Beta: ShadowMeister234
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Jaune was already packing when Crystal walked into his room. She was still worse for wear with the scratch marks on her face looking especially bad but they weren't deep enough to leave a scar. Thankfully they had been able to explain away all the injuries on the storm even if it did mean they had to endure their mother's wrath. She could just not believe what would have possessed them to do something so stupid and she made sure to let the rest of the family know. Of course, they couldn't exactly come up with a convincing excuse, so everyone had to accept that the two of them had lost their minds. Not ideal especially for Crystal who still had to live here, but trying to tell the truth would only get them placed in the nearest hospital.
"You're really leaving?" Crystal asked.
Jaune shoved the last few sets of clothes into his backpack and slung it over his shoulders. "I am." He had already told the rest of his family and said his goodbyes. It honestly wasn't that big of an affair. Most of his sisters had just assumed he was visiting on an extended vacation to begin with. Only his dad seemed to silently understand the significance of him going back to Vale.
Crystal huffed. "Feels like you're running away from me."
"You know that's not true. I already explained it to you."
"No, you told me that you are a caretaker and that there is an unknown world, but you didn't explain anything. There's a difference."
Jaune sighed. "Look, I'm sorry that I'm leaving so suddenly, but I promise I'll tell you everything one day. I'll even teach you magic, so quit whining."
"Why not now?"
Jaune wondered how many times they were going to repeat this cycle. "Because I'm going back to Vale."
"Yeah, to chase after your girlfriend."
"I'm not really sure if I can call her that anymore."
"All the more reason you should stay. You've been without her for weeks. Why do you have to go back to her now?"
Jaune gripped the strap of his backpack tighter so Crystal wouldn't see his arm shaking. "I guess because I finally found the courage to admit that it was a mistake to try and turn away from my problems. Besides, she's important to me."
"Did you consider that if she dumped your ass, then maybe she doesn't want to see you?" Jaune's breath hitched which caused Crystal to realize that she had taken it too far. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Look it's not like I don't understand, but after what happened you can't just dump world-altering knowledge on me and expect me to just accept it. That's not fair."
Jaune's shoulders sagged and he knelt down to rub his sister's hand. "I know it's not, but I can't hold off looking for Emerald any longer. Maybe you're right and she wants nothing more to do with me, but the longer I wait the worse it will get."
Crystal sniffled although quickly hid any signs of tears behind her glasses. "I know she's important but aren't we important too?"
"Don't say that. Of course, you are. I promise that I'll come back soon. You've spent your entire life not knowing about the unknown world. You can spend a few more months pretending that you don't."
"That's impossible and you know it. How about I just come with you? I'll even lie to Emerald about how handsome, smart and charming you are."
"First off, those aren't things you should have to lie about. Second, I need you to stay here and look after the town to make sure nothing else happens."
"What am I even supposed to do if something does? Just call you?"
"Yes."
Crystal huffed. "So that's it! I'm just supposed to sit around playing babysitter to Mauve and her cat."
"Yeah, pretty much." Jaune might have been more sympathetic to bringing Crystal along if they hadn't made the horrifying discovery that Mauve had adopted the Mad Hatter's cat. It was instant too. The first thing they had seen after defeating the Mad Hatter and coming home was Mauve cuddling with the furry monster.
Jaune didn't know if it was just a coincidence or intentional, but with the way the cat grinned at him, Jaune was betting on the latter. Of course, Jaune had tried to get the feline away from his youngest sister so he could "return" it to its owner, but Mauve was completely defiant. She claimed the cat didn't have an owner and was just a poor stray caught in the storm, and was a gift from heaven because the cat was purple and purple was her favorite color. When he tried to push the issue, the cat hissed at him and Mauve scolded him for bullying Cheshire. Where she had gotten that strange name from Jaune had no idea.
At that point, Crystal and he were forced to bring in the big guns: their mom. The Arc family had never had a household pet; though, it wasn't from lack of trying. Every member of the Arc siblings had pleaded for a pet at one time or another only to be met with swift rejection from their mom. She knew no matter how much her children swore they would take care of a pet all on their own, it would end up being her responsibility. In her words, "the family was big enough already."
