So many darn internet problems today. My ISP says it's damage due to storm arwen. Either way I'm going to upload this by driving to a McDonalds Drive-Thru and getting onto their wifi with my laptop to upload this. I'm going to look like such an idiot.
Cover Art: Curbizzle
Chapter 5
"We're sorry we couldn't come back with him, sir."
"No. It's no problem." Ozpin inclined his head to the two teams and smiled faintly. "You all did your best. The information is valuable all the same and I'd rather he be neutral than antagonistic."
"He was willing to reveal us to Salem to get us off his back." Yang said. "I'd call that pretty antagonistic."
"He claimed to be. We have no idea if he would have gone through with it, Miss Xiao-Long. Either way, what he would do to us he may also do to them. If Salem tries to force him, we might benefit."
"He was ready for us." Pyrrha added. "He knew we'd come."
"Yes. That is a problem." Ozpin hummed and drummed his fingers on the desk. "I do believe I was a little predictable here. In hindsight, Xiong probably knew we would be looking for him and allowed himself to be seen to bait us in. I apologise. I fell for that all too easily."
"We all did, sir," Ren said.
Hunter scoffed. He went ignored.
"Be that as it may, this could have gone much worse. Had this been an ambush, I would have sent you all walking into it. We'll take this as a valuable lesson learned. Now, onto what is important."
"His information." Ruby said.
"Not yet, Miss Rose. Something far more important."
"What's that…?"
"A profile." Ozpin tapped on a keyboard set into his desk and quickly brought up a document on his holographic display. "Xiong may not be an enemy yet, but he could quite easily become one. He wants the wish after all, which means he will have to fight. I want you to consider his strengths and weaknesses, how he fights, what he might be capable of. This information will be paramount if it comes to combatting him."
Ruby squirmed uncomfortably at the idea, and it felt like she was the only one. Yang, Blake and Pyrrha were already throwing up details that Ozpin wrote down. Soon, the document was filled with information, a lot of it guess-work. Ruby continued to fidget until Knight placed a hand on her wrist and smiled at her. She blushed and smiled back then flicked her eyes downward.
"He's not a huntsman." Yang said. "He admitted that much himself. He probably has that gang to back him up, but I don't think he'll be much of a threat."
"I'm inclined to agree." Ozpin said. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have reached out to us so quickly. Take him seriously all the same. The other two, I'm less sure on. I will contact General Ironwood and demand an explanation on his end. If nothing else, we can rest assured he would never side with Salem against us."
"We have nothing on the other one." Nora said. "Other than that he has a sword and a cane. That's it."
"We know he is in Vale, Miss Valkyrie. That means he has been here for at least a day, which suggests – but does not necessarily prove – that he is as of yet unaligned with either side. I expect Salem would have gathered her incarnations to herself to do exactly what we are now."
"You think he could be recruited?"
"I hope so. Xiong did raise an interesting point on how we would be shooting ourselves in the foot if we'd abducted him. If he isn't even trained as a huntsman, it's better we put ourselves forward as the nicer option for allegiances. I expect Salem and hers will be quick to resort to force and that will alienate people. We need to be more approachable. The last thing we want is to inadvertently drive versions of Mr Arc to her side. We need all the help we can get."
"Speaking of help," Ren said. "What has Fate been up to today?"
"As subtle as a brick…" Hunter muttered.
"Fate has been… lounging around. I spoke to him earlier and he was still in your dorms when I left him. He hasn't been helping in any meaningful way, but he hasn't acted out either. Other than to indulge in his vices."
"He's an ass." Yang summarised.
"At least he's not competition." Leviathan said. "Forget about him. It doesn't matter how many lives he's lived if he doesn't get to keep anything for the experience."
"He gets knowledge." Ren said.
"Knowledge on events that aren't happening right now."
"We shouldn't dismiss anyone easily." Ozpin said. "You were all chosen and summoned for a reason."
"Chosen?" He laughed. "Tell me that with a straight face while looking at Barista. The poor guy has no hope. Xiong is the same. He can run the local mafia as much as he wants, it won't matter when there are literal superhero variants of us running around. We've not been chosen; we've been lumped together."
It was hard to argue with him. Jinn had mentioned balance, but it felt more like a balance between the two sides than the Jaunes themselves. A powerful Jaune like Knight meant useless ones like Barista, or severely underpowered ones like Hunter.
"I'll speak with General Ironwood." Ozpin said. "The rest of you are dismissed. If I might make a suggestion, why don't you take to sparring with one another? You may have to fight together in the future."
