A/N: Hello, and welcome the traumatic backstory section of this, well, story. Um, without spoiling anything down below, I feel I should warn you all about some serious content below. It is very Mature, possibly bordering on MA, so read at your own risk.
To that end, I hope you enjoy this probably-too-long-of-a-chapter, and I see you at the end.
RWBY is owned by Viz Media and was created by the late Monty Oum
Arc's Adventuring Accessories
Chapter 5
The figure in the red hood and cloak paused at Scarlet's promo before giving her a soft smile, one seemingly filled with hidden amusement. Then, with her shoulders still hunched over from the the rain outside, she looked about the interior from where she stood by the entrance - And, how can she do that?! Scarlet wondered silently. Her hood's pulled so low I can't even see her eyes! - the stranger asked, "And, where is the proprietor?"
Scarlet blinked at that, not quite understanding her, having never heard that word before, before shaking her head and answered with, "Oh, you mean, Mr. Arc? Uh, hold on a moment, I'll get him for you. MR. A - Oh! There you are!" Only to freeze as the man appeared from behind her mid-shout, seemingly glaring at the two of them as normal.
The truth was anything but that for the man.
/ /
On hearing the doorbell, Jaune cursed under his breath as he was restocking before silently making his way towards the front to keep an eye on Ms. Tear, in case he needed to intervene again. They were already going to have to get the front window repaired once more after some strange man in a stinking, heavy brown overcoat tried to... do something to the girl and he was was forced to... show him out.
He sighed to himself at that. He really needed to bite the bullet, as it were, and teach the girl some defensive skills beyond that of running away. Hells, the girl had been asking him for weeks now anyway. He just, hadn't wanted to, for some reason he couldn't quite pin down.
Anyway, they had rigged a temporary window for now while Ovid the Glassmaker finished making the new one. Or, was his apprentice, the cute Faunus girl, doing it in his stead. Ovid was getting on in years. Complaining about his joints or something like that, saying that after years of traveling on the high seas he and his brother, Homer, were finally feeling their age. His brother was the local carpenter, and a damned good one at that.
Jaune found himself scoffing silently at that as he made his way to the front. Those old pirates were barely in their mid fifties and both could still clamber up the riggings of a cutter faster than anyone in their crew whenever they decided to stop by, the pair of monkeys. Why he bet-
Mph! He grunted near inaudibly as he jolted to a stop and took in that figure, that voice.
It was a woman in a vibrant red cloak in hood with the cloak opened to reveal the sleek, almost sexily tight, black leather armor and long, thigh high boots replete with leggings beneath, the not so subtle bulging at the front of her armor from her breasts and the curve of her hips highlighting the fact, that, yes, this was indeed a woman.
He would have known her from anywhere. From that voice to that smile to that insufferable damned red cloak she always wore. He would've known. Impossible He thought to himself as he stood there briefly before making his way forward once more. Just what is she doing here for?
Just seeing her there brought back painful memories of the past. Memories he'd rather not have.
He felt them drift through his mind as he approached the counter.
**/ ** / **
Once, he had been a Paladin. Once, he had been a knight. One celebrated by kith and kin for his accomplishments, for his virtue, for his resolve. But that all ended when the Grimm attacked, and he found himself lacking in the most simplest of things.
Strength.
Everyone said that he had fought well, that he had made a good standing for himself, but that there was no way any force, let alone one man, no matter how skilled they might be, could have held back the hordes that had attack Domremy, attacked Sauvignon, attacked Arcadia itself. Hundreds had died each time he and the other knights of Vale had gone out to stall the flood of demonic beasts, and, with every death, Jaune felt nothing but shame. Shame in himself.
For how could he not.
He was not just a knight, after all. He was one of the fabled Paladins of Vale, in who the Light of the Gods did show. He was supposed to save lives, to stave off the darkness of the Grimm. But, at Domremy and Sauvignon, for every life he saved, another dozen fell that he couldn't save.
Yes, Domremy survived the horde. Sauvignon survived, Arcadia, his family. But to Jaune, every life lost was a personal failure on his part, each one highlighting just how weak he actually was. And, as the years rolled by, his shame turned first to guilt over not being able to do enough then to self-hate and disgust over his personal sense of failure.
And then She had appeared. A beautiful vision of a woman, like an angel. One with deep amber eyes and a sleek raven black hair. She said her name was Cinder. And she had told him that it wasn't his fault, none of it. That if the Crown had just informed him and his men sooner, they might've been able to save everyone. Had made him believe it. And then she had told him that she knew of a way to fix it, to save their people from the Crown's negligence
And he had believed her, because he had wanted to, had wanted to believe that he wasn't a failure, wasn't as weak as he thought.
