First RWBY fic. I've been writing fanfiction for years now but I got into RWBY just a couple of months back. RWBY fanfiction ahas been a mixed bag. Some great ones, some not so great ones. So I thought about trying my hand at it.
This will be focused on Mercury and Jaune with the first few chapters taking place before canon starts. The bulk of the main story will be when they're older so I can include the other cast members such as Team RWBY.
It's also an experiment since I've never written a fic with a character like Mercury as one of the leads. Even with anti-heroes they tended to be good at heart. Mercury...isn't, and that should be fascinating to try and write, especially with Jaune as the other protagonist.
"Get up."
Mercury's eyes cracked open and he awoke to the stink of booze. Just like always, "I'm up..." He made sure to say it loud and clear. Marcus Black didn't like repeating himself, especially when he was a few bottles in. And judging by how he smelled he was at least past three.
His old man grunted and left to give him some privacy. Thank God. Or Gods. Didn't matter. He sat up on the barebones mattress and stretched his arms above his head. He was still sore from last night's 'training' but he wasn't going to let that slow him down. He wasn't an idiot. Bringing a hand across his face, he stood up and grit his teeth to keep from groaning. The old man worked him extra hard last night.
Time to get ready.
Mercury's room was small. Just a mattress, a table and a cabinet that was older than he was. There wasn't even a window. He was used to it. Cricking his stiff neck, he picked through the clothes and picked out one of his few good outfits. They were heading out today and it wouldn't do to look like some Mistralian street urchin. At least not this time. Where they were going there wouldn't be any crowds.
Least it meant no one would look twice at the fourteen year old following the walking booze factory. Or was it thirteen? Didn't exactly celebrate birthdays so he just had to guess. He looked that old, at least.
He put on the dull gray jacket and grabbed the boots on the table. The old man told him once about how the best weapons were the ones people never saw coming. Anyone could carry a gun or a sword but the last thing anyone expected was for you to shoot a bullet from your feet. Wasn't sure how much he believed that considering what his pops carried around, but he wasn't gonna argue.
Feet stomped experimentally and he looked at the clock on the wall. Just a little past noon, which was early for Marcus after his 'nightly ritual', "I'm ready." The old man was already strapping his gloves in. Mori, old Mistralian for death. He still rolled his eyes at that. For all his old man talked about being subtle he sure wore a lot of things on his sleeve. If he had his way Mercury's own weapons would've been called Executioner or something.
Pops didn't say anything and just walked out. Mercury followed without another word and took some small comfort at his dad having to trudge through the hot noon sun. He looked back at the old house and let out a small breath. Still felt odd going on him with his 'job', but it wasn't like the old man had a choice. Ever since mommy dearest ran off and took everything she cared about he didn't have a free babysitter anymore.
Man, dad was pissed when he came back to an empty liquor cabinet. Mercury laughed. Then he didn't cause he decided to take it out on him for that night's 'training'. Hope mom enjoyed that vodka.
Every job after that was take your kid to work day. The old man didn't want to risk coming back to an empty house. Stupid. Probably still thought mom wanted to come back and 'save him' or something. Cause obviously someone who emptied out the liquor cabinet before running away was someone who cared about their kid. Mercury didn't blame her for running off, but he was kinda annoyed waking up to an empty house and angry Marcus Black. Little warning might've been nice.
The old man was walking ahead of him, back turned. Like always he felt the urge to run up and kick the back of his head to crack his skull open. He knew better, though. As much of a draunk as the old man was he still had decades of training and experience over him. Even if they did both have Aura he wasn't stupid enough to think it'd end in any other way than getting Mori's poisoned blades shoved down both eyes.
"So where we heading?" Mercury asked once they were close to town. Old man couldn't go off on him once they were in a place filled with people, "All you told me was that we were going to the other end of Anima. Weren't really specific."
"Just follow me and keep quiet."
"At least tell me who you're going to 'introduce yourself' to. I can help out better if I knew what we were getting into." he pressed. Officially he was here to help the old man out if he had any trouble. They both knew the real reason he was here, but it didn't hurt to lean into it a bit.
The old man grunted and eventually handed him a photo. Mercury raised a brow at the two people on the crinkled snapshot. A blonde, muscled man with a beard and a kid who looked about his age. His son. A family hit, huh? He guessed he wasn't surprised. Wasn't like this was the first time the old man ended a bloodline.
"Nathaniel Arc and his son, Jaune. Client was clear. Kill the older Arc and take his son."
"Kidnapping? Didn't think you did that." Mercury raised a brow. It wasn't like it was some moral line the old man refused to cross, it was just...weird. He was an assassin, something he was way too proud of. Playing kidnapper wasn't in his wheelhouse.
