The Arcful Dodger

by Phonius Pwnage the 3rd

In the undersides of Vale there exists a thief so bold and daring that his very being strikes into the hearts of women. His criminal occupation rivaled only by his chivalrous nature. With quick-wit and a silver tongue, there is no shortage to the number of tricks up his sleeves. Many know his name and so will you. After all, who doesn't want to hear the story of The Arcful Dodger?

10. The Death of Jaune Arc

Greetings everyone,

In terrific news, I was able to survive my first and second weeks at my new job. In unfortunate news I will be unable to continue my current weekly upload schedule as my new job's schedule is kind of sporadic. I will TRY to release a new chapter each week for the remainder of my stories but understand that I cannot promise anything. If worse comes to worse I may have to resort to releasing a single chapter for each story when I am able to. I will be able to answer this predicament come the end of December. And will, hopefully, be able to have a set schedule for the year of 2019.

Hopefully, you all understand and thanks to those that do.

Don't forget to check out my other story, "The Knight and The Wizard", which will be December's Story of the Month. It is based around the idea of what the show would be like if Jaune Arc was the host for Ozpin's immortal spirit. Hopefully, you all will enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it.

Next Scheduled Release:

To Be Announced In... 2019.

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

Till next time.

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Chapter Ten

Dodger couldn't help the smile that seemed to remain plastered to his face at the sight of so many of the White Fang members regarding his form with absolute caution as he sat on a VERY comfortable couch while the Ox Brothers, Ford and Blood, sat in what looked to be VERY uncomfortable chairs across from him. It was hard to imagine that the very men that had tried to kill him so many years ago were now about to help him in his latest heist.

Talk about irony.

Either way, it certainly made the glares he was receiving from both brothers all the more sweeter as he pulled out a file labeled "P. Winkle" onto the table before him. Several of photos were showcasing a whole other side to the so-called Perry "Man of the People" Winkle. One that he was sure the kindly politician would pay a great amount of money to ensure that no one saw. But that was thing about money. It could not only keep secrets but buy them as well. Being a thief with connections certainly had larger perks than being a police officer that was for sure.

"Gentleman, as I'm sure you no doubt know, Mr. Winkle will be hosting a masquerade charity ball in honor of his precious daughter's birthday." said Dodger, opening the file to show a document and a photo of a slim girl with light purple eyes and brunette hair standing next to a man with similar colored eyes and silvery-white hair. "What many do not know is that Mr. Winkle will also be hosting a rather PRIVATE party just below the establishment for his VIPs. I have reason to believe that he may have paid off the VPD to "overlook" any problems of this event in favor of some rather generous donations to many of the officers' personal bank accounts. Not only that but he plans to have a wide arrange of security both in and out of the building. There's also rumors that a former Huntsman from Beacon Academy will be ringleading the security force. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any information regarding the man and as such there is no clue as to who this man is."

"And what do you want us to do about it?" asked Blood, snarling at the sight of Dodger's eyes lingering on his missing right horn. "The White Fang has no business in the affairs of you HUMANS."

"Hmph, I figured you'd need a little incentive." said Dodger, smirking as he pulled out another file labeled "Auction" onto the table. The two brothers eyed one another before Ford opened the file, his eyes widening in shock at the sight of the Faunus in each picture. One was positively grotesque as it showed a skinny Faunus woman lying in a pool with liquid and judging by the over-flowing shit bucket off to the side, the odds of the pool being anything remotely clean were very, very, VERY slim. "THIS is the reason I came to the White Fang. Perry Winkle plans on hosting an auction for his more difficult clientele in hopes that he can buy enough favors to be offered a place on Vale's council. I will distract the security force while you and a small team consisting of no more than 10 or so people sneak in and rescue the captured Faunus."

The two brother looked at one another in mild confusion before turning back to look into Dodger's eyes. "Why would you do this?" asked Ford, his robotic voice coming from his digi-mask nearly causing Dodger to smile in pride once again.

