Hello everyone, this is J. Van A with the latest chapter of The Princess and the Rose. I actually released this before three weeks, surprisingly. I do have a lot of stuff going on with college and other things, like stand up comedy, which I also haven't gone to much since school started, but I am going this week after I figure out my bit.
So yeah, Yang isn't going to be in the next few chapters, just so you guys know. This is a relatively short chapter, but it does cover some more plot.
Here's a quick game for you guys, figure out the next characters I'm bringing in.
On to the reviews:
imoshen88: Don't worry, I actually plan to do some stuff to have White Rose fluff in the next few chapters. In case I don't, I'm sorry.
KibaPT: Oh yeah, Jaune is not going to have an easy time in the future.
(Sassy) Guest: Yet again, I needed to get the plot going. It's in the past, now on to the future.
Akuma-Heika: I actually have met a couple angry drunks. My brother can be one at times, but only as one of the three versions of drunk him. There is the happy him, angry him, and the version of him that loves... well, I can't exactly say that on here. One time he actually threw me into a wall when he was drunk. Threw me. I'm not exactly a light person.
Enjoy
"Ruby, can you please calm down?" Weiss asked as she grabbed the farm hand by the edge of her cloak in order to keep her from running off. "We agreed to go there together, and I'm pretty sure Jaune, Blake, and I can't run that fast."
"Well, hurry up," Ruby whined as she grabbed Weiss's hand and tried to pull the other girl further along.
"Feel free to go ahead," Blake said with a chuckle as she watched the two struggle. "I'm in no hurry to get there, Jaune can keep me company on the walk."
"Alright," Ruby smiled as she started to run ahead dragging Weiss closely behind.
"And now we can take our time," Blake said slowing down with Jaune looking at her confused.
"So, why aren't you more excited to get there?" Jaune asked slowing down to her pace.
"Well, I never really liked circuses," Blake said adjusting her cloak.
"What, why? Carnivals are fun. Do you not like clowns?"
"No, it's not that," Blake said rubbing her shoulder. "I just don't like the circus."
"Ruby! We're here! You can stop running!" Weiss nearly shouted at the girl as they ran down the path. The girl then stopped in the middle of the path before running into a carnival worker.
"What are you doing here?" the worker asked turning to the two girls, his dog ears on top his head twitched slightly from a loud crash coming from a nearby tent. "The shows aren't happening for a few more hours." That immediately caused Ruby to freeze up and look at Weiss.
"Uhh, well, there should be other things going on," Weiss said to her trying to unfreeze the girl.
"You could go meet the acts, or you could try your hand at picking up the hammer," the worker suggested to them as he started to get back to work.
"What hammer?" Weiss asked him just as Ruby started to unfreeze.
"Oh, yes," the worker said turning back from his work. "The hammer is said to be an ancient artifact given to the people of Remnant from the forges of the gods, said to hold immeasurable power."
"Or it could just be a hammer," Weiss muttered to herself.
"But," the worker interjected snapping Ruby to attention, "it is said that the hammer can only be picked up by one who is worthy. Now, I have a question, are you worthy? If you think you are, then go find out, and let me get back to work before Mr. Kane finds me not working."
"Who is Mr. Kane?" Ruby asked him.
"He-" the man said then suddenly cringed as he curled back slightly.
"He owns the place," a new man said walking towards the girls. He was wearing a black jacket and a top hat, but what stood out the most was this thin moustache. He then twirled his hand in the air and did a little bow to the girls just as the worker stopped cringing and started breathing heavily. "Balo Kane, at your service."
"Uhh, is he ok?" Ruby asked looking to the worker who was limping off.
"Yes, I'm sure it's fine," Balo said giving her a smile. "The workers can be like that sometimes. It's nothing to worry about. In the meantime before the shows, I suggest that you take a look around the carnival. See the fortune teller, try your luck at some games, attempt to pick up the enchanted hammer, or you could even see the sideshow." He did another flamboyant bow. "Now, I have a circus to attend to, ladies. Now, I bid you, adieu." With that, he walked away towards the large tent.
"That certainly was, strange," Weiss said looking at Ruby.
"Yeah," Ruby said looking around, "Well, let's go look at that warhammer, I guess."
"Oh no," Blake said placing her face in the palm of her hand as she and Jaune walked by some of the carnival's faunus workers. "It's one of those carnivals."
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked her looking around the carnival. "What's wrong?"
"This circus is using faunus labor," Blake said in mild annoyance as her ears flattened down forward on her head.
