Most of everyone arrived back to the Inn that they were staying at. A man approached the table where Jaune, Weiss, Nora, Flynt, Neon, Ilia, Mercury, and Sienna were sitting
"A letter for you sir," the man told Jaune
Jaune looked at the man and took the letter. he opened the letter to see a scorpion symbol on the paper as did Weiss. He looked at it and began to read out loud
"To the bastard, Jaune Arc, Formerly know as Jaune Black" Jaune began "You allowed thousands of White Fangs and Silver hands into the south of Vale. You have betrayed your kind, You have betrayed the Vale. Arktown is mine bastard, Come and see. Your friend Ren is in my dungeon..." Jaune read and looked with fear in his eyes
Nora covered her mouth in Horror, Weiss looked down in worry,
"His skin will be on my floor. I want my bride back Bastard, Send her to me bastard, and I will not trouble you or your white-fang friends. Keep her from me and I will ride to your camp and slaughter every man, woman, and baby living under your protection. You will watch as I skin them alive. You-" Jaune read the rest and he decided to stop
"Go on," Weiss told him
"it's just more of the same" Jaune replied
He put away the note but Weiss quickly grabbed it and pulled it out of his hands, and read the res out loud
"You will watch as my soldiers take turns raping Weiss. You will watch as my dogs feast on your friends. Then I will spoon your eyes from their sockets and let my dogs do the rest. Come and see...Tyrian Callows, Lord of Ark Town and Warden of the South..." Weiss finished
The table went silent, no one could speak after hearing what the note contained, Jaune just looked down and the table
"We'll write back and ask to meet him, just him and his generals same as us," Jaune said with anger. Ilia nodded and began writing a note back to Tyrian.
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Oscar and Whitley were sparing as Jaune and Maria watched.
"You know, they're not half bad, if they keep at it then they would be really good," Jaune told Maria
She nodded "who taught you how to use a sword?" she asked
"My sister Joan and then my Guardian Raven. Raven taught me more though. Gave me good advice to, some I still live by" Jaune replied
"Will you pass the same skills and advise to them?" Maria asked
"Of course"
"And what about your children? Will you pass it on as well?"
Jaune froze. He looked down in sadness and sighed
"I don't think I'll have Children," Jaune told her "I already lost three women that I loved. Don't think I can take more heartbreak" Jaune told her
"Don't be so sure Jaune, you may have lost lovers and family but who hasn't" Maria began "some give up, that is true, but we all must move on to grow stronger" Maria finished.
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At dinner, Mercury and Flynt along with Whitley and Oscar were sharing a table. Mercury looked to Jaune and then to Flynt
"Hey Flynt" Mercury called
"Yeah Merc?" Flynt asked
"why do you follow him? Jaune I mean, what do you see in him?" Mercury asked him
Flynt looked to Jaune and then took a drink of his beer and then turned back to Mercury
"I see the true leader within him...The fact that he knew he was a Bastard, the fact that he brought hope to all of us that day when this blood war began...he still wanted to fight his way through hell to protect his friends and to protect those he loved, Even at the cost of his own life. And I thought to myself then, 'That is someone I could follow. That is someone that I would call my leader. That is someone I could call "my King". That's when I volunteered to go with him...To follow him no matter what" Flynt told him and took a sip of his beer.
Mercury looked to Jaune, who was sharpening Coreas Mors, on a table, he turned back and gulped his beer
Mercury looked to his men, and Sienna and the White Fang. They were arguing about fighting for a country that wasn't there
"If it weren't for him, none of us would be here. All of you would be meat in the Dark Brothers army. And I'd be a pile of charred bones just like Adam" Mercury told them
Then one of the men stood up "Remember Adam's camp? It stretched to the horizon. And look at us now. Look what's left of us. And if we lose this, we're gone. Dozens of us! hundreds of generations. Be like we were never there at all. We'll be the last of the White Fang" the man said
"That's what'll happen to you if we lose" Jaune replied to the man "Tyrian, the Locust, the Sharks, they know you're here. They know that more than half of you are women and children. After they finish with me, they'll come for you. You're right. This isn't your fight. You shouldn't have to come to Ark Town with me. I shouldn't be asking you. It's not the deal we made. I need you with me if we're gonna beat them, and we need to beat them if you're going to survive" Jaune told them
Sienna pointed at Jaune "The Blue fang killed him because he spoke for us! The white fang! when no others would! He died for us! If we are not willing to do the same for him, we're cowards. And if that's what we are, we deserve to be the last of the White Fang" Sienna yelled at them
they all looked to the ground, then one girl stood up and looked to Jaune and then back to her people
"I will follow Jaune Black," she told them
They all looked at Jaune
"As will I" "so will my family" "for the white fang!" They all began to say
Sienna looked to Jaune who looked back and nodded at her and she did the same.
