Chapter 40 – Sins of the Past
Qrow
Qrow stood in front of the bullet-proof glass with his arms crossed, staring at the screens where the two Interrogations were going on. Veronica had left Ruby and Yang's office a while ago, and it looked like she was getting ready to go and speak with Penny. Qrow touched the rings on his fingers as he watched the Atlesians walk around the room, working hard to keep this operation continuing.
"For years you have murdered people, Mr Branwen. Do you feel any remorse?" The Interrogator asked him, Killian had left the room since he had his time to speak with the madman.
"Remorse? Nah… what's the point? I am what I am." Jackdaw shrugged his shoulders with that sadistic grin on his face.
Qrow sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he paced back and forth, crossing his arms behind his back. Raven watched her brother as he paced, and she sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Will you calm down?" Raven asked her brother as she rested one of her arms on the table. Qrow turned and looked at her.
"How can I be calm, Raven? He's in there… and Killian's here, and we're captured by the Atlesians. Ironwood's gone and… well I can't even imagine the shitshow that's going down in the U.G.R with him dead. The Atlesians were always paranoid, especially after the Battle of Beacon. But Ironwood managed to stoke those flames… I don't know what to expect now that he's gone." Qrow sighed, looking at the office that Ruby and Yang were both inside of. "This is a mess."
"Yeah… it is." Raven agreed sadly as she nodded her head. She looked at her reflection in the window, and then she glanced at her brother. She started to chuckle, and it surprised him when he looked at her. "Although… this does take me back." Raven said.
"Back? Back to when?" Qrow asked her curiously.
"The amount of times you and I were in detention, thanks to Old Man Oz." Raven chuckled, and Qrow scoffed.
"Which time? We were quite the rebellious kids back in the day." Qrow chuckled, making her laugh as well.
"It's in our blood I suppose." Raven said. "Remember that one time we were put in detention because we started that fight against the girl who was picking on Summer?" Raven asked curiously with a smile, and Qrow chuckled.
"Oh yeah… my hand hurt for a week after I punched him." Qrow said, grasping his right hand.
"It was one hell of a punch." Raven congratulated, and Qrow smirked and gave her the thumbs up. "I'll never forget sitting in his office, he went to go get himself a coffee – and I heard the sound of Tai and Summer arguing outside the window. They managed to climb up Beacon Tower and opened the window to free us. All four of us managed to get out, and I wish we could have seen the look on Oz's face."
"That was one hell of a rescue mission, not the last either. Summer always had some pretty ingenious plans. Although we probably should have stopped getting into trouble." Qrow said, leaning against the glass with his arms crossed.
"The amount of ridiculous ideas she would come up with… gods I'm pretty sure that Tai lost three pounds from how much he would sweat with anticipation of what her plan was gonna be. I can definitely see where Ruby gets her creativity from." Raven said as she looked at her nails.
"Definitely. Ruby's strategy sometimes goes like this – it's a plan that's so childish and stupid that nobody would ever expect it." Qrow said with a laugh, making Raven laugh too.
"Yep, that sounds like Summer." Raven agreed as she played with her long black hair.
"I'm sitting here… sometimes I expect to see her stupid little face poke out from round the corner to free us." Raven chuckled, before she wiped the tear from her eye. Qrow looked at her and they both were inside in total silence with pain in their eyes. But as they stood there, they turned and heard the sound of someone approaching. They turned and saw him, and it was Dutch. He knocked on the window and he had three cups of coffee for them, which was not what they were expecting. Qrow opened the glass door, they didn't bother locking those doors because there was no need.
If anyone dared to try and escape, they would not get very far due to how many forces were inside of this base, and the Rogues were far from stupid. They knew that running would be suicide.
"I imagine it's been a while since you had a nice coffee, huh?" Dutch asked the Branwens curiously, handing one of them to Qrow. He accepted it and Dutch walked over to Raven with a smile, offering her the cup. She took it and he sat down whilst Qrow stayed standing.
"The Black Gallows Dude With A Heart." Qrow said, that was always the title that came with Dutch, since he was practically the polar opposite of Killian.
"Heh, sounds like the title of a novel, doesn't it?" Dutch chuckled as he looked at the two of them.
"So, what is it you wanna talk about? I can't imagine you came here to chat about friendly shit, are ya?" Raven questioned, resting her legs on the table, crossing them over one another.
"Come on, don't be so hostile." Dutch said to her.
"No offence, but your boss tried to kill us literally today." Qrow commented as he took a sip from his coffee. Dutch nodded his head as he sat there, crossing is fingers for a moment, and then he turned to Qrow.