"Because it's a system built only for the abusive power-hungry men and women that could give two shits about those of us down at the bottom. And if they won't help us then we need to help ourselves. And that involves hurting them where it hurts. In a place where they can never come back from." said Dodger, smiling at the sight of the Ox Brothers' confused expressions. "Politicians use lies to hide the truth that's why it takes a thief to steal those lies away. And all that will be left is the truth." said Dodger, smiling as the Ox Brothers turned to one another murmuring.

"Fine..." said Ford, glaring at Dodger's smiling face while Blood, huffed before crossing his arms. "We'll help you, Mr. Dodger. But afterwords you all help us in our own endeavors. Understand?"

"Gentleman, you help me and I will gladly offer my assistance in any way I can." lied Dodger, smiling as he no plans on helping a couple of madmen like these two. Not since that fateful day when Jaune Arc, the seventh born and only male heir to the Arc family, died and the man known as the Arcful Dodger was born.

...Many Years Ago...

The sight of Ford smiling at him as his brother, Blood, stood by with a beaten downed Roman in his grip filled Jaune's body with a sense of fear that he hadn't felt since that fateful day when he final had the courage to escape from that hell of a foster home. And to hear that these two men, Faunus in nature, were being paid by that same devil of a person to bring him back only added to his fear. He had an urge to get away from here. To run as far as his legs could take him and if his legs gave out then he was more than willing to crawl on his hands and knees if that's what it took. He swore on that day that he'd never return to that abusive home.

But at the sight of Ford walking towards him with a smile that hid his malicious thoughts as he held a small pistol in his hand, Jaune knew that no matter how far or how fast he ran he'd never be able to escape from his past.

"It's gonna be okay, Jaune." said Ford, smiling as he took another step forward, taking immense pleasure in the fear he was instilling in Jaune. "We're not here to hurt you. We're just here to bring you back home."

"Don't believe a single thing they say, kid!" shouted Roman, struggling against Blood's hardened grip. "Just get away from here and take Neo with you! Don't be a hero!"

To say that these words shocked Jaune down to his core was understandable to say the least. Never in the length of time Jaune had known Roman had he ever imagined himself hearing Roman scream those words at him. He always imagined that the thief would do anything to preserve his own skin even if the cost was two kids the world didn't give a shit about. But ever since the day he was saved by Roman, he'd slowly began questioning the criminal's own sense of morality. It was as clear as glass that Roman cared about his own survival and that he was willing to go to great lengths to preserve it. But as Jaune heard Roman scream for him to take Neo and run to safety, that same lesson his father had taught him returned to his mind at full force.

He was the sole survivor of a family of heroes. The blood of centuries of warriors coursed through his veins and the fiery willpower that beats within his heart fueled him like adrenaline as he clenched his teeth and his fists. Roman had saved him. Now it was time Jaune saved him. No matter the hardships he faced or the obstacles that stood in his path. Because he was a hero.

And so with a level of determination he hadn't felt in so long, Jaune charged at Ford, who seemed caught off by Jaune's reaction, but before the bull Faunus could aim his pistol at Jaune, a swift side kick delivered by Neo knocked him onto his side. But, still, Jaune charged at Ford's lying form, making sure to kick the pistol away from his grasp before thrusting his foot into Ford's opened mouth, breaking his teeth and causing him to spit out blood that rolled down his chin like a crimson waterfall.

Blood, seeing the red liquid that spilled from his brother's mouth filled the bovine Faunus with such an intense level of rage that he instantly threw Roman's body back against the nearby brick wall, his body falling onto the ground with a limp, as he roared into the sky. Both Jaune and Neo turned to look back at one another in slight fear over the animalistic roar Blood had just down before the sound of toothless chuckling brought their attention towards Ford, whose teeth littered the floor around him as he smiling a toothless smile at them.

"Nowh, ya've downe yit, fughers." said Ford, smiling despite the blood continuing to flow from the corners of his toothless mouth. "Jour ahbout do schee vhat habbens vhen jou fugh wit da Ox Brodders."