/-/
Pyrrha scrunched up her nose against the smell of cigarette smoke and air freshener as she pushed into their dorm. It bothered her that she could smell the smoke over it, but what bothered her more was wondering what smells Fate wanted to conceal by spraying it. He was lounging in a chair with a book by the window when she and the rest of her team walked in.
"The conquerors return," he quipped without looking up. Nora was the only one to laugh. "Alive as well. See, I knew my boundless faith in my anchor was justified. Aren't you glad I trusted you to go alone and didn't shadow you like Leviathan or Knight?"
"I'd have felt more comfortable with you there."
The book snapped shut and Fate looked up. Pyrrha had the sinking suspicion she'd said something wrong from the way he was smirking. "Really? Well, I can't blame you for wanting to replace the useless version of myself with the better model."
Jaune bristled. "You want to start something!?"
Pyrrha gasped. She hadn't meant that! Her partner was wonderful and sweet and… and sure, he wasn't always the best fighter, but that only meant he had more room to grow. She gripped his arm to try and pull him back, but Jaune wasn't in the mood to be calmed down.
"You've done nothing but look down on and insult me since you got here." Jaune shouted. "I'm not as strong as Knight and I don't know as much as you. But you know what? At least I'm trying. At least I'm brave enough to go out there and fight. You just sit around like a coward!"
"Oh. Cut to the bone." Fate yawned. "Anything else you want to get off your chest?"
Jaune trembled with rage. It couldn't have been easy seeing all these different versions of yourself and wondering what happened. Knight seemed so good, so incredible, and yet there was Fate, Barista and now Xiong to balance that expectation out. Jaune had seen himself reduced to a waiter, a criminal and now he had to deal with Fate's abuse. She knew her partner had problems with his self-confidence and none of this was helping.
"Jaune, please," she begged. "Let's all just calm down."
"Might want to take her advice, boy." Fate said mockingly. "She's the only reason you're still in Beacon after all. Without her, you'd have been expelled already." He smirked. "If you hadn't already snuffed it in initiation."
"That's it!" Jaune's hand snapped out. "I challenge you!"
Fate rolled his eyes. "Oh no. I'm so intimidated…"
"I challenge you to a one on one fight!" Jaune stalked forward, tore the book from Fate's hands and threw it away. Then he gripped the other version of himself by the collar of his white jacket. "You and me in the ring. I'm going to make you eat your words."
Pyrrha made to put a stop to things only for Ren to quickly touch her elbow and shake his head. He nodded for her to pay attention, and she quickly saw a flash of something in Fate's eyes. His lips curled into a slow, satisfied smile and he brought one hand up, firmly gripped Jaune's wrists and tweaked his nerves to make his fingers pop open.
"What would Ozpin say knowing about this, hm?"
"Actually." Ren said. "Ozpin suggested all the iterations spar between themselves. Something about learning teamwork and co-operation. Knight, Leviathan and Hunter are already preparing to put on a show."
"Are they now?" Fate chuckled, squeezed Jaune's wrist and pushed it away. "Alright. Far be it for me to go against the almighty Ozpin's orders. I'll come and join in this little comedy."
He agreed so easily? Pyrrha couldn't believe it.
Glynda Goodwitch stood at the edge of a ring in a training room that had been set aside for them. Team RWBY and Team CFVY were already there, even if Barista surely wouldn't be fighting. Leviathan was talking to Knight, Ruby and Yang, and it didn't look like they were arguing. Leviathan said something and Yang laughed. Even Knight cracked a smile. Pyrrha sighed and wished their team could be the same.
"Pyrrha." Weiss strolled up and said, "And Fate." Her lips twisted in distaste. "I'm surprised you found time in your busy day for us."
"Is that jealousy I hear? You know I'd make time for you if you wanted it. I've been looking to add your notch to my belt for a long time."
"Ugh. Pass. I said not in a thousand years and that was very literal. You'll have to live a few thousand more before having a chance with me, Arc."
To Pyrrha's surprise, Fate laughed. Genuinely. "You're so cruel to me. Ah, I should tell Blake and Yang that mommy is bullying me again. They'd be on my side."
"What?"
It was like a light being flicked. Fate's eyes widened, then narrowed. He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked toward the ring. "Oh. Glynda is here. Yet more forbidden fruit. I'd love to have her sit on my face."
