Beta: ShadowMeister234
An: So, Vol 7 has started. I don't want to say too much about it (maybe if you all want me to, I'll give my thoughts when it's all over), but we've reached Atlas and that means we might get to see Whitley. Got to say for a character that has maybe two minutes of screen time I've really fallen in love with him, or my version of him, from writing this story and from the reviews it seems you all have as well. Now I'm not asking the Whitley in the show to be exactly like mine, but if it turns out he's just a mini Jacques in every way, I think I might cry.
Jaune's guide was being very quiet now that the trip had started. Any questions he tried to ask him about the tower or anything else was met with silence. Guidance services might be free but apparently, information was not.
Jaune took this moment of relaxation to watch the city go by as the gondola rowed along. On this side of the monster holding pen, the city was a lot more open. The buildings were more detailed and weren't squashed together, roads were wider and some opened into large plazas that looked like they could have been markets or community gathering squares. There were even bridges that crossed above the canal that the gondola sailed smoothly under.
It was starting to look like a city people could actually live in instead of the labyrinth Jaune had been traveling trough. Still wasn't a place Jaune would have ever wanted to live in since everything was still grey stone, but there was a certain charm to it.
If the tower didn't yield anything, he would go back to the girls then come here to investigate. This was where the real magic was. The labyrinth was just the city slums, a holding pen in itself.
The gondola slid along and Jaune had to constantly resist letting his hand run along the water. He didn't know what 'the type of water that drinks you' meant, but he was good not finding out. It was the one piece of information the ferryman had offered for free and he wasn't about to test it.
The gondola eventually came to a stop in what was the end of a not too long ride. The tower was close, closer than Jaune had expected. It took up the majority of the horizon and its white titles were practically blinding. Jaune found himself having to avoid looking directly at it. The tower's previously pinpoint gaze was now more like a blanket covering his entire body which actually did a bit to relieve the pressure he was feeling. It was the difference between a laser pointer being aimed into your eye and being blown out by a spotlight. Neither was a pleasant experience but one was far better than the other.
"Thanks for the ride," Jaune said neither hearing nor expecting a reply from his guide. He stepped off the boat and onto the familiar stone flooring feeling a bit shakier on it despite it being solid land. He actually didn't think the gondola shook a single time while he was on it.
The shakiness was hardly a cause for concern, though. It was probably just his mind playing tricks or his nerves catching up to him. Even if it wasn't, the shakiness was gone by the time he took his first step towards the tower.
The buildings that neared the tower weren't so much as building as they were stair-stepped pyramid shrines with little altars or statues on top. Jaune had no idea what they could be shrines to or why there were so many. He mostly tried to ignore them lest he be tempted to investigate one of them instead of the tower.
It wasn't that hard of a task because the tower arrived surprisingly quickly and Jaune found himself in its plaza.
There were four roads leading into the circular area each coming from one side making the center of the city look like a compass. The upside-down tower didn't actually touch the ground as Jaune had started to suspect. It came close but it hovered about a foot or so above the ground ending in a point about the size of a car.
It would be just enough space for Jaune to stand in comfortably if he entered at the very bottom. Unfortunately, he didn't see any way to enter. He circled around the tower twice looking it up and down but there was nothing. No doors. No windows. Just as he had observed from the guardhouse ridge although back then he had just assumed that he had been too far away to see them. He had spent all that getting here and the tower wasn't going to let him inside. For all Jaune knew there might not even be an inside and it was solid all the way through.
He wasn't imagining that gaze, though. Something was definitely watching him from within the tower. Jaune knew there was. He stepped up to the tower and placed his hands on the white surface.
It was warm. The type of warm that just made you want to curl up and take a nap.
Jaune pressed his cheek to the tower.
It was also beating. The soft lub dub of the city's heart. It was a sound that could wash all your worries away.
Something was calling to him. He needed to get inside, and if the tower wasn't going to let him in then he'd force his way in.
Making sure to keep one hand on the tower, else he lose that pleasant warmth, Jaune brought out his sword and swung it with all his might against the tower.
