Not Even Aura Can Heal All Wounds
By wildstraydog
Beta: Super Saiyan Cyndaquil
Chapter Fifteen: An Unavoidable Dance
Not much to say again for this chapter, but we're close to the finale of this particular arc. The second chapter of the revamped The Victim should be out soon as well, it's now called The Haunted in case anyone is confused. Also I'm working on a collaboration with a certain author you all probably know very well, so look out for that soon.
Jaune stirred in his sleep, rousing awake from the chirping of birds played in his ears from the window. He let out a moan and shifted under the covers, straining to open his eyes and look upon the faint light from outside. The scroll on the table next to his bed read 7:15, barely an hour before everyone needed to get up. Jaune let out a cursed mumbled and attempted to close his eyes and go back to sleep. But he couldn't, not after the dream he just experienced.
The setup was simple and familiar, beginning with him sitting at a table made out for ten people. From the doors his family walked in, smiles gracing their varying features as they sat down to enjoy the meal his mother prepared. Nobody said a word, eating their dinner in peace until it was time to speak of their business for the day. They all turned to him to give an answer, yet he said nothing, only returning a smile back at them. Then the faces morphed into something horrible, aberrations that twisted into looks of disappointment.
He sat up from the bed and let the covers slide off his exposed chest, rubbing his groggy eyes until he could make out the room. On the other side of the room Blake still rested, a slight purr escaping from her—it was pretty cute, but he wouldn't dare mention it. Jaune reached over to the side and put on a shirt on, lightly placing his feet onto the wooden floor. He made for the shower and prayed that enough hot water would be available for Blake.
They would all be leaving before noon and returning to Beacon, something that he was grateful for. Blake understood why now but that but didn't change her opinion, she was still pissed. Though, she wasn't blind either, realizing the threat they faced was beyond their skill level. Actually, he was confident RWBY could take them on, but not with him around. Going back to Beacon, it sounded weird, he felt like they were gone for months, and it made him realize he couldn't stay there forever.
Maybe he could ask Professor Goodwitch later. There were still some arrangements they had to speak of when he returned anyway. He still couldn't believe that he would be living with her during the summer. Professor-no, Glynda Goodwitch, was now legally his mother.
He twisted the knobs and felt the last drops of hot water trail down his back. A good shower always helped him to clear his mind when he felt down. Jaune's relaxed state didn't last when a rap on the door alerted him to Blake's presence. He cracked open the door and was greeted to her irritable face, drooping eyes staring back at him with a hint of disappointment. Blake's luscious hair was tossed around and pointing in all directions, causing him to almost chuckle.
"Did you really think you could sneak in without me knowing?"
"Maybe, I tried my best," Jaune answered with a smug grin.
Blake released a sigh and pushed the door open, walking past him with a towel in her hand and a blush on her cheeks. "If you dare to peak, don't expect to leave this room with every body part still attached." Jaune rolled his eyes and let Blake shut the door behind him.
Despite her humorous warnings, he couldn't help but imagine Blake's slim figure and creamy white skin exposed for him gawk at. She was beautiful like every other girl at Beacon, but something about her was distinct, an air of mystery that made her appealing. The mere thought made him blush and he hurried to put on his armor, hoping that she couldn't read his thoughts.
He only brought one bag that contained medicine and supplies in case anything happened, so he decided to go downstairs early and catch breakfast. Yang and the others valued their beauty sleep, so he didn't expect to see them until right on the dot. If there was one thing he learned spending time with RWBY, it was that he always woke up the earliest.
The inn was empty save for a couple men in the corner passed out on the table. He couldn't imagine ever getting that drunk, not when you couldn't remember a damn thing the next morning. Jaune took a table big enough for the rest of the group near the door and sat down. He stretched one last time and released a loud yawn, gaining the attention of the barmaid. She looked to be much older than him, but maintained a rustic beauty with her curly brown locks and freckles.
"What can I get for you?"
"Just some hash browns for now, I have one more coming and the rest will join later." She nodded with a friendly smile and walked back into the kitchen with his order.
The silence in the bar was unsettling almost, Jaune used to the raucous from its patrons on most nights. These people were able to brush aside a catastrophe with ease, joining in each other's revelry and celebrate each day as if it was a holiday. That resolve was admirable, something he lacked and struggled to attain. Was Blake right that they deserved better, that leaving them was a death sentence?
