Darkbloom

Chapter 6


Jaune was not surprised when he woke up the next morning with a hangover. He let out a groan as he sat up, clutching at his temples.

"You must learn to handle your liquor better," Cinder said from beside him.

"Easy for you to say…" Jaune muttered without looking up. "You're not human, yourself. Alcohol apparently doesn't affect you in the first place."

"On the contrary – it affects me plenty. I simply do a better job of not showing it than you… and, I suppose, my tolerance is higher than yours."

"Yeah, well-"

Jaune looked up for the first time at that moment and froze, his face turning deep red. Cinder was standing there, clad in just a towel, her hair still wet from the shower. Despite himself, he couldn't help but stare – her cream-colored skin, slightly reddened from the heat of the shower, had his attention like nothing else. His gaze fell to her bare legs, and he traced the outline of her body up to her chest, where he froze again as a thought occurred to him.

This is the most dangerous thing I've ever done.

"My, my," Cinder mused, a slight grin crossing her face. "Are you perhaps a bit flustered by what you see?"

"I'm surprised you're not making my eyeballs explode or something," Jaune said, quickly averting his gaze.

"You are my servant, and will be for all of time. It was inevitable that you would see me naked at some point. I do not hold it against you."

"That's a relief," Jaune said, letting out a soft exhale.

"Make no mistake, this is not an invitation for you to leer at my body whenever you please," Cinder warned. "But then again, I suppose I can forgive it – I am, after all, quite attractive."

"Too bad you're not as modest as you are attractive."

"Modesty is only a virtue for those who are not as powerful as I." Cinder leaned up against the wall; Jaune wasn't sure if the way her chest puffed out slightly as a result was intentional or not, and he was too afraid to ask. "The shower is available, by the way; I suggest you take advantage before Weiss uses all the hot water."

"Not likely," Juane remarked as he threw the covers off himself. "It's not even nine in the morning yet; Weiss won't even get out of bed before ten."

He moved over to the bathroom, brushing past Cinder on his way there. He stepped inside and approached the sink, then splashed some water on his face.

"Don't wait up for me, by the way," he called.

"I had no plans to," Cinder responded.

Jaune was about to say something else, when another noise caught his attention – the telltale sound of fabric hitting the floor. Cinder had just dropped her towel on the floor, no doubt to get changed. Again, his face flushed red at the thought of it. If nothing else, Cinder was incredibly attractive, easily the hottest woman he'd ever seen, and his status as her servant did nothing to change that. Against his better judgment, thoughts suddenly intruded into his mind – typical teenage boy fantasies of her asking him to 'serve' her in other ways.

Thankfully, the ice-cold shower fixed it.


His teeth were still chattering by the time he made his way downstairs for breakfast. Cinder was there, and just as he'd requested, she hadn't waited up for him, and was already deep into a glass of wine and a plate of eggs.

"I'm surprised they'll serve you alcohol this early," he remarked as he sat down.

"I have done great things for the people of this town," Cinder reminded him. "They will do whatever it takes to keep me happy at this point."

"True, true…"

"Would you like some wine?"

"I'm already hungover, I don't need it to be even worse," Jaune said.

"What is the saying? Hair of the dog that bit you?"

"At this point, it'd be more like an ail for what cures me."

"Quite," Cinder answered. "Now, before we head out, I believe there is something you need to take care of."

"What do you-"

Cinder motioned to his pocket, and a chill went down Jaune's spine. "...I think that can wait," he insisted.

"It cannot," Cinder specified. "You have not spoken with your family in almost a week. Sooner or later, they will send someone after you; I would be surprised if they have not already, in fact. Need I remind you that we are not far from your home, and that it would be incredibly easy for them to locate you? And while none of them would be a match for me, that is a fight I would rather not be part of."

Jaune let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair in the process. "You have a point," he conceded.

"So call them," Cinder said. "Or shall I make that an order?"

