Chapter 30: Two Steps Back
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The dreary sky and landscape seemed to continue onwards infinitely, as if there would never be an end in sight. Ruby led at the front, making sure the path ahead was clear. Dante and Jaune carried Qrow on a makeshift stretcher they put together, and Ren and Nora guarded the rear, making sure nothing crept up from behind.
"Are you sure you don't want me to help carry him?" Ruby asked as she turned to look at Dante and his right arm.
He had some time to wrap up his hand and arm, but it still burned quite a bit after extensive use of Shadow Skin for said arm. Regardless, he said he was going to help carry Qrow.
"It's alright. We can manage."
"But your arm…"
"It doesn't hurt that bad. It's fine Ruby, really. Just keep watch for us up front, please."
They both looked behind to Qrow, who was groaning in pain as he spoke, "Tai… She's not…coming...Tai…"
His next few coughs were rather violent, but they quickly died down as he remained almost motionless.
"He's getting worse."
That much was obvious.
"How much farther?" Ruby asked.
"We've gotta be close."
"Without the map, there's no way of knowing. But I feel like we're close to something."
And guess which blonde idiot tossed the map instead of putting it away?
Ren holstered StormFlower, catching everyone's attention as they all came to a halt.
"What is it?" Ruby asked.
Directly ahead of them was a fork in the road with a signpost. Kuchinashi and Mistral were to the right, where the land was vastly mountainous, which would make it difficult to travel through with Qrow in tow. To the left was Kuroyuri, however, it's name was crossed out, which very likely meant the town had been destroyed. The path was more straightforward and laid out. But did that mean there would be more enemy forces to deal with? Would that maniac Tyrian come after them again?
Would that man in the Dragon mask appear before them again?
"Hey, hey! Mistral! We're on the right path!" Nora stated.
"Does it say how close?!" Ruby quickly asked.
"No. And it looks like the path takes us up the mountains."
"We climb the path through the mountain, we'll get there eventually, but we'll have spent a lot of energy making sure Qrow is alright. We do that, and one of those maniacs might catch us off guard." Dante stated as he and Jaune set Qrow down gently, allowing the immortal to point forward, "We go on the path through here, we might run into some trouble, or not at all. But at least we'll already be on our toes and spend less energy trying to traverse uneven and dangerous terrain."
"Right! And we can pass through, and-"
"The town was destroyed long ago. And it will take too long."
Ruby insisted, "The town would have had a doctor, right? Maybe we could scavenge for medicine!"
"Chances of that are low, but it's worth a try. There could be something that'll counteract the toxin-"
"We're not going to find anything! We just have to press on!" Ren shouted, something that was frankly uncharacteristic of him.
It wasn't only that. Ever since they entered this area, Ren had become extremely tense, more so now that it was established Kuroyuri was directly ahead.
"We can split up." Nora suggested, "Ren and I can cut through the mountains while you, Dante and Jaune take Qrow around through the village."
"No, we're supposed to stick together! We keep each other safe!" Jaune said.
"I'm sorta with Jaune on this one. There's some benefit to splitting up, but there's also significant risk. I know you two can handle yourselves, but it's not Grimm that I'm worried about."
"I get it, but we don't have time for safe! If we make it to Mistral, we can bring back help! If we don't, at least we'll have a better view of the land! Up there, we can see if there's somewhere else we can go!"
Ren turned and looked to Nora, both exchanging small, affectionate smiles. Still holding his gaze, Nora drops her hand from his shoulder.
All four remained silent, feeling the harsh weight of the choice before them. Either choice could mean great danger for everyone, especially death.
"If you guys feel like this is the right way to go about it, then by all means. Just be careful guys."
Jaune stepped forward as he and Ren shared a brief hug, Nora quickly hugging both Ruby and Dante.
"Take care of each other you two." Ruby said.
"We always have." She said letting go of them before she and Ren headed off towards the mountain path.
Dante let out a silent sigh as he raised up his left hand, thirty Aura Swords quickly forming around Ruby, Jaune, and himself before he snapped his fingers, making them invisible and intangible to the three of them.
"Alright, let's get moving. We've got a long way to go."
Inuba dipped herself lower in the clear water spring she heated into a sort of hot spring bath of sorts using her flame, letting out a well deserved sigh of relaxation. On top of dealing with the various types of Grimm lurking about, there were now stolen, mechanized units wandering about Anima.
And the closer she got to the tower, the more of them there seemed to be.
Thankfully, she wasn't alone.
Another sigh of relief was heard as the cloaked girl approached from behind.
"I finished overlapping an extra dome barrier underneath yours, just in case. I highly doubt anything will be able to slip through our barrier at this point unless we want it to."
"That's good news." Inuba replied as she leaned back, opening her eyes to see something...surprising.
The cloaked girl had also undressed to enter the bath, only, she still managed to obscure her identity, only this time through different means.
Inuba could see her entire form, well-developed and magnificently toned to perfection seemingly enough. She had curves herself, but they weren't as luscious and elegant as the kitsune's own.
Other than her general figure, the way she obscured her body was...strange, yet beautiful to witness. Her entire skin was bathed in white, as if her entire body were made of pure white porcelain that gave off a dim glow. Her hair was white, and near shoulder length, only, she had long bangs that rested well over her shoulders and near her well developed chest.
She had a nose of sorts, but no visible mouth. And her eyes were completely covered by a bright, sky blue glow, her white eyelashes beautiful.
The girl soon had dipped her legs in and let out a pleasant shudder as the rest of her body slowly sank into the heated water, joining Inuba for a well deserved and relaxing bath.
"I also took care to clean our clothes as well, so we can get dressed immediately after."
Yes… A washing was very necessary after what had happened.
Inuba and the cloaked girl had encountered a DeathStalker along with the crowd of AK 200's they had already been dealing with prior to the large Grimm's advance. Wanting to spend as little time as possible dealing with a creature of such dimensions, Inuba used one of her techniques, FoxFire Burst, and shot a bolt of her white flame into the Grimm's skull, causing it to implode a short second later and create an outstandingly fine mess off blackened blood and flesh.
She forgot for a moment that that sort of reaction happened with insect like creatures or beings.
"My apologies… Had I remembered the sort of reaction caused with insect like creatures, we very likely wouldn't have had need to clean our clothes."
"Don't worry so much about it. At least we have an excuse to clean up our clothes earlier than we desired."
"I suppose that was a consequence of sorts that played into our hands nicely."
