Darkbloom

Chapter 4


When Jaune awoke the next morning, he was covered in cold sweat and gasping for breath. After a few seconds to calm his pounding heart, he looked around. The room was empty, though he could hear the water running from the bathroom, indicating Cinder was in the shower. With a grunt, he threw the sheets off himself and stretched out, listening to his joints crack and pop the entire time, a content groan escaping from him.

The nightmares had been bad, as usual, but he wasn't going to dwell on them if he could avoid it.

The bathroom door came open, steam billowing out of it as Cinder stepped into the room. She was clad in her usual red dress, and as she stepped out, she thrust her towel into Jaune's arms.

"Take care of that," she commanded.

"I don't need to," Jaune retorted as he put the towel on a nearby hanger. "We're at an inn, the innkeeper or one of his maids will take care of that."

"Hm. How fortunate for you. Back before I was imprisoned, the only people with maids were lords."

"It's just the way things work, Cinder," Jaune said. "I suppose you still have a lot to learn about the modern world."

"Indeed. Hurry up and clean yourself – you still reek of Grimm."

Curious, Jaune went to smell underneath his armpit, his nose wrinkling in disgust. "Alright, you've got a point… I guess I'll go ahead and-"

"Actually, wait," Cinder told him. "We train first, and then you will clean yourself. No sense in getting clean if you are just going to get dirty again."

"Sure, sure. Maybe take it easy on me this time, though?"

The deadpan stare Cinder gave him told him exactly how she felt about his statement.


Naturally, by the time they were done with training, Jaune's Aura had been reduced to almost nothing yet again, and he was riddled with bruises. It was his fault for not being able to keep his Aura up all the time, but still, it didn't make dealing with his injuries any easier. At least the shower was the most refreshing one of his life.

Jaune stepped out of the bathroom, already dressed in his clothes and with Crocea Mors hooked onto his belt. His scroll buzzed in his pocket yet again, and he winced, but ignored it. Cinder was right – sooner or later he was going to have to speak with his parents, but that could wait until after he'd thought of a good excuse as to why he'd run away from home without even saying goodbye.

"I'm half-tempted to just tell them the truth…" he muttered to himself. "Not like they'd believe it, anyway…"

Jaune stepped out of his room and moved down the hall to Weiss' room, then knocked on the door. "Weiss? You in there?"

There was silence for a moment, but then he heard the lock come undone and the door opened. Weiss stared up at him, blinking the sleep from her eyes.

"Jaune?" she asked, yawning. "What time is it?"

"Almost ten in the morning."

She blinked again, then gave him a blank stare. "And you didn't wake me earlier?"

"It slipped my mind, honest," he said. "You know we wouldn't leave you behind."

Weiss just waved him off. "What's the plan today? More jobs?"

"You'll have to talk to Cinder. She's pretty much the leader here."

"I don't remember agreeing to that."

"You didn't, but if you care that much about it, then you're free to fight her over the position."

Weiss let out a tired sigh. "Whatever… give me a few minutes to get ready, then we can go."

With that, she shut the door in his face and locked it. Jaune blinked, momentarily surprised at her sudden apparent vulnerability, but then rolled his eyes and marched down the stairs.

"Hey, Cinder?" he called. "Weiss is still getting-"

He paused when he reached the bottom of the stairs. Cinder was sitting at a table in the corner, her eye on the door and a glass of wine in her hands. The bottle was perched in the center of the table, and was already half-empty, though to her credit, Cinder didn't seem even the slightest bit drunk. Jaune tentatively stepped over to her.

"Are you drinking already?" he asked.

"And if I am?" Cinder challenged. "Good wine is to be enjoyed whenever possible, though I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand."

"I'm going to pretend like I'm not insulted by that," Jaune stated. "Can you even get drunk, or am I worrying over nothing?"

"If I can, then it would be a first," Cinder declared. "Have a seat."

Jaune obliged, sitting across from her with his back to the door. Cinder shook her head, displeased, and Jaune's brow furrowed.

"What did I do now?"

"You are sitting with your back to the door," Cinder pointed out.

"So?"

"So, if someone came bursting through and attempted to attack you, they would have the element of surprise."

"I doubt that anyone in this town is going to attack me."

"Perhaps not this town, but it would still pay to be cautious, particularly since part of your duties as my servant include acting as my bodyguard. In the future, sit facing the door."

