Sins of the Forefathers
Act the First: A Beacon of Hope
Author's Note: Welp, here it is. What the past four chapters have been leading towards. Jaune and Cinder's first real confrontation.
Hopefully it lives up to everyone's expectations.
I hope you enjoy reading, and feel free to leave reviews. (Please! Leave reviews! I like reading what people think, whether kind or criticizing.)
Chapter Six: Date Night
I rotated my limbs as I finished warming up. It was three o'clock in the afternoon - a bit early, but I was trying to keep my body limber and ready for anything in preparation for my date with Cinder. Not to mention I'd have to spend a decent amount of time making sure I looked good and presentable. Even if I was preparing for a fight, a fight might not be completely necessary. If I could get the information I wanted from Cinder without having to fight her, that would be ideal. Of course, I'm not so naive as to think that's a realistic goal, but still.
Once I was done with my basic calisthenics and my run, I did a few repetitions of my basic drills - nothing too tiring, but enough to really get me ready for the evening's events.
I took a shower and made sure to shave and comb my hair. I even went out of my way to use some basic cologne. Nothing too overt - I wasn't about to smell like a teenager trying to mask their gym sweat with an overblown body spray - just a subtle spritz around my neck and pits.
And then came the suit…
It wasn't cheap. I had it specially tailored to my size, but more importantly, I had some hidden pockets installed in the sleeves and the interior of the torso. The sleeves had to be trimmed more loosely as a result, but it was worth it to be able to hide some of my prepared items. Not much- just the pepper powder, the taser, and one of my knives. The flashbangs were too bulky to fit into the suit, and the gun fit well enough into the concealed carry holster I'd purchased.
I'd chosen one of the parks in the city, bordering the area with the apartment and the commercial district. It was relatively close to where we'd be having dinner, and also pretty quiet- not many people walked around there when we'd be visiting.
It wasn't a certainty, of course, but I'd checked, and there was actually an event going on in another park today, so the odds of people visiting the one I'd decided on was even slimmer.
Prepping the combat location also took some work. I went out of my way to stash my stuff in a quieter section of the park, during my run. It wasn't just quiet, naturally - there were plenty of bushes, benches, trash cans, and trees - plenty of things to serve as cover or thrown items in a pinch.
And with that, everything was set. I'd even prepared some transportation- nothing too fancy, just an upper-end taxi, basically.
Still, all that was left to do was wait, and do some reading.
Cinder sighed and double-checked herself in the mirror, making sure none of her hidden weapons were visible. She wore a conservative red dress that hung loosely off her shoulders. The skirt of the dress was long, ending near her ankles. Instead of high heels, she opted for flats.
Considering who her date was, she wanted to be prepared to either fight or flee.
Under the skirt, she wore two thigh bags that carried extra Dust and a knife. She also wore her combat pants, which had Dust threads woven into them. She would have woven Dust into the dress, but she didn't have the time to go through the full process of weaving Dust into threads to do so.
On the upside, the long gloves and undershirt she was wearing did have Dust woven into them. Nothing too special- the Fire Dust in the gloves weaved a pattern that formed her favored scimitars, which she dual wielded. The dust in the undershirt was a simple Earth Dust pattern that hardened the shirt in response to physical trauma, and the Wind Dust in her pants allowed her to move with less air resistance, improving her speed in combat.
Again, nothing too simple. More advanced Dust uses could do amazing things with Dust- spatial distortion, gravity manipulation, even things as wonderful as time manipulation or the manipulation of various forms of energy. Unfortunately, Dust Weaving was a fairly limited method of Dust manipulation due to the inherent limitations imposed by the practice. Being restricted to certain types of clothing materials in accordance with what works with what kind of Dust was one, as well as the preciseness of the patterns that had to be weaved in order for Dust clothing to work effectively.
Even more unfortunately, Dust Weaving was the only method of Dust manipulation that Cinder was skilled at. Advanced Dust manipulation breached the realm of academia- skilled users tended to be mathematical geniuses, as well as knowledgeable in the fields of physics, chemistry, and often history and art as well. It was necessary to be so in order to make effective use of the more advanced Dust techniques.
That sort of thing, in Cinder's eyes, was awesome, and truly something to respect, but impractical. For her, an immediate, tangible benefit was more beneficial than something that required years or even decades of study to use effectively.
Not that she didn't study the basic ideas of such things, of course. It was important to know the basics of such subjects at least so that she could find weaknesses in enemy Dust users, should she face any. However, she mused internally, based on Roman's info, I won't have to worry about that kind of attack from Jaune.