"I do not condone Killian's decisions, I tried to caution him against the action but… sometimes his condition makes him choose… dangerous and rash decisions. Like Beacon." Dutch explained as he crossed his arms.
"Condition? What? Has he got eczema?" Qrow scoffed.
"No… well not that I know of." Dutch chuckled. "But… I fear his past has created damage that may be irreparable. I may be wrong, maybe he could improve and help himself, but you have to understand that Killian has seen some of the worst things imaginable. Things that would make most people off themselves." Dutch explained, his wrist shook as he remembered some of those terrifying stories from back then.
Both of them stood there and they bowed their heads, they were not stupid and ignorant. "I get that… sometimes the things you see can change you. Not everyone can be as lucky as people like Yang. She managed to walk away as the same person she was, but even now… she's different. But that does not excuse the crimes that Killian has committed." Qrow explained and Dutch nodded his head.
"I agree with you, he has done terrible things. But you also must remember that he has done a lot of good, and I still believe that there is… still good in there." Dutch explained. "I just hope he can find it. Killian has to sides to himself, some people like to call it a Split Personality, or a Split Morality. One side that focuses on one thing only and that is the end goal, no matter who or what stands in his path. And the other judges every single factor, and the lives of the people he swore to protect." Dutch explained.
He then looked at them. "Sound familiar?" He asked them, and they looked at each other.
"Yeah… it does." Qrow agreed. "Jack used to be like that… he used to have a good side, but his bad side was terrifying even when we were kids."
"So you understand? Nothing is as black and white as good and evil. Every side has their own tale, a tale of good and bad. Mistakes and Achievements. Killian is the same in that regard, I know he has done terrible things and I do not believe he was right to do those things. But neither does he – Killian – he is a man who needs help. Guidance to the better path." Dutch explained to him.
"And you think you can grant him that?" Raven asked him curiously.
"I hope so. Because if Killian continues to make these dark choices… if he continues to make these calls like at Lake Matsu and Beacon Academy? The Unified Governments of Remnant will judge him, and they will lock him away." Dutch explained.
"You make it sound like that's a bad thing." Qrow scoffed.
"And who do they put in place to replace him? It won't be me; he and I are old friends and for that reason alone they could look at me as an Accomplice. What if they put someone else in charge and they are the polar opposite of Killian?" Dutch asked the two of them with concern in his voice.
"Again, you make it sound like a problem." Qrow repeated.
"No, we do not want someone in charge of the Black Gallows who is the polar opposite of Killian. If you take away his condition, and the choices he made for Matsu and Beacon? The choices he made were necessary, locking away the most dangerous men and women that have ever walked the Earth." Dutch explained, he stood up from his chair and he looked out the window. "The previous Leader of the Black Gallows was a woman named Anarietta Silvers. She did not have the stomach that Killian has, she would think too much about the choices she had to make. Weighing the consequences to the point where she ran out of time to make the choice. Too many dangerous criminals were allowed to roam free. The innocents suffered too much under her rule, she let some of them off the hook with warnings and threats. Missions failed because she could not sacrifice one hundred lives to save one million. And this was why so many people died during the Faunus Rebellion."
"The Faunus Rebellion?" Qrow questioned.
"The Black Gallows were supposed to end the conflict by arresting both leaders, to be the terrifying boogeymen that we were set up to be. To stop wars before they became out of hand, like the Great War." Dutch explained. "She could not bring herself to kill these leaders, or even to arrest them. She wanted to understand both sides, she wanted to save everyone. But no war is won or ended without sacrifices. The question is how many die."
Raven looked at him and she sighed. "The Ruthless Calculus of war." Raven stated as she stared at him.
"When she stood down, it was because she could not try and make those choices anymore. And as soon as Killian took control, thousands of dangerous people were put in prison. Humans, Faunus, Huntsmen, Huntresses… it did not matter. People who were causing chaos, murderers, thieves, abusers… he captured all of them and locked them away in the Black Cells. He stopped conflicts before they could start, wars between Faunus and Humans that could have been triggered, but the people who tried to ignite said war disappeared." Dutch explained, he turned to face them.
"Killian is not a perfect man… but he is necessary. Just like the Black Gallows. Because without us? There would be more Monsters out there… more than the Grimm." Dutch explained as he looked at the two of them. Dutch's story about the history of the Black Gallows was very surprising, they did not expect to hear such a story, they assumed that kind of information would be classified.
"So… what? How do you help a man like him? Don't misunderstand me here, I get what you're saying. The world needs to have a devil to stop other bad things from hurting the good people. But like you said… there comes a time where a person has been forced to do so many evil things that it starts to mould them into the embodiment of their decisions." Qrow explained with his arms still crossed over each other.