"If you say so. Anyway, Weiss wanted to know what the plan was for today."

"Of course she did," Cinder said dismissively. "You have your faults, Jaune, but questioning me and my judgment is not one of them, thankfully. The Schnee girl could learn much from you."

"Thanks, I think."

"To answer your question, yes, we will be undertaking yet another job. I do not require nourishment the same way you mortals do, but it is still nice to have, therefore I would like to be able to afford it."

"Thanks for thinking of us," Jaune deadpanned. "And the wine? I assume you want the money to keep that flowing, too?"

"Perhaps you are more astute than you would appear," Cinder mused. "In addition, the Schnee girl needs more Dust, if I recall, so we will need the funds to pay for that, as well. Speaking of which… Jaune, explain to me the allure of Dust."

"What do you mean?"

"It seems like a novelty more than anything. If your weapon runs out of Dust, it is of limited use. To me, basic steel seems far better – it is impossible to run out of Dust with a weapon such as yours or mine."

"Guns have their pros and cons," Jaune said. "I can't kill people from long range with a sword, for one."

"A firearm lacks the simplistic elegance of a sword, however," Cinder mused. "But I can see your point, I suppose."

She drained what was left in her glass, then set it down on the table and stood up. "Is Weiss ready yet? I would like to begin this mission sooner rather than later."

"I'm right here," Weiss said as she descended the stairs. "Am I to assume you have a reason for getting me up so early? It's not even noon yet."

"That is no reason to wait," Cinder insisted. "Come; I have already selected a job for us. We will be taking on an Ursa Major and its pack."

"Of course we will…" Jaune muttered as the three of them set off. "Because that's what I needed today – more Ursai…"


When they reached the spot listed on the bounty, Jaune was surprised to find the remnants of a battle already fought. Specifically, the bounty had led them to a clearing out by a set of railway tracks, where part of a train had apparently derailed. Railcars were piled up in the clearing, many of them overturned or on their side, and some of them were still smoking. All around the clearing, he could see fallen human guards, but also the remnants of some Atlesian military robots, and a few other people dressed in uniforms. Some of the dead were riddled with bullet holes, but most of them appeared to have been torn apart by the Grimm.

"What the hell happened here…?" he muttered. "Is this recent?"

"The fresh blood suggests so," Cinder said, leaning down and putting the tip of a finger in a pool of blood. It came back slightly wet and slick with red. She wiped the blood off on a dead guard's uniform, then turned to the two of them. "This appears to have started as a skirmish of some kind, and escalated into a massacre when the Grimm arrived."

Movement out of the corner of Jaune's eye caught his attention, and he turned towards it. He was surprised to find Weiss standing there, gritting her teeth and shaking with anger.

"White Fang…" she managed to get out. "The White Fang did this, those… those… filthy animals!"

"White Fang?" Jaune asked.

"They're a bunch of Faunus supremacist savages," Weiss hissed as she rounded on him. "They hate all of humanity, but they especially hate my father, my family, and anyone who works for my family's company."

"Whoa, slow down," Jaune said, raising his hands in surrender. "Explain, please. What do they have against you, personally?"

"They hate my father because he essentially uses Faunus laborers as serfs," Weiss said, crossing her arms. "Or at least, that's the way they see it. The truth is that my father provides jobs and opportunities to people who otherwise would have nothing. I hate my father as much as everyone else does, but that's no excuse for… this."

She motioned out at the wreckage all around her, then let out a sigh. "Truthfully, the White Fang and the Faunus have been a thorn in humanity's side since the end of the Great War."

Jaune's eyes widened in surprise. "I mean, surely all Faunus aren't like that-"

"They're not, but I can't afford to take the chance," Weiss insisted. "The White Fang have kidnapped and executed workers and extended family members of mine for years. They killed one of my young cousins on camera and then sent the video to the entire family, purely because of her relation to us; I was twelve at the time I received it. As far as I'm concerned, none of them can be trusted after that."

"What will you do should we encounter a Faunus during this mission, I wonder?" Cinder mused.

Weiss' eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Would you fight them?" Cinder asked.

"Of course I'd fight them!"

"Even if they had not attacked you first?"

"Please," Weiss scoffed. "If they're like the rest of the Faunus, then they'd attack me on sight. It'd be self-defense at that point."

"Interesting premise," Cinder asked. "Perhaps the interloper in the trees would like a word with you regarding it?"

