RWBY: The New King of Darkness
Salem betrayed the Old King long ago for power. But before he was banished from her side, he swore vengeance that someone will take his place and cast her from the world of the living. But to do so, he would need a successor, someone willing to embrace the Darkness and forever forsake the Light. But who would be so willing to embrace the Darkness and for what reason would he do so?
Chapter IV: Ravens and Friends
Two pairs of red eyes stared at each other from across the camp, as Jaune Arc – the New King of Darkness – And Raven – The Bandit Queen – glared at each other as blood still spilt down the stakes. Everyone waited with bated breath for what would happen next.
Shay, however, looked absolutely terrified as the man who slaughtered all his men stood before them.
"T-That's him! That's the man who killed all my men!" he said with a shaking finger pointed at him. Jaune glared as he shrieked in fright.
"We're all going to fucking die!" he screamed as he cowered at the sight of him.
Raven looked in disgust at the man as she wondered why she bothered leaving him in charge of the Shion Mission. It should have been simple; attack the settlement and leave before the Grimm appeared. Even without her there it should have been simple, as she had more pressing matters to deal with.
For starters, why Beacon didn't fall like she predicted it would.
She was certain that the arrogance of Ozpin would lead the school to ruin. She had even told Qrow that it would happen, as a final courtesy for her brother.
Yet it didn't.
The Grimm were driven back, and the City was still standing. She had to find out what happened and how it would affect her tribe. It was the only reason she didn't join in the Shion Raid herself, sending a carrier raven to Shay ordering him to begin the raid without her, as she questioned her brother about what happened.
Though the only answer she got from her brother was that it was saved by a monster in human form?
She narrowed her eyes at the man as he glared back at her. Could he be what he was talking about? Was this the monster he warned her about? In any case, he attacked her Tribe, and that was something she was not going to tolerate.
"Who the hell are you?" she demanded as she stood upon her perch.
Jaune remained silent gripping his pistol tight as he stared at the masked woman. From the looks of it, she was the leader, if by the fact she was the only one brave enough to address him head-on after that little display of his. She was also perched up higher than the rest of them on her platform, most likely to oversee the whole camp and because she was also the least afraid.
That meant she had to deal with problems like him on a daily basis. But she had never met anyone like him before and she was going to find that out that hard way. Not liking being ignored, Raven gripped the handle of her sword as she took one step forward.
"I'm asking you a question. Who the hell are-!"
"Are you the one leading these men?"
For the first time in her life, she flinched back as the man spoke with a hollow and empty voice. His red eyes glowing with a haunting allure as they stared into the depths of her own. Vernal too flinched back from the tone of his voice as it almost seemed to resonate with her soul. It was young but had the echoes of something ancient and powerful behind it.
The influence of the Grimm Kings power echoed through his voice as the bloodlust from his earlier attack still coursed through his veins.
"I repeat, are you the ones leading these men, the ones that attacked Shion Village?" he asked again as Raven steeled her nerves as she glared at him.
"That's right, I am Raven Branwen, Leader of this Tribe. Now answer my question, who the hell are you and why did you attack my men?" Jaune glared as he summoned his sword. Raven took a step back as she saw the blade materialise out of the shadow.
"My name doesn't matter, what does matter is why you attacked a place I hold dear? A place that is nothing but innocent and kind. Yet your men killed and butchered innocent people…and I will not stand for that" he raised his blade as he held it diagonally across his body.
"So, you better give a damn good reason why I shouldn't just kill every one of you right here and now! Because I won't show any mercy to criminals and scum like you!" he yelled as his red eyes flashed and showered all with fear.
Raven herself had to step back at the insanely large amount of killer intent that rolled off the young man's body. But she held firm as she glared at the intruder.
"And what business is it of yours that we attacked that village? Villages get raided by bandits on a daily basis. Their supplies would have been put to better use with us, then it would have with them. What's so special about one small village that would have been attacked anyway?"
Jaune glared at the masked woman as the powers of the King surged through his veins.
"That village was special to me, it was a place my family used to cherish for as long as I could remember. They were good people, kind people. People who hadn't done anything wrong and would always welcome you with open arms…but then you and your men burnt it to the ground and murdered all those innocent people, and for what? Supplies, resources?!" a surge of dark aura slipped from his body as the negative energy started to leak into the air.
Many of the tribesmen stepped back as the dark wisps of aura seeped into the air. Its shape twisting and slithering unnaturally as it brought nothing but coldness and dread. Jaune ceased the aura as he looked almost saddened at using his power.
"I don't want to kill you, I gave your men that option before and they paid the price for their arrogance with blood…" the blood on his hands still fresh even as he felt it slowly squirm into his skin. "But I'm giving it to you all now. Leave the village and its people alone, or I will have no choice but to kill every single one of you…it's your choice." he glared one last time at Raven, hoping that she would not make a rash decision.
Raven thought she knew everything about the secret war between Ozpin and his rival Salem. She knew about the Maidens of the Seasons, the Relics that hid under each of the schools in Remnant and even knew of the existence of Magic.
But this…this was like nothing she had ever seen before.
