Chapter 4: Time Heals All Wounds
Beta- Reader: Maestro Of Madness
"So, you're certain that he was taken care of?" The female voice said trough Roman's Scroll.
"You bet." Roman's then motioned his head to his posse moving large quantity of dust. "We sent him to the afterlife. There is no way he could survive an explosion that big."
"Then well done, Roman." Roman heard faint whispering from the other side of the Scroll. "Now that the so called 'Hero' is dead, we can go back to our original plan."
"I already have Junior getting his boys to help me with Dust, you do-"
"There will be more help to get Dust than your average thug-for-hire." She cut him off. "We'll be getting more outside help this time. Thanks to that insect delaying my plan it's time to accelerate our deadline."
"And who, may I ask, is going to help me?" Roman asked while taking a hit from his cigar.
"The White Fang." As soon as she said that he coughed mid smoke, making him pound his chest.
"Why those animals?!" Roman said while coughing.
"The White Fang gave their support in hopes to get more recruitment. They've been losing some followers thanks to the Spider-Man and his good deeds." She said as if it that last part of her sentence caused her to vomit.
"And how exactly are they going to help me when they can't even help themselves?"
"You need more assistance and they need followers for their movement. You're a smart man I'm sure you can see the benefit for both our groups." She said with a bit of amusement.
It didn't take the master thief long before he realized what she was getting at. He placed both hand on his Scroll, as if trying to choke the person on the other end of the call for coming up with such an insane plan.
"You want me to recruit more followers for them?!" He said hysterically.
"You're a very persuasive man. I'm sure you can make them join The White Fang easily."
"They'll tear me apart. After all I'm the one who killed the spider." Roman started to see the outcome of what could happen if it goes wrong. "Pretty sure they don't want me to help since I killed one of their own."
"The White Fang want blind followers that wish to take their rage on humans. If you simply don't say you killed Spider-Man, then I'm sure you can make them into faithful soldiers for the Faunus movement." Roman heard her chuckle at the thought of it happening.
"Now that Spider-Man's gone, things will start getting more and more chaotic for the kingdom of Vale with us controlling everything with no one to stop us."
"Even if I do get them to join, I'm going to need more than just extra bodies to move all this Dust." When Roman said that he heard several objects breaking. He turned his head to see broken boxes and his men shouting at each other.
"I already have several large shipments coming your way, just show them to the Faunus and they'll soon join with no hesitation. Now, if we're done talking, I must meet someone very important for my next part of the plan. Be sure not to fail me Roman. Now that this Spider-Man is gone you have no excuse for making mistakes." His Scroll showed him the caller hanged up leaving him to his thoughts on his situation.
One problem gone, and another shows up. Even if more animals join their cult club I still need to watch where I'm placed in her plan.
"Neo." Roman called for his assistant, the sound of glass breaking behind him revealing a smiling Huntress. "Get the boys ready. We'll be getting more helpers soon and we'll need them to be extra careful with the next few days."
Neo gave her boss a nod before she shattered to pieces. Roman was walking back to his office to get his part of the plan started but stopped when he noticed a small spider cross his path.
The sight of the spider made Roman raise his foot to squash it, but stopped just above it, allowing the spider to quickly crawl away and enter a small crack in a nearby stone column. With the spider now gone Roman started to walk to his office with a single thought repeating to him in his head.
Was he really dead?
"Jaune? Jaune, are you awake?" Aunt May shouted from the kitchen. "You're going to be late for school!" The woman of the house placed her cooked eggs on the table and put her kitchen mitts away.
Walking to the bottom of the stairs Aunt May waited a couple more seconds, waiting to hear her young tenant's voice only to hear nothing from the second floor.
"Jaune, I'm coming upstairs." Aunt May walked to the top of the stairs, and yet still no noise from his room, making Aunt May anxious.
He always answers when I call him. I hope he didn't stay up all night studying.
"Jaune? I'm opening your door." She placed her hand on the door knob and turned it. "Please excuse the intrusion." The door was already half way open when Jaune's head popped out, causing the older woman to step back in surprise.
