Interlude: Jack Starfeld

"At the time of the Ice Guardian's rule over Staneia, the Wind Guardian created the fauna and plant life for Staneia and all of Vastel. This Guardian loved nature from the bottom of his heart. Whenever the Ice Guardian sought him out, she would always find him with animals from rabbits to bears and especially his favorite animal: foxes. The wind he created will always speak to him about the needs of the plants near him and the howls of each animal he knew. The Ice Guardian always told him that while she was happy her friend found peace with nature, she worried he might be growing too attached to it. To which the Wind Guardian replied that she had grown too trusting towards humans and faunus, or as he would call them: mortals with darkened hearts. Unlike animals and plants, the Wind Guardian sensed the darkness in the hearts of those mortals the Ice Guardian trusted just as the Light Guardian warned them.

The Ice Guardian chose to believe in the humans and faunus she loved while the Wind Guardian could only watch as she returned to the Crescent Moon tribe. However, that was the last time the Wind Guardian saw her again. When he heard the screams of the Ice Guardian, he rushed over as fast as he could, only to find nothing but the remains of her presence only he could feel and the corpse of the faunus that killed her, frozen solid.

Enraged, the Wind Guardian commanded all the animals of Staneia to attack the Crescent Moon tribe, to slaughter the mortals who betrayed their guardian; however, the mortals were far stronger and more experienced than the Guardian expected, and after a long and bloody battle, captured or killed the Wind Guardian's close friends. Now lost and alone, the Wind Guardian sits alone atop the icy glaciers of Staneia with but two companions left. The first a snow fox bearing a scarred right eye, and the second..."

(Pages Torn)

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~~Staneia~~

~~One Year before Alisen Incident~~

On the snowy plains of Staneia, a bandit group makes their way through the snowy cold of night, their bodies shivering as they keep themselves warm with the spare heat crystals they had with them.

"For Guardians' sake!" shouted a bandit, "Why is it that the temperature drops more here than anywhere else in Staneia?!"

"Quit your whining!" shouted the bandit leader, who had dark red hair, "How much farther?"

A bandit checked the map they had and shouted, "Less than a mile. It should be in our sights, Arche."

"We're so close. Keep pushing, men, or the cold and snow will have you!"

The bandit group did manage to reach their destination within the hour. They found themselves at the foot of a snow valley that appeared to have been abandoned for a long time. Everywhere they looked, they saw broken buildings that looked burnt, and lots of debris.

"Boss, are you sure this is the right place?" asked a bandit as they made their way to the top of the valley, "I'm getting chills for some reason."

Arche looked up at the top of the valley to see a tall structure in the distance. "Yep. This is definitely the place. The valley that is forever stained in fire and ash: Moonrock."

"H-hey, are you sure about this Boss?!" A bandit asked, shivering in his boots. He wishes his shaking was coming from the cold, "They say this place is haunted by the spirits of those killed in that Tragedy."

"Wait, really?" asked another bandit.

"Yeah, and that's not the worst part. Recently, there's been a lurking shadow haunting these ruins. A scarred fox. Many who see it, return with only nightmares."

"What kind of dust did you smoke before we started this expedition?! You seriously scared of a kid's ghost story?!" Arche let out a howling laugh, "There's no such thing. All the Staneians who came here with the former chieftain died with him. Since then, the Council marked this area as a Forbidden Zone to 'protect' us and made that story up to scare kids from trespassing, but I see through the ruse." Arche gave a greed-driven smile. "There's treasure here the former chieftain likely wanted to grant to the Nogitsunes...at least, before they betrayed and killed him."

"Wait, did the Nogitsune really do that?!" a bandit asked, "Why?"

Arche shrugged. "If they had a reason, they took it to the afterlife once the Crescent Moon tribe found out they were responsible. The crime of slaughtering a beloved Staneian chieftain was met with a slaughter of equal magnitude."

"They slaughtered the Nogitsunes?!"

"Yep. We haven't seen one in Vastel since that incident. How long ago was it again?"

"Ten years, Boss."

"Ah yes. Staneians don't play around when it comes to their own kind. Lucky for us, they don't want anything to do with this place." Arche then looked up and saw a broken gate to what appeared to be what was left of a chapel. "Here we are. The remains of the Moonrock Chapel."

One of the bandits saw something move in the forest out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw nothing there. "Hey, did you guys hear something?"

