Greetings everyone,

Welcome back the seventh chapter of everyone's favorite gentleman thief, "The Arcful Dodger".

Real life continues to be a gigantic pain in my ass and unfortunately on the very day I was beginning to write this chapter FOR SOME GODDAMN REASON the website had chosen THAT TIME to update itself before I even got a chance to save my work. Luckily, I had the time and memory to fix the problem before my anger could manifest itself and make me throw my laptop against the floor.

Nevertheless, this month will see the release of a brand new chapter every Sunday for the month of November. I hope you're all enjoying this story and will continue to read along with us for the foreseeable future.

And to answer a question from "Anonymous Guest"; Yes, Kurogane Masamune is an OC that I made specifically for this story. I suppose you could say she's the one that makes all of Jaune/Dodger's gadgets. She's an expert when it comes to designing weapons and gadgets but mock her size or mention her fetish for muscular men and you'll see exactly why she earned her title as the Volatile Princess. And do not fret because I will explain in a later chapter as to why Roman opted to not unlock Jaune/Dodger's Aura but for now I hope you'll continue to read along with us all.

Next Scheduled Release:

Nov. 11th: "The Arcful Dodger - Ch. 08"

Make sure to Favorite, Follow, and leave a Review.

Till next time.

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Chapter Seven

The Forge.

To the untrained eye, it may look to be that of an abandoned metalwork factory that, due to a sinkhole incident, was now several feet below the streets of Vale. But to those of the more criminal persuasion it was the birthplace of every back alley deal, every armed robbery, every signature weapon of the most notorious criminals in all of Vale's seedy underbelly. As the elevator descended down the rusted metal shaft, the sound of metal crashing against metal echoed through the vast abandoned factory. The bright flashes of blazing fires and molten metal shined brighter than the sun, illuminating the vast sea of robotic worker drones.

Dodger had learned from his many history lessons, courtesy of his former mentor, Roman Torchwick, that the Forge had been founded and had continued to be run by the Masamune Clan; from the founding matriarch, Kurogane's Great-Great-Great Grandmother, who had only been known as the Queen of Metal to the most recent addition of Kurogane, who slowly rising through the ranks of the criminal underworld as the Volatile Princess. The clan of blacksmiths had originally resided outside the protective walls of Vale in a village filled with smiths of every variety. From the founding matriarch, who had only been known as the Queen of Metal to the most recent addition of Kurogane, who slowly rising through the ranks of the criminal underworld as the Volatile Princess. But, due to a random attack by a horde of Grimm, the family, having barely escaped with their lives, sought out refuge in the kingdom of Vale. But, even though their skills were known far and wide and many of their weapons and armor had originally outfitted the soldiers of Vale, the very system designed to protect and care for them instead cast them out.

But, due to their resilience and determination, the clan of blacksmiths founded the underground abandoned metalwork factory and sought to rid the kingdom of the system that threw them aside. The clan built weaponry, gadgetry, armor for many of the thugs and gangs that were desperate to make a name for themselves in the criminal underworld of Vale and in return they would offer the protections to the family of blacksmiths. Eventually, after many years of hard work and renovations, that family had become widely known for their expert craftsmanship. So much so that none dared to make a move against the renowned family's territory. For they knew that out every gang leader, mob boss, and tow-bit thug with a ski mask that it the family of blacksmiths that truly ran the city.

As the sound of metal clanging against metal as the mechanical gears screeched to a standstill, the elevator's doors, that housed the gentleman thief and volatile princess, opened allowing the two to disembark from the vertical metal chariot and enter the vast factory floor that was filled with multiple conveyor belts and robotic worker drones, all of whom were working tirelessly on turning the lumps of metal into weapons that would then be sold in the black market.

Following after Kurogane's footsteps, Dodger's senses were bombarded with the sound of metal meeting metal as the fires of the factory burned in the distance, granting light to the otherwise dark abandoned factory and warmth to those who could feel it. The various robotic worker drones that littered the Forge, constantly moving to various points throughout the underground factory.

