Gamer4 in. A brief announcement- if there's anyone going back over previous chapters, you may have noticed an alteration or two, primarily in chapter 29- Three Guests Arrive in Vale. So, to avoid confusion, I want to elaborate that when I looked back on that chapter, I felt like a certain character deserved a somewhat better send-off than what I initially gave them. I rewrote their death scene to something I felt was more... satisfying? Poetic? Those don't really sound right, but I can't think of the proper word, either. The point is, I feel the new scene is better than what I wrote originally, so if you're interested, go ahead and check it out. If not, feel free to dive right into this chapter. And, of course, if you started reading this story after that update, it won't matter to you anyways, so... yeah, feel free to dive in. Let's get started!

Disclaimer: Let's have everything- there's nothing we can't do! Every heart is beaming as the sky turns blue!

Chapter XXXV

Jaune Arc Pays His Respects

Weiss punctuated the end of her story with another swig of wine- she had been talking for so long that her throat was beginning to grow sore. Pyrrha's hands were over her mouth, and Nora was cracking her knuckles. The two blonds of the group, meanwhile, settled for expressing their emotions through intense looks of anger, while Ren simply closed his eyes, perhaps in reflection- it was difficult to tell for certain.

"That bastard," Jaune growled. "How could he do that?"

Pyrrha slowly lowered her hands. "We all knew he'd been going over the deep end that year already... perhaps, after the rock fight, we should have expected something like that."

Nora turned her gaze towards Ren. "Sorry to cut ahead in the story, Renny, but give me this- did Cardin get his? Tell me he got his!"

Ren slowly nodded. "At the end of that summer," he spoke slowly, "Cardin took the blame for all of the murders. He was taken to Graham's Memorial Mental Institution, where he resides to this day. Beyond that, there is little I can tell you."

Jaune's anger flagged. "Wait... he took the blame? For... for all the murders?"

"All of them," Ren nodded. "Each and every crime committed, starting with Ruby's disappearance, all the way up to the murder of his friends and father... he took the blame for it all."

"G-good riddance," Yang spat.

Weiss, however, bit her lower lip. "I'm... I'm not so sure."

"How can you say that?!" Nora asked, turning on her. "He broke your arm!"

"And I'd have liked to see him punished for it!" Weiss nodded. "For all the terrible things he did, I'd love to see him brought to justice- but you say he was facing punishment for things he didn't do- for things he can't have done- for murder!"

"I attended the trial," Ren continued. "His hair had turned white- he didn't speak a word in his own defense. He just sat there and let the prosecution tear into him. No lawyer was appointed- the trial was over before it started."

"He... he didn't even try?" Pyrrha asked. "I mean... sure, it probably wouldn't have helped much in the long run... but to not even try?"

Ren looked solemnly down at the table. "I believe something happened to him right before the end... something that caused him to cease caring, something to... shut him down, so to speak. Not only did he not speak in his own defense, as far as I could tell, he was practically comatose. There's a reason he was sent to an asylum rather than a prison, after all. Maybe, eventually, he'll be able to speak the truth... not that anyone will believe it."

A gloomy silence fell, indescribable emotions swirling around the team- they had, of course, abhorred Cardin and everything he stood for, but to hear of his fate over the past twenty-seven years was enough to bring even Yang pause.

Finally, Ren spoke. "But enough of that... Jaune, I believe it's time for you to tell your story."

"Me?" Jaune's voice was almost a squeak. "Why me? Pyrrha's got a story to tell, too..."

"If I'm correct, yours happened first," Ren answered. "But first... do you mind showing us your back again?"

"Why?" Jaune asked nervously. "Why would you need to look at-"

"Because you've clearly been severely injured," Ren rationalized. "If I'm not mistaken, we have one of the finest doctors in Remnant in our midst-" he nodded briefly at Weiss, who nodded right back- "and I think, if we intend to plunge back into enemy territory in the next day or two, it would be best to be at our physical peaks."

Jaune spluttered for a moment, seemingly searching for a way out of this. Weiss, meanwhile, rose to her feet and beckoned him over. "Just a quick examination," she promised. "Don't worry... I'll be gentle."

"You'd b-b-better be, Ice Q-Queen," Yang smirked.

"Shut it, Long, you're not helping," Weiss fired a glare at Yang before turning back to Jaune, pleading with her eyes. "Please... just let me take a look and see what's wrong?"

Jaune stared back at her for a moment before sighing. He rose to his feet, a very resigned expression on his face as he once again removed his shirt, causing the others to wince when they once again saw the scars and welts etched into his back.

Weiss approached and began to feel it, examining it closely, running her hands over scar tissue, pits and bumps caused by... whatever had happened. Jaune tensed, nervously awaiting what he knew was coming.

"Jaune..." Weiss's voice was cool and quiet, but carried within it a definite note of disappointment. "Why did you lie to us?"

"Lie?" Pyrrha piped up, concern showing in her eyes. "What did he lie about?"

"These scars... they aren't from one fight," Weiss diagnosed. "Whatever's been going on, it's been going on for a while. Months... maybe even years. I can't tell quite how frequently, but... Jaune, what is this?"

Jaune slowly turned to face them, pain in his eyes. "Mmrl..."

Ren's eyes showed just as much concern as Pyrrha's, but his voice was as measured as ever when he asked, "Please speak louder, Jaune... we didn't quite hear that."

"Emerald," he repeated, slightly louder this time. "It was... Emerald."

"Emerald?" Nora asked, question marks appearing in her eyes. "Isn't that the name of the woman you married?"

Jaune turned to focus on the woman in pink, struggling to ignore the chill running over the group at her words. "Not... not married, not yet. Just... just my girlfriend."

"A g-g-girlfriend who's been b-b-beating you for y-years?" Yang asked, her eyes turning red with a blink. "N-not my idea of a p-p-perfect romance."