"Yes… but what if Killian still has a chance? A chance to make things, right? I still believe that he could still be brought back from that darkness." Dutch said, sounding extremely hopeful. But neither Branwens did not know.
"I don't know… look at Jackdaw. Can a man truly come back?" Qrow asked him, and Dutch looked at the feed with Jackdaw's monstrous smile.
"I hope so." Dutch said.
The way Dutch said that though… it was unclear if he was talking about Killian… or himself for being his right-hand man for the amount of time he has.
Eryka
She sat at the table with Winter next to her, things were nowhere near as tense between them as in comparison to Teams R.W.B.Y and J.N.P.R. They both sat there, and they gently leant their heads against each other, neither side were mad at each other for the sides they chose, because they understood. The only thing that upset each other was the fact that they had to be divided in the first place, but that fissure was quickly healing.
But as they sat there, the door opened, and they didn't even turn. They both assumed it was an Atlesian Interrogator. "How touching." Killian greeted, and they both swiftly stood up and held their fists up, even Winter did. Just because she was on the side of her sister, it did not mean she trusted or even remotely wanted to be on the same side as Killian. Both of them glared at him, and Eryka had far more fire in her eyes than her girlfriend. Killian chuckled as he walked inside of the office with his arms behind his back.
His onyx eyes met their blue ones. "Watch it, asshole." Eryka snarled. "I haven't forgotten what you did. That stunt you pulled at Lake Matsu."
"Clearly not… but speaking of clarity, that was what I wanted to talk to the two of you about. I assume Eryka has told you about Lake Matsu?" Killian presumed as he looked at Winter.
"Yeah she did – you took the law into your own hands and tried to kill them. Kill my girlfriend." Winter snarled with anger, staring Killian down.
"Well, as I said – I want to clear things up." He said as he walked around the table, sliding his fingers across the face of the table.
"You attacked us, that makes things pretty clear. You're our enemy." Eryka growled, tightening her scarred fists.
"That was the intention. I could have killed every single one you at the Floating Islands, but I didn't." Killian said.
"And here we are… chatting once more in an office." Eryka scoffed, it felt like a joke. After she just tried to kill this very individual a few hours ago.
"Funny how history tends to repeat itself, huh?" Killian said, clasping his hands together.
"Oh and that excuses it? What you did? It was beyond illegal, you worked outside of the parameters set by the U.G.R. Which… forgive me if I'm wrong… is also what you criticise US for doing as Huntsmen and Huntresses!" Winter yelled with anger, and pretty quickly it was becoming clear that her belief in the Vytal Consensus was falling apart by the second. It showed Killian for what he was – a hypocrite.
"Perhaps. But at the end of the day, my mission was to bring all of you in for your crimes. The U.G.R rarely ever bothers to look at the details of the work I conduct, simply because they are too afraid to. Too afraid of the real dangerous things that exist in the world that we make sure stay under our gaze… and under our control." Killian explained as he walked around the table, unholstering his Chrome Pistol and his Advanced Combat Dagger, setting both down on tip of a filing cabinet.
"But… as you can see… I do not want any trouble. Just to talk." He said, holding his hands up in the air before he pulled out one of the chairs and he sat down. Eryka and Winter glanced at one another before they both lowered their fists and sat down as well.
"Alright… fine… what the hell do you wanna talk about?" Eryka questioned, keeping her eyes narrowed whilst Dulcis sat inside his cage, staring at Killian with angry eyes.
"I –"
Dulcis suddenly screeched at him extremely loudly, causing him to jolt and roll his eyes. He stared at the Altum Eagle who smugly stared back. Killian turned to Eryka and Winter and he went to speak again. "I wanted to –"
SCREECH!
"I swear to the Brothers Grimm I will shoot that thing." Killian warned, and Eryka chuckled, before she whistled to Dulcis and he stayed quiet.
"Alright fine, get on with it." Eryka sighed, rolling her eyes at him.
"What happened at Lake Matsu, things could have been handled better, I admit." Killian said, then Eryka scoffed again.
"That sentence could sum up your career." Eryka replied.
Killian stared at her but then he continued. "I did not want there to be any bloodshed, and I apologise for what happened." What he said there… Eryka and Winter both had never looked so bewildered from hearing a man lie like that before.
"Did you hit your head or something?" Eryka questioned. "I saw you fighting with your soldiers. If it was just your soldiers then maybe I would believe that, but I watched you kill multiple Cartel and Tribe Members with that gun and weird super knife of yours." Eryka said, gesturing to the knife on the filing cabinet.
