Darkbloom
Chapter 10
Jaune let out a grunt as he tried to move out of bed. It had been several days since his fight with his father, but every movement still sent waves of pain lancing through his body. Finally, though, he managed to swing his legs over the edge of the bed and stand up. Triumph filled his mind, and he couldn't help but grin as he stood tall without help for the first time in several days.
It lasted for about three seconds before he began to wobble, and then fell flat on his face.
His teeth clacked together painfully as his chin met the floor, and Jaune saw stars even through his Aura.
"This is embarrassing…" he muttered to himself.
"I concur."
He rolled his eyes. "Nice try, but you didn't get me this time."
Cinder stepped into view from around the door frame, her arms crossed. "What is it that you are attempting to accomplish with this, hm? Trying to get yourself hurt again, perhaps?"
"I'm trying to be less of a burden. Anyway, this isn't as fun as it looks. Mind helping me to bed again?"
"If you truly wished to be less of a burden, then you would focus on getting better naturally rather than attempting to push yourself past your limit."
Still, Cinder uncrossed her arms and moved over to him, then helped him up. Jaune let out a pain-filled grunt as she placed him into his bed.
"Thanks, Cinder," he offered.
"If you wish to thank me, then do not attempt to leave your bed without help for the next few days," she warned.
"Sorry. I just figured you were tired of me just lying around."
"You are injured. Moreover, you are injured because of a plan I had you participate in. You being bedridden is annoying, yes, but I understand that it is because of something I forced you to do. I do not blame you for it." Her eyes narrowed. "But I do blame you for exacerbating your condition by trying to force yourself to get better before you are ready."
"Message received," Jaune noted. "Sorry about that, then; it won't happen again."
"See to it that it does not. I need you active sooner rather than later."
Jaune nodded. "Any more news with Weiss and Blake?"
"Nothing," Cinder told him, shaking her head. "Blake has grown even more withdrawn, for some reason. Ever since her talk with Weiss, she has quieted down and disappears after their job for the day has been completed."
"What did they talk about?" Jaune asked, concerned. "Was it something Weiss said?"
"Not that I could tell. Weiss was her usual frigid self, of course, but that does not seem to be what is bothering Blake. Rather, it seems to be the content of their conversation. Of course, I am not mortal – it is difficult for me to tell what mortals would find uncomfortable to discuss, as such."
"Just give me the basic version," Jaune insisted. "I'll see if I can't pick something up."
"Very well. She asked Weiss a few questions – things such as why she in particular hated the White Fang so much, of course, but also more personal questions about her family. The latter seems to be what bothered her the most. Any ideas?"
"Hm…" Jaune brought a hand up to his chin in thought. "That's a tough one. To my knowledge, Blake has never really talked about her own family. Maybe something Weiss said dredged up some bad memories? I mean, that's certainly possible – for Blake to have never mentioned her family tells me that either they didn't treat her right or they had some kind of falling out."
"Perhaps you are overthinking it," Cinder offered. "There could be another, more mundane explanation. Perhaps she is simply homesick."
"I suppose, but this seems like an extreme reaction for homesickness, especially for someone who's spent the past couple of years in a terrorist group away from home, anyway." Jaune shook his head. "Keep tailing her, if you don't mind; I don't think she's hiding something, per se, but there's definitely something bothering her that she isn't telling us."
Cinder nodded and rose to her feet just as someone knocked on the door.
"Come in," Jaune said.
Weiss threw open the door and stepped into the room alone. As expected, Blake was nowhere to be found. Jaune frowned at that, but was quick to wipe it away.
"What is it, Weiss?" he asked.
"I need your help," she insisted.
Jaune blinked, surprised. "Well, good morning to you, too. No offense, but this is a bit sudden, isn't it?"
"Believe me, I would prefer to let you rest, but I don't think this can wait."
"Cinder and Blake can't help?"
"Blake is gone. And Cinder…" Weiss' eyes shifted to Cinder, who stared back at her. Slowly, she shook her head. "...This requires a more delicate touch, I think."
Cinder scoffed. "How insulting of you. Were I a lesser person, I would have taken it personally. Me, incapable of being delicate… how preposterous."
Weiss ignored her, instead turning back to Jaune. "Can you help?"
"Well, I need to know what it is I'm helping you with first," Jaune explained.
"It's family troubles."
"Of course it is…" Jaune sighed tiredly.
