence engulfed the room for a half a minute, but it felt like an eternity for Faramir, until his father said, "Yes… I wish that…"

Faramir's heart was already broken when he learned of his older brother's death, but to hear of this from his own father, it broke him. "Very well… Although I am not Boromir, I will do what I can in his place…" As Faramir turned away, he said, "If I do come back… I hope you will think better of me, father…"

Denathor simply replied, "That would depend on how you return…"

Faramir looked to Ironwood and then walked out of the room. Weiss was about to chase after him, but Ironwood stopped her, "As the Chancellor's bodyguard, you are to remain here… I will ensure Commander Faramir has everything he needs for this… mission."

Faramir called upon the Sky Knights of Atlas in the city, requesting 2 thousand volunteer soldiers, out of the garrison of 7 thousand. Their goal was simple, remove any and all Anti Air defenses Rourke would have set up along the edge of the city and hold out until Ironwood sends in an airstrike to carpet bomb the city itself. Their main objective is to destroy the bridges that connect the city across the river, it is the main pipeline for Rourke's army to reach Atlas.

News passed around and Winter learned that she was to stay behind, under Supreme Commander Numenor's directive. When she received this order, to say she was furious was a massive understatement. She ran from her post and sprinted for the main gate, where the armored trucks were gathering for deployment.

The civilians of the city watched as their soldiers were marching by the dozens to the front gate for the mission. Many of them knew that this was more than likely suicide, some were crying, some begged their loved ones not to go, and others embraced them for one last time before they marched off to face their destiny.

Faramir was to be the fist to exit the city, to lead his people, and when the main gate became visible to him, he saw Winter standing there with several constructs of Beowulves blocking their path.

"DON'T DO THIS!" Winter shouted, on the brink of tears.

Faramir motioned for his troops to wait there as he approached his upset general.

"You were ordered to stay on the wall, Winter," Faramir said as he walked closer.

"This is SUICIDE and you know it!" Winter exclaimed, "You have nothing, NOTHING, to prove to him, Far… you are who you are, you don't have to be your brother!"

"This isn't about that, Winter…" Faramir said with a serious tone, "I am doing this because there's no other way to save Atlas… Even with the beacons active, there's no guarantee anyone's listening, let alone if anyone is coming…"

Winter's tears dripped down her face like a stream, "Don't do this… I can't lose you…" For the first time, Winter let her emotions run her actions. As she lowered her head she felt him embrace her, she slowly wrapped her arms around his chest.

As they let go, he looked her in the eye and spoke softly, "I am doing this so that you won't have to… If we are truly loyal to our kingdom, we will do whatever needs to be done, no matter the cost, no matter our pride… I will see you again. I promise…"

Winter still cried as she nodded, she then released the glyphs that made the constructs behind her, allowing the army to continue. Before Faramir got into his truck, he was tugged from behind. He turned around and was surprised by a pair of lips against his. As they let go, he looked at Winter as she nervously smiled, "You better come back."

Faramir only smiled and then sat down in the truck. As the trucks all drove off single file down the mountain, Winter looked on while wiping the tears from her cheeks. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Penny there, with a comforting smile.

Meanwhile, back in the Chancellor's office, Denathor was still eating. He began to feel bored with how quiet it was, "Miss Schnee, I hear you are one of the best singers of your generation. I'm sorry to say I haven't been to one of your concerts yet."

Weiss clears her throat, "I'm sure you had a lot to do, maintaining a kingdom and protecting our people…"

"Indeed," Denathor agreed, "Is there any song that you could sing right now? I would love to hear one."

"There is one…" Weiss remembered one of the first songs she ever learned. It always reminded her of her sister, back when she first joined Atlas Academy.

"Home is behind, the world ahead"

The army of Atlas Sky Knights widened their formation and readied their weapons for a frontal assault on the outer defenses.

Rourke walked on a rooftop to see the sight of the incoming troops. He didn't seem surprised, in fact, he almost looked happy.

"And there are many Paths to tread"

Faramir readied his rifle and signaled the troops around him to gun their engines and charge at full speed.

