A/N: Hello! We're back, and with a very, very long chapter. As in longer than I was really expecting it to be, and I knew it would be long. Enjoy!
RWBY is owned by Viz Media and was created by the late Monty Oum
Arc Adventuring Accessories
Chapter 4
"Heheh, end o' th' line, Li'l Mouse." The leader of the group of bandits surrounding her smirked at her with a mouthful of blacken, crooked teeth as he chuckled wickedly and drew the badly chipped and battered short sword at his side, pointing it her way. She took no small amount of pleasure at seeing that even he was panting from all the running around they had been doing that morning.
That being said, Scarlet simply could not believe her luck. She just couldn't. Surely, no one's was this bad, right?
At least, that's what she told herself as the group of ruffians surrounding her with leering, jeering faces began to move in. Her eyes darted around the small glade she found herself in, looking every which way for her next escape attempt, but it seemed that the ten or so men had finally caught onto her tricks and had closed the gap, as it were.
Here she was standing with her back to a literal abyss and surrounded on all sides by those who only wanted to hurt her. If she was being philosophical, that might mean something. But, right now? She was too tired to think, having been running up the mountainside since late... Had it really only been last night?
Not to mention all the running around she had done to try an evade the group before her.
Sure, she could have use the new bow she was borrowing to shoot at them, but... she had never used one before, having merely caught a few fish or squirrels in poorly traps. Her dad had even been the one to kill and skin those animals for their supper. She wasn't squeamish or anything like that, having actually had to take over that after her dad left. But, to kill a man?
It made her nauseous just thinking about it.
The same was true for the dagger at her side. Again, borrowed from Mr. Arc's store.
She had used it, of course. Stabbing at a couple of hands when they had reached for her. She'd even stabbed one of the men in the thigh as he roughly grabbed her from behind. He'd let her go smartish right afterwards. He'd even been polite enough to return the dagger to her, throwing it at her as she ran away and burying it up to the hilt in the soft wood of a nearby pine.
Unlike with his grabble, the man's aim with throwing daggers was questionable at best. Still, he had returned the dagger to her. At least, now she wouldn't have to come up with an excuse for why it was missing why she got back.
Oh, right. Mr. Arc... She thought absently, her mind running amuck as she searched for an escape route.
She sighed wearily at that even as she took a step back before glancing down at the noise of the small rocks she kicked tumbled down over the cliff edge. She stared momentarily, eyes transfixed, as the rocks tumbled, down, down, down to the ground far, far below, then she swallowed the rising bile and fear that arose in her before turning back around at a sound before.
A pair of the ruffians, bandits, really, were rushing towards, thinking they could capture her while she was distracted. Pity for them she was fast as Hell, dashing between the pair to run back through the forest again like she had done with the troop for the past hour and a half. Though, not nearly as fast as she could be as one of them just barely managed to grasp the edge of her cloak, pulling her down with him as he fell.
"N-no! L-let me go!" She cried out as the rest all but piled on her. Two of the biggest, burliest, and, unfortunately for her, stinkiest men drew her up and held her between them as the gang's leader swaggered forwards while sheathing his blade again, still chuckling all the while.
"Too late, Li'l Mouse," The bandit leader snarled as he gripped her tightly, painfully, by the biceps and pulled her in close while he leered down at her. She shuddered and flinched at the pain as well as his breath that somehow smell of old fish. She hated seafood. "Yer gonna pay yer toll, an' 'xtra ta boot! Fer makin' us work at catchin' ya, ya 'ear!"
"L-li-listen," she tried to reason with the man as calmly as she could, licking her lips nervously, "I, I do-don't have any money. Can-can't w-we jus let this matter go? I promise I won't tell anyone about you, ple-please?" Her amber eyes were as big as could be as she pleaded with the man while his band began to smirk and chuckle amongst themselves as they surrounded her once again. It had been a not so merry chase for many of them. The girl their boss had coined "Li'l Mouse" being as fleet as a doe would trying to escape a pack of hounds.
"Hoho! Tha's too ba' then, Li'l Mouse," The man grinned wickedly at her, the air escaping through the gaps in his teeth with a whistling sound, as he drew forth an equally chipped and battered dagger besides his sword to hold up under her chin, before drawing it down her neck to the clasp of her cloak and then to the blouse beneath. His eyes took on an unfortunately familiar light as he gazed down at her slender figure before he said in a deep, gruff tone, "If'n ya cannae pay th' toll wit' wot ya 'ave, then ya'll pay me an'ther way."
"N-no! No, please!" Scarlet pleaded, shaking her head, wishing against anything for some way out of this scenario. For anything, anyone, to save her! "Please! L-let me go! I just need to get to the cave! I need to! It's for my mother! Please - Ack!"
Her pleading was cut short as the man roughly yanked on her air, shutting her up as he spat cruelly, "Yer gonna pay wit' yer body till wer 'appy, Mouse!" Then he leaned in close, licking his lips as he stared at her coldly with his bloodshot, jaundice orbs and hissed out, "Af'erwards, ya ken go. If'n ya survive, tha' is, haha!"
Scarlet tried to get away from the man as he began to pop off the buttons on her blouse one by one as the rest of his band cheered and nudged each other jokingly, their faces eager for what was to come, while she pleaded and begged for them all to let her go, but the two men held her place and -
/ /
- "I'd advice against doin' that," A harsh, guttural voice broke through the false merriment like a knife through butter. They all paused at once and turned to find a towering man in dull grey leather armor, a long sleeved tunic and pants of the same color, a dark grey cloak, and armed with a gold and white filigree scabbarded longsword at his left side on a belt of rich brown. His grey-streaked blond hair and bread was frazzled and unkempt like he had just gotten out of the bed that morning, his single brilliant blue eye near bloodshot both from the lack of sleep and the near palpable rage boiling just under the surface. And he had but one arm.