A painful vibration went up his arm and into his shoulder as his sword bounced off without making a scratch, but that didn't mean nothing happened. When his sword hit, the tower shook ever so slightly and made a sound like a gong.
It was so loud that it knocked Jaune off his feet and away from the tower's lullaby. It was only then did Jaune have enough of his cognition back to realize that he had just made a horrible mistake.
As the ringing continued, the gaze, that had been a companion for the majority of this expedition, slowly closed. The tower's eye taking a rest after a day of hard work its task now completed.
Not long after that, the final waves of the thundering gong faded away and all was quiet.
It should have been a relief to be rid of that gaze, but it wasn't. Jaune was terrified. The tower had led him here on purpose and he had fallen for its trap hook, line, and sinker, but this wasn't the time for regrets or to start kicking himself. He needed to take action and that meant getting out of her as fast as possible. He would hold out in the guardhouse and wait for things to, hopefully, calm down.
For what to calm down? He didn't know. There wasn't anything happening yet, but the keyword was "yet". He needed to get out of here. It didn't matter if he got back with nothing to show. His life was enough to show for now.
He picked himself off the ground and ran as fast as he could to the empty cloak and its gondola. Was it safe? Could it still be trusted after the gong had rung? Maybe not but the simple fact was that Jaune was in the center of the city with no idea how to get back out without his guide.
Another mistake that Jaune really shouldn't have made. He had been so careful planning his path up to that point, yet he had thrown it all away just because he got a little lazy. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
A shadowy shape was hopping across the roofs some distance in front of Jaune but it was closing in fast. He pumped his legs even faster making his lungs work double time.
He could see the gondola exactly where he had left, the ferryman still completely still either unknowing or uncaring of Jaune's predicament.
The shape jumped down and over the canal from the side of nice buildings and community gathering squares into the land of pyramid shrines and devious upside-down towers. Jaune clutched his sword and shield as he slowed down realizing that he wasn't going to avoid this confrontation.
The shape ran across the street between shrines and stopped just short of Jaune. It was humanoid in build and under the grey feathers that covered its body, it might be a human or had been a human once upon a time. On its face, it wore a black mask with a stubby curved beak at the mouth. Although with how well it merged with the feathers and how the material looked more alive than leather or metal, Jaune wasn't sure if it was really a mask at all. If it wasn't for the foggy glass eyeholes, he wouldn't have thought to call it a mask as all.
There were other things to worry about than its facial structure, though, like the short sword it held in its right hand, where fingers either covered in a glove or the creature's deceiving skin could just be seen coming from its feathery sleeve, or the gauntlet it wore on its left where three blades, that looked an awful lot like bird talons, gleamed with sharp ferocity.
Finally, a golden chain was wrapped around its neck from which an equally golden pocket watch hung all the way down to its stomach. It swung back and forth like a pendulum despite its owner standing still, but what was really getting to him was the constant ticking it kept making.
Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.
He had only been hearing it for a few seconds but it was already driving him insane, worse than even the tower's gong.
The two of them stood across from one another sizing each other up.
"Will you let me through?" Jaune asked. He knew it was pretty unlikely that this creature would be friendly or reasonable, but it didn't hurt to ask.
It didn't say anything and instead rushed him coming in low and swiping up with its talon blades. Jaune was ready and caught them on his shield and then blocked the short sword with his own as the creature tried to stab it into his neck.
They were stuck in a brief stalemate until the creature broke off and backed away. Jaune kept his guard up not willing to charge in when he still didn't know what this thing could do. It was best to be cautious for now.
The creature was the exact opposite with its arms to his sides and head tilted as if was confused that Jaune was still alive. The watch around its neck kept swinging and Jaune was finding it hard to keep his eyes on his opponent instead of on that.
It was no use, the golden watch was just too tempting and the moment his gaze lingered on it too long, the creature was on him. His vision was full of grey feathers as he barely blocked a thrust to his stomach and just avoid a slash to his arm.
The creature was faster now and much more aggressive. Jaune was completely on the defensive and while he managed to avoid any major blows, he was given up ground like crazy. Luckily, he had plenty of ground to give.
