Darkbloom

Chapter 11


Jaune stood there, frozen in shock as the man's words washed over him. After a moment, the shock wore off, and he instead began to look around, trying to find anything that could be useful to him.

The White Fang had eight members gathered here, and of those eight, only about half of them were carrying themselves in such a way that suggested they knew a thing or two about fighting – they reminded of the way his father carried himself. That was certainly enough to be intimidating, and four Huntsmen-level fighters was more than impressive, but then again, Solaris had at least that many on their own side in the form of Jaune and his group, to say nothing of Cinder's true power, whatever that may have been. Plus, Solaris had a town guard, which would help tip the scale a bit more in their favor if push came to shove.

And judging by the way the White Fang members were glaring at him, that was looking more and more likely with every passing second.

"...You can't take the town with a force this small," Jaune pointed out.

The man with the chainsword whipped around to face him. "And who are you to speak to us, human?" he challenged. "Know your place, before I introduce you to it myself."

"I'm simply stating the obvious," Jaune said, unwilling to back down. "We have several Huntsmen-level fighters of our own, plus the town guard. Eight people isn't enough."

"Did you truly think we weren't aware of that? We are just the tip of the spear. There is a far greater force lurking just a short ways away; all I need to do is give the order and they will sack the entire town. Or did you seriously believe we wouldn't come prepared?" He shook his head, then turned back to Blake. "You can prevent that kind of bloodshed, Blake. Give yourself up to us and we will leave without further violence towards the town or its people."

Blake hesitated, but then opened her mouth to respond. Jaune didn't give her the opportunity.

"And what will you do to her if she does decide to give herself up?"

Again, the man with the chainsword rounded on him, a low growl erupting from his throat. "And who are you to speak for her? Moreover, why should you care what happens to her?"

"She's a friend of mine," Jaune insisted. "And I don't think I'm asking for too much – after all, if she's going to give herself, then she ought to know what she stands to gain and lose by doing so."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jaune saw Cinder staring at him, an unreadable expression on her face. He was surprised that she hadn't interjected yet; that seemed very unlike her.

The White Fang leader's eyes narrowed behind his mask. "Blake knows the usual punishment for treason among the White Fang."

Blake paled at that, her whole body tensing in anticipation.

"However, Adam Taurus has decided that her punishment should be less severe," he finished.

That revelation caused a frown to cross over Jaune's face. He didn't know exactly what kind of relationship Blake and Adam Taurus might have had while she was still in the White Fang, but Blake had made it clear that it hadn't been a good one for her. And if Adam was willing to defy the White Fang and give her an alternate punishment instead of what the others believed she deserved, then that could only be a bad thing.

A quick look over at Blake confirmed it. She had gone from fearful to downright terrified. Her body was trembling, and her cat ears were flat against her head. At the sight of it, Jaune's eyes narrowed, and he turned back to the White Fang leader.

"You're making a big mistake, coming here," he said. "You have no idea the kind of hell that awaits you if you breach those city walls."

"We'll take our chances," the leader said dismissively. He turned back towards Blake. "Well? What is your decision?"

Blake hesitated once more before swallowing nervously. She took a breath, then exhaled it in the form of a soft sigh. Slowly, she nodded.

"...Okay," she said, her voice coming out so small that it was almost inaudible. "I'll-"

"She refuses."

The sudden voice took them all by surprise. Jaune turned just in time to see a flash of white moving towards them from between the trees. All the White Fang members suddenly tensed, their hands falling to their weapons.

"Well, well," the White Fang leader said, amused. "Not just a traitor to the cause, but a Schnee as well. Tonight just keeps getting better and better."

Weiss moved over towards Blake, her hand resting on the hilt of her rapier. She glared at the man with the chainsword, her eyes ablaze with cold fury.

"You all should listen to Jaune," she warned. "Leave now, and we'll forget this whole thing ever happened."

"You truly expect us to leave after you just chose to reveal yourself to us?" The leader shook his head. "You just signed your own death certificate, girl. I'm going to look forward to cleaving your head from your shoulders and rending your limbs from their sockets. And you can rest assured that I will make it as painful as I possibly can before I finally kill you and send you back to your family in pieces."