And no sooner had the broken words left Ford's empty chasm of a bloody mouth his brother, Blood, had already begun charging at the two unarmed children, his head tilted forward, presenting his sharpened horns, so that he may skewer the children like people-sized kebabs. Luckily, Neo was able to use the stacks of boxed beside her, climbing to the top of the stack to narrowly avoid the charging Faunus. Unfortunately, Jaune was left to face the attack head on before he just barely managed to slide between the narrow gap in-between Blood's legs, avoiding his potential death and forcing Blood to charge head-first into a brick wall. The resounding crash sending pieces of red rubble and dried up cement as a light brown cloud of dust spilled out into the alleyway.

But the danger was far from over as Blood stomped through the rubble, his eyes wild and untamed as a bright red sheen shimmered over his body, proving that Jaune's fears of the man were justified. These WEREN'T your typical hired goons but men former Huntsmen-turned-mercenaries. And that meant that not only did they have the skill but also the experience that came with it.

Without even a shred of warning, Blood's hands reached to grasp onto the shaft of his battle ax, pulling it from his back and arming himself to face off against Jaune and Neo. With another roar that shook the two children down to their cores the rampaging hulking beast of a man charged at them once again, hefting his mighty ax to swipe at their miniature forms. Neo, using her height advantage, leaped over the swinging ax just in time to avoid it utterly obliterating the stack of boxes that saved her life just moments prior. While Jaune, having ducked beneath the swinging ax, was able to save his skin by rolling off to the side as Blood, fueled by unbridled rage, began swinging his ax like a madman.

Suddenly, Jaune felt a strange sensation in the back of his mind almost as if it was telling him to move at the very moment. Turning his head, Jaune found himself staring down the barrel of Ford's pistol. The man, himself, smiling his toothless bloody grin at the fear that undoubtedly appeared on his face. And even as the sounds of Roman screaming at him and the sounds of Neo just barely being able to fend off against Blood's furious flurry of attacks before being struck in the back, her limp body flying back into the brick wall adjacent from him, echoed in his ears, Jaune's focus was squarely on the event happening before his eyes.

He should've known that this would happen. Why did he ever think that someone as pathetic at fighting as him could ever hope to beat someone with Aura? It was hopeless after all... It's always been hopeless... What else could he do but take the hit and be forcibly brought back to the hell he tried so desperately to escape all those years ago?

"Fight..." echoed a familiar voice.

Strange... It almost sounded... Feminine?

"Fight... Back..." the feminine voice continued to echo in the murky blackness of his mind.

But how? How was he supposed to fight back against monsters like these men? They had weapons, armor, Aura, not to mention years of combat experience. What hope did he have?

"Fight... Back... Jaune..." the feminine voice continued to say, each word growing louder and louder in the back of his mind.

And it was in that moment that Jaune realized whose voice it was he'd been hearing in the back of his mind. Though she'd never spoken a word since the day they met, for some strange reason Jaune could always tell that she never felt any form of animosity towards him. Rather he felt as if they were more alike that either of them realized. Even as he constantly belittled himself for his weakness she'd always been there as silent shoulder to lean on. She had given him hope that through his hard work that he'd be half as strong as she was.

His cerulean eyes turned at the moment to see the struggling eyes of Neo, whose face was dirtied with dust and grime as Blood stood above her with his ax raised above her head, prepared to let the blade fall and end her life in the blink of an eye. But for some odd reason Jaune instead felt eerily calm about the situation. As the world slowly moved around him, his own mind was filled with millions of questions.

Why did he have to fight them to win? Who said that it was the one with Aura that always won a fight? But the most important question was this... Who was he? If Jaune had died in that fire along with his family then who was the person staring down the barrel of a madman's gun? Jaune had always been told that a man never runs from his problems... But whoever said he had to fight them using only brute strength? After all, the best weapon in a fight was a tactical mind.

"NEO! NOW!" Jaune randomly shouted, his words causing Neo's eyes to widen to astronomical levels before shutting themselves off to the world as she willed her Semblance to activate.

And just as Blood's ax fell from it's peak to seperate Neo's head from her lithe body she vanished without a trace. The heavy ax slammed into the concrete, embedding itself into the cement. Blood, seeing that his prey had vanished released another rage-filled roar into the sky while Ford turned to glare at his berserker of a brother.

