Iron Arc
I'm so sorry for being distant this last month or so but hopefully, I'll stay for a while. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!
Thank you again for the support and please enjoy!
The Myre this time of year was indeed a sight to behold, especially when the snow began to thicken as well as drizzle ever so slowly to the moist land. Dark forest green trees littered the Myre and for Jaune, the snow and the beautiful scenery brought him some solace he hadn't felt in a long time. He breathed in the cold air, he cobalt eyes staring ahead as him and his loyal followers sat behind him in the carriage.
He had managed to convince Ozpin that they didn't need any protection since it was just a political discussion between small factions, but he knew his scribe would do anything to make sure he was safe. After a while bickering, Jaune turned out the victor in the matter since the Iron Arc stronghold needed all the men it could get since the place didn't have its commander.
He lightly tapped the reigns, asking the horse that was guiding them to slow down and helping him turn to follow the path that went around a small hill.
"Jaune, can't this thing go any faster? It's freezing back here!"
The blonde Warden half looked back at the women in the carriage, seeing the shivering forms of Ruby, Weiss and Pyrrha, who was secretly trying her best to stay still as to not seem like she was cold. It was her own fault for braving the cold without a fur coat… He smiled lightly before quickly throwing Ruby a spare fur coat, (which was originally Blake's, but she didn't come) who was quick to wrap it around her person.
"Didn't you live here throughout your whole life?"
Ruby blushed lightly and turned away while the white haired Orochi rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"That's what I thought."
The young Valkyrie however slowly made her way out the carriage and sat herself next to her blonde leader, (and secret crush) her muscular form still shivering under her tensed muscles. Jaune sighed at her stubbornness before deciding to give her his own fur coat, draping it around her shoulders. In an instant she was about to retort but he mumbled a quick 'Just take it' and focused on his task.
Her cheeks grew warm which was totally from the warmth of the fur coat before she looked around the place they were in, her emerald orbs catching sight of precisely planted sakura trees, that even in winter looked amazing… And then her sight caught sight of buildings just behind the beautiful trees.
"That… That is the East Daimyo's palace?"
"It's huge!"
The Iron Arc leader was quick to lightly chuckle at their reactions; however, Weiss' was one of silent worry… He wasn't blind. He knew what her father was like but right now, he was doing this for the betterment of their faction as well as for her too. She needs to get over the fear of her father. One way or another, that man will do whatever he can to get whatever he wants. It was easy to tell Jacques Schnee wanted to become Emperor… But he needed favour in order to attain such a position.
Jaune pulled up in front of the front gates of the East Daimyo's palace, his person quick to jump off the carriage, petting the horse lightly as he walked forward. Arrows were quick to be drawn from above, his cobalt eyes looking up to see many archers aiming right at him. With his arms raised slightly, he spoke.
"I am Jaune Arc, Commander and General of the Iron Arc! I am here on behalf of your Daimyo, Jacques Schnee."
The bows were only drawn tighter as he slowly reached behind him and brought out a scroll, quickly showing the contents that held the signed signature and symbol of the East Daimyo.
"I'm not here to cause more violence. Only peace."
They were there for a solid two minutes before he heard their commanding officer order them to drop their weapons and soon, the large red doors that lead into the palace were being drawn open. The young blonde sighed under his breath as he walked back to the carriage.
"Why did they draw their weapons on you? They knew you were coming…"
"In times of war Ruby, no-one can be too careful. Just keep your heads down, speak with respect and don't speak unless you are spoken to. If anything, just leave the talking to me. Understand?"
Neither of the women objected to him when he had that serious look on his features… It was and felt so unlike him but then again, he was quite unpredictable at times.
After being 'accommodated' if you could call it that, Jaune tightened his grip on the hilt of Crocea Mors as him and the three women behind him followed. He could feel their eyes on his back as well as on their surroundings which were clearly looking straight back at them. Samurai made a path for them as they entered the Daimyo's hall which was decorated with beautiful patterns of his Samurai heritage and the symbol of a Schnee at the centre of the flooring.
And there, sitting in his throne of exuberant persuasion and deceit, was the East Daimyo himself, Jacques Schnee. Adorning his own, higher standard Orochi armour which held white, icy blue and feint grey colours on his person. He had Kibagami armour (without the helmet or face mask) on, his short yet snow white hair and moustache on display, to show that he wasn't afraid of the people who just now walked into his domain. What also caught Jaune's attention was the pristine katana he held (Kanagawa set) which looked just as simple and deadly as his own Crocea Mors.
"So… You are the rumoured 'White Lightning' that is the talk of the land?"