She stepped away from the mirror and over to her desk, where she quickly reviewed Roman's brief dossier about Jaune.
"Trained with Roman, The Spiders, the Black Squadron," she muttered, reading it line by line. "Trained in hand-to-hand, Bullhead piloting, first-aid, survivalism, etcetera etcetera…"
That was all Roman had given her. Nothing about his personal background, family, personality, common tactics or strategies. All she had was a vague description of his known skill set.
And it was all impressive, indeed. Even she wasn't skilled in several of these things, which was why she recruited others like Roman, Emerald and Mercury to her side.
Still, she was hoping that this meeting wouldn't turn into a fight, especially considering the extra note Roman had seen fit to tack onto the dossier:
Cinder, for your sake, I hope he doesn't have any intelligence about you. If he does, you could be in for a hell of a fight.
-Roman T.
Her meeting with Raven the other day didn't do much to dissuade her fears either. She had thought that, at the very least, she could trust her Master for guidance, but Raven had simply advised her that "Members of the Arc family make better friends than enemies." When she had questioned Raven about Jaune, Raven admitted that she knew nothing, but informed Cinder that Jacob had actually trained her.
Had trained Raven!
The revelation was mind boggling. The father of her date for the evening had trained the world's strongest woman, a former Rank 1 Guardian!
With that in mind, Jaune's impressive skill set was easier to understand. With a father like that taking him to be trained by warriors of his caliber (some of whom she'd never even heard of!), it made sense for Jaune to be strong as well.
She could only hope that she could convince him to side with her, even for a short time. Hopefully then, as her Master had instructed, Emerald could seduce him, and from there a full conversion could be possible.
But in regards to Jaune…
She gave the dossier another glance.
He seems to be trained like a 'pure' Assassin, someone who studies their target and kills them with the most effective method they can conceive. Unlike Raven and Mercury, who lean more on the 'fighter' Assassin archetype, killing targets with brute force and combat skill. And, unfortunately, unlike myself in that regard. I'm probably - no, definitely stronger than him in a fight, but it would be foolish to assume he'd face me without setting something up in advance. If he leads me into a trap, it's possible he might gain an advantage over me- I should keep Emerald and Mercury in reserve- no, not just them, I should have Roman on standby as well, just in case.
She glanced down at Roman's note again.
"Assuming he'll even be willing to fight with Jaune…"
Emerald stared at the page in front of her. She'd been reading it for the past hour, unable to bring herself to progress despite her best efforts. It was a new book- she'd finished Scipio's Commentaries a few days ago. Now, she was going through the Third Crusade.
It was boring as fuck.
For a book that was supposed to be inflammatory to the point of inciting a revolutionary uprising, she couldn't help but be surprised by how many words a person could use to meander their way through an argument. Apparently, while Adam Taurus was an excellent military leader and combatant, his skill with the written word needed some honing.
Eventually, she gave up and closed the book, pulling out her weapons instead and checking them over one at a time. She hadn't cleaned them in a few days, and since they trained almost daily, they were due for some maintenance.
She first checked the Dust rounds in the cylinders. Rather than conventional bullets, Wind Dust crystals were set into each cylinder. By charging her Aura into each weapon, she could fire blasts of wind in small bursts continuously, without having to reload. Of course, the downside was that the ammunition was very particular- she had to be vigilant in making sure each crystal had enough latent energy to function properly.
Running low… Come tomorrow, she'd have to replace them.
She then tested the shifting mechanism that brought the blades out and fixed them into their various positions, as well as the chains that allowed her to whip the blades around. Still fine, but she rubbed them down with a little lubricant while she was at it. She then set about sharpening the blades for a bit.
In the meantime, Mercury snored, resting with his prosthetics laying on his bed next to him.
What a weirdo, Emerald thought. I still don't get what Cinder needs him for… There are plenty of Assassins out there better than him, and less annoying too. Hell, maybe this Jaune guy can replace him.
Emerald paused in her maintenance to consider that.
Cinder does seem awfully invested in him, especially since Roman told her that he was related to that Jack the Ripper guy… Maybe she wants to use Jaune to get to Jack?
Her thoughts were interrupted as Cinder opened the door from her private room in the suite. She stepped forwards and addressed Emerald.
"How do I look?"
Caught off guard, Emerald stuttered before blushing in embarrassment. "Y-you look beautiful, ma'am."
"Mm." Cinder nodded idly, before tossing something at Emerald.
"What is this?"
"It's the dossier on Jaune that Roman made for me."
"There's not much here…"
"I am aware. In any case, familiarize yourself with the information we have."