"But sometimes must be spilled. The people who you were with? They were criminals, killers and thieves… some of them were worse than that." Killian explained, and Eryka sighed. That was finally something they agreed on – the Branwen Tribe were not saints, not by any means.
"I am not excusing the things that the Branwen Tribe did, but what you did? Like Winter said, it was beyond breaking the rules. You pretty much went behind the backs of the Council, when they learn about this, they will not stand for any of it." Eryka explained as she leant forward.
"And they will understand." Killian said, which just made Eryka scoff again.
"I admire your confidence, hate to say that I don't share it, pal." Eryka shrugged. "And besides, the people are starting to speak out against you. You continuously lie to the world, bend history to your favour – and you continue to claim you do not want to be some kind of dictator or control people… but you are a man who wants nothing more than control." Eryka assured as she stared at him, and Killian smirked as he looked at her, rolling his arm.
"I thought you were a Huntress, not a lawyer." Killian pointed out. But as always, Eryka was instantly on him with a counterattack.
"You're the town drunk, who tears up the lawn and yells at the kids when they play outside. Nothing more than that." Eryka assured, but that smirk did not disappear from her enemy's face.
"Didn't you ever misjudge someone?" He asked her. "I know you encountered that man – Icarus. And that you and him were once old friends, and you never even suspected that he was trying to kill the man that was mentoring you on how to be better? And yet even when you knew the truth, you still tried to help him, and I admire that. Restitution for your own lack of insight. For failing to see the devil beside you." Killian said, staring directly into Eryka's eyes, but the Falconess glared right back.
"Oh I see him alright." Eryka promised, staring at him.
Killian's laugh was very sinister, it sounded both tyrannical but somehow very gentle, like that of a friend. His smile was so charming, which made him all the more terrifying. He stared at her for a couple seconds, before he suddenly drummed his hands on the table with a smile. "I brought whiskey!" He laughed, standing up from the table and walking over to his bag where the gun and knife were next to on the cabinet. He rooted through the bag and he pulled out the large bottle of alcohol, and she set it down on the table. Inside of the room were some tumbler glasses and he set them down on their table. "Either of you drink?"
"Sure." Eryka said, but Winter pressed her palm over the rim of her glass and pushed it away.
"Ah… my apologies." Killian said as he poured some into Eryka's tumbler. "I forgot about Willow." He said, and Winter stayed rather quiet about the personal subject about her mother and family. He filled his tumbler and he picked it up, sipping some of it. "It's funny… how alcohol can sometimes help someone relax… or can kill them. It all depends on the volume of it, wouldn't you agree?" Killian asked them.
"I rather not touch the stuff. I've seen what it to my mom, and I don't want it to happen to me." Winter said, Eryka paused and she looked at the glass, and then she set it down and pushed it away – for her girlfriend's sake
Killian looked at them and he drank it and stared at it. "Sometimes… when the nightmares and the hallucinations get really bad this stuff helps. It shouldn't, hell I wish I never touch the shit sometimes. But… it helps me sleep." Killian said as he stared at it. Both Eryka and Winter were far from heartless, and even though they hated his guts, they couldn't help but feel for him. He was a monster deep down, but there was a human suffering inside of there somewhere. One that was being tortured by his past and his memories.
"It's like a poison." Winter stated as she stared at the bottle, remembering how many of them she would find in her mother's bedroom.
"Isn't it just?" Killian agreed, setting his tumbler down on the table. The subject returned to what they were talking about. "The Vytal Consensus will help things, and I do not want to see anymore innocents die for something they never were a part of in the first place. I care about those people and I never take the deaths of innocents lightly and I know you don't either." Killian explained.
"Then stop forcing your beliefs on everyone. You could end up starting a war of beliefs." Eryka said. "And leave us alone, while you're at it."
"Well now, that would be an even bigger failure." Killian said, drinking more of the Whiskey. "You disobeyed me and the U.G.R, you shot up Vacuo's Market Street, butchered the Spiders. If I let that threat persist, then I look weak, and then the whole thing crumbles. The Vytal Consensus is necessary to prevent unnecessary bloodshed." Killian explained.
"You don't know that Killian, nobody knows how the dice are gonna roll." Winter said as she shrugged her shoulders.
"Now isn't that why we're here? The future… as you said none of us know what the future has in store for us. We don't know how many people may die… or how many will live. All we know is what we can build to ensure that we can save as many as we possibly can. And whether you like it or not, the Vytal Consensus will do that." Killian explained. "But if you continue to stand against me, against the U.G.R and the Consensus? You may end up triggering the conflict and getting hundreds… maybe thousands killed from some… kind of Inhumane outcome."