Getting her to reject Mauve's find should have been a done deal, but mom didn't even put up a fight accepting the creature with the flimsiest of justifications. Saying that it had gotten lonely around the house ever since Saphron moved out. It was complete crap, but it didn't matter. Cheshire the cat was officially welcomed into the Arc home.
Causing the cat to have a tragic accident did cross Jaune's mind, but not only would that break Mauve's heart, but the cat wasn't stupid. It wasn't going to let itself be silently assassinated. Getting rid of Cheshire would basically mean waging all-out war inside the house, something Jaune obviously didn't want to do, so the cat was here to stay.
Hopefully, it would be fine. The cat's purpose was to disrupt magic, so if there wasn't any magic around, then ideally it should just act like a regular cat. Jaune wasn't about to place any bets on that though, so he needed someone to watch over it.
Crystal should be happy to have a clear and defined task to start her caretaker career. It was much better than what Roman had left him with, but his sister was too busy whining about what she saw as busy work to see the positives.
"You could at least leave me some spells to practice. I've seen what's in that book you carry around."
Jaune's scroll beeped informing him that an SDC airship had just landed outside the town to take him back to Vale. He pushed past his sister. "If I left you with homework, you'd accidentally burn half the town down."
"I would not! My grades have always been better than yours."
"Goodbye, Crystal."
"Hey, we're not done here."
Actually, they were. Jaune boarded his luxury private flight to Vale and there was nothing Crystal could do to stop him. He did feel a bit bad about it, but it wasn't like he was abandoning her forever. He would get a few grumpy messages from her for a few days and then she would get over it.
Stepping back into the penthouse was a strange experience. On one hand, it was where he lived for the majority of his time in Vale, but on the other, it had never really felt like home. All the little things that added personality and made a place feel lived in were absent in the penthouse in favor of a clean corporate veneer. It had never bothered Jaune before, but without Emerald the place just felt empty. It didn't help that the person responsible for her absence was sitting at the kitchen counter looking better suited for this penthouse than Jaune or Emerald ever had.
"Glad to see you," Whitley said. "It's been a while since we've talked in person."
"Good to see you too," and Jaune did mean it. Despite his current frustration with the Schnee boy, he still considered him a good friend. "I'm surprised to see you though. Does the new CEO really have the time to be hanging out like this?"
"I actually have more free time at the moment than I've had in my entire life. Remember I'm technically not the CEO and won't be until this divorce is completely settled which could take months. Right now, my only real job is to be seen, and what better way to do that than to take an international trip?"
Jaune shook his head and took the seat next to him. "I guess I just don't get how it works up in your world of the super-rich. It's stranger than the unknown world from my perspective."
Whitley chuckled. "This is new ground for me too, you know. It's not every day your parents get divorced and throw the largest company on Remnant into chaos."
Jaune couldn't imagine what he'd be feeling if his parents got a divorce. He knew it was different for Whitley since his parents hadn't been on good terms for a long time, but a divorce was such a final thing that it must have had some effect on him. "It must be hard watching them fight like that."
"You would think so, but if you want to know the truth my parents' relationship is better right now than it's been for the past decade and a half."
"What! But they're getting a divorce. The thing you do when your relationship literally can't be any worse."
"I know. Not even I predicted this." Whitley looked excited. Almost as excited as he had been when he found out Jaune was a caretaker. "Honestly, I might be getting a new sibling in the near future with the way things are going."
Jaune's mouth was wide open. "You can't be serious."
"Okay, I'm not serious about the sibling part but the rest is true. My parents might be having the biggest fight of their lives, but for some reason they both seem really into it. I've never seen either of them so energetic. My current theory is that they've both been bored. My father could basically let the company run itself and my mother did nothing but drink. This fight has sparked something in them. They're both facing challenges with real consequences, something that they haven't had to do in forever. I wonder if this is what it was like when they first got together, when the SDC wasn't so dominant, and why they got married in the first place."
"Sure," Jaune replied, having given up on understanding. "Can we just move on to business?"
"Hey, you're the one that brought it up." Whitley chilled. "But I understand, you want to know what's going on with Emerald. Unfortunately, I have some bad news on that front. I can't get in contact with her."
Jaune's blood froze. "What do you mean?"
"I mean her scroll is no more. Either she destroyed it, or someone else did."
That couldn't be. Emerald might have been upset with him, but he doubted she was mad enough to destroy her only form of communication. That only left the latter option, but who could have done that? The only name that came to mind was Sulfur.