"Why? I thought you said you'd be able to deal with him?"
"That was my initial estimation, but with all that we do know, I think it's better if you two can be ready to move out in case of an emergency."
Emerald nodded, getting up and walking over to Mercury, shaking him awake. "Merc. Wake up."
He shot up and grabbed his prosthetic legs, ready to attach them in a matter of seconds. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing right now, Cinder just wants us on standby in case Jaune has something planned."
"Cinder?" he looked over to her before whistling. "Damn boss, pulling out all the stops, huh?"
"I have to," she replied. "Jaune is even better connected than I could have thought, and if Roman's information is anything to go by, a better fighter when he has time to plan for the conflict. I'd rather avoid drawing attention to us, so I'd prefer to avoid a fight, in which case…"
"You'll try and sway him to our side over dinner?" Mercury finished for her.
Cinder nodded. "Of course, I'd like to be prepared for every possibility just in case, which is why I want you two on standby." She opened up her handbag and tossed some Lien to them. "Wait around nearby, but stay out of sight and wait for my updates. And make sure you read that dossier."
Emerald caught the Lien and nodded.
"Understood."
"Good." Cinder checked her Scroll, before turning towards the door. "I'll be going now. Wait ten minutes before leaving the hotel. I'll send updates to your scrolls."
With that, Cinder stepped out of the apartment, leaving Emerald and Mercury alone.
"Toss me the lube," Mercury said.
"What for?" Emerald asked, handing it to him.
"If this does go bad… I want to make sure my legs are working right."
"Cinder can handle Jaune."
"I'm not doubting the boss, Em. But she wants us ready, so I'm going to make sure I'm ready."
Emerald nodded before looking over the dossier.
She would be ready, too.
Jaune stood by an unmarked cab, dressed up in a suit. Cinder idly considered where he had hidden his weapons as she approached.
His suit fits him well, and rather snugly. He likely isn't carrying anything more than a knife and a concealed firearm.
As she got near, Jaune opened the cab door for her.
"You look beautiful," he said in greetings.
Cinder smiled, and kept her voice even, amicable. "Thank you. I'll admit, you clean up nicely yourself."
"Well, my father always said that you should put all your effort into whatever you do… and that if a woman is involved, you should go even further than that."
Cinder giggled and got in the car. "Well if that's the case, I have high expectations for tonight."
Jaune smirked. "I'll make sure to surpass them, whatever they are." He closed the door behind her before getting into the seat next to her, telling the cab driver to go.
"Remy's Bistro?" Cinder asked, looking up at the restaurant's name before glancing aside at me.
"It's new, but it's already gotten rave reviews from critics and customers alike. Apparently, the chef is a rat Faunus who developed a real passion for cooking since no one in his family was good at it, or at least that's what his website's bio says. Shall we go in? I made reservations ahead of time."
She nodded, and we went in. After talking with the welcomers, they led us to the space I had reserved. It was a small, private dining area, one of ten, and renting it for the evening cost me a hundred-fifty Lien.
And that was before the cost of the food I would order!
On the plus side, they included a private waitress on call, priority cooking in the kitchen lineup, and, most importantly, privacy. Most importantly, because I had decided on perhaps the bravest (or stupidest) game plan to deal with mysterious intrigue bullshit since I was eleven and under Roman Torchwick's wing.
I had decided to just out and ask Cinder about what she was involved in, and what she wanted me for.
It was risky, to be sure, but playing word games were never my strong suit. If I had to make a quick getaway, then I would have plenty of avenues to escape, not to mention the chaos that the commotion would cause, which would aid in my flight.
Of course, that was my last resort option. Hopefully, this was all some sort of half-baked test or something, and Cinder was going to try a recruitment pitch to work in her gang or whatever. How she'd heard of me I don't know, but it was worth a try.
"So, Cinder," I asked as we sat down and had our water glasses filled, "how's your business in town going? Was your merger successful?"
"Well, not quite. The- CEO of the company is a bit hesitant to go forward with it, and wants some assurance that it will benefit his people."
"Makes sense. If he cares about his workers, then it's only natural for him to want the outcome to be a positive one."
"I understand that much, of course. Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, I had to make a rather… grand promise of success. I have three weeks to get rid of a competitor in the market, or else the deal will fall flat."
If she's a good Assassin, then her lies have a foundation of truth, in which case… she has three weeks to take out a target, or else whatever organization she's talking to won't go through with whatever Cinder wants.
God, I can't wait for the waitress to come back with our entrees so she can fuck off. This wordplay shit is tiring, and I just want to get to the bottom of things.
