Beta: ShadowMester234
The morning was harsh and Jaune felt only a couple stages better than death. It wasn't even the alcohol that was causing it. From the lack of sleep and Roman's suggestion, Jaune was beginning to think that he should have extended his vacation from now until forever.
Cryphilictal. The word he couldn't get out of his head. If there was any place where they would find a solution for Ruby it would be there, and what a place it apparently was. His journal was full of information on The Seat of Dissonance, as some liked to call it, but none of it gave Jaune confidence. Unavoidable spell defenses, huge hulking monsters and an ever-shifting distortion of place and time were apparently all features of the city, but not always.
The only thing that had been made clear, from those that had actually been there, was that no matter what you learned, you were never prepared. That it might actually be better to go in with no expectations to avoid stumbling into a self-made trap or inescapable paranoia.
Jaune leaned back on his bed, the early sun rays hitting his face and causing his golden locks to shine. Cryphilictal, he repeated again, the city housed all the brightest dreams and darkest nightmares.
Though, from the way Roman spoke about it, it was obvious which side the coin usually fell on. It had been the only time the master thief had ever told Jaune not to do something, and despite Roman's betrayal, Jaune knew this advice was in his best interest. He also knew he would still be going. Yes, he was going because he was guilty about what happened to Ruby and Vale, but even more than that, it was alluring. The thought of going on such an adventure made his boyish heart beat with glee, and that was perhaps the scariest part.
Just knowing about it was enough to pull him towards it. How many other caretakers, or just regular people, had been mesmerized by the exact same feeling? How many had made the pilgrimage, and how many had the city swallowed whole?
He didn't want to think about that, nor did he want to consider that Cryphilictal may have already doomed him.
He got up from his bed, dealt with a splitting headache that made him pause for a few moments. Once it passed, he wiped his arm under his nose for any blood and thankfully found none.
He grabbed his scroll, half expecting it to suddenly start ringing with Ruby's sister on the other end. It didn't and wouldn't since while Jaune had Yang's number, she didn't have his. An oversight on her part, but only if he didn't plan to contact her.
He planned to, but there was someone else he needed to talk to first.
Jaune walked out into the main room and eyed Emerald's door just as closed and dead as the night before. What he had done was borderline abusive. She had every right to be mad at him, he was mad at himself, and yet here she stood knowing that he was about to make thing worse.
He walked over to the kitchen and started to make breakfast, hoping the smell would lure her out. Handmade breakfast should have only been the first step in his apology tour, but after it was served, he was going to hit her with what he decided to do about Ruby.
Him planning a trip to possibly the most dangerous place on Remnant was probably the last thing she wanted to hear. Any anger that had burned away throughout the night would be reignited. She'd just see it as a new way he was trying to get himself killed with her alongside him.
Because she would come with him. He knew this to be true, just as he knew he wouldn't back down (Cryphilictal had already dug it's hooks deep inside of him). No matter how bad an idea she thought it was or how reckless he was being, she'd stand by him regardless.
Jaune didn't want it to be that way, a Mt. Glenn all over again. He wanted to Emerald to come along because she wanted to, not because she thought she had to for his sake. If it wasn't her choice then it felt like he was just manipulating her. He would be playing off her fears of being abandoned, fears that were very real and more justifiable than ever, and that would have made him even worse scum than he already was.
They cared for each other, but how far that went was up in the air. Jaune had never worked up the courage to confront his feelings about Emerald that had reached a high back at Mt. Glenn. They're entire "vacation" had mostly been spent hanging out around the house and only going at every once in a while. Things that could be considered dates, like going to the movies or getting lunch somewhere, but could just as easily be events between friends. It was all up to how the participant felt about each, but Jaune didn't even know how he felt, let alone what Emerald might feel.
This uncertainty didn't sit well. He should've manned up and taken the chance, gotten Emerald opinion, and maybe try a more serious relationship out, but that time had passed. Asking her in this atmosphere, after he had hurt her so badly, was destined for a fight.
"Oh Emerald, I know that I didn't even think about you after the city was ravaged by grimm, but you know what. I think we'd make a great couple. Teehee."
Yeah, he was sure that would go down well.
He flipped a pancake over and rested it on a stack of others, and right as he did, the door to Emerald's room creaked open. Jaune only turned his head slightly not wanting it to seem like he had been waiting for this.
Emerald wasn't the kind of girl who'd stand at the door playing should-I-or-shouldn't-I upon seeing him. She walked into the main room in her pajamas, which were actually less revealing than her normal attire, without hesitation. She looked a bit tired, but otherwise not much different than normal.
"Good morning," Jaune said trying his best to give a pleasant smile for her, "I made us breakfast."
"Thanks," she replied distantly and took a seat at the table.
Jaune's smile faltered for a second, but he didn't let it fall. He knew things weren't just going to right themselves in a single night. He had to work for her forgiveness, and he promised he would, but first, it was time to drop the news.
He piled two plates high with food and brought them over to the table. Emerald took hers without comment. She ate it slowly, almost mechanically. Jaune had never see Emerald eat so slowly ever. Her eyes never left the plate and she didn't open her mouth for anything but to let food in.
I was a very awkward and silent start to breakfast.
He knew what she was doing. There would be no screaming or hitting for his actions. He hadn't cared about her after the breach, so she was getting back at him by pretending not to care about him.
Jaune didn't like it. A quiet and passive Emerald was strange and foreign. This Emerald was practically a different person. It got to him on a deeper level, and in that way she was a genius. She was giving him a taste of what she went through, leaving him behind with only this stranger to converse with.
For a brief moment, he thought about changing his plan. That it would be better to work towards making up with her and tuck his decision about Cryphilictal away for a little longer.
But the tracks were already laid.
"I've come up with a plan to help Yang's sister."
"Glad to hear it. I'm sure she'll be thrilled."
Jaune smirked. "Yeah, I doubt that. Curing Ruby's silver eyes isn't going to be easy. It might not even be possible at all, but we have to try and that means taking another trip."
Emerald tried to hide it, but he saw how her hand tightened around her fork. "Where are you planning on going this time?"
"A place known as Cryphilictal. It's basically a magical city that might have what we're looking for, but it's extremely dangerous."
Emerald's eyes were as wide as saucers, her arm not even trying to bring her food to her mouth. "Then, I hope it goes well for you."