But it was the gigantic half-way finished robotic giant that laid in rest beyond their vision that filled Dodger with a sense of nostalgia as he vaguely remembered his first time entering the world of metal and fire. He'd been so young and green when he first met this mechanical giant and entered the Forge. But it was that day that Dodger had changed from being a scared little boy to the man he was today. He could still remember that fateful day when Jaune had given this mechanical giant his name. A name that would represent his determination, his hope, and his dreams. A name that would tell the world that he was their protector and their hope for the future.

...A Few Years Earlier...

He had been little more than a few years older since the day Roman had taken him in, training him in the various arts of criminal misdeeds. And though he still had some reservations about learning how to be a criminal from someone like Roman, deep down he knew that if not for Roman taking him in and giving him a home, he would be little more than another name in the obituaries in the morning newspapers. It only made him that much more inclined to prove himself to Roman and show him that he was more than just another mouth to feed.

Nevertheless, it was on this day that Roman had decided his chosen weapon was in desperate need of an upgrade, after an unsuccessful run-in with a rival gang that resulted in his cane being damaged, and, not wanting to leave two kids to their own vices alone in an abandoned hideout, had decided to have his two proteges tag along.

The three of them remained in waiting just outside the back entrance to the small weapons shop as Neo and Jaune, having yet decided to call himself Dodger, played a seemingly endless battle of rock, paper, scissors. And so far, it was looking as if Jaune was about to win their final match when the sound of a door captured his attention, bringing his eyes over to a VERY tall and muscular man with graying hair and a bushy, unkempt beard. His steel gray eyes burned with a fiery determination as the black apron hung loosely around his muscular neck. In the process of having his attention divided from his ongoing match against the ice cream themed minx, Jaune had unfortunately thrown out paper which was swiftly cut to pieces by Neo's scissors. In return for his defeat against her, the little minx smiled a toothy grin at him as his face changed to one of defeat.

But the sound of Roman clearing his thought caught both of their attention as they reacted immediately, rushing to his sides with their backs straight and their gaze locked onto the massive blacksmith that stood before them. To them, the man looked to be as big as a mountain with muscles as large as boulders. He was the very definition of a blacksmith in Jaune's eyes. It was only after he heard Roman call his name that Jaune realized his mind had been elsewhere, resulting in him turning to look up at his mentor, who was sighing with his face in his palm.

"Oh..." said Jaune, his cerulean eyes shifting downward towards the shoes Roman had purchased for him before glancing back upward at the intimidating muscular man. "Um, I'm...Jaune. I-It's nice to meet you, Mister...Uh."

"The name's Hagane Masamune, little one." said Hagane as he brought himself down to a squatting position to meet with Jaune's eyes. "Roman, here, tells me that you're his latest pet project, eh?"

But Jaune, not yet having grown a level of confidence he'd later have as Dodger, could only remain silent beneath the steely gaze of Hagane's eyes. To a boy like Jaune it was the equivalent of trying to stare down an Ursa Major. Though, truth be told, Jaune was a hundred percent sure that the massive muscular man before him would have absolutely no trouble popping the head of an Ursa Major clean off of it's body. But just as Jaune was about to back away from the seemingly intimidating man the soft tap of Roman's hand on his back stopped his progress, causing him to look up at his mentor.

"I'm just getting this kid, here, on the right track." said Roman, removing his hand from Jaune's back. "Once he's got enough under his belt I'll be rid of him and he can make his own way through this unforgiving world."

"Ha!" belted out Hagane as he wiped an invisible tear from beneath his right eye before his happy expression shifted into a stern one. ""On the right track" he says. The only track this boy will be on will be heading straight behind bars."

"Hey, c'mon, this is me we're talking about here." said Roman, raising his right eyebrow as he smirked at the scowl that was growing on Hagane's stern face. "If anyone can turn this wimpy, do-nothing kid into a top-of-the-line thief it's Roman Torchwick, the soon-to-be greatest thief in all of Vale."

