There were no more interferences on the rest of the way to his hometown. Ansel stood exactly as he left it, in complete and utter ruins and rubble. Everything was the exact same… he even saw the body of the guard that he met, back when he first awoke. The very first person he interacted with since the beginning. It felt like so long ago…
"Are you okay? It can't be easy, seeing the place you call home reduced in this state…"
Taiyang's voice cut through his musings, bringing him back to Remnant. And while his words rang true, he also couldn't say he wasn't used to the destruction by now. Besides, it wouldn't be the first home he ever lost, nothing new on that front.
So he simply nodded, offering no rebuttal. But now… he was at a bit of a crossroad. He had to find out what the door to the basement of his house hid… but at the same time, Raven made it extremely clear that no more delays were going to be tolerated. He had to make a choice…
Or did he? He wasn't alone, after all… it was the best solution he could think of.
"Mh? A Turned close to gates? You want it eliminated? Why?"
He told him, not seeing any reason to lie.
"Part of your duties towards Raven… are you sure that you want to go along with her? Whatever it is that she has in mind, it can't be good… but I suppose you knew that already".
Of course he did. But it's either that, or death. There were no alternatives, the Spring Maiden was still way too powerful for him to face.
But not for long…
He was ready to plead, but luckily he didn't have to.
"Very well then, if that's how things are. I'll deal with this errand for you. What do I have to do specifically?"
Kill the dude and pick up any weapon or similar that he had. Pretty simple really, but he had a feeling that it wasn't just some old dusty sword that his… employer was after.
"Understood then. Be safe Jaune, I'll wait for you at the entrance of the town once I'm done. Good luck".
The Brave Huntsman parted ways with his older companion, walking with purpose towards his childhood home. His armor clicked and clacked with every step he took, only adding to the eerie atmosphere of the destroyed Ansel. The closer he got, the more anxious he was starting to feel. Whatever it is that awaited him in there… it was going to be extremely difficult to overcome.
The main door opened without much fanfare, and before he knew it, he was standing in front of the door, key in hand. His breathing quickened for a second, but he brought it back under control. Now or never.
He inserted the key in the hole and turned it, unlocking it and allowing him to go through…
Used: Mysterious Key
And he would have done that, if only the doors hadn't been blasted open from the inside. An arm, human, gripped his neck, throwing him down the stairs of the basement. He rolled the whole way down painfully, not able to react straight away due to the shock. Eventually, he reached the bottom, where he rolled back to his feet, greatsword ready before him.
Who is the dead bastard that dared…?!
"My… you actually landed on your feet. So you did learn something in that damn school…"
A figure slowly descended the stairs, eventually stepping into the light. Of course… who else could it be. But it still left him flabbergasted.
"... didn't you, Jaune?"
Nicholas Arc… his father. Or… what used to be his father, at least. The white skin and dark veins didn't leave any doubt on what happened… and his voice! There was something weird about it. Like multiple people speaking at the same time.
"Surprised to see us, Prodigal Child? To hear us speak? You didn't actually think that we would have escaped this… mess, did you? Fate always has this very funny way of making itself known. And we… are your fate. We've always been…"
We? Us? But it was just the two of them! Nobody else was around…
The Turned in front of him pointed his weapon at him. His father's battle axe, Skysplitter, gleamed in the weak light of the lantern hanging from the ceiling.
"Show us what you've learned, Prodigal… if you do not wish to perish".
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NICHOLAS ARC, THE LEADER OF THE PACK
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He barely had time to react. One second, his father was speaking to him, the next he was already upon him, weapon high above his head. His instincts screamed at him to dodge, and so he did. The floor scattered apart from the strength of the blow, not giving a single doubt on what his fate would be if he allowed that axe to strike him.
Nicholas Arc was powerful… much too powerful for his shield to hold. But he was also way too fast, meaning that both the regular and transformed versions of Crocea Mors would slow him down way too much to allow consistent openings. Meaning that he only had two options.
He quickly swapped into Mors Celeri and Mors Renata, with the intention of engaging into a battle of attrition and whittle his opponent down, bit by bit.
His father smirked at that.
"Would you look at that. You assessed the situation quickly and adapted to your opponent on the fly. You've actually grown into a somewhat capable huntsman… it's almost enough to make us PROUD!"
That last word was accentuated by another mighty swing of Skysplitter, which grazed his hair dangerously. It was going to be an uphill battle, no questions asked.
