Imagine your internet is so bad that you're still downloading Baldur's Gate 3.
Couldn't possibly be me!
Cries.
Cover Art: GWBrex
Chapter58
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Council leaders call for focus on the White Fang as chaos erupts in the streets.
Atlas Times
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Vale's Council promises it will get "answers" from Atlas, on why terrorists from their kingdom were allowed to kill a proud citizen of Vale. Public calls for end of Vale-Atlas alliance in response.
Vale Daily Tribune
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Mistral team faces international scorn for failure to protect Jaune Arc, but Haven Headmaster Leonardo Lionheart piles blame on Vale and Atlas for letting it happen.
The Mistral Review
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Gillian Asturias deems Vale "unsafe" after assassination of Jaune Arc, and will return to Vacuo.
Vacuo Today
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Atlas "elite" refuse to believe Jaune Arc's death in continuation of staggering denial of reality.
Kuo Kuana Express
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The strange little vehicle bumped and bounced as they drove slowly through the tunnel and toward Mountain Glenn. It wasn't a comfortable ride, but it would have been much worse if they were going at any significant speed. It felt like they were moving at around 15mph at most. Jaune was still strapped into one of the seats and was grateful for the roll cage around them. Neo, as she was really called, was in the seat next to him, idly browsing through her scroll. He wished he had one himself, but there was no way he could have kept his.
And reading news about his death would feel too strange.
"Can't really go any faster than this down here," said Roman, guessing at his thoughts. "Between the rubble and the tracks, it'd be too easy to flip ourselves and die. Slow and steady. And trust me, this beats walking."
"I'm surprised you don't have a train down here."
"Funny you should say that!" Roman laughed awkwardly, and Jaune got the feeling the story wasn't funny in the slightest. "There's one ahead, but it's one way and pretty much going to sit there as an ornament now. Good riddance, I say."
"Which is it there at all?"
"Some White Fang plot. I wouldn't know anything about it. Doesn't matter anyway now they're taking the fight to Atlas. They really took one for the team, hey? Saves us the trouble. First time I'll ever be conflicted on who to root for, though. I dislike a terrorist as much as the next man, but Atlas is a special brand of asshole."
"They weren't always that bad…"
"Nahhh, they were. Don't act like this is all your doing, kid. You saw the best of Atlas because they put their best face forward, but they've always been travelling around the world forcing other kingdoms to use their tech, then withholding software and maintenance for exorbitant prices. Hell, they have the whole world at ransom with the CCT. Then there's Amity, which only they know how to keep in the air. And those robots they're working on." Roman scoffed. "If they're to be used against the Grimm as much as they say, then why aren't they being shared among the other kingdoms? Seems off that only Atlas is building the world's biggest military. I tell you now, if the Grimm ever were dealt with then the first thing that would happen is Atlas declaring war on Mistral or Vacuo. Take it quick, force Vale to decide whether it wants to stand alone or be absorbed into Atlas, then pressure the last to surrender. Make a new world order under them."
"That sounds like a conspiracy theory."
"Eh. That's all it'll be as long as the Grimm exist but take a look at how they're acting now and tell me that strikes you as a friendly kingdom. They've closed their borders. Don't go thinking that's a new thing. Atlas have always seen it as the world vs them. Been up their own asses ever since the colour revolution."
It was food for thought. He'd come to believe that the way Atlas was now was his fault, and maybe it was in the sense that he'd been a spark, but it sounded like the kindling had been there longer than he had. Or maybe he'd been blind to it growing in his two years there. It was hard to tell anymore, and also none of his business. He was gone. Dead. The world could move on without him. It'd have to.
"You know, if you really had chosen to stay in Vale the first time around, I bet you Atlas would have done its best to abduct you. They'd have gone for the sweet angle at first, and then started discrediting Vale. Anything to make you think you're not safe there. Maybe even stage some fake attacks on your family to make it look like Vale couldn't protect them."
"Maybe," Jaune admitted.
"They don't see the world like normal people. As long as something is for the benefit of Atlas, it's acceptable. Work people in mines until they drop? They're patriots doing their work for Atlas. Give soldiers PTSD and then abandon them to become homes? Thank you for your service. Give your own sworn ally equipment that can only be maintained by your own engineers? It's just business, and more money for Atlas. Main character syndrome, I say. That's how they see themselves. The world is just a chaotic mess and there they are, so ordered and disciplined and perfect." Roman spat off the side of the ATV. "Pah. Don't believe a word of it. They're a mess, Arc. Why else do you think they've gotten themselves into this situation? Your fault? Don't let them convince you of that. It's how they like to do things. This is their fault. Let them reap what they sow."
