Hi, I'm back, hope you're all doing well. I'm back home now so the chapter might be better, maybe. But either best of luck, wash your hands, and practice social distancing.
Vale frontier: one week before the Vital Festival
Jaune trekked through the forest, a duffle bag in one arm and Sapentaoi in the other, his cape and coat stowed away in the bag leaving him in his jeans and hoodie. The only sounds that broke through the quiet of the forest being Jaune's footsteps.
His pace was calm though his expression told the opposite story. He cut his way through the brush of the forest until he found a proper trail. The odd grimm would pass by yet flee the moment they came across him.
He cut through another tree and was greeted by a flat dirt road, the forest too his side and varied plains too the other. A sign stood too the far right signaling that the nearest settlement was 8 miles in that direction.
Jaune walked down the road, swinging his bag behind his back as he went along, Soft crunches of dirt followed his every footstep while dust kicked back in a wave.
Jaune followed along the road, nonchalant in his endeavor, until smoke began to bleach the sky.
Jaune sighed, the trek through Minstral was much too peaceful so he was expecting something, he just hopes this is a random bandit attack. He rushed forward, slinging his duffel bag onto his shoulder and drawing Pars Lunea.
He burst into a clearing yet was met with not a billage in ruins but rather a great bonfire, wide as a building and just as tall. The heat from it could be sensed from his spot despite the fact that the bonfire was on the opposite side of the clearing, at least three hundred yards away.
A slow clapping echoed through the cracking of burning wood as the bonfire was bombarded by shots from the surrounding treeline. In a short period of time the bonfire was extinguished and the clapping figure walked out from behind it.
"Well Well Well, look what we got here, the Wanderer in all his glory" the figure said in a gravelly voice. "Do you know how long we were waiting for you?" the figure continued as Jaune got a good look at him. A trench coat with the front open went from his torso to his ankles, revealing a grey shirt and black pants that ended with black shoes, a balaclava covered his nose and below, and a Stetson hat made it hard to see his eyes.
"We spent about a month getting ready, so many got anxious and just left, we still have more than enough though" he rambled on as figures stepped out from the woods. Jaune turned back only to find more of them behind him. "I had to use something special to keep them all in line" the figure stated as Juane face turned to slight shock. Mercenaries had figments of red piercing through their eyes while growths of white armor and pitch black skin poked out from some of their clothing.
The worst part of it was that the ones behind him had Apathies tied to leads, going right for him.
"At the very least I don't have to pay" the figure finished as Jaune spoke up. "So you force an unknown number of lowlifes into grimmification, all just to track me down" he quipped. "Yes, quite so, all to leave you so that my redeemer can have you out of her plans" the figure responded, putting one of his hands on his chest as he spoke.
"You should have thought of something more original" Jaune shot back. "But why would I need too? the sheer weight of mass would stop you in your tracks" the figure argues. "Quality is better than quantity you inhuman bastard" Jaune responded. "Yes but in the face of sheer quantity quality will be out done" the figure said.
Jaune just snorted in response as he pointed Pars Lunea at one of the Apathy and fired, the bullet tearing through the grimm and blowing out the chest of the man handling it. The rest charged in as the figure watched.
Jaune swung Sapentaoi too the right, cutting down the first wave of attackers. The Apathy were let loose by their handlers and flung at Jaune. He responded by firing Pars Luner's remaining clip into the Grimm and men.
Pars Lune was then kicked out of his hand while several shots spewed forth from the forest. Jaune grabbed the man who kicked his gun out of his hand and threw him into the majority of the shots. The man's body was shredded while fire and ice formed on various parts of his body.
Jaune jumped to where Pars Lunea was as another barrage turned the spot he just stood at into a small crater. He picked his gun up and holstered it before charging his aura into his blade. This was met with another barrage from a different angle forcing him to send the charge into that point. Several trees and the grimmified beings hiding within them were bisected as the wave of kinetic energy sliced through them.
More shots rang out as Jaune dodged various dust rounds while more of the clearing around him changed. The next wave of direct attackers rushed in afterwards, weapons drawn and shots firing.