Killian shuddered; it was so faint that neither Eryka nor Winter noticed… but in his head? Killian was terrified of it.
The Inhumane Necessity… I cannot let it happen.
So many people will die… people who do not deserve it. I need this to work or she… Salem… will kill them all.
Both Winter and Eryka looked at each other, and they knew he was right. The signs were already there. There were the people who defended the Huntsman Academies and were against the Consensus, whereas there were the Puritan Followers who believed in what Killian wanted. And they simply wanted better security against the Creatures of Grimm and any other potential threats.
Even now… the Battle of Beacon was scarring everything around them.
Killian leant back into his chair and he sighed, he was tired of talking about the Vytal Consensus so much. It felt like he was just an echo at this point, constantly saying the same thing over and over and over again. So… he decided to talk about something else… something Eryka and Winter were not expecting.
"I don't think I ever told you, about what happened to my mother and father." Killian said, both of them looked at him. "Did you know that when Jackdaw got the name – Jack the Ripper – my parents were some of the victims? I was only a kid, at school, when it happened. I didn't have any other family, and I was put into an orphanage for a few years before my Foster Family accepted me."
"I'm sorry." Winter apologised.
"Thanks… my Foster Mother, her name was Alba, was loving and very accepting to me. She was gentle and wanted to make sure I was comfortable living with a new family before she started to get closer to me." Killian explained.
"What about your Foster Father?" Eryka asked.
"He was… an asshole. Not abusive, mind you, just a dick. He was racist and pretty homophobic, something that I always hated about the man. When I was nineteen, she was pregnant with a little girl. I was twenty when she was born. I wanted to make sure that she was safe, playing the big brother to her, even though we weren't related by blood." Killian explained as he remembered that. "Even when I joined the military… I always made sure I read every letter that they sent me. They were the ones that helped me through the dark days."
"How is she? Alba?" Eryka asked him, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
"When the father ran off with some woman a few years after my sister was born, we basically shared the work. And when I moved away, I tried to help Alba as much as I could. It was hard, trying to balance both a personal connection to my family, and having to make the inhuman choices I made to make sure the Black Gallows kept the world safe." Killian explained. "Alba always went to the same Bakery every single week to buy the same cakes and cookies. She had one hell of a sweet-tooth."
The three of them chuckled. "Until four years ago… I was at work. Interrogating these teenagers who were trespassing in the ruins of a battle from the Great War. Some of those places are off limits simply because of how many Grimm lurk out there, so we basically scared them to never go back. Otherwise they would die." Killian explained, they remembered those lands – they were utterly terrifying. Scarred from the war, and the Grimm owned it now – known as the No Man's Lands.
"After we sorted that situation was sorted out… I had a call on my scroll. There was an attack in Vale, from the Grimm. A train erupted from the ground, and Grimm flooded the streets… Team R.W.B.Y tried to stop it but unfortunately there wasn't much they could do to stop a train that size. And… Alba was there… buying things from the Bakery. When a King Taijitu crushed it with her inside, burying her." Killian explained, flinching as he remembered the call.
"Sorry Commander Killian, we did everything we could." Killian reminisced. "She survived, but… she was never the same. She could not move at all, trapped in a vegetative state, and still is to this day. Her daughter still believes that she can still recover from her condition but… I know that we will never hear her voice again." Killian said as he sat there, with the thousand-yard stare. He then snapped his fingers. "Gone. It was inevitable, nobody's fault. Of all the things I blame the Academies for this was not one of those events. Yes Ruby shouldn't have hidden that information about where Roman could have been… but they stumbled on his base through sheer luck. An army would have done the same, but never would have been able to stop that train." Killian explained.
This was very surprising.
"But that didn't stop me from asking myself the same questions… what if I was there? What if I could have stopped it somehow? Would she still be able to speak and walk around and… live… if I had just called her to make sure she was okay? Maybe it would have stopped her long enough to have not been inside of that bakery? The questions never stopped." Killian sighed as he sat there, then he leant forward and looked at them.
It was Eryka who spoke, and what she said surprised Killian most of all.
"Sometimes… we can't save everyone." She said, taking a sip of the whiskey, simply to honour Alba.
They may have hated him… but they still understood that pain.
Because they all felt the same thing at many points in their lives.
Jaune
He sat there and he stared at his fists, before he looked up at the office where Ruby and Yang were. He got up and walked towards the room and he pushed the door open and he looked at them there. They both looked at him and Ruby sighed, knowing this was gonna be an interesting conversation.
A Leader and a Leader.
