Here we go.

Cover Art: Kirire

Chapter 96

Contrary to the expectation, Jaune did not feel nervous or at all worried when Blake sprinted off in pursuit of the enemy. The fact that he had been left alone with the lives of these people was just another responsibility to shoulder, and he'd done so for years before he took on his second and most valued employee. He'd faced monsters without aura, and with only his weapon, his wits and his training to back him up.

And he'd survived, time and time again.

He kept the party moving even though it meant leaving some behind, and even though those ones looked so terrified. They had their duty too, and as horrible as it sounded, their survival wasn't as important as getting the ramps in place. There were far more people to live or die than the ten or so left to their fate.

The second tunnel and ladder proceeded much like the first, collapsing its ceiling in a huge pile of uneven rubble that would need to be transformed into a gentler incline. Even if that couldn't be achieved, it would still be faster climbing up this three abreast than trying to orchestrate a single file ladder climbing exercise for so many people. On the final floor, they cracked the ceiling and completed the last ramp – or at least felled the rubble. Jaune scaled it and could just about make out daylight ahead, though it was incredibly faint.

"I want one of you to come with me to the surface," he told the group. "We're going to ask for some supplies to be brought back down. Torches to light the way. Do I have a volunteer?"

He had many, but the soldiers played a raffle to see who got to be the lucky one, and a middle-aged woman was selected. The others looked jealous but patted her on the back and wished her well. They joked that they'd see her soon, and they possibly would. They had the safest job defending the highest floor. Those down below would be in more danger, and the ones managing the actual procession even more.

"What's your name?" asked Jaune, leading her up the rubble.

"Annabelle, sir."

"I'm no sir. Call me Jaune. Were you born here, Anabelle, or were you a part of the war?"

"I was a soldier. They didn't take women at first, but then they ran out of young men and needed more fodder for the front lines. I'd lost my dad and brothers, so I joined up to get my own back. Not like there was much life left even on the home front."

That meant she'd been down here for however many years or decades the anomaly had held them. "You'll be looking forward to seeing the surface again, then."

"Aye. Never thought I'd live to see it."

They moved on, and her mood grew ever brighter the closer they got to the light. This close, there was almost no chance of a last-minute attack from the creature, and sure enough they made it into the upper bunker without issue. Looking outside the thin, slitted windows, Jaune could tell they were still on Menagerie. Good. He wouldn't have been too surprised if bringing someone from their dimension up caused the world to shift. Alefred had been different, being born inside the anomaly and thus of no specific dimension.

When they walked into the sunlight, Annabelle had to hold her arm over her eyes. Bright light washed over her pale skin and she shuddered.

"God," she whispered. "It feels... so warm and cold... I'd forgotten all this. It's beautiful."

"I suppose it must be after being trapped down there for so long."

There was a thud as her knees hit the dirt, and then a quiet gasp. The woman's head bowed and she faded away on the wind, torn to pieces like specs of dust and whisked away with the breeze. Jaune closed his eyes.

"I'm glad you got to experience it."

The woman was gone.

He'd harboured the possibility, though he'd spared Blake it. Aelfred had been a test case but once they got up top, Jaune realised the discrepancy. Or the weakness in his testing method. Aelfred was born below, born of no dimension, and thus had no tie to either. Jaune and Blake were born of this one and every time they came back up, they entered into this one.

Was that a coincidence? No. Anomalies had rules they followed, even if humans didn't understand them. The anomaly had taken these people from their dimension, just as it had taken Ilia and them. And while it happily disgorged Ilia, him and Blake back to their own dimension, it was questionable as to whether it'd be able to do the same for others.

"I wonder if you're sentient and doing your best by them," he said, back to the cold bunker. "You were made to protect people in war and you've sheltered them for decades, taking them away from a war-torn dimension. Was their world destroyed, perhaps? Are you the last arc of their civilisation?"

The bunker didn't answer.