"Oh, Mr. Arc," Scarlet breathed with an audible sigh of relief as she fell limp the clutches of the two men holding her, her relief at the sight of the man too much for her just then to handle. "Thank goodness."
"Oh, wot's this then," The bandit chieftain spat exasperation at the man in question as he stalked up to him. "Looks like an'ther one, mah boyos!"
Jaune stopped before the chieftain, somehow seeming to tower above him even though the two couldn't have been more than a couple of inches apart in height, staring down at the man as he smirked up at him and said, "Jus' wot's s'all this 'bout, mah frien'? Ya 'ave som' truble wit' me and mah boys?"
Jaune placed a not-so-subtle hand on the hilt of his sword as he growled softly, "Let the girl go, and there'll be no trouble."
The bandit chieftain looked over at Scarlet as she was held there limply by his men before looking back to Jaune with an almost bemused grin as he said, while rubbing at his chin in a knowing way while his men started to spread out around the pair. "Sorry, Bobcat. Ah cannae do tha'. Bu', Ah'll tells ya wot. A'fer Me an' Mah boys 'ave their way wit' this 'ere, Mouse, yeh ken do wot yer wan' wit' 'er." He then raised his hands gallantly, almost graciously even, as he asked, "'Ow's does tha' soun' like ta yeh, Bobcat?"
Jaune didn't fall for the barb. Instead, as he made to draw his word with his right arm, he said, "No deal, friend. And, if'n you don't let - Hahah!" He stopped mid-sentence on his threat as he realized what he had done and laughed in self-depreciation as the bandit chieftain and his men watched him in confusion. He shook his head at what he had done as he said, "It, has been, some time since I last did this."
"Som' time since wot-Aaarrgh!" The chieftain made to ask only for Jaune to snap his head forwards and headbutt him. He reared back in pain, eyes wide and a feral look his face as he gritted his teeth in rage, the blood streaming from his already broken nose.. He made to swing at his leather-clad attacker only for the one-armed man to then push him backwards into a small bundle of his men, causing them all to tumble to the ground, before he attempted to draw his sword in an extremely awkward manner while backpedaling away from the rest of the band as they charged at him as he roared, "By my Vow, I will not fall!"
He ducked under the first, poorly-timed swing from a bandit to then bounce up like a cobra and coldcocked the man in the jaw, knocking him stumblingly away, clutching his hand to his face and jaw as he spat out blood and teeth. Jaune then reared backwards, dodging two more swipes from the next man before he leaned into the man, grasping and holding the wrist of his weapon's hand so tightly that there was an audible pop as the bones cracked. The bandit loosed a harsh sounding grunt at that and tried to pry off his ironclad, viselike grip. It wasn't happening.
Especially as Jaune then elbowed him twice in the sternum before flipping him over his back in one fluid move.
That was enough to buy him room to sidestep the next pair of bandits as they hesitated on attacking him. He unintentionally sucked in his breath as the first one jabbed at hi before dodging the two follow-up swipes. He countered with another of those teeth-shattering punches before stepping in close once more with the fourth man as his partner reeled back, howling in pain from Jaune's fist shattering his twice-broken nose.
Once more, Jaune snatched his opponent's sword arm in a bone-crushing grip. This time as the man thrust at him with a wickedly sharp, if broken short sword. Jaune gripped the man's forearm tightly as he pulled his already-lunging opponent towards him before swinging around behind the man to use his captured sword arm to parry the two follow-up strikes made by the bandit chieftain as he tried to interpose himself into the melee. With a savage kick to the chieftain's face as a counter, Jaune then once again swung his captured enemy around and threw him at the reeling, stumbling chieftain and the men surrounding him in a violently powerful push that sent them all tumbling to the ground again.
Finally, with some breathing room, Jaune was able to draw his blade, the light in the glade dancing off of the blue-gray steel and bronze fuller as well as the solid gold filigree on the crossguard, handle and pommel. The blade was startlingly beautiful. Enough so that many of the bandits, and Scarlet, stared at it in awe for a moment before the bandit chieftain then spat out as he struggled to climb back to his feet while clutching at his shattered nose and bruised jaw, "Wot are yeh all standin' aroun' fer?! Git 'im!"
With that, the rest of the bandits closed in again.
The first swung wildly at Jaune twice with his sword in a two-handed grip, only to have his sword parried both times, and, then for good measure, having his throat sliced open on the follow-up riposte. He fell to the ground clutching at his throat as his lifeblood spilled out everywhere. He soon collapsed from blood loss and died.
The next bandit had about the same encounter. He clashed with Jaune, once, twice, thrice, swinging wildly in an attempt to batter away the one-armed man's defenses to no avail, before attempting to bind Jaune's blade with his own, paltry arming sword. Only have the one-handed blade be shoved aside bodily and for Jaune to slice a line across his torso diagonally. The man's grubby, studded leather armor split open under the impossibly sharp edge of Jaune sword, as did the flesh beneath.
With a shower of arterial red the bandit fell to his knees before collapsing altogether, his eyes wide with disbelief as his head lolled about weightlessly.