It was family troubles with everybody, it seemed. Even Cinder wasn't immune to it, given her relation to the Brothers. Still, Jaune nodded.
"What seems to be the problem, Weiss?"
In response, Weiss simply fished her scroll out of her pocket and tossed it to him. Jaune caught it and stared at in surprise, but then opened it.
"Read the first message," she told him.
Jaune did as he was told, his eyes scanning over it. Slowly, one eyebrow began to raise, and he turned back to her.
"That's from your dad?"
"It is," Weiss confirmed. "He said he knows where I'm staying."
"How did he figure that out?"
"How should I know? He's probably been tracking my scroll the entire time, and only held himself back from sending a team after me sooner because he was hoping I'd come to my senses or something." Weiss gave an irritated sigh. "He's utterly insufferable. I truly can't stand him."
"Yeah, I can imagine," Jaune said. "But what do you want me to do about it? In case you've forgotten, I currently can't even walk on my own."
"I was hoping you could help me think of something to say to him that would help alleviate some of the pressure," Weiss said. "I mean, since you were able to convince your own father to back off-"
"My own father only backed off because the alternative was killing me, and despite how far he's willing to go to protect his children, even he has his limits," Jaune explained. "Do you really think your father could be swayed in a similar fashion?"
Weiss fell silent for a moment. "...Well, what should I say to him, then?"
"Weiss, I don't think there's anything you can say to him to make him back off," Jaune warned. "He's set in his ways and is determined to exert his will over you. You'd have just as much luck being cordial and persuasive with him as you would if you told him to – and pardon my Valean, here – take his scroll and shove it up his ass, right next to where he keeps his ego."
Weiss blinked at his sudden vulgarity, but didn't back down. "So, what are my options, then?"
"He's a businessman, right?" Jaune asked, earning a nod. "Then let's negotiate. I take it you don't want to go home yet?"
"No, of course not."
"Then that's your goal. I'm sure you know more about business than I do – when you have a goal in mind that you're trying to negotiate for, what do you do first?"
"Aim higher than that goal," Weiss said, her eyes widening. "I think I understand what you're saying. Of course, there's just one problem – my father won't accept anything less than me returning home."
"The problem with that goal of his is that it needs to be enforced," Cinder pointed out. "He can make as many declarations as he wants, but they mean nothing if he lacks the ability to enforce them."
"Cinder's right," Jaune said. "Look at it this way, Weiss – you hold all the cards, here. He wants to bring you back home? Then he's either going to have to force you to come back against your will, or he's going to have to agree to your demands. And if he refuses to do that, then you can just stay out here for as long as you'd like."
"That… is a good point," Weiss conceded, her eyes widening in surprise. "You're both correct. Excuse me, I'm going to go make a scroll call."
With that, she left the room, leaving just Jaune and Cinder behind. Cinder watched her go, then shook her head.
"Why you insist on keeping the two of them around, I still do not know."
"You've gotta admit, they help pay the bills, at least," Jaune offered.
"I suppose, but does that truly make up for having to deal with them all the time?"
"Probably not, but we're stuck with them now, especially since I'm currently bedridden."
Cinder frowned. "I suppose. Excuse me, I think this is something that requires my attention."
"Cinder-"
She didn't let him finish before stepping out of the room, following after Weiss. Jaune stared at her as she left the room, but then sighed.
"Could this day get any weirder?"
"Jaune."
Jaune let out a hiss as Blake suddenly appeared in the doorway, then glared at her. "You and Cinder are the worst with that, you know. It never gets any easier."
Blake ignored him, instead stepping into the room. "I need to talk to you."
"Yeah, you and everyone else, apparently." Jaune ran a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh as he did so. "Well, come in, I guess. Not like I have anything to do but listen."
Blake nodded, then stepped into the room, gently closing the door behind her. Jaune raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't say anything. Blake closed her eyes and took a breath, then opened them again, crossing her arms as she stared at him.
"The White Fang are going to come for me," she acknowledged. "And I think you know that."
Jaune blinked, then nodded. "On a certain level, yeah, I did know that."
"Then you'll understand that I'm at an impasse here."
He raised an eyebrow. "You're thinking of leaving?"
"Can you blame me?" she asked. "Nobody here knows the White Fang the way I know them. I know that if they show up here looking for me, it's going to be bad. They'll be coming here on the whims of a man named Adam Taurus. Do you know anything about him?"
Jaune shook his head. "Never heard the name before."
"Consider yourself lucky, then. He's about the most militant member the entire White Fang has to offer… and he's a man I was close to, as well."