"Look, it's not important," Jaune attempted to wave their worry aside. "She only did it when I deserved it, and-"

"Deserved it?"

Jaune froze and slowly turned to face Weiss, who was looking down at the ground. "She told you... that you deserved it?"

"I mean... I was pushing myself on her when she didn't want it, turning her away when she needed me-"

"Stop." Weiss raised her hand. "Just... stop. Even if I believed you'd do something like that intentionally, it's not grounds to tear your back open like this. I've been a doctor for seventeen years now, Jaune... and that's grotesque even by my standards. Nothing that you've done could ever warrant what she's done to you."

Pyrrha rose to her feet, looking desperate. "What has she been telling you? To make you think that you deserved what was happening?"

"Look, guys... it's nothing to worry about, really- she's just... she's just free-spirited. Who am I to-"

"I am free-spirited, Jaune," Nora interrupted, looking uncharacteristically serious- she hadn't furrowed her brow like that even when she described the feeling of being disintegrated by Neo's impact with Remnant. "Yang is free-spirited. Attacking someone you say you love like that, then telling them it's their fault... that's evil."

"I... I..."

Jaune's eyes were beginning to water. Pyrrha reached out, and he collapsed into her shoulder, shaking with unrepressed sobs. "I didn't know what to do... I couldn't tell anybody... she said if I did, she'd tell them I was doing worse things to her... I'd have gone to prison for life if she... if she told them... I didn't have anybody else to turn to! They just said the same as her- there was only one guy... Sage... he listened, but I couldn't tell him, either- what she'd do if she found out- I couldn't!"

"It's okay, Jaune," Pyrrha whispered, running her hand along his back, as the others stared on with looks of shock, horror, and anger. "It's okay... we won't let her come after you anymore. You're safe from her now- she can't get you here."

Jaune hiccupped lightly. "Who... who'd have thought the safest place for me was in Neo's grasp, huh?" he smiled wanly.

"We're all with you, Jaune," Weiss spoke up, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We won't let her have you again."

"If I ever catch a glimpse of her, I'll break her legs!" Nora declared, leaping to her feet, looking a little too eager to follow through on her threat.

"I can't condone Nora's proposed course of action," Ren added, smiling nonetheless, "but rest assured, I will do everything in my power to aid you through this situation."

Finally, Jaune found himself turning towards Yang, who stood up and pulled him close. Never had he found her infamous bear hugs so inviting.

"We're T-Team Loser," she whispered. "No m-matter what, we always st-stick together."

Finally, she released him and returned to her seat. Jaune looked around, smiling slightly at all the supportive faces before returning to his spot at Ren's side. "Thank you... thank you all. I... I don't know what I did to deserve such great friends."

Pyrrha smiled, but inwardly, was burning to ask a question- but given all that had just transpired, it seemed inappropriate at best, and downright insensitive at worst. Instead, she resolved to ask, "So... if I may... do you remember how you got the other scar?"

"Other... scar?" Jaune asked, blinking.

"The one on your shoulder," Weiss elaborated. "The one that just appeared on the way here. Do you remember how you got it?"

Jaune paused, thinking deeply. "It... it had something to do with..."

Weiss reached out, running a gentle hand over his arm. "Don't strain yourself too hard," she nearly whispered. "If you can't remember the event itself, just think before it... what happened before? Find something you do remember, and work your way up from there. That's what I did."

Jaune looked around, receiving nods from Yang and Nora. He took a deep breath. "Alright," he nodded. "If I remember right, I'd just picked up the phone when

XXXX

Yang's voice rang out from the other side. "HEYA, VOMIT BOY!" she greeted jovially. Jaune leapt backwards, momentarily losing his grip on the phone and struggling to keep it from dropping to the floor.

"Hey, Yang!" he greeted when he finally had the situation under control again. "You sound happy today."

"Yup!" Yang responded, popping the 'p.' "W-We're getting t-together tomorrow to d-decide a p-plan of action. You in?"

Jaune glanced around to make sure his mother wasn't within earshot, then returned to the phone. "Into the Emerald Forest?" he guessed.

"Nope- we're h-heading out of t-town a little ways- ever h-heard of M-Mountain Glenn?"

Jaune thought it over. "Isn't that the place they were trying to expand to before the War for Remnant?"

"Yup! I h-hear they're p-planning to rebuild it s-s-soon, but for now, it's b-basically a ghost town- p-perfect for what we n-need!"

"Sounds good," Jaune nodded, "but... I don't know the way."

"Ren'll be sh-showing us the way," Yang explained. "J-just meet up with us at the usual sp-spot, 'kay?"

"A Simple Wok?"

"That's the one," Yang agreed. "Can I c-c-count on you?"

Jaune smiled. "Of course you can- I'll be there."

"You'll be where, Jauney?"

Jaune gave a mental yelp as he quickly dropped the phone back into its cradle before spinning around to see his mother standing nearby, hands on her hips. "What are you doing behind my back?" she prompted again.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," Jaune quickly waved aside. "I'm just... meeting up with a friend of mine!"

"A friend?" Jane Arc asked, scrutinizing him ever more closely. "What kind of... friend?"

Jaune gulped- his mother would flip if she found out he was routinely heading into the woods with five attractive girls... perhaps it was time to fib a bit... or, at least, to not tell the whole truth. "His name's Lie Ren," Jaune explained. "He's a bit of an explorer- he found something in Mountain Glenn- you know, that area just outside of town? He wants to show it to me, so we're meeting up tomorrow so he can take me there."

He hoped that the cold sweat he was feeling was just in his head as his mother eyed him more and more closely- he could practically see her nostrils dilating as if trying to sniff out a lie.

Apparently, she detected none. "Well... alright, Jauney," she backed off a bit. "I've heard of the Rens- a fine, upstanding family, from what I've heard. I don't believe he'd try to lead you into anything unsavory."

