BAKU: THE WANDERER'S TOME
Chapter 8: Expanding Horizons
Days had passed since Jaune Arc and Lie Ren found themselves in Beacon Academy. They had managed to comb through at least half of the school, memorizing every small detail they could about the building. Of course they only did this for lack of anything else to do, but it had started to become somewhat of a hobby for the two males. They would wake up in the morning, freshen up (Glynda Goodwitch and the other professors had decided to chip in and buy them the essentials) clean up their little abode if need be, and go to the cafeteria to eat, and then be left with nothing else to do. Classes were on, but the duo had no interest in pursuing knowledge on the Grimm or any Huntress related history. Even Remnant history didn't interest the two much. There were girls that wanted to talk to them at all hours of the day, some of them going so far as to give Jaune and Ren their numbers, but since the boys had no interest in the majority of the women they were surrounded by, plus the whole not having scrolls issue, nothing came of these advances. Exploring Beacon seemed to be the only option they had until the big fight with Coco and her team occurred. This was admittedly upsetting. Where was the fun? Where was the adventure? Where were the stakes? The danger? Being invited to Beacon seemed like a great thing at first, but now it just seemed like a colossal waste of time.
But that all changed today. Suddenly, when the two boys had woken up in the morning, they found themselves meeting the gaze of Headmistress Olivia, Glynda Goodwitch, and some tall, military looking woman wearing a white suit. This was, of course, disturbing on many levels. How long had these people been staring at them? Why were they staring at them? Why were they even here in the first place? These were questions that immediately assaulted both boys' minds as they stared at the three individuals before them.
"These are the males you were talking about, Olivia?" The military woman asked. Olivia nods and adjusts her glasses.
"Yes, Ironwood. they are who I mentioned."
"They… don't seem like much, Olivia. Something's off about them though, are you sure it was a good idea to bring them into Beacon and let them roam freely? What if they do something to the students?" The military woman was apparently named Ironwood. What a strange name. Ren lifted an eyebrow at Ironwood's words.
"What would we possibly want from any of the students here? Assuming you know why we are here in the first place, that would be against our motives," He says quickly. Ironwood seems surprised that he spoke up.
"I am sorry. I did not mean to insinuate anything. I am just voicing my concern, given you two have no records in any of the four kingdoms and seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Not to mention the fact that you apparently possess the ability to use your aura, which is unheard of in men."
Jaune frowns and crosses his arms. "You people keep making a big deal over this whole "aura" thing, but I am afraid I do not know what you mean by that, nor do I understand what aura is in the first place," he says, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Ren nods in agreement.
"I do believe we need more clarification on what exactly aura is. I have my theories, but hearing information from those who actively use the force would do me much better than guesswork," Ren states, eyeing Goodwitch and Olivia.
Ironwood sighs, looking to Goodwitch and Olivia in confusion.
"Are you sure these two have aura? It's impossible for them to unlock something they know nothing about."
"That's not necessarily true, Ironwood. It is possible that they may have stumbled across their aura without fully knowing what it is."
"How are you even sure they have aura? They look like two normal teenage boys to me. Nothing special."
"Well," begins Goodwitch. "The students we sent to find them, Team RWBY specifically, said that they saw Mr. Lie floating in mid air, surrounded by a pinkish purple glow. None of Team RWBY is prone to flights of fancy, so I am inclined to believe that they indeed saw this young man floating in the air."
Ironwood looked exasperated, and full of disbelief. She could feel something strange about the two, like they had their own atmosphere, but that didn't necessarily mean that they had aura. It definitely didn't mean that they should be allowed in a school meant for huntresses in training.
"How is that concrete evidence of them being, as the media is now toting, the "Saviors of Men"? How is that proof of their abilities? I'm sorry, Olivia, but this all seems a little unfounded, and in my opinion, reckless. What if you are wrong, and these two are just normal boys? Then what? How do you stop the media and the praise, and furthermore, how do you deal with the backlash if such a thing were to happen? We need evidence to support these claims, Olivia. You know that."
"I do. I know that very well. Which is why I brought you here. I wanted you to see them, and feel their presence. It is… different, don't you think? But fret not, that isn't the only thing I want you to see. I will be running tests on the boys today, and you will be present to see the results, that way you can understand the importance of this discovery and why I must have these two here," Olivia speaks in a very even tone, not betraying any emotion or worry. Jaune and Ren look at each other.
"You do realize we are still present, right, Headmistress?" Jaune quips.
"I am aware," she replies coolly.
"If so, I'd like you to stop speaking as if we are not here, or somehow we aren't involved in whatever is taking place in the future. It's obvious we are, so you could at least think to include us in the conversation."
Ironwood nods in agreement.
