Chapter 18
Jaune woke to the sound of thunder; it was a soft sound that seemed to grow louder and louder by the second before disappearing as fast as it appeared.
Yet he knew it was a false one as another wave of thunder echoed, he reckoned that there must have been a fire mission request that required a Battery to start firing. Rolling to the side he fumbled around for his Scroll before opening it, the digital screen showed that it wasn't even half past six.
Jaune fumbled at the nearby nightstand before grabbing a lantern, twisting the knob on it the room was soon bathed in a pale light as he sat up. With a heavy sigh he closed his eyes, his body ached more than usual, no matter how much he slept or rested there was a tension in his muscles that he just couldn't figure out how to soothe away.
He looked up at the window, it was broken but he managed to get some boards to cover it offering some moderate protection from the cold winds. He looked around for what seemed like the hundredth time at the unfamiliar posters and personal items that decorated the room. He was no longer in his dorm room as apparently it had gone up in flames after a Bullhead had crashed into their section of the Freshmen Dorms.
As such he along with Ren and Nora had looked for new lodgings. With the vast majority of the student body now gone from Beacon, as it was technically closed, there were a lot of choices for them to pick. So despite objections from Nora, Jaune had taken a room for himself to stay in.
Jaune stood up to look himself over in a mirror, in the pale light of the lantern he looked almost like a ghost with the shadow that seemed to veil his face. He looked himself over, it felt like he gotten a little more defined with his muscles looking leaner though he wasn't sure if it was because he's gotten stronger or lost weight.
It had been about two weeks since the Battle for Beacon ended while the Battle for Vale was technically still in its closing stages; it had taken around four days for the 14th Division to shake loose the foothold that the Creatures of Grimm had in the southern Agriculture District. While it took six days to reestablish a connected but still contested front surrounding Vale and Beacon. Though the last Jaune had heard was that the Grimm were now only coming in the hundreds instead of the thousands strong waves they had faced before.
Yet Jaune also had the privilege of learning early on that nearly eighty tons of produce, dairy and meat had been lost during the fighting, a third of the Agriculture's farmland had been trampled or torn up resulting in losses for the coming harvest. Along with some minor but widespread damage to the synthetic food factories that Vale had gotten from Atlas.
While Jaune was no expert in the matter he had imagined that Vale was still safe from having to implement any serious food rationing especially since his father was weaning the 14th Division off from relying on civilian supplies from Vale.
That wasn't the least of Vale's problems at the moment as the Archenemy, or Ghourraians if he recalled the name that was being spread, had dealt some serious damage to parts of the megacity.
The fighting to dislodge them was comprised of a series of intense urban battles before his father had publicly declared the threat exterminated. In that time however the fighting had left most of the western section of the Industrial District on the south side of the Vale River in near ruins though that didn't mean the rest of Vale was fine.
Ironwood's flagship had crashed on the edge of the Commercial District destroying roughly a dozen buildings from its fall then heavily damaging or outright destroying everything in a roughly twenty mile radius. At the same time the rocket artillery of the Ghourraians had damaged parts of the Commercial District on the river banks and with a number of rockets landing in the Residential District.
Worst of all apparently the Atlesian Knights had been hacked, turning them against the city during the opening hours of the battles killing thousands with many more wounded. The current reports suggested that it was Roman Torchwick who had an inside person on Ironwood's Flagship that allowed him to take it over though it's all hearsay since no one has found his body nor could they ask Ruby who was taken back to her home at Patch after she went into a coma.
In the end the people of Vale were not very happy, at first it was just protests to the remaining Atlas military units still in the city. So when the news about the Agriculture District had finally come out those protests turned into riots very fast that it startled Jaune at the reaction of the public.
His father would hold back any military units from getting sucked into policing the matter leaving the Vale Council to handle the ever growing unrest by deploying what militia units, Law Enforcement and Huntsmen they had on hand to quell the riots. A lot of the remaining students of Beacon soon found that they were requested to provide more active support to Vale in exchange for provisional Huntsmen Licenses for the next twelve months with guaranteed Huntsmen Licenses afterwards.
As such Jaune, Ren, Nora and a little more than eight dozen other students that hadn't already left Beacon or returned to their own Kingdoms went armed into Vale earlier that night. It was the first time any of them are really been in a situation like that, while they didn't do anything they had front row seats to the vitriol of an angry mob that numbered in the thousands against the police officers they were sent to help that numbered less than a thousand strong.
When things started to calm down, the Huntsman leading his particular group had said that they would all get their licenses in the next few days. Even more surprising was the fact that when he returned to Beacon two Housecarls were there to greet him before escorting him and his team back to their dorm building.
He looked down at his hands; they were still a little grimy, rubbing his hands together he headed into the bathroom. While there weren't any lights in his building there was still running water though he was told not to expect any hot water for the time being which was fine to him.
After Jaune dried off he put on a pair of grey army trousers with a black shirt before putting his hoodie back on then his gear. Opening the door to the room he wasn't surprised to see a Housecarl standing outside his door.
"Do you know where my father is Demeli?" Jaune asked the Housecarl before looking for the other Housecarl who had escorted him here but he couldn't see her but he imagined she was still watching nearby.
"I believe he's in the tower at the moment High Prince." He replied and Jaune nodded as he headed down the hall.
"So I heard the artillery, where's it heading?" Jaune asked but the Demeli didn't respond which didn't really bother him, the man seemed to be the sort of quiet type that only felt the need to talk when it was actually important so there was no way he would get any small chat out of him. Jaune sighed nonetheless as he began to descend the main stairs; he missed Areto.
For some reason he had yet to see his mentor since the incident at the tower. While he knew that it was her sworn duty to protect his father as much if not more than him it was still a little strange at not seeing or hearing from her at all.
"Hey Jaune." Someone called out and he turned to see Arslan Altan a floor above him, Arslan and her team had been one of the teams that opted to stay behind at Beacon rather than returning to Mistral.
"What's up Arslan? Why are you awake?" Jaune asked as the dark skinned girl came closer and she quirked an eyebrow.
"I guess the same as you; sleep comes lightly during these hard days."
"Aye that's sadly true." Jaune said as the three of them continued down the steps, occasionally they would pass by a student or faculty member. Jaune parted ways with Arslan after they got outside; the sound of people waking up or already going about their day could already be heard before drifting into what Jaune now felt as his routine background noise for the day.
The 14th Division had taken over the school. The first task that was assigned was cleanup work, building debris, fires, stray munitions, discarded weapons, burned out vehicles and bodies were littered throughout the area. In fact there had been so much to do that it required nearly a three full days just to gather it all into manageable piles.
Then there were the repairs to be made, though Beacon Tower was the top priority for the Four Kingdoms since it was the central hub of communication for the Kingdom of Vale and most of eastern Sanus.
Arcadia would focus on the surrounding infrastructure of not only the Tower but the school as well. Since there was definitely not enough room for the entire Division to bunk in the existing dorms even had they been intact so the 14th Division set their base both in and around Beacon.
