A.N.: Man, I haven't posted anything in a long time, huh? There are various reasons for that, such as real life being a bitch, real life being a complete bitch and lastly, me losing interest in writing. I am sorry about that and will try to get back into it, but don't expect too much from me for a long time.
From man's first steps and rudimentary stone tools to the great walled cities and the discovery of Dust and Aura, we as a species have come far. In spite of the overwhelming odds, the creatures of Grimm and the darkness within our own hearts, we carved our own kingdoms and firmly established ourselves as the dominant species in this harsh, beautiful world.
But no matter how far we've come, no matter how much we accomplish, mankind would never truly be able to rid itself of the creatures that haunt our darkest nightmares, the monsters that we choose to ignore.
The creatures that the march of progress and science has made most forget.
Creatures that man, in spite of his tools and skills could never hope to match …
Bump in the night
An inhuman voice that sets my nerves on edge comes from the woman as the robed men fasten silver chains on her arms and legs. She struggles and howls, attempting to claw away at the robed men even as the silver hisses and smokes in contact with her.
Kinky, right?
I reach for the knife hanging in my belt.
Once they make sure she has been secured, they step out of the circle I'd drawn.
I force myself to ignore my fear and slash at my hand. Quickly, deeply.
Deep enough for blood to fall upon the circle.
There goes the easy part.
Bloodshot eyes fixate themselves upon me as the circle begins to glow.
"Ego necabo! Ipse enim te necabo!" she howls at me, clawing away at the chains binding her in place. Her voice is distorted. Hoarse and filled with malice.
"Now!" I tell the three men that chained her down.
"In the name of the Lord, we call upon you…" they begin chanting.
The howling intensifies. "Te trucidabo, te trucidabo!"
I reach for the canteen hanging by my belt with my good hand to avoid giving her any of my blood and uncork it.
"Exorcizo te, omnis spiritus immunde," I begin and I pour the contents of the canteen on her, and though no wounds appear on her, she howls in agony as she begins to exude steam, "in nomine Dei Patris omnipotentis!"
"By the name of the Lord we compel you…" the men continue chanting.
"C'mon, I know you're in there, fight it off, fight it off!" I tell her desperately.
Her eyes focus on me with shocking intensity. "I…I want…" her voice returns to normal.
And suddenly, the voice distorts once more, hoarse and barely recognizable, barely human and her pupils widen, darkening her sclera.
"Te neca…bo…" her features twist into a smile filled with malice. "I…will kill thee, Jaune Arc, thou who hast abandoned thine kin, thou who hast led so many to damnation, thou hast no right to utter His name!"
I flinch.
"How many have died now because of thy weakness? How many hast thou been too late to save?"
Her words are like arrows, piercing my heart.
"Die. Die and atone for your sins. DIE!" she finished with a roar.
"By the name of the Lord we COMPEL YOU!" The robed mens' chant rises in intensity, reminding me of the stakes, of what must be done.
My eyes harden. "In nomine Jesu Christi filii ejus, Domini et Judicis nostril, et in virtute Spiritus Sancti!" I roar, forcing my doubts away, forcing myself to ignore my fear.
"DIE, HYPROCITE, SINNER, FOOL, MURDERER! DIEEEEE!"
"BY THE NAME OF THE LORD WE COMPEL YOU!"
"Ut descedas ab hoc plasmate Dei, quod Dominus noster ad templum sanctum suum vocare dignatus est!" my voice drowns out that of the men and I pour more holy water on her.
Her struggling intensifies even as the silver chains begin to glow orange, as if being incinerated.
"Ut fiat templum Dei vivi, et Spiritus Sanctus habitet in eo," I continued, forcing myself to remain calm even as the chains begin glowing a strong white, almost blinding in intensity, "Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum, qui ventus est judicare vivos et motuous, et saeculum per ignem!"
She howls. A deafening blast of sound as pure, twisted, wrong darkness gushes out her eyes and open mouth, slamming into roof of the tiny cottage we're in and dissipating.
I let out a tortured wheeze of a breath and fall to my knees.
"Is it…is it done?"