"I get it, I get it…" Jaune said. He sighed again, then pulled his phone out of his pocket. His hand hovered over the call button, and he hesitated, then looked back over to Cinder. "For the record, if they end up killing me over this, I hope you come give me the tour personally."

"You are my servant," Cinder reminded him. "I would be happy to give you the tour. Shall we begin at the frozen lake, or perhaps the oceans of boiling blood?"

Jaune shuddered. "Hang on, I'm calling now."

He forced himself to hit the call button, and watched as his mother's scroll number popped up on his screen. It rang exactly once before she picked up.

"Jauneathan Arc!" she shouted.

Jaune winced. Across from him, Cinder silently mouthed, 'Jauneathan?'

"Laugh it up," he grunted. Turning back to his scroll, he said, "Hey, Mom."

"Don't you dare 'Hey, Mom' me, mister!" his mother shouted. "Do you have any idea what you running away from home has done to us?! You had us all worried sick! And then you just call out of the blue, like everything is normal! And what was with that text you sent to Saphron?!"

Jaune looked over towards Cinder. She just shrugged, which told him all he needed to know – he was on his own with this one.

"Sorry, but this was something I needed to do," he insisted.

"Oh, you needed to run away from home?" his mother challenged. "You needed to leave without so much as a note explaining where you were going, or a heads-up? You needed to take the family sword with you, too? Need I go on?"

"Mom-"

"And for that matter, why did you take the family sword with you?" she continued. She suddenly let out a gasp. "Jaune… you're not getting into fights with the Grimm, are you?"

"Would it make you feel better if I said no?"

"Jauneathan Arc!" she roared. "How dare you! You know what those things did to Vermilion!"

"I do, and trust me, I'm being a lot more careful than she was," he said.

"Oh, as if a Huntress-in-training doesn't know how to be careful! You have a lot of nerve, young man! But never mind that – tell me where you are right now so I can send your father to come get you."

Jaune grit his teeth. He loved his parents, really he did, but they'd always been incredibly overbearing towards him, and this conversation was no exception. As it dragged on and on, his emotions reached a fever pitch, and that line from his mother was the final spark needed to push him over the edge.

And so, for the first time in his life, Jaune said a simple two-letter to his mother.

"No."

The effect was instantaneous – she immediately quieted down, his scroll going dead silent. Idly, a part of his brain wondered if they'd dropped the connection, but deep down, he knew better, unfortunately.

The truth was far simpler than that – all he'd done with that little comment was piss her off.

"Young man," his mother said after several seconds of silence, her voice deceptively calm despite its low tone. "I am going to give you until the count of three to tell me where you are."

"Or what?" Jaune challenged. "You can't even find me right now. How are you supposed to threaten me if you can't even find me?"

"You are out of line-"

"I'm doing what I have to do, mother. The fact that you can't seem to understand that speaks volumes."

"Jaune, you listen here-"

"No, you listen here," he demanded, once again causing her to fall silent. "My entire life up to this point has been about pleasing other people, whether it's you or dad or my sisters. You're all my family and I love you, but I have always placed myself second in favor of doing what's right for the family. Well, no more, mother. Now, I'm going to do what I need to in order to achieve my dreams."

"Is this about Beacon again?" his mother asked. "Jaune, honey-"

"I know what you're going to tell me," he insisted. "You're going to say it's dangerous, that I'm not cut out for the lifestyle, that I'm not even half the Huntsman that Vermilion is… and you're right. You're right on all counts. But here's the thing, Mom – I don't give a damn anymore. This is my dream, and I'm going to achieve it no matter what it takes."

"You really think you can make it into Beacon?" she asked. "Your father has ties there. You have to know that he'll do whatever he can to put a stop to this."

"Who said anything about Beacon?" Jaune asked. "Certainly not me. Maybe in the past, but now… now, I have other plans. And if you don't believe that I can do it, then I suppose I'll have to keep carrying on without your help."

"Jaune, please," his mother insisted. "I just want to help you and make sure you're okay."

"You want to help me so bad?" Jaune said. "Then don't try to stop me. I have to do this Mom. Please understand."