And the worse part was, she had been right, no matter that what they did went against the teachings he had followed for so long. Her methods, though increasingly dark, worked. He had watched as people celebrated over them taking down corrupt officials and nobles alike, their lives clearly better off for it. That they were changing the world for the better.
Or, at least, he had wanted to believe that as his party, Cinder's Party, continued down their dark path. After all, he was in too deep by then. There was no going back, not to his old ways, no to his family.
He had put his all into Cinder's methods. His belief, his faith. His very soul.
Only to have it a/l dashed away on that fateful day.
**/ ** / **
He didn't say anything as he stood behind Scarlet, didn't make mention of their shared history. He only took the rag from the girl's hands and began to wipe down the counter as he gently nudged her to one side, a scowl on his face. Scarlet let him, used to his mannerisms now. Instead, she focused on their new customer, saying in her ever chipper toes, "So, anyway, here he is! Is there anything we can do for you today, Miss... Uh, um?"
"Ruby, Ruby Rose," the woman supplied with a smile as she stood up straight so that her wet hood drew back away from her face to reveal a pair of near luminescent, silver eyes.
"Oh, well, we have an abundance of stock for your everyday needs, Miss Rose, be it traveling - Wait!" Scarlet started to spiel again only to stop as suddenly as she recognized that name with that cloak. "...Ruby Rose? The Ruby Rose?!" She launched her over the counter and sped over to stand giddily in place before the woman as she asked with stars in her eyes, "Are you the Crimson Crusader?!"
Ruby smiled quietly at her as she nodded in acknowledgement. "Oh! Ohmigosh! Ohmigosh! Ohmigosh! The Crimson Crusader is here!?" Scarlet began to hyperventilate as she buzzed back and forth in place as she started to fangirl hard over her idol. Meanwhile, Jaune's scowl turned into a deep grimace as he stood there behind the counter, recalling when he first heard that name.
**/ ** / **
"Ruby Rose," he had asked as he stood up from his and Cinder's shared bed to get dressed while looking back at the woman as she laid there in a languid manner, satisficed with him that day. "Who is that?
"An extremely dangerous, and tenacious, irritation," his partner had purred to him before with a slight grimace she instilled, "She been chasing after me for years now. Her and her little gang of friends. Ever since that incident on Patch, in fact."
He had frowned at that before saying as he donned his own cape, "I thought you said that that was an accident? Surely, I would have thought you could get that across with this... Rose person? You certainly did with me and Ms. Sustrai and Mr. Black, yes?"
"Haaah," She sighed as she got out of the bed herself, her previous good moment gone after that statement, and said, "Yes, well, I tried. But the stubborn, little goodie two shoes refused to listen to me after that."
Jaune paused and thought it over before turning around to give her his signature big grin as pointed a thumb at himself and said, "Well, maybe I'll give it a shot! Between the two of us we should be able to get through to her, yes?"
"No, no. Don't bother yourself," Cinder had then said, almost in a panic, as she walked over to him to give his a kiss and said, "Like I said, she won't listen anyway. Best just to avoid her as we finish our mission here and be on our way. Hopefully she won't even notice that we're gone."
**/ ** / **
"Ah-ah-ah, W-wh-why are you here?! Is there some great threat to the world - Do you need my help! Wh-what can I even do? Ah-ah-ah!" Scarlet continued to bleat out as a mixture of intense anxiety mixed with adoration exploded within. She grasped at her hair, dizzy from all the rebounding emotions going off within her psyche.
Ruby, for her part, remained relatively unfazed by it all, having fortunately witnessed a few fans of her react like this before. She even thought that the girl having the same hair color, and a cloak that looked awfully like her own, was more than a little adorable. She even acts like me She thought with amusement before turning to focus on the older, scarred man behind the counter with another of those small, knowing smiles of hers.
No doubt about it. It's him for sure this time. She thought before saying almost absently, "Yes. Well, nothing like that. I'm just here to ask a few questions about a local incident, is all."
"Oh! Oh, okay," Scarlet said as she tried to calm herself back down. Only stiffen and have her amber eyes widen as a thought came to her and she bolted out of the shop, calling out over her shoulder, "Oh, my gosh! An autograph! Ah, I left my autograph book back home! Don't move! I'll be right back!"
