Black Diamonds

by ShorelineHorizen

Jaune Arc wanted to be a Huntsman, just like his Grandfather. At the age of ten, however... he witnessed true despair. In response, he threw away everything in pursuit of freedom, and to search. More than seven years later, he's hounded by his former Father and given a proposition, and also info on the perpetrators. Is Vale, or Beacon, ready for the 'Big Bro' of the Black Diamonds?

2. The Roundabout Deceiver

Woah.

I think that's the only word I can really use to describe the reception I got to this story, which I'm incredibly stoked and excited about! In just the first upload, it's over-taken my other story entirely. That's awesome, people.

Serious notes though, I really appreciate all of you enjoying my story so much. I feel this is a good indication of how much I've grown since I started writing on this sight, and all of the support on this story really confirmed it for me. I've got a few announcements that I'll put at the very end of the chapter if that's something you're interested in, so I'll let you read them at your leisure once you finish this chapter. I'll also be responding to reviews in the endnote as well since there were so many, which I greatly enjoyed reading. Thank you all for those.

Anyway, let's get on with it. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the last, so have at it.

Chapter 2 µµµµµµµµ The Roundabout Deceiver µµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµ

Sneaking roughly ninety people without any concrete documentation into a new kingdom should be pretty difficult. Not to mention shipments of ammunition and weaponry without permits.

At least, that's what I thought before Acacius told me not to worry about it. He was surprisingly not stressed in the slightest when I told him about my plan while we met the next day. Instead of surprised shock or even anything as mundane as a frown, he just accepted the fact that all the members of Black Diamond would be tagging along for the journey to Vale. He kept that wide smile on his face and told me that he'd take care of it.

While the idea of arguing or questioning him on his plan of action sounded promising, I just accepted it and went along with packing all of our assets up for travel.

In the evening of that day everything in possession of my group was packed and ready to roll. Our spare weapons, ammunition, what miniscule amounts of Dust we had, and of course the ludicrous amount of lien we'd scrounged from everywhere in the city was all ready for transport. A short two-day trek after that, and the entire group had made it to the nearest port town in Mistral, one by the name of Kaioh. While I felt skeptical about just how well the entire thing would go, the fact that Acacius walked onto the airship with the confidence of a man not helping smuggle not only people, but weaponry into Vale forced me to trust him on this.

To my surprise, not a single question was asked not only while boarding, but also once we'd docked at the port of my former kingdom. None of our crates were screened either.

Naturally, I found this suspicious… but I chose not to comment on it. Only two possibilities really exist as to how we got away with this so cleanly. One, would be that the security of the Kingdom of Vale is so supremely shit that literally no one gets so much as asked for identification when traveling. The second and much more likely of them, is that the old man pulled strings in the legal system to get my entire group overlooked by the authorities.

Now, I know for a fact that Vale is much more strict than Mistral when it comes to anything involving the law. That's one of the main reasons that myself and everyone associated with the Black Diamonds aren't wanted criminals of the kingdom. Racist assholes or not, the people of Po village did legally own everything there property-wise. I'm sure that despite the obvious evidence of slavery, there were a few idiots that made it to the next town over and tried to blow the whistle on us.

Thing is, Mistral could give less of a fuck about small settlements that aren't inside the walls, so we got away scot-free. One of the many things I like about Mistral, actually. Free to do pretty much anything you want as long as you don't try to assassinate any royalty.

Anyway, no need to get off track. It's obvious that Acacius pulled strings to get the Black Diamonds here, the real question is how.

In the end, I chose not to comment on it. The answer is also an obvious one if you know just how far back the Arc name goes with the royal lineage in Vale. If he chose to call in a favor after all this time, then that's his business. I'm definitely not gonna tell him not to help me out.

All after our arrival seemed like a blur to me. Meetings with informants and property owners ran rampant over the past days, and throughout most of it Acacius stayed by not only my side, but also the side of my family. That's all a story for another time, though.

Right now, my full focus is on just how goddamn annoying and cramped these docks look.

The long strip of concrete is absolutely bustling with people of all types. Nearly everyone I can see is in a group with who I can only assume are their relatives. I can hear the heartfelt goodbyes from here, and I can't tell you how weird it is to see these displays in public. I'm not one to show too much affection, in case you can't tell by now. I'm honestly surprised that the day I had about a week ago didn't hospitalize me… or at the very least leave me pissed for the next few days. Way to mushy and touchy-feely for my tastes, you get me?

So given how all this affection makes my fucking skin crawl, I'm not clumped in with the rest of the crowd on the docks. Instead, I'm waiting just a bit away from them, impatiently wasting time while waiting for my ride to arrive. Absently, I fish my scroll out of my pocket and flick it open, eager to find something to do. Instantly, I'm hit with a wave of messages from the Black Diamonds that also managed to get their hands on a scroll. Among the wave of messages were members like Frost, Melody, Cotton and even Mochi, all wishing me luck. There were many others, of course. If everyone in the group had a scroll in their possession, I have little doubt that even the most composed members would send one my way. Hell, if Mochi of all people sent me a good luck message, then there's no reason the others wouldn't.

Just as I'm about to start responding, however… a voice knocks me out of my own world.

"There you are Don. Too crowded on the platform for ya?"

Hearing my… name stated towards me, I turn around and flick my gaze up from the device in my hands. It's with a bit of shock that I recognize the familiar armor and blonde hair walking towards me from the street.

"You came to see me off, pops?" I ask to the Arc, now standing only two feet from me. There, he stops for a moment. His hands find purchase on his hips, and with a large smile on his face he gazes at me with a shine in his eyes.

"Well I couldn't let you go without a proper send off. It's my fault you're going in the first place!" At this he let out a good-natured chuckle, practically dying at something that was in no way a joke. At his very dad-like action, I can't resist the urge to roll my eyes at him. "Jokes aside, I came to tell you that everyone's gotten settled in without much problem. Having no neighbors to worry about makes that easier, but still."

His tone shift didn't go unnoticed by me. These past few days have been busy for everyone involved with Black Diamond. To my surprise, one Acacius Arc has become closely related with us over that time. Aside from sitting in on meetings with contacts at my side, he'd also taken it upon himself to help my members get settled into Vale seamlessly.

"Good. Means I ain't gotta worry about em' for the next couple days." I sigh in a relieved fashion. I'd never admit it, but being away from all of them has me a bit wound tight. Wonder when that happened?

"Exactly. The ones in charge of munition count already scheduled a shipment of Dust and ammo, so I'd say everything is going smooth as can be." Satisfaction is prevalent in his tone. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say he's pleased that all the hard work is finally paying off. In the next second though, his eyes were wide in realization.

"Oh! Before I forget-" Here he pauses briefly and turns ever so slightly, arm reaching behind him. Around his waist was a leather belt, holding various pouches of the same material. His hand gravitated towards the largest one of them, and after a moment of searching around, it seems he'd found whatever it was. "-here, I think this belongs to you now."

From behind him, he pulled back his arm. With it, clutched in his armored grasp, came a book of all things. Red, worn leather encompassed the book, various scratches and some gouges resting along the surface. The red coloring was faded from exposure to the sun, but none of that was what really caught my attention. Instead, it was the name emblazoned across the face of the cover that really drew my eyes.

"That's…" I trail off without finishing, but Acacius is more than able to end my sentence.

"Exactly. One of the books belonging to Jupiter Arc." Before I can take the text myself, he jumps in and deposits the book directly in my hands. The leather feels coarse, and considering its age and history, I'm sure I can guess why. "My Father… your Grandfather."

This notebook has probably seen more battles than I have.

"I'd honestly forgotten about that part of the deal." I comment, still staring intently at the wealth of information in my hands. Turning it over, I take in all the marks on the surface of the book before Acacius sees fit to give his input.

"As had I. With everything going on, it's no surprise that the both of us forgot about it." He states, raising his hand to rub the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "I thought I should give you the one that I keep on me before you leave."

For a moment longer, I stare at the text. I'd honestly never seen a book that I'd wanted quite as much as this one… and now it's mine.

Finally though, I manage to snap my self out of my mind and back into reality. Looking up from the small piece of history I now possess, I see the face of my father. He's looking at me like he's seeing a ghost, honestly, but I can't remember him looking so happy. I can imagine why, actually. Even with my style, I'm sure seeing me with the sword and the book makes me cut a familiar figure. Feeling vastly more confident of myself than a moment ago, I deign to give him a response.

"Thanks, I appreciate it old man." I say gratefully. I'm sure I would have remembered it eventually and then hounded his ass over them, but this saves me a lot of trouble. With the book now in a firm grip, I watch as he opens his mouth to continue the conversation.

Before he could speak though, a massive blast of sound emerged from behind me. His gaze broke from me and focused on something, and my own attention followed suit. Turning around just slightly to be able to see, I find myself faced with my method of transportation. What some might call a massive example of the technology we're capable of, I find myself comparing it to a giant metal coffin. Docked at the one of the designated ports of Vale is an airship. As far as I can tell, it's a massive contraption of metal, both dark gray and a dirty white. Massive, extended wings hang off of an equally monumental body, all supported in the air by some technology or another. Personally, I think it looks like some kinda sky whale, but you'll never hear me say that out loud. It looks like the gates opened a good minute or so ago, as while there are still people pouring into the sky transport there aren't nearly as many people clogging up the platform as the last time I checked. Eyeing my ride for only a second more, I quickly crouch into a Mistrali style squat to better have access to the black duffle bag that's been at my feet since I got here. It's a pretty simple thing, if exceedingly large. The only thing that really stands out about it is the fact that I'd secured Gramps' sword along the side of it. Figured it'd be easier to carry that way, in case I have to sit down or anything. Honestly, if I tried my Mistrali crouch while that thing was on my back, it'd either fall off the magnetic plate or I'd crouch too fast and slam my damn face into the ground. Unzipping it, I carefully shove the notebook of my dearest person inside. Among clothes, shoes, and a few other necessities it will remain for now. Once done, I zip the bag back up and call it done. Calmly, I raise back up to my feet from the crouch and bring the bag with me, resting it on my left shoulder easily as I do so.