But, if the unchanged expression on Hagane's face was anything go on, it was painfully obvious that the muscular blacksmith had absolutely no faith in the so-called greatest thief in all of Vale. Nevertheless, Roman had come for a reason and though he wanted nothing more than to continue boasting about himself, he'd rather not do it in the light of day where unwanted ears could be listening.

"Anyway, I came here to pick up my special order." said Roman, his eyes shifting from left to right for any surprise visitors.

"Right, right." said Hagane, stepping aside to allow the three to step inside the small shop. "Let's get this over with, Roman."

And so, the four entered the small weapons shop before Hagane walked past the opened doorway towards the front room where many of the more legitimate clientele were busy purchasing their wears from the elegant white haired woman standing behind the counter, the black-haired child hiding behind her mother's legs as she played with some wooden toys before turning to see Jaune's head poking through the open doorway. The mother, turning her head to see Jaune's face, smiled sweetly at the boy as she waved her hand at him. After being caught, Jaune, not wanting to get into anymore trouble with Roman, quickly retreated back to his mentor's side as the continued down the hallway.

Jaune's eyes wandered the hallway the four were walking through when Hagane stopped before them, raising his right hand to move a hanging framed picture of a black haired family consisting of a small boy, a mother and father, and a wheelchair-bound elderly woman. Behind the hanging picture was a hidden keypad, to which Hagane was quick to input the secretive code that then activated the hidden mechanism behind the hallway wall. Suddenly, the hallway's wall panel pulled itself apart, revealing a secret elevator and corresponding vertical shaft for the four to board. Once they were all safely inside the elevator, the hallway panels closed themselves, hiding their presence from the outside world and allowing their vertical metal chariot to descend into the dimly lit darkness as their only source of light was little more than red light lining the walls of the elevator shaft.

The red light flashed before Jaune's juvenile eyes as Neo, pressing herself against his side, wrapping her arms around Jaune's right arm, remained in silent contemplation while Roman attempted to make small talk with Hagane, though to little effect as the muscular blacksmith had no interest in holding a conversation with the likes of Roman. And Jaune, having lived with Roman more what seemed to be most of his life, could no doubt understand the feelings of adversity the blacksmith was faced with when it came to someone as arrogantly boastful as his mentor. Still, deep down Jaune knew that Roman was a good person despite his choice in profession even if he, himself, would never agree with them.

Still, it didn't make the seemingly endless elevator ride with a man the size of an Ursa Major any better for the group. But, luckily, their ride was short-lived as the elevator came to a screeching halt, the metal gears slamming against one another as the doors opened themselves, allowing a bombardment of fiery red glows to illuminate the four as the choir of metal colliding with metal echoed in their ears. The sounds were so loud that both Neo and Jaune had opted to cover their ears with their palms while Roman and Hagane exited the metal contraption and entered the underground metalwork factory.

And for the first time since Jaune had been adopted as Roman's protege he was left dumbfounded and amazed at the sheer unbelievable sight before him. Before his very eyes was a sea of mechanical wonders, from the roads of conveyor belts to the robotic worker drones that worked tirelessly on the various projects before them. But, what stood out among them all was the skeletal form of a gigantic humanoid figure and the very many flying working drones that sparked against it's skeletal body.

Hagane, seeing the expression on Jaune's face, released a boisterous laughter that caught the boy off guard. "I see our resident family project has caught your eye, little one."

"It's so cool!" shouted Jaune, the shyness he'd shown beforehand completely gone as childish wonder quickly took it's place, causing the muscular blacksmith's smile to widen.

"For generations this has been the Masamune Clan's greatest desire." said Hagane, leading the four down the catwalks that soared above the sea of metal and fire. "A device capable to becoming a symbol of hope for the people of Remnant. When danger was near, and manpower was not enough, HE would appear and annihilate all that stood in his path. But, after the bastards of Vale's council turned us away even after all the years of blood, sweat, and tears we poured into the many weapons and armor my clan had gifted them. He, instead, became a symbol of determination for our clan. That no matter the obstacle placed before us, the Masamune Clan would continue to thrive through it all."