Ruby almost chuckled aloud in amusement at that as the girl sprinted out of the building with a velocity very near to her own before turning back to face the man before her as he stood there wiping down the already clean countertop. She then gave him a sympathetic smile as she recalled all her friends having to put up with her own... excitement, all the time. Then she cleared her throat as she came up to stand before the man and asked as a phantom wind swept by to play with the edges of her cloak, "So, Mr. Arc? I have some questions that I was hoping you could answer for me."
He said nothing for a moment before growling softly, as he he raised his head to look down at her, revealing his eye, his one, piercingly blue eye, "Hrgh, what about?"
She just stopped herself from swallowing nervously at that, recalling the exact fight that had caused that injury. Instead, as she stared him, her silver eyes hardening into flint as she reflected on their first meeting and the rivalry that ensure from it as she said, "About the whereabouts of the Black Knight."
**/ ** / **
Ruby raced up the stairs, trying to catch up with that woman after she caught wind of her in the streets of that Vacuan Market. The Redoubt and the Shadow were hopefully right behind her, but she couldn't be sure. Cinder Fall, that harpy, had friends of her own now. The ones people were calling the Mind Thief and Bloody Hands, the former could get in your head, mess with your memories, make you do whatever she wanted you to do, while the latter, the latter was a stone cold assassin, killing anyone that Fall demanded of him. Women, Children, the Elderly, it didn't matter for that one. And, the ways he would leave the bodies, the pain they were all so obviously in.
Ruby shuddered at the memory of his last victim, the former mayor of this very village, and the way he had been... left, displayed for their viewing.
She finally rounded the corner at a dead sprint only to come to a stop as she came across something new. Or, should she say, someone. "Miss Rose," The black armored knight said in a deep, if surprising jovial masculine tone on seeing her. "You're a bit later than I was expecting. Ha! So good to see you."
The man in the solid black armor practically towered over her as he drew the gilded blade at his side alongside a shield in his other hand before pointing it at her and said. "Now, if you would be so kind as to surrender for me we can all have some tea while we chat and figure things out together. What do you say to that?"
She frowned at that while drawing Crescent Rose from the makeshift holster that Weiss had made for her and said as she whirled into a Ready Stance before her, "And, what if I don't want to? What are you going to do about it, cry?"
For all the menace that should have emanated from him, from his stance to that sword and shield combo to the heavy, black armor he was wearing, Ruby felt nothing but genuine concern for her safety, as if he didn't want to fight her, to hurt her. Strange. That wasn't the usual MO for the thugs Cinder had used before now. That was made evident by the sudden chuckle he let out as he relaxed, stepping out of the pose he was in while shaking his head. Then, after a brief moment of introspection, he sighed before giving her a damned sympathetic smile of all things and said as he lowered the visor of his plumed helmet, "Well, then I guess the tea will have to go cold then."
Then he came at her.
She ducked back away while parrying the sudden lunge he made with his sword before following up with two swings of her own which he blocked with his shield. He laughed as the second strike almost knocked his shield away before he twisted an thrust his blade at her face only to stop short as he feinted to then slam her backwards with a sudden shieldbash. Ruby gritted her teeth and grunted as she skidded back before dancing forwards to thrust with the head of Crescent Rose at the man suddenly, almost peeling open the metal with the edge of her scythe as it made not a clank or a clunk but a dull thunk as the edge of her scythe cut into the metal of his helmet, but the man danced backwards away from her, giving out a "Whoa!" before abruptly laughing in excitement.
Then, just as fast, the two split away into an almost casual exchange as the knight swaggered back and forth in front of the door leading out of the circular room the two were in while swinging his sword loosely, chuckling to himself all the while, and Ruby stood back away from him, her scythe braced intermittently behind or above her in case she needed to parry or block an attack with the polearm's shaft.
"You're good. Very good," the man finally said as he doffed his helmet to look at her one singular blow against it, running a mailed finger down the tear. "And that scythe, magnificent." He placed the helmet back on his head as he said while smiled jovially at her, "Doubled edged and magically reinforced, too. Oh, you are a marvel, girl."
Ruby frowned at him and at the honest endorsement he gave. She could tell from their brief exchange that he was strong, really strong. And, skilled to boot. Perhaps more so than herself. She shifted then, cautiously circling to the side as the knight seemingly carelessly did the same opposite of her, but she noticed how he gripped his shield and sword, prepared for in eventuality from her. There was no flaws there, from what she could see.
Finally, as they continued to circle each other, she asked as a way to fill the silence, "So."
He inclined his head at her as he responded with, "So?"
"So," she licked her lips nervously while testing the balance of Crescent Rose as she mentally calculated the distance between them. "How did you know Crescent is magical?"