I look up at the robed men. "A-almost…Just need to…"
Anything I was about to say is ignored at the youngest of them, a boy around my age, rushes forward.
My eyes widen. "No, wait! Don't step on the circ-"
He steps inside the circle and cradles the young woman. "Oh, Alice. It's alright now, it's alright now…"
I swallow and reach for the silver pentacle hanging by my neck. "I need you to get out of the circle. Now."
He ignores me, "We're going to be okay now…"
The older man, Gil, looks at me, his expression worried. "Jaune? What's wrong?"
"Get out! NOW!" I roar at the idiot.
The young man looks up. "Huh? But wh-"
That's all he manages to get out as the darkness that had come out of her suddenly manifests above us.
"What the-!"
The darkness comes down like lightning on the young man, entering his body. The young man screams as it does and as suddenly as it started, it ends, and he collapses.
I swallow. "D-don't step inside the circle."
"But that was-!"
"Yes. No matter what happens, do NOT enter the circle." I pick up my canteen and notice, much to my dismay, that the contents had been spilled.
I was so boned.
The young man slowly gets up, moving with an unnatural grace, a movement that reminds me of an arachnid.
His dark eyes focus on me.
I swallow again.
His features twist into a manic grin.
Before I can do so much as blink, he, no, it, grabs me by the neck and pulls me up into the air with unnatural strength.
"Te necabo, Jaune Arc, I will kill you!" the grip tightens. I desperately claw away at those arms, desperately trying to lessen the pressure on my windpipe.
"In the name of the Lord, we compel you!" the robed man begins chanting.
It laughs. Ruthless and taunting, a sound that makes me want to scream.
"Die, die, die! Die, murderer, fool! "
"I…" I can barely breathe. My vision begins to blur. "…I…co…command you-!"
My mind flashes through the entries of the Ars Goetia. It cannot be a high level King. Else it wouldn't even need a human to possess, just someone to summon it. A Duke? No, a Duke would have easily broken through the silver chains.
Its grip tightens and I am filled with horror as I realize that it's not trying to choke me.
It's trying to crush my neck.
My mind furiously runs through possibilities.
A Prince? No, even a Prince would've required far more to bind it.
Then…a Marquise?
I summon as much strength as I can.
"Be gone, Gamigin! By your true name I command you, be go-uhrk!"
It twists its arms making me see stars as I'm shaken about as if I were some kind of doll.
Its haunting laughter fills me as my vision begins to fade, as I feel that iron grip on my throat.
Dread and resignation fill me as I realize this is the last thing I would hear. That distorted, hoarse, inhuman voice laughing before it overpowers the circle and kills everyone here…
Wait.
That…hoarse…voice?
Could it be?
I muster the last of my strength.
"Naberius…" I barely manage to breathe out.
Its laughter halts. It freezes and its dark eyes widen.
"Wh-what?" the grip on my throat loosens ever so slightly, allowing me to draw some breath.
Bingo.
"Be…gone…Naberius!" My voice rises as I finish, echoing in the small cottage we're in.
"No….NO! NO!" it roars.
"I command you, in the name of the Lord and by your true name, be gone, Naberius!"
"I will kill you! Thy soul shall be mine!"
"Thrice I have commanded thee! Thrice I compel thee! Be thou gone!" I roar.
"NOOOooOOOOooooOO!" the thing howls. Once more, a torrent of darkness is expelled through the eyes and mouth.
The darkness dissipates. For real this time. I'm 99% sure of it.
The iron grip on my throat vanishes and I fall to the floor, too weak to stand up.
"It's…over…" I breathe out just before my vision darkens completely.
Just a typical night for me, I guess.
My eyes open blearily, slowly.
And are immediately closed when the light sears them.
After a few seconds, I open them again. "Gods, I am never drinking again…" I mutter groggily.
"Awake now?"
I look to a side and see the man that helped with the exorcism. And the memories of that night come crashing back. "So they're both alright now?" I ask.
"Yes, thanks to you." He smiles at me, "Thank you."
I smile tiredly. "Just doing my job."
"Still, thank you."
I shake my head. "You're paying me for this, remember?"
He nods. "Yes, but do you know how many scammers and fakes we had to face before you?"
