Just did not have time to write much today. Sorry. It's not only health issues now but my stupid annual event coming up next month (which I'll have to take a week off for), and the deadlines for entries into it end beginning of next week. I might not even be able to speak at it due to my throat, but still have to organise and arrange everything.
Also I have an MRI tomorrow but luckily it's not an update day.
Cover Art: GWBrex
Chapter 59
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General Ironwood and Jacques Schnee join forces to strike against Atlas Council, demanding answers on death of Jaune Arc.
Atlas Times
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Vale officially ends alliance with Atlas over refusal to open investigation into Atlas terrorists that slew Valean national Jaune Arc.
Vale Daily Tribune
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World mourns loss of Jaune Arc.
The Mistral Review
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Vacuo and Vale in talks to form new regional alliance after Atlas isolationist attitude.
Vacuo Today
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Menagerie, under Sienna Khan, steps out onto the world stage and shows why Atlas cannot be trusted.
Kuo Kuana Express
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They made camp outside of Mountain Glenn, in the thick forest where Jaune, for the first time, could feel truly free. There were trees above, the sky hidden, and no one for tens of miles in every direction. Mountain Glenn had been abandoned too, but it still had Valean architecture and it had felt like an extension of the city.
This was different.
The air was clear and crisp, and the trees rustled and there were no sounds of car engines, voices or the hum of civilisation. There was only the crackling of a fire, the bubbling of stew in a cast iron pot and the quiet clicks of Roman doing something on his scroll. It was all oddly comforting.
Hazel was a strange man, but he didn't seem aggressive. Neo had taken to hovering over his shoulder and looking into the pot as he cooked, and the burly man was telling her what he was putting in, teaching her to cook with an almost limitless patience, especially whenever Neo would point and make him explain spices. It felt to Jaune like she was trying to rile him up on purpose, but he just wasn't getting annoyed with her. If anything, there was an odd fondness to the way he spoke, like she reminded him of someone.
Roman was less thrilled with the situation but was at least willing to let this play out. It was a good sign Hazel had been this calm, but it was obvious he was hoping Cinder would call him to confirm the story before they had to risk going to sleep near this guy.
In the end there was no call from Cinder.
Instead, she, Emerald and Mercury walked into camp an hour after the sun had set.
"Bloody hell!" said Roman. "You couldn't have possibly answered my texts? Could have solved us all a lot of damn stress!"
"We felt there would be too much risk of our calls being tracked. We're almost certainly suspects in the case of Jaune's death, even if only as a formality. No one truly believes we arranged it, but everyone at the scene would automatically become a suspect."
"I'm surprised they let us go as easily as they did," added Mercury. He strolled up and offered his hand, which Jaune slapped. The grey-haired teen sat down next to him. "Sup, man. How was the journey?"
"Rough." Jaune watched Cinder talk to Hazel and relaxed a little. It was clear they knew one another. "Do I dare ask how things are in Beacon?"
"You don't want to know. Not that they're bad or anything. Most people didn't really know you all that well. I just mean that you don't want to know because it'll only upset you." Mercury knew him well. "Pyrrha is nervous, but only in the sense that she thinks we're going to run off with you and she'll never see you again."
"Are you going to?"
"Nah." He laughed. "No point, is there? You're doing this willingly and she isn't trying to stop you. Or us. Double-crossing only makes sense when there's something to gain, like two people robbing a bank getting to keep all the money if they stitch their friend up. Here? What is there? Cinder and Pyrrha aren't competing for your heart or anything."
He supposed they weren't. If they were natural allies then it didn't make sense to worry about turning on one another, and Cinder simply wouldn't bother. It made sense to have more allies than not, especially when said ally knew his death was staged. Pyrrha could ruin Cinder if she told the truth. It was mutually assured destruction, at least in the sense that Cinder would be a wanted woman forever.
And to gain what? More private access to him?
He could use his Semblance to protect Cinder's team and Pyrrha without running out of aura. There was no need to fight for limited spaces. Maybe if they were looking to monetise him, it'd make sense to have full control, but they couldn't do that now. He was officially dead. If someone appeared with the same Semblance then no one would be fooled. Cinder finished with Hazel and Roman and approached them, drawing out her scroll.
"Pyrrha needs to speak with you." Cinder rolled her eyes. "Keep it short. No one should suspect anything of my scroll calling hers when we're known to have friendly relations, but let's not give them too many chances to catch your face. Voice only. And quiet."
He fumbled the scroll as she chucked it to him. It was already unlocked. He navigated through to Pyrrha's name, noting many others he didn't recognise, and called it. Pyrrha answered before the first ring had finished.
"Cinder-!?"
Jaune licked his lips. "It's me."
"J—Cinder!" Pyrrha recovered, clumsily. "O-One second. I'm with my team. I just need to step out!" There was some noise as she told her team she had a call, then some more as she found somewhere private. "Are you okay? Why isn't this a video call?"