Was this something else that Ozpin managed to hide from them? Did Salem somehow figure out her true identity and sent this 'creature' after her? Or was this something neither of them had foreseen? She felt in her gut that if she faced this…person…she may lose her very life against him. But as chief of the Tribe, she could not allow fear to take hold of her.
She had to stand strong for her people, otherwise, they would flee in a heartbeat and the Tribe she had worked so hard to gain control of would disappear into the four winds. She had to stand firm and face this monster if she wanted any hope of keeping the tribe alive.
She needed to kill him before he had a chance to wipe them out.
She gripped her sword as she subtly nodded to Vernal. Who nodded and drew forth her own weapons. Every bandit – while still nervous – drew their weapons as they surrounded the boy. Jaune looked around his gripped his blade and the pistol as they circled him. He hung his head as the sounds of guns cocking resonated in the camp as he gritted his teeth.
"…I gave you a choice…"
And just like that, the sounds of battle raged in the forest as the bandits attacked the dark-haired boy. His form moving faster than they could predict as he ducked and weaved past the blades and bullets. All while hacking and slashing any that stood in his way, sending many body parts flying away and leaving the owners screaming in pain.
Raven shifted her katana mechanism until a red blade was selected as she drew the extended blade and charged at the stranger. Blackened blade clashed with red as a small shockwave blasted across the camp. Red eyes glared at each other as the King of Darkness battled with the Bandit Queen.
Their bodies moved with rapid speed as small chips of metal flew in the air. But unlike the woman he fought at Beacon and the bandits in Shion Village, this person was skilled – extremely skilled. The movement of her body, despite his enhanced senses, was faster than Cinder was, as he could barely track her as she dashed around him at blinding speeds.
He instantly felt the presence of another, as the younger girl that stood beside her swung her circular blades at the boy as the one on one fight with Raven, had just become a two against one brawl.
Jaune dodged as fire and lighting dust sailed past him, while a red blade slashed at his head. But he blocked and evaded his attacks as he slowly allowed the bloodlust to influence his movements. Allowing him to react quicker, strike harder and keep himself from losing his head.
Annoyed of Vernal, however, he aimed his pistol and shot several bullets at her. Causing her to jump back as the dark infused projectiles skimmed past her aura and caused her to bleed. This instantly raised her fear as his dark aura bypassed her natural defences and actually harmed her.
"Raven, be careful! His attacks seem to bypass our aura!"
"I noticed!" she growled as she had already witnessed his attacks brutally harm her men. Stray bullets ripping through their guts as they cried out in pain.
This boy was clearly more dangerous then she imagined but seemed to lack higher skills in combat. But the strength she felt behind each blow was strong enough to easily decapitate her if she wasn't careful. She knew that she should use the Spring Maiden. But they could not risk being discovered by Salem's forces or the Grimm that would no doubt come through the camp once the battle was over.
She needed to end this, now.
Switching blades with gravity dust, she charged again as she slashed her dark purple blade against his as the gravity effects forced the new King back. Jaune growled in annoyance at this as he blocked and evaded his blades. He managed to switch the weapons to his opposite hands and forced her to back off with several shots that nearly hit her.
Two members of the Tribe jumped from behind him as they managed to lodge two small axes into his back.
He growled out in rage before he spun around and unloaded several more shots, they – unlike Raven – did not get the chance to evade, as they were ripped to shreds from the dark infused rounds. Blood splashing onto the dirt as one by one the Branwen Tribe was being decimated. Stray fire dust began to set the camp ablaze as everything Raven had worked so hard to gain was going up in smoke.
Literally.
Raven charged again determined to end the boy once and for all, as she slashed the air and opened up a portal and disappeared into the red swirl.
The thing about her semblance was that she could open up a portal to those she had bonded with. She had one for her brother, one for her former husband and one for her daughter. But she also had several portals for key members of her clan – such as Vernal – and she was not limited to the range of the person and where she could make the portals appear.
For example, because of the members she had on the camp, she could make portals appear in mid-air horizontally or otherwise. Which she used to reappear behind him and slash at his back, causing the new King to roar in pain before disappearing into another portal. Only to reappear again and slash again and disappearing.
Jaune growled as more and more of the bloodlust took over. Finding it more difficult to hit the teleporting woman amongst the haze of red.
Not to mention she had that girl shooting at him with those damn blades of hers. The bandits that attacked the village were weak, and unorganised thanks to their cowardice leader – who was desperately hiding behind one of the tents. While this leader was more focused, battle-hardened and was not wasting a single chance to give him the advantage.
"She's good…very good…you may actually have some trouble with this one," The former King spoke into his ear as he glared mentally at the aberration.
'A little help would be nice?!' Jaune growled to his subconscious as the King shrugged.
"What can I do? I'm not even real," Jaune growled and roared in pain as she slashed again and dismembered his arm. Blood flying out of his body as he stumbled back in pain while grasping the stump of his arm.
"Ouch, that had to hurt".
Jaune merely glared as he held his arm. This woman was clearly strong, stronger then the woman he faced five months ago. While he had only just reawakened after five months and was only learning the basics of his power. There was no way he was going to win this in a fair fight…
So he needed to fight differently.
