Sorry, no new OC this chapter. As soon as I started writing I started making changes to the overall story which meant that the OC I had planned on putting in was pushed to later iterations. Hopefully I'll have more fleshed out for him by then.
Renewal
85 P.G.W. – Anima – Demi
It took them nearly half a day to reach their destination in the next town. All along the way the group chatted about the state of affairs that had lead Coal's family living in such dire conditions. Weiss rarely spoke throughout. While on the one hand she desired to defend her family's honor, and subsequently the company her grandfather had started, she also knew that much of what they said was true. As much as she hated to admit it her father was both directly and indirectly responsible for the conditions many of the SDC workers lived in.
More than this, however, Weiss was wary of saying anything else that might set Jack off. Not long before they had departed Weiss noticed Emma reentering their home, wiping away tears and holding something close to her chest as she hurried inside. Before she was able to ask her what was wrong she noticed Jack enter the house as well, followed closely by Demi. While the sight of this had her earlier feelings of jealousy beginning to resurface a reminder to herself of their conversation in the forest only a day prior had clamped her mouth shut. While she was still curious about what had happened she knew it would be more beneficial to smooth things out with Jack before digging any deeper.
Demi was not oblivious to the signs being put off by her parents. From their interaction in the forest to the moment they'd left she felt seen a sudden shift in the way her parents acted around each other. While she'd seen their relationship go from hostile to pleasant in a short amount of time it was obvious to her now that something major had caused a wedge to be placed between them. It was even more apparent to her when she reentered the house, seeing her mother eye her with suspicion but otherwise say nothing in regards to it.
While she didn't have anything concrete to back up her hunch she was smart enough to know when two people were cross with one another. She didn't know exactly why. It probably had something to do with her mother's jealousy driven comments and attitude the other day, but she knew it would only make things more difficult for them if it persisted. While she knew it would be best if the two of them learned to work things out for themselves, she couldn't help but think that there might be something she could do to help push things along.
Instinctively her mind fell back to the exchange between Jack and Emma. Demi smiled to herself. It was perfect. While her mother hadn't been there to witness it she could at least fill her in and maybe even spice up the tale a little to add to its overall endearment. Granted her father had asked that she keep the incident to herself but his reasons for doing so were incredibly unfounded. While he didn't want news of his friends leaking out to rival hunters she knew no one among teams RWBY or JNPR would gossip about it. Not only that but Weiss was her mother, for goodness sake. It was her responsibility as her daughter to let her know just how generous and considerate a man Jack truly was.
"Three rooms please, one of them private," Jack said to the receptionist.
"You sure you're good to pay for that?" Demi asked, a small smirk forming on her face.
"Yes, I'm more than capable," Jack said, paying the receptionist without glancing at Demi.
"Really? With the way things have been going I'm almost afraid you might be spending more than you were prepared for."
"As I said, I'm more than capable of paying for our rooms as well as any other expenses we might encounter along the way," Jack replied, his annoyance evident in his voice.
"Jack, what does she mean?" Weiss asked out of concern.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it."
"You sure. If you need help we can pitch in," Yang added.
"Yea, we can pull our own weight if we have to. We don't want to be a burden," Jaune commented.
"I said it's fine!" Jack said loudly.
Everyone nearly jumped out of their skin from Jack's sudden outburst. The receptionist stood motionless, holding the keys to their rooms aloft as she stared, intimidated, at Jack. Several of the Motel's patron's looked up from whatever they had been doing to stop and stare at their party. For a moment the air was heavy as they waited to see what Jack would do next. Without a word he snatched the room keys from the receptionist, shoved two of them into the hands of Jaune and Ruby, and began marching towards the front door.
"Where ae you going?" Demi called after him.
"To get a drink," Jack shot back.
The town which Jack had lead the others to was much larger than some of the others. Having built a rather sturdy wall which had managed to keep out the Grimm the people there prospered, utilizing various means of trade to build themselves up. As such they'd managed to elevate themselves to a point in which their town was an almost common tourist destination, an excellent place to retreat to with the family outside the hustle and bustle of Mistral. This meant that the town had more than one hotel, the most lavish and expensive of which stood along the southern region of the town, giving its occupants the best view of the valley.
