Second half here. Annoyed that I had to split it again but here we are.

Chapter 42.5

Sandwiched between Miltia and Melanie, Jaune could only gasp as bullets riddled the side of their car. The chassis wasn't reinforced and they punctured through with the most sickening thunk, thunk, thunk of pierced metal. A cry came from the driver as one struck him in the thigh, and it proved fatal. The sound he made told the shooters where a target was, and not a second later he was jerking back, spraying blood over them.

Jaune didn't scream. The sound that came out his mouth was too weak for that – it was an agonised croak, a desperate whisper and a prayer for something. Anything.

"Off!" Melanie rolled him and Miltia aside. "Aura! Get your aura up!"

Right. Aura. He should have known but no amount of training with Oobleck and Team CRDL could drill those instinctive huntsmen reactions into you so quickly. It had for Miltia, and she'd acted as a human shield to protect him from the worst. Now, Jaune pushed his own to the fore, and not a second too soon as a shot came ringing through the door and struck his arm like a hammer. It pinged off and into the upholstery of the seats, but he knew it would leave one hell of a bruise.

"Get down!" Miltia snapped and dragged Jaune back down by his hair when he made to crawl for the door. Her hand cruelly pushed atop his head, flattening him into the footrest. "You step out and every gun is gonna be aimed on you!"

"We can't stay here! The car will explode!"

"This isn't a movie!" she yelled over the gunfire. "Stay! Mel, who the fuck is this?"

"Can't see." Melanie ducked her head back down from where she'd been peeking through a shattered window. "Three cars, one that rammed us and is out and two that pulled up. They're shooting from behind the doors."

"Fucking amateurs. They have us dead to rights; they should be approaching to put us down, not shooting from a distance and wasting time."

This didn't feel very amateur to him. They were a driver down and pinned on a main road, and whomever this was had isolated the Xiong Clan's leader and two of their best fighters. In the outskirts of Bon-Hwa's territory no less. Jaune's mouth felt unbearably dry. "Is it the EDC?"

"No." Melanie answered without hesitation. "They'd have stuck guns through the windows already. They're better than this."

"Plus, they wouldn't off us right after a business meeting."

No one would trust them if they did. Okay, so it wasn't the EDC but that didn't stop it being a terrible spot. The only other people he knew that hated them was Laurie of the Laurette family, but she wouldn't start this in a public place, and she definitely wouldn't want to get on both his and Bon-Hwa's bad sides.

"What do we do?" Jaune had to shout over the sound of metal crumpling and giving way around them. Another round bounced off his aura, right in the middle of his forehead. "Ow! Fuck!"

"Stay still." Melanie said.

"I am staying still! It's getting me shot!"

"Not what I meant." Melanie hooked her leg around his and brought him underneath her. She sat on his crotch, straddling him in what might have been a nicer sensation if he didn't know for a fact she was using her body as a human shield for his. She pushed down atop him, mouth by his neck and body shielding his. "Keep your aura up and wait. We don't need to do anything to stop them."

"What do-"

A scream sounded from nearby. Instantly following it, something changed. The gunfire continued, but it was no longer raking their vehicle – as evidenced by the lack of rocking and bullets pinging across them. Instead, their assailants were shooting something else. Something close if the ricocheting sounds were anything to go by. Had someone come to help them? Bon-Hwa?

Melanie rolled them over again, this time pulling him on top of her. That couldn't have been out of fear because they weren't the targets anymore, so why bother putting him on top? He was about to ask when Melanie threw her head back and screamed, "Someone help us! Please help us!"

What the hell…?

Something landed atop their car with a loud thud and a creak of metal. "Take them out!" the person – for it was a man who had landed on their car – shouted. "Put them down now! We have survivors!"

More gunfire, this time further away. Jaune heard screams as well, along with sounds he couldn't place – odd noises like fire, explosions and even metal on metal. What was going on out there? There was no time to think because the person on the roof hopped down to the side of the car and wrenched the twisted and broken door off, throwing it aside and letting light stream inside.