We talked some more for about twenty minutes as our meals were made and came out, and then I instructed our waitress to wait to be called upon, as I desired some privacy.
After a moment of silence where I ate some of the food I had ordered (considering what I was paying for it, I might as well eat some before the shit hits the fan), and then I spoke up.
"Cinder."
"Yes, Jaune?"
I looked her right in the eyes. For all that she was warm and friendly, now that I knew the truth about her, I could sense an inner coldness in the depths of her eyes.
"Let's drop the pretenses, all right?"
She narrowed her eyes at me in response.
"Oh come off it, okay? I know you know I'm the son of Jack the Ripper, and I know you hired Junior's men to kill me. I just want to know why."
"Who told you it was me?"
"Junior did. Don't blame him though, I had to torture him for it."
Her eyes widened at the news, before her face settled into a mask of calmness.
"Very well Jaune, let us speak candidly. Admittedly, I did not know you were Jack the Ripper's son when I hired Junior's men. I simply wanted to test the descendant of Carla Magna and Gaius Caesar. I figured that, if nothing else, your lineage and nationality would open up connections for me and my associates in Atlas and Vale."
"So it was a test… I assume I passed?"
"With flying colors. After seeing the way you disposed of those men, I originally thought you were an Atlesian sleeper agent, but an informant of mine did eventually reveal your true nature to me."
I inwardly flinched at that. For all that I might have been groomed to be one, I didn't consider being an Assassin to be my true nature.
"So… where does this leave us?"
Cinder breathed for a moment, then sighed. "To be honest, Jaune, I don't know where it leaves us. If you'd like, I can offer you compensation for the attempt on your life."
I raised an eyebrow. "No recruitment pitch?"
"Once I knew who your father was, I assumed you were here on business with him. Is that not the case?"
"My father has long since cut me loose as an Assassin." Kinda. More like I cut myself loose, to try to not be an Assassin. Still, if that's what she saw in me, then why shouldn't I try to swing things around to benefit me?
"Then if you'd like, I can offer you a space within my organization as well. Your expertise would be welcomed, especially in regards to the scenario I discussed earlier."
"Eliminating a competitor, right? I had a feeling that was more than what it seemed like. I assume that by merger, you really mean to subsume some gang or other?"
"Something like that. Still, I can provide details if you're interested?"
"Maybe later. I'd prefer to not talk shop while we're here."
"I understand. If you reconsider, simply say so."
I nodded, and continued eating.
Cinder was pleased, but surprised by the turn of events.
Jaune's choice to drop all pretenses was… refreshing, in a sense. For once, she could speak honestly, candidly with someone. That sort of thing was a rarity in her experience.
Even her Mistress had secrets.
Still, she wasn't naive enough to assume that Jaune truly intended to reveal all his secrets; nor was she naive enough to think that Jaune took her words as hard fact. For all that they had 'dropped the pretenses', she still had no idea what Jaune wanted, or what his true allegiances were.
She would have to tread carefully going forwards.
"So Jaune," she began, "if you don't mind my asking, what are you doing in Vale? Or, to be more specific, what are your true intentions here?"
He looked up at her with an almost disappointed expression. "Really?" he said, almost bored. "Come on, Cinder, we just cleared things up and you want to go fishing for info already?"
"Well, forgive a woman for being curious…"
"Okay look, how about this: we take turns asking questions, and the recipient has to answer with the truth. Being who we are, I'm sure we'll both stretch the 'truth' to the absolute limits with our answers, but better that than nothing, ey?"
Cinder blinked, once more surprised. Another odd deal… But one that could work in her favor, if she played her cards right. "Very well. Shall we begin with my question?"
Jaune nodded. "You already know why I'm here. I told you on the flight from Atlas. I'm going to become a Guardian."
"But why? With training like yours…"
"Ah-ah-ah, one question at a time, Cinder. Now it's my turn. What organization are you working for?"
"I work for a bandit tribe - the Branwens."
Jaune twitched at the name. Apparently, he recognized them - perhaps his father had told him about Raven.
"Why do you want to become a Guardian?"
"It's always been my dream to be a hero. To save people. To do good in the world."
Cinder narrowed her eyes. That was… oddly naive of the boy. To be sure, she didn't expect the whole truth, but she couldn't tell what was hidden behind his answer.
"What do the Branwens want with Vale?"
"The Branwens want what the Branwens always want - power, and influence. Where do your sisters live?"
The glare she received for that was so hateful, she almost drew out her scimitars for a fight. Apparently, the boy was protective of his family. Good. That meant he had a weakness.