A plan formed in his head as the Former King stared at him.
"I know what you're thinking and that's crazy…even by my standards,"
'Not like I have much of a choice…' he told the King as he nodded.
"Fair enough, just don't die. I still need you complete our goal," Jaune nodded as he gripped his sword in his left hand and attacked the woman again.
Raven wasted no time clashed blades with him again, as fragments of dust chipped off her blade. The blade cracking before shattering and the black blade whistling towards. Her body instinctively jumping back as the blade only managed to scratch a small section of her mask as she glared at the human/Grimm Hybrid.
'What the hell is he? He doesn't have a protective shielding from Aura, yet he seems to shrug off serious injuries like they are nothing. They hurt him, but it's like they're only just getting in the way.' She glared at his sword as the blade in his hand radiated with black and red energy.
'And he's using a strange power that's easily ripping apart my men. That power could be useful…but too dangerous right now. I need to take this…thing…out before I lose any more of the camp…I have no choice, we have to use Spring,' she glared as she gripped her sword.
"Vernal! Get ready! It's time to use it!" she ordered as the young maiden looked shocked.
"B-but Raven, if we use it then-!"
"I know! But we have no choice! get ready!" she ordered as the young girl nodded and sheathed both her weapons. Jaune's attention was instantly drawn to her as the wind suddenly began to pick up. The fires slowly being sucked into the wind as the sound of thunder and lightning sparked across the sky.
"That power…" The King said as he looked at the sky. "So, they have one of them amongst them…" he glared as he looked at the last two women in the camp. "Interesting..." he spoke as Vernal glared and thrust her arms forward.
A bolt of lightning sailed from the sky and raced towards Jaune, who instantly summoned his shield – changed to a backend version of itself – as the bolt of lightning struck against its steel. He held firm as the energy blast sent him skidding back with his feet still planted into the ground causing a trench. The blast subsided as the young woman looked exhausted while Jaune was shocked.
"That power…that was like-!"
He never got to finish as Raven appeared behind him with her blade drawn back and racing towards his head. With little time she swung the blade and cleaved his head clean from his body. His heading flying through the air as the dark aura subsided and his body collapsed to the ground.
The camp was silent as those that survived stared in shock at the boy while also relieved that they managed to survive. Shay – who had hidden during the battle – looked on with awe and satisfaction at seeing the man that took his men and his arm lying dead before their feet.
"Raven, are you alright?" Vernal asked as the woman breathed heavily while staring at the corpse. Raven felt exhausted as she carefully eyed the beheaded corpse before sheathing her blade.
"I'm okay. But we have a lot of work to do before the Grimm arrives. This place is no longer safe, we need to pack up and move before-!"
Bang!
All that came to a halt as numerous eyes opened wide as the sound of a gunshot echoed through the camp. Vernal had a look of horror. Shay looked like he had just shit himself and Raven stared with horrified eyes as her own left arm was flying away from her. Her weapon shattered into pieces as the bullet ripped through her sheath mechanism and took her arm with her.
"RAVEN!" Vernal cried out as the woman fell to the ground in pain.
All eyes turned to the body as it held the gun in its severed left arm. A thin trail of dark-red aura seeping from the stump leading back to the body, as it slowly began to rise without its head. A thin trail slithered from its neck before grabbing the detached head and dragging it back to the body before fusing back into place.
Red eyes flashed as the new King of Darkness stood before the frightened clan.
The Former King grinned as he looked at the terrified faces of the clan. "You let her cut your head off, knowing full well that it would fuse back on. Allowing her to think she killed you. Not too bad, boy"
Jaune ignored him as he stood before the terrified tribe. Blood red and dark aura radiating around him as the blood on the ground slowly began to move. Twisting and snaking along with the dirt as it crawled into the young man's body. The wounds that he sustained against the Tribe healing at a rapid pace as soon only pale undamaged skin was left.
The rest of the bandits looked on in fear at the man before them, while the armless leader of the tribe grunted and glared in pain.
Jaune looked back at her as he glared. "I warned you…I warned all of you…I gave you the choice to leave…But you didn't listen…this is on you…"
Vernal glared as she roared and charged at the man with tears in her eyes.
"No, Vernal!" Raven called out as the teen charged and shot at the boy. Only for the rounds to pass harmlessly through his flesh. She swung her blades, hoping to kill him only to gasp in shock as he caught her arms before headbutting her.
He then threw her away as she crashed into one of the tents, impaling her on a pike as she screamed in pain. Shay quickly scampered away as he quietly tried to run from the monster that killed his men and clan. But he didn't care about the last two as he turned his attention to Raven as she started to feel fear at the man – no, the monster – that stood before her.
He started walking towards her as the bandit leader held her what remained of her blade as she attempted to summon what strength she had left. Only to feel a hand grasp her throat and her back hitting against the wood of her own walls. She struggled against his grasp as the new King stared at the woman.