Jaune sighed. "Would you just quit the act. I know what I did was wrong and horrible, yell at me, throw your breakfast in my face, but don't do something that's clearly hurting you as much as it's hurting me."
"I don't know what you mean. I've already forgiven you," she said looking up at the ceiling.
"Emerald…"
"Now if you'll excuse me," she said, standing up and definitely didn't aggressively slap her fork in the table, "I'm going back to my room. I'm still a little tired."
The lock clicked shut again as Emerald left almost three-fourths of her breakfast behind.
For his part, Jaune just leaned back in his chair and ran his hand through his hair. All things considered, it wasn't a disaster. Emerald was pissed as he knew she would be, but she was only pissed because she felt betrayed. It was salvageable. Jaune just needed to build their trust back up. He had done it before.
It was easy to forget sometimes but the only reason he and Emerald knew each other at all was because she had just happened to steal his journal one day. They should have never become close because of that, but they did. If Jaune could get her to trust him from that point, then getting an Emerald that already knew him to open back up couldn't be nearly as hard—definitely not easy, but not unmanageable. He would have to think of something really nice to do for her. Something she couldn't ignore.
Jaune smiled, content with his thinking, and pushed his chair back so it was balanced on its hind legs. He just needed to give it time, and Emerald would be back to normal. Then, he could work on getting her to actually forgive him. Luckily, he had a lot of experience placating women, having grown up with seven sisters, where it seemed there was never a point when at least one of them wasn't mad at him for one reason or another.
With his relationship with Emerald now having a tentative solution, it was time to move on to the other problems. There was no point in thinking about what kind of dangers were lurking in Cryphilictal if they couldn't get there in the first place.
Jaune got out his scroll and looked for the only male in his contacts that wasn't his dad. It rang five times before Whitley picked up. He sounded a little groggy probably having just woken up. "Jaune? You need something?"
The signal was a little messy since Jaune wasn't at the CCT tower, but it was good enough. "Morning Whitley, I'm sure you'll be happy to know that Emerald and I are officially ending our break."
"That's good to hear. I was starting to worry that you were just mooching off SDC's money. I saw you went on quite the binge yesterday. I also got a bill from a man named junior about repairs to his club."
Jaune's cheeks heated up and he was just glad that Whitley couldn't see it. "An end of vacation party. It got a little out of hand."
"Of course," Whitley hummed, in the universal I-don't-believe-you-but-it's-fine tone, "so what can I assist you with?"
"Have you ever heard of a place called Cryphilictal?"
There was silence for a few seconds as Whitley thought. "Just that it's some ancient ruin on the south side of Sanus, I think, but since you're bringing it up, I'm assuming it's a little more than that."
"Much more. From what I've heard it wouldn't be a stretch to say it was the capital of magic, probably still is. I'm actually surprised you knew as much as you did."
"That's what a high-end, specialized geography tutor will get you; a bunch of pointless locations drilled into your head just because one day it might be useful to know. Unfortunately, with what just occurred, I can't really mock him. What is going on with Cryphilictal?"
"It's a long story."
"I'd love to hear."
"In a second, first I need you to find a way to get Emerald and I there, just like what you did with Mt. Glenn."
Jaune heard Whitley suck in his breath. "Give me a moment if you would." There was some shuffling on the other end of the line and then some typing before Whitley got back to him. "Yeah, it's just like I thought, that whole area is a no-fly zone."
"A no-fly zone? Wouldn't something like that be suspicious? Why isn't the ruins of Cryphilictal appearing on ever conspiracy network in existence?"
"You really don't understand, do you? There are hundreds of no-fly zones all over remnant. Grimm are vicious and aviation types are especially dangerous. No-fly zones aren't so much laws that have to be stuck to but highly incentivized guidelines. The odds that an airship returns from a no-fly zone are fifty percent at most. Usually it's a lot closer to twenty and the area you're talking about is an entire three percent. Now knowing what we do, we could say that it's due to Cryphilictal being there, but to the rest of the world it's just a place where a particularly nasty bunch of grimm have their nest."
Jaune wouldn't lie and say that the three percent return rate, which basically meant survival rate, didn't worry him—and that was only the air around the city—but he wasn't turning back now. "So, what you're saying is that it would be possible to get someone to shuttle us to the city as long as you gave them a massive danger pay bonus?
"Maybe it would be possible if that didn't run us into our second problem. There's nothing out there which means that's nowhere to refuel. Maybe at one point there were some small settlements out there but people don't tend to stick around once a no-fly zone is deemed as such. Sure, there are some ships that could get you there, but getting back to any form of civilization with enough fuel just wouldn't be possible. As long as I keep raising the reward eventually I'd find someone willing to risk the odds, but not all the riches in the world is going to convince someone to make what they know is a one-way trip, and if someone did, I wouldn't be comfortable with them flying anybody anywhere—and before you ask, no we cannot just load a bullhead full of extra fuel until we have enough to make a round trip."
Jaune was about to ask why, but Whitley seemed to read his mind and had his answer already prepared. Even having just woken up Whitley was on the top of his game, ready to inform the ignorant masses of all the things they knew not. Jaune had nearly forgotten how much Whitley like doing that. "The dust that fuels airships is heavy, really heavy. The more dust we load in the more dust we'd have to use to carry it all. We'd be hit by diminishing returns so hard that the flight time we'd gain would be minuscule. There also being the problem that transporting dust that way would be highly likely to lead to an explosion, and the airship would have to land to refuel, surrounded by the death, grimm, and wilderness every time."
"Okay I get it," Jaune said, sorry for ever daring to question Whitley's reasoning, even if they had only been said in his mind. "Just tell me how close you could get us with the pilot still having enough fuel to get back."
That was some more typing before Whitley replied. "Looking at the map, my guess is a three-day journey, by foot, from the drop off point."
Jaune had the fight the urge to suck in his breath. Three days to get there meant it would take another three days to get back in range on a pickup. There was also no telling how long they would have to explore Cryphilictal for before they found something useful. That meant it would be a week at the bare minimum before Ruby got any kind of help. Yang was not going to be happy with this information.
"Isn't there any way we could cut that travel time down?"
