An: Ok! Here we go! This chapter took a bit longer to write because of life. So here it is! In this one, we get to see a heavily movie influenced prison break! The meeting of two new characters and just what the hell was wrong with Velvet's stat sheet! A look into the day to day life of Mink and Z and some of the older denizens of the realm. And we get to see why maybe you should really listen to Coco when she says do not eat from the bunny girl's hand...
Ps. Jaune get's a fan!
Pss. Day's of future past was such a good movie.
"That! Is! Ri-diculouse! I can not believe that they did that!"
"You are right! You should get her back! It's your dream to be a hunter! Don't let her stop you!"
"He did what?! Don't let him bully you! He's trying to blackmail you out of Beacon!? Not on my watch!"
"I can't believe that either! The bottle clearly said your name on it!'
'What!? Your father does not want you to be a huntress!?"
"He wants you to be the heir instead!? Are you sure you told him? He still said no!? Unheard of!'
"I'll take care of that right now!"
"You want equality for humans and faunus?'
"I'll do that!"
"You want to get her back for dying your hair green?"
"I got you!"
"You want those guys to stop bullying you and yanking your ears? Which are adorable by the way. I'm LOVING the bunny ears gurl! You are rocking it!"
"I. Got. You."
"I can't believe that she stole your cookies!"
"Why yes! I believe giver her an endlessly resetting wedgie will be a perfect punishment for her!"
"You want a pile of pancakes that never run out of syrup!?"
"I. GOT. YOU!"
"Can I?! You betcha! I'll even make you immune to diabetes and weight gain!"
" I can do all of that for you! For the low! Low! LOW! Price of one soul!"
"Now! Now! Now! I know what you are thinking and trust me! I understand. You only got one soul and you don't want to lose it! That makes perfect sense and I want to personally assure you that not only do I see your concerns I understand them."
"We here at the interdimensional hotline are an ethical group of demons and as such, I don't want to pressure you into doing anything, but look! You think that a soul's a steep price but let's think about it for s second! It doesn't even have to be your own! Any class eight sentient life form will do! Like a human for instance! Any person will do! Just have them sign on the dotted line and we have a deal!"
Z said in several dimensions at once as he negotiated his sales contracts as Mink smiled.
The lesser demon was a master at sales, as he spent his time with her making in numerous minor soul contracts for her as he negotiated on his phones.
"Now think about it! Really! Do you really need your soul? I mean come on! Just think about it! What!? That's outlandish! Really! Tell me one! And I mean one! Name one thing that you use your soul for in your day to day business! Be honest now! I bet you can't tell me one thing that you really care for about it!"
"Well can you? Com one now! I'm waiting! Do you really have one reason to keep your soul and not gain everything your heart desires! I thought not! And hey! Hey, I know how it is, you don't want to lose your soul right? I get it! How about this. You take the contact and have her sign her name on it instead! This way not only do you keep your soul, and she will lose hers! Sounds good right?"
"Alright! We got a deal!"
The thing said closing up his latest deal across several planes of existence stretching back his arms and hanging up his phones. As Mink smiled, it was a good thing that he was so good at negotiating. As Mink had to get not one, bot two but five! New gamer contracts! And while Z was keeping some heat off her back with the soul contracts, he was stacking up.
Mink still needed to figure out how the hell she could make five separate gamer contracts by the end of this gamer, getting the first one was hard enough and-
"Mink! My loveable generous boss! I just closed up for the hour!"
Z reported his triple red eyes happily blinking in succession as he hung up his six phones. A task made considerably more comfortable as he put away his four extra hands as he walked up to her.
"Good job Z. You're doing great work."
"Oh, you kid! I'm just doing my job! Now about you!"
The lesser demon said giving her a half bow as she raised her eyebrow at him.
"Me?"
"Yes, you! You've been cooped up in this office all week! You need to get out there! Stretch your legs flip your tail!"
The lesser demon claimed as Mink chuckled lightly.
"Me? Leave this office? Nah sorry Z I got a lot of work to do and-
"Up bub bub! I won't hear it! I know you are stressed out boss! And I know just the way to deal with it!"
"Really now?"
Mink asked the lesser demon who nodded happily to her.
"Sure do! There is this new restaurant downtown, and Boss! Let me tell you, the food there? Is to die for!"
Z said holding out both hand as Mink flashed a toothy smile at her.
"To die for?"
"Yes! Let me tell you! They do these things with the soul they have that will blow your mind! They take them fresh! I reminded you and slowly run them around spikes of torment, letting them marinate in agony for three! Yeah, you heard me three hundred years! Before roasting them over open hellfire before serving them to you to eat on spikes of agony while they are still moaning!"
The lesser demon claimed making her jaw drop and Mink's mouth water.
"That is tempting but-
"No but's! I've already made our reservations! And I won't take no for an answer!"
Z said walking behind her ignoring her squeaks as he began to push his boos outside.
"Z!? What are you doing?"
"Taking the best boss in the world out for lunch! My treat!"
"What about the fan mail!?"
"Fan mail, shan mail! We can do it later! Now we need to relax and enjoy some quality food!"
The lesser demon said pushing his boss outside her office as the two exited the room that was not a room together.
"Where are we going?"
Mink asked as she and Z walked thought he bustling crowded city streets. Sidestepping and walking past the other denizens of their realm that moved and slithered through the streets as they made their way to lunch.
"We! Are going to this fabulous restaurant downtown!"
Z said happily as they walked on the sidewalk if you could call it that. As most sidewalks that you might be aware of do not moan in agony fueled pleasure and grow leering faces whenever you step on them. Al the while cursing your name and calling your exitance into doubt. As they passed by the buildings, that made up the hellish landscape of their home, that sat under the blood red sky, that pulsated with uncanny life, as it seethed with movement.
As the two walked forward, Mink saw a conjoined, pooling wither mass in the distance that made her freeze in her tracks as she blushed brightly as Z perked up.
"Oh! You see that boss! Orgy at six o'clock! You feel like jumping in on this? I'm feeling frisky!'
Z asked raising his eyebrows as Mink blushed heavily.
"N-NO! I don't feel like it! Sorry-
"No need to say sorry! All you have to do is say no! I am here for you!"
Z said skipping past the with orgy next to them as Mink blushed. Even if she was a demon native to the seventh realm of pleasure she was never one to partake in said pleasure. Sure she might! Join in an interdimensional orgy now and then. But was saw more often than not shy about such things and preferred to enjoy simpler pleasures like staying in her home and hanging out with Baphomet and-
" Here we are! Boss let me present to you! Ala! Mi Padamir!"
Z said happily as he showed her a medium size building that glowed yellow and looked to be made from stone, but Mink doubted that any type of stone that could be here. As Mink saw Z beckoned her forward as he lead her into the building. It looks like a damned Denny's but chaotic, she thought as she gulped.
"These aren't good, they're great!"
Mink yelled as she bit into the screaming silver entity in front of her. Relishing the feeling of her teeth tearing into ectoplasm as she gripped her spikes of torment. As the thing on it screamed in agony a sound of pur blissful anguish that made her heart sing as she bit into them. Relishing the screams of agony they gave off as she took her first bite.
"See! What did I tell you! They really do marinate them in their own suffering for three centuries, all the while roasting them over open hellfire flames! And they know just when to pluck them!"
Z said bitting deeply into his own squirming souls skewered on his spike as Mink smiled happily.
She actually needed this, this break from life. No more soul contracts no more stress! Even if it was temporary, she was enjoying herself. Z was not wrong! These souls were excellent! Very young and stretched out over the spike's of agony for three centuries, all the time marinating in thier own torment as they roasted them over open hellfire flame only to be severed squirming and screaming for her to eat and-
"Hey! Mink! Don't look now but look who just showed up!"
Z whispered into her ear conspiratorially as he leaned over their table. As she looked at her right and gagged. As she saw a towering figure standing over eight feet tall. Clad in bloody red ornate combat armor etched with screaming leering faces. With ghostly pale skin with a maddening line of intricate self-inflicted scars on his face. Armed with a gleaming silver blade, that hurt to stare at and a sickly red flesh whip that had long golden clawed beaks at its end as Mink coughed on her souls as she beat her chest in disbelief.
"Is that?!"
"That's Lucius the eternal!"
Z hissed as Mink gagged, as she saw the figure looming in the back of the restaurant as he walked inside.
"The hell is he doing here!?"
"I don't know!"
Z said as both demons turned to the mortal in thier midsts.
It was rare to see enough to see any mortal in this real, let alone the mortal champions of the chaos deities here. Most demons did not look kindly on the mortal ascendants that clawed their way into the seventh realm of pleasure, especially the servants of the ruinous powers. But if Lucius was here that meant that the actual ruinous powers might be here as well!
A fact that left Mink with a rather uneasy feeling. It was not that she did not like the ruinous powers. It was just she found them repetitive! To the extreme, I mean come on! They where fun to hang out with but seriously! Then needed to do more things! I mean Mink could have some fun with she who thirst every now and again but really! There is a limit to how much fun you can have with all those dragon dildos!
And the other ones were no better! I mean how much blood does one guy really need!? I mean for the first millennia it was fun, it a base kind of way. But after filling a literal universe full of blood, it got kind of boring! I mean what was he going to use all that blood for? I mean sure it was cool that he did not care form which the blood flowed only that if flowed and-
"Mink! Mink!"
Z hissed suddenly as Mink detected a hint of panic in his voice as she turned around.
"Yeah Z? What's up-
Mink began before seeing what Z was afraid of as Mink's spine went stiff as her tail shot ramrod straight and she let out a silent cry of terror as she saw her standing in front of her.
"Hello, Mink. How are you doing today?"
A deep, resonating, undulation voice that pulsed with eldritch energy filled the air. That screamed and crawled from all directions as it appeared to be impossibly distant as if coming from the deepest lake but inhumanly close. As a tall figure with deep blue eyes and scaley fleshy legs looked down to Mink as the demon gagged on her meal.
"Dagon?!"
Mink coughed up as a great demon; an elder thing stood in front of her. As Dagon or at least part of her as the entirety of Dagon could never be in one place at one time stood in front of her.
"Dagon! I did not know you where here! Please! Take my seat and-
"Mink! Mink! There is no need for that! We are all friends here correct?'
Dagon asked her deep, fathomless blue eyes that pierced Minks' very core said, and filled her with a crushing feeling of hopelessness. Like she was being buried by an avalanche of sorrow said as her pale skin shone it the restaurant light.
"I'm sorry! I just thought-
"Mink do you think that I am so removed from my fellows that I would simply take your seat? Do you think I am so conceited?"
"What!? No! I was just-
"Giving me preferential treatment? I do not like that Mink.'
Dagon said glaring at her as she narrowed her endless blue eyes at her and flexed. Her sphere making Mink quake at the end power she radiate as Mink felt her body squished and stretched across reality and-
"But that is neither here nor there. Mink I am here to ask you a favor."
The elder dream said as Mink coughed violently as she put herself back together.
"A favor? What would you ask of me?"
Mink asked finally reassembling herself as the elder daemon sighed.
"Have you received my fan mail?"
Dagon asked as Mink shot Z a look who nodded his head rapidly as he sweated profusely.
"Why yes! I did! And-
"So have you considered my request?"
"Your request?'
Mink asked glaring at Z who flashed her several signs she could not read and-
"Yes, Mink my request. Do not tell me that your sudden jump in status has led you to think you can ignore a request from me and-
"I'm sorry! I was just getting to it! But I have looked at it, and I am very interested in your offer!"
Mink claimed as the bipedal extension of Dagon nodded her head as she mercifully closed her siren eyes as Mink seethed at Z.
"Really? I am glad. So when will you arrange my meeting with Jaune?"
Dagon asked as Mink paled as she felt her blood go cold.
"Your... meeting with him? Please tell me why you are meeting with him."
"I said in my letter; I wish to become his patron in this iteration of the Gamer."
Dagon said as Mink recoiled internally as she shot Z a withering look who ignore her entirely as Mink panicked.
" I will arrange your meeting as soon as you can!"
"Excellent. I wish to meet with him at the earliest convenience. He has fascinated me for some time."
The elder thing said as Mink swallowed in fear.
"Dagon, great one of the deep. Ruler of the bottom realms and-
"Mink. I thought that I said I do not like being treated like I am special."
Dagon warned as she gulped. "Yes! I'm sorry! I.
Mink said before taking deep a breath and going on.
"I can tell Jaune you wish to meet him, but I can not guarantee you a meeting with him."
Mink said finally as the entire restaurant went quiet, as they all hair d a minor demo just refuse a request from an elder one as Z looked ready to bolt out from the table. And only the contact the Matron held him by made his sta as Dagon raised a lone teal eyebrow to her.
"Mink... Are you telling me no?"
"Yes! I mean no! I... Dagon. You know the rules. I can not force Jaune to take your patronage. If he does not wish to meet you, he will not meet you, and that is that." Mink said holding the old ones bottomless glare that threatened to drown her mind as she chuckled.
"There we go. Mink fear not. I mean you no harm. I just wanted to know for sure. I am not demanding you to take him tome just extend him my offer, and my... desires to meet him."
"That I will do."
"And do be sure to include how much I wish to see him and do make sure he gets' my gift in the fan mail."
"I will make it so."
"Excellent! Now can you do me one favor please in the Gamer?"
"That depends. What's the favor?"
"Nothing much I just wish for you to make an aesthetic change to the game's quest log."
"An aesthetic change? like what?"
"Simple. I just think that you can make the Gamer more interesting! I think you should give it a more militaristic vibe! If you could make all he quest descriptors sound more militaristic, and make them all a bit more provocative then I would be very grateful to you."
"I... I can do that for you great one."
Mink said bowing to Dagon as she smiled.
"Thank you, Mink. I will look forward to the reunion with you and your... human tonight."
Dago said bowing once as she left Mink and Z to their meal...
"Mister Ren?'
"That's me!"
Red said happily standing in the doorway waving his hand happily as Oobleck smiled.
"Come inside Mister Ren. We have to start soon."
"Yes, mam!"
The small boy said closing the door behind him as he blinked towards the teacher, appearing in the plush chair in less than a second as Oobleck nodded.
"My that is an interesting semblance. What is it if you do not mind me asking."
"I can blink to places!"
Ren said happily as the teacher nodded.
"Blink? What does that mean?"
"I can teleport short distances!"
Ren said as Oobleck nodded calmly.
"I see. Now Mister Ren, you do know why I have called you here correct?"
Oobleck asked as Ren nodded sadly.
"I know why and I don't like the reason!"
Ren said pouting turning his head as the doctor brought out a note card.
"You do not like being sent to therapy? Why not?"
"Because I don't need it! Me and Jaune did nothing wrong!"
Ren said angirly as he turned his head away from her, as he harumphed! Loudly as Oobleck sighed.
"Ren. You do know that you killed people right?"
"Sure do!'
Ren said far too happily for Oobleck's taste as she frowned.
"Does that bother you?"
"Does what bother me?"
"Killing Mister Ren. You killed people, not Grimm. You killed sentient beings. Did that not bother you in the slightest?"
"Nope! Not one bit!"
Ren said without hesitation as Oobleck frowned as she wrote down her notes in her small yellow notepad. He shows no remorse, in his actions. Whether it is a well-acted farce or he truly dose fell nothing I need to look on. She wrote as she smiled happily at him.
"Ren, you do know that as a hunter in training you are not supposed to kill correctly?'
"But why?'
Ren asked in a far too innocent voice as Oobleck felt her blood run cold, as she saw a genuinely confused look on his face.
"Mister Ren killing people is wrong-
"Not if they are bad guys!"
"Bad guys?"
"Yeah! Bad guys! The people we killed where bad people!"
"Really? what makes them bad people? In your opinion."
"They were trying to kill me!"
"I see, and just so you know that I am not judging you for your actions that day. You were well within your rights to defend yourself as you did. But do you really fell nothing about this?"
"Nope! They where bad people!"
"And because they are bad people they deserved to die?"
"Yup! They sure did!"
"And you fell no remorse for killing them?"
She asked as Ren paused frowning once as he sighed.
"Doctor. Whatever I say here will be kept confidential correct?"
"Correct. Unless you threaten to harm yourself or others. I will not breathe a word of what we say to anyone. Whatever word you say will live and die in this room." Oobleck said reassuring him of doctor-patient confidentiality as he nodded.
"Then nope! I felt nothing for them! They were bad, so I can kill them!"
"What makes them bad?'
"They tried to shoot me! Duh."
"Does that make them bad?"
"Of course! I'm a good guy, and if they try to kill me they are bad guys! So I can kill them!"