There was a long pause that lasted several seconds. Finally, she sighed. "...I'm sorry," she offered. "I can't let you do that, Jaune. Not after what happened to Vermilion."

Jaune's eyes narrowed. "Then I'm afraid this conversation is over for now."

"Jaune, please wait-"

He didn't. Instead, he ended the call, then pocketed his scroll and leaned back in his chair, then took a long sigh. Across from him, he heard Cinder begin to clap.

"Bravo," she announced.

Instantly, Jaune turned back towards her, giving her a harsh glare. "Are you making fun of me?"

"On the contrary – I am genuinely impressed, Jaune," she said. "It takes a lot of nerve to stand up to one's parents. Believe me, I know. And you did so masterfully, if I must say so myself."

He blinked. "...I did?"

"Oh, yes – you made it clear where you stood, and also made it clear that you would not allow yourself to be bullied into changing your mind. When your mother attempted to force the issue regardless, you ended things on your terms. It was quite well-played – so well-played, in fact, that it reminds me of something I might do."

"Thanks, I think," Jaune said.

"However, there is one thing that bothers me," Cinder ventured. "How much of that was true? About achieving your dream, I mean – I seem to recall that your dream was to be a hero."

"Like you said, Cinder," Jaune said as he rose to his feet and stretched out. "I'm well on my way to being a hero now."

"Hm. Good answer."

"I learned it from the best," he replied. "Now, I assume you had our jobs picked out already?"

"Indeed, I did," she offered, handing him a loose sheet of paper. "How familiar are you with the Boarbatusk?"

"Not at all."

"I expected as much. Your task today is to take out a small horde of them."

"Any suggestions?"

"Aside from not getting yourself killed? They are covered in armor, so you will want to aim for their unprotected underside."

"Noted," Jaune said. He suddenly heard footsteps coming from down the stairs, and frowned. "Place your bets – Blake or Weiss?"

"Blake," Cinder said without skipping a beat. "It is not yet ten."

Sure enough, it was Blake. She descended the stairs, still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she went. Cinder abruptly stood up.

"Well, I shall not keep you both," she announced. "I must get to my own mission posthaste."

"Please don't leave me alone with her," Jaune begged.

"Now, Jaune, I understand that you may be apprehensive about dealing with a former terrorist, but now is no time to be prejudiced against a would-be ally."

"I think calling her an ally is being a bit generous at this stage," he offered. But it was to no avail – Cinder gave him a brief wave goodbye, then took off. Jaune watched her go, dismayed, but there was nothing he could do as she left the building and Blake took her seat. Instead, he let out a small sigh under his breath, then turned towards her.

"Yes?" he asked.

"We need to talk," Blake insisted.

"Well, good morning to you, too," Jaune said. "Would you maybe like some coffee first? Perhaps some bacon and eggs? Maybe even some Atlesian toast? You know, just to make sure you're properly fed before you try to grill me."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic. I just want to know a few things about you and Cinder."

"Great, this again…" Jaune muttered. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

"Why are you so willing to embrace me?" Blake demanded. "You know who I am – what I was doing before you found me. And yet, you don't seem to hold any ill will towards me."

"Blake, believe me, you being a terrorist is downright normal compared to some of the other things I've experienced over the past few days."

"Shh!" she insisted. "Not so loud!"

"You brought it up, not me," Jaune pointed out, taking care to placate her by lowering his voice. "Besides, these people aren't going to do anything rash towards any of us, not after we've helped them so much already."

"Still, I don't want you broadcasting my past to the world."

"Then you should take that up with Weiss, because she's far more inclined to do that than I am."

Blake scowled. "I'd rather not talk to her at all."

"Suit yourself," Jaune said. "That's none of my business, just so long as you aren't trying to kill each other. But to answer your question… neither Cinder nor I have any problems with the Faunus, or even the White Fang in general. Frankly, I don't really know much about the Fang in the first place."

"You don't?" Blake asked, surprised.