It also catered to the wealthy and powerful, insuring that only the best of the best and worst could be found there. While he didn't show it Jack felt out of place the moment he entered the reception area. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the lobby looking down at him like a cockroach who'd intruded on their spotless kitchen. The receptionist himself was less concerned with hiding his disgust with Jack's appearance as his eyes narrowed the moment he approached the counter.
"I'm expected in room 763," Jack said, slipping the man the card he'd received only a few days prior.
"Ahh, I see. You're in luck then. The occupants have just returned. I'll call ahead and let them know you're on your way up."
"Thanks," Jack said curtly as he headed for the elevator.
"Quite the unusual taste they have," he heard the receptionist say.
"Come again?"
"Oh, it's nothing you need to worry about. I was just commenting on some our guests more exotic tastes. They claimed the boy they have with them is their son but, well," he smirked, causing Jack to shiver from disgust, "who am I to question people's needs?"
"Right," Jack said, increasing his pace until he'd slipped into the elevator.
The elevator ride was quick and, thankfully, solitary. While he'd had an idea in regards to who had sent him the invitation, his little chat at the front desk had sent that theory out the window. His comment about the child made him wonder if perhaps Salem had sent one of her goons to try and persuade him to rejoin her efforts. He dismissed this idea, however, as he expected her to try something more elegant or direct. Before long the elevator reached the top floor and Jack maneuvered down the pristinely decorated hallway to the room. He knocked, hard, and waited for an answer.
Before long muffled footsteps could be heard from the other side before the door opened. Standing just a foot or so shorter than Jack was a young boy, dressed in an old shirt and overalls, and gazing up at him with olive green and brown eyes. For a moment the two starred at each other and Jack had the most peculiar feeling of deja vu, unable to place where he'd seen the boy once before.
"Can I help you?" the boy asked.
"Oscar, who's at the door?" a gruff and familiar voice called out. Without waiting for an answer Jack shoved his way past Oscar and strolled into the living room of the penthouse.
"Jack, you made it," Qrow said happily, approaching Jack to give him a warm hug. Jack answered in kind by crossing his arms, making it obvious that he was in no mood for pleasantries.
"Alright, alright, so you're in a mood," Qrow joked.
"That's putting it lightly. So, who else is here? Knowing you I can say that staying in this swanky hotel wasn't your idea."
"No, I wasn't," Qrow agreed.
"It was mine," a woman's voice said.
Jack glanced over to see Winter Schnee, dressed in her usual Atlas military uniform, appear from the bedroom. She stalked over to the couch before taking a seat with Qrow and Oscar the couch opposite hers. Jack opted to take the armchair situated between the two, enabling him to bounce back and forth between the conversation.
"You know, despite how intelligent and clever you are, Miss Schnee, your choice in accommodations is terrible to say the least."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"The damn receptionist thought I was a call girl, or boy. Fuck it, he thought I was a prostitute!" Jack said, irritated.
Qrow didn't even try to hide his amusement as he doubled over from laughter. Winter's face was stoic, though Jack would have argued he saw the faintest hint of a smirk appear on her face. Oscar was quite, which Jack appreciated, but his face turned a bright pink. Obviously the boy was rather naïve in regards to the outside world.
"That's beautiful," Qrow managed to say, breathing heavily from laughing so hard.
"Whatever. I take there's a reason you called me up here? No offence but I find it rather off putting that you'd have a third party send the request rather than ask me in person. How'd you know where we were, anyway? I may not be perfect but I'm no novice when it comes to covering my tracks."
"I've had someone tailing since you left Mistral," Winter admitted.
"What, you don't trust me?" Jack asked sarcastically.
"No," Winter responded in a deadpan tone.
"Good girl," Jack said in retort, earning himself a nasty glare and sneer from Winter.
"Getting down to business, I take it you're aware of what's been happening in Atlas?"