And Ford, still hold his pistol against Jaune head, could only turn his head to scan his surroundings. But when he turned back to see Jaune smirking at him his eyes widened as his body moved on it's own, launching him backwards just in time to avoid an overhead slash from his own brother. The rage that powered his brother's monstrous strength surprised even him as he pulled his ax from the ground and turned to glare at his own brother.

"Blud? Just wat do juu dink jour duin'!?" he attempted to say through his toothless mouth only to hear nothing coming from his mouth before said berserker charged at him with his horns poised to strike at his chest cavity. The blue-haired brother was quickly to to dodge his own brother's attack as he leaped towards the side only to stop mid-flight as his brother had latched onto his ankle before quickly finding himself flying over his brother's head and into a brick wall, creating a wave of red rubble and dust.

And as the dust settled and Ford was slowly able to crawl his way out of the pile of rubble, his face contorted into an expression of pure rage and frustration, he swiftly aimed his pistol directly at Jaune's face. But as a dark giant stepped between Jaune and himself, Ford's eyes widened at the sight of his own brother protecting their target.

"Wat da fugh? Blud, wat ur juu duin?" asked Ford, a feeling of confusion and anger filling his mind at the sight of his own flesh and blood brother betraying him. Silence filled the alleyway like a river of water slowly filling a pool to it's brim as the two brothers stood before one another. How did it become like this? What did these kids do to make his own brother, Blood, betray him. After everything they'd been through was this what was going to break them apart? Without a single word, Ford turned his glare back onto Jaune, whose expression had remained a mixture of excitement and anxiety. "JUU!" he shouted through his bloodied toothless mouth. "Wat did juu do to mai brodder?"

But Jaune remained silent which in turn only caused Ford's frustrations to rise to a near boiling point. But still, he held his ground lest he somehow earn his brother's ire, who remained still as a stone, his axe in hand, ready to defend the boy and beaten up Roman behind him. But it was here that Ford took notice of a very peculiar anomaly. The little girl that had run from Roman just moments prior was nowhere to be seen! Uncertainty began to consume Ford's entire body as his eyes darted around him in search of the little girl. Was she planning a sneak attack while the boy used some strange semblance to take control of his own brother? But that was impossible, his employer had assured him that the boy's aura wasn't unlocked and even if it had been the Semblance wouldn't have been something like mind control. For the first time since he and his brother had ventured out in search of fame and fortune panic seemed to consume his very being. This boy was nothing like the lying bastard had said.

Upon hearing Jaune's words, Blood lips slowly split into a smile, terrifying Ford, who took a step back out of fear for his brother. "Please don't make this any harder, girlie." said Blood, his eyes flashing red as he raised his bloody-red ax and charged at the terrified Ford. The two brothers fought one another as Ford dodged and parried his brother's blows with his weapon, quickly activating it's secret mechanism that caused the pistol to shift into a serrated dagger, the edge of the blade was glowing bright blue as it scraped across Blood's ax, freezing the blade. After exchanging a few blows, only to leap further back down the alleyway to avoid another slash, Ford quickly found himself struck behind his back but found nothing behind him. But when he'd turned back, Ford was just barely able to use the wall beside him to leap above his brother's head, switching his dagger back into a pistol before peppering him with ice-enhanced bullets that shattered upon impact, creating clumps of ice on his brother's skin.

However, Ford quickly found his flight grounded when he felt a strong force push down on his back, sending him plummeting toward the ground with a thud. It took only a second for Ford to switch his weapon's mode back to dagger and bring it up to his face to block an overhead slash from his brother. The ax's bladed edge threatened to sever his face in two as Ford used his strength to fend it off. But whereas Ford was gifted with a tactical mind and creative strategy, his brother, Blood, was gifted in pure raw strength, which was only enhanced through his out-of-control rage-inducing Semblance.