"Aside from vaguely knowing of them as Remnant's number one terrorist organization? I'm at a loss," Jaune explained. "The town I grew up in didn't really have any Faunus in the first place, so there were no White Fang or Fang sympathizers there, either. Before you came along, I'd never even met a Faunus personally. And I assume you weren't so deeply entrenched into the Fang to think that all humans are just naturally racist or something."

"Believe me, they certainly tried," Blake growled. "But I'm better than that."

"Weiss would disagree."

"Weiss represents everything I fought against for years," Blake insisted. "I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted me dead."

"If Weiss wanted you dead, she'd just make a call to her rich parents and you'd disappear before sunrise," Jaune pointed out. "The fact that she doesn't seem to want to do anything more than trade barbs with you should be proof that your death isn't on her mind."

"Whatever," Blake declared. "What about Cinder? What is she to you?"

"She's a random stranger I just so happened to meet a few days ago," Jaune said. "She helped my family out and I agreed to travel with her and serve her as thanks. There's really not much about our so-called relationship that's hard to understand, Blake."

"So, what, you're her slave?"

"I prefer the term 'manservant', but for the most part, yes."

Blake eyed him with surprise. "And you volunteered for that?"

"We made a deal, in exchange for her saving my sister's life," Jaune emphasized. "I didn't do it over nothing."

"And you two travel together now?"

"Only because Cinder wants to see the world. Believe me, I'd much rather be at Beacon or something than wandering around in the woods."

"And there's nobody who's looking for you? Nobody I'll have to worry about bringing me in if they find me?"

"Well, I ran away from home, so my family is looking for me right now, including my dad, who's a Huntsman," Jaune explained. "But honestly, I'm the one he wants, not you. If he were to stumble upon us somehow, he wouldn't even raise a hand towards you unless you got between me and him. I'm the one he wants, not you."

"And what does he want with you?"

"He wants to bring me back home and probably ground me for life, if I'm being honest. I mean, I did run away from home… and basically told my mom to leave me alone a few minutes ago. So I'm sure he's more than a little mad."

"Ran away from home…" Blake muttered. Her ears drooped a bit as the words left her mouth, though Jaune didn't dare ask why. She recovered quickly, however, and was soon back to staring at him.

"I have no reason to hate you," she stated.

"I think the same way," Jaune offered.

"This does not make us friends."

"I know. Doesn't mean we can't treat each other with something more than suspicion. You may not entirely believe me, but trust me, I don't care about the White Fang. All I care about is keeping Cinder happy."

"Truly? And here I thought you cared more about being a hero."

"You heard that?" Jaune asked, surprised.

"I'm a cat Faunus," Blake stated simply, motioning to her ears. "I heard everything."

"Well, that's the truth, too – I have to serve Cinder, but I want to be a hero. Those two don't have to be mutually exclusive."

"Hm. I suppose you're right. Still, though – I find it commendable that you were so willing to stand up for yourself to your parents. Not many people have the strength for that."

"Thanks."

"But don't be so quick to write them off," Blake warned. "I'm sure they only want what's best for you."

"I know they do," Jaune said. "It's just that what's best for me isn't always what I want."

"I suppose that's fair." Blake rose to her feet. "When do we set off?"

"Once Weiss is up. Cinder's got a job for us already – bunch of… what'd she call them? Boartusks?"

"Boarbatusks."

"Yeah, that. She said it wouldn't be too hard."

"I'll hold you to that."


The mission took the better part of a day, and vast majority of it was spent tracking the herd of Grimm. Once they'd finally encountered the Boarbatusks, the resulting fight had only lasted a few minutes. Jaune somehow wasn't surprised by that, and not just because Weiss and Blake were so skilled – he could tell that he was improving, too, if only gradually.

By the time night fell, the three of them stumbled back into town, exhausted. Jaune made his way back to the motel they were all staying at and pushed his way inside, then immediately moved to the room he shared with Cinder. He pushed his way inside, then collapsed on his bed.