Jaune weather the storm and got his chance to counter-attack when he deflected the talons with his shield leaving the creature's side wide open. He stepped forward and went to skewer the creature. His sword hit and went through coming out the creature's backside but it became very clear that something wasn't right.
It didn't feel like he had just pierced through flesh and bone. It felt more like he had stabbed his sword into a puddle of mud. Even worse though was that the creature didn't seem to care about the piece of metal running it through.
The creature brought his short sword up almost casually, and with Jaune so far overextended, he had no way to block when the hilt crashed into the back of his head. His vision swam as he let go of his sword, causing it to disappear, and took as many steps back as he could.
It didn't save him.
His aura crackled as three curved blades cut their way across his chest sending him back even farther. The back of his foot caught some part of the road and he started to fall which surely would have been the end of him, but he manifested his sword and stabbed it into the ground to give him a kind of walking stick.
It saved him from completely falling, but it didn't save him from the kick to his shin. The attack almost sent him to the ground once again, but he pushed through though pain and managed to use his shield to block the next few attacks.
Now that he was in a slightly better position, his eyes drifted the spot where he had stabbed the creature. The wound was still there. It hadn't closed up and healed itself which was good, and there was some kind of yellowish liquid dripping from it, so at least Jaune knew he had done something and his foe wasn't incorporeal.
If he could cut the creature in half at the waist or the chest, that would probably stop it. Normally, that wasn't something Jaune would ever consider, but with how soft the creature's body had felt, he was sure he could cut it all the way through. He just needed the right opening.
But, an opening like that wasn't going to present itself easily. The creature had learned and was taking things a little slower which made it easier for Jaune to stand his ground, but he couldn't expect another free shot.
The biggest problem for him was that his opponent had two offensive weapons to attack with while Jaune only had the one. Having to block and parry all the time gave him little chance to go on the offensive. It was a position he was used to since Emerald basically used the same strategy in their spars. The key was to hold steady until she tired herself out then go in for the attack while she was sluggish, not that he had actually beaten her that way but the theory was sound. The problem here was that despite his foe beating on him double-time it didn't show any signs of running low on steam.
If it couldn't be exhausted then it was just a matter of time until Jaune slipped up or just ran low on energy himself. He tried being a little more aggressive exchanging blows to his aura for chances to strike.
It didn't work.
Facing reality, Jaune knew this thing was simply better than him, and it all cumulated when the creature's sword came up to pierce his shoulder. Jaune brought his shield up to block causing the creature to readjust by lowering its sword and aiming for his stomach.
The blade clanged off Jaune's shield as he followed it down, and that should have been the end of another series of strikes but it wasn't. When the creature's blade failed to cut into Jaune stomach there was a definite break in the pocket watch's ticking…
Tick, tick, tick, TOCK!
…and the sword that had been position at his stomach was back up to his shoulder. To be clear there had been no movement between these two positions. Simply the blade and the arm attached to it had been in one place and then in an instant, it was in another. It was not simply fast or quick. It was more like the creature had never lowered it at all.
Of course, Jaune's shield was still very much lowered and there was no time to bring it back up. He could only brace himself as the blade drove deep into the aura of his shoulder. Jaune grunted and thrown his shield upwards, but the creature pulled its arm back before the top of Jaune's shield could smash into it.
The talon blades swinging in from his right meant there was no time to rest or contemplate his failed counterattack. Jaune raised Crocea Mors to parry and maybe create an opening, but just like the last time, the creature's watch tocked instead of ticked—this time Jaune clearly saw the second-hand jump back a second—and the attack Jaune had been ready to counter was no longer coming.
It wasn't just the weapon, the entire creature had snapped back to the position it had been in a second ago, but this time it chose to launch a different attack with its talons, sending them coasting towards Jaune face.
He couldn't bring his sword up in time since, in essence, he had used it to block an attack that had never happened. Luckily, he was quick enough to duck under the talons and had enough frame of mind to back away from any possible supporting attacks. The creature wasn't as fond of that idea as Jaune was and came after him.
Tick, tick, TOCK! Tick, tick, tick, tick, TOCK!