Ren claimed as the doctor frowned as she sighed deeply.
"Mister Ren this does not sound like your first time ending a life. I take it you have killed before?'
"Sure have! I killed lots of people in the wilds! Me and Nora have done it!"
"You and Miss Valkyrie committed murder?"
"Sure did! But it was all in self-defense! At least I think it was self-defense! I could be wrong!"
"You think?"
"Yup! But I really don't care."
Ren said as his voice dropped several decibels as he snarled.
"Not like they ever gave a shit about us."
"Mister Ren? You do know that killing is, in general, frowned about by hunter's correct?'
"It is? Why?'
The boy asked blinking back to his regular happy go lucky mood as she frowned.
Rapid shifts in personality types. A defense mechanism? A carefully conducted rouse? Or the first sign of onset mania from mental deterioration?
The doctor thought as she wrote down on her notepad.
"It's a rule-
"It's a stupid rule!"
"You and Jaune have a lot in common."
The woman said as Ren gasped.
"Jaune! How is he? Is he ok?"
"He is fine Ren. But he is last time I checked out on a date with Miss Adel. And speaking of dates how are you and Nora doing? I see you are a happy couple yes?"
She asked trying to dig into his personal life as he nodded.
"We are doing great! I love! Love! LOVE! her!"
Ren said happily as she smiled.
"That is nice. How far along are you in your relationship?"
"How far?"
'Have you held hands,-
"We have sex! Almost every night!"
Ren said as the doctor balked spitting up her coffee as she gagged.
"You are sexually active with Miss Valkyrie?"
"Yup!"
"And you engage in intercourse with her nightly?"
"Well not nightly, though I would like it if we could! So far it's only in the shower when Jaune and Pyrrha are out doing stuff."
Ren claimed as the doctor fought down her shock.
"You are quite outspoken about your sex life Ren. Most boys are not so brazen in thier life. Why is that?"
Oobleck asked looking to see if Ren would react favorably to being called out on his potential promiscuity and-
"Why would I not be? I love Nora, and I love having sex! I like it having it with Nora, or Mil and-
"Militades Malachite? You are dating her as well?"
She asked as Ren blushed and nodded his head.
"That is a surprising lack of partners for a young man such as your self. I am assuming that your sex life is consensual? I mean neither of them is forcing you into it correct?"
"What? No way! She loves me too much to do that! And Mil is aggressive, but she always listens to me!"
He said as she sighed.
"That is good to hear. I must ask though if your relationship is consensual, has anyone ever forced you to have... intimate contact without your consent?"
She asked getting rid of the formality and-
"Yup! It's happened before!"
Ren said as the doctor paused before spitting up her coffee as she balked.
"Ren? What did you say?"
She asked not thinking she heard him right. Did he say yup? Like it was no big deal that he was being assaulted and-
"Sure did!"
Ren said as Oobleck collected herself as straightening out her blouse, gripping her notepad tightly.
"Mister Ren. Do not misunderstand me. I am asking you if you have ever been sexually assaulted in your life-
"Yes! The answer is yes!"
Ren said like she just asked him the time of day and not had he been forced upon by another.
"Mister Ren! When did this occur? Do you have names, locations-
"That depends, which one are you talking about?"
"You have been assaulted more than once?"
She asked breath hitched as he nodded.
"Lost's of times!"
Ren said smiling brightly as she paused and took a deep breath.
"When did this occur?"
"I don't want to talk about it...
"You don't have to. Not at all. You are under no obligation to speak to me. But if you ever want to talk about it-
"I don't."
"That is fine but let me say that I am very sorry for-
"Don't be!"
"Don't be?"
"Yes! Don't feel bad for me. I don't!"
"Ren... you where assaulted-
"I don't care!"
He said with no hesitation Oobleck paused.
"Why...
"Doctor in the wilds we have a saying. Does the fly complain? Have you ever heard about it before?'
"No... I can not say that I have. Do you care to elaborate on it for me? Just so I can speak to you about it and understand you better."
"Sure! The saying goes dose the fly complain? It means that when a fly is caught in a spiders web does it complain before it get's eaten?"
"Well, I'd imagine if it could it would. I know I would if I was the fly in that situation, I'd rather keep my head on my shoulders."
The doctor said smiling at the boy stopping as she saw him frowned.
"Well, they don't. The saying is saying that life is hard. You are going to be hurt. And people are going to hurt you, and when they do hurt you don't complain. Don't let it happen either but if it happens, and you lived. And you can still talk about it then that's life and there nothing else to do."
The boy said taking a break and looking up sadly at the bland beige ceiling as he sighed heavily.
"Eat or be eaten, doctor. People do bad things to one another and you can rest easier at night knowing that someday's you are the fly and some days you are the spider. And that's just life. So what bad stuff happens to me? It happens to everyone! Why would I care so long as I survived to see today?"
Ren claimed as the doctor frowned as she wrote down several lines on her pad.
He's using a syringe to rationalize trauma. A defense mechanism for sure. Not a bad one but one I need to talk to him about.
"That is a fine saying Mister Ren. And while I do agree with some parts of it you must realize you are no longer in the wilds. You are in the kingdoms and that kind of logic is-
DING! Ren's scroll rang as he gasped.
"Sorry let me turn this off!"
"It's ok, take your time-
"Neo!? Why are you texting me?!"
"Neo? Who is that?"
"My co-worker she wanted to know where I am so I told her."
"Why does she want to know where you are?"
Oobleck asked as she wondered why Ren's co-worker would want to know where he was and-
"Because she's going to come and collect me!"
Ren said as the doctor balked.
"Collect you? Why would she-
Oobleck was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass filling the air as a woman with tri-color hair heterochromia eyes wearing a white leotard appeared out of thin air wrapping her arms Around Ren, as she smiled at the doctor.
The woman took less than a second to react pushing herself back from her desk and leaping into action as she saw a threat to her student.
"Let go of him this instant!"
Oobleck shouted drawing her thermos and aiming it at the woman who blew her a kiss as she and Ren shattered into a thousand pieces and vanished...
"Roman? Why am I here!?"
Jaune asked as he sat on the bullhead's plastic seat next to another boy with silver hair, pale skin. Dressed in a pair of tight black jeans with a t-shirt that said, Pink Floyd? Whoever or whatever that hell that was on it. As he listened to a pair of black headphones as he blasted his music.
As he sang to himself. "~Don't! You tell me to smile!~"
The boy shouted out loud as Roman sighed.
"That's Mercury Jaune. He's your partner for this shindig so say hi. When he wants you to."
Roman said puffing his cigar and-
The sound of shattering glass filled the air as Neo appeared with Ren in her arms. Dropping the boy off in the bullhead as he lost balance falling flat on his face letting out a long oww! As Roman grinned.
"Took you long enough!"
He sais Neo signed.
"Sorry. It took a bit of work to get him out of Beacon.
"You did get him out quietly right?"
"More or less."
"More? Or less?'
"Both."
Neo signed as Roman sighed.
"Why do I even bother?"
He said as he sighed once before looking out the bullhead and slamming his hand on the side.
"Ok, that's it! Were all hear! Let's go! We're burning daylight!"
The man yelled as Jaune bolted to Neo.
"Wait! Neo I need you to go to my dorm!"
Jaune shouted as she coked her head.
"Why?"
"I need my bag! it's a blue satchel on my bed! It has my real weapons in it!"
He said as Neo sighed shattering once, vanishing in a shower of glass for a moment before appearing again tossing his bag to his chest as Roman rubbed his head.
"There! Anyone else needs anything? Everyone got their guns? Ammo? Does anyone need to use the bathroom? No? Good! Now get us the hell out of here!"
Roman yelled out loud as a low sharp whine filled the air as the bullhead's thrusters began to fire pushing it off the ground as it started to take off.
"Ok boys and girl! It's time for a jailbreak!"
Roman yelled at the top of his lungs as the bullhead took off at full burn as it roared out of the mount and into the day.
"Alright listen and listen good! Because I'm only going to say this once!"
Roman said as he walked down the middle of the hull of the modified bullhead as the thief strolled around its hull a blue holograph appeared in the middle of the hull as he grinned.
"This is our target! A high-end Atlas holding facility! An unnamed Black site in the northern ass end of Atlas! This is a place that does not exist! We are breaking into a facility so secretive and secluded that it doesn't even have a name so we will be calling it site one."
Roman said as he shivered once as the cold air blew in the bullhead. As he shivered he was not alone as both Jaune, Ren and Neo shivered in the icy cold of the interior of the craft as the low drone of its engines filled thier ears. The bullhead they rode on was a very special bullhead. It was customized for speed and maneuverability, not comfort.
As Jaune saw from his scroll that they were flying at ludicrously high altitudes, nearing the absolute limit of dust powered craft could operate, and the cabin was filled with a chilly atmospheric air as they flew close to the top of the world.
"Our target! Is a good friend of ours, that so far only I Neo and Black have had the good pleasure of meeting. His name is Adam Taurus! He's the leader of the White Fang, and yes! I did say him. In case you were wondering the Fang is indeed led by a man. Go figure?"
Roman said as he pointed to the blue holographic form as it shifted to show a multi-layered bunker complex? Of some type that was carved into the side of some mountain, in the middle of nowhere as Roman pointed to it.
"Ok listen up! Take a good look at our target! We are going to get up close and personal with it so pay attention to what I am about to say! This is how we are going to do this! Neo! You will infiltrate this part of the base, the command center at the top of it. You will be responsible for disabling the bases anti-air defenses securing our extraction. If we want to get out of this base alive it's going to be a helluva lot easier without an ass load of surface to air missiles and a metric ton of flak on our asses so take care of it will you?"
Roman asked as a pink line attached to a red ball appeared on the outside of the base following a preset path into the top layer of the base before flashing pink as Neo nodded.
"Got it."
The woman signed as she nodded her head in assent as Roman returned her nod.
"Ren!"
"Yes! I am here to help! Although I do not know what I am here to do!"
Ren said happily as he blinked owlishly at him.
"You! My favorite green sociopath! You are with me! Thank your lucky ass that you and I will have the dubious honor of sneaking into the ventilation ducts of the base! To do that we will have the great honor of scaling up half a mile of the actual mountainside to get into a seldom-used ventilation shaft."
Roman said point to the hologram as two dots, one orange one gree appear showing up on the base of the mount before climbing straight up to the middle and blinking rapidly.
"Got it?"
"Yes!"
"Good! Once we get in our mission is to quietly infiltrate the base and take out several guard post along our escape route, securing it for Black and Jaune when they do thier part. After we do that we will rendezvous with them here! At the bases central elevator platform and make our escape!" He said as twin red dots appeared as Roman pointed to the hologram a Ren nodded.
"Are we fighting the bad guys?"
Ren asked with a concerned look in his eyes as Roman nodded.
"Kid we are fighting the worst! Guys! Trust me; these women are not good people. I mean I'm no saint but jeez! They are the combatants of a mass murdering oppressive government that would see you shot for existing!"
Roman said as Ren nodded.
"Ok! I'm in!"
The boy said believing his savior in a moment as Roman smiled at him.
"Roman, if you and Ren are taking out the guards and Neo takes down thier AA what am I going to do?"
Jaune asked as the man took another puff of his cigar and grinned like a madman, that Jaune was now sure he just might be.
"Glad you asked my protege!"
"Hey! Why does he get to be your protege! What about me?"
Ren pouted as Roman chuckled rubbing his long black hair making him flush.
"Sorry kid! I only take one!"
"That's not fair!"
"Them's the brakes! If you really want a teacher, Neo is always taking students. If you don't mind losing a limb! Or four depending on her mood."
Roman said as Neo waved to Ren energetically as she blew him a kiss making him frown.
"I'm ok... for now...
Ren said as Roman nodded before turning to Jaune.
"You! Blondie, as I was saying you have the most important job out of us all!"
"And that would be?"
"You are charged with busting out our boy Adam out from his holding cell deep underground in the center of the base."
Roman said as twin red balls appeared on the outside of the base before going straight into the middle before dropping rapidly, down into the center of the base as they ended in a blip! Of motion at the center of the mountain.
"I have to get down there?"
"Sure do! You need to go to the middle of the base, break past the guards travel past the multiple security measures and break Adam out of his cell! Before escorting him back up to the top of the base where I and Ren will be waiting for you. Where after we regroup we will be extracted by bullhead after Neo takes down thier AA.'
Roman said as Jaune frowned.
"But how? How the hell am I supposed to break into one of the most highly secured places in the world and break Adam? Out of his cell by myself?"
"Well, the thing is you won't be by yourself! Mercury! Stop being a little shit and pay attention!"
Roman said taking his cigar out his mouth finish it before chucking it at the sleeping boy. Smacking him right in fac with a loud thud! As the boy jolted awake.
"Huh? Wazzat?"
The silver-haired boy said as he woke up from his nap, brushing off the ruined cigar as his headphones fell off his ears as music spilled into the cabin.
"~I Can't stand it! I know you planned it! I'm a get this straight this Watergate!~"
The headphones blared loudly before he turned them off sighing heavily as he looked at Roman.
"Yo! Roman! What's up? Who are we robbing today?"
Mercury asked in a tired voice yawning loudly as Roman signed rolling his eyes at him.
"First of all Black, we are not robbing anyone we are breaking them out! So pay attention-
"Breaking them out is still like robbing from a prison so...
"As I was saying! Black you and Jaune-
"Jaune? Who's Jaune?"
The boy asked in a confused voice as he looked around the cabin, as he finally noticed the two new people in the cabin as he blinked owlishly.
"Who the hell are these two? When did they get here?"
Mercury? Asked pointing to Jaune and Ren as Roman sighed.
"Black Arc. Arc Black. Say high to each other your lives will be depending on one another soon enough."
Roman said as Mercury? Was it turned to Jaune his storm cloud grey eyes glittering with mirth as he held out a hand.
"Sup bro! Name's Black! Mercury Black! Nice to mee you!"
The boy said holding out a black-gloved hand as Jaune nodded his head.
"Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you as well."
He said as Mercury's eyes widened.
"Arc? No way! You are the prince in the castle! That's awesome!"
The boy said as Jaune grimaced.
"I really do wish that people did not use my nickname."
He said as Mercury grinned.
"Ah don't sweat it, bro! It looks like me, and you will be working together so let's get along ok?"
The boy asked in a reassuring voice as Jaune smiled at him.
"Sure let's."
Jaune replied as the sound of a heavy sighed fill the air as the leader of this mission was busy tapping his cane on the metal deck.
"Hey! Lovebirds! Stop flirting and listen up! You two are the only team to go solo. I'm guiding Ren, and Neo needs to chaperone so you two are flying solo so listen and listen well because I won't repeat this." Jaune this is important when you meet Adan you have to give him his sword."
Roman said as Neo appeared in front of Jaune with a white duffel bag. As she unzipped it revealing shiny red sword poking out form a black sheath with the words Wilt and Bush written on its side.
"The hell is this?"
Jaune asked taking the sword that was surprisingly light in his hand as Roman smiled.
"That is Adam's sword. He's useless in a fight without, and downright unstoppable with it. So make damn sure he has it! Once he has that you will have no problems breaking out of the base."
"What about breaking in?"
"I'm getting to that! I through great personal effort and sacrifice on my end have successfully managed to procure for you two twin set's of guard uniforms, along with badges security codes and all manner of things that you will need to get inside this base nice and quiet like, without getting killed on your way out."
Roman said fishing out two small plastic cards as Ren blinked.
"Do we get any cards?"
Ren asked eyes shining with hope as his mouth watered at the security cards.
"Nope! But what we do get, is to cut our way through several feet of ice and snow, only to access a seldom-used air duct crawling our by then freezing asses, through about half a mile of ice cold metal. Shivering our poor selves to death and praying to Oum himself that we don't break off our damn cocks on the metal, to sneak up and take out some bad guys! Doesn't that sound fun!"
Roman practically hissed through gritted teeth as Ren spoke up.
"It sure does!"
" I knew you'd say that. Anyways! Jaune, Black. You two need to get changed. We were able to procure some uniforms for you that will help you walk inside. As soon as your in, Black will take out the guards while you Jaune will take this."
Roman said as he pulled out a small plastic chip, from his pocket which had the emblem of a black pawn? On it as Jaune took the chip and frowned.
"What's this?"
"Computer virus. One I made especially to take down Atlas security systems. This is as much a jailbreak as it is a test run for later plans. Put this card in the control counsel marked by your scroll and it should, I did say should! Bring down the barriers and give you a clear shot right to Adam."
"And if it does not do that?"
Jaune asked looking at the small chip with the black pawn on it warily not trusting it for a second.