"…How does it feel? To be helpless and weak? To be attacked in your own home by something stronger than you? This is how the people of Shion felt when you ordered your men to attack. When they killed and butchered their families, their friends and everyone they ever loved. They did nothing wrong to you and you still attacked them," he spoke with anger in his voice as he tightened his grip.
"I'll be doing the world a favour by wiping your clan from the face of the earth. No more innocent people will be harmed by the likes of you, who think that weak must perish for the strong to survive. Well…" he gripped tighter as Raven gasped in pain. Dark aura coating his form as many red eyes began to appear and glare from the darkness.
"How does it feel to be the weak one?"
Raven could barely keep herself conscious or focus any of her Aura as the New King continued to hold her throat. Cutting off her airway to weaken her – but allowing just enough to let her remain conscious – as she struggled to stay awake. She looked over to the remaining forces of her clan as she hoped that anyone of them would use this chance to save her…
Instead, she saw fear in their eyes as they slowly backed away from the creature that had her in a vice.
They dropped their weapons and turned their backs on her as they attempted to leave the camp alive. She felt betrayal, as she thought they were her family. That they would for a moment forget the rule of the Clan and save her.
But instead like cowards, they ran, thinking of themselves rather others. Then again, that was the way of her Tribe. Survival of the Fittest. The Weak Perished and the Strong Survive.
Yet all they got were bullets in their backs as Jaune, without looking back, pointed his gun and shot the fleeing men in the back. Their bodies hit the dirt as nearly everyone in the camp was dead.
Save for her.
She looked at the man as he glared with powerful red eyes. "If there is one thing I hate more in this world it's cowards and people who turn their backs on their friends…but then again, is there really such a thing as friends among bandits?" he asked.
"The last of your clan just tried to leave you behind. They left you to die, where the people I knew would have done everything in their power to save them...I know I did..." he looked down as he thought about his friends. He shook his head as he reached for her mask.
Unbeknownst to him, a struggling Vernal reached for her weapon as she gasped in pain with each breath.
"Before I kill you, I want to see the face of the woman who tried to burn down my fondest memory. I want to see the kind of person who is willing to kill innocent children just to survive…I want to see what kind of person you really are."
He grabbed the mask as he tore it off her face, revealing her face to the world.
His eyes widened as he stared face to face with Raven Branwen. Former Teammate of Team STRQ, partner to Summer Rose and current Leader of the Branwen Tribe. But all Jaune saw was a somewhat familiar face…
"Yang?" her own eyes widened at the name as she stared at the creature that knew her daughter.
Before any questions could be asked an electric shot struck Jaune in the back as he dropped the woman to the floor. He instantly turned and glared with blood-red eyes as Vernal looked up weakly at the King, her weapon still smoking before she succumbed to her wounds.
Jaune growled before he felt a sudden surge of power behind him as he turned just in time to see red flames billowing from Raven's eyes as she summoned a powerful bolt of lightning and struck him in the chest. Sending him flying far away and into the furthest parts of the camp. She gasped and breathed in pain as she held her bleeding arm feeling the last flickers of her aura dwindling within her.
She was badly wounded and doubted she had killed the creature. Already she could see piles of her own men's blood – and her own severed arm – flowing towards him as he began to regenerate from the blast. She cursed as she looked around at all of her dead clansmen, her decoy and her camp as all of it was in ruins.
Killed by the man that lay before her.
But she was too weak to get revenge on him, nor did she think she had a chance after seeing that kind of power. To her vengeance was a fool's game which only led to a quicker death. She needed to get away from him, far away from where he wouldn't find her. But all of her Clansmen bonds were dead – she had called them back after the failure of the Beacon Invasion; something she was sure would have succeeded.
The only ones she had left…were complicated. But for her own survival, she didn't have much choice.
Calling upon the last of her strength she sliced the air in front of her as a red portal appeared, unstable and glitching, but strong enough to get her where she needed to go. She just hoped she would have to hear her brother telling her he told her so.
She jumped into the portal as she disappeared off the continent of Anima just as Jaune finished regenerating his damaged chest. He breathed in the new air as he looked at the disappearing woman too stunned to stop her as he stared at empty space.
"That woman, she looked just like Yang. But there's no way that was Yang. Who the hell was she?" the former king manifested beside him.
"If I had to guess I would say it was her mother, given the taste of her blood from that arm we absorbed. The taste is older than your friend and there is a distinct taste of once baring a child. Very interesting," he said as Jaune looked to the spectre.
"But what the hell is Yang's mother doing with bandits? And why the hell did she have the same powers as Cinder?"
"It would appear that she is the current Spring Maiden and must have inherited the powers from the previous one; who meant much to her…or was just on her mind before she died." Jaune narrowed his eyes as parts of Cinder's remaining memories informed him of the Maidens.
Women of extraordinary power that are nearly unrivalled in strength and not limited by Dust.
"That still doesn't explain why she's with Bandits," The King shrugged his shoulders.
"Who knows the reason why you humans act the way you do. It's not our place to judge anyway. You succeeded in your mission and killed nearly all the bandits." He looked around at the smouldering flames and mutilated bodies as they had all been drained of their blood.