Arche rolled his eyes. "We're not here to play with rabbits and mice. Stay focused or you're not getting a cut."

"Y-yes, Boss."

As the bandits made their way into the chapel, a pair of eyes shone in the darkness behind them, like a predator stalking its prey unnoticed.

##

~~Old Moonrock Chapel~~

The bandits entered the abandoned chapel. There, they saw nothing but old pews, dusty chairs and cracked pedestals. The silent air gave off a bone-chilling aura as the blow of the cold wind outside entered through the old cracks on the walls.

While his subordinates cowered in fear, Arche stepped forward. "Now if I'm a betting man, the treasure is likely hidden in the office. Spread out and search for it."

For the next ten minutes, the bandits searched high and low for the office, but all they found were empty rooms and dusty storage full of cobwebs.

The bandits regrouped outside the chapel empty-handed.

"Feh, nothing," Arche said, spitting on the ground.

"O-okay, can we go home now, Boss?" asked a bandit.

"Ask me again before we have what we came for and you can decide which arm you want less!" Arche snapped as he turned to the rest of his men. "We're searching the surrounding buildings. The treasure must be here somewhere, I know it."

"You'll find nothing here but the tattered remains of was once called 'hope', bandits." Spoke a voice.

The bandits took their weapons out upon hearing the voice.

"Who's there?!" Arche shouted, holding onto his sword.

A sudden gust of wind began to blow through the bandits, picking up small fragments of snow. The temperature dropped again as well as the remaining courage the bandits had.

"I don't know, Boss. Maybe the stories aren't just stories?"

"Quit your whining!" Arche shouted as he looked around, "Show yourself, coward! We want the treasure in this place and we'll get it one way or another!"

"Treasure?" The voice asked.

"Boss! Look!" A bandit shouted as he pointed at the gate they passed.

They saw a boy wearing a ragged, black cloak standing alone underneath the gate.

Arche discerned from just a glance that the boy wasn't even in his twenties. He smirked and let out a chuckle. "I don't know who you are, but you sure gave my men a scare." He turned to his group of bandits. "You guys are so pathetic, letting a teenager scare you so bad you almost pissed your pants."

"Wait, it's a teenager?" A bandit asked, in shock.

"But what's a kid like him doing all the way out here?" asked another bandit.

"Like I care," Arche said, pointing his sword in the boy's direction, "Are you lost or something, kid? Because you definitely don't want to be here!"

"Leave this place. Now." The boy demanded.

"Tah, making demands are we?! How adorable! How about I cut you a deal since I'm feeling oh so generous. You tell us where the former chieftain's treasure is, and we'll let you leave with your life."

"Chief Webber's treasure is far beyond the reach of you filth."

A vein appeared on Arche's forehead, hearing those words. "The hell did you just say, brat?!"

"And even if the Tragedy did not occur, I wouldn't allow you within a hundred leagues of the Chief's treasure." The boy lifted his head to stare at his enemies. Within the cloak, his bright-blue eyes shined in the dark as his right eye bore a deep scar over it.

"H-Hey, B-Boss..." A bandit whispered.

"What is it now?" Arche asked, getting annoyed at his subordinates.

"Th-that kid has..." The bandit gulped in fear, "A-a scarred eye. It's him! He's the scarred fox the rumors talked about!"

"Him?!" Arche turned back to see the scarred boy beginning to walk toward them. He let out a scoff. "Don't be ridiculous! He could have done that to himself to look tough!"

"Leave this place, and never return." The boy said once again.

"Tch, you don't scare me!" Arche shouted, readying his sword. "We've got the numbers advantage. Surround him!"

Theme Song: "Mukanjyo" (Vinland Saga)

The bandits surrounded the scarred boy, out-manning him by a ten-to-one margin.

Arche smirked. "You're gonna regret messing with us. Let him have it, boys!"

All ten bandits yelled their battle cries as they rushed at the boy from all sides.

The boy stood still as the wind around him blew. He threw off his cloak, revealing his short, unkempt black hair and light caramel skin. He wore a red hoodie underneath a black cargo vest. Resting on his head is a black and red beanie. On his hands were black fingerless gloves. Around his neck was a golden necklace in the shape of a heart. Black cargo pants and matching boots completed the look.

The boy lifted his hands and aimed them at the ground. He spoke with a soothing voice as the wind around him picked up speed.

