Sorry for the wait! I'd spent longer than usual working on the chapter for my original novel since now I've decided that the chapters can start being a bit longer now, ha ha ha. Funny how I bounced back from short chapters there. Hopefully I can just keep the quality consistent and increase it over time, but only time will actually tell on that front…
Ah, on a random side note, would anyone happen to know of two visual novels called Silverio Vendetta and Silverio Trinity? I found out about them fairly recently and I'm really curious about how each route in both games play out in addition to the sort of abilities that the characters have. The setting that both VNs share is definitely really interesting too – could make for a really good fanfic one day, ha ha ha. Alas, I can't speak or read Japanese and there's no English translation that I'm aware of… can anyone point me in the right direction though? If so, then much appreciated in advance!
Now onto the chapter!
Chapter 29
Jaune all but collapsed onto his bed, his mind taxed in ways that he'd never thought possible. A groan of immense proportions escaped his mouth in the process, filling his own ears to the point of being nearly deafening.
"So hectic…" he muttered to himself.
It's been nearly a dozen hours or so since he'd spoken to Ozpin, Glynda, James Ironwood, and the Fall Maiden Amber about the threat Salem truly poses. As such, it was still pretty early this morning given how late it'd been in the day when he'd spoken to them all yesterday.
As expected and even desired, the four individuals he and his friend had spoken to were already trying to devise plans to deal with Salem now that they were much more aware of what was going on. The blond young man was most glad to know that they were taking what they'd just learned so seriously.
However.
That being said… he definitely hadn't been expecting them to essentially call for another quick meeting this morning to reconfirm some certain things… which they – that being, Ozpin and Glynda – planned to subtly tell the headmasters of the other academies. That… honestly hadn't been his nor his friend's intention in telling them in the first place. Not necessarily because they didn't want all of the extra help, but rather that Salem was mainly situated somewhere on this continent and not elsewhere. As such, unless the other headmasters planned to personally come here to help, all this would accomplish was merely giving them a heads up of the onslaught to come. As well as now no doubt making them question just how and why all of this information was popping up now.
That wasn't even getting into Ironwood rallying his army in some manner that he knew not, the general apparently still not fully trusting him enough to confide in him. Which was fair enough; Jaune hadn't been expecting the general to suddenly welcome him with open arms anyways.
But what did tucker him out quite a bit was the fact that earlier in the morning meeting, Ozpin and Glynda had oh so subtly tried to squeeze him for just a bit more information, the things that neither he or his friend wished to tell right now. Not necessarily because the info they were still holding back was bad, but that revealing it now would simply be too much extra, not to mention just bad timing in general.
They were certainly persistent. Such a trait should serve them well.
"Mhm…."
His friend, Tenebrous as it had allowed the four to call him sometime last night following all of the explaining, commented. All Jaune could do was simply mumble an agreement.
Do you plan to visit your sister later? And tend to the other matter?
Tenebrous switched tracks pretty fast there, but it was nothing new to Jaune, who kept up with the sudden shift with ease, long since used to it. "Definitely. Not that I have much choice regarding that latter one though…"
Following the morning meeting with Ozpin and Glynda, he'd bumped into Bart and Peter and had chatted with them for a little while before coming here. And during the brief chat he'd had with the two of them, Bart had pulled him aside and told him of what else had transpired during the Breach.
Specifically how the White Fang had been there, Adam Taurus leading a small group that Bart had successfully taken down though Adam had escaped…. Not to mention how said group had nearly harmed his sister.
Needless to say, that had had his heart racing from shock and fright despite having seen his sister just yesterday during the aftermath, the young blond girl more or less fine. Still, that knowledge hadn't stopped him from nearly having a heart attack when Bart had told him that and it'd taken considerable willpower to keep himself from having rushed to her dorm to check on her.
What had stopped him from doing so, aside from a gentle talking down from Bart and Peter, was the fact that in light of the Breach, classes had been canceled today which meant that virtually all of the students, tired and battered from yesterday, were getting some well-deserved extra sleep, his sister naturally included. Disturbing her deep slumber this early in the day wasn't something he wanted to do since the rest meant that her wounds were still healing up thanks to the medical attention she'd received yesterday in addition to her aura.
And it wouldn't be fair to her friends either if he'd simply barged down their door and woke them all up in the process of checking on her.
