Troll in Reviews
As has been noted, there is a troll in reviews spamming guest reviews and trying to frame people by writing their name in the name slot. Just ignore it. It's not worth the effort of paying attention to and I'm only writing this message so people are aware.
He's also pretending to be me by writing my name in guest review slots. I would only ever review something from this (logged-in) account.
Cover Art: Z-ComiX
Chapter 38
The white robes were heavy, not only because of how exhausted Weiss was, but with the responsibility she accepted by wearing them. The satisfaction she'd expected to feel was absent, leaving her only with a curious sense of dread. Where Ruby rejoiced at joining the Azure, Weiss felt only grim determination.
That felt fitting.
The redhead was with them now, having woken up and been given the same tour she had – and presumably having accepted the same responsibility if she was here. Weiss paid her only the minimum attention, too busy lost in thought on what she'd been told. The world of the Arcanists was so much vaster than she'd ever realised. More than many ever did.
The secrecy prevents panic. If people knew what we'd almost brought the world to once, they wouldn't be so willing to let us live among them, let alone with such influence. The people would turn on them, and since the bloodline was mixed strongly among the nobility, it would be even worse. Civil war was a possibility. Riots would be an inevitability.
"You are both Initiates of the White despite any ranks you may have held before," Glynda said. "The White is unlike any other Arcana. We care little for what you have learned before or how important you may believe you are. Your role here is to serve in the defence of all Collegiums. Nothing more."
"I get that," Weiss said. "We all know we have to let our noble ties go."
"I believe she was referring to me," the redhead said with a wry smile. "And forgive me if it seems that way. I hold no expectations as to my position here, Lady Goodwitch. I am, as you say, an Initiate to the White."
Weiss narrowed her eyes on the redhead, trying to place her. The suggestion of position made her think for a second she might be royalty, someone so important she might feel she had the right to make demands, but her father had instilled in her head the names and ranks of every noble in line to the crown. All sixty-four of them. That had been with the goal of her perhaps wooing and marrying one. This girl did not match any in her head.
Red hair, pale skin and green eyes. She was tall and attractive but looked to be about her age. The hair stood out for sure, but she could have been anyone. "Ahem." Weiss coughed and extended a hand. "I am Weiss Schnee. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Pyrrha Nikos, and likewise."
Nikos. Nikos. The name was familiar. "Is your family among the Royal Guard?"
"My sister, Helena, is," Pyrrha said. "I think yours is as well. Winter, was it?"
"That's right." Always proud of her elder sister, Weiss smiled at the recognition. Maybe that was where the name rang familiar. Winter may have introduced Pyrrha's sister to her once when she was younger. The position was a lofty and respected one, but it didn't elevate the Nikos family any more than it did the Schnee. As far as she could tell, the Nikos were just another noble family.
"We do not differentiate between Arcanist and Initiate here," Glynda said. "All serve equally."
Arcanist and Initiate…? Weiss' eyes trailed down Pyrrha's face to her neck and below, to the silver broach of Vale which contained a single red gem! Weiss' jaw dropped. "You're an Arcanist!?"
"Why yes," Pyrrha said happily. "I am."
"I-I'm sorry!" Oh, the humiliation. "L-Lady Nikos, Arcanist Nikos, I didn't mean to speak so-"
"I believe we're both Initiates to the White, Weiss, as Arcanist Goodwitch said. It hardly matters what I am now."
"I had heard of your humility," Glynda said. "I'm pleased to see I've heard correctly. The two of you will be taught and tested together, so it behoves you to work together as equals. In all ways that matter, you are. Individual strength or skill matters little here. Knowledge is power, and we act as guardians of it. Compared to any of the White, you are rank amateurs."
Weiss barely heard. This girl was a fully-fledged Arcanist at her age!? Even if she was older, and Weiss wasn't convinced there, she wasn't much older. A year or two at best, which still painted a picture far beyond what she could ever hope to match.
And the Crimson, she thought. That would make her a powerful combatant and skilled fighter. I can't believe someone so young could be so strong. It didn't cross her mind for a second it might be a mistake. Glynda referred to and knew of her, which implied a level of familiarity. Or worse, fame. And why not? If she had really become an Arcanist at the age most were only starting, she should certainly be a well-known figure within the Collegium.