Jaune, Weiss, Flynt, Mercury, Sienna, and Corlina Church, as well as Arc bannermen, stand in front of a Jeep, waiting. After a minute or two Tyrian, Brandon Karshark and Michael Locust with a group of soldiers approach. They come to a halt in front of Jaune.
Jaune turned to Weiss, "You don't have to be here, ya know"
"Yes, I do" Weiss replied
Tyrian looked to Weiss, "My beloved wife. I've missed you terribly" Tyrian crackled
Tyrian then turns to Jaune
"Thank you for returning Lady Callows safely. Now, kneel before me, surrender your army and proclaim me the true Lord of Arktown and Warden of the South. I will pardon these treasonous lords for betraying my house" Tyrian told him
Jaune gave no response but he glared daggers at Tyrian. This was the man that killed his sister and mother.
"Come now Bastard, you don't have the men, and you don't have Arktown Why lead those pour souls into slaughter? There's no need for a battle. Kneel. I'm a man of mercy" Tyrian giggled
Jaune sighed "You're right. There's no need for a battle. Thousands of men don't need to die" Jaune replied
Everyone one of his friends and allies looked shocked
Tyrian chuckles
"Only one of us," Jaune told him "Let's end this the old way. You against me"
Tyrian giggles and then laughed' "I keep hearing stories about you, bastard. The way people in Arktown talk about you! you're the greatest swordsman who ever walked. Maybe you are that good. Maybe not. I don't know if I'd beat you. But I know that my army will beat yours. I have 6,000 men. You have, what, half that? Not even?" Tyrian smiled
"you have the numbers but will your men want to fight for you when they hear you wouldn't fight for them?" Jaune asked
Tyrian laughed more, "your good. Very good. Tell me, will you let your little Friend die because you're too proud to surrender?"
"How do we know you have him?" Weiss asked
Tyrian digs his hand to his son Des and throws a dagger at Jaune's feet. Rens dagger. Jaune pulls it from the ground and holds onto it.
"Now, if you want to save—"
"You're going to die tomorrow, Tyrian" Weiss replied "Sleep well"
Weiss enters the Jeep and waits
"She's a fine woman, and an innocent yourself one as well. I look forward to keeping breaking her. Oh! And I can't wait till I have you in my cells. In the morning, then, bastard!" Tyrian giggled. He and his men left
"If he was smart, he'd give up now"
"That's not his way. He knows the South is watching. If the other houses sense weakness on his part, they'll stop fearing him. He can't have that. Fear is his power" Ilia told Jaune
"It's his weakness, too. His men don't want to fight for him. They're forced to fight for him. If they feel the tide turning... Then they'll follow us" Jaune replied
"It's not his men that worry me. It's his Guns and tanks. I know what they are capable of back when I saw Beacon
"Carolina, Neon, and Nora are getting Guns from and explosives from House Caboose"
"It's crucial that we let them charge at us. They've got the numbers, we need the patience. If we let him buckle our center, he'll pursue. Then we'll have him surrounded on three sides" Sienna told Jaune
"Did you think that Asshole would fight you man to man?" Flynt asked
"No. But I wanted to make him angry. I want him coming at us with full force"
Flynt and Ilia nodded
"We should all get some sleep," Mercury told everyone
Ilia looked to Jaune "Rest Jaune, We need you sharp tomorrow" she told him
They all leave and Jaune sits in his room. Weiss then enters.
"So you met him and already made your battle plans," Weiss said
"Yeah" Jaune replied
"You've known him for the space of a single conversation, you and your trusted advisors. You sit around and make your plans on how to defeat a man you don't know. I lived with him! I know the way his mind works! I know how he likes to hurt people. Did it ever once occur to you that I might have some insight?"
"Of course I did! But tell me, Weiss, what do you suggest?" Jaune asked
"I-I... I don't know" Weiss replied
Jaune nodded and sat down.
"He's overconfident, Weiss" Jaune told her
"he plays with people Jaune! He's far better at it than you! He's been doing it all his life!"
Jaune looked at her with coldness "yeah? and what have I been doing all my life? I fought worse than Tyrian Callows! I've defended Menagerie from worse than Tyrian Callows!"
