Chapter 18: Ghosts in the Snow
AverageReadingEnjoyer: You'll be a bit surprised what happens this Act, Patch and Shade Acts are gonna be really good because they're basically the opposite of previous Acts, and trust me, more amazing chapters are on the way! Like this one!
Ninjafang1331: Thank you!
Robbeeyy: Penny and Winter will have roles to play, however, it isn't them completely, nor the Happy Huntresses, that will possibly help Jaune get back on the right path, but a certain and unexpected character that will be something Jaune needs in a sense.
Guest: Sorry, I know it's been a long time since I updated the Multiverse story but just bear with me for a bit, the Next chapter is being worked on and I promise it should be coming out this or next month.
Blaiseingfire: Sorry about you being locked out of your account, but glad you liked the scene between Vernal and Adrien, I knew some people would like it since now Vernal is getting closer to Jaune's family~! Also, be as stubborn as you want and we'll see if you're right!
CriticaofRandomness: Love who you guessed sold out Jaune and I can't tell you if you're right, of course, but I love hearing the theory, so give me more of your theories because I love hearing them! And we'll see if they are true in the future! Also, love Critica's crack! it's an awesome name!
shardthackeray4: Thank you and yeah... Math was not my best Subject in highschool!
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It's been three days since he arrived in Atlas and three nights that he hasn't slept. However, he didn't let it stop him from taking jobs but he hasn't been able to sleep in any Motels, due to them being packed as one side of the city is in a constant state of panic due to a hole in the wall, that Grimm used to get in the city, for now, he's simply been sleeping on the streets, well, not sleeping at all, as stated before, the hallucinations of the dead and the Beowulf were haunting him, worse, the hallucinations are so vivid that Jaune could feel their boney fingers grab him, and he tried to fight them off, every night, but they seem to be endless.
Jaune Arc looked nothing like he did before he arrived, he was disheveled, restless, dirty, and looked like he was going to drop dead any moment.
In a dark alleyway, Jaune was backed into a corner and the corpses of those he had killed slowly began to walk towards him. Jaune glared at them and swung his sword at them, "killing" them once again, but there was still much more of them coming toward him, but he didn't care, he simply charged forward and swung like a madman, fighting off the hallucinations.
"Go away you damn ghosts!" Jaune seethed in anger.
"What do I keep telling you blondie!? You can't ever get rid of us!" Shay said in the far back.
"You're gonna suffer like we have! We'll haunt you to the ends of the fucking world!" came the voice of Noah.
"God damn right you are! If we can't get you here! We'll be waiting in that fucking abyss for you!" Duncan cried.
Malachite appeared and looked at Jaune with a smile, "You can never be free from us, our blood is on your hands forever," Malachite told him
Jaune grit his teeth and swing at the apparitions again, causing them to fade away, however, he began to hear laughter and looked up to see the Beowulf sitting atop the edge of a building, however, it looked much larger than before, even though it's bones looked thicker.
'What a wonderful sight! You're going absolutely crazy and falling deeper and deeper into the well of despair!' It cried with glee.
Jaune glared at the beast and returned to slashing at more of the dead that walked toward him, however, he was getting tired, he hadn't slept for three days and today marked his fourth, and if this kept up, he was sure he was going to lose his mind. Thankfully, however, morning had arrived and the hallucinations disappeared, even the Beowulf, and Jaune fell to his knees and let out ragged breaths, the young blonde wanted to rest, wanted to get some sleep, but he couldn't, he needed to work, he needed the money for when he was going to leave this place. So, Jaune got back on his feet, sheathed his sword, and went to look for local jobs.
As he was heading to a local Hunstmen joint that had a mission board, he saw a construction crew preparing supplies and equipment, no doubt heading to the wall, Jaune walked over to them and as he did, one of them noticed him and walked toward him as well.
"Can I help you?" They asked.
The worker had short raven hair, round circle glasses, blue eyes, and wore the typical construction worker uniform, his hard hat in his hands.
Jaune looked back at them, "You guys are heading toward the wall right?" He asked.
They nodded, "Yeah, why?"
"There's no soldier's with you, why?"