"Who isn't? You'd have to be living under a rock to not know that shit's about to hit the fan over there."
Ignoring his comment Winter continued. "I've received word from some close family associates that my father has begun hiring private investigators and bounty hunters, such as yourself. Apparently my sister's departure from Atlas was something that my father was unaware of for some time."
"What she means is, her sister ran away from home and now dear old Dad is trying to drag her back without alerting the council, especially Ironwood. If he learned of Weiss' departure from Atlas without his prior consent it would mean dire consequences for the SDC."
"So what, you want me to turn her over to you? You do realize that would be a real conflict of interest for me, especially considering she's currently my employer?"
"On the contrary, I want to hire you out privately."
Jack straightened himself in his chair instinctively. Even Qrow had adopted a wary look. Apparently even he had been unaware of Winter's intentions.
"What do you mean?"
"I want to hire you on as a bodyguard for Weiss, someone who can keep her safe until I'm able to do something more for her."
"So let me get this straight, you want me to remain by her side, for how long?"
"As long as is needed."
"Alright, so lets just say indefinitely, just for shits and giggles. You do realize that your sister is more than capable of defending herself, right?"
"Of course, I trained her myself."
"And you want me to hang around her until its safe for her to return home to Atlas during which time I'm to dissuade anyone who might come looking for her from attempting to return home to Papa Schnee with her in tow."
"That's the general idea."
"I see. Well, in that case I have only one question," he said, fixing hi eyes on hers as he spoke. "Are you out of your fucking mind!?"
"Jack-!" she started.
"No! You're asking me to do the impossible. It's one thing to transport someone from point A to point B and protect them along the way. It's another thing entirely to act as their over embellished babysitter for the remainder of their life."
"It wouldn't be for their entire life! A year, at most, until everything has died down!" Winter argued.
"A year? A year? Honey, if you think it'll only be a year at most then you either lack faith in my abilities or you simply don't know your father as well as you think you do, Ironwood especially."
"I know the General better than you think. I trust him without question."
Unexpectedly, Jack burst into laughter. Winter glanced over at Qrow, shooting him a questioning look, but received only a shrug in response. It was a moment before Jack was able to calm himself down and by then Winter was thoroughly annoyed.
"You know," he began, "I don't what's more pathetic. The fact that you have such unflinching loyalty in a man who's too blinded by his own pride to realize that he's leading you all down a path from which Atlas my never recover or the fact that you do know it but insist on following his lead on the dismal hope that something good might eventually come of it."
"Jack, listen- "
"No, you listen!" Jack snapped. "You're obviously too wrapped up in your own superiority complex to realize just what the rest of us commoners see happening, so let me break it down for you. Ironwood's plan to save Atlas is going to be the means whereby it's destroyed, and not by its enemies but by itself, from within."
"It started in Vale. The moment your army was hacked, hijacked, it was clear you were ill-prepared to combat our enemies. Had he been smart Ironwood would have done something to remedy this. My suggestion would be to go back to the drawing board with your little tin soldiers. Instead he decides to cut off Remnants Dust supply. Now, I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure that doesn't send a very hospitable message."
"Second, he's closed your borders, making sure that no one can go in or out without his say so. Taking just these two factors into account anyone outside of Atlas would think that you're preparing for something, something that could very well send Remnant into a second great war. We're just waiting for Ironwood to slam that last nail into the coffin before he blows the whole powder keg."
"We are not preparing for war. We're simply trying to prevent any other disastrous events from happening," Winter argued.
"You really think the rest of Remnant sees it that way? You honestly think the people of Vale view Atlas' actions of hiding inside its shell like a damn turtle as an apology for all the lives lost because of your robotic soldiers?"
"It wasn't our fault!"
"Your robots, your responsibility. If you're going to put your symbol on their chassis you'd better be ready to take responsibility for their actions, regardless of whether or not you were in control of them. The fact is, Winter, a storm is coming. Our enemies are doing a damn good job of directing our attention towards each other so that, when shit does hit the fan, we'll be too busy fighting one another to see them pulling our strings like the puppet masters they are."