"Suppose that's you, right?" Acacius comments with a subdued smile on his face, significantly less pronounced than before. Now back on my feet, I turn to him and eye him carefully.

He honestly hasn't changed too much over all the years I've been gone as far as physical aspects go. I take a moment to study him once more, even deciding to lessen my natural glare for the time being. In hindsight, I should have realized that something changed as soon as I saw him.

Mother dearest hates beards, after all.

"I guess so, pops. I'll see ya around." I announce, already turning to board the ship in wait… only to pause mid-step. My mind flashes back to just how much he'd helped me over the last week. In that same thread, my family passes through my thoughts. On the spot, I make up my mind, and while still facing the ship I look back to him one last time.

"Doubt you wanna go see the other Arcs anytime soon, so feel free to crash with the Black Diamonds at our apartment complex if you want. Talk to Melody if you need something to do."

With that, I start my trek to the platform without waiting for an answer. If he decides to crash with the family at our brand-new complex we'd bought out, then that's fine with me. If he really wants to face that rotten woman on his own terms though, then that's his business. As long as he keeps my name outta his mouth around her, then that's his choice to make. I'd honestly rather her think I'm dead than somewhere in Remnant.

"I think I'll take you up on that, son." Acacius says, following up his statement with a light chuckle.

I nearly stumble at that, but I force my gait to remain unchanged. Instead of responding, I simply wave him off behind my shoulder, continuing on my way with my head straight forward. Even though I'm put off at the word, I can't deny the fact a smile spread on my face at just how fuckin' well he played that card.

The walk to the dock was short, and before I knew it I was at the entrance of the airship. All the other people had boarded, and it seems I was the last. A devious part of my mind wanted me to see just how long I could stand here before a staff member got pissed off and told me to either board or fuck off, but I manage to ignore that and enter the barrier of the doorway.

Now, nothing that I'd seen so far had been any different from the airship that the Black Diamonds took from Mistral to Vale. Same colors, same construction, same everything really. The moment I made it past the doorway, however, the difference was more noticeable than ever. For one, the decorations of this airship are much more 'high-class' than the other. As I walk into the main hall-like body of the ship, I notice benches lining the walls with massive windows just behind them on either side. Rugs, polished fixtures, this ship had all that shit and more. Holograms broadcasting the news played over some of the windows, but I tuned that out near instantly.

The other big difference between this ride and the one from Mistral, though, would have to be the presence of an obnoxious level of color. Bright yellows, deep reds, royal blues, forest greens, pretty much every shade or tint I can imagine was laid out before my eyes. And if you want my honest opinion on such a patriotic spread of personality-expressing styles?

It's pretty alright. I'd prefer to see the familiar black and white styles accented with these hair colors on some of my members instead of a bunch of people I couldn't give less of a fuck about, but them's the breaks. Instead of the family, they're nothing but strangers. So yeah, no problem with the melting pot of colors and styles here… nah, the real problem I have here is how loud they are.

If the combination of violent colors weren't enough to give me a damn headache, then the volume definitely will be. If nothing else, I'll at least be real pissed off when we land if I get too far into the blood-clots of people littering the ship. After a second of viewing the crowd all the way from over here, an unmatched scowl starts to spread across my face. Silently, I pass my gaze over the area, searching for any empty spot or benches that I could steal away from easily intimidated people. To my immense happiness, I find just that. Just a short walk away from me is a completely vacant corner in the room, towards the very front of it. While I'd much rather not be here at all, I can't really be choosy at the moment.

I begin to walk towards my new goal, easily hefting the weight of my bag. Idly, I reach a hand into my jacket pocket and retrieve my current pack. Deftly I flip open the small package and shake loose one of the sticks inside, gazing at the action until one is in the proper position. Once I'd succeeded, I bring the package closer to my mouth and grab the stick between my lips, letting it rest there for now. In the next seconds, I'd put the small box back in the pocket of my jacket and reached for the lighter in my pocket. When I'd retrieved it, I finally found myself at the empty corner. Instead of going ahead and enjoying my vice, I took the time to set my duffle bag on the ground next to me and get into the position of the ever comfortable Mistrali crouch. My next moments were spent lighting up the cigarette and taking a small puff, then spinning the stick between my thumb and forefinger as I exhale the smoke.

Cigarettes. Something I picked up within my first few months in Mistral. For the longest time, I'd smoked the cheapest and probably most dangerous ones I could get my hands on. Believe it or not, I was even pretty embarrassed to have this as a habit once people started joining me in my travels. While I probably shouldn't, I actually take pride in being able to hide it from the Black Diamonds for so long. A smile spreads across my face as I stare at the lit end though, remembering just what happened when they caught me.

It was actually pretty recent that I got found out. I think it was nearly a year ago that I got caught in the act, something that I was pissed about at the time. As coincidental as it sounds, it was actually Melody that found my ass out. The motherly one, out of all of them had to be the one to find me. I have to suppress a chuckle because of the memory of her reaction, since she more or less flew off the handle and smashed me up against the side of the head with a sauce pan. Immediately, she started trying to convince me not to smoke the things. At first, I was stubborn as usual to the idea.

She wore me down eventually though.

Nowadays, these little things are about the only thing that the Black Diamonds as a group can convince me to splurge on for myself. These aren't just any ol' ciggies. They're some of the most insanely expensive little shits out there. For good reason, but I can still complain about the price if I want to. I take a moment to take a long drag of the stick, burning up a good length of the thing in the process, before I exhale the smoke once more.

'Hard to believe these motherfuckers don't kill ya.' I think to myself, looking at the thing between my fingers intently. Completely white, with just two rings along the filter for decoration. One was golden, and the other was a rich brown.

I won't even pretend to know the science behind these things, so I won't get too into it. Long story short, they ain't got nicotine at all in em'. Logic says that inhaling smoke in any way into your lungs is still gonna hurt you in the long run, but not these. I'm sure it has something to do with Dust, but I'm not too interested in stuff like that… I also don't remember it, but that's not the point.

I'd say the real point, is that not only do they not kill me, but they also smell and taste like caramel… at least these ones do. The wonders of modern technology, right?

I take another puff of my cig before I fish around in my pocket and bring out my scroll. Since I'm in it for the long haul here, might as well dish out some responses to those messages. Before I flick it open, however, I decide to caution a glance upwards to the crowd to see exactly how everyone is doing. I felt the jolt of the airship taking off just a few moments ago, if anyone's about to blow chunks it might be funny to see it happen. A sick smile spreads over my face at the thought of one of these colorful people running around covered in puke. As soon as I raise my gaze from myself, I catch sight of a girl clad in pink literally picking up a tired looking boy in green and violently shaking him.

Needless to say, I immediately decided that I didn't want anything to do with what just happened and dropped my eyes back to my scroll. Everything about what I just saw seemed like a major hassle that I don't want in my life.

Next thing I did was go through my messages. While the ones I remembered from Black Diamond members were certainly there, so were many others. I took the time to respond to each one of them, and once done I even found confirmation messages from the ammunition and Dust dealers directed to me. I answered those as well, easily confirming the transactions. Taking a moment, I glance up from my scroll once more towards the crowd for only a second before gluing them back to my device. As I'm about to move onto another message, I pause. I caution one more glance back up, and to my shock, my eyes were fucking right the first time.

Damn ship is nearly empty.

I must have spent more time on the scroll than I thought… oh well. At least time went by quickly in my eyes. Speaking of eyes, as I shove my scroll back into my pocket, mine catch the sight of a freshly lit cigarette in my hands.

'How I managed to do that absentmindedly I don't think I'll ever be able to figure out. Does it even matter?' As I mull on these thoughts, I stand up to my feet and take the duffle bag with me, once again letting it rest fully on my shoulder. Silently, I put the cig between my lips once more and let it rest there as I make my way off the ship. Just like when boarding, I was saved the trouble of weaving through the crowd. The walk was silent, and extremely nice after such a rocky flight in my own opinion.

Eventually, I make it out of the ship and am greeted to my first sight of Beacon Academy. Laid out in front of me is the stone dock that we'd made landing at, and just beyond that a singular stone path leading all the way to the grounds of the school. Instead of bumbling around, I simply adjust my duffle bag a bit and continue on. As I walk, I pass by large gardens and many light posts, each of the fixtures having a holographic flag hanging from them. After a small set of steps, I finally come into what looks to be one of the more populated areas: a small circular area in the path, which lets the walkway branch off into three new directions. The sight was nice, I'm sure. The crisp green landscapes mixed with the well-kept walkways, as well as the sight of the main campus in the distance was sure to inspire or intimidate quite a few people.

I, on the other hand, don't really care about stuff like that. Buildings are nice and all that shit, but why should I bother 'contemplating artistic choices' when I could just ignore it? It does absolutely nothing for me.

Although in my mind I was busy wondering about what secrets the world of art held from me, my body didn't stop moving. Outside of my mind, I kept walking in my typical gait, hefting the bag on my shoulder all along the way. Once I do come out of my thoughts, I raise my hand up to grab the cigarette hanging between my lips. Taking it between my fingers, I give it a light flick to get the ash off the end. Just as I was about to place it right back where it was, however, the outside world finally caught my attention with full force. At the sound of a shrill voice off to the side of me, a scowl pops up onto my face almost as quickly as I turned my eyes towards the perp. A young white-haired girl stood with a case in her hand, dressed dominantly in white and running her damn trap at some kid dressed in red and black. I don't really focus too much on their word, to be honest. Instead, I mostly focus on the feeling of annoyance rising in my chest at having this loud-ass running her mouth, and the fact that she's shaking a stopped glass bottle full of Dust around.