"Then Mercury will have to get off his lazy ass and do some damned work for once in his life."
Roman said as the boy sighed.
"I knew I should have stayed asleep. Why do I have to do the heavy lifting?"
"Quit complaining! You volunteered for this op remember? Don't back out of it now."
"Hey! I'm not trying to leave! Anything's better than staying back at my place right now."
The boy claimed as Jaune cocked his head.
"You'd rather be breaking into one of the most secure places on Remnant than staying home?"
"You got it, man! Let me tell you; my girlfriend is not happy with me right now. And neither is my boss. So since I don't; like being burnt, or stabbed, I'm coming along on this little shindig! Where I will probably shot and frozen instead!"
"Is that much better?'
"Yes."
The boy said near instantly as Jaune frowned.
"Must be tough being popular."
"It sure is Jaune. It sure is."
Mercury said smiling as Roman sighed.
"Anyways, this is a dangerous job, and we only have one shot at this. Adam is being moved tomorrow where Atlas will announce his capture to the world. If they do this, then we are screwed. Now listen here, this is once in a lifetime shot to do this damned thing so we are going to do this right. The base is running on a skeleton crew right now. I have confirmed that there are less than one hundred guards inside of it. With the majority of its defenses being knights, security cameras, automated defense matrixes and the odd Paladin. But don't worry about that! The virus I gave you will take down all the automated crap and the security cards will do the rest."
"Roman, how the hell did you get these access cards?"
Jaune asked as he saw that what he once thought was simply high-quality duplicates where the real dead. Actually Atlas security cards, things that Qrow had to kill to acquire or Chip tooth had to do one of the few things he could actually do well and forge as Roman grinned.
"You see Jaune many, and I do mean many people in Atlas sympathize with the fang. And some of them just happened to be guards stationed at the base."
Roman said grinning as Jaune's mouth dropped.
"You have inside connections in Atlas? How?"
"It's like I told you Jaune! Loose lips sink ships! And after a rahter.. intimate meeting with the warden of this base a couple years ago I know most of it like the back of my hand! And I have more than a bit of sway inside the thing."
Roman said licking his lips and grinning like a hyena as Jaune blushed and Neo giggled.
"Now listen up! This is Atlas we are breaking into so be prepared for some cold air and frosty conditions. Our best estimate once we get ground side is a ground temperature of minus twenty. And that is without wind chill. With windchill, we are looking at minus fifty plus so I hope you packed warm!"
"How could I pack!? I didn't even know I was coming!"
Jaune complained as Roman signed.
"That sounds like a personal problem."
"Roman!"
"Ok! Ok! Jeeze! There are some warm clothes in the back. Don't bite my head off!"
The thief said reaching into his pocket before puffing a cigar and sighed.
"Everyone, listen up. Today is a big day for us. We can not fail here. If we fail here, there will be no makeups. The best case scenario is we make it with Adam in tow and we all go home happy. If that fails we make it out but Adam stays. Worst case? I won't let any of you get captured. Neo."
Roman said as Neo nodded teleport into the back of the craft only to return with several juice? Bottles in her hand as she gave them all to Mercury, Ren, and Jaune.
"Drink up."
Roman said as Mercury shrugged his shoulders as the boys opened up the odd juice bottles and drank the odd fruity juice.
"The hell is this?"
Jaune asked finished his drink in one gulp as Roman sighed. "Potassium cyanide."
Roman said as all the boys balked as they did a spit take.
"What?!"
Jaune shouted wiping off his tongue and-
"You heard me. That's a slow-acting lethal position. If you get caught, I can't risk anyone talking so if we don't get you the antidote in let's say twelve? Hours you are all dead. Ok?'
"Roman! I-
"I understand."
Mercury said firmly as Ren nodded.
"As do I."
Ren said as Jaune saw his reflection in his scroll.
"Makes sense. This is it, do or die Jaune. If we get caught, our dream is dead, so we might as well die too."
It reasoned as Jaune sighed as the ship neared its exfiltration point. As he began to put on his captured Atlas uniform, pulling it over his Beacon one as he equipped his knife, hatchet, and even Shorty to his side. As he holstered Adam's sword over his back as he prepared to fight for his life.
"Remeber the plan! Meet back up as soon as possible!"
Roma's words rang in Jaune's ears as he felt his entire body shiver in misery as he rubbed his shoulders with his gloved hands as he looked ahead. Roman was right about it being cold, he just wished he would tell him that it was worse then frigid in the area. Jaune thought teeth chattering wildly as his procured, Atlas visor told him it was a chilly minus thirty and dropping rapidly.
As the howling wind that sounded link a banshee shrieking filled his ears as he and Merucy mad the half and hour trudge forward.
Roman and Ren had departed earlier as the drop which was a HALO entry from low orbit. A plan Jaune had not anticipated as one second he was getting dressed on the Bullhead the next the hatch opened as he saw a simply breathtaking view of pure white clouds, majestic purple mountaintops, and the shining sun. Before Roman kicked him out of the bullhead.
Literally. Roman kicked him out of the ship sending him falling freely down into the blizzard below. As Jaune screamed like a child as he fell from over forty thousand feet, high. Yelling his head off before Neo teleported him safely to the ground, as she ferried both Jaune, Mercury and Roman to the ground. While Ren teleported himself to the ground where he safely landed alone.
After that mind shattering and terrifying act of death defiance that Roman swore! Was necessary to get past the bases AA and radar systems, stating the blizzard gave them cover. As the five of them trekked together for a time before reaching the base of the mountain as Roman and Ren departed to began thier half a mile climb up the mountain, while Neo teleported away as Jaune and Merucy began thier trek forward. As the teams split up. They were all let off over one mile from the base to avoid radar, as while the bullhead the Vesperia that they rode in was technically almost undetectable.
The base they where going to infiltrate was not a common base, and it could definitely pick up on the Vesperia if it got too close. making the HALO entry a necessity. As Jaune and Mercury walked forward, Jaune wished he was back in Beacon. As even in his fully insulated top of the line Atlas body armor the cold still seeped in. It crept in like an assassin, sneaking into the supposedly airtight suit, like little-creeping hands, skittering and slither inside his crack and weak spots as the worked their long shriveled fingers inside his suit.
And proceeded to stab him with icky clawed and dugs it's chilly knives inot his flesh as he shivered.
"You feeling ok Arc?"
Mercury asked over their headset coms system as Jaune grimaced.
"I'm freezing my ass of over here," Jaune said bitterly as his suits head up display told him it was now forty below freezing with a wind chill of twenty making it fell like it was below sixty as he marched along the slush. As his feet sunk half a foot into the ground with every step.
"Hah! Me to! At least my legs don't get cold!"
The boy said laughing as Jaune sighed.
"Black, do you know anything about the guy we are rescuing? Like, have you ever meet him? What kind of guy is he? He must be pretty strong if the Fang let a man lead them."
Jaune asked ignoring a particularly brutal blast of cold air that crept into his suit making his body collapse in on itself as he felt like he was stark naked and not wrapped up in insulated self-heating armor.
"Who Adam? Well, I've met him before, and he's a bit different...
"Different? How so?'
Jaune asked as Mercy grinned.
"Let's just say he's not the biggest fan of humans. And he's not one to mince words about it either."
Mercury said as the saw the first lights of the bases main gates as they marched forward.
"Oh, fuck me! Who did I piss off to get this job!?"
Roman hissed as he shivered his ass off as he held onto the side of the base. As Roman shivered his ass off, already he was regretting not packing enough heat suits, as he was the only of the crew to not get a heating suit. As there was a thin layer of frost along his mustache as the harsh hissing! Of melting steel, snow and rock filled the air.
As Roman ignored the downright hideous windchill factor of the air as he cut into the side of the mountain with his small fusion cutter. A device that produced a small cutting beam heated somewhere in the hundreds of degrees centigrade as it cut into the mountainside, spitting apart metal, snow, and rock like a hot knife through butter.
As the small white device no bigger than his hand projected a small blue beam into the mountain as he cut a perfect square into the mountain as he opened up the portal into the ventilation ducts. "Great. Now I get to freeze my ass off inside. Wonderful!"
Roman grimaced shuffling into the ventilation shaft, tucking away his small fusion cutter for later use as an insulated and warm Ren followed him from behind.
The two had spent the batter part of the last hour scaling up the side of the mountain. Ignoring freezing temperatures, horrible snow drifts and the wild gusts of wind approaching fifty miles an hour to barely reach and infiltrate thier air duct. And now found themselves inside the bases air ducts after Roman finished slicing into the base's ventilation system with a fusion cutter as he entered the ducts.
"Roman? Where are we going now?"
Ren asked from behind him as Roman crawled on his stomach shivering like he had a live wire in him as he chattered his teeth.
"To kill some bad guys kid."
Roman said as the two began to shuffle their way forward. It was a thankfully brief three minutes of a painful, cramped journey. As Roman and Ren shuffled awkwardly through the freezing Atlas ventilation system. Barely speaking a word bumping into the freezing metal walls as thier breath came out in harsh white wisps, and thier teeth chattering like mad before finally reaching thier first target, a guard booth deep inside the facility as Roman grunted.
Cursing every god in existence as he painfully and awkwardly shuffled himself into a pretzel as he manipulated himself to turn around facing Ren as he pulled up his scroll.
"Ok, Ren listen up. You see that guard down there?'
Roman asked pointing to the lone security woman staying inside a glass booth beneath them as Ren nodded.
"Sure do! Is she a bad guy?"
"She sure is! Now when you see a black pawn on the screen I need you to take her down you got it?"
"I got it!"
"Good now don't get too cocky. You need to be careful-
Roman paused as his scroll blinked red as Ren blinked out of existence. As Roman watched in shock as the boy teleported into the guard room. Appearing in a burst of motion as he popped into reality above the woman causing the guard to balk in surprise. Not even able to raise her gun as he stuck like a viper striking out with his blades, glowing green as he slashed her across the throat.
FISHT!
Blood filled the air as he sliced out the woman's jugular in one swift motion as she fell in a shower of blood and laned in a broken heap on the ground.
"I was going to say don't get cocky, but this is clearly, not your first rodeo."
Roman said before pulling out his fusion cutter and cutting open the grate. Frowning as the smell of melting metal filled the air as he fell down to land on the soles of his feet as he looked up. He was finally inside the base proper. As the unnervingly pearl white walls glowed sharply making his eyes hurt to look at them as he squinted.
Good job kid. Roman thought as he saw that all the cameras in the base were down and that no alarm had sounded, meaning not only had Jaune and Mercury done thier job well his virus worked like a charm!
"Now maybe Cinder won't charbroil me for once?"
Roman asked aloud as he walked over to Ren. The little sociopath was standing over the dead woman's body entirely covered head to toe in her blood. Looking like a Grimm avatar of a blood god and grinning like a fool waving to Roman with a bloodstained bayonet as Roman sighed.
"You know kid I'm starting to think that you are holding back on me, you know that?"
Roman asked as Ren laughed once as he wiped off a bloody blade on his formerly pale pant leg now stained bright crimson in viscera as Roman grimaced.
"Jeez kid you don't have to look happy about this, I know killing is what we do but damn. Do you have to enjoy it?"
"Why wouldn't I enjoy this Roman? I'm killing the bad guys after all, what's so wrong about enjoying being on the side of justice!"
Ren said kicking the dead woman in her neck as a small geyser of blood shot up from her wound staining his face with another layer of red as Roman grimaced.
"Kid I got to tell you something, about these people being the bad guys-
"Roman. I am not stupid ok? I know that we are killing the good guys."
Ren said in a matter of fact tone as Roman felt his mouth drop and-
"Where the hell is she?"
"No idea she was supposed to call in hours ago, but I haven't heard from her since."
"She probably fell asleep at her post again."
"She is in so much trouble! Can you imagine what would happen if Winter was here?"
A trio of new voices said as Roman panicked as he gripped Melodic Cudgel and easily slid behind a guard booth wall.
"Ren we got company!"
Roman hissed as took cover behind the smooth walls of the guard room as he cursed internally.
Shit! Shit! Shit! We're trapped surrounded by blood with the guards coming? Ok Roman think! You just got to-
Romans thoughts where interrupted as the door to the room slid open as three female soldiers clad in bright white body armor with rifles held lazily at their sides as they stepped in.
"Hey what-
"What the fuck!?"
"We have a woman down! We need-
"AHH!"
A female cry filled the air as Roman popped out of cover cane raised only to see a massacre unfold.
Ren blinked, into the middle of the guards, slicing one woman's jugular open in a mechanically efficient strike. Opening a yawning wound on her neck and spraying the room with blood, covering Roman's face in it. As the woman gurgled thrice in an ugly undulating sound as her hands gripped feebly to her neck in a futile attempt to close the brutally spurting wound on it as she collapsed to her knees as her companions froze.
As the other woman recoiled attempting to raise thier weapons and fire Ren gave them no chance to do so. As Ren lunged at the second woman one blade digging deep into her shoulder breaking past her white shoulder guard slicing into her flesh as he hooked her shoulder in a swinging attack.
Making her cry out in pain only for him to drag her down with him as he stabber her kneecap. Making, her fall to the floor, where a quick burst from StormFlower blew her brains out in a shower of pink, red and white as she fell forward in a silent heap on the floor.
As the second woman died the third attempted to aim her rifle only for Ren to use the now dead woman's neck as a fulcrum swinging his legs up and wrapping them around the third woman's neck. Before savagely twisting them and filling the air with an awful snap!
Roman flinched as an awful snapping sound filled the air as he broke her neck killing her instantly as he backflipped off the three bodies bowing once to Roman before fixing him with a steely glare.
"Roman. I do not like being lied to. You knew we were killing the good guys and you lied to me!"
Ren said in a decisive unnerving Neo likeness as Roman gripped his cane.
"Now! Now! I would not say lie! I would say I might have creatively displayed the truth! Yeah! That' it I-
"I don't care.'
Ren said calmly putting away his weapons as he smiled at the dead bodies of the guards in a disturbingly Neo like look on his face as Roman balked.
"You... you don't care?"
"Nope!"
"Ren... we just killed Atlas soldiers and you are telling me that you don't give a damn?"
"Not one!" Ren claimed as thieves mouth dropped.
"Ren what the-
"Hey Roman, you want to know a secret about me?"
The boy asked stopping on the balls of his feet. Putting his hands behind his back and sticking out his head in a decisively feminine fashion as Roman grimaced. He could pass for a damn girl. Roman thought as he made sure his cane was loaded.
"Sure?"
Roman asked still not taking his hands off Melodic Cudgel as he eyed the boy in front of him.
"I say I like killing bad guys a lot! But that's not true! You see I don't just like killing bad guys! In reality, I really just like to kill things!"
Ren said standing over the dead woman, who was not quite dead before stabbing his bayonet into her eye socket, stabbing her through the skull before ripping out part of her brain dying his head pink and red while filling the air with blood as Roman grimaced.
"This is never going to work."
"It will work."
"We are going to die!"
"No, we are not! Arc keep it together!"
"We are going to die!"
Jaune hissed over his coms as he and Mercury walked side by side in the pale white hallways. Jaune still did not believe his luck. The two of them had literally walked into the base's front door. Literally!
They just walked in! The two guards at the door just nodded to them as Jaune showed them thier ID cards. And let them inside the base. As the two had since been walking silently following the steady line of the scroll he had. "Calm down."
Mercury said as the two walked into the plan pearl hallways of the Atlas base. The key cards Roman gave them allowed them to enter and so far they had been allowed to walk unmolested inside the station. Most guards thinking that they were just shorter guards and not intruders. As the two walked side by side as Jaune fought down his anxiety as the walked past the long thankfully heated hallways of the Atlas base.
"How are you so calm about this!?'
"Because I've done this type of job. Don't worry we got this; my semblance will keep us safe."
The boy said as Jaune saw the green half circle on his arm scroll as he cocked his head.
"Your semblance? You said that you could only use it for a limited time right?"
"Two minutes, that's all I can do."
The boy admitted as Jaune coughed.
"Two minutes!? How can that save us?"
"You have never seen me in action. Trust me two minutes is far more than what we need." The boy said as the two continued in silence walking along the painfully pearl sterile hallways, which smelled of antiseptic and powerful cleaning agents. The entire Atlas base seemed dead to him. As so far the only other living things they say where the odd gaggle of guards, that simply nodded to them. Thier helmets keeping them safe from prying eyes.
Or the worst the Atlesian Knights the bipedal robotic soldiers that walked steadily past them in far greater numbers than thier human counterparts. As Jaune counted at least forty of them walking past them in pairs of two. Thier blank expressionless visors glowing blue as they scanned the sharp hallways as Jaune prayed whatever internal sensing devices they had in them could not locate them as they walked past the sharp hallways.