"I look forward to working with you, Weiss," the young Arcanist said.
"A-Ah. Yes. Likewise."
"You will not be learning anything today," Glynda said. "You need time to digest what you have learned. Return tomorrow after dinner. Initiates are taught lessons between five and six, followed by training from six until seventh hour."
Weiss made a mental note of the times.
"What shall we be learning?" Pyrrha asked.
"History first, and then practical application after. To fight in defence of our way of life requires us first to understand what threatens it and why. The weapons of the White are far greater than just spells and Arcanists. We have the Sanctum, the Huntsmen and so much more." Only one of those words was recognisable to Weiss. "You shall learn more of this tomorrow. Understand that specific spells are not something we will teach you."
"None at all?" Weiss asked, frustrated.
"There may be some in time, but our goals eclipse our methods. Any means to fulfil our duty is not only accepted but expected. You may learn in your own time, either in the general libraries or from other Arcanists. We do not waste our time teaching spells when there is important work to be done. For your, Miss Schnee, I would suggest investing in some combat-related spells, and soon. You will be sparring with Miss Nikos after all."
Sparring with a graduated Crimson Arcanist? They might as well let her smash her own face into the wall right now! There was no smile on Glynda's face, however. She was deadly serious. I'm going to be destroyed. Maybe Ruby can help me find something.
"One final thing," the Arcanist said. "All that you have learned here must remain secret. You know this already, but you know not the consequences of failure. For any who would spread the secrets of the White, their life is forfeit. I do not say this to intimidate you, only as warning. Our appointed task is greater than any other. So, too, are the consequences of failing it."
So much so that they might kill them. Weiss wanted to say that was unfair and draconian, but knowing what she did now…? If the White were removed, the people of Vale would revolt against the Arcanists, and they would be forced to defend themselves in kind.
It would be a massacre of untold proportions.
"Wouldn't it be better if everyone knew?" Pyrrha asked. "Or every Arcanist at least, so they'd know why the rules are in place."
Weiss had been thinking the same thing and was grateful Pyrrha had the courage to ask it. After just being threatened with death, she didn't think she could have done the same.
"In an ideal world perhaps, but this is not that world. There are those who cannot stomach the truth, those who would not believe it and yet more who would see a return to the ways of old as being attractive. What's more, there are many who have been punished for breaking these rules. Rules that, some may argue, do not account for true guilt." Glynda shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, not everyone can see the necessity of what we do, or the sacrifices we make."
"Not guilty?" Weiss dared to ask.
"Rogue Arcanists who have erred by mistake," Glynda explained. "Or those raised outside Collegiums by hermetical Arcanists."
"Wouldn't it be better to just re-educate them here?"
"Yes. And we do that if they are young enough to forget what they've learned before, but not all are. Those that are found as adults or teenagers are already too set in their ways. The wrong ways."
"A-And so they're killed?" Weiss whispered.
"If they fight back. We prefer the Sanctum. Do not think for a moment of fairness, Initiate Schnee. The lives of the man depend on our swift intervention. Sympathy has little place in what we do. What we must do."
"But what if they don't mean to do wrong?" Pyrrha asked.
"How could we confirm that? How could we ensure it? Could we few who know the truth knowingly place the future of every Arcanist on Remnant in danger just to satisfy our thirst for the moral high ground? Could we look ourselves in the mirror if we did that and it all fell to dust around us? The risk is simply too high. The White does not take risks, Initiates. It cannot afford to."
"Presumed guilty until proven innocent?"
"No. Proven guilty. No innocence. Intent or motivation have no part in our work. You are, or you aren't. An Arcanist is either a loyal and good member of our community, or they are the enemy. Some exceptions are made. We have an Initiate this year who might have been considered rogue as her Collegium fell and she survived, leaving her Collegium without a gemstone. An act punishable by the Sanctum."
Ruby. She meant Ruby. Weiss tensed, hands clenching into fists.
"An exception was made for her." Glynda either did not notice or didn't care to see Weiss sigh and sag a little. "Those are rare exceptions, however. A fortunate case and an Initiate who knew better than to strike out alone. Even then, she is being monitored."
