All things considered, everything wasn't as shitty and unpleasant as he thought.
He actually kind of enjoyed the cold, as opposed to the swelling heat and humidity (seriously, fuck Mistral), he had the definitive confirmation that he was actually doing something good (Yang was way too good at cheering other people up) and the inevitability of his death gave him anxiety, for sure… but it also brought him some piece of mind. He knew that there was an end, at least. He just had to make sure to get there before the infection turned him into a monster.
So yeah, while his situation was plenty critical, he didn't feel as bad as he did before. Marginally. Somewhat.
Nope, no copium to be found here, whatever do you mean?
There was only one problem. Or several, to be honest, but this one was the most pressing at the moment. He was trudging onwards towards his next target, determined to free them like he did everyone else before. The issue?
This person was apparently plenty far away from his last position. And his truck was currently reduced to scrap because of his last grenade. So he was stuck on foot. Alone. In the cold. In a place where not even the Grimm dared to wander. Oh yeah, he forget to mention that he was in the middle of a storm, right?
He was in the middle of a storm. It wasn't as fun as he thought it would be. The only thing missing would have been random thunder reindeers spawning in front of him to harass him.
Heh, what a dumb fantasy. As if someone would ever be insane enough to come up with something like that.
Jaune blinked, getting his head out of the gutter. Wow, he was really going into a tangent there, wasn't he?
Point is, he had to navigate this damn place, with only his Reader to guide him in the meantime. He just hoped that he wouldn't drop it, otherwise he was absolutely screwed.
Best not to jinx it, huh?
His boots sinked in the snow, making walking a hell of a lot more difficult than it had any right to be. And while he wasn't cold or getting tired (the infection had its upsides, it would seem), boredom was starting to settle in. Nothing to see, nothing to do and nothing to fight. Just endlessly walking in a sea of white, following a light beam that he could barely see.
Yeah, this sucks, he told himself. Forget about earlier, he had definitely hit rock bottom. Finally, the storm started to dwindle… or more like, he was walking past it. Right in the eye of the hurricane.
It was both beautiful and harrowing at the same time, to see the "arena" circled by the snow like that. Almost like… whoever was inside was trying to keep themselves hidden. His eyes swept quickly over the place.
There was only one landmark, a crashed bullhead. Wrecked enough that it wouldn't fly anymore, but not so much to kill the passengers, if they had aura. Awfully convenient, for sure…
And a couple of feet away, remained a man on his knees. His uniform… he would recognize anywhere. Ace Ops…
Those short brown hair and that weird fishing rod weapon… who was caked in blood. His mind flashed back to the Atlas military members in that SDC cave, brutally murdered with wounds similar to a scythe of sorts…
Or a hook.
"So… you finally made it".
He… talked? Not even in broken half phrases like Adam. He just… talked. Fluidly.
Today was simply not giving him the slightest break, huh?
"Good. Thought that I had been too late. You were in quite the pickle back there, young man".
A Turned had saved him. He… he didn't know how he was supposed to react to the news. But every alarm bell in the back of his head was loudly beeping. A big old "code red".
"Don't give me that look. My mistress wouldn't have been happy had you just died like that. You have quite a thorn in her side… why, I believe she wants to end you herself, if none of her minions manage to kill you".
Able to speak, but still twisted. That made a bit more sense. Marginally, because this completely broke the rules that he had been used to up until now, but at least he could still classify the guy as an enemy.
"I hope that you enjoyed the… 'gift' that I left you in the cave. You know, while I could resent Qrow for what he has done… I feel like I should thank him, somewhat. He showed me exactly the corruption that snaked through the military. Then his betrayal taught me that you cannot trust no one… except for yourself. And so, to show my gratitude, I want to impart the same lesson… first I will kill his protege… and then HIM!"
Quick as lightning, Jaune extracted Crocea Mors from its sheet, also equipping the shield. Better to start cautious, he had no idea how this guy actually fought… seriously a fighting rod for a weapon, what the actual fuck…
.
.
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CLOVER EBI, THE BETRAYED
.
.
.
Now he felt like he had the right to be afraid. Not only was he about to engage an extremely skilled opponent, likely the most dangerous he ever had to face… but this enemy also had all of his wits to him.
Which meant that outsmarting him was not going to be easy. Or even an option at all. It was likely going to have to come down to skill and physical attributes. Sometime ago, he would have said that he was outmatched. But now? Maybe now there was an actual chance…
For the physical part. The skill one he was completely out of his element.