No, but I could imagine. That was why I'd asked for a very small sum in exchange for this, in spite of the danger it presented me. I wasn't completely heartless, and although I knew now that I could never become a hero, I could at least help people this way.
The money was just so I could move on, finding new cases and keeping myself fed.
"I'm sorry." I tell him earnestly.
Gil gives me a puzzled look. "For what? None of this was your fault. In fact, you helped us tremendously the last 3 days."
"For all those conmen, I mean."
"What, did you send them to us?" the man chuckles and suddenly turns serious, "You…didn't, did you?"
"No!" I deny, my face turning red.
He looks at my eyes and then starts laughing again. "Of course not, sorry about that, kid."
I glare and grumble something incoherent about old men and their inane rambling.
He smiles at me. "Would you like some breakfast?"
I get up and smile. "I would, but I should really hit the road."
The old man frowns. "Are you sure?"
I look away even as my smile briefly falters. "…yeah. I have to get moving."
Because they're safe now. Because they're all happy now.
I have no place here.
"Please, I insist. Oz is an amazing cook."
Oz, the young man that ran into the circle during the exorcism.
My eyes widen. "I-I really shouldn't."
"But you must!" a feminine voice interrupts us.
I turn towards the door and see the young woman from the exorcism.
She walks towards me and grabs my hands. "It's the least I can do after what you did for us!" she declares.
"I-I'm getting paid for that!" I protest.
"You're staying and that's final!"
"B-but I-" I stammer.
"You're not gonna convince her otherwise when she's like that," A different voice. The young man that was possessed by the demon, "…and you did more than what we paid you for…"
He looks away. "If I had listened to you… If I hadn't stepped inside that circle…"
He sounds haunted, miserable.
Alice turns to him and swats him upside the head. "You were just worried about me, idiot!"
"But I put us all in danger!" he protests.
"Hmph, you're an idiot," she looks away from him haughtily, and the young man looks down, crestfallen, "…but you're my idiot." She's blushing!
"Alice!" he hugs her.
"Wha- Hey!" she protests as she rather feebly tries to push him away.
My god, they're so adorable!
I find myself smiling sadly. A place like this… A place so full of love, warmth and trust…
I really don't belong here.
"I would love to stay, but I need to go help others out there," I inform them, "Please understand, you're not the only ones that have to deal with creatures like that."
They frown.
"I see…"
"Well," Gil speaks up, "How about we pack you something to eat on the go then?"
Alice's and Oz's expressions brighten. "Yeah!"
And that's how I found myself travelling to Vale with a small box of sandwiches. I had to admit, they were pretty good.
That Oz guy really was a good cook. A bit heavy on the meat, but I wasn't about to complain.
I was munching on one of my sandwiches when I saw the walls of Vale.
Even now, I feel a sense of awe when I see those walls.
They keep people safe, they prevent the Grimm from mindlessly slaughtering those inside…
Those walls were true heroes.
Our transport takes us inside those walls and into the city.
"Man, it feels good to be back!"
I don't have a true home, but this place is as close as it gets. It's where I usually come back after tackling my jobs.
Not just because it's a good place to find the odd job here and there, but because it's close enough to Domrémy that I can monitor them even though I could never go back there.
Not after that incident…
I sigh and make my way to the seedy inn/bar that had become my place of choice when inside the city.
7th Heaven. This place might not have the best rooms, but the prices are affordable and you would not believe the amount of weirdness this place attracts. I swear I saw some Intelligence agents here a few times.
Honestly, this place was just too convenient when looking for jobs.
"Hey, Tifa!" I greet the young, buxom woman working the counter.
"Oh, Jaune!" she smiles, "You staying the night then?"
I grin. "A couple days, here's the money." I hand her most of the money I'd gotten from my last job.
It's not like I don't have other moneys saved up elsewhere.
She smiles and shakes her head. "I don't understand why you keep coming back here if you obviously have a job. Can't you afford a place of your own?" She offers me the key to my room which I accept.
There is no malice to her voice though, she's just genuinely curious.
I smile back. "I'd love that, but my job often takes me out of the city."
"Reminds me of a certain someone." She grumbles.