"Morning, Aunt May." Jaune said nonchalantly. "I was just using the bathroom. Is breakfast ready?"
The startled woman was still trying to calm her heart before she gave him a disapproving stare for surprising her, but soon let out a sigh. "Breakfast is already done. Just get dressed and hurry downstairs."
"Thank you, Aunt May." Jaune kissed her forehead and closed the door as she returned downstairs to get started on her day.
That boy. Always on his toes whenever I open his door. I hope whatever he's hiding doesn't give him too much trouble.
Mrs. Parker was no fool. She always catches small noises at night, especially when it comes to Jaune's room. It became even more apparent with Jaune and his many side jobs keeping him very busy next to his school work. With so much on his plate it's understandable for him to come home late if he wanted to get more lien to help her with the bills, but last night when she heard him come home it sounded like he was in pain. She was staring to get concerned with his late-night activities.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she came face to face with the family portraits. The one picture that caught her attention was the one of her husband, Ben Parker. Taking the frame with both her hands she places it on her chest and prayed that her husband's looking down on them, giving them his best wishes whenever they get in trouble. Opening her eyes, she placed it back on the shelf and looked at her husband's picture, as if he was right in front of her. She asked the picture the same question ever since his passing.
"What am I going to do, Ben?"
"Man, that was close." Letting a quick sigh of relief Jaune closed the door and turned back to his ruined costume that was on his bed. "It's gonna take a while to fix this suit, but that's why I always have a spare I suppose."
Balling up the costume the teen stuffed it under his bed and fished out a long flat box with a small combination lock. Putting in the code, he unlocked the case to show his sewing kit and a freshly clean spare next to it.
Ok, bad news: I'm dead and the people behind it will probably go full force into whatever they're planning. The good news: They think I'm dead, so all I need to do is catch them by surprise.
"Easier said than done." That night was the first time he ever fought actual Huntsmen. He usually deals with regular muggings and robberies, but that was the first time he ever dealt with professional fighters.
Still, my body doesn't feel the pain from the explosion from last night. In fact, I feel better than ever!
With every morning, Jaune checks himself in the mirror to see if he had any permanent damage from last night's fight only to see no visible scars. This wasn't a surprise to him. Like all criminals they hold more than just bats and pipes. Knives and guns are things that he's all too familiar with. Before he could understand his spider sense he'd once been stabbed by a thief that got the drop on him, and later on he got shot from a robber when he pushed a security guard out of harms way.
That was a hurdle that made him wonder if he should quit while he was still ahead of his hero career. But whenever he trudged to his bed, clutching his severe wounds that would kill any normal man, he'd go to sleep and wake the next morning, his body good as new. As if he never got injured in the first place.
Super healing. Comes in handy when I don't want to go to the hospital as Spider-Man, or deal with a huge medical bill. It's just seems so unreal for me to see that I'm able to heal from a wound like yesterday.
With the teen now ready for the day he made it to the kitchen and ate his meal next to his Aunt, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
Last night I should've been in intensive care, or dead. But here I am, eating breakfast, getting ready for school, and my body feels a million lien!
The moonlight superhero started to pound his chest when his breakfast started blocking his wind pipe. Aunt May stood up from her chair and looked at the choking boy in surprise.
"Jaune! Are you ok?" She walked over to him and started to pat his chest.
"I'm fine, Aunt May." The glass of water helped flush the blockage down. "Just remembered that I need to hand in my pictures soon."
"Oh, you mean the Bugle?" Seeing that he was fine now she walked back to her seat to finish her breakfast. "They must really need those photos of that spider guy. But, then again, I'm sure they're more concerned with what happened last night."
Aunt May reached for the remote at the edge of the table and turned the volume of the TV higher to listen to last night's theft. The screen showed the same woman with burned and ruined buildings behind her. The police were off to the side putting up yellow tape to secure the crime scene.
"What you see behind me is the latest, and might I add, disastrous act of crime led by the escaped crime boss, Roman Torchwick. Some people are asking, 'how much more violence will he commit just to steal dust from our community?'"