"You're safe now! Are any of you hur-"

Jaune gaped. "Q-Qrow!?"

"Huh." Qrow blinked and took a second to take in the scene inside the car. "Who is- Jaune!?" His eyes widened. "Is that-? Of course it is. You okay?" He noticed Miltia laid out on the seat and Melanie pinned under him. "Are all of you okay?"

Qrow was here. Why? Because he was a huntsman of course. Because these idiots had attacked them in broad daylight, on a busy road, during the festival and right at a time when all the gangs knew the huntsmen were actively looking for them. Were they idiots? Did they want to get caught? No wonder the twins hadn't wanted to do anything. If they fought back even in self-defence, it would only look suspicious.

"I-I'm okay," he stammered. "Mil? Mel?"

"I'm fine." Melanie said. "Oh, Jaune, you saved my life. You were so brave."

Wait, what? Jaune felt he could be forgiven for looking down on her in complete shock. Was this why she rolled him on top? To make him look better? Qrow obviously didn't know Melanie as bullshitting and laughed. "Good man. Alright, I'm going to help you out one at a time. The fight is over." He offered a hand to Miltia. "You first, miss."

It only took a few seconds to exfiltrate them from the ruined and smoking vehicle. Outside, police vans had already been pulled up and armed men were everywhere. It was painfully easy to differentiate the huntsmen from the police, not only by uniform but by the variety of weapons on display. Qrow hadn't come alone. Hell, he'd come with six huntsmen – or four huntsmen and two huntresses. Any one of them could beat everyone in the Xiong Clan at once.

They were taken away from the car and to the edge of the battlefield. If one could call it that. Aside from their ruined car, another, its front crushed in, lay smoking off to the side, while two others were parked with their doors open blocking off the road in case they'd tried to run. Officers were pinning people down to the floor, though some of the attackers lay dead. Meanwhile, two paramedics were trying to bring their driver out. That was a lost cause.

"Oh sir!" Miltia hugged Qrow's left arm and pressed her face into his elbow. "It was so frightening!" she cried. Actually cried. Jaune's eyes almost fell out. "I-I thought we were going to die!"

"There. There." Qrow patted her back. "It's alright. You're safe now."

"Because of you. If there's any way I can repay you. Any way at all…"

Qrow had the decency to blush and say no, even if Jaune was sure Miltia was fishing for it. She always did say she liked dangerous men. Or is this her way of deflecting attention? We're not meant to be hardened criminals here. I could do to show a little fear myself.

Not hard since he was still badly shaken.

"T-Thanks Qrow. You saved my life. Again…"

"And you nearly died. Again." Qrow punched Jaune's shoulder softly. "What the hell happened this time? Why were the White Fang after you?"

Jaune didn't have to fake his shock. "The White Fang!? That's who attacked us?"

"You didn't notice?"

"No! Only thing we felt was being rammed and shot at."

The White Fang were working for Cinder, who, according to their last talk, wasn't entirely displeased with him yet. Not enough to have him removed. He thought he'd also convinced her of how bad an idea it was to have them rock the boat. Why would she do this? Did she do this? She was in charge, but it had been Roman to direct them at the docks.

Did Roman have them attack us to get back at us for ratting him out? It was petty enough to sound like him, but he had to know Cinder would be pissed at him. He has to know it might not work too. It's the parade, the streets are full of huntsmen, and I have aura.

"Right. Right. That's fair." Qrow tried to shift Miltia off his arm, failed and gave up. He sighed and let her have it. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but you deserve to know. The White Fang are the ones that drove you off the road and opened fire. We're not sure why yet. Doesn't seem like their usual tactics."

"Random acts of terror aren't normal for them?"

"Sure, but if they wanted to make a statement they should have gone for the parade. That's where we had all our security. This…" He indicated the twisted cars and torn up street. "This smacks of an assassination." Qrow looked back, and Jaune was suddenly on the back foot. "Question is, why would the White Fang want to kill you, Jaune? Anything you can think of?"