My smile widens. "Where is your boyfriend anyway?"
"He's not my boyfriend!" she protests, "and he had a delivery to make all the way in Atlas." She pouts.
"And the kids?" I ask. Yes, they have kids. Not theirs biologically, mind you. As I understand it, they adopted an orphan and take care of their friend's daughters while he works.
But, yeah, they're totally "not" boyfriend/girlfriend.
Don't ask, I don't understand it either.
"School."
"Ah. Well, tell them I said hey, okay? I have to leave soon, just wanted to drop off my things."
"Will do. Have fun out there." She waves at me.
I head towards the better parts (for a given definition of "better" anyway) and immediately make my way to Tukson's Book Trade.
I snort as I read the all too familiar sign on the front: "Home to every book under the sun!"
Don't let it fool you, that's lies. Filthy disgusting lies.
How dare that man promise that when he doesn't even have the latest volumes of X-ray and Vav!
Disregarding my righteous anger at such blatant lies, I walk inside the store.
The orderly rows of books and comics fills me with a sense of comfort. It was here, in this very place that I first began to truly make sense of what had happened to me.
Of the horror that had befallen my family that night.
And it was here that I learned how to fight those horrors, how to prevent others from having to go through what I had.
"Welcome to Tuk-" the man begins before realizing it's me. His expression sobers, "oh, it's you."
"And hello to you too. I'm doing fine, thanks for asking!" I reply cheerfully.
I met Tukson when after running away from my old house. Even though I'd had nothing on me at the time, he'd been willing to let me stay here while I got my life back in order.
"So how did it go?" he asks.
I mean, he did make me work the store, of course. No such thing as a free meal, right? Besides, it was because of me working the counter that I had found books on folklore, mythology and other such things.
"Well, I think I made it out in one piece." I answer.
"How did it go?" he asks again, more firmly this time.
The man was gruff and a bit rough around the edges, but I knew he was a good man deep inside, under all those layers of jerkface.
"It went well. There were some complications, but nothing I couldn't handle." I grimace. If only just barely anyway.
He sighs. "You ever think about taking up another job?"
I chuckle. "Jaune Arc, the travelling merchant? Knowing my luck I'd find some sort clingy, annoying drunkard of a deity that eats and drinks away all my earnings in my carriage."
But truth be told, I had thought about it. Once upon a time, Jaune Arc had wanted to be a hunter, a hero.
Someone that people could look up to.
I shake my head, the motion somewhat sad. "Wouldn't work anyway."
Tukson sighs. "Still…"
I smile. "Like I said, it wouldn't work." And in spite of my gentle expression, my voice is firm but not rough.
Tukson sighs once more. "Okay then."
"So any more jobs?" I ask.
The store keeper nods. "Just one. But…"
I tilt my head. "But?"
"I think it might be better if you let this one go." He replies seriously.
I snort. "Who do you think I am?"
He sighs yet again. "Right…Well then, this one was sent in by…a strange man."
I blink. "Strange how?"
"Well, for one thing, he wasn't like your…usual clientele…"
The desperate, the fearful, the ones that have been pushed to the edge.
"…and he implied that he's working for someone else and it's that person that needs your services."
I frown. "Interesting."
"Yeah. Here," he hands me a folder, "I wrote down everything he told me about it."
"Hmm…" I open it to the first page, smiling at the old man's level of detail. His folders are always informative, concise and well organized.
"Here's the kicker: this job takes place in Beacon Academy."
I nearly drop it. "Wh-what?"
"Beacon."
"B-but that is…I mean…" I'm eloquent, really, seriously, I swear!
"I know. Read on."
I swallow and turn my attention the pages before me. "…Students waking up pale, disoriented, tired…diagnoses always the same: bloodloss. Strange blue/purple marks on limbs."
I look up. "It kind of sounds like a disease though. No has died from this?"
He shakes his head. "Not yet, but some students have been confined to the infirmary until they recover."
"Might be nothing." I point out.
There are diseases that can cause such things, right? Right?
"You're making excuses now that you've learned this job takes place in Beacon?" he asks, eyebrow raised.
I sigh. "No, you're right, I have to go check it out."
