Too sick last week. Only a little sick now. Profit. Sorry for those who might not have known why no update but I did put a message on my profile as to it. Anyway, I'm at least capable of writing this week so here we go.

Cover Art: GWBrex

Chapter 61

The hardest part of being on an island was being disconnected from the news of the mainland. By now, the captives would have made it back home, and those who called the retreat the first time as well. It was inevitable that Salem knew what had happened, but they had no idea what was happening. Was an army being mustered? Were the kingdoms in uproar? Or had the church lied and claimed they were dealt with? There was just no way to know and the uncertainty took a greater toll than Jaune expected it to. Every morning he woke anxious, expecting an attack of Chosen or Grimm, and not calming down until he'd done a full perimeter of the camp.

Every day that the huntsman came back and reported limited to no Grimm, he worried more. Were the Grimm on the island being instructed to keep their distance, or was it random chance? Were there less than usual because of intervention, or because they'd already culled their numbers a bit? Was an attack imminent, or was he letting his fears take hold? There was definitely an element of the latter, but that didn't disqualify the former.

His fear was one shared by few, however. Ruby, Taiyang, Ren and maybe Sienna agonised about it, but most of the faunus on Menagerie went about their daily business. Ships were out fishing once more, hunting parties brought back meat and foraged wild vegetables and herbs, and children played in between lessons hosted in huddled groups by older faunus. All the while they made baskets, weaved clothes, cooked food, and worked on the wooden buildings that would one day make for actual homes. There was an air of bustling contentment among them, and he couldn't tell if it was because they thought themselves safe or felt there was no point worrying.

"People are hardier than you give them credit for. They bounce back from tragedy and seek the stability of everyday life. Don't begrudge them that."

"I'm not. I just feel like a little more readiness wouldn't go amiss."

"That may be true, but they are already exhausted – emotionally if not physically – and you pushing them to be on edge at all times will turn them against you. Believe me, I have seen my hosts in the past do the same. Too controlling. Too sure that they and only they had the right of things. They were dictators in their own right. Cruel men."

"Then why did you side with them?"

"I had no choice – and even a cruel man is better than a capricious monster. I felt that those cruel men would be overthrown in time had we won, but nothing would ever change with Salem still in power. I hold to that now."

"And yet you're not pushing me to take the fight to her. Why?"

"Call it a new approach. Confronting my enemy before has never worked because she has a powerful support structure in the church and the chosen. Dedicating a lifetime to building one for my own in the future might be what I need to challenge her in even battle. That said, I'm sure she knows the same and I don't expect she will allow you to live out your days here peacefully."

"I know that. That's why I want everyone more on guard!"

"You must balance your wants with theirs. They have fought a grand battle for you. Do not ask them for more now. They will hate you for it."

In the end he trusted Ozma's advice enough not to bring the matter up to Sienna or any of the others. It wasn't like he couldn't appreciate or even understand where they were coming from. He had wanted a peaceful life too. It was just concerning to know that Salem would be planning something, likely Grimm, and that the construction of ditches and walls wasn't coming on as fast as he would have liked. They were being built, and a lot of the fighting men and women were taking to it as a means of building some muscle, but it was wooden walls with naught but rock slabs piled at the base. Those wouldn't stand up to a human army, let alone Grimm.

"Then mayhaps you should spend less time complaining about it and more time doing something."

Jaune paused in his stalking. Perhaps he should do that.

/-/

That was how Ruby found him, two hours later, stood in a ditch about the depth of a man using his aura and magic to carve out a great channel; just another man in the trenches, albeit not using a shovel in this case. He was coated with sweat, his clothing clinging tightly to him, and Ruby winced at his smell when he dragged himself out, skirting around so she was no longer downwind of him. Jaune thought that a little much until he took a whiff of his pits and grimaced.

"I'll take a dip in the ocean soon."

"I hope so. You smell like death." Ruby pinched her nose. "Sienna asked me to check in on you because she's worried you're working yourself to death."

"…" Jaune glanced back. "I'm just digging."

"Jaune, you're training the faunus with newly awakened aura, you're helping hunting parties deal with Grimm, you're organising and unlocking people's aura and now you're out here digging trenches." She stabbed her finger into his chest. "There's such a thing as too much!"

"Someone has to do something."