She was? When? Coco? The Warden was unusually friendly with them, but she'd assumed it was genuine friendship. What if it wasn't? Weiss found herself unsure what that might mean or what she was supposed to do. The temptation to tell Ruby and suggest they stay away from Coco was there, but there was also the chance it wasn't her at all.
What if it was Jaune? Ruby would be heartbroken.
"You see now a glimpse of the duty that befalls us," Glynda said. "It is not a kind task, nor one we enjoy. Take solace in knowing what we do, we do for the right reasons. It is imperative that every risk be minimised, that every possibility is considered and adapted to. Our greatest strength is in organisation, in control. That is why the White has been so successful, and why we accept only those who can pass the Trial of Will."
Because if they could accept that kind of punishment themselves, they might have the strength to deliver it without flinching. Weiss bit the inside of her cheek, wondering not for the first time if accepting the serum and forgetting all of this might not have been the better choice.
"Any more questions?" She waited for a moment and continued when both she and Pyrrha were silent, lost in thought. "Very good. Both of you, good evening, and congratulations on joining the White. It is not an easy path you have chosen, but you will look back on this moment pride."
I can only hope so, Weiss thought.
/-/
"You passed your trial!?"
Ruby wasn't sure how to react to Weiss returning garbed in white. She ought to be happy her friend passed, surely, but her stomach flipped and flopped. The White were her enemies, her pursuers, and now her first friend was among them. More than that, Weiss hardly looked happy about it herself, walking into their dorm with her eyes on the floor and barely noticing her.
"Weiss…?"
"Oh. What was that?" Weiss looked up, eyes dull. "I was lost in thought."
"I said congratulations on passing your trial," she lied.
"Yes. I… Yes. Thank you." The smile the white-haired girl forced was painfully frail. "I told you I would, did I not? It wouldn't do for you to join your Arcana and leave me behind. I had no trouble whatsoever. In fact, the whole thing was rather simple."
"What did you do…?"
"Nothing overly taxing. Some simple questions. An exam. Of sorts…" Weiss moved to her bed and sat down far too heavily. The mattress flexed and the legs creaked under her, even before she lazily used her toes to force her shoes off. They fell at the side of her bed, haphazard and messy.
Ruby's were neatly by the door – as Weiss insisted their shoes be kept every day!
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"I said I was fine, didn't I?"
"Yeah." Ruby watched awkwardly. "It's just… You don't look fine. You can talk to me if you want. I'll listen. We're friends, aren't we?"
"Of course we are! I'm…" Weiss sighed. "It's Arcana business, Ruby. I can't tell you some things just as you can't tell me the secrets of yours. It's just a lot to take in. I'm tired mentally and need to rest. I hope you'll forgive if that sounds rude."
It didn't. It sounded overly polite, and that was concerning already! Weiss was polite, sure, but not around her in private. Whenever they were alone, she became more critical, losing her temper and quick to anger. This wasn't like her at all, but she couldn't deny Weiss might just be tired. The Azure hadn't demanded anything of her but not every Arcana would be like that. The trial, whatever it was, might have involved a lot of studying.
Even if it didn't, she couldn't push.
"Well. Okay. If you say you're alright. But you know you can talk to me if you want to?"
"I know, Ruby. And thank you. I'll be back to normal come morning. Perhaps we can study together, just the two of us."
She had to meet with Nora and get Ren to agree to a date with her, but Weiss came first, at least like this. "Yeah, sure. After breakfast?"
Weiss managed a tiny smile. "Naturally. I wouldn't dare get between you and food."
"Good. I'm a growing girl!"
"Yes. Outward." Weiss chuckled to herself, and even if it sounded tired, it was at least not fake. "We can talk more in the morning. I'm too tired right now." Rolling over, she said, "Goodnight Ruby."
"Goodnight Weiss…"
/-/
"Stay calm."
Calm? Yang wanted to burst out laughing but the situation didn't really call for it. Sure. Calm. There were bright red eyes watching her hungrily from the trees in a forest apparently filled with Grimm that hunted down Arcanists like the one she had stood right next to her. Yeah. Calm. That sounded doable. Not.
"I-Is that…?"