There was no typing this time, just the quiet hums as Whitley pondered the question. "I don't think there is. A ship controlled by an AI that you just leave there once it runs out of fuel isn't a good idea since, just like scroll signals, the connection between an AI and the CCT system gets unstable the farther away from the towers you get. Installing an AI entirely onboard isn't much better since it would be severely limited, and just because the path to Cryphilictal's no-fly zone isn't a no-fly zone itself doesn't mean it's safe. You'll need an actual pilot to get you through. If you'd like I could get you into an Atlas flight school, but as I'm sure you can guess, that's not something that can be knocked out in a week. None of these save you any time on the return trip either."
"What if we load the ship with a car or something," Jaune suggested remembering the motorcycle Ruby's sister had been rolling around. "When the ship drops us off we just drive the rest of the way."
"Well a car and it's needed fuel would definitely weigh less than airship fuel, but driving to Cryphilictal would bring its own problems. The sound of the engine would bring every grimm in the area right to you, and unlike an airship, a car is much easier to cut off. Assuming you, or the car, even survives the constant barrage of grimm, you'd have to take so many stops to fight them that it might not even be any faster in the end."
"Just regular bikes?"
"Probably be too uncomfortable to ride with all the supplies you're bound to bring."
"Horses?" Jaune tried as a last resort.
"Do you know how to ride and take care of horses because I don't, and I don't imagine they'd fare well in a grimm infested region with an incompetent rider either."
Jaune bowed his head in defeat. It was looking like they were just going to have to eat the three-day trip.
"Why do you need to get to this place so fast? You still haven't explained it to me." Whitley said.
Jaune, knowing he couldn't hold the magic enthusiast back any longer, explained Ruby's condition and how the only hope for a cure was going to be in that city.
"So, how soon could you set all this up?" Jaune finished.
Whitley didn't say anything for a few seconds during which Jaune could practically feel the reluctance to answer "Sadly, the truth is, I can't."
"What do you mean you can't. You got Emerald and I to Mt. Glenn no problem."
"If you recall that actually was a huge problem, and it's the same one we're facing now only much worse. Ironwood's fleet is still controlling the sky, and after the White Fang attack, Vale's council has given him even more power. I'm guessing you didn't notice since nearly a thousand-lien worth of drinks can leave you a little unaware of your surrounds, but Vale is basically under martial law at the moment. All non-authorized flights are grounded and the ones that are authorized are being checked thoroughly. Slipping you through this time around is going to be impossible."
"So, is that it? We're just stuck here."
"No, I'll figure out a way to get you out of the city. Just give me a little time."
"Time is the one thing we can't afford to waste."
"I know, I know. I'll think of something."
"Pleases do. I know you don't know this girl, hell I hardly do either, but this is important."
"I'll work as hard and as fast as I can. I promise that as your sponsor I won't let you down."
The call ended on that low note. Jaune moved his chair back into its proper four-legged position and sunk down into it, looking at the now cold food Emerald had left behind. They hadn't even started their trip to Cryphilictal and it seemed that fate was already pushing it out of reach.
Emerald would be happy even if she wouldn't say it. Maybe he should try talking to her again. Maybe he should just lay it all out there and tell her everything. It might be for the best since if they actually ever did make it to Cryphilictal there was a very high possibility they wouldn't be making it back. Confessing his feelings now, even if they were confused, might be the last chance he got.
His gaze settled on Emerald's door and he almost got up, but he never did. He just couldn't bring himself to do it under the current conditions. When things were back to normal, he promised himself he would go through with it.
Coward, some part in the back of his brain told him.
He ignored it. Instead, he looked back down at his scroll and held his finger over the contact he had just add this morning. It was time for Yang to know.
Whitley paced around what he called his lab. He did not normally pace, but he normally didn't have such a difficult problem that couldn't be worked through using experimentation or research.
The entire process of walking to and fro without a purpose felt nauseatingly undignified, so he quickly planted himself in his desk chair to break the habit. This only led to him to start unconsciously fiddling with the stack of papers in front of him trying to layer them perfectly on top of each other.
Whitley's lab was an office/guest room that no longer saw much use since it was located at the other end of the mansion from his father's office. It was only used if there was an overflow of guests, and with the way his father handled business and his personal life, overnight visitors were a rarity as it was.
Whitley had instructed the maids not to bother cleaning this room, but he knew some still did. Either because they felt his father's orders to make every room spotless outweigh his, or because they were curious what the youngest Schnee was doing in semi-secret on the far end of the mansion. It didn't matter all that much though. They wouldn't understand what was in here, and it would take a stupidly brave maid to alert his father.
The lab itself wasn't anything special, mainly just a bunch of tables filled stuff. To his immediate left was a computer monitor that was connected to nearly every auction house in Atlas. It was constantly searching for possible magic items, but so far it had been a lackluster endeavor. Whitley assumed it was because anyone who had a magic item and didn't know it would find it next to worthless and wouldn't bother trying to auction it off while anyone who did know its magical properties would never auction it away. On the other side of the desk were a few books that he was looking through that talk about the unknown world. He had recently discovered them in the Schnee library which probably meant they used to be his grandfather property, but the thing was, Whitley was sure that they hadn't been in the library before.
The rest of the tablespace was filled with two other computers; that were for more general use, articles and books; that were less credible source of information than the book from the library, strange items that may or may not be magical, the glass knife he had made from his sister's mirror along with a jar full of the remaining mirror shards.
Finally, off to one corner of his desk was a simple letter. Whitley took a break from adjusting his paper stack to pick it up and read through it one more time. Patients weren't allowed to have scrolls at the rehab center so this was the only way his mother could communicate with him. It was basically just a check-in to tell him how she was doing. The first and second week had been the hardest where she had been so desperate for a drink that she couldn't sleep, but she powered through because as she put it "wanted to be better, more than she wanted to feel better." Now, going through the day without a drink wasn't as bad. It wasn't perfect, she still got the shakes and sometimes went into a panic as she realized she would have to face the day without one, but it was easier to work through especially with all the people there to help her.
At the very end, she promised that she wouldn't give up and she would return to being the woman she used to be. A woman so far lost in the past that Whitley barely even remembered her.
Whitley smiled as he always did when he finished the letter, knowing that neither of his sisters would have gotten one. They probably weren't even aware she was in rehab. True, it wasn't like the information was public as Willow Schnee was housed at a very specialized and very private institution, but for her daughters it would only take a single scroll call to either him or Father to reveal that information.