"If you had asked for my advice earlier, I would have told you not to attack Ark Town until we have a larger force, or is that obvious, too!?" Weiss cried
"When will we have a larger Army?! We've pleaded with every House that'll have us! We're lucky to have this many men!" Jaune cried
"It's not enough!"
"of course it's not enough! But It's what we have! Battles have been won against greater odds!"
"If Tyrian wins, I'm not going back there alive. Do you understand me?" Weiss said coldly
Jaune looked at her with a sad expression
"I won't ever let him touch you again. I'll protect you, I promise" Jaune said with his head down
"no one can protect me. No one can protect anyone..." Weiss said with her now cold tone and walked out of the room.
Flynt along with Mercury and Sienna are walking together down the halls of the hotel
"You think there's hope?" Flynt asked them
"I've never seen this Tyrian fucker fight. And he's never seen us fight, so, yes, there's hope" Mercury told him
"I believed in him, Jaune I mean, he's lead us on the right path so far and we need to do this if we are going to survive," Flynt told them
"I felt the same about Adam. I thought he was the man to lead us when this shit would go down. But I was wrong" Sienna sighed
"Maybe that was our mistake, believing in kings," Mercury told her with a reassuring smile
Flynt chuckled "Jaune's not a king," he told them
the two smile
"No, he's not" Sienna replied
"I need a good drink to help me sleep the night before a fight. You want some?" Mercury asked Flynt and Sienna
"Might as well, could be my last drink
"No, thanks. sounds good, but I need to keep a clear head. I can never sleep the night before a battle" Flynt replied
"So what do you do all night?" Sienna asked
"I walk. Think and walk"
Jaune walks to Maria's room, he entered to see a sleeping Penny and Oscar on the bed
"Maria, You weren't at the war council," he told her
"I'm not a soldier and I'm no longer a huntsman," Maria told him
Jaune chuckled "right. Any advice though?" Jaune asked
"Don't lose" Maria chuckled and looked back to the fire
Jaune looked down and into the fire.
"If I do, if I fall, don't bring me back," Jaune told her
"I'll have to try"
"I'm ordering you not to bring me back"
Maria looked to him and stood up facing him, "I am not your servant, Jaune" she told him "I serve the Light brother. I do what he asks of me"
Jaune scoffed "How do you know what he asks
"I interpret his signs as well as I can. If the Lord didn't want me to bring you back, how did I bring you back? I have no power. Only what he gives me and he gave me you" Maria told him
"Why?" Jaune asked
"I don't know. Maybe you're only needed for this small part of his plan and nothing else. Maybe he brought you here to die again" Maria said
"What kind of god would do something like that?" Jaune asked
Maria just gives a small smile "The one we've got"
Jaune stares back into the fire pit and then leaves her room.
THE NEXT DAY:
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The Arc and Callow armies sit across the battlefield from one another. Nora, Ilia, and Neon along with 10 other fighters are manning their guns. Jaune slowly rides a motor-cycle through the ranks, looking at the men. He rides up next to Mercury and Flynt, at the front of the line. Across the battlefield, Tyrian walks through the ranks of his army with a rope in his hand. It's revealed to be tied around Ren's hands. Tyrian ushers him a little further out past the front line and stares at Jaune across the field.
"Ren..." Jaune said a bit worried
Nora saw Ren and was hoping nothing happened, she prayed, she needed Ren. now more than ever.
Tyrian unsheathes a dagger and raises it in the air. Jaune get's off his bike and walks a few steps out into the field. Tyrian lowers the dagger and cuts Ren's bindings.
"Let's play a game. Run to your leader.
Ren starts walking out into the field, then looks back at Tyrian.
"No, you have to run, remember? Those are the rules!" Tyrian cried with joy
A soldier approaches and hands Tyrian a sniper rifle. Ren starts running across the field. Tyrian shoots but he misses. Jaune ran to his Motor-cycle and drives to get Ren
Tyrian aims again and fires but misses again. Jaune was getting closer to Ren.
"please get him Jaune..." Nora cried
"come on Jaune" Flynt cried
Jaune extends his hand out to Ren as they were mere inches away, then the bullet pierced through Ren's head, Jaune stops and looks at Ren. the man he called his brother is now dead.
Jaune looks up and to Tyrian, who is smiling.
A beat was the only thing Jaune heard. The beat of his own Heart.
"Don't do it Jaune..." Flynt begged
Tyrian keeps smiling and gives his rifle back to the soldier.