The worker sighed, "Because the Atlas Military isn't supposed to be involved yet," He replied, "Because the Hole in the wall was recent, we had to call up there for aid, however, a few members of the council think this is only a "Mantle Problem" And with the council butting heads, they're not able to come to an agreement of either staying out of it or helping us down here," they replied.
Jaune was a bit baffled by that, "Are you serious?" Jaune asked, "Atlas is just going to do nothing for the people down here?"
The Worker nodded, "Pretty much," they told him, "You know that saying in Vacuo where only the strong survive?" They asked.
Jaune nodded.
"Yeah well, we here in Mantle have something similar," He said "If you wanna survive this place, you gotta be cold as ice and look after your own,"
Jaune sighed, "So, this place really is that heartless," Jaune said.
"Atlas is, but us down here, we know that in order to survive all the shit we deal with, we gotta work together," They told Jaune, "Of course, there's still those racists who just make things worse for the Faunus community and then there's the few posh fucks who live down here thinking they're shit don't smell,"
Jaune nodded, "I've seen a few of those people around," Jaune said. "Anyway, If the soldiers aren't protecting you guys while you work on the wall, who's protecting you guys?" Jaune asked.
The worker scratched the back of his head, "The happy Huntresses, but with them being labeled as rouge Huntsmen, they can't really help out all the time,"
Jaune's brow raised, "The Happy Huntresses?" Jaune asked, "Who are they?"
"A group of four huntresses that do some work around Mantle," The worker said, "But as I said, with them being labeled as Rouge Hunters, they can't really help much in fear of the Military arresting them,"
Jaune's interest was piqued once more, "Why are they labeled as Rouge Hunters?"
The worker's brow furrowed in anger, "Because that damn Jaques Schnee accused them of purposely stealing dust from some transport trams, though everyone saw the footage when in leaked, they didn't still shit, they used it to protect the workers from some Grimm, but due to that fucking bastard being in control of the SDC, is word is practically law,"
Jaune had always heard a bit about the supposed corruption of the Atlas government, and he never thought it could be that bad, but was seeing it with his own eyes, and he realized just how right those rumors were.
'Now I know why Weiss has a stick up her ass for so long' Jaune thought. However, jaune decided to get to his point, "Well, if the Happy Huntresses can't help, mind if I?" Jaune asked.
The worker looked at him with a raised brow, "You do that?" He asked, but then the worker looked at him with a look of realization. "How much do I have to pay you?" They asked.
Jaune shrugged, "Let's say... 50 Lien, the whole day?" Jaune asked.
The worker was a bit surprised to hear this, "50 for the whole day? Not per hour?" They asked.
Jaune just looked at him, "You're already dealing with you're workers' pay, no need to add more stress on you," Jaune said with a soft smile.
The worker smiled at Jaune, "You got a good heart kid, what's your name?" they asked.
"Jaune Arc," Jaune told him.
"Name's Perry Flynn," The worker, Perry, told Jaune, "Nice to meet you,"
"Nice to meet you too, Perry," Jaune replied.
"So, you a Huntsman?" Perry asked with a raised brow.
Jaune shrugged, "Kinda," Jaune said, "I got kicked out of the academy for the year, but I'm still able to fight," Jaune said.
Perry chuckled, "Don't matter to me kid, as long as you can fight off the Grimm that come at us, that's all I need," He said.
Jaune nodded and Perry did the same, he then told Jaune to follow him so that they could inform the other workers about Jaune being their security for the day, some were skeptical about him due to his age while others were grateful to have someone watching their back's while they worked.
They all went to the Hole in the wall and Perry and his friends got to work while Jaune went outside the walls and watched the horizon for any signs of Grimm, but thankfully there was nothing.
Jaune stood and watched the horizon, however, his mind was on the people he left behind, he wondered if they would catch up to him, and a part of him wanted them to, but a bigger part of him wanted them to stay away from him, after all, he'd only end up getting them hurt or killed. He was a Monster who would get those he loved hurt, and he could not stand that thought, which is why he didn't stop at his sister's, he didn't want to take the chance that something might happen while he was there.