Snapping twigs and a split log cracking under the paw of a monstrous creature pulling itself from the trees answered that question for her. It looked like a cross between a wolf and a bear, lupine in appearance and shape but walking on its hind legs, using strong, clawed paws to grip the trees nearby and pull itself through. Seven feet tall, ripped with black muscle and with its shoulders and face plated in whitish bone, the thing looked as though a huge man had fallen in a pit of tar, then rolled around in a graveyard.
The hind legs looked powerful enough to give chase, and if it fell to all fours its stride would be great enough to catch up regardless of its pace. The knife her hand was clasped around felt all too small in comparison to it. Would it even pierce deep enough?
"Stay away from it," Blake said, oddly calm. "It's drawn to Arcanists. It should focus on me."
"A-And can you kill it?"
"Yes." Quiet, but not so quiet that she couldn't hear it, Blake whispered, "At least I think I can…"
Inspiring. Utterly inspiring. If she died here, she was going to haunt that stupid bitch for life! Assuming Blake survived as well, that was. The Grimm had sighed them now and was lumbering toward them, its every step causing the ground to shake. Wild animals didn't move like that. They chased, darted and lunged. They didn't pace toward their foe.
A thin swirl of dark mist began to pool around Blake's feet, coiling up her legs unnaturally. The Grimm stiffened, snorted at the air and lowered its snout in her direction. Its eyes seemed to brighten for a moment.
In answer, Blake stepped calmly to the left, behind a thin tree not inches across.
And failed to come out the other side. Her body slowly vanished behind it despite that it was the width of Yang's leg at best. After two seconds, she was gone entirely. It was just Yang and the monster.
Blake, you fucking son of a whore…
The Grimm roared and rose up. Yang went stiff, legs refusing to run, but it didn't lunge for her. It shifted in the air instead, rearing back and slamming both paws down toward its own shadow. A second before it struck the forest floor, a black shape darted out from it, Blake backpedalling quickly, ducking under a wide sweep that would have shorn her head from her shoulders.
Growling, it tried to give chase, only to yank back as a black and wispy chain connected its own shadow to the single paw that had touched it. The chain links didn't rattle or make a sound, nor did they look entirely real. They were misty and indistinct around the ages, but clearly strong if they could hold it back.
If.
The Grimm snapped down with its mighty jaws, closing its teeth around the black chains and wrenching its head back. They snapped with an explosion of mist, the links dangling from its jaws with the ends coiling up like smoke. It munched and crunched, drawing the chains into its mouth and swallowing them by tossing its head back. Smoke the same colour as the chains began to waft from between its teeth.
Blake crouched low. "What the…?"
Slamming its paws down so that it was on all fours, the beast made to roar at Blake – only for black chains to shoot out its mouth instead of sound. The Arcanist was already rolling to the side as the chains struck and spared through two trees, splitting bark and wood with a sickening sound, spraying chips on Yang as she dove for cover.
"It's using your spells against you!"
"I can tell!" Blake yelled, running as the Grimm swept the chains left to right after her. "This never happened before!"
Throwing herself down, Blake let the chains streak by overhead then scrambled back to her knees. She trailed her fingers into and through her own shadow, seeming to draw parts of it up off the ground. Blake moulded the shadow with the fingers of her other hand, squeezing them into thin darts which she threw at the beast's face.
Two bounced off its mask but one struck the thing's shoulder and dug deep. Deeper than something its size should. Not deep enough to inconvenience it. Grunting, it leaned down and licked at the wound, drawing the knife up like thin and gloopy porridge, devouring Blake's spell straight out its own body.
"It's eating your spells!" Yang shouted.
"I can tell! That's never been documented before!"
Nothing in your pissing Collegiums is documented, she wanted to scream. Not the reasons why Ruby was hunted, the knowledge about the Grimm or anything else! Why was this coming as a surprise? The Grimm swallowed Blake's magic and hunched its shoulders. Yang was already behind a tree before the thunk-thunk-think of shadowy knives impacted the other side.
These things not only wanted Arcanists dead but could steal and use their spells against them. That was the kind of thing she'd have liked to be warned about, and the kind of thing she'd have thought Blake would know seeing as Menagerie fell to the damned things!
"I thought you said you could kill it!"
"I'm working on it!" Blake shouted back. "I don't see you helping."