The White Fang leader turned back to Jaune. "As for you and the woman… we have no quarrel with you, or even the rest of the townspeople, at least beyond what humanity generally deserves. Leave the traitor and the Schnee and you have my word that we will allow you all to flee the village in peace."

"And run right into the Grimm that roam the woods?" Jaune asked. He shook his head. "Even beyond that, you're threatening my friends. No, I'm going to stay and fight."

The leader's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Think about what you're doing-"

"I have, that's why I'm telling you now, you're making a big mistake doing this," Jaune insisted.

"Hm. I can see your decision has been made. Very well – if it's a warrior's death you want, then it's one you'll get. You four and the townspeople have twenty-four hours."

With that, he turned and left, his men following after him. Jaune watched them go, only relaxing when he was sure they were gone.

And the moment they'd disappeared into the forest, Blake was upon him.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded. "I was going to give myself up!"

"And get yourself killed for nothing?" Jaune asked. "I can't let you do that, Blake."

"You realize you're condemning the entire village to death?! You can't hope to fight against whatever forces they're going to send your way!"

"I'm not going to just let them kill you and Weiss and displace an entire town full of people without a fight," Jaune emphasized.

Blake grit her teeth. "Why are you all helping me?! We're not friends – not even close. Weiss, I thought you hated me. Why are you trying to help defend me?"

"I may not like you, but I know better than to hand someone over to the White Fang to be killed," Weiss said, crossing her arms. "Especially since they're going to be targeting me no matter what. I figure we can help each other – either we all stand together, or we all hang separately."

Jaune nodded in agreement. "Weiss is right, Blake. Besides, we have no guarantee beyond the White Fang's words that they'd leave us and the village unharmed in the first place. Who's to say they wouldn't sack it anyway after we handed you over?" He shook his head. "It doesn't make any sense for us to give you to them, no matter how much you think it could have prevented needless bloodshed. Fact is, there's nothing we can do except fight."

Blake closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. "...Okay," she offered, her voice dripping with resignation. "Fine. You've all made your decision. Now what happens? Do we rally the townspeople and convince them to help fight us?"

"That shouldn't be too hard," Weiss offered. "Considering their alternative is being outright massacred by the White Fang. At the very least, the guards will be willing to help us. I don't think they really even have a choice in the matter."

Blake faltered. "...Why are you all doing this?" she said quietly. "I mean… you don't even like me-"

"We don't have to like you to think giving you over to the White Fang is unacceptable," Jaune answered. "And besides, you're selling yourself short – at the very least, I appreciate your company."

"You've become… more tolerable," Weiss admitted. "But even still, like Jaune said, I'm not comfortable with the idea of the White Fang getting their hands on anybody, you included. That's more than enough for me."

Cinder said nothing, instead she stayed leaned up against a nearby tree, her arms crossed. Jaune paid her no mind; there would be a chance to speak with her later. For now, he needed to focus on Blake.

Blake, for her part, was still taken aback by what they'd said to her. She hesitated for a moment, but then nodded.

"...Okay," she said softly. "Let's go speak with the town guard. After all, if we're going to fight, we're going to need numbers on our side."

They all turned and began to head back to town, only for Cinder to call out to him.

"Jaune," she said. "A word, please."

Jaune stopped, then looked back to Blake and Weiss. "You two go on ahead, I'll catch up."

Weiss and Blake both nodded, then disappeared into the forest. Jaune marched over to where Cinder was standing, stopping a few yards away from her.

"Yes?"

"You volunteered me," Cinder stated blithely.

Jaune blinked, taken aback. "I mean, yeah, I did-"

"Why?"

"I figured you'd be willing to help-"

"And yet, you did not ask me first. Rather, you merely assumed that you could leverage my power against the White Fang."

Jaune hesitated. "...I wasn't about to leave Blake and Weiss to fend for themselves, and I thought for sure that you wouldn't want me taking on the White Fang without you."

"And yet you neglected to bring it up with me before volunteering me to fight against the White Fang for you." Cinder's eyes narrowed. "Do you understand the problem here?"

"I-"

"Yes or no, Jaune."

"Yes, I understand."

"Explain it to me, then. I want to hear in your own words what you believe the problem is with what you just did."

"...I assumed your power would be useful to us," he offered. "The same way I assumed you'd be okay with fighting by our side against the White Fang. And so, without first asking your permission, I got you wrapped up in a big fight. I assumed that your power was mine to command."