It's just…Beacon Academy.
The illustrious Beacon Academy.
When I was younger, it had been my dream to attend there and to become a full-fledged hunter, to become a hero…
The idea of going there now filled me with guilt and other emotions that I didn't care for.
I sigh again. "And how am I supposed to get in there anyway?"
An academy for hunters must have top notch security, right? I'm relatively confident in my ability to sneak into places, but the last time I checked, you needed a freaking airship to get in there!
Speaking of which, airships...bleh.
Tukson stops and then looks away. "I might have an idea."
"Do tell." I reply.
"You ever hear of Junior?" his answer comes in the form of a question.
"No?" I was well versed in a lot of things, but not in this..."Junior" thing or whatever it was.
"He's an information broker, but I bet he'd be willing to provide fake transcripts should you need them." He replies.
"Gods," I sigh yet again and look up at the ceiling, "that is going to cost me a fortune, isn't it?"
It's not just the price that bothers me, truth be told.
It's just…Beacon?
"I wouldn't worry about the money. The man left a small fortune right here. They really want you there, Jaune."
For some unfathomable reason, that does very little to make me feel better. Still, even though my family may no longer consider me as such, I AM an Arc and I would follow through with my self-appointed task.
"Might as well get my savings just in case." I point out.
He nods and reaches under the counter and pulls out an envelope.
"Thanks." I don't charge much, but I don't spend much either. It's not like I have a house or any kind of vice that requires exorbitant amounts of money.
Still, as I take that envelope, I can't help but feel that maybe I should charge a little more…
"I'll go check him out."
Ah, well, it's not like I'll end up there as a student. Probably someone working on the janitorial staff or something.
The first thing I noticed as I approached the aptly named "The Club", is that it looks nothing like a criminal's hangout.
It looks like a freaking night club for heaven's sake! I ignore the very long line of people by the entrance.
Their protests and my sudden approach alert a man, who I assume is a bouncer.
"Where do you think you're going?" the suited man with red sunglasses demands.
I blink. "Inside?"
"I don't think so, buddy."
Sheesh.
"I have business with…" I frown, "…Junior." What a name. I feel like I'm dealing with the mob or something.
I can feel his glare through his red tinted glasses. "What kind of business?"
Come to think of it, that might not be too far off.
I force myself to ignore how nervous I am. "The lucrative kind," and my voice does not waver, "for your boss," I give him a crooked smile, "You really want to be the one that lost your boss my patronage?"
He frowns. "Wait here."
And he steps inside.
I stand there, and the smile falls from my face. Creatures of the night, monsters that no human could ever hope to match in direct combat I can deal with. There's always a way to appease them or to make them go away.
It's people that put me on edge.
I hear the door open and I immediately make myself grin cockily again.
"…alright, you can enter," he stops me before I can do so, however, "But we'll be watching you."
"Suit yourself." No pun intended, I swear.
"Junior will be working the counter. Don't try anything funny." He warns me.
Yeah, because funny is my default state, right?
"Gotcha."
Ignoring the increased rate of protests from the very large line that had formed by the entrance, I go in.
The first I notice as I walk in, beside the music, the mess of people, the bright lights that would cause an epileptic to have a fit, is that a goon dresses similarly to the bouncer outside is watching me.
He's not the only one. There are 3 more men that I can see.
All watching me. Creepy.
I feel so very special right now.
I walk towards the counter, where a man wearing a tux is cleaning a cup like a stereotypical bartender.
"Excuse me?"
"What?" he asks gruffly. Jeez, I wonder if he's nicer to hot girls or whether he gets a lot business like that.
Although judging by the ridiculous number of people in here and those waiting outside, I guess he's doing alright.
"I'm looking for Junior." I state.
"Yeah?" he looks up from his cup, "Well, you're looking at him."
Oh. OH.
For a second or so all I can do is stare. What can I say? I'm bad with people like that, especially potential mob leaders.
"Well?" he demands, "I heard you wanted to talk business."
Right.
"I need a way to get into Beacon," I reach for my pocket and draw an envelope full of cash, "and I'm willing to pay handsomely for it."
He looks at the envelope and then goes back to cleaning his cup. "Yeah? What do I care?"