Jaune redirected shots with Sapentaoi as the group neared him. Any attempt at charging the absorbed kinetic energy was countered with barrages of dust rounds.
Jaune sliced through the first set of attackers before he turned to face the figure again. "This is your plan, throw troops at me until I tire? I fought an endless horde of grimm for an entire night, this won't stop me" Jaune shouted as he ran towards the figure, swatting away any gunfire close to him.
"Oh, I know, I know lots of things, lots of things" the figure said as he put his hand into his coat and withdrew a straight sword to intercept Jaune's attack. The two blades met with a resounding clang before the two jumped back.
"So, just who the hell are you?" Jaune asked while slicing one of the men from groin to shoulder. "Oh, just someone from before" the figure responded, holding up his sword for an offensive strike. Jaune looked at him closely before coming to a conclusion.
"You were one of the mercenaries from that Atlas Frontier town several months ago" he stated. "Wow, all in one go, quite the genius" the figure said sarcastically. "You seem more talkative than last time so it was a bit hard" Jaune shot back.
"I talk more because this is my new chance, a chance to redeem myself for failure, and a chance to seal you in some ocean trench with cement" the figure spurred as he adopted a dueling stance with his blade. "So you sold your soul to the bitch, all for revenge?" Jaune retorted.
"Yes, and to answer your earlier question my name is Luci" the now named Luci said as their blades met again. Shockwaves shot past them, blowing away anyone too close, and the figure's stetson was blown off. Black hair flew free as Luci pulled down the balaclava with his free hand to reveal the source of his grimm transformation, the source all sprouting from his Adam's apple.
"When you let that spear pierce my neck it seemed like the end, but I lived" Luci monologued as he charged energy into his sword. Jaune charged a fight amount into his leg and the two rushed forwards.
Sapentaoi sliced through Luci's coat, revealing more grimmified body parts. While Luci's blade jabbed right into Jaune's left arm, a great surge of force threw Jaune away while blood spewed from his mouth.
"Its probably been a long time since you've bled wanderer, how does it feel?" Luci commented. "great, all it does is make me feel a bit more human" Jaune shot back, a half smirk on his face as he wiped the blood off of it.
Luci grit his teeth in anger and raised his sword. The surrounding men rushed out from the trees and mobbed around Jaune.
"Do you want to know how I lived Wanderer?" Luci quipped as Jaune was swamped by the mob. "My aura and my vengeance kept me strong; as I laid there in the snow, watching as you cut down so many associates that I have worked with" Luci started monologuing. "I watched as the snow became crimson with your slaughter; I couldn't even say a word, much less scream from the pain of lying there" Luci spoke as he stepped closer to where Jaune was mobbed, muffled gunshots could be heard from within the swarm.
"Once you left the dead were sorted and your bounty increased. Just imagine the shock when you get pulled out of the snow with a hole through your neck yet you still live" Luci's tone grew darker with each word. "I couldn't even feel my spine as the pulled me up and set me on a hospital bed. But, you led me to her, a woman with black hair and burning eyes gave me an offer that I couldn't refuse" Luci continued as he stepped over the heads of the grimmified men.
"I took what I needed for vengeance, and I saw her, saw it. I know what is coming, and I know what I can do to further it" Luci said as he stood on solid mob overtop Jaune. "I saw what Salem can do, you could say I had a chat with her, and now... I bid you farew" Luci said as he held his sword above his head and let aura seep through it like an overcharged battery.
"This won't kill you but I doubt even your immortality can keep you moving after I hit you with this" Luci shouted as he drove his blade down into the crowd.
As the blade struck as surge of energy sprung forth from beneath the mob. Men were thrown back and trees buckled and splintered from the force as Luci was flung back into the extinguished bonfire.
A crater stood at the center, a battered but healing Jaune pulling himself out. "You know, if you had talked with the witch you should have realised just how dangerous I am" he said while dusting himself off.
Jaune shifted his neck around to take in the damage he had caused. "Been awhile since I used the outburst technique but it still does what is necessary" Jaune quipped as he walked to the bonfire.