He chuckled then while shaking his head before pointing at the marred edge of his helmet with the same hand that held his shield as he said, "Heh, well, I wasn't born yesterday, woman. This armor was specifically designed to resist the rending claws and teeth of Grimm, and your blade cut right through it." She could almost hear the smirk as he then said, "How could it not be magical?"
With that conclusion he suddenly stopped, staring at her. Ruby shifted, readying Crescent to repel his next attack, only to be thrown off as he continued to speak, saying, "Scythes... are historically considered poor weapons of war. The metal used to forge them was often of inferior quality, making them brittle at the best of times, and only the inner edge was ever sharpened for the cutting of grain." He shrugged then as he said, "That, and their placement on the shaft meant that even at the best of times they were hard to wield." He stared at her, at Crescent Rose as he continued, "Even the true war-scythes were largely abysmal, in my opinion. Yes, they reoriented the blade so that it could cut properly but at that point it was basically a poor man's glaive. the curvature of the blade meant it made for poor thrusting and still only one side was sharpened."
After a moment more of silence Ruby finally shifted and shrugged before saying, "...Okay? And what does that have to do with me?"
He blinked and stared her for a moment before saying, "Because your blade, your scythe is clearly magical. Instead of a war-scythe orientation, you have the blade in the classic orientation, though I notice that the blade is capped directly over the head of the shaft instead of attached to one side, and as stated, you've sharpened both the inner and outer edges." Then he grinned as he said, "Though, I'm not sure about the shaft itself. there's something about the classic extended handle out to the side"
Now Ruby was frowning for an entirely different reason. She huffed a breath in outrage as she stood up straight while slamming down the butt of Crescent Rose on the marble flooring, cracking the stone, before pointing at him and saying haughtily, "Hey, I resent that! Yeah, the classic shape is cool and all, but it's unwieldy! I prefer my design. It's easier to grip and I can twirl Crescent around as needed for Dazzling Displays of Awesomeness!"
The knight tilted his head at that as he repeated, "Dazzling Displays of... Awesomeness. Ha! Really?"
"Yes, really," Ruby then sniffed before pointing at him imperially. "When I twirl and swirl about the place it, looks, awesome. When you do it, its silly. Therefore, I, am cooler than you. And I win."
The knight stood there for a moment in silence as he processed that before tilting his head to the side as he asked, "How old are you again?"
"Twenty... in nineteen days." She responded, at first confidently before getting nervous as she finished off, shrinking in on herself as she looked up at him with big, bright eyes.
He stood there in silence for a more more before saying, "Your birthday is All Hallows Eve? That's fantastic! You really are something else, Ms. Rose!"
"Oh, uh, hehe, thank you, Ser Knight," Ruby found herself returning with a grin as she rubbed at he back of her head in embarrassment with her eyes closed.
The knight then sighed to himself before he lowered himself down into a low stance with his shield held up before him and his blade at the ready as he said, "I'm afraid that that's all the time I have for pleasantries, though, Ms. Rose. If you don't surrender now, then I will have to hurt you."
It was Ruby's turn to give him a sympathetic smile of her own before she settled into her own stance, swirling Crescent Rose behind her, as she took on a focused glare as she said, "You can try, Ser Knight. You can try." She tilted her head to the side as she adjust her grip on the jet black, polished heartwood of Crescent's curved and twisted shaft as she finally asked, "Just what is your name, anyway?"
He smiled and "Hehed!" to himself before he responded with, "The Black Knight, Jaune Arc, and By My vow, I Shall Not Lose!"
Then they closed with each other again in a dazzling, jaw dropping display of skill and speed.
**/ ** / **
Ruby blinked at the memory of that fight as she came back to the present.
The Black Knight had an exceptionally skilled and resolute opponent. One's whose defenses she, and her friends, had never been able to truly breach. In that fight confrontation she had scored blow after blow on his shield only for it to come away unscathed. Her only lasting sign of damage had been the small tear he left in his helmet. It would soon be joined by so many more over the next five years as they battled against him and the rest of Cinder's Party, or as she came to be called, the Lady of Flames.
"Which one," The owner of Arc's Adventuring Accessories asked gruffly as he finally stopped wiping down the countertop to stare at her. "There are so many there days from the Raven to the Cardinal to the Scorpion that isn't actually a knight, and never has been."
Ruby grimaced at that, knowing of who those monikers belonged to, before saying, "Well, I know of only one Black Knight. The first. Went by the name of Jaune Arc." She waited a beat after that for the man to speaking, only to be disappointed when he didn't. She frowned at that, thinking, Going to make this hard on me, aren't you, Jaune? Before finally asking, almost coyly, "By chance, you wouldn't happen to know where I can find him?"