Perhaps it was romantic of him to put it like that, and yet anomalous items often completed the task they were designed for. Having no personality of their own, they just did what they were meant to do. The eight-ball told possible futures, Crocea Mors burned anomalies, the dog collar let you speak and live as a dog. They had no ill or good intention, only purpose, and someone had created this bunker with a purpose. That it had become anomalous – or how it had become anomalous – was an unknown and unexpected result, but it was still a bunker meant to protect those within, and its limitless floors and dimensional travelling capability just enabled it to better do its job.

The creature within it was an additional entity. A dangerous one. Perhaps the bunker had saved it from its own dimension, not quite understanding or realising how dangerous mingling it with humankind could be. And not having the free will or intelligence to do anything about it once it was protected. For all he knew, there could be an infinite number of civilisations down there, not all of them human, not all of them peaceful.

It took him half an hour to fetch a bag of torches from Sienna Khan and to explain to her what he needed the White Fang to do, and how they should do it. The woman looked very sober indeed by the end of it, but she agreed.

The soldiers down below were relieved to see him, and even more relieved once the floor was bathed in light far brighter than their candles could achieve thanks to the standing torches he set up around the area.

"Where's Anabelle?" asked one.

"Up top enjoying her freedom," Jaune lied. "I didn't feel it fair to bring her back down. You'll all get to experience it soon enough. Just hold the line for now. I'm going back down to spread these torches around."

"Will you be safe, sir?"

"I'll be fine. You will be, too. If anything, the real danger will be down below once we start moving the convoy properly." Jaune watched as they smiled, laughed and talked about what they'd do once they reached the surface. The wishes were simple, such as laying on the beach or getting lost in a forest all the way to swimming in a cold river. Blake almost certainly would have cracked, but Jaune kept his relaxed smile. "You'll get all that and more, but only once we have everyone to safety. Don't slack off now and don't be tempted to sneak off and out while I'm gone. There are people relying on you."

"We understand, sir." They saluted. "We've done our duty for decades. We'll not give up at the last hour!"

Jaune offered his own salute back, then continued downwards once more. He stopped at the second level to hand out more torches, then continued on to the third and below, to the final level where the people lived. The engineers had managed to sort of get the rubble into a ramp. It was slapdash and frankly perilous, but it helped when he set the torches up. If only because the people using it would be able to see what they were working with.

"Has there been any news from Blake?" he asked.

"No, sir. The angel has yet to return."

That was concerning. He considered trying to call her but gave up on that idea given the signal down here. It was tempting to chase after her, but he had his job to do, as did she, and he instead made his way back to the settlement to talk to Brigadier-General Pyke.

"The ramps are set up and the creature is being distracted at this very moment. I need you to get the people ready to move."

"I can do that. How soon?"

"As soon as possible. I've arranged up top for people to be ready with food and shelter. I wanted to discuss organisation briefly. With the very real threat of the creature behind us, I think it's best that the most experienced military personnel be at the back of the convoy."

Pyke nodded. "That's a given. We'll guard the rear. But some will need to be at the front to keep order."

"I know. I think it'd be best for that to be the youngest and least experienced. You have soldiers who were born down here, don't you? Those that signed up to defend this place but never knew the world above or the war." When Pyke nodded, Jaune continued. "I want them at the front. In fact, I think it's best we have the youngest and fittest at the front of the column. Sort it by age."

"I understand the children first mentality, but is it wise to split up families?"

"This is a dangerous journey and we need to prioritise the survival of the youngest. Those who are older will be cared for, but it makes no sense to slow the column down for them. Also, the younger generation will be much quicker at scaling the ramps. If we sent old and infirm first, they'll clog up the ramps and put everyone behind them at risk."

"You're not wrong there. Alright. We'll do it your way. I'll get Angela to head the column."

"The religious one?"