"Correct." Cinder uncrossed her arms. "I do not have a problem with fighting by your side – as I said earlier, you are my servant, and therefore it is my responsibility to watch over you the same way it is your responsibility to serve me. But do not think even for a moment that this gives you power to command me. I am the leader and you are the follower; if you wish for me to fight on your behalf, ask me first. Do not merely assume that I will fight by your side simply because I own you."

Slowly, Jaune nodded. "You're right," he conceded. "Sorry."

Cinder waved him off. "Now then, there is the matter of your plan of action. I assume you came up with one while speaking with the White Fang leader?"

Jaune nodded. "I do. The way I see it, we're going to have to push out and take him on ourselves while the others deal with the rest of the White Fang." He sighed, then ran a hand through his hair. "This would be a lot easier with an extra person here to help us…"

Right at that moment, the whine of an airship's engines washed over him. Jaune looked up in surprise, and was stunned to see a small one-person airship flying overhead, brandishing Atlas sigils and colors. He stared up at it in amazement, unsure if it was actually real.

"Well, well," Cinder mused. "Ask and you shall receive, apparently."


Jaune and Cinder made their way back to the town of Solaris as quickly as they could. When they arrived, they found all the villagers and guards gathered in the town square, surrounding the same Atlesian airship from earlier. Jaune pushed his way through the crowd to see what was going on, and was surprised to see Weiss and Blake standing there, along with someone who looked like an older, even stricter version of Weiss.

As he made his way through the throng of people, the woman turned towards him, her eyes narrowing. Her hand fell to the hilt of her saber, and Jaune winced, anticipating what was about to happen. She advanced towards him, an unhappy look already plastered across her face.

"You," she growled. "You are Jaune Arc, yes?"

"Yeah, that'd be me," Jaune offered. "And you are?"

"Winter Schnee. I am Weiss' older sister."

"I can see the resemblance," Jaune said, his gaze falling to Weiss.

"Winter, leave him alone," Weiss protested. "He didn't do anything wrong."

"On the contrary, dear sister," Winter said without looking back. "He got you involved with the White Fang. I ought to show him the error of his ways here and now for that."

"Winter, I chose to get involved myself," Weiss said, putting a hand on her hip. "Jaune didn't make that decision for me. I did it because I knew what the alternative was."

"The alternative is none of your concern," Winter announced. "I am taking you and we are heading back to Atlas together."

"Wait, hold on," Jaune interrupted. "Please, just… someone explain what's happening here."

"Apparently, Father decided he wasn't happy with my response to his ultimatum, so he did the one thing I never expected he'd do," Weiss explained. "He called Winter and told her my location, and left the rest up to her. And now she's here, trying to drag me back to Atlas."

"It's for your own good," Winter countered. "Especially now that I know what you've gotten yourself involved in. Bounty hunting for Grimm during the day? Staying in the middle of the woods with no way for a quick escape if something went wrong? Finally, volunteering for a fight that isn't your own, against an enemy you have no business being involved with?" Winter shook her head. "I may dislike Father the same way you do, but he has a point – in the past few weeks that you've been gone, you've only succeeded in digging yourself deeper and deeper. And now I'm here, and I'm going to take you home before the walls finally cave in."

She took a step towards Weiss, who shrank back and looked to Jaune for assistance. Jaune's brow furrowed as he tried to think of something.

"Wait a moment," he requested, stopping Winter in her tracks. "Think about what you're doing."

"I have, hence why I'm doing it," Winter said, impatient. "Do not get in my way."

"No, I mean really think about it. If you forcibly drag Weiss back to her home, what do you think that'll do to her opinion of you? It'll sink like a stone. You strike me as someone who cares deeply for her sister – do you really want to alienate her by forcing her to do something she clearly doesn't want to?"

"She can hate me all she wants, so long as she is alive to do it," Winter said. "Come along, Weiss. We are leaving."

She took another step forward, but Jaune once again stopped her with a single sentence.

"If you leave and take Weiss with you, then everyone in this village is going to die."

Winter paused, then looked over to him in surprise. "What…?"