The man, Jaune, stood there before her in silence for a moment before he finally said, "He's dead. Been that way for years now." Then he reached down under the counter to retrieve a pair of shot glasses, and a bottle of unlabeled alcohol. From which he immediately uncorked by using his teeth and poured himself a drink that he then slammed back in silence while glaring at something she couldn't see.
Ruby stood there stunned by that declaration, though she didn't let it show on her face or the slight thrill of battle lust and fear that had come to her as he reach under the counter. She merely stood there in silence, the naked blade of Crescent Rose briefly being revealed beneath her cloak as the phantom wind that once again blew by parted the thick cloth of her cloak back far enough to reveal that she had been holding it in a white-knuckled grip this entire time.
/ /
Jaune took that in with a quiet, if harsh sounding chuckle before slamming back another shot. Then he wiped at his mouth as some of the coarse grain beer spilled out over his beard. He went to take a third shot before thinking better of it and sliding the shot glass over to Ruby as she stood there in silence.
She glanced at the glass before looking up at him and then glanced behind him at the display of weapons armor, nodding as she asked, "And that sword and shield?"
He grimaced at that before saying gruffly, "Mementos of my previous life." He then frowned as he said while looking down at his hand as he clenched the gnarled, scarred fingers into a fist so hard it quivered, "They're there to remind me of what happened when I put my all in on the wrong people." Then he glared at Ruby as he asked, "what more do you want to know, Crimson Crusader?"
Ruby had the good sense to flinch at that tone before she sighed to herself as she set down her fabled scythe and took up the shot glass he'd given her. She stared at it for a bit as she swirled the liquid within for a bit as she leaned on the counter before downing the whole thing as if it was nothing. Then, wiping her mouth, she said, "I'm sorry about the eye, Jaune."
He froze at that before finally offering her a small smile, a shadow of the one he gave her all those years, as he relaxed for the first time since she came in as he said, "No apologies necessary, Ms. Rose. After all, it opened my eyes to the truth. That I was wrong. Had been wrong. For so long."
"What happened?" She asked softly as she placed a gloved hand over his and stared him beseechingly. "What happened that day?"
He frowned softly as he looked down at her much smaller hand on his for a time in silence before finally he sighed as he began the tale of his downfall.
**/ ** / **
"Ruby Rose," he said on greeting her as the leather clad Huntress and Adventurer appeared, just as he knew she would through the Locate Object spell he had secretly added to her cloak's ensemble of spells -"I knew it!" Ruby muttered harshly to that. Jaune couldn't help but grin at that before going back to his story. - storming through the double doors at the other end of the hall alongside blond-haired Yang Xiao-Long, the Redoubt, and the raven-haired Blake Belladonna, the Shadow. Behind them he could see Weiss Schnee, a Priestess of the World Tree, as well as several dozen local constables coming in behind. He then grinned widely as he said, "So good to see you again, love."
He faintly grimaced then as he heard a scream from on of the constables as Mr. Black suddenly dropped down from the ceiling and began to waylaid them alongside the equally hidden Ms. Sustrai. The trio turned and looked back at the same time just as the doors closed behind them, sealing the three in with him.
There was a pause before Ruby turned back to stare at him coldly, hatefully. He refused to allow the feeling of what that did inside to affect him. There's was only one path forwards now he reminded himself once again before smiling once more as he stepped forwards to say, "Still slower than expected, Ms. Rose. Too many cookies and cakes slowing you down?"
She glared at him as she drew her signature scythe and said while motioning her comrades to spread out around him, "What's Cinder's ploy this time? Going to frame and kill another innocent man for what she caused again?"
Jaune shook his head, quietly amused at the woman naiveté, before he said as he drew Crocea Mors and stalked into the room towards her, "Now, now, none of that. We don't need you slandering my friends again, Ms. Rose. We've only caught and killed yet another corrupt official. That's all."
"Is that the lie she fed you?!" Yang suddenly shouted from the side in outrage as she clutched at her battle axe tightly. "Cor Leone did nothing wrong! He was guilty of nothing that harlot says!"
Jaune frowned at that as he looked her way before turning to Blake as she said, "He wasn't corrupt! He was merely a puppet put in a terrible situation! One orchestrated by Cinder herself!"