A forgotten valley

In the shivering night

A voiceless wind beckons

Bandits, afraid to see their blood

Whilst the ever-watching snow judges

Bandits will be smitten by Dragulea's silent storm

In an instant, the boy was high in the air. To the bandits, it looked as if he had just vanished.

"Huh?! Where did he go?!"

The boy took out a red, unknown weapon. He infused the weapon with a green aura as he plunged down on the clueless bandits. When the aura touched the ground, a blast of wind blew them back.

"Gah!" A bandit shouted.

Arche stabbed his sword into the ground to stop his momentum before looking back up at the boy. "Tch, a hunter? Only they have the power to manipulate the elements like that!"

"That was your last warning," The boy said in a chilling voice, "Leave this place, or it will be your grave."

"I was going to go easy on you because you were a kid, but now..." Arche got up on his feet, "I'm going to cut out every organ in your body!"

"Wait, Boss!" a bandit shouted.

"What?!"

"Don't! We need to g-get out of here! This boy..."

"I don't give a rat's ass who or what this boy is!" shouted another bandit behind the boy, "He's dead as far as I'm concerned!" Just as he was about to land a hit on his target, his sword hit nothing but dead air. "Wha?!"

"Your friend was right to fear me." The boy's voice rang from behind the bandit.

The bandit turned around only to find his neck caught up in a sharp chain wrapped around it with a sickle at the end. The tiny blades tore at his skin, causing blood to leak out, "W-wai..."

"Nine." The boy yanked on the chain, causing the bladed parts to dig in deeper, shredding the throat. A pool of blood spilled onto the snow as the bandit fell dead on the ground.

Arche's eyes lost their color witnessing a predator tear apart its prey at the snap of a finger. "Who..who is this kid...?"

"B-Boss...he's one of them!" Shouted a bandit, "That weapon...it's a snake-tail blade!"

"Sn-snake tail blade?!"

Snake tail blades are a culmination of an arm sword accompanied by a double sickle containing a retractable chain covered in tiny blades. They have been forgotten throughout Vastel's time as a viable weapon, but only one group of faunus within Staneia still utilizes them to this day.

"Wait...if he has that weapon, does that make him...?" Arche asked.

"Nogitsune! He's a Nogitsune!" A bandit shouted.

That was when the snowy wind picked up again as the boy's bright blue eyes glowed. "Were you able to find peace with the Ice Maiden in what was supposed to be a sacred Chapel?"

"D-don't be ridiculous!" Arche shouted, sweating despite being in the middle of a snowy night, "No one believes in that fairy tale anymore!"

"Then may you be judged...by the Wind Demon!" The boy shouted as he jumped high into the air.

"Get him, boys! Kill him before he kills you!"

The boy didn't allow the bandits to cooperate in an offensive as he threw a chained sickle at one of the bandits, wrapping it around his sword. The bladed chain bit into his wrists, making him drop his sword.

The boy landed on the sword and kicked the bandit before slicing the arm blade into his throat. "Eight."

Two bandits lunged at him from both sides.

The boy jumped back to dodge their blade strikes. He then extended the sickle blade to wrap both bandits. Pulling on the chain, he forced the bandits to their knees.

"Got you now!" shouted another bandit behind the boy as he rushed at him.

The boy used his arm sword to block the blade strike and watched as the fourth and fifth bandit approached him from his front and back. He tightened his grip on his chained sickle before ducking to block the additional sword strikes. His feet then became infused with the wind before he burst out from under, soaring into the air carrying the two chained bandits. With a kick from his foot, he sent them flying back down to the ground hard.

The boy infused his weapon with the aura again, this time raining a storm of wind blades on the five downed bandits, cutting them all over and rendering them unconscious from the blood loss.

Arche could only watch in horror as the fox faunus ravaged his men.

"Three." The boy then turned to Arche and his remaining two bandits.

"Oh, fuck this! I'm out of here!" shouted a bandit as he dropped his weapon and began to run for his life.

"Yeah, you're on your own, Boss!" shouted the second bandit as he followed suit in fleeing.

"Hey! Where the hell are you going?!" Arche shouted.

"To hell. That is where they are going." The boy pointed his arm blade, which transformed into a sniper pistol, and shot the fleeing bandits in the neck, killing them both. "One."

Arche's eyes widened as he realized he was the last one left. He watched as the boy slowly walked up to him with his blood-stained weapon. "You...you're not a boy. You're a monster! A demon!"