It didn't take many of those for Jaune to put together what was going on. That pocket watch clearly had the power to send its wearer back one second back in time. If it could go further than that the creature wasn't making use of it which was just as well because Jaune was having enough trouble as it was.
Not only did he have to account for the attack that was happening, but he also had to prepare for any attack that could happen. If having two weapons gave the creature the ability to attack at twice the speed, then this little trick boosted it up to four times the speed.
Jaune simply couldn't keep up.
A shield brought up to block a talon would be too slow to block the alternate version of that talon attack. A sword positioned for the expected alternate version would find itself guarding against an attack that would never come and ignoring the attack that did. Jaune might have had a large aura reserve, but it was dropping fast. He couldn't play it safe anymore.
Abandoning all his defensive, Jaune charge forward using his shield as a battering ram. He struck the creature center mass and pushed it back as it brought its talons and sword around the slash at Jaune's back. Jaune bore through it knowing if he had any chance of survival he needed to get his hands on that watch.
He dropped his shield into the Apeiron which left him with one free hand to grab the watch which he was in a perfect position to do. His arm shot forward and his fingers wrapped around the golden pendant—and they burned!
It was like the watch was made of magma. His fingers blistered as the heat literally cooked through his aura. Jaune had to let go. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but if he kept holding on he felt like his hand would melt all the way to the bone.
Even though the watch kept on ticking, the creature was not clearly happy about having its item of power touched. Before Jaune could examine his now crispy red hand, a feathery leg plowed into his stomach. No soft mud body here. It felt like he had been hit with a steel beam. The air rushed from his lungs and as he was lifted up and backward.
He was heading for a crash course to one of the pyramid shrines and braced himself for what would definitely be a hard smack on the harsh angles. Instead, the stone of the pyramid moved to avoid him, paying him back for his architectural tests, and letting him fall inside the pyramid onto the just as hard stone floor.
The creature jumped in after him, arms spread wide making it look more like a murderous bird than ever before, and once it was through, the stone closed back up plunging Jaune into complete darkness. With no sense of sight or direction, Jaune rolled to the side as fast as he could. He heard the thud of metal on stone from the spot where he had probably just been as he worked his way back to his feet.
He was still trying to catch his breath as his hand dove into his belt pouches for his flashlight. He didn't have time to think. He only knew that he was already on his back foot when he could see everything coming at him. If he was left in the dark then he was going to get mauled.
Luckily, Jaune was as organized as ever and managed to grab the flashlight in under a second. Unfortunately, when he turned it on, he was only able to see the overhead swing of the creature talon blades before they sliced his flashlight into four sections leaving Jaune with only the handle and no light.
He discarded the useless tool, regretting not grabbing that light crystal right about now, and manifested his shield back keeping it directly in from of him as he backed away. He was hoping to get his back to the pyramid wall. If Cryphilictal was feeling gracious it might open back up and let him fight in the light, but if it wasn't then he would only have to worry about attacks from the front.
Jaune's back never found that wall. If there was any hope that the creature was suffering from the same sight problems that Jaune was, it was quickly lost when it landed a pinpoint strike on his right knee. His leg crumpled and he was reduced to half-kneeling in this void of darkness.
Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.
That sound felt like it was coming from everywhere making it useless for Jaune to try and track his foe using it. He tried using his shield to cover his body but with no sight and his right leg not cooperating, he was worse off than a fish in a barrel. He was a fish that had already been placed on the cutting board.
What happened next was what Jaune could only describe as the worst beating of his life.
Blades rode across him like a farmer trying to plow a field. His aura strained and if he could see his scroll's aura reader it would be hitting the red. If this was a spar the match would have been called. If this was a tournament fight the audience would have been horrified and booed his opponent for such a violent beat down.
This wasn't either of those. There was no ref to step in and there was no way to call a timeout. All he could do was curl up and try to protect his most valuable parts. Once upon a time, a recently rejected Jaune had tried to save a Neapolitan colored girl from a bunch of thugs and had ended up in a similar position. It felt like so much has changed since then and yet nothing had.
