- Argus, a few hours later -
"Absolutely not." Nicholas Arc growled at the Atlesian specialist at his door. The man was taller than Clover by a few inches, as well as much more physically built compared to the lean specialist, but Clover had faced down Grimm and other opponents much more terrifying than this man.
"General Ironwood's orders, sir." Clover said, holding the scroll projecting the list of names. "Qrow Branwen, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, Liya Eyla, Markus Onissa, Oscar Pine, and Emerald Sustrai have all been called to Atlas for emergency and classified reasons."
"I refuse," Nicholas said stubbornly, arms crossed and everything. "My son is not going anywhere, not with you of all people."
"I'll say this again - I'm afraid it's under the general's orders," Clover said, clearly sympathetic for the young man's father. "Under the authority of the military base here in Argus, these students, as able bodied huntsmen, are ordered to comply under the reach of Atlas. Not to mention, it's not your jurisdiction to decide whether Mister Arc is able to go or not. He is an adult and legally able to make his own decisions."
Nicholas growled in response, before turning to Jaune, who was behind him. The rest of the family was there, all showing expressions of worry and fear. "Son, you don't want to do this," he said. "I know what happens to huntsmen who throw everything into helping others. They never get a good ending."
"I don't," Jaune said as he stepped forward, only for his dad to clamp his hand down on his son's armored shoulder. "But I have to. People need our help. And I can't sit back and abandon them when I could be doing something. I've fought for a long time. I can keep fighting."
"Even if you'll die in the process? Haven't you ever stopped to think about your family? Your sisters? Your mother?" Nicholas demanded. Jaune looked down, and shut his eyes for a second before opening them, a dark anger in his expression. Nicholas needed no words to know what his son's answer was.
That didn't stop Jaune from saying what was on his mind. "Of course I do. But if someone got hurt because I didn't want to do anything, because I wasn't strong enough to help them, how can I live with myself?" Jaune whispered.
"You've always wanted to be a hero, Jaune!" Nicholas boomed. "You always wanted glory like your grandfather and his father before him! Beacon may have changed you, but you've only ever run off because you wanted to follow some childish dream!"
Jaune spun around to face his dad, raw fury in his face. "I wanted to become a hero because our family did great things! They saved people, they fought and protected people to the bitter end! I wanted to be a hero because they were amazing people! I never wanted to be famous! I never wanted to be the best! I wanted to...wanted to..."
Jaune stopped talking and stumbled back, out of breath from yelling so long. He almost tripped before Clover caught him easily with one hand, a second before he could flop back on the floor and injure himself. "Whoa, I got you," he said carefully. "Look, why don't we take a break? We can get everybody together and-"
Jaune's eyes widened as he shot back to his feet. "Wait, Markus!" he cried. Everyone went silent, and he continued. "Markus was left behind on the train!" Jaune cried as he steadied himself. "He and Emerald stayed behind to fight off some massive Grimm centipede or millipede! He's out there!"
"A Decius?" Clover said, clearly disturbed by the wave of new information. "But those are native to Atlas...alright, we should get going then. Arc, grab your friends and things before making your way to the base. I'll head to the base right now and requisition some forces to help with the search."
"We tried that first thing when we came here, and the base wouldn't let us use any...oh, right. Atlas," Jaune said before he ran off towards where his friends would likely be, Clover turning and rushing to the base as well. On the way, he grabbed his scroll. "This is Specialist Ebi reporting in. I want a full recall to the military base. We have a situation."
- Nikos Estate, mere minutes earlier -
"She isn't going anywhere! She's already caused too much trouble by staying away from home for so long!" Pyrrha's father said to an irate Harriet at the door. His wife was looking rather exasperated at Pyrrha's father's embarrassing antics. "Now that she's finally home, you're going to take her away? I won't allow it!"
Harriet sighed before speaking up. "Sir, it's not up for debate. Invincible Girl's been an adult for a while now, and it's up to her if she wants to leave." She peered behind her to see Pyrrha talking with several men and women in suits, likely her agents and such. Many looked upset or protesting, but others had unreadable expressions and body language.