Clover readied Kingfisher and threw it at him. Not even a moment to assess the situation? Weird…
Knowing that blocking the rod was simply going to end up with him without his shield, he flicked his wrist and parried the hook… or at least he tried. His opponent did the same thing, flicking his own weapon to make it come from a different direction. He tilted his head aside, letting pass, but he was quickly forced into a continuous game of dodging and parrying. They both had near limitless stamina, so they could possibly be stuck like this for a long time…
The difference was that Clover would have no problem continuing… while he had to hurry the hell up already before he became just like him. Was that the strategy?
Make him waste time?! This piece of absolute shit…
That was clever. And he hated it. With a snarl born of impatience, he planted his blade in the snow and took out Mors Renata, taking only a second to aim before firing wildly, to force the older man to reposition. It worked, at the expense of half of his bullets. He lost his cool there, damn it…
He repositioned his pistol in its sheath and took back Crocea Mors, running up to his opponent to avoid dealing with that bullshit again. Clover was expecting him, unfortunately. Because why wouldn't the expert huntsman expect these kinds of moves?
His sword crashed against his opponent's rod, the older man gasping at the pressure being applied to him. He probably remembered a different version of Jaune Arc…
One who wasn't capable of kicking his ass! He grinned, his bloodlust spiking up. He bashed his shield against Clover's solar plexus, receiving a headbutt in return that made him stumble backwards. He didn't even hesitate, taking out Vernal's aura and consuming it in one, fluent motion. The effect were instantaneous, but he was still slightly too slow to dodge the next attack. The hook scraped painfully against his chest. Jaune growled, actually growled, taking a hold of the weapon and drawing Clover in with a burst of strength, bonking his nose with the pommel of his sword. His power up definitely made sure to make it painful.
This… wasn't a fight between two huntsmen. It was a brawl for dominance between animals, barely even coherent, but still capable of thinking. It was uncouth, bloody and nothing like what he grew up thinking it would have been…
And he loved it.
Clover was of the same opinion.
"This! Like this! Give me all you've got, Arc! Show me what our Queen's gift is capable of doing!"
He shut him up with a punch. Things were not going well though.
He had dished out more than he took, for sure… but Clover was a lot more resistant than he was. More of this was simply going to end in failure. He had to get creative…
No. Not creative. He remembered Qrow's teachings and lessons, brief as they were. When in difficulty…
Go below the belt.
So, in an exaggerated show of losing their latest bout, he fell down on his knees, panting.
Clover tutted above him. He was actually just like Tyrian… too much like Tyrian even. It only made him even more mad.
"That's all?! That's what the Brave Huntsman is capable of?! Disappointing… I suppose that Queen Salem was worrying over nothing…"
He squatted down close to him, a maniacal smile on his face.
"Time to say goodnight then…"
Jaune grunted, grabbing a fistful of snow. It was no sand…
He turned around suddenly, throwing everything at Clover's eyes. It'll do.
The Turned screamed, clawing his eyes over his face to get rid of his affliction. And Jaune went ballistic.
His sword was too far away. He only had his shield. Good, it'll make everything more fun!
He kept the weapon in its shield form and started bashing Clover over the head. Again and again, with no sign of stopping.
Eventually, the older man fell on his butt. Jaune laughed and climbed over him, going right back to work. He swung down, using the sheet like a bat relentlessly, giggling at the shouts of pain of his opponent. Eventually the aura gave way to blood. Even after Clover was obviously dead, he continued, ignoring the wisps of smoke emanating from the corpse. He was having way too much fun.
.
.
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CORRUPTION ERADICATED
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.
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Obtained: Leader of The Elite's Aura
Aura once belonging to Clover Ebi, member of the military of Atlas and leader of the Ace Ops. Clover's death had been a violent one, seemingly betrayed by one of the few people he once called friend. He seems like that traumatic event caused him to develop a personality similar to his murderer's.
Use this Aura for a superior purpose and save Remnant!
In the end, he had to stop, as his opponent was done evaporating. He could feel his blood all over his body, warm and sticky.
He finally snapped out of his frenzy, having read the description of Clover's soul.
Betrayed… it wasn't exactly true… but these were the events from the older man's point of view. Biased and unfocused… poor man, he really just wanted to do what was best for Atlas. Even if he was doing it from the wrong side…
Don't worry sir… it's over now.
The wind picked up around him briefly, before disappearing altogether with the storm. Clover was the one that caused it? Or… maybe he wanted to hide while waiting for him?
And wouldn't you know, he was right at the center when the elements started swirling around. Lucky bastard, huh?
He used the white, fresh snow to clean his face from the bodily fluids, shivering in the meantime. He had completely lost his mind for a second there… the pull was getting stronger and stronger.
He needed to hurry up and finish. There's only so much that his friends can do to keep the infection at bay.
With a thundering sigh, he retrieved his lost sword, hooking everything back on his belt, before gripping his Proof of Passage. He had a feeling of what exactly he was going to find from the portal… but he had to be sure.
Barely a couple of minutes later, he was back inside Atlas Academy. He nodded to Roman while he went, before finding a surprise. Winter was standing right by the pedestal, apparently waiting for him.
"You made it. I'm glad. I was just about to come looking for you. I trust that you have accomplished what you set out to do?"
He nodded, approaching the pedestal and inserting Robin and Clover's auras. The porta whirred to life, showing the exact place that he was imagining.
The Schnee Manor. Of course. The only issue was that it was completely surrounded by Grimm. In the air, on the ground, under the ground as well he imagined. A thick, huge black wall, impenetrable by normal means.
The image changed to a ballroom. Or at least, what he figured was supposed to be a ballroom… but it was dark, eery and completely empty… except for one lonely figure.
Weiss was in the middle of it all, gurgling and trying to apparently speak. Or…
He listened better. He knew this rhythm, completely botched as it was. He could just hear inside of his head.
Mirror… tell me something…
Sing. She was trying to sing. But she couldn't.
The gurgling devolved into frustrated screaming, her crimson eyes snapping open and staring directly at him. The portal closed afterwards.
He had the who. He had the where. The only thing that he was missing… was the how.
How was he supposed to reach her?
Winter was silent beside him, likely trying to compute what she just saw.
"You weren't lying… Weiss was really… transformed into one of those monsters…"
He could detect the sorrow in her voice. Some semblance of emotion, at last! He probably shouldn't be joking around like this, but at least now she seemed somewhat human!
The elder sister pushed her lips together, before straightening back up. Aaaaand the humanity was gone…
"Allow me to be of assistance, Arc. I am perfectly capable of opening up a path to the mansion and getting you inside. I will not be able to follow you, as I will have to keep the Grimm out… so, I will be resting my sister's fate in your hand. I ask… that you free her of her torment. Please…"
Jaune nodded. That was the plan from the very beginning.
"Very well then. Thank you. Meet me outside when you are ready to begin… do hurry up, please…"
Winter walked away after that, sending a scathing glare to Roman, but otherwise ignoring him. Good thing as well, he still needed the man.
He adjusted the straps of his armor and made sure that his weapons were in a good enough condition. He still had around twenty bullets and more than enough Boosters.
He was as ready as he could ever be. His blood boiled at the prospect of yet another fight, replacing the usual dread that he would feel. Come one…
Come all.
Hello?! Is this thing on?! It is?! Noice.
Welcome back, dudes and gentleladies, to another episode of Auraborne, the show where mental health can only, inexorably decline.
We are close to the end of the Atlas arc and steadily approaching the start of the Vacuo arc… which will be a lot different than what we are used to seeing. This for several reasons, but I'll explain better once we get there. Wouldn't want to spoil anything!
Review responses!
merendinoemiliano: Thank you, always appreciate your input!
Essiter1987: I like to think that here, the time is even more critical. In most soulsborne stories, time is basically frozen, one could say. The treat of the "undead infection" usually happens when people lose their will and their objective, but the Turned infection can also be spread, like Robin and her group so kindly demonstrated.
Honestly, I don't know if I'm going to step away entirely. Maybe I'll start making more "slice of life" kind of stories, but nothing as long or as heavy as this. I like the theory of overarching narratives, but they are not easy to write, let me tell you that.
I agree with basically everything you said (even if I'm eternally going to be salty about Adam. He had so much potential…), and I actually didn't mind the Renora confession too much. Sure, I absolutely hate the reason, but it was kind of cute, if you squint. Mostly because I find Nora to be adorable, but I'm biased.
I kind of skipped 9. 8 had completely drained my will to watch the show. Maybe I'll see it later on, if I have to, but I'm honestly content to just let it rest. I need some sanity back.
Thank you for always being here, I really appreciate these conversations of ours!
behaartzas: The infection is something that has been building up for a bit, with light hints here and there (like Jaune's excessive violence in Argus' stealth section), but it kind of is reminiscent of the Bloodborne's paleblood, isn't it? Yeah, there was some inspiration there. Do not worry, the Vacuo Arc is already been planned out. And the villains are part of it… I could even go as far as to say that they will play a very centric role. But I'm not going to say more than that, you'll have to see for yourself when it'll be the time.
Multiple enemies bosses have already happened, but there are more in program, I promise.
That's all folks! Ta-ta for now!