'It's better if I kept my distance' Jaune thought, 'I'd only end up hurting Saphron and Terra, or worse, I'd end up hurting Adrien... if that ever happened I'd never forgive myself,' He told himself.
The thought of something happening to his nephew getting hurt because of him horrified him, because not only he be responsible for what would happen, but he'd also see the hate in his sister's eyes. He could not live with that sight, if Saphron knew what he had done the past month or so, she would be horrified, she would be disgusted, she would want nothing to do with him, and he wouldn't blame her. He wouldn't want anything to do with himself either, he's spilled so much blood out of anger and empty vengeance, he was nothing but a monster who killed without reason... he was no better than the Grimm.
"You'll pay for what you did!"
"You'll burn in the abyss!"
"You'll join us soon enough," Shay said with a sinister giggle.
"Finally! Finally, we'll drag him with us!"
"To the Void with him!"
"You're coming with us! Down, down below!"
Shay appeared in front of him and leaned forward, "This is it Blondie, this is it" Shay whispered into his ear.
"You can never be free from us, our blood is on your hands forever," Malachite told him
'Maybe they are right... I do belong with them, in the pits of an empty abyss, where my soul will be tortured by the people I've killed,' Jaune thought sadly.
As he continued to watch, 4 hours have passed by and so far, there was no sight of Grimm, which was great for him, he was simply getting paid to be security, however, Jaune heard a horn go off once and turned around to see the workers stopping what they were doing and gathering up around one guy next to a large cooler, Jaune was wondering what they were doing until he saw Perry walking toward him with a smile.
"Hey, Jaune, it's break time," Perry told him.
Jaune looked and him and nodded, he walked with Perry back toward the wall, and he glanced back once more just to make sure, and when he did, he saw 7 or 8 figures coming toward them. Jaune stopped walking and turned around fully and looked as far as he could, and that's when he saw them, Sybers coming right at them.
Jaune's eyes widened and turned to Perry, "Get back to the others and get out of the area!" Jaune cried.
Perry turned around confused as he looked at the young knight, but that's when he saw the pack of Grimm coming toward them. He turned to Jaune with a worried look, "Are you sure you can take them on!?" Perry asked.
Jaune nodded, "I'll be fine! GO!"
Perry did as Jaune ordered and ran back to the other workers yelling at them, and warning them of the incoming danger. Jaune stared down the Grimm as they were quickly closing in, and he felt an itch coming, an itch he needed to scratch.
He wanted to kill.
"Come on! Give me a fight! I wanna fight! I need to fight!" Jaune seethed with a glare. "I want to fight until the voices stop! I want to fight until can't remember a thing!" Jaune cried.
Finally, the Sybers arrived, but Jaune was the first to strike, leaping into action, and killing one with a downward strike, he turned to a second and quickly killed them by stabbing them in the mouth. Unfortunately, one of them managed to claw Jaune's side, causing the blonde knight to wince in pain, but he pushed past it and killed the Syber, he turned around only for another to pounce at him, but he quickly blocked it with his shield, and he pulled his sword back to stab the creature, however, another Syber bit into his forearm and Jaune cried in anguish, Jaune then pushed the other away with his shield before turning toward the one that bit his arm and used the edge of his shield to bash it in the eye, killing it.
Jaune turned back around and gripped his sword tighter despite the blood that seeped from the bite wound, he quickly slashed the fourth and he turned around to kill the other Sybers, as he killed them, he couldn't help but feel better, all of his fatigue was gone due to the adrenalin pumping through his body.
After a short amount of time, Jaune finished killing the Sybers, and he began to breathe raggedly, the wounds were starting to get to him, and the adrenalin rush he felt was quickly fading, meaning his fatigue was coming back.
'D-Damn it! I overdid it!' Jaune thought.
He quickly boosted his aura and healed the wounds, however, because of how deep they were, they left scars, but after they healed, he walked back to the wall, staggering his way due to being tired, however, once he was close enough, he heard the crunching of the snow in front of him and looked to see four female huntresses, each had a staff of some sort and all four we're looking at him.
One of them, looking older than the first three, stepped forward and looked at him with a suspicious glare. "Who are you?" She asked him.