It wasn't until Blood had raised his ax once more to sever Ford's head from his body that Ford had taken notice of Jaune, lifting Roman onto his left shoulder while Neo was lifting his right. But when Ford turned to see his brother bringing down his ax he had just barely been able to move his head at the last moment, avoiding a life-ending strike as the ax's bladed edge sliced into the cement beside his head. It took only a moment for Blood's rage-filled eyes to evaporate like rain on a hot sidewalk as he saw that it was not the little girl, who he'd thought he'd been fighting, but the face of his own brother, Ford, a great some of his teeth were missing from his mouth.

"Oh brothers! Ford!" exclaimed Blood, releasing his ax's shaft from his grip, causing the massive weapon to clatter to the ground as he dropped to his knees and clasped his brother's head. "Are you alright?"

"No! Juu fughin' muron!" shouted Ford, pushing his brother away before settling his glare on Jaune and the others. Rage filled his body like never before as he pushed himself up, shoving his brother to the side before aiming his pistol at the three standing before him. The pistol was no glowing a bright white energy that seemed to cause the veins in Ford's arms to pulsating out of control, causing Blood to gaze at him in mild concern.

"Ford, calm down!" shouted Blood as the glowing pistol in Ford's hands began to make a high pitched whine, creating immense irritation to the Faunus brothers' ears. "We were told to bring him back ALIVE! You know what will happen if he finds out we killed his own nephew!?"

"WHU GIBS AH FUGH!?" shouted Ford, ignoring the pain in his ear drums due to the pistol's high pitched whine as he focused all of his rage on the targets in front of him. "DIS FUGHING BRAHT MADE AH MUCKERY UH'VE US! WE'LL SEE HOW DAT BASTARD LIKES IT WEN WE OBLITERATE HIS ONLY HEIR OFF THE FACE OF THIS GODDAMN PLANET!" shouted Ford, finally able to speak normally after loosing most, if not all, of his teeth.

Silence fell over the group as Ford pulled the trigger on his weapon. The resulting action then causing the pistol's upper and bottom barrels to split open as a ball of pure white energy rocketed towards the three defenseless criminals at a dangerous level. The surrounding area in the ball of energy's path utterly burning to ash as it brushed past them towards it's pre-determined destination.

"NOW!" shouted Jaune, clenching his eyes shut as Neo willed her semblance to life, wrapping it around them and creating a light shimmer that surrounded the area around them as the white ball that raced towards them. Upon striking them, their form shattered like broken glass before the ball of energy struck the wall behind them, completely obliterating the wall and leaving the Ox brothers completely at a lost.

But, in truth, Jaune had never planned on facing those two in an actual fight. He knew that, due to her semblance, Neo was a force to reckoned with as it made her a dangerous wildcard in a fight and that it aided in escapes should she find herself out of her league. He also knew from having spent many years on the streets that many of the alleyways had hidden delights, one of which was a secret alleyway hidden just behind a fake brick wall. Gods know how many times he found himself sleeping in those wet, dark alleyways. The putrid smell of other people's waste filling his nose as he tried to get sleep. It only gave Jaune another reason for why he was thankful Roman had taken him in.

Meanwhile, Jaune's mind was erratic with thoughts of what the brothers would do to him should he be captured as he and Neo carried a wounded Roman over their shoulders. He couldn't go back to that frozen hell. He just couldn't. He made the journey from Atlas to Vale so that he could finally be free of the abuse and of the "responsibility" he had to them and their legacy. Now, he was being chased by those that were told to bring him back to that hell he'd tried so desperately to escape. And to make matters worse for him, they had no qualms over who they had to get rid of in order to attain their goal.

And truth be told, the thought of losing the only two people who genuinely cared about him and not the potential power he'd have within himself scared him much more. It was why he wanted to have Neo take Roman and run back to safety while he, more terrified of losing his true family than of returning to a frozen hell of Remnant, led the Ox brothers away. If someone were to ask Jaune what exactly he hoped to gain in this endeavor he'd only be able to answer with one simple answer.

Roman and Neo, despite their less than reputable occupations or moral code, were family.

It was the three would-be criminals came upon a fork in the pipeline that Jaune relinquished his hold on Roman's right arm, causing both Neo and Roman to turn and look at him in confusion. It wasn't until Roman took notice of the little knife that shook with every nervous twitch in Jaune's right hand that Roman's light green eyes widened in sudden realization.