"Prepare to charge! Prepare to charge!" Sienna cried
Tyrian turns to the men with the guns
"fire at him" Tyrian ordered
The men began to fire at Jaune. Jaune rode forward to Tyrian's army.
"Go! Go! Follow your commander!" Flynt cried
"Run and fight!" Mercury yelled
The bulk of Jaune's forces charge across the field towards the opposing army. Jaune continues to rush to the army.
The guns kept firing and some of the dust canons shot off as well. one blast landed in front of Jaune's bike and causing him and motor-cycle to tumble to the ground.
Tyrian smiles "Now!" Tyrian yelled
Brandon Karshark looks to this men "Cavalry, charge!" he cried all the men started their cycles and drove to Jaune.
Jaune stands to face the cavalry, charging at him. He looked back to his army and sees there were doing the same thing.
He takes off his sword belt and draws Croceas Mors. he breathed in deep and was ready to die a second time. as long as Tyrian would die here. As the cavalry approaches, Just before it's upon him, His forces rush past him and collide with Tyrian's charge. Men on both sides die in the frenzy. Bodies and weaponry fly everywhere.
Nora looks to her men, load those guns! now!" she yelled,
"load the guns!" Tyrian ordered
both sides were ready to shoot their cannons at the other. Nora looked to see that they couldn't tell who was who.
"We'll just kill our men! Stand down!" Nora cried
Jaune's gunners don't shoot
"FIRE!" Tyrian yelled
Tyrians gunner fire as ordered. Their blast and bullets rain down on Arc and Callow's men alike. In the fray, Jaune dodges several cycles that ride past him and killing his men and some killing Tyrian's men. One cavalryman charges with his horse, but Jaune turns and cuts him down. Jaune rushes forward and kills a man on the ground, then a second man rushed to Jaune, but he then slices the belly of a second man. An explosion hits the ground a couple of feet from Jaune. He ducks and when it clears, Jaune returns to his feet and cuts down another man, dodges the strike of a passing callows cavalryman, and runs through another Bolton footsoldier, and during it, an Arc soldier helps him finish the man, and Jaune grabs him by the shirt.
"Tell-!" but the soldier is taken out by getting shot in the back.
Jaune stares down at the man and then flies into a rage, killing two more Callows soldiers that were nearby. A third man runs at him but is killed by an Arc cavalryman. Jaune sees a callows soldier on the ground and runs over to where he landed and stabs him several times. another Callow's soldier runs at Jaune but an explosion kills him.
The bodies are beginning to pile up on the battlefield and Jaune goes into a frenzy, killing many of Tyrian's men. The bodies have piled up high enough to create small mountains of bodies. Men continue to fight atop and around them.
"We may as well be fucking ourselves back here!" Neon cried "we need to help them!"
Nora nods
"Men! CHARGE!" Neon yelled and all of the gunners grab their weapons and run to help in the battle
Nora forms her rebuild Hammer charges across the field. The remainder of the army charge after her. On the other side of the battlefield, Tyrian smiles and nods to Michael Locust. Michael brandishes his sword and walks back and forth in front of his men.
"Who owns the South!?" he cried
"WE DO!" his men cheered
"Show me!" he cried
Michael and his men cheer and charge across the battlefield.
Jaune continues fighting but is knocked to the ground by a Callow's soldier, but Mercury appears and stabs the soldier through the back, then helps Jaune to his feet.
"Hey! Jaune! you still there!?" Mercury cried.
Jaune was covered in Dirt and Blood. He nodded to Mercury and saw Sienna and the White Fang charge up behind the two. Michael and his men are charging from the other side. Sienna and Flynt meet up with Jaune and Mercury. A force of Callow's men appears to be bearing tall shields and spears. They create a half-circle around them. The other half of the circle is blocked by the piles of bodies on the battlefield. The shield soldiers set their shields firmly in the dirt, then point their spears inward towards the Jaune's army.
"Infantry, advance!" cried a man
The shield soldiers grunt in unison, lift their shields and move in towards the Arc forces. With each wave of movement, they stab more and more soldiers with their spears. One soldier tries to climb up over the piles of bodies but gets cut down by Michael. He and his men charge down over the bodies, taking the Arc forces from the rear.
"With me! Break their line!" Flynt cried
He jumps to the side of some spears and attacks a man behind the shield wall. Several other Arc men rush towards the shield wall. while in the back Jaune and soldiers defend against Michael's men. Many soldiers die on both sides, and the bodies begin to pile up again. Flynt pulls a shieldbearer down and kills him, but gets sliced across the arm and is forced to fall back among the Arc ranks.