"So cool!" shouted Jaune, taking Neo's left hand in his own before pulling her along towards the gigantic skeletal robot as Hagane laughed aloud and Roman merely sighing at their childish behavior.

As the two children neared the gigantic mechanical skeleton and the fires of the Forge burned higher than before, the sight of multiple flying worker drones filled Jaune with delight as they fluttered around the skeletal body, each one working on a particular part that was in need of tweaking. From the millions of wiring that laid within it's body much like veins pumping blood through the body to the metal flesh that was constantly being worked on to the intimidating bulbous dark eyes that both caused Jaune to fear it and be amazed by it.

Suddenly, the hundreds of worker drones scattered away from the gigantic skeletal machine, causing both Jaune and Neo to become bewildered. The two glanced at one another for but a moment when out of nowhere the two dark bulbous eyes of the gigantic skeleton bloomed to life, illuminating the otherwise dark and fiery Forge with a set of twin white lights before it's eyes fell upon the tiny forms of Jaune and Neo, both of whom were so dumbfounded that neither could move a muscle.

Sounds of metal scraping against metal echoed through the Forge like an unholy choir as the gigantic skeletal being lifted it's right arm, lifting several tons of scrap metal and destroyed robotic drones that then plummeted down into the many molten metal pools below. There, the humongous metal skeletal hand hung above as the many flying worker drones immediately returned to work, sparking against it's bony hand with their welding torches while Jaune and Neo continued to look upon the great metal giant, each with an expression of amazement.

It was then that the sound of Hagane's laughter broke the spell that both children were under, causing the two to look back at the muscular blacksmith of a man, his smile threatening to split his face in two as he and Roman walked towards them.

"Pretty intimidating, ain't he?" asked Hagane, positioning his calloused hands on his hips as Jaune turned back to stare up into the glowing eyes of the metal giant.

For some strange reason, Jaune couldn't feel an ounce of fear when he looked upon the giant that could end his life with nothing but a thought. Instead, the being form filled him a sense of hope, determination, and excitement. It was as it this being represented every hope and dream Jaune had ever had and in return it would rise to protect him at any cost to it's own life.

"What's his name?" he asked aloud, still staring up at the skeletal being with eyes filled with wonder.

"Heh, you know something? For the longest time not even those of us in the Masamune Clan had ever come up with a name for him. What about you, little one? Do you have a name for him?" asked Hagane, kneeling down to place his hand upon Jaune's right shoulder as the two of them looked up at the gigantic metal being.

And it was in that moment, as Jaune and the metal giant stared at one another, that Jaune realized that there was more to this being than meets the eye. HE was more than a machine designed to protect others. HE was more than just another robot built by mankind. HE was the collection of hopes and dreams of not just the Masamune Clan but the of everyone in Remnant. From the weakest child to the strongest Huntsman. HE was stronger than every Grimm but he was softer than every heart.

"Titan." said Jaune, smiling at the gigantic metal being before turning to face the others with a smile both Roman and Neo had never thought they'd see on his face. "His name is Titan."

The four of them turned back to gaze upon Titan's metal skeleton, each with a different vision of how the giant mechanical being known as "Titan" would grow to be. Would he become the hero that Jaune believed him to be or would her become a weapon born to destroy everything in his path like Roman feared? Only time could tell and for Jaune, it was only then that Titan would become more than just another machine. One could almost say that Jaune's first time to the legendary Forge had given him more than just excitement. It had given him hope for the future just as it had done for the Masamune Clan before him.

...Present Day...

That day had changed Dodger's life. He'd gone from a scared and fearful little boy to a strong and confident man, as if a switch had been flipped. The determination and hope that filled his body fueled him through every training session Roman put him through. But he knew that deep within his heart that if Titan could power through the worst the world would offer him then so could he.