"Boy. Monster. Demon. It makes no difference." The boy readied his sickle chain. "I've only stained my hands with the blood of criminals and greedy humans like you. You, however..." He then closed his eyes. "I can sense the sins your soul carries. You've killed women and children just to loot their houses, and you've extorted money from others with threats. It's the same with all the leaders I've killed these past two years. Quite uncreative, if you ask me."

"I-I..." Arche was at a loss for words, hearing this teenager talk down at him. Dropping his sword, he got on his knees, clasping his hands together, "Okay! Okay! I give up! Please have mercy!"

The boy stared at the pathetic adult pleading for his life before him. "There is no mercy for you."

"That's enough!" shouted a voice.

The faunus's black fox ears perked up as he turned to see none other than a blond-haired faunus, Ken Vongarus. "You again. Vongarus."

Ken gave the fox faunus a stern glare. "Jack. Your opponent has surrendered. Hand him over to the authorities."

The boy, Jack, made an expression of disgust. "This is my kill, Vongarus. The 'authorities' would only spit in my face if I gave this fiend to them."

"I'll make sure they don't. Jack?" Ken's voice was much more firm this time.

Jack stared at the older faunus before letting out a sigh and retracting Dragulea.

Ken gave a signal and a group of faunus tribesmen arrived to take the frightened Arche away into custody. Even in that short instance, the tribesmen sent Jack a glare before they took the bandit away.

Ken let out a sigh before looking around at the bloodied snow field before him. He then glanced at the abandoned Chapel with saddened eyes. "The Ice Maiden would have shed tears seeing these lands defiled by blood."

Jack said nothing as he began walking past Ken, not even acknowledging his existence.

Ken began to follow him into the Chapel. "Jack. Please, I need you to listen to me."

"Listen to what? Another lecture about how killing is not just?"

"No, I'm trying to get you to think about this for just a moment."

Jack stopped in the middle of the Chapel to turn back to Ken. "I stopped doubting myself years ago. You saw those bandits. They were going to defile this land with their greedy hearts and I stopped them. Now the world has nine less corrupted hearts. It would have been ten if you didn't intervene."

"And of those nine you killed, two of them ran for their lives while you shot them down. The more you do this, Jack, the further you go down the path that ends with you being just like them. Perhaps not for wealth or treasure, but the difference would be trivial."

"Did the Staneians give you those lines to preach to me? The nerve." Jack made his way to the front row of the chapel and looked up to a broken statue of a maiden holding an ice shard. "We used to see them as friends all those years ago. We, the Nogitsune, trusted them when they told us they would make us a home. Gone would be our time living in tents around campfires during the cold, winter nights! But then..."

Ken remained silent as he sat down on one of the benches. "What happened here ten years ago was not the doing of your people, Jack."

Jack glared at Ken and shouted with a booming voice that echoed in the empty chapel. "Tell that to the Staneians who slaughtered us for it!"

Ken did not respond to the outburst and merely clenched his fists.

"Ah, right. How could I forget? You probably did tell them. They just didn't believe you, which leaves us exactly where we started." Jack looked back at the statue. "I'm not surprised. Why on Reigal would they ever believe a Nogitsune..." He looked back at Ken. "Or a deserter?"

"I didn't come all this way out here to discuss my past with you, Jack. I want to help you."

Jack clicked his tongue. "I don't need or want your help."

"Yes, you do." Ken stood up and faced the boy. "It hurts my heart to see you living like this. Alone without the warmth of a companion. Of a family."

"My family died in the Nogitsune Massacre. I have no one else..." Jack whispered, feeling his headache from remembering the tragic event.

"But they're not lost forever. They're still living here, through you." Ken touched Jack where his heart would be, "I don't think they would want their son to end up a bloodthirsty monster of vengeance."

Jack shot a sharp glare at Ken. "Don't you dare claim you know what they would want for me."

"Kyle and Maria meant a lot to me too, Jack. They loved you and wished only the best for your future. You had parents who would sacrifice anything for you. That was a gift that's lived on with you, but it will be wasted if you continue to live your life as a lone wolf." Ken took out an envelope that had a seal on it that bore the symbol of a wolf. "Please, if you won't listen to me, listen to His Grace's secret message."

Jack's eyes widened in shock upon seeing the envelope, "Th-this is…from Chieftain Webber? From… Lord Kane?"