He wasn't exactly holding his breath for that call. It was just in his sisters' natures to forget about everyone they left behind the moment they obtained their own sliver of freedom. Whitley knew that Weiss was ignoring Father's calls which, in his opinion, was a downright idiotic decision. Did she think Father would just give up or that her problems would go away? All she was doing was frustrating him.
Oh well, if she wanted to increase the pace in which she was deemed unworthy of being heiress, then he wouldn't stop her.
Whitley folded his mother's letter along a well-worn crease and put it back where it had been along with all the other papers and books. His lab was an organized mess, but Whitley felt more at home here than anywhere else in the mansion including his very own room. It was normally very calming, but with his brief distraction now done, his thoughts returned to the problem of getting Jaune and Emerald out of Vale and on their way to Cryphilictal.
The urge to get up and start pacing again nearly lifted him from his chair, but Whitley harshly crushed that desire before it could manifest.
Ironwood was a fool, but fools could be more troublesome than genius. The lockdown was completely pointless only severing to burden Vale. It wasn't like the general could stop air traffic completely. Commercial flights in and out in Vale were still going on, only now with having to go through an addition "safety" check. Seriously want did the man expect to find. He couldn't exactly discriminate against any faunus that arrived in the city, and weapons that might be used to support the White Fang would already be inside Vale. For Oum's sake, it was already proven they had control of the tunnels running under Vale!
Regardless, Whitley couldn't see any way to get an unapproved flight out of Vale without it being shot down immediately. That only left getting Jaune and Emerald out on an approved flight. Getting approval to send two, technically, civilians to an ancient ruin was never going to happen, so a fake reason was the only option. Using an actual SDC ship and listing it as a dust delivery wouldn't work since Father would have to sign off on those, and a ship that was supposed to deliver dust, but left Vale only to return to Vale without making any actual stops, which was what would have to happen, would be very suspicious.
It would seem the easiest solution would be for Jaune and Emerald to get on a regular flight to one of the other kingdoms and then fly to Cryphilictal from there, but Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo were all in the wrong direction. Getting anywhere close to Cryphilictal required a takeoff from Vale.
What Whitley needed was an airship that could fly in and out on Vale in an official capacity, but were nobody cared where it went after the fact. Sadly, there were basically no airships that fit that description besides personal ones, and those obviously weren't getting authorization for anything.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Mr. Schnee, your father has requested your presence."
Whitley recognized Klein's voice and stepped out into the hallway to greet him. "Did he say for what purpose?"
"No, he did not."
"Then best not keep him waiting." Whitley straighten out his vest and tie and allowed the head butler to lead him to Father's office.
The journey was a decent one but Klein navigated the halls of the mansion better than Whitley himself could. Once they arrived, Klein held up the door gesturing for Whitley to enter. "Good luck in there," he said eyes shifting from brown to yellow.
Unlike Klein, it was clear to Whitley the moment he entered and the door closed behind him, that Jacques Schnee was very unhappy. It wasn't the normal grumpy that he had when dealing with the day-to-day operations of the SDC. No, this was the displeasure that spoke of a major issue.
"You requested me Farther," Whitley said, trending carefully but without hesitation.
Jacques crossed his hands under his chin as he took in his only son. "I did. Something has come up."
"May I ask what?" Whitley said even if he knew his father wouldn't have called him if he wasn't going to say what it was."
"Ironwood is petitioning the Vale council to cancel the Vytal festival."
Whitley recognized the problems immediately as his father expected him too. The SDC put a lot of money into the Vytal festival from advertising and massively discounted dust to power the flying colosseum.
Now some people might question why the SDC, the most recognized brand on Remnant that sold an item that most people couldn't really live without, would need to spend any money to promote itself, but those people were idiots who should be fired from any position they might hold. The SDC wasn't advertising its product it was advertising itself. With all the bad publicity, the media like to heap on the SDC, the Vytal festival was one of the few events where the company could drive in some good PR. The festival was all about unity and peace, and for everyone who believed in it, the knowledge that it likely wouldn't be possible without the "generosity" of the SDC would be subconsciously ingrained in their minds.
The festival wasn't just a straight lien for PR transaction either. The SDC still made money off the event because while the dust for the stadium itself was given away at insanely low prices the dust for all the things that surrounded the festival weren't. For instance, the fuel for the airbuses that took people to the stadium and back again, or the dust the participates used in their matches which were usually a higher-grade than normal to give the audience a better spectacle.
It usually wasn't enough to recuperate all the costs, but with all the extra revenue it really couldn't be considered a loss. With that in mind, it would be completely unacceptable for the festival to be canceled this late in the game. The SDC had already put significant lien into it, and Whitley doubted Ironwood or the Vale council would offer a refund.
"As such," Father continued, "I will be heading to Vale to make my stance clear against this nonsense, and try to convince the general to resend his recommendation. You will be left in charge while I am away although this only means rubbing hands with business partners and attending meetings."
Whitley so badly wanted to ask if this shouldn't be Weiss' responsibility as heiress, but he refrained only because it would irritate him further.
Jacques disliked politician, not because they were his equals per se, but because they were some of the few people that could tell him no. His father was a powerful man in any kingdom, but his sway in Vale wasn't even close to the influence he held in Atlas. There was no guarantee that he'd be able to stop the cancellation of the Vytal festival.
He also despised leaving the SDC in the hands of anyone other than himself. Even if this was just a test to see if Whitley was fit to be the true heir, it obviously wasn't one he did because he desired to give it.
Knowing that, though, Whitley saw a chance to get everything accomplished in one go. "If I may Father, might I suggest sending me to negotiate with general Ironwood. I know you've had many heated disagreements with each other over the years. Perhaps a new face would calm his disposition and lead him to see reason both for the people of Remnant and the SDC."
Jacques obverse his son without emotion, but Whitley knew what was happening behind that blank look. He was weighing the pros and cons of sending his young son to Vale. On one hand, this would be an excellent chance to see is negotiating and planning skills and Jacques would be free to focus on other issues, but on the other hand, if Whitley failed the company would lose millions. But the company might lose millions if Jacques went, or the negotiation might fall through no matter who went, or it was possible Ironwoods proposal wouldn't gain enough tracking anyways and no action was required from the SDC.
And on and on the logic went. What Jacques final decision would be not even Whitley knew, but after a full minute of silence, Jacques gave his answer. "Alright, I will allow you to fly to Vale to try and convince Ironwood to drop his proposal or to get the council to vote it down. I'll send my personal secretary to assist you," and keep you from doing anything completely stupid, he didn't say, "but I'll leave this matter up to your discretion. However, if you mishandle this then Weiss isn't going to be outed as heiress as fast as you seem to think."