"He is correct. They are the subjects of this discussion, as well as whatever experiments you are planning, so they should, and rightly so, be involved in the discussion," Ironwood states, giving Olivia and Goodwitch firm looks. She peers over at Jaune and Ren.
"I want to hear it in your own words, though. The both of you. Do you have aura? Or anything similar to it, since you claim to have little knowledge on the subject?"
The two mystics glance at each other, their faces blank but their minds worried. They had told themselves that they wouldn't reveal their powers and abilities to anyone in this world, in fear of what might happen if such things got out. Now they were being asked to do the exact opposite of what they had planned to do. Jaune, while usually simplistic in his thought processes, began to ponder over the consequences of telling their secrets to untrained ears. Ren, on the other hand, simply did not like the idea, and left it at that. But there was, of course, a bigger problem.
How would they progress in this strange tale if they didn't take a few risks? How would they get the adventure they were looking for if they didn't at least provide a bit of information to prove that they had strange abilities? This wasn't like a normal adventure, where the heroes are thrust into a situation they have no real control over, and thus must overcome the odds to gain that control. No, they were both in control from the get go. They were able to influence the course of this situation they found themselves living in based on their conscious decisions. There was no reason for them to stay, and there was no reason for them to leave. There was no reason to reveal anything about themselves, but there was also no reason to NOT do so. Everything that happened to them was in their control. For now. The duo seemed to have picked up on this, as they both smiled and nodded at each other before looking back to Ironwood, who seemed a bit concerned over their secretive behavior. Ren decided to speak first.
"I think we have something a bit more interesting than that. But seeing is believing, correct, Miss Ironwood? It would be best to show you some of what we are capable of. Then you can make your own opinions."
Ironwood seemed to ponder this for a few moments before answering Ren.
"Hmm. Very well. Olivia, what are these tests you were planning?"
"Just a few things Glynda and I have cooked up. Mr. Arc. Mr. Ren. Are you two comfortable with doing slightly strenuous combat activities?"
"Of course," Jaune says happily.
Ren nods. "I am always ready for a challenge."
"Good. Come with us. I'm sorry, but today you'll have to skip breakfast."
This elicited a groan from the two males as they stood up, both of them already dressed and ready to go about the day.
[|]
Headmistress Olivia brought Jaune and Ren to what was referred to in the school as the "combat arena". It looked, on the surface, like a normal classroom, until one was to walk deeper in and notice the gladiator arena dead in the middle of it. It was a strange feat of architecture that made Ren wonder why they didn't just construct an arena outside of the school, which no doubt would give the students more room to fight, and would reduce the risk of any of the desks being destroyed. Whatever. It wasn't his school, and he didn't design it, so there was no real reason to hold on to any stray thoughts of confusion about the architectural sensibility. On the right side of the area was a doorway, which Olivia explained as the entrance to the changing rooms, where students would change into their gear to get ready for combat. Jaune didn't understand why the students didn't just come battle ready beforehand, which should be easy since they all should have schedules telling them that it was time to go to combat class, but that was just a thought. It made sense in a practical way.
In the center of the arena, Jaune Arc and Lie Ren stood next to Goodwitch and Olivia. A small distance away, Ironwood was standing, her scroll aimed at the two boys, most likely recording everything they were doing. Headmistress Olivia backed away from the two.
"The objective of these tests is simple," She began, tapping the end of her cane onto the reinforced concrete of the arena. "I want to observe how you two are in combat against each other, and measure out how powerful your abilities are. Unfortunately we cannot register you to a scroll to observe the amount of aura you have, due to the fact that you may simply be incompatible with the technology. But that doesn't mean we won't be paying attention." Jaune puckers his lips slightly.
"You just want us to fight? That's it?"
"Yes, Mr. Arc. That is it."
"Okay, that's easy enough," Jaune says as he focuses his eyes on Ren. "You hear that, brother? All we have to do is spar! Easy as pie."
"I agree. Though I expected something more… exciting? Or interesting, to say the least."
"Aye, me too. But this'll be fun! We haven't sparred in weeks! It will be good to get our fighting juices flowing after such a long break!"
Jaune and Ren both nodded at each other, clearly excited to fight one another after so long of not doing so. Glynda looked between the two, her interest piqued. She wasn't sure what was about to happen, but something told her it would be fun to watch. She backed away from the boys as well, before clearing her throat. They both turned to her.
"Try not to hurt each other. We are going leave the arena to give you two more space. Ironwood will be recording, so do try and impress her."
With that, Ironwood, Glynda, and Olivia left for the desks above the arena, leaving Jaune and Ren by themselves. They both backed away from each other, allowing a decent space to form between them before they started their spar. There was a certain tension in the air, a strange feeling of mental arousal. Both males were not shy to fighting, in fact they relished it. Of course, they didn't like the violence associated with combat, but when it was a friendly spar that didn't involve killing or seriously injuring another sentient being, it was arguably one of the most entertaining things to do in the Universe.