Jacques clearly didn't sound impressed with him. Then again, who would take him seriously at first glance? All he sees is a boy adorning some ancient armour, holding a sword and playing a game that he doesn't know how to play…
The blonde Warden took a step forward before bowing towards the East Daimyo while the three women looked at him and then at each other, their minds linked instantly and decided to follow suit of their leader. Weiss could only hide behind her leader, desperately hoping she wasn't spotted by her father.
'Was he right…?'
"East Daimyo. I thank you for allowing me and my followers into your home. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"And I you, Jaune Arc. You certainly… Honour me… With your presence."
The heiress behind Jaune had to physically stop herself from grimacing at the silent venom in Jacques voice. It wasn't long until the white-haired man's eyes averted the blonde Warden and began to take good looks at the followers he had brought with him.
His gaze first went towards the Viking close to him; a Valkyrie if he remembered correctly.
'Fierce creatures… Certainly a game changer on the battlefield. Your kind cause a great deal of problems for me. However, that hair… Where have I seen you before?'
After that, the gaze led him to the two other women that were stood quietly behind Jaune. He frowned as he suddenly realised each of them, besides Jaune, adorned their headgear.
"Lord Arc. May I call you that?"
Jaune felt a slight twitch in his eyebrow as he heard that but decided to not anger the older Schnee.
"… Yes, East Daimyo."
"Excellent. Could I be such a bother as to ask your soldiers to remove their helmets? I'd like to see the faces of those who are welcome in my home."
In an instant, Weiss stiffened. The young leader slowly turned his head a little to look at the Orochi behind before nodding a little, mouthing 'Don't worry' as he did. One by one did each of the women take off their headgear that hid their faces.
In that moment, Jacques Schnee couldn't take his widened eyes off his second daughter out of surprise but from how hard he was squeezing the arms of his throne, it seemed it was more than surprise he was feeling.
"East Daimyo, allow me to introduce to you, Pyrrha Nikos. Former Valkyrie of Valkenheim and four-time Champion of the Grand Games."
Pyrrha knew Jaune wouldn't mention her feats unless it was important, so she decided to not say anything that would displease her leader. The red-head merely nodded and smiled briefly towards the Daimyo.
"Here, we have Ruby Rose. The first shinobi to ever join the ranks of the Iron Arc. She decided to pledge allegiance to me after her village was pillaged and plundered courtesy of the Blackstone Legion."
Ruby felt a little disheartened that she didn't have a cool title like 'Champion' like Pyrrha but then again, she felt that her fellow red-head didn't want that title either because it made her feel… Lonely.
"And finally, we have Weiss Schnee. First Orochi of the Iron Arc and heiress to the Schnee Throne. Your throne. I found her on the outskirts of the Myre, bleeding to death but I felt it wasn't her time to die. Therefore, I took her in."
Weiss could hear the whispers from the other Samurai in the great hall, but they were quickly hushed when the East Daimyo stood up from his throne. His face contorted into something that was nothing short of hatred and pure malice as everyone watched he slowly made his way down the steps…
Growing closer and closer to the four, more specifically, his eyes were on the white-haired Orochi. Icy blue met icy blue, however before he could even utter a word or sound, Jaune stood in front of Weiss with a stern look.
"Out of- "
"I cannot do that East Daimyo. I came to negotiate terms of peace, not for you settle old scores…"
"This has nothing to do with- "
"You're right it has nothing to do with me… But that was before. And this is now. She is part of my faction and ever since she joined me, everything that concerns her not only concerns me, but the whole of the Iron Arc."
Yet again, the three women could only stare in astonishment of their leader while even the samurai in the great hall were nodding in agreement. Jacques himself could only stare in distaste towards the blonde before backing off a few steps, his hands slowly going behind his back. He was blinded by his past ghosts and completely abandoned his sense of maturity.
"Forgive me, Lord Arc. I should not have acted irrationally."
"Apology accepted. Now… Shall we get to business?"
"Indeed. My Atlassian Samurai! The Iron Arc have come to us in order to help us with the desperate times we are facing today and will face in the future! In this transaction, we in turn will help them in their own dire times! Let us dine and form new alliances so that one day, peace may come to our lands once more!"
Roars of agreement and approval came from the samurai around the hall before double doors were opened, where Jacques Schnee motioned for them to follow him. It wasn't long until they were presented with a large yet exquisite dining hall with exotic food already prepared and now ripe for the taking.
"Please, eat and rest. You have travelled far, and it would be disrespectful of me to not welcome you the right way. Sit, sit…"
The four looked at each other with Jaune giving each of them a nod of approval. He sat at one end of the table, crossing his legs while Pyrrha and Ruby sat to his right while Weiss sat on his left. Everything looked delicious and honestly, he was sure the others thought the same.