"How close?"
"Close," was all Blake said. "That's all you need to know."
"Alright, sure," Jaune conceded. "And you think he'll be here?"
"Personally? No, I don't think he will – if anything, he'll be back on Menagerie by now. But I do think that he's going to send people to come looking for me. And if they're even half the trackers I think they'll be, then it won't take them long to find me."
"And you want to leave to prevent them from branching out to the town of Solaris as well," Jaune surmised. "Am I correct?"
Slowly, Blake nodded. "Yes. What do you think?"
Jaune's frown deepened. "I don't know, Blake. Really, I don't know. If I knew more about the White Fang, maybe I'd be able to give you a straight answer, but-"
"It would be a squad-sized element," Blake explained. "Eight to ten people, most likely – enough to keep the town pacified while they look for me."
"And you think the four of us wouldn't be enough to stop them?"
"I'd rather not take the chance."
"That's fair, I guess." Jaune let out a soft exhale. "Look, I think it's admirable that you're looking out for these people, even though they haven't treated you right. But at the same time… isn't this a bit premature of you? I mean, we haven't even encountered the White Fang yet – we don't know what kind of manpower they'll be sending our way, or if they'll even find us here before we leave. You should at least wait it out until it looks like conflict with the White Fang is unavoidable. And then… well, I know what I'd pick, but I'm not you; you might think differently."
"And what would that be?" she asked.
"Stay," Jaune said. A surprised look crossed her face, and he said, "Look, I get that we're not exactly all friends here, but we make a good team. And, for what it's worth, I'm not cool with the idea of leaving you to whatever fate your former comrades would inflict upon you. I don't know anything about the White Fang, but something tells me that they don't take kindly to traitors. Is that right?"
Blake nodded. "And they especially don't take kindly to traitors who were once close to a former branch leader."
"That probably goes without saying." Jaune sighed. "Ultimately, it's up to you, but think about what you're doing before you do it, because you could very well be walking to your death if you're not careful."
Slowly, Blake gave another nod. "...You're right, Jaune. It feels wrong to admit it, but… you have a point. Alright, I'll hold off on making a decision for now."
"Good. Glad I was able to help. And hey, if you ever need to talk about anything else, I'm all ears."
Blake hesitated for a moment, and right then, Jaune felt that maybe there was something she wanted to bring up to him. The look on her face certainly told him as much – it was a kind of longing desperation, mixed with apprehension and hesitancy. He was just about to encourage her to open up when she suddenly closed her mouth and shook her head.
"...Thank you, Jaune," she offered.
Jaune could only nod, despite the disappointment he felt. "Sure, Blake. Any time."
With that, she turned and left the room, leaving him alone. Of course, that didn't last for long, as a few seconds later, Cinder stepped into the room.
"Look at you," she said approvingly. "The others are coming to you with their problems. One might mistake you for a natural-born leader, Jaune."
"That'd be a pretty big mistake on their part."
"Do not sell yourself short. So far, you have played the part admirably."
"Oh, please. We both know you're in charge here."
"But they do not know that," Cinder pointed out. "To them, you are the leader, not me. And I must admit, you are doing quite well at the role."
"I'm confused," Jaune confessed. "You're the one who's been pulling the strings."
"I merely tell you what I wish to do," Cinder specified. "You are the one pointing me in the right direction. And besides, as I mentioned earlier, to Blake and Weiss, you truly are the leader of our little group of four."
Jaune paused. "...Huh. You may have a point."
"Of course I do. Otherwise, I would not have said it." Cinder crossed her arms. "How do you feel, by the way? Any better?"
"A bit."
"Hold still, I am going to try something."
She rested her hand on his chest, then closed her eyes. Jaune flinched as his Aura suddenly flared, the pitch-black barrier flickering around his entire body. But with the sudden appearance of his Aura came something else – relief, he realized; it washed over him like a wave, numbing all his pain and spreading a pleasant warmth throughout his entire body. A content sigh escaped him as he laid there, his pain steadily fading.
"What is this?" he asked.
"I told you earlier, we now share a bond," Cinder explained, opening her eyes. "I am capable of flowing some of my soul into your Aura in order to heal you."
"But I thought you didn't have Aura."
"I do not have much of it compared to a mortal such as yourself. When I do this, I am mostly giving you part of my own life force. Hence why I am not making a habit of it."
Jaune's heart skipped a beat. "...That sounds dangerous."