"He's a stand-up guy, alright!" Now that he was out of immediate danger, it was time to start appealing Ren to her. "He even saved me from Team Curdle once!"

"Did he, now?" Jane smiled. "Well, I owe him a thanks for that alone." A frown creased her face. "Unless... did he fight them off?"

"No, he and his Dad showed up- they kind of left on their own after that."

Jane's smile returned. "Good boy. Just because he is one doesn't mean he has to act like one, after all. Sorry for prying so closely, Jauney, it's just..."

"You worry about me?" Jaune guessed.

Jane nodded, kneeling down next to him and pulling him into a tight hug. "I worry a lot," she agreed, running her hands through his hair. Jaune felt chills down his spine, similar to how he'd felt the last time she'd done this, as if something just wasn't right.

"Well..." he finally coughed as he became more and more uncomfortable. "If... if I'm heading to Mountain Glenn tomorrow, I should probably get some sleep."

"Of course," Jane nodded, standing back up and turning around. "Just be careful, okay? See what you need to see, then come right back home."

Jaune nodded before turning into his own room, plopping himself down on his bed.

As he lay there, struggling to ease himself into a restful sleep, he found his thoughts turning to the leader of his new team. As a newcomer, he hadn't immediately understood why Yang, of all the candidates, was the leader- it seemed Blake or Weiss might have been a better choice. Well, okay, Blake might have lost some leadership points with her incredibly reserved nature, but Weiss, perhaps?

But over time, he'd slowly begun to understand. She carried a fire within her spirit that drew others to her, made them look up to her as a source of hope. He certainly felt it- despite her stutter, her every word held a sort of strength behind it, making it seem so natural that she had the answers- even if she really didn't. She genuinely cared for all her teammates- in a way, she was the sister he'd never had.

But it went even deeper than that. The words seemed to fade in on his lips, despite his brain telling him clearly how stupid they were-

Yang is good.

There was no other way he could think to put it- she was a light burning brightly against the darkness lurking in Vale. Ever since his first encounter with It, he'd felt absolutely helpless... but with Yang at the head of the movement against Neo, he began to genuinely feel that they stood a chance. The flame of hope and determination that Yang carried within her had spread, one by one, to each of her friends, and now they stood, the last and best chance that Vale had of being rid of its resident monstrosity for good.

A smile crossed his face, and he finally fell into a deep sleep, the brazen, smiling face of Yang Xiao Long hovering protectively above him.

XXXX

"N-nice to see you show up, V-Vomit Boy!" Yang greeted him when she spied him appearing over the horizon.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized, glancing shamefacedly to one side.

"You're not late," Blake assured him, glancing over the top of her omnipresent book. "We're still waiting on Weiss and Ren."

Jaune glanced around, finally noticing a distinct lack of said team members. "Oh, yeah... wait, Weiss is coming, too?"

"Of course!" Nora beamed. "Why wouldn't she?"

"Well, it's just... you know... between her arm, and her dad..."

"I was about to ask that myself," Pyrrha nodded, glancing at their leader. "Are you sure she should be coming?"

"I was j-just as worried about it as y-you," Yang shrugged. "But the Ice Q-Queen insisted. S-something about arranging it w-with her butler." She smirked. "G-good ol' Weiss Cream, huh?"

Nora smiled, which turned into a beaming grin when she looked down the other side of the street. "Oh! Ren! Ren!"

They all turned to see the boy in green giving a calm smile as he approached them. "Glad to see I'm not the last one here," he greeted, bowing his head slightly. "Any idea when Weiss will be showing up?"

"We were just wondering that ourselves," Pyrrha shrugged.

"But forget that!" Nora interjected, putting on a mock-pout and crossing her arms in Ren's direction. "What are you doing, running late on us, Ren?!"

Ren chuckled. "My apologies- I may have slept in a little. I was up last night working on something."

"F-For the fight?" Yang guessed.

"No, actually- for Nora."

Nora faltered. "For... for me?"

Ren reached into a pocket and produced what seemed to be a stone. "You asked if I could paint you something, and... well... here."

Nora let out a high-pitched squeal as she dove forward and seized whatever it was. She was positively glowing as she examined the stone- about the size of her palm, painted all over with a bright pink, except for negative space on one side forming a circle, in the center of which was a hammer overlaid with a lightning bolt. "It's sooooo awesome! I LOVE IT!" She leapt forward and pulled Ren into a tight hug. Ren twitched a bit at first, before smiling again and returning her grip- albeit not quite as tight.

*A-hem!*

It appeared Weiss had arrived. She was attempting to cross her arms, slightly complicated by the large cast still prominent on her right appendage. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"WEISS!" Nora released Ren and descended upon Weiss instead. Weiss flinched, but instead of hugging her as well, Nora produced the rock and began showing it off from every angle. "Y'see what Renny made me? You see? You see? YOU SEE?!"

"Yes, Nora, I see," Weiss nodded, backing off slightly. "It's very... lovely."

Ren approached next. "Are you still quite certain you should be coming with us today?"

Weiss met his gaze with a firm stare of her own. "I do not intend to be absent from any major proceedings, regardless of... this." She glanced at her right arm. "I managed to sneak out without the notice of my father- as long as we move at a decent pace, I should be back before he notices anything. If not, I'm sure I can think of some excuse."

"You're one d-devious m-mastermind all of a s-sudden, Schnee," Yang crossed her arms, an effect ruined by the grin on her face. "I'm s-so proud of you."

Weiss flushed slightly. "Yes... well... at any rate, while I do intend to be present at today's proceedings, I think I may as well waive my attempt."

"Your... attempt?" Jaune asked confusedly.

"Perhaps we should be underway?" Ren suggested. "I'm sure we can discuss this while we walk."