"No." said Roman, sounding as firm and commanding as he always had during training, shocking Jaune in standing still with his back turned. "Don't even think about trying to be a hero, kid." But Jaune ignored the words that came from his mentor's mouth while Neo silently whimpered at the sight of Jaune's back, causing Roman's frustration to rise. "Damn it, kid. Don't do this! You said it yourself that you'd do anything to get away from the bastard and his abuse so why in Remnant's greenest earth would you WILLINGLY go back!?"

But it was when Jaune turned back with a smile as tears streamed down his cheeks that Roman found himself at a lost for words. But Jaune, still smiling as he wiped the tears from his eyes with his forearm, could only continue giving Roman a smile as big as he possible could. "I already lost one family..." he said before turning back to face his oncoming opponents, the sounds of her heavy footfalls drawing ever closer towards him. "I can't lose another one." he finished with a whisper as he clenched the knife's handle in his grip, causing his knuckles to whiten.

Seeing the fire that burned in Jaune's red eyes must've spoken to Roman louder than it had for Neo. Because as soon as Jaune had said those words, Roman easily removed himself from Neo's hold before standing as straight as he possibly could as he looked down at the boy who he'd saved months prior. Jaune had no clue as to what Roman was doing behind. But it wasn't until he felt Roman kneeling behind him before placing his hand on his shoulder that he turned back to look at his mentor. Only for his mentor, in turn, to pulling him into a hug.

The action both confused Jaune and filled him with a sensation he'd thought he lost the day his family died before his very eyes. After a few moments, Roman pulled away from Jaune's form before taking the knife from his little hand and in return gave him a single red Dust crystal. "Remember, kid, any one can be beaten. Even those with aura." said Roman, smirking as he placed his trademarked bowler hat onto Jaune's mop of blonde hair. "Now go show those mangy animals what happens when you mess with the protege of the greatest thief in all of Vale."

"Yes, sir." responded Jaune, clutching the Dust crystal in his tiny hand as Roman stood back up and walked over to Neo's side.

The sound of both Roman's and Neo's retreating footfalls slowly left Jaune's ears only for the sound of both Ford and Blood's advancing footfalls to grow louder by comparison. Every single cell in Jaune's body screamed at him to follow after Roman and Neo to hide away and hope that neither brother would ever find him again. But he knew that he ran than the two brothers would only go after those closest to him. But it was the sight of both brothers as the rounded a corner before spotting him that Jaune was reminded of why he had chosen to remain behind. It's because he was a hero and a hero protected those who couldn't protect themselves.

Slowly, Ford took another step towards Jaune, who, despite the fear that coursed through his juvenile body, remained still as he kept the Dust crystal hidden from the brothers' view. "Were ur dey!?" shouted Ford, his broken english echoing down the alleyway.

"They're gone." said Jaune, frowning at the two brothers. "I"m the one you want, right? So, take me and leave them out of this."

"Jou're noot jin annie posidion to be makin' annie demaands." said Ford, furrowing his eyebrows before pulling out his pistol and aiming it directly at Jaune's head.

"Ford, we need him ALIVE." said Blood, putting his hand on his brother's shoulder only to be pushed away by him, a fire of anger burning his eyes the likes Blood had never seen before. "We were told to bring him back ALIVE, Ford. You know what happens if he finds out we killed his only heir?" asked Blood.

Hearing those words escaping his brother's own mouth only fueled Ford's frustrations towards the boy before turning to glare at his muscular brother. "Don'ch juu eva tell mee wat too duu agin, Blud." Jaune could tell that the Faunus man that had been aiming his pistol directly at his head wanted nothing more than to pull the trigger and be rid of him. But he knew better than anyone that man who hired them to bring him back was not a man you wanted to cross. He knew from watching the abuse his foster siblings and mother faced after denying any claim to his legacy that he was willing to do anything it took to get what he wanted. Even if it mean using an orphaned child as a political puppet.