Jacques stared into his son's eyes making it clear that this was his last chance to back down. Whitley did not. "I won't let you down, Father. I was the one to request this and will take full reasonability for the outcome."
"I hope your skills as good as your confidence suggests."
"There is one more thing Father. Since this is technically a diplomatic mission I believe it would be essential to have my own personal airship."
"As you wish. I'll make arrangements to have one of the private cruisers made free for you."
Whitley beamed, as much as a Schnee could. "Thank you very much, Father."
"So, how is Ruby doing?"
"She's not getting any worse but she isn't getting any better which still means she's in the worst pain of her life," Yang snarled.
She, Jaune, and the stranger currently inhabiting Emerald's body were sitting inside a small café. Jaune had hoped the relaxing atmosphere would help calm Ruby's sister down, but it didn't seem to be helping. She glowered at him from the other end of the table, red eyes demanding answers.
This was only broken when she switched her fiery gaze to a blank-faced Emerald. The reason probably having something to do with her hair being a few inches shorter now. Jaune guessed that Yang had cut her losses, and her hair, after the bar fight to even out her mane.
Maybe it was actually a good thing Emerald was acting the way she was. If she was being herself there would have been some heavy antagonism and likely a rematch. As for her current self, she was only concerned with eating the food in front of her, making up for the breakfast she skimped on this morning.
But for now, Yang's ire was focused solely on him. "Have you found a way to help my sister, or was your girlfriend just bullshitting to keep me from beating your drunk ass."
Jaune gulp feeling that his death was just one wrong word away. "It isn't a joke, I know a little bit about your sister's condition, but a treatment isn't that simple. In order to help her," here comes the really bad news, "we're going to have to go somewhere else."
"Where?"
"Outside of Vale."
"How far outside of Vale.?"
"Really far."
"How far is really far?"'
"Far enough where it seems likely that a three-day trek there and back is needed after riding an airship as far it can take us." Jaune closed his eyes not wanting to see Yang's reaction, but he could smell her hair smoldering.
Jaune was prepared for the whole café to go up in flames, but after waiting a bit and finding that it didn't, he dared to peck through one eye. Yang was furious all right, but it wasn't aimed at him. Instead, she was staring intently at the table cloth, her whole body shaking. Then she whispered in a soft yet commanding voice. "Do you know what my sister is going through? She has basically been put into a coma, but the nurses and their machines can't find anything wrong with her, so they wake her up to see if she' doing better only for her to scream in agonizing pain before she's put back under. They tried twice last night and once this morning, but the results were the same. There're competently stumped. They don't know what's wrong with her, and the only way to see if anything changed is to wake her up. It's awful to watch her be forced back into a world of agony, but what else can they do? It's not like they can leave her unconscious forever. Not that it really matters, I can tell that Ruby is still suffering while unconscious. The only thing knocking her out does is prevent the rest of us from hearing it. Six days is too long. I can't leave Ruby like that for even another minute. There has to be another—faster—way."
"There isn't."
"How do you know! How do you know anything? Who even are you people? Nobody else knows what's wrong with my sister, but you're sitting here like you have all the answers. You can't be any older than me so how come you can figure all this out while no else has a clue?"
"I'm sure plenty of other people could have put it together better than I ever could, but you're only talking to people who look at things a certain way. Emerald and I have a whole different perspective on the world."
Yang went quiet for a bit before leaning back in her chair a releasing a broken laugh. "So, it's magic…it really exists. I guess I already knew; it's the only answer that made sense as crazy as that is. Looks like the fairy tales were real after all, Ruby." Jaune was starting to get worried that he may have broken her. "Does that make you two wizards or magicians?"
"Caretakers," Jaune corrected.
"Whatever, is Ruby one now? She used magic, right? Is this all are magicians start out?"
"No, yes and no. Your sister is a special case. A caretaker isn't something you are, it's something you become just like any other career."
"Can you just explain it clearly already? How is Ruby special, I have to know."
Jaune sent a quick side-glance Emerald's way where she gave the only acknowledgment of the conversation going on in front of her so far by shaking her head no.
Yang might have already had a clue, but explaining to her exactly what was going on with Ruby would pull her into the unknown world completely. It wasn't really a matter of if that was a good or bad thing. The question was if Yang really needed to know. Her dedication to her sister was admirable, but the last time someone stepped into the unknown world to solve a single issue, it didn't end well. The cat faunus, Yang's partner even if Jaune didn't know it, had forced herself into a world she didn't really understand and stepped out the moment her problem was solved.
It was easy to imagine how Yang would follow the same path; do whatever it took to help her sister now and go back to her usual life when it was all over. The unknown world wasn't a place to just enter whenever it was convenient. It would be like teaching the rules of a complex board game to a person who only intended to play it once. Sure, everything might be fine, but it's far more likely the new player, who wasn't as serious about the game, would make mistakes. The other players would be hindered, and in this game, where a mistake could cost you your life that was a risky deal. Emerald had already paid the price for it once, so it was easy to see why wouldn't want to take the risk again.
Yet, seeing the desperation in Yang's face made Jaune's logic waiver. Sure, it wasn't really her place to know, but it hadn't been Jaune's either when Roman, despite the bastard he was, took a chance on him, and Jaune, in turn, had taken a chance on Emerald, even if it had been more of a spontaneous reaction than anything else. He couldn't say that this situation was different and that Yang had no right to barge into caretaker territory when he hadn't tried to enter huntsman territory, but that would just be a lie. His entire start after leaving home had been defined by trying to enter a world he knew little about by attempting to enroll Beacon. It could also be argued Blake was a liability because Emerald and he had pushed her away and didn't explain things properly.
All this went through his head, but what eventually sealed the deal is him thinking about what he would do if one of his sisters was going through the same thing.
Jaune sighed. He was already in a hole with Emerald might as well dig a little deeper. He leaned in close to the table so none of the other customers could hear. Yang easily picked up on his cues and leaned in as well. Emerald stabbed in her fork into her food and refused to look at either of them while Jaune explained. He told Yang about the legend of the silver eyes and why they need to head to Cryphilictal. He even told her a little about himself to help her understand the unknown world.