"Of c-course," Yang nodded, motioning for him to start moving. "T-Team Loser, let's g-go!"

Ren turned and began guiding them through the town, leaving Pyrrha to return to the earlier topic of discussion. "So, what did you mean by your 'attempt,' Weiss?"

"Didn't Yang tell you?" Weiss asked. "It's about time we decided who will be taking the silver knife into the fight with Neo!"

"We'll all be bringing weapons, of course," Blake put in, finally speaking as she tucked her book away in a bag slung over her shoulder. "But we thought it would be best to have our trump card in the hands of the person who can use it best."

"Mountain Glenn offers a wide space to practice uninterrupted," Ren added. "So we'll head there and do some practice with the knife- the person who's the best with it gets the honor of using it against Neo."

"So... you aren't even going to try, Weiss?" Pyrrha pieced together, raising her eyebrows at the heiress.

Weiss glanced away pointedly. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly in the best position to be wielding a knife against a monster at the moment."

"Are you s-sure?" Yang asked. "I m-mean, you take all those f-f-fencing classes."

"Fencing and knife-fighting are two very different things, Xiao Long," Weiss shot back. "Perhaps if you had the slightest amount of culture, you would know that. Besides... it doesn't seem like a wise idea to give our most potent weapon to someone hardly capable of wielding it, does it?"

As the others backed off, Jaune glanced around to see the buildings starting to become fewer and further between. "How much further?" he asked, somewhat nervously.

"Not too far," Ren assured him. "It was intended to be part of Vale, after all. In the meantime... once we have the knife-wielder decided, how do we find It?"

Yang crossed her arms, but this time, instead of smiling, she looked unsettled. "I h-h-hate to s-say it, but... I th-think we should g-go to the House on V-Vickery Lane."

A collective shudder passed over the group. "Why... why there?" Blake asked uncomfortably.

"Well... that's where we found her, isn't it?" Nora shrugged.

"You think It lives there?" Pyrrha asked.

"No..." Yang shook her head slowly. "I thuh-think It l-l-lives in the s-sewers."

"The sewers?" Weiss asked, blinking in surprise. "How did you come to that conclusion?"

Yang took a deep breath, then began to explain. "It... it s-seems like It c-c-can appear anywhere in t-t-town... and the s-sewers would be a g-g-good way to t-travel without being s-s-seen. I d-don't really th-think it c-could live in j-just one house... but the s-s-sewers are a g-giant network of t-t-tunnels that It m-might feel right at h-home in."

"I suppose that makes sense," Ren nodded. "Disturbing as it is... the sewers would grant It near unrestricted access to the whole town."

"It came out of my sink!" Jaune recalled. "When It first attacked me, the hair came out of my sink!"

"And the voices!" Pyrrha recalled, staring at him. "They said that, too, didn't they? They said they were all 'down there.' Down... down in the sewers!"

Blake let out a cough. They turned towards her again. "Okay, so we've decided It probably lives in the sewers... why the House, then?"

Yang narrowed her eyes. "B-because it m-may not l-live there, b-but I'm c-certain it has a c-connection of some sort. We've gone n-near that H-House twice so far, and It w-was there b-b-both times."

Blake still didn't seem convinced, so Yang continued. "What d-do we have to l-l-lose? If we g-go there, and there's n-n-nothing, we l-look somewhere else. But if It is th-there... then we d-don't have to look anymore."

Before anyone else could voice any objection, Ren spoke up. "We're here."

XXXX

Mountain Glenn definitely matched the description Yang had given it of 'Ghost Town'- the buildings were all incredibly dilapidated, more often then not seeming like cement skeletons rising towards the sky. Jaune could only imagine what the place had looked like before the war- it must have been grand enough to give cities like Argus or Shade a run for their money.

"This place... really must have been something, once," he spoke out loud.

"Yeah," Blake agreed, holding her arms as she gazed around the desolate landscape. "To think... this place is right on the edge of Vale..."

"It's much like the area around the Ellis hotel," Ren recalled. "That place was smaller scale, a little more overgrown... but I got the same feeling from that area that I get here."

Yang nodded, but didn't say anything else on the subject as she reached into her own bag and produced a bottle of spray paint that she began shaking. The others watched as she crossed to a nearby building and began spraying an image onto it- an image very much resembling a traditional bullseye target.

"Xiao Long, what are you doing?" Weiss asked, attempting to cross her arms again.

"You g-got a better idea, P-Princess?" Yang asked, moving to a nearby wooden beam, and doing her best to paint a target on it as well, compensating for its thinness.

Ren sounded somewhat skeptical as well. "You just want to attack the walls and beams?"

"If y-you've got a b-b-better idea, Ren, I'm all ears," Yang countered, locating a large wooden sheet inside a nearby building and tagging it as well.

The others looked at each other uncertainly as Yang continued around, placing a target on walls, floors, more boards and beams, and even one particularly low ceiling. Finally, she returned to them and reached back into her bag, producing a large knife- albeit not the one Weiss had shown them the other day.

"Where's the actual knife?" Pyrrha asked.

"B-Blake has it," Yang shrugged. "D-didn't want to r-run the risk of l-losing it out here, b-but this has about the suh-same balance."

"My parents won't kick up a fuss," Blake offered. "I just told them I was holding onto it for a friend. It's not... entirely a lie."

"What else would you tell 'em?" Nora pointed out. "'Hey, Mom! Hey, Dad! I'm holding onto the only weapon me and my friends have against the embodiment of pure evil, you cool with me hanging onto it until we're ready to go fight It?'"

Blake chuckled slightly. "In fairness, I think Mom might take that in stride. Dad would probably just sigh and tell me to do whatever I wanted."

The chuckle seemed to spread around to the others before Yang ended it by offering Blake the knife. "S-so... want to t-try first?"

Blake bit her lip slightly as she accepted. "I still don't know about this..."