"Tough day?" Cinder asked.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised you're here already," Jaune said without looking over, his voice coming out muffled from the pillow he'd shoved his face into. "How long did it take you this time? Five hours? Four?"

"Three, actually; the hard part is always tracking the Grimm rather than killing them. And you?"

"The same, only double the amount of time it took."

"I assume Blake and Weiss were difficult to deal with?"

"No, actually; they didn't prod at each other too much today. Maybe they're getting used to each other, or maybe my little talk with Blake decided to make her lay off a bit."

"You spoke privately with Blake?" Cinder said, surprised.

Jaune waved her off. "It was nothing major. She just made it clear that she didn't trust us, so I put her mind at ease. Didn't even have to lie… well, almost; I can't exactly tell her the truth about you."

"You are becoming quite skilled at this," Cinder mused. "Between combat and people skills, we shall make a Huntsman out of you yet. That is what you want, is it not?"

"It is, but I think that ship's about sailed, unfortunately." Jaune peeled his face off his pillow and looked over towards her. "Have to go to an Academy to be a Huntsman, and there's no way I'm getting in now."

"Shame; you would have done well."

"You really think so?"

"Your sessions with me prove as much. In another life, perhaps you would have made your way to one of them and excelled."

"Not likely," Jaune grunted. "But still, thanks for the vote of confidence." He looked around the room, frowning. "Hey, I just noticed something."

"Yes?"

"You aren't drinking."

"Believe me, I have had my fill already," Cinder insisted. "Just as I have about had my fill of this town."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes. They have been nothing but accommodating, do not misunderstand, but I think I am prepared to move on to somewhere new."

"Well, you're the boss," Jaune said. "Wherever you go, I go."

"As it should be. But what of Weiss and Blake?"

"Either they want to come or they don't. I figure that's not really our problem."

"I suppose." Cinder shrugged. "You should get some rest, Jaune – I wish to set off early in the morning."

Jaune didn't need to be told twice. He closed his eyes and almost immediately drifted off to sleep.


The next morning, Jaune and Cinder stood at the city gates, both of them carrying a backpack laden with supplies. Cinder had Jaune's scroll in her hands, and was turning it around.

"How do these contraptions work, exactly?" she asked.

"You want the maps app," Jaune specified. "It's the one that has a picture of a map on it, obviously."

"Ah, I see. And what is the purpose of such a device?"

"You know what a map is, yeah? This is the same thing, except it's digital and easier to use. You mark your destination, and the map will automatically put you on the correct route to get there. If you take a wrong turn, it will calculate a new route based on that turn."

"I see," Cinder said slowly. "What is the catch?"

"The catch is that it runs on batteries," Jaune told her. "At most, I think we can get maybe a few hours of non-stop usage out of it before it's completely dead. Once that happens, we're back to using old-fashioned paper maps instead. I made sure to pick up a few of those, just in case we need them. But the next village shouldn't be too far away, so we ought to get there before my scroll runs out of juice."

"Juice, you say?"

"Figure of speech," Jaune hurriedly added. "So, the next big town over is called Solaris, it's about three hours away by foot. We'll have to cut through the forest to get there, which means Grimm."

"Have you been there?"

"A very long time ago, yes," Jaune said with a nod. "My parents took me there for vacation one year. It's a nice town, I recall."

"Is it close to your hometown?"

"Not really, no," Jaune answered. "That being said, we probably shouldn't stick around there for too long. The smart thing to do would probably be to go there for about a week, then head for somewhere closer to Vale. The closer we get to the city, the less likely my parents will be to find us."

"Very well," Cinder said. "And I assume that you wish for me to navigate for now?"

"Actually, I'll do that," Jaune said as he took his scroll back from her. "I figure that if we run out of batteries, you'll have to navigate using the maps, since I don't know how to read them. Until then, it'd probably be best if I used the scroll."

"If you insist," Cinder told him. "Now, shall we-"

"Jaune!"