Jaune shook his head as he said, "No. You're confused, or you're lying! To me, and to yourselves." Then he roared as he charged at the Redoubt, "He overtaxed the people of Saddleport even as he forced the lower classed Faunus and Human to work in his mines! You're wrong! I saw the evidence myself!" Only to grunt in exertion as the blond-haired woman took the full brunt of his charge and threw him backwards, almost unbalancing him as she did so.
"No, Jaune," Ruby said softly as she walked up to him. "HE didn't. The mine was owned by another council member. And, the taxes were being artificially increased beyond his control. Please, you have to believe me!"
"No!" He snarled as he blocked an axe-swing from Yang with his shield before driving her away with a thrust of his sword that quickly turned into a warding off swipe at Blake as the rogue tried to get in close to him. "You lie! The people are happier now after his death! I saw it myself!"
"That's because Cinder had Emerald broadcast throughout the populace through her mind control. They believed her lies until we showed them the truth!" Blake returned with a grunt as he knocked away with another swipe of his sword as she swept in from the side again just as Yang struck at him once, twice, thrice! with her axe, parrying each blow near desperate fury. She clambered back to her feet from the kneeling position he sent her to just in time to catch the backhanded blow he sent her way with his shield, driving her into the ground, before he followed up with a vicious headbutt to Yang as she charged in at him. The armored berserker stumbled backwards with a cry of pain, blinking the stars away from her eyes. Only for them to widen in sudden alarm as he followed up with a punch using the edge of his shield.
The blow sent her scattering just as Ruby finally closed with him, swinging her scythe rapidly in a series of overwhelming combos designed to drive him back into a corner. He growled at that but was unable to do much against it, especially when Yang and Blake got back into the fight, driving him back. He had never really done as well against all of them together, only ever brought the fight to a standstill as he held them back with his superior defense and stamina.
Finally, as the fight reached a natural low, he gathered himself as he shouted out loudly, "By My Vow, I Shall Not Fall!" Before exploding with a brilliant white light. Then it was the three women who were put on the backfoot as he rocketed towards them in a violent display of speed and prowess as he was enshrouded by the light of his Faith, his Order.
First, Yang fell as he slammed her through the wall of the stone and wood structure they found themselves in, just as He had strategized with the others. Then he knocked Blake out as she skidded to a halt to see if Yang was okay. Before finally he and Ruby squared other again in a series of back and forth cuts, swipes and strikes, the air sparking on each hit as they picked up the tempo.
"Jaune! Don't do this! Don't believe her lies!" Ruby shouted at him as he knocked her down, driving her away from where the other two lay unconscious. "I know you can see the truth of what she does! Please!"
He gritted his teeth as stood over her before finally saying as he raised his sword, "There is no other path left for me, Ruby."
He swung down just as she swung her scythe up in a desperate ploy to block his attack, closing her eyes and crying out in fear. And he returned it with one of his own as the edge of Crescent Rose scored a deep gash up his face, blotting out his left eye as it did so. He reared back, roaring with pain as he dropped his shield and sword to grasp at his face in pain.
"Jaune!?" Ruby shrieked in alarm at what she had done. She reached out a hand to him as he fell to his knees, clutching at the bleeding wound before falling over as shock took over. Then, as a blast of fire knocked down the doors behind the pair of them, he fall into darkness.
**/ ** / **
Ruby hissed as she remembered that, unconsciously reaching up to lay her hand on his scarred face as she apologized, idly rubbing a thumb in an almost soothing-like manner up and down the scarred tissue of his face. Jaune hesitated slightly at that, jerking in place, before he gave her a gentle smile with his eye as he took her hand in his and said, "S'all right, Ms. Rose. It doesn't hurt anymore."
She bit at her bottom lip as she winced at the undertones of that statement before nodding and letting her hand drop back down on the counter again. Jaune took a moment more to rub at his scarred cheek while looking off into the distance, trying to understand the emotion that contact had awoken in him. IT wasn't anger, for he had never hated the Rose, nor was quite it anything else that he could identify, but it warmed him on the inside all the same.
Made him think of that damned girl and how she had somehow wormed her way into his life. Strange, and unexpected, but no less irritating to someone like him, who only wanted to be left alone now so he could properly wallow in his... isolation.
"So," Ruby asked as she licked at her lips nervously. "What happened next?"
Jaune found himself staring at those lips for a moment before he blinked and focused on her gaze again, on those unique silver eyes, and nodded, saying, "Well..."
**/ ** / **
When he came to, it was to find himself back at the Party's temporary base of operations in Saddleport. He looked around bit before brushing a hand up against his face as he suddenly remembered why he blacked out. He flinched as he felt the bandages on his face before slowly, slowly he edged his fingers up till he could feel around where his eyes was. It came away wet. He grunted at that as he rubbed his fingers together, surmising that it hadn't been all that long since he lost consciousness. Then he staggered to his feet and made his way towards the door as he heard the sound of motion behind it.
Only to immediately regret it as the door opened suddenly, the knob slamming into his torso and the door banging against the injured side of his face. He hissed and grunted at that as he stepped back away from the door while Mercury winced and said, "Ooh, sorry, man." He shook it off, saying it was fine even as he chose to ignore the smirk the man gave him as he walked by.
"Jaune," purred Cinder as he walked into their shared living quarter as she got up from the couch with emerald giving him a glare from where she sat giving the older woman a foot rub. "So good to se you on your feet already."
She sashayed over to him and placed a hand on his face, stroking his wounded face a bit too roughly as she said, "A pity about the eye, but a fine compromise to what we achieved here today." He grunted in agreement at that as she turned and sat back down in a chair emerald provided for her at a gesture before she asked, "Tell me, Jaune, just how did you know that Ruby Rose was in Saddleport?"
"Ah," he said with a sudden smile, ignoring the sudden unease he had with the situation as Mercury came up to stand beside Cinder while Emerald seemingly left the room. "A bit of cleverness on my part and craftiness on the part of Mr. Torchwick, Ma'am. We devised a solution to Ms. Rose's constant interference by permanently adding a Locate Object spell to the various enchantments she already had on her cloak. With a bit of subterfuge on Ms., uh, on Neapolitan's part, it was done without the young lady ever knowing." He then shrugged as he smiled and said, "Now, we can go about our business without ever having to worry about her and her friends getting in our way again."
"Oh, Jaune," Cinder said as she gave him a coy smile and patted at his injured cheek, one that normally thrilled him but right now unnerved him instead. Something was going on here and he didn't like it. "How clever of you, but we won't be needing to worry about that little scythe-wielding bitch anymore."
He flinched back more at the bite in her tone than the cursing before frowning as he asked while taking a couple of steps back, "What, do you mean, by that, Cinder?"
"Why, while you could only hold Miss Rose off until we could flee from her and her friends, Mercury here did one better and captured the girl instead." She said while motioning to the smug-looking man before she clenched her fist as she said, " Now, she's our prisoner, to do with as we please."
Jaune shook off his unease at that and tried to smile as he said, "Ah, excellent! Now, we can finally sit her down and you can explain to her why she's been wrong for so long. Just like you did with me. I'm sure you can get through to her this time."
"Oh, Jaune, no," She cooed at him again, a bit of flames shining in her eyes and behind that smile of hers as Mercury started towards them. "See, I lied to you, I've been lying to you, about everything."
He stiffened at that and asked, not wanting to believe her, "But, why, though? And, why tell me now?"
"Oh, that's easy, Jaune. It's because I needed you on my side till now. A safeguard as it were, in case I got caught." She answered with that damned smile ever present on her face. "I might've needed a valiant, if misguided, knight to come rescue me as you so often did. But, now that - thanks in no small part to you - we've captured Ruby Rose. I don't need to hide what I was doing anymore."
"And, what is that?" He asked cautiously while taking another step back away from her while glancing about trying to pinpoint where Emerald was, where his sword was. "Your goal? Your plan?"
"Why, to bring down the Monarchy, of course," She replied as if it were obvious. "Without them in the way, the resulting Chaos will be far easier to control from the shadows, especially with all your help over the last several years. And, after it's all over, I will take my place at the top where I rightfully belong. Where I've always belonged!" Then she chuckled at the upcoming carnage that would result from their actions before looking up at him with eyes full of malice and spite as she hissed, "Finally, all those pathetic old sycophants and cowards among the nobility will get what's coming to them for what they've done to me and mine! Oh, I can't wait to see their faces as it all comes burning down around them."
Jaune shook his head before he snarled with outrage, "But, but, you-you helped people! WE helped people! I saw it! I refuse to believe that all was a lie! I refuse!" He huffed and snapped out, as he jabbed a finger her way, making her frown at him. "Don't lie to me, Cinder! What was all this for, if not to help the people of Vale!"
She smirked as she said, "Why, me," then she rolled her eyes as she said, "And the Church of Salem, of course."
He recoiled for that before whispering, "Sa-Salem, what?!"
"Well, of course," She cooed in returned as she walked back up to him to stroke at his face while flames began to gather about her. "After all, who better to rule over the coming Chaos than the Goddess of Tyranny?"