With every shake, more Dust escapes the primitive storage method and flies into the air instead. In the next second, I raise my arm back up with cigarette in hand, and take a deep puff. The entire time, Snowflake continues to shake the vial in the now standing kids' face, creating air-born clouds of dust with every swing of her arm. Almost like clockwork, as soon as I exhale the smoke from my lungs, Red starts sniffling and goes cross-eyed.

Naturally, I take that as my que and continue along the path without a second thought. I know exactly where a sneeze takes you around Dust, and I'm not into it at all. Ignoring the explosion behind me with fearsome dedication to 'Not Giving A Fuck', I simply keep walking with the cig resting between my lips.

'Not even a day in and I've found so many people to stay away from.' I think melodramatically to myself, already thinking up a spiel about how shit my stay here is gonna be. I stalk past a girl with truly impeccable tastes in clothes as I think that, but don't waste any time eyeing her beyond the second it took to pass. Dressed mostly in black and white, the only thing that breaks the illusion of her possibly being a member of the Black Diamonds are the purple gradient leggings. As I pass her by, I have to suppress a smile as a thought shoots through my mind.

'Wonder what those stuffy-ass teachers would do if I hopped off the airship with the family?' The short answer would probably be police action, but who knows? Maybe they'd just kick me out of school.

In all honesty, I feel the laugh would be more than worth it. I wouldn't have to waste anymore time here, at the very least.

The walk to the auditorium went by quickly and without anymore explosions. While most might focus on the school rapidly approaching or even the people around them, I paid neither any mind at all. Along the way, the only thing I really stopped to do was unlatch my weapon from the duffle bag and instead set it firmly on the magnetic backplate I'd now taken to wearing under my clothes. Finally though, I managed to cross the threshold to the clotted area. People were swarmed everywhere in the room, easily hundreds of faces and stories. Just like the walk here, however, I paid them no mind. I pushed past a good amount of people easily, silently noting the armored redhead that's been eyeing me since I got here. Once I'd found a prime spot, I set about claiming it for myself… via glares and aggressive eye contact of course. Gradually a bubble formed as the smoking combined with my attitude and probably my looks forced the potential students away from me.

In the end, I was left with a nice swath of open space and some room to breathe. All in a days work, honestly. I feel an intimidating smile spread across my face at my actions, and I don't bother stopping it. The minutes tick by, and I simply wait

All of those nice, heart-warming feelings more or less vanish once I catch the sound of a vaguely familiar voice. My heart all but drops into my stomach as the tone of that same girl from earlier enters my ears, and my smile turns into a scowl as I search for the offender. Turns out, I didn't need to look long at all. Only about fifteen feet away from me were three girls all grouped together, two of them being familiar. In order, we have Blondie dressed revealingly, the child dressed in red, and the snowy owl dressed like some kinda goddamn princess. For the next few moments I watched with furrowed brow as Red and White argue back and forth, my annoyance with their persistence growing steadily and I'm sure visibly as well. Just as I was content to either ignore them completely or just move away from them, something happened that caught my full attention.

Without looking at me in the slightest, the one in white pointed directly at me over her shoulder and continued to talk to the others.

The longer she had the audacity to hold this, the deeper my scowl got. By the time she let up, my anger had skyrocketed completely and I swear I could feel my eye start to twitch.

'Little Snowflake thinks she can talk shit about people without getting stomped, eh?!' Normally, my thoughts would've been cut off by the fact that some jackass up on stage started to talk into a mic, but my mind was much too offended to concentrate at all. Instead, I spent the entire time with my eyes all but glued to the girl with the gall to gossip about me right in front of my fuckin' face. The coming moments were spent breathing deeply while the man on stage talked, trying to regain at least some semblance of calm before I do anything. Eventually he switched off with a strict-looking woman, and even as she began to talk my blood was still running hot. Instead of dwelling on it any longer, I simply throw my gaze up to the chandeliers above us and take a long drag of my last cig for today.

Two is more than enough for me.

The action was surprisingly calming, actually enough for me to clear my head just a bit. Soon enough, I managed to hear the tail end of the announcement; something about sleeping here, directions to the locker rooms and finally the cafeteria. Lucky that all the important information was given by the blonde up there, but I won't think too hard on it. I'll take it as it is.

Now with a calmness in my heart, I turn to look at the group that birthed my ire in the first place… only to find them a bit closer than before. A moment of confusion was all it took before I figured out exactly what must have gone down. Apparently in my blind anger, I started inching closer to the Snowflake without even realizing it. If I'd still been beyond pissed, I have no doubt I'd grab her by the back of her jacket and intimidate the absolute shit out of her for talking about me with her friends. Instead, with my much calmer mind comes creativity in the form of payback. The gears in my brain turn as my fingers grip what remains of the cigarette, and my signature glare drills into the white-clad annoyance intently. Those gears keep turning until the target turns around to walk towards the exit of the auditorium. With her other side now perfectly exposed to me, my eye catches something sharp and pointy on the side of her fuckin' head.

Immediately, all gears and cogs fall into place.

Silently, and with a scowl to challenge god itself, I pinch the cigarette butt between my fingers and give it an incredibly strong flick. The force of the action sends the trash flying surprisingly fast. With as much practice as I have flicking those things across a room, aiming was no problem at all. It flew true, and in less than a second had impaled itself directly on one of the pointy tips of her hair piece. Instead of laughing or pointing it out, I simply watch her walk away with a sadistic grin plastered on my face.

Such a petty comeback, and one she's sure to trace back to me if she's smart in any way. Normally I'd laugh, but I just feel too satisfied with the knowledge that she's walking among her peers like nothing's wrong with trash in her hair. So instead, I settle for a sigh of satisfaction.

"That'll teach ya." I mutter out absentmindedly before continuing on with the day, completely satiated by the action of petty revenge. Before I make it even a few steps, I do hear something vaguely like a laugh behind me. At the same time, I feel a stare against me. Needless to say, I just ignore it and continue on.

The rest of my travels around Beacon were nothing special. First stop was the locker room, where I just chose the first one that was empty along the wall. Without looking at any of the others, I simply shoved my sword and duffle bag in and shut the door. Next, one of the better stops of the entire day, the cafeteria. After gathering my food, I was thankfully able to secure myself a completely empty table without even needing to toss anybody onto the floor. Apparently, I'd gotten there earlier than the others, so I took my luck in stride. Given that the food was completely and utterly free, I took a bit more than usual.

While eating, I felt justified in saying that it was the best part of the entire Beacon experience so far. No one screeching, arguing, or just being all around annoying to bother me. Just myself and my plate. Well, that's what I thought, until I began getting this familiar tingling feeling just at the nape of my neck. It's a feeling that I've grown to know very well, and one that usually means only one thing.

'Someone starin' at me…?' Half-heartedly I begin looking around the room in search of the person looking at me. To my surprise, I notice that the tables had filled up quite a bit… and to my satisfaction, no one has sat at my own.

Could it be the tattoos that scare them away? Perhaps the bleached hair? Nah, it's probably the fact that my glare is damn near always visible. I'm not sad over their reluctance to sit with me though. In fact, I'm very happy! Just means they won't try to get in my way if they can do otherwise.

Eventually, I give up on finding the person that's stealing looks at me. In the end, if they want to stare at me they're free to do just that even if I don't like it. Quickly, I finish my dinner and vacate the cafeteria. The next hour was spent freely, stalking the halls with my hands buried deeply in my pockets and a glare on my face. It wasn't too bad of a time, honestly. Not too long after that, I noticed the sun getting low in the sky and immediately redirected myself back to the locker room.

Roughly twenty minutes later, I walked back through the doorway of the auditorium. Instead of my normal jacket and sweats combo, I was wearing only three things. My white short-sleeved fishnet shirt stayed, but my sweatpants were replaced with black shorts that stopped nearly at mid-calf. On my feet, I wore some black and white flip-flops and nothing else. As I walked through the room, I spread my gaze around slowly. The tall windows lining the walls were filtering in dark pink rays of light, shining over what few people were present aside from me. Some were already set up for the night, and others seem to have just arrived like myself. The chandeliers were already lit, as were the candles affixed to the walls even though it wasn't totally dark out yet.

Before I got too far into the room, however, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. A simple table, short and stout, tucked away in the corner of a thick wooden support beam against the wall. It was a cozy little space, in my mind… and definitely one that I'd like to have for myself. With a confident quality to my step, I walked over to the small area and made myself at home. On the table was a candle opera stocked with its namesake.

'Nice find.' I think to myself, inordinately pleased with the discovery. Those candles so close to the ground will make it a lot easier once it gets totally dark. I comfortably position myself sitting with my back against the wooden beam, and then take into my hands the red bound book that I'd carried here all the way from the locker room. The light from the window behind me shines helpfully on the cover, allowing me to freely read the name of one of the few people in this world to truly gain my respect.

The name Jupiter Arc rests proudly emblazoned on the cover.

I feel nervousness in my heart, just at holding this book. In an instant, though, I'd steeled myself. A shake of the head later, and I'd simply opened the cover and began to read. The words were incredible to me, reminding me of exactly the way he talked and acted. Time flew by at a fast pace, and before I really knew it reading the pages got more difficult. With the stress being put on my eyes, I finally look up from the book and see the world around me, instead of the one I'd built in my head.

The room was filled up now, something I'm pissed that I hadn't noticed yet. Beyond that, the windows across from me had darkened considerably, no longer shining the pink that it was before. The sun has set, I guess. Without uttering a word, I reach into my pocket with my left hand and come back out with that same shitty lighter that I always have on me. Calmly, I set the book in my hand to the side and reach towards the candle opera next to me, already flicking the fire to life in my hands. As I lean in, I finally turn towards the object just to make sure I light the wick and not the fuckin' curtains instead. What I see there, though, has me pause in slight surprise. A lit match is held to the candle on the far side, lighting it up just as I light the candle on my side.