"A lot of people are!" she argued. "Dad is training the soldiers in shield wall tactics and helping them learn discipline. Adam and Blake are teaching those with aura how to fight; Ren and I are teaching them magic; Nora is working on making stakes for the trenches. Everyone is doing things, Jaune, but you're so focused on what you're doing that you haven't noticed."

Maybe that was true, but he had the free time. It felt wasteful not to use it.

"You're going to burn out if you continue, and then who will stand with us when the Grimm arrive? I bet you didn't even realise a message from the church came."

His voice leapt to his throat. "The church? When? How!?"

"See!" Ruby rolled her eyes. "And it came by bird. Sienna received it yesterday."

"What did it say? Was it from Salem?"

"Technically, it was from the church but probably on her orders, yeah. They basically promised to let Menagerie have its independence and be a fully fledged island kingdom in exchange for you being handed over – dead or alive – and the people allowing for the establishment of churches on the island. A welcoming back into the flock kind of deal."

It sounded like a good deal from his point of view. Forgiveness and peace for the life of one man. "What did Sienna say?"

"She tore it up obviously." Ruby said it like it should have been obvious. "Like she said, Salem chose to destroy Menagerie once before when there was no Dark Lord here, so she'll do the same thing again once you're gone. And we're not supposed to know about the Grimm, so even if she accepted this, the Grimm would still attack and then the church would make it out like it was a tragedy or some last act on your part in summoning them."

Jaune nodded, relaxing as the logic took hold. Sienna was right to see through the lies, made far easier by what Jinn had shown her. This was probably just a stalling tactic anyway, or an attempt by Salem to rattle the morale of the people here by turning half against him and Sienna. He hoped she'd had the good sense not to share that offer with too many people.

"But that's neither here nor there," said Ruby. "Sienna tells me I have to get you to stop working and rest because – in her words – if he keels over and passes out in the middle of the Grimm attack then we're all dead."

"I'm not that bad."

Ruby's eyebrows rose.

"I'm not."

She crossed her arms and stuck her bottom lip out.

"Ugh. Fine." There was no winning when she was like this. Ruby didn't even have the kindness to hide her victorious grin. "But I'm not going to sit about all day doing nothing. These trenches aren't big enough yet."

The ones that had already been made were deep enough, and stretched out for some twenty metres from the wooden walls, but there was a lot of empty space that could yet be dug up. Stakes had been planted in the closest row, but there weren't enough of those to go much further. Wood was not in short supply, but it was in high demand, so everything the lumberjacks brought back was needed.

This land that was being torn up might need more work on it later if it was to be made inhabitable again. Maybe they'd turn it into farmland instead and use the trenches for irrigation or just as turned-up soil for planting. Even if they were filled in, he wouldn't feel confident building a home on one for at least a few seasons. The ground would be too soft.

"You can't be like this every time, though," said Ruby, her voice softer as she tried to reason with him. "Think about it, Jaune. This isn't going to be the last attack even if we do win. She'll keep trying, and they'll get more and more desperate. Maybe it's not so bad if you work yourself to the bone this time, but if there isn't going to be a period of peace where you can rest then something will break sooner or later."

"She is right, you realise," said Ozma. "The body and mind can only take so much, and you have a long ways to go yet. You must pace yourself."

Jaune grimaced and said, "Ozma agrees with you."

"Good!" said Ruby. "Maybe the Dark Lord knows a thing or two about men who are about to break and go insane because they've overworked themselves. Ever think about that?" Her fingers wrapped around his wrist and she tugged urgently. "Come take a dip in the water and then have some food."

He let himself be dragged off toward the water.

/-/

There was a ruckus off by Sienna's hut that Jaune found himself drawn toward. Voices were raised, arguing, and he saw Pyrrha among the people there. The Chosen didn't look like she was in any danger, so he doubted this was a rebellion of any kind. Sienna, herself, looked annoyed but not overly afraid, and she spied him coming and pointed, waving him forward. The crowd turned, parting to let him through. Troublingly, a few of them whispered his name in something akin to awe or reverence. Jaune did his best to ignore that.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Grimm sighting out to the east," said Sienna. She nudged a faunus by her elbow – a youngish boy. Maybe twelve or so. "Tell him what you saw."