Mr. Nikos did not budge, failing to see how annoyed the shorter Atlesian speedster was getting. "It doesn't matter if she's an adult now, she still has many obligations to the people and her family to fulfill given her status. She's been far from home for long enough, and I won't allow her to waste her potential by running off on frivolous missions!"
Harriet turned to Miss Nikos. "Do you have something to say?" she asked, her tone sounding like she'd just brushed aside much of what the older man had said, which she indeed did.
Pyrrha's mother sighed. "I simply want what's best for my daughter. She's always stroven to be the best but...I can see she hasn't been happy. It wouldn't be fitting of us as parents if she remained miserable. She clearly wants to go out, focus on helping others. It's...it's why she became a huntress in the first place."
"Darling!" Pyrrha's father gasped angrily, clearly betrayed by what his wife had to say, but the redheaded woman did not budge, adamant in her opinion. Harriet had to smile at that. "But our family! Our daughter's safety!"
"Would you rather our daughter despise us for the rest of her life, using her for fame and personal gain?" the matriarch of the Nikos family shot back.
"You know that's not why I'm doing this," the man growled.
"Do you think she will care? Look at her, she's gained independence. She's become a huntress and chose to help people instead of fighting for sport," Mrs. Nikos said. "She's happy. All this time, she's had fame and money, but she's never had freedom or choice."
"But-" Mr. Nikos attempted before Pyrrha walked up, interrupting the conversation.
"Mother, father, I cut all ties. I compensated all my agents and sponsors after ending the current deals I have with them," Pyrrha said. "I will go to Atlas, as ordered by General Ironwood. The last job my agents and manager will do is finalize all the paperwork and payments for themselves and everyone else."
Mr. Nikos went red with fury, and Pyrrha's mother looked shocked as well, before she smiled gently, not saying a word.
"Are you ready to go?" Harriet asked.
"Dear, you can't go!" Mr. Nikos cried.
"Why, father? Why can't I follow my dreams? Why can't I focus on helping others? Why can't I become a good person?!" Pyrrha cried, her temper having been rising ever since she arrived in Argus, finally snapping.
"Because you'll die!" her father yelled, cutting off his daughter. He no longer had anger in his face, just desperation. "Huntsmen and huntresses die in the hundreds every day! Students in training die as well! You know the fate of poor Gretchen many years ago, on a training mission no less! If you leave, you'll never come back!"
"F-father, what are you-" Pyrrha blinked, too surprised to convey anything other than mouth gaping shock.
"I want you to have a safe life! A life where you have everything you want, where we can all be together! I just got you back...we just got you back. Please don't go..." the man whispered.
Pyrrha was stunned by the sudden break. She and her father had never been too close, as Pyrrha was usually doing sponsorships, training, and televised fights while Pyrrha's father did all kinds of business to keep the family afloat. All this time, Pyrrha believed her father cared about the money. Still, she had to know more. "Explain. Why did I almost never see you before I left to go to Beacon?" she demanded.
Harriet leaned on the doorway, also interested in this family drama.
"I wanted to prepare you for your future. I wanted you to live an easy life, to never have to work and suffer as hard as your mother and I have before we had you," Pyrrha's father said. "Mistral is already so hard to defend, and when you came back, I then learned that you made your way through Mistral on foot with your friends? And that you fought when Haven Academy was attacked? What kind of friends forces you to risk your life for them for months-"
"The kinds of friends that want to help people! The kinds of people like me, who will risk everything to protect others, to keep others safe. We protected each other when we walked through the countryside. And we fought the White Fang and the Grimm because people needed saving! I refuse to stand by any longer!" Pyrrha yelled.
"But-"
Pyrrha roared and punched the wall, a large hole forming in the wall as plaster and bits of drywall crumbled to the floor in a small rain of dust. Both her mother and father jumped in shock as their daughter projected violence they'd never seen before. Harriet blinked before grinning. This was getting good.