So the previous encampments in Forever Fall and the Emerald Forest were broken down for spare parts partly because their positions had suffered serious damage during the fighting. Soon Beacon had a slowly increasing system of defensive structures around it in the form of simple redoubts, Heavy Weapon pits, rudimentary trenches with periodical pillboxes constructed from wood and sandbags.
His father would also gather all of the bodies of the White Fang before sending them to Vale; apparently he wanted to see if the Vale authorities could identify them in order to track down any remaining White Fang cells that could still cause trouble. As for the Ghourraians, he had just burned them all.
Jaune turned a corner to see a line of cargo trucks and utility tanks rumbling down the patched cobblestone roads while returning infantry moved in a long line off to the side while those waking up were inspecting their gear, making meals or going to briefing meetings.
He could even see a few Atlas soldiers but they mostly kept to themselves. There was a little bit of tension that had grown amongst the soldiers of the 14th Division with the Atlas military after the debacle of having to fight Atlas Knights and Paladins in Vale along with the clearly stolen military hardware used against them during the battles.
As he made his way towards Beacon Tower Jaune and almost everyone around him stopped when the sound of something large flapping could be heard. Looking up in the grey sky of early winter morning they could see the massive winged shape of the grey dragon rising high into the sky before disappearing amongst the clouds.
That was something that shook a lot of people to their cores; he had seen the battle harden Arcadian soldiers, Battle Sisters even Talbek and Zophiel look at it with a nervous energy he had rarely seen which in turn made him wonder if they could trust the thing. Even his father had most of the Centuriae along with the Knights of House Raulon encircling it though he wasn't sure if that was to keep people away or it in but realistically he supposed it was to keep people away.
As Jaune wasn't sure what they would be able to do against it but the creature didn't move after it killed the Wyvern and the area became restricted that even aircraft couldn't go near it.
He soon found himself standing in front of Beacon Tower, the damaged structure was buzzing with activity. Apparently the Enginseers had already managed to fix a lot of the internal damage in the last two weeks allowing for elevator usage along with restored power while Atlas technicians worked on the CCT restoring its primary function as the central hub for communications on this side of the continent.
Walking up the stairs Jaune was greeted by two soldiers in full battledress who pulled open a chain link gate that had been installed since the glass doors were shattered. Stepping inside the noise was distracting as Jaune looked around for his father.
It wasn't that hard to spot him, standing on a raised dais in his power armor dwarfing everyone around him including the four Housecarls behind him.
As if sensing his presence, his father turned to look at him from across the room, Jaune couldn't help but flinch at the cold gaze he could practically feel shrouding him. Walking up to him wasn't an easy task either mainly because of the mob like activity of the Division and Regimental Staff officers moving around ignoring him as they focused on their task.
When Jaune got close to his father he again didn't see Areto nearby judging by the lack of any Decanus insignia on the pauldrons on the other Housecarls.
"Good to see you Jaune." His father said evenly and Jaune bowed his head.
"Good morning to you too dad."
"We need to talk." He said as he turned away before heading towards one of the elevators Jaune and the Housecarls moved after him as he stepped into an elevator. Jaune stepped inside with him and turned to see the Housecarls standing still facing away from them as the doors closed.
His father didn't say anything as the elevator rose though it didn't go far as the doors dinged open to reveal an empty three way intersection. Alexander headed straight down the middle and Jaune followed him.
"So, how are things?" Jaune asked feeling the need to make small talk.
"Terrible." His father replied and Jaune grimaced.
"Oookay."
"One of the many things I've learned over the years is that it's necessary to adjust on your feet when things take a turn and right now you will have to learn it." Alexander said as they entered a large room. However Jaune was surprised to see that there were a few people already here.
The first person to catch his attention was an unfamiliar woman in a grey dress; she seemed to be smiling at everything and everyone as if she had come back to a fond memory only to find it joyfully eliciting the same feeling.
Across from her was Sanian who also in her battle armor, with tiny dents and a general worn nature of being in combat for an extended period of time. She looked at Jaune and gave him a soft smile that seemed to hold a little sadness in it upon seeing him.
The third individual was someone he had not seen both by choice and circumstance since that faithful moment at the bottom at the tower. Pyrrha was sitting in a chair, she was wearing an unfamiliar outfit that consisted of a dark red peacoat with bronze buttons and a pair of dark jeans with one pant leg tucked into a boot with the other rolled up slightly revealing gauze wrapped her foot to halfway up her shin.
"Sit." Alexander commanded and Jaune narrowed his eyes at the tone but did so nonetheless. On the table in front of him was his father's greatsword which was in a black leather scabbard, stitched on it was an gold threaded pattern of a lightning bolt crossing their family sigil with an eagle's head inside of it.
"Like I was saying before Jaune, there are things you're going to have to deal with now due to the situation at hand." Alexander said as he walked across the room to stand next to the grey dress lady.
"In light of recent events it's clear that we cannot stay out of the affairs of others, as their faith is entwining with ours without us even being aware of it. So the time has come that we must now help the Four Kingdoms before it's too late and in a show of good faith I believe you taking up an aspect of responsibility would help but admittedly might be a little too soon for your liking yet it's one that needs to be done. It can also help you with your own goals since you are going to have your Provisional License." Alexander said but Jaune opened and closed his mouth unsure what exactly his father was talking about.
"I can see you're a little confused, essentially, I plan on returning to Arcadia briefly to make an official announcement that Arcadia will be going to war. The 13th Field Army with smaller elements from the 14th and 15th Field Armies along with supporting Mechanicus units, a Sisterhood Preceptory, an additional three Centuriae from the Legion and the support of the Noble Houses over a span of a few months will be deployed. Though for now what concerns you would be the elements of the 14th and 15th that are already on their way. As they will be providing the necessary manpower to form a new temporary unit comprised of forces from the Four Kingdoms, their meager militaries and Huntsmen."
"So an alliance?"
"Essentially yes but what I want from you is to be a part of this Combined Joint Task Force or what would be known as Combined Joint Task Force Sanus."
"What?" He asked and Alexander sighed.
"I plan on putting forth a call for action from the Four Kingdoms to pool together their resources in providing anything from a full company to a battalion maybe even a regiment of their own people. They will be supplementing a larger force that I've pieced together using battalions from the 14th and 15th Field Armies."
"So what exactly are you asking me to do? Fight in this unit?"
"No." He said and Jaune sighed in relief.
"I'm putting you in command of a Regiment within this unit. You'll be given the rank of Commander giving you the authority over multiple regiments but still not at a Divisional level though the regiment still has a colonel but they'll only be in command to help you at a tactical level but you'll still have overall field and strategic control. Above you will be Brigadier General Karsidottir with her 9th Brigade so you'll still answer to her when she arrives here." Alexander finished and had Jaune been drinking something he would have spit it out in surprise failing that however he started choking on his own panic.
"Wait what, what do you mean, no. No. Stop." Jaune said as he stood up.
"This is a lot to take in father; I don't think I should do this."
"You once said that you understood what it is our people do Jaune and that you would one day return to lead your people."
"Yea I know and I would be okay with a Company or even Battalion command if you really wanted to push it but this is a tall order, I've got no real experience for something this big."
"I know but remember our agreement Jaune, you're already only one step away from being a Huntsman, you've done about a year here already plus you've been awarded a Provisional License which to translates into what being in school would mean is that you're already deemed to be in your fourth year by the time your Provisional License is expired you'd have met the requisite standards to get your official License after that. I know you wanted to spend some time still afterward getting experience as a professional Huntsman but this should take priority."
"Again I know and hear what you're saying nor am I saying I won't do anything I just think I shouldn't be given this."
"Which I get it but I feel like now is the perfect time to throw you in at the deep end of this pool but I know at the same time that it isn't a part of our deal so I'll make an amendment, if you can stick to this post for about ten months then we'll revisit this and if you feel like you still don't want this post then you can have five full years to do your own thing without my interference at all." Jaune wasn't sure if taking this was the smart choice but at the same time he knew that his father wouldn't push this is if he didn't think it was the right thing to do.
"Okay, okay, fine I'll do it but I'm going to need some serious help if you want me to be in command of regiment." Jaune relented.
"This brings me to the other thing we have to talk about, come out here Areto Thermodon." He said and Jaune snapped his head to the side. A door in the far wall opened to reveal Areto; she no longer wore her Housecarl Armor, instead wearing a black sports bra and nylon shorts her exposed skin showed a number of faded scars that he had become acquainted with over the years they had known each other. Her face however was the most concerning as it looked like a lifeless mask, her eyes in particular looking as if they were painted on.
"Areto Thermodon has been stripped of her rank of Decanus and removed from the Housecarls." Alexander said.
"Why?" Jaune asked looking between his father and Areto.
"Areto failed in her duty and thus has been punished."
"It's not her fault, she did come after us and she tried to warn you."
"That she did but by that point it was too late and she has taken responsibility for it. It is or was her duty to watch you and Pyrrha to keep the two of you out of harm's way which also includes keeping Pyrrha from going with Ozpin. She failed, leading to the enemy in capturing what I assume was their true goal this entire time, that being the Maiden powers. Yet I would not shoulder all the blame on Areto, no this comes back around to Miss Nikos as well." Alexander said turning to stare at Pyrrha who looked at the floor.
"While Ozpin is technically the biggest to blame he's already dead which puts him out of my reach though if he was still alive I would kill him myself for being that stupid. I reckon him going down to the Maiden Vault was exactly what led this, Cinder Fall, to her in the first place. You girl, are just as stupid, what kind of fool would abandon the front lines to attempt, what Ironwood told me, is a high risk operation that has never been attempted before in a contested battlefield or going up against someone she knows is stronger than her without actually warning anyone what she was going to do yet still managed to nearly get not only herself but others killed as well. If you were my child I would give you a good thrashing. "
"Why not give her a whack anyway?" The grey dressed lady said and Alexander shot her a murderous look which she just shrugged in return. Jaune looked back and forth at them in confusion before his father looked back at him.
"Anyways, you have some time before your new command gets here. In that time however you'll also have to look for volunteers to form at most a Huntsman Company, once that's formed and the Regiment is here you'll have about a month maybe less with them to make sure that you have your logistical and command structure in functioning order. Also just so you know your officers and regimental staff received briefing packets so they should be able to hit the ground running so rest assured you'll have willing experts to help prop you up until you get your feet under you." Jaune nodded as a million thoughts ran through his head at what he'll have to consider doing to prepare.
"One other thing you need to know about your new command, Areto will also be joining you, she's serving her Penitent Trial so she is entirely at your disposal."
"A what?" Pyrrha asked the first thing she had said this entire time.
"For her failure she has elected to impose a self-exile from the Praetorian Legion in the form of the Penitent Trial one of the Legion's punishments for its members. As such she must find a duty or deed to complete or dedicate herself to until its completion or her death." Sanian explained and Pyrrha nodded before looking at the woman.
"So what is your duty then?" She asked and Areto blinked as life seemed to resume within her.
"Since I failed to protect Jaune and you during the Battle of Beacon where the two of you nearly died, I will devote my entire being into making sure that never again happens until the Mantle of Legatarius is formerly passed." She said in a grave tone.
"I mean, it really wasn't your fault." Pyrrha said but Areto held a hand up.
"Pyrrha, stop. You of all people should understand that this was my choice and my choice alone." Areto said bluntly and Pyrrha closed her mouth with her face flushing at the rebuke.
"Jaune, I'll get my things and head over to the dorm room you're staying in." Areto said before looking at Alexander who dismissed her with a nod. The moment she was gone Jaune clicked his tongue loudly in annoyance and Sanian spoke up.
"You have to remember Jaune the Legion has their own rules or traditions that even your father doesn't interfere with unless absolutely necessary. If Centurion Thalestris was here she would have told her that she must go on a Penitent Trial at the very least." Sanian said referring to the strict Centurion Commander of the Housecarls.
While Jaune had no memory of ever meeting her, but what little of her record he's seen he knew she was harsh woman. She had once decapitated three other Housecarls after a skirmish where his mother had taken a stab wound from an enemy combatant who had been a part of an ambush on her command post.
"The two of you can leave now." Alexander said gesturing for them to leave, as Pyrrha and Jaune stood up to leave Alexander turned back to Jaune.
"One last thing actually, Jaune I need Crocea Mors and your armor back." He said so without a word Jaune stripped off his armor and sword before setting them on the nearby table. Jaune headed towards the elevator where Pyrrha was waiting for him, he could see that she was leaning on her good leg.
Jaune stepped into the elevator; the doors closed leaving the two of them alone in it. Pyrrha glanced at Jaune as he glanced at her before looking away as their eyes nearly met. She felt a pang of emotion gurgle inside her, a mixture of regret, anxiety and rage. What right did Jaune have to ignore her like this after she had confessed her feelings to him with that kiss?
"Jaune, we should talk." She said and unsurprisingly Jaune sighed.
"I'm tired Pyrrha, can we do this another time?" He asked but she turned to face him.
"No, it's been two weeks; this isn't something we can ignore."
"What thing?"
"Don't make me say it Jaune, I like you, like really like you, I want you to know that. That is why I kissed you at the foot of the tower because I want to be with you and I feel like you do too." She said feeling her heart starting to beat faster in excitement.
"So you're saying that, to you at least, the best way to get your feelings across to me was to kiss me during a battle?"
"Yes." She said feeling a little relieved at how easy he seemed to be taking this.
"A kiss you did after I tried to stop you from going up to fight some crazy fire spewing bitch that killed Ozpin then after we kissed you kicked the shit out of me then dragged me inside before you tried fighting her because of whatever fucking reason you thought made it seem like the right idea!?" Jaune started saying his voice getting angrier and angrier till he was yelling at the end. An image popped into Pyrrha's mind of her slamming an eject button to get her out of this situation.