Jaune believed that Glynda was true to her word, that she would seek out help from professional Huntsman and Huntresses to ensure Mariani would receive protection. Not even the council would ignore the threat of individuals with the ability to speak with Grimm.
"Did you already order?" Blake's voice caused him jump.
She looked at him with an odd stare and sat down. "Sorry, was thinking about something..." The barmaid returned and set down a plate full of hash browns that sizzled, the aroma causing his stomach to growl in excitement.
"Having second thoughts?"
Was he? It was true he was worried, but he still had faith in Professor Goodwitch. And when was he going to stop calling her that?
"How do you think these people survive out here?" It was a simple question, but he was curious as to how Blake would respond. She put down her fork and looked at him with a curious gaze, those amber eyes unnerving him.
"I suppose like anyone else close to the wildlands: hunting for resources and food, patrolling the walls they built and maintaining them. The villagers also probably send a couple of people into the cities." That made sense, but he was talking more about the Grimm.
"What about Grimm?"
"They probably hired Huntsman," Blake curtly responded. "Villages usually send out contracts to major cities where a Huntsman or Huntress accept the offer. You probably didn't know this though." She was right, for all his ambitions of once wanting to become a Huntsman, he knew little about the process accepting jobs.
"So with Professor Goodwitch's backing, I'm sure they'll receive help immediately." Blake remained quiet, nibbling on her food.
"I'm sure once the headmaster hears of this..." Jaune continued to reassure himself.
"We can still convince them to stay, it's not too late," She urged. "You it will take too long to send someone out here—I know that you care for these people Jaune." She placed her hand on top of his, and froze.
Jaune blushed, the warmth from Blake's hand sending a fuzzy sensation throughout his body. It was akin to the butterflies that his mother described once when she met his father. He found his throat dry up as he struggled to respond to Blake's suggestion. She wasn't wrong, it probably would take time to send professionals out to the village, but that didn't change the fact that they weren't ready. He didn't want to see any of them hurt, and he never wanted to Blake in a body bag.
Not again.
"No... I think this is best, we're just not ready Blake." She retracted at his statement, letting go in an instant. Blake picked up her utensils and continued to eat, a clear look of disappointment painted across her face.
The hour passed with barely any conversation, all because he turned down Blake's offer. He was sure she agreed last night that they should return to Beacon, yet perhaps she was looking for a sliver of hope. More patrons began to fill the inn once the sun rose in the sky, and eventually he heard the mumblings of his teammates. Yang hopped down the stairs and saddled up next to Blake, though she caught the morose expression on her face. Thankfully she chose to keep quiet.
Ruby was followed on the steps by an irate Weiss, the two of them arguing over bathroom privileges. He was glad the rest of the girls were at least happy, it would help steer the conversation away from the village's plight. There was still no sign of Professor Goodwitch or Peach; they were probably busy getting things settled with the mayor. And knowing Natsuhiko he would probably flirt until she knocked him out cold.
He would love to see that.
"So you guys excited to go back to Beacon?" Yang asked with a slight muffle, a hash brown from Blake's plate hanging from her mouth.
"Oh I can't wait, especially with the upcoming Rainbow Festival!" Ruby exclaimed in excitement, her silver eyes sparkling with vigor.
"Rainbow...?" Jaune asked in amusement
"What in the world is a Rainbow Festival? And isn't the Vytal Festival supposed to take place later in the fall?" Weiss asked with mild curiosity.
Ruby bobbed in her seat and slammed her hands on the table with a large grin that split her face. "I'm surprised you guys haven't heard of it! In Vale, we have a festival every year that celebrates the color naming convention!" It must have been a Vale tradition, they held similar events within Mistral.
"Basically it's an excuse for everyone to party," Yang said.
"That's not true! But it is a lot of fun, they have carnival rides and shows—they even have blacksmiths from around the kingdom that come to display their work!" And there was why Ruby was so hyped up about it.
"It does kind of sound like fun, I don't remember hearing about it in my first year of school." Then again I was always cooped up in my room.
"A chance to relax once we return is welcomed, but don't expect our training to get any easier." Weiss responded with a look in his direction. She meant it too, he was about to succumb to a regiment of hell.
"What's even better is that our dad will be out there hosting an event for Signal." Ruby explained, huffing down her food in an exited manner and unbelievable speed.
"Dad's coming again huh... hope it's hilarious like last year's disaster." Yang said with a chuckle. Ruby looked down at her plate in embarrassment.
"What happened?" Blake asked.