For a moment, Jaune wondered what Cinder was talking about, but he received his answer when the tree above him suddenly rustled, sending leaves raining down. Something darted between branches, attempting to get away, but they never got the chance before a chain materialized from Cinder's wrist and wrapped itself around their arm. Cinder pulled, and the figure came tumbling out of the tree and onto the ground in a heap. Weiss pulled her rapier at the same time the newcomer pulled a gun, and the two leveled their weapons at each other at point-blank range, both of them glaring daggers at the other.

"Well, well," Cinder announced. "It would seem we are at an impasse."

The newcomer – a girl dressed in black-and-white with black hair, yellow eyes, and most striking of all, a set of cat ears atop her head – glanced around at all of them, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Am I to assume you're all with the SDC?" she ventured. "Or is the Schnee here on her own, and you two are just her entourage?"

"Nobody here is associated with the SDC," Weiss growled. "Least of all me. At least, not anymore. Am I to assume that you're one of the ones responsible for the train derailment?"

"I had no intentions of things going this bad," the girl said with a snarl. "It was supposed to be simple – decouple the train cars to prevent the White Fang from killing everyone on-board. Unfortunately, some of them went out of control and jumped the tracks, then wound up in the forest. The instant I realized what had happened, I doubled back to try and help the survivors, but the White Fang and the Grimm got there before I did."

"Wait, hold on," Jaune interjected. "You decoupled the train cars to save the crew? Did I hear you say that?"

She nodded. "The White Fang wanted to attack the train, steal whatever cargo it was carrying, and kill any SDC workers on-board."

"And you, what, just so happened to be there?"

This time, she hesitated. "…I didn't know they were going to start killing the crew members," she admitted. "That wasn't told to me beforehand. I thought it was going to be a simple robbery, nothing more. The instant I saw them start killing the crew, I knew something had to be done. So I darted ahead by a few cars, decoupled the ones behind me, and hoped that'd be enough to save the rest of the crew. I didn't realize the cars would jump the track, nor did I realize that there were still some crew members who survived."

"And now they're dead because of you," Weiss growled.

"Weiss," Jaune said.

"Don't try to fight for her, Jaune," Weiss demanded. "You heard her – she was with the White Fang. She planned to rob the train in the first place."

"There's a difference between robbery and murder," the girl argued.

'Oh, and I'm to believe that was what made you grow a conscience? Give me a break."

'Ladies," Cinder interrupted, stepping between them. "Perhaps this is something that can be discussed after we have completed our mission? We are burning daylight. From where I am standing, it seems like you both have something in common."

"And what would that be?" Weiss challenged.

"You both wish to avenge this massacre." Cinder motioned to the field around here, still laden with the victims of the Grimm attack. "Or am I incorrect?"

Again, Weiss grit her teeth. "You're suggesting I work with-"

"I am suggesting nothing, merely pointing out that your interests align," Cinder said evenly. "If you despise the suggestion so much, then you may head back to town; the three of us will take care of the Grimm, and you can claim another bounty for yourself instead."

Weiss let out an angry huff, then slid her rapier back into her belt. "Whatever. Let's just kill this stupid Grimm, then we can talk."

With that, she stormed off into the forest, the three of them following after her a few seconds later.


"So," Jaune said, in an attempt to break the silence that had settled over the group as they walked. "What's your name?"

"What's it to you?" the girl in black asked.

Jaune shrugged. "Well, we're gonna be working together for at least one job, right? It'd help if we get to know each other, I think. You've already met Weiss; the tall woman is Cinder, and I'm Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you."

"Blake Belladonna," she answered. "Now please stop talking to me."

With that, she drew away from Jaune. He watched her go with dismay, then moved to get closer to Cinder.

"She's a weird one," he commented under his breath.

"Like you are one to talk," Cinder retorted.

"How am I weird?"

"You sold your soul to me."

"Oh, yeah. Right. Well, at least I'm not anti-social, like she is."

"Perhaps she just hates you and your race, like Weiss insists on continuously suggesting?"

"Not including yourself in that?"

"I am a demon."

"She doesn't know that."

"What are you two talking about back there?" Weiss demanded from up front. "Keep it down, would you? I thought we were trying to sneak up on the Grimm, not alert the whole forest to our presence."

Cinder glared at her. "I am liable to make a contract with her that she will regret."

"Easy," Jaune said. "She's just being an ice queen now that Blake's here. She'll simmer down with time once we kill the Grimm and part ways with Blake."