"Sounds like you have history with Atlas."
"A little. When Mountain Glenn was founded, a lot of Atlas tech was used. Fat lot of good it was. The trains were limited and couldn't evacuate people fast enough, and the whole system failed when the city fell. Course, who did they blame? Us. Naturally. It was our fault for being so arrogant as to think we could make an expansion. Never mind that they were a part of it." Roman took a puff of his cigar. "I'm a crook, kid. I know that. And Vale ain't perfect. But it doesn't claim to be. And if there's one thing I hate more than anything, it's a hypocrite. Too many of those in Atlas." Under his breath he grumbled. "And in Beacon, too."
Jaune couldn't disagree. He'd not made the perfect decisions every time either, but he liked to think he'd tried his best. Sighing, Jaune sat back in his seat and tried to catch some rest. It wasn't easy with how bumpy the ride was.
/-/
Jaune was dead.
Officially, at least.
It was surreal watching the world come to terms with that while she knew it wasn't true. Every news channel, every radio station, every online forum; they were all talking about Jaune. They were all acting as if they'd never said a bad word about him, even as they blamed everything from Atlas to the White Fang to stress to Vale to Mistral to Cinder's team for his death.
The last one was accurate, too, though not in that he'd died. Cinder's team, officially down to three members, had withdrawn from the public eye. None of the teachers in Beacon acted like that was unusual, and with the tournament over they weren't expected to take part in any lessons as transfer students, so they could hide away in their rooms if they liked. Pyrrha wished she could as well, because it was still hard to pretend she'd lost the man she loved when the reality was she now had a chance with him. And that selfish thought turned her insides out whenever she saw Weiss.
Weiss was a wreck. The girl hadn't loved Jaune, not really, but she'd felt something for him and it was obvious his death had hit her like a tonne of bricks. Her whole team had rallied around her, and Pyrrha was glad because that gave her an excuse not to.
I'm the worst, she thought. Weiss is my friend, or at least I let her feel she was, and I haven't said a thing to her. What could I even say? I helped her fiancé fake his death so that I could have a chance to be with him. I'm literal scum. They could write books about how horrible I am.
Of course, she told herself that she was doing this for Jaune, and that he deserved happiness as well, and some of that might have been true. Only some. Behind it all, there was always the giddy desire to have Jaune for herself. And why not? She loved him, and she would love him even if he changed his name and became some nobody in a far-flung village. The thought of coming home to someone running some dinky antiques shop was exciting. Maybe she could don a disguise and disappear for a month or two as well. Maybe forever. Retire from public life with her money and raise a family in a faraway place where only the two of them mattered.
Pyrrha had to shake her head before she started giggling, which would have definitely been the wrong response to have not twenty-four hours after your best friend had been murdered. Pyrrha hid it by drawing a deep breath instead and hoped that everyone around thought her moment of fortification to be against grief instead of giddy desire.
I'm a horrible, horrible person…
But she didn't care.
She was sick of having to be the nice one. Of having to be the perfect host, the polite role model and the always friendly celebrity. That had never been what she signed up for. Pyrrha had signed up to compete against other people, and to bask in the thrill of combat and test herself against the best of the best. The fights had been amazing, the rush of victory thrilling, but then everyone else had gone and ruined that by deciding to make money off her, and dragging her into interviews, and forcing her to stand for hours as tiny children in a school did a presentation to her.
All those times she felt so deeply uncomfortable but was made to clap or laugh or talk to people she really didn't want to talk to. All those signatures, all those awkward photos, all those times people had touched her and grabbed onto her for a selfie, and the constant reminders from her agents to be approachable, friendly, and set a good example.
Smile, smile, smile. Always be smiling. Always be kind. Always be welcoming.
Never swear.
Fuck, piss, shit, crap, bastard and everything else. All of them. It was telling that even now she only dared say them in her head. They'd trained her so thoroughly that sometimes she knew how best to hold a small child than she did her own weapons. It wouldn't have done for her to drop a baby after all. It was so much that her real signature had been overtaken by her stage one, and now she couldn't even sign things like she used to.
And heavens forbid if she wanted to have an alcoholic drink, or smoke, or even kiss a boy – or a girl!
No, no, no. All banned. All off the table. Family friendly actions only, so as not to upset her brands who sold their overly sugary contents to children and irrevocably damaged their health from a young age. But she was the one who had to be conscientious. Not them. They were allowed to poison children, while she wasn't allowed to come anywhere near a bottle of beer.
And it wasn't like she wanted to drink or smoke, but the simple fact she couldn't still frustrated her.
"Miss Nikos. Miss Nikos!"