Both sisters looked between each other with hesitant stares and giggled. "Well...," Ruby began. "Dad was supposed to configure a large firework display for one of the show's concerts, but it didn't go that smoothly."
"More like the tent caught fire and exploded," Yang continued to laugh. "Sparklers and Remnant candles were lighting up all over the place!" The rest of the group chuckled, while he imagined what kind of goofy man their father was.
He sounded better than his...
"Are you about ready to leave children?" Professor Goodwitch asked from around the corner. Peach stood next to her carrying a few stuffed bags of whatever materials she collected out in the forest.
"Ready as we'll ever be." Yang responded.
Professor Goodwitch nodded and checked her scroll, fiddling with the device until she was satisfied. "We've been informed that our pick-up will be in two hours, so during this time we should discuss how procedures will be handled once we all return to Beacon." She probably didn't want them spreading news about people talking to Grimm.
It would cause mass panic.
"What procedures?" Ruby awkwardly asked, butchering the pronunciation of the word.
"We should probably talk about this outside the inn." Professor Peach suggested, the volume from the patrons increasing around them.
Jaune paid for the meal despite protests from his friends, and they were led outside. In a rare sight since their arrival, the clouds were gone, a blue sky that was massive as the ocean looking back down upon them. The sun's powerful rays caused him to shield his eyes, but it gave the rest of the forest a lush color. Mariani was beautiful to look at when it wasn't covered in mud and rain, and the trees appeared renew and filled with life. The view on the way back would be picturesque, a reminder of how beautiful Remnant could be without the Grimm.
There were a few wooden benches outside the professor led them too, and it was away from the prying ears of customers. This would be the last time he got to visit Mariani, at least for several years if he decided to visit again. The lifestyle was tempting, but there were too many people around the world that needed his help and expertise. The only thing he could do now was pray that no sudden attacks befell on the quaint village. Maybe one day, he could retire to a place like this, if he had a family to take care of.
For some strange reason, he looked toward the girls.
"Now that everyone is settled, I think its time you know how this situation will be handled." Professor Goodwitch announced like the teacher she was.
"Let me guess, keep our mouths shut?" Blake voiced with disdain.
"Yes, Miss Belladonna, perhaps we'll also talk about your attitude towards your respected peers when we return to Beacon." Blake looked away, knowing full well she deserved the punishment from her.
"There's no reason to be so mean to the children." An old voice said from across the bench. Professor Goodwitch turned around slowly, eyes widening in shock.
He didn't recognize the voice or the man who spoke, but was fascinated by his almost robotic appearance. The messy gray hair definitely gave away his age, but his eye, it was red as blood and reflected off the sun with a metallic gleam.
"Now this is bold." Professor Peach voiced.
"It's been a long, Dr. Merlot."
Weiss reached for her weapon upon hearing the name. Her friends mimicked her motions, pulling out their weapons and training them on Merlot without question. Merlot relaxed his stance and gave off a sinister grin, keeping both of his hands within his pockets. He wasn't threatened at all by their display, eyes focused only on the professor. She wanted to freeze him in place right there, but Professor Goodwitch motioned with her free hand for them to lower their weapons.
"You trained them well, I expected the heiress to attack first." She gave off a grimace, the disgusting sneer on his face enough to make her vomit.
"Tell me why I shouldn't break every bone in your body?" Professor Goodwitch asked, her other hand gripping the riding crop on her waist.
"Because I wish to speak with you, it's been years has it not? At least give me a chance to explain myself before you try to kill me." Professor Goodwitch appeared wary, narrowing her eyes and thinking over the prospect.
"We can't trust him!" Yang whispered.
"Maybe we should hear what he has to say..." Jaune suggested, earning a look of disbelief from the others. Weiss was inclined to agree with Yang, nothing this man said could justify his insane experiment.
Controlling the Grimm only spelled doom.
"Very well... you have five minutes." He clapped at the response and took a seat on the bench next to them, eyeing Jaune with particular interest.
"Before I start, I have to know," Merlot said in an excited tone. "Mr. Arc, your family is quite famous, but I don't care about any of that—what is that uniform your wearing?" Jaune looked to the others for assistance.
He released a sigh pointed to the badge on his shoulder where the body armor left a gap. "I'm a student... of the Vale Medical Preparatory school, I'm serving as a field medic for this team." Merlot hummed in curiosity, tapping his robotic fingers on the wooden bench.