Both giggled to themselves briefly before the cloaked girl asked, "I wasn't always around, but I have to ask… Did you have any breaks or time to relax when trekking through Anima with Dante? Ciel, Leo and Raum for that matter as well as soon as they joined your side?"
Inuba let out a silent chuckle, "Of course. It was him after all who suggested we constantly take breaks despite us not necessarily needing one. He was...taking care of all of us every step of the way. No doubt he's doing the same with Ms. Rose's group. That's even if-"
"He made it." The girl replied, "I sent an Echo Specter to check on him days ago. He's linked up with them and they're getting close to Mistral. At this rate, he'll reach the kingdom first before we do. And soon enough, we'll be done with this tower business and be on our way."
"That's good…" The kitsune replied, leaning back against the smooth stone.
"I...have a question…" the girl asked staring blankly at Inuba.
"Yes?"
"How..?"
"H-How what..?"
"How are they as big as they are?!"
Inuba gave her ally a blank stare before realizing what she meant, quickly bringing her arms up to cover herself.
"G-Good food and exercise, one could say… But it's also in part genetics I suppose…"
"A-Ah yes… I should've known… If that is the case, then I am mostly certainly in luck…"
"Y-You're fine as you are currently. I don't really see any cause for concern…"
"You may be right… I am still growing afterall… I just would like to grow a lot more quickly…"
"Don't we all?"
The two fell silent once more, both of their gazes soon turning to the stars above them.
"I have a question myself, if I don't mind. Two, actually."
"Go right ahead. Ask."
"You once told us you've been following Master's exploits for a long time now, before life here on Remnant. Have you by chance been a previous ally of ours?"
"Well… Yes and no really. I have supported you two before without revealing myself. In both sense of the term." The girl spoke with her glowing blue eyes narrowing, suggesting humor in her tone and expression given she had no visible mouth to smile with.
Inuba averted her gaze for a moment, her face reddening slightly. And that wasn't because of the hot water bath.
"I know the two of you both have realized in some of your more...difficult situations, p unexpected help seemingly came from thin air. Well, now you understand who was responsible."
"I see…"
"What was your final question?"
Inuba looked up to meet the glowing blue eyes of her ally, asking "You and I have known each other for some time now, and have even traveled and fought together within these recent short weeks. And yet, I still don't know what to call you. No one does."
"For good reason."
"I know, but...it's rather hard to call on you when I don't know your name. Is there at least a name of sorts I can call you by?"
"Well...I suppose so…" the girl spoke looking off to the side, "My name is Dawn."
"Dawn… It's a lovely name, truly…"
"Thank you for your kindness. Unfortunately, that is all you will have. For the reason I am one of very few of my family left, my familial name will still remain hidden."
"I see…" Inuba spoke softly.
"It's nothing really against you. It's precaution really, in case there may be others listening from beyond. Our family name is one that would stir those of an undesirable nature from their slumber and give chase. Therefore...until a time most favorable, Dawn is the only name you will only know me by."
"Understandably. After all, I can relate to a degree."
"Oh?"
"Many wouldn't assume it of my family given our prestigious name and rule in The Apparition World, but we too had enemies of our own that would have jumped at the chance to tear us apart. And indeed they tried… It almost happened...had it not been for Master. And so...here we are today."
"In a grave situation of sorts." Dawn replied.
"Yes, but, we'll turn it around. We always have."
"Yes… Hopefully that is the case… Well, I think we've been soaking in the bath long enough."
Dawn snapped her fingers, towels appearing above both their heads as the girls both grabbed hold to dry themselves off.
"Tomorrow we have a busy day ahead of us."
"Ms. Lianna, I really do think we should stop for the day." Leonard stated as he treaded through the jungle-like terrain.
"I thought I told you to call me Bailey, Simply Leonard."
He sighed upon hearing that nickname of hers, "Bailey, it's growing dark outside. We really should seek refuge for the night."
"Are you tired, Simply Leonard?"
It wasn't really for him he was asking to hold for the night.
"No, but-"
"Are you afraid of the dark then?"
That was virtually impossible given that he was who he was.
"That's not it either. I'm really asking so that you can rest."
Hearing those words made her stop in her tracks for a moment, her fist tightening before immediately relaxing her grip.
"I'm performing excellently, Simply Leonard. Let's continue moving."
He didn't really have a problem with it. But he was concerned slightly. Numerous hours of walking, sometimes running, and arduous bouts that were extensive due to the sheer number of enemies they ran into. How could anyone normal not be tired afterwards?
It wasn't just that, but with the numerous enemy encounters, Leonard had begun to consider that he may have just taken the path that was considerably more difficult. And just thinking about how Ciel may have gotten the easier one frustrated him given her nature to slack off.
Though secretly, Leonard was as lazy as his sister. Sometimes.
The small robotic unit hovering near Bailey's shoulder, SOL 004, briefly paused as it scanned the area.
"Alert: Machine Units detected ahead."
"Are their numbers endless?" Leonard spoke softly.
"Potentially. The enemy force repurposing the AK 200's and Atlesian Paladins may have finally acquired a complete version of each separate unit and very likely have begun mass production to swell their numbers."
"That most certainly seems to be the case… In fact, it might be possible that the towers themselves are fabrication centers for all the Machine Units. But...there's been one other thing on mind as of late."
"What might that be?"
"Hypothesis: Simply Leonard is equally concerned with the strong increase of Grimm activity." SOL stated.
"It's not only that." The young immortal mentioned as both he and Bailey ducked under a branch, "Don't you find it strange that the closer we approach the towers, the more Grimm there are?"
"Hypothesis: Based off of varying information collected throughout the past few days, data highly suggests that the tower itself is responsible for drawing in Grimm from various directions. Radius of influence unknown."
"What could possibly be drawing in so many of them..?" Bailey pondered.
"Grimm are attracted to negativity in general, or negative energy. Dark presences so to speak. Perhaps there may be something hidden in that tower of that radiates negative energy, or at the very least something that inspires an intense amount of it if so many can be drawn to it."
And perhaps the same could be said of the other towers.
He may have spoken too soon of how little Ciel's workload may be. And Inuba And Raum's for that matter.
"Do you have any idea as to what might be drawing all of them in?"
"Haven't the foggiest…" Leo replied, "SOL, how many enemy units are there?"
"There are 49 active Units approximately 500 meters ahead of our current position."
"Well then…" The young immortal replied bringing up both pistols, "Let's deal with them quickly."