"I applied to study at Beacon to become a huntress. Even at Beacon, I was a celebrity. I despised it, everyone just treated me like I was above them, and it made me feel...unwanted. Nobody wanted to be my friend, but I found others. People who didn't care that I was the Invincible Girl , people who liked me because I was me. I refuse to give them up!" Pyrrha said. "I am going to Atlas. I am going to save people. And I will be a huntress and a friend."
There was silence for a moment, before Harriet's earpiece blinked and pinged. The shorter woman stood up straight at once and answered. "Yes, sir?" she said.
"This is Specialist Ebi reporting in. I want a full recall to the military base. We have a situation," Clover's voice said.
"What about the kids?" Harriet asked.
"Have them regroup and head to the base," Clover's voice ordered. "We have no time to lose, hurry!"
Harriet gave an affirmative to her squad leader before looking at Pyrrha. "We have to go. Find all your friends and make your way to the Argus Military Base," she said before she zipped down the street using her semblance - not wasting a single split second. Pyrrha made to run before a hand grabbed her wrist.
"Daughter..." her father whispered.
"I'm sorry. But I must do this...but I will promise to try and make it back home," Pyrrha said, smiling sadly to her misunderstood father and her ever so supportive mother.
"Go on then," Pyrrha's mother said as she grabbed her husband's unoccupied arm. "We'll be waiting for your return," she continued supportingly, smiling at her daughter with tears prickling at her eyes. With some tears in her own eyes, Pyrrha turned and prepared to leave. "I...I apologize for the wall." And with that, she left, pulling her wrist from her father's grasp and leaving him and her mother behind at the estate.
Jaune had sent out a group-wide text on his scroll to all the others, telling them to regroup everyone and collect all their things before making their way to the base. While he was still upset with his father, he made sure he gave a proper goodbye to everyone, which just ended up as one big group hug, and repeatedly promised that he would make it back alive and whole. He was still thinking on that when he saw a familiar red headed girl running in his direction. "Pyrrha!"
Pyrrha ran for several minutes straight, coming across Jaune about halfway across the city. She grinned widely as she heard his voice. "Jaune!" she cried as she saw him, panting tiredly. She tackled him in a hug before kissing him full on the lips, disregarding any and all people who were around to see them kiss publicly. They kept their lips mashed against each other's before breaking off for air.
"Did you hear, we're being called to Atlas!" Jaune said as he slowed his frantic breathing down.
"But we can't go, not without Markus and Emerald-" Pyrrha protested, being cut off by Jaune.
"It's alright, Atlas is going to look for them! They won't leave until we're all here!" Jaune said, hugging Pyrrha as he smiled. "Things might finally be looking up..."
"I hope so. I hope Markus and Emerald are alright..." Pyrrha said, hugging her boyfriend tightly before she broke the hug. "We have to go to the hotel. Which one are they staying at?"
"I...I don't know, we only ever stayed at our family houses, remember?" Jaune said, now very confused. He'd never asked what hotel they would be at. Maybe they told Pyrrha? "Do you know where it is?"
"Uhh, I don't think so. But, there aren't too many hotels in Argus, so it should be easy to narrow down where they're staying. Follow me!" the red headed former champion said before running, Jaune right on her heels. The two left the city block, unaware of the dozens of scroll recordings that were aimed at the two of them.
Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Liya returned to the hotel where Oscar was currently at. Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, Blake, Qrow, and the old woman - Maria, had yet to reappear. Liya was rather distracted during the walk, and despite Ruby asking if she was alright, she didn't answer
"Hey, kid. I need to talk with Oz," Liya said.
Oscar blinked up at Liya. "U-umm, alright," he said nervously before he closed his eyes. When he opened them, the nervous looking boy stood up straight with his hands behind his back. "Good day, Miss Eyla. What is the-"
"I need to use the lamp," Liya said. Ozpin blinked from the very unexpected request, and the former headmaster's silence indicated that he needed an explanation. "I have doubts about Markus."