A voice cut through and caught Pyrrha's temper. "What!?" she snapped.
Doctor Oobleck looked at her, along with the rest of the class, minus Team RWBY. Her own team were silent, though Nora touched her elbow comfortingly. It didn't have the best effect seeing as how she didn't need comfort.
"Miss Nikos, if you are having trouble concentrating then perhaps you should take the day off," said the teacher. "I do not think anyone would blame you."
"I-" Pyrrha closed her mouth and took a deep breath. "Yes, I… I think I shall. I'm sorry, sir."
Doctor Oobleck didn't comment and no one dared speak as she stood up and made her way out the classroom. They all suspected why she might be so short, but they were wrong. All of them. They thought she was about to break down from grief when she was more likely to stand on her desk and give them all the middle finger. All except her team, of course. They were great. But all she could ask of them was to be normal around her, which they were. She couldn't ask them to fight her battles for her or change the way the world worked.
Pyrrha found herself heading to Cinder's dorm, and found the headmaster outside it, speaking with Cinder.
"Thank you for your time," he said. "And I understand. I will have arrangements made. Ah, Miss Nikos. Shouldn't you be in lessons?"
"Doctor Oobleck suggested I leave, sir," she replied. "I couldn't concentrate."
"Understandable. I've already told Team RWBY they can take the week off. You should feel free to as well." He looked back to Cinder. "Though I'm afraid you won't be able to spend much of it with this team. They've asked to leave Vale early and return to Mistral."
Pyrrha had known it was coming, but she feigned surprise anyway. "Really? Why?"
"We're not welcome here." Cinder shrugged. "The teachers are fine," she added, for Ozpin's sake, "but the media is going to rip us apart. Literally. We failed to protect him, and the world is already lining us up as one of the ones to blame."
"Which is ridiculous," said Ozpin. "And I've offered to defend them, but they want to return home and I can understand why. They lost too much here in Vale. More than they ever should have. Atlas should have stayed."
"They tried," said Pyrrha. "Or Mr Ironwood and Elm did."
"They did. My apologies for letting my frustrations get the better of me," said the man, stepping away. "You shouldn't let me irritation toward Atlas colour your opinions. Thank you for coming to Beacon, Miss Fall. I hope you and your team have a peaceful journey home, and that you can recover from this experience."
Cinder nodded. "Thank you. We'll leave later today."
Pyrrha waited for Ozpin to leave before following Cinder into their dorm. Their suitcases were already packed. "Are you going to meet Jaune?" she whispered.
"Yes. We'll pick him up before tonight."
"Will I be able to talk to him?"
"You can call me but should make sure you're in private and away from anyone listening in. It's better if you can wait for things to calm down a little." Pyrrha bit her lip and Cinder sighed. "You're going to have opportunities aplenty to spend time with him, Pyrrha. I'm not going to run away with him and never let you see him again. You know he's alive, for one. You could reveal that and have search parties sent out across Remnant."
"I'm a loose end…?"
"Yes, but not all loose ends need to be killed. You're only a problematic loose end if I make you one, and there's just no point me doing that." Cinder smiled mercilessly. "It's better I let you spend as much time with him as you want. Seduce him. Marry him if you really like. I'm not competition to you, Pyrrha. My interest in him doesn't go that far."
Pyrrha felt shame well up inside her. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm just jumpy."
"It's fine. This is your first time committing a crime." Cinder chuckled. "The perfect girl isn't so perfect after all. Call me in twelve hours," she said. "I'll let you speak with Jaune, then. And once he has a scroll you can talk to him, but let people believe it's distant family. It will take the better part of a month for us to get him a false identity somewhere. You'll have to make do with conversations over scroll until then."
"That's fine. I can be patient."
"Good." Cinder turned away, then paused to turn back. "And one last thing," she said, voice even. "Ozpin may come to you at some point in the future with an offer. To make you more powerful, to place upon your shoulders a burden." Her eyes were sharp. "I would suggest you not take it."
There was a hint of a threat in her words. "Why?"
"Because it would make us enemies. Though I suppose I could kill you and take you to Jaune to bring back. But I'd rather us not come to blows at all."
"I… I'd like the same…"
Cinder was all smiles again. "Good. Then, when he comes to you, tell him that you cannot. Tell him that Jaune's death has left you broken, and that you want to escape responsibility for now. If you were to accept, he'd only want to control your every step anyway. You'd never have a chance to go see Jaune without being followed."
"Then I'll turn it down."
"I'm pleased to hear it." Cinder moved to her suitcase. "We'll talk soon. Once Jaune is safe."