"Because you just got finished telling me how useless I'd be!"
"And I was right!" Blake dove away as the tree she was hiding behind was ripped in two. The Grimm had found her, not that it was hard with her shouting at the top of her lungs. It tried to catch her by falling onto all fours atop her, but she slipped away, drawing out a shortsword not eight inches long and slashing at a tendon.
Blood spilled out and muscle ripped. Yang cheered, expecting the thing to fall, only to gulp as it didn't even react, not to the pain or the fact it only had three functioning limbs. The Grimm simply slammed its good paw into Blake's stomach, lifting the Arcanist up and sending her smacking into a nearby tree with a horrible crunch. The sword went flying and she slumped to the base with a pitiful groan.
Get up. Get up, damn it!
The smug-ass Arcanist wasn't moving. Yang swore and lurched out from cover, ignoring her dagger entirely and stooping for a heavy branch instead. Her heart was in her throat as she ran forward and tried to scream a battle cry. It came out a raspy croak, but the wood still smacked down on the monster's head, cracking over its skull.
Unbothered by the assault, the Grimm swivelled its head toward her.
Flinching back, Yang reacted more on instinct than intent – drawing the now broken branch back and stabbing it into one of the thing's eyes. That found its home, sliding in with a sickening squish and a spray of blood.
"Rarrrrghhhhh!"
The Grimm roared and lurched up, knocking her back with one meaty arm. It staggered on its hind legs, scraping at its face with its one good paw, snapping the branch in half but unable to remove it entirely. Collapsing back onto all fours, it glared balefully at her and opened its mouth, launching several blackened chains toward her. Yang fell back and under them, wincing as they tore through anything they touched.
How was she meant to deal with this on her own? Was this what Summer faced? If so, Yang could forgive her dying to it! The tales didn't do them justice. Not the size, the strength or the sheer resilience. Any normal animal would have fled by now, deciding its prey wasn't worth further injury. This Grimm fought like it didn't care if it lived or died.
And so much for only caring about Arcanists. It sure wants me dead now!
Bounding forward, the Grimm opened its jaws and lunged, ready to bear her down and rip off her head with one solid twist. With the size of those teeth, Yang was sure it wouldn't have any trouble. Her ass hit the floor, hands scrambling to pull her away as it raced in. The chains launched out, slamming into her legs and entangling around them before she could roll aside.
"Argh!" Yang ripped her knife out and stabbed but despite being made from shadow, the chains deflected her swing with ease. "D-Damn it!" As a last-ditch effort she hurled the knife at its face. It wasn't made for that and the throw was clumsy, not that it mattered. It hit the beast's bone mask blade first and bounced off anyway.
The Grimm growled around the chains reaching out its mouth and drew her in, dragging Yang across the forest floor like a fish on the end of a line. This was how she died? Reeled in and bit in two by a monster straight out the fairy tales?
"Damn it," she hissed, tears prickling. "Fuck off!"
The jaws reached down to bite into her legs.
Shadows moulded around the monster's neck. They coalesced into chains far thicker than the ones she'd seen before, yanking the head back before it could savage her. Linking down again to its own shadow, this time taut and tightening still, the chains drew back into the ground, disappearing into the Grimm's shadow and pulling it off her, peeling its body back by its neck, forcing it first onto its hind legs, then back until it tipped over.
Its chest expanded briefly, before a jagged spike of wood ruptured from it, caked with blood and gore, sharp points sticking up cherry red as the Grimm slid down the trunk. One of the very trees it had sheared in half with its chains. Blake stood behind, one hand to the floor and a shadow connecting a tree to its, grasping a chain in her hand. The Grimm slashed limply at the air for a few moments, before, after what felt like an impossible length of time, it stilled.
Before her stunned eyes, its body began to dissolve in the air, floating away on motes of dust.
The hell just happened…?
"You okay?" Blake offered a hand, face covered with sweat.
Yang slapped it away. "Am I okay? No! That thing – shit, Blake – I thought this was meant to be scouting? You said you could handle them! That wasn't handling! That – That was getting your ass handed to you and nearly mine too!"
"It was harder than I expected, I'll admit." Blake sighed and drew her hand back. "Thank you for the save. You have my gratitude."