It was only after Yang pulled away, slack-jawed, that Jaune recognized how terrible he was at actually keeping the unknown world…unknown
"So, my sister is cursed?" Yang said.
"I wouldn't really call it a curse but yes."
"This all just sounds so insane."
"Trust me I know how you feel."
"And the only way to help her is by going to this Cryphilictal place?"
Jaune had to bite back the sour taste in his mouth as he chose his next words carefully. "Sadly, that is the case. This is something put upon Ruby by God the Death. The only place that's going to have something the counteract that is Cryphilictal."
"But it no guarantee, right? You might go there and find that there just isn't anything to help. What happens then?"
Jaune wanted to hide under the table. "Then it's over. Ruby would just have to get better on her own or…well, you know." The color drained from Yang's face forcing Jaune to quickly backtrack. "But, I'm sure we'll find something. No, I know we'll find a cure. I can feel it."
Yang looked at him seeming to determine how much she could trust his "feelings". Eventually, she accepted it probably at a lack of any other real option than anything else. "Alright fine. If this place is really the only hope for Ruby then I'm coming with you."
The glare from Emerald beat on Jaune like the force of a thousand suns. It was a repeat of Blake all over again, and from Emerald perspective, and to an extent Jaune's, it had been obvious to see coming.
The single male at the table squirmed around in his chair as he attempted to do damage control. "I thought you said it was going to take too long, and shouldn't you be with your sister? This trip is going to take at least a week."
"You've convinced me that there isn't another way, and I'm not doing Ruby any good sitting with her. If there a way to save her then you damn well better believe I'm going out there to find it."
"What about your team?"
"I'll tell them I need a little personal time after what happened. I'm not just going to run off like some other people I know,
"But you don't know anything about magic or what to look for."
"It doesn't matter. Anything I need I'll learn from you."
"B-But—"
"Listen Jaune," Yang said in a voice that reminded him way too much of his mother, "I'm coming along and that's final. I have more of a right to try and save my sister than you ever will, and if this place is as dangerous as you're making out to be should you be glad to be recruiting some extra muscle."
She wasn't wrong, but that dangerous aura coming off of Emerald was starting to mess with him, but then Yang had it too. Trapped between two beasts with no answer that could appease them both. Logic and emotion fought it out and eventually the thought that it was better to deal with the monster you know won out. "We'd be glad to have," he whimpered.
Immediately Yang's killer intent evaporated as she gave him a smile, that had probably melted many hearts in the past, and said, "Thank you. Truth is I was already making plans to hijack a bullhead if you tried to leave me behind."
Emerald's displeasure, on the other hand, grew immensely. She slammed her hand on the table, shaking glassware and alerting customer as the real Emerald came back in full force. "What are you thinking!" she yelled in Jaune's face. "We are not taking her along. We are not risking our lives for her sister, and we certainly not going anywhere near Cryphilictal!"
Jaune had Emerald's spit running down his face, but he was too scared to try and wipe it off. His mind was as stiff as his body and refused to think of words he could say. Luckily, or unluckily, Yang had no such problem.
"Aw, is going on this adventure too much for you to handle," she mocked.
"Shut up. You don't know what you're talking and this is between partners only."
"Oh, partners? Is that what this is really about. You don't like the idea of your boyfriend running off with a far more attractive girl for a little getaway. Afraid he'll leave you for good?"
Whether Yang knew it or not she had hit far too close to home with those words, and Jaune could already see the fight was going to break out. Quickly he grabbed a hold of Emerald's arm which was just strong enough to keep her from lunging over the table. He had to move quick though.
"Emerald, listen, I'm sorry about what happened, if I could go back and change it I would but I can't, and I'm sorry I'm making it worse by throwing myself into something so dangerous yet again. But this is what I—what we do. This is our job. Our vacation was a blast but it's time to get back to it, and that means risking our lives. It's not okay and it's not fair to either of us, but this is the path we choose together. If you want to stop I understand, but if we can't save a single girl then what's even the point of being a caretaker, and really if we're going to take on Cryphilictal, we're going to need all the help we can get."
Jaune's apology/explanation/reasoning came out rushed and jumbled but it seemed to work. Emerald roughly ripped her arm out of his hands but did not go after Yang. Instead, she sat down, crossed her arms and huffed a quick, "fine."
Jaune felt a huge weight lift off his shoulder. It still left a massive one bearing down on him, but it was a start, and he still had time to work it out. After all, Whitley still hadn't found a way to—
At that very moment, his scroll buzzed and it wasn't even necessary to look for him to know exactly who it was and exactly what it was for. Maybe he could just ignore it for a bit.
"So, when are we leaving?" Yang asked, sealing Jaune's fate.
Emerald looked at him and immediately knew something was wrong. Her eyes narrowed. "Yes, Jaune when are we leaving?"
Jaune pulled at his scroll hoping beyond all hope that he was wrong.
The universe was not so kind.
Sweat drenched the back of his neck as he was forced to answer honestly. "You two free for tomorrow afternoon?"
Whitley sat in aboard the luxury airship going over some final details on his scroll before he arrived. Out of the eleven voting members on the Vale council, Whitley had tentatively put them into groups. Seven were likely to go against the canceling of the festival, three were likely to support it, and one was up in the air.
There was a pretty good split for Whitley, but things could easily change. Ironwood hadn't made his intention completely public yet and the reaction from the people could swing things rapidly. It was why Whitley was meeting with Ironwood first to try and convince him not to push forward and avoid the battle of votes completely. It was only if Ironwood remained unmoved that Whitley would go to the council directly.
"We're almost there, Mr. Schnee. Are you prepared for everything?" Jacques' secretary asked. She was an unpleasant woman by any standards, but she was efficient and got the job done. In essence the perfect representation of the SDC's current brand.
Whitley put aside his scroll had grabbed a glass of water finding himself perfectly relaxed. "I am, I'm sure Ironwood will be as hard to crack as his name suggests but I think I can get to him."
"I have the utmost faith in you." She said it so dryly that Whitley found himself needing to refill his drink.
A few minutes later the distinct feeling of a ship coming in to land work its way through the cabin. Whitley got up and stood in front of the exit ramp door readying to greet Ironwood, who he knew would already be there, the moment the door open. Miss. Secretary was positioned one step to the right and two steps behind him fixing a glare to keep away the paparazzi or protestors.