"You may begin!" Goodwitch calls from up above.
The two males stand, staring at each other, neither one of them making a move. To the three women staring down at them, it seemed like they were both uncertain, but the boys knew differently. They were both mulling over what techniques to employ, and how to counter each other in battle. Slowly they begin stalking towards one another, Ren pulling out his curved knife, and Jaune cracking his knuckles. They both stop again, this time only a few feet away from each other, going into their own respective fighting stances. Ren reaches into his cloak and procures his grey dagger.
Jaune slid his left foot behind him slightly, and angled his body to the right, holding his arms up in front of him. Ren half crouched, balancing himself on the balls of his feet, placing one hand on the floor and using the other to point his knife at Arc. Nothing happened between the two for what seemed like a full minute, just them staring at each other in their strange stances, unmoving as if they were both made of stone.
Suddenly, Ren began to lean forward. Using the hand that was on the floor, Ren pushed himself forward and propelled off of the balls of his feet towards Jaune at a speed that made Ironwood go wide eyed. The blond boy, expecting this, dashed towards Ren, his arms spread out.
The two boys clashed, with Jaune catching Ren's wrist as he attempted to plunge his knife downward into his chest, and Ren catching Jaune's right fist with his free hand. Smirking, Jaune kicks himself off of the ground, flipping over Ren while the two were still holding onto each other, leaving them facing opposite directions with their hands behind their backs. Ren twists around, attempting to yank his arms free, only for Jaune to let go, causing Ren to lose his footing and fall to the ground.
At least, that's what Jaune was hoping for.
Instead, Ren deftly catches the ground with one hand and spins, using his legs as a weapon, forcing Jaune to block the incoming kicks. The kicks were so powerful that Jaune found that his feet were no longer on the ground, and that he was flying through the air. Doing a flip, Jaune lands cleanly, rolling out of the way just as Ren slams his blade into the ground where Jaune once was. The force of the impact caused a minor shockwave to erupt, surprising Olivia as she watched the display. Wisely, she chose to remain quiet until the fight progressed further.
Jaune dashes towards Ren, throwing a flurry of punches that seem to be nearly invisible, yet somehow Ren still manages to dodge them with what looks like relative ease. He jumps backwards, sliding across the arena floor as he lands before propelling himself forward and slashing. Jaune catches the swing, narrowly avoiding the tip of Ren's blade.
Ironwood, Glynda, and Olivia watch closely as the two fight, observing the confident way both boys fought. They weren't new to combat, and that was certain. Even if they didn't have aura, they were a step above many men, and also some huntresses in training with their technique.
Jaune puts his hands behind his back, surprising Olivia and Goodwitch.
"What is he doing?" Goodwitch questions.
"I think we are about to see," Olivia replies curtly.
Jaune stands still as Ren slowly circles him, obviously looking for an opening. Something seems to satisfy him, as he dashes forward, blade steady in front of his face. He kicks off of the ground and summersaults over Jaune's head, swinging with a calculated fury as he did so. Jaune weaves around each attack, twisting around to face Ren as he lands. The blonde boy quickly closes the distance between them and begins to deliver a series of quick kicks, alternating between each leg with ease. Ren uses his forearms to block most of the strikes, but one slips through and hits him in the side of his torso, causing him to buckle as pain shoots through his body. He stumbles slightly from the blow. Jaune, noticing this new advantage, quickly spins and throws his foot towards Ren's face. Ren, however, is not caught unawares, and allows himself to fall backwards, avoiding Jaune's entire leg, as well as his other leg as he tries to follow up the intial attack with a quicker, albeit weaker move. Ren allows himself to hit the ground before lifting his knees to his chest and performing a smooth backwards roll which puts him back on his feet just as quickly as he fell. The movement was so formless and light that Ironwood had to do a double take.
Jaune smirks and removes his hands from behind his back. He had shown enough.
Olivia adjusts her glasses, lost in thought. This was proving to be an interesting endeavor.
Walking down the streets of Vale, a girl dressed head to toe in black cautiously made her way through the crowds of people gathered around. She wasn't exactly one for large groups of people, but at this point, that didn't matter. She wasn't in the best mood, with the loss of memory not helping much. It was a strange time for her, especially as she wasn't from Vale and had no idea how she had gotten there. She had awoken in an alleyway, unsure of where she had ended up, but certain that it wasn't a mistake for her to end up here, in this world. That being said, the only reason she knew anything about the place she had found herself stranded in was because she had asked a passerby where she was. They told her about Vale, and how it was one of the four kingdoms. Whatever those were. Before they could say much else, she walked away.
Bringing up the hood of her jacket to cover her black hair, the girl kept walking, hoping that by doing so she would eventually find out why she had appeared here in the first place, and by extension find out how why.