"Flynt!" Mercury cried "Get him back!"
Flynt was then dragged back by two Arc soldiers
The shieldbearers advance, pushing Jaune and his army further in on themselves. More and More men die on Jaune's side
"Fuck this, come on!" Sienna cried
She leads the White Fang back towards the piles of bodies. Jaune and Michael spot each other, but before they can engage in a fight, the White Fang charge overtakes them. In the fray, Jaune is pushed to the bottom of several bodies and starts getting crushed. He struggles to get out, but can't get a hold.
Sienna sees Michael and engages him. She punches him in the face, and Michael responds with an overhead swing of his sword but Sienna blocks it.
More and more bodies are piling on top of Jaune. He can see glimpses of clashes and flailing limbs above, but nothing else. He gasps for air. Michael knocks Sienna to the ground and punches her in the face multiple times. Men are dying all around Jaune as he is being trampled. He grabs onto the clothes of a standing man and hoists himself up. He emerges in the center of a tightly packed group of his men and fills his lungs with air. He spots Flynt and Mercury fighting off some shieldbearers. he looks to see Nora, Neon, and Ilia killing some of Michale's men, Neon is slashed in the side, grunts, and then kills the man. Michael repeatedly headbutts Sienna in the face. Jaune looks around to see that he has to lead his friends to slaughter. and Tyrian was going to win.
A horn begins to sound in the distance. Michael stops headbutting Sienna and she seizes the opportunity and tears into the skin of his neck with his teeth, then draws a small knife and stabs Michael repeatedly.
Tyrian looks in the direction of the sounding horn. Soldiers of Atlas and Mistral charge on motor-cycles. the soldiers were lead by Penny and Whitley. Weiss, Winter, and Cinder along with Neptune and Arslan stand atop a hill, overlooking the battle.
Sienna kills Michael and roars in victory. The Mistal and Atlas cavalry takes the Callows shieldbearers from the rear, then circles around and knocks them all down.
Weiss smiles as she sees Tyrian's army be defeated.
Jaune climbs up to the top of the piles of bodies and spots Tyrian. then both Sienna and Mercury climb up beside Jaune. Tyrian spots Jaune and gets into a Jeep with two other men and drives back to Arktown. Jaune, Mercury, and Sienna chase after him. Weiss watches them go.
Tyrian arrived back in Arktwon and got out of the jeep, he looked to his Lieutenant
"Their army's gone," Tyrian told him
"so is ours!" he cried back
"We have Arktown. They don't have the men for a siege. All we have to do is wait!" Tyrian yelled
Something thuds against the gate. the two turn to look at it. Several Gunners are killed by a whip and a couple of shots. Several more thuds occur against the other side of the gate. Jaune busts a hole in the gate. Jaune screams and punches another hole in the gate. Tyrian moves farther away from the gate's interior. Jaune reaches smashes the gate off the hinges and opens it. He sprints into the courtyard. Sienna and Mercury enter along with Nora and Ilia.
Tyrian walks into the courtyard and sees Jaune, he had his hand blades on and his scorpion tail was out
"You suggested one on one combat, didn't you?"
Nora and some Arc soldiers point their guns at Tyrian
"I've reconsidered. I think that sounds like a wonderful idea!" he chuckled.
Jaune advances, but Tyrian shoots at him but Jaune rolls down and to him, Tyrian then swiped his tail at Jaune but it just grazed his armor. Jaune grabbed Tyrian's tail and cut it off. Jaune then tackled Tyrian to the ground and began to punch over and over. Jaune didn't stop when he saw the blood leal from Tyrian's nose and face, he didn't stop then he heard bones breaking. and he didn't stop when his face became mangled. Weiss entered to see Jaune tackle Tyrian to the ground. but she didn't expect him to lose himself like this. Jaune kept beating Tyrian until his whole face was caved in. Flynt and Mercury grabbed him by the arms to pull him back but Jaune kept trying to hit Tyrians bashed face.
"Jaune! it's over!" Flynt cried
"He's dead now! it's over!" Mercury yelled
the two lifted him and pushed him away from the body. Jaune looks at them and to the body and walks out of the courtyard and kept walking till he was alone.
when Jaune walked far enough from everyone, he kneeled and roared in anger and sadness. First, he was betrayed by Blake. then he had to kill her. and now, the man who was like a brother to him was dead... how mush more loss can he keep taking?