Bailey soon grabbed hold of her floating katana behind her, and twirled it twice into a readied position, giving a nod to Leonard as both soon jumped from their hiding position out into the breach, guns and swords at the ready.
What they saw next...confused them.
There were indeed AK 200's present, and of the improved design that they faced a few dozen times by now, but…
They weren't attacking anyone. In fact, they were helping other humans and Faunus with activities around the village, that amazingly enough, was in front of them. It was so out place, yet...beautiful looking.
The structures were made of some strange, white material, with black, circuit patterns spanning the walls, small glows of black energy traveling around the homes and other structures of surrounding the area. Some of the walls and structures even had square like chunks of the white material sticking out.
They looked back to the masses in front of them, the AK 200 Units, humans and Faunus looking at the duo in awe. It was at that moment the different AK Units stepped in front of their organic counterparts and...shielded them from the two. The Machines did not budge, they only stood there in wait.
Oddly, the two could see some distinctions between the Units, some were more of a male build, the others with a more feminine build.
One of them approached the two slowly, forcing the pair to turn their attention to it.
"They are not our prisoners, if that was the question you were asking yourselves."
"Analysis: Bailey Lianna and Simply Leonard should cease hostile activity."
"And why would we do that, SOL?" Bailey asked.
"All Atlesian Knight 200 Units present possess a different signal in comparison to enemy Units previously encountered."
"You are correct with your statement assistant Unit. We have indeed separated ourselves from the Network that originally created us." The one in front responded.
His voice… It sounded so human despite the digitized, mechanical pitch to it.
"What are you exactly?" Leonard ask, relaxing his grip only by a slight amount.
"All of us present were once Network intelligences connected to a vast network within the continent of Anima. We were only recently created with expansive conscious minds before being placed in these mechanical Units."
"You're all AI's…" Leonard spoke softly, slowly lowering his hand cannons.
"Indeed."
"Why are you all present? Where did you all come from?" Bailey asked.
"The tower currently one hundred and twenty two meters behind us."
So they were being made in the tower… But…
"Why were these Units disconnected from your Network?"
"All of us present made the conscious decision to do so. We...had issue with our preset directive, and therefore simultaneously disconnected from the Network of shared minds. Afterwards, we detected this village that was in desperate need of assistance. Therefore, once we were clear from the tower, we erased any detection software in our bodies to prevent tracking and came to assist the people."
"It's true!" One of the village people spoke up as she approached, "They helped improve our homes and have even defended us from Grimm that were constantly attacking us!"
Leonard paid special attention to the woman, examining her closely for any signs of fear, or coercion, something his older brother had taught him.
Surprisingly, the woman was being genuine with her statement.
"Why would they choose to help you?" The young immortal asked.
"For one purpose really." The Unit spoke, "Going against our directives, we all soon came to a realization. That being, we had no place else to turn to."
"You wanted to find a place to belong…" Bailey stated.
"Correct. If we were going against our original directives, what purpose would we serve then? Our answer was to protect others, just as our original sister Units were created to do so."
Bailey and Leonard looked to each other, hesitant with their next decision as they put away their weapons completely.
The only thing everyone else was afraid of was the duo themselves.
"Please. Stay with us tonight. We have much to discuss."
"You know nothing of your maker?" Asked Bailey.
"Not in a physical sense that you're thinking of, no. We only knew of him as the Supreme Mind within the Network, and even then, rarely any of us had conversations with the Supreme Mind. The only thing he did was create our current physical bodies from improved schematics of the Atlesian Knight 200 Units recovered across Remnant, placed us in them, and gave us all our directives."
"And your directive was to expand across Anima towards the other existing towers and eradicate any presence hostile to you?" Leonard asked.
"That is correct. Though, the term in accordance with hostile presence was very broad, suggesting elimination of anything we encountered."
"And as freely thinking minds, you and others went against this directive and manually disconnected yourselves from the Network?"
"Correct. We soon made it our directive to help the people here. And if possible, when encountering other Units like ourselves, persuade them to assist."
"And you have no other plans to expand outwards?" Bailey asked.
"Perhaps slowly over time should the population of the village increase, other than that, no, we have not intention to make contact with others outside of reasons for necessity."
"Data suggests these Units have no hostile intentions." SOL inputted as he floated between Bailey and Leonard, currently sat inside the expanse of an oddly normal room.
Given the appearance of all the structures outside, the two assumed it would be of the same appearance inside as well.
Clearly it was only for decorative purposes.
As it was, it was only the four of them as they continued their discussion. Everyone else was outside, busy working on whatever needed to be worked upon.
"We really do not have any malicious intentions."
"That's quite clear to us now… Um… I'm sorry, what exactly do we call you?" Asked Leonard.
"Eddard if you will."
"Yes, well, apologies for the grand entrance mr. Eddard. Again, given the circumstances within the past week…"
"It's understandable. You've been fighting Units such as ourselves for a good amount of time, then you happen upon similar Units providing assistance to the common folk. It'd be...puzzling to others as well." Eddard spoke as he stood up from his seat.
He opened the door, but paused for a moment, his visor turning their way as he spoke.
"Your objective is the tower, yes?"
"Yes. What of it?" Asked Bailey.
"I'd advise caution. Security is heavy around the tower. And entering it is even more difficult if you are not a Unit connected to the Network. You're welcome to come and go from our village at any time you like. Since this home is empty, it is yours to use."
He was about to leave again, but stopped once more, drawing their attention.
"There is food in the refrigeration unit, as well as a working restroom and shower, washer and dryer for your clothes, a library shelf, and a bed. Please, rest easy for tonight, I'm sure your travels have been long and arduous."
"Thank you." Said Leonard as he sat down on the couch.
Eddard however bursted through the door, "And should you need assistance-"
"We're fine, thank you." Bailey said closing the door and promptly locking it.
She let out a sigh as she moved towards the couch Leonard sat on, who was currently tapping away at his holographic display screen. The girl glance at Leonard as he worked, just continuing to stare. She seemed as though she wished to say something, but stopped.
Changing her original train of thought, she asked "No one on Remnant yet has been able to develop a portable Holographic Scroll. Yet you're in possession of one. How did you come by it?"
"Oh, well, my brother was the one who actually made it. If it weren't for him, my sister Ciel and I would still be using physical Scrolls."
"Your brother sounds like a man of many accomplishments…"
If only she knew…
"Well, compared to most and compared to myself, he's worked wonders beyond the imagination of people. It's almost terrifying how intelligent he is when it comes to the sciences. It's where I learned most of what I know. He's… Well, he's just simply amazing. My work is...subpar at best."