"Through shadow… To the edge of night"

Rourke motioned for his troops to prepare. Some orcs were seen setting up machine guns while others lined up what appear to be catapults behind the buildings, loading them with rocks and metal spikes balls.

"Until the stars are all alight… Mist and shadow"

Faramir looked on through his scope to see Rourke, he could see him smiling. At that moment, Faramir knew it was a trap.

"Cloud and shade… All shall fade"

Rourke raises his sword and swings it low, signaling his troops to fire. Machine guns started firing and the catapults let loose their loads.

Faramir looked up to see all the objects coming down.

"All shall fade…"

Weiss finished the song, she could feel a tear drop down her left eye, she wiped it immediately, not wanting the Chancellor to see it.

From the walls, Ozpin and Ironwood could see the 'battle' and they knew the truth. It was a slaughter out there. Some vehicles were blowing up, others had their tires destroyed and therefore were stranded and some could be seen trying to escape by turning around back to the capital.

Ozpin softly punched his fist to the wall.

Ironwood closed his eyes, then he turned to Clover, "Ready our defenses. I expect Mordor will be on us by sundown."

Clover saluted, "Yes, General."

In Aletsch, Rourke gave the order for the armies to begin funneling through the city and prepare for the final assault on Atlas.

"By sunrise tomorrow, we will begin the attack," Rourke said with a proud smile.

"How will you breach the 'Bloody Gate'?" Jackie asked with genuine curiosity.

Rourke smiled at her, "With a little gift that the White Fang gave us…"

At this time, the armies of Vale and Mistral set up a forward operating base on the coast of the continent of Mantel. The area was abandoned months ago, so there was no way any news would get out about their arrival, unfortunately this would mean Atlas won't know they are there until they arrive. But this grants an advantage against Rourke, because that would mean he wouldn't know until it's too late.

Jaune was happy to see Carol among the troops that came, along with some of the Blue Team; Tucker, Caboose and his mech Freckles.

"The border wars are coming to a head, Jaune," Carol explained, "So far the militias that were formed to defend the cities have been holding out, but our main forces are stretched too thin. I was able to bring what we could spare, but it's not a lot."

"Six thousand isn't too bad," Jaune said with a bit of optimism in his tone. "Who's in charge back home?"

"Reds, mostly. Say what you will about Sarge," Carol said with a bit of surprise, "he knows how to organize troops effectively, it saved Beacon from being lost again."

Jaune nods, "Alright. Tell our guys to link up with the Mistral troops and be ready to move out tomorrow."

Carol nodded in agreement, before Jaune walked away she called out to him, "You know… you seem different."

Jaune squinted his eyes, "Oh? How?"

Carol smirked, "You seem taller… Standing up straight more."

Jaune rolled his eyes, "Good to see you too, sis."

Jaune walked on to the FOB command center, once inside he found Theoden standing in front of the holo table, looking over the battle map.

Jaune walked up beside him, "Six thousand, that's all that Vale could bring to this assault."

"Hmmm…" Theoden then plugged in the info to the war map, showing green dots on the map mixed with blue dots signifying Mistral, "Add that to the ten thousand we brought, and we are looking at a fairly sizable force."

Jaune nodded in agreement, "Sixteen thousand is good, but it won't be enough to stop the armies of Mordor alone."

Theoden patted Jaune's shoulder, "More will come. Unfortunately, Vacuo won't be among them."

"Why?" Jaune asked in confusion.

Sun, who was present for the conversation, shifted the map to Vacuo, "Because Shade is facing its own siege right now. Radcliffe Smyth has made it apparent that he has his eyes set for Shade and is going to send everything he has to take the city."

"We're on our own…" Coco adds.

Cardin huffs, "We've beaten the odds before. Like at Beacon. We'll win this one too."

Jaune shifts the map back on Atlas, "We'll have to… If we wait too long, Atlas will fall. We leave at dawn." One by one they all agreed.