"As much as I respect you, admire you, I've found you to have been somewhat of a disappointment in recent times. You've spent your whole life trying to escape from your father's influence, a man whose actions were dictated by greed and lust for power, only to run straight into the arms of another man who's doing the exact same thing. Call me crazy but I'd say you're a glutton for punishment."
"How dare you speak of General Ironwood in that fashion!" Winter snapped.
"Why, because it's the truth? Let me ask you this then. Considering how great a man James is, why hasn't he one anything to start promoting Atlas' image of comradery? The man is the leader of your armies, the headmaster of your Huntsman Academy, and he holds two seats on the Atlas council. TWO! Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure there's supposed to be three people on the council. The fact that he holds two of those seats tells me he has too much power. Before long he's going to be unstoppable and when you finally start to realize your mistake in putting so much faith in the man he'll have turned from General Ironwood to a modern day Warmonger."
"I don't have to sit hear and listen to this atrocity," Winter hissed, standing up to leave the room. As she headed towards the bedroom Jack called out to her.
"Winter, one moment please. I have another reason for not taking the bodyguard job."
"And what would that be?" she hissed.
"I won't be around much longer to fulfill my duty," he said matter-of-factly.
Jack's calm attitude and serious tone caused both Winter and Qrow to look at him quizzically. They exchanged glances before looking at Jack once more. While they had never really known the young man to joke about dying part of them wanted it to be some sick humor he'd come up with. Unfortunately, they could see from the look in his eyes that he was dead serious.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, after I complete this job for your sister I have another job to do, one that's more personal. Call it a vendetta, if you will. Fact is I don't plan on coming back from it."
"So you're denying my request simply to sate your need for revenge against someone else?"
"If I succeed, I can guarantee it'll help Remnant out in the long run."
"What do you mean?" Qrow asked.
"I can't go into detail but, I can assure you both, whether I succeed or fail this will be one of the last times we see each other again."
"Seems unlike you, Jack. I thought you had more reason than anyone to keep on living?" Qrow said.
"Yes, well, we all have to die sometime, don't we? Fact is, when you take on the profession I did, you have to come to terms with the fact that you will more than likely die young than grow old."
"In that case why don't we come to a compromise?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Winter wants you to protect her sister and you won't be around for much longer, so how about this? You protect for her for as long as you are able, up until you depart this world. That does come with the understanding, however, that you may be living longer than you intend."
"Alright, I can live with that," Jack said with a smirk.
"Winter?" Qrow said, glancing up at her.
"Fine," she said, reaching onto her jacket and withdrawing a large envelope before tossing it to Jack.
"By the way," Jack said as he started to get up, "I know you may want to keep our little meeting here hush hush but, all things considered, I think its best if I inform Weiss of what you hired me to do. Seems only fair that I have a viable excuse for why I'll be hanging around her for a while."
"Very well," Winter said. "Do what you think is best."
Anima Hotel – Weiss
"So, what was up with you and Jack?" Nora asked.
"What do you mean?"
"What do you mean what do I mean? One minute you guys were friends and the next minute you're being all snippy with him."
"Yea Weiss, you haven't acted like that since our first year at Beacon," Ruby pointed out.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Weiss said, attempting to weasel out of the conversation.
"Really? From what I saw I'd almost go so far as to say you were jealous," Demi said.
Weiss' face turned a bright pink. In response Demi smiled a wide grin, victorious. Ruby and Yang both gasped, surprised and amused at Weiss' reaction. Immediately the young heiress attempted to shield her face from her friends but the damage had been done.
"You were jealous?" Ruby blurted out.
"I guess something happened between you and Jack that you haven't told us about," Yang prodded.
"Nothing happened. All we did was talk," Weiss said defensively.
"Was that in-between breaths?" Yang asked, making kissy faces as she spoke.
Weiss' face turned a deep red at this point and the girls squealed with delight. Weiss, on the other hand, was mortified. It wasn't simply what they'd said that had her on edge but rather that their implications were dangerously close to the truth. She had been jealous, that was for sure, but she didn't want to admit it to herself.