Jaune was in no mood for whatever was going on, "Shouldn't I be asking who the fuck you four are?" Jaune asked, his tone angry.
"My name's Robyn Hill, I'm the leader of the Happy Huntresses," Robyn told him.
'Happy Huntresses... the ones Perry was talking about?' Jaune asked.
"I told you who we are, now... who are you," Robyn asked again.
Jaune looked at her and smiled, "I'm nobody," He said with a small chuckle.
Robyn examined him, analyzing every detail about the young man that stood before her. 'He couldn't be a specialist, too young, and most of them stationed here are required to wear a variation of their uniform,' Robyn thought. "What are you doing outside the wall?" She asked.
"I was hired as security for the construction workers, keep them safe from any Grimm that might come at them," Jaune told her plainly, "Are they safe?" Jaune asked, his tone slightly worried.
Another member, a sheep faunus, nodded, "They're safe," She told him "One of them told us about you and how you might need help," she told him.
Jaune smiled, guessing it was Perry that told them, but he was mostly happy to hear that Perry and the other workers were alright.
However, the moment is interrupted when the ground behind the blonde knight began to shake and Jaune quickly turned around only for the ground to burst up in the air, and emerging from the ground was a Cenitaur, a sharp-clawed acid-spitting Grimm.
Jaune turned around only for the Cenitaur to spit acid at him, but he quickly jumped out of the way, dodging the dangerous liquid, however, the Cenitaur was not letting up and it swung its blade at him, once again, the young blonde narrowly avoided it, only getting cut on his cheek. Jaune winced a little but quickly turned and prepared to strike only for the Grimm to be shot in the eye by a bolt, and Jaune turned to see that it was the sheep Faunus, that had shot it.
"IDIOT!" Jaune cried, "STAY OUT OF IT! IT WAS FOCUSED ON ME!"
However, the blonde was slapped backward by the arms of the Cenitaur, and it then charged at the sheep Faunus, quickly swinging at her with one arm but she dodged it, the other huntresses shot bolts at the beast but only angered it and it continued swinging wildly at her, but thankfully, she managed to block one strike from the bladed arms of the Cenitaur, only for it reel its head back, and she knew it was ready to spit acid at her, but she was tackled out of the way, just as the acid shot toward where she once stood.
The girl looked to see Jaune had been the one that saved her, however, he was atop of her, looking down at her with a glare.
"Damn it! Stay out of this!" He said as he quickly got back up.
Jaune turned back and saw that the Cenitaur was still being shot by the other huntresses, but he gripped his sword tighter and charged at the Grimm, Jaune jumped at it, trying to take off it's head, but it noticed him and quickly swung its bladed arm at him, but Jaune quickly raised his shield and blocked the attack, before landing on the ground, he quickly turned around only to see both bladed claws of the Cenitaur raised, so he stepped back just as it swung down both bladed claws, and he quickly charged back in, ready to slice id right down the middle, however, it turned it's head to look at him and spat it's acid for a third time, and Jaune quickly jumped to the left, avoiding it, however, it was enough time for the Cenitaur to pull out it's right claw and swing at Jaune, Jaune saw it coming but instead of blocking it, he had a crazy idea, and he allowed the claw to stab him in the shoulder, piercing right through it, causing him a great deal of pain and dropping his shield in the process.
"No!" cried the sheep faunus girl
She was about to take aim only for Jaune to stop her with a hand signal, and she was confused, but then the Cenitaur lifted him off the ground, causing more blood to gush and Jaune to cry out in pain, but the Grimm brought him closer to its face, ready to eat him, its mouth slobbering as it was ready to take a bite out of the blonde, however, once Jaune was close enough, he smiled wickedly at the Grimm.
"Chew on this!" Jaune cried as he stabbed the Cenitaur through the chin and out the top of its head.
The Cenitaur flared around in pain, dragging Jaune along with it, causing more pain as the bladed claw went deeper into his shoulder, however, the Grimm finally fell to the ground dead, and slowly began to fade into nothing.
Jaune slowly got up as his red blood dripped onto the snow, and as he got to his feet, he felt dizzy, staggering backward and then forward. 'S-Shit... I-I need to heal,' Jaune thought.