Tears ran down his cheeks. Not from the pain although it was intense, but from his own failure. If it were Emerald or Yang they wouldn't have let this happen. They were strong enough to beat this thing. No wonder Emerald had been so worried. She knew just how weak he really was.
Why did she even put up with him?
'Because there's a certain charm to guys who beat their heads against a wall so much that they actually knock it down.'
Yang had said that to him, didn't she? Not so subtlety implying he was completely stubborn. Well, he didn't feel very stubborn right now. If he was offered the chance to leave this place with Emerald and Yang, he would probably take it despite what it would mean for Ruby.
Huh, only 'probably.' Here he was at the end of his life and he would only probably take that offer. Maybe he really was that stubborn because even though he knew that thought was incredibly stupid, it felt so right
Why? Because he had promised Yang he would help her save her sister…actually hadn't he made another promise. A promise to himself to tell Emerald how he felt once everything was back to normal.
If he died here, he wouldn't be able to keep either of those and if there was one thing Jaune always said.
An Arc never goes back on their word!
It would be silly to say that these thoughts or the ever-popular "power of love" gave Jaune more strength, but it did invigorate him to use the strength he had left. Even when his aura was so deleted that it could no longer completely protect him from the strikes and swings that cut into his skin and rip away his blood and flesh, Jaune pushed himself to his hands and knees, ignoring the agony that shot through his burned hand and pushing through the blade that dug into his side.
He could still move and if he could still move than he had no excuse to give up. Emerald would never forgive him if he did. He dug into his belt pouch one more time and grabbed a piece of chalk. In the darkness, he had no idea what color it was.
That didn't stop him from starting to draw the simplest etch he could using his back to protect his creation. The first thing he needed was to be able to see which meant the color he was looking for was either red, for fire, or white, for light. He was hoping for the red since he knew etches could be a little iffy when it came to pure light. If he didn't get either he would just grab another and try again.
He'd keep trying until he couldn't try any longer.
Even in the pitch-black darkness and suffering for the continuing onslaught, Jaune was positive he could draw the etch. He had drawn so many that at this point he could just let his hand do its thing. He was about to finish it when the creature's foot kicked his hand off course and cause his pinky finger to dislocate.
Jaune bit down his scream. He had no idea if the creature had internally done that to obstruct him or if it had just been a coincidence, but now he had to restart. Despite his familiarly with his etches he wasn't going to try and find the exact spot where he had left off.
He positioned his body even further above his drawing to protect it and was rewarded with what was probably the back of the talon blade gauntlet smashing into his face. His aura did the best it could but buckled under the strike. Jaune felt his cheek collapse and a tooth was shot loose, gobbled up by the void around him. His mouth filled with blood that ran to ground, but through it all, Jaune kept his hand steady.
The last line was drawn and Jaune prayed harder than he had ever prayed for anything that it would be the right one.
Unbelievably, his prayer was answered. A ball of flames exploded from the etch, searing Jaune's chest but giving him the light he so desperately needed, but it wouldn't last long. If he was going to do something, he would have to do it now.
Rolling onto his back, Jaune gazed upon his assailant for the first time in what felt like forever. Jaune had kind of been hoping that the sudden fire would stun the creature for a moment but that wasn't the case. It didn't seem bothered at all as it raised its short sword to deliver a plunging strike.
The fire was already close to fading and with it Jaune's only hope of survival. His options were limited, so he just did the first thing that came to mind. From his place on the ground, his sword slashed at the creature's left ankle. It tried to pull away, but while it might have been unaffected by the flash of light, it had been wailing on him for a while now without having to worry about defending itself, so when Jaune swung the creature's reaction was just too slow.
The creature's ankle was severed easily leaving it without a foot as it toppled over. All Jaune had to do now was to catch the creature's waist on the way down and hopefully, it would be over.
TOCK!
The creature that had been falling towards Jaune's sword was now back to standing tall, on both feet, with its sword leveled at Jaune chest. "No," he cried aware that his one chance had just been taken from him.
The fire he had summoned was pretty much dead at this point, so all he could see was the last remaining reflections off the creature's watch and blades as the short sword came down to him. His light would probably be completely gone by the time the blade priced his heart and kill him, so Jaune made to decision to lunge up to greet it.