As the flame of my lighter burns the wick of the candle, my gaze focuses on the match. Slowly, almost in shock, my sight trails up a delicate hand and the soft cloth of the sleeve to rest directly on their face. Yellow eyes look back at me, set into a nicely pale face framed by wavy black locks. For a fraction of a second, I completely freeze.

"The chick with the nice fashion sense." I state simply, words falling out in a drawl. In response, she just blinks. Before she can say anything, however, I draw back my hand and store away the lighter, having already lit the middle candle. Swiftly, I turn back to my book and continue where I left off… leaving no room for conversation. Thankfully, she apparently doesn't see fit to comment and remains silent.

The perfect sitting companion, really. Quiet and completely detached from me, what the hell's not to like?

A moment passes, and although my eyes are firmly in place on the page, they don't move. The reason is a simple one, and also one that I've felt many times before. A tingling at the back of my neck is stopping me from focusing on the words in front of me, and I already know what that means. Someone is staring at me. Probably the same person from the cafeteria, if I'm getting this same reaction. Reluctantly I give up on focusing on the journal for now, and instead I cast my gaze upwards. Slowly, I gauge the room, eyeing every person I see carefully. Eventually though, I find the perpetrator.

Tall, blonde, and absolutely familiar at this point. The same girl from earlier today during the announcement is staring intently at me from across the room, walking towards us with a quirky gait as she drags the other one behind her. The kid isn't quite as red as before without that cloak, but the nickname still stands strong. As I see the smile on the blonde's face, several things come to realization. The fact that the friends of that really annoying Dust girl are walking towards me basically becomes the flagship of my thoughts. Next up: the idea that she was most likely the person staring at me in the cafeteria. Behind that, I get hit with the knowledge that they're probably coming over for a reason.

That they might want to talk with me… or annoy me to hell. Both are the same punishment really, as far as I'm concerned.

Everything about this is a red goddamn flag. Casually, though, I sneak a glance at the ever silent girl next to me, and am quite pleased with what I see. She's still got her nose stuck deep in that book of hers, and I can guarantee she has no idea what's coming for us. Turning away from her, I simply close the journal in my hands.

"Too many…" I mutter under my breath, right before standing up and just walking away from the situation. These girls are gonna have to try a lot harder if they wanna trap me in a conversation against my will. I'm me, for fucks sake.

The chick with gradient socks is just gonna have to take the heat for this one. I'll remember you well, so rest in peace. I'll live on in your honor.

With an amused smirk on my face, I make my way down the path of the room. Eventually, my path diverges from the free foot space and I walk over to one of the curved staircases leading to the upper-level balcony of the auditorium. I don't bother to see how rude the girls must think I am, because I really just can't bring myself to care. Instead, I continue step by step. Once I was finally at the top, I noticed how dark it really was. Not a single candle was lit on the upper level, probably to discourage students from separating themselves all the way up here. As I swept my eyes over the level though, I could see that their measure plainly didn't work. Aside from myself, I count at least three other people up here. All asleep already, but that's beside the point. Quickly, I find myself a spot against the wall and away from the others up here, leaning heavily on the wood at my back.

As I fish my scroll out of my pocket, the evidence that I'd bailed at just the right time became very clear. From beyond the balcony, yelling and shouting blasted out into the room… familiar voices powering the shouts.

I can already tell this is going to be a long fuckin' night.

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Morning came fast after sleep, and with it, were the daily routines. Brush my teeth, shower, get dressed, eat breakfast; all that good shit, really. All throughout the process, I made it a point to avoid certain people that might waste my time. Chief among them: A blonde, a redhead, and a pseudo-Noir. So far, I'd managed to avoid them and everyone else at all the turns, too! I'm a bit proud of it, actually.

So it's only natural that when I walk through the entrance and into the large locker room to retrieve my weapon, that my heart would drop dramatically upon seeing Pink and Green first. Instead of hesitating, though, I keep my steps steady and stalk right past em'. Up next were also people I'd been hoping to avoid, Yellow and Red. Thankfully, they weren't looking towards the space between them at the moment. The one flaunting her body had one of her legs hiked up onto the bench and was busy with her boot. The red one, the kid, was loading up bullets into the belt around her waist. Both had their attentions focused elsewhere… and that brings a sick smile to my face. Happily, I take the stroke of luck and walk past them as well, now busy scanning the lockers for number 636.

I continue the search for quite a few feet, putting more distance between myself and the four problematic people behind me. Step after step I continue scanning for my number, until finally I find my target. Sadly, I also found a big problem right in front of it.

Talking vividly in front of my locker, was the annoying pale girl from yesterday. Her victim was some tall redheaded woman in overtly Mistralian armor, politely listening to everything said to her… although she looked pretty detached. Many people would contemplate just what to do in a moment like this. They'd consider asking them nicely to move, perhaps introducing themselves to the ladies, or even waiting until they were done to interject.

I did none of those things.

For a moment, I stood staring at them in silence. Slowly though, as their one-sided conversation dragged on, I began to get annoyed. Gradually, my eyes set themselves in their best glare, and my mouth was tugged into my deepest frown. I believe its payback time.

Steadily I advance on my locker, and immediately both of their attentions were on me. The redhead watched me with a surprising amount of curiosity, not moving in the slightest at my approach. The one in the dress, however, backed up a step in surprise, putting her nearly out of my way. Her face showed annoyance with just a tinge of disgust, but her tone showcased that so much more clearly.

"Excuse you, what do you think you're doing? You're far too close!"

I don't respond in the slightest. Once I'm close enough, however, I reach out with my hand and type out a short password onto the holo-keypad to open up the locker. The effect is immediate, as the door swings out fast and opens fully. The girl, still being close to me, actually gets beamed across the forehead by the door of the locker, and that sends her stumbling back in shock.

"Oh my!" The gasp came courtesy of the tall redhead next to me, a hand now hovering over her mouth with wide eyes. It was probably just a knee-jerk reaction for her, but I don't focus on that. Instead, I grasp the handle of my weapon and anchor it onto my back. I don't even try to hold back the chuckle at the shocked look of the Noir look-alike, and close the door of the locker in a swift exchange.

"I can't believe you just did that! I can't say that I've ever met someone so rude in my life!" She fumes at me, shaking her free fist angrily while the other rubs at her forehead. Her face is nothing but flabbergasted anger, with a deep scowl taking a good portion of it up.

With an intimidating smile on my face, I glare down at her and match her easily.

"It's pretty damn rude that you were talkin' about me to those buddies of yours behind my back yesterday too, Snowflake. You ain't got room to talk." The gravel in my tone is audible for everyone to hear, and I take deep satisfaction at the taken-aback look plainly displayed on her face. Without anything to stop me now, I begin walking past her for the Beacon cliffs. Before I pass, however, I give her one last piece of wisdom.

"You should stay outta my way, kid. I'm not the kind of person you mess with."

Without so much as a pause, I continue on my way. The walk to get outside the building was short, but the journey to the cliffs wasn't. I more or less passed through most of the campus before I finally set eyes on a small grouping of people along the edge. Among them were multiple people I don't care about, but also two people that were apparently the Headmaster and his assistant. They said nothing as I arrived, so instead of anything else I simply took my place on one of the square plates and shoved my hands into my pockets with a glare shadowing my eyes. Minutes pass by, and as they go more people arrive. Some I don't recognize, some I do. I force them from my mind though, and instead focus on staring down the man with the mug. Since I'd arrived here, I've tried my best to maintain eye contact with him and psych him out. To my surprise though, aside from meeting my gaze once, he's fully committed to pretending that the students don't even exist. Instead of looking at any of us, he's kept his gaze firmly on his scroll with the occasional exception of his mug.

'He's not bad…' This game I play is a difficult one for many, but not him. He's played it often, then. Seemingly without warning, he turns to face the lot of us and begins speaking.

"For years, you have all trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." He states evenly, eyeing each and every one of us.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams." His serious assistant bridged, taking over the monologue. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today."

What?

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." The Headmaster continues, taking back lead of the announcement. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years."

'You fucking kidding me?' The thought runs through a heated mind. I'm clenching my teeth at just the thought of being chained to some loser for that amount of time… even though I'm not planning on staying here all four years in the first place. A whine from down the line completely holds the point in my mind, sounding just as displeased as I am about the situation. Maybe more hopelessness than rage, but the thought is all the same.

"Upon landing, you will make your way to the Northern end of the forest." He continues on with no pause for explanation, showing no sign of slowing down. "You will face opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die. You will of course be monitored throughout your stay in the Emerald Forest, but we will not intervene."

A small moment of silence burst into existence after this statement, and no one said a thing. The only sound was that of my knuckles cracking under the pressure of my tight fist.

"You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Your task is to bring one of these relics back per partnership-"

While the old man had undoubtedly kept talking, I stopped listening near immediately. In my mind, I'd found the goal of this exercise: to bring back a goddamn relic. That's really all I need. Calmly, and with just as much confidence as ever, I begin walking forward. The talking had stopped at this, and I'm sure most eyes were completely on me now. Closer and closer I got, until finally my actions were addressed by the cape-wearing assistant.

"Young man, exactly what do you think you're doing?" A fierce dedication to order showed in her voice as she geared up to scold me, but she didn't intimidate me. Casually I stopped in my tracks and wheeled my gaze over to her, not caught off guard in the slightest at the intense glare being thrown my way. Instead, I match her glare with a signature one of my own and even ante up with a deep scowl towards her. Her expression doesn't waver in the slightest because of my own, but I'm not put off by it.

"Making my own path. You really think I'll let you two play match-maker with me?" I growl back at her, forcing shock onto her face for just the briefest of seconds.