Outside the command center, Pyrrha and Grun were seen walking past a pathway where some of the troops around them were too scared to even look at.

"What's wrong?" Pyrrha asked in confusion.

Eomer walked behind them to explain, "They're afraid of the shadow of the mountain… the Dead Road, some call it."

"The Dimholt…" Grun realized.

Eomer knew the story of that path all too well, "None that have gone down that path have ever returned… That road has claimed thousands of brave adventurers."

Jaune exited the command center and felt something pulling at him. He looked in the direction of where he was being 'pulled' and realized he was looking at the path as well. He started to see translucent figures in front of him, almost appearing humanoid, yet he couldn't fully see them. He then heard his name as an arm grabbed his shoulder.

Just then he was shaken awake to see Grun standing in front of him, "Jaune? You hungry?"

Jaune looked at Grun then back at the path to see that the figures were completely gone. He looked back at Grun with a nervous smile, "Yeah… Yeah, I'm starving."

With nightfall, Jaune decided to turn in early, hoping to get enough sleep for the coming battle. Pyrrha would have joined him in bed, but she had her own preparations to finish. She met up with her cousin Eomer as he was sharpening his weapon.

Eomer finished with his sword and started working on Pyrrha's, "Are you ready?"

"For?" Pyrrha asked.

"For the coming battle," He clarified, "This will be a battle that will be remembered for ages. The battle that defined the outcome of the war."

"Well, no pressure, when you put it that way…" Pyrrha chuckled.

"What's life without a little pressure?" He jested, "All I'm saying is, it's going to be a hard day…"

Pyrrha nods in agreement, "But we have a chance."

Eomer smiled, "Only a fool's chance…"

"Better than nothing," Pyrrha said, the two of them smiled.

Pyrrha was about to walk away when she heard Eomer say, "If it is him… never leave his side… even if he tells you not to. A man like Jaune will always need you to be his anchor."

Pyrrha smiled, "I will."

She then continued up the path to the command center, once there she saw that her uncle was talking to a hooded figure. Theoden looked to her and simply said, "Bring Arc here, please."

Without another word, Pyrrha bowed her head and left.

Back in Jaune and Pyrrha's tent, he was restless in his sleep. Leaning left and right, sometimes violently. In his dream, it was like reliving a memory, but this one was one he has spent so long trying to forget.

He's holding Ruby in his left hand and his gun in his right, pointing his gun at her head. He shouted, "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY HER NAME! YOU LET HER DIE!" He could remember feeling the surge of intoxicating energy from the Arkenstone, and that it was about to make him shoot Ruby. Just as his finger was squeezing the trigger he sharply woke up.

Jaune sat straight up and gasped, he turned to see Pyrrha there, her hand on his shoulder.

"Whoa, another nightmare?" Pyrrha asked with a sad look on her face.

Jaune groaned as he put his hands on his face, wiping off the sweat, "No… just bad memories…"

"I'm sorry… Uh, my Uncle asked for you at the Command Center…" She sat back, "I could tell him you'll come in later-"

"No, I'll go…" Jaune took a deep breath, "I'll be right there."

It took some time for Jaune to clean himself up and compose himself, but he was able to make the meeting for the King. Pyrrha walked with him, holding his hand, mostly because he wanted to. Once at the door, the guards immediately opened the door to show Theoden and the hooded figure waiting for him.

Theoden turned to see them and started walking towards them, "I'll take my leave. Pyrrha, will you come with me, we need to talk, in private."

They slowly let go of each other's hands as Pyrrha followed her uncle, Jaune walked toward the center of the room and approached the hooded figure.

"You wanted to speak with me?" Jaune asked.

The hood was removed to reveal the Hand of the Queen, Diaval, "Good to see you, Commander Arc."

"Diaval…" Jaune was surprised, "What brings you this far north?"

"I have come on behalf of the Queen herself," Diaval said as he gestured for Jaune to sit down with him at the table next to them.

"We are reaching the peak of the war, the tide of the war will be determined in this battle, Commander," Diaval said plainly, "And as things are now… we are not going to win."