"Jaune, I can explain." She said but he hissed as he clenched his hands into fists before rubbing his eyes viciously.
"I don't want to hear why you wanted to go into that fight. I don't want to fucking hear it Pyr." He said the anger fading a little only to be replaced by a choking sound but Pyrrha was getting upset as well.
"What's so different about this than what you've done Jaune!? How about the Hurin Valleys? Huh? You nearly died there as well Jaune, I was worried about you every second after you got hit so what can't I be the selfish one by having you worried about me instead? Tell me! What's so different?!" She screamed back feeling something prick at the corner of her eyes.
"I never wanted to be in that situation! I went with the flow of the battle and sometimes shit happens I get that, you get that, we all get that but I don't want to get hurt, I also know I don't want you, Ren, Nora, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Blake, or anyone else to get hurt or killed as well. So if I can put myself in the way to stop that then so be it but I also know when to back down from a fight that there's no way to win." Jaune replied his voice dropping back down to a normal tone as he looked at her with tears streaking his face as the doors dinged open, the noise of the lobby turned command center filtered in.
"I want to be with you as well Pyrrha and I would put myself in harm's way to keep you safe Pyrrha but I wouldn't have left you behind either. You did. You left me behind knowing full well that you would probably never see me or anyone else ever again, do you know what that makes you?" He asked but Pyrrha said nothing as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat so he walked past her to leave the elevator before he uttered one last thing.
"It makes you selfish."
Meanwhile…
Alexander watched the elevator close on Jaune and Pyrrha before turning back towards the other two occupants in the room with him. Sanian and Ataecina stood on opposite sides of the room the former looking nervously at the other woman who whistled obliviously.
"My Lord, may I speak freely?" Sanian asked looking at Alexander.
"I always welcome candid thoughts."
"Well my Lord, I have to agree with Jaune on this, why not giving him a smaller command? As he pointed out a company or even battalion command would work well for him."
"In truth it would work best but only if that was my sole intention but you know as well as I that things aren't looking good here on Sanus. Vale wasn't the only place that suffered in these past few weeks; Kagiris has made it clear that the Outlands to the east are in turmoil. Which means I need the Kingdoms to be prepared with the type of war they're now facing and having them be a part of this unit will be instrumental in that learning. As for where Jaune fits in all of this, he's the bridge I need for the Army to stomach having to mix with the other Kingdoms giving him a regimental command is a gamble but one that needs to be done at least for now besides he may not wish to admit it or even know it but this is the last thing he truly needs to come into his own. It's a trial by fire that will see whether or not he has what it takes not only to be a Huntsman or leader but as his own person." Alexander explained and Sanian sighed knowing full well the attitude that the people of Arcadia had for outsiders especially for those that belonged to the Four Kingdoms. Yet she was unsure about that last part but then again she hasn't spent much time with Jaune in recent memory so she could be wrong plus in the end it wasn't really her concern.
"You were also a little hard on Pyrrha. I don't have the best read of her since I've only met her once but I get the feeling she likes a good challenge when it comes to fighting much like Yang Xiao Long. It would only be natural for her to try to fight especially against a strong opponent." Sanian said but Alexander shook his head.
"Yang has a number of other issues affecting her, while she may in fact have a thrill seeking problem and a hot temper which is a deadly combination. Those aren't the reasons why she ended up as she did. Her abandonment issues and her protective nature she grew after losing her second mother was a bigger reason to why she lost her arm in defending the Belladonna girl. You're closer to the mark in regards to Pyrrha, she likes fighting but she also has a hero or savior complex. Something I find she has in common with Ruby Rose."
"The arrogance of youth amongst mortal kind, it's a blessing and a curse." Ataecina finally said and the two looked at her.
"Does your kind, experience, things like arrogance?" Sanian asked and Ataecina cocked her head to the side.
"Why of course, emotions burn in us like the fires we expel but it's more common with age instead of being at the outset of life, after a few centuries some of my kin tend to believe that they truly are gods. A comparison that I find would hold merit against most of the beings of the Materium, as I could probably kill most of the soldiers here with ease. But I can say that a fight with against you two and that old Wolf would be much harder to judge." Ataecina said looking at Sanian and Alexander before shrugging.
"As for the young ones for the lack of a better term they are no better than beasts. They always are looking to satisfy their basic needs more so than anything else though a few particular ones are, as mortals say, just plain evil." Ataecina explained as she stretched her arms over her head which gave off an audible crack. Sanian couldn't help but notice the fresh scars lining one of her arms from her fighting with the Wyvern.
"So why are you here again?" Alexander asked as he sat down.
"Well a little birdy told me that you were going to start pruning some thorns today." She said and Alexander snorted.
"Then you may leave since you've seen me deal with my son and his partner."
"Weeell, while that was fun to see I wasn't referring to them." She said sweetly and Alexander knew what she meant as the elevator at the far end of the room dinged. Inside there was a trio of figures, a twin set of girls and a tall bearded man in a bartending outfit.
"And let the show begin." She said softly as Alexander stood up again then gestured to the seats across from him.
"You must be Hei Xiong." Alexander said with an outstretched hand as the trio got closer, though his armored gauntlet dwarfed the man's hand.
"Yes sir, oh, and these are my assistances Miltia and Melanie Malachite." He said gesturing to the red and white twin girls who both curtsied.
"It's a pleasure to meet you but please sit I know it's not easy to go from Vale to here especially during these times." Alexander said as the three of them sat down, Hei cleared his throat.
"True but your Army has made it relatively safe with all those transports going back and forth between here and Vale. Though from what I've gathered you had a rough time establishing some sort of travel line that was both safe and efficient. It was awful to hear about those lives lost as they were stretched to the breaking point under the weight of the Grimm." Alexander felt a small smile form on the inside as it was clear he was referring to the MSR or Main Supply Route that Heider had formed to support the infantry battalions that had made it into the city to fight the Ghourraians and the defense of the city afterwards against the Grimm. This was relatively well known information as he had a hard time trying to keep the Vale civilian press from sticking their noises where they didn't belong.
What wasn't common information was the fact of the difficulty Heider had in keeping the MSR from collapsing a few times over the last few weeks. A number of Grimm packs that had slipped the thinner portions of the southern frontlines before ambushing a number of convoys going back and forth from Vale to Beacon.
Some of the largest hits ended up destroying or crippling around two dozen of the 14th Division's precious Trojan Support Vehicles along with most of their contents. This in turn is hampering the logistical flow between his units in Beacon and Vale until reinforcements arrive from Arcadia to bolster not only their fighting strength but logistical strength as well.
Yet the hint that Hei had dropped meant that either Hei Xiong had his people embedded amongst the 14th Division most likely from one of the Valean auxiliaries or there was an informative amongst his people that was leaking information to at least him maybe more.
Of the two Alexander would most likely pick the former option over the latter due to what Lilith's operation in Sanus had discovered about the man. Hei "Junior" Xiong was a well-known information broker in Vale's criminal underworld.
How he handled Hei Xiong and his organization though would come down to how he would react to this meeting.
"Well Mr. Xiong, I must admit it intrigues me at your concern for the lives and hardship of the men and women that make up my forces here. For which I thank you but please enough about me and my people as we simply do what we must to help those that needed help. You on the other hand, from what I've heard, were quite helpful on your own during the Battle of Vale. I had an After Action Report submitted by an infantry captain that said that her company stumbled upon you along with your two assistances here leading a group of similar dressed gentlemen holding down a street while gathering people inside your business establishment. Is this true?" Alexander asked and Hei chuckled as he leaned back clasping his hands across his stomach.
"Yea it's true, my boys, they might not be the brightest but they can occasional make their pay worthwhile. As for the other stuff I just felt like it was both a valuable moral and business opportunity to move on."
"Ah, a business man with a good moral compass opening his doors and even risking his life for people he didn't know. That's something to be applauded for its rarity." Alexander said with an easy smile that Hei returned as he waved a hand dismissively.
"Please, I'm sure anyone else would do that in my position."
"Ah, come now Mr. Xiong there's no need to be so humble, you should be proud." Alexander pressed and he could see the two women roll their eyes as Hei sat a little straighter with his head tilted a bit back.
"Though there is something I am a little confused on." Alexander continued and Hei nodded.
"Please ask I'll do my best to answer you and clear up whatever confusion you have."
"So while I understand as a club owner you might have some people in your employment that would be able to handle themselves but what I can't seem to understand is how you managed to equip them all with weapons."
"Come again." Hei said as the two girls shifted in their seats only now noticing that Sanian was standing behind them by the elevators.
"I wanted to know why a night club owner would have enough weapons to arm his entire staff."
"Well, that's simple, we're a night club and occasionally we'll get some folks that think they can bully their way around with my staff so it's necessary to defend ourselves." Hei said glancing to the side.
"You mean to tell me that arming all of your employees with machetes, axes, handguns, submachine guns and a Huntsman graded weapon that fires rockets is a normal thing to have?" Alexander asked.
"Yea, we sometimes get a stray Huntsman or a Beacon student that comes in so it's necessary to have that kind of firepower on hand." Miltia chimed in.
"Oh! That blonde girl that got kicked out of the Tournament for breaking that silver hair kid's leg, she broke into the place like four months ago and trashed the place." Melanie added.
"Interesting but what about reports of your men being seen in the company of Roman Torchwick several times during robberies around Vale?" Alexander asked as he leaned forward.
"I don't know what you're talking about and even then I pay my people very well that they wouldn't be involved with some criminal." Hei replied evenly and Alexander nodded at Sanian who walked towards another door before disappearing into a room only to reappear a few moments later with a folder that she handed to him.
"So, you're telling me, these people aren't in fact your employees that were either hired through you or loaned to Roman." Alexander said as he began to set out a dozen photographs most of which showing a number of Hei's employees in the company of Roman either just before he hit a shop or during the act. The most damning pictures were taken inside the nightclub that showed Roman handing over a briefcase to Junior, no doubt in exchange for the usage of his men.
"Shit." Hei whispered as he saw the photographs before snapping his head up to look at Alexander's eyes. Whatever he saw was something he didn't like as he got to his feet abruptly while the Malachite twins stood up their small frames in a pose to indicate that they were ready to fight.
In that same moment Alexander was already on his feet with his sword in hand, the edge of the greatsword resting against Hei's neck though its power field was inactive. While behind them Sanian had her own sword out, she was also glowing brightly that the three guests could see their shadows on the floor. Glancing over their shoulders they could see her hair moving slightly as if there was wind blowing against it with a giant pair of pure white bird wings.
"Now, this isn't the way to behave when someone invites you inside their residence." Alexander said.
"Well putting a fucking huge ass sword at their neck isn't a very polite thing to do as a host since I am a guest."
"Oh don't worry this is just something I'm doing to keep your two underlings here from getting killed."
"Killed?"
"Why yes, because surely the three of you know that my friend here will cut you limb from limb without hesitation and frankly with little effort while I can do that as well it would be unbecoming as a ruler to murder my own guests so she will do it if you so choose to fight me." Alexander explained and Hei laughed nervously while slowly putting his hands up.
"Fight you? I enjoy a good bet as any other guy but I'm trying to cut back on my own gambling if you catch my drift." Alexander lifted his sword away while Sanian settled back the glow along with her wings disappeared in a flash of light and fading feathers. Hei released a long sigh while the Malachite twins relaxed though none of them sat back down.
"So, this is the fabled winged warrior everyone was talking about." Hei finally said turning to look at Sanian who simply bowed her head slightly. Hei along with most of Vale was more than a little aware of the unique individuals that could be seen here and there leading the Arcadian forces.
In particular was the footage of two of them, an old looking warrior in large armor that seemed to crush enemies with literal thunderous claps of his hands or using what everyone assumed was Lightning Dust. While the second was a glowing winged figure that tore their way through the ranks of Grimm with what they assumed was a powerful semblance and clear mastery of their sword.
The idea of facing one of them in close combat as well as Alexander Arc was a death wish Hei Xiong had no wish to be a part of.
"So, what now? If you're not going to kill us then what do you want from me?" He asked looking at the larger man.
"It's simple, I want to recruit you, and I know you're a well-known information broker amongst Vale's underworld and to save ourselves some time don't try to argue against that. I know you've had people informing about the movements of my forces, most likely by bribing or imbedding people amongst the Valean contingent that's assisting us. Then of course there was the work you did with Torchwick but I doubt he really told you anything of worth since he himself probably didn't understand what was going on. Lastly I know people come to you to smuggle either something or someone around or outside the Kingdom. With that all known I figure it would be better in the long run for the both of us if you would be more assisting to our cause." Alexander explained as he leaned back in the chair.
"That's an interesting offer one I think I should take the time to consider."
"By all means consider it Mr. Xiong but I'll let you know now that my offer only extends till the end of this meeting. So if you want to discuss it with the twins here then you can go to one of the adjacent rooms or we can leave you here to discuss it."
"Fine let me ask you this High Lord, what happens if I turn your offer down? Are you going to let us walk out of here alive?" He asked and Alexander nodded.
"Of course I would let you leave here alive." Hei exhaled softly but Alexander continued.
"Though, your people would not have that same luxury."
"What do you mean?"
"Obviously I mean I will kill everyone I find that works under you then tear apart your organization brick by brick starting with your nightclub as well as the seven other safe houses that you have around the city. My Legionaries are ready to advance on each of them on my signal, no one in them will escape with their lives, those that try to barricade themselves will be burned out like the rats they are and those that watch from the shadows will know today as the day that Hei Xiong also known as Junior lost everything. Of course this also means that these two young ladies will not be joining you as well."
"Why would you do this?" Hei asked.
"Simple, you were used before to help facilitate the attack against Beacon and Vale providing needed information even manpower when necessary all for profit or by force albeit I doubt you actually had any knowing part in what was going to happen. Though now you're collecting information on the various units I have stationed within the relative safety that my forces have established in or around Vale. While also not clamping down on the criminals that go through you after the hole Torchwick left in the criminal underworld of Vale which is a little annoying since Vale's getting distracted by trying to maintain Law and Order while mustering itself together to fight back against the Grimm who have struck a blow worse than even the fall of Mountain Glenn. So it would be in my best interest to either pull you in on my side or to eliminate the security threat that your organization provides. Though I assume you're probably thinking of an excuse to try with me about how eliminating you wouldn't solve the problem in the long run which I understand however I would at least be in the position to mitigate or even control the growth of any criminal element that would take your place." Alexander explained in a calm tone that completely belied the intention of destroying what Hei had built up most of his life if he didn't join his cause.
"So, I don't have a choice do I?"
"Theoretically yes but in practice no."
"Fuck my life, this can't be happening." Hei whispered as he rubbed his forehead, Miltia and Melanie just looked at each with evident concern unsure of what they should do.
"You make it sound like it's worse than it really is." Alexander said and Hei looked at him.
"Why wouldn't it be bad? I just got taken over by a frigging Kingdom; if or when others find out about this I'll be cut off from every major source in Vale. You don't have any idea how fucked I am and honestly I doubt you really care, you're no better than Vale, Mistral, Atlas or the SDC stepping on the little people like me using us till you have everything you want then tossing us aside to fend for ourselves." Hei spat out.
"First of all that's true for anyone, don't make it sound like people in corporations and governments are the only problems of society as the assumptions that they're the only true evil is not only wrong but also is irresponsible. As for those you've mentioned I know that I find some of their practices to be wasteful and even immoral. Yet I also know that someone that deals information that assists criminals who target innocent people or the little people as you said while also housing or smuggling drugs, Dust, guns, and even kidnapped people on the black market should not be throwing stones from their glass houses. Tell me Hei, do you feel any guilt in knowing that you lent your men to someone who would help orchestrate a massive attack on not only Beacon but the Kingdom of Vale as a whole. Or if that's too broad of a question to ask you then let me make it smaller to match your miniscule goals in life, did you feel any guilt in knowing that your men who assisted Roman in robbing a number of shops of valuable Dust which not only robbed them of their stock to sell for their livelihood but also screwed them with their suppliers and Insurance companies with the rise in intercontinental price of Dust and insurance because of how much fear Roman instilled in the public in the previous months? Or should they not be considered because they too had a part in the evil corporate machinery since some if not most of their stocks originated either from Kingdom owned Dust quarries or the SDC?" Alexander asked but no one said anything.
"For what it's worth this partnership will benefit you in the long run." Alexander finally said ending the silence.
"How so?"
"Well for one, I will turn a blind eye to most of your drug, guns and body trafficking on top of that while I keep my presence here in Vale I can turn away some of the more minor actions of the local law and Kingdom contracted Huntsmen from sniffing around you. So let me tell you now that there was some information I managed to lift off from the Vale Council during the major portions of the fighting that suggested that they did have an interest in watching you for the unlawful possession and selling of Dust as well as tracking down the associates found with Roman when someone busted one of his robberies. Now that we've established our relationship I can bury if not just erase all relevant information regarding your group that had been gathered in the last year though my protection can only go so far so don't do anything stupid or you will find yourself dealing with these issues alone."
"And what do you want in exchange?"
"I need you to keep a better track of what your clients want from you because I want you to supply us information. I want to know who is buying what and why they are buying it, make them work for it by letting you in on the premise of what they're trying to do. If you're worried about them getting too suspicious of you then tell them that you're trying to stay ahead of the curve by knowing what's going to happen before it does so you can act accordingly and that you don't want to have undue attention drawn on you. I'll help you with that since I've got a bead on some of the crews that have been trying to fill in the gap after Torchwick's death, I'll put them down in a very loud way to send a message that we're not blind or stupid. Is that understood?" Alexander finished and Hei nodded.
"It'll be tough but I can work with that, how should I keep in contact with you? I don't imagine you'll give me a scroll number or that I should come strutting in here every time I need to report to you."
"Rest assured, I'll have some of my people contact you with communication protocols. If you don't have any other questions then I suppose this concludes our meeting for today." Alexander said and Hei nodded slowly before standing up with the Malachite twins. No one said again as the three of them walked back towards the elevators before disappearing inside them.
"Well I think that went better than expected." Sanian was the first to say as a smile crept onto her face and Alexander hummed in response.
"I'm not surprised he got more than a little upset about working for you." Ataecina chimed in from behind Alexander as she sat down across from him.
"The people in the Four Kingdoms don't like being told what to do and that means everyone from the lowest criminal to the members of the Vale Council. Independence is their greatest virtue and their greatest weakness." Sanian said as Alexander returned his sword to the scabbard.
"Once the leash is off it would be a fool who would think that they could simply put it back on be that as it may, it's time to get the Four Kingdoms to get with the program because the die has been cast and war is upon them."
Later that Day…
Jaune was sitting in one of the common areas of the dorm building, there were others that sat around as well though most of them though were on their Scrolls or were in groups talking to each other. A few, like him, were sitting alone either sleeping or just staring into space.
Areto was currently unpacking her new belongings into the dorm room he had been using but since she didn't need any help he had elected to leave her alone. The normally jovial woman he had once known seemed to be gone, there was a look in her eyes that made Jaune feel bad for her though he knew that she would hate any sign of pity from him.
Night had fallen but the noise of activity had yet to die down completely, the sound of aircraft and vehicles could still be heard. Most of it however probably was more along the lines of the late afternoon and early evening patrols switching with the night guard rotation.
"Jaune!" A familiar voice shouted in his ear making him squawk in a super manly fashion though he would have to find out who screamed like a girl at the same time as him.
That thought was interrupted as Nora's full weight settled on his back nearly sending him to the ground as he was pushed forward. What he wasn't expecting was Nora to pull back then lift him onto her shoulders.
"Nora!? What are you doing?! Put me down!" He called out as the smaller girl carried him away at a run down the hall, the other occupants of the room watching them in confusion at what they had seen. Jaune closed his eyes as his head began to feel funny the violent shaking of Nora running mixed with him being upside down was not a pleasant feeling for him.
After what seemed like far too long Nora finally stopped before tossing him onto the floor, Jaune laid on the carpeted floor however taking deep breathes to calm the nausea he felt.
"What was that about Nora?" Jaune asked as he finally rolled to the side then climbed to his knees.
"That's what I want to ask you Jaune." She replied with her arms crossed.
"What do you mean?" He asked cautiously as he stood up.
"I want to know what you're doing Jaune. You weren't at dinner today." She asked.
"Oh that? I wasn't feeling hungry, sorry I should have told you guys." Jaune lied though it didn't look like she believed him.
"That's just an excuse; you could have come sat with us anyway. No, I know the real reason why you didn't come and it has to do with Pyrrha."
"What about her?" He asked and Nora snarled as she stepped closer.
"So you are avoiding her, that's such a shitty thing to do. We know the two of you have been on edge with each other but this is the first time Pyrrha came to eat with us and you didn't come." Nora said but then her face softened up as she looked down wringing her wrists.
"She's your partner Jaune; she deserves to know why you're avoiding her and above all Ren and I are your friends and we don't want you guys to drift apart like this, we're a team remember?" Jaune felt his chest hurt as Nora's voice choked a little; he had no desire to hurt his friends so he hugged her.
"Hey now, the team isn't going to break up." He said softly as Nora sniffed loudly.
"Does this mean you'll make out with Pyrrha?" She asked.
"You mean make up?"
"Same thing."
"Right. Look Nora, I'm not trying to be an asshole to her, well, I mean I have been but I just want my space for now as I figure some stuff out, is that okay?" He said and Nora looked at him for a few seconds before nodding slowly.
"I understand." She said evenly before turning to walk away.
"Nora, wait." Jaune said and she turned to him again.
"I know this isn't what you were hoping for Nora, trust me, I wish this wasn't the case either but…I'm sorry." He said failing to put into words how he was feeling but she gave him a sad smile.
"It's okay Jaune, I know." She said before walking down the hall leaving him alone before he turned to walk the other way back to the dorm rooms.
It wasn't long before he arrived there, this time there weren't any Housecarls waiting in the hallway mainly because Areto was now technically his roommate and new teammate.
"Areto?" Jaune called out as he stepped into the doorway, the older woman was standing in front of her suit of power armor. The once pristine golden bronze of the Housecarls was gone; instead the plated power armor was a dull grey with a black surcoat that hung loosely off the torso.
"You're back early." She said looking at him and Jaune shrugged.
"I'm just a little tried."
"Understandable, have you talked with your friends about what your father said earlier?" She asked and Jaune realized that was something he should do.
"No, not yet, I'm still not sure what exactly I should be doing about the whole thing. Do I like make a flyer asking for recruits?"
"I guess you could do that but I don't think it would really be all that effective, I'd suggest asking those you know personally if they would join first then maybe go to Vale and petition to see the Vale Council about asking for volunteers if not them you can probably talk with Professor Goodwitch or Qrow Branwen."
"Who?"
"Ruby's uncle."
"Oh, isn't he like a drunk or something?"
"Yea but he was also apparently pretty close to Ozpin which should indicate that there's more to him than just being drunk."
"Good point." Jaune said as he sat down at a desk before opening a drawer to rummage through it before pulling out a pencil and paper.
"What are you doing?" Areto asked as she plopped a chair next to him.
"I figured that I'd starting writing down who I know would definitely agree to join the company then from there figuring out a command structure. I'm thinking that either we stick with the four person teams to act as individual squads though a part of me thinks putting two teams together into one squad would be better in the long run. What do you think?"
"Well the smaller squads might give you a better tactical flexibility at the expense of concentrated force that the eight person squads would give you."
"True but an eight person squad might be able to bring down enough firepower to rival two squads of infantry but if I have multiple four person teams attacking from different angles or objections it would mean that the enemy commander would have to divide their own force in attempt to counter my more spread out forces negating any numerical superiority they might have over me." Jaune pointed out and Areto nodded.
"Both of them have their pros and cons but I wonder how many platoons you want to have, I think at best you'll probably have enough two platoons with five squads each. Alternatively you could have four smaller platoons with three squads each of the four person teams."
"They're all good choices but I think I'll hold off for now until I can get a good feel in how many people we'll have, my father said a company strength or more of Huntsmen would be ideal but we don't have any solid idea about the numbers we have to work with." Jaune said as he crossed his arms and Areto nodded.
"That's good and there are other things you should take into consideration about a Huntsmen company being attached to your larger unit." She pointed out.
"What's that?"
"The Huntsmen aren't your main force Jaune; it's a part of a whole regiment. This means you have to look at the bigger picture for everyone under your command, while it's important to fill out your Huntsmen Company you'll also have to figure out how they'll function with your main force in addition to that you'll have to have a good eye on the new logistical problems of having two forces that have no similar type of ammunition or weapons. That's not even taking into account the different types of munitions the Huntsmen Company would need alone, look at your own team. Nora uses grenades, Ren uses small caliber pistols, and Pyrrha used to use rifle rounds. That's already three different weapons with different needs."
"Right, so I guess we'll have a larger logistical footprint but if I can get Ilex to join after Lula and Elias are on their feet again then I can detail her to organize the logistical needs of the Huntsmen. Other than that I guess I'll have to request an additional squadron of Trojans just for the Huntsmen though I'm sure they'll have their own supply but with how things are looking I wouldn't be surprised if that doesn't disappear after a few engagements." Jaune said as he began writing down names of people he figured he could recruit. The obvious answers was his team though he needed to straighten things out with Pyrrha soon, the less obvious answers were teams METL, team CFVY, team ABRN, and team CRDL. He wondered if he could get any of the staff to sign up as well.
As for recruiting team RWBY while Jaune was certain that they would probably sign up at other time in their current state they as a whole were out of commission. He had no idea if Ruby was awake while Yang was probably not in the mental state to do anything after losing her arm; Weiss was back at Atlas. Lastly there was a rumor that Blake had been caught by Zophiel on the orders of his father when she tried to run away. While he wasn't sure if that was true considering the fact that no one had seen the Faunus girl in over a week led credence to the fact that it might be true which meant he'll have to talk with his father about that.
Jaune sighed as he spent another ten minutes organizing what he could with the little information he had before looking at his Scroll then sighed as he realized that it was going to be a long night.
Elsewhere…
Blake stood on the prow of a ship as it bobbed in the sea, the salty spray of sea water lightly touched her face but she didn't really mind as she starred at the starry sky. She had forgotten how nice the night sky looked away from civilization; though her mood darkened again as she remembered what she was travelling on.
Looking behind her she could see the large metal bow turret of the Arcadian Destroyer Arondel along with its two Frigates Sparhawk and Gabilan which were flanking her sides. She still found it annoying at how she was caught.
After the fighting had finally died down in Vale Blake had decided it was time to leave, her presence at Beacon had painted her as a target along with all her friends from her psychotic ex-partner. She couldn't handle the idea of facing Ruby, Weiss or Yang with the possibility of them blaming her for what happened nor could see handle the image of seeing them so devastated at this defeat.
With that she gathered what things she had left before buying a ticket on a transport heading south with other people fleeing the city on a charter bus. What none of them expected however was to be stopped by an Arcadian aircraft.
At first Blake thought that maybe the authorities were trying to stem the bleeding of the city's population who were just causing undo panic. That changed when she saw the now recognizable Praetorian Legionaries being led by beige robed armored figure of Zophiel.
They called her off the transport and she found herself soon alone amongst them as the bus was sent back on its journey. Zophiel questioned where she was going and why. With not real choice she told him what she planned to do then something odd happened in which Zophiel said he would accompany her home.
Not having any say on whether he came or not Blake would start heading south though now she was riding in a military aircraft with an escort. She would however try to question them about why they wanted to come but Zophiel seemed to pointedly ignore her inquires as they traveled southward.
Along the way they would make a number of stops, some of them were clearly meant for rest and refueling others because of necessity. The first reason she was told was that due to the fighting it would be unwise to remain in the air for long stretches of time until they reached at least a third of the way to their destination. The evidence for such caution was proven when a pair of Nevermores would engage them in a brief aerial battle before the Vulture escorts shot them down.
As for the second reason it was because he needed to do things that required him in various places that took them off a straight path from heading towards the Southern Sea. Namely it had to do with visiting a large amount of Outland towns that had some sort of connection to Arcadia.
It was during this time that Blake found out a number of things, the biggest thing being that apparently Sun had been following her as he had been picked up just before she had been. Something that aggravated her to the point of yelling at him after giving him a good slap, which she felt more than a little guilty about. The second was the scale of Outland towns that Arcadia had some sort of presence in.
While still representing a small minority of towns that exist within what was called the Outlands, it was clear to her that Arcadia wasn't truly an isolationist Kingdom as most people she had known including herself had believed. It was also interesting to see the various types of relationships they had with these people as well.
The first few towns they had stopped in seemed to regard the Arcadians in a business-like manner, from what Zophiel explained in exchange for resources to help feed or build the town's overall prosperity they would get room to construct relay stations.
These relay stations were large enough for all four aircraft with room to spare that many had a large staff, most of who were Arcadian enginseers and soldiers led by a ranking officer. Yet the bulk of the work force was local townsfolk since other people used the relay station as much if not more than the infrequent Arcadian visitors.
As they got farther out however Sun would be the first to put out that the attitudes of the Outlanders would begin to change from cordial but distant to more honest or friendly towards Zophiel and the Legionaries. At one stop word would have gotten there before them allowing for the small town they would land in to prepare a small feast to welcome them as well as letting them stay the night.
While Zophiel would take part in a drink, using a mug that was the size of a two liter soda bottle, the Legionaries would stand watch for the entire night as the townsfolk partied. Blake would try to stay out of it but Sun would convince her to join him in a quick dance while lifting her mood for a while.
Yet she also noticed that there was something troubling the people in the last few stops, at the first one she saw a larger contingent of Arcadian soldiers than the previous ones. However what really stood out to her was the appearance of other soldiers.
In one village she and Sun had seen a gathering of warriors with long wild beards and hair. They had been armed with large claymores or long hafted axes with their armor mainly protecting their arms and legs with some other odd pieces of armor on their torsos or head but they were mostly covered in blue tattoos.
The town after that was much more different, it was cleaner and more modern with well-constructed marble buildings. Yet there as well was a gathering was soldiers some clearly Arcadian but the majority looked very different.
She had gotten a good look at them while they had been refueling; these soldiers wore what seemed like dark brown uniforms with rudimentary looking military webbings with wide rim helmets and what seemed to be bolt action rifles.
Then just before they had left Blake and Sun would watch as they marched westward roughly eight hundred strong with a platoon sized Arcadian detachment that seemed to be centered on a column of supply trucks which followed them slowly.
A few hours later they finally reached the southern coast where they would land outside a small seaside village. Blake was a little surprised to see around eight naval vessels anchored offshore, she was a little concerned to see that some of them were damaged but in the end they took the three least damaged vessels to continue their journey.
"There's something about the night that just feels so calming." A voice said distracting her reminisces and Blake looked over her shoulder to see Zophiel standing behind her with his arms behind his back.
"I don't see how you can really feel anything in such armor." Blake pointed out.
"I'm not in my armor at the moment." Zophiel replied and it took a second for Blake to realize that was true she had just assumed so because he still seemed so large in the dark but he wore just plain robe.
"Fair enough, anyways I have to ask how is it possible for these ships to be waiting for us, from what I gathered your fleet was either still anchored off shore from Vale or were heading home."
"The High Lord did order Captain Alethia to divide the Task Group so half of them are returning to Arcadian ports with the entirety of the support group to refuel, restock and take on additional reinforcements but these aren't those ships they were elsewhere."
"Then where were these ships?"
"Unfortunately there isn't much else I can say to you."
"Why not? We're allies aren't we?" Blake asked but Zophiel shook his head.
"You say that but you tried running away without informing anyone about your intentions Ms. Belladonna besides that technically Arcadia has no formal treaty or alliance with the Four Kingdoms, we came here on a diplomatic mission true but the current events have nullified a few core stipulations within it."
"Oh…well that sucks."
"It does indeed but that's why we're coming with you Blake Belladonna daughter of Ghira Belladonna former High Leader of the White Fang and current chieftain of Menagerie." Zophiel said and Blake winced at hearing that out loud.
"I'm not sure how much help I can be, I've been failing at everything I try at so far that I'm pretty sure that I'm next to useless."
"Ms. Belladonna, when it comes to failure I've seen my fair share. I've seen lives lost and homes destroyed some of them weren't even my fault. Despite that I know that to stop is a greater insult to those that were hurt by either my action or lack thereof for it puts their own actions in vain by how I react."
"But you're a soldier aren't you? You see death as a part of your everyday life."
"True but just because something is common doesn't mean it should be accepted as normal Ms. Belladonna." Zophiel said looking at her and she nodded.
"I guess so and you can call me Blake."
"Okay then Blake, you should know and accept this by now that failure is a part of life. The true defeat of it however is in how you handle it."
"But what if you keep failing? How can you go on knowing that you might not get it right the second time, a third time, a fourth and so on? Surely there has to be a point when it just isn't worth going on?"
"If you go through life focused on the possibility or fear of failing then you'll never escape the shadows of your insecurities you will always be rooted in place never living your own life but merely being a puppet to someone or something else's whim. So go on Blake Belladonna, fail and fail again but know this you can fail a million times but all it takes is one win to ease the burden of the past." Zophiel said before turning away but he stopped to look back at her.
"One last thing Blake, you should know this but there are people who will help you on your path, do not think you have to go this alone because of some delusion where you think only you can make the change that is needed. Nothing great has ever truly been created alone." With that the tall warrior walked away leaving Blake there again to her thoughts, she sighed, first her conversation with Sun earlier which she needed to go apologize to him after slapping him and now Zophiel.
It seemed like everyone was giving her useful but unsolicited advice and she wasn't sure how to take that. She looked up into the night sky to see the ocean of stars as far as she could see yet she would not find the answers that she wanted; tears began to well in her eyes as she never felt more alone in her life.