"You cannot be serious! You think that we'll let-" That brief second passed fast, and once it was over a cold fury was set on her face. Immediately, she started on what I'm sure was gonna be a tangent… only to be interrupted.

"And what would this path consist of?" Questioned the Headmaster, face carefully crafted to be unreadable.

"Getting a relic on my own, Gramps. The faster the trip is, the less chance I have of getting stuck with someone I couldn't give less of a fuck about." I state firmly, not lifting my eyes from his. Calmly, he takes a sip from his mug before continuing.

"And what of the person that would have become your partner? They would be left alone, and could possibly fail." He voices again, keeping his voice as blank as possible.

"Then they fail, and would've just gotten in my way in the first place. I'm not gonna let you chain me to someone out of pity for four years. That goes against everything I believe in." Might sound harsh, but I'm completely serious. I've got too much on my mind to play 'diligent partner' to someone that needs babysitting. If the person that fails has a problem with that, then I'll just crush em' in a straight fight. "We're done here."

The entire interaction couldn't have taken more than a few seconds, but the waves sent by it were very noticeable. The assistant I still don't know the name of had dropped her jaw at the few words we shared, and was busy looking at the headmaster like he'd gone crazy. For his part, he simply nodded to me in acceptance and turned back towards the line of potential students behind me. With a familiar gait, I take my steps towards the edge of the cliff. Soon enough, I break out into a short sprint, leaving behind all the whispers and looks I'm sure I received. Once the edge looked close enough, I put myself further into action. The soles of my sneakers pressed heavily into the dirt, and even as I crouched down and leapt far into the open air I'm sure I left deep imprints behind.

Thoughts of just what those others must think of me now passed over my mind briefly, right before being thrown away like trash. Even if they hate me, or think me arrogant and unsavory, it's good for me. The more they avoid me, the more time I have to go back to the Black Diamonds… and search for information.

Quickly, I reached the pinnacle of my arc into the air. Seemingly even faster than that, the wind from my descent became noticeable as it rushed past my face. The fabric of my open jacket was blown back by the air, and I could feel it flapping violently. Even my necklace was jostled from the wind. Seconds pass, and the feeling of falling finally reaches my guts. A large, real smile spreads across my face at the feeling. I can honestly say, falling is pretty fun.

At least, when you're me.

I don't bother with anything like aerodynamics as I go. No attempt at slowing myself by spreading out my limbs, and no moving around mid-air. Instead, I keep my arms raised at their leisure. The force of the air kept them just barely raised above my head like a bird. My legs though, I consciously kept them bent just slightly. I've learned from other falls that landing like a pencil from a high place can even hurt my knees, so I adapted. In what felt like mere seconds, the open blue sky transitioned to green foliage, slowly being completely blotted out by the canopy of the forest. In the next second, I'd made my landing.

The sound was loud like a landslide, and I'm sure a shockwave rushed through the ground. I'd landed in my best crouch, feet first and with bent knees. I'd also managed to put a good amount of the weight on my hands, as they'd shot down to help support my landing as well. The ground around my limbs sunk and shattered from the force of my drop, and in the end four craters were left behind once I'd dug myself out. After taking a few steps forward, I give myself just a second. Casually, I tap the tips of my sneakers against the ground to get rid of any debris, and also clap my hands to get the dirt off.

Thanks to my semblance, I felt damn near nothing.

After a quick stretch, I'm off. Towering trees fly by at high speeds, and heavy thuds sound off every time my feet make contact with the ground. The areas I pass by become different in terms of foliage. Some, the greenery becomes thick and nearly suffocating. In other areas, it's sparse and nearly bare. Either way, if need be it's trampled under the force of my advance. Seconds become minutes, and I'm left to dwell on the one thing that without a doubt let me know the direction of my target. While the old man was extremely experienced in hiding his emotions and thoughts, his body language still isn't perfect. Every now and then, even despite how well he kept it hidden, his eyes would flick here and there.

While announcing our goal to find a temple, he looked in a very specific location in the forest for less than a second. That's all I needed, and that's where I'm headed.

I saw quite a few Grimm during my sprint. A good amount of Beowolves and even an Ursa or two. All were too slow to really catch up to me though, and I more or less left the monsters in the dust. The only close call was relatively recently, with a Beowolf walking closely to my path. Before it even had the chance to notice me, I was already in its bubble. Instead of stopping to fight it, or move out of the way, I simply threw a quick punch at it as I passed by. The force behind the knuckles that dug into the side of its face threw its head to the side violently, and with a sickening crack it fell to the ground. Though I felt a smirk threatening my face because of my ease, I suppress it for later and focus on running.

The seconds passed quickly, and my speed didn't let up. If anything, it increased. So when I finally broke the tree-line, I was beyond relieved. It was a circular outcropping that greeted me, not really a temple as he'd said. I'd honestly put my money on the idea that he exaggerated if I were a gambler. Pillars stood against time, nearly half having crumbled away entirely and the rest supporting a curving arch around the outcropping. The floor was made of stylized stone, bearing some kind of pattern that I didn't care to study, and a broken stone wall framed the back of the podium. I didn't stop my momentum in the least until I was standing in the midst of the ruins itself.

Taking a few deep breaths, I cast my gaze around at the contents of the ruins and study them. Pedestals stood strong in a semi-circle just inside the pillars, each holding an item to call its own. Various chess pieces rested on each one of them, a near complete set of both black and golden trinkets. The pawns and bishops were both in black, while the rooks and knights were in gold. The pattern continues, with each piece having a matching one also in the same color. Slowly, I run my sight over them like water, taking in every detail. Eventually though, I stop on one of them.

"The golden knight piece." I turn the words over in my head as I say them, pretty much testing them out as I do so. A dark chuckle bubbles up in my throat as I'm taken by mirth, and a subdued smirk matches it perfectly. "What'll it take to make you fall, I wonder?"

The question was left unanswered as I swiped the piece up. I quickly shove it in my pocket and shoot a searching look towards the line of foliage at the edge of the clearing. Not a thing out of place, as far as I can tell. No voices, no eyes in the trees, and no rustling bushes either. With my objective done, it's time to make my way back to the cliffs. I adopt a faster pace to my usual walk and go to the direct left of the clearing, back towards the trees at a specific location. While choosing a more direct path would be much faster, I don't want to run the risk of running into anyone that way. Something like that would completely demean the purpose of heading out early, and I can't have that. If I just curve around the area and then shoot for the cliffs, I should be completely safe from any stragglers. The walk to the edge was over fast, and in the blink of an eye I was standing in green shrubbery once again. Just before I started my sprint anew, I look back out of curiosity. Much to my shock, the annoying one and the tall redhead broke through the foliage at that exact moment. As they take stock of the clearing they'd finally found, I don't dwell on it anymore. Instead, I just turn and run.

The pace I set was similarly blistering to before, and the brown bark of the trees shot past me just as quickly. Small shrubs got crushed under foot as I passed through each area, and eventually the curve of my new path became a reality. I'm sure even if I under or even over compensate while turning, I'll still be able to find the cliff pretty easily. How hard is it to miss a massive rockface in the first place?

As my path became straight, my pace increased ever so slightly. I dodged patches of trees here and there, and basically weaved myself through the forest itself. While passing through a fairly small and insignificant clearing, however… I met my very first obstacle. About halfway through the patch of clear land, a large object shot out of the treetops to land about five meters in front of me. Naturally, I stop myself to avoid hitting it. I dig my heels into the ground almost immediately, and the action left small gouges in the land from the carried momentum of my run. As I come to a stop with crouched knees, I finally realize the tremor that went through the ground because of our new arrival, and take the moment to study them.

A Grimm, first and foremost. Jet black flesh and fur were all it had aside from two other colors. Piercing red eyes stared back at me from the kicked-up dirt, and I find myself intrigued. It had long and lanky limbs, but even from here I can tell they're packed with powerful corded muscles. Covering the entirety of its human-like hands were stark-white bone plates, turning the appendage more into an armored glove. The same bone armor capped off the end of its crouched legs, protecting its thumbed feet just as well. A long black tail waves behind the beast as I look at it, and my eyes finally rest on its face. A wide, but comparatively thin coating of bone covers the flesh around its eyes, leaving most of its long face free for me to see. Under the eyes of the Grimm were senseless markings the same color of its eyes, branching out from there and even leeching into the black skin of the creature as well. Its mouth was set into a scowl, showing off large teeth with even larger canines, all as white as snow. As it rested on the ground quite naturally on all four limbs, both pairs of hands putting up its weight, it looked at me for a moment. I could feel it studying me as I did the exact same to it, and offered no resistance. Soon, the moment was gone, and in its place was an unsettling noise. From the depth of its chest, it let out a series of whooping howls that echoed throughout the clearing and even out into the trees. The howls were incredibly loud, so much so that I blinked in surprise at the decibel level. Accompanying that, the hair all over its body puffed up and stood on end, making the beast seem much larger than before. Soon enough, the whooping attracted more of the same sounds, and an entire orchestra of deep howls were carried through the trees and foliage all around us. It only helped confirm my thoughts.

A Pavian Major. A Grimm in the guise of a baboon.

"Don't see one of you every day…" I trail off, completely drowned out by the territorial screeching of the Pavian. Despite nearly being inaudible though, the Grimm seemed to have heard me and taken it as a challenge. The creature charged at me with a whoop, slamming its hands into the ground heavily with every step all the way to me. Once within range, the blood-thirsty beast raised up to its full height, just a few inches taller than me. A long arm rose high into the air, and in less than a second rocketed down to my collarbone with tons of force poured into it.

Just before it made contact, my own hand shot up and stopped it dead in its tracks. My grip around the armored primate hand tightened up, and the Pavian took a moment to glance directly at the captured appendage. It seemed to be in shock for a solid second that its blow had been stopped cold, before that shock evolved into intense anger. It howled directly in my face and attempted the same maneuver with the other hand, thundering it down towards the crown of my head. Likewise, that attempt was also stopped. Just as before, the Pavian glanced at his hand in confusion for a moment, taking in the fact that both his arms were caught easily. This time, however, I didn't allow it to react.