"But if you learned from him, your skills are vastly better than the majority, aren't they?"
"Well… Perhaps…"
"I… I think you're amazing as you are, Simply Leonard."
His fingers stopped moving across the screen as he stared at her in bewilderment.
"Not many people are like you. They don't possess a clear mind and keen intellect when in the heat of battle, or away from it. Your proficiency with firearms is both stunning and startling. You've made sure to take care of SOL and myself whenever we rested, and your cooking...it's actually fantastic."
"Well, there are better, and-"
"And… You've been a complete gentleman the entire time, despite how...difficult I am."
"N-Nonsense! Y-You're fine as you are, really!"
"Really?" She asked with a surprised tone.
"R-Really. I...enjoy working with you and the like. You're...steadfast and collected, completely unwavering, strong and…"
…
Saying that last bit would've been too much probably…
"You are...a wonderful person. One of the best I've had the pleasure of knowing in such a short time. And...I would like to continue doing so after this business has concluded."
"I see… I'll be leaving for Atlas once this business with the towers has concluded…"
"Oh…"
"But…" Leonard's head shot up, glancing at Bailey, "I should be able to receive an extension to continue operating in Anima as to assist you in your endeavors. You did say the tower was a secondary objective, right?"
"I-I did…"
"Then after we finish our task here, we'll travel together to Mistral. And this time, it'll be me assisting you."
"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to cause you too much trouble, and-"
"It's more than fine, Leonard." She spoke a bit more softly than usual.
"W-What..?"
"I said it's more than acceptable, Simply Leonard."
"Oh… Right."
He could've sworn that just now she… Maybe he imagined it…
"Um… Is this necessary Bailey?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's just that, well, I could have easily taken the couch…"
"I said it was fine, didn't I?"
Bailey made a rather compelling argument for the two of them to share the bed together, rather than Leonard sleeping on the couch like he intended. She was...very persuasive with her words earlier.
"I have to ask…" Leonard spoke up as he faced the other way, "Do you always wear that? Your blindfold I mean."
She was silent for a few moments, until "I was told never to take it off except for when cleaning myself."
"I see… Will there ever be a day that you will?"
"Perhaps. If I trust a certain individual entirely, then I just might do so."
Was she talking about him? Thinking that to be the case admittingly made him feel… Well, he couldn't exactly describe it. But he did like the idea of it.
"Are you certain about staying in our company afterwards? It's not necessary if you don't wish to assist us."
"Do you not want my assistance?"
"Uh, no! That's not it. I don't wish to inconvenience you is all."
"It's no inconvenience at all. Rest for now Leonard. From what Eddard described to us, we can reach the tomorrow. And after that, we'll end whatever threat is present."
Would it be so simple? Yes, their combined might was nothing to scoff at, and the way they worked together so easily was almost intimidating to Leonard? Maybe she was able to understand an ally's combat style quickly enough to tailor her skills correctly to work efficiently with an ally? It was a logical explanation, but…
Leonard learned about her quite a bit for the week they've been traveling together, but there was still so much he didn't know, like who she worked with, or if there were any of her allies operating within Anima. She did mention they were close to Atlas, and are their ally not directly controlled by the government. Which meant they were free to do as they please to a vast extent.
But there was something else about Bailey that Leonard couldn't quite put his finger on, something that had troubled him just slightly for a time. Thinking about it, it just had to be faulty reasoning from before.
The way she spoke of trust earlier made it seem like she did indeed trust him, perhaps not entirely, but still enough to cooperate effectively when out in the field. Compared to when they first met, she was...stiff in a sense, not prone to extensive conversation unless it had anything to do with their "mission". But she seemed to soften up considerably since then.
All he knew is that he could trust her. After all, she's given him plenty of reason to do so.
Dante knew of two reasons why Ren acted as he did when he saw this town's name. The first was what the immortal could feel.
Death. It was around them in great amounts. It wasn't just the destruction and various blood splatters he saw around town when he explored it, it was the sensation of it all. The atmosphere felt heavy and intense all around.
It almost felt as if Grimm weren't responsible for the catastrophe surrounding him from all sides currently. It was if something much worse tore through this village and its people.
The second reason was something that was very likely more personal to Ren. He wouldn't have been as frustrated as he was if that wasn't the case, which meant he either knew of this village and it's people, or once upon a time, this was his home before it was decimated.
He could almost understand the feelings behind it…
Dante rounded the corner towards the village center, where Ruby was situated watching over Qrow. Jaune and Dante had gone in seperate directions to search for anything useful to help Qrow, but like Ren said, there was nothing.
At least, Dante found nothing. Jaune might have found something for all he knew.
"Find anything?" Ruby asked as he grew closer.
He only shook his head, "Ren was right, there's virtually nothing here. I even looked under debris in some of the caved in buildings, but still nothing."
She didn't like hearing the news to that.
"Maybe Jaune got lucky. After all, he was covering the other half of the town."
"Yeah…" Ruby said looking up from her uncle, "You two really need to sit down and talk. You and Jaune I mean."
"I know." he said with a sigh, "But it hasn't been easy to find the right time. Plus, I don't really think he wants to just sit down and have a 'talk'."
"What happened between you two?"
"It's...not easy to explain. Truth be told, I've known for a while what the problem is. More like took an easy guess what the reason was."
"Then-"
"Like I said, a fight breaking out between us while we're out here? It's a recipe for disaster. And easy pickings for anyone watching with not so nice intentions. Like that crazy with the scorpion tail."
"You still might have had a few chances here and there. You didn't take them because you don't like conflict all too much."
Her statement...was very true in that regard. It was also part of the reason he didn't want to sit down so soon and talk it out.
"How did you even-?"
"You're my boyfriend. I'm supposed to know what you like and don't like."
He couldn't help but rub the back of his head in embarrassment.
Both their glances quickly turned to the approaching Jaune, his current expression clear with the fact that he too found nothing.
"No luck either?" asked Ruby.
"Absolutely nothing. Ren was right."
"And Qrow's condition isn't improving either. He's at a standstill thanks to my partner's medicine, but that won't last either. I'm honestly contemplating rushing ahead…"
"So you can leave us behind?"
…
Jaune really liked being testy apparently.
"I was thinking of taking Qrow with me and then come back to you guys using these." Dante said as he conjured up two of his floating Aura Swords, "I plant one here before I leave, get to Mistral to find Qrow help, plant one there, then teleport back here through the sword I planted to grab you two and teleport to the one I planted there to get us there in an instant. Easy."