He grabbed the sword by the blade his aura crackling for a brief moment before breaking completely. Still, Jaune held on and even yanked the weapon forward, the creature along with it. The blade cut so deep into his finger that he thought it might serve them, but he kept pulling.
The watch was nothing more than a golden arc in the darkness at this point, but when it got close enough Jaune thrust his sword towards it. Crocea Mors scraped against something as it ascended, probably the creature's talon blades as it tried to block, but that didn't stop it from reaching its destination.
Jaune's sword stabbed into the watch ending the infuriating tick forever, but the moment it did the damn thing exploded engulfing the room in a sea of blue and green flames several magnitudes bigger than the fire Jaune had made.
He was thrown into a wall, which did not open, and felt the air leave his lungs as the flames danced around. He ducked low aware that his shirt was now on fire. Smoke quickly filled the top of the enclosed pyramid and after rolling to put his shirt out, Jaune hugged the wall looking for a spot that would open for him.
Jaune didn't have any trouble seeing now, but besides the blazing inferno, he didn't spot anything. Of his opponent, it looked like the only things left from it were a few burning feathers flying through the air and a partially melted and twisted gauntlet.
The heat beat on his face and the flames greedily ate up the last remaining oxygen. Just as Jaune felt like he could take it no more the stone wall finally open to let him out, and he didn't hesitate to jump through.
He belly-flopped on the road leading to the upside-down tower. A plump cloud followed him out before the pyramid closed itself up again creating a furnace that would cook anything to ash inside.
Jaune laid there for a long time worrying that the creature would still be alive somehow and exit the furnace to deliver the final blow. It was only after he was sure that wouldn't happen did Jaune release a sigh of relief.
He had won.
However, now that the immediate danger was gone the damage from his fight made itself known in full.
Everything hurt. His back and sides were a bloody mess of cuts and stabs, and his chest along with his left arm was charred red with the fingers he had used to grab the blade feeling like they were hanging on by a thread. On his right was the dislocated pinkly which compared to everything else didn't hurt as much, but seeing his finger sticking out at an unnatural forty-fine degree angle made him feel sick.
He would have liked nothing more than to just lay there on the cool stone road for days, but he had to get up. He had to for everyone's sake. He placed his arms at his side and did a half pushup to raise himself off the ground. His whole body protested the idea, pain running through his veins in more abundance than blood.
It took him three agonizing minutes to get himself back on his feet and even then, it felt like he could fall off them at any moment. His gaze was entirely focused on his feet. An entire army of monsters could have been building up around him and he wouldn't have any idea. He just needed to watch his feet and place one foot in front of the other. As long as he could do that, everything would be alright.
He stumbled along the street with simple movements and even simpler thoughts.
Just keep moving. Right foot, left foot. Go as slow as he needed. Don't think about tripping or falling. Ignore the pain. Emerald and Yang are waiting. Get to the gondola.
It wasn't a long journey, but time was becoming a very subjective element to Jaune right about now. He stepped inside the boat and collapsed into the seat, his face flushed and his lungs working overtime. If the ferryman wanted to kill him there would be no easier time, but Jaune's guide sat silent and still waiting for its command.
Jaune tried to give it one. "Take me to…" to where? Obviously, he wanted to go back to see Emerald and Yang but where were they exactly. Jaune called the building they were in a guardhouse, but that wasn't an official title and even if it was, Cryphilictal probably had more than one guardhouse. He needed something more specific, so on a whim caused mostly by blood loss Jaune said the most specific he could. "Take me to Emerald and Yang."
"I apologize but the canals don't run close to the cliffside where your companions are staying. The closest I can take would be the outer district. Would you like me to take you there?"
So, the ferryman did know where the girls were. That wasn't great news but it wasn't something he could change. What he could change was his request. Did he want to go to the outer district? Not only did he not know what that was, but could he really make a trip from there to the guardhouse? Honestly, he thought not. The ramp up the guardhouse alone would probably be too much for him.
Then where else could he go? He didn't know this city and he was…dying.