My grip increased ten-fold, and the results were immediate. The bone plating beneath my fingers were shattered and cracked like porcelain, and the Grimm howled in pain at this. I tugged our arms to the side of our heads, and just like that the positioning was perfect. Slowly, but unwaveringly, I began to twist both my wrists and my arms themselves. The arms of the baboon Grimm, while vastly bigger than my own, crumpled like tubes of sausage. The torturous force behind the slow twists forced nasty snaps and pops to sound off even over the pained howling of the Pavian, and it showed very nicely. Where before it was stood proud, the pain had forced the Grimm to its knees, putting it just a few inches below me, and just as many inches from my face. My next action was one that only I would realistically be able to take, what with the massive canines jutting out from the opened mouth and all.

My head snapped forward with the force of a bullet, carrying with it all the same unwavering force. As my forehead made contact with that of the Pavian, immediately everything went silent. I could feel as the bone mask shattered just the same as the hands, and when I draw back I see the full extent of the damage I'd inflicted. The head of the Grimm had been completely caved-in. The entire forehead of the nuisance was sunken in, and fault-like cracks covered the rest of the skull that wasn't. Smoke and ash rose from the monster's wounds, and the entire body went limp in a matter of seconds.

Quickly, I drop the corpse and move back from it. I'm not quite out of the shit show yet… there were more where that came from. The howling had stopped, and silence reigned over the clearing for the moment. I sweep my eyes all around me, looking for any splotch of black or white against the green of the trees around me, but found nothing.

"Where ya hidin', Cochise? I need a new fuckin' rug." I taunt them, just to try to get some movement. Needless to say, it didn't work. Seconds fly by of me scanning my surroundings, with no results at all coming from it. Just as I'm about to give up and simply move on though, a rapid series of thuds sound off from directly behind me. I turn on a dime with my hands at the ready, and in the end find myself clutching another Pavian by the neck with my left hand.

"Gotcha." I comment to it playfully, a small smile on my face as I do so. This particular Grimm is actually much smaller than the previous one. Where as the first one was easily taller than me, I was easily able to catch this one out of the air when it launched itself at me, and I'm able to hold it aloft without any effort on my part. I'm no expert on Grimm or anything, so for all I know that first one could have been the alpha of the pack. Either way, as the monkey Grimm attempts to crush the wrist of my arm under its grip, I'm hit with an idea. "Ya know kid, I think you'll do nicely."

My statement fell on deaf ears of course, but it's all part of the fun. I reach my free hand upwards and behind my head, allowing it to grip the handle of my weapon tightly and bring it to the ready. The tip of the massive sword drags along the grassy ground at first as I bring it around, but I fix that quickly enough. As I do so, the silk ribbon tied to the pommel flutters about, completely belying the danger of my actions. The light, even through the foliage, shines off my weapon quite impressively still. Then I enact my test.

With a hefty swing of my arm, I send the Pavian flying directly up into the air. I watch carefully as it eventually stops its ascent, and begins coming right back down to me. The seconds feel a lot longer as the howling Grimm gets closer, but I wait patiently. At just the right moment, I bring my blade to bare, and with hardly any force give a heavy slash that met no resistance whatsoever.

The sword cut straight through the Grimm, bisecting it cleanly along the waist. Smoke and ash pour out of the carcass as the two pieces slam against the unforgiving ground, each at a different time. I open my mouth to give off a joke, but before I can even get the first syllable out I'm cut off by a large open palm impacting against the side of my head. Any normal man would have been hurting from that, but even without my semblance active my aura almost totally negated any damage. Sure, my head still snapped to the side from the force, but nothing more than that. Instead of worrying about what it could be, my first instinct is to launch my elbow behind me with as much force as possible. Luckily, my instincts are good. My elbow landed solidly against what I'm sure is a rib cage, and I'm also sure that I pulverized it entirely. Not bothering to dwell on the feeling of bone shattering against my elbow, I swing around to find the culprit on the ground.

A third Pavian, this one tall as well was splayed out on its back. Its front hands were clutching desperately at the chest that had been caved in from the force of my blow, and its legs were jerking against the ground chaotically. Smoke pooled from its open mouth, and occasionally it coughed up chunks of soot from between its sharp teeth. Wordlessly, I walk to a position beside the damaged Grimm. As I walked, I rested the blade of my weapon against my shoulder, keeping my gait as normal and my gaze locked onto the monster that's writhing against the ground. In just a few steps I was beside the thing, watching it intently. Not even a second goes by before I grip my weapon with two hands, and loft it high over the grounded Grimm.

Without any hesitation, I plunge down. As soon as the blade impales the Pavian an obscene amount of soot gets coughed up, and in just seconds of twitching it too goes limp. The sickening, meaty sound is accompanied by the sound of dirt. The ease with which Jupiter Arc's weapon pierced through not only the Grimm, but also the land beneath it gave me a feeling of familiarity. I then plant my foot on the dissolving Grimm to get just a bit of leverage, and pull free my weapon. Once again I rest it on my shoulder with one hand loosely on the grip, waiting for a new challenger. Seconds go by just as before, but this time nothing attempts an attack. Once a full minute had passed, I begin walking in my previous direction once more.

"We'll have to do this again, boys. Got somewhere to be for now." I quip to the decaying Grimm, putting on a casual step as I once again anchor my sword to my back. Soon enough, I'd reached the edge of the clearing and continued past the barrier. In the trees, I picked up speed once more and began weaving my way between the facets of nature. Trees, brush, bushes, all of it passed by just as it did before my stop, and in no time I'd made it to my goal.

The face of the cliff was sheer, no leverage to be found on the rocky surface… or at least not at the location I'm at. A rough climb on the rocks though is no trouble for me. As I walk closer to the rock wall, I make sure everything on me is secure. All of my personal items I trust to stay put, but for the relic I take a bit of extra precaution. Reaching into my jacket pocket, I take the knight out and place him in the pocket of my sweatpants, leaving far less a chance for it to fall out on my way up. Once at the wall, I rasp my knuckles against the smooth stone harshly as a test. Nothing about the stone gave, thankfully. No debris were knocked loose, and nothing deformed immediately either. That's good for me, and that also means that this rock is more than perfect for what I'm going to do.

Silently, I will my semblance into activating, and then stab my open hand at the cliff face with a thrust. Without any tools, my hand bit into the rock perfectly, giving me a perfect grip against the stone. I repeat the process with my other hand as well, only a bit higher than the first one. After that, I basically work my way up from there. Soon enough, my feet were no longer touching the ground, and were instead wedged into the holds I'd made with my bare hands. My method continues like that for quite a while, leaving me to carve out a ladder along the side of the goddamn cliff. The time, while boring, was passed easily by the physical work, and before I knew it I was high above the tree line below. After noticing this, I decided to take a slight break from the monotonous climbing. Without any worry in my heart, I allowed my left arm to rest and leaned back, turning my head to view the sight behind me. It was in all honesty, beautiful. The sun was high in the sky at this point, lighting up the massive ocean of green leaves below in my sight. Hardly any clouds blotted the sky, and as I held my weight with my right arm, I could feel a nice wind against me that blew off of the cliff face. I wasn't bothered at all by the height, and actually felt it was quite peaceful as I washed my gaze over the landscape.

All good things must come to an end though. My good time was brought to an end when I saw a massive nevermore dive down into the forest in the distance, shooting feather projectiles and screeching loud enough to hear faintly. Upon seeing that, I immediately turned back towards the cliff and redoubled my efforts at climbing. I don't even have to explain myself as to why.

The time passed quickly once more in the monotony of climbing. The trail continued uninterrupted as I went upwards, sinking my hands into the stone wall effortlessly. When my hands finally pulled me up onto solid land though, I was happy to be finished with the task. Climbing might be easy, but that doesn't mean its fun in the slightest. Slowly, I manage to finally rise to my feet onto the same grassy land I'd started at. Without anything urgent to attend to, I spend a few seconds cleaning myself off. The rock dust coating my hands was shaken off first, and that was quickly followed by any stone debris that littered my clothes and shoes. Once I was satisfied, I turned my attention to the area around me. It took little effort to pinpoint the two in charge, as they were both staring at scrolls at the edge of the cliffs, completely invested in what they were seeing. With the same scowl as I left them with, I walk my way towards them. I quickly realized that they didn't even realize I'd arrived after making it to them. Still, the blonde woman stayed focused on her scroll and the white-haired man had switched to gazing at the forest itself.

I stood behind them with my arms crossed, and my scowl simmered down to a frown. There's no reason to stay here and waste time.

"Hey." I say flatly, breaking the silence abruptly. The reaction was immediate, with the blonde woman nearly dropping her scroll from shock. The old man's reaction was much more subdued, as he just twirled around to face me. Once his gaze was locked with mine, he planted his cane onto the ground and rested his hands gently on top.

"Finished, I take it?" He asked, a bit of actual interest leaking into his voice as his assistant gazed upon me strictly. As a way to answer him, I just uncross my arms and dig into my pocket. I retrieve the knight piece, and then toss it to him lightly. After snatching it out of the air, he takes a moment to inspect it… and then shares a look with the blonde next to him.

"We will make an announcement for where the victors shall be needed later in the day. You're free to go for now." He relates to me, turning back to me with analytical eyes. I don't give him the time to search for anything though, and depart with a simple nod.

As I trek back to campus from these cliffs, a new target is in my mind. I believe it's about time for lunch.

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The cafeteria, unlike yesterday, is completely packed.