Maybe she would, maybe she wouldn't. It was not the first time something like this had happened, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. She had been a wanderer for years, not staying in one place for too long. It wasn't necessarily her choice, nor was it something she wanted to do, or something that made her happy. It just was. In all her life she had never been able to settle down and actually get to know where she was living too well. The circumstances of her life always preceded her, and eventually she would have to flee once more. How did she know that? What did it mean?
There was one thing that was a constant in her life, though. And that constant was the pale brown book with a golden eye trapped within a pyramid on its front cover, hidden away in the black single strapped bag sagging down by her hip. The book was always there. It provided comfort, hope, and security. Gave meaning to the meaningless. Light to the darkness. Darkness to the light. And most of all, it gave insight into the nature of the reality around her, and what her grander purpose was. It was more important to her than her own identity, her own name. Name? Name. Name. Name. What was her name? What was the name of the book? No, no. Focus. What was her name?
The girl, or rather, the woman, stopped in her tracks and thought for a moment. Her name. What was it? How could she have forgotten that so easily? She could have sworn she knew it before she woke up… but the problem was that she didn't remember much from before waking up. It was all a blur, a cobbled together mess of ideas and concepts. Somewhere in her mind, though, a name was floating around, waiting to be known. What was it? Wait. That's it.
Summer. Her name is Summer.
What did that matter though? She didn't remember the importance of that name, or the people who had spoken it and given it meaning. All she knew was that she was lost. Again. Or maybe she wasn't? It was possible she had been here before. Not in Vale specifically, but here. In this world. It wasn't familiar, but it wasn't unfamiliar either. More like a hazy rendition of an already blurry dream.
The book. The book. What was the book? What was it for? What did it represent? How did she get it? Who is it for? What does it do? Beyond the vague concepts and distant feelings, she knew nothing of it. Only that she knew that it was important. That it was safety. That it was salvation. That it was God.
Summer lets her hands travel down to the bag that held the hardback leather tome. What was it again? It was important, she knew that much. But just how important? How important was she? Maybe in time she might remember. No, she would remember. She always did when she needed to. As inconsistent as her memory was, something always seemed to come up when she needed it. All she needed to do was focus and listen to the one who watches. The one resting in the seat of knowing.
She gazed up to the sky. It was a clear day. Not a single cloud present. The sun was beaming down happily, and despite her sour mood from having to start over again, Summer found herself enjoying it. Her silver eyes twinkled in the sunlight. A small smile crept up on her features. Maybe she would get it all right this time. Maybe she would be able to stay in one place and settle down. Find a man or something. Have kids. Be happy and free from her burden, the one her entire bloodline had to deal with. Her entire bloodline? What did that mean? What burden?
A fractured memory came flooding to her mind. A bright smile. A warm hug. Tears of frustration. Separation. A flash of light. Sad eyes. The passing along of the book she now possesses. And finally, a simple phrase that left a haunting feeling in her chest.
"You're gonna have to carry that weight."
Jaune throws Ren away from him, hoping to get a moment of reprieve from the onslaught of his brother's blade to formulate a new plan of attack. He'd fought Ren before, and every time they clashed he had to come up with new ways to avoid the clinical and effective way Ren went about combat. He glances to the three women currently observing them. There was no real need to show off some of his more… strange abilities, but that didn't mean he could show a trick or two. His eyes began to glow faintly. Ren notices this and smirks.
Jaune places his hands together and closes his eyes for a moment, a reddish grey aura surrounding him for a few seconds before his eyes shot open. He lifts a hand to the air, his pointer finger extended towards the ceiling, then uses his other hand to point towards the ground, muttering something under his breath that only Ren could hear. The black-haired boy smiled wickedly, standing straight up and doing the same, whispering words in a low tone. He was then briefly surrounded by a pale glow, which shifted between purple and a sickly grey. The two boys held their positions for a few moments before immediately shooting forward at breakneck speeds, fist meeting blade, sparks flying from the impact.
"Did you get that, Ironwood?" Glynda asks, leaning forward to observe the fight. Ironwood, at a loss for words stares at the controlled conflict with renewed interest. Olivia, ever enigmatic, smiles and taps her cane onto the floor.
"I take it your doubts have been removed, Ironwood?"
"That's one way to put it. This… this discovery! It can change the playing field for us, for everyone! Olivia do you understand how big this is?"
"Apparently so. I am the one who invited them to my school, after all."
The trio said nothing as they watched the two males exchange blow for blow at speeds that should have been reserved only for trained huntresses.