Pyrrha stepped aside as the team vacated their dorm and walked away. The veiled threat, even if Cinder gave her an easy and clear way to avoid it, suggested there was a lot more going on in all this than just her and Jaune. Pyrrha bit her lip, and wondered what harm she might be doing by playing along, and whether going straight to Ozpin might not be the correct course of action.
But she didn't, and she wouldn't.
I'm tired of being the perfect girl who always does the right thing. I want to win. I want Jaune.
Nothing else mattered.
/-/
Jaune saw the pinprick of light ahead and sat a little taller in his seat. They'd been driving for hours, with little entertainment other than light conversation between him and Roman. His ass was stuck to the seat, and his legs were sore from all the bouncing, but, for the first time, he saw the possibility of freedom and felt his heart soar.
"Keep your wits about you," said Roman. "Coming out into the light doesn't mean into safety."
When they got close, Jaune realised the light was misshapen, like an arch. The reason why soon became clear, as there was a train parked on the tracks, blocking the tunnel and forcing them to a stop. It was aimed back at Vale but abandoned and only partially constructed. Jaune didn't think it could even move, but it was obvious someone had been working on making it do so.
Roman dismounted and ushered them out, and they had to walk past the train to get into the sunlight. Mountain Glenn was a ruined shell of a city, but at least it wasn't a dark tunnel. Jaune's eyes stung, but quickly adjusted to the light. Enough for him to be able to move his arm away and stop blinking. Despite the state of the city, the air was remarkably fresh, like they were in the countryside.
"Welcome to Mountain Glenn," said Roman. "Population three. There was so much hope for this place." His beleaguered sigh made it clear even he'd hoped. Jaune wondered if the shattering of that caused him to become what he was now. "Well, there's no use mourning people who have been dead years. It's around midday, so we made good time. We should be able to get out the city before nightfall. Originally, I planned for us to drive here yesterday and sleep in the train, but we'd have gotten here at three or four in the morning, and we'd have been exhausted if any Grimm did happen to be around. Safer this way."
"I don't have any complaints. Your plan worked."
"Of course it did." Roman laughed and popped another cigar out his silver case. "Good of you to say it, though. You're still my best customer so far. Or the least bothersome."
"Are you even being paid?"
"Some things are worth more than lien. Our lives, for instance."
Jaune shook his head. "I still have money I was able to get out of my accounts. Once we're clear from here, I'll make sure you're both well paid for this."
Roman grinned. "Well, neither of us will say no to that. We should get moving, though. Looks clear right now, but there are Grimm about, and it's only the three of us. Neo, take point. Kid, in the middle. Watch your step, too. This place is falling apart."
"It's worse than you realise," said a deep voice.
Neo drew her sword in a flash and Roman yanked Jaune back, stepping in front of him and bringing his cane up. He bit down on his cigar and barked out, "Who's there?"
"Peace. I am no enemy." The man who walked out from behind some rubble was huge. Almost as big as Elm, and easily as wide, with huge, powerful arms. He held them up, empty palms shown to them, but Jaune didn't doubt he was dangerous. "I am Hazel. Hazel Rainart. An ally of Cinder's."
Roman snorted. "Funny. She didn't mention you."
"That would hardly surprise me, but I am what I am, and I could have gladly attacked you before you knew of my existence. Well met, Jaune Arc." The man looked at him, and slowly inclined his head. "Tell me, is it true that you are limited to a four-hour time window from the point of death?"
"Y-Yes. That's true."
The man's eyes closed, and he sighed sadly. "I see. I'd suspected as much. She will not be happy, but I suppose Cinder has done as she was told."
"Cinder said there's a chance my Semblance might evolve over time, and that your… boss would be the first to know if that happens."
"Hm. I suppose that's a possibility. Though it'll be her job to explain that to the one we serve. I do not think her anger would be aimed at you either way, though… well… we shall see. I'm to escort you toward the north-west coast, where Cinder and her team will be meeting you."
Roman lowered his cane a fraction. "That is where we were told to take him. Tch. A little damn warning would have been nice."
Hazel smiled faintly. "Cinder often likes to leave everyone uninformed. I believe it feeds her ego, as she takes everyone's confusion as a sign of her own intelligence. Rather than it being a clearer sign of her failure to spread information." He lowered his hands. "Come. I've taken the liberty of dispatching most of the Grimm around here. I have a camp nearby. We can make contact with Cinder from there and clear up this little misunderstanding."
"And if you're lying?" asked Jaune.
"Then these two are welcome to try and kill me. They won't be able to." He looked at Neo without fear. "But they can try. Luckily for all of you, I am as good as my word."
"We'll see," said Roman. "Neo, keep an eye on him. Lead on, big man. Lead on."
Next Chapter: 24th August
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