Pyrrha smiled. "It's okay if you're uncomfortable... but we need the best person to be the one with the knife."

Blake nodded, before beginning to move, dashing around to all the targets Yang had painted, jabbing the knife into each. When she completed the course, Weiss stepped forward and examined them. "Decently accurate," she declared. "Not a bad start, but there is room for improvement. Next?"

Blake glanced around before handing the knife off to Ren, who was nearest. He nodded respectfully before beginning a sprint of his own. Unlike Blake, he wielded the knife overhand, bringing it down on most of the targets as he ran past, only flipping it around for the target on the ceiling- which he barely managed to nick.

"Good, good," Weiss judged. "That said, a little more accuracy could have served you well, and the one on the ceiling... I'm thinking that's going to be a problem for all of you."

Ren bowed his head respectfully at the criticism before turning around and handing the knife to Yang, who turned it over in her hands. "Right... let's go!"

She took off and began jabbing the knife rapidly into each target she passed, leaving a deep mark every time, up to and including the one on the ceiling, where she actually embedded it into the wood and had to work to pull it back out again.

Weiss bit her lip as she examined Yang's handiwork. "Well, the enthusiasm is certainly there..." she began. "If you were to land a hit, it would definitely hurt... but we're not looking to hurt It- we're looking to kill It. And... you didn't really come anywhere near the bullseye."

Yang crossed her arms. "T-taking this away f-from me, P-Princess?"

"Of course not," Weiss shook her head, unperturbed. "But surely you want someone to use the knife who will actually land a killing blow with it."

Yang reluctantly conceded the point before turning towards the remaining candidates- Nora, Pyrrha, and Jaune. "Alright, who's n-n-next?"

Weiss cleared her throat. "Perhaps we ought to pass over Nora for now?" she suggested. "Nothing against you, of course, Nora, but... we don't want to break the knife."

"Ah, I don't want the silly knife anyway!" Nora brushed aside with a grin. "I'd rather bring in a trusty hammer!"

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you're waiving your candidacy as well?"

"If that means I don't care about the knife, then yes!" Nora nodded. "Give it to Jauney- let's see what he can do!"

Jaune gulped as he slowly reached out. "I'll... I'll try my best..."

Yang smiled as she flipped the knife around, offering him the handle. "Make us p-proud, Vomit Boy."

"I'm sure you'll do wonderfully, Jaune," Pyrrha added with a glowing smile.

Jaune turned towards the course Yang had forged, struggling to steady his breath. Finally, he broke into a run, darting towards each target in succession, plunging the knife towards each before moving on to the next. Through windows, under debris, and hurdling over a large stone pillar that had collapsed in the street, he finally made his way to the final target where, like Yang, he plunged the knife so hard into the ceiling that it was a task to pull it out again.

Weiss immediately set about grading his attempt, her eyes widening as she made her way through. Finally, she turned back to him. "Nine bullseyes..." she said slowly. "Nine... out of ten... bullseyes. Jaune... when did you get so good with a knife?"

Jaune shrank beneath the others' questioning gazes. "I... er... I don't know? I never really practiced with one before. I mean, I make dinner for my Mom most nights, but that's about it..."

Pyrrha smiled. "Well, with that performance, I don't think I need to go anymore, do you?"

Weiss glanced again at the near-perfect bullseyes scattered around the area. "No... no, if you feel like passing it up, I'm fine giving Jaune the position. Yang?"

Yang turned to raise her eyebrows at Jaune. "N-Not half bad, V-Vomit Boy," she finally smiled. "K-Keep the kn-knife- feel free to p-p-practice with it. B-Blake can g-give you the r-real thing wh-when we're ready."

"If... if you're sure," Jaune nodded uncertainly.

Yang clapped her hands together. "Welp! I'm s-sure W-Weissy's gotta be home s-soon, so l-let's get going b-back home! We can m-m-meet up and lay out the r-rest of our p-plans later!"

XXXX

The next time Jaune went to Mountain Glenn, he was alone. It wasn't by choice- It or no It, he'd much rather have gone with a friend, but they were all busy. From what he was able to gather, Weiss was under further scrutiny from her father, who was struggling to ensure that she was no longer in contact with her friends. Yang was talking to her father as well, trying to find out- in her own, roundabout way- whether he might have a map of the sewers beneath Vale. Ren was busy doing chores on his family's farm, which Nora had apparently volunteered to assist with- he had a sneaking suspicion that she had her own ulterior motives for that. Pyrrha had sounded very regretful about having to turn his invitation down, but seemed to be engaging in a family activity with her mother, and, upon hearing that nobody else would be able to go, Blake had rejected him outright.

No, he wasn't happy to be going it alone, but he was even less happy with the idea of screwing up at the last second and failing to do his duty as the chosen knife-wielder. Thus, he resolved to head out anyways, heading into the remains of the old city, where he set about finding his way towards the place they'd had the competition in the first place.

He had hardly made any progress at all when he heard voices up ahead- "-know they were out here somewhere..."

His blood turned to ice as he recognized the voice as that of Dove Bronzewing. Things only got worse when Cardin Winchester answered. "Good... then we'll scout around until they show up again- and they will. Those freaks always hang around the same places."

Moving quickly, Jaune ducked into a nearby alley, watching from the shadows as Team CRDL marched by- all four of them, this time. Cardin was at the lead, Dove not far behind, Sky Lark in third, and Russell Thrush following last with his usual odd smirk on his face.

"Why would they come all the way out here?" Sky asked, sounding uncertain. "It's just a bunch of wasteland."

"Why would they be friends with a furry?" Cardin shot back. "How do I know how those freaks' minds work?"

"To catch your prey, you ought to know your prey," Russell volunteered.

Cardin turned to glare at him. "Yeah, I'm really keen on taking advice from the guy who ditched us when we needed him the most."