Ruby and Yang gaped at Liya. "What are you saying?" Yang asked angrily. Weiss simply raised an eyebrow at Liya's words. Liya didn't seem to budge on the matter.
"Your partner?" Ozpin asked in surprise. "How so?"
"He...he mentioned stuff about what happened 'the last time around', as he's said it," Liya said as she crossed her arms. "He never mentioned Haven being destroyed. Things are different even without that interference of his. And some stuff that he said he'd prevent didn't change. So now I'm wondering...did he ever hide stuff from us?" Liya asked.
"Hide? Hide what?" Ruby asked, confused and just a little bit concerned.
"These are unexpected claims and accusations," Ozpin said. "These could all be unfortunate circumstances in the grand scheme of things. Haven Academy was destroyed because the White Fang attacked earlier than anticipated."
"And wouldn't Markus plan ahead?" Liya asked.
"Perhaps, but it was still unexpected-" Ozpin said, before Liya continued to talk.
"The Breach. He didn't have a way to stop the train," Liya said as she brought up earlier and earlier experiences. "The battle with the Paladin way back before then. The others say Markus was overwhelmed, but he did nothing about the big mech suit until it started wreaking havoc across the city."
"How could you say that?" Yang asked, getting defensive over Markus. As much as Markus was a painful subject, she still cared for him very much. "He got injured helping others when the train-"
"He helped the White Fang escape, remember?" Liya shot back. "He didn't even help against the train."
Ozpin blinked before looking down. "Markus did insist on the Breach event having to take place. Even if Ironwood helped prevent any more damage, was letting it happen a mistake?" he thought. "Who knows if what we did was right under Markus's suggestions?"
Now Ozpin was having similar thoughts thanks to Liya. A cold feeling entered Oscar's body as Ozpin's doubts began to get the better of him. What if everything was doomed now, because he allowed himself to be manipulated by a malevolent child?
"O-Ozpin. You're not seriously considering it, right?" Yang asked quietly. "You're doubting him now?"
He sighed before speaking up again. "I suppose I am," he said. "Perhaps I have been a bit too trusting with the boy. I thought it might be nice to change things when he arrived, especially when..." He fell silent for a moment. "I only hope it wasn't a mistake to do so."
Liya sighed, relieved that Ozpin wasn't going to fight her on this, but still, it was clear the others had their own doubts. "I don't feel very good about this. After everything he's done for us...after everything he's given us..." Yang said, clearly conflicted as she rubbed her prosthetic arm nervously.
"Yeah. He's done so much for us!" Ruby said, uncertain on which side to choose. On one hand, some of the stuff that happened did involve Markus in some way or another. On the other hand, Markus gave up so much in order to protect others and fight off the enemy. "S-should we?"
"I don't know for sure," Weiss said, sounding rather neutral in the matter. But it was clear she had some lingering thoughts on the matter. Little did the others know, she was wondering about her talk with Markus when she braided his hair back in Mistral. He seemed so vulnerable at the time, and she felt a headache coming along as she thought hard on Markus. "Some of it is rather suspicious. But...we need to know."
"I don't like this" Ruby said, but ultimately didn't try and stop Liya, her own curiosity and doubts beginning to peek through.
"I know," Liya said. "But you have to admit some things definitely went wrong. Like the destruction of Haven. Beacon still falling. Markus warned us about that, but it still happened. I don't know if he was wrong or if he was lying, but he's been...a risk." Markus's partner at Beacon winced, and she continued talking with new found resolve. "We need to know if he is a true danger to Remnant or not."
Yang winced. The mere thought of Markus being a danger to Remnant was a thought that made her feel sick to the core. Ozpin sighed before reaching into a drawer and pulling out the golden lamp, which glowed in his hands. "Jinn," he said quietly.
The lamp grew up to two and a half times in size, and suddenly, Liya felt the air around them freeze. Looking outside, she saw a Manta frozen in place in the air. People and cars were unmoving, and even smoke coming out of the chimneys in various buildings around the city of Argus stayed in place, not a single waft of smog moving at all.
