Chapter 13: An Arc's Promise
Jaune's father had always told him that "An Arc never goes back on his promise."
Jaune had, till this point in time, tried to live up to that. Part of the reason he had even wanted to be a Huntsman was because of the stories of his family. There had always been something in him yearning to live up to that legacy.
To be a Knight like in a fairytale, he only needed to check his class screen to burst that bubble. He was a Shadow Knight. He had lied repeatedly to people; he was even lying to them now.
He had volunteered to join the White Fang to protect a girl he hadn't seen in years, all because his heart ached at the thought of her. He was now fourteen and had been for some time yet he still had no idea why his thoughts still drifted to her.
It was all so strange.
Jaune sighed as he stared at the night sky as the boat trudged its path over dark waters. You'd think after three years, he would have learned to mature slightly. To not leap before he looked, yet every time the moment appeared before him, he couldn't help himself.
He almost wondered if he should get himself checked over by a psychiatrist. See if he had finally cracked as his drive had outrun his mental sanity. Something that the Gamers Mind couldn't fix.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black shape emerge on the rooftop that resolved itself into Blake's form. He couldn't say he was particularly happy at the company. Maybe if it had been Ruby or Weiss, even Yang, he would have appreciated it, but Blake was at the center of his conundrum.
The daughter of the leader of Menagerie acting as part of the terrorist wing of the White Fang. Wasn't that something?
He supposed he should feel some kinship in a strange sort of way. He had left home, defying his family in pursuit of his dream. How different was he really from Blake?
Jaune frowned at that thought. Nothing good lay down that path.
Well, for one thing, as far as he could tell, Blake had no reservations about attacking a family of people, even if they were the Schnees. He wouldn't defend Jacques though he would never say his thoughts about the man to Weiss. You didn't need to open your eyes to wide to see what exactly the man who ran the company was like.
And he had left Weiss alone with him. He knew that Weiss had looked up to her sister, who was rarely home, but really, that was all she had besides Klein, her butler. You didn't need to sniff too hard to smell the wine on her Mother's breath, and Whitley had already been in the process of being molded by his Father's whims.
Jaune pressed two fingers to his brow, attempting to dismiss his dark thoughts.
He was stronger now than he had ever been. It would have to be enough to protect Weiss and prevent Blake from getting hurt.
He needed a distraction.
His Sense stat, as high as it was, would pretty much let him read in absolute darkness, which was perfect as he had recently grabbed another book of Ninjas of Love. It was stupid and a waste of time and also probably one of the few reasons his sanity was still not in the gutter after having spent so long on an Island without a connection to the CCT.
He flipped it open, looking for his spot.
His mind submerged into the book but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of the glances that Blake was shooting him. Glances that had started when he had pulled out his book.
Why was she biting her lip?
"I think that one is a return to form, personally," Blake said quietly.
Jaune blinked and looked up at the girl, "I'm sorry."
He saw Blake's cheeks flush slightly as she looked away from him, "The book," she said quietly.
Jaune blinked, looking down at the novel in his grip before, despite himself, his own cheeks flushed, "Eh hem, Uh, you know this book."
Blake nodded once, still not meeting his gaze.
"Uh yeah, it's good," Jaune replied somewhat lamely, "I mean, the characters are what really draw me in."
Blake's ears twitched, "They do?" she asked in the same monotone voice.
"Yeah," Jaune nodded, feeling his rusty social skills grinding against each other, "I usually end up reading to learn, so it can feel like somewhat of a burden to pick up a book again, but Ninjas of Love is different. The depth of the characters makes it so you feel like you're really immersed in the book, and you almost forget everything around you."
Blake didn't respond for a couple of long moments, and Jaune was desperately thankful for his hood covering his face as he felt his cheeks flush unwillingly.
They sat together for a while, and Jaune, despite himself, found that the sky was particularly entrancing tonight. With little light pollution around, the stars showed clearly, and the large broken moon hung in the sky.
Finally, Blake said something, though it wasn't what he was expecting. "I agree," she said softly.
At some point, she left afterward, and another day dawned and disappeared in quick succession, and he was once again joined in his reading on the rooftop.
Life took on a pattern till they arrived on the continent of Vale, where they had boarded a bullhead to make the trip to Atlas.
As they got closer, Jaune found himself using Gamers Mind, increasingly afraid that even the slightest thing would give him away.
He had already heard the mutters from some of the other White Fang recruits about how he had become known as something of a cold fish, but there wasn't really any other option. Better they think of him as a cold son of a gun than they start to doubt his dedication.