Speaking of Blake, Jaune looked over to her, his gaze settling on her ears. A thought occurred to him, and he turned towards Cinder.

"What do you know about the Faunus?"

"As in their origins?" she asked. He nodded, and she said, "They came after humanity, I know that much. Humans were first."

"Really? Then where'd they come from?"

"You would have to ask the Brother Gods, because I do not know the specifics."

"You don't?"

"I was in the Underworld at the time – I had already been cast down. From my understanding, when mankind rose from the dust after the Brothers' initial judgment, something must have gotten crossed, and the Faunus were born as a result."

Jaune blinked, taken aback. "...What's this about an initial judgment?"

"I suppose it is asking too much for humanity to be aware of their own ancient history," Cinder mused. "Then again, perhaps not – I imagine the Brothers were careful to wipe any traces of this tale from existence. Even if not, it occurred so long ago that nobody short of I can recall it, not even the old man. All you need to know is that humanity angered the Brothers, once; they retaliated with extreme prejudice."

"Really?" Jaune asked, surprised. "What'd the ancient humans do that was so bad?"

Cinder flashed him a wicked-looking smirk. "They pledged their fealty to me rather than to the Brothers. As you can imagine, the Brothers were not happy with that. It is why all traces of ancient humanity were wiped from the face of Remnant, along with most mentions of my name. A scarce few remain as closely-guarded secrets – you can thank the old man for that."

Jaune shuddered. "The more you tell me about the Brothers, the more thankful I am that they're gone."

Cinder's expression darkened. "You should be thankful. The Brothers have proven time and again that they are not worth being praised, even if they are our creators. There is a reason I attempted to rebel against them, after all."

They continued on in silence after that, none of them saying anything as they kept moving to their destination.


The fight with the Ursa Major was over almost as soon as it had started. Jaune wasn't surprised; even without factoring in Cinder's prowess, Weiss and Blake were both very respectable fighters in their own right. Again, all he did during the fight was serve as perimeter security, cleaning up any stray Grimm who came looking for some blood of their own, but that was more than enough for him – he'd be the first to admit he could barely handle two Grimm at a time, to say nothing of an elder Grimm such as an Ursa Major.

"I must say, I could get used to this," Cinder said, interrupting Jaune's thoughts. He turned towards her and saw that she had kicked her legs up on the table and was drinking from a glass of red wine.

"I'm surprised you're so easily satisfied," Jaune stated from his spot at the table next to her. They'd made it back to town already, and after collecting payment, the four of them had decided to get something to eat before calling it a night. Blake was still with them, looking very out-of-place and irritated as her and Weiss glared daggers at each other, but seeing as she'd had no money and Jaune had offered to pay her way, she hadn't had much of a choice but to tag along.

"I would have thought simple pleasures such as food and wine would have been beneath you," he added.

Cinder scoffed. "I had forgotten that the simple things in life can often be some of the finest as well. Good food and good alcohol… what more could a person want? Again, I could get used to this."

"Does that mean we're staying here for awhile?"

"Possibly. It depends on how long I can stand to be around these two."

Jaune looked over to Weiss and Blake again. They were still glaring at each other. He let out a tired sigh.

"Are you two going to keep this up all night?" he asked. "Because if you are, then Cinder and I are going to go somewhere else."

"Don't mind me," Blake announced, rising to her feet. She pushed her empty plate away. "I was just leaving."

With that, she stormed off.

"You're welcome for dinner, by the way," Jaune called after her. He shook his head, then turned towards Weiss. "Would it kill you to at least try and be cordial? She did fight alongside us."

"I will do no such thing," Weiss hissed. "That Faunus-"

"She has a name, you know."

"-Threatens my family's existence. I will not stand for it."

"Then perhaps you should do something about it," Cinder mused.

Weiss turned around to face her and crossed her arms. "And what do you suggest, hm?"

"You claim she is your mortal enemy, and therefore an existential threat to you and yours," Cinder pointed out. "The proper remedy for such a threat can only be one thing."

Weiss' eyes widened. "...Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"Perhaps, but perhaps not," Cinder answered. "I am merely pointing out the obvious. If you are not willing to go to such an extreme, then perhaps she is not as much of an enemy to you as you seem to think she is."

Cinder took a drink of wine while Weiss eyed her with horror. After a moment, Weiss shook her head, then stood up.