A soft "whoosh" filled the air, and Liya turned to see a blue smoke billow out of the lamp. Liya and Ozpin stepped back, and the blue smoke billowed more and more, and Liya believed that the smoke would flood the room and disrupt their visibility.
The thought went away as the blue smoke dissipated slowly to reveal an equally blue woman. This woman was...very attractive looking and very tall. Other than the golden jewelry she wore, she had a large bust, wide hips, and soft looking shoulders. "H-hi," Liya whispered, the only one to speak after the others were stunned into shock.
The floating woman smiled and leaned down to look at Liya closely. "Hello, child," she said. Liya blushed at the very sultry sounding voice she projected. It was no secret that this spirit was very beautiful, and Liya sought to change that line of thought. For all she knew, this spirit could read and say what people had on their minds out loud.
"H-hi," Liya repeated, suddenly unprepared before she cleared her throat. "I need to ask you a question."
"Then ask," Jinn replied, the pointy eared spirit resting her chin on a floating hand.
Liya took a deep breath before looking at the others. Yang remained conflicted, and Ruby and Ozpin didn't seem to have any objections. If they did, they chose to set them aside. Weiss remained quiet all the while, and Liya finally decided to speak up.
"What's everything you can tell us about Markus, like everything he knows and everything he's hidden?" Liya asked sternly. Jinn simply smiled, as if she had something planned before the environment went white. No one could see each other. Liya was treated to a world of nothingness and silence, and she became unnerved. "Where...where am I?"
"There once was a boy named Markus, who had a normal life," Jinn's voice said, and the entire void filled up with blue smoke, dissipating to reveal an entirely new world before her. It was a lot like the city of Vale, but much more packed. Dozens to hundreds of cars raced up and down roads, and people were packed like sardines on the sidewalks. Buildings were taller than what Liya ever thought possible, and she found herself immersed in this world crammed full of civilians. "He lived in a world with no Grimm, no huntsmen, no magic, and no Faunus. A world full of imagination separated by reality."
Liya turned around as she looked for something or someone familiar, before she saw him. Markus. He looked just like he had before, although he didn't have any caracal ears. True to Jinn's word, no Faunus existed here. And there were so many people here - it probably wouldn't be a stretch to believe this whole city was capable of populating the entirety of the kingdom of Mistral's widespread territory.
"He was a lonely boy. A boy with loving yet busy parents. The boy grew up an outcast, separated from others due to the barriers of society," Jinn continued, as if she were telling a story. Yang blinked as the city she saw was removed in favor of multiple images. Images of Markus being alone, being bullied by others in what looked like a school, people avoiding him, alongside much more closer looks into his life. The blonde huntress in training gritted her teeth at the images, some of which showed true misery in his old life. Not a lot of them included his parents...but when they did, the interactions shown before her were either too casual, or not loving enough.
"That explains it..." Yang thought to herself. "He told us he was from another world where he knew how all our events played out but...man, to actually have it proven to us?"
"Markus enjoyed movies, stories, video games, and much much more. But what he enjoyed the most was the world of RWBY. Your world," Jinn said. Everyone in the vision was subject to Markus watching episode after episode of RWBY on his laptop, alongside reading books and looking up art. Ruby felt herself stumble back upon seeing a video involving her slaughtering dozens of Beowolves in the middle of a snowy field.
Yang watched herself beat up Junior and his goons, and she snorted at the memories. That small half smirk disappeared when she remembered the fall of Vale and Beacon. Where those guys alright?
They watched the events of Beacon play out, the normal lives of students learning to be the defenders of the world, the various dramatic situations they had to go through, their classes, friends, and more. But one thing seemed off. Other than Markus not being here, Liya noted that she was not there as well. Was she just some unimportant character without Markus, not worthy of one second of screen time? Not even a mention?