No, don't think like that! He wasn't dying. He was hurt, hurt real bad but he would survive. Once his aura was back up, he'd feel a lot better. Right now, it was Emerald and Yang who needed help. They were the ones dying, and where did people go when they were dying? A hospital.
Would the ferryman even know what that word meant? Screw it, if the ferryman understood specifics then Jaune might as well be as specific as possible. "Take me to the place where I can cure Emerald and Yang…and me," he added after a little thought.
"As you wish," the empty cloak said and set them off once again.
Jaune leaned his head on the gondola's side feeling a bit chilly now that his shirt was less of a shirt and more of a torn a burned piece of cloth hanging around his neck. His tongue played with the gap in his mouth feeling up the place where his tooth had once been. At least focusing on that took a bit of his focus away from the pain, not much but enough to get him to relax a bit.
It allowed him to notice that there was something in his hand. When he brought it up to his face he was a little shocked. It was the chalk that had saved his life, apparently, he had clung to it this entire time without realizing it, but that wasn't what was strange. He had prayed for a red piece of chalk for the fire, and a fire was what he got, but the chalk in his hand while stain red with his blood was undeniably brown. His pray hadn't been answered and yet it worked out regardless, or maybe it had been answered and that's why the rules had broken in his favor.
It was very curious, but Jaune didn't have the stomach for another mystery at the moment. He would table it for later.
He returned the piece of chalk to his belt pouch, and when he looked back up a saw a creature covered in grey feathers jump off the roof of a nearby building. Jaune didn't think it was the same creature that attacked him, but it was the same type of creature, drawn by the tower's gong, and it was about to land right on top of him!
In a panic, Jaune tried to manifest his sword, but his hand wasn't quite working the way he wanted to and he couldn't get his finger to form the proper shape.
Then before Jaune's life even had a chance to flash before his eyes, the ferryman brought his oar around faster than anything Jaune had ever seen, even faster than the shadow hand back at the holding pen, and smacked the bird-like creature down in the canal.
There was a soft plop but no splash as the creature went under. Jaune looked over the edge of the boat into the clear blue water expected the see the creature swimming back up, but it wasn't. It was just gone as if it had fallen out of the world instead of into a waterway.
"Pesky little things. Beings with a body but no mind," the ferryman said with what Jaune thought might be a bit of disdain.
Does that mean you a being with a mind but no body? Jaune didn't say as he leaned back into his seat.
The rest of the ride was silent just as the first had been, but it was a lot longer. Jaune was fine with that since it gave his aura some time to replenish and heal him. It wouldn't do it all, he was going to need some actual medical attention from the damage he took, but his aura would at least stop the bleeding.
Jaune was intent to just wait it out when the canal suddenly opened up to a massive lake that had been hidden by Cryphilictal's buildings when Jaune had been gazing from above. The openness alone was so refreshing and the waterfall running at the back was a sight to behold now that he could see it up close.
But, none of that compared to what stood at the center of the lake.
Sitting on its own island was the most beautiful, yet intimidating, building Jaune had ever seen. It pristine light blue walls and pointed towers made it look like something that had been ripped straight out of a storybook.
It was a temple. No, temple was too shallow of a word. The building that stood in the center of the lake was a cathedral.
Thee Cathedral.
Memories of the past, the ice cream girl (part 1 of 2)
The girl that would later be known as Neo was a pretty normal girl that you could find anywhere. At least she thought so. So, what if she was short for a middle schooler, her growth spurt was coming soon. She knew it was and then her friends would stop teasing her.
Yes, she was a normal girl that you could find anywhere. She liked to talk with her friends, go shopping, eat ice cream and flirting with cute boys. If there was one thing that wasn't normal about her, it was her family.
Her mom had once been married to a member of the Vale Council. Lived the life of luxury and had everything she could ever want. Then she had an affair and all that went away. Her husband got a divorce and kick her out in record time. He had also sent their son, Neo's older half-brother, packing with her. Didn't want any evidence of their marriage, or something like that.