Suddenly, it clicked. That rat bastard Roman hadn't done this with the sole intent of killing him. Oh sure, if it worked then he'd have been happy, but that wasn't the result he expected. Roman knew full well that any gang that caught the huntsmen's attention right now was doomed. To even be slightly suspicious was a death sentence at the moment, and Roman had done a good job of making Jaune and the girls look mighty suspect. Why were the White Fang trying to kill him? That was a good question. One Qrow Branwen and Beacon would have to be blind fools to ignore.

Qrow was no fool.

"I-I don't know." Jaune hoped his stammer might be mistaken for nerves. "We hire faunus; we don't discriminate with our employees. I-I'm not important enough for it to be a big deal if they killed me."

"They couldn't have known." Melanie interrupted. Qrow's eyes flicked to her, much to Jaune's relief. If anyone knew their way around this, it was the twins. "Our car was black with tinted windows. Jaune was meeting someone about building a new brewery. We were wanting to set one up nearby so we could make our own beer. Save money on buying stock in."

Qrow hummed, not really interested in that but acknowledging that he'd heard her. "Go on."

"We struck a deal and arranged for construction materials to be shipped over from Mistral, then were on our way back. Maybe the White Fang just saw a guy in a fancy suit with two girls, assumed he was some rich businessman and tried to kidnap him for ransom. They've done the same before, haven't they?"

"At times…"

"They'd have been in for a nasty surprise if they tried to ransom me." Jaune said. "I'm not worth anything."

Qrow looked back, not his friend right now but a stern huntsman. "And you'd have been in for a nasty surprise when they realised that, because then they'd have killed you."

Jaune gulped and nodded. "R-Right. What happens now?"

"Now, you come down to the station to be questioned, checked over and then released. Then you and I have words about staying out of trouble. I've saved your bacon twice now. It's a miracle my Semblance has allowed that much good luck. Don't test it a third time."

No problems there. If he had his way, there wouldn't be a third time.

/-/

Emerald sighed and looked down at her scroll. The contact was new, simply labelled "Delivery Service" and she hadn't expected a call from them so quickly. If she were honest, she didn't care for them at all but Cinder had given her this task, this responsibility, and she'd be damned if she didn't take it seriously.

"I'm here. What is it?"

"Is this Emerald?" It was the Xiong. John or something.

"You were only told to call this number if you had the dust. I hope this isn't you saying you can't follow through. Cinder won't be happy to hear that."

"No. I finished a meeting today and have twelve tonnes of dust being shipped to Vale soon."

Twelve-? Emerald's mouth hung open. That was double what Roman owed them. If this guy was telling the truth, he'd completely blown that arrogant fop out the water. Emerald wasn't against that. Not at all.

"That's good news. Excellent news. I'll pass it on."

"That's not the only reason I called. The White Fang work for Cinder, don't they?"

"It's more of a working arrangement, but yes. Essentially. Why? Do you need them?"

"No." He sounded angry. "I need an explanation for why I was attacked and nearly murdered by them this afternoon after striking the deal for the dust."

Emerald gaped.

"I need an explanation for why I had to spent the last two hours in a police station trying to fend off suspicion as to why the White Fang would attack an apparently innocent and normal person like myself. I doubt I was fully able to and now Beacon is probably going to be keeping an eye on me, either because they suspect me or for my own protection. Neither is helpful in procuring dust."

"C-Cinder didn't order that!" Emerald hissed. "She wouldn't-"

"I know. Cinder wouldn't bother resorting to others if she wanted me dead."

No, she wouldn't. It was good that he realised that, but if Cinder hadn't ordered the hit – and Emerald knew she hadn't – then that only left one person who could have. "I'll speak with her. If Torchwick did this, she won't be pleased with him."

"That's all I ask. I can't get her the dust if I'm in prison or dead. Roman might be counting on that, and the fact that if I'm gone, he'll be too important for Cinder to get rid of."

"He isn't." Emerald assured him. He certainly wouldn't be if this guy came through on double the dust as well. "You keep up your end and I'll inform Cinder. We'll deal with the White Fang. Maybe Torchwick as well."

"Thank you. I'll be in touch once I have the dust."