Yang stayed out of this discussion, since Ruby wanted to handle this on her own. From one leader to another, and Ruby leant back into her chair as Jaune walked inside. He had something tucked under his arm, and he set it down on the table. Ruby's eyebrow raised at Jaune when she saw it was the Vytal Consensus. "Lemme guess, Killian gave you that thing?" Ruby questioned with a sigh.
"No actually, I saw it sat there so I wanted to bring it in here. Also, that thing is really heavy. I feel bad for the poor bastard who had to make this thing." Jaune said as he slapped the cover.
"It's a beefy boy, that's to be sure." Ruby said, sighing as she looked at it. This was one of the main things that divided their family, a big book. That was it, a book that covered things that she did not agree with. "So… why did you bring it in here? You know you can't change my mind on this thing, right?"
"Well… I don't know. I think that maybe I can." Jaune said as he looked at it, which made Ruby scoff.
"Good luck with that, pal." Ruby said as she looked at him.
"Will you please just hear me out?" Jaune begged, and Ruby groaned.
"Alright fine, go ahead." She gave in, sat upright now and she crossed her arms.
"The Vytal Consensus is still only in the Draft Stage, which means that things can change. Most importantly some of the things, like who we answer to. I heard about what happened at Lake Matsu, and what he did was wrong and directly went against the U.G.R and the Landmark Restoration Society's rules. He attacked and nearly destroyed the entire location, a place that has been there for centuries, maybe more than that." Jaune explained as he sat there. "He won't be able to explain away this one, not like Beacon with all those lies."
"Good, I always hated that Killian never got punished for turning Jaymes into a weapon." Ruby explained whilst Yang listened.
"So did I, trust me it really angered me." Jaune said. "But the thing is, I read through the Consensus and it cleared up some details. One of the things you really did not agree with was having to answer directly to Killian, but in fact you need to answer to the U.G.R, and all they ask for is a debrief of the mission that they give us. We don't answer to him, we answer to the Government. All they want is stability, but they will allow us to carry out our missions however we see fit. They simply expect us to follow the missions that they will assign us. Therefore every single team and solitary hunter is assigned to an area, and every single contract can be carried out at once, helping more people. Because funnily enough the amount of times multiple teams go to help a tiny mission before this? Well… it was astronomical." Jaune said with amazement.
"How many?" Yang asked curiously.
"Well, it was a mixed bag, but the worst one I saw was twelve Huntsmen and Huntresses who went to clear out a pack of Beowulves attacking a town. And because of that? There was another town too far away from other Hunters and was wiped out because of it." Jaune explained, and Ruby sighed. She did start to understand the importance of it.
"Okay… I guess I'm starting to understand it. But why is Killian gunning for this so hard? He's made it very clear that he hates the U.G.R." Ruby said.
"He believes that this will be better, and he wants to replace the Corrupt Politicians with those that are better." Jaune clarified.
"Who the hell is he to make that decision?" Ruby asked.
"Well he isn't the only one. Trust me I'm with you on that, I want Killian as far away from the Vytal Consensus as possible." Jaune explained, and Ruby sighed. "But this wasn't all I wanted to try and talk to you about. I know that Blake and Weiss mentioned it, but I wanted to fully explain what I have planned." Jaune explained.
"About… Salem? They told us about those people that came after you. Do you have any idea of why she would send these assassins for you?" Ruby inquired.
"Not a clue. I always assumed I was a nobody… but maybe I'm not. Not sure if I should be humbled or terrified by that." Jaune said as he sat down next to Ruby.
"Eh, how about Humbly Terrified?" She suggested.
"That sounds about right." Jaune laughed, and Ruby giggled.
"So… what do you want to do?" Ruby asked him.
"Well, when we were working with him back in Vacuo, and here, me and Killian have a bit of respect for each other. I know that Salem was the one who sent those people after us, and now that… Adam… is out and building an army of lunatics, we need to be ready. It's making me remember what Torchwick did, but we saw that thing she sent – the Praetorian Knight. That was completely different to anything we have ever seen." Jaune explained.
"And that thing was trying to capture you as well." Ruby commented.
"Yeah, I have no idea why she wants me, but if I'm being honest, I would rather find her before she finds me. And we need you… all of you. If I can convince Killian to give us the okay to follow their trail and try and take down Salem, he will let you go. But you have to let this go. Jackdaw is arrested, and he can't get out… we can fix this. All our problems and mistakes? Nothing has happened yet that cannot be undone. So if you just sign it… we can make the last few days legit and none of you have to be locked away in the Black Cells." Jaune explained.