"It scares me to think how people will go to such lengths to do these things. I wonder how long it'll be before he's back behind bars." Aunt May said making Jaune sink lower in his seat.
I could've stopped him. I had stopped him, but then that weird silent chick came out of nowhere and helped him escape.
"With so much damage caused by the escaped convict many concerned citizens wonder where was Spider-Man to stop him. With me now is Bugle's editor-in-chief..."
Oh no... anyone but him.
"Mr. Jameson." Shifting the camera, a middle age man appeared wearing a mean look, as if everything around him pissed him off. With who was involved in this crime it seemed to make him all the angrier on the TV. "Mr. Jameson, what are your thoughts on why Spider-Man couldn't stop Roman's latest crime?"
Raising his fist to his face. J. Jonah Jameson cleared his throat before speaking to the mic.
"The answer is really simple, miss."
Here it comes.
"IT'S BECAUSE SPIDER-MAN IS WORKING WITH ROMAN TORCHWICK!" As soon as that sentence left his mouth, Jaune sank his head in his hands and shook it at his boss's insane theories about him. "SPIDER-MAN IS NOTHING BUT A BAD EXAMPLE FOR THE YOUNG GENERATION, AND WITN WHAT HAPPENED HERE IT'S PLAIN AS DAY THAT SPIDER-MAN LET THIS HAPPEN 'CAUSE HE'S WORKING WITH MR. TORHWICK!"
He almost blew me up! I'm pretty sure I deserve a bit of a break from what happened to me.
"What about the several other crime related incidents that were stopped by him, as well as all the pictures of the web slinger preforming heroic deeds on your news site?"
"It was all just an act! He was trying to let everyone trust him! Then, as soon as he had the public's trust, he showed his true colors!" J.J kept ranting while a thick vein started to show on his forehead. "Let the authorities handle the crime, and let the real heroes, the Huntsmen, put the bug in his place!" Seeing that he was going to keep spouting more nonsense, Jaune took the remote and turned it off.
"Thanks for the breakfast, Aunt May. I'm gonna go wait for the bus now." Grumbling incoherent words about the news Jaune placed his plate in the sink. He was ready to walk out the door when his Aunt stopped him.
"Remember that you're working at the diner today. My friend who's the manager needs an extra set of hands." Aunt May then gave him a kiss on the cheek and saw him off to the bus stop.
"Thanks, Aunt May." Jaune said waving at her as he turned a corner, cutting off his view of her.
With the sight of her gone Jaune dropped his arm to his side and looked down at his feet until he reached his bus stop. His thoughts now occupied with working at Aunt May's local diner. Her friend was the manager of the restaurant, so with some help she landed him a part time job as a waiter whenever her friend needed extra help and if Jaune needed more work.
Hopefully I can get some good tips, so I could save up for a new camera. I already know it's gonna make a huge dent in my wallet, but it'll be worth it.
"Now I need to find out Roman's location." The school bus stopped in front of him and opened its doors. He entered and placed himself in the middle section of the bus with most of the louder students behind him. "Fat chance any of that's gonna happen. It's not like a lead's gonna land in my lap any time soon."
"Here you go, Mrs. Jordon. Hope you enjoy yourself." Jaune told the elderly woman while giving her order with a friendly smile.
"Thank you, Jaune." Mrs. Jordan, a bunny faunus, said as she looked at her husband who was reading the newspaper. "Can you just put the paper down for just five seconds and eat your food before its gets cold?"
"Humph." Mr. Jordon, her human husband, hummed as he flipped another page.
The Jordon's were one of the many regulars who visit this establishment often. This place held many people throughout the years, making it very popular and well known in the kingdom. People who just got out of school tend to go here to hang out or study. While adults who just got off work, or on their lunch break, come here to enjoy themselves. And if by some rare chance a Huntsman also comes around out of curiosity.
With so many people eating here, and with the good reviews they give, it was a great place to work and get a steady number of tips. And for the young hero, he thrived on tips whenever he needed the lien, and with what happened last night he need to make a good amount to cover for his losses.
"Must be something really important Mr. Jordan's reading." The part timer looked over his shoulder to see if any other costumer needed him. "Does it involve what happened with that big explosion?"