"We had just found it recently, thanks to Toru's investigation. I read it already, which is why I came to you."

Jack looked down at the envelope. "What will I find?"

"A chance at a better life," Ken answered.

Jack remained silent for a moment before he took the envelope, opened it, and began reading. He then realized what the paper was.

"It's…a diary page…" He thought to himself.

September 15th. 7:30 a.m.

"Today is the day I meet with the Chieftain of the Nogitsune Tribe. For years the Webber clan has been in conflict with the Nogitsune for four generations; however, that will end today at the summit of Moonrock. I plan to bring Serena along for the future Staneian ruler to see the peace I've worked hard to build for her and our people. Toru advised against it, worrying that the Nogitsune will try to backstab me. I disagree with his view on them, but I can't say I blame him. Nevertheless, once the Ice Maiden Ceremony is finished and the Head of Nogetsune and I exchange our finest drinks, I plan to anoint that promising Nogitsune, Jack Starfeld, as my daughter's personal guard as our first act of friendship with the tribe. My precious daughter has taken much interest in the boy since they met. Back then, our tribes were willing to kill each other just because our children played together. How foolish we were. My only hope is that from today on, my precious Serena and that wonderful Jack remain a symbol of the friendship the Webber and Nogitsune tribe will share."

~ Kane Webber

Jack remained silent as he stared at the envelope. His breathing calmed down as he read through Kane's passage. Upon finishing, he took a deep breath. "The Chief…wanted to anoint me a personal guard to Lady Serena?"

"It seems so. Such an idea was unheard of in the Nogitsune tribe. We didn't believe we could ever earn the trust of the Webber tribe, but Chief Kane wanted to change all of that."

"Until the tragedy…and our people were blamed for it." Jack bit his lips.

"Whether you wish to believe it or not, you have a purpose in life, Jack, that goes beyond killing bandits."

Jack turned away from Ken, "But that future is gone. It died with Chief Kane and Lady Serena. It's nothing but ashes now."

Ken shook his head. "It isn't gone. It's always been with you. For too long you've looked back at the past, you have forgotten to look at the present. Nothing left but ashes? Not even remotely true, because you are still here. I've yet to see one who can burn the future." Ken then turned to leave. "Become a hunter, Jack Starfeld. Find your path, stick to it, and it will lead you to the future you seek." He stopped and then looked at the boy again. "And you will also learn the truth, and find out who was really responsible for the Tragedy."

Jack watched as Ken left the Chapel. The young faunus looked back at the statue of the Ice Maiden. His eyes soften. "Will I find that answer, Ice Maiden? The true cause of all my suffering?" His hand tightened around his necklace, "In that case...I'd best prepare myself."


Jack Starfeld

Race: Black Fox Faunus

Affiliation: Nogitsune

Dust Affinity: Wind

Weapon Name: Dragulea

Submitted by Sync Jack


Jurabi: Hello, once again. I am back with the next interlude of Jack Starfeld. This character has gone through a number of changes, but I managed to keep the heart and soul of his character.

Jack is a quiet and calm guy, he focuses on helping others out when he can but never risks the life of anyone, he is the type of person that keeps everyone in check and on their toes even though he's usually the quietest person in the room. He doesn't like crowded places as there's too many people to keep track of and can easily become a place of conflict. Jack usually bottles up most of his emotions as to not allow them to get in the way however pushing the right buttons can cause him to lose it as he can get emotional as he keeps so many emotions and memories bottled up it's hard for him to bring them back under control without venting them. He doesn't have problems communicating with others seeing as he prefers listening than speaking which he give feedback and advice for anyone who has problems. He is a bit of a flirt however he doesn't realize that he's flirting unless someone points it out. He puts family and friends before him as he would always support them whenever they need it regardless of his current situation.

Quite an interesting lad who has much importance to the story. His weapons have also been upgraded. Originally, he had kusanali's, however, these weapons are for more one-on-one battles than group ones. While that could be an interesting weakness to explore, I decided to give him a weapon that is similar to kusanali's but is more versatile, the Snaketail Blade. It is essentially Doll's weapon in Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, an awesome game that I hold dear.

Again, many thanks to LazyFoxLover and Hofund for helping me through the redrafting phases of these chapters and having a hand in uping the quality of writing. And I thank you all for taking time to read this chapter! If you did, please leave a review, a follow, and a favorite. I would really appreciate your support of this story.

Discord Link: xMYF8ggTjC