Ruby looked at the Vytal Consensus and she closed her eyes, thinking of Weiss and Blake… and how she does not want to fail her team. She stood up and walked over to the book and she opened it and she saw their signatures. And the blank spaces where they needed to sign. She picked up the pen and looked at it. "I'm not saying it would be impossible but… there would have to be safeguards. Especially in case Killian tries something." Ruby explained.
Excitement was in Jaune's face, because all he wanted was for their family to be reunited. "Sure, once all this is sorted out and Jackdaw is locked away for what he did to your mom, the document can be amended to make things easier for all of us. It's happened countless times for so many documents like this. We'll have our mission put in place and Raven will serve time, then we will take down Salem as planned." Jaune explained, but both Ruby and Yang caught onto something that Jaune said.
"Raven?" They both questioned, he paused and stared at them.
"Uh… yeah? She's a killer. And the Chieftess of a Tribe of Bandits." Raven commented.
"Oh come on, Jaune!" Yang scoffed as she stood up, pacing back and forth. "The second, the second we start to see things on an equal level…"
"Raven lead her people and murdered lots of people, burned a house down and hanged the body of Lil Miss Malachite over the balcony like a message. And they have done much worse over the years, Yang." Jaune explained.
"And so have we, Jaune. I have killed people now, so have Nora and Ren." Yang stated.
"Under your mother's orders." Jaune stated.
"Killian left us no other choice." Yang argued.
"You're seriously defending her? Your own mother never gave a damn about you, she just abandoned you for a tribe of killers!" Jaune argued right back.
"SHE'S MY MOM!" Yang yelled furiously, her eyes glowed red at him and Jaune yelled right back.
"GIVE ME A BREAK!" Jaune bellowed, jolting both Ruby and Yang, they never heard him that angry before. "I'm trying to end this, before it triggers something worse."
Yang scoffed as she stood there, taking the pen from Ruby's hand. "You keep telling yourself that." Yang snarled, snapping the pen in half and dropping it on the floor. Jaune growled with anger, grabbing the Vytal Consensus and storming off, slamming the door behind him so hard that the bullet proof glass cracked.
Jaune slammed the Vytal Consensus down on one of the tables and he walked past Killian who stopped, looking back at him. "Jaune? What's wrong?" He asked him, but Jaune glared at him with anger in his eyes.
"Keep walking." He growled, before he stormed off, leaving Killian on his own. Jaune may have believed in the Consensus… but Killian played a massive part in the Divide. Jaune continued to walk until he bumped into Pyrrha.
"Oh! I'm sorry, Jaune… are you okay?" She asked him, noticing the tears that streamed from his eyes.
"I… I need to get out of this building for a while…" Jaune stammered, stressed from all the arguing he has had to go through. Pyrrha smiled as she caressed his cheek.
"Come on… let's go." She affectionately said to him, leaving Cypher's Ridge together.
Pyrrha
"Ha! You won!" Pyrrha cheered as she threw her fist in the air, a loving smile grew on her face. Jaune picked up the giant plushie teddy bear that he won from the airsoft gun shooting gallery. It was nearly as big as he was, swallowing him up in softness as he held onto it.
"Man… this thing looked a lot smaller hanging from the ceiling." Jaune chuckled as he hauled the giant bear over and he walked next to her. She held his hand as they walked.
"Gods… I've really missed this place. It's not perfect but it is beautiful, and the people are so welcoming." Pyrrha said as she looked around with that beautiful smile on her face.
"Yeah – I can see why they call it the Sleeping Angel of Remnant." Jaune said as they both walked together. But Jaune still looked quite sad, but some fresh air definitely helped him, alongside walking it off.
"Hey. How're you feeling?" Pyrrha asked him.
He sighed through his nose. "Uh… a bit better, just tired of all the shouting and arguing with people who are our family." Jaune said as he walked with her.
"They'll come around; I know it." Pyrrha promised, but he slowed down as he held the huge teddy bear. She looked at him and walked over to him, gently holding his hand. "Hey…"
"Pyrrha… do you think… that they're right? That we're just clinging to this… hope? This dream?" He asked her with concern.
"Jaune…" She gently said as she walked over to him, caressing his cheek. "Nobody is right or wrong, you have to understand that Ruby and Yang? They've always operated more on emotion than anything else… especially Yang. She's spent more time with her mother, finding out she was gonna lose her again? I am not surprised that she reacted the way she did, I don't agree with it, but I get it." Pyrrha assured as she stood there. "But don't focus on that, you are not wrong for believing that something good can come from this."
"I guess… I just wish that it didn't come to this." Jaune sighed, the two of them continued to walk together.