"I swear, you're all such children. All we did was talk, that's it."
"Then why were you acting so strangely when he was around Emma?" Demi asked.
"Yea, she is a married woman, after all. You really think Jack is the type of guy to have an affair with the wife of his friend?" Yang pointed out.
"Of course not. I was just… on edge," she said.
"That's just another way of saying you were afraid she was encroaching on your territory," Demi said.
"Well, I did hire him," Weiss said.
"So you're saying you own him?"
"No, I'm saying her works for me."
"Meaning, he's your man."
"Exactly," Weiss blurted out and immediately regretted her words when she saw the devilish grin on Demi's face. "So what was with your comment earlier?" she asked, attempting to change the subject.
"What about?" Demi replied, finding her mother's attempts fruitless though equally amusing.
"You mentioned that Jack might have trouble paying for our expenses. How did you know this?"
"Oh, um," Demi said, taken aback by her Weiss' clever counter attack.
"Yea, now that you mention it I did notice you and Jack walking back inside together. What were you two doing?" Nora asked with her own devilish smile.
"Nothing, of course," Demi said quickly, her heart sinking a little as Weiss narrowed her eyes at her. "In fact, its more about what I overheard."
"Oh, this is getting good," Nora said excitedly.
"What was it about?" Ruby inquired, curious.
Demi's eyes shifted around the room. While she'd planned to tell Weiss about Jack's generosity she had hoped to keep it between them and leave everyone else ignorant. Now, however, she found herself pressed up against a wall with little room to maneuver out of it. Coming to terms with the fact that she would have to sacrifice some level of trust with Jack to insure her own escape she sighed tiredly.
"I saw him and Emma outside, talking about Coal. Apparently his condition was brought on by excessive strain from working several back to back shifts at the mine."
"What! Why?" Weiss asked, her irritation giving way to concern.
"They needed the money. They've been taking the extra Lien from his overtime and putting it away to help send their son to Haven Academy when he's old enough."
A cold, empathetic mood fell over the girls as soon as she'd spoken. Weiss herself was both heartbroken and moved by the thought. To think Coal would push himself to such extremes to insure his son's own future. The very concept was a foreign one to her. All she'd ever known from her father was the life he wanted her to live, the image he wanted her to project, the profits and advantages he could attain from making her his perfect puppet.
Considering the lengths Jack had gone to in order to help his ailing friend it was no surprise that the man had managed to piece it all together. He'd even gone out of his way to provide them with the means to insure the disease was staved off. Still, she wondered if it would be enough.
"What did he do?" she asked.
"He talked to her, told her he knew what was going on. Once she explained their situation Jack gave her the money he'd received as payment for this job. She tried to refuse but he wouldn't hear of it. He said it was to insure that Coal would at least be around to see his son become a Huntsman."
If there was ever a moment for Weiss to feel guilty it was now. Her overall attitude, coupled with the weight of his dying friend and his desire to help, must have made things rather difficult for Jack. Weiss could already feel tears of shame beginning to form but she wiped them away before they had a chance. Without another word she headed for the door, intent on searching every bar in the town until she found him and apologized.
"Weiss, where are you going?" Ruby asked, concerned.
"To find Jack," she said.
Just as she opened the door and stepped out she slammed into a large, fleshy barrier blocking her path. She cried out in alarm before looking up to see none other than Jack himself standing in the doorway. Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Jack himself looked quite surprised as he stood in the doorway, his hand still raised in the act of knocking.
"You alright, Miss Schnee?" he asked, not so much out of concern but rather courtesy.
"Um, yes, I'm fine. Actually, I was on my way to find you," she admitted.
"That's perfect. There's actually something I need to discuss with you," he said. Weiss perked up, somewhat elated that he wanted to talk with her, if for nothing else than to chastise her about how she'd been acting lately, only to have her heart sink as he finished, "with all of you. Stay here while I go get the boys."
Everyone sat in silent contemplation as Jack finished his explanation of recent events. Skipping over some of the more disturbing parts, and greatly reducing the intensity of his argument with Winter, he informed them of what had been going in Atlas as well as the situation that now plagued Weiss. While no one had said it they all knew the journey ahead had just become that much more difficult. What they had assumed would be a simple return to Vale would in fact become hampered by various other characters, all out to make a profit off of Weiss.
"So, what do we do?" Jaune asked, breaking the silence.
"We continue forward, stay off the main roads. With any luck we'll avoid most of the unwanted attention but we'll eventually have to venture into a much more heavily populated area, one with an airship that can take us to Vale. It'll be very difficult to leave without being tailed by one or two hunters."
"Right, an airship," Jaune groaned, his stomach churning in dreadful anticipation for what awaited them.
"You sure you can protect Weiss along the way?" Demi asked out of concern.
"Don't underestimate my abilities. A rat can always smell the scent of another rat. If there are any bounty hunters in area, I'll know of them and they'll know me."
"You say that like you expect us to me pursued by veterans," Demi pointed out.
"Absolutely. I was told to expect the best and, knowing Jacques Schnee, he'll only hire the best to retrieve his daughter."
"If they do make a move they'll have all of us to contend with," Yang said as she slammed her fist into the palm of her hand in a show of strength.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Jack said. "I'm going to get some rest. I suggest you do the same. Our journey ahead is going to be much more difficult from this point forward."
Jack was up and out the door as everyone took a moment to think on his words. He himself was deep in thought. Considering his conversation with Winter, he'd honestly felt almost elated to know she wanted him to stay by her sister's side. He didn't know why, or rather he didn't want to admit it to himself. He knew he wanted to take a stab at Salem, to leave an ever lasting impression that would remind her of the one man who had defied her more than anyone else. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder why it made his heart ache when, at one point, it had made it burn.
The moment Winter had asked him to protect her sister, indefinitely if necessary, he felt his heart nearly leap out of his chest. It surprised him, to know he would feel so excited to maintain a presence around a woman who had been very inconsistent with her treatment of him personally. While he had reasoned within himself that staying near her would only prove to be detrimental to his overall goal. Part of him hated himself for it but he knew it was true. Weiss would only hold him back in the end.
"Jack," he heard her say. For a moment he assumed it was his own thoughts wrestling with his feelings but soon realized that Weiss was indeed standing behind him.
"Yes, Miss Schnee," he said flatly.
"May we speak privately?" she asked.
Jack cocked an eyebrow, surprised by her request until he noticed her eyes shift back towards her room. Hiding just out of sight he could see both blond and auburn strands of hair as well as hear the muffled gossip coming from her roommates. Jack nodded his consent, allowing Weiss to lead the way before following her inside his room. As soon as they entered Weiss moved to the living space, keeping her gaze averted from Jack out of silent guilt.
"Jack I- "she began but chocked on her words as they came out. His cold, piercing stare made her feel small. It was made even more intimidating by the dim light in the room, allowing her to see the gray irises that she had once found beautiful to be quite unfeeling at the moment.
"Jack, I don't want to keep doing this," she admitted.
"Doing what?" he asked, confused.
"Fighting with you, apologizing, starting over on the right foot before stumbling back into old habits and ending up right where we began. It's not a good image for an employer to have," she said, the word tasting vile as she spoke.
"No, it isn't," Jack said, adding gravity to her statement. "So, what do you want to do about it."
"I think it's best if we end things here and now. You've fulfilled your contract. You're no longer under any obligation to escort us to Vale."
Jack looked at Weiss with genuine surprise. He hadn't expected her to say this. Before he could speak Weiss reached into the small handbag she kept with her and pulled out a small envelope before handing it to Jack. He took it, hoping she wouldn't notice his hands shaking, knowing exactly what its contents were.
"As promised, there is the rest of your fee. Our debt is settled. You're free to go, if you wish."
"True, however I still have an obligation to fulfill the contract I only recently made with your sister. Even if I wanted to leave I'm still bound by my word to her."
"No, you're not. I'll speak with Winter the next time I see her and explain that I let you go. You won't have to worry about upsetting her or staining your reputation."