"Too much risk. Even if someone doesn't overhear, a camera might catch my face on your scroll."
"Ah. Um. So, are you okay? Are you safe?"
"I'm perfectly fine. We're outside Mountain Glenn camping in the forest. I figure we'll be leaving Vale tomorrow, though I don't know where we'll be going yet. Once I have a scroll and a fake identity, I'll be able to call you and talk more."
"Okay. I'm glad you're safe. Do you… You don't regret it, do you…?"
"No."
He felt like he should, and that he should be feeling awful for Weiss, Elm, his family and everyone else who would be affected by his death. And he did feel bad for them. But it wasn't to the degree that he felt he should go back. Not even close.
"I've done my work, Pyrrha. I've done my service. Over 20,000 saved. That's more than most doctors manage in a lifetime. And my life probably wouldn't have lasted much longer if they kept straining my aura like that. If the terrorists didn't get me, my own collapsing aura would."
"I'm not arguing; I was just worried you might be having second thoughts."
That was fair. He wondered if it was a hint. "Are you…?"
"No." Pyrrha sounded far too certain for him to doubt her. "I'll be honest, Jaune, I've thought of running away from my fame a lot as well. I used to imagine it, but I knew I'd only have to quit instead of faking my death. I think I'd do the same as you if I were in your shoes. I'm just happy you trusted me enough to tell me the truth so I don't have to lose you."
"I'm happy about that too. I'll see you soon, Pyrrha. I promise."
"Good luck!"
Cinder returned for her scroll once she noticed he'd finished with it. "The girl worries too much," she said. "I have no interest in backing out on our arrangement and it's beneficial to have someone else who can keep an eye on you when I'm busy. Have you calmed her down?"
"Yes. Is this Hazel guy really a friend of yours?"
"Friend is a strong word. He is the least objectionable of an irritating cast of idiots I'm forced to work with. You're lucky you got to meet him before any of the others. I won't say you can trust him, but you can at least trust him not to do anything out of hand. He's dependable in his own way." The compliment sounded like it physically hurt her. "It's the others you need to look out for."
"Do I…?"
"Stick by me," she said. "And let me do the talking. All of it. Ignore anything they say because they'll only be saying it to try and needle me. They might try to frighten you just to make sure I look bad."
"They sound childish."
Cinder smiled. "An apt description." Raising her voice she said, "We'll camp here tonight. My team is tired from the journey and we're in no great rush to reach the northern coast. You have my gratitude for helping out, Hazel."
The giant man shrugged. "I felt Artur or Tyrian would not help so much as hinder. Salem wanted all four of us here. It's a rare gathering." His eyes shifted to Jaune. "But I can see the importance of it."
"If they do show up, make sure they know Jaune is here as an ally and friend. I don't want Tyrian getting it in his head he needs to step in. And I certainly don't need Watts provoking him into having second thoughts just to spite me."
"I shall keep them under control should they join us."
"Uh-oh," said Mercury, grinning. "Sounds like mommy and daddy are having a fight."
Jaune sniggered. "Have you met them all?"
"Nah. It'll be mine and Emerald's first time meeting them too – and our mysterious benefactor. You're in good company." He unlatched his legs, pulling his stumps out of them so he could relax. "But I've heard the odd call between them and believe me it sounds like there's no love lost between Cinder and them."
"They're arrogant fools," said Emerald, hovering around nearby.
"Sure. Because you're the least biased person here."
"Piss off." Emerald took a seat on the log on Jaune's other side. In any other situation he'd have said they were keeping him trapped, but it felt more like Emerald wanted a human barrier between her and Mercury. "I imagine they're like him," she said, jerking her thumb Mercury's way, "but twice as smug. Ugh. I'm glad to be out of Vale. You wouldn't believe what the news stations are saying about you?"
"Do I want to know?" asked Jaune, remembering Mercury's warning.
"Nah, this is fine," said Mercury, chipping in. "It's just dumb stuff."
"Atlas is pretending you haven't really been murdered and that it's some political attack on them. No one is buying it, but they're still trying." Emerald snorted, amused. Jaune wasn't even surprised at this point. "The other Kingdoms are taking a more mournful approach and listing your many accomplishments. Your death is big money for them right now, so your face is splashed across every newspaper and magazine on Remnant."
"Of course," added Mercury, "all the stories are about how you were a selfless martyr who loved the hospital and adored the smiles on children's faces as you brought them back to life. Anything about you being overworked, or your interview with Lisa Lavender, are pretty much getting ignored. Feels like the world is less mourning the loss of Jaune Arc and more mourning the loss of their pet resurrection device."
Jaune wasn't surprised in the slightest. "That sounds about right…"
"It's how it always is," said Emerald. "No one really cares about one another. Maybe the people you directly helped do, or your close friends, but the biggest loss on Remnant isn't you. It's your Semblance. That's all they care about."