Jaune looked confused, "How can you be certain?"

"I'm not, but Queen Maleficent is…" Diaval stood up from the table and activated the holo map of Mantel and pulled up what was there, "As you know, Salem has organized an army to attack Atlas head on, commanded by three Nazgul." He showed the enemy troops on the map, showing all the ones that Jaune and Theoden knew about, "She also gathered the armies of the White Fang in Mantel to join the battle."

Diaval then plugs in a small data drive into the map and shows a new set of enemy targets on the map, "But what you do not know is that Salem recruited a third army that will attack Atlas from the south. A fleet of Corsairs and mercenaries she has commissioned to join in this assault. They will reach the city in two days…"

Jaune looked at the map in shock and horror.

"You're outnumbered, Jaune… You need more men," Diaval said bluntly.

Jaune lowered his head and clenched his fists tightly, "More men… more men… You have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" he exclaimed. Jaune then looked at Diaval with rage in his eyes, "THERE ARE NONE! Mistral has given us virtually everything they HAVE, Vale has nothing left to spare and Vacuo is under siege too! Unless you and the queen decide to get off your asses and HELP US, we're all screwed!"

Diaval could clearly see that Jaune was under a monumental amount of stress, so he let the outburst slide. Then he made an offer that completely dumbfounded Jaune, "There are others that can be called upon… warriors that dwell within these mountains…"

Jaune immediately felt a chill run down his spine as he slowly looked at Diaval, "Murderers… Traitors… you'd have me call upon THEM to fight? They answer to no one…"

Diaval smiles, "They will answer the call of a Zenith Star Knight."

Diaval pulled out from under his cloak a sword in its sheath, the grip was black leather, the cross guard was silver and the jewel on the pommel was white, "Excalibur, the sword made for the Zenith Star Knight of every generation and forged by the Light God Valar himself."

Jaune looked in awe of the sword before him, he couldn't believe he was looking at the sword in Diaval's hands, "It was shattered…"

Diaval held the sword out in both hands to Jaune, gripping only the sheath. Jaune held the hilt and pulled the blade out of the scabbard. Along the blade he could see the words etched into the side, in Ancient Vale text, "Take me up, Cast me away". Jaune feels the raw energy emanating from the sword, much like how his family sword contained energies from his father that passed into him at the Spire, he could feel the energy of Past Zeniths lingering within this renewed blade.

"I'm sure she'll remember this sword, all too well…" Jaune said as he gripped the sword tighter. "The sword that slayed a Goddess, will once again fight for the world of men…"

"The man who can wield the power this sword can bring to heel an army more deadly than any that walks the planet," Diaval said with absolute certainty, he even began to smile at the sight of seeing such a blade. He then looked at Jaune's face and could see that he was still hesitant to accept the sword. "Put aside the Huntsman, Jaune…"

Jaune looks at Diaval, knowing what it was he, and Queen Maleficent, really wanted from him.

"Become who you were born to be… Lord Commander," Diaval said as he holds the scabbard up for Jaune to put away the blade.

Jaune looks down on the sword, "I am not worthy of this… What I became at Beacon, what I had done and almost did…"

"Excalibur is not a simple sword, Jaune," Diaval said with a serious tone, "It would not unsheathe itself for anyone, not even for another Star Knight… Her grace wanted me to tell you something that you will understand when the time is right; you are who you were meant to be."

"I wish I can believe that…" Jaune said, with lingering doubts in his heart.

Diaval smiles as he rests his hand on Jaune's shoulder, "I believe that you will."

At the same time, outside the command tent, Theoden and Pyrrha walked towards the edge of the cliff to look down over their army. Pyrrha was still amazed so many came so quickly, even though it was still not enough.

"I have left instruction back home, should the worst come to pass," Theoden spoke with a confident tone, "Your cousin Eowyn will rule after me…"

Pyrrha turned around quickly, surprised.

"It took me a while, but I see now how powerful a bond you two share," He bowed his head in apology, "and I was wrong for trying to break it…"

Pyrrha walked up to him and hugged him, he quickly returned the hug, "Thank you, Uncle."