He darted in quickly, stabbing his parent three times before quick stepping sideways to avoid the overhead swing in retaliation. He dodged the hit, but not the shockwave, which sent him back a couple of feet. The slight stun was enough for his enemy to do his work. One hit to the face with the pommel of the axe, another to the stomach with the handle and finishing with a shoulder bash, which caused him to fall to the ground, where he had to quickly roll away from the finishing hit.
Nicholas was quick though, and kept on chasing him, while he was forced to to keep rolling. But the wall was approaching quick, he had to think of something before he'll inevitably run out of space. He wrecked his brain for a couple of seconds, before remembering a small detail. Something about his pistol that he had forgotten, in the midst of everything that happened.
Mors Renata allowed him to parry, if timed correctly. He rolled a couple more times, in order to prepare, then when his father was just about to swing his weapon again… he fired.
And unfortunately, he mistimed it slightly. There was no parry, but it did cause his opponent to grunt and stumble a bit, which gave him the chance to get back to his feet, but not without a quick slash with Mors Celeri.
"Good, very good! Much better than we imagined, in fact!"
Jaune gritted his teeth, fixing his grip on the dagger and pistol in his hands, continuously asking himself what the hell was this old man's issue… apart from the infection, of course. Was he being tested? And why did he keep referring to himself in plural?!
He was starting to run out of patience…
Let's just kill him and move on already! We dealt with bigger, stronger, smarter and much more intimidating opponents than this washed huntsman! Just stab him and get it over with!
He wasn't sure why… but something about all of this unsettled him. Not only the fact that he was fighting for his life against his father… but there was a feeling of distress that he never felt before.
"And since you became this good… then it's about time we stepped it up!"
Nicholas seemingly pressed a switch into Skysplitter, which caused it to elongate. The blades also became red and started sizzling, before catching fire. The weapon transformed into a flaming polearm… great, why the hell not?
The assault began anew, with his opponent slashing horizontally towards his midsection, which he dodged, which fluidly transitioned into two diagonal slashes that he also barely avoided. His father continued by with another overhead swing, followed by a quick stab with the pointy tip above the blade. Finally, the older man showcased his agility by slamming the point of Skysplitter into the ground, which allowed Nicholas to use it as a regular pole to jump and deliver another, more powerful overhead, that Jaune deflected with Mors Celeri by sliding his dagger along the neck of the polearm, a bit too close to the flaming blades for comfort.
His father finished the combo by twirling his weapon over his head and then all around, like a deadly, flaming tornado that he quickly ducked under, just in the nick of time. Finally he saw an opportunity. Faster than ever, he dived onto his father, delivering a series of quick slashes and finishing by bonking the older man's temple with the handle of his pistol. Nicholas moved to retaliate, but this time he didn't give him the chance to go into another three hours long combo.
He charged Mors Renata with aura, powering up his next shot, which he used to finally successfully parry his father, who fell to one knee. Jaune didn't waste the chance, stabbing his father five times in a row, lifting him up bodily after the fifth and tearing his weapon away from the body in a shower of blood, tearing flesh and the shirt that Nicholas was wearing.
The Brave Huntsman breathed evenly after he was done, centering his mind and preparing himself to continue… but then his opponent lifted himself up from the ground, giving him a chance to see what's underneath the torn piece of clothing.
What he saw almost made him recoil. An eye.
A human eye.
His father laughed loudly, grabbing the remains of the shirt and tearing it away, revealing his torso… full of deformed faces, stuck into different expressions of terror and pain. And he recognized each and every one of them. Seven faces… his mother and the rest of his missing sisters.
"You see, Prodigal… when we made it into Vale, we still weren't too late. We still were… us. The city was safe from outside attacks, fortified against any and all monsters that could have threatened it from the outside. But… they did not know that the threat would come from the inside. Your poor mother and father simply could not bear the thought of your body left unguarded. They somehow managed to find it, just outside Ansel. You were not breathing and your heart was not beating… but they knew that you were there. Just waiting for the right moment to wake up. What nobody in the refuge knew, was that Nicholas Arc was already infected, having come into contact with the Turned in his ruined hometown. For just a brief second, he lost hope that he would ever see you again… and that was enough".
So… that's how the infection managed to start in Vale. His father turned right in the middle of who knows how many people.
"He's a family man, your father. The only thing that he wants is to be as close to his wife and children as he possibly could. And he did just that, devouring them all and creating us! Allowing us to finally be one, just like he desired. But… this is not enough. We are not yet completed! We are missing our eldest child… and our Prodigal, who ran away from us! But now, you are back… and once you join us, it will be Sapphron's turn! And then, finally… we will finally be together, serving mistress Salem… for all eternity!"
At those words, the faces around Nicholas' body started screaming. Bloodcurdling screeches that made his skin crawl. He wanted to bend down and vomit, but he refrained, knowing that would spell the end of him. It hit him with the strength of a freight train, right then and there.
Whether he survived this encounter or not… his mother, father and six of his seven sisters… were gone. Just like that. Lost go Salem, just like everybody else.
The disgust was quickly replaced by a blinding fury. His right eye glowed red under his helmet, he gritted his teeth so hard that they almost cracked and his aura flared around him, almost resembling flames.
SHE. WILL. PAY!
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ARC CHIMERA
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Hello?! Is this thing on?! It is?! Noice.
Welcome back, dudes and gentleladies, to another episode of Auraborne, the show where body horror is but another Tuesday.
Yes, yes, I know. You don't have to tell me. And I honestly don't have a proper explanation. The truth is that I simply got burnt out, like I feared would happen. I'm not surprised that it happened, and I wished that I didn't but… yeah. Fortunately, I started telling myself that I have to get back and finish what I started, because I hate leaving things unfinished. I'll try and stick to my old schedule, but I honestly make no promises. But I will get this done, sooner or later.
Slightly shorter chapter while I get my writing hands back on track, but next one is going to be a doozy… as if this one wasn't tbh.
Review Responses:
merendinoemiliano: Welp, relaxation is over, back to the gross stuff lol.
behaartzas: … yeah, I hope you didn't get too worried again ahahah. Patience my young friend, this is all part of a bigger picture. There is a reason why Jaune is not as… "upgraded" in terms of weapons and skills as he's supposed to be.
I don't envy them either, being stuck I'm Jaune's head while he goes through all manners of fucked up shit must not be pleasant. But hey, at least there's plenty of space I'm there.
The Brothers… they have their own agenda, as any god usually does. What's that agenda? Dunno, we'll just have to wait and see, I guess.
Not sure at this point man, I haven't watched the older seasons in ages. You're probably right and I'm not remembering a lot of stuff or details. Maybe I should go back and and give them another look, especially now that I'm older and able to catch all these little things that I didn't before. Food for thought, I guess.
Semblances and magic are those kinds of things where the sky is the limit, as the old saying goes. The only thing holding you back is your own imagination. Infinite potential that I don't think anyone is capable of fully grasping, at this point.
Ruby is amazing, but she's a bit… flat when compared to all other characters. She got a lot more development lately, but I guess it's too little, too late by now.
Essiter1987: Hey man, not problem at all. I've been slowing down a lot too, so it would be hypocritical for me to give you shit for it, ahaha.
Not sure if this chapter is a proper "payoff" but if it's not this one, then the next will probably be it.
I never see many King Taijitu, both in canon and fiction, which is a goddamn shame imo, they're cool as hell. So I wanted to try my hand at making something worthy of their hype, if you get my drift. The first thing that came to mind was that scene in God of War 3, where Kratos cuts through and jumps out of Kronos's stomach, one of my favorite scenes in all of gaming as a whole. The rest came naturally from there.
Nobody is surprised that RT bit the dust, I believe. It was plenty obvious, from the way all their series were starting to slowly flop, until only RWBY was left, barely hanging on to a thread, to the tens of allegations and accusations that the team itself was facing. I don't know if Volume 10 was confirmed, or even if the IP was bought at all, but I sincerely hope that we'll manage to see once more what made the series special, even through the rough visuals of the first seasons.
You're awesome too buddy, keep on being yourself, this community is lucky to have someone like you in it!
(I read the Ruby chapter… man, I wish I thought of all that when I came up with Vacuo's arc and all. My version is going to pale in comparison, I just know it lol)
See ya!
Blake Mickaelson: The companions are something that I came up with in order to "spice things up", as they say. They exist for the extra drama attached to them, since they all have personal relations with the RWBY member they're fighting, and to show that Jaune, while stronger than before, is still a step behind his friends. The fights aren't fair, because if Jaune played fair, than he would die.
darkdraco0021: The Breach was actually opened back up by Taiyang. The guy mentioned it, but then brushed it off like nothing. But still, your guess was very much correct.
Boosters unfortunately have little to no effect if your aura is broken. There was no saving poor Nora. I hope you enjoyed that rest of the story!
That's all folks! Ta-ta for now!