At the sound of Weiss' voice, Jaune let out a tired sigh. "Great, what is it now…?" He turned around to face her, and was immediately met by Weiss storming over to him, visibly fuming with anger.

"Where do you think you're going?" Weiss demanded.

"Cinder and I are leaving," Jaune said. "We're headed to Solaris."

"And you didn't come talk to me first?!"

"I didn't think you wanted to travel with us any longer."

"Hmph." Weiss crossed her arms. "How presumptive of you to think I wish to travel on my own."

Jaune blinked. "I just figured because you're always disparaging-"

"Well, you may not be my ideal traveling companions, but you're certainly better than nothing," Weiss stated. "Wait here, I'll grab my stuff."

With that, Weiss took off back into town. Jaune watched her go, then let out a sigh.

"She is insufferable," Cinder commented. "And to think you were attracted to her at one point."

"I know, what was I thinking?" Jaune asked. He shook his head. "Still, it'll be nice to have an extra set of hands along - if nothing else, we can make a lot more money that way."

"I do not enjoy her company," Cinder said dismissively. "I am tempted to curse her whenever she opens her mouth."

"Don't waste your magic."

"Jaune."

Jaune let out another sigh at the voice from behind him. "You know, at one point, that would have made me jump, but I've gotten used to it by now, Blake." He turned around and found Blake standing a few feet behind him. His gaze settled on the pack already slung over her shoulder, and he quirked up an eyebrow.

"Wait, don't tell me – you want to come along?"

"It's better than trying to survive on my own," Blake insisted.

"Even though you're suspicious of us both?"

"Humans or not, you've done more to help me survive in these past few days than most people have," Blake emphasized. "I figure I can at least stick around until we get to the next town."

"Is that wise of you?" Cinder asked, a thin smirk crossing her face. "Why, we may just decide you are weighing us down."

Blake's eyes narrowed, and Jaune hurriedly stepped between her and Cinder. "She's just kidding," he insisted. "We'd be glad to have you aboard, Blake. Just one thing-"

"Yes?"

"Jaune!" Weiss called as she came back around the corner. "I'm ready to-"

She instantly froze when she locked eyes with Blake. The two of them stood there, staring at each other, until Jaune cleared his throat.

"Well," he announced. "This is going to be an eventful day, I can already tell."


Thankfully, Weiss and Blake's bickering hadn't lasted too long after they'd left town. Granted, that was mainly because Cinder had threatened them both into silence after just a few minutes of back-and-forth between them, but still. Jaune was willing to enjoy the silence while he could, even if it came under threat of great bodily harm.

The four of them marched through the trails and forests of Sanus, pushing their way through underbrush and foliage as they went. Very few Grimm crossed their paths, and those that did were swiftly taken care of thanks to Cinder, who was leading the group. It was a very uneventful trip, which Jaune was thankful for – the last thing he wanted was for them to run into a big group of Grimm and wind up fighting for their lives.

Finally, after several hours, Solaris' walls came into view. The town was larger than most, and its defenses had grown to match its population. Thick wooden logs surrounded the town, forming a wall between them and the outside world. A heavy iron gate at the front sealed them off from any approaching Grimm, and marksmen stationed on the walls served as the first line of defense against any airborne assaults.

As their group of four drew closer, one of the guards called out to them.

"Halt!" he shouted. "State your business."

"We are simply travelers, here to do business," Cinder answered calmly.

"What kind of business?"

"The kind where the problematic Grimm in the area cease to be quite so problematic. May we enter?"

The man stared at them, squinting his eyes to get a better look. Finally, she shrugged. "Hell, you four don't look like much, but that just means there's probably nothing to this. Just make sure your Faunus friend stays out of trouble."

"Excuse me?!" Blake shouted, only for Jaune to clamp his hand over her mouth.

"We'll do that, sir," he hurriedly said as Blake struggled to pry his hand off her face. "Thank you."

The man nodded, and then the gates began to rise. Jaune pulled his hand away from Blake's mouth, and earned a heavy glare for his troubles.