Jaune was rapidly bouncing his leg up and down and scratching at his arms as he thought about possibilities. Sulfur had killed Blake so theoretically he would be strong enough to hunt down Emerald, but there was a key difference. Blake hadn't been prepared for Sulfur while Emerald knew exactly who he was and should have been on guard. Even if things went wrong, she could have used her semblance to escape. But what if things had gone really wrong? Who knew how many tricks Sulfur had up his sleeve.
"We have to save her," Jaune gasped.
"Save her from who?"
Was Whitley stupid? "From Sulfur! Who else could it be?"
Whitley went straight to the point. "I don't think Sulfur did this."
"Why not!"
"Because he hasn't contacted you. Maybe I'm misunderstanding but from your description of him, he doesn't seem like the type of person that cares about going after loose ends. Everything he does is in service of some greater plan. If he went after Emerald, he wouldn't leave you guessing about it. He'd either kill her outright and leave the body for you to find." Jaune really wished Whitley wouldn't say that. "Or he'd kidnap her and challenge you to try and get her back."
Whitley's reasoning was sound, so Jaune allowed himself to calm down a bit. There was a problem though. If Sulfur wasn't responsible then who was? Emerald wasn't weak. A random thug wouldn't get the drop on her any better than Sulfur would. It would have to be someone with Huntsmen training or similar.
A flip switched in Jaune's head.
Actually, maybe it didn't. Emerald had been out on the streets with no money and no support for a while now. Who knew what her condition was like? Under normal circumstances, there weren't a lot of people that could beat Emerald, but if she were half-starved and distracted then maybe a lucky group of hoodlums would be enough. If that was the case, then Jaune was staring directly at the man responsible for it.
It happened in an instant. Jaune didn't even really know what he was doing, but the next thing he knew was that his fingers were gripped around Whitley's collar.
The much shorter boy didn't seem scared or upset as Jaune hoisted him out of his chair and brought their faces close enough that they could feel each other's breath. "You seem angry. I don't know what you thought up, but I can assure you I didn't do anything to Emerald."
"But you did. You kicked her out."
Now Whitley lowered his eyebrows in frustration. "And I believe I already explained my reasoning."
"I don't care about your stupid reasoning! It's your fall that Emerald's in trouble or de—" Jaune couldn't say it could barely even think it. "How are you going to fix this? How are we supposed to find one person in all of Vale?"
Whitley grabbed Jaune's wrist and pushed his hand away. Jaune released his grip not because he was any happier but because he knew he needed Whitley's help. "We do what any normal person does and file a police report."
Jaune almost went for Whitley's neck again. "Don't mess with me! The police will take too long if they do anything at all."
Whitley shrugged. "Normally you'd be right, but the police tend to work a lot faster and harder when the SDC offers a substantial reward. It's only been a few days, but I've already gotten a couple of sightings."
A couple of days? That meant Whitley had known Emerald was missing before all this and hadn't bothered to tell him. No, Jaune couldn't blame that on Whitley. It was his fault for not knowing. If he had just swallowed his stupid pride and called her this wouldn't have happened.
"That said," Whitley continued, "the sightings have dried up and even the ones I have aren't concrete. Perhaps you're right about the cops. Maybe it's time to turn to other types of information sources.
"And where do you suggest we find that?"
The club looked exactly as Jaune remembered. From the glass pillars to the seizure-inducing dance floor, to Junior wiping down glasses behind the bar, and oh man, did he not look happy to see him.
Whitley didn't seem to care or notice the death glare Junior was sending their way as he walked up to the bar. Jaune didn't have a choice but to follow if only to prevent Whitley from getting mugged if nothing else. Seriously, did he not notice that every single pair of eyes in the club were locked onto the metal briefcase he was holding? It may as well have had a flashing sign stuck on it to let everyone know something valuable, and worth stealing was inside.
"You aren't welcome here," Junior said as they approached the bar. The twins moved forward ready to kick them out, but as usual, Whitley barged right through without a second thought.
"Why is that? We're only here to discuss business and not cause any trouble."
Junior seemed a bit caught off guard, but quickly recovered. "If you want to stay, that's fine, it's him that has to go."