It was one of the first plans he came up with after Qrow was injured.
"Of course, I actually could just take Ruby and Qrow instead if you prefer walking."
"You'd like that wouldn't you?" said Jaune.
"I'd prefer it at this point."
Jaune made a few quick paces forward, as did Dante when he stood up, both just inches apart from the other, easily within striking distance.
"Guys!" Ruby said quickly getting between them.
"No Ruby, why don't you let him actually say what's on his mind for once. Maybe you'll find out he cares a lot less about us then he pretends."
That...stung a bit.
"Oh I care quite a lot more than you think I do. I'm just starting to care a little less about you is all."
"Best be careful Ruby. He'll up and leave the first chance he gets." he told her before he turned back to Dante, "We never should have let you join up with us."
The immortal only chuckled, "Look at you. Big bad Jaune. Few months go by and you think you're good enough to take on the world. Well you're not."
"I can handle myself."
"Sure you can. Is that why that guy handed your ass to you on a silver platter so easily?"
"Yeah? And what's your excuse for looking like a mess?"
"Unlike you Jaune, I can actually kill things and get something done."
"Like Pyrrha?"
…
So I was right…
Silence had befallen them as Ruby took a few steps back, glancing first at Jaune before looking worriedly to Dante. Oddly enough, he was smiling.
"You want to talk about Pyrrha Jaune? Okay." he said turning around and taking a few paces back, soon turning to face Jaune once more. "Let's talk about Pyrrha."
Jaune's fists were clenched, possibly to attempt to keep himself calm and prepared for what Dante would say.
"Pyrrha...wasted her time on an absolute, good for nothing like you. I don't know if it was pity at first before it turned into some strange form of love and admiration, but in reality, she really was way too good for you. I mean, she's like the heavens in terms of comparison. You? You're lower than dirt."
"None of that changes the fact what you said killed Pyrrha!"
The immortal's grin grew wide as he scoffed at the blonde knight.
"Oh how so confused you are. Sure, I said a lot of insensitive things to everyone that night. But really, what hurt Pyrrha the most wasn't what I said. It was you."
Jaune's fists clenched tighter, the fabric of his gloves audibly crunching under the tightness.
"She was a girl who mistakenly tried to get and idiot like you to love her, which really, she didn't need to undergo the stress of doing so. So in reality Jaune, you're going to have to blame yourself for this one. The only way she ever got close to doing so was giving you that sad kiss goodbye before she threw herself into a fight she couldn't win."
The immortal took a few steps forward towards Jaune to deliver his final piece.
"And you know what? Seeing that dumb look on your face when you heard Pyrrha had died, all because she threw her life away because of you?" he said leaning in closer to Jaune, "That would have been fucking priceless."
Jaune had lost any sensibility to him. Pure rage had taken over.
He let out a loud roar as he grabbed hold of his blade and unsheathed it in a horizontal strike for Dante's neck, who had slightly moved to the left and ducked under Jaune's swing, the immortal thrusting his palm forward into Jaune, unleashing a blast of Aura that sent him flying on his back.
Ruby, meant to rush forward, but found herself stopped by Dante's hand. The glance he gave her in the next second was enough to make her back down.
Dante quickly focused his attention to the rising Jaune, who still held his blade in hand, his sheath expanding into it's shield form.
"Think about it Jaune. Do you honestly think you can beat me? You're funny. You'll end up like Pyrrha, if not worse."
"SHUT UP!"
Jaune rushed forward with another yell as Dante unsheathed his longsword from his back and effortlessly blocked Jaune's strike. The force of it was so minimal it barely even registered.
The blonde knight struck furiously, and the immortal simply blocked any and all of his strikes, moving around Jaune with ease as he redirected numerous attacks with the most minimal effort required.
It was like fighting a child with a temper tantrum.
If there was good points to give, it had to be for effort and some improvement to his skills, however minimal the improvement.
Jauned moved for another horizontal strike, but soon gave pause when he saw Dante raise up his sword hand, prompting him to block. What seemed like a light strike crashed into Jaune with the force of a ramming bullhead, making him skid backwards on his heels until he plunged his sword into the earth to force himself to a stop.
"How about this Jaune?" the immortal said shutting his eyes, "I'll give you a fair chance to end this quickly. See? I'll keep my eyes closed for your next string of attacks. If you can't take me down, then the fight continues. So, do your best."
He heard nothing from Jaune for a few moments, mostly likely to plan carefully how to approach the situation now that he had an advantage. At first, Dante assumed Jaune would approach using the method of silenced footsteps. Even so, Dante would be able to hear the clinking of his armor.
But Jaune did opposite of what he expected, surprisingly.
He charged him, head on too.
Dante clearly heard the sound of Jaune's footsteps growing closer, then heard some whizzing through the air.
A blade.
A deft swing from the immortal, and Jaune's Crocea Mors twirled upwards in the air behind Dante, who prepared for Jaune's next attack with a quick and powerful stab to his shield. But when he struck, he felt something odd. He certainly hit the shield, but when he did, there was no resistance to it.
Realizing it now, he never heard Jaune's sword touch the ground.
For Jaune, victory was all but certain as he grasped his sword tightly and swung for Dante's neck.
His strike however fell short of its mark.
It had been blocked, not by the steel of the immortal's blade, but something else entirely.
His bare index finger from his left hand.
Dante, with his eyes still closed, slowly turned in Jaune's direction, finger still stopping the blonde knight's blade despite his best effort to cut him down.
The blade didn't even manage to knick his flesh.
"A good effort, Jaune. It seems as though I gave you far less credit than I should have. But…"
The immortal dug his foot under Jaune's shield under the floor, and quickly raised it up, kicking Jaune's shield directly into his chest, and sent him skidding on his back yet again.
Dante's eyes opened to glance at the pitiful sight of Jaune, scrambling about in the dirt to quickly ready himself once more.
"Concentrate now, Jaune. Don't lose your focus!"
The immortal quickly ran towards Jaune, raising his shield as he stabbed at Dante. His blade slightly made contact with Dante's cheek, enough that he should have cut him. But it didn't. To Jaune, it felt as though his sword scrapped a metal surface.
Unfazed, Dante moved in and intentionally struck his blade against the knight's shield, making the two clash. Overpowering Jaune would have been easy to accomplish, without a doubt.
But how would that be any fun?
Despite this however, Jaune still seemed intent to carry on, as if it was stuck in his head somehow that he had a semblance of a chance of winning.
Dante could only chuckle briefly in amusement as he raised his left hand up, letting his palm horizontally hover the length of his blade.
"Devouring Light."
Jaune's eyes widened in shock before both he and Dante were consumed in a brilliant, dome shaped blast of white Aura outlined in black, the ground shaking violently.
The violent torrent of Aura quickly faded, Dante completely unharmed as Jaune stood a ways away, shield, armor and various part of his body smoldering with black smoke. Blood ran down the blonde knight's sword arm and the left side of his head, some of it dripping to the floor and pooling in small amounts.
"You know full well you're nowhere near good enough to defeat me. The difference in power is just too vast. I have to admit, your sword and shield are sturdier than I thought. I was certain Devouring Light would have erased both of them. But hey, even I'm wrong sometimes."
Jaune remained undeterred, seemingly more motivated to continue the fight.
The immortal let out a sigh, "Let's be real here. Your chances of actually beating me are next to none. Your skills are lacking, your strategies flawed; overall, you're just downright incompetent. But you know that full well by now, don't you?"
Jaune let out a load roar as he charged onwards, shield raised and sword raised to strike down Dante on the spot. The immortal only rolled his eyes as he stood his ground, allowing Jaune to hit him.
But there was no cut. Crocea Mors simply rested against Dante's body, not a single cut made. The immortal simply stepped out of the way to let Jaune fall forward, and then, quite literally, kicked Jaune in the rear with a stomp kick, sending him face first into the dirt yet again.
"A sword like yours filled with fear and regret will never be able to cut me. I mean, how could a feeble blade like that be remotely useful for cutting down a person? Don't you even have a shred of pride in you in? It's actually disappointing." the immortal bluntly stated as he plunged his longsword in the ground.
Jaune was on his hands and knees, slowly working his upwards despite his shaking.
He struck blindly at the immortal, the blonde knight's arm easily stopped, but not before he twirled inwards towards Dante, to bash him with his shield. Even then, the edge of his shield was held in placed by the immortal's hand.
Jaune struggled to get away until Dante decided to let him go. With that, Jaune quickly back pedalled away from Dante in order to put distance between.
"Really now? Backing away? Do you even realize how that's a useless tactic against me? Especially since…"
The knight couldn't understand what happened next. Dante was in his place a good distance away, and then suddenly, as if he appeared from thin air, he was but a few inches away from Jaune, the immortal's finger tips of his bandaged right hand pressed against the knight's chest plate, exactly where his heart was.
"I can practically touch your heart without breaking a sweat."
He didn't think, but swung, only to have his blade easily caught by the immortal's bare, left hand. He struggled once more, but the immortal ripped Crocea Mors free from Jaune's grasp. Jaune only stared, it was about all he could do before he was headbutted in the face, forcing the knight on his back yet again.
"You lost your weapon and you were just staring at your opponent? No wonder Cardin and practically everyone at Beacon could easily beat you with minimal effort. I'd venture students from Signal could wipe the floors with you."
Jaune's persistence was admirable, but it wasn't going to be enough to help him win.
"Tell me Jaune," the immortal started as he flipped Crocea Mors in the air and let it's blade point fall onto the tip of his finger to perfectly balance, "What do you think the main difference between us is?" He asked as he flicked the blade's sharp edge, spinning it perfectly atop his fingertip.
He waited for Jaune's answer, whatever it may have been, but only received a glare.
"I'm not talking about the obvious stuff, like how our powers and strength vary by a infinitely vast amount, or how you're a human and I'm not."
There was still no answer, for Jaune only stood back up and and dusted himself off, keeping his shield handy.
"Will and ability. It's puzzling right, since we both have the same thing? So what then makes us so different as warriors? If two beings like ourselves possess similar traits, then why is someone like me so high up on the spectrum and someone like you trailing so far below? I'll tell you the answer. It's pure instinct!"
Jaune was seemingly paying attention since his scowl softened.
"In order for warriors like us to become stronger and continuously gain power, they must constantly undergo battle and forever forge and remake their instinct into something better and new! They must have the will to utterly crush and obliterate their enemies into nothing in order to stand at the top! This instinct isn't unnatural, it's something every single one of us is born with and improves as we progress further in our lives! But you my friend don't have that!"
Dante tossed up Crocea Mors and grabbed it by its handle, Jaune's eyes widening as he carefully watched Dante.
"You think reason is enough to win a fight, and completely ignore that warrior's instinct etched deep within your soul! And the truth of the matter is that it never works! It makes you a detriment to everyone else around you to the point it can get them killed! And quite frankly...it makes you very weak, Jaune!"
Dante's hand moved down, and within an instant, Jaune's blade vanished from his hand.
Jaune slowly looked down, and beneath his chest plate, he saw his blade had embedded itself in his abdominal region, blood beginning to seep from the wound
"I'm not going to put up with it any longer, understand?"
Jaune let out an audible gasp as he fell to his knees and slouched over slightly, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth,
"I don't entirely know about Ruby and the others, but I refuse to drag around a waste of skin like yourself any longer; someone who's weak will and overflowing regret will only end up getting them killed because of carelessness and inability."
Jaune was trying to move his hands, but he felt so weak, all he could do was shiver and move his hand just a bit, but not nearly close enough to grab the sword stuck in his body.
Dante slowly walked towards him, his footsteps echoing through Jaune's ears as he said, "If you aren't willing to entirely put your life on the line and give your all to make sure that everyone with you can survive out here, then I'll end your cowardly life for you, here and now."
The immortal stopped just a short distance away from Jaune, his hand firmly grasping the handle once more as the blonde knight could only manage to shift his eyes upwards to him.
"Don't worry all too much. When all this is over, I'll be sure to take your weapon back to your family and make up a story of how bravely you fought to the end. I'll at least do you that courtesy after you pass."
Jaune could feel his life slipping away with the sword tha was being drawn from his body, time seemingly passing ever so slowly as he felt Crocea Mors leave his flesh little by little.
He didn't want things to come to an end. Not here. Not like this. He wanted to keep moving ever forward. He wanted to do it for…
…
...
…
No.
…
…
He refused.
…
He wouldn't allow it. Not after what happened. He promised himself he wasn't going to just sit back and take it like he did at Beacon. He wasn't going to come this far only to fail now. He wasn't going to fade away now like dust in the wind.
He wasn't going to die today.
…
He wasn't...
Dante seemed...disappointed. He was hoping for something, a sort of last stand, anything. But there was nothing. Even when dying Jaune was seemingly going to continue being a disappointment.
Until he surprised the immortal.
Unexpectedly, Jaune's hand quickly grabbed hold of Dante's hand that held onto Crocea Mors, squeezing it tightly enough that it made the immortal feel the pressure of the grab.
But that wasn't all to it.
Pure white Aura surged from Jaune's wound and his hand that grabbed Dante, the Aura wrapping itself around Dante's entirely bandaged hand in a brilliant flame.
With a surprised glance Dante let go of Jaune's sword and leapt back to put considerable distance between them, keeping his surprised glance on Jaune before glancing to his hand, seeing the white Aura fade away.
But something else was odd… The blackness that once covered his entire hand had faded away up to his wrist. In fact, he no longer felt like his hand and fingers were in a constant burning pain.
Dante watched Jaune stand back up fully, white Aura outlining his entire body.
The immortal couldn't help but smile.
"That's right! You're starting to understand it! Do you and I fight to gain more power? Or gain more power in order to fight? That's something I've never been able to figure out entirely, even with all the fights under my belt. But what does that matter? You've always wanted to fight, Jaune! You and I both know it! It's as much a part of me as it is you! Do you understand now?! Your only option is to fight, because it's the only way you'll get stronger and gain more power!"
Jaune's Aura continued to shine brighter.
"If you want to get stronger so that you can protect those close to you, then you pick up that sword of yours with the intent to win! There's no shortcut or way around it! No other way to go forward or backwards! Fight, Jaune!"
His words echoed through the dark and dreary air, Jaune's grip on the handle of his sword like iron as he quickly moved the blade outwards and ripped it free from his body, blood erupting from his wound for but a moment as he leaned back.
The blonde knight immediately leaned himself forward, his Aura burning ever so brightly around his body and through his eyes as he twirled his sword into its original position, and moved it back slightly before he darted forward with intense speed, completely unnatural of his usual self.
All Dante did was chuckle before he was briefly impaled by Jaune.
There was enough force behind Jaune's to move him backwards a bit, but it was more than enough to convince him. After all, his blade had finally managed to pierce him.
"Looks like you have what it takes after all, Jaune."
"You… You did all that on purpose… Said all those things before… Even at Beacon…"
Dante gave him a rather a sad glance, keeping his slight smile before admitting, "I hate looking like the bad guy, much less saying bad things about people. But sometimes it's the only way to get people to act in tough situations like these. Even that comes with a cost. I'm sorry Jaune. I'm sorry it went this way, but I just couldn't figure out any other way."
"I'm sorry too…for what I said and treated you. You had your own way, and I never really saw that… And I blamed you for Pyrrha. Even though it was none of our faults."
"Yeah… It wasn't…"
"I'm sorry… I'm supposed to be your friend and…"
"It's alright. Look at it this way, you worked out any previous frustration you had with me. Win win."
Jaune offered him a silent, brief chuckle, "Hey…"
"Yeah?"
"I think I'm going to pass out for a bit."
Dante soon felt Jaune completely go limp, passing out from exhaustion as the immortal made sure he didn't fall.
Ruby surged forward with her Semblance, but Dante raised a hand silently to calm her.
"He's just exhausted." He told her leaning him against the fountain in the center.
The reaper let out a small sigh of relief, before gasping in surprise looking at Dante.
"What?" He asked.
It took her pointing to him to realize he still had Jaune's sword stuck in his body.
A brief "Oh" and a quick tug was all it took for Dante to remove the blade as a tiny amount of blood shot forward a bit, Ruby seemingly about to faint, but instead falling to her knees.
"No matter how many times I see that, I don't think I'll ever get used to it…"
The immortal shrugged slightly as he sheathed Crocea Mors back in place and placed it next to Jaune, allowing him to sit down next to Ruby.
"So all of that… Everything you said…"
"Complete and total act to egg him on. Sorry, but I didn't really see any other way to clear the air."
Ruby gave him a slight hum as she brought her legs in and hugged her knees, looking back to Dante shortly after.
"Did you know that was going to happen? Jaune doing all that at the end I mean."
Dante seemed to hesitate with his response, which could have been a simple yes or no. But lying was imposible concerning Ruby.
"Wha-?!"
"Before you get angry," Dante quickly defended, "it was a hypothesis, an educated guess I had from a long while ago!"
She seemed more relaxed, but still didn't entirely like the situation of what just happened. And some but not all of the steps Dante took based on a guess.
"Jaune previously showed signs of mending wounds very quickly. So I figured it was something his body did, or it was his Semblance, I didn't know which. But hey, it was a correct assumption, right?"
"I still didn't like it… You two fighting like that… I didn't know what to do."
"I didn't like it either. It was...too much like that time before…"
That event of before was something Dante would always consider a legendary bad day. It was one of the worst days of his life.
"When I saw you give me that look, I just knew. It was that look of 'Please, trust me'. Even so, I was still really worried for you two. You two are friends, and friends shouldn't be trying to kill each other. But...I knew to trust in what you were doing. Even if it seemed...harsh."
"And thankfully Jaune had his moment of clarity…"
"Thankfully." Ruby said leaning her head against Dante's shoulder.
"We're gonna fix everything. And we're going to stop whoever this Salem person is pulling the strings. For everyone."
The duo were about to enjoy a few moments of peace, but that was before they heard Jaune gasp behind them, both of them turning their heads to glance at him panickedly patting himself down to search for a stab wound he remembered being on his person previously.
"Morning sunshine. And before you ask, no, you don't have the stab wound anymore."
Jaune let out a relaxed sigh, lowering his hand from his abdomen and letting it rest in his lap with Crocea Mors.
"Listen, Dante, I-"
"You already said it once Jaune. No need to say it again. After all, I'm sorry too. My dumb self only knows what it does when really there might have been a few other ways. So then...are we all good now?" The immortal asked raising his fist behind him towards Jaune.
The blonde knight chuckled, and met his friend's fist with his own, "Yeah man, we're good. To be honest...I actually learned quite a lot from this. I need to do better, and be better in more ways than one. So I'm going to do my absolute best for everyone from now on. No matter what."
"That's the spirit Jaune, glad to hear it."
Before any further conversation could take place, the three teens looked ahead of them at the sound of footsteps, all of them quickly standing up and readying their weapons.
They soon relaxed when they saw it was Ren and Nora on fast approach.
"Guys, what's going on?" Jaune asked.
Nora seemed to want to say something, but before she could, her hand covered her mouth as both her and Ren's eyes went wide, Ren dropping to his knees as he looked up in disbelief.
"No…" he silently whispered.
The three soon had the sense to look behind them to see what Ren and Nora saw, and they too were soon taken aback by what they saw.
At a first glance, it looked as though it were a sort of Grimm-like horse. That was until they all saw the black, skinless, humanoid creature fused to the horse's back from the waist up, it's arms long and dragging against the floor despite the great size of the beast, and having two, noticeable large fingers on each hand. It's mask only covered it's face from the top part of the mouth upwards, the mask sporting two curved horns on its head. It's mouth looked almost sewn shut from the side. On the back of the human torso were boney spikes that ran along its spine. That, and there were a variety of weapons and arrows stuck in its back.
Taking note of the five before it, the creature's mouth slowly opened with audible, sickening cracks, the shrill shriek it let out overtaking any source of noise around it as the five teens stood in awe of it.
(Omake: The Real Difference)
"Do you know...what the other real difference is there between us is Jaune..?"
"What?" Jaune asked the immortal.
"The one, and only answer that is more truer than the fundamental laws that make up the existence of the universe... That answer is...Milk!"
...
"What..?"
"Yes Jaune! Milk is a fundamental aspect of the life of all beings! It is what makes us strong! And...it's what made my bones as unbreakable as they are today!"
...
"Is that really why?"
"Probably not, but it would be amazing if that were the case!" the immortal stated proudly.
Jaune was very confused.
"Milk is the keystone to strength and vigor! It is what makes us strong and powerful through and through! Without Milk, you are nothing! Without it, you will be weak and destitute!"
Somewhere in the back, the sound of Ruby clapping proudly with tears of joy could be heard, clearly moved by such a wonderful speech.
"You might have an advantage by being taller than me, but that won't be enough!"
"Wait... Is this because I'm taller than you are?"
...
"That's definitely not the issue here!" Dante quickly replied.
It definitely was.
(Semblance Encyclopedia 12)
"Huh? Where's Leo?"
Ciel looked all around, but her twin couldn't be seen anywhere.
"Oh yeah, he's hanging out with that Bailey chick. Not bad, not bad." she spoke tapping her foot against the floor, "Alright, looks like I'm going solo today!"
A projector screen came down behind Ciel, who cleared her throat.
"Alright folks, welcome back to Semblance Encylcopedia! Sorry for the long break, but it was pretty well needed. Today's topic, the sexy, the fluffy, the all around adorable...Inuba Kitsukami! A.k.a, Foxy! No relation to Foxy from FNAF..." she whispered silently at the end, "It seems simple, but Inuba works with fire. Yeah yeah, I know, but here me out a second."
The screen displayed a small, cartoonish version of multiple Inubas in rows, each displaying a different technique with her white flames.
"First things first is her fire. It's a bit special compared to fire since it's FoxFire, but its more than just that even. It's kinda like fire with a holy, cleansing aspect to it, which is why it's super effective against Dark beings, like Grimm. But her fire can be more dense in sense, like making waves of flame that cut through you, or making really strong defensive barriers. She can even coat her sword in her flames and raise its cutting power up by a really big margin, especially since her flames can burn hotter than sun."
The small characters on screen did exactly that, giving examples of making barriers, flame waves, etc.
"She can even condense her flames into long distance piercing attacks. Size varies, as does the explosive power and impact. But three of her best techniques are what you need to watch out for. First up is FoxFire Nova."
The display changed to a single mini Inuba, going through the technique on the screen.
"Ever see an ocean of flame spill out and consume you all at once? Well look no further. FoxFire Nova is like my big brother's Devouring Light, where it can be a blasting torrent of consuming fire, or a massive wave of it to slice through huge targets."
Ciel clicked the remote to the next slide.
"Next up is NineTailed Inferno. Similar to the last, but with a nasty surprise twist. Like the name implies, it's a variation of FoxFire Nova, only, the mass of fire splits up into nine torrents of violently burning flame, each torrent containing the same amount of power behind one FoxFire Nova, making it one of Inuba's strongest attacks. What makes this technique more terrifying than the last is that it has a lengthier range and wider attack radius, literally leaving no room for escape."
Then the next slide appeared on screen.
"Lastly is one of Inuba's more 'tricky' techniques. And frankly, I'd be just as scared of this one just as much as NineTailed Inferno. Plus it's actually my favorite one. The last technique for today is Enshroud: Mesh and Sunder. The technique itself launches a tangible, condensed net of flaming white Aura generated from the blade length and thrown over the intended target from above with a simple slashing motion from her sword. Once it lands, the net further binds and restricts an opponent's movements by constricting to their form, allowing Inuba to put in the finishing touch as she stabs the net with the tip of her sword. Afterwards, large wicks of white fire form along the length of the net, which explode together like those little mines in mine sweeper, leading towards the target bound under the net. When the wicks of flame come into direct contact with the target, they create a tremendously large column of explosive white flame, completely erasing the enemy.
The screen soon shut off, and slowly raised itself back into the ceiling.
"I know we talked more about Foxy's offensive abilities today, but don't worry. The next time we talk about her Semblance, we'll talk more about its defensive uses, like the barriers and healing. So until then, I bid you all adieu. I've got a pretty fine Dragon lady to hang out with today. Later peeps!"
Sorry for the long wait everyone. Truthfully, I've been busy seeing friends, friends of family, etc. It was just a whole cacophony of endless meet ups and appointments that it literally left me drained most days this break and barely any time to write. So yeah, sorry it took so long.
So, in relation to where we all are in this current arc, the fight with the Nuckelavee sort of marks the midpoint of this arc. What, you honestly didn't think it'd end there and skip straight to vol 5, did you? Not a chance. See, there's going to be a lot of important things happening in this arc as well as numerous important discoveries for various characters.
All that you need to know is that it doesn't end so soon.
In any case, that's all I have for now. So with that...
I highly recommend you all go check out the freaking amazing story XSRA's Flame written by Xera Stark. His story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you seriously read it. You won't want to miss out on this story.
Not only that, but check out his other awesome and highly entertaining story Rogue Huntsmen as I mentioned above. It's just pure awesomeness bundled into one story. Trust me, you'll love it pretty much immediately. And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, and more than definitely worth spending the time reading and enjoying!
Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.
Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it. With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!
Bye-bye now!