So – very reluctantly, it must be noted – he was holding off on paying Jeanne a visit until later today.
Therefore, what now held his attention the most as he continued to lie on his bed was the 'other matter' that Tenebrous had just mentioned.
Namely, the matter of one Ruby Rose and her silver eyes.
Thanks to what could only be described as a fateful encounter with both his friend and the Fall Maiden, Ruby's innate power had awakened much earlier than he and his friend would have liked. While the girl's silver eyes would certainly prove to be a benefit, now that they were awakened to some unknown extent, there was now a real possibility that Salem might just try to go after the girl in some way, the lack of a direct threat the eyes were to her aside.
Furthermore, one other aspect of this particular matter was that the girl's friend and teammate, Weiss, had seen Tenebrous and Amber. The heiress was very intelligent for her age, so Jaune didn't doubt for a second that she was internally burning up from all of the questions she must be forming by the minute. While he was certain that the girl would remain silent on the issue thanks to the stern warning Glynda had given her yesterday, it still wasn't something he'd want to rely on – after all, if the girl let word slip either by intentional design or by accident and it spread to many others, there was no telling just how the public would react to the news.
Never mind the fact that if such a scenario ever came to be, Salem would know with complete certainty that they were all planning something.
So now here he was, figuratively scratching his brain on how to handle the matter. Team RWBY had fought hard yesterday, probably even harder than most of the other students due to having had their weapons deprived for the most part, so they were likely sleeping in at the moment, though their leader was currently resting in the infirmary rather than in their dorm thanks to the severely draining awakening of her eyes.
This was something of a good thing, he supposed, since that meant one less person to try and bypass to get to Weiss. But still… just how to get to the girl? He could approach her directly, but she's with her fellow teammates/friends so much that getting her alone to speak with her would be impossible. And even if he were to ask her to spare a moment or two for a private conversation, Blake and Yang would likely ask the girl later about what the conversation was about. And strong-willed or not, Weiss would probably eventually fold under the nagging.
Using the intercom to call her out is likewise a fruitless option since classes were canceled and as such it would only stand much more than usual. Which meant he'd have to use another surrogate here… someone else to lead Weiss to him without raising the suspicion of those around her…
…? Did you just think of something, Jaune?
"As a matter of fact, yeah," Jaune began as he now sat up. And from beside him, he could sense his friend take on his fog-like form.
Jaune stared directly ahead at the wall for a moment before eventually speaking. "Do you think you can do me a little favor?"
When he felt Tenebrous' intrigue, he slowly began to tell the entity what he'd come up with. He just hoped Weiss wouldn't scream too much when it happened.
Amber sat alone in what had become her essential residence during her time here at Beacon. She'd been offered late last night a chance by Ozpin to move about Beacon without issue – with how things currently were like, it wouldn't have been too hard for the students and other faculty members to simply ignore her as they all recover from the events of yesterday.
But she'd refused, at least for now as she contented herself with simply stewing in her thoughts.
She'd certainly learned quite a bit last night and it left her reeling even now as she remained huddled up on her bed. The maiden winced every now and then when she shifted about, her wounds not quite fully healed yet though her aura and maiden power had certainly nearly finished the process.
Amber couldn't help but feel a little irritated, however, and for two reasons.
The first reason being that in the shock of it all last night, she'd completely forgot to ask the 'God' and that Jaune guy about why she'd reacted the way she had to it during the Breach. After all, that she would just seemingly lose control of her own body like that and try to fight that entity was definitely something worth a detailed explanation.
As for the second reason, well, she was still feeling pretty miffed towards that 'thief.' According to that 'God,' the silver eyes of that young girl had done a serious number on the woman in question, enough so that she wouldn't really pose a threat anymore… yet still, Amber couldn't help but feel uneasy about simply leaving her be for the time being.
At the very least, she'd have liked for the woman to be taken into some form of custody, where they could keep a more direct eye on her. This was a sentiment that the Atlas general, James Ironwood, had shared, but Ozpin and Glynda had surprisingly argued against it, their reason being that while the woman in question may be out of commission, she still had those two supposed 'teammates' of hers at her side. In hindsight, those two were likely her accomplices and so attempting to take away the woman would lead to a fight breaking out with those two. As long as they remained on academy grounds, such a fight could potentially lead to harm being done to the students, no matter how quickly such an encounter could be resolved.