"Well, I guess that would be a good thing," Jaune suggested. "At least they aren't being forced to work on farms like other faunus are."
"It's not that simple," Blake said looking to the sky with a glare.
"I know with you being a faunus, this seems wrong to you, and I hate how things are here, but that's how Vale works in some places," Jaune said to her causing her to drop her head.
"It's not that simple," Blake growled at him. "The person who owns this place bought these people as slaves." She let that linger for a second before continuing. "The slavers use a sort of binding magic to keep their cargo obedient. A simple spell that can be activated by thought by the owner to cause major pain to the slave until the owner deactivates the spell. With that the owners can have free and effective labor while they do business."
"Oh."
"These monsters take people from their homes and force them into slavery, and people call grimm the monsters."
Jaune was quiet for a while resting his chin in his hand. "Maybe there is something we can do to help them," he suggested causing Blake to be taken aback for a second. "You said there was a form of binding magic, well maybe there is a way to remove it."
"There is… one way," Blake said to him. "The magic is a sigil painted on some body part. When the obedience part of the spell is activated, the sigil creates pain to the body, but the sigil itself is fragile. It is a simple tattoo placed on skin. If the sigil is broken in any way, the spell is broken."
"Ok, so all we would have to do is cut the sigil and the workers would be free," Jaune suggested to her.
"Yet again, not that simple," Blake said again. "How the magic works is that when a sigil is broken, the owner immediately knows. Considering the amount of people working for this carnival, if one sigil is broken, the owner can order the others to attack the ones breaking sigils. I don't know about you, but I don't want to fight a couple hundred people."
"Then what can we do?"
"Nothing," Blake said to him as her face made a sad expression. "This is one of the reasons the White Fang first started. They would come to places like these with numbers to cut sigils fast and rescue people, but that changed when their activities turned dark."
"Well, should we go then?" he asked her, prepared to go back to the town.
"As much as I'd like to, no," Blake said leaning on a nearby post. "Ruby was so excited to come here, I'd hate to ruin it for her by not being here with her."
"This is so cool!" Ruby exclaimed as she looked at the hammer.
It wasn't that interesting. The head of the warhammer was quite large, made out of pretty high quality metal, as was the shaft. There appeared to be some leather wrapped around various parts of the shaft, but they withered away over time.
"That just looks like a regular hammer," Weiss said as she inspected the hammer.
"Yeah, but it's made of metal I've never seen before, and it looks like it's never been moved, ever," Ruby said walking to the shaft of the hammer. "Also, you heard the worker. Maybe this hammer does have magical powers."
"Yeah, yeah, created by gods, sent down to Remnant," Weiss said as she rolled her eyes a bit. "But the big thing was that only a worthy one could pick up the hammer."
"Well, remember in the dungeon, I apparently was worthy then," she wrapped her hands around the warhammer shaft, "Maybe I'm worthy now." She then tugged the warhammer with all her might, only to have it not budge a bit. "Or maybe not."
"See, now can we go?" Weiss asked the crimsonette tapping her foot on the ground.
"Not yet," Ruby said running over to the princess in a split second with a smile on her face. "You still need to try."
"No, no no no," Weiss chuckled as she waved her off. "If you couldn't move that hammer, I definitely couldn't. You twirl around that scythe of death like nothing, I wave around a rapier."
"Crescent Rose is not a scythe of death, it is a useful farming tool that can help protect against grimm," Ruby defended herself as she pushed Weiss towards the warhammer. "The worker said only the worthy can pick up the hammer, not just someone strong, otherwise we would bring Yang here, which we could still do."
"Fine," Weiss said grabbing the warhammer with one hand and gave it a tug, not having it move. "There, now, what next?"
"Well," Ruby trail off as she looked around the circus. "We could go there."
On the other side of the dirt path was a small purple tent. There was a man with long black hair wearing a long green jacket placing a sign outside the tent with the symbol of an eye on it. He then tied his hair into a low ponytail and turned showing the girls a pink streak in his hair.
There we go, magical hammer and faunus slavery. Weiss and Ruby have their own side story, as does Jaune and Blake. Jaune and Blake's story is a tad bit more serious, but the others' will tie in.
I know how I made Balo Kane was a cliche bad guy, but that's what he is. I kind of wanted him to be twirling a cane in his hand while smoking a cigar, but whatever.
I also think I've made it plainly obvious who I'm bringing in next. That's right, Roman and Neo. Just kidding. Ren and Nora. The only question is, where's Nora? Some of you may not like me for that answer, but that's in... the next chapter probably.
Now then, have a nice day,
-J. Van A