"Look, I'm sorry, but we can't afford to anger these guys, no matter how much they deserve it," Jaune said.

Blake didn't say anything, instead turning away from him and marching inside the walls. Cinder and Weiss followed suit, and Jaune let out a tired sigh before racing in after them.


For all its social faults, Solaris as a town was beautiful, Jaune had to admit. The entire settlement was built in the middle of a large clearing and backed up to a big crystal-clear river. Most of the nearby trees had been felled to help construct the walls, which meant there was very little to keep the sun out. The buildings, much like almost everything else in town, were constructed out of wood, giving the whole town a very rustic feel.

"I can see where the place gets its name from…" Jaune muttered to himself. He brought a hand up to his forehead to keep the sun out of his eyes as he walked.

"Where are we going?"

"Where else but the nearest tavern?" Cinder asked without looking back. "I am eager to sample this town's assortment of wines."

"Of course you are…" Jaune said quietly. He looked around. "Where are Weiss and Blake?"

"Weiss mentioned going to see what jobs are available. Blake said she was going to look for food, but I suspect she simply wanted to go off and sulk."

"Can't say I blame her; that guard didn't exactly leave a good first impression."

After a few minutes, they stopped in front of a tavern. Cinder led the way inside, then approached the bar and began talking with the bartender. Jaune, meanwhile, took a seat at the nearest table, making sure to pick the seat facing the door.

Cinder returned a moment later, a bottle of wine and two glasses in tow. She placed one down in front of him, then took a seat directly across from him, uncorked the bottle, and poured them both a generous amount. Jaune couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"You do remember that I don't like this stuff, right?"

"It is an acquired taste," Cinder emphasized as she raised her glass and swirled the wine in it a bit. "And it is my duty as your queen to help you acquire it. Now drink."

Reluctantly, Jaune raised the glass to his lips and took a sip. This wine was a bit sweeter than the one from the previous village, though it still wasn't his drink of choice. He grimaced, then set the glass down. Across the table, Cinder stared at him in disbelief before shaking her head.

"Clearly, you are unable to truly appreciate the finer things in life," she noted. "This wine is excellent."

"If you say so," Jaune replied. "Now then, let's talk about-"

He was interrupted by the door to the tavern suddenly flying open with a loud crash. Jaune turned towards the door, one hand drifting to his sword, but was completely blindsided by what he saw.

"...Dad?"

There was no mistaking him. Jason Arc was standing there, a neutral expression on his face. His gaze slid over to Jaune, and his eyes narrowed. Jaune immediately froze under his father's gaze.

"Jaune," his father said, his even tone doing nothing to disguise the fact that he was incredibly angry. "We need to talk."


Special thanks to Ickbard for all the help!

Also, sorry to leave it on a cliffhanger like that. I'll be pushing the next update out as soon as I can.

Don't really have much else to say besides all that. My first IDPA match is tomorrow, which I'm looking forward to, so that should be pretty fun. I'll be shooting my USP since it's the only gun I have a good holster for, which puts me in CDP (custom defensive pistol) division because it's a .45. Most of the people there are going to be shooting either SSP (stock service pistol) or CO (carry optics); so far, I'm the only one signed up to shoot CDP division, so I'll literally only be competing against myself, which will hopefully take some of the pressure off. I don't really care how I place overall, I just want to be safe, have fun, improve my shooting, and hopefully make some new friends.

That's about all I've got so far. Oh, the next chapter for the Eve Taurus story should be out later this week too, so keep an eye out for that. Past that, thanks for reading, and I'll see you all next time!


Enjoy my work and want to help me out a bit? You can support me, as well as read more of my writing, over on Amazon. My first original story is available for purchase now, you can find it by going on Amazon and searching for 'I Accidentally Summoned the Demon Queen' by John Haruspex. The story is available now for three bucks in ebook format (or free with Kindle Unlimited) or twelve bucks in paperback format, if you prefer physical media.

www . amazon dp/ B0BLFL72MX