"It was a big wolf-like Grimm, Mr Dark Lord, sir," said the boy. "It was in the trees where my friend kicked my ball. I went to get it back and came near face to face with the thing!"

Jaune was sure his parents would be shouting at him later for that. They'd been clear kids shouldn't stray, and certainly not risk the unchartered parts of the island, but time and a lack of deaths had made them reckless. "You're still alive. Did it not see you?"

"No, sir, it saw me! It growled at me!"

"And you ran?"

The boy nodded, but that didn't calm him any. A Grimm should have been able to run a boy down, and the fact it let him go was… unusual. He noted the same concern in Pyrrha and Sienna. A prelude to an attack? Had the Grimm been told to not cause trouble and draw attention? It was the only reason he could think of – unless this was a new sentient and peaceful Grimm. Unlikely since it had expressed aggression in the first place.

"Grimm don't act this way normally," said Pyrrha. "Which is why I believe it may have been trying to avoid detection. They've never shown that behaviour before, so it must be under her control. A scout, perhaps, or a straggler."

"These lot want me to organise for it to be hunted down," said Sienna, gesturing to the crowd. She raised her voice. "Which I understand, but the risks are too high. What's the point of building all these defences if you want us to go out and fight them?"

"There may be some wisdom to their words," said Pyrrha.

"Ugh. Not you too."

"What wisdom?" asked Jaune. He was all for defending Menagerie himself. The walls, while not great, were better than nothing, as were the ditches and trenches. "We have the advantage of terrain on our side, Pyrrha. What's the point in going out?"

The Chosen smirked. "Don't you think it odd that Salem expressly forbid them from attacking anyone and drawing attention?"

"Not really. They want to stay hidden. Catch us by surprise."

"That's one interpretation. The other is that they're not yet ready. Even if Salem can summon the Grimm, they must come from somewhere – and that somewhere is not on the island. It's too small. They're being sent and gathered here prior to an attack. And if they are doing their best to avoid detection then it's my belief that they're not yet ready for that attack." Pyrrha slammed her fist into her palm. "Which could give us the perfect opportunity to strike at them first and destroy their numbers. Or to cull them if nothing else. Buy Menagerie more time."

"You can see where the argument is coming from," said Sienna. "Pyrrha wants to go out with a large party and take the fight to them. Cut down their numbers if not catch them wholly unawares. I understand the value, I do, but there's a lot of risk involved. If our attack party gets itself killed, then we'll be doomed."

Left unsaid was that she might feel better if he went with them. He turned to Pyrrha. "Do you really think we'll be able to catch them unawares?"

"This is what we normally do. We Chosen hunt the Grimm before they can grow to become a threat to villages and towns."

"These aren't normal Grimm; they're under Salem's sway."

"All the more reason. If she is used to being on the attack, then she won't expect being pushed on the back foot. Plus, she must split her attention. When the real attack begins, we can be sure she'll be focused here and making orders, but for now, when it isn't meant to happen, she might be busy with other things on the mainland. It's better to strike while the Grimm are leaderless and wild." Pyrrha touched the sword at her hip. "I believe we can do this. I've spoken to Coco and she's eager to go as well. We can lead a party there, yourself included, and decide what to do after we see how many Grimm we're dealing with."

"If it's a lot?"

"Then we can do damage at range and retreat." Her eyes lit up. "But what if it isn't a lot? What if she's struggling to get Grimm here? If we can prevent her from ever being able to gather enough, and keep those numbers low with constant hunting, then she'll never be able to lay waste to Menagerie. Aquatic Grimm in the oceans, yes, but we can simply ignore the water. If she fills the ocean, then she also can't send church ships."

There were a lot of "ifs" in those arguments of hers, but he'd be the first to admit he was getting restless waiting for Salem – and why were they waiting at all? Better they act when she pointedly was not ready. A quick glance to Sienna earned him a shrug, as if saying it was his choice. He supposed it was since it'd be his life being risked.

"I'll go with them."

Pyrrha smiled; Sienna sighed; the crowd cheered.

"Fine," said Sienna. "But don't take everyone or we'll fall to even a small attack. I can't let you take Blake or Adam – they're needed to train your initiates. I'm prepared to let volunteers from the hunting parties go, but not too many. Fifty at most."

Fifty? Against however many Grimm?

"That's fine," said Pyrrha. "The smaller the better. We don't want to be seen."

"I'll see to volunteers then," said Sienna. "You should discuss your plans. I expect you all to come back alive – succeed or fail – because Menagerie won't stand without you all. Don't take any stupid risks."

Pyrrha nodded and drew Jaune away from the crowd to speak in private. The Chosen looked almost cheerful about the decision, though maybe that was because she finally had something to do. He felt a little similar in all honesty.

"Do you really think this will make a difference?" he asked.

"I think it can't hurt. The Grimm being afraid to draw attention is suspicious. Perhaps we're wrong and they're more ready than we know. But isn't it better to see that with our own eyes? If they are too great a threat, then we will be scouts and report back to Sienna. If not, well, it's to our advantage to strike while they're unprepared. I would have been fine with just you, Coco and myself doing this."

"You might be, but I doubt anyone else would."

There was some trust for Pyrrha and her companion, earned from the battle on the waters, but not enough. And not more than they had for him. Ruby would never stand for leaving him alone with them, and he doubted Ren would be any happier about it. He hadn't spoken much with Pyrrha, and Jaune doubted that would change. The man blamed the church, rightfully so, for the death of his mother and father. And for the destruction of his homeland.

"Had we still the armies from Mistral, this island could have become a fortress," said Ozma. "Salem was wise to take them from us – as cruel as that may sound."

Pyrrha looked at him oddly. "Is something wrong?"

"No. I'll go tell the others our plan. We'll meet you outside the east side of camp."

/-/

He'd been right to suspect Ruby would be unhappy with the idea of him being alone with the Chosen. No sooner had he told her his plan had she forced herself in it. Taiyang had elected to stay however, saying he trusted Jaune to look after his daughter more than he trusted his old bones to be capable of skulking around the Grimm.

Ren had grudgingly agreed to stay as well – a lack of eyes being less than helpful while scouting – but he'd begged Nora to go in his stead, to which she'd agreed. That and about twenty others made up their party. Many of them had aura they were just beginning to understand, but their main draw was that they were all hunters outside of this. They knew the land, how to stay quiet, and how to read tracks and deal with dangerous animals. Jaune felt at home with them and all their bows and traps. They reminded him of simpler times.

The forest where the child had claimed to see the Grimm was perhaps a kilometre from camp. Close in the grand scheme of things, but then it had only been the one Grimm, so it was unlikely the main swarm was hiding there. The forest and the meadows around it were a prime hunting spot for meat, and there would have surely been conflict before now if they were infested. Even tracks would have been spotted by these wary men and women.

Did the boy imagine it? Kids are prone to exaggeration if it makes them feel special.

Even if that was the case, it didn't change the merit of Pyrrha's idea to locate the Grimm first. He glanced her way only to meet the eyes of her friend. Coco was staring at him. Not aggressively, nor suspiciously, but just watching. Looking at him. He raised an eyebrow, but she didn't react to it or look away, forcing him to.

"The plan is simple," said Pyrrha, speaking to everyone. "We are here to track and locate the Grimm on the island and see where they are gathering. Our goal is to get an idea of their numbers and readiness for an attack and – if those numbers are small enough – we may attack them to whittle them down. You shouldn't worry too much there however, as it'll be those of us most capable of fighting who will do so in melee. Stay together, support one another, and we shall all get out of this in one piece."

She was good at talking to people. That was a skill he lacked, but then he'd never had the background to make that a thing. A hunter's boy disliked by his village didn't get many chances to talk in public, while she was someone used to going around small villages and calming down the locals. He wondered whether Ozma would be capable. Probably. Maybe it was something he should focus on improving – but it felt as though there were more pressing things. Combat, for one, and training more and more faunus on the island to use their aura.

Sighing, Jaune swung his bow onto his shoulder and strapped the quiver of arrows to his left hip, above his sword. As one, the group of twenty or so people began their journey into the forest, eyes peeled and bodies ready, with Pyrrha and Coco taking the lead. They looked more relaxed than they had in weeks, finally at home with the job of hunting down the Grimm.

Having to take a break here as my throat is getting a bit rough again. Might have been because I hosted a lesson earlier and strained it a little more than I was ready for.

Next Chapter: 14th May

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