"Aye. She was born down here and she commands respect – doubly so after her sermons came true and the angel arrived." He said it sceptically, knowing Blake was just a huntress. "Point is, she'll keep them calm and organised on the way up. What can they expect on the surface?"

"I have the faunus of Menagerie ready to take them to temporary accommodations the moment they ascend. They'll be drawn away and into a tent to be given some food, a change of clothing and have their name and details taken down. We might as well have an accurate census of who is joining us."

"And there won't be any political problems?"

"No. There's a lot of empty space on the island you can fit into." Jaune kept a perfectly straight face. "It won't cause a fuss. Just make sure the youngest go first. This has to be a quick expedition."

"You make it sound like you won't be coming with us."

"I will be," Jaune said. "But I'm needed down below, I expect. Blake hasn't returned."

Pyke watched him carefully. "She might be dead."

"She might be." Jaune's voice was even. "But in that case you're going to need a new distraction to buy you time. And I'm afraid she's my responsibility, so I'm not quite prepared to leave her alone when she might need me."

Pyke saluted. "God speed, then. I'll have the people moving within twenty minutes. It's been an honour to have met you." A hand was offered, and a hand was shaken. "God willing, I'll sit down and have a drink with you on the surface."

"You fought in the war before coming down here. Didn't you?"

"I did. Yes."

Jaune nodded. "Then don't wait for me up top. Drink the world in. Enjoy your time on the surface. You've been through hell, and it's about time you got your taste of heaven."

However short it might be.

/-/

The people were already being organised when Jaune walked out the entrance once more. With the youngest being at the lead, they'd make good time to the surface – and almost certainly get up there long before the others did. That would give Sienna and her people time to whisk them away with the promise of food and shelter, and to make sure they weren't around to see what happened to the others.

It was cruel in a sense, to separate families like that, but they couldn't allow chaos on the surface when lives were at stake. He was confident those who would fade away would prefer it this way as well, that they'd rather know their children were safe and cared for.

Could he have found a gentler way?

Perhaps.

But there wasn't time for it. Blake was AWOL, the creature was close by, and the more time they wasted the higher the risk to everyone involved. They had to get out the bunker now, before anything worse went wrong or – in a truly terrible scenario – the bunker opened its doors to another dimension and they suddenly had even more people, or creatures, or dimensional horrors coming down from above.

Approaching the ladder down from the furthest floor they had reached, Jaune removed his suit jacket and set it aside, then rolled his sleeves up to expose his burning, molten arms. They lit the tunnel just as well as any torch, bathing it an eerie orange-red colour. His gloves remained on, allowing him to scale down the ladder without melting the metal. Once his shoes hit the concrete below, he felt the horrific crunch of desiccated husks beneath his feet and looked down and around him.

The floor was covered in a sea of dry, shelled creatures, many of which were turned onto their backs with six little legs raised to the ceiling. He stooped to pick one up, and though it was dry and withered beyond compare he could see the sharp little mandibles and a proboscis within. Smaller than a mosquito's. Thicker, too. It looked like it would puncture the skin and leave nasty wounds and, in sufficient quantities, kill a grown man within seconds.

"Less a creature and more of a swarm," he said, dropping the insect. "I wonder if this is a hive mind situation. Could it be the bunker opened up to a species from another world? Or is this a case of insects kept here for centuries evolving and adapting. Trapped in an endless bunker where the only source of food is the poor people trapped within, it would make some sense."

"It would," Blake said, smiling at him. "Wouldn't it? Such poor creatures with no option but to evolve or starve."

Blake's clothing was ripped all across her body, exposing a generous amount of skin that he let his eyes wander over – only to check for injuries, of course. Her shirt was in tatters, hanging like shredded curtains, and her pants and jacket had fared only a little better, being of thicker material. Red lines were carved across her face, though fortunately her aura had prevented them puncturing through.

Her eyes glowed faintly in the dark.