Mom held up with her new lover and he stayed around just long enough to produce Neo and then disappeared. So, that was her family. A single mother with two children from two different men. Not the best situation, but there were plenty of families that could make the best of it and love each other just as well.
Neo's family was not one of those, and it all stemmed from one person. Her mother wasn't the only one to lose everything. Her half-brother, Oasis (he hated that name), had also lost his life of luxury, and who did he blame for that. Their mom of course.
Maybe he wasn't even wrong to think that, but as he got older and stronger, and his scratching and tantrums turn into punches and kicks, things couldn't be considered normal. Oasis took charge of the family and leveraged his power over their terrified mom whenever he felt like it, and if mom wasn't there to relieve his anger on then there was always little Neo.
She tried to avoid her half-brother as much as possible, but he always got her eventually either when he caught her coming home from school, or when he actively sought her out. It usually started with him grabbing her hair and yanked it so hard that it felt it was being pulled out. Then he'd drag her to wherever he wanted, usually the living room, and dish out whatever abuse he had planned for that day.
She always begged him not to do it. Looking into his cold brown eyes as she cried and pleaded with him, but it never changed his mind. What else could she do? She couldn't tell anyone since her mother protected Oasis from any authorities that came around. She didn't have anywhere to run away to, and she definitely couldn't fight him. He was only a little less than twice her age and he had aura, a present from his dad, a symbol of status, back when he was living the high life.
Normally it was just a regular beating. A couple punches to the stomach and a few kicks to the side. It hurt but Neo had learned to live with it. It was when her brother got creative that it really got bad.
The worst one by far was an election night where Oasis' dad won re-election in a landslide. He was more pissed than Neo had ever seen him. He had dragged her outside, made her strip naked, grabbed the backyard hose, and sprayed her with freezing cold water for minutes on end. Then he locked her in the empty tool shed and left her there on that cold winter night.
She really had thought she was going to die that night. Her fingers and toes had turned purple and her skin had felt like it was going to crack open. She probably would have died if her mother hadn't worked up the courage to free her when Oasis fell asleep.
But, the event that changed everything and made Neo realize she had to do something came on a normal sunny day.
Neo had just come home from school and saw her brother standing in the entrance. Neo immediately braced herself for whatever he was going to do to her, but he didn't do anything. He just stood there looking honestly a little patient.
"What do you need," Neo had said trying to sound as submissive as possible.
"Follow me," her half-brother ordered.
He led her to the living room and there she saw her mom's corpse beaten bloody and smashed over the living room table. Her head was cracked open; bits of skull and brain were on the floor and one of her eyes was dripping out of her socket like a raindrop.
Neo fell to her knees and wet herself a bit. She knew her brother was a monster but this was, this was…
"You and I are going to clean this up, and then tonight we're going to have to bury her somewhere," he said colder and sharper than the Atlas wind.
Neo knew she had to do something—anything! Because if she didn't she'd be next.
An: So, a quick note here about aura. I've always considered it to be a sort of membrane around the user's body. When it's full it's a very thick layer, but as it gets chipped away the layer becomes thinner and thinner as aura from the parts of the body that didn't get hit move in to fill in the aura lost from the part that did. As a person's aura gets low the amount of power to needed punch through a certain section gets less and less. So, a person can still take actual damage even if their aura isn't technically broken. It just means the aura in that spot wasn't thick enough to block an attack although it still dampens it. So, if an opponent launches a strong enough attack it can penetrate someone's aura even if they're close to full and without actually shaving off every percentage of that person's aura. (Ex. Adam cutting off Yang's arm or Pyrrha chopping Penny in pieces.) Aura is only completely broken when there isn't enough left to form the membrane at all.
I'll admit this may be me playing a little fast and loose with the rules, but it isn't like Rooster Teeth haven't done the same, and I think this is a good way to handle things. It made it so Jaune could actually get hurt in his battle instead of me having to write that he got hit and it was painful but his aura protected him. On the other hand, if I had Jaune break his aura much sooner then there really wouldn't have been a justification for why he didn't get killed during the beat down.
Sorry for only explaining this now, but my in-depth thoughts on how aura functions hadn't really needed to come up until now.