"I already explained, Cardin," Russell shrugged. "There was no winning that fight. We were outnumbered and they were better prepared."

"It doesn't matter!" Cardin snarled. "We stood our ground, and you left us to fend for ourselves! That's all that matters!"

"I'm making it up now, aren't I?" Russell replied unconcernedly, leaning his head back into his own outstretched arms. "I'm helping you hunt them down now. And believe me, when we find them, I'll be the first to lay in."

Jaune gulped- he really didn't like the tone in Russell's voice when he said that.

Cardin frowned, turning to the other two members of his team. "Go home, you two," he ordered. "It doesn't look like they're coming today- I need to have a word alone with Russell."

"But Cardin-" Sky started.

Cardin silenced him with a glare. "Go. Home. Now."

Sky and Dove seemed to be quailing as they threw nervous glances at each other before turning and dashing off into the distance.

Jaune wanted to run very badly, but he didn't want to alert the two remaining bullies to his presence, either. In the end, he found himself listening intently on what they were saying to each other- maybe he could work out what their next plan was.

Russell started the conversation up again. "Well, well, Cardin! If you wanted me alone, all you had to do was ask..."

"Cut the bullshit," Cardin fired back, eyes narrowing. "You've been putting up this weird act for a while, and I'm starting to get sick of it."

"Can't say I know what you mean," Russell shrugged offhandedly.

"You keep trying to undermine me every chance you get," Cardin snarled. "Ditching us, trying to make me look like an idiot..."

"Oh, Cardin, you never looked like an idiot to me," Russell smirked, drawing closer and running a finger under Cardin's chin. "Why don't I show you what I really think of you?"

"I told you to cut that shit out!" Cardin snapped, pulling away. "I am not in the mood!"

"When will you be in the mood?" Russell asked without missing a beat- from his position, Jaune was in no place to tell how seriously the boy was actually taking that question.

"Not now, not ever!" Cardin snarled. "I swear to Dust, Thrush, if you keep this up, I'll ruin you!"

Russell paused to throw back his head and laugh. "You really think you have anything on me, Winchester? I have so much dirt on you that I could ask you to do just about anything! I could have you take your pants off right-"

"I know you don't want anyone looking in the basement of that building," Cardin interrupted, and Russell froze.

He wasn't smiling anymore.

Cardin didn't smile either as he raised his arms up and crossed them over each other. "Yeah, that got your attention, didn't it? You talk a big game, but you won't do jack if your secret's on the line, will you?"

Russell crossed his arms as well. "You're not gonna tell anybody."

"I'm not, am I?" Cardin retorted. "We'll see. Don't think I'll hesitate to do it if you keep this shitshow up. Consider this a warning."

With that, Cardin turned and stormed off after Dove and Sky, leaving Russell to stare after him- and, unbeknownst to them both, a very intrigued Jaune Arc.

Jaune pulled further into the shadows as Russell glanced around, taking in his surroundings before suddenly starting off in the opposite direction from town. Jaune glanced between him and central Vale, hesitating only a moment before his curiosity overcame him, and he set off after Russell.

XXXX

As far as Team CRDL goes, Cardin himself tended to get the most bad press- after all, he was their leader, and often the most vocal in his hatred of others. He practically spent more time in detention than in normal school, and was the one to guide his team on their various bullying exploits. Nobody- not from Team Loser, not among the school staff, not even Cardin himself- suspected the depths that his right-hand man, Russell Thrush, had sunk to years before they'd even met.

Perhaps, if Team Loser had been aware of just how deep Russell's issues went, they might have described him as the exact opposite of Yang Xiao Long, in practically every way. Male and female, yes, of course, but beyond that, he was a bully, where she hunted down those who preyed upon others. He had cut and styled his hair in a way that she would never dream of doing- she let her hair flow long and free at all times.

But, perhaps deeper than anything else, Yang spent a full year looking to rescue her younger sister, whereas Russell Thrush had been five years old when he murdered his younger brother.

Russell Thrush had been an odd child from the moment he was born, hardly ever crying. Whether there was a defect in his brain that had taken root already, even then, or if he had truly begun to turn only after becoming capable of some degree of rational thought, it is difficult to discern. But whether it was a disorder or his own reasoning that caused him to think this way, he had been only three or four years old when he determined that he was the only real being in existence- all others were simply figments of his own imagination, called into being by his mind to serve and amuse him.

Perhaps this was the core reason for his general fearlessness- there was no point, after all, in fearing things that didn't exist in the first place. Sympathy and empathy were alien concepts to him- why pity those who were essentially holograms? He had an academic sense of what pain was, but hardly seemed to register it on a conscious level, further explaining his willingness to inflict it on others.

Thus far, there had only been two instances in his life that he had so much as contemplated the possibility of others that were 'real.' The more recent occasion, a year or two prior to the disappearances, had been more of a passing thought- something that had caused him to shudder and swiftly dismiss it to the back of his mind. The first occasion, however, was when he was five years old, and his parents had given birth to a young boy- Adrian Thrush.

For the first time in his life, his parents had ceased to dote on him, turning and giving more attention to this new creature in their home- this wailing, drooling creature with black hair and brown eyes- than to their son. It hadn't taken long for a deep fear to take root in Russell's mind- what if- just what if- he was wrong? What if his brother was just as real as he was, and his birth marked the start of him having to share his world with another?

It was an intolerable idea, and he had swiftly moved against it.

One night, moving through the darkness of their house, he had made his way to his brother's room, gazing down upon his sleeping form. His brother awoke as he removed his pillow out from under him, but did not cry- he seemed to recognize his brother, and seemed to believe he was playing a game of some sort. Russell rewarded this faith by gently placing the pillow over his brother's face, holding it there tightly.

He could still feel his brother struggling beneath him, first growing uncomfortable, then growing outright desperate for air. Russell held fast, refusing to remove the cushion from his face. The squirming escalated to kicking and screaming, but the pillow muffled the baby's cries for help.