After a few moments, he growled out "They live in Atlas."
Cinder nodded, accepting the answer. She wouldn't press on that - she knew when not to press someone, at least not without sufficient leverage.
"How did you meet the Branwen Tribe?"
Cinder flinched inwardly, but managed to keep her expression neutral. "I sought them out, and found them. Where is your father?"
"I haven't seen my father in months. I don't know where he is. What organization are you trying to recruit?"
"The White Fang. What-"
A knock on the privacy screen interrupted Cinder's thoughts. Their waitress ducked her head in apologetically before asking if they would like dessert.
Jaune and Cinder looked at each other and agreed to not get any, and Jaune got the check.
As he paid, he stood, and prepared to leave.
"Let's take this elsewhere, shall we?"
Cinder agreed, sending a quick message to Emerald and Roman before following Jaune out of the restaurant.
We strolled through the park, an arm's distance away from each other. Close enough to converse easily, but far enough away to react to anything the other did.
The sun was beginning to go down at this point, the light slowly fading into darkness only lit up by the occasional lantern on the walkway.
"So Cinder, what were you going to ask me back there?"
She looked at me, probably considering her options. To be sure, since we weren't playing the game anymore, I didn't have any obligation to answer her, and she probably expected me to not give an answer.
Still, knowing what people want is an important part of intelligence gathering. Even if you don't know why they want it or what they plan to do with it.
Finally, she said "What inspired you to become a Guardian?"
I blinked, honestly surprised. I didn't think she would be so hung up on that - but then again, she probably didn't expect such a naive sounding answer.
"My family's legacy."
She narrowed her eyes at that.
"I don't understand…"
"I don't expect you to. It's personal, in any case."
"I suppose it must be."
I nodded, again, continuing our walk towards the area of the park where I had stashed my items. Once we got there, I sat down on a bench and invited her to sit next to me. When she did so, I asked, "So what are the details about your job offer?"
She leaned back on the bench and closed her eyes. She was confident that I wouldn't attack her, or at least confident that she would be able to deal with an attack, it seemed.
Still, with her eyes closed, I took the opportunity to reach down behind the bench and grab one of my improvised flashbangs. I kept it hidden behind my right leg, as I also pulled the lighter out from my pocket.
"There are two jobs I have in mind that I could use your help for," Cinder finally spoke up, having made up her mind with whatever decision she had been mulling over. "The first is a bit out of the ordinary for an Assassin. It's an intelligence retrieval mission."
"Let me guess, the intelligence is in some highly secured vault or in a military base?"
"No, but the location has its own share of problems. The client seeks research notes or anything of value from the Merlot Industries building in Mountain Glenn."
"That city that was overrun by Grimm? Would there even be anything there?"
"There's no way to know for sure. However, the client is a… dedicated man of science, and believes that whatever research they were conducting there would be worth his time to investigate."
"The pay?"
"Five thousand Lien."
"And the danger pay?"
Cinder glanced at me, incredulous.
"You want me to roam around a city full of Grimm looking for something that might not even still be around, you better believe I'm gonna ask for danger pay."
"...I'll see what I can negotiate."
"Works for me. And the other job? Your little competitor problem?"
"A Guardian."
"What Rank?"
"The Third Rank."
I gave her a flat stare. "Cinder, that's way out of my league."
"I don't doubt that, but if what my informant has told me about you is true, then I don't also don't doubt that you would have plenty of uses in battle aside from being a front-line fighter. Sniping, explosives handling, intelligence analysis… You have quite the resume, Jaune."
My eyebrow quirked up. "Who's your informant? They're… not far off the mark."
"If you join me, you'll meet them."
I nodded. "Right. So who's the mark?"
"Amber Corona. She heads a few civilian militias out in the countryside of northern Vale."
"And she's important because?"
"The client wants something she has. Something… special."
"A sentimental motive?"
"Something like that."
"The pay? And you'd better include danger pay for a target like this."
"Does that mean you'll accept the job?"
"No, it means I'm negotiating with you and my final decision will be based on the conclusion we reach."
"Hmph. Twenty-thousand base, and another ten-thousand for danger pay."
"Cinder, there are literally civilian targets worth more than that. Should I assume that your budget is limited and that's what I'd get, split with other people in your group?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Right, makes sense."
"So, will you join me?"
I fell silent, considering my options. What should I do with this information? I could join up, certainly, but I was trying to get away from this life. I could use the intelligence against her - scratch that, I should do that, especially with my goals, but who the fuck could I go to? Who would listen to me? I wanted to stop Cinder, but I wasn't strong enough. Not if she was confident against a fucking Rank Three.