In other words, the safety of the students, many of whom were still very tired and injured, took precedence for the time being. This was something that Amber could understand, but was still nonetheless reluctant to obey it.
Then again, if the three people in question decided to leave Beacon ground for one reason or another… well, there likely wouldn't be a problem apprehending them then. So at least that was a silver lining in her otherwise dreary little cloud.
Still, not quite something that fully sat well with her, but she could at least tolerate it.
What had her attention for the most part, however, was what was to come – the 'trial' that the entity had spoken of. For now that she thought on it, simply thinking the word was enough to subtly trigger something deep within her. She could just feel it.
"…Memories and feelings…" she then muttered suddenly, this odd feeling welling up within her bringing up the memories of yesterday, when she'd gone against that 'God.'
…it had said something about the memories and feelings of the old man, whom she and the others have helped out of his depression all that time ago. To more or less paraphrase what the entity, named Tenebrous apparently, had said yesterday, some of the old man's memories and feelings had been somehow contained within the power he'd given her and presumably to the other maidens too…
So had it been this that had made her act the way she did yesterday? Reflecting now on the words Tenebrous had said, it would most certainly be the case, but that only raised far more questions that demanded answers.
First and foremost, just how exactly had the kindly old man had been able to accomplish such a thing? For what purpose could such a thing serve? But more importantly, just why exactly did it seem like he vehemently hated Tenebrous? Had the 'God' done something personally to him? Or was the reason something else entirely?
Amber's face scrunched up as she thought deeply on this and she dearly wished she'd been able to ask it about this last night. Had it turned her down, then she could've at least asked Jaune instead, assuming the young man knew the answers to her questions. She was pretty sure he knew most if not all that Tenebrous knew, considering his complete lack of reaction to what it had said to them.
"Well, only one way to find then," she said aloud now as she headed for the elevator.
No point in just resting here, fiddling her thumbs like a confused child. If she wanted answers, then she was going to have to go and get them herself.
And if both of them tried to deny her these answers, well… she supposed she could pay them back for when Tenebrous had been flying about, annoying her.
Hell, now that she thought of it, that sounded kind of fun.
With a bit more pep in her steps, she entered the elevator.
Within the confines of their room, Emerald sat upon her bed, fiddling with her fingers. A nervous energy filled her and it was this that was preventing her from doing much of anything right now, beyond simply eyeing a certain person.
There upon her own bed lied one resting Cinder, the normally calm and collected image that the half-maiden gave off completely shattered as she fitfully tossed about in her sleep every other minute. Not that the moving about amounted to much given the severity of the damage she'd suffered yesterday.
Under what would be considered normal circumstances, Cinder would be in the infirmary, doctors tending to her wounds while medicine did her the favor of granting a peaceful sleep. But the woman, for reasons Emerald could only guess at, had all but demanded she be brought back to the dorm and so Emerald had used her semblance yesterday to do just that.
Not long after their return last night, Cinder had all but passed out and she'd yet to awaken.
And so Emerald could only look on in ever growing worry. She looked up to the woman quite a lot, Cinder having been the first and only person to give a chance. Sure, the half-maiden can certainly be a terrifying individual to work for, but for the most part she was cordial and made sure she was taken care of. So seeing the one she essentially was indebted to, someone that she'd always admired for her strength and control in such a condition wasn't doing her nerves any favors.
Emerald damn near leapt out of her skin when the door to the bathroom opened up without warning. And out walked Mercury, who'd just showered and changed.
For once, Emerald found herself wishing the young man would make one of his stupid quips, if only to find something to focus on. But to her worry, the assassin remained quiet.
Mercury wordlessly walked to his bed and unceremoniously plopped onto it, eyeing Cinder the whole time. "She's looking a little better," he finally commented.
"…Not by much," Emerald responded.
Thanks to a combination of her aura and the portion of the maiden power she'd taken, Cinder's burns were looking noticeably better compared to yesterday, but it would still take at least several more days before the burns could fade away to a near completely gone state. So in this respect, Cinder was well on her way to a full recovery in due time.
But it was the damage done to her under the skin that had the two of them so quiet and overwhelmed.