They slowly began to fill their plates with different meats and vegetables, small bowls of rice were sat ready for the taking and small cups of the Myre's famous green tea were filled close to the brim. Jaune was quick bow his head toward the white-haired male at the other end of the table.
"You have my gratitude once more East Daimyo. This banquet looks very delightful."
Jacques smiled at Jaune, only raising his small dish that was filled with what was obviously sake. The blonde-haired Warden decided to do the same and drink the small dish of sake too.
The banquet went uneventful for the most part until near the end when what seemed to be a commanding officer came into the room, heading straight for the East Daimyo. Something was whispered, and it wasn't long until they were waved away before Jacques turned towards his guests.
"Now then Lord Arc, let us discuss business."
Jaune took a sip of the green tea and relished the hot liquid for a moment before nodding in agreement. Hopefully this give them an edge in this damn war since the East Daimyo alone had the men he didn't… Or lack thereof.
"Now, as you know, my daughter here had contacted me in order to send you the supplies you needed to rebuild your stronghold. Initially, I called you here, so you could repay me back for giving you what you needed."
"That is true."
"Good. I believe in order for us to become even, I would like you to do something for me."
Jaune frowned slightly as he saw that mischievous glint in the man's eyes as he stared at him.
"I've had a thorn in my side for quite some time here from some barbarians in Valkenheim."
The young leader didn't miss the clenched fist of the red-headed Valkyrie, but he quickly placed his hand over hers that rested on her leg. He didn't need to take his eyes off Jacques to see her anger lessen, if only slightly.
"They frequently intercept my land in order to steal food, shelter, any sort of supplies they can grab a hold of. I would like you to erase them for me."
Jaune's frown only deepened as he stared the East Daimyo for a few moments longer before sighing gently under his breath, feeling that he didn't have much of a choice, especially if the Iron Arc needed this alliance.
"Very well."
The three women quickly turned and stared in shock at their leader who actually agreed to be submitted as an exterminator… Of Vikings no less. The blonde's gaze didn't falter away from the white-haired male Orochi even as he felt their gazes on him…
"I'll go alone if need be."
"Wonderful! Then we're in agreement. I would like proof of your task being completed too. I have to say Lord Arc, I have a good feeling about this alliance between us…"
Jaune's frown only deepened as he watched Jacques click his fingers and suddenly, two samurai brought in a crate, which actually made him warier of the man.
'Crazy bastard… I don't know what to do. And I can't ask these Vikings to join the Iron Arc if he wants proof of their deaths…'
"Lord Arc, I would like to propose a gift to you, as a token of our new… Alliance."
The lid of the crate was quickly tore off and Jaune stood up, making his way over to him but couldn't stop his eyes from widening… In the crate was a new set of armour. Warden armour to be exact. It looked in perfect condition but from what he could tell, it was some armour that he had never seen before, only heard of.
"Where did you get this?"
"Where I got it does not matter Lord Arc. What matters is, will you receive this token?"
He gulped silently as he took in the sight of the armour. It was simple iron but the look of it was incredible… Old fashioned but incredible. The chest piece was through pieces of iron linked together which was adorned with leather and chain mail. The arms held two small yet thick pauldrons on either side which led into the arms, each acquainted with straps of leather. Wrist gauntlets and leather gloves went with it along with some shin guards… It was basically an entire new outfit for him on the battlefield. (A/N – Tranquil Wayfarer Chest and Arms)
Jaune nodded lightly, not wanting to be disrespectful. However, it wasn't long for the man before him to click his fingers once again and in the room, came two more samurai but from the look of them, the blonde leader could tell they were dangerous.
Nearby, stood a male shinobi with long black hair but had a small strand of pink on the left side while also adorning deep pink irises. And beside him, was a short yet very energised red-headed woman. Bright turquoise eyes stared at him from behind her white and pink mask before she leaned up and whispered something in the man's ear next to her who still stayed as stoic as ever, even as she giggled quietly to herself.
However, that wasn't what had him worried of her… No, instead it was the massive spiked club she held on her shoulder. He could even sense the others tense and shiver at the sight of the energetic young woman.
"These Lord Arc, are two of the best samurai I have under my command, as long as they get the payment they are due. The young shinobi is a man of stealth and precision… His name is Lie Ren. The woman next to him is the only woman to ever pass the training regime and academy for our Shugoki warriors. Her name is Nora Valkyrie."
Jacques Schnee turned to him and smiled in a mischievous manner.
"These two will escort you to where these Vikings are causing the most trouble and they will help you in your… Extermination. Do treat them well."
To say Jaune felt uneasy, was a bit of an understatement if he said so himself. And already, he could tell he had quite a day ahead of him.
Thanks for reading!