The former-Adventurer-cum-shopkeep ignored his fallen foe for the next one. Blocking and parrying a jab, then a swipe and thrust, before finally binding the blade the hulking brute before him overhead. Then big man grunted, groaned as he struggled, strained with two hands to force the blade of his one-handed opponent out of his way. Jaune took that as an opportunity to jab the shorn off nub of his right elbow into the brute's face, into his very eye. The man howled with pain as he stumbled back, clutching at his eye. He looked up at his opponent in stunned disbelief at the audacity only to find his head sailing away as Jaune decapitated him in one smooth motion.
He turned in time to block his next opponent's thrust. Then, again. And again. And, again. Before finally shoving the thin, wiry man's twin short swords away, to his right side and stabbed downwards at his foot. The wiry one screeched in pain as he backed away, inanely swinging a blade in a warding off manner. Jaune didn't concern himself with that as he jerked his sword back out of the man's foot in time to thrust it backhand toward his back and the bandit coming up behind him.
He felt it as the blade of his sword pierced the man's naked thigh and imbedded itself in the bone of his femur. As the man howled in pain, he twisted his sword, splintering the bone and maiming the man for life before jerking his blade back out in a single upwards motion to bisect the wiry man's chest, killing his instantly as his blade severed the abdominal aorta and left lung. He then followed that up with a pommel strike to the temple of his still-living, wounded opponent, knocking the man to the ground as he struggled to limp away.
Jaune turned then, wheeling in place, just in time to duck under the wild, haymaker-style swing of the greatsword-wielding brute that had come up on him while he was fighting. It was the other man that had been holding Scarlet as she struggled against the bandit chieftain while he was attempting to rape her. That thought alone invoked his own rage at the situation that the two of them found themselves in and, as the wild swing went by overhead, he plunged his sword deep into the man's torso much line a pikeman would a charging rider as the brute stumbled by, having overreached with his attack.
The man's bloodcurdling howl of pain and anguish at being impaled was only worsened as Jaune then somehow thrust the dying man up on his blade as he stood back up, piercing the man all the way through holding him aloft with incredible strength before he then tossed the some three hundred plus pound corpse on the ground. At that impressive display three f the remaining bandits looked amongst each other before trying to back away from the somehow seemingly unfazed older man. Not that they could tell his actual age mind.
"Wha' are yeh doin'," called their chieftain as he stood before Scarlet and the pair of bandits holding her for him. He glared between the three of them before pointing his drawn sword at Jaune and boomed forth, "Git' 'im!"
The three looked at each other again for a moment before the one in the middle shrugged and shoved his compatriots forwards as he drew his two blades and they all ran at Jaune together. He braced for the incoming attacks, readying his sword, before blocking, parrying, and dodging sometimes three simultaneous attacks at once as the three tried their best to overwhelm him between the rusted rapier, cleaver-like broadsword and twinned scimitars they carried.
Jaune wasn't perturbed, though. Wasn't distracted from all the cat-calls and feints. Wasn't overwhelmed by the aggressive onslaught of attacks, thrusts, cuts, stabs, and jabs. His single eye was focused on one thing. The girl in that red cloak, crying. That's all he saw as he suddenly stepped forwards in the trio's personal space and thrust forwards up under the crossed guard of the scimitar-wielding man, his blade impaling the man with such force that it sent his flying backwards, leaking blood from where Jaune had stabbed him before instinctively twisting the blade as he pulled it back out again.
The man fell to the ground, tumbled and rolled to a stop where he then sat up, clutching at his guts, whimpering as blood then spilled out of his mouth, all but dead from that blow.
Before his comrades could recover from the stunning rebuttal by Jaune, the one-armed knight moved in for the kill. He pulled back from the lunging strike, turning the force of his own momentum into a spinning backhand that cleaved the flesh of the broadsword wielder's upper chest and shoulder, spilling his blood in an almost beatific display of artistry and skill. Before with the same mounting force he then drove the his blade back down and cut the rapier wielder in twain from left shoulder to right hip.
The pair collapsed almost at the same time in a geyser of blood as Jaune then marched forwards towards his remaining enemies. That same wrathful, yet cold look in his eye. the wounded bandit tried to get back to his feet again, only to be cut down with a single, uninterested swipe from Jaune as he stalked forwards.
"Don' com' any closer, or Ah'll kill 'er!" The Bandit chieftain bellowed fearfully, the blade of his dagger pressed against Scarlet's neck so forcefully that it had already cut the skin there. The girl whimpered in pain at that, especially as he pressed in deeper in emphasis as he said, "Ah swear! Ah swears Ah'll kill 'er if'n yeh don' stop! Right now!"
Jaune stopped. Only ten feet from the man, the bandit holding Scarlet and the last bandit, the only one armed with a small, targe-style shield, splintmail and an arming sword. The bandit chieftain couldn't believe his eyes. He blinked at what he saw. Then he grinned ferociously as he commanded with evil, lecherous smile, "Good. Now, drop th' sword!"
"No," Scarlet whimpered quietly at that before whining in pain as the bandit holding her in his arms jerked her head painful to the side as he hissed harshly at her, "Quiet!"
Jaune glared at the man, but otherwise did nothing. He turned his gaze on the chieftain as the man shouted at him. "Ah said, 'Drop th' sword!' Do it! Now!"
Jaune said nothing, did nothing. He merely shifted his gaze between the three of them, planning. "Drop the blade!" The chieftain all but shrieked at him in panic. "Ah said, give me yer sword!"