"I still think it would have been better to bring some of the security personnel along," she said.
Not likely. Not only would an armed escort have sent the wrong message, something Ironwood clearly didn't understand, but they'd be a hindrance to the other reason he was here. The pilots were already in his pocket and knew of their additional mission, but Miss. Secretary was not. Whitley already had a plan to keep her busy while the partial trip to Cryphilictal was being made, but escaping or bribing additional personnel would have been hard.
None of those reasons he could actually inform her about, though, so he went with the simpler one. "There's nothing to worry about. We're as safe as we can be at Beacon." A meeting place chosen almost entirely because of convenience. Having a meeting onboard Ironwood's warship would have been a bad idea for a number of reasons, but Beacon was both easy to get to and was a theoretically neutral venue. In reality, both parties had chosen Beacon for their own proposes, but that was neither here nor there.
The door to the airship slide open and just as he predicted Ironwood greeted him on the other end. Also, accompanying him was Winter, his eldest sister, first one to fly the nest and leave him behind. He hadn't predicted her, but it wasn't surprising she was there. Having a Schnee on his side of the table might be seen as counterproductive, but they both knew that Winter was much more Ironwood's employee than she was Jacques' daughter.
Both of them stood in stiff military posture while Whitley proceed down the exit ramp. Not too fast to seem eager but not too slow to keep them waiting even if Whitley did want to see how slow he could go before Ironwood called him out on it.
The general towered over him when he reached the bottom and would have probably made a comedic sight if any of the students wandering around bother to pay any attention. "Good evening General Ironwood. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me today."
"The pleasure is all mine," Ironwood replied diplomatically.
"And hello to you too, Winter. It's so nice to see you after all this time."
"It's nice to see you too," Winter said although she didn't once look at him, eyes firmly look on Miss secretary, behind him.
"With all three of us at Beacon, we should really catch up. Speaking of which, is Weiss somewhere around here. I thought she would want to greet her younger brother when I arrived. I know this is more of a business visit but that's no reason to be rude."
"I'm sure she would have felt awkward cutting in on your meeting with the general even if it was to greet family," she said not giving anything away. "I imagine she is also busy with her studies."
"Yes, her studies. Well, could you tell her to take a break from those and give Father a callback. He's getting really sad that his daughter is ignoring him."
That got a flash of emotion from his sister, but it was gone before he could really discern what it had been. Dread would be his guess. "I'll make sure to inform her when I see her."
"And I will as well, assuming that she isn't avoiding me."
A heavy cough from Ironwood pulled Whitley away from the thinly veiled sibling quarreling. "Sorry to interrupt, I know you'd like to talk with your family, but I was only able to set aside a certain amount of time for this meeting. If you want to talk to Winter after then I'll be happy to relieve her from her duty."
"No apologies necessary General. I actually have an engagement after this as well, with a very important client of mine."
Whitley could feel the surprise from Miss. Secretary, no doubt fuming that she hadn't been told prior. She didn't say anything, however, as to not give away that she was ill-informed.
"Very well." Ironwood nodded. "Let's not waste any more time. Please follow me."
It was only a short walk through Beacon's hallways before Ironwood led them to a small room that was probably normally used as a study room when it wasn't being used to discuss the future of the Vytal festival.
Miss. Secretary didn't approve. "Is this the best Beacon has to offer," she scoffed.
"Unfortunately, all the main meeting rooms are being used by the staff and other parties to deal with the continued fallout of the breach. This was the best they could offer especially on such short notice."
"Still with someone as important as Mr. Schnee—"
"It's fine." Whitley stopped her taking his seat across from Ironwood and his sister. "Just because Father's wealthy doesn't mean people must bend over backward to accommodate me."
That seemed to earn a few points with Ironwood as he relaxed just a bit. "Indeed, I'm glad you see it that way, yet you sit here today asking for all of Remnant to accommodate you."
"Skipping the pleasantries, I see. That's fine since we're both short on time, but don't you think it's the other way around. You're the one asking for the cancellation of an event that has already been planned and prepared. People love the Vytal festival and you want to take it away from them."
"It's for their own safety. With what happened with the breach I simply can't allow the festival to happen in good consciousness. The people might not like it and they might not ever understand, but I am looking out for them. You, I dare say, are only here to protect the SDC's bottom line."
Whitley wonder if Ironwood was doing it because Whitley was so young or if the man was always this unapologetically direct. He supposed that holding two seats on the council along with being general of the army and headmaster of Atlas Academy made it unnecessary to engage in proper word games. "I'll admit, that of course am I'm here to protect the SDC's interest. Trying to make money is what a company does, but that doesn't mean that I don't care about the people. If I really thought canceling the Vytal festival was a good way to help the people, I wouldn't be here, but as I see it now, canceling the Vytal festival would be disastrous."
"How so?" he asked but with the look of a man who had heard it all before. Maybe he had maybe he hadn't but Whitley felt he had been a little more creative on his talking points.
"Economical to begin with, and no not just to the SDC. Many companies will be hit hard if the Vytal festival is canceled. Small ones especially won't be able to recuperate the cost I imagine they put in, expecting to accommodate a large inflow of people. I don't suppose they'll be compensated for any lost revenue, will they?"
Ironwood remained steadfast, but Winter averted her eyes looking just a bit ashamed. There would be no compensation and everyone knew it. If Ironwood even tried to suggest that, his proposal would die right there. If that council was going to be asked to basically pay for the Vytal festival no matter what, they would, of course, choose to still have it.
"This would only add to the commercial burden on Vale that is already in place thanks to your airship authorization policy," Whitley said, pushing the knife a little deeper.
"I'm aware that the economy will take a hit—"
"Only, Vale's economy," Whitley corrected, "since they're the ones hosting. I'm sure Atlas will remain largely unaffected. I wonder if anyone would think you're doing this to further Atlas' power and in turn your own?"
Ironwood's hand clenched around the table, but he made sure to keep it out of Whitley's sight. "I'm doing this for the safety of Vale."
Whitely taped his chin. "That's the part I really don't get. How exactly does canceling the festival protect the people of Vale."
"The White Fang isn't going to stop. They've recently proven that they are willing to go to any lengths to get their message across. With the Vytal festival being the most televised event on Remnant along with its purpose of promoting peace it will undoubtedly be targeted."
"Isn't knowing where your enemy plans to attack a good thing though?"