They were landing on the Flying City of Atlas under the cover of night. How that was going to prevent the excessive security from spotting them, he had no idea, but this was Adam's plan, not his. He couldn't help but wonder why Ghira hadn't shut this down. It was evident the man did not approve, yet he hadn't done anything.
Perhaps because of Blake. Any move that Ghira made would endanger Blake.
They exited the bullhead under cover of darkness and were dispersed to begin achieving their objectives. They weren't supposed to know each other's objectives, operating like a cell, so if one of them was caught, they wouldn't blow the plan wide open.
Except Jaune had spent a large amount of time under Stealth, hidden in the corner of the room Adam had commandeered.
From conversation and the paper maps Jaune had put together, there was one main target.
Winter Schnee.
He didn't know whether to be relieved or horrified. Weiss was seemingly safe, but Winter, who was the main company heiress, was in danger. One of the few family members who seemed to care about Weiss.
He had been instructed his role was to run distraction when the Schnee company forces and Atlas forces were summoned along with the other White Fang members. This was all to give Adam his opening to strike and take Winter Schnee down.
In good news, Adam was isolated in his role to attempt to take down Winter Schnee, and Jaune was entirely aware of how Adam was going to get in. In bad news, Jaune was sure he would have no real chance to stop Adam until he was directly above Winter as she walked to a board meeting.
He would have to be fast, and it was here that Jaune had taken a look at his ability points. There was no math here saving them was no longer an option. It wasn't just his own life on the line.
So he had dumped ten into each state and then a further ten to both Strength Agility and Intelligence, leaving him a single point.
That had gone to Luck. Maybe it was stupid, but he hoped that the gods would see it as what it was, an offering in a vague hope.
The stretching and tearing he had felt had almost been unbearable, but within seconds, he had felt far stronger than he had before, and with the Intelligence increase, he had begun to put his plan into action.
There was a reason he had boosted his Intelligence so much besides the fact that he had needed a plan. To do what he needed to do, he would not only need his summoned Grimm, but he would also need to take advantage of the fact that his Grimm, while unable to use Aura, could use his Mana pool.
He had slipped around the city invisible as he made his way ostensibly towards where he was supposed to stand position but instead dropped his Grimm off each disappeared under Stealth.
They were still a relatively small group, so he only needed to summon six Grimm to cover each position, each under the instruction to strike when the signal was given, preventing the White Fang from triggering their explosions that were supposed to distract the city of Atlas. Thankfully, Blake had not been given those instructions and was simply on guard duty to distract incoming forces, though that hadn't prevented Jaune from placing one of his Grimm to keep an eye on her.
While this happened, he had slipped in through the security of the Schnee Dust Company, which was apparently not up to the task of keeping out a magically hidden teenager.
He slipped through an overwhelming amount of steel hallways until he arrived at Winter's office, where her meeting would be taking place. It was there he had slipped away his old cloak and pulled out a new one that was pure white with a blank white mask along with a change of clothing to pure white garb. He double and triple-checked everything he wore.
Not a single part of him was exposed, and it was only then he pulled out a pair of spare short swords. Purchased today, they weren't quite right, but like hell, he was going to use his own weapons in front of Adam.
As they had gotten closer to their objective Adam had walked around with the air of someone about to accomplish their destiny. He had been horrifyingly gleeful as they approached, and it was disturbing to see the normally taciturn man with an almost gleeful smile on his face.
Even though he was not really talking to Adam, something just felt wrong with him. A confidence that verged on fanaticism. His interactions with Blake where he never seemed to be direct about what they were actually doing. Even how he talked to his subordinates like they were unthinking pawns in his greater scheme.
There was something simply off about him.
Slipping his short swords away, he pulled out the piece de resistance. Adam had given them access to a stolen armory of Atlas weapons, and under cover of darkness, Jaune had pulled out a sling of dust grenades.
Slipping the sleeve over him, he double-checked that his mana was all right, the passive regen slowing the inexorable drain.
He took a deep breath behind his mask as he settled himself in the corner of the room.
Time passed like each drop was only reluctantly being relinquished from the god's grip.
People in suits began to stream in, taking seats at the table and chatting among themselves before finally, a woman with white hair and a stark outfit consisting of white half-coat and slacks walked into the room.
It was like looking at an older version of Weiss, and for a moment, Jaune's breath caught in his throat.
Then things got worse because after Winter walked in, a girl was unmistakably the actual older Weiss Schnee.
Jaune's heart froze, and he couldn't breathe. He wanted to drop his Stealth right then and there and rip off his mask.
He felt it before he saw it. The flare of an aura as Adam burst forth from the ceiling aimed at Winter Schnee.
Gamers Mind submerged Jaune's on and the world turned into a simple equation. Even as Adam leaped at the Schnees, Jaune had already moved.
The floor cracked, and it was only that crack he was sure had alerted Adam in time before Jaune attempted to remove his head.
Even then, Adam's blade only barely interposed itself in time between Jaune's own weapon, and that didn't prevent him from getting blasted through a wall, careening away completely out of control.
Jaune landed gently on the table, aware that he was completely in full view of the entire room.
He reached into a pocket and tossed out a sheaf of paper that had once been on Adam's desk outlining the flaws that the White Fang was taking advantage of to breach the Schnee's security.
Winter Schnee had drawn her weapon and pointed it at him; Weiss had backed away slightly but placed her own hand on her weapon. The rest of the boardroom was looking at him in dead silence.
Schnee robots lined up against the wall had drawn their weapons and pointed them at him, "Intruder, Identify yourself."
Jaune sprang into action as bullets began firing, blocking each one in a blur of moves before kicking off the table through the hole in the wall he had just made.
Adam was already swinging, attempting to split him in half. Jaune spun his body over the blade into a kick that Adam had no time to block and instead was launched through another wall by sheer force.
Jaune didn't relent, swinging his blades around him in a buzzsaw-like motion as he blocked follow-up bullets from behind.
Jaune sprinted forward but only just managed to duck under a slash that aimed to take his head off. He spun away to his feet, locking gazes with Adam's mask to mask.
"Who the hell are you?" Adam spat out fury, making his words almost indecipherable.
Like hell, he was going to say something and give a voice for Adam to identify him.
He sprinted forward, and they locked blades.
Metal clashed and gleamed as each side fought to take the other's life. A storm of light erupted as red clashed with gold, flaring wildly.
The next kick Jaune launched landed against Adam's blade, which Jaune noted gleamed red at the contact.
Jaune's eyes narrowed behind his mask, but he remained silent as the grave spun into another slash. These blades he was using weren't up to the same standard as his other ones, he noted. Even with his aura infusing them, they simply weren't as high quality.
They spun through the building, but gradually, their path was getting crowded as Atlesian robots stormed in and began to open fire. While Jaune didn't really want to cut down the robots, they were using him as an equal-opportunity target, and he noted that with every bullet, Adam's deflected red would shimmer across his blade.
He grits his teeth, increasing the pace of his blows, creating thundershocks of gold as he presses Adam harder, half of his blows cleanly landed and the other half being defected by Adams's blade.
What happened next, he attributed to sense more than anything else.
Adam flashed red, and Jaune rolled his body in mid-air as suddenly the part of the building behind Jaune exploded.
Even though Jaune had just barely dodged, he was still buffeted and sent skittering across the ground till he rolled to his feet.
To come face to face with Adam, who was looking at him with a somehow visible contempt that Jaune could see through his mask.
"Even if you stop me today. I won't ever stop. I can't be stopped. The curve of this world bends towards justice, and I will have it. The Schnees will die no matter what you do."
Despite his words, Jaune could see that Adam was struggling to stand, and his red aura was flickering. Adam wouldn't be making good on his threats today, yet his words clawed at Jaune's heart.
Gamers Mind had only one solution to the threat it saw before him.
Removal.
His body moved not of his own will. Air cleaved, and his hands swept forward. Red light cracked and opened, and suddenly, his dagger was in Adam's heart.
The mask stared at him like Death's face looking at him somehow in surprise, mouth open as blood began to dribble out.
"How?" a mumbled, gasping whisper.
Jaune looked at the man, and the cold rationality vanished, left with one feeling pity. This was a man who had believed in saving the Faunus. He had seen the way the other White Fang members had looked at Adam. Like he was a hero.
"You've doomed us all," Adam choked out before finally his body went limp.
Jaune let go of the daggers he was holding, looking blearily around as he realized he was in what looked like a bombed-out room as the Schnee robots had filed in, pointing their weapons at him intermixed with Atlesian soldiers.
One stepped forward, the commander possibly, "Stand down. Prepare to be placed under arrest."
Jaune looked at his blood-soaked hand uncomprehending before Gamers Mind filtered through him and reduced all his thoughts to one.
He needed to get out of here.
He looked at the commander and, with a thought, vanished, ignoring the cries of the people at his disappearance.
He leaped out through the destroyed hole in the wall falling with little grace and his body shouldering as he hit the ground. He sprinted away, running from everything.
Jaune wasn't sure how long he ran. At some point, he had reached the edge of the city of Atlas and leaped off only to land on summoned Nevermore under the same Stealth he was under. He flew, reaching the ocean and only then releasing his Stealth.
The summons he had left in the city told him that the rest of the White Fang members had already fled the city in the mayhem, and he had dismissed all but one, which would hover around Blake to make sure she made it home. Blake herself seemed almost catatonic, his Grimm observed from the bullhead, staring off into space.
He wondered what they would think happened to him. Caught and executed like Adam? He didn't know he wasn't sure he cared.
Cool air ripped over his face, freed from his mask. He had switched back to his original clothing, leaving the clothing of Adam's killer in his inventory.
What had happened?
He had never lost control like that. It shouldn't have been possible. Even as he replayed what happened over again in his head a dark weight was settling into his gut.
He had seen no other option than to kill Adam. Gamers Mind had crunched the facts down to their essence and decided Adam's existence was too much of a threat.
Could he even safely use Gamers Mind again?
Cold air buffeted him as his summoned Nevermore tirelessly carried him through the skies.
Further, they soared over the ocean, and he stared blankly at the sky, unsure of what to do. Atlas was right out. He couldn't go back to Kuo Kana after everything he didn't think he could face them again. He supposed he could return to Patch, but he couldn't think to do so in the end. Seeing Ruby and Yang as the monster he feared he was now?
Could he go back to his family?
He supposed if he never wanted to leave again.
More than anything else, he needed someone to talk to, and he didn't know why, but his mind landed on Ozpin. Not that anyone really understood his abilities, but Ozpin had known at least they were Magic.
It wasn't a good idea, but it was the one he had.
He resigned himself to flying for the foreseeable future.
He hadn't exactly dozed off, but it was with startingly awareness that he realized he was over the Kingdom of Vale as he looked at the landmass below him. On he soared, eventually seeing the stretch of Vale out before him that he carefully curved around.
No need to risk getting shot down, he curved around, taking the path over Forever Falls till he reached the outskirts of Beacon. He could see the gleaming towers below him. With a mental shrug, he let his steed dissolve, and suddenly, he was in free fall.
He cut through the air at high speed, cutting like an arrow toward the ground before; with a mental shrug, he raised a hand above his head and conjured his shield, dragging against the air harshly and slowing his fall.
He landed against the ground, recovering into a roll.
He had picked the cliffs he had seen on the outskirts, and he noted in the back of his mind a bunch of strange pads set into the ground.
Jaune strolled across the ground that had long since been padded flat. Looking around Beacon, he was struck by the beauty of the school. He had been here before, so he simply followed memory, walking amongst the students who, even though they were older he realized he was taller than most of them.
Perhaps that height was why no one gave him a second glance as he walked to the old elevator he remembered going up with Qrow so long ago. He hammered the same button and stood in the elevator, staring blankly at the wall.
The elevator came to a halt, and he walked into Ozpin's office to see the man himself looking out a window while a blonde woman Jaune had to admit was rather striking, talked to him.
"The budget for- "She stopped and turned as he entered, looking at him, "Shouldn't you be in class young man?"
Jaune blinked and then, despite himself, chuckled though the sound held no real humor, "I don't really go here."
The woman frowned and made to respond, but Ozpin had already turned and was looking at him, his brow furrowing as he took in Jaune's appearance.
"Jaune, I didn't expect to see you so soon."
Jaune paused and looked at Ozpin in thought for a moment, "I imagine not."
The woman turned to Ozpin, "Ozpin, do you know this young man?"
"Yes," Ozpin took a sip from his drink, surveying Jaune with a penetrating gaze, "Though I don't know why he's here right now."
That was a leading statement if Jaune had ever heard one, "A lot has happened," he said, not sure what he should say in front of the woman.
"Glynda has my full confidence," Ozpin stated simply.
Jaune worried his lip as he looked between the two; he really wasn't sure what to say; this had seemed easier in his head. Unfortunately, now that he stood here, he wasn't sure what to say.
Ozpin looked at him with a far too clear glance as if seeing every foible in his material.
Eventually, Ozpin spoke, "Your great-great grandfather's statute stands outside this academy. Did you know that?"
Jaune blinked and then frowned as he looked at Ozpin, "That's him?"
"Oh yes," Ozpin nodded, "The records say he was quite the man. He was a general who, it was said, would always do what was right. He once held an entire front by himself, giving his man the time to retreat. No matter how hard the force opposing him tried, they were unable to bring him down. His aura could seemingly take anything they threw at it. The same was true of his father, his father before them. Your family has a long line of heroes."
Jaune snorted, "Heroes huh?"
He had heard it before, and he had believed it. Before this had all began he had wanted to be like them. Before, he had been too weak. Now… he didn't know what he was.
"Do you not believe they were heroes?" Ozpin asked lightly.
Jaune paused as he formed his words, and then he responded, "Heroes are the fairytales we tell our kids. I should know my family told me plenty of them. Whatever my forefathers are, I'm not them."
A long moment of silence stretched between them.
"Indeed you are not," Ozpin said solemnly, and Jaune blinked looking the man in deeply sad eyes, "I think though that is for the best. Right now, I want to talk to a young man named Jaune Arc who looks at me as if the weight of several worlds were on his shoulders."
Jaune took a deep breath, steadying himself and resisting the urge to reach for his Gamers Mind.
"I failed. I said no one was going to get hurt, and I failed. I lost control."
"By whose standards did you fail?" Ozpin asked.
Jaune's brow furrowed as he stared at the man.
"I believe you Arc's have a statement that you never go back on your word. I assume that is part of your distress."
Hesitantly, Jaune nodded.
"So, where exactly did you fail?"
Jaune stared at the floor, "There was someone who was going to hurt people. People I cared about. I couldn't let him. We fought, and I…"
The words strangled in his throat.
"Was he the person that you promised to protect?" Ozpin asked.
Jaune looked up, frowning at him, "Not specifically, but I said no one was going to get hurt. I had to stop him, but I didn't want him to die."
"That's quite the promise to make," Ozpin said softly, taking a sip from his mug.
"You don't understand," Jaune was getting angry, "I made a promise. I've given up everything to get where I am now. To become a Hunter, to be a Hero like forefathers. I've lied. I've abandoned people. I… I'm losing myself." Jaune trailed off, looking down at the ground.
Silence stretched between them again before Ozpin spoke softly, "I knew another boy like you. A different background, to be sure, but somewhere along the way, he picked up ideals similar to yours. When his Sister abandoned him and everything they had attempted to build together, he stood here like you. I'm not sure if he's ever recovered. Still, I hope the words I said to him can reach you now."
Ozpin set down his mug and gazed directly into Jaune's eyes, "Your mistakes will only break you if you let them."
"I-" Jaune wanted to yell back, to scream, but something about those eyes reached something in him. They reminded him of a long-dead grandfather who had given him his dream.
It was strange, he thought, how unbearably old Ozpin's eyes looked.
The words shouldn't have reached him. In fact, he was sure that there was no reason he should listen.
Yet from the beginning, he had refused to listen to people, most of all his family. He had a dream, and nothing was going to take that from him.
"Will you be broken, Jaune Arc?" Ozpin asked softly.
Jaune searched within himself, something he realized, ironically, none of his stats could help with. He looked at the ground and found himself staring at his weapon that was strapped to his leg. He had forged the weapon to protect people, an extension of his will.
He still could. After everything that had been said and done, could he give up?
He didn't know, but he knew at least where he needed to go, "I need to go home."
Stats:
Name: Jaune Arc
Class: Shadow Knight
Level: 22
HP: 700
AP: 7000
Mana: 8000
Strength: 70
Agility: 70
Health: 60
Sense: 60
Intelligence: 80
Luck: ?
Available Ability Points: 0
Skills:
Gamers Mind: Level Max
Dancing: Level 50
General Studies: Level 42
Hunter Martial Arts: Level 15
Hunter Dagger Arts: Level 38
Hunter Sword Arts: Level 31
Hunter Shield Arts: Level 25
Aura Control: Level 37
Shadow Extraction: Level 17
Hunter Gun Arts: Level 14
Stealth: Level 10
Knight's Shield: Level 6
Dust Channeling: Level 3
Survival: Level 3
Inventory:
Crocea Mors
Hunters Daggers
Clothing
Assorted Food Supplies
Ninjas of Love: Volume 1
Camping Equipment
Notes: So that about wraps up the first Arc (Heh Arc). We still have a little bit to go before we're at Beacon and a number of threads to wrap up, but we are finally in that phase. I promise this story is not going to be abandoned, and I am sorry for the long wait this chapter has been. I have been working on my original work for a while, and if anyone wants to check that out, they can check out NFKipp on RoyalRoad, which also has a link to my website.
Also I promise a little bit more humor in the coming chapters. We don't need a completely depressed Jaune.
Next time: Chapter 14: An Arc's Word