Jaune paused that before smiling as he said, "Alright." Before playfully tossing the sword to the man. Instinctually, the Bandit Chieftain made to catch the sword as it lazily spun through the air. As he caught it, mouthing a confused, "Wha?" Jaune slammed into him at full speed, knocking him backwards into the bandit holding Scarlet before shoving him onto the ground. He then proceeded to tussle with the man for a bit, trading punches and knees to the stomach during the grapple, the chieftain having lost his blades during the impact, before, with an eye towards the other bandits heading their way, he shoved the man off of him and rose to his feet, panting heavily.
With a deft twist of his wrist Jaune took up his fallen blade where it had landed tip first, imbedded in the loamy ground, just in time to block and repel the heavy barrage of attacks made by the sword and shield wielder. He puffed out a breath or two as he did so, giving ground to the younger, fresher fighter, allowing the man to wear himself out if possible. Then, with a snap kick to the shield as part of a feint, he shoved the man backwards before performing a jumping pirouette in place as he swept his blade down and up into a massive sweeping attack that just cut into the face of the Bandit Chieftain right as he was getting back to his feet. The man howled in pain as the edge of Jaune's sword dug a line across the entirety of his face, blotting out his right eye, falling on the ground and writhing in pain as he held what was left of his ruined face.
Then Jaune was rushing forwards to thrust, stab, and jab at the armored man's defenses. Battering at them with a surge of energy heretofore unseen. It was all the man could do to just weather the storm before, with just the thinnest of margins, the edge of his sword passed over the rim of the man's shield and plunged deep into his chest, his armor doing nothing against the unnatural sharpness of the blade. With another savage yank of the blade Jaune drew it back out under a fountain of blood before kicking the man's weakening, stumbling form away altogether with a wordless roar of victory.
Then, before the man could struggle back to his feet, Jaune turned and kicked the bandit chieftain off over the side of the cliff just as he had gotten back onto his hands and knees, a lost and helpless look on his face. A face that changed to that of terror as he fell screaming as he plummeted down below.
Jaune watched as the man fell screaming before with a sickening splattering of blood he hit a jutting ledge head first before he finished plummeting to the ground far, far below. He sighed at that, shaking his head, his rage ending, before turning back around-
/ /
-Only to barely dodge the arrow shot his way from the last bandit.
He turned back to face the man with a near incredulous look on his face as he dropped the bow - his bow - and took up Scarlet in his arms again, a dagger shoved up under her neck as he effectively molested her young breasts with the other arm, grasping her chest tightly in a white-knuckled grip. The man panted heavily as he stared at Jaune, his panic palpable, before he swallowed and said, "N-no-now li-listen 'ere! I wan' no trouble wit' you! But yer gon'a walk away right now, or I'mma killin' this one! I swears I's will! I swears!"
Jaune said nothing to the man. Indeed, he ignored his continued rambling to glare at the girl in his arms instead. Scarlet blink in shock as Mr. Arc suddenly shouted, "By the Maidens, Girl! Fuckin' do something already!"
"H-huh?" She asked at the same time the bandit said, "Wha?"
Then, in that moment of confusion, as the bandit wasn't focused on needling the girl's neck with his dagger, like he had shot him with his bow, Jaune lunged forwards and swung his sword down on the man's arm, severing it with pinpoint accuracy. The bandit stared at the stump of his severed forearm for half a second before he screeched in shocked agony as a spurt of blood shot out and he pushed Scarlet away so that he might somehow stem the flow with his other hand as he stumbled backwards.
"Yu-yu-you rat bastard!," He wept, clutching his severed arm to his chest, tears in his eyes as he looked up and spat at the leather-clad man. "You fu-fuckin' bastard! You cut off me- Grrk!"
"Aye, I did."Jaune returned with bite of cruel amusement in his voice as he slid the sword back out of the dead man's skull with a flick and a flourish, scattering the blood on his blade as the corpse dropped in a boneless heap. He then turned to the last bandit as the wounded man came to from where he lay in a pile of his fallen comrades.
As he started towards the man, his intentions clear, the wounded bandit tried to crawl away, his shattered femur unable to bear his weight. He raised his hands in a pleading, warding off gesture as he said, "Please! 'Ave Mercy, Milord! I am unarmed and defenseless! Please!"
"The priests and Gods show Mercy. I don't!" Jaune snarled right before he raised the blade up overhead before striking down at the defenseless man.
"Wait! Please, no-AAaaHH!" The bandit begged right as the blade pierced his chest and severed his heart. Jaune then jerked the blade back out and more aggression than was necessary and took a couple of steps back to stand there breathing, sword tip first in the ground next to him, trying to calm his own racing hearts, and his emotions which had been broiling just under the surface since that early morning.
Which meant it was the wrong time for Scarlet Tear to come and talk to him...
/ /
"M-Mr. Arc," Scarlet mumbled as she walked up to the big man cautiously. He didn't respond, standing there quietly, his back to her.
Even from here she could see the blood that was splattered across the front of his armor, an unadorned, if richly made leather. She found that armor strange, because she was sure that if she ever saw his in his Adventuring gear... It would be some kind of metal armor. Perhaps, even some kind of white steel plating. He did seem like some kind of retired knight at times, what with all the small things he did for others.
But this was something else. Something different. And she didn't like it, not one bit. In fact, she would say that it scared her. And Mr. Arc never scared her.
But, looking around at all the corpses of the men who would've raped and killed her, at seeing their terror as he tore them apart, one by one, at how... merciless he had been, she was scared of him. She already seen how, how aggressively he could fight when it was needed back when he had saved her last time. But this was something else entirely.