Still, wasn't there something I could do? Anything? Would I just have to look the other way for this?
…
No, wait. I could join, learn more about Cinder's goals and organization, and… I dunno, go to Beacon with the intel? Or even the IGO proper? No, I'd definitely be arrested. Still, there was a plan forming here, I just needed more information.
"So, let me get a few things straight, Cinder."
"Very well."
"You work for the Branwen tribe, and are attempting to recruit the White Fang into whatever scheme you've got going on for Vale."
"That's correct."
"Your first client, or informant, or something, either lives or was in Atlas when we first met. Presumably they're some sort of scientist, which is why they want what's at Merlot industries."
"They were Atlesian, yes."
"The White Fang want Amber Corona dead, and since she operates in northern Vale, then I presume it's because they're headquartered somewhere around Forever Fall."
She nodded, and I continued.
"If the Branwen tribe want a terrorist organization on their side, then I presume it's for something big… Are the Branwens trying to destabilize Vale? For what purpose?" I asked, addressing the question to Cinder.
"I told you earlier what the Branwen's want with Vale."
"Right, and I didn't buy it then either. See, I know the Branwen tribe better than the average person, and for all their power, they can't match the strength of Vale proper. Not while the IGO and Beacon stand, and Ozpin lives. So even if they got bold and decided to conquer their own country, they'd have a better chance with Mistral, Vacuo, or Menagerie. Even Raven Branwen can't match up to Ozpin, not with all of Vale behind him-"
And then it clicked.
They weren't trying to battle Ozpin head on. Of course not, that would be suicide. They wanted to destabilize Vale so that its fighting power would be nullified, or at least decreased. Grimm could be corralled in, to rampage through the city, further reducing strength and morale among the Guardians. From there, Raven and her top lackeys - Cinder included, presumably, if she was strong enough to match a Rank Three - could work together to take Ozpin down, and with him gone, Vale would be a shadow of its former self.
The presence of a Rank One is an irreplaceable deterrent, after all.
I stared at Cinder.
"Holy shit, you might actually be able to do it…" I breathed.
She glared at me. "Very perceptive," she seethed, rising to her feet. She glowed orange as she channeled her Aura, activating her long gloves. Two fiery scimitars appeared in her hands as she took a step away from me. "Now then, since you seem to have figured things out, I'm afraid I'm going to need your answer now."
I narrowed my eyes at her. She was desperate. She was hoping to threaten me into joining her. She thought she could kill me without having to worry about my father, since I haven't seen him in months.
She was wrong about that. Very wrong. My father's capacity for vengeance is limitless, as the Schnee know.
Still, that wouldn't help me. Even if I was the kind of person to rely on their parent's reputation for help, I didn't think it would work with her. I was an anomaly in her plans, and she either wanted me dead or on her side.
I lit the fuse of the flashbang and grabbed another from behind the bench.
We stared at each other for a few seconds.
"Well-?" she began to ask, only to get caught as I hurled the lit flashbang at her. As I threw it, I covered my own eyes, sparing me from the blinding light, although the noise did disorent me.
Not as much as it did her, seeing as she had been caught unprepared. She spasmed and stepped back from the burst of Lightning Dust in the flashbang. I used the opportunity to run up and jump into a dropkick, knocking her off her feet. I fell after the kick and quickly got up, lighting the second flashbang and tossing it back behind me in her direction just as she started to get up. I pulled my pistol out of my pants and dove jumped over the bench as it went off, shocking her again and catching her dress on fire. I grabbed the last flashbang and the spare clips I had left behind. I eyed Cinder, who still seemed to be disoriented, but was recovering, her Aura flaring up as she activated some of her other clothes - her shirt and the pants that had been under her now burning dress. I couldn't see what the effects were, though.
She glared at me. "Big mistake, Jaune."
"Doesn't seem like it from here," I teased, putting every ounce of bravado I could muster into it.
"Well then, I guess I'll have to change your MIND!" She roared, charging straight in. I raised the gun and fired a few shots, but she deflected them pretty easily. I jumped back and rolled as Cinder barreled through the bench, wrecking it before she charged at me again.
My senses seemed to go into overdrive like before as Cinder seemed to slow down ever so slightly. She was still moving faster than I could physically keep up with, but now it was like I had an extra second to react.
It wasn't much, but it just barely kept me alive as I narrowly dodged and parried her slashes.
It shouldn't have been enough. If she was capable of matching a Rank Three, she should have eviscerated me.