"And you have my absolute hate," she moaned, sagging back. "Gah. I thought I was dead. I'm done here. You hear me? Seeing one of those things was more than enough for me. I'm not dying out here when Ruby expects me-"
Blake's hand latched over her mouth. The Arcanist dropped over her, pinning her to the floor, her body between Yang's legs, one hand on her mouth and the other atop her head. Yang tensed, then tensed harder still when dark shadows wrapped up and around them.
"Don't move," Blake whispered. "Or we're both dead."
Yang went still.
Both…?
Leaves and twigs were crunched to dust around them. One, two, a third – four, five and then a sixth copy of the same Grimm they'd just killed stepped into their clearing, walking by the body of their fallen without a care in the world. Yang shrank in on herself, staring wide eyed past Blake's fingers. They'd barely managed to deal with one and now there were six Grimm.
The paws of one crunched down beside her head, so close she could smell the wet fur. It snorted and raised its head, sniffing at the air.
Looking for Blake? But there was magic all around them!
Concealment spell? We're hidden from the Grimm? It was the only explanation for why they weren't smeared across the forest floor. The shadows kept pooling and washing over them like water, icy cold against her skin. Just go away, she begged. Walk away. Leave us. Go.
One of the Grimm nosed at the bloody remains of the tree that had killed the first. It growled and bit down, testing the wood with its teeth. Bark splintered and the trunk formed a giant crack down its side.
Suddenly, their heads rose. As one, the Grimm looked up and to the left, west, back in the direction of the city. Their bodies were tense and rigid. Without a sound, without a growl, they loped off in that direction, knocking trees aside and bounding into the outskirts. Within the space of ten seconds, they were alone again, Blake pushing her forehead down into Yang's neck. For once, the intimacy wasn't a problem. Hell, she was grateful for it, half tempted to hold onto Blake for comfort as well.
"W-We're done, right?" Yang stammered. "That's proof. We don't need more."
"Yes. Yes, we're done here. The Grimm are gathering."
Before, that and the fall of Menagerie had been nebulous concerns. Now, having seen one herself, it was a lot more terrifying. "How can you be sure?" she asked. "There was six, seven including the first, but that's not enough to take out a city."
"Seven that we saw – but the way they left. They've sensed an Arcanist." Blake pushed herself up but didn't stand. She fell back and sat on the grass, probably as jelly legged as Yang was.
"Is that why they sprinted off?"
"Yes. And that's the problem. The Collegium wouldn't be out here unless they had a reason to be. Seeing that many Grimm is bad but not proof there are more. But for the Collegium to be sending Arcanists out to cull their numbers? That's proof. They wouldn't do that for no reason, and they're just as aware as I am how dangerous the Grimm can be."
Yang swallowed. "Then you mean…?"
"The Grimm are gathering for an attack. And the Collegium knows it."
/-/
Crocea Mors swept up and under, cutting through the shoulder of a Grimm and severing it in a spray of ichor. Planting his foot down and stepping through the Grimm charging past him, he cut at the hind leg of a second, which fell with a startled and angry howl. It skidded in the dirt, continuing to try and crawl its way to the white cloaked figure standing further back.
"-and destroy all in my path!"
Bright light exploded out from the Arcanist and over the Grimm, burning the flesh of those closest and rushing toward him as well. Jaune turned into it, closing his eyes against the blinding light. His skin tingled, the air turning cold as ice. When he opened his eyes again, it was to see the leaves and twigs around, before and behind him burned to ash. Nothing was spared but for the exact patches of soil beneath his feet.
He remained untouched by the attack, thin trails of smoke raising from his bare arms.
Two of the Grimm had fallen but a third breached through, closing on the Arcanist who screamed and turned to flee.
"Don't run," Jaune called. "I'm here."
Training should have dictated the man listened, but instincts proved stronger. The Arcanist turned and fled, robes billowing around his legs. Jaune made to follow but it was already too late. The Grimm in pursuit was wounded and hamstrung, but no sooner had the Arcanist passed beyond his protection did another leap out from the treeline.