It was like something had awoken within him. A Evil, ugly thing.
She didn't like it.
She swallowed and tried again, working up her courage to say, "M-Mr. Arc, I, I w-wanted to say th-Aah!"
With a sudden backhand the man sent her flying away. She fell to the ground and rolled to a stop before looking up at him in shock, a hand to her burning cheek. Mr. Arc had hit her. He had hit her!
"YOU DAMNED FOOL, GIRL!" He bellowed then, turning on her with a look of absolute wrath on his face. She began to crawl away from in terror as he stalked towards her, a murderous look on his face and his still-bloody sword in hand as he roared, "AFTER ALL I'VE DONE FOR YOU, YOU DECIDE TO ROB ME! ME! I'MMA GONNA KILL YOU, YOU STUPID BRAT!"
"I, I d-didn't in-intend to rob yu-you Mr. Arc! I swear! I, I was only, only bo-borrowing them!" She cried out as she continued to scoot backwards as quickly as she could, clambering over rock and root in her flight, her terror at the man preventing her from thinking about anything else.
"OH? YOU THINK THAT'S A GOOD ENOUGH EXCUSE FOR ME! THAT YOU WERE BORROWING IT!" He snarled at her before flinging his sword away with a wordless cry of rage. The blade spun violently through the air to imbed itself deeply into the tree next to Scarlet as she continued to stumble and crawl away. She squawked in terror as she felt the blade whirl by her head as Jaune bellowed, "YOU THINK THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR BETRAYING ME! AFTER EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING I'VE DONE YOU WOULD BETRAY ME LIKE THIS!"
"Please! Please, Mr. Arc!" Scarlet pleaded, begged as tears fell down her face. "I, I don't know what you mean! I would never betray you! Please, believe me! Please!"
He snatched her up then and slammed her up against a tree as he seethed and roared in her terrified face, "OH, YEAH! WELL, WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE THEN! YOU WANTED TO GO ON AN ADVENTURE THAT BADLY, HUH! YOU WANTED TO SEE THE WORLD! FUCK YOU, GIRL! AND FUCK YOUR FAMILY!"
"Please! It's for my mum!" She cried, begged, scrunching her eyes shut as she clutched at his arm protectively. "Please believe me!"
"LIES! YOU LIKE ALL THE REST! OUT FOR YOURSELF!" Jaune roared angrily as he began to squeeze.
"I'M NOT LYING! IT'S MY MOM, SHE SICK!" Scarlet finally roared back, shaking with fear and grief and some many other emotions. Jaune paused at that, having never heard the girl sound like that. Not even when she was being attacked herself. He stared at her; no, he looked at her, at the way she shook in his grip even as she clutched at his arm protectively, not defensively. At her tears, at her words as she whispered while crying softly, "It's my mom. *Hic* She's *Hic* really sick. The *Hic* doctor, Dr. Dale, said *Hic* that she was going to die soon, unless *Hic* she got some medicine from *Hic* from that cave up there." She clutched at his arm, wrapping her arms around it tightly as she hugged him to her protectively and said, "Please *Hic* believe me. Please."
Jaune stood there for a moment in silence, his eye shadowed, before he finally left her go. She let out a soft yelp as she fell on her butt from the sudden lack of weight around her neck. She rubbed at her butt briefly as she looked up at him while stood there silently, unable to see his eyes or face from this angle. "Mr. Arc?" She asked tentatively. "Are, are you okay?'
In answer, Jaune turned and smashed his fist into one of the nearby tree with a roar of anger, the blow carried such weight that the tree physically shook from the blow. Scarlet flinched back from that as Jaune then struck the tree three more times in rapid succession, each blow as strong as the first. Then, with a deep exhalation of breath, he leaned his hand against the tree and sighed to himself before nodding quietly at some inner monologue.
When he turned back around and stalked over to pull his sword out of the tree with nary any effort, saying, "So, we're searching for some kind of "Magical Elixir" then, eh?" Scarlet didn't quite know how to react. He turned to her as he asked, "Right? Ms. Tear?"
Scarlet shook her head before scrambling to her feet while brushing off al the loose leaf litter and grass as she said, "No. Dale said it was a Healing Herb of some kind. Not an... E-Liz-er?"
Jaune scoffed at that and shook his head before muttering deridingly, "Adventurers."
"Come," He called over his shoulder as he turned around and started back towards the corpse-laden glade. Scarlet paused for a moment at that before nodding to herself and trotting off after him, trying to ignore how she was starting to limp.
/ /
It took her a bit longer than she normally would to reach the glade. Once there, she found Mr. Arc kneeling by the corpse of the last man to hold her hostage. She felt a bit more at ease as she saw that he had once more sheathed his blade, that beautiful, if deadly sword. At her approach, he turned his head to look her way as he held out a dagger, the dagger she had taken, handle first while saying, "Here. This is yours."
She took the handle cautiously as Mr. Arc then said while standing back up, "Always carry a blade on you when you go traveling, girl. Even if it's meaningless, you should have some kind of protection on you at all times." Then he lightly kicked the leg of the corpse before them as he said, "Admittedly, a knife isn't going to do all that much to deter scum like these from doing what they were going to do to ya. But it's better than nothing at least."
He stalked over to her before kneeling down to look up at her as he placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "That being said, you must also have the courage to fight back, to defend yourself." She stared down at him as he said that then lowered her gaze further in shame. "Like you did against those men in the alleyway."