"Come on, can't you cut me a break? I didn't mean to destroy your club."
Junior slammed his hand on the counter. "Do you have any idea how much you cost me? It was bad enough with the damage blondie did the first time around, but the two of you almost put me out of business."
Jaune knew he shouldn't but he couldn't help himself. "Oh, how sad. The crime boss is having trouble paying his bills. How will the city ever survive?"
"Melanie, Miltia, get him out of here. Don't worry about being gentle."
Before the twins could enact their punishment, Whitley stepped between them all. "I apologize for any problems my employee caused you. I'm more than willing to reimburse you for any damages. How much was it?"
Junior snorted. "More than you could ever dream of making kid."
Whitley pulled out a checkbook from his pocket and quickly wrote a check out to Junior. "Will this cover it?"
Junior went deathly quiet as he looked at the rectangular piece of paper. His eyes didn't even move. It was like Whitley had fried his circuits. Eventually, the twins leaned over to take a peek and gasped in unison. It was a complete personality change. Suddenly the twins were all over Whitley, offering him a seat, drinks, even a lap dance if he wanted.
Jaune could admit to being a little annoyed. Not from the attention Whitley was getting, but because he was willing to splurge on finding Emerald now that Jaune was back in the fold, but without him she had been completely cut off. Felt a bit like extortion.
Eventually, Junior recovered his voice. "You're Whitley Schnee."
"I am. Did you not recognize me?"
"I did, I just…I didn't think. Never mind. What can I do for you…sir."
"We need to find someone as soon as possible. Emerald went missing and her scroll has been destroyed. Even worse, she might not want to be found."
Junior took a quick glance at Jaune showing just the barest amount of sympathy. "So, she flew the coop. Well, it's not my place to decide if you should chase after her or not. If you want her found then I will do my best. Please give me some time to talk with my contacts. Enjoy the club in the meantime. I'm sure the twins can entertain you while you wait."
"Oh, you bet we will. Mr. Schnee here can ask us for anything." Jaune groaned and took a seat at the bar not expecting to get any of the premium service Whitley was receiving.
They waited for two agonizing hours where all Jaune could do was fret over Emerald's fate. At least Whitley had the twins to talk to even if he never accepted their advances. He only went as far as humoring them, and he actually seemed to enjoy seeing how far he could push them before they'd catch on. If Jaune wasn't seeing it for himself he would have never believed the Malachite sisters could be played for fools, yet Whitley had them wrapped around his finger with practiced professionalism.
Junior did finally return and gave them some pretty useful, albeit concerning, information. A girl matching Emerald's description had been seen hanging with a small, but violent gang called the Council. Mostly they stuck to the underpart of the city hosting illegal fights and all the gambling that came with it, but recently they've been involved in a string of robberies. Something they would only do if they had a sure way of getting away with it. Something like an illusion-based semblance.
Jaune listened to it all without betraying any emotion. He didn't want to believe that after leaving him Emerald would just turn right around and become a criminal, but the information seemed good and there were no other alternatives on the table.
Whitley, for his part, didn't have any trouble believing it. "So where can we get in contact with this Council?"
"That's not a problem. They operate out of an old warehouse in the southern district. It's also where they host all their fights. I can arrange a meeting although it might take some time. The Council's leader isn't exactly known for being civil."
"I would appreciate it if you wou—"
"No!" Jaune yelled, cutting Whitley off. "I'm not going to wait around playing call-and-response while Emerald is in trouble."
Whitley tapped his finger on the bar counter. "From the information we've been given it seems more likely Emerald joined this group willingly and isn't in any immediate danger. If that's the case, our best option is to negotiate with them. What other option even is there? Do you plan on barging into their headquarters in a one-man assault and just demand Emerald's return?"
That was exactly his plan, and he proved it by getting up from the bar and marching straight out the door.
Jaune didn't need the entire walk to realize this was a bad idea. He knew it was the moment he stepped out of the club, but he continued anyway. If being smart meant delaying, then he rather be stupid. Emerald didn't deserve to be kept waiting. Not after he had already kept her waiting for so long.
Jaune found the Council's warehouse easily enough even if it didn't look all that different from the ones next to it. A little more run down than the others and a whole lot more graffiti covering its walls, but nothing that screamed gang HQ. What gave it away was the guard standing by the side door. It wasn't a professional guard that was for sure. Just a guy in a raggy sweatshirt who had probably drawn the short stick.
He seemed surprised to see Jaune coming and hid a can of beer behind his back to at least seem a bit professional. It didn't really help since Jaune could smell the alcohol and who knows what else coming off the guard in heaps.
"Haven't seen you around before. What do you want?"
"I'm here to see the council."
The guard's lips curled into a snarl. "Well tough shit. There aren't any fights tonight and I wasn't told about any guests, so why don't you piss off." To elevate his point, he drew a small knife from his pocket. One that was better suited for kitchen work than combat. Maybe it would have scared off your average person, but Jaune had been through too much to be fazed by a wannabe gangster.
Jaune gave the guard a light shove and the mere act of resisting seemed to be too much for the guard as he fell over dumbstruck. Jaune didn't spare him another second and pushed open the door.
The Council had obviously done some major renovations since taking over. There was a giant pit in the center dug through the building's foundation about six feet deep and filled with sand. Around that pit were several sets of bleachers and then a separate area with nice chairs and tables that must have been for VIPs. Inside that VIP area were about twenty or so people that must have made up the Council, and among them was the person Jaune was looking for.
Emerald was kneeling beside what Jaune could only call a throne with her eyes towards the ground while the rest of the gang were drinking and smoking to their heart's content. Since she wasn't joining in on the festivities, she was the first to notice him. Her mouth formed an open circle as she released a soundless gasp and her eyes came to life, but not with hope. Only fear.
It didn't take long for others to notice his presence and soon the entire ensemble was looking his way. Strangely, the first thing Jaune noticed was how young all of them were. He doubted there was a man or woman above thirty. The only exception would be the man sitting in that throne Emerald was kneeling by. He looked a fair bit older than the rest of the group although he sure was trying his best to hide his age with tight-fitting jeans and a leather jacket. Reminded Jaune more of a biker than a gang leader. "Oi, which one of you little shits invited the extra?" None of them said a word and the leader hissed. "Damn newbie, can't even watch a door. Guess he'll be spending some more time in the pit."
A literal chill seemed to accompany those words as the members of the council shivered even Emerald wasn't immune. Why? Why was she here? Why wasn't she saying anything? Why did she look so defeated? The Emerald Jaune knew was way too strong to be subjugated by some two-bit criminal in biker cosplay.
"Oi, dumbass! You deaf? When I speak to you, I expect an answer."
Jaune hadn't been paying any attention, but he could make a pretty good guess of what had been said. "I'm here for Emerald."
The leader craned his neck to look over his armrest. "Now why would you want used goods like her." He slapped the back of her head and she didn't do a thing to stop it. Jaune suppressed a growl. "I'm not usually in the business of prostitution, but since you got big enough balls to come waltzing into my house, how about I set you up with something nice? Deal?"
"Counter offer. You let Emerald go and I don't beat the crap out of everyone here."
"'Beat the crap out of?' Come on, are you a middle schooler?" The leader laughed and soon the rest of the gang followed. "Maybe I was wrong about you because if someone jacked my girl and started treating her like a disposable slave I'd be out for the kill. Rip the guy's nuts off and shove them down his throat. Funny thing about that is right now it really seems like you came here to jack my girl."
"She's not your girl."
"Then I suppose she's yours? But then why is she with me?"
"She's not anybody's." Jaune didn't know it was possible to be so angry. The only thing stopping him from summoning his sword and slashing away was the small part of his brain still dedicated to reasoning telling him that charging in one-on-twenty would be really stupid. Shame Jaune wasn't feeling particularly smart right now.
"If you say 'so pretty boy, but I don't think Emerald is going to be voicing her own thoughts anytime soon, so we'll just have to decide for her." He looked Emerald's way and she flinched. "New deal. We fight. You win and you can walk out of here with Emerald and make all the kissy faces you want with her. I win, well you'll just be dead."
"I accept." Jaune jumped into the pit without a second thought. If he was being given the opportunity to knock a couple of this asshole's teeth in, he'd gladly do it. The leader smiled then jumped in after him. The rest of the Council surrounded the pit and cheered like their favorite sport had just come on. It probably had.