"That doesn't excuse the fact that I've been paid," he argued.
"Consider it a gift for a job well done."
"I- I see," Jack said, somehow surprised at how disheartened and disappointed he felt.
"However, there is one thing I wish to ask of you," Weiss said.
"And what would that be," Jack asked, feeling himself already reverting back to a callus attitude.
"I'd like you to continue traveling with us, as a friend."
Jack's mouth hung open, taken aback by what she'd said. In the dim light Weiss silently thanked her good fortune that it was too dark for him to notice her cheeks turning pink. Jack was silent for a long while, giving her offer some serious thought. He honestly hadn't expected something like this to happen. It was quite unexpected and even a little welcoming.
"You're serious about this?" he asked.
"Of course. We would- I would greatly appreciate having you along with us," she admitted. "Also, it may help to prevent me from feeling jealous."
"Jealous?" Jack asked, confused.
"Yes. When we were at your friend Coal's I… may have been a little jealous of your familiarity with his wife Emma. Having been your employer at the time I may have found your interactions threatening, on a completely professional level, of course."
"Of course," Jack agreed with a smirk.
"So, will you be joining us for the rest of the journey?" Weiss asked eagerly.
"I suppose so," he said with an exaggerated sigh. "After all, I was the one who brought you all out this way. Seems only fair that I should accompany you the rest of the way. Besides, I've got nowhere else to go at the moment. I'll continue on with you until Vale and see what happens then."
"Good to know," Weiss said with a warm smile. "Well, I guess I should go inform the others."
"You can do that in the morning. Right now I think it's best if we all get some rest."
"Of course. Pleasant dreams Jack."
"You as well, Weiss," he said, smiling as he watched he walk out the door.
85 P.G.W. – Salem's Castle – Salem
Salem watched with obvious satisfaction as Tyrian tore through the numerous Grimm she dispatched into the training room. With each successful wave that he decimated the Scorpion grew bolder, wilder as he dove into the hordes of murderous creatures. While the Grimm were themselves attracted to fear they could sense none from the fanus. Still, they could understand when their lives were in danger and, obeying the commands of their mistress, they swarmed Tyrian in an attempt to overpower him. However, their efforts proved futile as he tore through them like bloodied tissue paper, leaving their corpses to smolder and evaporate into a thick black mist.
"Well done, Tyrian," Salem praised.
"Thank you, my Goddess. I live to serve and please you," he said, bowing low before her.
Overhead his tail flicked excitedly back and forth, it's newest addition gleaming in the dim light of the candles. Watts, being a well known and talented engineer in Atlas, had created a new attachment for Tyrian to replace his stinger. On the end of his tail had been fixed a large pincer like appendage, the blades of which were serrated for maximum lethality. The pincers clicked open and closed as Tyrian tested his control over the new augmentation. It had been less than a week and already it acted like a natural part of his body.
"Will you be sending me out to retrieve the girl?" he asked in excited anticipation.
"No, I have a much more poetic task for you to perform," Salem said. "The girl and her friends are headed towards Vale. In a few days they'll be passing through a small town. I'll be sending some Grimm to that area to wipe out its inhabitants and send a message to an old ally of ours. You will meet him further down the road and offer him to join me at my side once more."
"What if her refuses?"
"Make him come home, Tyrian," she said sternly, "However, if the battle proves too much for you, I want you to return to my side. That man has proved to be useful tool. Better that you destroy his reputation than his body."
"Of course, my Goddess. Your will shall be done."
One more short chapter, I think, and then I'll be starting on a two part expect showdown for Jack. The story will see him returning home and facing the demons that await him there.
Honestly, after the next few chapters, we'll be getting close to the end of this half of the story. Once this one is complete then I'll start work on Child of Light and Darkness Pt.2. That being said I'm really excited to hear what you think of the story so far and what you want to see happen later on.
I've been giving some thought on doing some other RWBY related fanfics. I have a few crossover stories in mind. I'll be sure to let you know what my ideas and and to get your opinions of them soon.
Until next time RWBY fans.