He quickly boosted his aura, and slowly the wound began to heal, however, the fatigue and blood loss were getting to him, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell to his knees before falling flat on his stomach. The sheep Faunus Huntress rushed over to him and went to feel for a pulse, and when she felt one she was relieved.
"He's alive!" She told Robyn
Another member walked over to Robyn, they had blue hair which was tied in a long braid. "What do we do with him?" She asked.
The sheep girl faunus looked at Robyn, "Well we can't just leave him here," She told Robyn, "He saved my life,"
"But he might be a spy," said the one with blue hair. "If he's working with Atlas or something, he could rat us out,"
Robyn turned to the Huntress with blue hair, "Spy or not, he saved Fiona's life, so we'll return the favor, we bring him back with us, that's final, May," She said. "Joanna, bring a Doctor to our base so he can get patched up, and once he wakes up, I'll question him," Robyn said.
With that, Jonna ran to get a doctor while May and Fiona picked up Jaune, putting one arm over the back of their necks and dragging him back into the city.
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"Jaune!" Vernal cried "JAUNE HELP ME!"
Jaune ran through the forest as quickly as he could, hoping to reach the voices in time before it was too late, he heard the blood curdling screaming Vernal and he instantly ran toward her screams, however, he wasn't alone, from behind he saw the mass of darkness chasing after him, and inside the mass were the bodies of those he killed, trying to get ahold of him and stop him from reaching Vernal.
He put all of his strength into his legs and kept pushing forward, and eventually, he arrived on the scene only for his eyes to widen with horror, as before him, lied Vernal, on the ground dead, her insides eaten by the Beowulf, Jaune's rage quickly appeared and he grabbed his sword and charged at the Beowulf with rage, and when he was close enough he swung at them, however, Crocea Mors was stopped by... Crocea Mors.
Jaune was surprised and he looked at the sword and then looked at the Beowulf only to see its form fade away and turn into him. Jaune was frozen in place, unable to even comprehend what had just happened.
"Who... Are you?" Jaune asked
But before he got an answer, his eyes shot open and he gasped sharply, he sat up quickly but then winced in pain, and slowly he stopped himself and realized that he was shirtless but he looked at his shoulder, which was bandaged up he then looked around only to see he was in some room sleeping on a cot. He looked around only to see that his weapon, Armor, cloak, and shirt we're gone. Slowly got out of the cot and used his arms to push himself up but he felt slight pain, but it soon passed as he stood up, then walked toward a door only to see a small living room, and in the living room were all four of the happy huntresses, each doing their own thing.
Fiona, who was wearing a light green wool sweater and a pair of jeans, heard the door open and looked to see Jaune standing there, she beamed and rushed over to him. "Looks like you're finally awake!" She said with a smile.
Jaune looked at her and nodded, "Yeah, thank you... uh...?"
"Fiona, Fiona Thyme," Fiona told him.
Jaune gave her a quick nod, "Right, thank you, Fiona," Jaune said.
Fiona nodded, "But you should be taking it easy," She told him, "You're wounds haven't fully healed, if you push yourself you might reopen them,"
Jaune brushed her off, "I'll be fine," Jaune told her, "Where is my stuff?" He asked.
"Your shirt was torn up from your fight, as for your armor, cloak, and weapon, Robyn has them," Fiona told him.
"Why?" Jaune asked.
"Because I have a few questions to ask you,"
Jaune turned to see Robyn standing next to him, looking at him with a blank expression.
Jaune looked at her with a glare, "Why should I answer any of your questions?" Jaune asked.
"Considering we didn't leave you to bleed out beyond the wall, I say you owe me," Robyn told him.
Jaune groaned but nodded, "Fine, what do you wanna know?" Jaune asked.
Robyn held out her hand for him to take, Jaune looked at her hand with a raised brow but grabbed it and Robyn gripped it tight before a pale lilac Aura surrounded their hands
'Must be her Semblance,' Jaune thought.
"Why are you in Mantle?" Robyn asked.
Jaune looked at her, "I'm here to visit and get some experience while I'm here," Jaune told her.
The Aura then turned Green, and Robyn moved on to the next question, "Why help and protect the construction workers?" Roby asked.