But Jaune couldn't waste a single ounce of time he had, no matter how slim. He needed to plan this interaction just right otherwise he'd be brought back to that frozen hell and all he'd be good for is acting as a puppet on strings for the man behind the curtain. As Ford angrily sheathed his pistol and Blood took hold of Jaune's arm, causing him to wince in pain, Jaune's mind was racing with ideas.

"Alright, think Jaune! Think! What was Roman's rule on escaping an inescapable situation?" Jaune mentally asked himself as Blood pulled him after Ford's retreating form. It was as they were walking further down the alleyway that Jaune's eyes locked onto a very familiar shimmer that managed caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. "Dammit, Neo! I thought I told you and Roman to run!" Jaune mentally shouted.

And as if the ice-cream-loving minx had heard his thoughts, she momentarily broke the Semblance that surrounded her form, showing only a pink tongue that seemed to stick out at him, causing him to frown in annoyance. But even as Jaune found himself angry that Neo had completely disregarded his request he couldn't help the joy he felt when he realized that he wasn't alone in this. It also meant that he had more options on his table rather than a stupidly insane suicidal option.

Now, all he had to do was choose his next words very carefully. The last thing he needed was a trigger happy Ford going crazy even in the process. "How much is he paying you?" asked Jaune, causing Ford to turn his head back and look at him in confusion.

"Wat?" asked Ford, raising an eyebrow, giving his expression a very quizzical appearance.

"How much is he paying you?" Jaune asked again, fiddling with the red Dust crystal in his hand, making sure that Neo saw it in his grasp. "I mean, he must be paying you guys a lot of Lien to bring me back."

"Dat's nun ya cooncerns." said Ford, frowning as he turned his head back around. "De only thang juu need tobe cooncerned vith is shooting up."

"Is it a lot?" he asked again, earning Ford's ire as they continued walking forward. "I mean, having the kind of job he has, it should mean he has a lot of money. And if he paid you guys to find me and bring me back that that means he must be using a lot. So, is it?" he asked, finally causing Ford to turn back around and face him in anger.

"YES! Dit's a loot! Alrite!?" shouted Ford, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to calm himself of his anger. "Blud, doo somting aboot jim, huh?"

Upon hearing his brother's command, Blood tightened his grip on Jaune's arm. Wincing from the pain, Jaune clenched his teeth but held his tongue as Blood forced him to continue walking forward. But now he knew that Ford could be manipulated and that meant that he was just a few steps closer to making his escape. All Ford needed was another push in the right direction.

And that's exactly what Neo did. Using her motion and surprising amount of force, Neo slammed her invisible body into Ford's side, knocking him off balance and into the alleyway's wall. Upon landing, Ford was quick to unsheath his pistol and aim at Neo's form. But the girl was too quick for him as she swiftly kicked the weapon down the alley before pulling out a familiar curved cane, blocking Ford's kick that pushed her back. All the while Blood kept his grip on Jaune's arm before he, too, felt a strange sensation on his back as Neo's form shimmer before his eyes before shattering as she re-appeared behind him, swinging Roman's cane down upon him from above.

But the muscular Ox brother was quick to retaliate as he raised his other arm to block the attack, only wincing ever so slightly upon impact as his aura protected his body from any permanent damage. But Jaune was counting on Blood defending himself as he used that moment to rip himself out of Blood's insanely strong grip, the bruised handprint on his forearm only caused him some amount of pain that was swiftly diluted due to the adrenaline the pumped through him.

Sliding out from between Blood's legs, Jaune took off down the alley way before turning back just in time to catch a falling Neo, to which she was quick to turn Roman's cane on the two brothers, smiling like the demonic minx she was as she blasted a flare round at the red Dust crystal she had strapped to Blood's right horn. The explosive shockwave immediately threw the two kids to the ground as a cloud of dust and rubble blinded their vision. Silence greeted their ears until a familiar roar echoed behind the dust cloud followed by a rampaging Blood, his right horn missing from view as she charged straight towards them.

When suddenly he was struck in the center of his chest by a red and white blur, the force of the blast causing him to fly backwards onto Ford, who was still shaken from the blast. Two figures appeared before their eyes, one wore a white dress and bladed heels while the other wore a blood-red dress with red claws attached to her wrists.