Olivia keenly observed the fighting styles of both boys. They seemed to employ the use of martial arts, though Ren seemed more comfortable with his dagger. Perhaps he was normally a blade wielder? By his stance and the way he carved through the air with his knife, it seemed as though he was accustomed to longer blades that gave him more reach. What he was doing with only a simple dagger, Olivia did not know, but she could say for certain that it wasn't his preferred weapon. Arc on the other hand was purely focused on unarmed close quarters combat, sometimes using his legs and feet to his advantage to give himself variety and an air of unpredictability. His style reminded her of Yang Xiao Long's, though his seemed much more tempered and controlled. There was no anger or even adrenaline involved with each attack, instead, he seemed to flow into every hit as though he were dancing. Each move was smooth and had purpose, with no punch or kick being used without reason. These two were obviously very well trained, but by whom? When she had first met them she could sense a power beyond what she had ever felt. Something greater than either her or Salem. Something that possibly even surpassed the brother gods in terms of its potency. That wasn't to say that they were gods, or even that powerful, no… more like they were… divine in some way, like they didn't belong in the bodies that they were inhabiting. Like they had a different form they were more comfortable with. The way they fought only served to reinforce her suspicions.
Jaune twirls, then uses the momentum from his spin to deliver a downward kick to where Ren was… or rather had been. The black haired boy seemed to nearly vanish as he avoided the attack, dipping under Jaune and neatly rolling around him, planting his feet onto the ground and twisting his body to face his opponent. He was now behind Jaune, and had a split second to act, and act he did. Lunging forward, he delivered a series of thrusts and slashes at different points of Jaune's body, namely the neck, back, and lower thighs. Olivia recognized these areas of attack as lethal debilitating hotspots. Areas you would aim for if you wanted to immobilize then kill your target. One of these made contact with the blonde's back, causing him to grunt in pain before maneuvering under the blade and creating distance between himself and Ren. He turned to face his adversary, his arms raised in front of him. His eyes narrowed and a smirk formed on his face before he let his arms fall to his sides. Ren, who had adopted a forward stance, regained his normal regal posture, and slid his blade back into his black cloak.
They both began to laugh suddenly.
"I think that's enough showing off for now. Though I do admit, that little three minute spar was quite nice. We definitely need to set up an area in which we can train like this on a daily basis," Jaune says calmly. Ren nods.
"Definitely. It's been a while since we've used a bit of… manipulation, hasn't it?" Ren responds, the smile on his face never faltering.
"If you don't count using the lord force… then yes. It has been a while. Now, about our spectators. Do you think that was enough for them?"
"I believe so. We gave them a taste of what we can do without revealing much. Better to have plenty of tricks up our sleeves than show them everything in the book," Ren quips. Jaune laughs heartily.
"Right you are, comrade!"
Olivia, Goodwitch, and Ironwood enter the arena, the three of them beaming with a kind of childish joy. Ironwood was the first to speak.
"Well, I didn't expect that. You two are the real deal. I apologize for doubting you."
Jaune nods. "It is no big deal. I can understand your skepticism. Sometimes you must see to believe." He says, turning to face Ironwood. The general smirks, looking down at her scroll.
"Still, you two blew my expectations away… if you don't mind me asking, however, why did you both stop to point at the ceiling and the ground?"
"I cannot say," Ren says quickly.
"Neither can I. It is okay for you to see, but not for you to know," Jaune states, a strange eeriness in his tone.
Ironwood isn't happy to hear that, but before she gets the chance to pry, Olivia steps into the conversation.
"I am thoroughly impressed by your skill. You clearly have the talent of huntresses. I would love to see you fight our students, only if to better gauge where your skillset truly is. I feel like you both were holding back quite a bit."
"Yes," Goodwitch interjects. "It did seem as though you two weren't going all in. May I inquire as to why?"
Jaune gives Ren an unreadable look. The boys shrug at the same time.
"There is no point in fighting as though our lives depended on it. This is not the time nor the place for such things. We wanted to prove to you that we have abilities that match this… aura. Or your idea of it. Speaking of which," Jaune trails off, looking to the three women before him expectantly.
"Right," Olivia says. "I do believe an explanation is in order. Though I must again question why you need this explanation when you clearly used aura during your fight."
Ren chuckles. "What you consider aura we may very well consider something else. They may not be the same thing, only similar."
Olivia seems somewhat satisfied with the answer, while Ironwood looks more or less confused. The headmistress clears her throat.
"Aura, as we know it, is the physical manifestation of the soul. It allows huntresses to go above and beyond their limits, absorb damage that would usually kill the average person, and heal wounds. It also allows for the use of something called a 'semblance'. A semblance is an ability unique to every woman with aura, and their effects range heavily. There are no two semblances alike. Does that help you two understand aura more?"
Ren places his hands on his hips, his pink lock of hair falling over one of his eyes. Jaune rubs his chin in an exaggerated thoughtful expression. The two then stare at each other before shaking their heads.
"No." They say in unison.