"Those are the orders." He took the photo back, "Nathaniel Arc is a Huntsman." Mercury blinked. A Hunstman? That was new. The old man had a varied list - anything from criminal kingpins and politicians to some rich guy's lover or illegitimate kid - but a Huntsman was pretty rare. Most assassins didn't wanna risk fighting against someone who trained for years to fight the Grimm.
Then again, Marcus Black wasn't most assassins.
"Surprised they aren't in a town," Mercury said instead. Expressing doubt was a good way to get a broken nose, witnesses or not.
"Doesn't matter where they are. Job's the same."
"I guess..."
They passed through the town after getting some supplies. The bag was bulging by the time they left and he was forced to carry it all while the old man opened another bottle of booze. Again, he knew better than to complain. The last time he asked if it was a good idea to drink before a job he got a bottle across the jaw. 'Thankfully' no one in the bar paid it any mind. Drunk parents were a dime a dozen out in the frontier villages.
The trip took about ten days after that. They stopped by towns occasionally, mostly to buy more liquor, but they did their best to avoid them unless it was absolutely needed. Mercury wasn't sure why they bothered. Not like villages cared to remembered the faces of two strangers. Again, he didn't say anything. Last thing he needed was for either them to get into a mood and attract Grimm camping out in the wilds.
Eventually they made it close. Or at least he figured they did considering the old man stopped drinking a couple of days ago. Mercury looked out past the dense forest of trees to the unassuming cottage sitting on a small clearing. Reminded him of the old man's place. Would've been risky for a lot of people to live somewhere without a militia or walls, but Huntsmen were another breed entirely.
Mercury looked up at the shattered moon, ignoring the slight drizzle of rain. It was midnight now, meaning if they were lucky the guy and his kid would've been sleeping, "Stay here." The old man checked over Mori again, "This shouldn't take long. You-"
"I'll keep out of sight and help out if you need me to." He rolled his eyes. Dad looked annoyed at being interrupted but let it go, "I know the drill. We've done this how many times now?"
"Not nearly enough for you to get cocky."
Mercury didn't say anything and just waited, hidden underneath the shadow of the trees. Marcus would get inside and stab the guy. Most Huntsmen trained for years and having their Aura up was second nature to them. The really trained ones could even have it up when they were sleeping. Aura made you hardier even without training, but if this Arc guy could keep it up 24/7 then this wasn't gonna be a simple in-and-out.
And all he could do was wait.
He leaned back and let out a bored sigh. The old man never actually let him get in on the action. It wasn't cause he was worried; he just hated the idea of being so weak he had to rely on his kid to help him out. He even made sure that he only had half a dozen bullets in his boots.
His eyes drooped and he almost fell asleep when a crash came from up ahead. Mercury sat up on a kneeling position and his eyes widened when he saw something he never thought he'd live to see - his dad struggling, "No way..." He looked closer just to make sure that he wasn't seeing shit. But no, that was definitely Marcus Black that crashed through the wall and barely managed to block the blonde man's enraged sword swing.
Huntsmen really were another breed, weren't they?
The sword crushed through the old man's block and slashed his chest. Aura kept it from breaking skin but Marcus was forced to take a step back. The Arc charged ahead and Marcus dodged, slashing at his side and trying to keep distance. Mori fired a barrage of poisoned bullets that the Huntsman blocked with a raised shield. Both their auras were still up, but the old man was flagging.
This was the point he was supposed to help. The old man would rant and rave that he didn't need the help later, but right now he and the Huntsman were evenly matched. Assassins didn't play fair and they definitely didn't do equal fights.
He stood. Then stopped. The old man was distracted now and the Huntsman didn't know he was there. If he really wanted to he could shoot Arc in the back and then...
Then what?
His eyes narrowed and he held onto the closest tree. Then Arc would die, they'd take his kid and sell him off. The old man would buy more booze then take him along on the next contract. And again and again and again till one of them snapped and killed the other. Dad nearly did it when he found out mom left and it was only Mercury's Aura that kept him from bleeding out that night's 'training'.
The next choice was obvious.
Mercury waited till the old man's back was turned again before he sprung. The footsteps on the grass were hardly subtle but the two were too occupied to notice him. Or maybe dad thought he was coming there to help.
The kick to Marcus Black's spine changed his mind real quick, "Wha-" Mercury shot a bullet at point blank and used the recoil to jump back. The old man stumbled and barely managed to keep himself on his feet. Arc charged towards him again and tried to stab his chest. Marcus ducked the blow and grabbed the outstretched arms. Mercury ran ahead again and jumped, a kick aimed straight for the old man's jaw.