The call clicked dead, and Emerald sat on her bed, too stunned to move. Just to be sure, and because Cinder would be pissed if this was a ruse, she flipped through the recent news. As expected, some online sites were already reporting of a White Fang attack in the middle of an empty street. It was far away from the parade and festival, but close enough to have people worried. No names were being mentioned as to the victims, but the words "one casualty and multiple injured" went a long way to explaining why the Xiong sounded so furious. Though once she heard about this, Cinder might just be rivalling him.

"Ma'am!" she called. "I've some news for you!"

/-/

Blake Belladonna stared down at the caller ID, unsure if she wanted to answer it. Jaune Arc had bene helpful, sure, but he'd also been so incredibly angry with her when she came back and reported Tukson's death. She didn't blame him, couldn't. It had been such a colossal failure on her part. One she still carried the shame for.

It was that same shame that made her hesitate. Blake didn't want to relive it.

But…

But she owed him. Owed him for what he'd done and for letting her off with nothing more than a telling-off and orders to apologise to Ruby. He hadn't demanded more of her, even though he could have held her over the irons or blackmailed her to high heaven. Blake accepted the call.

"Jaune." She was proud her voice didn't stutter. "Hello."

"Blake." He sounded angry. Blake cringed. "Are you still looking for information on the White Fang?"

"A-Ah. Well…"

How to answer that. She'd told Jaune she would let it go, and she hadn't. She'd been spending days now going over news stories and trying to piece together why they'd be working with Roman Torchwick of all people. That was all being done from Beacon though, and without dragging him into it. She'd recognised he wanted nothing to do with her.

Or he had before this call.

"You are." He caught her. Blake winced. "Good." What? "The White Fang just tried to kill me on a ride back from a supplier. My driver was murdered and if it wasn't for my aura, I'd be dead."

Shock. Fear. Guilt.

Had the White Fang gone after him because of her? Adam certainly wouldn't let a mole go, and Jaune had given her information that led to Tukson being killed. If they'd found out she got the intel from Jaune, they'd have more than enough motivation to go after him. It would be a warning to others not to cross them.

My fault, she thought. It'd be my fault if he died…

"Are you okay? Do you need help?"

"I'm as well as I can be. I have a funeral to plan. Family to inform…" He paused and took a deep breath. Blake didn't envy him the task and felt a fresh swell of guilt. "I can't do much against a bunch of terrorists. Not yet. Maybe after a year in Beacon I'll be strong enough, but right now I'm nothing. You're not. You're a huntress."

"In training."

"We both know you're more than that, Blake. You ran with them before."

She sucked in air. "You knew…"

"I suspected. Now I know. I'm willing to provide some information to go against Torchwick. That's up the alley of huntresses like you, isn't it? I was wondering if your team might want to have a go at taking down a wanted criminal known to be working with terrorists. Interested?"

Her team might not want to go after the White Fang, but Ruby had a bone to pick with Roman Torchwick, and she knew Yang wanted to have a go at him for putting her sister in danger. Plus, if he was directing the White Fang then removing him would weaken their hold.

"I'll have to check with them," she hedged, "but I'm interested, and I think they will be."

"Come to the Club Tuesday after school. We'll talk."

"I'll be there," Blake promised.

With her team or without.

Dangerous game to be playing, Jaune. You've been burned by Blake once, though I suppose this time he's less worried about her accidentally killing Roman. Oh no, much sad. Anyway.

Ah, I got to watch the latest episode of Helluva Boss yesterday evening. The feels. I love Blitzo. He's so tragic, but also such an ass that it feels deserved in some way, and that makes him so relatable as a character. He's flawed and it's obvious how his own flaws have led him to the sorry state he's in.

I'll still be mega-bummed if Stolas x Blitzo isn't the main pairing though. I am far too sold on them right now. Seeing Stolas look all lost and hurt was adorable, though it was a bit hypocritical for a lust demon to be criticising him for giving in to lust when he has a wife. Uh. Isn't that what you want?

Next Chapter: 11th November

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur