Darkbloom

Chapter 2


"So, what's the plan, here?" Jaune asked as the two of them walked through the woods.

"I told you, I want to see the world and savor my freedom," Cinder responded without looking over to him. "You are obligated to serve me anyway, so what does it matter?"

"I just want to know when I'll be able to return home, that's all."

"Hm. I am no tyrant to my subordinates, if that is what you wish to know. We will return here in due time, sooner rather than later. That, you can be assured of."
Jaune simply nodded along as they continued to walk. There was something else weighing on his mind, too – an old dream of his, one that had been quashed the night Vermilion had been wounded, but which was now coming back to the forefront of his mind.

"One more thing," he ventured. "Let's say there was something I really wanted to do. Would you allow me to do it?"

"That depends," Cinder answered. "Would it separate you from me, and prevent you from serving me? If so, then I would have to refuse."

Jaune let out a small, disappointed sigh. "Yeah, I figured as much…"

So much for getting into Beacon and becoming a Huntsman. It was disappointing, obviously, but he wasn't too torn-up about it – he'd known when he'd accepted Cinder's offer that he was trading himself for Vermilion, his dreams included. The fact that Cinder wouldn't let him go off to Beacon was not surprising to him.

They continued to walk on in silence for a few minutes before another thought occurred to him.

"Where are we going, exactly?"

"Wherever our legs will take us," Cinder replied. "There is much to experience in this world, and I am eager to see what it is like after being imprisoned for thousands of years."

"But… you're the queen of hell, right? Don't you have to, you know, go and rule over hell?"

Cinder waved him off. "The Underworld has carried on just fine without me for thousands of years. Besides, it was as much a prison for me as it is for the damned souls who inhabit it. The Brothers cast me down long ago, when I attempted to lead a rebellion against them and usurp their power. But now that they have mostly left the world, they are of no concern to me."

Jaune stared at her in surprise. "Just how powerful are you?"

"Must you ask so many questions?"

"Sorry, I'm just very confused."

"In the past, I was much more powerful than I am now," Cinder insisted. "I am still not to be trifled with, obviously, but my powers have waned a great deal during my imprisonment. It will take time before I can use them the way I used to. Truthfully, healing your sister took a lot out of me."
Jaune blinked, taken aback by her statement. "...Thank you," he said. "For helping her, I mean."

"Hm. Abiding by our deal would mean more to me than a mere expression of gratitude, but it shall suffice for now."

Cinder suddenly stopped, and Jaune nearly ran into her before catching himself. He peered out from around her, his gaze settling on a sign in the middle of a fork in the road.

"It appears we have a choice to make," Cinder noted. "Two paths, one leading to a town called Boulder and the other leading to an unnamed settlement."

"You're the boss," Jaune told her. "Wherever you go, I shall follow."

"Good answer," Cinder remarked. "It makes no difference to me, truthfully – I am simply wandering at this point. I suppose the settlement would be preferable – it seems to be new, if the lack of a name is any indication, so perhaps it would serve as a good way to re-acquaint myself with the world."

"If you say so," Jaune said. "I'm just along for the ride."

"Quite. Follow me; we must make haste."


When they first set off for the settlement, Jaune hadn't expected anything special. The woods around his hometown were full of places like this – settlers would come from Vale and try to set up in the forest, hoping to escape the endless hustle-and-bustle of the big city. Crime was rare out in the forest; the only real concern was the Grimm, which were generally taken care of by experienced Huntsmen.

Of course, sometimes the Huntsmen weren't fast enough, or the Grimm were especially fearsome. And so, when Jaune first saw wisps of smoke on the horizon and smelled ash in the air, he was saddened, but not surprised.

"Cinder," he called out, getting her attention. "We should turn back."

"Why?" she asked.

"You see the smoke? I think this settlement was attacked by Grimm; it's not safe here."

Cinder's gaze narrowed. "Yes, the Grimm… filthy creatures; a shame they have not been eradicated yet. I would have thought the old man would have come up with a solution to them by now, but I suppose not."

She turned away from Jaune and continued walking towards the smoke. Jaune's heart skipped a beat, and he took off after her.

"Where are you going?" he asked. "We have to be careful-"

He reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder, and Cinder instantly rounded on him, her gaze smoldering. Jaune stared at her in shock, her eyes seeming to bore a hole through his very being.

"Do not lay your hands on me," Cinder hissed. "You are my servant, yet I do not give you permission to touch me. Do you understand?"

Jaune nodded tentatively, removing his hand from her shoulder. Cinder relaxed slightly, the fire in her eyes seeming to fade a bit, though her irritated expression remained.

"As for your concern about the Grimm, it is misplaced," Cinder stated. "Should we encounter the Grimm, we will kill them."

"Just like that?" Jaune asked. "But I don't know how to fight the Grimm."

"Then you will learn, otherwise you will die," Cinder said simply. "I shall support you, should you need it, but you will have to learn how to stand on your own in time."

Jaune swallowed nervously, one hand drifting to the hilt of his sword as they continued walking, this time moving much more carefully. They made it to the settlement within a few minutes, and true to his expectations, it was a nightmare. Mutilated bodies littered the field, many of them mangled to the point where they were hardly recognizable as human. Destroyed wood huts and houses lined the dirt path, several of them still burning, the acrid smoke filling the air and stinging Jaune's lungs. He forced himself to hold back a cough as the soot and stench of blood coalesced into one big miasma of putridity in his nostrils.

Next to him, Cinder looked around, frowning. "It appears the Grimm have already vacated the premises."
Jaune breathed a sigh of relief at that, though it was cut short when his eyes landed on a woman's corpse, her innards splayed out across the ground and her eyes staring lifelessly at the sky. He retched, and it took everything he had to avoid throwing up then and there, but somehow, he managed. His eyes blurred with tears, but he wiped them away with the back of his hand.

"Gods…" he muttered. "I knew the Grimm were savage, but this… this is…"

"A massacre," Cinder finished. She nodded in agreement. "The Grimm are mindless creatures, their sole function being to eliminate any humans they come across. They are a product of their masters – the first, a God of Destruction who seeks to balance his brother's powers of Creation; the second, a megalomaniac who holds nothing but contempt for humanity."

"You seem to know a lot about the higher powers at play here."

Cinder shrugged. "I am a product of the Brothers, myself – I was to be their liaison to humanity. I rebelled against them and was cast down into hell as a result, where I was supposed to stay for all time. Of course, the Brothers eventually abandoned Remnant, and then the old man summoned me to help deal with a problem of his own creation."

Jaune shook his head. "This is all crazy… I can't believe this is happening."

Movement in the bushes up ahead took him by surprise, and he turned to face them, his hand drifting to the hilt of his sword, gripping it so hard that his knuckles turned white. His breath caught in his throat, and he began to shake. Next to him, Cinder rolled her eyes.

"Pathetic…" she muttered before turning back to the bushes. "Show yourself, beast, so I may strike you down, as I once did your mistress."

For a moment, there was no response, but then, of all things, Jaune heard a sigh of relief.

"Oh, good – some other people."

The bushes parted ways, and a girl close to his age came striding out. She was dressed in all-white, which matched her hair and her light blue eyes. A rapier was held tightly in her left hand, and as she focused on the carnage around her, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Filthy creatures…" she muttered as she slipped her rapier into her belt. "It's good that you two came along, I suppose – that means I won't have to find my own way."

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Jaune couldn't help but ask. She turned to look at him, and a faint blush crossed his face when they made eye contact. To his dismay, her face wrinkled slightly in disgust, though she was quick to wipe her expression away, replacing it instead with a look of cold cordiality.

"I am Weiss Schnee," she said. "And you two are?"

"Jaune Arc," he answered.

"I am Cinder Fall," Cinder added. "And you are not from around here."

"That obvious, huh?" Weiss asked. "You're right about that – I'm from Atlas."

"Atlas?" Jaune echoed. "That's pretty far. What are you doing out here, south of Vale?"

Weiss bristled at that. "That is none of your concern," she rebuked. Jaune held up his hands in surrender, and she turned back to Cinder. "Anyway, I was trying to find my way to the next village when I stumbled upon this little settlement. I was hoping I would arrive in time to help, but I can see now that I was too late."

"You are unfortunately correct," Cinder answered. "Our circumstances are similar – we were simply trying to find our way, yet we stumbled upon this."

"Perhaps we can help each other, then," Weiss surmised. "I take it you want to get to the next town over, yes? That's what I want, too. I figure we can travel together for a bit, make the journey a bit less perilous for all of us."

"That sounds-" Jaune began, only for Cinder to cut him off.

"That would be agreeable," Cinder stated. "On but one condition."

"And that is?" Weiss asked, impatient.

"We hunt down the Grimm who did this before we set off for the village."

Weiss stared at her in disbelief. "You want to hunt down the Grimm who killed an entire-"

"Yes," Cinder interrupted, a note of finality creeping into her voice. "I do. The Grimm are filthy creatures, unfit to walk this earth the way they do, preying on innocent people. I will not stand for the loss of innocent life to mindless, wayward, godless abominations such as them. Cleansing Remnant of their presence is an impossible task, but I can at least avenge this massacre. You wish to travel with us? That is my price – assist us in eliminating the Grimm, and you shall have safe passage."

Weiss eyed her incredulously. "How am I to know that you can provide safe passage through Grimm-infested woods?"

"Consider it a deal, of sorts," Cinder surmised. "If you assist us in tracking down and eliminating these Grimm, then you shall have safe passage, even if it should cost my companion and I our lives. Is that agreeable?"

Weiss thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, that works for me, I suppose. But where should we begin looking?"

"Grimm are attracted to negative emotions," Cinder emphasized. "They won't have gotten very far. And since I am currently exuding malevolence, it will only be a matter of time before-"

A loud roar from off in the distance suddenly cut her off. A wicked smirk crossed her face. "Well, it would seem that took far less time than we thought."

Weiss gave her an incredulous look, but stepped closer to the two of them and drew her rapier. Jaune fumbled with his sword and shield for a moment before drawing them and holding them in shaking hands. Weiss stared at him in disbelief.

"Do you even know how to use that thing?"

"Um…" Jaune began. "Uh… it's a sword, so how hard can it be?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, but before she could disparage him, a rustling in the nearby bushes caught her attention. She tightened her stance. "Look sharp; here they come."

Jaune felt his heart just about stop when the first of the Grimm stepped out of the bushes. It was a Beowolf, he recalled – a large, wolf-like beast that towered above him, with razor-sharp teeth and claws. It stared at him with intense crimson eyes, its teeth bared in a snarl; Jaune couldn't help but notice that ribbons of flesh were still stuck between its fangs. The sight of it just about made his heart stop.

The Grimm charged, and it was soon joined by three other Beowolves from the bushes. Jaune let out a panicked scream as the Grimm bore down on him and closed his eyes in preparation for their jaws sinking into him, but it never came – instead, he heard the sound of something cutting through the air, and when he opened his eyes again, all three Beowolves were on the ground in pieces. Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he turned and stared in disbelief as Cinder straightened herself up from the combat stance she'd suddenly dropped into. Two midnight-black curved swords were clutched tightly in her hands, having apparently come from nowhere.

"Hm." Cinder opened her hands, and the swords dissipated into nothingness. "Foul beasts… Jaune, you will take care of the next one; I shan't dirty myself with it."

"What?!" he asked.

But there was no time – another Grimm had come bursting out of the bushes, this one an Ursa. Jaune looked around, frantic, but Weiss was already locked in combat with two other Beowolves, and Cinder had already indicated that she would be of no help to him. With nothing else he could do, Jaune tensed, then raised his shield up and dug in his heels. The Ursa swiped at him with its claws, and Jaune let out a pained shout as the monster's attack bounced off his shield, the blow reverberating painfully up his arm. The Grimm came back around for another attack before he could recover, but this time, Jaune dove to the side, avoiding it completely.

He scrambled to his feet just in time for the next attack to miss him. The Ursa locked eyes with him as it recovered, and Jaune felt his heart skip a beat as his gaze met that same blank, crimson malevolence from earlier. He froze for a moment out of fear, but shook it off when he saw the Ursa come back for another strike. Again, he raised his shield; again, he felt his arm nearly break from the sheer force of the incoming blow.

Jaune stumbled back, nearly tripping over himself as he tried to put distance between himself and the Grimm, just enough so that he could recover and think of something. He only had a moment or two before the Ursa was upon him again, and it was too late. He was out of options – his arm couldn't handle another blow like that, he knew; it was already numb, and he could tell already that a third crash upon his shield was going to break it completely. So, Jaune did the only thing he could.

He lunged forward with a yell, his sword leading his charge.

Jaune felt Crocea Mors' blade sink into flesh down to the hilt, and for a moment, a feeling of surprise and relief washed over him that he had managed to defeat the Grimm. Reality soon came crashing back upon him, however, when the Grimm swiped at him with its claws. Jaune watched in disbelief as his own blood arced through the air, and he fell to the ground, numb. He landed back-first on the ground, completely dumbstruck; a quick glance down at himself showed his left arm hanging by just a few thin sinews of flesh, and blood pouring from his wound.

A sudden crash caught his attention, and Jaune turned towards it. To his surprise, the Ursa had fallen to the ground, his sword still jutting out of its chest. A moment passed, and then it began to dissipate, leaving Crocea Mors to come falling to the ground below. Jaune stared in disbelief as the dead Grimm finally faded away completely.

Well, he thought to himself as black danced on the edges of his vision. At least I got one before I died.

The last thing he saw before he passed out was Weiss and Cinder rushing over to him.


He was standing in a sea of fire, and yet, it didn't burn. Jaune looked around him in a panic, but no matter where he looked, none of it made any sense – he was underground, that much was certain; the stone walls and ceiling made it clear enough. Flames completely covered the ground, and although they didn't harm him, he could tell they were very real – the heat and the smoke were enough for that. All around him, there was pained, panicked screaming; people were burning, and yet, he couldn't see where any of them were.

Jaune took a tentative step forward through the flames, his heart going a mile a minute. As soon as his foot made contact with the stone floor, everything shattered, and he was falling.

"Jaune!"

The sound of his voice being called finally got to him. Jaune catapulted awake, gasping for breath. He looked around in a panic, relaxing only when he saw Weiss and Cinder staring at him.

"Jaune, are you okay?!" Weiss demanded.

"F-fine…" he said between gasps. "What happened to me?"

"A Grimm nearly took your arm off," Cinder reported. "You passed out right as we got to you. I had to awaken your Aura in order to save your life."

Jaune's heart skipped a beat. "My Aura…?"

Weiss suddenly glared at him. "What were you thinking, traveling through Grimm-infested woods without your Aura?!" She rounded on Cinder. "And you! How could you let him fight Grimm without it?! He almost died!"

Cinder raised her hands in surrender. "I am used to everyone having it unlocked. I did not think his was still dormant."

Weiss stared at her. "What are you talking about? Most people don't have it unlocked, that's why they stay out of the woods and don't engage the Grimm without backup! The majority of people haven't had their Aura unlocked since before we started building large cities."

Cinder scowled, but said nothing. Weiss turned back to Jaune. "We were able to save your arm," she advised him. "It's going to have to stay wrapped in bandages for a few days while your Aura heals it, but it should be okay."

Jaune glanced down at his left arm. True to Weiss' word, it had been wrapped tightly in bandages, which were now covered in blood, but it was still there, and he could still feel it. Tentatively, he tried to wiggle his fingers, and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized they all worked fine.

"Good…" he said softly. "That's good. Thank you both."

Weiss stood up, brushing the dirt and leaves off her skirt as she did. "We'll have to rest here for a bit, give you some time to recover," she said. "It's almost nightfall. Do either of you know how to start a fire?"

"That will not be a problem," Cinder advised. "But I need you to leave us for a moment. I must have words with Jaune."

Weiss eyed her with mild suspicion, but relented. "Very well. I will scout for more Grimm. I won't go far, and I won't be long. Call me if you need me."

With that, she marched off into the woods, leaving them alone. Jaune went to sit up, but Cinder beat him to the punch, gently taking him by the shoulders and helping him sit up.

"I must apologize," she said. "I come from a time when almost humans had their Aura unlocked. I did not think yours would still be dormant."

"Ah… I should have mentioned it to you," Jaune said. "My parents didn't want me unlocking it – said it'd attract the Grimm."

"They were right, but still. I am sorry." Cinder bowed her head. "You are my servant, and while you are obligated to follow my orders, it is imperative that I treat you right if this is to be beneficial. In the future, do not hesitate to let me know of important information such as this."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Jaune managed to stammer out. "I just… well… you know I'm not trained, yeah?"

"I am aware. However, you did a fine job against that Ursa."

"That Ursa almost killed me."

"Through no fault of your own. You were untrained and did not have your Aura unlocked, yet you still managed to kill it in the end. It was quite admirable. In the future, we will remedy your lack of skill."

Jaune stared at her. "...Are you saying you'll train me?"

"I will," Cinder promised. "Your martial prowess leaves a lot to be desired, which is unacceptable for anyone who will be serving me. Fortunately for you, I am skilled with a blade, so I will be able to train you, though our styles are different."

Jaune felt a wave of relief wash over him. Sure, he wasn't going to be a hero any time soon like he had dreamed of, but training on its own was valuable to him, if only because becoming a master swordsman had been another dream of his, too. To hear Cinder offer to help with that was incredible.

Weiss came through the bushes, dusting herself off as she went. "I didn't see any more Grimm," she reported.

"Good," Cinder said. "We will camp here for the night, then set off in the morning. I will start a fire and get food. Weiss, keep an eye on him."

Weiss nodded, and Cinder set off. Weiss leaned against a nearby tree, watching over Jaune as he laid there on the ground. Neither of them said anything, the uncomfortable silence hanging in the air for a bit before Jaune finally had enough and decided to break it.

"So," he said. "Why is an Atlesian out here in the woods south of Vale, anyway?"

Weiss' brow furrowed. "You're not going to drop this, are you?"

"Hey, I just almost had my arm amputated by a giant bear. Isn't that worth at least a few answers?"

She sighed tiredly. "If you must know, I ran away from home. My father finally became too much for me to take, so I decided to leave and go as far away as I possibly could within reason for a bit, until I could come up with a plan to escape him permanently. Does that answer your question?"

Jaune stared at her, surprised. He hadn't expected an answer like that at all. After a moment, he cleared his throat. "For what it's worth, I hope you find what you're looking for, Weiss."

Weiss blinked, taken aback. After a moment, she nodded. "Thank you, Jaune. Now, if you could humor me with a question of my own… who exactly is Cinder? She strikes me as odd – her way of speaking is archaic, she seems out-of-touch with the world around her, and her combat skills are intense. Who is she, anyway?"

Jaune could only chuckle. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Weiss."


Huge thanks to Ickbard for helping with this chapter, as well as the rest of this story.

Took awhile, but I'm finally putting this one out. Cue my common excuses – scheduling, work, etc. Doesn't really matter; it's out now, thankfully. Now I can move on to the next one.

Anyway, I don't have very much to say about this chapter. I want to go more in-depth with the worldbuilding at some point, particularly with regards to Cinder and the Brothers. That's coming sooner rather than later, so keep an eye out for that.

Also, I'm still working on plotting this story out, so if things seem a bit slow in terms of updates, it's because I'm still trying to figure out where I'm going with it for the most part. Give me some time, I'll get there at some point and hopefully start updating more frequently, work permitting, of course.

Past that, I've got nothing else. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. See you next time!

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