One of the members threw down a metal bat that their leader caught. Then he called out to Emerald who had made her way to the edge of the pit looking like a little girl who couldn't find her parents. "I hope you're excited to see me cave your boyfriend's skull in. Speaking of, what's your name?"
"It's Jaune."
"Well Jaune, feel free to call me Sir, for the little time you have left that is."
So, it was him. It had been clawing at the back of his mind, but he didn't want to believe that Emerald would go back to the person that hurt her so much. Didn't want to acknowledge that he may have been the one to push her towards it.
Shaking those thoughts from his head until later, Jaune summoned his sword drawing an impressed "ah" from the just scoffed and planted his foot in the sand as he took a batter stance. Oddly, Jaune's eyes were drawn to Sir's shoes. They were midnight black and tapered off into a point so sharp that Jaune was sure you could poke someone's eye out with them. Definitely something to watch out for.
"Come on hero. Not going to save the girl by standing around."
Jaune hissed and charged forward. He had no idea what Sir had over Emerald to have her acting this way, but at the end of the day, he was just some guy in charge of a small gang. Beating him shouldn't be an issue.
Sir swung his bat at Jaune's head, but it was too early. The bat whiffed and Sir was left completely open. It would have been the perfect opportunity for him to thrust his sword into Sir's side, but Jaune stopped. It wasn't because he spotted a trap or something had restrained him. Jaune Arc wasn't moving because he was frozen with fear.
His sweat stuck to his skin and he could hear the blood pumping in his skull. It didn't make any sense. How could he be this afraid? Sir was nothing compared to monsters like the Mad Hatter, yet even though his mind knew he shouldn't be afraid, his body disagreed. His body disagreed so strongly that it refused to take another step.
"Surprised?" Sir walked slowly towards him. His shoes seemed to slurp up the light patches of blood mixed in with the sand as he walked. Every muscle in Jaune's body wanted to back away. "You aren't the first person who thought they could just barge right in and take down the Council. Police, other gangs, even a huntsman, it didn't matter how strong they were, they all found themselves in the same position you're in. Fear is the great equalizer."
Sir was right in front of him and no matter how much Jaune wanted to swing his sword, or headbutt him, or anything else, he just couldn't. His arms were shaking too badly and his breathing was becoming erratic. It was like he was on the verge of a panic attack.
"Inflicting fear isn't that useful of a semblance. It can't help me fight Grimm, it can't make me rich and it can't let me get back at my father, but it can let me stop arrogant do-gooders in their tracks. Don't bother trying to think or will yourself out of it. My fear digs into your very core."
So that's what it was. Emerald and probably the rest of the Council had been chained by Sir's stupidly broken semblance. Jaune had only been under it for a few seconds and he was already starting to feel queasy. What must it have been like to live under Sir for years on end knowing no matter how strong you got or how brave you became you'd always be afraid of him?
Jaune could easily picture why Emerald had come back on her own the seed of fear Sir had planted so long ago burst forth and gnawed on her heart. Her options were limited. She could either go back to being alone in this unforgiving world, or she could return to the man who abused her. Both were terrifying, but one was familiar and at least with Sir she would know her place. Really what other choice was there? The devil you know versus the devil you don't.
Maybe Jaune was projecting. The reasons might be completely different but what he knew for sure was that he left Emerald and Sir picked her back up. There was no getting by that. One way or another this was his fault.
Sir prepared his bat swing making a big show of it for the crowd. Jaune's body could do nothing. That was a lie. There was one thing Jaune could force his body to do. He could run away. He didn't because once he started, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop, and he refused to leave Emerald behind again. Jaune stood his ground even when the artificial fear was eclipsed by the very real fear that he was about to get bludgeoned with a baseball bat.
Sir swung the bat.
Jaune's arms came up to protect his face, but that small mercy was all Sir's semblance allowed. The bat smashed into his ribs. Aura shielded most of the damage this time, but that wouldn't last. Stomach, chest, back, arms, shoulders, legs, knees, Sir went for them all. Jaune was helpless as his body and mind yelled at each other wondering why the other wasn't doing what it was supposed to. Fight-or-Flight was supposed to be nature's most basic survival tactic, yet Sir's Semblance had rendered Jaune incapable of even that.
The crowd cheered as the beatdown continued with Jaune's aura getting weaker and weaker, and the cracks of the bat striking skin and bone growing louder and louder. A practically nasty strike to Jaune's shin sent him to the ground, howling in pain.
His hand clutched the afflicted area for all the good that did him as he rolled around in the least he knew that given enough pain his body would automatically react in response to it. If he thought that finding that little loophole would help him fight back, he was sorely mistaken. The pain spasms were completely outside his control, so trying to manipulate them to his advantage was futile. All it did was make the show more entertaining for the crowd. Wouldn't be that fun if Sir just beat on a motionless piñata.
Sir's arms must have gotten tired because he rested his bat at his side to instead focus on kicking Jaune. Those sharp shoes dug into Jaune's side like they were icepicks. Were they actually that sharp or was Sir's semblance just making Jaune think that? Where did the fake fear end and the real fear begin?
"Come on, big shot. Didn't you come here to take your girl back? Where'd all your spirit go?" Jaune could only respond by coughing up some blood. "Pathetic. The entire lot of you. If everyone is going to bow down so easily, then why not just make me king already."
Sir tilted his head back and sighed like he had gotten bored. Then his eyes locked on Emerald and he smiled with all his teeth. "I think your boyfriend has gotten enough punishment from me. Why don't you come down here to finish the job and prove to him who you truly belong to."
Sir flicked his hand like he was tugging on an invisible leash and like a beaten dog Emerald complied. She walked with her head so low that her hair covered her eyes, but Jaune was certain she was crying. Crying for him or crying for what she was about to do, he didn't know.
Sir handed Emerald the bat without any hesitation, and why would there be? Emerald couldn't turn around and hit Sulfur anymore than she could bite off her own thumb. Jaune understood that. Sir's semblance was basically mind control at this point. He just wished Emerald would say something. It didn't have to be an apology or a justification. He only wanted to hear her speak to acknowledge that he was there.
She didn't say a word.
Emerald brought the bat down on Jaune's head. It hurt, but it was a lot lighter than it could have been. Sir noticed and didn't appreciate it. "You know holding back isn't going to save him. All it's going to do is drag his suffering out. So next time give it all you got."
Emerald's fingers tightened around the bat and her teeth bit into her bottom lip, but she didn't raise the bat again. "Can we stop this, Sir? I apologize for Jaune's behavior, so can we let him go? I promise he won't cause us any trouble."
Jaune's eyes widened. It might not be much. A minuscule act of defiance in the face of Sir's overwhelming authority, but Emerald had done it. She had conquered Sir's fear to try and save him.
It lasted only a moment. Sir grabbed the back of Emerald's head and pulled her hair up painfully. The power of his semblance intensified alongside his anger. "You stupid bitch! When I give an order you follow it. There are no questions or compromises. You will kill this sorry excuse for a man and you will do it with a smile on your face." Sir slapped Emerald across the face for good measure and then released her. "Now get on with it."
Emerald didn't have a choice. The fear she must be feeling was probably suffocating. Jaune didn't blame her as she raised the bat high above her head. He knew this time she would be going for the kill shot. Jaune wanted to say something to her, but he didn't have the time to convey everything he wanted to say. Instead, he smiled hoping she understood.
The bat came down.
At the same time so did the roof as something crashed through it. It was a metal contraption with four legs and decked out with massive guns. Its glowing head swiveled around 360 degrees scanning the entire warehouse before settling on Sir. "Enemy detected. Beginning suppression."
Sir was only able to get out a quick "what" before the spider droid swung one of its massive arms and struck Sir in the stomach. He went flying toward the other end of the warehouse bounced off the wall then pancaked on the floor. He didn't get back up. The impact had been enough to break his aura and knock him unconscious. That was the danger of over-relying on your semblance. Not only did he drain his aura by using it, but when something came along that wasn't affected by it, like a robot, you were basically defenseless.
With Sir's aura broken the effects of his semblance lifted causing Emerald to collapse to her knees like she had been released from a noose while the rest of the Council looked up in disbelief at the monster that had been dropped onto them.
Before anyone could say a word, the door to the warehouse was kicked open and in walked Whitley flanked by four Atlesian Knights. "I'd like to have everyone's attention. As of twenty minutes ago, this property has been bought out by the SDC company. That makes all of you intruders and as you can see the SDC takes security very seriously." The giant spider droid seemed to nod in agreement. "Now you have two options. Number one, you all go to jail for trespassing and other related crimes that you may have committed on the premises. Number two, you submit yourselves to the SDC and become my new employees. This includes a full-time salary and benefits."