Cinder was, to put it simply, paralyzed. To what precise degree was unknown, but if the doctor that had checked her over was accurate, then it would be a long time indeed until natural movement was possible. But one thing was definitely certain: fighting was no longer in the picture for her, which meant that whatever other plans she may have had would be forced to come an end here and now since she could no longer do anything to keep them going.
And it was this thought that had the thief and assassin reeling so much, Emerald perhaps more so than Mercury, though this was only the girl's silent opinion.
It was still just incredible to believe how things had all fallen apart. Ever since she had joined Cinder along with Mercury not long after, things had gone fairly well. They'd been able to slowly build up a power base that had been further supplemented by the power Cinder had drained from the Fall Maiden to coerce Adam Taurus' little sect of the White Fang into working with her. With Roman and his minx Neo having also been 'recruited' to aid them, Cinder's plans had been well on track to succeeding.
And then it had all started to fall apart with that one foiled Dust robbery. By one Jaune Arc.
Ever since then, one thing after another just seemed to come around to smack the three of them in their collective face. First, Roman had been thwarted and arrested, which had left Emerald in charge of some other Dust robberies which had yielded less Dust than the norm Roman had set. This had taken time away from the other assignments Cinder usually gave her and Mercury in turn had been forced to act alone. Then when it had looked like things were going to take an upturn with Roman back in the fold, it all had come crashing down again when he and Neo along with members of the White Fang had ended up dead, bringing the Dust robberies to a permanent end. And it had been this that had sparked Adam Taurus' ire enough to make him start the Mount Glenn part of the plan much earlier than expected, wasting literally tons of Dust that had been painstakingly gathered in the first place… not to mention that according to the news, a number of White Fang grunts had been found unconscious among all the rubble and debris in downtown Vale. That meant that whatever force Adam Taurus had gathered up to invade Vale during the Grimms' attack had likely failed, which in turn further deprived them of manpower.
And then there had been that silver light that had reduced Cinder to her current state…
Emerald could only shake her head, all of this information now overwhelming her. It made her shake, in all honesty.
Something that didn't go unnoticed by Mercury, it would seem.
"Don't go pissing yourself there," he remarked, his voice lacking the usual smugness that accompanied his words.
Emerald glared at him weakly, without any real energy. "I ought to say the same to you; you're not looking so preppy either, you know."
And she was right. The young man's face sported an almost permanently carved grimace comprised of worry and frustration. His hair, which was always in a pretty messy style, somehow managed to look even more wild than usual, the assassin clearly having not bothered with styling it into his usual look. There was slight bags under his eyes as well, having evidently not slept much all through last night, assuming he got any sleep at all.
Mercury grunted, but didn't respond to her retort. The young man instead settled for folding his arms across his chest and looking to Cinder with a certain level of worry that Emerald detected.
"…So just what to do now?" the young man asked.
Emerald shrugged helplessly. "Your guess is probably as good as mine there, Merc."
To say that their options were limited now would be an understatement. To put it simply, they didn't have much of a way out of this mess that they were all in. With Adam no longer on their side, there was no way they could request some form of extraction especially with how many men the bull Faunus had lost in the Breach just yesterday. The other 'helpers' they've had over the past several months were either dead – Roman and Neo being among this particular bunch now – or well out of contact for one reason or another. Attempting to just up and leave all by themselves would likewise prove impossible since there's no way they'd be able to get Cinder out of here without someone noticing, especially since with the Vytal Festival still on its way there were far too many eyes on all of the students to ensure that everyone was accounted for… a number that they'd intentionally become a part of for the sake of the plan, but now it was something that was keeping them trapped here since missing 'students' would definitely grab attention.
On the other hand, they could attempt to somehow continue the 'plan,' but that too had several problems. For one thing, it relied on finding the Fall Maiden for Cinder to take the rest of the power from, but they had also originally intended to butter up and befriend some of the teams here as part of their cover. There was no way they could do both of those now among the two of them. This also wasn't even mentioning hacking into the CCT. Admittedly, this was doable with Emerald's semblance, but even she could only use it for so long before she wears herself out mentally. And it doesn't work on cameras, of course, so she'd still have to sneak around as best as she could if she and Mercury still wished to go through with this.
Now that she thought of all this, Emerald found that it could be doable, but extremely difficult, if not even outright highly improbable. Continuing the plan would require her and Mercury pretty much forgoing sleep and eating for some time to accomplish everything. But there was one glaring problem that sadly they could never accommodate for:
The Vytal Festival.