"How strange, a medic wielding a weapon, how contradictory." Jaune said nothing at his response, stepping toward the back of the group.
"Enough banter," the professor shouted. "What is it you wish to tell us? You obviously didn't come out here to share campfire stories." Merlot chuckled, turning his head to glance at Professor Peach.
"You've all grown, making me look an old grandpa. Tell me Glynda, do you think the Grimm can ever be defeated?" Professor Goodwitch stared at him with an inquisitive look.
"Defeat? That's a broad term, the Grimm will always be here, and the only thing we can do is reduce their numbers and try to expand our territories." Weiss tried to maintain her grip on Myrtenaster, but lifting it was tiresome, so she lowered her weapon.
Just because the professor said to, didn't mean she would.
"But that's not true... and you know it. How do you think I accomplished what I have? She, granted me this gift, to allow for other people to communicate with a force of nature that we never understood." She didn't understand anything the old man was babbling, yet the look on the professor's face said otherwise, her expression of unease obvious.
"You've... spoken to her?"
"Of course, we've spoken numerous times! You know how powerful she is, how she controls them, if we took her down the world would be at peace. Imagine an army of Huntsman with the ability to control the Grimm? My experiments have always been for the greater good, to make sure another mistake like Mountain Glenn never occurs!" Professor Goodwitch let out a sigh.
"It's ok to be wrought with guilt, Merlot." His face twisted in anger, his robotic finger shaking.
"What happened there, none of us meant for all those people to die, but now I can make it right—they think I'm working for them, you have to convince Ozpin and the council!" Weiss could only describe the expression on Professor Goodwitch's face as pity, regret that a man could be broken by his mistakes.
"You know that's not true... this isn't right, we can't play god, and by aiding anyone that believes themselves to be so powerful, it's troubling. Don't let them manipulate you like this Dr. Merlot, turn yourself in and help us." Everyone remained silent and waited for his answer.
"She's right Merlot," Peach added. "You're smarter than this." Merlot broke out into a guffaw, brushing his disheveled hair with his mechanical arm.
"She was right about all of you, so naïve..." Merlot snapped his fingers.
The villagers who glanced at the conversation nearby scattered when three Beowolf's strode through the gate, all three of them acting as transportation. The girl, Sherry, was on one of them, joined by two other boys. The boy on the left was rugged in appearance, wearing a dirty red tunic with a loose belt fastening his shorts. He looked at them with cold brown eyes, while most of his facial features were hidden by a red cloth. She would have admired the shoulder length brown hair that was braided, but his disgusted look erased that thought.
On the right was a shorter boy, his tousled short blonde hair dancing against the breeze in the center of the village. He looked to be about Ruby's age, but it was hard to discern from his shy expression and dead blue eyes that stared into the air. If they were like Sherry, they could order the Grimm like soldiers.
"At least take this battle outside the village!" Blake yelled.
Her complaints fell on deaf ears as more Grimm climbed over the gates, Ursa and Boarbatusks filing in. From the ground Creeps jumped out and began to attack some of the villagers, the local guard springing into action to fight them back. Everything was in chaos, and a fire erupted behind them at the local inn. Weiss moved without thinking, forming a simple glyph that shot a cold mist near the center of the fire.
"Children, take care of the Grimm and those three Grimm Talkers, I'll handle Dr. Merlot." He laughed at her orders, snapping his fingers again.
She watched as Professor Goodwitch stepped back in time to avoid a sinkhole. From the ground the tail of a King Taijitu whipped itself into the air, lifting Dr. Merlot onto its back and away from danger. The professor moved in to attack, but a large boulder obstructed her path. The rock moved by itself, as if alive, meaning it could only be a Geist. And she was correct when it emerged from the object, only... the Grimm appeared off and strange.
The Geist floated in the air and wiggled its arms in a witch-like motion, but on its back were green crystals that protruded outward like shards. The outlines of its mask were also tinted green, forcing Professor Peach to step forward with a confident smile.
"Kids you take care of the Grimm and the other guys, I'll handle the mutated Geist—trust me I'll explain what it is later!" Peach waved them off.
She didn't question the order, whipping her head back to break Ruby out of her shock. "Ruby, you and Jaune go take care of the Grimm and save the villagers—the rest of us will focus on these so-called Grimm Talkers." Ruby was about to protest, but she followed Jaune's sight, his quivering body putting her on edge. He was being overwhelmed by the numbers before him.
But She had business to finish with Sherry.