"I know he will keep you safe, and I trust you will do the same," he chuckled.

Pyrrha then slowly realized what was really going on, "No… Uncle, you can't think like this."

"There is no guarantee of victory, my dear…" Theoden said with a heavy heart, "And I want this last moment to be a happy one."

Pyrrha started to tear up a bit, she then smiled before hugging him, "What do you mean?"

"Jaune must seek aid for us in the coming battle, he will most likely try to go alone, and I know you'll go with him anyway…" Theoden said with a proud smile.

Pyrrha hugs him again, burying her face into his shoulder, "I will see you again, uncle, I promise."

Theoden held the girl that was the closest he had to a daughter tightly, not wanting to let go, "I know you will…"

Half an hour after receiving the sword, Jaune had ordered a truck for himself. As he was getting everything in order, he spoke with his sister.

"So, where are you going? I mean, I've never known you to skip out on a fight," Carol asked with genuine concern.

"There is something I have to do," Jaune says as he packs his backpack.

Carol raises an eyebrow, "And you're not going to tell me?"

"You're not going to like it…" Jaune says plainly, "Just know that I'm getting help."

"Also, I have a little request, sis," Jaune sounded a bit hesitant.

"Shoot," Carol replied.

"I know you don't like having partners, especially after York… But, in this battle, can you watch Blake's back?" Jaune asked, he even saw the look of annoyance on her face when he first said 'partner' but then she relaxed when he asked her to watch over Blake.

"Isn't she going with you?" Carol asked.

"Knowing her," Jaune said with a bit of a smirk, "she'll probably want to join the main battle more, to find Weiss. That's why I'm asking."

"Ok…" Carol said with a less than pleased look, but she'll do it. Once Jaune finished filling his pack he threw it over his shoulder and started to walk away, "So what am I going to tell the others?"

Jaune smiles at her, "I'll be back."

Jaune walks over to the truck that he requested and finds Grun sitting in the driver seat, "What the hell are you doing there?"

Grun smirked, "Making sure you don't do something stupid, again."

"This is my mission," Jaune said.

"Yes, it is, and we're just tagging along."

Jaune turns to see Nora and Ren walking up behind him.

Another truck pulls up with Leere, Macht and Blitz inside.

"You may as well accept it, Jaune," He turns to see Pyrrha walking up to him, full armor and pack over her shoulder, "We're all going with you."

Jaune smiles and shakes his head, "You're all idiots."

"Yeah, well, now we all match." Grun jested.

They all loaded up and drove off down the dirt road to the Dimholt. Eomer and Carol watched as Jaune and his team drove off. Some of the other soldiers saw it and were fearing the worst.

Eomer looked to Carol, "Do you think we have a chance?"

Carol shook her head, "Only a fool's chance… but we'll make it a hell of a fight."

Eomer smiles and agrees.

Dawn came quick as the two teams drove through the dirt road towards the mountain. On the way, Macht couldn't help but ask, "What kind of army would live in a spooky land like this?"

"One that is cursed," Ren replied.

Nora got scared for a second, "Cursed?"

Jaune continued the story, "It dates back to the first Great War, when Isildur Numenor was the Zenith Star Knight. The army here vowed to aid Mantel in its time of need, but when the call came they refused, so Isildur cursed them to never die until their oath is fulfilled."

"A Zenith can do that?" Macht asked with concern.

"I don't know the full details, but it's possible that there was something else that made that curse stick…" Jaune replied, not too sure himself.

"So, Isildur was a Zenith and you're a Zenith… how many of them are there?" Nora asked.

Leere started counting in her head, "If history is to be believed, total of six, including Jaune."

"Six?" Pyrrha asked in shock.

"The first one was Arthur Arc, he was the first one to ever unite humanity under one banner," Jaune remembered from reading up on Star Knight Legends, "He was also the first one to use Excalibur. The others were Bass Smyth in Vacuo, Thelisi Nikos in Mistral, and Will Numenor in Mantel."