The old man kicked Arc away and blocked Mercury's blow. He didn't say anything, but his eyes were murderous. Guess that was that bridge burned. Mercury didn't feel any fear. His lips quirked up in a smile and he brought his other leg up, kicking the right side of his jaw with a recoil powered kick. The force the blow knocked the old man to the ground and he saw the Aura flash. Not gone yet, but close.
"You made a big mistake, you little bastard." Marcus stood up, hand blades drawn.
Arc looked confused but quickly ignored him favor of the guy who already attacked him. The Huntsman charged again, blocking another barrage of bullets. Mercury circled to the old man's back and waited for an opening. Best thing he could do was to let the two old guys fight it out then finish dad off. Huntsman was probably gonna bite it, but it was no skin off his nose. Long as the old man joined him.
His chance came soon enough when Huntsman cut through the last of dad's aura with an overhead slash. The gray energy flashed then dissipated. Marcus, vindictive bastard he was, shot forward like a bullet and stabbed all four of Mori's blades straight into the Arc's chest. The force of the blow cut through what little Aura the Hunstman had and both blades dug deep until the old man's knuckles hit his chest, blood dripping from the wounds.
Mercury ran, jumped and raised his right foot in an axe kick right at the back of the old man's head. He waited till the attack reached its peak arc before he shot another bullet. The sudden shock forced Mercury's foot down harder than any natural hit and he heard something crack on impact.
Everything was quiet. Mercury stepped back and panted, watching the rivulets of blood that dripped down the white-streaked hair. The Hunstman fell, four fresh holes on his chest, while Marcus shakily turned around. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, expression slack like he couldn't believe what just happened. Or maybe it was brain damage from having his skull cracked open.
Dad opened his mouth but whatever he was about to say was cut off when Mercury kicked him again, knocking him on his back away from the Huntsman. He scrambled on top of him and brought his fist down on his head over and over. He wasn't as good with his hands - another part of the old man's training - but he didn't need it for this.
He kept pounding long after the old man's jaw broke and his hands were so wet his fists almost slipped over the skin. He was still smiling, Mercury realized as he stood. The expression had gone from cocky and confident to downright manic as he looked at the old man's cooling body, "Haha..." He spat and kicked it one more time for good measure. There weren't any final words, but screw it. Seeing that slack jawed look on his face was worth it.
He considered doing a song and dance number when he heard a scream from behind. Mercury's head snapped to the source only to find another pair of blue eyes looking at the scene in horror. The kid the old man wanted them to take. Jaune Arc. His eyes left Mercury and focused on the Hunstman on lying down on the grass. Dead. Must've bled out while he wasn't looking or maybe Mori's poison finally kicked in. Didn't matter either way.
The younger Arc cried and rushed to his dad's side, kneeling down and hugging him desperately. He was bawling now, begging his dad to wake up and apologizing for being too much of a coward to help. Mercury ignored him and looked back to the forest's edge. It was barely past midnight and he had no idea where the closest village was. He didn't like the idea of wandering around in the dark looking for it. Times like these he wished he had Faunus nightvision.
His eyes trailed back down to the crying teen. Looking closer they definitely looked like they were the same age. Mercury could admit he felt kinda bad, though not enough to really feel guilty. He didn't exactly try his best to save the Huntsman but it wasn't like he wanted him to die either. If old man didn't kill him before Mercury cracked his skull open he would've been fine with it.
Mercury sighed. He couldn't exactly ask the guy for directions to the nearest village, could he? Guy was bawling so hard he couldn't answer if he wanted to. A part of him expected the other teen to charge him and attack, but he probably figured he and the old man didn't come together. Seeing him spitting on the guy's fresh corpse wasn't gonna make him think he was a second assassin, would he?
He was about to take his chances out in the woods, if only to get away from the sobbing, when he heard it. Growls. Mercury's eyes widened when he spotted the blood red eyes peeking through the darkness, "Shit..." His eyes flicked between the growling Beowolves - at least four of them - and the Arc still wailing on the ground. His grief was attracting them.
The first Beowolf charged the younger Arc. He finally looked up and noticed, eyes wide with fear.
Mercury kicked its jaw and knocked it back, "Do you have aura?!" he shouted.
"Wh-What do-"
"Do you have aura?!" he shouted again. He didn't like playing bodyguard but another person was another person, "Can you fight?! Anything?!"
"Y-Yeah, I have some training-"
"Then pick up that sword and start swinging!" He threw roundhouse kick at another Beowolf and cursed. He'd fought Grimm before. Once. It wasn't an experience he wanted to go back to. Bastards were tenacious and didn't have self-preservation instincts. No fear, no hesitation, nothing but spite and hate. They didn't care what they had to do as long as you died with them.