Considering this is a school, that's not so surprising. Teams of four took up the tables, and sometimes teams even doubled up and mingled with each other at a single table. Given how many students attend Beacon though, even that doesn't save much room. In all honesty, I'm proud to have claimed what looks to be the only empty one at the moment. I'd kept my weapon with me, so I quickly got used to occasional glances from the official students and got to focusing on my food. I have to say, the chicken gumbo here ain't bad at all. Just as I raise my spoon to my lips for another bite, I end up pausing.

A metal tray sat itself on the table next to me. Following the tray, a girl dressed in black and white sat on the bench.

In all honesty, I'm a bit stunned that she's had the gall to sit with me without asking twice now. That's probably the sole reason why as I stare at her carefully, my gaze stays solidly neutral instead of my usual challenging glare. She stares back just as neutrally. Our eyes stay locked together for a solid, long second before she looks towards her food instead, my eyes following as well. Her tray held the same thing mine did, chicken gumbo. In time, I averted my eyes completely and continued eating my lunch. This girl followed suit, eating without a care in the world in complete silence. Minutes passed, and with it my suspicions grew.

A few four-man groups had arrived looking scuffed, and in my mind that means that they'd either been training or were part of the initiation. What really sealed my theory, however, happened after we'd polished off our food. The silence still stayed, with her reading a book and myself going over messages on my scroll, when the damning evidence walked through the doors of the cafeteria. As a group, every last person I'd set myself to start avoiding walked in. The blonde one, the one in the cape, the annoying one, the polite one, and even Green and Pink as well. I watched as they walked to the line for food pick up, and quickly eyed the girl with yellow eyes beside me.

"I'm not the only one that took on initiation alone then, eh?" My question was confident, but also nonchalant. The prompt didn't give me her eyes, but it did give me her attention.

"You made a good point. The idea of being tethered to a stranger for years isn't a… pleasant one." She says, cutting straight to the point. One of my eyebrows raises just slightly at her answer, but other than that, I don't react. In my mind, however, her position shoots up several levels.

"Don." I state without explanation. As I was about to go back to my scroll, she actually looks up from her book and looks at me questioningly.

"What?"

"My name… Don. Anyone who sees the value that I do in freedom isn't a waste of space in my eyes, so I introduced myself." I explain to her with my typical penetrating glare coming into place. Not so much a glare that'd have you shaking in your shoes, but one that lets you know I'm serious.

Variety of glares I have mastered aside, I watch as her eyes light up at my words. What part she found interesting, I'm not sure. Either way, she returned the brusque gesture of mine.

"Blake… and I suppose the same to you." Her answer is tentative, but she's hidden that behind a distant tone. She's an interesting one. After giving her name, she doesn't immediately go back to her book. Instead, her gaze absentmindedly falls to the table. After a moment of thought, I decide to continue the 'conversation'.

"How'd ya manage to dip the others in the forest?" I don't hide my curiosity with the question. The fact that someone adopted my self-appointed challenge, while still being deployed with everyone else and succeeded sounds like an interesting story to me. Her eyes snap back to my own briefly at my continuation, but calm down quickly after looking at me.

"I stayed out of their sight in the trees and went straight for the clearing. By the time I showed myself to get a relic, everyone was already partnered. While the others stuck around the temple, I chose to leave and complete the task." She answers, getting a nod of approval from me. Before I could respond, though, she turns to me with a question of her own. "How did you climb back up the cliff?"

I can't hold back the small chuckle at the question. It was something I wasn't quite expecting.

"I carved out a neat little art project on the side of the cliffs and worked my way up. You saw that?" I question her, actively holding back a smile at the mention of my work. A skeptical look passes over her face for an instant before being washed away as she responds.

"More like I used it. That path of yours made getting up much easier than I thought it would be."

"Neat, ain't it?" She scoffs completely at my comment, before immediately throwing in one of her own.

"Sure, if you want to call carving a ladder out of smooth stone all the way up a cliff 'neat'." The smallest of smiles passes over her face at the absurd nonchalance displayed towards my actions. I felt another chuckle bubble up, but suppressed it instead. Briefly, I take a moment to look up from ourselves at the scene around us.

The tables were still filled to the brim, and it doesn't look like many have left at all. The noon sun shined through the tall windows of the cafeteria, lighting up the room well. My eyes pass over many of the tables, and just as I'm about to continue our little conversation… I spot trouble once again. Coming clumped together just as they'd arrived are the others. Small Red is leading the group this time, followed by all the rest. The fact that they're in the room wouldn't usually bother me in the slightest. Nah, the real problem is that she's herding them to come directly for me. While the others look a bit nervous or distasteful, the small one in charge has nothing but bubbly friendliness on her face and big wide eyes.

Time to make my escape yet again.

I grab up both my scroll and my tray, ready to vacate the area immediately, before I pause myself. A glance to my left shows Blake, completely oblivious to the impending danger. I conceal a deep breath as I look at her, trying my best to prepare for my last-minute move.

"Fuck, the others are comin' this way." I mutter loudly, not even putting on a show as to my annoyance at their arrival. This catches Blake's attention quickly, and as soon as she laid eyes on what I was talking about she let out a groan of displeasure. "Blake, wanna bail before they get here? I kinda left you to them yesterday, thought I'd at least give ya the chance now that I know you."

I offer this off the top of my head as I get up from the bench, making sure I have everything that I came with. Only a second passes before I have an answer, and she didn't even need to say it out loud for me to figure it out. Quickly, she gathers up her book and tray. She gracefully removes herself from the table and stands before me with a grateful look on her face.

"I wish you'd have offered yesterday too, Don. Not only did they interrupt my book, they decided to start yelling right next to me." She says with a huff at the memory. As she starts moving away towards the exit, I fall in step with her. I hope the amusement isn't plain to see on my face, but I don't obsess over the thought. In no time, we'd deposited our trays and made it outside. Walking along the path together, with the sun beating down on us, another question pops into my head.

"What piece did ya pick?" With my hands buried in my pockets, I took the time to look at the other people passing by as I waited for her answer. A nice gust was blowing against us at the moment, jostling not only my open jacket but also my necklace as well. I take a glance at her, and see the breeze hitting her as well. The ribbon of her weapon trailed back because of the wind, and I'm sure the small trail of silk on the pommel of mine was doing the exact same. Her black locks waved slightly in the wind as she turned to me with a raised eyebrow and answered.

"The golden knight piece, actually. What about you?"

I almost stopped in my tracks at her answer. I very nearly stumbled over my feet because of it, but forced myself to stay composed even though my mind was busy rebooting.

"Well ain't that a coincidence… me too." Even more amusement tinged my voice as I shot my comment. "Wonder if that means anything?"

Blake just looks at me in surprise for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. I feel the exact same way… who cares? We'll find out, soon enough.

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In a massive circular room, I wait. The area is rife with people; crowded, in my own opinion. Both the floor and the multiple benches of the upper level of the room were filled to the brim with people, and at the moment all eyes were on the stage. Built basically as an inclined area with a lit-up set design framing the back of it, it's my opinion that it serves its purpose well enough. On the inclined area stood the Headmaster dressed in green and black, a man I finally found out goes by the name Ozpin. Also on the stage were four guys, each dressed in at least some form of armor. High above the incline were two projected hologram screens, both displaying the same image of the four boys with letters just below their mugshots.

As a group, all of the initiates were stood together at the side of the stage, ready to be called on at a moments notice. Blake and I were positioned noticeably further away from the others, but not so much that we couldn't hear their chatter.

"Congratulations, young man." The Headmaster says warmly to the new leader of Team Cardinal, a team made up by the letters CRDL. Since I don't care enough to learn their names, or even listen to them, that is what I know them as now.

Quickly, the four new students vacate the stage entirely after a brief round of applause. As they walk off, the hologram screens were wiped of both pictures and letters and left blank for the next team. The second the stage was cleared, the old man continued with the next team.

"Weiss Schnee, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos." He calls out, allowing the students time to come up onto the stage. The annoying girl, Green, Pink, and the uncomfortably polite one walk up on stage in the same order as the pictures. For this particular batch, I actually pay attention to the names and faces. I'm only slightly surprised that the kid with white hair actually is a Schnee. I'd joked with the name as an insult in the past, mostly because of their reputation. Seeing her personality though… I have to say it fits. For some reason, the name Pyrrha Nikos also rings a bell in the back of my head, but I just can't quite place it. I doubt it's important if it doesn't jump out at me, so in the end I ignore it altogether.

I give off a low whistle as the mugshots fade-in on the hologram screen above our heads, taking in the spectacle for what it is. While scrolls are cool and all that, traveling around the countryside villages and settlements of Mistral didn't really give me much opportunity to stare at holo-screens bigger than a grown man. Sometimes the small things can be pretty interesting, depending on who you are.

"The four of you have retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Silverfin." While I have some reservations about calling the gold pieces 'white pieces', I try to ignore it. Instead, I watch the letters come onto the screen above me. S, L, V, and N in order. "Led by Weiss Schnee."

I can see pride bloom on her face at the announcement, and immediately she looks towards the girl named Pyrrha with a smile. A scoff to my side has me looking at Blake instead, and what I find nearly makes me chuckle. She'd crossed her arms at the announcement, and was staring the white-haired girl down with narrowed eyes. She didn't mar her face with a scowl or anything, and in all honesty I'd say she pulls it off.

"Congratulations, young lady." His voice is just as warm as before, and soon enough Team Silverfin were off the stage.

Thinking about it, I actually wonder how he's going to announce the two solo teams of myself and Blake? Maybe he'll give some sort of speech before he calls us up or something.

"And Finally, Ruby Rose-"

Starting off with the duo then? That makes a bit of sense. Why'd he say 'finally', though?

"- Blake Belladonna-"

My head immediately snaps to Blake, confusion definitely showing on my face at his announcement. Her own eyes were wide in surprise, and gradually a scowl takes over her lips. The gears in my mind start turning, but I'm not liking where they go in the slightest.