"They want to punish Jackdaw for what he did. But they are pushing us away to focus on that mission, and they can't see past it to see the real danger." She said as they walked together.
"I know." Jaune agreed, but as they walked, he slowed, and he stared at something in the distance. "What's that?" He asked and Pyrrha turned.
"Oh gods." Pyrrha tried to hide her face behind her steaming cup of coffee. They walked towards the large statue forged from Atlesian and Mistraalian Gold, one that was based off her form. A statue with a beautiful plaque.
Pyrrha Nikos
Our beautiful angel who always fought for us, and continues to do so
"I didn't know they made a statue of you." Jaune chuckled. "You think it was Pumpkin Pete's?" Jaune asked her curiously.
"Oh gods, you're probably right. I mean… I'm honoured but… ugh." Pyrrha groaned, hiding behind the cup.
"The Teddy likes it." Jaune joked, and Pyrrha shrank into her shoulders.
"This is too much, it's too much! I-I'm just a person, I don't need - or want - a gigantic gold - oh my gods, it's gold! Urgh." Pyrrha blushed, throwing her head back. "I'm just Pyrrha. Or that's all I want to be. Is that so much to ask?"
"No." Jaune shrugged, gaping for the right thing to say. "No, it's not too much, or at least it shouldn't be."
"I just..." Pyrrha looked back at the statue, before looking back to her cup. "It gets a bit ridiculous sometimes. I guess… that's why I fell in love with you… because you always saw me for… me…"
"Well... I'm here. And I see you. The real you." He smiled softly. "Forget the big golden chosen one behind me."
"Chosen one." Pyrrha snorted. "I told you not to bring up those plushies!"
"I can't help it, it's too funny how bad those toys were." Jaune grinned as she giggled. "At least we got this big guy." Jaune said as he shook the giant bear.
As they walked out, they both heard a gasp. "Jaune?" The voice gasped and the giggle of a baby could be heard. Both of them turned and bright happy smiles grew on their faces.
She was a young woman with wavy, dirty blond hair and blue eyes. She wore an orange top with a beige vest, light brown trousers with orange stitches on each side, and a pair of dark brown boots. In addition, she wore her wedding ring on her left hand and a bootlace necklace around her neck. "Saphron?" Jaune gasped with awe as he saw his older sister stood there, holding his baby nephew Adrian. Adrian was an infant with short black hair and huge brown eyes. He wore a white and blue long-sleeved shirt with denim overalls and white socks.
Pyrrha gasped adoration at the baby and she seemed to shoot towards Adrian, pinching at his cheeks as she kissed the top of his head and hugged Saphron. "Aw! I've missed you so much!" Pyrrha squeaked with joy, making little Adrian laugh happily to see her.
"Gods… I didn't even know you were here!" Saphron laughed.
"Yeah, we were planning to tell you, things have been pretty crazy lately." Pyrrha said.
"I heard what happened at Beacon. Were you there?" Saphron asked with worry in her voice.
"Yeah, it's kinda to do with what happened there." Pyrrha hinted.
"Well, we're actually gonna be having a nice dinner tonight, I was just about to go shopping. Would you like to have Dinner with me and Terra?" She asked her, and Pyrrha smiled with joy.
"Yes! That sounds perfect! Jaune? What do you – Jaune?" Pyrrha turned and saw Jaune looking over his shoulder into one of the alleyways.
"Huh?" He stammered, turning to see Pyrrha.
"You okay?" Pyrrha asked him.
"Oh, yeah… sorry I can't remember what that was." Jaune shrugged, walking away from the alleyway where he saw it.
But could not remember.
Author Note - That's not a good sign
This was an interesting chapter to write and honestly? The hardest part for me to write was that Arkos bit at the end XD I suck at fluff, I always have to keep the plot going (which is just my style because I hate reading parts where nothing is happening at all, but sometimes you need little parts like that). Also this chapter had one of my new favourite lines I have ever come up with
"But like you said… there comes a time where a person has been forced to do so many evil things that it starts to mould them into the embodiment of their decisions."
That line honestly is the best way to sum up how Killian became the person he is today, the more you make evil choices could end up turning you into the very thing you swore to destroy.
Killian's past with his Foster Mother was really cool to write too, and it all stemmed from the Volume 2 finale because honestly? I felt like there were no real consequences to that attack, and nobody seemed to die either. And whilst Alba did not die... she is now in a vegetative state (sadly).
And man... Jaune was so close to getting Ruby to sign it... until he mentioned Raven.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter - One Broken, One Whole
(P.S I love the name of the next chapter XD)
- Matt