I blink.
I was not expecting that.
"I…uhh…" I raise the envelope so he can see it, "I can pay you."
"So you've said." He replies sardonically.
I frown. "Look, I really need to get i-"
"Heeeeey!" A feminine voice interrupts our negotiations.
Junior sighs.
2 girls that HAVE to be twins suddenly walk in. One of them is wearing a red dress and the other one wears a white one. Oh, and they're both drop dead gorgeous.
"Whatcha doing?" the one wearing white asks.
"Business," the man replies roughly, "So why don't you run along?"
"Awww, but he looks so tasty!" the white dressed girl grins at me.
"And he thinks we're tasty too, he's been staring at us all this time." The girl wearing red comments with a coy smile.
I was staring, but not just because they were some of the most attractive girls I've ever seen.
My hand subconsciously reaches for the silver cross hanging by my neck.
These 2 pale, gorgeous girls put me on edge.
There's something about them that deeply unnerves me.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" I stammer and immediately look down at my shoes.
Maybe if they don't think I'm a threat they won't eat me.
"That's so adorable!" the white dressed one declares.
"Can we play with him?" her red dressed counterpart asks.
Am I the only one that felt the emphasis there? I swallow nervously and hope to every god out there that Junior isn't a complete monster.
Junior sighs. "Maybe later, if things don't pan out," he gives them a serious look, "now run along, this might be important."
"Awwww…" the white dressed twin whines, "But I want him!"
Normally, hearing a hot girl say that would make me dance with joy or something equally ridiculous, but in this case, all it does is send shivers down my spine.
"Well, don't be a stranger, stranger." The red dressed girl winks at me, "My name's Miltia Malachite, and that one's my sister, Melanie." She holds out her hand.
I'm not sure I want to touch her.
"J-Jaune Arc." I take her hand and shake it.
Her skin is cold.
"We'll see you around, Jaune!" Melanie declares before they leave.
I watch them do so, my shoulders stiff and my eyes alert and guarded. Something about those 2 isn't right.
"Those two…" the man growls, bringing my attention back to him.
"I bet they're quite a handful." I force myself to smile, to ignore the fear those 2 instilled on me, "Still, you have beautiful daughters."
He blinks. "Daughters?" he bursts out laughing, "Is that what you think they are to me?"
No, but I wanted to confirm that whatever it is they are, you're not as well.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to assume."
"Yeah, assumptions make you an ass." He replied with an amused smile.
"I…uh," how am I supposed to reply to that? "I'll keep that in mind."
"You do that," his expression becomes serious, "So Beacon?"
Oh, right, Beacon.
"Yeah."
"Getting you there would be difficult…" he hums thoughtfully, "I suppose I could find some suitable transcripts, but it'll cost you."
"How much?"
He tells me and I nearly choke.
That's all I have on me at the moment! That's the money for the case in Beacon AND the money from at least 3 other jobs!
"T-that much?"
He nods. "Have to make sure that they can't be traced or have any kind of errors on them. That will take some high level forgery."
"Those had better be some good transcripts…" I reply as I hand him the entirety of the envelope.
He smiles as he accepts the money. "You know it. It'll be ready in 3 days or so, come by then."
"Alright."
I sigh as I walk out. I really need to start charging more. Or maybe run credit card frauds or something.
End Chapter 1
A.N.
So what is this? I found my old hard drive and discovered this on it. This was one of the very earliest rough drafts for Arc (working title). In this version, Jaune would have had little to no chance in direct combat against most supernatural creatures and would've had to resort to knowledge to beat them i.e. using rituals, exploiting weaknesses, etc.
He also would have acted more as a mediator than an actual hunter, trying to appease various monsters to make them go away if direct confrontation could be avoided. The backstory was also very different, with Jaune having done something horrible (in his mind) that would have introduced him to the "Moonlit World" and made him run away from home.
I had to fix it up, of course.
It was just a jumbled mess of ideas that I expanded upon and reorganized.
Hope you enjoyed this "could have been".
Also, props to all of those that get all the references made in this chapter. I should really tone that down, but in my defense, it's fun!
'Till next time!