Eventually, the squirming ceased. Russell removed the pillow, lowering his head onto the baby to ensure that he was no longer breathing.

His work done, he had returned to his room, sleeping as comfortably as ever.

He had awoken to his parent's cries as they discovered their newborn had passed away during the night. He had been sure to appear properly sad and devastated whenever questioning eyes turned towards him over the next week or so, keeping his smiles entirely to himself- he had secured his world for himself once more.

The incident had forever changed the boy. He had gotten a taste of power that day- the power to hold another's life in his hands, to grant it or extinguish it as he saw fit. He wanted to experience that feeling again.

He was careful about his next activities- even believing he was the only real being in the universe, he wasn't fool enough to go around killing anybody he decided to. He knew there were rules in this world of his- rules that he needed to observe in order to keep the peace with these projections of his mind. Killing more people would be against the rules- he'd managed it with his brother, but he had no illusions that continuing to kill people indiscriminately would catch too much attention for his liking.

Animals, however...

Animals were wont to go missing all the time, especially in a town like Vale, with a sizable forest at its edge. It had begun with strays, luring them in and killing them in increasingly creative ways, often using the Haven river to dispose of the corpses.

It had been part way through middle school that he had discovered Mountain Glenn- a perfect wasteland, in his mind. Nobody around for miles- nobody to hear the howling of cats or dogs as they were disposed of distantly from the public eye.

Deeper into the city, he had found an old basement in one of the buildings that had managed to survive the area's destruction, a pair of doors placed diagonally into the ground opening into a small underground chamber. What it had originally contained, Russell neither knew nor cared. He saw it only as a place to continue his hobby.

Not long after, he had moved up from picking animals off the street to snatching pets when their owners weren't looking, pushing them into bags and carrying them back to Mountain Glenn. He had become quite the professional at avoiding the eyes of anyone who might try and stop him- after all, he was starting to put some serious strain on their rules. His favorite method of disposing of the animals was now to leave them in the basement, locked away, and see how long they lasted before giving out. The record currently went to a tortoise who had managed almost a full week before its heart finally gave out. Sometimes, he'd place animals of different species in the basement and leave them there, coming back to find that one had killed the other. He found in all of it the same odd delight he found in the murder of his brother.

It was to this basement door that he was now hurrying. He hadn't initially worried when he heard that construction crews would be going through Mountain Glenn soon- if anything, he found the idea of them stumbling upon his basement- with no way of knowing who had left it in its current state- to be highly amusing. But if Cardin truly intended to spill the beans about what the room was being used for, it was about time to dispose of the evidence. He knew he wouldn't get in quite as much trouble for this as he would for murdering people- and even Cardin didn't know he'd once killed a person- but he didn't like to think about what would happen.

He continued on through the abandoned buildings, until he came upon one in particular, hurrying across to the door that opened upon his basement.

Across the street from him, keeping to the shadows, Jaune continued watching with narrowed eyes, wondering what this member of Team CRDL was up to.

Russell knelt down and, with a slight grunt of effort, opened the door- and blinked in confusion at what he saw.

The basement wasn't empty- it was filled with strange figures in hoods, cloaks, and masks. They were all remarkably short, but it seemed as though there were far more than should be able to fit in such a small space. The moment the door was open, they turned towards him, letting loose with a demonic chattering as they began clambering up the steps towards him.

Russell started backwards as one of them, wearing a mask heavily resembling a plague doctor, lunged forward and planted a knife into his arm. He hardly felt the pain, but what he did feel was much worse- he felt... drained, as if the creature was stealing his life force, taking it through the blade. For the first time since he'd been five years old, he began to panic.

He pulled backwards, wrenching the knife from his arm as he turned and began to run, the army of creatures following close behind.

Russell continued sprinting through the remains of Mountain Glenn, the chittering continuing to follow not far behind. He began to weave through the buildings, desperate to escape, until at last, he felt as though he'd finally evaded them.

Then he looked up.

Atop the buildings was another creature- this one far more colossal than the others. It had to stand at least nine feet tall, perhaps taller, and it was incredibly bulky- though the heavy robes it wore made it difficult to tell for sure. The outermost robe was of a deep red, and the hood concealed the face, but none of that was what drew Russell's attention first- what immediately caught his eye was the two long horns curving out of its head behind its back.

Moving with far more swiftness than one might have expected, based on its size, the creature jumped straight up in the air, far higher than should have been possible, before descending over seventy feet, landing on the ground with a resounding crash. From here, Russell could make out more detail- the chains wrapped around its body, the branches clutched under one arm, the large sack over its back, and the hooves upon which the creature walked. There was no longer any doubt- this was the one thing that had caused him fear since the death of his brother.

Krampus.

Of course he had never told any of his friends, but the idea of the Christmas Devil had caused him no small amount of dread after leaving the theater. As the rest of Team CRDL had chuckled on their way out of the theater, he found himself thinking of the broader implications- of the idea of some all-knowing creature ready to pass judgement on all others. The way he had seen the movie, perhaps, was the closest he had ever come to seeing the world in the same way Blake had just before her own passing- seeing himself as tiny, insignificant. Of course it was fake- he had assured himself of that- but the idea of something like that truly existing- of possibly being another real creature, just as ready as he had been to protect its universe from interlopers who didn't play by its own rules... it sent a chill down his spine.

Russell rose to his feet, turning and sprinting away. The creature uncoiled one of the chains around its shoulder and cast it forward. It wrapped itself around Russell's torso, dragging him back, screaming, towards the one being capable of giving him nightmares.

It reached out with one hand and lifted him up, granting him a view of its cold, dead face, the jaw hanging open unnaturally, almost more like a mask than a true face. Its eyes were of different colors- pink and brown- while the pupils were the unnatural rectangular shape of a goat's.