Luci pulled himself up as he took in the image of what was approaching him. He leapt to the ground held his sword, not a care that several of his bones were broken.
"Still fighting on huh, instead of retreating you still fight on" Jaune quipped as the last of his injuries healed.
"I can't beat the shit out of you without getting closer" Luci shot back, a sick cracking wretched through his body as aura and grimm essence worked to repair damage.
"Well, come as close as you like boy, I'm not going easy" Jaune retorted as the two raised their swords.
Their blades met with a sharp clang before the two bashed their arms into one another. The clash of blades quickly descended into a deadlock pushing contest.
Jaune gripped Luci's right shoulder, digging his thumb right into flesh, and headbutted the grimmified man. Luci responded in full with a semblance charged headbutt right into Jaune's shoulder.
The struggle soon turned in Jaune's favor as he drove his knee into Luci's abdomen several times. Jaune then charged his aura into his arms while sickening cracks followed. Luci continued holding strong even as Jaune shot bursts of kinetic energy into his arms.
Jaune would have continued pushing but was interrupted as the remaining grimmified men grabbed him. Luci kicked Jaune while the men held him back.
Luci left Jaune's grasp and let his arms repair themselves.
The two stared at one another as the mob held Jaune and Luci's arms recovered. "You are one tough bastard" Luci said as he held his sword to Jaune's heart. "I could say the same to you, not even grimm heal like that" Jaune retorted. "That's the magic of the Queen's grimm forging" Luci said matter of factly.
"Still, selling your soul to the witch, then you do worst to these guys, and now you boast about it, quite the psycho" Jaune spoke, being forced to his knees by the men.
"Now, to do what I was going to before being so rudely interrupted" Luci said aura glowing through the blade as he thrust it forward.
Jaune pulled Sapentaoi up as their blades met.
...
The sound of metal snapping broke the forest.
...
Jaune watched with shock as Sapentaoi snapped from the strike.
...
His aura flared out as he pushed his body forward and sliced the broken blade through Luci's torso.
...
The forest surrounding the clearing was bathed in golden light before many fell down, clean cuts through their stumps.
...
Jaune stood up as he took in the ruins around him.
The men were all turning to mist, several trees were cut down, and Luci was still alive.
Jaune walked to the grimm man as he held the now broken Sapentaoi. Luci had a snarl as he kept his blade steady. Jaune held his broken sword to meet Luci.
"Why can't you just die?" Luci muttered with great malice. Jaune kept silence as the two approached one another.
Luci swung first.
Jaune countered with his own strike.
Luci tried again but was stopped by Jaune taking hold of his wrist and snapping it.
Luci's sword hit the ground as Jaune thrust his through Luci's chest. Luci was thrust back by the force of the hit.
Jaune continued his assault by slicing Luci in two. He then stomped Luci's shoulder into the ground.
Luci attempted to retort but was stopped by Jaune stomping his head other shoulder into the ground. Jaune didn't let up as he put his foot down again and again even as Luci stopped moving.
Jaune stopped and walked over to the broken pieces of Sapentaoi, picked them up and wrapped them in the ragged piece of a jacket.
He walked back to where Luci lay, his body slowly putting itself back together.
"I'm taking your sword" Jaune said while removing the blade's sheath from Luci.
A wet cough left Luci's mouth while his arms tried to push him up. Jaune stopped this by putting his foot down once more.
"Just know that you're nothing but a tool, a weapon designed to slow people like me down" Jaune continued as he took Luci's blade off the ground and gave it some test slashes.
Once he felt comfortable with the feel of the blade he sheathed it and walked back to Luci.
"Don't follow me, it could take hours before you fully heal, and I'm being nice here so don't take it for granted" Jaune spoke as he stomped on Luci one last time and turned back to the road. "Now to find an actual settlement" he said as he left the now warzone like clearing.
Well here's this chapter, a bit late but still good.
Yes I made that reference.
Will Luci return?
Why did I snap Sapentaoi?
What the hell will happen to that clearing?
Will I ever actually have a constant update schedule?
Who knows. Hope you all are doing well.Just remember to stay safe, practise social distancing, and wash your hands. See you all sometime next month.