Jaune thought as they passed another path of the octagonal hallways. As for some reason, each hallway of the base looked like a massive octagon, with eight hard shapes on thier sides as another rotating pair of guard nodded to them as they walked silently forward.
"Do you have the virus?'
"Sure do."
"Do you think it will work?"
"No idea. Roman built it so yes?" Jaune said as he followed his scroll. The two walked in silence for over three minutes. Walking down the long white sterile hallways, as Jaune saw that just as Roman said there was only a skeleton crew in the base, he counted less than thirty guards, and only twenty Knights inside the main halls as the got past the outer perimeter of the bases damn near sterile interior. As they walked, his scroll began to beep!
Rapidly as they approached a small guard room at the end of a hallway that was to his displeasure surrounded by soldiers. As Jaune counted twelve well, armed soldiers, that looked bored and were waiting for something to shoot. Something just like two uninvited interlopers here to bust out a wanted terrorist. And to make matters worse they stood guard right outside the elevator that would take them to Adam. Typical. Jaune thought as he looked at his hud.
"Great start to your hunter career. Less than two months in and we are already busting out a wanted terrorist who's killed countless civilians? Great job."
His reflection said in his hud as he grimaced.
Later on. Jaune thought to himself as he looked to the task ahead.
"We need to get in there and-
"Say no more! Arc it's about time you see my semblance!"
Mercury said grinning as he bowed his legs took a deep breath. As the boy dipped as Jaune heard a low whine coming from his legs? It was almost like a motor was winding up as they began to glow blue?! Of all thing as Jaune began to worry for him.
"Mercury? What are you-
FISHT! BAM! WOMP!
The sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the air as Mercy vanished, from reality as the sound of flesh hitting flesh filled his ears. As Jaune watched in shock as the guards flew. They went from standing in a loss semic circle to flying all across the room and crashing into the wall of the security room.
As the sounds of flesh crashing into filled the air, as the guards went flying into the walls of the room and landed in crumpled heaps as Mercury blinked back into reality next to Jaune grinning like a fool.
"All done!"
Mercury said gesturing to what was now a pile of knocked out guards all laying back down on the metal floors of the base. With their guns knocked about and tossed across the room as Jaune's mouth dropped.
"The hell did you do!?"
Jaune asked as he eliminated the room's guards in less than a moment as the boy yawned lazily as he cracked his knuckles.
"My semblance! It lets me move fast!"
"Fast!? You call that fast!? I couldn't even see you!"
"I know right!? When my boss first saw my semblance she called me Quick Silver!"
"You were faster than Ruby!'
"Who's Ruby?"
"She's my friend she also runs fast-
"Not as fast as me!"
"You... your right on that, she's fast but you are something else entirely," Jaune said nodding to the boy who grinned so hard he saw it through his mask.
"You're damned right! Now let's get this show on the road."
Mercury said as Jaune saw his green semi-circle had lost a percent of its total whole, as he nodded once as he walked over the bodies. All the woman had been knocked but and otherwise left alone. As they were all still breathing, and would all wake up later on with a headache but alive. He showed them mercy? Jaune thought as his reflection grimaced.
"That's strange? Maybe he doesn't like killing? Strange for someone working with Roman."
"Yeah, you got a point."
Jaune said as they approached the control console, his scroll went crazy ringing loudly as Mercury spoke up.
"I'll guard the entrance! You put in the virus, hurry up!"
He said walking to the front of the room as Jaune nodded as he went to the center terminal. "Ok. Let's see how if this works."
Jaune said aloud as he put the chip into an insert slot on the terminal as a low whirring sound filled the air.
"Come on Roman. Be good for this." Jaune begged as a download bar appeared on the screen as it flashed crimson. A second later the screen was red as Jaune saw a large black pawn appear on the screen before it flashed crimson as the sound of power shutting down filled the air, as Jaune smiled.
"You did it!"
"Yeah, I sure-
"Oh, my goddess! What's going on!?"
A voice yelled as Jaune turned around to see two guards rifles raised entered the room.
"Michelle! Call for back up!"
The first woman said ordering her subordinate as she flashed her a salute.
"Yes, Mam!"
The other woman said walking out of the room as the first woman turned to Jaune
"You! Private report! What the hell happened here?"
A sergeant if the medals on her chest spoke the truth asked as she walked into the room, stepping past Jaune and going for the control console.
"Why the hell is there a black pawn on-
FISHT!
The woman cried as Jaune dug his vorpal black blade into her back piercing her armor exploding out of her throat and severing her spine. Killing her instantly as she collapsed to the ground in a puddle of blood.
"No choice. We need to kill her."
His reflection said as he nodded.
"You are right now we just-
"Clair!? What did you do!? Hands!"
The other guard yelled bursting into the room rifle raised before Jaune swiveled to his left and tossed his knife at her striking her in the helmet. Skittering off with a loud clink! As it crashed against her visor taking her off balance as he lunged at her hatchet raised, before slicing into her shoulder making her scream in pain as he kicked her back through the door.
"I agree," Jaune said as he drew his hatchet and swung it down to finish her off and-
"NO!" Mercury yelled as a black blur came out from Jaune's side as the guard vanished.
CLINK!
His hatchet hit and bit the metal floor of the enemy base as Jaune stabbed into the pearly floor. As he turned his head as he saw Mercury across the room with a knocked out guard in his arms.
"Mercury? The hell was that?"
Jaune asked as Mercury began to bandage?! The guards wound as he set her nose and stopped the bleeding as he turns to Jaune a sharp glare in his grey eyes.
"Jaune! What were you thinking!?"
The boy yelled as Jaune blinked owlishly at him.
"I was going to kill the guard that was going to report us."
"Jaune! What was that crap!? There is no need for violence today! As long as we do not have to kill anyone, we have no reason to!"
The boy said frowning as Jaune blinked at him.
'Mercury? Do you not like killing?"
"Of course not! I've never killed someone, a day in my life and I won't start today!"
The boy shouted as Jaune felt his mouth drop.
"If you don't want to kill people why the hell are you here?"
"To save them. Life is a precious thing Jaune. Too often it is brutal and painfully cut short, and many people have to resort to murder to stay alive but not me. I have powers Jaune. And I am committed to making this a world without killing. Why do you think I joined her?"
Mercury said as he walked to the front of the room where he pushed a button calling the elevator that would take them to Adam as Jaune blinked.
"Her?"
"The best woman in the world Jaune. I don't know if you know her but just you wait! Once you meet her your world will change for the better!"
"Yeah, but who the hell is she?"
Jaune asked as the sound as an elevator dining filled the air as the doors slid open, revealing a large gunmetal grey interior with yellow warning chevrons etched into its sides as they stepped in as they began the second stage of thier journey.
Well, on the one hand, I don't have a knife in my back. On the other hand, I'm alone with a god damned sociopath that has less than three distinct colors in thier hair.
Roman thought as he walked side by side with Ren. The little green psycho had just finished butchering another half-dozen guards in the process. Coating himself crimson with blood and dying him red as Roman grimaced.
He knew the signs of mental degradation when he saw them, and Ren was far gone. The boy probably had less than a year left if he kept using his semblance like he did before he lost his mind or committed suicide.
"Ahh well, it's how all men in our line of work go. Nothing to be done but hope he goes with some dignity for once." The thief thought grimmly as they walked to the elevator door. As Roman pointedly looked the other way as the saw a pile of knocked out security guards on the floor.
As he covered his ears as Ren walked up to them with a downright disturbed look on his face as he raised his bayonets to thier necks as the sound of slicing flesh filled the air as Roman thought of the plan. Once Jaune and Black got Adam out they would meet here, take the elevator to the landing zone on top of the mountain and if Neo had taken out the AA. Oum willing the Vesperia would take them home.
Roman thought as he heard the sound of an elevator ding! Filled the air as he grinned.
"How far down do we have to go?"
Jaune asked as they rode the elevator down in silence.
"Four miles."
Mercury said as the two rode the elevator in near total silence. The two standing three feet apart in the wide, dull green floors of the freight elevator as it slowly counted the time left to their destination. Two minutes, and now three miles left to go till they found the mountain's center where Adam was being held.
Ever since Mercury stopped Jaune from killing that woman Jaune was curious about him. Mercury apparently had some type of speed semblance that allowed him to move insanely fast. And he was apparently repulsed by killing, claiming that his entire purpose in life was to save the lives of others, as the two rode the elevator down.
As they rode Jaune notice the small green circle on Mercury's arm scroll was down a quarter as he blinked.
"You scroll is down a bit. What's that about?"
Jaune asked as Mercury shot him a smirk.
"That's my semblance meter. If it runs out I can't use my semblance."
"You can't use it?"
"Nope! I have limited uses of my semblance before I need to rest for a while. So far I can use it for two minutes of its own time only. Right now I've used up about thirty seconds so I'm down a quarter."
"What happens if you use it all up?"
"I die. Painfully and slowly while coughing up my own intestines and calling out the names of my loved ones, or I could if I had any." He said with a fatalistic smirk as they rode the elevator downward. Their ride was cut short as they reached the bottom of the base as the doors opened up revealing a long hallway, carved out of the actual mountain. With a narrow rocky road surrounded by a gaping crevice that went down to Monty knows hos long on either side, leading to a large metal door with several lights and a keypad on it at the end of it.
"Jaune you first."
Merucy said as they both walked out of the elevatory as they saw a large metal door barring their progress with the words no metal beyond this point. Written on it in bright red letters as Jaune flashed his id card to it as there was a loud BZRRT! Sound as an alarm sounded as the door lifted open to reveal the inside of the holding cell if you could call it that.
The room was, about two hundred feet all around in near total darkness with a small illuminated green pool? Of all things, as Jaune and Mercury enter a nearly pitch black room, where a medium-sized opaque box laid in the middle of a green pool of water suspend by several plastic chains as Jaune blinked.
"Where is-
"Ther he is! Jaune use your Id to open up the crate!"
Mercury said pointing to the half-submerged crate as Jaune balked.
"The crate!? He's inside that thing?"
"No shit! They can't keep metal around him! And they have to keep his mouth shut! Now open it up so we can get him out of here and go home! I'm tired of being stressed out, I just want to go back and take a nap!"
Mercury claimed as Jaune balked.
"If you say so."
Jaune said walking up to the crate and pressing his card on it. As it flashed the black pawn on his card, there was a whoosh! Of air, as the lid of the crate popped open in a burst of steam as a loud choking sound was heard, as a thin pale figure half naked clad in only a thin silver jumpsuit, pale skin, and a Grimm mask on his face, with fiery red hair with a pair bullhorns poking out of it, stumbled out.
"Hey! Hold on! You look hurt!"
Jaune said reaching out his hand gripping the shaking coughing man who spat out a ball gag before he gakked up a significant amount of pale mirky water. Shaking violently before turning his pale face to Jaune and smiling.
"My brother! It is! Good! To see! A friendly! Face!"
The man panted as Jaune held him up. He was dressed in a thin white jumpsuit and soaked in warm water. His body was thin and had few muscles on it making him lean as Mercury grinned.
"Adam! You made it!"
"Black. Tell. Your Mistress. That she. Has my. Thanks."
Adam said in a pained voice as Jaune put the man over his shoulder as Mercury did the same as they lifted him out of the pool.
"Easy there! We got you; we won't let anything happen to you k?'
Jaune asked as the man smiled.
"My brothers, I thank you for this. You will both be memorialized in the Fang after our escape."
The man said smiling weakly as they helped him out of the pool back across the narrow pass that straddled the bottomless crevasse of the interior of the mountain and into the elevator. As the three rode the elevator Jaune let Mercury take Adam as he pulled off the white bag on his shoulder as he went to one knee.
"Roman said you would need this."
Jaune said as he handed Adam Wilt and Bush. Making the man pause as he reached out twin shaking shivering hands to the weapons as he began to cry.
"I... I have them back...
"Roman said you were strong with them so you better put them to use."
Jaune said as Adam shot him a downright savage grin that made his blood run cold.
"You have no idea, my brother. If you wish to see a true test of my strength I will be sure to show you in full." Adam said as he hooked the sword to his side as the rode up into the base.
"Adam! Baby! So glad to see you alive!"
Roman said as he reached out a hand, that Adam took eagerly gripping his hand in his own. Before pulling Roman into a friendly embrace as he hugged the human smiling warmly at him.
"Roman. My brother. It is. So good. To see. You."
Adam coughed as Roman sighed.
"You still need to get your lungs checked out man. We didn't go through the trouble of rescuing your moody ass just for you to choke to death you know?"
The man asked as Jaune and Mercury still held the man up as Ren smiled happily moving on the balls of his feet covered head to toe in blood and offal. Roman grimaced at the boy, not only had he killed a dozen more guards on thier way here, once they reached the elevator the little monster had proceeded to slit the throats of the unconscious security guards that Black had no doubt spared in his damned quest for peaceful resolutions slaughtering them in thier sleep.
Not that Roman cared one bit about them, but Mercury nearly had a heart attack as Roman had to carefully, very carefully explain that it was a necessity and it was do or die. That or Ren would have killed him then Cinder would be... irked. At her subordinate, well more like her surrogate son's death.
"You have always had a way with words my brother. Do not think any of you will be forgotten! You are all allies of the Fang from this day onward!"
Adam said happily before coughing again as the elevator dinged! As it came to a sudden stop as the doors began to open.
"What the hell?" Roman said as his head bolted up as he eyed the elevator dinged.
"What's wrong?"
Jaune asked as he saw Roman begin to sweat.
"It's too early!"
"Too early for what?"
"This is the kitchen of the base! Not the roof! The elevator stopped early!"
Roman said as Jaune paused as the elevator doors suddenly swung open.
"Ok ladies! It's time to move out and-
"The fuck?"
A female voice said as a dozen blank faces stared ahead of them as time stopped. Facing the escapees was now a dozen armed guards and four Knights. Both sides froze. Neither knowing what to do as they both stood still.
The ones breaking out of the jail froze as they found themselves boxed in a tight room with no way of escape as a dozen armed woman and four combat robots stared them dead in the face. As neither side made a move let alone breath as they eyed each other with equally incredulous expressions. The tense silence only lasted a moment before a voice shouted.
"HANDS! Show me your hands!"
A guard yelled as sixteen rifles cocked all at once as Roman sighed.
"Adam? You want to handle this one?"
"Nobody move!"
"With pleasure."
Adam said cracking his neck as he walked forward to the enemy guards.
"Engaging combat protocols."
"You wished to see my powers? My brothers let me-
"I got this one. You guy's take a seat."
Mercury said pushing Adam to the side as he stepped out of the elevator to face the guards.
"I said freeze!"
"As you wish Black. Take your time."
Adam said stepping to the side sheathing his sword as Mercury nodded to him before he reached for his headphones.
"Drop now! This is your final warning!"
"Adam?! Mercury!? What's going on!?'
Jaune asked as he and Ren drew thier weapons.
"FIRE!"
A guard yelled as the room was filled with the harsh barks of automatic weapons fire. As all of the guards and Knights began to unload thier weapons on them as a high pitched whine was heard from Mercury's legs making them glow blue before it stopped. Everything stopped. Time stopped and came crashing down to a screeching halt as it froze and went still.
As the guards once deafening weapon retorts became slow dull thuds! Of motion as the bullets fired from their guns slowed to a crawl as Mercury put his headphones on and grinned as he pushed play.
~If I could put time in a bottle. The first thing That I'd like to do.~"
A song played in his ears as the world went completely still, as he blurred. In one moment Mercury was gone. He moved in a silver grey blur outside the elevator as the bullets once traveling faster than the naked eye could see now barely moved at a snail's pace past him as he looked at his scroll. A little over a hundred seconds of dilation time. Let's do this. He thought as he cracked his knuckles and went to work.
Time dilation was the name he gave to his semblance, it was simple and more or less true. As he moved to the first guard a woman frozen in time as her face was hidden behind a silver mask. Let's see what's behind door number one?
Mercury thought reaching his hand out as they ripped her helmet off discarding it to the side as he saw a frozen tan face, with brown eyes and red hair whose jaw was locked in a steely grimaced Mercury frowned.
Why so serious? Mercury thought before taking out a small marker from his pocket and doodling on her face. Giving her a fake pair of glasses and a large mustache. Making him smile at his work before yanking the gun from her hand. Vibrating it in his own braking it down to its component parts and disintegrating it into dust before he poked her face sending lifting her off her feet and sending her flying backward.