While Weiss squawked in absolute horror, Pyrrha wondered why he'd changed the subject so suddenly. She'd have questioned him more if she didn't think he wouldn't ignore her. Or worse, tell her to piss off. He was just so rude all the time.
What happened to you, Jaune? How did you become like this?
/-/
Ozpin tapped his fingers agitatedly. The call was taking a long time to go through, more than he expected when he'd been asked to wait. It wasn't like James to delay so long and that had him anxious. A mug of coffee settled on his desk with a quiet clink. Ozpin breathed out sharply and muttered a quiet "thank you" as he accepted and drank from it.
Finally, after half the cup, the call connected through, and James' face appeared on the other side.
"Ozpin!" James appeared jovial if nothing else. "A pleasure to hear from you. Early too. I should be in Vale in two days' time. I'm surprised whatever you needed me for couldn't wait until then."
"James. Good as always to hear your voice. Yes, two days away but two days is a lot of time, especially given our current situation. I thought I might reach out to you a little sooner on a rumour an associate of mine sent my way."
"Oh? Is Qrow around?"
Ozpin would let him believe it was Qrow. "He's here and there as always. I like to keep him close by. Speaking of, I hear you have someone else you're keeping close by at the moment. A certain Mr Arc?"
"Hmm." James' face lost its humour. "You've found out already? I'll have to have a word with my men about operational security. Or is it that you've been spying on me? Is trust dead?"
"I might ask the same given that you've kept this hidden."
"Not hidden. Merely not advertised. It wouldn't do to draw undue attention at this phase. We both know she would love a chance to remove a challenger from the board before you and I joined forces."
The words caused Ozpin to untense a little. He hadn't doubted for a second that James would work against Salem, but there had been a niggling concern as to whether he would work with him. Ozpin's goals were to humanity as a whole, whereas James was staunchly pro-Atlas.
Jinn had not said anything about rewards for the winner of this – only for the iteration, and to be redeemed in their world. Supposedly, all Teams RWBY or JNPR would get if their Jaunes won was to decide who between him and Salem should be victorious. The same should be the case for James, so it wasn't like he could cash in his win for riches for Atlas.
"I intended to introduce you when I arrived in Vale. Until then, I didn't see much point in distracting you. Nor in risking him via a call that could well be hacked. I hope you understand."
"Of course. You've ever been one for security. In fact, I was hoping to make use of that in the festival."
James leaned back. "Really? And here you were telling me my brute-force approach wouldn't work. You were fighting my attempts to install my security at the festival tooth and nail."
He had been, but only because he'd been trying to juggle things like the White Fang, Vale's sovereignty and the Fall Maiden. Very few of those things really mattered anymore. They could all be solved through this one war, and he wasn't about to take any chances or go easy.
"You'll find my complaints lifted. I've thrown my support toward you with the Council." Ozpin chuckled at James' pleased smile. "Yes, yes, you can thank me later. Whatever you were planning to bring, however many men - double it. Triple it if you can."
"Well, well, well. Words I did not expect to hear today. I'll be honest, I've already doubled it and was going to sneak those men in as late arrivals. I'd also gone behind your back with the Council to be set as security."
Ozpin rolled his eyes. "Typical of you. For once, I won't complain. Salem is coming, this we know, and I want every person capable of facing her and her iterations in the city. There's no more time for half-measures, James. Bring everything you can."
"My thoughts exactly. Don't worry, I'm preparing for war."
"Speaking of war, tell me of your Jaune. Your version of Mr Arc."
"Will you tell me of yours?"
"I don't have one. My students do. I'll introduce you to them when you arrive. They're quite the… odd bunch. One of them is undeniably powerful, almost impossibly so, while the others are strong in different ways. We've even gotten wind of two locals who are, for now, neutral."
"You haven't tried to recruit them?"
"It's an ongoing process. Your Mr Arc?"
"He's not strong independently. That makes sense since, by his account, he's still a student in Beacon. He has aura and he can fight well enough for a first year – I have Winter training him personally to bring him up to speed. His personal skill isn't what excites me most, Ozpin." Ironwood leaned in. "The boy is a genius."
Ozpin's spirits rose. "Oh?"
"He's a tactical genius, Ozpin. I've grilled him on his story, then tested him in various simulations. He's a natural born leader – a leader of men. I've no idea why he balks whenever I say that, but I tell you now what he lacks in personal ability, he more than makes up for in intuitively knowing how to command, lead and direct military personnel under his control."