"- Jaune Arc, and Yang Xiao Long."

…

He did it.

The yellow and red ones are already up on stage by the time Blake and I start to move. With each step I'm hit with the realization of what he's just said. My face turns to stone, showing absolutely no facial expression beyond that of displeasure, but that doesn't stop my teeth from grinding together. Every movement I took to get into position on the stage was slow and calculated, just like that of a predator. Once in place, Blake and I both fix him with red-hot glares, my deepest and vilest scowl directed at him as I stand there.

Fucker doesn't even blink, but at this point I'm not surprised in the least.

"The four of you accomplished something interesting. Two of you retrieved the white knight pieces, while the other two managed to retrieve the sole queen piece." Although I swear I can hear it in this mans voice, he does not smirk. "From this day forward, you will work together as Team Rosebay."

From the corner of my eye, I see our mugshots on the holo-screen, accompanied with the letters RBAY. Just before he continues on, I see him glance quickly at both Blake and I before redirecting his gaze. My glare worsens even further as my hands clench tight.

"Led by Ruby Rose." His final announcement is met with thunderous cheer from the gathered people in the crowd. To the side of me, Yang leaps towards the team leader with a bear hug and congratulatory shout, showing off just how happy she is for her younger friend. I just keep my eyes trained on the man in front of me, itching to dig into him at the slightest move. The gears keep chugging in my mind, trying their best to figure out exactly why he'd bother with us just to jump this on us so cleanly. Then, he turned directly towards me, meeting my gaze evenly despite the rage put behind my stare… and he fucking SMILED at me.

"It looks like things are shaping up to be an… interesting year."

In that instant, the gears clicked into place. With the realization of what happened, my scowl shifted seamlessly into a sickly smile that smeared itself across my face, and my hands were balled up and shoved into my pockets. With everyone cheering, the blonde assistant of the Headmaster came and took the spotlight. In his stead, she belted off rounds of information regarding class times and dorm locations, but my mind felt much too heavy at the moment to bother listening. Blake, on the other hand, easily captured my attention as she turned to me with a light scowl on her face.

"This has to be some kind of joke! What about our solo completion of the trial?" It's not so much that anger is present in her voice as it is sheer indignation. As I look to her, contemplating my next move, everything seems so clear at the moment.

"Ain't it obvious, partner? Gramps just duped our asses." I state, growling out the last part because of the shame I feel at being tricked so easily. Most of the anger had evaporated at the realization, but indignation still runs rampant through me at the turn of events.

"Partner?" She asks me, seeking clarification. With a good dosage of humiliation thanks to the old man, I give it to her.

"That decrepit old fuck never set a time limit on the eye contact rule." I clarify, rubbing a hand through my short hair absently. "And you were the first initiate I made contact with…"

Seconds passed as Blake took her time absorbing the information, with myself still messing with my hair without thinking about it. After a while of thought, I let out a disappointed sigh. Coincidentally, Blake happened to match me almost at the exact same time with a sigh of her own. I wheel my eyes back over to her, and instead of a scowl or any sadness, nothing but a soft pout remains.

"I guess I could do worse for a partner." She states, surprisingly optimistic about the situation. I hummed at her statement, and issued a quick challenge to it.

"You could, couldn't you?"

"Absolutely. Either of us could have been chained to the Schnee instead." She whispers the name to me like a curse… which to be totally fair, it is.

"That's like a truth written in stone. I guess on the bright side, I got paired with the only one of this lot that's not helpless."

I'll have to keep my distance still, sure. But at least she won't try and cling to me for no reason other than naivete.

"Hm." She hums noncommittally with a contemplating look on her face. Quickly though, her eyes flick to mine with a spark in them. "So… Jaune Arc, is it?"

…

That old fucker is gonna have trouble saying that name when he's too busy coughing up chunks of his own spine. I think that's how I'll solve this.

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Chapter 2 µµµµµµµµµµµ END µµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµ

And there we have it. A pretty fun chapter with Grimm and all that good jazz. Once again, I'm pretty happy with how this chapter turned out, and I think for the most part I'm setting up a good base for where I want to take my story. Also... I wonder what this semblance could possibly be? Guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out! Before I get to any announcements or anything, I'll go ahead and go through the comments from last chapter in order from first to last. All twenty-five of them!

Let's go.

merendinoemiliano – Thanks for the comment my man, and I guess we'll just have to see about that.

Greer123 – Thanks for that, dude! I really appreciate it, and I hope you enjoyed this new installment. I'm doing really well actually, and I hope you're doing the same

Xealchim – Noice.

TheForgottenKnightmare – Thank you, my man! I appreciate it a lot

rwbyfan0071 – Surprise! I'm back with a much bigger chapter this time!

DARKPHANTOM13 – I'm glad to hear ya like Jauney-boy here. I've been thinking about this character for a while now, so I hope he seems pretty solid all around. I think you'll like where I take this story, honestly.

lightningkick – Thanks dude! I've been developing this boy here for a little bit, so I'm glad I decided to start this once my writing evolved. Hope I didn't keep ya waiting too long

Guest – Thank you, my shadow friend

theawesomest5 – aw yea, my man

HAIL KING DELIRIOUS – Noice

sunkenpanda – I love me some One Piece, dude. Cheers to that, and I hope you enjoyed the new chapter my man! Thanks for the comment

Guest – Thanks man, I hope you find this one entertaining too

Fatman 42 – Goddamn this comment is really flattering man! I really appreciate that you like my little gang that I've made here, and that you enjoyed it so much. Hopefully I didn't keep you waiting too long for this new one!

InuctusCorde – Hope you had your ears open for this chapter then, my man. I came at ya with a lot more words this time. Hope you enjoyed it

Guest – Thanks my dude! I appreciate the feedback on the music too, actually. I think I'll keep it low in this story if I put in any at all.

Timothy Tucker – Thanks my man, I hope this chapter finds you well.

Reader – Very very close, my man. Last chapter I said 'the woman and the boy' though, so Blake doesn't really fit that time stamp with Jaune being 10 at the time. You got half the equation, though

Zetsu-Bunshin – I really love MGS man, and I guess you might be pretty happy with the start of this chapter then, eh?

DECADSM – Thanks man, I've been working pretty hard on it. I find things like the New York Mafia and the Yakuza to be incredibly interesting too, so I put just a bit of that energy into a lot of things I write. I'll be sure to try and keep it up, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

geohvod – Thanks man, I really appreciate the comment on my diction a lot. I've been reading as my hobby for most of my life, so I kinda picked up a lot of habits that way and now I'm learning how to use them properly in writing. I'll be sure to keep the train going!

clary1925 – Thanks! I hope this chapter kept up the trend

Ninjawithafro – Woah, this has to be one of my favorite comments on here, man! I'm glad you like the dynamic in Black Diamonds, it's pretty interesting weaving a bunch of different characters together like this, and I have a lot of fun coming up with the characters too. I don't think you'll be disappointed once it comes time for Blake and Don to talk about the past; that's going to be a major theme in this story. I hope this chapter gets to you well, and that you enjoyed it as much as the last. It's a lot longer this time, so I hope the quality didn't downgrade or anything because of it.

whynoceolocanth – Thanks dude, I really appreciate that bit you said about storytelling. Writing is my favorite thing to do in the world, above pretty much everything else I can think of. I'm glad you have so much confidence in the story already man, that really means a lot! I've got the main storyline planned out pretty well in my opinion, so I hope it keeps you interested. I think I'll keep the songs limited in this story for now, actually. I love sharing the music I listen to while writing scenes, but I feel it might take away from this particular story if I did that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the last!

Jaerskov Tempestwing – You got it homie; I hope you enjoyed this one too!

Tymius windboi – Ishya boi, Guzma, here to deal out destruction in human form!

Damn, guys. Lots of people to respond to off of just one chapter, and I really love it! I hope all of you leave another one for me this time as well, because I love hearing from the people reading my stuff. I really enjoyed that, so I can't wait until next chapter when I get to do it all again!

Anyway, I mentioned an announcement or two at the beginning of the chapter so I suppose it's time for that now.

First up, I have a twitter account that you can follow if you want to. The handle is BigBossHorizen and if literally even a single one of you follows me, I guess I'll be posting updates and the like there on chapters and ideas. You might have to search for BigBossAniki if it doesn't show up, but you'll know it's me if the name is Shore. I'll still be using it to retweet art that I like and all of that good stuff too. I hope to see some of you over there eventually, might be kinda cool!

Now with that out of the way, I also wanted to let you all know that I might be gone for a minute with updates this time. I'm going to be doing something that I've had on my mind for a good while now, but never felt that it was the right time or that my writing style was good enough. Over the past year that I've been on here I've gotten more support than I've ever had before, both in the form of criticism and compliments, and I feel that I've grown a hell of a lot.

That's why, for the next piece of writing that I'll be working on, it won't be for one of my stories on here. Instead, I'm going to crush out the first chapter of my very own original work. I'm really excited to start on this, and I have been for a while now. I have the basis and storyline all thought out, and I'm going to try my hardest to put my skills to the test to make something all on my own. I'm real nervous, I'm real excited, and most of all I'm real happy that the people on FF have been so supportive of me to where I feel I might have a chance to put my foot in the door.

This is a personal project of mine, needless to say. If any of you are interested though, I guess I could post updates about that as well on my twitter account. I feel it's going to be a very fun story.

So yeah. Wish me luck on that, because it's probably going to be the biggest step I've ever taken in my life.

Anyway, let's move on from all of that. I'm just going to thank you all one last time for sitting down and reading all my stuff, and I hope you've had a good time here as well!

Take it easy, leave a comment telling me what you thought of the chapter and everything that happened in it, and I guess follow me BigBossHorizen too. Feels weird to say that, but I guess that's my new tagline now.

Welp, I suppose that's it. For now, this is Shore signing out.