"~Is to spend every day till eternity passes away, and again just to spend them with you. If I could make days last forever if words could make wishes come true.~"
The song played as he worked. Mercury repeated the process with all the other guards. Breaking apart thier weapons, giving them a few creative doodle marks on thier faces before knocking them out. Using a poke or a gentle punch to send them flying off thier feet.
He had to be careful in his attacks though, as if he pushed too hard he could break bones, shatter skulls or liquify organs instead of nonlethally disarming them. As he blurred between the guards he thought about how easy it would be to kill them. With his powers? He could kill them in a moment. He could if he wanted to tear thier limbs from their sockets, he could place his fingers on thier skulls vibrating them until thier brains turned to mush.
Or he could just rip out thier spines, vibrating his fingers to break past skin or aura, if he wanted to he could have been a great assassin but that was not his path. Mercury lived by a simple philosophy. With great power comes great responsibility. Thos with power had the obligation to use it for the betterment of all around him!
Sure he could kill people with his power but what's the point? These women where people with loving families and people that cared about them away from here. What benefit would he gain from killing them? What did anyone ever gain from killing when it was not necessary. Nothing that's what Mercury thought as he finished neutralizing the last of the guards. Leaving them sore, a bit surprised but very much alive. And after a good nights rest, they would all be fine. The Knights though? That was something he could go all out on.
Since they were mechanical beings and not organic the boy had no problems tearing them to pieces. Normally the only other creatures that Mercury actually harmed where Grimm as the creatures of the night were in his opinion not sentient and he had no problem killing. As Mercury would never kill a sentient lifeform, Cinder promised him that the day they met.
She swore to him as long as he followed her that she would build him a world without violence, death, and murder. And she would deliver him a perfect peaceful utopia and so far? She was good to her word, as so far she had never asked him to kill a target even if he could have done so with ease. Only asking him to disable and negotiate her targets.
A fact he loved about his mistress, and why he fought for her still as he took apart the offending robots. As Mercury enjoyed ripping the robots to pieces. Breaking them apart in brilliant still showers of sparks as-
"GAK!"
~But there never seems to be enough time. To do the things you want to do when you find them.~"
Mercury tasted iron in his mouth as he spat up blood, as he doubled over in the room.
Thirty seconds. He thought as the other part of his semblance kicked in. Mercury's semblance let him move his body at inhuman speeds but it was not perfect. And it had a safe zone of thirty seconds where it could be used with no consequences. After that it caused stress. As any time spent using it after thirty seconds cause rapid internal organ degradation. And anything past two minutes was more than likely fatal. The boy thought before noticing the long lines of fire approaching his friends.
The bullets! Mercury thought as he ignored the pain in his gut, that felt like someone was taking a cheese grater to his intestine and blurred forward. As while Mercury moved fast he made sure to be extra careful to avoid being shot. The last time he was injured using his semblance cost him his legs and almost took his life. As he ran forward.
And even if Cinder had given him shiny new ones to make up for the ones he lost in her service something he was eternally grateful for he still did not want to tempt fate again as he reached his allies. Several bullets were already on Jaune's face. Large black lethal looking things, with sharp tips and ribbed sides. All moving at a snail's pace in mid-air and all inching closer to his bright blue eyes. While more found thier way to Roman, Ren, and Adam as he laughed despite the pain he was in.
As his hand shot out blurring faster than even he could track as he flicked, moved and knocked the projectiles out of harm's way, just as his scrolls meter turned red as he exited his semblance.
FIT! FIT! BANG!
Jaune froze as bullets slammed all around him. Ripping past his ears and cheek barely missing his face. Slamming into the walls around him as the guards went flying up into the air slamming against the walls as the Knights exploded in brilliant white showers of blue sparks and metal as Mercury appeared on the floor of the elevator vomiting up blood!? As the boy coughed up blood onto the ground as Roman sighed.
"Goddammit! You overdid it again! What did we talk about Black!?"
Roman yelled as the boy vomited up onto the elevator floor.
"I couldn't let you kill them!"
He said weakly as Adam sighed pushing the top button on the elevator as he sighed.
"Black while I respect your choices please look out for your own health."
Adam said as Jaune and Ren reached down to help the badly coughing Mercury up as the boy coughed up his guts onto the elvator floor.
"Hold on! We are almost there!"
Jaune heard Ren yell to the dying boy just as the front doors of the elevator opened allowing a howl of bone-chilling wind to fill the room and-
"Freeze! Hands in the air!"
A woman said as Roman swore at the top of the lungs. Besides the bitter bone-chilling cold and the howling wind that screamed in his ear and clawed at his uniform, as there was a FISH! Of light as a blinding yellow light flashed over them. As Jaune covered his face as he saw a searing light shined on tot hem. As he held out a hand ignoring the blizzard and looking outside as his face paled as he almost dropped Mercury they were surrounded.
"It's not fair!" The blonde thought as Jaune counted at least three dozen Atlas soldiers, all backed up by Paladins and with air support. All armed to the teeth and all pointing their weapons at them. As the towering Paladins almost camouflage perfectly in the blizzard began charging thier plasma cannons and the bullheads Gatling cannons began to spool as Jaune panicked as he turned to Roman.
"Roman We're surrounded! What do we do!?"
Jaune asked as three dozen woman along with three Paladins plus two bullheads for support and they all had their guns trained on them.
"Adam, you want this one?"
Roman asked seemingly entirely nonplussed with thier situation as Adam smiled as he walked up to them.
"It will be my pleasure."
The faunus man said as he strode forward out of the elevator without a moment's hesitation as all guns focused on him.
"Adam Taurus! Surrender now!" A voice yelled as Adam's face became a feral snarl.
"I think not you entitled wench! Did you wish to see my power brothers? Pay close attention and Blink." Adam said as he began to whistle? Of all thing as a low whistling sound filled the air.
"What the hell is he doing!?"
Jaune asked as Adam began to whistle? At the Atlas soldiers as Mercury grimaced still coughing up blood as he turned his head away from Adam in anger.
"He's going to murder them!"
He spat out as Roman grinned.
"Hey, Jaune you want to see something cool? Just blink."
Roman said as Jaune paused as Roman smirked at the enemy.
"Petals fall."
Adam said as Jaune blinked and-
BANG! FWOOM!
Explosions filled the air as both bull heads exploded in an instant turning into miniature suns. Popping into thier very own mini supernovas as they shattered in mid-air. Becoming flaming comets that struck the ground igniting whatever leftover munitions were left over in the weapons racks. As the blew all at once filled the air with a massive thunderclap as the bow wave of thier explosions knocked Jaune back.
The guards popped like they were made of red water balloons. As they broke apart to spill thier macabre contents on the landing zone, flying apart in showers of offal and stray limbs as they dyed the snow a blood red as the Paladins went nuclear. Exploding as one and filling the area with burning flames turning the back of the pad into a flaming holocaust of death and-
FISHT!
Several pieces of foot-long shrapnel blurred past Jaunes face. One cutting deep into his cheek bypassing his aura and making him cry in pain, as all the projectile nearly decapitated him as the bullheads secondary munitions cooked off, as the entirety of the Atlas garrison force was annihilated in less than a second as Jaune balked in fear as Adam put away his sword and smirked at the flames.
He's a monster Jaune thought as Adam smirked at the dead enemies.
"Did you have to kill them?" Mercury asked sadly as Adam sheathed his sword.
"If I did not they would have killed us. Surely you do not want to die Black."
Adam replied as Mercury sighed heavily. "You could have disarmed them, there was no need for this."
He said pointing to the flaming wrecks of the bullheads and chared black craters where the Paladins once stood defiantly now little more than smoldering ruins of metal and ice as the snow turned red.
"They knew the risks when they joined Atlas." Adam reasoned as Roman stepped up.
"Good job, both of you! Now don't show off! We can leave as soon as Neo comes. Assuming Neo had taken care of her job." Roman said speaking of the devil as she appeared in a shower of glass ahead of them bowing deeply before looking at Mercury and grimacing.
"He overdid it again?"
She signed shaking her head at the coughing boy as Roman nodded.
"Sure did.' Roman said as Ren and Jaune held the boy up. Grimacing as he continued to spit up blood.
"She's going to be pissed and-
"Come friends. We must be going."
Adam said waving the group forward as the Vesperia flew in over Jaune and Ren carried a badly bleeding and coughing Mercy to the ship as all six of them got on board and left the prison behind them.
"Black you sure you ok? Cause you look like hot shit."
"Just dandy Roman! I do think I'm going to die though!"
He said happly as Jaune rubbed his back comfortingly as he coughed into a pale bloodstained napkin.
"Dammit Black! What were you thinking!? You know you can't use your powers like that!"
"Roman I had to do something! Those women were going to die!"
"Those women! In case you forgot where actively trying to kill us!"
"And!? Does that mean we have to kill them when there is a better alternative right in front of us!?"
Mercury argued as Adam spoke.
"And that would be?"
"I could have knocked them out!"
"You can not continually risk your life for others, my brother. If you do not look after your self, you will suffer. Although I disagree with your actions, I do respect them. And you all have my undying gratitude."
The faunus man said as he held out a hand to Jaune who shook it easily.
"Jaune Arc."
"Adam Taurus, well-met brother. I will repay your service today in full when the revolution comes."
Adam said as Jaune felt like he knew this man like the back of his hand as Mercury sighed.
"Dammit! Em's going to kill me! She specifically told me not to go overboard and what do I do? I go overboard!"
The boy bemoaned as Juen coke his head?
"Em? Who's Em?'
"Why she's only the most perfect girlfriend in the whole wide world! That's who! Even if she's got a bit of a case of sticky fingers, in more way than one if you know what I'm saying. And she can be a bit overprotective at the best of times, she's great!"
Mercury said smiling once before doubling over coughing up more blood as Jaune frowned.
"What does your semblance do to you?"
Ren asked walking over to him in a fresh pair of clothes, no longer covered head to toe in blood and brain as Mercury grinned.
"Glad you asked!"
He said jokingly as another violent series of coughs rocked his body.
"It makes me move very, very fast! And as it turns out while the human body doesn't care much about speed, acceleration is a bitch! And there are some speeds that the human body are not meant to move at for long periods of time! And when I do it too much, it put's stress on my internal parts."
Mercury said grimacing painfully as Ren cocked his head.
"Stress?'
"It deteriorates my internal organs if I use it too long. If I go beyond thirty seconds, I start to take damage to my insides. if I stop before two minutes any damage I take can be healed with aura. Beyond that and it becomes permanent. Last time I did this I lost my legs!"
Mercury said grinning as Roman stepped up.
"Alright you miserable shits, as far as successful jailbreaks go that was pretty good! Not only did we get our target out alive and in one piece no one got captured and or killed! Oh! Neo do give them the antidote before they all drop dead now will you?"
Roman asked as the woman nodded once as she reached into her back and pulled out several blue pills handing them all to Jaune, Ren, and Mercury as the boys took thier antidote as Roman grinned.
"Alright!I don't know about you lot but that was more than enough excitement for one lifetime!"
Roman said as Jaune nodded.
"You can say that again."
Jaune said as Ren nodded.
"It was fun! I hope we get to go back again!"
"I hope I do not need your assistance in the future, but I am sure that we will fight together as one before long. And I look forward to that day."
Adam said nodding to the assembled crew as Roman smiled brightly.
"Alright right now that we are all getting along and settling in! Get cozy boys and girl we got a long ride home."
Roman said as he sat down in a seat at the far end of the cabin. Pulling out a cigar and lighting it as Adam nodded his head folding his legs across his lap and meditating silently. As Mercury shuffled off to another part of the Vesperia as Ren and Roman sat next to each other. Right before Neo plopped herself into Jaune's lap. wiggler her read into his crotch and winking at him seductively as she blew him a flirtatious kiss. Making him sigh as the petite woman snuggled up to him as Jaune prepared for the five-hour ride to Vale as Neo snuggled in his lap as he wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes...
"All right! All right ladies! Nothing to see here! Move along!"
Roman said waving down the mob of crowded faunus terrorist that gathered around the Vesperia crowding the successfully returned escapee's greeting them like heroes of old.
"Adam! You made it!"
A booming voice said as a towering form, even for a man rumbled past the mob of woman as Adam grinned at him.
"Bane Saw? I thought you were dead."
Adam said grinning at the man as they clasped hand together.
"What me? Not in this lifetime! I don't know what to say! I don't know if I should be enraged that you got captured, or overjoyed that you escaped!'
"Why not a little of both?"
Adam said as the two began to speak in a happy tone as awestruck faunus looked at them like they were demigods.
"Jaune. Ren. Here now."
Roman said as Jaune and Ren put a barely breathing Mercury in the arms of a faunus medic as Roman waved them forward.
"Yeah Roman? What's up?'
Jaune asked as the man sighed.
"What' up? Besides the fact that you my protege have passed your test and proven your worth? What's up is you two need to get your stories straight, now."
Roman said as he puffed a cigar as Ren coughed and Jaune frowned.
"Our stories?"
"Yes, your stories! Neo god damned kidnapped you from your school so you two need an airtight alibi for where the hell you where during this fight, that will be all over the news in the next twelve hours. Luckily for you, I can provide that! So here's the story! Ren!"
"Yes!"
The boy answered wearing his now blood-free Beacon uniform as Roman puffed his cigar.
"You were called by Mil for a reunion."
"Reunion?"
"You heard me, they felt bad you got hurt and invited you for... cake! Yeah, that's it! There was an apology party for you and you forgot to tell anyone! And Neo only took you because she did not know any better!"
"Is that the best you can do?"
"Do you have any better ideas, my favorite student? Any more slivers of information for me to glean from?"'
Roman seethed as Jaune sighed.
"No."
"Good! Ren you and Jaune both came to the party. I'll have a tech guy doctor some videos and photos of it so we have some type of proof. And we are not just bull shitting as hard or as blatantly as we are. It's not the best story but it's what we got so let's try not to get tossed in jail after we just broke out of it ok?"
Roman asked as both boys nodded thier assent.
"Good! Now-
"Brothers! Do not think I forgot about you!"
Adam said wailing away from Bane Saw with a confident swagger as he grinned showing off a mouth full of healthy teeth to him as Jaune gulped.
"The faunus have long memories, and the Fang have especially long ones! And I always repay my debts!'
Adam said calling for help as four faunus woman walked over to him reverently as he took a small bag from them.
"You two have proven yourselves as not only allies to the Fang but for the faunus as a whole. You have rescued me at great personal risk to your own lives with no regards to the danger you would face! As such I must repay you in kind!"
The man said as he opened the small black bag as he pulled out twin Grimm masks from the inside.
"Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. For your assistance to me and for all the future work you will do for the faunus I hereby admit you both into the White Fang! And accept you as my real brothers!"
Adam said as Jaune's mouth fell and Ren smiled as Roman sighed.
"Neo. Take them home now. No detours."
Roman said as Neo walked over to the now newly minted white Fang members. As Ren looked at his mask with awestruck glee as Jaune looked like he had been shot.
"Got it!"
Neo signed as she gripped the boys at once making them scream as they shattered as they were squeezed through space-time as they went from Mount Gleen to the Beacon hallways. As Neo tossed the boys on the floor before blowing them a kiss as she shattered away leaving a flummoxed Jaune and Ren looking down at there White Fang masks and-
"This is so cool! Jaune we just got into a club!"
Ren said like he just won the damned lottery as Jaune sighed.
"Ren we just joined a terrorist organization! That is not ok! Not at all!"
"Sure it is Jaune! We get to hang out with Roman and fight the bad guys!"
Ren said far too happily as Jaune lacked the energy to argue with him as he stopped his arguing and began to walk with Ren to thier room.
"Maybe we should hide these masks?" Jaune said not wanting to explain being late and have terrorist paraphernalia as Ren nodded.
"Can we use your bag?"
"That should work," Jaune said taking the mask and hiding them in the myriad of other items he had tucked safely away. Hating the fact that it was so damn tight as it made it slightly harder to conceal as they made thier way into the room.
"You remember our story?"
"Yup! Sure do! We went to an apology party with Mil and Mel! We forgot about to tell everyone about it and we did not want to be late!"
Ren said as Jaune sighed as Roman's full proof alibi was a bit lacking as he rubbed his temples.
"It's not perfect but it will do."
It has to. Jaune rationalized as the reached the JNPR dorm as Jaune sighed.
"You ready?"
"As ever!"
"Hopefully everyone is asleep and we aren't even missed."
Jaune said as he laid out the best case scenario as he put his scroll to the door as it clicked once as it swung open as they walked inside.