"Interesting." Exciting as well. They had raw power with Knight, so a combatant more suited to strategic thinking wouldn't go amiss. If Ironwood was impressed with him, then Ozpin would believe the boy's skill. James was not one to be won over easily. "It almost amazes me how varied the lives of one of my students can be. Mr Arc in our world is a team leader and I dare say he has potential, but I do believe you're talking a larger scale than a four-man team."
"I am. I'm talking hundreds of people. Thousands. He's a wide-scale military commander and I intend to have him in charge of a contingent of men, both military personnel and robotic corps. I've also set Winter as his bodyguard to keep him safe."
"A wise precaution. Have you decided on a name for him? We can't well call him by his name. That would be too confusing."
"I figured that out myself. I was going to call him `Commander` but realised that might cause confusion with ranks and such. In the end, I've gone with what he was apparently once called in his world. Warchief."
/-/
Sparring between different potentially super-powered people proved to be more difficult than any of them expected. The idea of having the Jaunes face off against one another was quickly shot down by Miss Goodwitch, who pointed out that neither Leviathan nor Barista had aura and would certainly be killed. In the end, they decided to face Knight against Pyrrha – a fair enough competition, or so they assumed.
Pyrrha's dazed expression when she was disarmed and defeated three seconds into the match suggested otherwise. They then tried Pyrrha and Yang against Knight to the same effect, then Miss Goodwitch gave up and had all of Team RWBY fight him at once.
Calling it one-sided would have been an insult to him.
At least Fate found their misery funny, the absolute bastard.
Leviathan didn't spar with anyone but instead showed off his Semblance by making a water pipe burst, then controlling the water and using it to form shields and spears in the air. Nora, with her aura intact, offered herself up to test them. It turned out that while aura did protect her, the force was still enough to knock her around.
"You should stick to range and avoid letting anyone close." Miss Goodwitch advised him. Leviathan nodded. "Miss Xiao-Long, you're to be his defence. I expect you to cover for his weaknesses."
"Sure thing, teach!"
Hunter demonstrated his accuracy with that bow of his too. Ruby was impressed, but the time to draw and aim felt much too slow to be used in combat.
"It's for deer and game," Hunter said sorely. "Better to take your time on a merciful shot."
"But you've fought Grimm." Glynda said.
"You don't fight Grimm with a bow. You shoot at them and hope they drop before they reach you. It's smarter to run away."
"You can't outrun Grimm," Blake argued.
"You can hide from them if you know how to cover your tracks, what their methods are. Not everyone has the training to go toe to toe with monsters." He eyed their weapons disdainfully. "Nor the wealth to afford weapons and clothing like that."
Blake bristled. "Are you calling me entitled?"
"I call it like I see it…" He looked away. "Unlike the other versions of myself here, I'm not trying to get into your pants."
There were more than a few laughs at that, even from Fate and Knight. Blake blushed and shot Hunter a murderous look, but he'd scored a critical hit with that comment. Yang stored it away for later use.
"If you've had enough?" Miss Goodwitch waited for them to be silent. "There really isn't much we can do in way of training sadly. There isn't time to build anyone up, and spars between Knight and Leviathan are sure to end in crippling injuries. If that's all-"
"I want to fight Fate!" Jaune announced.
It took a second for everyone to figure out what he meant – mostly because `Jaune` had become a pretty common thing. Yang felt kinda bad for dismissing him, but it was hard not to when she was surrounded by objectively superior versions of the guy. Maybe she ought to feel worse about that. It looked like Miss G was no better. She blinked, stared at Jaune and then cleared her throat.
"Ah. And does Mr Fate agree to this?"
"Yeah, sure." It was to everyone's surprise that the perpetually lazy and contrary version of Jaune stepped up. Not so much a surprise to Pyrrha by the defeated expression she wore, but Yang wasn't alone in her shock. "Don't expect this to happen all that often. I'm just here to teach a valuable lesson."
"This ought to be good." Weiss whispered. "I'm curious to see what thousands of years of experience equates to."
"I kinda am myself," Yang replied. The guy carried himself like a bum, slouching around with his shoulders hunched giving off the vibe of someone who would fold in a fight. Then again, Qrow did the same and Yang could personally attest to his skill. "You think he'll win?"
Weiss scoffed. "You think Jaune will?"
"I mean, Jaune's had months of training with Pyrrha. Fate as good as said he goes back with no training. I reckon Jaune has more muscle mass and endurance than him right now."