RWBY Volumes 1, 2, and 3 played out in Poser engine animation, not that anyone here knew what that was. Liya watched as the Vytal Festival came under attack like before, but on a much worse scale. Ruby collapsed to her knees and wept as she watched Penny die. She watched as the Atlesian Knights turned on the defenders of Vale, as Atlesian battleships went down thanks to a traitor infiltrating the flagship. Oscar watched as Ironwood was shot down, and as Adam attacked Blake and Yang. Her eyes went blurry with overwhelming tears as she watched Pyrrha disintegrate before her eyes.
Volumes 4 and 5 played out as well. Ruby watched from behind a tree as a furious Jaune watched the video from his scroll. Yang sat depressed in bed, while Blake and Sun fought the White Fang alone. Ruby, Qrow, Jaune, Nora, and Ren fought Tyrian, with Qrow nearly dying during their travels. Weiss watched everything that happened, from the gala to her disownment, and her escape.
Weiss and Yang watched as their two alternate selves talked with Raven, how magic was real and that Ozpin couldn't be trusted. Ruby shook as Haven Academy came under attack. Her sobs only grew louder as she watched Jaune suffer, as he attempted to fight Cinder and nearly lose, followed by Weiss nearly dying at the hands of Cinder. Weiss had clutched her eyes shut as she heard herself fall to her knees, gasping for breath as soon as the javelin impaled itself through her belly.
Volumes 6, 7, and 8 breezed by. Cinder's survival, Adam's death at Yang and Blake's hands, Penny's return, and General Ironwood working with them. Then General Ironwood turned against them. They watched as he tried to destroy everything he worked on for the sake of screwing over Salem and everyone else in the process. Ozpin and Oscar were silent in shock as they watched Ironwood turn against RWBY. They watched as he became a madman, slaughtering those who stood against him, and threatening to murder tens of thousands of his own people to get what he wanted. Ruby and Yang split up, as did Ren and Nora. The schism in their relationships all but mended with the rate of the flashbacks, but it all seemed so unreal.
Penny's hacking was shown, as well as the Staff of Creation forming her comeuppance to life, before her eventual death minutes later. The story ended with the scene of Jaune, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Neo falling into the abyss of another dimension. Yang watched in horror as she fell through the void. She watched as Ruby and Blake fell as well, before being followed by Weiss and eventually Jaune.
Jinn reappeared, the story vanishing before everyone's eyes. "Everything only gets worse from there. Something happens in the distant future that destroys Remnant, and Salem wins without any further intervention. And so, the gods decide to try again. They turn time backwards to prevent it from happening," she said. "And they bring in some help for a change."
"Markus," Yang whispered. Then the blue smoke billowed around them, revealing the city once again. An explosion made Yang jump, and she turned to hear crying and smell smoke.
She was prepared for a lot in life, but nothing could have prepared her for what she saw in front of her. Yang screamed at Markus's lifeless form lying on the asphalt in front of her, his eyes glazed over as blood seeped from his corpse. Everything went dark, and soon she was with everyone else again. Everybody was silent, all clearly in shock and horror at what they'd seen. Yang was the first to make a sound, collapsing on the ground as she broke out into uncontrollable sobbing.
"The boy needed to leave his physical form in order to transcend realities. And so, he needed to die. As far as anyone knows his death was a mere stroke of misfortune," Jinn said. Images of a funeral, sobbing parents, and a depressed household flashed, before it was all over. Soon, it was just the hotel room, Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Oscar, and Liya with Jinn. Time remained still outside.
Then they saw Markus waking up in the hospital with the police officer near him, hours before meeting Ruby at the Dust robbery. "And so, his impact begins. He made it his sole mission to save everyone and go back home," Jinn said. "Markus has no recollection of his end, as the gods intended. But they do not blame you if you wish for him to know the truth."
Yang remembered when Markus would talk about what little he remembered of his parents, when he said he'd find them once this was all over. Jinn sighed sadly before she left the room, disappearing promptly back into the Relic of Knowledge. Time resumed, and the residents of the room were left as a Manta flew by with a roar.
"...what can we do?" a still sobbing Ruby whispered.