"I am very long-lived, believe me," Cinder told him. "I have much life to give you. It is possible for me to give you too much, of course, in which case I would die, but if that were to happen, I would simply find myself back in hell. I would need to be re-summoned once more, but it would not be a true, final death – the only ones who can inflict such a thing unto me are the Brothers themselves."
"It doesn't hurt you in any way?"
"Of course it hurts me, I am giving you a part of myself. It is not pleasant for me in the slightest. But if it helps you heal a bit faster, I am willing to endure it."
Slowly, Jaune nodded. "Thank you, Cinder."
"Just remember this the next time I ask you to do something for me," Cinder specified. "Because after this, you owe me." The corners of her mouth quirked up. "Quite a thing, is it not? Owing a demon, I mean. You seem to be making quite the habit of that."
Jaune felt a chill go down his spine at her words. She might not have meant anything malicious by it, but that didn't change the implicit meaning behind what she'd said.
She owned him, after all.
That night, Jaune was awoken by movement in his room. He sat up, blinking as he looked around the darkened room.
"Someone there?" he asked, his hand drifting to Crocea Mors, which was leaned up against his bed.
There was silence for a moment, before a familiar voice cut through the blackness.
"Look sharp," Cinder warned. "We have movement on the outskirts of town."
Jaune breathed a bit easier, knowing it was just Cinder. "Good, it's only you… but how can you tell there's movement?"
"I was doing some scouting around town," Cinder emphasized. "I saw them through the trees. They're watching Solaris."
"What should we do?"
"Can you walk?"
Jaune hesitated, but then swung his legs over the edge of the bed and tried to put some weight on them. To his surprise, he was able to not only stand up on his own, but also walk without pain. Apparently, whatever Cinder had done earlier with his Aura had a far greater effect on him than he'd expected.
"...I can," he said, amazed. He reached for Crocea Mors and slipped it onto his belt, then cinched it tight. "Lead the way, Cinder."
"Shall we get Weiss first?"
Jaune shook his head. "If this is who I think it is, then her presence will only make things worse. No, it's best if we do this ourselves. She won't be happy about it, but this is the best option."
"I agree. Let us depart, then."
Jaune and Cinder made their way outside, their weapons in hand. Solaris was barren, save for a few roaming town guards, but aside from that, there were few citizens present. Jaune looked around, frowning.
"Where is Blake? Is she in her room?"
Cinder shook her head. "I do not know. She was not in her room when I looked."
"That's probably not a good sign."
"It is what it is. Come on, let us see what is going on in the woods."
Jaune nodded despite the apprehension steadily rising up in his mind. He followed after Cinder as she led him into the woods. How she was able to sense where to go, he wasn't sure, but somehow, she seemed to know exactly where she needed to go. Perhaps it was just a result of her scouting, or maybe it was something deeper; either way, Jaune suspected he didn't want to know the truth.
Cinder led him to a clearing, and the two of them stepped out of the treeline. He was surprised to see Blake already standing there; he was about to call out to her when several figures emerged from the treeline opposite of them. There were eight of them, all wearing white masks, and led by a large man wielding a chainsword.
"Blake Belladonna," he greeted, venom dripping from his tone. His gaze turned towards Jaune and Cinder. "And who are you?"
"That is none of your concern," Cinder stated, her eyes narrowing. "Why are you all here?"
"That's simple," the man said. He turned back to Blake. "Consider this your only warning – you have twenty-four hours to come with us, or we will destroy the entire town."
Special thanks to Ickbard for all the help with this chapter, and the story in-general.
I'm gonna try and keep this brief because it's late and I'm very tired at the moment. That being said, I fell this one was kinda a filler chapter, but leading into something more later? IDK. All I know is we're rapidly approaching the end of the first story arc. I've had a lot of fun with this story, and I hope you all have, too.
Past that… shot another match tonight. 0 points down until the last two stages, which I bombed, but then again, so did everyone, so I don't feel bad about it at all. Got a rifle match this weekend and another rifle match next Thursday.
Plastered Paradox update next week. New shitpost should be up hopefully very soon.
Past that, I've got nothing else. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go pass out. Catch you all later.
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 second original story is available for purchase now, you can find it by going on Amazon and searching for 'Dead World' 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. (Remove the spaces)
www . amazon Dead-World-John-Haruspex / dp /B0C2RPGXVC / ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1682982861&sr=8-2
My first original story is also still available at the following link as well:
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