"I offered my help since none of the soldiers could and I was getting paid," he replied.
Once again, the aura glowed green, and Robyn moved on to asking more questions.
"Do you work for Atlas?" Robyn asked
Jaune shook his head, "No,"
Green for a third time.
Robyn let go of his hand and looked at him, "That's all the important things I wanted to know," Robyn told him, "But, I have to ask again, what's your name kid?" Robyn asked.
"Jaune Arc," Jaune told.
Robyn nodded, "Where you from?" she asked.
"Vale," Jaune replied, "And before you ask, I'm 17," Jaune told her.
Robyn smiled, "17 huh? Well with that training you have and your age, you should be a Hunter-in-training, and shouldn't you be in Beacon?" Robyn asked.
"I was..." Jaune replied, "But I got kicked out, and I won't be able to return until next year, which is why I'm traveling," Jaune told her.
Robyn smiled, "Kicked out huh? For what?" Robyn asked.
"Fake transcripts," Jaune replied.
"Damn kid, that's it?" Came the voice of May Marigold, "Thought you did some really fucked up shit for you to kicked out," she said with a smile.
Jaune shook his head, "No... that stuff came after I left," Jaune said coldly.
"Well, Jaune Arc, You picked one hell of a time to come to Mantle," said Joanna "Mantle isn't in a stable state right now, with the hole in the wall and no help from Atlas, and Atlas is also on a bad state as well due to the protesting of miners and other workers about the wall, meaning they aren't getting enough supplies up there... this entire kingdom is on the verge of a riot,"
Jaune knew things were bad, Perry told him as much, but there was not a lot he could do, he'd just tried to earn money and then leave, it wasn't his problem. 'Don't get involved,' He told himself, 'It'll just make things worse,'
"Yeah, all that sounds bad, but I can't really do anything, Si" Jaune said.
Robyn looked at him, "You can help us protect and provide for the people of Mantle," Robyn said. "Help us and in exchange, you can stay here with us and I'll even pay you too, that way when the time comes, you got enough money to head to where ever it is, you're going next on this little journey of yours," She told him.
Jaune wanted to deny the offer as again, he didn't want to get involved with more people that he might just get hurt in the end, but he also wouldn't have to sleep in an alleyway and be cold, he'd have a roof over his head and warm food, and when he was passed out, he would admit he had the best sleep he's had in awhile... minus the nightmare of course. "That's it?" Jaune asked.
Robyn nodded, "That's it," She told him.
Jaune slowly nodded, "Fine, I'll help you do whatever to protect the people of Mantle, but the moment I get the money I need to leave the kingdom, I'm gone, deal?" he asked.
Robyn nodded with a smile, "Deal," She said.
"Good... now, do you have a spare shirt, I'm feeling a little cold here," Jaune told them.
"There's a spare shirt in my room, let's head back in it and I'll grab it for ya," She replied with a smile.
"I'm sure that's not the only thing you wanna grab," Jonna muttered with a smirk.
Jaune didn't hear what she said but due to her genetics, Fiona heard what her fellow teammate said and blushed, but kept leading Jaune into her room, trying not to retort.
May chuckled and looked at her partner, "Did you really have to tease her like that?" May asked.
Joanna looked at the blue-haired huntress, "She was staring at his chest like you stare at Fernando Decarpo on screen, but... I can't really blame her, you see that kid's muscles?" Joanna asked with a smile.
May nodded, "They aren't as defined but some of those scars look pretty hot," May said, "What do you think Robyn?" May asked, turning to her leader.
Robyn smiled at them and shook her head, "I think you both need a cold shower," She said before walking away.
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Two chapters in a single week!? What can I say, I was excited about getting to the "Atlas Act" that I decided to start writing a day after I published the last chapter, hence this chapter!
Also, I hope you guys recognize Perry because he is from the show and another popular background character will pop up soon, but for now, we got the Happy Huntresses! And oh~! What's this? Does a certain sheep faunus have a crush on our blonde knight~? I wonder where that will lead!
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed today's chapter and I hope you guys are eager for the rest because things are going to get better and also worse! Hope you're prepared for more heartbreak!