"I had been wondering," said Jaune, turning to face her. "You have aura, therefore you have Light of the Soul. That obviously doesn't prevent anomalous powers from harming you, but it should prevent you from becoming an anomalous transformation."

"Yes. What of it?"

Jaune spread his legs wide and raised his fists before him.

"How, then, are you able to possess her...?"

"Hmhmhmhmhm." Blake closed her eyes, enjoying her amusement. "Not even ten seconds. I admit, I expected it would take you at least a little longer to realise. What gave me away? What could I possibly have done that was so obvious?"

"You smiled."

"That's it? Really? I know she's a sour little kitten but I'm sure she must have smiled at least once in her pathetic little life." The anomaly within the book, now within Blake, sighed dramatically. "What a miserable little girl I've anchored myself to."

"Blake does smile, but it's rare – and it certainly wouldn't be down here when she looks like she's been through a blender. I don't suppose you'd be willing to fill me in."

"Why not?" The anomaly crossed Blake's arms. "We – that is, Blake – landed feet first into a mass of creatures, showing her typical disregard for common sense, and was quickly torn from her feet and sent rolling among them. Though her aura and weight crushed many, they swarmed over her body and attacked in such numbers that her aura weakened with worrying speed. It was then that I reached out to her."

"Sensing a moment of weakness?"

"That and sensing a moment of crisis. Do you think I would benefit from being stranded down here because my host expired like this? I have seen the world through her eyes. Given the choice between finding a new host in a world filled with them, or trying to find one in this hell pit, I think you can imagine which I'd choose."

"I expect your support carries with it a cost."

"Isn't that the way of things? I've aided her in the past numerous times and always held my bargain. The soul of her former lover was most delicious. He was grateful, you know. In the end, as he drowned, he clung to me and surrendered fully, happy to have someone who would hold and love him. Is that pathetic? I'm not human enough to judge. It seems wise to me. If you are going to die, why not die wrapped in pleasure?"

"But you didn't love him. He was food."

"Of course he was, but don't you also raise and kill animals for food? I do believe you call it ethical when they are treated with affection. I whispered sweet nothings into his ear until he became a sweet nothing. A delectable morsel. The others fared less well, but then I was ravenously hungry at the time."

Jaune slowly removed his gloves. "And Blake?"

"Alive, still. Slumbering. The poor girl is all tuckered out, you see. Quite the amusing host, she is. So prickly, so paranoid, so passionate despite – as you say – her refusal to smile or act on it. Do you know she's conflicted about you?"

"That's not hard to guess."

"Do you know a part of her conflict is whether or not she should have feelings for you?"

Jaune grunted. "That was not hard to guess."

"Oh, you knew that? I thought you might. You've done a good job scaring her away from committing. Then again, she does a good job scaring herself away. I swear, she has one bad experience and then considers swearing off something forever. How petty. Oh?" Blake tilted her head, eyes zeroing in on him. "Are we about to fight? Are you going to kill her and strand me here with her broken, burnt body?"

Jaune cracked his knuckles. "ARC Corp policy dictates I should."

"Hmmm. Go on, then. Kill me. This body is weak and I cannot make use of what you call aura. You know it's an anomaly, but do you know what it does? I do. Or, at least, I know what it is doing to her. I can't guarantee it's doing the same to everyone else. Are they connected? Different parts of the same whole? Or is each individualistic, a living entity of its own? I'm sure you've asked the same questions and come up with the same inconclusive answers."

"What deal did Blake make with you?"

"You're not curious about her aura?"

"I can't stop whatever it's doing, so no. Ignorance is bliss. Answer the question."

Blake shrugged. "The deal was simple. I reached out to her and offered to save her life and get her out of here alive. In return, I asked to have the use of her body for the duration of this, and for two days and nights after. Of my choosing."

Damn it, Blake. Jaune was sure she'd have rejected such open-ended terms in any other situation. Her life must have been in danger for her to even consider them here. Two days and nights, forty-eight hours. He'd need to watch her for them, but the anomaly would know and wouldn't choose those times. There was no point asking what she intended to do because she'd surely lie to him.