And as Dodger followed after the Volatile Princess, the many fires of the Forge roared like lions as the worker drones worked endlessly on the many projects before them. Dodger's eyes landed upon the unfinished form of Titan, who rested in sweet bliss while the drones continued to give what amounted to a fresh makeover as he and Kurogane walked past the majestic mechanical giant and into a hallway that lead to where Dodger was hoping to buy some extra party favors. Unlike the hustle and bustle of the seemingly endless activities that was going on in the Forge behind them, the hallway that lead to their next destination was as quiet as ever before as Kurogane led Dodger further down the pristine white hallway.

"Ah, it's been quite a while since my last visit to the illustrious armory." said Dodger, smirking as he knew that Kurogane had a pension for being an otaku for weapons just as she had a fetish for muscular men.

"I know what you're trying to do, you piece of shit." mumbled Kurogane, frowning as she known immediately that Dodger was trying to accomplish, having already been tricked by him multiple times previously.

"Why, what ever do you mean?" he asked, still smirking even as Kurogane turned back to glare at him before turning back to continue down the hallway with a scowl.

"I hate you, you know that?" she asked as Dodger chuckled softly at her words before resigning himself to silence as the miniature blacksmith continued to lead him down the pristine white hallway.

After a few minutes of multiple turns, the two individuals walked upon a seal electronic doorway complete with a ten digit code adjacent to the door itself. To which Kurogane, after making sure that Dodger had turned around in order to avoid anyone from knowing the secret code to their armory. After all, that last thing Kurogane wanted was someone knowing the code to a literally cornucopia of weapons and armor. And even if she, herself, trusted Dodger that didn't mean that she trusted him enough not to use her in someway. If one worked with criminals for as long as she and her family had that it reasonable enough to always have one eye open at night.

Nevertheless, it took only but a few seconds for Kurogane to input the ten digit code and only a second more for the electronic mechanism to activate the sealed door's programming. With a hiss of air that slipped through the barely seen crack in the door's sides, the heavily armored sealed door slowly swung itself open, revealing an entire underground warehouse filled with an assortment of weapons, armor, gadgetry, and everything in between.

This was the Forge's armory, an entire warehouse that was built by the Masamune Clan as an addition in order to hideaway their less than reputable trading goods. It was here that the Masamune Clan stored the weapons they'd later sell on the black market while also housing their clients' personal orders, from Dust grenades to personal weapon upgrades to even the most mundane of body armor. And Dodger was no different, having long ago decided to strike out on his own and away from Roman's eyes. He, along with most everyone who dealt with the Masamune Clan, had already set up an account for himself in which he'd pay money and/or services in exchange for any of his so-called "party favors".

And today was not much different as the two of them walked further down the warehouse, walking past several crates of weaponry and armor that many a reckless thief would no doubt try to steal. If not for the heavily armored roving sentry drones that were constantly exploring the warehouse in search of any unwanted guests. Each drone was custom-fitted with an automatic Gatling Gun along with a tri-barrel high-explosive rocket-propelled-grenade launcher and heavy armored plating gurranteed to stop a high-velocity round without so much as a scratch. Dodger could still remember that day he'd first seen these monstrosities in action. He never imagined he'd see the day when even Roman, who was well known for his blatant disregard for everything that could outright kill him, was too scared to even make a sarcastic remark upon seeing them. Even so, the two continued down the middle aisle of the armory as the sentries continued along with their duties, combing the perimeter, until eventually they came upon another door that led to the Masamune Clan's main office for their less public dealings.

Upon entering the otherwise clean office space, to two of them each took their positions across from one another in a nearby metal desk. Kurogane, having taken her seat in the cushioned office chair watched as Dodger, taking off his top hat to reveal his messy blonde hair, took his seat across from Kurogane. It was time for the two of them to talk business and depending on how Dodger worded his next sentence could make or break this deal for him. Luckily, much like the colossal metal being that rested within the realm of metal and fire, he, too, had a heart made of titanium.