Then it spoke, in a low, gruff voice that seemed to echo from the depths of a tomb. "You've been a naughty boy, Russell. Time for you to come with me..."

He continued to struggle as rough hands began forcing him into the sack previously slung over Krampus's back. As he fought for his life, he failed to hear Krampus speak again, this time in a voice utterly alien to the rest of its body- cool, calm, and decidedly female. "It's a shame, really. In another life, we might have been friends. Oh, well- what will be, will be."

As Russell saw the endless black inside the bag, his final thoughts turned to madness- wild, unadulterated madness. He turned around and saw his last glimpse of the light before the sack was sealed, and he was plunged into final darkness.

XXXX

As Russell had commenced his run through the town, one of the creatures behind him had paused in the street, turning its attention towards something else- in particular, the one with the long beak curving out of its mask, causing it to resemble a plague doctor. Rather than following the rest of the pack, it turned towards the building opposite the one it had just been hiding in, and began approaching.

Jaune's heart raced as he sensed it drawing closer and closer. He stayed rooted where he was, not wanting to give his position away. His heart rate continued to rise as the hooded figure drew closer and closer, until he finally gave in to his fear, breaking into a sprint.

The creature let out a war cry of sorts, undoing a chain of its own and casting it after the boy. The hook at the end found its way into his shoulder, forcefully dragging him back, and prompting him to scream in pain. He reached back and managed to pull the hook out before realizing the creature was now rushing towards him. Out of desperation more than anything, he reached into his bag and produced the knife he'd brought to train with, raising it up just in time to catch the monster squarely in the chest. The creature pulled back, letting out an unearthly screech of pain, before collapsing on the ground.

Jaune stood there, panting for a second, before looking after Russell. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but he knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he allowed Russell to die at Its hands without even trying to stop it.

It seemed as though the army of creatures had disappeared, so he set off running through the city, trying to catch up to Russell himself.

He finally rounded a corner just in time to see Russell's legs disappearing into Krampus's sack. He screeched to a halt, his eyes widening in terror- the image before him was burned into his memory. He didn't wait for Krampus to notice him- instead, he turned and dashed away into the city's ruins, no longer caring about the direction, only intent on putting as much distance between himself and that... thing as possible.

XXXX

It was two days later that he returned- this time, the rest of Team Loser came with him, bundled close together as they united to keep an eye out for any signs of a snow demon, as Jaune had referred to it. Weiss seemed the most panicked- after all, she had been raised on stories of the Atlesian monster. The rest of them had different degrees of terror, up to Yang, who abandoned fear in favor of rage- she was struggling to keep her eyes their natural shade of amethyst as she followed Jaune through the skeletal buildings towards the basement Russell had previously led him to.

For the first time, Jaune had his hand clenched tightly around the silver knife Weiss had discovered in her attic- Yang had rationalized that if It really was still here, now as good a time as any to strike, though none of them felt it was really that likely.

When they arrived at the door, Blake produced a length of rope, tying one end to the handles of the door before following the others as far away as they could get.

"If It c-c-comes out alone, w-we hit it w-w-with everything we h-have," Yang ordered, her hands clenched into fists. "If an army of th-those c-c-creatures comes out... we r-r-r-run."

The others nodded in agreement. Blake glanced around, double-checking to make sure everyone else was ready before delivering a sharp tug to the rope.

The basement door swung open. Nothing came out.

Treading lightly, Team Loser moved out of their hiding place and approached the entrance. They were immediately struck by a horrendous smell emanating from the space below. Weiss covered her nose immediately, while Blake staggered backward, gagging, before following Weiss's example.

"It doesn't appear there's anyone down there," Ren announced, peering intently into the darkness.

"Then what is?" Nora asked. "Things don't start smelling that bad by accident!"

Ren shrugged, then began his descent down the short flight of steps, the rest of the team not far behind.

They were unprepared for what they saw- the remains of several animals scattered around the floor- bones and bits of rotted flesh immediately explained the smell.

"This... this wasn't It," Pyrrha whispered, gazing around in horror. "This... this had to have been Russell."

"I always knew that bastard was screwed up," Nora nodded, "but this is a whole other level!"

Yang, however, found her gaze caught by something else altogether. "Th-this may n-n-not be It... but th-th-that is."

They all jumped, following Yang's finger towards a message scrawled on the opposite wall in a disturbingly familiar red.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ICE CREAM LADY

THOSE WHO FIGHT

DIE IF YOU TRY

A REMINDER FROM YOUR GOOD FRIEND

NEO POLITAN

Yang's breathing was growing more ragged. Her eyes opened, revealing a shade of dark crimson. She turned and dashed up the steps, the rest of Team Loser following close behind to find her screaming out on the streets.

"YOU TOOK MY SISTER, YOU BITCH! WHY DON'T YOU COME OUT AND FACE ME! STOP HIDING, YOU FUCKING COWARD! COME OUT HERE AND GIVE ME MY SISTER BACK! COME OUT... and give... g-g-give her b-b-back..."

Her anger seemed to be fading, and she collapsed onto the streets, now shaking with sobs.

Blake was the first to approach, assisting her to her feet. "Yang..."

"I h-h-hate her!" Yang shouted, turning to face them with tears in her eyes. "I f-fucking HATE her! But... but I c-c-can't do anything a... alone..."

The gaze she fixed them all with was perhaps the most genuine they'd ever seen. "H-help me... p-p-please... help me..."

One by one, they all drew nearer, placing their arms around her- Weiss careful not to strain her bad arm. Jaune found himself nearer this time, taking in the comfort of her higher-than-normal temperature. He didn't know how she did it- even now, in one of her darkest times, she managed to be a beacon of hope.

XXXX

Please R&R, constructive criticism and questions embraced, Gamer4 out.