It was all they'd ever cared about. His life hadn't been his own since he unlocked it, and it had taken his death to regain control of his life. Ozpin had been right. The world wasn't ready for a Semblance like this. It was too much power, too much responsibility, and they hadn't seen the like before. Maybe if someone unlocked one as important in the future, they'd be able to look back on his example and learn from their mistakes.
Or maybe they'd make them all over again and drive another young man or woman to the edge.
He no longer cared.
"To hell them all," said Jaune, casting aside those final doubts. "Jaune Arc is dead."
"Who's in his place? Nickel?"
"I'll get back to you on that one."
/-/
They arrived at a small fishing village somewhere on the northern coast and moved through it in a tight group, with Jaune at the centre, covered by a hood. People ought to have recognised Roman but didn't, and Cinder and her team were also cloaked. Roman went ahead to speak to someone who had a smaller vessel, a smuggler or drug-runner of some kind. Maybe it was more of his connections for getting rich people out the city unharmed.
Eventually, they were given the keys for the boat. Roman tossed them to Cinder but made no move to board it. "This is where we part ways I assume."
He was tense.
"Yes," she said, "It is. Good work Roman. You too, Neo. I will be in touch for further business."
Roman let out a relieved breath. "Yeah. As you need it. Good luck, kid. Keep yourself safe."
The two were happy to be gone, and Jaune didn't think he wanted to know why. It was obvious there was more to Cinder than just what he and Pyrrha saw; that was clear the moment he found out she had ties to a criminal in Vale. Then again, did he care? He would technically be classified as a criminal if the truth came out. If criminals and crooks were the ones that could help him, then so be it. And Cinder hadn't done anything bad to him or Pyrrha.
Yet.
The boat took out to sea and travelled for half a day over choppy waters. It was a solidly built thing that managed the journey in what Jaune could tell was a westerly direction. Were they headed to Vacuo? The only other landmass in that direction was said to be abandoned territory held by the Grimm. Cinder and Hazel were often too busy talking to one another for him to ask, and Mercury and Emerald didn't know anything more than he did.
"We'll be landing on the shore of what most people consider empty land," said Cinder, that very night. "You will all see things that will shock you, but I will remind you to stay calm. A Bullhead will be waiting to take us further in land. Let me do the talking. Speak only if you are addressed and remember to be polite. That goes double for you, Mercury."
"Hey. Why me?"
"You know why. Believe me, Salem – who you will meet soon – is not someone who possesses a sense of humour." Cinder motioned. "Jaune, a moment with me." He stood and was drawn up onto the deck. Hazel was at the wheel. Cinder brought him to the prow. "You need to know what is coming," she said. "You're going to meet Salem. A woman who, for lack of a better term, has been greatly changed by her Semblance. Physically changed. Parchment white skin, red eyes, Grimm-like features."
"We're meeting a Grimm?"
"It's far more complicated than that, and the less you know the better you will feel. It's easier to assume she's suffering from a Semblance-related disease. She looks inhuman, but she is human, which means she has a human temper and a human's capability for disappointment."
"When I can't bring back her children…"
"Yes. There is a good chance she will be angry. Furious." Cinder gripped his arm. "When that happens, you must remain silent. I will be the one who takes the brunt of it. If needs be, let her kill me."
Jaune's heart lurched. "What!?"
"She would never do that normally. I wouldn't be working for her if she would. If she does kill me, then it's absolutely because she knows you can bring me back. It's much more likely she'll just shout and scream at me. Make threats. I'm only trying to go with the worst case scenario here. What I am telling you is that you mustn't interfere or try and argue with her."
"What kind of person is this that she'd do that to you?"
"A difficult person who is about to find out her children are well and truly lost to her. You've seen how far the lure of your Semblance can drive people. Even when Salem may look like a Grimm, she is still a person. Take any signs of fury as proof of that. Grimm are mindless. She is not." Cinder sighed. "As for why I work for her, it's complicated. I told you the truth about my past. I was controlled and abused by a terrible woman, and I saved myself from that fate – but I did not do so alone. Salem's assistance helped me take back my life. There is good and bad in everything. You're likely to see the worst side of her when we arrive. I just want you to be aware of that."
"R-Right. I'll keep it in mind."
"Thank you." Cinder squeezed his arm. "We will get you your retirement in some village as I promised. This is just holding up our obligations first. Oh, and ignore anything anyone else says while we're there. Those idiots I warned you about are likely to gloat if I'm punished."
"Land ahoy!" called Hazel. "We're nearly there."
Jaune looked out ahead to a blasted, purple landscape of barren rock and jagged lightning. It didn't look welcoming, and he couldn't believe a place like this could exist on Remnant and that he'd have never heard or seen it before.
"Stay calm," said Cinder. "You are in no danger. Even if she were furious, she'd at least see the sense in keeping you and your Semblance friendly to us. The only one in any danger here is me, and I can handle that. I've told Mercury and Emerald to keep you close. They'll make sure you're okay."
Next Chapter: 31st August
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