"A hundred lien says Fate wins. Convincingly."
Yang slapped her palm against Weiss' in agreement, then both turned to the fight. Everyone was watching, even Knight and Leviathan. It wasn't so much that this was a fight between the heavy-hitters. If anything, it was the opposite. Jaune and Fate were weak. It was harsh to say it and she knew Jaune was improving fast, but he still had to improve from bottom in everything and that took time.
"Mr Fate." Glynda said. "Do you not want to fetch your sword?"
Fate stood with his hands stuffed into his pockets. It caused his white jacket to ride up a little over his wrists. He had a cigarette balanced between his teeth, lit and faintly smoking. Yang would grudgingly, and secretly, admit that he looked cool like that. If he'd ditch the stupid cigs, she might have called him a little hot.
"I didn't get summoned with my sword…" he said lazily.
Glynda sighed. "Would you like a spare from the armoury?"
"Nah. It's fine. I won't need one for this."
Across the ring, Jaune trembled with barely constrained fury. Don't fall for it, Yang thought. He's goading you. Sadly, Jaune didn't have the benefit of an obnoxious uncle constantly insulting you from a young age to drill the concept of keeping calm under pressure into your head. The second Glynda signalled the start of the fight, he leapt forward with a battle cry straight out of cinema.
"Rarghhhh!"
If he'd been watching Fate's expression, he might have seen the smirk.
Fate's left hand came out his pocket. It was cupping something – something that shone, between his fingers, a bright pink. When Jaune was less than two feet away, he snapped his hand out and launched two small, cylindrical objects into Jaune's face.
Jaune had a brief second to recognise two of Nora's grenades from Magnhild balanced precariously in the air, glinting and primed, before the world exploded into fire and smoke. He flew back, struck the far wall and crumpled down to the base of it.
"Cease!" Glynda shouted. "Stop! No high-ex in spars!"
When had he gotten a hold of two of Nora's grenades anyway? Yang looked over in time to see Nora wondering the same, checking her pockets and belt. Ren pointed and Nora dragged her belt around, gulping at the two empty hooks.
He did that without anyone realising, Yang thought. He pickpocketed Nora without her noticing, then hid two grenades into the fight. I guess you learn a lot more in a thousand years than we thought…
"It's over anyway." Fate strolled up to his downed opponent, smugly grinning past his cigarette. Jaune groaned dizzily on the floor, blood dribbling from his nose and his head no doubt ringing ten times worse than Yang's was. "Know your place, boy," he sneered. "You think you can reach up to the likes of them? You can't even last ten seconds against me. Pathetic."
"You broke the rules." Glynda said. "The victory goes to Mr Arc."
"Hah. Sure it does." Fate reached up to his cigarette, took a drag and then flicked the butt and some ash onto Jaune's face. "Congratulations on your win." He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away. "You sure put me in my place."
Pyrrha, Ren and Nora rushed to their fallen team leader.
"Well…" Yang whispered to Weiss. "You won the bet…"
"I kind of wish I hadn't now…"
/-/
"We're approaching Vale."
Cinder purred as the ship cut through the dark waters towards the city. Smuggling themselves in under cover of night was dangerous, but it was sure to become a hundred times more so once Atlas arrived.
"Good job, Mercury. It's a shame we can't hide in Beacon as we originally planned. I've instructed Roman to have accommodations made ready for us. We'll make our way there before planning our next step. Luckily, I have some plans in mind-"
"After you make contact with mother, correct?" Grimm asked innocently.
"Salem trusts me to handle things on my own," she seethed. "Perhaps you should too."
"Mmm. We'll see, Cinder. We'll see." The way he said her name had her hackles rising. It was always so… familiar. So belittling. Like she was a little girl to him. In the corner of the boat, Ashari chuckled loudly.
"Something amusing?" she snapped.
"Yes. I find it hilarious watching little Cinder try to scheme. It's like watching a clumsy cat try and catch a mouse."
That son of a- Cinder drew a sharp breath. "Emerald. Control your minion. I'm tired of his impertinence."
"Yes Cinder!" Emerald quickly turned to stare at the Jaune she had summoned. His eyes widened and then snapped shut, but by then it was too late. She had him in her Semblance. Cinder wasn't sure what nightmares she forced Ashari to experience, but they had his hands gripping tight.
That's right, you buffoon. Your own anchor will attack you on my orders. Perhaps this will teach you to talk back to your superiors. Cinder watched him squirm with no small amount of amusement, until Grimm decided it was enough and reached out a black tentacle to rap Emerald on the head and force her to break eye contact.