For whatever reason, she was holding back. Most likely, she was afraid of my father and wanted to knock me out and use me as leverage instead of killing me.
Her mistake. I wouldn't hold back.
With the last flashbang safely tucked in a pocket, I pulled out my knife and used it and the gun to deflect Cinder's slashes, which were getting faster and coming from more complicated angles. She was starting to hit me, delivering small cuts and gashes on my arms, but thankfully not my chest or legs yet. I fired off a shot whenever I had an opening, but whether it was her Aura or another piece of Dust enhanced clothing, the bullets just slammed into her torso and then fell or bounced off.
I needed a new option. I aimed a little higher and fired a few shots at her face, forcing her to hop back to avoid them. With the spare second I had, I slipped my knife back in its sheath and grabbed the pepper bag, loosening the opening. When she charged in again, I waited until she got close before unleashing the whole bag in her face, the pepper dust slamming into her and getting into her nostrils, mouth, and eyes. A little too close, unfortunately - she managed to start her swing before the dust hit her, and I now sported a long, but shallow, gash along my chest. It wasn't deep enough to completely debilitate me, but it was bleeding steadily and would definitely cause problems if I couldn't get it fixed up soon. Thankfully her cut knocked me back, or the cut would have been hit by the pepper dust as well.
The effect of the pepper dust was instant. She dropped her scimitars and fell to the ground, gasping and retching as the pepper dust inflamed her sinuses and constricted her throat. On the downside, I was out of it - I didn't have much control over how much came out of the little pouch. I had to act fast.
I took the opportunity to deliver a swift kick to her face, knocking her over, before setting off on a run.
There was no guarantee I'd be able to kill her even with her weakened like that, especially with my wound. Hopefully I'd be able to get home, maybe grab some stuff before I called in some favors-
"Cinder! Merc, get after him!"
-or her lackeys could show up just in time to help her out. Fucking great.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw a boy with a sort of silver-grayish hair run after me, easily starting to catch up.
"Fuck," I muttered before lighting the last flashbang. I waited until he was just about to reach me before tossing it behind me, making sure not to look as the burst impacted 'Merc'. As soon as it did, it shocked him, causing his legs to smoke a little.
Are his weapons boots? I wondered.
I took advantage of his stunned state and turned around to tackle the guy into the ground and proceeded to wail on him with the butt of my gun, smashing it into his head, neck, shoulders, whatever I could hit.
Unfortunately, it turned out that hand-to-hand was his forte, as he started deflecting my strikes and hitting me back, taking advantage of my chest wound and striking me there for extra pain.
We were in a stalemate, but he had the upper hand. I had to do something or else-
He bucked his hips up and kneed me in the back, sending me stumbling over. I rolled with it and came up, turning just in time to see him flip over onto his hands and start spinning his legs around, almost hitting me. I scrambled back and shot at him, emptying another clip as he sprung up with his hands to dodge, landing on his feet and charging at me. I dropped the empty gun and grabbed a metal trash can lid by the handle, pulling the homemade taser out with my right hand.
He attacked me wordlessly, delivering a series of swift kicks that I did my best to block and parry with my improvised shield - all those hours of practicing were finally paying off, it seemed, as I managed to avoid serious damage. However, not having Aura was a huge disadvantage - even his lightest kicks felt like I was getting hit by a sledgehammer. My left arm was definitely going to be bruised after this, if not fractured.
After a sidekick knocked me back, I bit down hard and swallowed a scream - my left arm was broken at the forearm, cracked from the kicks I had taken and blocked. I dropped my makeshift shield, now bent and angled, unable to keep my arm up. He recognized my weakness and charged in with a skipping push kick.
I sidestepped into his guard and slammed the trash-can lid towards his face, my left arm screaming at me as I forced it to move. He caught it with his hands and stopped it, but I had expected that, and I quickly rammed the homemade taser into his crotch.
He seized up and his lower legs sparked even more - considering his fighting style, he almost certainly had weaponized boots on his legs. In any case, I took advantage of the situation to smash the trash-can lid into his throat, delivering a few strikes to his knees for good measure before running away.
It was a big risk, but I took a few seconds to grab my pistol and reloaded it with another clip. I maintained my breathing as I did so, forcing my body to keep calm and work through the pain.
It wasn't the first time my arm had been broken, and it wouldn't be the last.
With 'Merc' incapacitated, I kept running, only for the other lackey, a green haired girl, to get in front of me from the side. Cinder wasn't with her, which either meant that Cinder was coming up from behind to kill me, or Cinder was still incapacitated, but had told greenie to get after me.
Unless greenie had some sort of healing Semblance or something, the second one was most likely, so I kept charging.