She looked up at him then, to find him smiling at her. "You had courage then. Like you had courage now, in this pursuit, this quest for your mother." He continued before giving her a brief shake as he said, while standing back up, "Never lose that courage, girl. It will see you far in this life."
Then, as he stepped around her and started up the trail towards the cave beyond, he commanded, "Come. This way."
Scarlet stood for a moment, processing his words. Had she been brave, courageous like he had said? She didn't really think so. Fighting of the men in the alleyway had been more desperation than anything else, and she had only run in fear of the bandits. She had only been able to run from Mr. Arc as he raged at her. Was she really brave like he said?
She just didn't know, but, as she turned and followed after him, she couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face at the compliment.
She also realized that he had somehow put her bow back in the quiver on her back again while she had been engrossed with his conversation. She grinned at that, too. Mr. Arc really was something, wasn't he?
/ /
"hey, Mr. Arc? I have a question for you?" Scarlet panted as she climbed up after the big man's easy, lopping pace.
"Oh," he returned over his shoulder before stopping to give her a hand up over a small boulder. "and what is that, Ms. Tear?"
"Uh, just, how did you find me, Mr. Arc?" She hesitated before asking, not wanting to dwell on what just happened again.
Jaune paused and thought about telling her that the cloak she wore had a very specific Find Object spell attached to it. One that had been made at great expense and placed with no small difficulty by Roman and his... Assistant? Apprentice? Whatever Neo was to the entrepreneur, his woman? His woman? The sex was certainly interesting, and surprisingly loud for such a mute.
He smiled at that and the memory of his old contact before his memory soured as he recalled the results of that little escapade. Then, with an unreadable smile he said, "Oh, I have my ways, girl. That's all."
"Ohh, Mr. Arc!" Scarlet retorted in annoyance. He chuckled heartily at that before turning to make his way up again.
He decided to not tell her that as part of the spell he had known her exact location the entire time, and so hadn't needed to chase after her like all the bandits had, merely going at a steady pace as he made his way straight towards them all. Could that have ended in the girl's death before he got there? Possibly. But at the time, he hadn't cared. It would've made it far simpler to retrieve the cloak if that had happened, he mused.
Now, though, the thought of her unnecessary death sickened him. He vowed that It would not happen under his watch. That's what he was thinking as they finally came up to the entrance of the cave and he stopped in his tracks at what he saw, silently cursing Dale for all he was worth.
"Ah! We're here, Mr. Arc!" Scarlet cried out unnecessarily as she rushed by him, only pausing to give him a reassuring smile. He couldn't help returning hers with one of his own. But as she started down into the cave he couldn't keep the frown off of his face.
Finally, after they had squeezed down through the narrow opening and paused to rest while he struck flint to tender in order to make a torch, he decided to ask, "So, Ms. Tear, just what is this illness that your mother is suffering from? Could you tell me any symptoms she's going through? I might've, heard of such a thing, in my travels."
Scarlet paused in thought as she eagerly, more anxiously, bounced from foot to foot, waiting on Mr. Arc and the torch to light the way. Yet another thing to remember for later, that, she thought to herself. Always have the means to light a torch at hand. Finally, she said, "Mum's been sick for a long time. Or, at least, she always seems to get sick. Uh, she was pale, very pale, and right before she loss consciousness there was blood leaking from her mouth." She stared at Jaune with tears in her eyes as she whispered, "Dale said she wouldn't last five days. Not if I don't get this Herb."
"Hm, a wasting disease of some kind then. I have indeed seen a few of those in my time," Jaune reflected before grimacing and shaking his head as Scarlet made to say something, a light in her amber eyes. "Can't cure it myself. My talents were never in that area. Though... I do know of a priestess that could help you. Maybe" He then shrugged before saying, "She and I were never on the best of terms. Not after what happened between my party and hers back in the day. She probably wouldn't even listen to me if I requested her assistance."
Scarlet slumped at that before Jaune then placed his hand on her shoulder as he said, "But that doesn't mean that I can't send a letter, asking for help."
"Really?" Scarlet asked him. He shrugged once more, not caring for what would come of it before saying, "Sire. Why not. But first, let's get that herb, eh?"
"Yes, sir, Mr. Arc, sir!" The girl cried happily as she ran off into the cave with the torch he had just made. Jaune blinked at that before rubbing at the back of his head and shaking his head in wonder at her endless enthusiasm. He wished he still had that, honestly.
/ /
As the pair came up on a large opening in the tunnel, Scarlet spied what looked to be moss growing over a strange mound. Curious, she went over and looked at it more closely i the light of the flames. It was black and glistening, almost slimy-looking to the touch. She also noticed more black slime strewn about on the walls, ceiling and floor. It was almost like... something had shed a bunch of the liquid much like a dog would water. She also noticed a few pieces of broken blades and other weapons lying around, too.
She wonder what it all meant.
"Found the herb?" Mr. Arc called from the entrance, a hand on his sword, still strapped on the wrong side for his one hands.
Scarlet looked around some more before shaking her head and shouted, "I don't see any herbs, Mr. Arc! Is this the wrong cave?"
"No," he returned before saying, "What about any moss. It'll look black as night, but shine in the light. Search everywhere. It might be on the ceiling or in a crevasse somewhere."
"Oh, then I found it! It this it, Mr. Arc?" She asked showing him the moss beside.
He nodded as he came up to look at it and said, "aye. That's the one we're searching for alright. Cut off a chunk the size of my hand and that'll be enough for your mother's treatment."
"Really? Are you sure, Mr. Arc? Shouldn't we take more then?" Scarlet asked him as she went to cut off a chunk of the surprisingly dense plant. "And, why did Dale not say it was a moss. Even I knw the difference between the two."
"No. Leave some behind so that it can grow back. Otherwise there won' be any for the next time." He answered her. At the sound of scratching coming from the entrance Jaune turned while unsheathing his blade as he said calmly, "And, that's because as the Head Physician for the King he only ever saw the finished product of his medicines, not their raw ingredients."
"Mr. Arc?" Scarlet questioned, concerned as she saw him take a ready Stance.
"Beside, which, " He said as a gruesome-looking black beast with red eyes growled as it made its way towards them. "He didn't know that the Graverobber's Moss only resides in the den of Grimm."
"Grimm!" Scarlet gasped out before backing away instinctually from the unnatural creature. It's gaze which had been focused on the biggest threat in the room immediately switched over to her as it sensed her rising fear. Saliva dripped from its mouth as it stared at her and growled, a wave of unnatural fear and unease then exuded from it.
It then leapt towards her, far faster than a man could react. Scarlet screamed.
"Yeah, Grimm," Jaune said to himself as he moved to block the beast, stumbling backwards under it's weight. He grunted to himself before forcing it back with an added slash to its shoulder as he said, "Remind me to kill Dale when we get back, Ms. Tear." The Grimm hiss in rage at the wound before immediately countering with a swipe towards his head and another towards his midriff. Jaune ducked under the overhead swiping turning with the mid-level one into another of those almost perfect pirouettes before slashing the Grimm across the chest as part of his own counter. It roared before abruptly turning and running away to block the entrance into the tunnel.
Stunned by that remark, Scarlet couldn't help but say as she backed further away from the fight, "You can't do that, Mr. Arc. Else, how is he going to treat my mum?"
"Ah, there is that, isn't there?" Jaune returned, glancing back her way. At the sight of something moving behind her, his eye widen briefly, but he merely said, "Might want to use that bow, Ms. Tear, right about now."
"Huh? What do you-OH, MY GODS!" Scarlet started to say as she looked behind her only to just barely dance out of the way as a second Grimm almost snapped her head off in a single bite. She jerked the bow out of her quiver while also grabbing a couple of arrows as she said while back-pedaling from the beast, "WHERE THE HECK DID THAT COME FROM?!"
"They're Grimm, girl," Jaune returned in an almost bored tone, even as he struggled and grunted against the one he was desperately holding back with his blade as it tried to force him on the ground. "There's, never just one of them! AAHHH!" He yelled in exertion as the creature forced him back, back, back, shoving him up against the cavern's wall.
Scarlet gasped at that as she dodged under the overly long arms of the one attack her before saying as determination filled her eyes, "Hold on Mr. Arc!" Then she turned and notched an arrow to her bow as she skidded along the ground, drawing it back as the creature turned to face her again, it's jaw almost unhinging as it roared at her sudden change in demeanor.
She loosed the arrow as it charged toward her and looked on in surprise as the arrow went not in its eye, but its shoulder. She tumbled to the side as it trajectory was just slightly angled away from her by that attack and it slammed into the wall behind her. Scarlet quickly got to her feet as the Grimm roared at her and she rushed over to the other side of the cavern as it began to charge at her again.
This time, she wasn't rushing. As it barreled in at her she took her other arrow and notched it to the bow just like her dad had taught her, then she tilted the arm so that she could judge the distance correctly, sucked a breathe in and, as she blew back out, she loosed the arrow. The arrow struck the Grimm right in its eye this time. It shrieked with rage and pain as it clutched at its head even as it tried to slow its momentum. But, too late as it slammed headfirst into the wall yet again, crumpling to the ground in a kneeling, stunned stupor.
Scarlet didn't hesitate as she tossed aside the bow and drew her dagger before leaping onto the creature's spiny. barbed back. It quickly rose to its full height at the added weight and tried to toss her off as she repeatedly stabbed at it. The hide was tough, armored and unnatural, but Scarlet was determined. She found a weak point and stabbed the blade in deeply, again and again, until the thrashing, raging Grimm finally collapsed first onto its knees then flat on the ground with a keening cry.
Scarlet laid there on top of the thing for a moment to catch her breath only for the Grimm to vanish abruptly as its carcass dissipated like all of its kind. She fell to the ground with a grunt of alarm only to rise with a shake of her head as she then turned to where Jaune was fighting to say, "Mr. Arc?"
He looked her way and saw what she had done, and smiled as he shouted, "Well done, Ms. Rose!" Before he finally got some purchase on the wall behind him to leverage himself out of the Grimm's hold. With a finally surge of strength from within he forced the beast back and swung at it with his longsword, cleaving a line through its already injury torso. It howled at him in rage before rushing back at him, but that was all the time he needed to first cut off a grasping arm then its head.
It collapsed like it's compatriot in a pile of black smoke, leaving behind only a small black and red glowing orb.
Scarlet came over then and looked at the orb, asking, "What's that, Mr. Arc?"
"A Death Core," he panted. "You trade them into an Adventuring Guild or a Church of the Brothers and they'll cleanse it, killing the Grimm." Then, as he sighed and popped his shoulder while walking over to look at the Graverobber Moss, he said over his shoulder, "Of course, you can also hand them into a representative of the Church of Salem and they pay you handsomely while also returning the demon back to life as some kind of Grimm."
Scarlet blanched did a doubletake at that before asking, "Why would they do something like that? The Grimm are pure Evil!"
"Cause they're all a bunch of nutjobs." Jaune retorted with a snort. "and, the Grimm aren't pure Evil. Unless you're talking about the God of Darkness's role as the Patron of Destruction. In that regard, yes. Yes they are." Then he turned to her and said while pointing at the entrance, "Now, go and wait outside for me, unless you want to gather more of this here moss."
Scarlet nodded at that and turned to leave, only to pause as she then asked, "What about you? What about the Cores?"
Jaune grimaced at her before saying as he looked back at the moss again, "I'm going to check out the cave a little more. Make certain there are no more Grim, or other surprises in here. As for the Cores, unless you have your Aura unlocked or are wearing proper equipment, you can't touch them without being Corrupted. And, trust me, you don't want that. It's a death sentence."
"So, what do we do with them then, Mr. Arc?" She asked.
He paused before shaking his head as he rasped out, "Nothing. Nothing to do about it beyond informing the local Constables and having them get some Adventurers to come back and collect them. The beasts are dead for now. It'll take a while for the Cores to reconstitute into a new Grimm. We got time. Now, go."
"...Okay Mr. Arc." She said as she finally made her way back out as fast as she could, only saying over her shoulder as she did, "Don't take too long, or I'm coming back!"
/ /
Jaune smiled at that before looking back at the moss once more. Dale had said that he'd pay handsomely for some of this, didn't he? That's what the Adventurer party had gone on about before they declined to stay in the area long enough to get it. The girl and her mother both could use the funds...
He hacked off a large piece of the moss before putting it in his own satchel. Just as a surprise for the girl. For all the trouble he had caused. Then he made his way over to one of the Death Cores and cautiously, gingerly tried to take it.
A spark of red light shot off and zapped his hand painfully. He jerked his hand back then as he looked at the Core in concern. So, he still couldn't use his abilities then, it seemed. Just as well he thought he was better off without them. Only to grimace as he remembered the whole reason why they were out here.
If he could still use those abilities, then Ms. Tear, Scarlet, might not have run off halfcocked as she had. He sighed at that and rubbed at his head as he made his way out of the cave.
Their travel back to Dead March Pines was rather more uneventful, for which the two of them were very happy about.
/ /
They got the moss to Dale and he quickly began making the medicine need to treat Missus Tear's ailment. She would soon recover, he hoped, with the rest of the supplies he had called for. His old assistant was even bringing them personally, he had been told.
The only thing of note that happened after that was Jaune slugging Dale in the jaw after he told him about what and where the moss was . The man accepted the blow with surprising humility. Jaune for his part made certain to not break the man's jaw, and, as Scarlet waved goodbye to them both before heading to her home to meet up with Dale after his brought the finalized poultice later that day, Jaune handed him the other, larger piece of the moss as part of the Quest he had listed on the town's Adventuring Board.
Dale had smirked and chuckled as Jaune explained that it was for the girl's family, but he wasn't to say anything about to her. As the big man left, Dale rubbed his sore jaw while chuckling as he said, "She's got him wrapped around her finger already. Ha! Good on ya girl."
/ /
The next morning Jaune got up as he usually did and prepared to open his shop, and preparing himself for the days ahead while he worked alone, thinking that Scarlet would be home taking care of her mother for the time being. Only to find his shop unlocked when he got there and the lights of his Everburning Torches on.
He walked in to find Scarlet wiping down the counter. She looked up at him with her everpresent smile and said, "Good mornin' Boss! Ready for another busy day?"
Jaune could only stare at her for a moment in stunned silence before he shook his head and grumbled to himself, "Young people." Then he set about working with the girl as they cleaned his shop in a companionable silence. He refused to believe her when she said that he had a smile on his face the whole time.
/ /
The lone figure in the brilliant red cloak looked at the Adventuring Board for a moment in contemplation as they waited for the group of unruly men in mining gear to pass by, arching their head as they overheard, "Nah, the best place in town fer that kinda thing is the Arc's Adventuring Access'ries shop. They got it all. Don' know how, though, but they always have supplies. Always."
The figure smiled at that, or the name of the store before turning to make their way down to the shop. They stood out front and looked it over, seeing the rickety wooden framework, the peeling paint of the sigh, and the bright, smiling girl within. After a moment they stepped inside.
As the doorbell chimed merrily, the girl at the counter smiled as she said, "Hello, and welcome to Arc's Adventuring Accessories! The Triple AAA in all your Adventuring needs! Just don't mind the owner. He always looks like that and the growling is normal."
A/N: Hey, and we're done. I even got to get the proper slogan for the store in there, Fanfiction's limited characters on the synopsis notwithstanding, of course. Hope you enjoyed it. And, I'm sure you know who that person in red is, but why are they there? Moreover, who told them about Jaune's store? Was it a certain Priest or Dale's assistant running their mouth or even someone related to the retired Warner? Who knows!
Also, yes, I know. I recycled the whole Scarlet get caught by a group of unsavory men and rescued by Jaune. It's kind of a running thing for her, but It shouldn't happen again. I hope anyway. Besides, Jaune's a badass. Why wouldn't I want to show off just how savage he can be?
That being said, The Beast is definitely on my mind right now because every time I write Mr. Arc, I want to write Mr. Cruz. Ugh. The next chapter for that will be coming before long. I swear. Just want to get a few more chapters for other stories out first.
Take care!
Oh, yes, be on the look out for the next chapter of the Lonely Princess soon. Hopefully before next weekend.