"Enough," he said. "We're to work together. You and Ashari are to learn teamwork especially," he told the girl. "Salem will not be pleased if you alienate your own champion by your childish actions."
Emerald was quick to argue back. "But he talked back to Cinder!"
"Cinder is not his boss. Nor is she mine." Grimm watched the girl bristle and responded by letting three more tentacles sprout from his back. They hovered above him, aimed toward Emerald and giving him another three feet of height. It was intimidating to say the least, especially how his red eyes glowed in the darkness. "I am much more patient than my mother, Emerald. That doesn't mean I won't report both you and Cinder to her if you continue this. Break him out of it."
Cinder was pleased with how Emerald still looked to her first for permission. She nodded and the girl let Ashari out the illusion. He slumped in his seat, his lip bleeding from where he'd bit it. Annoyingly, he didn't glare at Emerald at all. Instead, he reached out and poked her in the forehead. "That was rude. Don't do it again."
"He's a problem." Null whispered into her ear. "I should just kill him."
"Not yet," she whispered back. "We can't trim our side until Ozpin loses a few of his own." She cleared her throat and spoke to them all. "My plan is simple and I'm sure Salem will agree. We will keep ourselves hidden for a few days and focus on identifying and locating other Champions. We'll approach those that are unaffiliated and force them to join us. Any that disagree, we kill."
"Short and simple." Null said out loud. "I like it."
"Naïve and short-sighted more like," Ashari said. "You'll drive people away from your side."
"You mean our side, no?"
He shrugged. Grimm frowned at his lack of an answer but didn't appear surprised. Ashari was a problem for sure. Cinder wasn't convinced he would follow through at all, especially not when it came to killing people. He had the skill, the capability, but he lacked the edge. He lacked Null's viciousness, and that was why he would fall in time. They all would.
"Go out tonight," Cinder whispered into Null's ear. "When everyone else is asleep and after I've spoken to Salem, I want you out and scouting the city. If you see anyone you think is another version of yourself, kill them. No mercy."
Null nodded back, and Cinder knew that by morning the city would have tasted its first share of Arc blood. Come the following weeks, there would be plenty more of that.
/-/
The iron lock clicked and shifted aside. The door groaned as it swung inward, casting bright light over a face covered in dirt, smudged with blood and incredibly pale. Their left eye was swollen and surrounded by black and purple splotches, their lip cut and scabbed over. A metal circlet hung from their neck, linked to a chain secured to a bolt in the ground.
Bootsteps clicked as a figure entered the room. A metal bowl clanked onto the floor. Water splashed down around and then into it as the man who stood before the downed blond poured water from a bottle into it. Tired blue eyes watched him.
"You're lucky to still be alive, human." The bottle, now empty, bounced off the prisoner's face. It rattled to the floor. "If I had my way, I'd have killed you the second you snuck into our camp. Lucky for you, our allies got in touch and told us to look out for someone of your appearance."
The prisoner remained still.
"No words? Nothing? Hah. At least you know your place." The man stepped back and slammed the door shut, cutting off the light and casting him into the dark once more. Outside, he shouted, "Secure the cage for transport. We're headed to Vale. Make sure he gets food and water enough to survive, but don't spoil him. If he's going to be a weapon for us, he needs to know his place."
"Yes Adam!" the faunus outside saluted.
Inside the cell, Jaune Arc stared down at the broken fragments of a white mask that had once adorned his face and smiled bitterly. Inside his head, an oft-obnoxious voice remained sullenly quiet, only uttering the shortest, and smallest, of apologies.
"It's alright," he croaked. "He's not you…"
Silence was the only answer.
It's the end of the build-up. Cinder and crew have arrived, so we're going to move to violence and fights. This still isn't the full roster of Jaunes obviously, but we did get an additional one today.
People had been wondering where Warchief would go, but really, there shouldn't have been any doubt. That master of tactical expertise, the brave leader of all men, can only function properly if he is at the head of an army. The Gods perhaps realised that when he was summoned and decided he would need to go somewhere his talents could be utilised. So, he gets Atlas.
And another Jaune, who shouldn't be too hard to figure out if you consider their story, who he is linked to and which of my stories involves a Jaune involved with the White Fang. Sadly, he didn't get an anchor that was too happy to find a human in the middle of camp, and didn't respond as positively as others.
Next Chapter: 11th December
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur
