Cosmopolitan Chapter 4 (Part 1), a rwby fanfic

Warning: This chapter will contain graphic scenes of violence, blood, and death.

Disclaimer: I know nothing of the greater RWBY canon nor have I indulged myself in watching anything past Chapter 5, so my knowledge on subjects I will be covering is conceived of clips I have been accumulating over the past few months.

The green sky above retreats towards the sunset as darkness descends upon the fairy tale land. The deep darkness of the night sky above casts a gentle muteness to the surrounding foliage. A strong gust of wind shakes the leaves of the trees wildly, masking the sounds of their footsteps as they travel. The heel of a white boot steps into a puddle and ruins the peaceful evening, sending ripples cascading through the small rain collection on the dirt road.

The multi-colored mute walks with stride through the evening, marching towards a destination that has not grown any closer since their arrival. The majestic tree standing in the center of the world seems just as foreboding as when they began, a gentle sense of hopelessness washes over the villainess as she stares directly ahead, unaware of her surroundings.

The blonde-knight on the other hand notices a growing number of puddles along the road, trying to avoid each one by dancing out of the way. Can't have the armor rusting. Not only has he noticed the increase of water on the ground, he's also noticed that up ahead lies a city. Almost cartoonishly, the municipality appears to have a raincloud constantly downpouring over the city. It's hard to see being so far away, but the city seems to have walls that extend upwards in defense. Their impressive stature gives prominence to the sprawling metropolis.

Neo walks forward down the road, unaware of the looming city in the distance. Jaune gazes across Neo's face, waiting for some expression in reaction to the view that lies before them. Neo simply stares up at the gargantuan tree, its branches looming like clouds above. The leaves almost seem to be weeping as they hang upon the very peak of the monument.

The villainess steps into a puddle which throws a droplet of muddied water up into her face. Neopolitan winces before stopping in her tracks and gently using her free hand to wipe the residue off her face. A small brown smudge appears on her gloved hands. As she stares at the droplet in deep thought, Jaune comes up beside her.

"It won't be long until we reach the city up ahead." He says neutrally, pointing out towards the dimly illuminated city on the horizon.

Neo turns her head and attention to where he is pointing, noticing a sprawling city filled with strange and mangled buildings. This world's architecture is nothing like that of those back in Remnant. After the ice cream girl finishes taking in the view, she turns around to face Jaune. Neo taps her umbrella to her shoulders a couple of times in pensive thought.

Jaune gauges her response and answers accordingly. "I was thinking it might be a good place to rest for a while. We need food and water most importantly. We've already gone through what little supplies we had."

Neo grips the handle of her umbrella tightly in frustration. On one hand, getting out of here as quickly as possible is their best way of surviving. On the other, dying to exhaustion is just as possible especially if the journey is this long already.

She sighs and relents, a positive sign to Jaune that he has won out.

"I promise we won't spend any more time than we have to." He assures her.

Neo rolls her eyes and swats him in the back with her umbrella as she dons a playful smile.

"H-hey! Ow! Alright alright, let's move!" Jaune yelps in response.

The two of them spend the rest of the climaxing night journeying to the city. The evidence of rain growing with every step. The surrounding foliage, which has become increasingly less dense to make room for large sprawling fields of crops, shines with the gleam of freshly fallen dew in the moonlit evening.

Neo and Jaune begin approaching the gates to the city, only now being so close up able to understand the grotesque scale of the walls that surround the city. They tower above the walking path, standing proudly against the otherwise mute backdrop of a dark and cloudy sky. As the two approach the confines of the city, they are met with a wall of downpouring rain.

It's a strange phenomenon. The rain does not seem to move at all except as it falls from the sky. Almost as if a wall of water had descended upon the world. For as far as the eye can see both to the left and to the right, a wall of water falls from above but makes no effort to come any closer, almost as if something were preventing it.

Both Jaune and Neo stop right before the rain, staring at the hypnotizing glint of falling raindrops in the moonlight. The blonde-haired knight reaches out toward the wall of falling water to feel the touch of the water. A single drop cascades from the clouds onto the tip of his finger, burning a hole through his glove and singing his finger in pain.

Jaune quickly removes his hand and deals with the relatively small amount of pain by shaking his hand wildly. He turns to Neo before speaking.

"Acid. Looks like we'll-" Just as he's about to finish his sentence, Neo opens her parasol and sticks it right in front of him. Jaune tries to hide his surprise at how quickly Neo willingly helps.

He watches as the young girl takes her nearly indestructible umbrella and holds it underneath the streaming acid rain, observing closely as the water seems to simply flow off of it and splash onto the ground. Slowly and carefully, Neo places herself underneath the parasol. Jaune watches with bated breath as the multi-colored villainess stands unharmed underneath the downpour of rain above. She smiles confidently at Jaune who can only watch in amazement at Neo's multipurpose weapon.

"Guess that solves that problem. But…" Jaune trails off and blushes ever so slightly as a thought crosses his mind. "Won't it be kind of tight with two people?"

As Jaune finishes his sentence, Neo realizes exactly what having only one source of protection from the acid rain means. The two of them, formerly bitter enemies who, until less than a week ago, had been clawing at each other's heads, were now going to have to share one umbrella if they wanted to progress further. Neo swallows her pride before grabbing Jaune by the arm and forcefully stuffing him underneath the umbrella.

Jaune's face blushes hard as the two of them stand very still underneath the weight of the water above them. Neo's umbrella holds but leaves very little room for error. The two of them stand shoulder to shoulder, nearly hugging each other in a desperate attempt to escape the onslaught of acid pittering and pattering off the top of her parasol.

"U-Uhm N-neo? Are you sure about this?" Jaune asks, trying to hide his rising embarrassment.

Neo refuses to meet Jaune's gaze as she looks straight ahead at the foreboding castle, a fresh coat of red crossing her own cheeks as the two young adults stand underneath their mutual salvation.

Neo uses the hand holding her umbrella to count down from three, slowly so that Jaune can see and understand what she is attempting. She lowers her fingers, giving just enough time for Jaune to understand what she means until all of her fingers once again grasp the umbrella. The two of them step forward in tandem, slowly increasing the distance between them and safety beyond the veil of water rushing from the sky. The world around them turns dark, the moon being blocked out by the clouds above and the rain further hindering their ability to see.

With great care, the two misadventures stride towards the gate. Only the sound of constant rain falling to the earth around them keeps them company. Any conversation that can be had is immediately lost in the overwhelming noise. The two of them shyly cling as close to each other as possible to avoid being melted by death from above.

The slow movement of two people trying to avoid the rain makes the relatively short distance they need to spend in the rain far more tedious and exhausting. But finally, the two of them come up to the gate. Metal bars block their entry, but the gate itself is massive. Standing almost five times their heights, it certainly sends an imposing message to all who approach it.

"What in the- What are two hoomans doing all the way here!?" A high-pitched voice calls out from out in front. Neo and Jaune look to each other, and then to where they heard the voices. All they manage to see is a brick wall.

"Hey! Hoomans! Down here!" The voice squeaks at the two misadventurers.

Neo and Jaune turn their gazes towards the ground where they are surprised to see a tiny-looking humanoid who can't be taller than Neo's heel. Despite being so small, the humanoid creature seems to possess all the traits of a normal human. This one specifically has red hair peeking out of a metal helmet. He carries what appears to be a toothpick next to him.

"How did you make it past the rain!? It's kept us protected from your kind for-" Neo squats to the ground and picks up the minuscule creature by his collar, holding him in front of her. She smiles sadistically as she toys around with him. "HEY! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT HOOMAN!" The creature screams.

"Neo! We need to make a good impression…" Jaune says through a slit in his teeth. Neo rolls her eyes as she sets the little human down before patting his head gently. The tiny creature does not seem to appreciate the sentiment.

He straightens out his helmet and harrumphs. "Go back to where you came from, Hoomans. We won't ask a second time."

Sensing that any future progress is in danger of being halted, Jaune tries to mediate. "I'm sorry, sir. I think we got started off on the wrong foot. I'm Jaune. This here is Neo." Jaune motions with his hand to the sadistic woman. Neo waves with a sliver of malicious intent. "We have traveled a very long ways to get here but have found there is no other way to pass through this land than through this city. You see we need-" Jaune is cut off.

"Hold your tongue, I do not care why you are here. You are Hooman. And Hoomans are not allowed to even set sights upon the city." The small squeaking human says.

"I'm sure if-" Jaune is once again cut off.

"Does this male speak for you?" The voice cuts out, speaking to Neo.

Neo is unsure how to respond. It's been some time since one had attempted to talk to her expecting an auditory response. She points to her mouth and shakes her head.

Jaune attempts one more time to speak up. "She is unable to speak, so I shall do the speaking for her."

The little soldier nods his head in understanding. "I see, so you are her servant who carries out your master's will. Very well then. I shall permit you to speak."

Jaune watches from his peripheral vision as Neo's mouth curves up sadistically, looking up at him playfully.

Jaune mumbles beneath his breath, "You better not enjoy this…"

Neo does not respond but returns her attention back towards the tiny humanoid.

"How are you not being evaporated by the rain? Shouldn't you be a puddle of melted flesh right now?" Jaune asks curiously.

The guard rolls his eyes. "Have your kind seriously not informed you of the great Munchin war!? How easily these Hoomans forget their barbaric past."

Jaune raises his hands defensively. "O-oh! We meant no disrespect! We come from a very very far away land where Hoomans and… Munchins live in peace!" Jaune throws the name back at the creature, hoping he's using the correct pronunciation.

The guard takes his toothpick and points it at the two of them. "How can I trust you are who you say you are?"

Neo and I nod to each other. "Because we managed to survive your rain. Have you seen any other… Hoomans do that? Clearly we are not made out of the same stuff the ones who live here are."

The soldier seems to relax, staking his toothpick into the ground. "That is true…"

Jaune looks up at the massive wall, then contrasts it to the tiny stature of the man before them. "So, why do you have such big walls and buildings? Surely there aren't that many of you living here."

The guards rubs the flesh under his nose. "Well, if you would believe it, we used to be much taller. But-" He points up to the clouds above. "Our goddess' protection from Hoomans came at a cost. For our payment, we were to serve her as tiny as the smallest crab in the ocean. That way, it's easier for her to keep track of all her people in one place. Now more of us can live in a smaller space!"

Jaune follows about half of what the soldier is saying. Neo yawns into her hand.

"That is rather wise of your goddess, she must be quite special if she managed to think of such a brilliant idea." Jaune says, hoping that flattery is enough to get them into the gates.

"She is indeed!" The little Munchin says before turning next to what appears to be another of his kind. They whisper so quietly that it's impossible to hear anything past the onslaught of the rain around them. The Munchin sighs before he speaks next.

"It seems that Her Majesty wishes to speak to you. She has allowed special permission to enter. She will send a messenger when she is ready. Do not cause any trouble Hooman." He says seriously.

Jaune bows reverently, or as far as the umbrella will let him. "Thank you, kind sir. We will cause no harm. Right Neo..?" He stares daggers at the ice cream-haired villainess who simply smiles confidently at him.

She gives Jaune a wink before turning her attention to the Munchin.

"Then be on your way. Do please take care to mind your step. We can try our best to get out of your way but one mistake is the difference between life and death for us." The Munchin says as the gate opens slowly.

"We will certainly be careful not to step on anyone. Thank you sir."

Neo can't help but watch as the gigantic gate is lifted by a force of at least a hundred Munchins all pulling as hard as they can on a wheel. Her eyes focus on the lifting of the gate until it is finally pulled over their heads. Neo holds up her hand once again and counts down from three. This time a little faster as she is sure Jaune is aware of what to do.

Jaune nods in assurance as her hand once again grasps the umbrella's base and they begin to move into the city, one step in front of the other.

On the other side of the wall is a massive, almost dystopian-like fantasy city. Nothing in Remnant compares to the medieval architecture that spires like a tornado up to a single point. The road is made out of cobblestone and the buildings lined with wood. They tower above the two, much like the gates to enter the city. Red-tinted windows dot the street as faint red light echoes across the otherwise monochrome city. It seems despite their size, the Munchins still live in human-sized homes.

The city around them is eerily silent, even despite the onslaught of rain pouring all around them. The two adventurers glance from side to side, noticing how quiet it is. But despite this, they can't help but feel shivers run up their spine as if thousands of tiny little eyes stare at them from unseen directions.

"Alright. Let's get out of the rain." Jaune says, huddling closer underneath the umbrella as the rain starts to pitter and patter on the street.

Neo nods her head in agreement, scanning the main street for some kind of place to stay. The signs hanging out in front of storefronts are written in a completely foreign language that neither of the two recognize. As they walk, they keep their pace slow as if they were taking a nice stroll down main street to go window shopping. Their eyes however are glued to opposite sides of the street, scanning every sign for clues.

Neo spots a sign hanging in front of a large tavern-like building displaying a golden apple. The sign sways in the breeze, waving like an outstretched and beckoning hand. Neo taps Jaune on the shoulder.

Jaune stops observing his side of the street to look at what Neo is pointing at. Jaune has to crouch down a little and move even closer to Neo as he tries to catch a glimpse of what she is pointing at.

"That looks like as good of a place as any" Jaune states plainly, simply wishing to get out of the rain.

The two of them waltz closer to the establishment's doors before entering. The golden-haired knight breathes a sigh of relief as the doors swing open into the warmly lit building. Red candlelight illuminates the interior of the tavern brightly. They hang from chandeliers, from on top of the balconies, and placed neatly on each table. To the left is a bar, unmanned but strangely with a portion of ale still sitting on the counter. And the tables as well still hold a small dinner placed on a tiny tray. It's almost hard to see without a magnifying glass.

"H-hello?" Jaune calls out.

He receives no response.

Neo shrugs and dances into the warm room. The villainess sighs in relief as she sits down on top of the nearest table, flipping her legs in a showy display. Jaune closes the doors as they enter, muffling the sound of rain scattering across the cobblestone outside. Inside, the sound of rain quietly hits off the roof with a deep thud for each drop.

Jaune begins walking around the tavern, looking at each and every nook and cranny in an attempt to find someone hiding from him. After inspecting what he is sure to be every shadowy spot, he walks back up to Neo who raises an eyebrow as he approaches.

Jaune grabs a chair next to her and sighs as he sits down in it.

"You know, I think the sound of the rain from inside of this building is the only thing in this world that has reminded me of home." The knight says as he turns around in the chair to face the empty tavern.

Neo becomes lost in thought for a moment. Going over in her head everything that has happened until now. After a long moment of silence, she nods her head.

The two of them sit in silence for a long while, both relaxing their feet after a very long journey there. Neither of them seem particularly eager to talk about the experience under the umbrella. Jaune tries to interrupt the silence as a thought pops into his head.

"These chairs… seem awfully big for such small people…"

Neo is unable to form a thought before a voice calls out to them from somewhere in the tavern.

"L-leave this place Hoomans… You're not welcome here…" A small and timid voice speaks to them.

Neo immediately jumps off the table while performing a flip as she lands in the same direction the voice came from, her parasol poised to strike with deadly intent as lightning illuminates the room with a blinding light. The faintest sound of scurrying, accompanied by shrill squeaks of fear, echoes throughout the tavern as Jaune catches up to Neo. The golden knight tries to shove Neo's umbrella out of the way as he calls to the voices.

"Sorry! Sorry! You just scared her! She doesn't mean any harm." Jaune exclaims, looking back at Neo with a daggered stare.

Neo stamps her foot on the floor with disapproval as she forces her umbrella back to en garde position. Jaune snaps back at her.

"Just work with me!" He yells at her, causing Neo to widen her eyes in shock. His tone is filled with malice and complete annoyance. Something she hadn't heard from him since the beginning of their adventure. His voice echoes throughout the tavern and even seems to block out the sound of the rain for but a brief moment.

Her stance lightens but she does not drop it, holding the trigger for her umbrella's sheathed blade while steadily while pointing it at the direction from which the voices came. Jaune calms down and eases on his tense expression before letting out a long sigh. He turns back towards the same direction Neo faces her umbrella.

"You don't have to hide, we're just trying to get out of the rain and maybe find something to eat or drink. We're-" Jaune tries to explain before he is cut off again by a high-pitched voice from behind the bar counter.

"P-please just leave! We don't want to be eaten!" The voice exclaims.

"We won't eat you! We're not that kind of Huma- Hoomans!" Jaune tries to reason.

"We know your tricks and lies Hooman! We will not be fooled by your pleas for shelter!"

Jaune tries to approach the counter, but the voice shouts at him once more.

"Not a step closer! I am armed, and will not hesitate to attack if you continue to get closer!" He shouts.

Jaune stops in his tracks but does not give up on trying to convince the voice on the other side. "We are here by request of your queen. We would not dare even attempt something that would dishonor us while we are preparing to receive Her Majesty's grace."

There is no response for quite some time. The storm outside continues to rage on, yet somehow it's almost calming to hear nothing but the pitter-patter of the rain as it cascades to the world below. The ocean of gray and black outside makes everything feel smaller. Like there isn't an entire foreign world yet to be explored.

Jaune looks behind him to glance at Neo's silent expression only to come to the realization that the ice-cream haired villainess is no longer behind him. Jaune looks around in a panic trying to find where she had wandered. Finally after looking to his left and his right, looks straight up at one of the chandeliers to which he finds the dual-colored woman squatting on top. The chandelier still sways gently as Neo positions herself upon it, looking down behind the counter. Jaune wants to shout at her but knows doing so will only cause the the one behind the counter even more fear and would probably eliminate any goodwill left between them.

Jaune snaps his fingers softly which gets Neo's attention. She looks down at the blonde-haired knight for a brief moment. Jaune points to the ground next to him, clearly stating what he wants her to do.

"Sir." The high-pitched voice squeaks from behind the bar. "If I were to tell you where you could receive shelter and any other services you would need, would you kindly leave?"

From on high, Neo looks down beyond the bar counter and squints. She can faintly see an outline in the shadows. But it doesn't look like a Munchin. Instead, it's almost a large blob. Like a cloud in the sky. She looks down once again at Jaune, the blonde-haired boy staring directly at the villainess with dagger-like precision. Neo begins writing on her notepad, etching words into the page with the calligraphy she was taught at school all those years ago. Once she is finished, she dangles the page with her arm stretched out over the edge of the chandelier, causing it to sway gently.

Jaune notices what she is about to do just in time as the girl releases the notepad from her grasp and it falls to the ground. Jaune reaches out and catches it just before it hits the ground. He reads the inscription written upon it.

"Something's not right. We shouldn't trust them."

Jaune stares up at Neo, making sure she doesn't do anything as he speaks. "We will take you up on your offer. I am truly sorry, we did not mean to scare you. If you will give us the location we can be on our way."

There is a brief period of silence following the conversation which ends when the person on the other side begins to speak again.

"Just in front of the castle is a grand hotel, no one really uses it but it should be accommodating enough for Hoomans like yourselves. If you follow this street and make a right at the Helpless Harpy it'll be the first building on your left. Now please leave."

Jaune looks up at Neo who is gently descending using her parasol to land right next to Jaune. He watches as she gracefully lands next to him, staring at each other for an uncomfortable amount of time. The blonde-haired knight is trying to read her face as he hands back her notepad. Neo does not give anything up behind her expression though, simply instead writing on her notepad, "I'll let you know when we get somewhere safe."

Jaune nods and pseudo-bows to the bar counter.

"Thank you, we'll be going now. Sorry for interrupting." He says, walking towards the door.

The door swings open into the moist air, precipitation falling down from the sky and harshly landing upon the cobble just before their exit. Neo is first out, unfolding her umbrella and hovering it above her head, waiting for Jaune to exit as well. He follows suit and exits the building, closing the door behind him.

"I'll hold the umbrella, tell me what you saw in there." He says with a stone-cold expression on his face.

Neo grips the parasol tighter as her eyes ignite with bloody and violent murder.

Jaune immediately backs off.

"Okay! Okay! I get it! Don't touch the parasol." He exclaims softly as the two walk together underneath the umbrella.

The pair walk underneath the onslaught of rain falling from above them down the long and winding path laid out in stone before them. Their pace is slow and steady but it has become almost routine to match each other's steps. They step and press off of the ground at the same time, almost giving the illusion that they are walking without conflict.

It's quiet as they walk. Even more so than normal as the rain around them drowns out all other sounds. Jaune walks just as silently as the mute girl next to him, letting the rain drown out his own thoughts. Neo's mind is racing, trying to understand the strange laws and happenings of the city. It does not help that she can feel eyes watching her everywhere they go. She peers from underneath her umbrella to look up at the castle which grows larger with every step they take.

When she returns, the heterochromatic finds Jaune's deep blue orbs staring straight through hers. She blushes slightly at how close his face is to hers and gently tries backing her own head away from his.

"Neo?" He asks with a very serious and deep tone. Neo stares deeply into his eyes, trying to deduce his intentions. "Why do you… why are you… for lack of a better term, at odds with us and everyone else?"

Neo frowns and points to her hat with a scowl on her face.

Jaune walks in tandem with the girl but his upper body freezes and tenses up.

"Roman… Ruby.. told me about what happened that night. I know we have our differences… but I also lost someone close to me that night…"

The red sash wrapped around Jaune's waist flaps in the wind.

Jaune averts his gaze from Neo, looking instead towards the ground. Neo repositions her head back to its natural resting state but still continues to look towards the blonde-haired knight.

"But we have never exactly been on good terms. You were always by Roman's side. And with how often we were at odds that sort of just made you our enemy. There are moments where I see your humanity. You're just a girl trying to live in a messed-up world. You're hurt because you lost someone dear to you… I was… No, for better or for worse I am still hurt by the losses we received that day. I will carry it for as long as I live, as you likely have been doing as well."

Now it is Neo's turn to look down at the ground in pensive thought. The two stop moving through the rain and let it simply fall around them. The sting of the acid licking at their heels.

"I guess what I'm trying to ask is what is your motivation? Your semblance is one of the coolest ones I've ever seen. Even after all these years I still don't understand how it works completely. There are things you have done that only you could do. And it takes a very special person to use it as effectively as you do."

Neo blushes slightly again as Jaune compliments her semblance.

"But you're evil. Down to your very core."

Any embarrassment the girl might have felt is lost instantly.

"I mean seriously. Helping Cinder? Killing innocent people?! Long before Roman died you've been raiding dust depots and slaughtering those who get in your way. All with that damn smile on your face! What happened that made you this evil?!"

By the end of his speech, Jaune seems furious. The rain falls around them. Neopolitan remains silent as she always has. The blonde breathes heavily through his teeth, seething as he remembers everything Neo has done before the fall of Vale, for her actions at the fall of Vale, and everything that has occurred after.

Neo simply stares at the infuriated Jaune. Unable to say a word to him, even as she can feel the answer bubble up in her throat. She grips the parasol in her gloved hand tightly, her face twisting with a myriad of expressions. Why was she so evil? She has never questioned it before. She never really even considered what she was doing to be particularly evil, so when Jaune pointed out everything to her, she simply couldn't explain it.

"You remember why~" A whispery voice says from over her shoulder.

A faint memory of a young girl with brown hair and heterochromatic eyes flashes through her mind. She sits within a large mansion, surrounded by all the toys and trinkets she could ever ask for. Next to her, is a little strawberry-haired girl. The two of them are laughing together as they tear down the curtains of the window and turn it into a wonderful white dress.

Neo physically shakes her head to be rid of the memory. She does know why she's chosen this path. All she needed was to be reminded of why.

She points once again to the hat, though for a different reason this time.

Jaune understands that the reason she is giving him now is different from the reason she gave him earlier. But the how or the why is lost in translation.

"I don't think we'll ever truly understand each other. But for the time being, it's much nicer having you as an ally than an enemy. For whatever that is worth to you." Jaune says, ending the conversation.

Neopolitan thinks back to the time they first met in this strange land, within the depths of that forest. This man had saved her life. Even after everything she's done and though he tries to deny it, she knows just as much as him that he could have made it this far without her. The same goes vice versa. In fact, if he hadn't had shown up that night, she might not have been injured at all… But there is always that chance that she was… Where would she have been then? She wonders.

Dead, all alone. After everything. All that she has been through and all that she has done. It would get her a cold and lonely death surrounded by no one. Nobody to tell her she did alright and that she gave it her best. No recognition of everything she has done. Alone without anyone to love her.

Jaune glances up from the ground to look over towards Neo. His eyes widen in shock and surprise as he sees a sight he likely never would have seen if Neo still had her powers.

"Neo…" He says gently. "I'm… sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Neo sniffs as she tries to hold back tears overflowing from her eyes. The woman brings her free gloved hand to her eye and wipes away the singular tear flowing down her cheek.

'Why… why am I crying? Is this… a normal emotion for people to feel?' She asks herself.

She quickly composes herself as the voice rings in her ear once more.

"Neo. My precious Neo. Never forget who you are. What you have become. You are the most impressive and gifted person I ever met. Don't ever forget who you are."

Just as quickly as the voice arrives, it leaves into the never-ending rain.

Jaune looks out towards the horizon. "We should start moving." He says calmly.

Neo nods her head.

The word "Grand" is a little misleading when referring to the hotel the person on the other side of the bar had mentioned. Neo and Jaune stand in front of a one-bedroom shack with a half-tilted sign with the name "Gra d H tel" being displayed by a swinging sign. The pair look at each other and can't help but feel a laugh coming along. Jaune snickers while Neo holds a hand in front of her mouth politely.

"I guess 'Grand' was a little… overdramatic." Jaune says lightheartedly.

Neo shakes her head in agreement. The two open the door and enter together.

Inside is a human-sized dining room fit to accommodate two or three people and a single bed tucked in the corner. An ancient-looking stove sits next to the bed with firewood placed neatly next to it. A small kitchen is the only other large furnishing in the small hotel. Peculiarly, a large flask and human-sized bread is sitting on the table.

"Are we… intruding?" Jaune asks to the empty room. His only response is Neo closing her umbrella and hanging it up to dry upon a coat rack.

"Surely they won't mind if we… sneak a bite?" Jaune says as he approaches the suspiciously fresh bread.

As Neo is checking her ankles for any permanent scars she might have received from the rain lapping at her feet, she notices something out of her peripheral vision. She grabs Jaune by the arm just as he is about to sit down in the chair, preventing him from moving any further. She then uses her strength to pull him away from the chair, much to Jaune's displeasure.

"What? Don't tell me you've grown a conscious." He teases her playfully.

Neo is dead serious. She points to the chair he was about to sit in with a mixture of fear and confusion written upon her face.

Upon the chair is a small pool of water, collected from a leak in the ceiling. But that is not what Neo is pointing at. Upon the chair is a Munchin. However, the Munchin seems to be frozen mid-bite into the bread. Likely the same bread placed on the table, freshly baked.

"What in the… hello? Sir? Are you alright? Cause I'm gonna freak out if you're not alright." Jaune says in a panic.

The Munchin does not move a single muscle in response to Jaune's query. There is no sound in the building other than the light dripping of water onto the chair and right onto the Munchin. The eerie silence looms over the entire building. Drip after drip. Drip.

Jaune waves his arm in front of the Munchin, but the Munchin still does not move.

"He's… frozen." Jaune says as he uses his index finger to give him a little poke. Still nothing.

Neo bends over and picks the Munchin up. Something that the Munchin seems unable to respond to. Neither of them had seen what a Munchin looks like without wearing armor, and the result is that they're human, just tiny and with rounded ears, almost like a mouse's.

"Is he… dead?" Jaune asks as fear runs across his face. "This place must be haunted."

Neo places her ear against the Munchin's chest. A pulse vibrates throughout the body of the Munchin, increasing rapidly the longer she holds her ear there. Neo places him down on the table, a perfect statue sitting upright like he were still in the chair.

Neo shakes her head no in response to Jaune's question. He is unsure whether to sigh with relief of if that makes the whole situation scarier.

"Is it a defense mechanism?" Jaune asks.

Neo kicks her leg up and uses it to swipe at the Munchin, feinting just before she would hit him and before Jaune can react. Jaune opens his mouth to say something but is silenced as he watches Neo's leg come back down. Neo brings out her notepad and begins to write on it.

'If it is, it's a sucky one.' She responds. 'It could have something to do with the bread he ate.' They both look towards the bread. Neo's sadistic smile crawls to her face as she begins writing once again on her pad. 'Hey so you wanna give it a try?'.

"Not on your life." Jaune's reply is interrupted by his stomach growling.

Neo hides her smile behind her hand.

"Hey it's not funny! This is serious!" He says, poking the bread still hot from the oven.

Neopolitan picks up the bread and rips a piece from it before stuffing it into her mouth, leaving Jaune's mouth agape.

"NEO! SPIT IT OUT!" He exclaims loudly.

Neo instead swallows the chunk of bread before completely freezing up. Her entire body fails to move from the position she is currently in. Jaune panics.

"No no nono onono. Neo?! Neo can you hear me!?" He asks her as he approaches closely to her. Neo's only response is her winking. She proceeds to move freely, clearly feeling very clever and amused that it got that reaction out of Jaune.

"Y-you're? Ugh, that's not funny Neo. I was really worried there for a second. What if it had made you paralyzed?" Jaune asks, finding the whole situation way less humorous than her.

Neo shrugs nonchalantly. Jaune rubs the bridge of his nose with the tips of his fingers.

"Okay, so it wasn't the bread… Then it would have to be… the water? But I thought the Munchin's were immune to the rain?"

Neo looks around the room for any other explanation as to why the Munchin has frozen stiff. Jaune follows suit and begins physically searching the room for clues. The two of them collectively scour the room for any idea. The small amount of dust on the ground is about the same amount as the table, but the kitchen looks like it was just used. The stove also seems to still be hot, something which Jaune told Neo immediately before either one got burnt.

"Neo. Check this out." Jaune says passionately, calling Neo over to him. The multicolored girl sashays over to peer down at a book resting on the nightstand next to the bed.

The title reads-

"A Brewing Revelation, by Anthony Bagg." Jaune says aloud. Jaune picks up the book and opens it to the first page. "Table of contents. Chapter 1: Problems with the Monarchy? It sounds like this book is a-"

There is a knock at the door.

Neo and Jaune look to each other with suspicion. There is obviously something going on that they are unaware of here. Things aren't making sense and when in a world of things that don't sense start making even less sense it's usually a bad sign. Jaune nods and points to Neo's parasol. The girl immediately understands and quietly makes her way to where she left it.

Jaune removes his shield from his hip and unfolds it, confidently holding it in front of his chest as he approaches the door. "Who is it?" He asks, standing before the door.

"I am Nargenold. Messenger and harolder to Her Majesty Queen Camillla III. I have been sent to inform you that Her Majesty seeks an audience with the two Hoomans who have been granted entry to our fair city. If the Hoomans are here, I humbly request that they come forthwith to meet my lady. Should they not be here, please ignore my message citizen." The voice from the other side of the door responds with a manner of speaking befitting a role such as Harolder to the Queen.

Jaune looks to Neo who is shaking her head fervently. Jaune looks back at the door and comes up with his response, "Uhm… Yeah, they're here. Should we… wear nice clothes?" Neo's expression is both of shock and disappointment as she slaps her forehead.

"Well what was I supposed to do?!" Jaune whispers back to her.

Neo draws a line with her fingers across her lips. 'Zip it.'

"They're gonna be able to tell we're not Munchins! I sound like a 19 year old!"

'You're 19!?'

"Not important!"

"I will need an answer within the moment good sir." The voice calls from the other side of the door.

"Y-yes just one moment!" Jaune calls back. He looks to Neo, expecting an answer. Neo shrugs. Jaune sighs and opens the door.

"Yes it is us, the Hoomans. Please take us to. See. Your… Queen..?" Jaune's voice grows more confused the more he speaks. He was expecting a Munchin to be standing at about his calf but there is none to seen. He looks to the sides of the door and becomes even more puzzled when he can't seem to find the location of the voice.

"Up here, good sir." The voice calls out to him.

Jaune's and Neo's heads whip up the same second he starts speaking. Above them, floating in mid-air, is a jabberwalker. Small in size and speaking very clear English, both Neo and Jaune take a step back in surprise.

"Ah yes. Surprised to see the Queen's messenger is just as short-statured as the rest of the Munchins? It's quite common for foreigners to react this way. Come come. My queen awaits." Nargenold says as he begins flying away.

Neo and Jaune stand in the doorway with their mouths agape and unable to process what just happened.

"Did… did I see that right?" Jaune asks more towards himself.

Neo gets over the shock pretty quickly and follows the mini-flying-Jabberwalker and ushers for Jaune to follow her.

"W-what about this guy? We can't just leave him like this…" Jaune says, grabbing the Munchin sitting on the table and cupping him in his hands.

Neo rolls her eyes.

"Maybe the queen knows something we can do to help him. I'm gonna take him with me."

Neo takes a deep breath and lets it out through her nose. 'Now is not the time to be worrying about someone from a fantasy world.' She writes down on the paper while holding the umbrella, almost fumbling the notepad in the process.

"Who's to say this isn't some other world though? Shouldn't we at least try to help him out?" Jaune responds.

'That's right. I didn't tell him this is a fantasy world yet…' Neo thinks to herself. She writes on the pad once more, using her well-trained legs as a balance to hold the pad on top of them. 'Suit yourself. Just don't prioritize that thing underneath the umbrella. If you have to drop him to save us from melting, drop him.'

Jaune crosses his heart symbolically. "You have my word."

Neo nods in agreement, letting the two of them underneath the parasol. Jaune whispers to the Munchin just loud enough for Neo to overhear, "Don't worry little guy, that won't happen. I'll keep you and Neo safe."

Neo jabs her elbow into Jaune's side, something which he laughs about. "Alright alright. Let's catch up to Nargenold."

"Now you're going to need to know some things once you go before Her Majesty. First of all. All visitors must bow before speaking before the Queen. This must be done every time you wish to speak but you also may not speak over Her Majesty. Secondly-"

"He. Doesn't. Stop. Talking." Jaune says, following the Jabberwalker through the elongated halls of the central castle.

Neo has all but fallen asleep listening to Nargenold talk for so long. She leans against Jaune to keep herself upright, using her parasol like a cane to aid in standing up straight.

"Neo… Neo wake up. He's started talking about actually important stuff."

Neo rouses from her half-slumber, stretching her arms up wide and yawning. The time is getting pretty late, the clock on the bell tower read 11:30 before walking into the castle and it's been a good 15 minutes since they got in. Jaune however is not tired in the slightest. He was used to walking for hours before stopping at night to train using Pyrrha's lectures recorded on his phone so a couple more hours of walking is no big deal.

"And finally" The flying Jabberwalker continues. "Simply do not ever. EVER. Chew with your mouth full. You'd think that'd be common sense but apparently common sense is not that common among common folk." He stops before a set of gargantuan double doors carved with the most delicate and majestic etchings of what appear to be two gods. Suddenly, Neo seems wide awake. "Alright. Did you get all that?" Nargenold asks.

"Uhm well-" Jaune tries to make in but is rapidly cut off.

"Good." The double doors open seemingly on their own as Nargenold takes the two of them inside the throne room. The path to the throne is lined with beautiful velvet carpet layered with the bark of some local tree while the throne is made up of a transparent almost diamond-looking rock. The torches on each side of the hall glow a gentle purple and almost seem to draw your attention to the throne at the opposite end of the hall. Far different from the grand palaces back in Remnant.

A row of guards are stationed on each side of the carpet. Small though they may be, they are dedicated and well-trained to be standing so completely still. Jaune holds the Munchin in the palm of his hands, the little person still frozen completely, eating the crumb of bread. Finally, at the end of the hall sits an absolutely minuscule woman. She can't be taller than Neo's heels. Her blonde hair and big ears reflect her Munchin nature, but she is at least one-third the size of a normal Munchin.

"Your Majesty, the Hoomans Jaune and Neopolitan." Nargenold says to the woman sitting on the throne after he bows to her.

The Queen looks the duo over twice before beckoning them forward with the swipe of her hand. As they approach her the guards start closing in on each side and before they know it they're standing at the foot of the crystal throne and surrounded by a hoard of Munchins.

"So. These are the Humans who have sought passage through my kingdom." She says, pronouncing humans the correct way.

"We are indeed your-" Jaune is immediately cut off by an overwhelming pressure being applied to his back, forcing him to bend forward into a bow. Jaune grunts as he tries to fight the feeling but it's far too strong for him to shake off. He bows his head to the Queen who seems rather pleased with herself as she stares at the two of them upon her throne.

"Bow when you speak to me, male." She commands.

Neo raises an eyebrow as she looks from Jaune to Queen Camilla III. 'Interesting… She seems powerful… perhaps she could be a valuable ally.' Neo says to herself.

"A-apologies, Y-your Majesty." Jaune's words struggle to get out of his mouth. "W-we a-are looking f-for s-s-safe p-passage through your kingdom." As he finishes his sentence, the force is relieved from off of his back and he is allowed to stand up once again.

"Is that so? It's been centuries since a Human, let alone two, tried to cross through my territory. And last time they did they pillaged the entire city on the way there." The Queen taps her chin pensively. "Now what would two very strange-looking humans want to be passing through my territory for?"

Jaune makes sure to bow before speaking this time as he lowers his head, "We're trying to get to Great Tree."

Neo's eyes widen and dart to the blonde-haired knight bowing to the Queen. 'I never told him that… How does he know? And if he knows that's the destination… what else does he know?'

Neo's eyes narrow in suspicion.

"The Great Tree, huh? And why would you want to be going there?" Camilla asks the blonde.

Jaune takes a moment to respond, clearly thinking over the answer in his head as he continues bowing. "We're adventurers. We want to witness its glory for ourselves." Jaune says with so much confidence it makes you want to believe him.

"Ooo~ Adventurers trying to make it big at the Great Tree~ A tale as old as time itself. You know the last person who came through here was attempting the same thing. I think her name had something to do with a flower. Eh, it sounded foreign though so I never thought to ask."

'A flower? Red's mom?' Neo thinks to herself, sensing that suddenly they were in danger.

"Was this the same person who pillaged the city?" Jaune asks.

The Queen nods at his question. "I'll never forget her face. She had the face of a mother. Made dropping our guards all too easy. Since then I have erected walls and created this nation from the ashes she left behind. Vowing to never allow such a tragedy to befall us again."

"I promise we really are just trying to make it to the top of the Great Tree." Jaune says.

The Queen at first seems shocked as he eyes wide open and her attention is perked. That is before she begins laughing hysterically, followed by the rest of her guard echoing her laugh almost eerily similar. That's when both Neo and Jaune feel an assisted laugh coming up their throats. Both spew into uncontrollable laughter. Neo's laugh sounds like a goose honking as her vocal cords try to make the sound attributed to the action but cannot quite make up the difference.

"Ahw, too funny. I'm sorry sweeties but no one has been able to make it to the top of the Great Tree before. It's impossible." The Queen says as she struggles through a laughing fit.

"And why's that?" Jaune asks, standing up from his bow.

The clock outside rings. Twelve times. One for each hour of the night. The hauntingly beautiful sound of the bells above is echoed throughout the interior of the castle. Everything seems to stand still for just a moment. Nobody speaks. The rain is gone. The chatter among soldiers ceases.

A flash of red across Jaune and Neopolitan's neck is their answer. Excruciating pain follows as they both drop to the ground in a pool of their own blood. Jaune lets go of the Munchin he had been holding in his hands as both the blonde and the villainess begin choking to death. The Munchin rolls across the floor but still refuses to unfreeze. Jaune looks up to the short Queen in his final moments as she descends from her throne.

"Because I make sure of it." She says, her voice coated with malice and pleasure. A sadistic thrill running through her.

The Munchin rolls across the floor but still refuses to unfreeze. He does however catch the Queen's eye as he rolls right up to her feet.

"Aww. Poor guy. Rain must have gotten to him. Too bad. I kinda liked him." She smiles sadistically at the pair in their dying breaths.

"See you soon~"

Their world fades to black.

The sound Neo makes as she wakes up is nothing a person with vocal cords can make. She raises her head quickly to stop the rush of blood from making it to her brain. Her heart races at a thousand beats per second as her subconscious kicks her body into an adrenaline rush. Neo grasps her head tightly, trying to fend off the massive headache that threatens to wash over her body. Her breathing is heavy and quick as she sounds like she's about to hyperventilate.

"-y. -ey. Hey. Hey! Neo are you alright?!" Neo's hearing slowly comes back to her. The voice of someone she'd hardly just met a few days ago speaks to her as she experiences a panic attack. Neo looks up and sees Jaune standing a few inches away from her face, looking worriedly at the ice-cream-haired girl. Neo's breathing slows down considerably as her vision becomes a little more focused and her mind stops running at a few thousand miles per hour.

She closes her eyes tightly before opening them again, taking in her surroundings as she tries to calm herself down. She finds herself in the middle of the peaceful forest once again. Her back aches from leaning up against the solid rock for who knows how long.

Neo makes a yelping sound as she realizes what has just happened. She grasps at her neck as she tries to slide her way away from Jaune. She looks down at her palm and finds no blood.

"Still. I didn't think you'd end up sleeping through the whole fourth day. We've got a lot of ground to cover today if we want shelter and food before the day is over. Best we get going now." Jaune says nonchalantly as Neo panics.

Neo quickly flips open her notebook to the last line written on its pages. 'I wish I knew more about you before our constant attempts at trying to kill each other.'

This time she does not blush at the thought, instead flips to another page and wildly scripples onto it.

'How did we- How are we back in the forest!? What about the Queen!? A-and we died?'

Jaune laughs heartily as he offers her his hand to help her off the ground. "I think you might have just had a very vivid dream." Jaune says playfully, something that Neo does not find amusing. She had felt the pain. She had felt her neck bleeding as she passed out on the floor next to him.

'That wasn't a dream. It couldn't have been a dream! I won't accept it this time!' She thinks to herself. Certainly there was some way she could prove it. She quickly gets off of the ground and drags Jaune along with her.

"Woah there, you were sick until just a minute ago! We don't have to leave right now you know." Jaune says a little worried about her health.

'We are leaving. Right now.' She writes down hastily.

…

"Slow down Neo! I know we need to get places but it'll be worse if we tire ourselves out!" Jaune pleads with her, completely out of breath.

Neo too is short of breath, but she has to make sure for herself that it wasn't just a dream. And so she drags along the knight, leading him by the hand as they approach the crest of the hill where the city was first viewable. She is certain by the puddles around her that she was not imagining things. Her theory is proven right when over the hill appears a city nestled under a wall of thunderstorm clouds, raining heavily as the sun retreats behind the horizon.

"Woah, look at that. A city! We should go down and rest up. We've got a long journey ahead." Jaune says without a second thought.

Neo shoves him into the ground, getting his armor covered in muddy water. Neo isn't immune to the water either, splashing some onto her pristine white clothing.

"Ow! Hey, what was that for!?" Jaune exclaims as Neo stands over him.

'The Great Tree. How do you know about it?' She asks him on her now muddied notepad.

"Great Tree? What are you talking about?" He asks.

'I know you know. Spill it blondie.' She more or less spits out through her paper.

Jaune glances away. "Look. I didn't want to tell you because I know it sounds crazy, but… a woman came to me in my dreams and told me that is where we need to go." He pauses for a moment. "And I know that sounds crazy! Which is why I didn't say anything earlier, but it seems like you had a similar dream too?"

'Was the woman Red's mom?' Neo asks Jaune.

"What? No. It was a metallic looking blacksmith. What dream did you have?" Jaune asks.

Neo takes a moment to breath and think things over, tapping her umbrella to her side a couple times to help her ponder.

"Look, we can talk about this after we get to the city. Right now I'm starving, wet, and tired of having you drag me everywhere today. Let's go."

Jaune gets up off the ground and brushes himself off before starting towards the city. Neo grabs his hand in a desperate attempt to turn back but Jaune shakes it off.

As Jaune walks away, he hears the sound of a metal spike being unsheathed from its holster. He gives a long sigh before turning around and facing Neo, whose weapon is now pointed directly at Jaune.

"Neo. Are we really going to do this? We've come so far." He says exasperated.

She nods, though her body almost begs her not to continue. Her grip loosens upon her parasol as Jaune unsheathes his sword and unfolds his shield. His completely toneless face throws her off guard. She's seen it plenty of times before. But now it somehow hurts a little more.

"Fine. I guess it's destined to end this way regardless. I just wish we could have gone longer." Jaune says, throwing his sword toward Neo. Neo kicks it out of the way with the heel of her boot before letting her leg come down upon the blade, leaving Jaune without offense. Or so she thought as Jaune bashes her with his shield, causing her to lose balance and stagger for just a moment. Jaune retrieves his sword which gives Neo time to recover and counterattack. She blocks Jaune's incoming attack with the flick of her parasol before bashing him over the head with it.

Jaune throws out a delicate but well-placed strike which gracefully slides off against the handle of Neo's umbrella. Using his momentum against him, Neo pushes her small body against his shield which causes him to lose balance and fall to the ground, landing on his back. Neo's blade quickly makes its descent to Jaune's heart but is parried by the return of his sword. With all her momentum in her blade Jaune quickly swipes at her exposed legs with his own, causing the girl to fall down face-first into the mud. Jaune rapidly gets on top of her and aims for her head with a slashing strike. Neo flips around and places her parasol in-between her and his blade, saving her from the blow. She kicks off of him and flips around at the same time, swinging her parasol like a ribbon towards Jaune. The Parasol grazes his cheek, drawing only a mild amount of blood. Without semblances, each attack means something.

Jaune swipes at Neo as she flips over his sword, landing firmly on the ground before making another attack towards Jaune. Jaune's shield is there to stop her blade though, faster than Neo expected which causes her to lose momentum. Now it was Jaune's turn. With Neo in his grasp he swings violently at her, scraping her thigh and gouging her sword arm. Neo backs up and quickly disengages, holding her wound tightly.

"Give up Neo. We've done this before, we know how it ended last time." Jaune says, gritting his teeth even as he says it.

'I don't know what happened, but I know going to that city is a death trap. I can't communicate to this man just how sure I know I am… And even if I could I doubt he'd listen.' Neo starts reasoning with herself.

"He's trying to take away your right to choose. To be who you want to be. You need to do this." The voice speaks again.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune asks, speaking to seemingly nothing.

Neo lunges herself at the blonde and finds her blade connecting to his chest. Straight through his heart. Jaune gasps for air as he backs away from the pointed tip.

Neo watches helplessly as her five-day partner slumps to the ground, the tip of her blade stained a familiar color.

"N-neo… why…?" Jaune asks as his final breath.

Neo turns away from his body and stands silently still for a long moment.

'That's just the way things are Jaune. Always have been. Always will be.'

She walks away from the bloody scene off in a random direction away from the city. As she's about to disappear over the horizon, she turns back to look upon Jaune one last time.

The clock strikes midnight.

A new day Begins.

Jaune smiles as he lays lifeless on the ground. "See you soon~".

WOW. It's been what? Six months? Honestly feels like longer. I don't know why I took such a long break. Honestly writer's block is my worst nightmare. I came back to this one like 5 times before I finally finished it. Anyways, this is part one of… honestly it'll depend how I'm feeling. I think I can finish it in two but It might need three. This one already went on way longer than I thought it would. Hopefully it doesn't take me six months to finish the next one~

Who knows. It might even be out tomorrow. See ya'll next time.