"But it will be a short victory," he looked back as the King looked to the forest.
"From the looks of it, this Clan was probably one of the largest and most feared among the other bandit tribes. When news of their destruction gets out there will be a struggle between the other clans: Villages will be plundered, and many innocents lives will be lost trying to claim their territory." Jaune looked around as what he said rang true.
"What do we do to stop it?" The Grimm King looked at the boy as a cold look appeared in his eyes.
"Bandits are superstitious and a cowardly lot. Back in my time, I used to scare humans by leaving a warning to them. That I was unbeatable and that any who tried would be foolish to do so…" Jaune didn't like where he was going with this as he had a sickening feeling in his stomach.
"How did you do that?" he pointed to the bodies around them.
"I left them a message…one they would never forget."
Jaune instantly realised what he meant as he looked around before nodding. He reached over and grabbed their corpses and started to get to work.
"When you're done I would raid what's left of their stuff and see what you can find." The King informed him. "Their clothes are worthless as many of them won't fit you and they smell like they haven't bathed in weeks. I may be dead, but I can still smell through your senses. Disgusting. But anything of value like cash and supplies would be helpful to our cause. Besides…" he smirked as he began to fade away.
"It's not like they're going to need it anymore?"
Jaune glared as he grabbed the bodies and began what he needed to scare the other tribes. He knew that he was doing would be wrong; desecrating a corpse how he intended to. But his action would eventually have consequences; and he had probably put many more lives at risk, which that was something he could not bear to shoulder on his conscious. Not with what already lay bare upon him.
This was something he needed to do and hoped that he would never get used to it…
Sadly… there would be many more times he would have to do this…Forever earning him a title he would curse to this day.
Island of Patch – Xiao Long/Rose Homestead
Pyrrha stared numbly out the window as she stared out at the new leaves of spring. She watched as they slowly rustled against the wind as she and all her friends remained seated in the cosy little cottage. It had been five months since the invasion of Beacon; since they had seen their friends be mutilated and their homes destroyed.
Five Months since Weiss was dragged away back to Atlas.
Five months since Blake ran away to places unknown.
Five Months since Yang closed herself from the rest of the world and Five months since they had seen heads or tails of their wayward leader as he had disappeared shortly after the battle.
It had been a gigantic mess after the invasion; The Atlas forces were in complete disarray as many of the citizens of Vale tried their best to avoid them as they blamed them for the incident with the Atlesian Knights.
The White Fang had gone underground with rumours of infighting begin to emerge from the group.
Ozpin had been declared K.I.A. after a team of Atlas soldiers found the remains of a severely burnt skeleton in the Vault under Beacon. D.N.A testing proved it to be that of the late Headmaster – Ozpin.
A devastating blow to the teaching staff and Council of Vale.
Recently the Council had placed the full blame of the invasion on the White Fang itself which only cause more tensions between humans and Faunus. The Main White Fang branch denied the allegations of knowing about the invasion as they had lost all contact with the Vale Branch months before and after the attack.
Meanwhile, Adam's branch took full credit for the attack and managed to inspire the more blood-hungry members of the White Fang to stand with him. It was all coming to a mess.
The only positive thing that had come out of it however as that Beacon had no fallen and could be repaired; which allowed the Atlas tech supports to re-establish the CCT Network. However, Jaune's display of brutality against Cinder and the Atlas Soldiers had managed to leak onto the net as the Council had called for a bounty on the boy's head.
Thinking that he had something to do with the attack as Cinder was still registered as a student of Haven.
Pyrrha knew the truth however as she was there when the invasion started and talked with the remnants of Ozpin's inner circle. She had brief them of the events as she had encountered the Fall Maidens attack and the true identity of Cinder.
She even recounted the brief moments she had with Jaune before he became…whatever it was he is.
However, because the inner circle worked under the radar they could not bring this evidence to the council. It raised more question and then answers.
For example, The Council would ask why a person of that power was hidden under the school? Why was information like this withheld from them and did Ozpin know of the attack and if so, why did he do nothing to prevent it? Which also would make them wonder what other secrets Ozpin had hidden from them. So, the Inner circle decided to hold their tongues and work from the shadows like they always did and let the council do what they needed to do.
One of which was place a bounty on the boy's head for the Murder of Atlas personal.
This did not sit well with Pyrrha as she asked the inner circle to help her track him down and help him, cure him of whatever was afflicting him. But the recent events had made them scared. They had never seen anything like the young Arc before and had no idea how to proceed without Ozpin.
Heck, they still didn't even have an idea what he was or what he had become.
So, they opted to keep the bounty on his head until otherwise. She could still remember that day, the day she decided she wanted nothing to do with the inner circle.
Four Months Ago – After the Battle of Beacon
In one of the reconstructed hospitals in the city of Vale, the inner circle of Ozpin's allies gathered to piece together the events that had transpired that day. Pyrrha was amongst them as she had to relay what she saw of Ozpin, the False Maiden and Jaune.
She told them everything about what she knew.
The identity of the False Maiden, the events that lead to her sending her partner away to the moment he came back changed and powerful. That last part was still a mystery to her as she wondered what had happened in the time she sent him away and the moments where she almost lost against Cinder.
