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Official Supporters:

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If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.

As of now, The channel and I are struggling financially. So please, if you're able, become a Supporter. We'll be uploading art and concepts soonish on a project of my own making too, and you'll get to be a part of it~! And I'll get dinner as a side benefit~!

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Jaune hadn't made it three steps towards Ansel before Alex had met him, a dozen armed men ready for a fight on his tail with shields and spears and light armor. They'd asked what had happened, that he'd seemed to be under attack and they'd come to help, and Jaune had explained away as much as he could. Then they'd said his father needed to see him, to talk about what had happened, whatever it was. And he'd been escorted under guard through Ansel, the soldiers protectively huddling around him as they went until he was escorted in the Arc Manor and into the main hall, a fire crackling in the hearth warmly. After the soldiers had been dismissed, he'd explained everything, which brought him to the present problem.

An enraged and protective Arc Patriarch.

"We're fine, dad, no one got seriously hurt even! You don't need to make a bigger problem out of this than it needs to-"

"A bigger problem?" His dad demanded, face red and eyes hard, rounding on his smaller, helmed sone angrily. "A bigger Dust damn problem? Atlas just attacked my son, in my settlement, without any good Dust damn reason for it!" He turned and leaned against the back of one of the couches in the main hall of the Arc home, "And no one got hurt? How about that Nikos girl, you said her leg was dislocated."

"I-It was, Winter goth er in a… A hold and did it, but she'll be fine in a couple of days." His father gave him a look, eyebrows raised and jaw working as though to point out that was enough and Jaune grimaced behind his helmet. "Okay, yes, I'm pissed just like you. But what happens when we call Vale and tell them about this? We don't give them anything special, James does-"

"Why do you keep referring to the Gods damned General of the Atlesian Navy, who is a Councilman in Atlas by the damn way, by his first name like you're friends? He just tried to have you killed." His father sighed, turning and leaning against the couch with his arms crossed over his chest. He took a moment to look his son over, standing a few feet away with his arms crossed over his armored breastplate, the dents and tears standing out even now. "And don't pretend that you aren't as pissed and worried as I am. Or did you come armed and armored for fun?"

Jaune tensed, breathed, and forced himself to relax, "Being cautious isn't the same as being afraid. Or angry." He defended, rapping a knuckle against his breastplate, "Just because I'm not a threat to someone doesn't mean they won't think I am, that's what this has taught me. I didn't consider Atlas a threat, or James, and thought that meant they didn't think I was. But that's wrong." He sighed, shaking his head, "Winter will report back, but whether James listens or not is different."

"And if he doesn't?" His father asked, "What if General Ironwood decides to send his fleet here?"

"You think he'd risk angering Vale by attacking one of its villages?" Jaune asked, the older man laughing at the question. "What?"

"You honestly think Vale would risk a war by saying no?" Jaune's head tilted curiously at the question, and his father explained, "It's simple son. A small mining settlement that barely puts out anything Vale needs or has a claim on, or the support and friendship of the head of the Atlesian military and the man that holds two seats on the Atlesian Council. Which of these is more valuable?"

"But there's people here who would get hurt if-"

"Yeah, I know damn well. Half of 'em are from Atlas, half or so from Vale, because of where we are." He gestured around him with a sweep of his arm, "Half of the people that built this settlement are some kind of petty criminal as well, and you know he can use that. 'Atlas rounding up fugitives in a frontier settlement.' Hell, with the fact we ship out some Dust on occasion, the damn Schnees will love him for his shutting us down."

"That's… Horrible." And it was. The idea of throwing away human lives and people's livelihoods like this, because of the Atlesian's paranoia? It was almost enough to make him gag. "So… What will calling Vale do then?"

"I can appeal to them, maybe… I don't know, offer one of the Councilmen rights to our mine, or something. Maybe… Maybe let Vale integrate us, like they've been wanting to for years." Jaune grimaced at that idea. Integrating meant that the community would be searched for criminals, and anyone with a 'bad enough' record would be dragged away. The mine and farming community would also be subjected to hefty taxes and controls, the former thanks to the Schnee monopolization. "It isn't ideal, but it's better than trying to take on a damn Kingdom all by ourselves."

"I'm not letting you destroy Ansel over me." Jaune said quietly, the older man grimacing at the idea for a moment as well. "We need a better idea. I assumed Atlas wouldn't come after me once, and I won't do it again. I have to leave Ansel to protect it."

"And you think that the Atlesian base down the way won't report you? Think, Jaune, they knew you were here. And that woman had to come from somewhere, so where did she come from?" He asked simply, Jaune not answering. They both knew where she'd come from, where she could only have possibly come from, so Jaune didn't need to answer really. "Exactly. You try to leave, best case scenario, they report you and you'll have tails within a few hours."

"Worst case?" He asked, Jacques' grimace as much of an answer as he needed. Worst case, they had interceptors and soldiers, ready to bring him down if they needed to in order to put a stop to whatever the hell they thought he was up to. Jaune growled, "Then what can I do about this?"

"I don't know, Jaune." His father answered as several guards came up the hall. He gave them a look and then his son, "I'll do some thinking, maybe make some calls. For now, relax, don't do anything stupid, and stay put. Alright?"

Jaune nodded and understood the underlying suggestion and turned to leave with a nod to his father and the soldiers coming to meet with him. For now, Jaune had to go, his father had to see about matters of the settlement. Once he'd left, he started making his way back to his ship, such as it was. It felt more like a prison now, iron and steel containing him and trapping him here.

He needed to get to Ozpin and have him call off James, but to do that he needed to be able to leave Ansel. Everything he could possibly want to do required that much at least, but it was a self-defeating circle. To get to Ozpin, he needed to leave. To leave, he needed Atlas off his back. To get Atlas off his back, he needed to get to Ozpin. The circuit would stay a problem until he found a way to break it, and that needed a variable he hadn't added to the equation yet…

Salem. He needed to ask Salem for help, she was the only thing he could really add to the equation to shift things into his favor.

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Winter watched transports landed, loaded down with soldiers and new and state of the art anti-air weapons. Around her, construction drones and soldiers moved supplies outside the old, less-than perfectly sound wall, building a stark white replacement twenty feet away from the old wall while the buildings underwent additions and modifications, fortifying them and expanding their ability to command forces throughout the region. They were, effectively, turning the small fort into an Atlesian command hub buzzing with ships, with landing pads on the roofs of the buildings and fortified buildings everywhere.

Supposedly, this was being done as part of a large-scale and wide reaching project to revitalize, expand and improve Atlesian defences in the other continents following the Battle of Mountain Glenn. Officers and politicians in Atlas, and friendly politicians in Vale and Vacuo particularly, had supported it and cited the reason for the losses at Mountain Glenn as being a lack of Atlesian support in the area. What kind of support that had been supposedly lacking was typically left unsaid, and usually the ignorant chalked it up to a lack of forces that could be deployed.

As if Atlas couldn't have sailed an armada a hundred ships strong to Mountain Glenn had it wanted to.

"Ma'am." Winter turned to a sergeant, taking a small clipboard from him with a list of supplies and personnel being shifted to help with the projects, skimming the transfer requests for a moment before signing off on it and handing it back. The soldier snapped a crisp salute and turned, tossing a 'Thank you' over his shoulder as he did.

Winter knew better than to accept that this was part of a 'revitalization' project. Oh there was one ongoing, that was true, but Ansel's little fort had been literally ten pages down on the priority list for it. The location was important, sure,but compared to neighboring settlements with more Dust produced, more food, and even just more people? Ansel was barely a blip compared to Citrigardiene, a few miles west of here on the coast as close to the Atlesian continent as feasible. They produced enough farmed goods to feed a third of Atlas' fleet, and beyond that, were almost an Atlesian colony in all but name.

So why was it suddenly on the first page of every document she was seeing, and why were supplies and manpower already here? It made no sense, not unless… Jaune. This had to be about Jaune.

Winter sighed, watching the soldiers and moving through the old part of the base as they worked, hands folded behind her back and mind racing as she oversaw the work. What was Ironwood so scared of?

Beyond the obvious, she didn't know. Yes, Jaune could truly be a grave threat to any organized group or nation that he chose to stand against. Just being in proximity to someone important could get him information, from basic routines to access points, all of which had… Terrifying implications. Assassination, theft, espionage, Winter had been telling the truth when she'd told him how dangerous and useful he could be to Atlas and Vale's military prospects in a variety of ways.

Largely unsaid, of course, was that everything they could have him do for them he could just as easily do to them.

And then came the nature of his allies. Roman Torchwick was a known variable, conniving, selfish, a touch cowardly and a massive amount of self-centeredness. The man's small and mute partner, though, was very much unknown. Aside from her first name, Neopolitan, and that she seemed to be amute, nothing was truly known about her. She was a rumored sadist, a known killer, and selfish but the last two items were no different from Roman himself.

Yet by many reports, Jaune was sleeping with her, and by a few rumors from soldiers coming and going to Ansel, the Arc scion was engaged to a small, quiet woman. That had to be Neopolitan. So why would Jaune get with a sadistic, probably sociopathic killer like Neopolitan instead of trying to get with, say, Pyrrha Nikos?

Then there was that woman, their scattered reports and interrogation files from captured White Fang operatives named her as Cinder Fall. She was even less of a known factor than Neo, all anyone knew was that she showed up one day, convinced a high ranking White Fang leader to work with her, and then betrayed him later… For Jaune.

And all for a… A Grimm Queen, and a story Jaune had referenced. 'The Tale of the Maidens.' She looked at the barracks, thinking for a moment before motioning one of the lieutenants over.

The mousy woman saluted and Winter returned it, before the woman spoke, "Ma'am, do you need something?"

"I need you to take over command of the revitalization efforts." Winter explained quickly, the woman nodding after a moment's confused hesitation. "I need to examine some files and mission reports for an upcoming analysis on our tactics against the White Fang. To determine their effectiveness. I need time to peruse the files and make sure my work is useful." The woman nodded again, and WInter finished, "Is that going to be any problem?"

"No, Specialist Schnee." She answered crisply, "I will gladly oversee the efforts here while you conduct your mission. Fort Atlas," the soldier saluted, and Winter returned it, the woman adding, "Let me know if you require any assistance, I'm sure we can spare manpower to help you, Ma'am."

"No need." Winter smiled politely, the way her father and mother had taught her over the years. Diplomacy was the art of lying while telling the truth to get what you wanted, that's what she'd been drilled. "I have everything I need. I just require the time to work on it, and wish to use it as well as I may to do only the very best to further Atlas' goals and common good."

"Of course, Ma'am." The soldier turned and moved to take command, issuing a few orders more to establish herself as the new officer on call than any real need.

In the barracks, she found an isolated room on the bottom floor that she appropriated, using two drones to secure the door. Inside, she flicked open her Scroll and brought up a random search engine. A quick search found her an online format of the Tale of the Maidens and she tabbed it, using another to search up legends on a ruler of some kind of teh Grimm.

A good soldier was a learned one, that was what General Ironwood always told her. So she'd find out what, exactly, he'd involved her in by sending her against Jaune Arc.

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Jaune, Roman and Cinder stood outside of a room near Jaune's, the door closed while they stood and thought. Eventually, Roman spoke and broke the silence, "So. I am just going to say that I do not enjoy our new, tentacled guest. Is anyone else in agreement with me?" "Assuming that THAT isn't you or the brat's fetish, of course…" Jaune gave the man a glance and he held up his hands in mock surrender, "Hey, don't tell me you haven't imagined Neo wrapped up in those-"

"No, I haven't." Jaune growled at the man, hand resting on the pommel of Crocea Mors. "Salem would love it, I'm sure, but I wouldn't trust her." He relaxed slightly, turning from Roman back to the door, "And, uh, no. That isn't my, um, my fetish."

"Shame." Roman said with a smirk, "It's hers." "Judging from her Scroll history, at least…"

"Roman, keep your trash talk away from Lady Neo, please." Cinder growled protectively from his other side, Jaune grateful for the intervention and for the first time since he'd done it grateful to have made her his servant. "As for Salem's communication Grimm, I… Must admit, I do not mind it much. I spent a lot of time around them, using them to communicate with Salem." "Familiarity breeds contempt but kind that has a sort of comfort as well, after all."

"Still, even with all Neo's weird ass kinks-" Roman waved his hands when Jaune shot him a dirty look again, "Let me finish, Boss. Even with her kinks, I don't like that thing. It's… Well, creepy as hell, frankly. I don't like it. It's like… I hate jellyfish, and that's basically a bigger jellyfish, with spikes." Jaune raised an eyebrow at him, looking at him like the stupidest person in the room, and gestured to the door with both his hands, palms flat and vertical like spades, "Spikes, Jaune."

"Yes, and she uses them to hurt people quite a lot of the time." Cinder snarked at him, cocking her left hip and turning to look over Jaune's head at Roman. "And she can probably hear you talking bad about her." "Those things always were very sensitive for that sort of sound…" "And I quite doubt she enjoys it."

"Can she?" Roman asked Jaune nervously, scratching at his chin nervously and looking between the young blonde and the armored door. "Cuz, uh, I might have things to do if that's actually the case." "Things that don't involve spiky jellyfish that are angry with me…" "Boss?"

"Can't tell, the Grimm aren't that… Coherent for me, you know? They don't think like we do, I-I don't get…" He raised his hands, trying to form a shape with tem to demonstrate and giving up after a second. "Okay, normally it's like a path I can follow, it's natural because it's how we think. With Grimm… I get a presence, and some basic intentions, and sometimes I get a thought if Salem is paying particular attention for some reason."

"I get it." Roman said quickly, surprising the two more than a little. It must have shown on their faces, because the man seemed almost offended and frowned, "What? It makes sense. They're a lot like animals, and animals don't think like people do. Probably, anyways." "I mean, they're dumb animals, they don't think or anything… So they have to be different." "Right?"

"I sense animal presences, kind of like the Grimm, sometimes." Jaune admitted, actually thinking for a few moments about it. He'd never truly thought about it, not too much, but it was an apt and interesting comparison. Maybe Grimm were animals at some point, far back in the past? "It doesn't matter right now. We have to deal with Atlas and that… Problem, before we can even think about what Grimm are made off."

"So, uh, do you need me in there too, or..." Jaune gave Roman a look, rolling his eyes, and the man gestured over his shoulder with a thumb pointing back down the hall. "Because, you know… Things to do, and plan, and…" "Spiky Grimm tentacles to avoid, demon Queens not to meet…" "You know, normal… Stuff."

"It's fine." He assured Cinder when she moved to berate him, sighing and smiling sadly at the criminal. "Go ahead, Roman, I won't force you to be in the same room as something you're that scared of."

"You didn't need to be so kind to him." "He should have been made to stay by your side." "If he balks from you over one tiny Grimm…" Cinder at least had the good sense and patience to wait until Roman was gone to bring up her concerns, but Jaune still sighed. His aggravation must have showed on his face when he turned around, because Cinder immediately balked and collapsed in on herself meekly, "I-I don't mean to offend, Master, I only meant that… That he should be loyal enough to be by your side even when he's f-frightened."

"Don't… Don't be scared of me, Cinder, not because you gave your opinion." Jaune chided gently, forcing himself to smile at her comfortingly. She relaxed, her relief flowing out of her in steady streams, and he continued. "Roman is loyal to me through Neo, not to me directly. I trust him because of that, but I won't push him either for the same reason. Push a person who is voluntarily helping you too far…"

"And they won't wish to help you." Cinder finished, nodding understandingly. "You're right, Master. It makes sense, I just…" "Lack your ability to understand motivations." "I am not as adept as you at understanding what others desire and why they act."

"What do you usually assume?" He asked curiously, the woman shrugging.

"First, self-interest above everything. Then… Things. Money, wealth, fame, pleasure. If you feed people these things, they'll usually follow you." "Except the sanctimonious ones..." Cinder licked her lips nervously, "That was… Why we gave you those maids, at Salem's castle. Women, wealth, money if you asked for it, and pleasure if you sought it."

"You didn't know me." Jaune said simply.

"No." She admitted, the statement free from the bias inherent with most of her opinions towards him, free of the usual inflection what he'd done to her had forced her to have whenever he asked her questions. "We all underestimated you, Master. Massively. Any normal man could, and possibly would, have given in to any or all of the vices we'd tested you with." "And there's no way we could have guessed how abnormal you really are…"

"I'm taking that as a compliment, Cinder." He said, the woman chuckling as he pushed the door open and stepped into the room.

The room itself was dark, the bed ripped up and pinned against the wall by a desk and a small table, the frame of the bed shoved into a corner. The pillows, sheets and even some towels were piled on the floor, too many to be just from this room so the… Creature must have stolen them from other vacant rooms, or even non vacant ones, he doubted Salem or the Grimm cared in any way if they were lacking sheets. The creature had used them to make a sort of nest, and curled up on it there on the floor comfortably in the dim lighting.

Jaune looked up at the light fixtures, most turned off, and sighed, "Did you… Break some of my light fixtures?"

"Hm, yours? Funny, I thought this ship was originally Watts', not yours. How quickly you have laid claim to what was not yours." Her voice was eerie, amused and annoyed all at once, and when she chuckled it sounded like a threat and rolled across the room as Cinder stepped forward. "Ah, and you bring your pet as well? Why? I am no threat to you in person, much less in this form."

"I hope you'll understand that I don't quite believe that. She can handle this Grimm, I don't know that I can. So I brought her along, just in case." The orb said nothing, and Jaune continued, "I… Need some advice. That's why I'm here."

"Clever of you, Jaune… Advice, or help? Because you say the former, and I think you truly want the latter instead." Salem asked, that same amusement echoing out at every word. Then, her tone fell, and she continued. "No, Jaune, you don't need my advice. You need my help. No doubt by now you have reached the same conclusions I have as well. If that idiot Ironwood is after you, only one person can get him to back down. Ozpin."

"And we can't get to him." Jaune agreed, nodding politely at her and grimacing. "We can't leave to get to him without Atlas stopping us though, and anything we do to them will come down on Ansel and my family."

"And we can't have that…" Salem cooed mockingly.

"No, Master's family must be protected." Cinder snapped protectively, Jaune grimacing at the conflict he felt from her subconscious. Like a war was being fought, a one-sided one at that, between what he'd done and her previous reverence and fear for Salem. The orb shifted slightly to look at her, and Cinder flinched slightly but stayed where she was at his side. "Master loves his family and they must be protected, no matter what it takes."

"So obedient, Jaune, I am impressed. To have whipped her into shape so well…" Salem chuckled when Jaune gave her ord a hard look, "Fine, fine. I will leave it be, for the moment if nothing else. Now, for Ozpin, I can't help you find him. I have never been able to find him when he resurrects. If I had been, I wouldn't have had to fight this petty war with him looking for someone like you."

"Then can you… Stage a distraction?" Jaune asked, raising an eyebrow. After she didn't answer for a while and he got the vague sense she wanted something out of him, he continued, "The fort down the valley is the problem. If you can distract them, then we can get away and try and find Ozpin or… Maybe go to Beacon, talk to Glynda, she can leverage him at least half as well as Ozpin could."

"How do you know that, Jaune?" Salem asked curiously.

"I sensed it. Odd feelings I didn't fully get at the time, but… I get them now, know what they were. Those two are close, she can convince him to calm down." Jaune explained, "I-I don't know how close, but they're… They're close. And instead of looking for Ozpin, with a fleet on our tail-"

"I can keep any fleet well away from you, if you want." She offered, Jaune grimacing at the prospect. "You've very few options, Jaune, and no one would fault you for defending yourself. And they're soldiers, besides they enlisted to kill my minions and 'protect' people from them. Don't feel guilty for what they force you to."

"We aren't attacking innocent people." He asserted simply, shaking his head. "I have enough blood on my hands thanks to you, I don't want any more."

"You're tying my hands, Jaune." She growled in frustration, "I can't use my Grimm to help you and guarantee no one will end up hurt or dead for it. And I will not let them take you from me. Make your peace with that if you can, for you must. Your life hangs in the balance, and countless more, for if you are lost I will not spend another millenium waiting patiently. I will wage my war more fully."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Yes." Salem answered frankly, "I am. I am sorry, Jaune, but you don't understand what it has been like. I won't risk a return to it, another thousand years of loneliness and boredom." After a few moments of tense silence, she continued, "I will attack the fort with a force I know they can beat back. Use that chance to get away, Nevermore will screen your flight. I will swear to examine them first, I will even attack their strongest point and use naught but weaker Grimm for it."

"I…. Fine, that's as good as I can hope for, I guess." Jaune grimaced and sighed, shaking his head in a vain attempt to get rid of the vaguely dirty feeling the whole situation gave him. He hesitated for a long second and added, "Thank you."

"I am trying, Jaune. To bend my nature to satisfy yours, but you need to do the same." She responded quietly and sincerely, "This has to be a two way street. I want you to choose my offer freely, but if I become a tool for you to use and play with, I will take what I want without your consent."

"No one on this ship will allow that." Cinder argued quietly.

Salem laughed brightly for a few seconds, sighing as she reigned it in, "No one on this ship will have even a pale, pale reflection of a choice in the matter. Jaune, you need to begin your own preparations to leave, make sure you are ready and let me know. I will begin moving my Grimm into place and scouting out the fort."

He nodded and they turned to leave, the door closing behind them almost seeming to warm them.

"I changed my mind, Master." Cinder started quietly as they made their way down the hall, "I don't like those things at all."

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As a note, for my Supporters, concept art, scripts and more will begin starting to appear for Supporters on p-a-t. R-e.-on in the coming weeks. Some pictures are already out.

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Merlin of Tarre :

What can I say? James has zero chill. And more mind-slaves? How many? To answer you though, they will pop up when they enter Jaune's story. Might be soon, might be not, you lot shall see~

CJ Hoax :

Debating the smut for my Smut!Fic, or maybe adding it into this at some point, but dunno…

Zenith Tempest :

I hope I addressed a number of your concerns in this chapter.

Smokey Panda :

James has no chill, considering where he comes from, it's kind of Ironic. No?