Instantly Jaune's hopes of having an easy entrance and a quiet night where dashed into a million tiny pieces as he saw the combined presence of RWBY Opal, Oobleck, Coco and the accompany parents and his sister. Who was the only one without a panicked look on their faces as he began to sweat. As he saw Pyrrha and Norra running rungs into the carpet pacing back and forth. With incredibly worried looks on thier faces as Jaune began to back up and-
"Hello everyone! We are back!"
Ren yelled at the top of his lungs as Jaune facepalmed right as all eyes turned to them before a red comet shot at him as Ruby blurred into him like a red comet boring him to the floor silver eyes crying over his face as all hopes of a quiet night left in an instant as the room exploded into anarchy.
"Ok! Ok! Here we go! You're fine! You are fine! You just got to go inside and act like you are A-ok! And not dying due to massive internal organ failure!"
Mercury said as he stepped into the locked door of the bottom floor of the downtown apartment of his. It was a good place in a better part of Vale. As he walked inside the stone floors of the first story. As luck would have it it was in the middle of the damn night and no one was up to see the boy creeping home in the middle of the night as he slunk through the lobby.
Just play it cool. Mercury thought popping a breath mint on loan from Roman to hide the smell of blood in his mouth that he knew they could detect. It was already bad enough that he did not see the good doctor the only one who could really treat his injuries and make them heal faster than a snail's pace. The faunus medics were good but he needed a specialized doctor to help him. But he lacked the time, Cinder needed her report and he did not want to make her wait as he went to the small elevator and pushed the third-floor button as it ascended.
Thirty seconds later he was in front on a small, nondescript green door with a golden three implanted on it panting heavily before taking a deep breath and opening it.
"Hello! Anybody home?'
He asked stepping into a near pitch black apartment where the only light came a small red in the far corner of the room, where one lone figure sat on a chair reading a book as it's head snapped up to view him.
"Mercury? Is that you dear?'
A calm, beatific voice said as the figure looked up and a pair of steering golden eyes looked up at him, as stepped into the apartment shutting the door behind him as he looked at his boss.
"Cinder! It's-
"Mercury!"
A sharp voice yelled as the boy was tackled and lifted off of his feet and subsequently crushed in a bone-breaking bear hug. As his eyes were covered in a tide of green and brown.
"Hey Em! Long time no see! Please put me down!"
The boy gasped as the green hair thief hugged him tighter than what should be humanly possibly as Cinder chuckled.
"I take it things went well."
Cinder asked her piercing amber eyes regarding Mercury curiously as he gulped.
"Better than well! We busted Adam out in no time!"
He said wincing in pain as Emerald's crimson eyes caught his focusing on him with a burning precision as she glared at him.
"You used your semblance there didn't you?'
"What!? ME?! Only a bit!"
He said smiling as she grimaced.
" I smell blood in your mouth."
She said as he went to counter her before pausing as she pressed her lips again his making him flush as he tasted coffee? On her lips, as she frowned.
"I taste blood in you as well. Mercury-
"What happened? I want a detailed Report now."
Cinder said as Mercury frowned, as he knew that that was not going to be a good discussion.
"What's going on?! Why do you think I was kidnapped!?"
Jaune asked barely able to breathe as both he and Ren were passed around like hotcakes, getting tossed into bone breaking hugs teary-eyed faces and the occasional impassioned kiss from a partner or concerned potential girlfriend as the room devolve into a screaming chorus of panic voices, accusations, threats of revenge and-
"Enough. Jaune, Ren. I have twin reports both suggesting that you two were kidnapped by a strange woman in multi-colored garb. According to these reports she teleported in using a semblance of sorts and extracted you from Beacon without your consents. Is this true?"
Opal asked silencing the room with a chilly tone as Jaune and Ren who finally got out of their parts death embrace as they shared a conspiratorial look at the boy's nodded to one another as they got thier stories straight.
"Sir I was not kidnapped-
"The hell you weren't! That chick literally snatched you from the courtyard! You even screamed!"
Coco yelled as Jaune balked as he saw his partner's hands glow black? As he felt he emotions as Anger, Rage, Fear, leaked from her and-
"I see. Mister Lie, Oobleck says that you were kidnapped from your therapy session, and taken against your will by a similar woman. Before you answer know this. I have worked with the doctor for almost a decade, and I trust her word implicitly."
"Hey! That-
"I do not wish to say I do not trust your word, Miss Adel. I just have known the doctor far longer, and her word carries a substantial more weight to me. Now doctor is what I said true?'
"Yes. I was in the middle of a therapy session with Mister Ren; he received a text from a coworker who then proceeded to break into the office and steal him from his session. I tried to intervene, but I failed."
The doctor said grimacing, as the headmistress nodded and turned to Ren.
"Lie Ren. What happened?"
"I had to go to work!"
"The work that was just assaulted?"
"Yup!"
"And Jaune hade to come with you?"
"He sure did!"
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you have to go to work? What reason would a recently destroyed and still rebuilding mind you. A business that is not operational have the need for its two hosts to come in?"
"It was a staff meeting!"
Ren said as Opal frowned before turning to Jaune.
"Mister Arc. Why did you go to work today? And can you provide me proof that the woman was who you say she was, and not a random attacker?"
The headmistress asked as he saw his reflection in his scroll.
'Don't want to sound like the bad guy here but this might be a time to break out the whole half truth thing you know? If not outright lying. Just saying."
"We had to go to a staff development day! We needed to go to a party for Ren!"
Jaune said as Opal narrowed her grey eyes at him.
"A party? for what?"
"For his recovery! You see our coworkers were feeling bad over his injuries and they wanted to throw him a party!"
Jaune said as all eyes fell on him as Opal frowned as the room lost a bit of temperature.
"Mister Arc, you had to go to a party? While I don't doubt that you did go to a party of sorts I must ask what typed of party had you get such an injury?"
The woman asked as Jaune blinked owlishly.
"Injury? What are you talking about Mam?"
Jaune asked honestly confused, he was fine! He was walking talking and-
"Your face."
"My face?"
"Yes, Mister Arc your face. Do not think that I do not know you well enough to not see a new scar on your face. And a particularly nasty one at that. Did you cut yourself on a streamer?"
The headmistress asked in a rhetorical manner as Jaune's hand flew to his face where the fresh scar from the exploding paladins was still on his face.
"OH! That! I have a perfect explanation about that! It's a funny story really and-
"Funnier than why you smell a bit chilly?"
Oobleck asked as she walked over giving Jaune and Ren an imperious look as she sipped her thermos.
"Can your funny story explain why you all smell like you have just been through a blizzard? Or why your party needed you to bring your weapons? let alone why Mister Ren's weapons have recently been fired?"
The doctor asked as the boy's cerulean eyes flashed in panic as Ren stepped forward.
"Chilly? Doctor why would you say that! We are not chilly and why do you think my weapon has been-
"Because you don't have all your ammunition."
Nora said gripping Ren's arm and yanking him off the ground as her hand shot forward into his side pockets.
"Nora!? What are you doing! We can't do this in public! Not after-
"Ren you don't have enough ammunition. You are missing two magazines from this morning and-
"It was the party!"
Jaune said as all eyes fell on him.
"Jaune...
His sister said as she clearly saw her brother trying to lie and-
"Yeah, the party! Ren had a few drinks and shot a dummy at the job! And as for the frost Mil was playing with some ice dust and accidentally douse us in it!"
Jaune said as he reflection on his scroll nodded.
"Did we just tell our first lie? Color me impressed."
"I did not lie! I'm just speaking for the future!"
"For the future?"
"Yeah! I'm speaking in future tense! I'm saying something that will happen in the future and-
"Mister Arc are you whispering to your scroll?"
Oobleck asked with a disturbed look on her face as Jaune paled.
"I really told you to stop talking to yourself in public. It dose not look good you know?"
"N-no! I was just thinking aloud!"
He said as Oobleck frowned writing something down on a small yellow piece of paper as Opal sighed.
"Mister Arc as sure as I am in your story I must ask for more proof of your whereabouts during the day, and I also needed to know who the woman that took you was-
"Security! She's our new security guard!"
Ren said as Nora glared at him as Opal sighed.
"Very well I will still require you to give a police report and-
"That's not necessary! We don't need to have any police now do we?"
Jaune said before hissing as Ren elbowed him in the side.
"Play it cool!"
He hissed as Opal frowned.
"Mister Arc you will excuse me if I find that hard to believe. You left for a party yet you do not look relaxed. You look like you have just gone through hell. You are covered in ice dust as you say but last time I checked Juniors had no dust. And you still have to explain to me how you got your injury that went past your aura. Now unless you give me something that is closer to the truth and-
"We had to help someone! Yeah! one of our new co-workers who I had not met was in trouble! He owed someone a debt and we needed to help them!"
Jaune blurted out as Ren looked ready to stab him.
"Help them how Mister Arc? Did you pay their debt for them? Did you do that during your party? After you got your mysterious wound that you refuse to explain? What did you do to help them that was so important not only you but Mister Ren had to be taken from school grounds?"
Opal asked as Jaune stuttered.
"I... I don't know?"
"God fucking dammit. Well, at least we tried! They can't say we didn't try. Not that it matters." His reflection said as Opal sighed narrowing her eyes waving down the oncoming wave of discontent that was going to erupt in the room as she spoke.
"Very well mister Arc since you do not wish to be honest with me, I must call the police. Miss Adel, can you call your sister? She seems to have a working relationship with Jaune."
"Sure can I-
"Wait! I have proof!"
Jaune shouted desperately trying to stop a looming disaster that would happen if he and Ren got questioned by the police as Opal raised a grey eye to him.
"Proof? Mister Arc? What kind of proof?"
"That the woman who took us is not a kidnapper and she is simply our coworker!"
"Really? How so?"
"I can call her! She can explain everything!"
Jaune said as Ren looked like he was going to shoot him as Opal cocked her head.
"Very well. Tell her to meet us at the police station and-
"No! That's not necessary! Let me bring her hear!"
"Hear? How will you do that?"
"I'll text her!"
Jaune said as he pulled out his scroll and began to text.
"Neo! This is Jaune I need you! Please respond!"
He texted the woman sweating profusely as-
Ding!
"Really? So soon? I know you can't get enough of me but ok. You want to fuck on the bed, couch, or the wall this time? You know I'm flexible enough."
Neo texted back as Jaune blushed brightly and ground his teeth.
"No! Not like that! I need you to find me in Beacon! I'm in my room right now with Ren! I need you to come here explain how we went to a party today and you are my coworker and not some random kidnapper!"
Jaune texted back as ding!
"So no sex?"
"Not now!"
Ding!
:(
"Was that an emoticon!? Neo! This is serious!"
Ding!
:/
"Neo-
"What seems to be the problem Mister Arc? I would have you know that no matter what this woman says you are still most likely going to the police station."
Opal claimed as Jaune began to sweat.
Ding!
"Neo I need your help!"
"But no sex?"
"Not now!"
:-(
Neo! God dammit if you don't come here and sort this shit out I could go to jail! Then we will never have sex again! Is that what you want? What will you do when the prison guards say no conjugal visits!?'
(ง'̀-'́)ง
"You'll fight them?!'
:)
"Neo!"
"Mister Arc if you are quite done we need to get going and-
"Fine! I'll let you fuck me!"
Ding!
↖(^▽^)↗
"Later on!"
"How later is later?"
Finally! Words! He thought as he began to furiously text.
"I'll eat you out for three hours next week, and let you fuck me however you feel like but just come here and help me!"
Jaune texted as-
Ding!
"You said it yourself! I'll be right there."
Neo texted as Jaune began to smile.
"Ok! Neo is on her way here! She will explain everything!"
Jaune said as Opal looked at him disapprovingly as she shook her head in a grandmotherly manner.
"I do hope so Mister Arc. I take the safety of my charges very seriously and-
Opal was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass filled the air as Neo appeared in the middle of the room. Surprising everyone as weapons were drawn as Nora pulled out Magnihild as Yang cocked Ember Celica as they raised their guns only for Opal to wave them down.
As Neo settled down with an arm full of clear plastic bags, as she showed off her pristine brown pants and pure white leotard as she gave a deep bow to the assembled women and men.
"That's her!"
Coco shouted as Neo blew her a kiss as Opal fixed Neo a hard glare walking up to the woman letting out small sparks of green from her hands as Neo held her glare ambivalently not making any discerning moves as she shook her hips and grinned.
"You must be Neo? I presume?"
"That's me!"
The woman signed to Opal without a hint of fear or acknowledgment to her position as the woman cocked her head.
"You sign?"
"I'm a mute."
"I see. I apologize."
"It's fine. It's nothing new to me. Now, why am I here? It seems that you have an issue with my co-workers? If so how can I be of assistance?"
Neo signed surprisingly professionally as Jaune felt some hope in his heart as Opal glared at her.
"My you are polite are you not?" She asked as Neo bowed.
"My father always told me to be polite so strangers!"
Neo signed happily as the dean nodded once.
"Anyways. Neo, I must inquire to why you felt the need to... abscond with two of my charges today and what purpose you needed them for. Mister Arc says something about a party and debt?"
Opal asked as Neo blinked owlishly at her before giggling profusely as she shook her plastic bags.
"Oh, that's just him being silly! He fell asleep in the business meeting! We were not paying anybody's debt! We were going to see a co-worker who owed a debt to a private citizen that was settled by the way and he must have gotten confused! He's a bit slow every now and then."
The woman signed as-
"Neo!"
Ren said blurring to the woman hugging her along her waist wrapping his arms around her as she giggled.
"Hey Ren, you miss me?"
Neo signed rubbing the boy's head as Opal's eyed them evenly as Nora began to growl cocking Magnihild as she eyed the woman warily. It was clear that Ren knew Neo. And he obviously thought of her highly, but he did that to everyone. So that was irrelevant. What was relevant was that while Ren looked over the moon to see Neo Jaune looked like he was one foot from the grave as Opal narrowed her eyes.
"Neo you are Jaune and Ren's coworker?"
"Sure am! I'm private security!"
"I see... since Jaune was there at your behest may. I ask you why you needed Mister Ren?"
'Simple! Ever since his injury, the other security guards at the club wanted to see him and make sure he was ok!"
"By other's, I'm assuming you mean Miss Malachite?"
"Yup! Mil is dating him and blamed herself for his injury! And Mel was also worried sick about him! So they asked me to bring him to them! I'm sorry I didn't know that he was doing something important, he never told me about it!"
Neo signed as Opal frowned.
"So you were taking him to see his friends who were worried about him?"
"Yes! They were so worried they even made him a cake! You want a slice?"
Neo asked holding out a bag removing a small white box revealing a slice of cake?! Jaune thought as she literally brought out a slice of cake as Opal shook her head.
"No thank you I have eaten tonight. And I need to watch what I eat. Despite my appearance, I am not as young as I used to be."
Opal said letting some of the tension in her hand go as her hands no longer seethed green energies as-
"Can I!?'
Ren asked swooping in as Neo nodded.
"Sure!"
Neo replied as Ren swooped in taking the cake from her as he began eating it using StormFlowers blades as knife, fork, and plates as he began to devour the cake slice.
"Can... Cai have some-
Whap!
"Oww! Weiss why did you hit me!?"
"Control yourself, you dolt! This is important!"
Weiss chided her leader who looked like a scolded puppy as Neo giggled at them.
"There! Is that everything or-
"Not quite, while you have established your relationship with Mister Ren, your relationship with Mister Arc is still unclear. And if this is true what is your relations ship with Mister Arc?'
The woman asked as Ren let go of Neo eating his cake ignoring the warning glares from his partner.
"Ren you know you are not supposed to eat sugar after dark."
"You said I could have all the sugar I wanted!"
Ren countered as Nora sighed as Jaune felt a cold hand on his back. As Neo turned to him grinning a devilish smirk that made his blood run cold as her multi-colored eyes turned to Jaune as she grew a hungry look in her eyes. As she licked her lips and began to walk towards him swaying her hips seductively.
"Neo? What are you-
Jaune frozen as the woman struck out her hand gripping his arm and pulling him forward As Neo pulled him forward and kissed him!?
Pyrrha's hands become dark black as Neo pulled Jaune into her forcing her mouth to his, as her tongue shot into his mouth battering down his as he shook.
Pyrrha fumed as she was about to strike the woman before it happened.
Jaune broke, his back arched and his neck crooned. As one of his legs cropped up like a swan, as Neo made out with him. Before slowly carefully taking her eyes staring down every other girl who looked at her with jealousy was starred down as she kissed her boyfriend.
She held that kiss for two minutes before breaking it with a wet plop leaving Jaune blushing before she pulled back a hand and slapped him on the but making Jaune yelp as she signed to Opal.
"He's my lover."
Neo signed as Opal closed her mouth and nodded.
"I see. How old are you-
"He's eighteen, and I'm older, so it's all good! Right?"
Neo replied flippantly as Opal glared. She was right; Neo was cleary over eighteen and Jaune even if he was barely the legal limit for consensual intercourse there was on quarrel Opal could give them, as long as it was not coerced, and from that display, it was consensual there was-
"You are strong. You look like a fighter."
Caitlin said walking up to the petite woman who smiled at her.
"You must be his sister! I'm so glad to meet you! Jaune talks about you a lot! He says you are the strongest woman he knows!"
Neo signed as Caitlin raised an eyebrow smiling at the woman.
"You look like a huntress. You have your aura unlocked and a semblance that you appear to have mastered. Where did you train?"
"You can red sign?"
" I taught my brother. Now, where did you train? And who made you that weapon? It looks deadly."
"Private."
Private?"
"Yup!"
"I see, and your weapon?"
"Custom built!"
"I see, as it should be. Now how did you meet my brother? If you don't mind me asking."
"Sure don't! I found this cutey alone on the street! And after I took him home for some TLC, he ended up in my bed, by choice mind you and that was that! Oh! He also says your name in his sleep. It's adorable."
Neo signed as Jaune blushed.
"Neo!"
"So you like my brother? What are your intentions with him?'
"I'm just having fun. I don't want anything serious right now. Why?"
Neo signed as Caitlin nodded.
"Normally there is a way we do things in our clan we-
' I know your steps, but I'm not here for a marriage. At least not yet, for now, all I want is a cute boy to warm my bed and a beautiful tongue or dick between my thighs."
She said as the redhead frowned.
"Why you-
"You are his partner, right? Wow! He told me you were beautiful, but he did not say you look like this!"
Neo held up her scroll as Pyrrha blushed.
"I-
"He also says he does not trust you. Something about you being to direct? Too aggressive? He says you are a bit pushy and not one to care about his consent or opinions."
Neo typed on her scroll as Pyrrha's face paled.
"What?! I would never-
"Enough. Neo I see that you are not a threat to Ren or Jaune. But that does, not change the fact that you still removed two students from my school when-
"During free time mam! Me and Ren had no classes! And we were not skipping!"
Jaune argued as Opal frowned.
"Mister Arc, while that works for you Mister Ren was in therapy. A required event that he had no business being removed from and-
"I never told her that! I always get to work with her, and she was just doing what she thought was right!"
Ren added as Neo pulled out a sheet of paper.
"Here! This will prove our whereabouts during the day, giving a name of the place we visited, our location and my relationship with the two of them! It also has several photos of us that should more than prove our innocence.'
Neo signed as Opal read over the paper as she sighed.
As she looked over several photos and witness accounts confirm thier whereabouts as she rubbed her temples.
"Fine. Everything looks to be in order, Mister Arc, Mister Ren. In the future, please tell Neo not to take you away from school activites. And Miss Neo. Do not steal my charges again. Or we will have problems."
The woman said as Neo nodded happily.
"Wait! I still have a problem!' Oobleck said walking up to Neo as she bowed to the woman.
"Yes? What can I do to help you?"
"Neo I am doctor Oobleck a teacher at Beacon and I have to ask you this."
"Ask away."
Neo said twirling her parasol plopping it on the ground and using it as an armrest as she stared at Oobleck enigmatically.
"Even if everything you say makes sense how did Mister Arc gain that injury on his cheek? It was not here this morning and it got past his aura so it must be severe and I have heard no words on its origin so are-
"Oh, that! That's my fault! I asked Jaune to cook us some lunch today which he did by the way! He's a great cook by the way! Anyway, he was using a dust stove and he messed around with the correct amount of fire dust he needed to add to the stove! He misread the containers and added lighting dust instead of fire dust and caused a minor explosion! The scar is a shrapnel would from said explosion. That is entirely my fault and I take full responsibility."
Neo typed this time holding up her scroll for everyone to see as Weiss balked.
"You put lightning dust into a fire dust stove!? What is wrong with you!? Has no one taught you how to use dust!?"
"Not really...
Jaune said as Weiss looked incredulously at him.
"He needs to learn how to better handle dust! Maybe a certain heiress can help him in her free time?"
Neo asked Weiss as the girl froze blushing once as a small smile came to her face.
"I suppose that can be arranged."
Weiss said smiling softly as the room began to calm down. As the tension in the room began to bleed away Blake yawned as she stretched out like a cat as she stood up and began to leave.
"Well that was fun but I need to get going. I'm tired of pointless excitement."
She said apathetically as the beautiful faunus girl ignored the room around her as she walked past Jaune she took moment to bend down whispering into his ear.
"You reek of blood, engine fuel, gunpowder, and dust. Both you and Ren do. If you were around Velvet she would have called you out instantly and you would be at the police station right now"
Blake said as Jaune paled at he faunus girls heightened sense of smell as her amber eye gazed balefully at him making him shiver as she held his shoulder before her hand reached behind him gripping his right rib and holding it an iron-like grip.
"We will have a talk about this tomorrow."
Blake said as she sent him a withering glare as he felt anger welling up inside her as she turned around.
"Good night Jaune, Ren. It was nice meeting you Neo."
Blake said politely nodding her head to the woman who stole Jaune from her before.
"Night Blake! I'll be seeing you real soon!"
Neo signed to her as Blake grimaced.
Did I ever tell her my name? Blake thought as she left the room as the woman smiled at her unnervingly.
As the cat fauns left the room's tension bleed away it was Raven who spoke next.
"Well, that was a waste of time. I told you they would be fine, I and Caitlin both did. They are hunters in training after all."
"Raven! Don't say that!"
Summer chided her friend as the taller woman shrugged walking past Jaune as she put a gauntleted hand on his shoulder as she bent down to speak to him.
"You should mask the smell of blood with vinegar and peppermint. Tell your friend that he reeks of death."
Raven whispered into his ear as Jaune froze as her grip tightened on his shoulder.
"It is not my place to tell you how to live your life Jaune Arc. But you are going to be part of my family sooner or later and Yang would be distraught if you died so stay safe. I am quite looking forward to my grandchildren's faces, though I doubt that safety and an Arc will last long. If nothing else do try not to die for her sake alright?"
Raven asked as her Summer and Tai left the room followed by a heavily sighing Coco, claiming that this was a waste of valuable shopping time. Before despite his protest kissing Jaune on the cheek making Neo glare at her as Ruby gave him one last bone-crunching hug as the teachers, parents, friends left Neo teleported away leaving team JNPR alone.
Silence, a low breeze blew past the air as a pair of storm cloud grey eyes looked at Vale. "So many people, so many live living in blissful ignorance. They have no idea what's coming for them! If only they knew...
A stony voice said as general Ironwood stood in front of Vale as he looked at the glowing city from a small pier. It was late at night, and the man was tired. The stress of command was often burdensome and took a toll on him.
The burden of being an Atlas general was a great one and even for one as accomplished as Ironwood, the head of the entirety of Atlas's military and holder of two seats on the council, making him not only the first human in the nation's history to do both but the first man as well. Even still he felt the pressure. The constant demands of the men and woman under his command, the endless stream of logistical needs that never stopped.
Soldiers needed a constant supply of ammunition, food, supplies, armor, water, gear just to function properly. And that was not even considering the mechanical needs of the non-organic members of his command. Dust, oil, minerals, armor the logistics train of nightmares never ended, and it was a train he often managed without help.
The only real help he received was his second in command Winter. She was always the one to deal with logistics, as Ironwood led from the front. But she was just married to a great man. A former and current hunter, who through some bureaucratic loophole Ironwood had certified the man as an Atlas hunter without alerting Opal to his revival. If a man did not want to be found he did not want to be found even by his family. Besides, he had a new family and with Winter and she needed time to see her family.
Sure she wanted to help him she even offered to help him with the denied her of course. Stating that she either take a vacation or be put on a mandatory shore leave. She agreed in the end and was now enjoying time with her sister and husband. She worked too hard either way, and she needed a break.
"At least someone gets a happy ending."
Ironwood said bitterly as he looked at the busy city and sighed. Ironwood freely admitted being jealous of his second. Winter got to enjoy fun times with her family, enjoying both the company of her husband and her sister making memories that would stick with her for life.
Meanwhile, Ironwood got to go home to an empty twenty by thirty room with only the wall of medals from his career to great him at night. And a large inhumanly comfortable bed that he rarely used for anything but flopping down on and moaning before being drug back to work.
As the last time he had a good nights sleep escaped, him his rumbling stomach also reminded him of his lack of care for his body. Food was a luxury for the general, as he got to eat once a day at best. Out of a dingy plastic tray, and spending countless hours on the nerve ending demand of military life.
He could remember the last time he had a full meal of a full nights sleep. He couldn't even remember the last time he showered; he hoped it was recently. It would not due to be less than presentable in front of his men and woman. At least I get to be free. That's more then most people get.
The man thought sighing heavily as he rubbed his temples as the cool Vale night air blew against him, giving his face a gentle caress as he glared at the city.
"All these lives, millions of people. Not just here but the entire world! They depend on me, they need me. And I don't know if-
"You don't know if you are enough. You think it's too much."
A familiar voice said as Ironwood's face became as hard as steel as he grimaced.
"Eavesdropping is rude."
Ironwood said his hand subconsciously reaching for his pistol before he knocked it away.
"It's not eavesdropping if you talk out loud."
An irritating voice from his past said as the man grimaced.
"Glynda."
"James."
The woman said as she frowned at the man. He did not look well. His body looked thin and pale. His skin had lost a large amount of color and it was clear he was not eating right. His stone cut face also held dark bags beneath his eyes as his appearance disheartened her.
As the deep dark bags under his eyes hung heavily like dark sacks of flour, acting like purple anchors bringing down his enter face. Giving him a worn out tired appearance as she frowned.
"James, you do not look well-
"I'm fine."
The man replied sharply fixing her with a piercing glare that made her flinch. "What are you doing here all alone-
"None of your business."
The man said turning away from her not giving her a moment.
"James please, I just wanted to ask why you are here? How long are you going to be here all by yourself-
"I'm leaving.'
The man said storming off past her as she frowned.
"James wait!"
"Why?'
"James! You don't look well! You have bags under your eyes, and you look like you have not eaten or slept in days! You need a full meal and a good nights rest-
"Do not act like you care, Glynda, it is unbecoming of someone like you. I don't have time for your lies tonight."
Ironwood said so harshly he almost spat out the ground as she grimaced.
"James! I do care about you! We are co-workers, we both want the same things!"
"Call me a skeptic but I highly doubt that."
"James.. Why are being so distant with me? I know things did not end well-
"That's an understatement."
He said bitterly she grimaced.
"I always wanted to help you, James. And you wanted my help."
"I've never wanted a single thing from you!"
"That's not true."
The woman interrupted him as a tear fell from her face.
"You where the one to approach me do you remember? You came up to me in that gala and said that I was the most beautiful woman in the world. You know that was the first time man approached me?"
"I wonder why? It's not like your magnetic personality pushed them away."
Ironwood said dryly as the dean ignored the barb and pushed on.
"I did not know what to do! I was blushing like mad, and you ate it up. You told me I was beautiful and you wanted to spend your life with me!"
"I was young and foolish. If I knew who you were, I would have walked right out that door."
" I blushed so hard that I spilled my wine on you! I thought you'd panic, but you just laughed an asked me for my scroll number. James, we used to be close-
"I used to be a fool."
"We were more than friends-
"We were never friends."
"You picked me!"
"I made a mistake. It was not my first and it will not be my last. Now let me go-
"Did you mean it...
"Did I mean what?"
"When you asked me to dance. Did you mean what you said to me that night? That I was the most beautiful woman in Atlas?"
She asked as James sighed heavily. Truth be told he did not hate Glynda. To hate Glynda was nearly impossible, as despite her many flaws she meant well. But as James knew from bitter experience there was a difference between those who meant well and those who do well. Glynda meant well but she rarely did well as he glared at her.
"What do you want from me, Glynda? I'm busy I have a military and a country to run. What more would you ask of me?"
"Would you like to dance?" The woman asked holding out an arm as he raised an eyebrow.
"Night."
Jaune said as he went to his bed. "Well, on the one hand, we didn't get killed. On the other hand, I think our partner might just put a hole in the back of our skull with a death glare." His reflection said nodding his head in his shield making Jaune more. Why? Why? Why did Neo have to say that?
"Well technically speaking she did not say anything." It added as Jaune glared at him.
Don't defend her. He thought as-
"Jaune... can we talk?'
A downtrodden melodic voice said as Pyrrha walked up to his bed. "Well this is it Good luck and remember what Neo said!" It said as Jaune sat up in his bed.
"Pyrrha-
'I'm sorry!" The Spartan said bowing her head rapidly slapping Jaune in the face with her flowing hair as Jaune blew it away from his nose.
Fit! He blew the redhead's hair out of his nose as he sighed. "Sorry for what?"
"For everything! I know that I'm not the easiest partner to get along with! I know I push too hard and I can be a bit overwhelming-
"Stop."
Jaune said as he placated as Jaune sighed.
"Pyrrha what Neo said was not entirely accurate."
Jaune said as Pyrrha's eyes widened as they began to water.
"You are pushy, aggressive and smothering-
"I'm sorry! I can- no I will change-
"Don't."
"Don't?"
Jaune said as he sighed remembering what Roman said. Mainly that the first step to getting a person to open up to you is to open up to them. Preferably with several lies and a myriad of half-truths but that was neither here nor there.
"Pyrrha you are desperate everything one of the most genuine people I know."
Jaune said as her face lit up like the fourth of July.
"You care for me. Even if you don't show it in the best ways, even if you go overboard nine out of ten times you genuinely care about me. And that makes you one of the few people in my life that ever have."
Fear, Anger, Worry.
The emotions swirled from the Spartan as he went on.
"I know that you want to help and I know I need to change-
"No! You are fine the way you are! It's me-
"It's both of us. We are not perfect Pyrrha. We are both people with our own flaws traits and quirks. And you are right. I need to open up to you, but I also need to do it at my own rate ok?'
"That's fine! That's more than fine -
The girl paused as she took a deep breath.
"May I sit on your bed?'
"Sure?'
Jaune asked as Pyrrha sat on his bed making it creak and dip with her additional weight as she sat next to him.
"Jaune I will be honest. in my life, I have never seen a use for secrecy. I have always learned that being honest and upfront in all matters was the ideal way to live. Lies and secrecy serve no purpose but to sow the seeds of division and discontent and should be avoided at all cost."
Pyrrha said talking a deep breath as she let it out.
"But that was my life. And not your's. I know you lived a very different life than mine. A much a much harder life then I have ever lived and for you maybe lies and secrecy would benefit you. You have lived a life very different than me and to compare you to my own values and ideal without knowing the entirety of your situation would make me a hypocrite."
Pyrrha said as Jaune felt an odd bond forming in his chest. It was like a warm soft feeling entered his heart as he smiled.
"Thanks...
"Don't thank me. You have nothing to be sorry for."
Pyrrha admitted her shining emerald eyes glittering in the dark.
"I... I want to open up to you Pyrrha. And I will! I just need time to settle some things alright?"
"And stop being a criminal busting out a wanted terrorist on the side you honestly that needs to stop, we got lucky today without Mercury or Adam we'd be dead."
Quiet!
"I also want you to do this. But only if you want to. I won't pressure you anymore. And I will wait for you to come to me. I do hope it's not too long though."
She said with a nod as a thought popped into his mind as Neo's training entered his head.
"Don't do it."
I can learn from her.
"This will end badly."
It said as Jaune prepared to follow Neo's advice on seducing a woman. As he held Pyyrha glare before placing a hand on her silk nightgown felling her warm smooth skin beneath it, as apparently, even this thin cloth blocked his semblance as she cocked her head.
"Jaune? what are you-
Silence.
Pyrrha's thoughts were silenced as he climbed into her lap and planted a kiss on her lips. the redhead Spartan went stiff as a board as Jaune placed a kiss on her making her thought go blank as she went still. As Jaune kissed his partner taking her completely by surprise he felt it in him.
As he cradled her head he felt it, that same familiar longing feeling that he felt with Coco. That need the urge to be with her. To kiss her to touch her. To take off her and see what was underneath it. To fell that supple flesh and well-toned muscles on his hands and grope them. As he felt his lust rise up and bubble to the surface the Spartan came out of her stupor cradling his neck as she finally kissed back Jaune smiled as he broke the kiss.
"I know you won't. But I don't want to do this alone. I want to get to know you better to Pyrrha. Let's say next Thursday?"
He asked as he felt a well-built hand grip his waist as she grinned at him.
"Jaune Arc, are you asking me on a date?"
Pyrhha asked with a sphynx-like smiled as he grinned.
"Why yes, I do you-
'THUD!"
A loud thud! Filled the air as both teens jumped on the bed as they looked to thier left as the wall to the JNPR shower let out a loud THUD! Sounds filled the air as Pyrrha blushed. "It looks like Ren and Nora made up."
The Spartan said blushing brightly as the two-parters who had to shower together. As Nora could not trust Ren to clean himself apparently as it sounded like both of the partners despite going to get clean were becoming pretty dirty. As more loud thuds! Filled the air shaking the walls of the dorm as low moans filled the air.
"If you are lucky that can be us next week."
Jaune said as he bright blush that came of his partner face turned the color of her hair before he felt his mood do a one eight as her embarrassment became confidence as she licked her lips.
"Careful what you say Arc. If you keep teasing me I might just make you scream."
She said biting his ear making him gasp as she pushed him down on the bed, pinning his arms to the mattress as he blushed.
"Pyrrha?! What are you doing?"
The boy asked as his partner began bitting his neck raking her teeth on his skin making him flush and squirming in her grip.
"Nothing. I'm not doing anything."
She said seductively as she breathed in his ear as he squirmed.
"Then why are you in my bed!?"
"I'm tired and my bed is too far away for me. I think I will sleep here tonight. If you want me to...
"I do...
"That's grand then."
Tomorrow we will start to know each other and I will see just how strong you are.
She thought as Jaune blinked owlishly. Good luck. He thought before he closed his eyes pulling the covers over his face, and went to sleep.
"Hello, meat sack! How are you!"
A sharp voice said as a pair of shiny purple eyes looked up at him as Jaune sighed.
"Mink I just busted out a terrorist from jail. I'm tired can we not do this game today?'
"Ah! Is someone tired! Di you have a long day? No biggie! Anyway, let me be the first! And well I'm the only one to congratulate you, to say you did a good job, you unlocked a bunch of contacts and you level up a bunch!"
'Just let me see them." Jaune said tiredly as Mink raised an eyebrow at him.
"Fine. Who died?'
" A lot of people."
Jaune as he pulled up his contact screen as he sighed.
As he saw the flashing silver screen pop up, there was a bright, bold letter saying new contacts unlocked!
Contacts unlocked! Roman Torchwick! Velvet Scarletina! Coco Adel! Lie Ren! Pyrrha Nikos! Mercury Black! Adam Taurus! Blake Belladonna! Qrow Branwen! Caitlin Arc! Bleu Arc! Files have all been unlocked stats and skills are now visible.
"That fast? I just met Adam and Mercury."
"What can I say you got along with them, Now check em out! We are burning daylight or nightlight really. Now that I think about it and I need to talk to you about something important!"
"like what?"
"Never you mind! Just look at the screen!"
The thing said as Jaune sighed rubbing his head as Mink pointed to his flashing contact screen with the words new contact written on it.
"Fine let me see Roman's."
Jaune said picking the man who he seemed to be working with. And would be now training under for the foreseeable future as his contact information popped up.
Contact name Roman Torchwick.
Social Rank 51/200
Social status trainer.
Title Master Thief.
Bond?
Stats
Str. 30+4
Wil 88 +3
Int 39+6
Charisma. 98+6
Agility 37+4
Wit. 69+8
Vitality 87
Dexterity. 105+8
Deception. 24+1
Perception 44+3
Charm 106+7
Luck 44
Skills
Sweet talker.
Eye for talent.
Deadeye.
Charming.
Quirks.
Deceitful.
Flirtatious.
Eager.
Hustler.
Traits
Duplicitous-
"Ok! Stop right there! Nothing more to look at!"
Mink suddenly said interrupting Jaune as he blinked at her.
"What? Why would I stop here? I'm not finished reading him."
"Becuase of that! Jaune, Roman has the duplicitous trait!"
Mink said pointing to it accusingly as Jaune raised an eyebrow at her.
"And? What does that mean?'
"Jaune the duplicitous trait is a rare gamer trait. Basically, it means that if you have the duplicitous trait any other trait, skill or quirk but! The duplicitous trait or even stats! Are not guaranteed to be real!"
"Not guaranteed? The hell does that means?"
"Basically it means that any other identification on his stat sheet besides duplicitous might be misinterpreted, altered or downright false!"
Mink said as he balked.
"So only the duplicitous trait on his sheet is guaranteed to be real?'
"Yup! Anything else is not! And I mean not guaranteed to be real and could be either misrepresented, altered or just downright not true."
Mink said as Jaune sighed closing Roman's profile as he went on to the next one his very own partner.
Contact name Pyrrha Nikos.
Social Rank 80/200
Social Status Partner/lover?
Title Cereal Girl/ P-Money
Bond established.
Passive indomitable force
Stats
Str. 38+5
Wit. 89+1
Intellect. 178+4
Will. 145
Charm. 34
Vitality 93
Charisma. 59
Agility. 45+3
Deception. 49
Perception. 39+4
Luck. 3
Skills.
Breaker.
Pierce.
Press.
Quirks.
Confidant.
Bold
Surveyor
Traits.
Hound.
Glory Seeker.
Honorable.
Loyal
Alignment traditionalist.
Defining trait Seeker.
Insight 60/50
Stress 69/200
"What the hell!? Why is she so stressed out?"
Jaune asked recoiled at her unreasonably high-stress level.
"Oh, I don't know. It's not like her partner who she has romantic feelings for has been shot at, blown up and almost killed twice! All in the period of a month! And just went missing and was presumably kidnapped for half a day. That has nothing to do with it."
"I made her stress out!?"
"Duh! Your actions have consequences Jaune! You need to recognize that if you want to make it out of this!"
Mink said as Jaune flinched as he turned to his most recent contact the speedster Mercury.
Contact name Mercury black.
Social rank 52/200
Title Speedster
Bond?
Passive Time in a bottle
Social status friends.
Stat breaks down.
Str.68
Wit.28+2
Intellect.30+1
Will.140
Charm.3+1
Vitality 45
Charisma.40+1
Agility.38+2
Deception. 19
Perception. 89
Luck. 44
Skills
Blur.
Dissasembler.
Kinetic dispersal
Quirks.
Charming.
Smooth talker.
Ladies man.
Traits
Loyal.
Honorable.
Stubborn
Stress 39/200
Insight 50/48
Alignment Progressive
Mental Degredation?
Defining trait. Fanatic pacifist
"Mental degradation!? Mink is that-
"Yup! Once you get a bit more insight you can read his exact level of degradation and it's effects on his body and mind!"
"Do... Do I have that?"
"Maybe... Do you use your semblance a lot? I mean you do already talk to your reflection so who knows! Just don't let it hit one hundred if you do. If that happens...
"If that happens what?"
"Game over."
The demon said as Jaune looked on grimacing as he did.
"Fanatic pacifist? The hell does that mean?"
"It means just what it says! He is a Fanatic pacifist! That means he abhors the taking of life! If he can avoid it he will never take the life of a sentient being and will do his best to never harm one!"
"So he doesn't like combat?"
'He dose not like violence or the taking of life. His entire life goal is to stop it."
So why the hell is he working with Roman? And who the hell is the she he kept talking about?
Jaune thought as he flicked down the screen.
New contact Adam Taurus. Warning! Dangerous contact located! Extreme caution advised!
The screen said as a large flaming red skull appeared with twin knives through its head as Jaune turned to Mink.
"Mink? You got an answer to this?"
"Yup! Sure do, whenever a contact is unlocked that is over fifty levels over you this warning sign pops up to warn you to look out! If it's popping up for Adam expect a high leveled character!'
Mink said as Jaune scrolled down to see this dangerous character. Not that Jaune expected anything else. Adam was insanely powerful. He took down two bullheads three Paladins and thirty-six trained armed soldiers in less than a second he had to be strong. Jaune thought grimacing feeling grateful that Adam considered him a brother as he looked at his stat sheet.
Contact name Adam Taurus.
Social status. 70/200
"Seventy!?'
'What can I say? You bonded with him, keep going.'
Mink reasoned as he went on.
Social rank. Brothers
Bond?
Title The red death.
Stats
Str.40
Wit. 42
Intellect. 20+3
Will. 3+4
Charm. 84
Vitality 38
Charisma. 6+2
Agility. 60
Deception. 7
Perception. 100
Luck. 3
Is he weaker than I am? How the hell is he a threat? Jaune thought as he kept reading.
Passive. Come a little bit closer.
Quirks.
Nocturnal.
Edgy.
Butcher
Skills.
Analyzer.
Steady-handed.
Negotiator.
Traits.
Honorable.
Loyal.
Freedom fighter.
Stress 30/200
Mental degradation?
Alignment Progressive
Defining trait. Revolutionary
"He... He's really weak. I have better stats than him! Why is he dangerous?"
"Don't know? It might be a skill or a passive that he has. You never know."
Mink said enigmatically as he grimaced.
"This say's he's a Fang member. Why is he so nice to me as a human? Wher I came from the Fang hated humans so why is he so different?"
"Simple answer? You! Are a man, and all men are brothers."
Mink said bowing deeply as Jaune frowned.
"And that means?"
"Spoiler. You'll have to ask him yourself."
Mink said as the boy frowned at the demons mind games as Jaune turned to the next file Velvet's
Contact name. Velvet Scarlatina.
Social status Good friend, tutor.
Social rank 68/200
Title Honeybuns
Bond established
Stats
Str.20+1
Wit. 68
Intellect. 40+2
Will. 3+2
Charm. 40
Vitality 53
Charisma. 32
Agility. 29+2
Deception. 20
Perception. 29+2
Luck. 22
Skills.
Mimic.
Lockpicker.
Sleuth
Doppelgangers.
Special skill. Some call it stalking I say walking just extremely close behind.
The hell? Jaune thought as he saw the formely glitchy hangman section of Velvet's contact sheet was now filled in. Some call it stalking? The hell is that?
Jaune thought as he saw the enigmatic looking skill not knowing what the hell it meant as he went on down her list.
Quirks.
Shy.
Bashful.
Jaelous, caus I love you.
Trusting.
Caring.
Traits
Timid.
Fly on the wall.
Chef.
Seamstress.
An unhealthy obsession.
Stress 20/200
Defining trait...
Jaune froze as he saw it. As he looked at Velvet's defining trait the air left the lungs as it happened. As the word's bubbled out of the screen. As the words bubbled, shook and gurgled out to the screen. He watched as the words grew out of the screen. In bright so sharply bright purple color that pulsed and seethed with unnatural life. As long sickly pink hearts fell out of the words. As Jaune saw a writhing, thriving pulsating abomination come out of the screen as it read.
Defining trait. Yandere
The word yelled as it oozed and seeped with a bright purple color as it bled out sickly pink hearts as Jaune balked.
"Mink!? The hell is this!?"
Jaune said as the word throbbed onto the screen.
"That... that is nothing!"
Mink said waving him down as he glared.
"Mink what the hell is a Yandere? And why the hell does the word look like... that!?"
"Jaune. I will be honest here. I know you may not like me but! I am obligated to tell you the truth about all things Gamer related. If you ask me a question specifically about the Gamer I cannot lie."
"Ok... Then what is a Yandere? And why is it... like that?"
"Jaune. What I say now is an empirical truth. It is one-hundred percent factual, and in no way shape or form a lie or fabrication."
"That just makes me want to believe it is a lie or misrepresentation."
Jaune shot back as she went on.
"Jaune a yandere is just another word for a devoted lover."
"A devoted lover?"
'Yup! A yandere is a loyal loving girl that as long as you pay attention to you will have no problems with what so ever!"
" I don't believe you."
"Jaune! I'm hurt! When have I ever led you astray?"
"Since the day I met you."
The mortal said dryly as Minks sighed.
"Fine! be a Debbie Downer! Now get ready it's time for you to move out!"
Mink said snapping her fingers as a glowing blue portal opened up in the air as a shining white staircase rose up from the floor as Jaune blinked in surprise.
"The hell is this?! Where am I going!?"
"Jaune! You, my friend, have a great honor ahead of you! And do to your constant gamer success you have earned yourself a fan."
Mink claimed as the portal swirled in eldritch energies as Jaune gulped.
AN: Well there we go! Another day another chapter! This time we get our boy out of jail! Neo introduces herself to the gang, Ren goes to therapy and Jaune and Ren join the white fang! Yay! Also Ren's lossing his mind! Literally. This chapter was heavily influenced by days and I love that movie with all my heart, and was determined to toss some of it in here so hey!
We finally get to see that Velvet has a bit of an unhealthy obsession. Love that song youtube it by the way. The reason I made her like that and Jaune got himself a fan! Whether or not Dagon is an ally or not we will have to wait to see! Until next time? Jaune Torchick is next so take care!
Ps. Finals suck. And edit this was like a slow climb up a broken glass staircase so until then have a good day I'm off to see infinite war and get wasted! So until next time? Omake.
Omake. The darkest Remnant. Part ten. The plan...
"So, you are the one we follow?"
The Brawler now known as Yang said as she crossed her arms as she glared at the small NPC in front of her as he nodded his head.
"Yes, Miss Xiao-Long. My name is Oscar Pine and I have been accompanying the heroes here on every foray into the fray and I will continue to partake in these expeditions-
"You are an NPC! Why are you even within a mile of a fight!?'
The Arbalest Ruby said as her silver eyes widened with worry, as she ate a cookie her insanely large crossbow in one hand as she looked onto Oscar with worry.
"I'm fine Ruby. I do not need protection-
"The boy speaks like a man!"
The Hellion know as Pyrrha who was apparently Jaune's wife?! Of all things. As she had just finished her spirited copulation with the Crusader who stood less than a foot away from her. His longsword intertwined with her spear. As sher arm hooked around his. As her large fur coat hastily put on rubbed against his armor as she nodded to him.
"I the Noble want to be on the front line let him! All men should die in combat!"
Pyrrha said as Ruby glared at her.
"You always say this Pyrrha! You need to put some considerations for him! Oscar is an NPC! He can't defend himself!"
"Hey! I do just fine!"
Oscar countered as Jaune sighed.
"Only cause they were there to protect you."
The Grave Robber Blake said. As she raised a lone amber eye to him as she read a small worn out book. Sitting on a windowsill at the far end of the office as she glared at him.
"Hey, I-
"Oscar has been with us from day one. He's always done his part and is the reason why any of us are here. I vouch for him."
Jaune said in a steely tone as Oscar blinked owlishly at him. As he never expected the knight to defend him and-
"If Jaune~Jaune says you are good then you have the Nora Valkyrie seal of approval!"
The Barbarian Nora said slamming her hammer Magnihild down into the wooden floor of his private study. Making Oscar flinch as she broke apart his rare and expense hardwood floor with her massive Warhammer as Ozpin sighed.
"I built that floor you know? I was the first to walk on it."
The gohst said as Oscar sighed.
"Nora. Stop that. We apologize for that Oscar. She is very sorry."
The Highwayman said. As Ren rested on a small wooden table still not able to stand correctly as he was still suffering from his and Nora's recent and very public lovemaking. As Oscar still blushed profusely as he shook the images from his mind. Blushing especially hard as visions of a scantily clad silver eyed woman entered his head making him flush.
"My are you infatuated with Miss Rose? Not a bad choice. Silver eyes are rare you know?"
Ozpin asked as he batted him down.
"Enough! I am the lord of this manner and I will lead these frays. Listen and listen well. I have called you all here for a purpose! There is a great evil in this land that needs to be cleansed! We must work together if we wish to survive. I know that you do not know me. Most of you are just meeting me for the first time but please pay head."
"There is something monstrous lurking in the manner on top of the hill. That once venerable house is a twisting seething abomination! And it needs to be cleansed! And I will be the one to accompany you on the way! I know I am not a wealthy lord but hear me! Shall you help me with this task and not only do you succeed but you live? I promise you whatever reward you may want! Now, who is bold enough to come with me and cleanse the darkest dungeon?"
Oscar asked as the assembled heroes cheered as one as the gohst smiled.
"Good job Oscar. You have assemlbed a fine team of... professionals. Rember this moment Oscar. Look at their faces smiling happily. Their faces not yet twisted with anger, sorrow, despair or regret. Remember it well Oscar for it will not happen for some time. If it ever happens again."
The specter said as the group cheered the boy balled his fist. There was work to do, a name to reclaim, a manner to rebuild and a hamlet to save. And he was just getting started.