She knew what Jaune was like, or what he used to be like, and she knew that he had to have done something reckless in order to save her. It was the only logical explanation, but what? What had he done to gain those powers? What bargain or deal did he make to move like the shadows, to turn into a swarm of bats and snap the head of a Grimm Dragon with a twist of his arm?
What he had become was something frightening and it terrified the world. If what she had heard recently was anything to go on.
She had learned that the Vale and Atlas Council had placed a bounty on the boy's head; due to him killing Atlas Soldiers during the battle, despite him saving everyone from the invasion.
It had come a month after the Atlas Technicians managed to repair the CCT Network and Footage had leaked out of Jaune losing control of his new powers as he killed the Atlas soldiers and drained them of their blood.
The Atlas Council wanted retribution for the deaths of their men, despite the fact they had attacked him first and caused him to lose control in the first place. All they cared about was getting revenge on the boy and maybe discover the secrets of his Aura Negating abilities.
Pyrrha was terrified when she heard this as it meant that now her partner, her crush, the boy who saw her as an individual was now a wanted criminal. Or worse a possible test subject for the Atlas Science Division.
They would want to tear him open and take him apart piece by piece until they learned everything about him.
Despite the fact that if it wasn't for him Vale would have Fallen to the Grimm or Gods know who else.
She needed to do something about it, she needed to find him and save him from himself. She was hoping that those in Ozpin's inner circle could help her. She believed that they may know something about what had happened to Jaune and would even help find and clear up
However, things were not going the way Pyrrha had expected them to.
"What do you mean you aren't going to do anything?!" her voice loud and shocked as she stared at the gathered adults.
"You have to understand, Miss Nikos, that boy is no longer the same Jaune Arc you knew. He is…something we have never seen before," Glynda Goodwitch said as she and the other members stood by her. "He butchered and killed those men and would have done so for the rest of us, if not for Miss Rose."
Qrow looked away at the mention of his niece and her silver powers.
"But that wasn't his fault! Those men shot at him first, after he saved everyone from the Grimm! If they hadn't shot at him he might have stood down!" Pyrrha argued as Ironwood shook his head.
"Who shot first doesn't matter. What does matter is that the boy has clearly become a part of something that is far darker than anything we have ever seen before. If he were to join forces with Salem, or Gods forbid be captured by her. She could wipe us out in an instant. He needs to be stopped, for all our sakes." Ironwood stated as Pyrrha stared in shock.
"How can you say that?! He fought against Cinder, one of her allies! He's on our side! If he was part of Salem's group, then why did he kill her!? Didn't you say that she wanted the Maidens power to take over the world?! He stopped that from happening!" She argued as Goodwitch shook her head.
"The Maidens are just a stepping stone with what she truly wants, but that is beside the point," Goodwitch said as she grew curious at this before Ironwood stood forward.
"If he was on our side then why didn't he stop himself from killing my men? Why didn't he just surrender after stopping the False Maiden? Why did he run after being weakened by Miss Rose? If he truly was on our side Miss Nikos, then he would have stayed and faced the consequences of his actions. Instead, he ran, like a criminal." He stated as the girl shook her head.
"We didn't give him much choice! You saw the look on his face when we looked at him with fear. You heard what he said before he left? He was ashamed, horrified of what he did. He left because he thought that we would treat him like a monster for what he did to save us. He ran away because he thought he had no other choice. He left because of our fear…he ran because of us," she hung her head as she still remembered the heartbroken expression on his face before he disappeared.
A sight that haunted her to this day.
"It still doesn't change the fact that the kid is dangerous." Qrow finally spoke as he had remained silent through the whole deal.
"He killed, there's no getting around that fact. Not only that but he must have come into contact with something very dangerous in order to get those kinds of powers. We don't know what side he is on or if he is still the same kid you knew from before. Because from where I stood he was willing to kill me." He rubbed his neck as he remembered looking up at the boy that was shrouded in darkness and malice.
"For now, it's best that the Bounty stays on his head. That way if someone spots him we can intervene and decide what to do based on his action. If he doesn't fight back we'll take him in. If he does…that we'll have no choice but to take him down." Qrow suggested as Pyrrha could only look at them with shocking betrayal.
"So, that's it, you're just going to hunt down like an animal?! Kill him as you would with any other Grimm?! He's a human being!"
"We've all had to kill at some point, Miss Nikos. Grimm is not the only enemies out there. There are those like Cinder, like that boy now, that could bring potential disaster to the safety of the Four Kingdoms. It is why we operate as we do. To keep the world safe, we have to do things that we are not proud of. That's what we signed up for…it's what we have to do. There's no other way." Ironwood lamented as Pyrrha looked down as her fist gripped tightly around her blanket.
"I…I can't believe this…I can't believe you would actually hunt down the person that saved our lives. That you would hunt down a person who only did what he thought must be done to save us…to save me. When I was going to do the same," She shook as small bits of metal began to creak. Hurt and betrayal evident in her voice as the adults looked at her.
"I thought…I thought that if I joined you, became your Fall Maiden, I'd be making this world a better place. That I would be doing good with those powers and keep my friends safe. But what has it gotten me? A severed Achilles heel, scorn and ridicule for Penny's death and my own partner…my best friend…lost to some dark force that you lot don't even have a clue about?!" she gritted her teeth as her anger began to boil.
"Yet with it, he did more in one day then what you've managed in years! And what does it get for it?! Fear, hate and a price on his head because he defended himself from those that shot at him! What kind of world are you protecting, if you make choice like that?!" she screamed as she looked up at them in anger.
"Because of you, my partner, my best friend is on the run and I may never see him again! He's gone because I thought I had to make up for my mistake for not taking the Fall Maidens power! I should have never listened to you when you talked about the Maidens! I should have never trusted you when you told me all about Salem and the Grimm! I should have just run when Jaune asked me to! If I had h-he might not have!" she stopped as tears began to fall from her eyes.
"Get out…" she said with a low voice before she snapped her head at them.
"Get out! I never want to see any of you again! I don't want to have anything to do with you or your secrets anymore! You've cost me everything! Just leave!" she screamed as the adults looked in shock before the solemnly nodded and left the girl alone.
When they were gone she collapsed into her bed as she softly cried at the thought of her partner and her mistake for listening to Ozpin. She clutched her pillow as she hoped and prayed that someday she would make up for what her choices had done to her partner. And hoped that she could save him.
No matter what he had become.
Present Day
After that, she opted to stay with Ruby on Patch while she recovered as she had no intention of going back to Mistral and face the scorn of her parents. The long phone call she had with them created a tear between them as they wanted her to return home to continue her duellist career. To endorse and make money for the family and to forget about her partner – who they now saw as a wanted criminal.
She effectively destroyed the phone after that comment.
But honestly, she didn't care anymore about what people thought of her. All she cared about was finding Jaune and undoing the damage she had caused to him.
Ren and Nora stayed with the Xiao/Rose family as well, seeing as they had nowhere else to go, and wanted to find their friend too.
At first, they were scared of Jaune had become fearing that he had become a monster with no morals whatsoever. But after being recounted on the look of guilt on his face when he left and a tear-filled confession about what happened at the tower, which Pyrrha broke down into tears blaming herself for what happened, they instantly wanted to help her and find their leader.
Ruby wanted to come along too, but when Yang found out what had happened with the soldiers, the older teen basically forbade her sister from going after him.
Their father agreed after seeing the footage. The sisters had argued constantly about whether or no Jaune was even human any more – or if he was even Jaune – as Yang was scared that Jaune might hurt Ruby. Pyrrha tried to help Ruby convince Yang but the girl just wouldn't budge, saying that she was not going to let her sister get hurt.
However, Ruby argued that she was only acting this way because she lost her arm and that Blake ran away. Yang had almost hit her sister after that comment. But the point still stood between them. Something had happened to Jaune, and they had no idea what they were dealing with.
"We need to go look for him, sis! He's our friend!"
"He was your friend Ruby! But that thing I saw on the video was anything but Vomit-boy! You saw what he did to those soldiers, to that woman! How can you be so sure that he's not going to kill you as he did them?! Or did you forget what he tried to do to Uncle Qrow?!" She turned her head to see the two sisters going at it again.
This was the fourth time this week that Ruby wanted to go out and search for Jaune. Pyrrha, Ren and Nora were ready to go. But Yang was being stubborn, and Ruby was having a hard time trying to get away from her sister or get some sense through her head.
"Because he's Jaune! Whatever happened to him doesn't change the fact he's still the same guy we knew back at Beacon!" Yang clenched her remaining fist.
"You don't know what people are truly like..." her mind going back to Blake as she still felt angry and betrayed of her partner's disappearance. Ruby sighed as she hung her head.
"Yang, I know you're still hurt about everything that's happened to you. But we need to find him, he's out there all alone with people going after his head. If we don't find him first, try to reason with him, he could wind up dead!" she stressed as Yang shook her head.
"You saw what he could do, I highly doubt a bunch of Bounty Hunters are going to be able to stop him. I mean for God's sake his head was detached from his body! His head! If that doesn't kill him nothing will," she walked away from her as Ruby sighed in defeat.
She slumped over to Pyrrha as she sat on the window sill next to her. Her head resting on the wood as she looked to the former Champion.
"You don't have to wait for me you know? You can go without me, it'll just take a while to get through Yang's stubbornness." Pyrrha shook her head at this.
"No, we agreed we would all go look for Jaune. We're not leaving without you." She reassured the young girl as she nodded
"Besides…" they looked over at Ren as he and Nora walked into the room "We don't even know where to look for him. For all, we know he could on an entirely different continent by now. If we want to find him, we need somewhere to start and not just go on a wild goose chase."
"I have to agree with Magenta boy there," they turned as Pyrrha glared at Qrow as he walked into the room. "Going after him without a clear direction is a recipe for disaster. Sometimes you need to be patient before you can act." Pyrrha scoffed at this.