There was no discussion. Every member of the council threw down their weapons and presented themselves to Whitley, and just like that, it was over. Whitley smiled, handed them some paperwork, then hopped into the sand pit where Jaune and Emerald were. "Well, Jaune I would ask how your rescue attempt went, but I can see for myself how you fared. Good thing I got here when I did. Do you require an ambulance?"
"No. I'm okay." He wasn't. His entire body felt like it was being slow cooked over a fire and he was sure he was covered in bruises, but his aura should heal him up to full in a few hours. "Thanks for saving me. Where the hell did you get a giant robot?"
Whitley looked up at the menacing robot with a bit of confusion. "You mean that thing? It's a standard piece of equipment for guarding SDC facilities. I borrowed this one from a nearby refinement plant. I was going to bring three, but since someone couldn't sit still, I didn't have the time."
Jaune blushed. "Sorry. It won't happen again."
"It better not. Buying this warehouse without proper negotiation was expensive, and if I don't figure out how to make this place profitable the shareholders are going to have plenty to complain about. Wouldn't be a good look for the new CEO's first investment to end in failure. I didn't hire those hooligans simply to save you. I really do need employees to get this place up and running as soon as possible." Whitley looked at Emerald who still hadn't said a word. "But I guess that's not something for you to worry about. I'll leave the two of you to settle things."
Whitley climbed out of the pit to hold a "company meeting" giving Emerald and him some much-needed time to themselves. It was weird. Finding Emerald had been his single focus, but now that he had her, he didn't know what to say.
Before he could think of something,Emerald collapsed on his chest and he could feel her tears through his shirt. "You dumbass. Why did you come here?"
"Isn't that obvious? I came here to save you. Guess I screwed it up pretty epically though. Whitley got to play the heroic knight and save the helpless princess and the helpless prince. But to be fair to me, I didn't get to bring a giant death robot."
Emerald quietly chuckled through the sobs. Jaune was glad he could lighten the mood. "You should have run away the moment Sir used his semblance. I know you could have."
"No, I couldn't. Not if it meant leaving you behind."
"What good would getting beat to death in front of me do?"
"Well, the plan wasn't actually to get bludgeoned to death."
"Then what was the plan?"
"To do the bludgeoning."
Emerald pulled herself off so they could see face to face. Even with her tear-stained cheeks, she was beautiful. Then she punched him in the shoulder which with his aura so low actually really hurt. "You're an idiot."
Jaune winced. "I guess I am."
"But you know this is the idiot I fell in love with. The one who decided to rush into Cryphilictal just to save some girl he barely knew. The one who took a chance on a no-good thief. The one I thought I lost after Beacon."
"About that, I'm so sorry. I never should have—"
Emerald placed a finger on his lips. "Don't apologize. It was my fault. If I didn't help that woman none of this would have happened. Beacon wouldn't have fallen and we wouldn't have fought. It's the reason I came back to the Council. Well, I suppose I thought I deserved to be punished."
Jaune placed his hand behind Emerald's ear. "Never think that again. No matter what you did, nobody deserves what Sir was putting you through. What happened was both our faults, so let's just call it even."
"How can you say that? You shouldn't forgive that easily."
"It's not forgiveness. The truth is I'm done holding onto the past and worrying about things I can't change. I only want to look towards the future and I want that future to be with you."
"You idiot."
That night they slept together going the entire way this time. Everything they wanted to say, every apology, and every promise was spoken without words in that moment. Things weren't perfect they never would be especially with the path they chose to walk, but for a single night it felt like things were.
Excerpt from the book
What makes a good caretaker?
Is it simply being good at using magic? Certainly not. There are actually a few caretakers that don't use the unknown world to their advantage at all.
Is it being fearless? Nonsense. Those without fear more often than not wind-up dead from things the rest of us do fear.
Is it an eye for spotting pieces of the unknown world in the known world? Misguided. Children with their boundless curiosity are better at that than any experienced caretaker yet they are hardly fit to be sent to the frontlines.
What is it then?
The answer is in the name. To be a good caretaker you must be able to take care of the world both the known and the unknown.