"I'm… going to bed," she said tentatively. "This has all been too much. Hopefully by the time I wake up tomorrow, the Faunus is gone, and I can forget all this happened."

"See you in the morning," Jaune said as she walked off. He watched her go, then turned back to Cinder. "Clearly, I'm missing something. What exactly were you suggesting she do about Blake?"

"I suggested nothing," Cinder pointed out. "I merely pointed out a flaw in her logic, and her brain filled in the rest as it saw fit. She is neither as smart nor as bloodthirsty as she would have you believe."

"One of these days, you're going to mess with the wrong mortal, and it's going to bite you," Jaune warned.

"And today is not that day," Cinder declared. She took a spare glass, poured some wine into it, then slid it over to him. "A toast, to the Demon Lord and her loyal servant. Long may she reign, and long may he continue to serve."

She knocked back her drink. Jaune froze for a moment, but then shrugged and did the same.

After all, she'd bought another bottle. Who best to help her drink it, if not her servant?


When Jaune awoke the next day, it was to a massive headache. He winced, bringing his hands up to rub at his temples. He couldn't remember how much he'd had to drink, only that it'd been way too much. He didn't entirely regret it, though - dealing with Weiss and Blake had made him yearn for some kind of release, and as it turned out, alcohol had been just what he'd needed.

Jaune rose to his feet, his head swimming the entire time. From the bathroom, he could hear the water running; Cinder was clearly in the shower. He briefly lamented the fact that he wouldn't even have the warm water and steam to help alleviate his pounding headache before letting out a sigh and sinking back down into the bed.

If she insisted on monopolizing the hot water, then he'd just have to go back to sleep.

Of course, he'd barely had time to close his eyes before he heard his scroll begin buzzing again. His brow furrowed as his eyes opened, and his gaze landed on his scroll, still sitting on the nightstand. With a sigh, he reached for it, then flipped it open.

He'd been putting this off long enough, he supposed.

S: Where are you, little brother? Mom and Dad are worried sick. Please call them as soon as you get the chance.

Jaune stared at the message for a moment before letting out a sigh. He hadn't meant to completely cut them all off from talking with them, it was just that he hadn't known how best to tell them what he was doing. After all, he couldn't exactly tell them he was traveling with the queen of hell. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to think of a suitable lie just yet.

The door to the bathroom opened and CInder stepped out. She had her red dress on already, same as always, which was good - the last thing Jaune wanted was to get an eyeful of her right now. Their gazes met, and Cinder seemed to realize something was wrong, as she moved to stand next to him.

"What is the matter?" she asked.

"My parents," Jaune said, seeing no reason to try lying to her. "I need to text them, but I'm not sure what to say. I mean, I can't exactly tell them I'm with you."

"So don't. Tell them something else."

Jaune rolled his eyes. "Thanks," he deadpanned. "Unfortunately, it's not that easy. If it was, I would have done it already. Honestly, I'm not sure which lie to tell them."

"Why lie?" Cinder asked. "Tell them you left to pursue your dreams. You told me they did not support you, so it only makes sense that you would take matters into your own hands."

"Is that what you call this? Pursuing my dreams, I mean."

"You are becoming a better swordsman under my tutelage, have killed multiple Grimm, have helped out a village, and have assisted two fair maidens. Are you not a hero by your own standards?"

Jaune paused at that and gave her a surprise look. Cinder, for her part, didn't seem to realize the full gravity of what she'd just said, as she was already stepping out into the hallway to go get breakfast. Jaune watched her go for a moment, then looked back to his scroll and typed out a quick message.

J: Hey, Saph. Sorry to go radio silent for a bit; I was busy. Please let Mom and Dad know I'm okay and doing fine. Please also tell them I left to chase my dream - somehow, I think they'll understand that. Will call later. Love you.

Jaune looked his message over for a moment, his finger hovering over the send button. After a moment, he threw caution to the wind and sent it. He watched the message pop up in the chat, followed soon after by a green check mark appearing next to his name, indicating it had been delivered. He stared at the screen for a bit, then pocketed his scroll and rose to his feet, intent on following after Cinder.

Somehow, that morning's training session was just a bit more bearable than it had been before.


Special thanks to my editor/co-writer Ickbard, as always!

I don't have much else to say besides that - no updates or housekeeping items to discuss here this time. I'll leave it at that. Have a good one, everybody!