"You heard what I said," Jaune insisted. "We're going to be up against several dozen experienced White Fang members, I imagine – we'll need all the manpower we can get. Losing Weiss would be a huge hit to whatever forces we can muster up. No disrespect intended to the townspeople or the guards, but how many of them have Huntsmen training? How many of them have the capability of fighting real people with Aura and Semblances, rather than just Grimm?" He shook his head. "We need Weiss by our side, Winter. Because if we don't have her, then we're all as good as dead. And you don't strike me as the kind of person who would condemn anyone to death, let alone this many people."

Winter stopped and looked around at the crowd that had gathered around them. She blinked, and then after a moment, turned back to Jaune, her gaze narrowing.

"...You're right," she conceded.

"So then I can stay?" Weiss asked.

"You can, but it will be by my side at all times," Winter specified. "I will keep you safe, Weiss."

"That's agreeable enough," Weiss said, nodding along. "Thank you, Winter."

"Thank me after this is over." She looked back towards Jaune. "And you… if anything happens to Weiss because she chose to stay, I will see to it that whatever fate befell her, you will suffer tenfold."

With that, Winter turned away. Jaune blinked, then looked back to Blake, who was standing there awkwardly.

"I take it you already informed the townspeople about what's happening, hence why they're gathered here?"

"I did," she said with a nod. "They're understandably upset about it, but at this point, there's no choice. A few have chosen to fight, but mostly, it's going to just be us and the guards."

"How many does that make?"

"Twenty-five people."

Jaune scowled. Twenty-five wasn't much to work with, even if it included the three of them, plus Cinder and Winter. "Would it be possible to put out a request for more help?"

"It's possible," Winter conceded. "But that's assuming the White Fang holds to their word and actually gives us twenty-four hours. It certainly wouldn't hurt to put out a mayday message requesting help."

"Go ahead and do that." Jaune turned to Blake and Weiss. "Can you two get the townspeople and guards set up? I figure we'll need some people keeping watch on all the corners of the town."

"Sure," Blake agreed. "What are you going to do?"

"There's someone I need to talk to," Jaune offered. "I'll just be a bit."

They didn't ask any more questions, thankfully, and Jaune left.


"I hope you know what you are doing."

Jaune sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I hope I do, too."

Across from him, Cinder's eyes narrowed. "You blundered into this situation without even having a dedicated plan for it?"

"Yeah, that's how I tend to run most of my life." He let out a soft exhale. "I won't lie to you – I'm nervous."

"You have no reason to be, as I am by your side."

"I'm not necessarily nervous for me, I'm nervous for everyone else. Not to make any assumptions, but I figure you have an interest in keeping me safe, at least over the other townspeople."

"You would be correct." Cinder leaned against a nearby tree. "Now, what is it that was so important you needed to discuss it with me?"

"First off, I just wanted to apologize for earlier," Jaune said. "I shouldn't have assumed the way I did."

"Get on with it."

"Sure. Past that… I wanted to know exactly what you're capable of. I mean, I've seen a bit of what you can do in a fight, and it's certainly impressive, but knowing the full extent of your abilities would be helpful."

"I cannot show you the full extent of my abilities," Cinder specified. "They have atrophied to such a point that I no longer have access to many of them."

"Oh…"

"Of course, you are helping me steadily regain access."

Jaune blinked. "...I am?"

"You are," Cinder confirmed with a nod. "Or did you truly believe our bond only went one way? This is a symbiotic relationship – your soul is intertwined with mine, and together, they are empowering one another. But to answer your question… I believe I am capable of minor feats of magic at the moment."

"Magic?" Jaune echoed. "Like what?"

A smirk crossed her face. "When the time comes, you will know."

With that, she turned and left him. Jaune watched her go for a moment before following her back to town.

It was time to begin preparations.


Thanks again to Ickbard for all the help with this story.

I don't have too much to say here – very busy this morning, unfortunately. I wanted to do a long AN, but I just do not have the time for it. So I'm unfortunately going to have to cut it short, aside from saying this chapter should have been out a few days ago, etc etc. Sorry; got sidetracked by a bunch of other stuff I've got going on. But hey, I at least managed to make this one come out this week.

It's not even like I'm having trouble writing this story or anything, I'm just super busy and sometimes forget to actually post it, lol. But anyway, that's about all the time I've got, so I'll leave this one there. Hope you all enjoyed, and I hope to see you again 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 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:

www . amazon dp/ B0BLFL72MX