The last phase of the plan was literally centered around manipulating it and it had originally required that annoying Neo to help accomplish certain parts of it. With her dead alongside Roman, who'd been meant to serve as one final distraction, they were literally missing two key elements here.
In other words, the last phase of the plan was essentially impossible to pull off as they lacked the manpower and abilities needed to do what was needed.
In other words, even if they managed to prepare things for the upcoming tournament, they'd be unable to actually see it through to the end.
And looking at Mercury, Emerald could see the young assassin coming to this conclusion at the same time she did.
"Well… we sure are stuck at rock bottom now," he muttered.
Emerald could only grimace and look down now… only to look back up a few seconds later, eyes a little wide. An idea had just struck her.
Without making a sound, the teal haired girl got up and started rummaging through Cinder's things, ruthlessly suppressing the embarrassment she felt at doing so.
From behind her, she could feel Mercury's eyes on her. "Em, just what are you doing?"
"Getting Cinder's scroll," she said. "Damn it, just where did I put it? I knew I shouldn't have just plopped all her stuff everywhere…" She muttered this solely to herself.
"What for? Contacts? I doubt anyone she knows could or would help us out," Mercury said, sounding annoyed.
"No, there's one person – someone that even Cinder herself seems to answer to," Emerald said.
Yes, it was a while back, well before they came to Vale. There'd been one time when Cinder had made a call to someone just around the same time Emerald had returned from a little 'errand.' When she'd heard Cinder talking to someone on her scroll, she'd unintentionally hid at the time and had overheard some of the conversation. While she had only managed to hear mainly Cinder's side of the conversation and even then only a few pieces of it, she'd been able to deduce that even the woman she looked up to answered to some sort of higher power, as odd and as terrifying as that thought had been at the time.
But now perhaps this would be some sort of salvation for them.
Finally finding the scroll, Emerald switched it on and wasted no time in going through the contact list. All of the contacts were aliases of course, meant to not garner any sort of suspicion should anyone somehow get a hold of the scroll. Under other circumstances, Emerald might have had trouble figuring out which alias belonged to whom.
But now that she sort of knew what to look for, the contact she was looking for stood out quite a lot now. Painfully so, really.
For one thing, all of the other contact aliases were names. But not this one.
'Mind.' That was all it said for the contact and sure as hell wasn't a name, at least not like any Emerald had ever seen.
Looking for a split second to a blankly staring Mercury, Emerald took a deep breath and made the call.
In the dorm of one team RWBY, Weiss was doing her best to remain as calm and as ladylike as possible, the years she'd spent being groomed into a proper heiress kicking in to prevent what would've otherwise been her natural response:
Shrilly screaming, shrilly screaming like a child to be more precise.
But she was able to suppress this response and instead found herself immediately thinking over her day thus far and wondering just what the hell had led to… to this. Because seriously, all she had done so far was wake up a little early to check on her partner, who was now resting peacefully in her own bed while Blake and Yang did likewise. And then she'd silently entertained herself by trying to read a book she'd borrowed from the library as the rest of team slept and now here she was, having just gone quietly into the bathroom to take a shower that her day had suddenly been flipped around on its head.
Because after all, it sure wasn't normal when a freakin' fog of darkness manifested from the shower head! Complete with glowing red 'eyes' staring directly at her!
Many thanks for remaining quiet. And my apologies for interrupting your shower.
At that, the otherwise frozen stiff Weiss remembered just where exactly she was and automatically moved her arms to cover up. But this thing, talking directly into her mind, seemed completely uninterested in her current state, its apology aside.
No doubt you remember me by now – the 'creature' you saw just yesterday.
Weiss' eyes went wide at that. When this fog had appeared, she'd felt an odd sense of déjà vu, but now that it had identified itself, fear began to slowly worm its way into her heart. She suddenly moved a hand towards her waist unconsciously, as if her weapon was there to be grabbed when it wasn't.
I and my friend, whom you can no doubt guess by now, wish to speak with you. Alone, hence why I chose now of all times to approach you. While your team continues to rest, can you please meet with us after you finish in here?
It took Weiss a good minute to comprehend what it had just said, shivering in spite of the warm water that kept on hitting her in the face. "How can I know you won't just attack me."
If that had been my intention, I'd have already done so. But you have my word that we really do just wish to speak with you briefly about something.
Weiss stared at the blackness for what felt like hours. In reality, it was only several seconds. Needless to say, she had no real desire to see this thing up close and personal, especially if there was a chance it would physically manifest like it had done yesterday. That went doubly so if (assistant) professor Jaune Arc, who clearly seemed associated with this creature, was going to be there.
Meeting just with one of them alone would be worrisome enough, but both though? That was just begging for some kind of trouble, a trouble that she doubted her skills would prove sufficient enough to deal with.
…But on the other hand, if this creature, so emotionless it would seem, truly did wish to just talk, then perhaps she could afford to ask it some questions that she'd definitely like to have answered. The fact that it had seemed fairly cordial even when professor Goodwitch had arrived on the scene yesterday seemed like a good indicator that, if nothing else, it wouldn't attack unless provoked.
"Very well, I'll meet with you," she finally said in as a firm a tone as she could manage, which was to say that she just barely managed to speak with only a slight tremble in her voice.
Nonetheless, her answer seemed good enough.
Thank you. Once you finish here and change, come to the cliffs behind the academy. Quickly and quietly, if you'd be so kind; waking your team or others would be quite rude from what I'm told.
Then without any other word spoken, the fog of darkness just seemed to somehow nod and then dissipate into thin air, leaving the heiress all to herself again.
She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, her body trembling under the pouring water at having her privacy so suddenly violated, even if seemingly unintentionally, by that entity of all things.
But Weiss wasn't some weak minded person that needed to be comforted by something. So instead of wallowing in what had just happened, she steeled herself and hurried through her usually half hour long routine of freshening up and changing to the point where she was out the door of her dorm in under ten minutes, though not before sparing her friends a momentary glance of concern.
Quickly walking towards her destination, she silently debated on whether or not she should grab Myrtenaster, just in case something happened. But she opted to leave her blade in her locker, if only for her being weaponless to serve as some sort of sign of good faith.
It took just a bit of time to get to her destination, but once she did get close enough, she could make out Jaune Arc's form standing atop the cliff.
As she neared, the young professor turned slowly, his supposedly blind eyes now resting on her. "Ah, thanks for coming."
"But of course," Weiss said, eyeing the blond carefully. She noticed that he was wearing his 'coat.' "Well, if you don't mind, let's not mince words here."
The blond man nodded as if to say 'fair enough.' So he took a few steps forward in a casual manner before speaking. "You didn't tell anyone about seeing us, right? Not even your teammates?"
Weiss quirked an eyebrow. Was this all that the two of them wished to talk about? "No, I haven't said anything. Your secret remains a secret."
Jaune let out a sigh of relief. "That's good… can we trust you to keep it a secret for now?"
For now, he says… just what exactly could that mean, she wondered. Folding her arms across her chest, she gave her reply. "I really shouldn't… but I will. Though I highly doubt you can call it much of a secret when it seems professor Goodwitch knows. And what of your sister?"
Jaune chuckled a little sheepishly. "Good point…" he muttered. "Regarding my sister though, no she doesn't know… I'd like to keep it that way for a while longer."
So his sister doesn't know, huh? Interesting. Weiss was hoping she could continue to probe him for info like this for a little while longer, maybe the info could prove useful somehow.
But then his next words brought that to a halt. "But you know, if you have questions of your own, no need to start probing so slowly like that; it just wastes more time than necessary," he said, his dull blue eyes locking gazes with her own icy blue ones. It was enough to make her flinch, to be honest. His sheepish smile thinned a little. "Wouldn't be much of a talk if all it consisted of was me asking you to keep quiet."
"Ha…" Weiss couldn't help but smirk just a little, though for what reason, she didn't know. "Then in that case, can you please explain what exactly is going on with Ruby?"
Considering how drained whatever had happened had left the girl, the absolute last thing she wanted was it to happen a second time. Even if the young girl's complete exhaustion had now transformed into restful sleep, the mere fact that she had remained out for this long was worrying her a lot.
On that matter, I'm afraid we can't say much, not even to you.
It was Jaune's 'coat' that answered her question and Weiss' fingers twitched as she felt the entity's gaze on her despite the lack of eyes in its current shape.
Please understand that we do not wish for certain information to be spread. Even though you are reliable, there is always a chance no matter how small that certain things have a way of reaching the ears of many others.
Having grown up learning all about the world of corporations and business, Weiss was more than privy to such matters. She's seen personally and from afar how information can drastically change the markets. Likewise, information can easily change the tide of battle depending on how it's used. So very grudgingly, she had no choice but to accept the unknown entity's answer.
But that didn't mean she was done talking.
"Then would I be right in assuming that something else is on the horizon here? From how you've been saying things so far, it seems to me that there's something coming up that you don't want to leave up to chance," Weiss said with a huff. "In which case, just why exactly shouldn't I know about what's going on with my friend if it could prove to be an issue?"
"Because the kind of info that we know could prove to be world-changing, to be perfectly honest," Jaune now replied with a firm expression and voice. "I know that probably sounds like an over-exaggeration, but trust me, it's not. If what we knew ever got out somehow to the public, the ensuing chaos would only draw conflict in one form or another… and we all know that'd only attract the Grimm."
But the way things are going, it will only be a matter of time before some of what we know is revealed to the world. Until then, we'd like to try and keep things in check.
"But how does Ruby factor into this?" Weiss demanded, unable to fully restrain the annoyance that was quickly welling up within her.
"…She possesses a certain power that only a select group have," Jaune began after a moment. "If word got out about this power, certain groups would no doubt mobilize to try and take her or try searching out others like her."
Their numbers today are very small, however.
The entity's words seemed to be meant for Jaune more than her, Weiss reasoned, if the way the blond hummed was any indication.
"And that would be why, Ms. Schnee," Jaune then said, as if that explained everything.
It made Weiss grit her teeth in a way unbefitting of a heiress, but she didn't really care anymore. "So then what can you tell me? If there's something coming, then shouldn't we all know so that we can prepare for it."
Surely the two wouldn't cop out on that, right? After all, they definitely hadn't been denying that much so far during their brief talk.
And this was something that Jaune at least seemed to realized. "In the next few days, we're already going to be upping the training and sparring, so don't worry too much about that. As far as actual preparations go… well, I'm honestly not too sure what to say about that."
"And why is that?" Weiss shot back without hesitation. And a moment later, she found herself wishing she'd hadn't asked. Because the answer she got shook her to the core.
"Because there's no real way to properly prepare for what'll be a short war, right?"
Hanging up the scroll she'd long since procured through other means, Salem let out a dark chuckle.
To think that the insignificant minion of her own pawn would call her. Well, in hindsight it was to be expected, she supposed. It had certainly provided her with a decent amount of information regarding what had happened on their end prior to, during, and after the Breach.
Still, to learn through the young girl that Cinder had been so badly injured… as she'd expected, the power of that girl's silver eyes had been quite potent, especially since her pawn had been unable to mount any sort of defense against it.
Oh well, not that it mattered too much. From the very start, Cinder had been meant only to rile up the world, to increase the negativity so that the Grimm – her true family – would soften up the kingdoms a bit before the 'trial' commenced.
While Cinder's plans have fallen apart and had only really impacted just the city of Vale, it would be enough, especially since the news would no doubt be discussing it for all across the kingdoms to see if they tune in. That alone would suffice until the 'trial.'
That said, she wasn't about to remain idle the rest of the time. In order to soften up the kingdoms even more for a landslide victory in the end, she'd need some extra help.
And the Grimm alone wouldn't suffice for that, she must sadly admit.
But the call she'd received just now had been most helpful just now and in more ways than one. Before she'd ended the call, she'd requested the young girl – Emerald, she said her name was – to message her a certain person's contact info, which only Cinder had access to up until this point.
So playfully fiddling with her scroll for a moment, she finally called the number Emerald had just sent her.
There was a good chance her call would go unanswered, but Salem just had the feeling that her call wouldn't go to waste.
And she was proven right just a few seconds later, a gruff 'what?' that was just barely discernable through the still burning rage of the answerer being what Salem heard.
With a sneer, Salem calmly replied to who would no doubt make for a decent new pawn.
"Adam Taurus," she began. "You don't know me, but I can help you get revenge for what happened yesterday. Interested?"
Yet another pretty serious chapter, not as much as the previous ones, but as you can already tell, things aren't going to be calming down anytime soon.
Ha ha, but don't worry there'll be some more light-hearted moments soon enough to make up for it all.
Until next time, everyone! Take care!