"Like I'm going to take any advice from you. You'll probably just turn on us the moment you find out where Jaune is. And I thought I made it clear that I didn't want to see you again," she said as she turned away from the man. Ruby looking sad as she had only gotten a brief understanding of what happened between Pyrrha and her uncle.
The Veteran huntsman sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Look I know you're still pissed at us for what happened, and I don't blame you. But I'm not talking to you as part of Ozpin's group, I'm talking to you as an experienced Huntsman and you need to listen to what I have to say." She glanced back but the glare was still present.
"The kid has a five-month head start on you. He could be Vacuo, Anima or even Solitas for all we know. But not only that, but he has powers the likes of which none of us has ever seen before. You have no idea what could have happened to him in the last months. He might not even be the same kid you knew. Power has a way of corrupting people, I've seen it." No one responded as he looked away.
"And what are you going to do if you somehow manage to find him? How are you going to convince him to come back? He's wanted by the Kingdoms of Atlas and Vale, there's no way they are going to forget what he did to those soldiers."
"We'll find a way, maybe we hide him somewhere or prove that he's not as dangerous as everyone thinks he is?" Nora suggested as Qrow shook his head.
"And how long do you think it'll take before the other Kingdoms track him down? He may have hidden well for now, but no one stays hidden forever. Trust me I know. And I highly doubt you'll manage to convince anyone that he isn't dangerous. Not after what they saw." He told them as they registered what the man was saying.
"Look, all I'm saying is that you need a better plan than just walking off into the sunset and expecting to bump into him." He then scoffed as he pointed to the table.
"What do you expect, a sign is just going to magically come from the sky?"
Instantly a red portal opened up as a figure came crashing down onto the table, shocking everyone as an armless and bleeding woman lay face down on the broken table. Everyone stared in stunned silence as they stared at the woman when Yang and Tai suddenly ran into the room as soon as they heard the noise.
"What the hell is going-Raven?!" he yelled in shock as he and Yang stared wide-eyed at the woman laying on the floor. Tai and Qrow instantly by her side as Yang could only stare in stunned silence at the armless woman before her.
"Raven!" Qrow managed to call out as he ran over to her while the teens stared in shock.
Tai turned her over as she grunted in pain while blood still leaked from her stump. "Raven! Raven, it's me! Tai! What the hell happened to you?!" he asked his former wife as she looked up weakly at the two members of her former team.
"Tai…" she said with a weak voice as she looked almost pleading with him. "...Help..." was all she said before she passed out.
Everyone stared in silence as they tried to register what the hell just happened. Three of them were shocked the most however as two of them had never heard the woman ask for help before, while the last one could only stare at the one who abandoned her years ago. But the main question on everyone's mind was this…
What the hell happened to her?
Back in the Branwen Camp
Jaune placed the last of the pikes into the ground as he looked up at his work. A sick feeling in his stomach as he looked at the unnerving scene before him. "You sure this will work?" he asked as the spectre of the Former King appeared by his side.
"Positive, as soon as they see this and that mark on the wall, they will know not to mess with us." Jaune shook his head as she looked at what he had done and the symbol he had carved in blood.
"I still don't like it."
"Sometimes we don't have a choice at what we have to do. This is one of them if you want the bandits to stay away from the innocent. Now let's get going, we got what we needed, and you want to get these people to Takefu Village before more Grimm shows up. Not that it will matter in the end," he disappeared as Jaune was left with his thoughts as he looked back one last time and left the camp.
As we walked away the sound of vultures screeched in the air as the scavenger-like birds began to descend upon the camp. They really didn't care what they saw, all that mattered to them was that there was meat to scavenge and eat.
Had they been human…they would have been horrified at what they saw.
Bodies impaled on long staves and pikes were spread amongst the camp, as the blood of every member of the Branwen Tribe drained into the dirt. Their corpses strung up and displayed in a grizzly manner. Looks of pain etched on their faces as the staves and pikes held them up for all to see.
But carved roughly into the back of the Camp was the Arc Symbol carved upside down with a red slit eye and a sword impaled through the centre. This would become his symbol in the years to come. The Mark of the man who did this and many more horrifying acts of cruelty to the wicked and evil of the world.
This was the Mark of the New King of Darkness…the Impaler of Wicked Men…and the Slayer of Dragons.
And Scene. Well here is Chapter IV of The New King of Darkness. Sorry for the long wait, been very busy. Work, Uni and all that. I hoped you all liked it and tell me what you think. I would like to thank FF8Cerberus for some advice and critic for the story and hope you all enjoyed it.
I wanted to make some similarities to Dracula, Alucard and Gabriel Belmont from the respective series but Jaune hesitant to do so. But seeing no other choice.
Also, I wanted to cause a rift between Pyrrha and Ozpin's group if she was alive and survived Beacon. She would be anger at them and probably would never want to speak to them again. Plus I never like that Ozpin put her in that situation. Something I will probably address in a later chapter when Oscar/Ozpin and Qrow meet with Jaune as he asks them a question that has been on my mind for a while.
But I won't spoil. And stay tuned for…
Chapter V: Temple of Raging Fire