With what went down last night with the criminals stealing more dust and Spider-Man not able to stop them, news traveled like wild fire, making people speculate what happened. Already Jaune heard small rumors between tables about how he was actually working for Roman, or he was the leader the entire time. But, like all things involving his hero alter-ego, they wonder who Spider-Man was under that mask.
"You know how the news is, especially if it involves that Spider fellow." Mrs. Jordon took a sip from her cup to clear her throat. She was going to talk again when her husband finally set his newspaper down.
"Can't believe most people even believe in this man's dribble."
"What do you mean, Mr. Jordon?"
"All these people buying in to this," Mr. Jordon placed his wrinkled calloused hand on the paper and pointed at a picture of Spider-Man mid web swing and saving someone falling off a building. "The man does good every day, and the one time a crime happens without him doing anything, the people start to question him." The old man shook his head and spoke again. "I've met him before, he's alright in my book."
"Oh dear, not that again." Mrs. Jordon shook her head. She's heard the same thing every time it involved the masked hero. "You keep telling that same story every time."
"Because he's the real hero in this damn kingdom! The guy's doing something to clean these streets and what do the rest of the kingdom do? Just sit on their hands, waiting until the problem comes to them rather than the other way around."
"I know he saved you when you almost got run over by a car. You even invited him for dinner, which I make a fantastic baked carrot cake by the way." Mrs. Jordon told their waiter making the boy chuckle.
Jaune knows she makes the best dessert. After he saved her husband the elderly man insisted on inviting him to dinner as a sign of thanks. Most of the people Jaune saved as Spider-Man always thanked him, making it kind of nice to hear praise from them, even if it wasn't directly to him.
"He deserves the damn key to the kingdom! Going out day in and day out, risking his life to protect the people of this kingdom." Soon, more and more people started to glance at the table, making Jaune nervous with the growing attention.
OK, Spider-Man can deal with the attention, but not Jaune Arc. Time to switch the subject.
"I don't know. Pretty sure Huntsmen can do the same thing he does. The only reason not many show up is because they have to go beyond the kingdom to protect villages from Grimm." Most of the ease droppers agreed and went back to their food. With the attention diverted, the young teen to breathe a sigh of relief.
"They can't hold a candle compared to what he does. In fact, when he stopped that car from hitting me I noticed something that can prove he's not a huntsman." The attention was back on the small table. Several of the ease droppers gave up on trying to be subtle and focused in on the story.
"I don't understand." Jaune said, his anxiety growing. "He must be a Huntsman if he's able to do the amazing things he does."
"True, but he has one thing that makes him special above all Huntsmen." The waiter was curious by what the man meant, forgetting the customers trying to ease drop.
"Dear, you're making a scene. I told you before, it was a trick of the light. You were delusional." His wife tried to reason with him.
"Don't try and make me sound insane, Maria! I know what I saw and what I saw proves that he ain't no ordinary person." Taking a drink to calm his nerves, Mr. Jordon continued his story. "He saved my life. I'll always thank him for that, but when he turned his back on me to check the driver I noticed something wrong with his costume. It had a tear showing a fresh wound from when the car hit him."
Jaune held his breath as the story took a turn. Cuts that were inflicted on him did leave a sting, though it never really stopped him. He assumed that must be a huge difference when compared to trained Huntsmen, making him even more interested in the story.
"Now the wound wasn't that deep, so it should've closed up. But it didn't, which means all this time Spider-Man has been doing such amazing feats throughout the kingdom with no aura protecting him." Many people start to discuss amongst each other over the credibility of the news. The one that was most curious was the Superhero himself.
"What's aura?"
Mrs. Jordon answered him in a quieter tone, so no one would hear them.
"Aura's what all Huntsmen use against the Grimm. It shields them from harm and even heals small wounds. It also enables them to use their Semblance, an ability specifically used by them."
"Sounds really useful." Jaune looked to her now empty plate and picked it up.
"It is, but it isn't all powerful. In time aura can be depleted from either constant use or heavy damage. They can't heal major injuries like gunshot wounds or attacks from a large Grimm-"
"Or a large explosion." Jaune said automatically.
"Yes! Though even if aura takes most of the damage, it can still leave Huntsmen very weak, and if they run out of aura then they fall unconscious, leaving them entirely vulnerable. That's why many people wonder if he was a Huntsman under his costume, but to say that someone can do the same things Huntsman do without aura is something most people never thought would be possible."
"That's why Spider-Man's a cut above the rest! He doesn't need aura to do any of that." Her husband added.
"If he's not a Huntsman, then what is he?" A random customer's question soon begins another.
"He's probably some kinda monster?"
"Is he part Grimm?"
"What if he's not from this world?
Man, these people really have an overactive imagination about me.
Just when the diner started to get rowdy the manager came out of her office. Her face was red with tick marks on her forehead, shouting loud enough for everyone to hear.
"He's none of our business, so all of you shut it!" The manager's outburst caused everyone to return to their food. The diner quickly went back to normal leaving Jaune stunned with how fast it ended.
Wow, I didn't know the difference between me and Huntsman was that serious. Kind of makes me wonder what it'd be like if I had aura instead of my spider-powers.
Jaune's thoughts were immediately cut off when his boss called his name. He got back to high gear and returned to work.
"Hope you guys have a nice day." Saying his good bye Jaune rushed to his boss. Her scowl still on her face made Jaune nervous about what she was mad about.
"Yes, Ms. Charles?" Jaune asked placing the used dishes in the diner sink and washing his hands clean.
Ms. Charles was never a happy person whenever she was at work. She's usually a very sweet and friendly woman when she hangs around Aunt May at home, so it was always weird seeing the change in personality between home and work.
"I need you to be a waiter for four customers. They're at the front, so get to it."
"Yes, ma'am." Jaune nodded to Ms. Charles and walked to the front to guide the small group to their table. As soon as he reached the front Jaune grabbed four menus next to the cashier and was about to greet them when he heard a familiar voice call out his name.
"Jaune?" Ruby's voice caused the waiter to turn his head to see she was right behind him. Standing with her were three other girls looking at the young girl curiously for addressing the boy so easily. Especially when it was someone of the opposite sex.
"Ruby? Fancy seeing you here." He said chuckling with the surprise visit.
"I thought you worked at that Dust shop?"
"No, no, I also work here whenever they need extra help." He explained.
"Wow, must be really exhausting to have two jobs."
"I make sure I balance the two while going to school."
"You do two jobs AND go to school!?" She said in shock.
"Yeah. Hold on for a moment." Jaune spotted a vacant table and returned to the group of four. "Let me get you a table so you don't have to stand around." Jaune motioned her to follow him.
"Thank you." Ruby nodded in gratitude. She followed behind him, leaving her team in a stupor over what was going on. Ruby's older sister finally snapped out of it and spoke what the rest of her friends were thinking.
"What just happened?"
I know that you all wanted to see another fight regarding Spider-Man and Roman, but Jaune has a life to live and that life just became more interesting now that team RWBY appeared. I also needed to explain why Jaune was so special compared to huntsmen and their abilities.
Aura is defense and offence if properly trained. It does give them strentgh but only a few show that they are stronger then the rest of the characters on the show. They also have a semblance that give them a special power. It can heal wounds, but only small injuries and if prolonged it will soon fade. They still have weapons that help them fight, but I'm mostly doing the basics of what aura does.
Jaune A.K.A Spider-Man does not have aura yet he can still do almost all the things people with aura do, maybe even better. He also has multiple abilities while only a semblance has one. He has organic webs, stick to walls, night vision, spider sense, super strength, reflexes, there is more but Juane will get them when he is older. The major benefit for Jaune is his healing factor that can heal serious wounds much faster then aura.
I know I sound like I am siding with Spider powers, but both have ups and downs I made this chapter just to see how Jaune not having aura and still doing Amazing things makes him even more of a wild card to the world of Remnant with how they are so used to aura.
If I did not answer most of your questions please feel free to comment so i can read your feedback. Don't forget to like and fav this story and also go to my Beta-Readers stories to check those stories too.