"Though I will say it sheds some light on things. Aura is essentially a force field that protects its user. Is that about right?" Ren questions.
Ironwood sighs.
"If you want to get simplistic, yes."
"Okay. But that still doesn't answer our inquiry. What is aura? You say it's the physical manifestation of the soul… but how do you know this? Who discovered it? Why does it even exist? Where did it come from? What is it?"
The three women stared at Ren. He knew that they couldn't answer that question. At least, not all of them could. There was something about the way the headmistress seemed to slightly tense up when he began asking the deeper questions on his mind, as if she knew he had stumbled upon a thought process that led to answers that must be kept a secret. Alas, silence reigned supreme over the arena, no one saying a word. Eventually, Jaune began to laugh and placed a hand on Ren's shoulder.
"I think we've learned enough about this… aura. If you say we have it, then we might as well believe. It's clear to me that all the answers aren't exactly there, and even if they were… I doubt any of you would be willing to actually tell us them. Now, if we are done here, Ren and I have a date with breakfast. We should still have time, right Miss Goodwitch?"
"Yes. I believe you still have around twenty five minutes until breakfast is over. You two are dismissed… unless you need them still, Ironwood? Olivia?"
Ironwood gives a subtle shake of her head.
"No, I think I've got what I need for now. If anything else pops up, I'll be sure to come back and check on you two boys. For now, however, I need to show this tape to my research team to see what steps we need to take next in understanding aura in men. I must be off." Ironwood leaves without another word. Olivia adjusts her glasses and gives the duo a smile.
"You two are free to go. Thank you for cooperating. I know you two value your secrecy, and do not wish to show us much about yourselves, but I advise that you do. After all, the whole world is counting on you now." Olivia follows after Ironwood. Glynda nods at the two before leaving as well, leaving Jaune and Ren alone in the arena.
"Wait. What does she mean by 'the whole world is counting on you now?'" Jaune questions his comrade. Ren shrugs.
"I believe we will find out in time. Sooner rather than later."
[|]
Jacob was, as usual, not having a good time. When he agreed to work for Cinder Fall, the sexy fire bitch that had killed his entire crew only days previous, he hadn't expected that he would also be working for the White Fang by proxy, along with Adeline Taurus herself. That wasn't his plan. He just wanted the ten thousand lien so he could have an excuse to sit on his ass for a month. Now he was roped into shit he didn't give a single flying fuck about.
What's that? You want to get revenge on the humans for all the years of racism, slavery, hostility, and general fuckery? So the fuck what, no one cares about your dumb fucking cult. Even the SDC, who you torture routinely, doesn't give an actual fuck about your cult. No one does. The only reason why they pay attention to you is because you keep stealing shit like filthy, degenerate low lives, and the fact that your movement is so counterproductive that you make jelqing look like a splendid idea.
All Jacob wanted was some easy money and a way to say 'fuck you' to the government. He didn't want to play Species Mediator or whatever the hell he was doing now. What was he doing now? Standing at a White Fang super secret 'I swear we aren't a cult' meeting, listening to Adeline spout off some shit about faunus superiority. If you were so superior why'd you get enslaved in the first place? Why the hell do you keep losing wars despite your superior senses? Why is most of your species stuck in the equivalent of a back alley ghetto on an island in the middle of damn near nowhere? No one's asking these questions. Jacob desperately wanted to, but he was given a gag order by Torchwick because apparently his mouth was 'bad for business'.
Fuck her. He'd gladly let her know that his mouth, on more than one occasion, had paid the bills. For some reason he got the feeling that that would raise some eyebrows though, so he should probably keep it to himself.
"We are going to attack here. This is where the next shipment of dust will be. If we can get there by the end of the night, we'll be able to launch an attack that the SDC won't be prepared for. We'll take the dust and eliminate any foe that stands in our way. Especially if they're humans."
Jacob rolls his eyes. Isn't that a bit racist? Isn't racism what you're fighting against? How is killing random guys just doing their job going to end faunus oppression? Doesn't that give people even more of an incentive to hate your people?
"Once we get the dust, we'll stockpile it here with the rest. We are nearly done building our reserves, nearly done with our semi-final solution," Adeline growls angrily.
Jacob forgot to mention the edge radiating off of this woman. She was a total bitch in every sense of the word. She was a lesbian too, so that just made it even worse. She was like a dude with tits. Not to mention the super edgy fucking red and black 'look at me I'm oppressed and mad about it' outfit she wore. It was atrocious. And that hair. Girl you need to find a different fuckin' barber. Jacob groans to himself.
He's standing at the far right corner of the room, leaning on the dingy grey walls of the warehouse they were cooped up in, bored out of his mind and confused as to why he was even there. Where the hell was Torchwick? Why wasn't she here? She was the one working super close with these retards, not him. He was just some criminal overlord trying to make ends meet and hopefully collapse the Valean economy through the sheer wit of his business ventures. That was coming on reeaalll slow right about now. You know what? Screw it.
Jacob reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a bag of hot chips. He hadn't eaten all day, might as well do it now so he could have at least a little bit of energy.
"We'll have a team waiting outside, right around here, for when we finally get the shipment. You, the one raising your hand. What is it?" Adeline turns her attention to one of the masked White Fang grunts, who was dressed in the usual grey and black armored uniform of the cult.
"Uhh… so you're saying we're gonna rob this shipment. With teams?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
This causes Jacob to focus his attention on the White Fang goober. This guy… wait no, this woman, was asking the right question. Jacob scratches his head. He keeps forgetting about the gender disparity. You'd think that he wouldn't, due to him living in a society where men were seen as the inferior sex, but he did nonetheless. No one bothered him about it. He never had to deal with this sort of thing when a lot of the underworld consisted of dudes in masks out to make a quick buck. Usually the females of the underworld were the big dogs, the ones that pulled the strings from the shadows while lining their purses with fat stacks of illegal cash. He didn't see them often, and he didn't think he wanted to, if Cinder was any inclination of what they acted like.
Adeline stares at the faunus in what can only be assumed to be either anger or angry confusion. Its hard to tell when they had those dollar store grimm masks on. Seriously, who's idea was it to make those anyway? And how do they make so many? Is it underpaid faunus labor? Because that's what Jacob had his money on.
"What do you mean, why?"
"I mean… why are we stealing dust? What are we gonna do with it?"
"We're using it to gain power, and to strike fear into the hearts of humans! Isn't that obvious? And we have a plan to use it to cause some serious damage to Vale, a little taste of my grander plans." Adeline seemed satisfied with that answer, and went back to the map on the table she was standing in front of.
"Now, as I was saying. When we get the… what do you want now?"
The faunus nervously scratched the back of her head as she put her hand down.
"Uh… well… about the whole stealing dust thing. Isn't stealing it counterproductive? I mean… the more we steal the more the SDC needs to provide right? So if that's the case, wouldn't that mean that they would also need to produce more in order to fill the need for the dust that's been stolen? And wouldn't that, by extension, lead to faunus in the mines having to work harder to mine more of it? Which would then lead to more mistreatment, which would then lead to more work-related injuries and deaths, thus robbing more families of their loved ones and hurting faunus as a whole? Isn't that like… the exact opposite of what we want to do?" The intelligent faunus asked. Jacob nodded. Very valid thought process. How's hot topic going to react?
"You don't get it, do you? We need to do this for faunus in the long run! If we don't steal the dust now, and make a change now, who's to say the SDC won't just increase the workload on the faunus they have anyway? Who's to say that humans won't turn against faunus even more, and force us back into slavery, just to mine their dust and act like the animals they think we are!?"
"Still though, wouldn't it be better to just… I don't know… try to start up our own dust mining operation? You know, enterprise. Make businesses for the faunus? Like... have a mining operation that treats faunus fairly and caters specifically to us. Then we wouldn't need to steal dust because we're making it. Now, hear me out, it sounds like a longshot I know, but we can potentially use this idea to boost the economy of the Menagerie and make it into an actual world power, so that we get more rights when it comes to trade embargoes and tariffs. We can even use it to solve the faunus unemployment problem, and perhaps we can even use it to start building up faunus communities in the four kingdoms, as a result, cutting down the homeless population by 45.76 percent. I have some schematics here that I've been working on—"
A loud bang rings through the warehouse, and the faunus crumbles to the ground, a bloody hole in her chest. Wow. Bad time to not have your aura unlocked. Jacob crunched on some hot chips. The rest of the faunus in the room stared at Adeline Taurus in fear as she sheathed her weapon.
"Anybody else not loyal to the cause?"
There were no answers.
Jacob smiles as he leans against the wall, smacking on his chips. The faunus had her heart in the right place. Unfortunately it was now all over the wall. And on the floor. He did find it strange how Adeline hadn't mentioned him yet. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was dressed like a White Fang underling. Who knows, it wasn't his job to pay attention to the small details. All he knew was that at the end of the day, all of this was stupid, and if you pointed that out within this retarded cult, you'd get shot for insubordination. How quaint. If this was all the faunus had to offer in terms of an uprising, then Jacob was nearly one hundred percent sure that it was going to end as one big dumpster fire.