Arc picked up the sword at his dad's side and held it with shaky hands. Shit, he wasn't gonna be much help, but if he could take at least one out then it'd be worth it. Worst case scenario he could at least act as a lightning rod and keep them busy.
The four Beowolves charged at once. Mercury jumped and stomped at the one farthest to the back. Another shot and the bullet crushed through its skull, making it dissolve in blur of black smoke.
'Two bullets left.' He looked back and grimaced. Arc wasn't doing well, but he was managing to keep two of the Beowolves at bay by swinging wildly. Good enough for now. He ran towards the closest one Grimm and slid, slipping under its snapping jaws. Both feet kicked against its wide torso and he smirked before shooting two bullets at point blank range.
The Beowolf flew and dissolved mid-fall. Mercury spun back to his feet and sprinted to the last two growlers. A sweeping kicked knocked away the one to the right while the last one continued to slash and swipe at Arc. He could deal with it.
He took a couple of hits, but eventually the kicks knocked it to the ground. Mercury stomped on its neck twice then kicked its jaw just to make absolutely sure it stayed down. Until they dissolved you left nothing to chance.
Arc screamed behind him and when he looked back he saw Arc with his back to the ground and the Beowolf on top. Thankfully he didn't have to play hero a second time when he noticed the sword stabbing through its torso, the tip clearing through the other end. The Beowolf struggled for another few seconds before dissolving, leaving the crying, heaving and probably pissing Arc.
That was all of them.
Mercury rubbed the back of his right hand through his forehead and panted. This wasn't how he thought today would go, but seeing the old man's dead body made him think it was still worth it. As mush as the Grimm sucked he'd take a thousand of them before spending another day under Marcus Black's house.
He crouched down besides the panting teen and pulled him up, "Do you know where the closest village is?" He couldn't stay here. Call it a gut feeling, but he just knew that those wouldn't be the only Grimm around.
"What? I don't..."
"Closest village. You know where it is?" His grip on the Arc's shoulder tightened. Wandering around the forest blind now that the Grimm were stirred up was suicide. So was traveling with a lightning rod, but if push came to shove he could ditch him. It was still better than being completely clueless, "Grimm are around and I can't wander around by myself. Answer the question."
"Y...Yeah, I know where-"
"Then let's go. We can-"
"Wait!" The sudden shout caught him off-guard, "M-My dad, I can't just leave him! I gotta-"
"Neither of us can carry him!" Two fourteen year olds carrying a grown man? Might as well lay down and serve themselves to the Grimm with sauce, "Look, your dad wouldn't want you to die so he definitely doesn't want you to stay here and become Grimm chow!" He didn't know that, but most normal parents cared about their kids. Anything to get the crying Arc moving.
"B-But-"
"You wanna die?" It took a moment but eventually the blonde shook his head, "Then get up and keep moving. I need you to tell me where all the lights and emergency supplies you have are. Come on, longer we stay the closer the Grimm get."
He still looked like he wanted to argue until, finally, he nodded and stood up, grabbing the discarded shield along with the sword. He knelt beside the Hunstman's body and closed his still-open eyes. He was crying again, but this time Mercury let him grieve. Last thing he needed was him getting mad and summoning a giant mantis or something.
"I...we have some supplies in the stairway cabinet," Arc said eventually.
"Show me, then let's get the hell out of here." The Arc nodded, still in shock, and went into the house with Mercury following. The other teen didn't know what to do, but then again neither did he. Killing his old man was a good first step but now he was kinda realizing that he didn't know what came after. Go back to the house? Not a chance. Take up the trade? Maybe, but his dad's contacts weren't gonna trust a kid even if Marcus Black was his dad.
Right now he just wanted to make it to sunrise.
"Here..." Arc handed him a backpack already filled with supplies. The older Arc was prepared to cut and run, "I...the closest village is at least an hour way."
"Show me." He slung the backpack over both shoulders and turned on the flashlight he was handed, "R-Ready?"
"Y-Yeah..." He obviously wasn't, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Mercury raised the flashlight, Arc following behind. The two ran into the forest and disappeared from sight, leaving the two bodies behind.
First chapter done. I know it felt pretty expositiony and not a lot happened, but it was mostly to set the stage.
The next chapters will have the pair exploring Mistral/Anima cause the main show never really showed off the inequality between the social classes and the criminal elements outside of Little Miss Malachite.
And before anyone asks: yes, the rest of Jaune's family are alive and didn't get retconned out of existence. We'll find out more about them later and why he and his dad were alone on the edge of Anima.