Yang slumped against the bed and buried her face in her hand. "I don't know..." she said in a rasped whisper, her throat sore from the horrified scream. She could never forget Markus's battered corpse looking up at her, dead eyes portraying confusion and fear.
Yang whimpered.
- Village, an hour later, Markus's POV -
Sitting back I tiredly watched as Emerald and the dog, which we had come to call Biscuit, played and fooled around back in our tent. Biscuit had woken up relatively quickly after my next fight, and we fed him - the box we found earlier had food in it. Biscuit warmed up rather quickly, making us realize we were likely the only ones who showed him any kindness whatsoever.
That thought made me furious, especially since the dog was more than a few years old already. If Biscuit had no aura, I fear that he may not have lived this long. Still, Biscuit was touch starved - much like Emerald - and he wasn't about to let us get away so easily now that he's had a touch of affection. Not that Emerald minded, since I'm pretty sure she's never been around dogs either.
I would have joined in on the fun, I absolutely loved dogs despite never owning one of my own, but I had been absolutely swamped in fights as a new bandit would challenge me every time I took another down. For now, I was content lying down and letting my muscles get as much rest as humanly possible before I was eventually recalled.
I'd skipped over using my semblance in fighting entirely to save on as much Aura as possible, as well as to prevent Jackie from being more forceful in her recruitment, but it was getting more and more difficult. They just kept coming with no end, and with using a bit of Jaune's semblance to help with Biscuit's recovery, I definitely wouldn't have enough to portal us out of here.
An excited bark drew my attention back to the pair and left a small smile on my face. Biscuit was running circles around an equally excited Emerald, who was trying with all her might to catch and hug the excitable large canine, who was behaving much like a newborn puppy. Seeing this in front of me, I couldn't help but feel that it was worth it. Because everyone was so focused on me that Emerald hadn't been challenged too often, and being able to see her so carefree and happy right now...I'd fight them all again to make sure she remained that way.
Unfortunately our content moment of peace was interrupted when the entrance of our tent was opened and Jackie strolled in. She seemed to want to make a beeline straight for me, but paused upon seeing Biscuit. The dog had paused as well, no doubt still wary of others in the tribe. Fortunately I didn't need to step in, aside from the likely rising of a single eyebrow, Jackie stayed quiet, probably thinking I had claimed him with my strength or something.
"Already taking what you want, I see," Jackie remarked as she crossed her arms, confirming my suspicions. She didn't seem too happy, especially since there was no one challenging me right now. Emerald and I had already beaten a lot of people, either asserting dominance or simply running out of people to fight us.
Not to mention the semblances I learned. There were quite a few useful ones, such as one that allowed me to boost my speed and strength the longer I fought. At least, I think that's what it did. It was one of the very few fights that I struggled in, and it was a very strong ability. For technicality's sake, I think I'll call it "Wind Up".
"Called it," I thought dryly as she stood before me. Still I didn't want to annoy her, if only so she didn't make me fight more and because she still unnerved me. So I figured I'd answer truthfully while still appealing to her mentality.
"I've always liked dogs, and no one else seemed to be getting the full use out of him," I shrugged, trying to play it off cool. By now Emerald and Biscuit had settled in on her side of the tent, just watching us talking anxiously.
My answer seemed to amuse Jackie, as she laughed a little and then sat next to me. I found it a little strange, but I didn't back away. Emerald glared at her sitting so close to me.
"Well you've certainly given a fine showing of your strength to the rest of them, no one should bother about you claiming him," Jackie said as she stared deep into my eyes. "And if you choose to join me, your strength will be revered. Revered and worshipped."
Despite how hard it was to see her eyes thanks to her bangs, I could tell she was making deep eye contact. For some reason, I could tell that she was showing...kindness, as odd as that sounded. Still, if she was willing to take it easy on us, I wouldn't object.
"Does that mean I'll have to deal with less fighting?" I asked almost absent mindedly.
"Not from the ones you've fought at least," She replied smoothly, almost sounding reassuring, as she leaned closer. "You'll still have to prove yourself to some of the other members, but give it enough time and I have no doubt that you'll stand near the top with me, having all you could wish for."
Maybe it was just because of how tired I was, or by how much I wanted to believe her words, but that honestly sounded…nice. I said as much, and she grinned at me.
"Wouldn't it be?" Jackie replied as she caressed the side of my face again, but unlike last time I didn't pull away. "You could have all you could want. The best food, the best weapons, your pick of any of the men and women here..."
My mind immediately turned to Emerald at that last suggestion, would staying here make it as simple as that? However, her expression did throw me off for a brief moment.
"What the hell are you doing to him?!" Emerald shouted, as she stood with a snarl on her face and Thief's Respite pointed at Jackie, even though there was no ammunition inside. Despite that, the blades were unfolded and ready for combat.
The sight of Emerald armed and ready snapped me back to reality, finally realizing how close Jackie had gotten and where my thought had headed. Why would I want to stay here? Why was I so relaxed around Jackie when I've been so weary before?
I leaned away from Jackie, and I saw her expression showing true anger. Said anger was directed at Emerald, who still had her weapons raised, no doubt for interrupting whatever was being done to me. Was this a semblance? Some kind of persuasion ability? That was a scary thing now that I thought about it.
Maybe Jackie didn't have to fight, maybe she just had to talk her way to the top. Who knows if she had killed people just by making them do something they'd never do otherwise in any other circumstance?
"Just having a chat my dear, no need to get so hostile," Jackie replied dangerously, and I saw that she had her full attention on Emerald.
Wanting to prevent the situation from escalating I tried pulling Jackie's attention back to me.
"So that's why you're the leader isn't it? You never have to fight anybody, you use your little semblance to mess with their minds".
I knew I was potentially walking on thin ice here, Jackie's angered look now being directed at me all but confirmed it, but I had to try.
"Why not simply ask me to join?"
"With a semblance like mine, you learn how to read people, I knew you would've tried to leave, and after beating so many of my warrior's I can't let that happen." She smirked as she tried to use her sheer height against me, causing me to reflexively take a step back, but she was stopped when Emerald and even a snarling Biscuit jumped in front of me, bringing her anger back full force.
"And if I have get rid of these two and use the full force of my semblance on you…" She snarled much the same as Biscuit, who backed away cautiously. Then so be it".
I doubted we could get out of this fight, and so I tensed my tired muscles and tightly gripped Wilt and Blush. But the Brother's must have been watching over me, because we were distrurbed when a bandit ran into the tent.
"Boss, quick, someone's burning down the walls!"
"What?!" Jackie cried and then left in a hurry to go see what was going on.
"Come on" Emerald said as she grabbed and began tugging my hand, "This is our chance to make a break for it."
I didn't argue and soon me, Emerald and Biscuit were out of the tent. Just like the random bandit had said most of the walls were burning, with some of it spreading to the buildings closest to the walls. With how fast the fire was spreading either there were a lot of people attacking, or there was a literal use of fire dust.
Not wanting to stick around and find out however, we made our way to one of the less occupied areas of the wall, where we could hopefully sneak out with no one seeing us.
We had found a section of wall that was still not on fire, and had an easy scaling point. Before we could reach it however an explosion violently shattered it, causing the wall and us to go flying.
My body refused to get up immediately after I landed, no matter how much I tried, all I could do was watch the figures coming though the newly made entrance.
"The feeling of the heat and sparks burning, setting every nerve alight in pain, of black smoke choking the life out of lungs and spreading its message of death to the skies above! One day the Goddess will bring this joy to the entire world, and it will be glorious," a voice giddily said with a large smile as he and a larger figure emerged from the smoke.
I gulped when I saw Tyrian Callows and Hazel Rainart approaching, both of them casually walking towards us. Tyrian had his signature maniacal expression while Hazel had no notable expression on his face.
"Isn't it beautiful?" the serial killer cackled as his tail uncurled, fully intact, indicating that it had not been severed like before.
Emerald and I growled at Salem's lieutenants approaching us, the sounds of chaos and destruction razing the village around us.