"Wait, if the Zenith passes on between families, how come Will and Isildur are back to back?" Pyrrha asks.

"No idea, really." Jaune answered honestly, then he hypothesized, "Maybe it goes to whichever family that needs it most at that time. Each time a Zenith was made, it changed the world for the better. Arthur united the world of Man for the first time, Bass saved Vacuo from collapsing in the desert after the Spring Harpy's rampage, Thelisi stopped the mad-warlock Hades, Will reunited Mantel after their Civil Wars and Isildur rallied the four kingdoms against Salem in the Great War."

"And now, Jaune Arc is rallying the Four Kingdoms to save each other and eventually kill Salem for good," Grun said with a grin.

"First we have to win this battle," Jaune said with a grin.

After driving for a few more hours, they reached a cave entrance. They park their trucks and disembark to see the entrance into the mountain.

There appeared to be carvings along the entrance, most of them couldn't recognize the writing. Grun looked closely at the writing and could have sworn the letters shifted around before his eyes. He blinked several times, even wiping his eyes, "Whoa."

"What?" Leere asked.

"The words moved around… I can understand the writing…"

"How?" Macht asked.

"I don't know," Grun said with confusion

"Well, what does it say?" Jaune asked.

Grun read the writing out loud, "The way is shut. It was built by those who are dead and the dead keep it. The way is shut."

Just then they heard what almost sounded like a ghostly howl as a breeze of cold wind blew in their face and ran chills down everyone's spines.

Jaune looked down that path, with slight anger in his eyes, "I faced death once already, I don't mind facing it again." He then walked into the darkness.

Pyrrha and Grun followed immediately after. Blitz and Leere would look at each other, take each other's hands and walk in together. Ren looked at Nora and Macht before going in next.

Nora crosses her arms, "This is ridiculous, everyone is so easily going into the mountain and I'm hesitating… ugh, I'll never hear the end of it!" she then ran into the cave with anger in her steps

Macht followed right after her, not feeling any more optimistic than she was.

Back at the encampment of the Mistral and Vale armies, Theoden gave the order for the troops to load up and move out.

As the king was walking to his ship, he was met by Blake, "Where is Jaune and the others?"

Robin Loxley was about to scold her for addressing the King so informally but was stopped by the King as he held his hand up, "Your friends are on their own mission that is paramount to the coming battle."

Blake looked upset, it was like she had been abandoned. Then she felt a hand pat her shoulder, "Not to worry, you'll be riding with me into battle."

Blake turned to see Carol Arc standing there, "If that's ok with you?"

"Yes… Thank you." Blake said, realizing that Jaune might have asked her to bring her along. This would give Blake a chance to find Weiss in the battle, and maybe help her.

Troops by the dozens piled into armored transports and troop shuttles. What air support they did have was also mobilizing as best they could, but they were undermanned and likely to be outnumbered in the coming battle.

Theoden addressed the commanders and team leaders, "We have a long road ahead of us, I want every man and vehicle to get there with the strength to fight."

"Might I suggest," Cardin spoke up, "If we are to deploy our vehicles, we do so before we reach the city, that way we can form a strong formation before we meet the enemy in the field."

Theoden looked to Carol and Eomer and they nodded in agreement, "Make it so."

Coco spoke up this time, "But we will have to set up a location for a recovery camp. Even though our men are sitting in planes and trucks for a few hours, they'll need to get out and stretch and eat for an hour before we see the fight."

"I'm beginning to see why Jaune likes you two," Carol said with a smile.

"He does? I used to pick on him…" Cardin muttered.

"That was you?!" Carol exclaimed with anger. Blake starts to chuckle a bit.

Eomer holds his hand up, "Another time!"

Theoden nods, "Mobilize the army, we ride to Atlas and War."

Hundreds of aircraft lift off from the camp, carrying dozens of armored vehicles and troops. The flotilla flew north west as fast as they could.

Outside the city of Aletsch, Rourke mobilized everything he had at his disposal. Thousands of Orcs wearing stolen or scrapped together military uniforms, Thousands of the Uruks that he was supplied by Saruman before he died, and tens of thousands of Grimm he gathered just by simply marching his army towards Atlas. Some of the Grimm were large elders like Goliaths and Nuckelavee, but there appeared to be some breeds only native to Mantel, such as the six headed hydras, Scyllas, large birds that appeared to be covered in electricity, Stormbirds, and armored beasts the size of Ursa, Razorbacks.

As the armies marched, some of the Grimm beasts were pushing large tower like structures up the side of the mountain. Judging by the size and overall look of how it's built, they were built to reach the city's walls and latch on, creating ramps for the troops to overwhelm the city's defenses.

Rourke smiles proudly as he watches his army march towards their prey, ready to enjoy the battle that lies before him.

JNPR and GMBL made their way deeper into the Dimholt Mountain, the deeper they got the colder it seemed. Some of them turned on flashlights to reveal the catacombs around them, dozens of burial tombs, but there were some skeletons scattered across the floor where unsuspecting travelers got lost and died or killed.

"What do you see," Jaune asked Grun.

Grun's eyes tried to focus on what was ahead of them, but the mist they were walking through made it difficult. "It's like opening your eyes underwater, it's too blurry to see anything…"

Ren could feel a wave of negative emotions surrounding them, "I feel malice, contempt and anger… this tomb is flooding with it. They're following us…"

Jaune formed his shield and drew Joyuse first, using his aura to make his sword glow to better light their way. He took a step and almost lost his footing, he glanced down to see what caused it and looked right back up, "Nobody look down…"

Most of them didn't, but Leere and Nora did, they waved the fog away from their feet to see that they were now standing on skulls, hundreds of skulls.

Nora put her hand to her mouth, "I'm going to be sick…"

Macht grabbed Nora's shoulder, "Come on, don't fall behind."

As they walked through more of the fog, some of the fog formed hands, coming up from the ground and reaching for them. Blitz waved his arms at them I the hope to blow them away, he kept doing it as more hands surrounded him. Ren felt Nora's hand grab onto his, normally he'd be ok with it, but she was crushing his hand, "Nora, Nora! Too tight!"

Nora loosened her grip, "Sorry!"

Jaune felt something draw him forward, he motioned for the others to follow, they continued down the path until they reached a wide-open area, only lit with their lights. As they looked around the tomb, they heard a voice echo in the cave, "Who enters our domain?"

The chill everyone felt before came back, and they all turned to where the voice came from. Four 'men' appeared out of thin air, they looked like men, but they were semi-transparent. One man was reddish orange, his head appeared to look as though it was on fire, the next one over appeared to be green and glowing a bit brighter than the rest while standing in a more formal look, the third one was a bit shorter and was glowing dark purple while his face resembled that of a boy the last one was a cyan colored man standing at attention with a blank expression on his face.

"My brother asked you a question," The green one asked.

Grun extended his claws, "Who are you? Are you the Oathbreakers?"

"Oathbreakers? Is that what they call us now?" the purple one asked, "Well, it does sound a bit cooler than Freelancers."

"Explain who you are and we will explain who we are," the cyan one said in a monotone voice.

"I am Jaune Arc, leader of Team JNPR," Jaune said as he gestured to his team.

"I am Grun Grauel, leader of Team GMBL," Grun answered.

"We are the Freelancers. You may call me Delta," The Green one responded first.

"I am Theta," the purple one said with an excited voice.

"I am Gamma," the cyan one said.

"And I am Sigma," the red one answered with a slightly angered voice, "If I remember correctly, Arcs are a part of the Star Knight line… what the hell are you doing down here?"

Jaune sheaths Joyuse and collapses his shield before putting it on his hip, "I have come here to find you…"

"And found us, you have," Gamma said as hundreds of ghosts start to appear around them, surrounding them on all sides.

"The Way is shut," Theta speaks.

"It was built by those who are dead," Delta speaks.

"And the Dead keep it," Gamma adds.

"The Way is shut… Now you must die like all the rest before you," Sigma says with a sadistic grin.

Nora pointed her grenade launcher at Sigma and fires a shot, it goes right through him and explodes behind him, he starts to chuckle.

Jaune stands his ground, despite being as afraid as everyone else in his group, "I have come all this way to call upon you, to fulfil your oath!" Jaune reached over his shoulder and drew Excalibur from its sheath.

Sigma laughs as he walks towards Jaune with a sword drawn, "No man commands us, boy."

Sigma raises his hand to strike down Jaune, but before the blade could reach Jaune it was stopped by Excalibur, Jaune held the sword with both hands, using his aura to make it glow.

Delta and Theta looked surprised while Gamma puzzled at this new discovery.

Sigma scowled at the sword, "That blade was BROKEN!"

Jaune reached forward and actually grabbed Sigma by his throat, much to his surprise, "It was fixed." He then pushed him back to show the rest of them that he was not there to fight, but to talk.

Jaune looked around at the hundreds, or maybe even thousands, of ghosts surrounding them, "Fight for us… and regain your honor as warriors of Remnant." For a few seconds they said nothing, did nothing, "What say you?" Jaune asked.

Grun rolled his eyes, "You're wasting your breath, brother. These thugs had no honor in life, why would they in Death?" Proof of Grun's words were revealed when none of them even appeared angry at his comment, they didn't care about honor at all.

Jaune then considered an alternative bargain, one that they might be more interested in, "I am the Zenith Star Knight of this era," he points his sword at the four 'leaders', "fight for me, and I will hold your oaths fulfilled!"

Theta looked to be excited, "Wait, does that mean we get to be free?"

Delta crossed his arms, "It might just be."

Sigma scowled, "I don't believe you!"

Gamma remained emotionless, "Highly illogical outcome."

Jaune grit his teeth and stabbed Excalibur's tip into the dirt, "You have my word as an arc, I will release you from this living death! Please, I'm asking… no, I'm ORDERING you, help us!"

Sigma started to laugh maniacally, never in all his years has he ever seen a sight like this. A Zenith begging for his help, after one had condemned them a century ago, he couldn't help but laugh.

As he was laughing, some of the other ghosts were laughing with him, all of them slowly faded away as their laughs died out.

Grun growled, "DAMN YOU, TRAITORS!"

As the last ghost disappears, the cave around them starts to crumble around them. Jaune looks around and sees a light shine on a wall, "THE WAY OUT! GO!"

Everyone ran as fast as they could as the room caved in around them, large boulders and bones crashing behind them. Jaune pulled his shield out and energized it to smash any large debris that got in his way. He could see an exit ahead of him and continued to run until he reached outside. The ground was so steep, going downhill, he almost tripped and fell. Everyone else made it out behind him, coughing on the dust.

It took them a few minutes to get their barring's, then they realized they were on the opposite side of the mountain now. Jaune looked on to see the small flotilla of Mercenaries that were hired by Salem to attack the city, they appeared to be raiding the villages nearby, as evident by the smoke from the fires on the houses.

Jaune fell to his knees, feeling absolutely helpless. There was no hope now, their last chance to save Atlas and the rest of Remnant went up in smoke before his eyes.

Pyrrha walked up to Jaune, kneeling to meet his eyeline and put her arm around him, doing what she could to try and comfort him.

Grun clenched his teeth, his brother was in despair and there was nothing he could do about it. Then he felt a chill run up his spine, he turned around and extended his bladed claws. This action alerted everyone else to turn around with him, even Jaune.

Before their very eyes, a figure walked out of the wall of the mountain side, it was Delta. He walked past Grun and went straight for Jaune on the ground, he held out his hand to him and helped him to stand.

Jaune stood up, waiting for what the ghost had to say.

Delta gave a kind smile, "We will fight."

AN: And that is the end of this chapter
This was a fun one to write, and I look forward to writing the battle.

Again, sorry for the delays, but with how things have been, it's been hard finding time.

See you all soon.
As always, ARKOS!