"Good work, girls." said a voice coming from behind the two kids. Two two of them turned their heads back to see a bearded man dressed in a bartender's uniform surrounded by several similarly dressed men all wielding weapons ranging from guns to red-bladed swords. But it was the man that stood beside the bearded man that had both Jaune Neo's eyes opened wide. Standing beside the bearded man, his tailor-made suit covered in dirt and grime, was Roman, who wore a smile on his face like a badge of honor. "Roman, take the kids and get them back to the club. The boys and I will take care of these chumps."

"Thanks again, Junior." thanked Roman, smiling at the man standing beside him. "I owe you one."

"Eh, consider it a favor for the kid. He's got a good heart and I'd hate to see someone like you ruin it by going off and dying." said Junior as he and his boys walked bast the two kids towards the damaged Ox brothers, who looked to be second guessing their approach to their current situation.

Both Jaune and Neo were at a loss for words as their mentor slowly walked towards them, staring down at them with a strange expression. When all of sudden he struck their heads each with a curled fist, causing them to clutch their head in pain before being forcibly pulled into a tight embrace by the one who had struck them.

"You crazy, idiotic, stupid brats." said Roman, holding the two of them as tight as possible as the sounds of Junior and his crew fought against the two Ox brothers.

And despite the pain Jaune had been through and the sounds of violence happening just behind him, he knew that he wouldn't change this moment for anything in the world as he remained in a group hug with his family of thieves. It wouldn't be until the sun had just set that Jaune and his family returned to their warehouse home. He knew the true reason for why the Ox brothers were in Vale searching for him. But he also knew that it was due to his mistrust in both Roman and Neo that drew them into his problems.

But just as Jaune turned to face the man, who had taken him in, that very same man raised his hand, stopping Jaune from speaking. "Don't say it." commanded Roman. "I don't want to know why those animals were looking for you or why it was you were willing to give yourself up just to save us. I mean, Neo I understand since it's incredibly obvious you have a crush on the little psychopath." His words instantly causing both kids' cheeks to redden from embarrassment. "All I want to know is what you plan to do now, kid. Cause it's very obvious that whoever this guy is, he'd not stopping until he gets you back."

Jaune thought about Roman's word. It was true that the man who hired Ford and Blood was determined to take back his "investment" by any means necessary even if it meant asking those he despised for assistance. It meant that, as far as Jaune knew, the deck was stacked against him. But also meant that he could return the favor with a little slight of hand. If it was Jaune Arc that he was trying to find then it only meant one thing.

"Roman?" asked Jaune, causing Roman to look at Jaune with a quizzical expression. "Do you know anyone who can make a fake identity?"

The smile on his mentor's face was all Jaune needed to see to have his answer. He knew that the odds of this plan ever working were astronomical but what else did he have to lose?

It was later on in the week that the boy known as Jaune Arc perished in a deathly accident had the hands of the infamous serial killer duo, the Ox Brothers, his corpse unidentifiable by even the best of the best of criminal scientists. And as Jaune, still alive and feeling satisfied that his plan had worked, looked out over the skyline or Vale's city a part of him knew that this was the day his life would be changed forever. The familiar touch of the back of his shoulder caused him to turn his head back and see the cheeky grin of his longest friend and love, Neo, who held out a black tophat with a yellow ribbon and a black cane with a light blue Dust crystal attached to the cane's handle. Where the innocent and scared Jaune Arc had perished, it was the next greatest thief that took his place. A rogue in the eyes of the law but a hero in the eyes of weak. He was, after all, the gentlemanly thief of Vale.

This was the day the Arcful Dodger was born.

...Present Day...

After a very successful meeting with his former enemies Dodger was more than prepared to face his next challenge. As he turned to face the object of his goals, the manor belonging to one Perry Winkle, he could not help the smirk that came to his face at the thought of the fun he would be having at the man's expense.

"Prepare yourself, Mr. Winkle. Because you're about to have a personal visit from the one you desperately tried to hide from."