Luckily he was just along for the ride, and not in any way involved with these weirdos. He finished his bag of chips and tossed the remaining bad to the floor, not caring if he littered. Of course, this would normally be an offense punishable by death to him, since it was good to keep the planet clean, but he couldn't care less while being around suck a lack in IQ points. It's like they left all their brain power at home or something. It would explain why the White Fang grunts are always getting their asses handed to them by random kids from the equivalent of High school 2. Jacob stretched a bit, ignoring whatever it was that Taurus was spurting out of her mouth, instead choosing to leave the warehouse and go outside for a bit of fresh air. As he walked outside he could hear the familiar sounds of underpaid faunus labor as various grunts scurried about lifting up heavy crates of dust and putting them onto various bullheads.
They seemed to work efficiently enough. Well, as efficiently as toddlers could work when given a square block and a circle hole to put it in. They were all highly unorganized, walking around and bumping into each other for no real rhyme or reason. There was no structure, no real motivation, just angsty resignation and a forced sense of obligation. Was anyone actually happy to be here? Or were they all just kinda bored and wanted to get out of the house so they can pretend like they're somehow making the world a better place? Jacob stares at them in relative disgust. Now, he was no racist, for he hated all men and women equally, but he was definitely anti-shitbag. If you were going to get work done do it fast and efficiently and get the hell out of the way. Don't just stand around with your thumb up your ass like an absolute fuckface.
And if you were going to do that, at least act like you're taking a smoke break. Come on, that's just basic asshole 101 right there. Don't got work? Either pretend to smoke or act like you have something to do. That's how you kept a job. Jacob felt a certain irritating itch at the back of his throat. He wanted to start ordering these cultists around like he owned the place, but luckily someone did it for him, and that someone just so happened to be Rosan Torchwick herself, fashionably late as per usual.
"Alright, speed it up you animals, chop chop! I don't have all night and neither do you, let's go!" The criminal mastermind yelled, waving her cane around and pointing at random idiots who weren't being very good terrorists. Jacob smiled and watched the show, his hands in his pockets.
As annoying as Torchwick was, she was doing some decent work here, given the material she had to work with. This job reeked of amateur planning, and it was a miracle the thief hadn't up and blown her brains out yet. Jacob's eyes moved from Rosan and focused on the peer overlooking the waters of Vale. This job had him on the docks, watching as a bunch of terrorists stole dust and delivered them to the warehouse, which they would then deliver to some safe point afterwards. The night was getting older by the minute, and Jacob felt the need to sleep arising within his mind and body. Thankfully everything was going smoothly enough to where no one had to worry about random people showing up to make things more difficult—
"Attention White Fang! Stop what you're doing and listen to me!" Yelled the voice of a female Jacob didn't recognize.
Jacob swivels his head around to the source of the voice, only to see a girl dressed in black and white standing atop of a crate of dust. The White Fang lackeys, for some unintelligible reason, decided to stop and listen to this random tramp that looked like she worked at a strip club that required all of its workers to be half dressed. She carried on with her speech, or whatever it was she was doing.
"LISTEN TO ME! What you are doing is WRONG. This isn't helping faunus kind at all! It's only making things worse. You are working with the likes of Rosan Torchwick, a criminal and a human that doesn't care about the faunus at all! You are all being used for material gain, and that is unacceptable! You have to stop!"
Jacob walks up to Torchwick, standing by her side as the girl in black and white continued to spout facts and logic. They look at each other. Rosan groans.
"You know, for once, things should be simple. For once."
The sounds of a bullhead lifting off tore the two criminals away from the scene before them, casting their attention to the skies. Adeline Taurus was leaving.
"So soon?" Jacob questions. Rosan curses under her breath.
"This is NOT how I wanted my night to go. First I have to deal with these… these… these morons, and now I have to deal with some self righteous bitch that thinks yelling some dumb speech on top of a crate is going to somehow make the White Fang stop being fucking retarded. I'm going to kill her, and then I'm going to go home and scream into my damn pillow for an hour!" Torchwick yelled before stomping away towards the girl.
Jacob stands still with his hands in his pockets.
This would be interesting.
"The book, as it were, contains everything and nothing at the same time. If you do not know what you are looking for, there is nothing to find, yet everything to learn. If you do know what you are looking for, there is nothing to find. For you already know." – Unknown Author [The Book With Every Name]
AS THE WORLD BEGINS TO TAKE NOTICE OF JAUNE ARC AND LIE REN, A MYSTERIOUS WOMAN APPEARS, HAVING NO MEMORIES, BUT CARRYING A STRANGE BOOK THAT SHE BELIEVES IS THE KEY TO HER GRANDER PURPOSE. IN THE BACKGROUND THE WHITE FANG BEGIN PLANNING THEIR NEXT ATTACK, WHILE JACOB QUESTIONS HIS OWN EXISTENCE. WHAT WILL BECOME OF THESE SEEMINGLY UNCONNECTED PEOPLE? THE ANSWERS MAY SOON EMERGE. NEXT TIME, ON BAKU: THE WANDERER'S TOME!
(h/s 21)