A giant maw closed over the man's head and shoulders, biting into skin and crunching deep. Bone snapped, likely his shoulder blade but quite possibly the spine as well. It didn't really matter. The Beowolf wrenched its head from side to side, lifting the poor Arcanist off his feet. The screams were brief, silenced when the man's body slammed into a tree and went still. The Beowolf brought its head up and down, smashing the doomed Arcanist down before placing a paw on his back and ripping its powerful head up.
The body tore in two, the Arcanist's head and shoulders ripped free. Death was, Jaune dispassionately hoped, something that had come a little sooner. It was hard to feel much more as he watched the Arcanist be devoured.
The White's training had slacked. Or perhaps that was his fault.
It was hard to remember.
Stepping back, he walked past the Beowolf he'd hamstrung. The beast was pawing at the ground to try and stand and didn't react to him, only to rattle out a gasp as he punched Crocea Mors through the side of its neck. It gurgled confusedly and tumbled onto its side. Drawing the blade free, he approached the one busy mutilating the Arcanist's body.
"I hope you haven't swallowed the Arcanum," he told the beast, his eyes lidded and dull. "That will make things complicated."
Killing it proved less so. The sword bit deep and into its chest, piercing its core. The Grimm stiffened and then fell forward, Jaune stepping out the way as it crashed down and began to dissolve. The severed head tumbled out its jaws, mangled and squashed beyond recognition.
Kneeling, he pushed the head aside with his bare hands, dipping his fingers into the gory remains of the man's chest cavity, uncaring of the blood all over his fingers. Peeling the raw meat aside, he caught a glimpse of silver and dug into it, pulling the Arcanum free. The monster's teeth had bitten into it, driving the metal into the man's body. The white gemstone was still in place, and the Arcanum would be proof enough of his demise.
Standing, Jaune looked about the forest. The outskirts, he reminded himself.
Stood beside the mauled body with Arcanum in hand, he waited.
And waited.
And waited.
The moon descended and the sun rose. The body had begun to smell, and some animals were already nosing around it, a wolf tearing at a chunk of meat while another sniffed at his left boot. A crow had landed on his shoulder at some point and was cawing angrily at the wolves.
The crow took flight suddenly, the wolves pulling their heads up, maws bloody, and bolting for the trees. The crunch of leaves heralded the arrival of three figures, two Arcanists and a single white-haired man with a sword.
"Huntsman," the female Arcanist said. "Where is your Arcanist?"
Jaune looked down at the corpse by his feet. It had already been partially eaten.
"Goodness." The second Arcanist clutched his mouth and staggered away to vomit into a nearby bush. The scent was rather bad, Jaune admitted. It had long since robbed him of his sense of smell.
"Grimm?" the other asked. At his confirming nod, she said, "Why are you standing out here?"
"I was instructed to guard him."
"Your orders were to guard him and, if he perishes, to return his Arcanum to the Collegium," the woman snapped. "Have you at least done that?" Had he? Were those his orders? Jaune hefted his hand to show the broach. The woman sighed. "Well, at least you remembered half your orders. I'll have to report this."
Jaune felt a stirring of something. Worry, or a desire to argue he hadn't forgotten. That they were mistaken, and he'd just stood out here for six or seven hours because he wanted to, because the sunrise was nice, and he wanted to witness it.
Witness it stood beside the decaying body of a human being.
Blue eyes dropped to the body at his feet. For the first time in hours, he reacted, wincing and stepping away. His stomach rolled and he paced back, pinching a hand to his nose. A bloody hand. Loudly, he gagged.
"Still some life in you yet, I see. You might still be useful. Come on. Back to the Collegium and then the Sanctum."
"I promised to meet with a friend," he murmured.
"That's not my business, nor is it yours." The Arcanist shook his head, growling something about huntsmen under his breath. Likely how much he hated working with them. Almost every Arcanist did. Even the Initiates who didn't know what they were often shied away from them on some instinctive level, even if they weren't sure why.
Only Ruby was different. And now she would be disappointed he'd be stuck in the Sanctum again.
He'd have to apologise to her later.
If I remember…
Busy chapter. At least in terms of PoV moments. The Grimm are abound and Jaune is part of the culling teams, albeit with plenty of hints as to his nature in this chapter. And how that interacts with the Grimm.
Next Chapter: 3rd May
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur