Darkbloom

Chapter 3


The next morning, when Jaune awoke, he felt a lot better than he had the day before. His arm still hurt, but it was more of a dull ache than the searing inferno of pain it had been the previous day. He sat up and tested his arm once more, curling and uncurling his fingers to make sure everything worked.

That Ursa had nearly killed him, and yet, he had never felt more alive than the moment when he had taken it down. Sure, it had been sloppy and ill-prepared, but it was still his first Grimm kill. A grin graced his face at the thought of it.

"Good, you're awake," Cinder said from behind him. "Come."

Jaune blinked, then looked up at the sky. "What time is it?"

"It is just after seven in the morning, by my estimate."

"Are we moving out already?"

Cinder shook her head. "No. Weiss is still asleep; I figured we'd let her rest for a bit longer before setting off, and in the meantime, I would begin your training."

"No offense, but is that wise?" Jaune asked. He held up his left arm. "My arm is still bandaged."

Cinder waved him off. "Your Aura will take care of any injuries you receive during training. And besides, I will go easy on you at first."

Jaune shrugged, then stood up and stretched. Once he was done listening to his joints pop and crack, he reached for Crocea Mors, hooked it onto his belt, and followed Cinder out of town and into the woods. They walked for a few minutes before emerging into a clearing. Cinder stood on one side, and he stood on the other.

"Draw your weapons," she commanded.

Jaune did as he was told, holding his sword and shield. Cinder stood there for a moment, analyzing him, before shaking her head and approaching.

"You are gripping too tightly," she said. "Here, allow me to adjust."

She reached for his hands, loosening his fingers a bit. Jaune couldn't help but flush red as she touched him. Queen of hell as she was, Cinder was still a very attractive woman, and he had never made physical contact with anyone before. It was embarrassing, getting flustered by something as small as this, but it wasn't as if he could help it – he was, after all, still a hormonal teenage boy.

Thankfully, Cinder didn't seem to notice, and after a few seconds, she pulled her hands away.

"How does that feel?" she asked.

Jaune gave a few tentative swings before nodding in approval. "It feels a lot more natural."

"It should. You were exerting too much force with each swing before, and tiring yourself out because of it. Crocea Mors is a very nice blade, it doesn't need your whole body weight behind it in order to cleave through a Grimm," Cinder advised.

"What do you recommend I do, then?"

"When you swing, do not put your weight in it the way you were," Cinder advised. "The sword is a cutting tool, not a crushing one. It requires some finesse to use properly. When you swing it, your body's inertia combined with the razor-sharp edge should be enough to get the job done."

Jaune nodded along. "I see… so treat it less like I'm wielding a hammer, then?"

"Correct," Cinder said. "As for your shield… honestly, you seemed to have the right idea during your fight with the Ursa – hide behind the shield, guard as needed, and wait for your time to strike. Your one main failing in using it was not having your Aura unlocked, which allowed the incoming blows to travel through the shield and into your arms. But I trust you already realized that?"

"More than you can imagine," Jaune admitted. "That Ursa almost broke my arm with those hits."

"That will not be a problem anymore, so long as you remember to keep your Aura active even while guarding with your shield. Speaking of which, have you figured out how to activate your Aura on your own yet?"

"I think so," Jaune said.

"Show me."

Jaune nodded, then took a deep breath. He focused for a moment, and after a second or two, he felt a white glow surrounded his body. Across from him, Cinder nodded in approval.

"Good," she said. "The trick is remembering to keep it active. Eventually, you will reach a point where you can do so by instinct alone. For now, I want you to keep it active as often as you can, until it becomes second-nature. It will attract the Grimm, but think of that as more experience for you."

"Thanks," Jaune said dryly. "What now?"

Cinder gave him a wicked smirk. "Now, the fun part."

She took a step forward, two midnight-black curved swords materializing in her hands as she moved. Jaune's eyes widened, and he swallowed nervously.

Somehow, he could tell this was going to hurt.


"Ow. Ow. Ow."

"Flare your Aura," Cinder advised without looking back at him. "That will take care of the bruises."

"I don't know if I have any Aura left to flare…" Jaune lamented as he limped behind her. "Ow."

"I was the one to unlock it. Believe me, you have plenty of Aura. It is just a matter of drawing it out and keeping it active. I specifically pulled my blows enough that you would have some left over by the end of it."

Jaune sighed tiredly, but did as she asked, doing his best to flare his Aura. There wasn't much left that he could feel, but the wave of relief that washed over him did help a bit. A small sigh of contentment escaped him as he walked, his natural painkiller helping to take some of the edge off.

Cinder may have pulled her punches and only smacked him with the flat of her blades, but it hadn't mattered in the end – she'd soundly defeated him without him even landing a scratch on her. He'd have been embarrassed if it had been anyone else, but she was the queen of hell, so he supposed it was understandable. Even with her lengthy exile, she was still an inhumanly skilled swordswoman. And if nothing else, he at least felt like a bit less of a useless idiot under her tutelage.

When they arrived back at camp, Weiss was already up, stoking the fire and eating some of the leftover game Cinder had gotten for them the night before. Jaune thought back to the previous night, when Cinder had first brought them food, in the form of a mixture of rabbits and squirrels – Weiss had at first absolutely refused to eat any of it, but had eventually given in when faced with the prospect of going hungry instead. He was surprised to find her so eagerly tearing into a piece of leftover rabbit, but he supposed that it was a lot easier to eat now that she'd already had a taste of it the night before.

Weiss swallowed what was in her mouth before looking over to them. "Where did you two go?"

"Cinder was busy training me," Jaune answered, taking a seat on a log at the fire pit across from her. "Sleep well?"

Weiss huffed, then shook her head. "That was the worst I've slept in a long time… still, I suppose it beats completely roughing it in the woods…"

Cinder came over just then, sitting next to Jaune. "We are leaving soon," she said.

Jaune looked to her in surprise. "So early?"

"Yes. I wish to reach the village before long. I do not wish to stay here, in this ruined settlement, any longer."

"Yeah, I suppose that makes sense… Weiss, are you okay with that?"

Weiss shrugged, biting off another piece of rabbit. "It's fine by me… don't have anywhere else to go, anyway."

Well, that was one clue about why she was out here, at least. She'd been deliberately tight-lipped about why she'd left Atlas in the first place, only vaguely mentioning that family troubles had finally spurred her on to leave. On a certain level, Jaune could relate, but then again, Weiss was a sheltered, upper-class rich girl – any kind of family troubles that would have driven her away most likely dwarfed whatever issues he'd had with his own family. At least, that was his understanding – why else would Weiss so willingly give up the kind of affluent lifestyle she'd known all her life?

Weiss finished eating her breakfast, then tossed the bones aside and rubbed her hands together to try and get the juices off. She rose to her feet and stretched out; Jaune deliberately looked away so she wouldn't think he was staring at her.

"I'm ready," she announced.

"Very well," Cinder said. "Let's go."


Thankfully, they did not run into any more Grimm on their trip to the village. Jaune wasn't sure why – perhaps it was just luck, but then again, he supposed anything was possible when it came to Cinder. In any case, retracing their steps back to the fork in the road and then following the path for the next few miles took several hours, and by the end of it, Jaune's feet were killing him, even with his Aura helping to dull the pain. It was a relief when he finally saw the village up ahead, a sign hanging from a nearby tree naming it for them.

"Rinka," Jaune read off the sign. "Hm. Can't say I've ever heard of it before. Then again, we're a bit far from home…"

"This is already an improvement," Weiss stated, looking around as the three of them entered via the main road. "Granted, it's not quite as civilized as Atlas is, but perhaps that's a good thing given my current circumstances."

"Hm. Interesting…" Cinder muttered, taking in the sights around her.

"What is it?" Jaune asked.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same. This village resembles the ones from thousands of years ago – it is a relatively small, agrarian community living outside the Kingdom."

Jaune blinked. "...In Valean, please?"

Cinder gave him a decidedly un-amused look. "This village resembles the ones from history."

"Ah. Yes, I suppose there's a reason for that – lots of people don't like living in the city, so they'd rather take their chances out here, even with the Grimm."

"Hm. Seems foolish, given how easily the Grimm can tear them apart. Then again, I suppose some people are simply called to the wild, or to agriculture."

"Or to freedom," Jaune said, his gaze settling on a blacksmith shop. "Lots of people don't agree with the Kingdom's laws. It's a point of pride for them to live outside the Kingdom, in a place where it's much harder for the Kingdom to exert control over them."

"Speaking from experience?"

"Sort of. That's why my grandfather moved out to the countryside; the rest of us simply followed in his footsteps. Of course, now that I met you, I'm not wondering if perhaps he had a different motive entirely…"

"What are you two muttering about back there?" Weiss asked, getting his attention.

"Nothing," he said.

Weiss looked back at him from over her shoulder, then shook her head. "I swear, you two are the most secretive people I know. Every time I look away, it's like you're having another private conversation. Is there something I should know?"

"Jaune is simply regaling me with stories of his family," Cinder said dismissively. "I am a bit out-of-touch, you see, so it pays to have an idea of what regular people are like."

"Sure," Weiss replied, equally as dismissive. "Just do me a favor and keep me out of whatever conversations you're having, would you? I can't stand being gossiped about."

"Yeah, no problem," Jaune told her. He looked around again, taking in the sights as they walked. They were moving down a dirt path, through rows of log buildings. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"I'm looking for a job posting board," Weiss said. "I figure there must be some kind of work the village needs done. If we're going to be staying here for a bit, we should make ourselves useful, don't you think?"

"No arguments there," Jaune answered.

Weiss led them to the center of town, and sure enough, there was a large board standing there, covered in papers. Jaune leaned in to read off of one of them, his eyes narrowing when he saw that it was a request to exterminate some nearby Grimm.

"Are these things in every town?" he asked.

"Pretty much," Weiss told him. "At least, every town that I've been through."

Jaune looked to her in surprise. "Just how long have you been away from home, anyway?"

"A few weeks," Weiss said. "Enough to have a vague idea of what I'm doing. Made it to Vale within the first few days, then left the city and started wandering between settlements."

"All on your own?" Jaune asked. Weiss nodded, and he said, "Geez. You must really know what you're doing with that sword of yours."

She shrugged. "I managed to stay out of trouble for the most part, thankfully. Anyway, shall we choose a job? We could use the money, I'm sure."

"No offense, but aren't you part of the richest family in Remnant?"

"My father cut me off from the family accounts after I left home," Weiss explained. "I still have my personal accounts with some money in them, but it isn't much, and I'm saving that for emergencies only. Plus, the villages out here deal almost exclusively in physical money and goods rather than credit, so unless I can find a bank out here to make a withdrawal, the money I have in those accounts is completely worthless. The one saving grace of it is that my father can't touch it."

"We'll do this one," Cinder announced, pointing at a paper in the middle of the board.

"Giant Nevermore extermination?" Jaune read. "What's a Nevermore?"

Weiss sighed tiredly, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Jaune, you are very lucky that you've got Cinder here watching out for you…"

"Yeah, I know. Still, what's a Nevermore?"

"It is a large avian Grimm," Cinder explained. "Imagine a Grimm version of a raven."

"Ah. And I assume that since they're offering a bounty on it, that it's extremely dangerous?"

"Correct. If it makes you feel any better, Weiss and I shall do most of the fighting when it comes time for that."

"Okay," Jaune said tentatively. "What am I going to do, then?"

Cinder smirked. "You will be keeping the other Grimm off of us, of course."

Jaune could only curse his rotten luck as Cinder took the paper off the board and folded it up, then stuffed it into one of her pockets. She then beckoned him and Weiss to follow her, and together, they returned to the forest.


It didn't take long for them to find where the Nevermore was said to roost – the paper bounty, thankfully, had been detailed enough in its instructions that they hadn't struggled to get there.

They were now much deeper in the forest, to the point where the canopy of trees was all but blocking out the sun. Every step of his crushed fallen leaves underfoot, and each time it happened, Jaune couldn't help but wince, feeling as though he was drawing every Grimm in the area towards him.

"Calm down," Cinder said next to him. "You do not want to let your negative emotions overwhelm you, because otherwise, the Grimm shall gravitate to you like moths to flame."

"Isn't that a wonderful mental image…" Jaune muttered. He took a deep breath to try and still his beating heart. It didn't help much, but he supposed every little bit was useful. "Are we almost there, Weiss?"

"We should be," Weiss advised. "The paper said to head for the center of the forest, and look for the large tree – the Nevermore apparently roosts there, and-"

She suddenly cut herself off and stopped walking. Jaune peered out from around her just in time to see her staring at a large black feather lying on the ground.

"I take it that means we're close?" he asked.

Weiss gave him a deadpan look over her shoulder, then turned to Cinder. "Did you want to take the lead? You seem the most capable of all of us."

"I was wondering when you were going to offer," Cinder said, stepping forward. Weiss bristled a bit, but didn't argue as Cinder took the lead.

They kept walking for a bit more, and Jaune noticed that as they continued on through the forest, they were finding more and more feathers. Each one made his heart skip a beat – this was madness, realized; the three of them were going to somehow take on a giant Nevermore by themselves, with only Cinder there to carry the brunt of the fighting. Weiss was good, but she was still just a teenager like him, and as for himself… the less said, the better. And yet, Cinder and Weiss were relying on him to support them and keep the smaller Grimm away from them while the two of them dealt with the Nevermore.

Definitely madness, then. Jaune sighed, then ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

Finally, they emerged from the forest into a big clearing and reached a large tree, far greater in size than any other tree they had seen thus far. The base of the tree was littered with feathers, and – as Jaune noted with no small amount of trepidation – the remnants of human skeletons. He swallowed nervously at the sight of one, still covered in patches of raw skin.

"Hey, guys?" he said. "Are we sure about-"

That was as far as he got, because a large shadow suddenly fell over him. Jaune had no time at all to react before the Nevermore was upon him. The last thing he saw before it made impact was its enormous talons opening up and surrounding him, and then he was airborne, stuck in the Grimm's grasp.

Jaune struggled within the Grimm's talons, desperate to unsheathe his sword, but his arms were locked at his sides, and he could barely move. The Grimm was steadily rising into the air, and between the sudden vertigo and the talons crushing the life out of him, it was becoming harder and harder to breathe. Jaune's struggles gradually began to weaken, and black spots danced on the edge of his vision; he was a few seconds from passing out when something zipped by, barely missing him before embedding itself in the Grimm's neck. The Nevermore let out a loud screech, and its grip slackened just enough that Jaune was able to shake himself out of it.

And now, he was falling, the wind rushing by him as the ground below rapidly approached. He turned end over end in the air, his limbs flailing and a scream tearing its way out of his throat as he searched for some way to save himself, but found none. Then, just as he was about to hit the ground, something stopped him dead in his tracks – he looked around and found, of all things, a glowing white snowflake surrounding him. Jaune stared at it, amazed, but only for a moment before it dissipated and dumped him unceremoniously on the ground. Weiss rushed over to him and helped him up.

"Are you okay?!" she shouted.

"F-fine…" Jaune managed to get out.

"Good, because we need you! The Grimm are on their way!"

A roar from off in the forest punctuated her statement. Jaune winced, then drew his sword and shield and assumed a fighting stance behind her and Cinder. There was a sudden screech as the Nevermore circled overhead, and Jaune went to look back at it out of fear, but found Cinder standing there, a bow and arrow in her hand.

"We'll take care of the Nevermore!" she called to him. "You keep the small Grimm away from us!"

Jaune didn't need to be told twice, especially not when the bushes in front of him suddenly parted and three Beowolves came bursting out from it, sprinting for him. Jaune tensed, digging his heels in and flaring his Aura as he raised his shield. The first Beowolf was upon him in moments, but he managed to block its incoming slash and cleave it apart with a single swing from his sword. He stared in amazement at the two bisected halves as they dissipated, but the other two Grimm approaching snapped him out of it, and he raised his shield just in time to avoid having a massive chunk taken out of his Aura. The second Beowolf tried to circle behind him, but Jaune rounded on it, blindly stabbing with his sword as he did so, and by sheer luck managed to sever one of its front legs. The Grimm fell to the ground, but Jaune didn't get a chance to finish it before the other Beowolf came back for another swing.

This time, he wasn't able to raise his shield fast enough, and he grit his teeth as the Grimm's claws tore a chunk out of his Aura. Jaune didn't let up, however – before the Beowolf could recover, he managed to stab his sword into one of its eyes; the Grimm stiffened, then fell over. Jaune wrenched his sword out of its skull, then rounded on the remaining Beowolf as it attempted to pick itself up off the ground. One final slash sent its head rolling, and not a moment too soon, as an Ursa came charging out of the forest towards Weiss.

Jaune instantly took off at a dead sprint and was able to intercept it before it reached her. There was a loud metallic clang as the Grimm's claws bounced off his shield, and Jaune didn't waste a moment, swinging his sword and taking the Grimm's left arm in retaliation. The Ursa reeled from the sudden blow, and Jaune seized his chance, stabbing his sword into his chest. That should have been the end of it, but the Grimm wasn't dead. Instead, it batted him away with one of its claws; Jaune lost his grip on his sword, leaving it jutting out of the Grimm's chest. He hurriedly picked himself up off the ground as the Ursa dropped down to all fours and rushed him.

Again, Jaune dug in his heels and flared his Aura. The Ursa ran right into his shield, but Jaune was able to hold firm, his heels digging deep gouges into the ground as he was steadily forced back, though he managed to remain upright the entire time. With a loud yell, Jaune pushed forwards, and actually managed to force the Ursa off-balance. With the Grimm now open, Jaune reached forwards and wrapped his hand around his sword's hilt, then pulled; the blade came out of the Ursa's chest, and with another shout, Jaune plunged it upwards into the Grimm's skull. The Ursa stilled, then fell over, dead.

Jaune stood there for a moment, breathing heavily as he tried to still his pounding heart. On the other side of the clearing, Weiss and Cinder were still fighting the Nevermore, though it was clear they were making progress – the Grimm was now down a wing, and its entire body was peppered with black glass arrows and wicked-looking icicles. Jaune took a tentative step forwards to try and help, but at that moment, Cinder launched herself at the Grimm, one of her curved swords in her hand, and made contact with its neck. The Nevermore's head was separated from its shoulders, and as Cinder landed on the opposite side of the Grimm, its now-headless body collapsed and fell to the ground, then began to dissipate.

At the sight of it, Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. He plunged his sword's blade into the ground and leaned against it, gasping for breath. Cinder and Weiss dusted themselves off, then moved over to him.

"You alright?" Weiss asked.

"I'm good…" Jaune managed to get out. "Just a little tired, is all… please tell me that's all of them."

"Seems like it," Cinder acknowledged. "Your skills were admirable, Jaune."
"Ha… damn thing almost got me at the start."

"But it didn't. You managed to hang on, and even take down some Grimm on your own. You did good."

"Glad you think so." Jaune let out a grunt as he stood up straight, pulled his blade out of the dirt, and then sheathed it. "What now?"

"We should head back," Weiss advised. "It'll be night soon, and I don't want to be out here when the sun sets."

"Very well," Cinder agreed. "I shall lead. Follow me."

With that, she set off back for the village. Jaune and Weiss exchanged a glance, then followed after her.


That night, the three of them found themselves in a tavern. The townspeople had not only paid them handsomely for killing the Nevermore, but had also given them free food and drink as a special thank-you for a job well done. Jaune had chosen not to partake, but Cinder had accepted whatever wine they were willing to offer her.

"I missed this," Cinder stated as she raised her glass to her lips.

"Missed what?" Weiss asked from the other side of the table.

Cinder waved her off. "Worry not; it does not concern you."

"No offense, but you two are strange," Weiss confessed. "I feel like I've earned the right to say that given what I've seen of you both so far."

"No arguments there," Jaune said as he cut into his steak. Cinder hadn't mentioned it, but ever since his Aura had been awakened, he'd found that he needed to eat a lot more in order to keep his energy up. This was his second ribeye already, and he still wasn't satisfied.

"Glad we're in agreement, at least," Weiss said. She let out a sudden yawn, then stood up. "If you two don't mind, I'm going to go take a bath and then go to sleep. I did not sleep well last night, and I'm very tired."

Jaune waved to her. "See you in the morning, Weiss."

Weiss left them at that, stepping out of the tavern. Cinder watched her go, then shrugged and raised her glass to her lips once more.

"She, at least, has some admirable qualities about her," Cinder mused.

"She does?" Jaune asked, surprised.

"Indeed. So willing to pursue her own path, even if it costs her the family fortune… she desires naught but freedom, and took the necessary steps to attain it. I do wonder where she'll go from here, though – bounty hunting on the outskirts of Vale can only sustain her for so long, especially if she has no intentions of following after the two of us."

"I guess that's for her to decide," Jaune said. "Maybe she just needed a break from her family for a bit. Then again, she did say she's been out here for several weeks, so I don't know…"

"Perhaps you should offer her an incentive to stay."

"What kind of incentive?"

"You know, an incentive," Cinder emphasized. "You humans are nothing if not sex-obsessed."

Jaune couldn't help but sputter, choking on a piece of ribeye. He pounded on his chest a few times to force it down, then stared at Cinder in shock. "You think I should get Weiss to stick around by offering to have sex with her?"

"Yes. Do you not think it would work?"

Jaune shook his head. "Weiss doesn't like me in that way. I thought that much was clear from the moment I laid eyes on her. Sure, she respects me a lot more now, but I don't think she's ever going to get over her initial impression of me."

"Hm. A shame; she would have made a valuable asset. Her Semblance is quite versatile, after all."

"For the record," Jaune began, "sex is a very intimate thing for humans. It's not something we just do on a whim… or at least, it's not supposed to be."

"How very old-fashioned of you," Cinder stated. "I didn't take you for a prude, Jaune."

"Does that mean you're experienced with it?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Cinder told him. "Ah, but that would be revealing too much of myself, wouldn't it? Perhaps it would be best to maintain some secrets between us, after all."

"If you say so," Jaune said. "What are we doing next, by the way?"

"I think I would like to stay in this town for a bit," Cinder declared. "They have been quite hospitable… and their wine is excellent."

"That's fine by me," Jaune replied. "I was just-"

He was suddenly cut off by his scroll buzzing in his pocket. He paused, then let out a tired sigh. He'd turned his scroll to silent when he'd first left home, but during the fight with the Grimm, he must have hit a button by accident, because now it was ringing again. He pulled it out of his pocket enough to check the caller ID, then grimaced and sent them to voicemail.

"Who is that?" Cinder asked.

"Who do you think?" Jaune said dryly. "I'm going to have to call them at some point, you know. No doubt they're going to give me an earful. I have no idea what to tell them."

"Would telling them you left home to try and achieve your dreams not be sufficient?"

"My parents don't believe in my dreams, so no."

"Hm. A shame, but I am sure you will think of something in time."

"I hope so," Jaune said as he turned back to his plate full of food. He grimaced, then pushed it away. Somehow, his appetite had just died.

The two of them finished up at the tavern in silence, then returned to their respective rooms for the night. Despite his exhaustion, Jaune tossed and turned for awhile, unable to fall asleep; his inevitable conversation with his parents kept him up.

And when he did finally fall asleep, the nightmares came to greet him once more.


Special thanks to Ickbard for helping not just with this chapter, but with the entire story as a whole. For real, he's been a huge help to not only this story but is also helping my general writing progression steadily go from baby to adult, and I cannot state that enough.

Anyway, here's chapter 3. I was hoping to get the next chapter for Plastered Paradox out before this one, but it didn't really end up happening the way I wanted, unfortunately. Plastered Paradox is still in production, by the way, I just have some edits I have to do for it before posting the next chapter. It should be out soon-ish. Until then, there's this.

I don't really have a whole lot to say besides that, except that it's currently very late and I've got a busy day tomorrow – I've got to zero a Fulton Armory M14 build and a Zastava M90 in preparation for a competition next week and I have very little time with which to do it, among a plethora of other things. So I'm going to sleep now instead of writing a big AN, basically lol.

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you next time!