I should kill her here and now. It's a chance to avert a later disaster and to strand the book down here. Sienna won't let anyone else down here again, so it'll be trapped here. Or, failing that, it'll be a problem for another dimension. Not ours.

There was no telling how powerful the anomaly was in Blake's body but it at least lacked aura, so enough fire and heat should be fatal. He didn't have to kill the anomaly, only Blake, and she was as flesh and blood as they came. The tunnel was narrow, too. His fires would heat up the limited space with ease. Crocea Mors could blind her and him equally, giving him a chance. Though she might be able to get a lethal blow in time, depending on her abilities, it'd surely be a mutual death.

A win-win situation as far as ARC Corp was concerned.

"You're a vicious one, aren't you? Would it matter if I swore an oath not to harm you or any of these people trapped in here? And to give her back control once you reach the surface? I am a being of my word, as you well know."

"And what of what comes after? Will you swear on that?"

"Of course not. I'll enjoy my two days of freedom."

"At what cost?"

"Oh, I have no intention of going on a killing spree if that's what you mean. Do you really think I'll use my limited time for such petty purposes? No. I intend to experience things. What of it? I'm not above experiencing them with you if that's what you mean..."

Jaune's face twisted unpleasantly. "That is Blake's body!"

"It only lives now because I saved it. You should—" She, it, paused, and Jaune did as well. He heard the scuttling below their feet, a floor down. It was loud. Millions of tiny feet. "It seems our time is at an end. Do you take the deal or not?"

"I do not!"

"Then we fight and die here?"

"No." Jaune growled and turned for the ladder, yanking his gloves back on. "But I don't agree to just let you get away with whatever it is you plan. I'll hound your every step if I must." And Blake would be getting an earful about this later. "Keep up or die, creature."

"How very romantic of you to sacrifice your ideals for her."

Jaune ignored its nonsense and pulled himself up. He considered offering a hand down but Blake's body was more than fit enough to climb up on its own. He dashed back to the next ladder, already hearing the creatures behind. A crackle of electricity followed, then a flash of light and a boom of thunder. His eyes stung, but he forced them to squint back as thousands of tiny creatures were incinerated.

Mentally, he made a note of the lightning power, even as he'd have to compare it to what Blake used against Winter, and then what she'd used in their search for Tomorrow's News. He had a feeling this was going to be a problematic anomaly, and yet again his training reminded him of the possibility of stranding her here. His mother would have told him to do it, to kick Blake down the ladder and keep her there for the insects to devour.

But Juniper Arc was dead.

He'd killed her.

"Come on. The procession should be moving now!"

"Will they have made enough distance?" the anomaly asked the question Blake might have, but with an amused undertone. "I've a feeling you and I will need to buy them more time. Shall we dance, my love?"

Jaune snarled, turning with fire rolling down his arms. "Don't call me that!"

He drew Crocea Mors and noted the anomaly's furious hiss. He felt the pain too, but when he stabbed it down, the insects screeched and backed away. It was like he was parting an ocean of glittering black water, and it didn't dare approach within a four feet circle of his sword.

No. Not as sword. An anomaly. Slaved to him, as he was slaved to it.

Blake's anomaly responded by hurling lightning through it to burn the insects to a crisp – it wasn't necessary, but she did it so that he would put Crocea Mors away, which he did after a few seconds. They both heaved sighs of relief, blinking spots from their vision. It didn't just blind but burn, and somehow his arms – which were on fire and always hurt – were even more sore than they usually were.

"An anomaly using an anomaly-destroying weapon. You really are a contradiction."

"It's my duty."

"Your doom, as well. Kept on you so that if you ever lose control, any member of your family need only draw the sword on your back to blind and kill you. It's the equivalent of carrying an explosive collar into battle with your worst enemy holding the trigger."

"It's useful for creatures like you."

They rushed on until they caught sight of the back of the column. They were just leaving the floor – which felt punishingly slow but was probably quite good pace given the numbers and the wounded and infirm. It was entirely possible that the younger generation was already on the surface. The distance between the front of the column and the back would be pronounced after all. Right now, those coming up onto the surface might finally be dying, with the ones who would actually survive having been swept away by the White Fang so they wouldn't have to see it.

"That's quite the face you're making. Something I – or we – should know?"

"You'll find out later. Hold the line."

"Ordering me around? You know, you could make a team of anomalies if you really cared to."

"Not interested!" Jaune swept his arm forward and hurled a ball of fire at the encroaching mass. It lit them up, letting the soldiers at last see what had been killing them. Some moved to help, but he waved them back. "Go! Get out! Leave this to us!"

"Leave it to your divine angel!" the anomaly in Blake shouted, her voice filled with reverence. "I shall smite our enemies in your name, my children." Lightning flew down the corridor, killing a whole wave of the bugs. "Perhaps I should start a religion once we return to the top. There would surely be many willing to offer themselves to me."

There wouldn't be.

But he didn't feel the need to say that.

As much as he hated it, he had to admit it was helpful to have his more empowered Blake at his side. The anomaly fought well, too. It had to as its own life was in danger as much as theirs. Trapped down here, it might not find a host ever again, so it would work with him and fight with him to escape. As he would, even if he should not. But betraying his family's ideals wasn't new at this point. It was his standard response.

Once the people were up the floor, they ascended it as well, and then held that floor the same as they had the one below. The insects came in never-ending numbers, to the point where he was sure they'd killed millions of them. Even tens of millions. This swarm was part of a larger colony, and he wondered how many floors it took up. Hundreds? Thousands? What if there were hundreds of thousands of floors, all occupied by hundreds of billions of these tiny insects serving one hive? It was terrifying to imagine.

But in the end it was the bunker that saved them. Its narrow tunnels and uncompromising layout meant they could only ever attack from one side, and only ever in that small space. His fire, coupled with the lightning from Blake's anomaly, proved more than enough to hold them back. A good flamethrower might have done the same, though it'd have run out of fuel by now.

They kept fighting and kept retreating.

Until, finally, they ascended the final ramp and the swarm, without warning, scuttled back into the depths, leaving them be. Jaune sighed and slid his sleeves down to hide his arms. He'd need to get a spare jacket, but a lifetime working in ARC Corp had taught him the need to bring several on any job. Blake would need a change of clothing, too. Lest her parents think he'd done something to her.

Jaune and the anomaly climbed the last steps to see Brigadier-General Pyke standing there, staring at the sunlight.

"They vanished," he told them. "Did you know this would happen...?"

Jaune sighed. "Yes. The younger generation will live on. Those born in the bunkers won't die. But you... there was nothing I could do."

"I see." The man closed his eyes. "It's a small price to pay. Look after them."

"I shall see it done."

Like that, the soldier wafted away in the wind, losing his shape and turning to dust like sand in a glass of water. He was soon swept away by the wind, carried into the distance with so many other lost souls.

There was a thump behind him. "J—Jaune," gasped Blake. "I... ugh. I feel... awful..."

Jaune turned to look down on her. "The mission is over."

"About time..."

"Can you smile for me?"

"I'd rather not," she hissed, cupping her head.

"Good." He reached down and took her arm, hauling her to her feet. "Let's get you a change of clothes and a bath. Then I think we need to have a talk about that book of yours."

"I didn't have a choice. I'm sorry."

She did have a choice, that being to accept her fate, but he refused to say the words he was expected to, or to let her think that way. "I know. You did the only thing you could." The lie came easily. "The important thing is that you're alive and we've saved these people."

Those that could be saved, anyway.

He hoped the others would find what peace they could in the next life.

Next Chapter: 15th April

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