Greenie growled and yelled, "You're not leaving!" as she pulled out two firearms.
I held up my own from behind the trash-can lid. Her guns were revolvers, so she had twelve shots.
I flipped the trash-can lid threw it at her like a frisbee before charging forward. She shot the lid, then jumped to the side to avoid the shots I aimed at her. I ran a bit to the right behind some trees as I headed towards the park's West exit, nearest to the apartment.
She fired a few more shots as I took cover behind a tree.
Then some more.
Still firing.
…
Holy shit, what the fuck? She had revolvers, how the fuck was she shooting so much?
I chanced a look out at where greenie was shooting at me, and took a good look at the impact points. They didn't look like normal bullet impacts, and now that I was thinking about it, the 'bang' of her guns didn't sound like an explosive discharge either.
If it wasn't conventional ammo, then the only other option was Dust. It left no residual traces that I could see, so it was probably either Wind or Earth Dust.
Which meant that I could take a few shots without worrying.
I ran out from the trees and took cover behind another trash can, taking the lid off of it. For good measure, I topped off my pistol, but switched out for my knife.
Then I charged at greenie, keeping the lid up as a shield to protect my torso. She fired a few shots that hit my legs, but nothing direct, only glancing shots. I'd have cuts and bruises, but nothing serious.
Suddenly, she pulled the trigger and nothing came out. Apparently, she had run out of charges in her Dust crystals. I sped up, knowing that I had to take advantage of her pause. She flicked her weapons, revealing a sort of sickle function, blades appearing out the ends.
Great, just what I needed.
Still, I had committed to the action, and so I kept charging. She raised one of her guns to swing at me, but I didn't falter and slammed the trash-can lid into her torso. Pain shot up my shoulder as well as my arm as I fractured it even more. Still, even with her Aura, I was by no means weak, and she was lifted off her feet from the force of the charge. I hopped as I ran and fell onto her, slamming us both into the ground. I bit down a scream, my arm almost certainly broken at this point.
The slam had disoriented her, and I took the opportunity to place a knee on her left arm and used my left hand with the shield to pin her right arm.
Since I had the upper hand, I took the opportunity to slam the butt of the knife into her throat before delivering a few more slams into her temples. Her Aura would keep her alive, but she wouldn't be getting up from that anytime soon.
I filched her weapons, placing them in my pockets - no reason to leave those behind, but I'd need to experiment with them before I used them - and started running again. I sprinted now, wanting to get out of the park as soon as possible, before any authorities arrived. I almost made it to the West exit, when I came across a familiar face.
"Hey there, Jaune."
I forced myself to stop and pointed my pistol at the man in front of me. "Roman," I breathed.
Fuck.
What was he doing here? Was he Cinder's informant? It would explain how she knew about me. But if she had the power to put Roman beneath her, then why did she hold back so much? Nevermind, question later. Focus on the problem now.
…
The problem was that I was fucked. My left arm was broken, I had cuts and bruises all over my body, and I was tired. Even if I wasn't wounded, I wouldn't be able to beat Roman.
So what do I do?
"You know, Jaune, when I found out Cinder was interested in you, I told her in no uncertain terms not to get involved with you. So you can imagine my surprise when you contacted her."
"I needed to know who put the hit out."
"Fair enough. Based on the fact that you're still very much alive and conscious, I can only assume you've gotten much stronger since we last met."
"I have. Not enough to really match you, though…"
"Not at all. Still, you're not the only one who's undergone some changes. Speaking of which, where are my manners? Have you met my new apprentice, Neopolitan?"
My eyes widened in surprise and I did a quick turn around to face behind me, just in time to catch a spinning boot to the chin.
The last thing I saw was a flash of pink, brown, and white.
Author's Note Section A: Review Responses
Guests 1 and 2: Wish granted! I hope you enjoyed!
N-Lorin: Thanks! I think you're the first person who noticed the reference.
dannyboi: Admittedly, writing interesting and engaging dialogue is something I still have to improve upon as a writer. I can only hope that I get better at it as the story goes along. Also, I agree that Jaune should not have been so open with Cinder in the opening chapters, but with that said… that was written back before I had a real plan for the story, and mostly just had a vague idea of how events should pan out. So it's a plot hole, and it's there for now, until I get the inspiration to edit in a scene that better fits the story's progression.
Author's Note Section B: General notes
Well, sorry for the wait folks. I was busy with The Strength of the Heart, and then I started school again, and got a job… Anyways, I have every intention to continue with this story to the end, regardless of how long it takes me to do so.