"This isn't a war!" Ironwood said getting a little angry. "There is going to be tens of thousands of people attending. We can't risk their lives just to gain a strategic advantage."
"But if you don't then the White Fang's potential attack area increase to all of Vale, where that are many more tens of thousands of people over an area that's going to be much harder to protect."
"It's likely that without the temptation of the festival they won't make any attacks. All intel points to Roman Torchwick being responsible for organizing the breach. With him capture the White Fang has lost a lot of logistical and organizational power."
"Do you really think that matters. It clear that at least this sect of the White Fang has gone completely off the deep end. Their message is about faunus equality and blaming the SDC for all their problems. Attacking Vale helps neither of those causes. They're fanatics that will attack again. Torchwick or no Torchwick. Festival or no festival."
Ironwood didn't have any good reply to that point, so it was up to Winter to aid him. "Whitley, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you are not part of the military. You don't understand how this works or what thought goes into our decisions. I think you should let us decide how we handle the White Fang."
It took all of Whitley's willpower to keep himself from rolling his eyes. Winter really would have been better off by just sitting there like a statue and letting the important people talk. Her distraction did give Ironwood a chance to think up a response; though, so he guessed she was being a good little dog. Maybe she would even get a treat afterward.
"You're probably right about that, but it still doesn't mean the festival should be held. As much as it pains me to say this we just aren't expected to protect everyone while they go about their day. At a government supported event like the Vytal festival, though, people will expect their absolute protection. If anyone is hurt or killed it'd be an international incident. I just can't take that risk."
Unfortunately, Ironwood, whether he knew it or not, had just stumbled into his best defense. The outcry that would follow if a successful attack on festival took place would be more than enough to sink many of the council members. The threat to their careers would be far more concerning than any threat to the festival itself. How many would flip over to Ironwoods side if he made this information clear to them?
Too many if Whitley's knew anything about politics.
As Whitley tried to think of a solution, of which no good ones appeared, his scroll buzzed in his pocket. He didn't answer or even look at it because that would be seen as insulting, but after it stopped after exactly three seconds, Whitley knew that it was time to move onto a different project.
"If it's the White Fang attack you're so worried about maybe we can do things to lessen the chance of an attack in the first place."
Ironwood looked interested which was a good start for what was essentially Whitely delaying tactic. "What do you purpose?"
"A speech from you and I, at the sight of the breach. If the people see the hei—an important figure of the SDC taking the time to address the concerns that lead to the attack it might convince the White Fang to take a step back, or at least convince other faunus not to join them."
"Do you really think that will work?"
Not a chance if anything it will just encourage them since they'll see violence gets attention. "I think it's worth a try."
Ironwood nodded. "I was probably going to have to give a speech anyways."
"Good," Whitley said clapping his hands, "Sadly I have to go meet with that other client I mention, but I don't want to delay this any more than it has to." He turned to Miss. Secretary. "Would you stay and make arrangements with Winter while I'm away."
Both women looked like they just swallowed a lemon. "But Mr. Schnee I've been assigned to watc—assist you."
"Exactly, I need to assist me with something I'm unable to do. That is unless this task is a problem for you."
If Whitley didn't think her face could get any sourer he was proven wrong. "It's no problem at all, sir."
"That's what I like to hear," Whitley smiled. "I'll meet you in at the hotel when I'm done. You're going to have to find your own ride, unfortunately. My client doesn't live in Vale proper so I'll be needing the ship along with a good chunk of time."
Miss. Secretary looked like she was about to burst as Whitley turned back to his sister and Ironwood. "Thank you very much for seeing me today and I hope we will have more of these chats in the future."
"The pleasure was mine," the general said giving Whitley a firm handshake as they said their farewells.
Whitley exited Beacon calmly and collective as one would expect from a Schnee. He got to the docks without incident and saw one of the two pilots waiting for him. "Have the guests boarded?" Whitley asked him
"They have and the ship had been refueled just as you asked."
"Good, get us into the air as soon as you can."
The pilot didn't question the order and left.
Inside were two people Whitley was already familiar with and a third last-minute addition. Whitley would admit that she was a complete bombshell of a girl, but any fantasies were quickly forgotten as he observed the atmosphere.
Despite there being more than enough room Jaune was squashed between Emerald and the new girl, looking very uncomfortable as they alternated between glaring at him and each other. His eyes sought our Whitley begging for help.
Whitley sighed. He had a feeling this was going to be a long trip, but at least he just had to drop them off. Poor Jaune was going to be in for a rough time."
Black box recording over the skies of Cryphilictal (never recovered)
Co-pilot: Sir, visibility is dropping rapidly.
Pilot: I can see that for myself.
Co-pilot: Sorry sir. Are we in a storm?
Pilot: I didn't hear anything about one and all the readings look fine.
Co-pilot: It just came in so fast. It's kind of freaky.
Pilot: We probably just hit a— (interrupted by a loud crash)
Co-pilot: What was that!
Pilot: Something bumped into the ship.
Co-pilot: Is it a grimm?
Pilot: I don't know. Just calm down and be quiet.
Silence followed by low groaning(?)
Co-pilot: Sir, I think I just saw something move out there.
Pilot: How can you see anything right now? It's pitch black out there.
Co-pilot: No, that's it right there!
Pilot: I don't see a damn thing.
Co-pilot: Oh my Oum…WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!
Pilot: What are you doing! Stop it.
Sounds of wrestling.
Co-pilot: IT'S COMING RIGHT FOR US WE HAVE TO GO!
Pilot: Stop you're going to make us crash!
?: What Pathetic creatures.
Pilot: WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING!
Sound of airship crashing.
AN: As I'm sure you all figured out, we'll be taking an extended break from Beacon and Vale. I know this will make a lot of you very happy. So, buckle up we're moving straight ahead in the Cryphilictal Arc, and it's going to be a long one.
I've also played around with Remnant's geography a little for their travel time. I tried to be as accurate as possible, but that's kind of hard when there isn't really an accurate scale of Remnant nor is it really clear how transportation between kingdoms work (Apparently, Weiss can be forced on a ship to Atlas then sneak out to catch a flight to Mistral, but team RNJR has to walk most if not all the way the Haven) and we're never going to get an expiation on how airship fuel works compared to regular dust if there even is a difference, so we're just to follow more or less Earth rules with a little liberty to help the story. Not a big deal but I wanted to mention it.