"No," he whispered to himself as he jerked back away from her and declared, "No! I refuse to believe it! Not after everything we've done. Not after all I've given up! No!"
She frowned at his continual defiance before smirking as she said, "Well, that's fine, I suppose. Your opinion doesn't really matter anymore, anyway. Not now that the one true obstacle to our plans is finally in our hands."
He recoiled at that before saying in a half whisper, "What do you mean by that?" Then his eyes widened before he stalked towards her menacingly as he demanded while he jabbed a finger at her, "What do you mean by that! What are you going to do to Ruby!"
"Why, that should be obvious, Jaune," She smirked as Mercury came to stand beside her once more, smirking gleefully all the while, before hissing out coldly, her eyes glowing with a baleful light. "Whereas you could only ever hope to beat her, Mercury here, will ensure that she remains broken!"
"No," Jaune whispered as he backed away again in shock and thinly veiled disgust. "No, no, no."
"It shouldn't be too hard," Mercury then spoke up for the first time as he was looking at his nails while standing there smugly. "It's not like she's the first girl I've broken in. Em could tell you more. All that spirit of hers just means that it'll be all the more fun in the end," He smirked as he turned his cold blue eyes to Jaune as he finished up with, "when she calls me Master."
"No," Jaune dragged out as he shook his head in horror, the honorable knight still buried within him under all the self-hate and disgust rising up against something so repugnant to him. He turned his attention to Cinder raised his hands beseechingly at her as he pleaded, "Please, Cinder. Don't do this. not to her. She's don't nothing wrong. She doesn't deserve this. No one does! Please!"
She scoffed at him as she looked away before saying over her shoulder, "And, here I was hoping that you had finally come over to our side."
"Not in this, love. Never for something like this." He told her as a sense of finality came to him then. He closed his eyes and jerked his head once to the side as he prepared himself for what was to come before opening them again as a look of determination came to him and he stepped forth saying, "And I cannot allow you to do th-Guugh?!"
Only to stop as a jagged-edged blade was plunged into his back right about the level of his left kidney. He looked back in shock as Emerald suddenly materialized behind him, holding onto the blade. "Cinder's tired of listening to your chivalry, Arc! And so are we!" She hissed at him through her heavily scarred lips, her red eyes filled with hatred for him, before she twisted and jerked the curved short sword from out of him under a splurt of blood.
Jaune jerked at that, grunted, before stumbling to the side to crash into the small counter space of the dwelling's kitchenette. The thief and her assassin "boyfriend" came up to stand before him mockingly while their boss turned and started to walk away as he laid there panting. Then, with a sudden surge of strength, Jaune shot forth, grasping at the grip of his sword where it lied on the countertop, roaring out, "By My Vow, I Shall Not Fa-!"
Only to have Mercury chop off his arm, just below the elbow, as he came flying at him. The assassin was smirking all the while as he did so. He darted to one side as the much bigger man then crashed into the sitting area, toppling over the large couch there, blood spilling from his new stump. "Hah! 'By My Vow!''" Mercury mocked while Emerald tittered silently next to him. "Yeah, yeah, we've all heard that spill, time and time again, Jaune. You need to work on your lines, man. They're too... generic Knight in Shining Armor, man."
Then he was snickering again with Emerald right behind him. Only to stop as Jaune rose to his feet, his own blue eye filled with a cold, determined light as a aura of white-gold surrounded him and he roared, "I won't let you harm that girl!" Then he crashed through the couch, knocking the heavy furniture to one side as he stormed towards them, and the woman behind the pair.
Mercury's stunned appearance at the berserker vanished momentarily as he closed with the bigger man, ducking under and dodging around his flailing fist to cut him, gouging a deep gash into his stomach and guts, again and again, only to look on in shock as they seemingly did nothing against his rampage. That shock turned to near binding pain as Jaune finally connected with him, slamming a meaty fist into the right side of his face and jaw, knocking him off his feet and sending him into a rolling dive of recovery as Jaune thundered past him to get to Cinder.
Emerald tried to get in his way, scoring an undisputed diagonal line across his left pectoral as she did so, only for the scarred and mentally broken girl to knocked away for her troubles. She cried out as, with an almighty backhand, Jaune sent her careening over the back of the back of the highbacked chair that she had set down for Cinder earlier. She stumbled back to her feet just as Mercury closed with the man again, hacking and cutting away at the muscular of his abdomen again.
With a sudden elbow drop alongside a growl of frustration, Jaune chopped down at the smaller, faster man, knocking a blade from his hands before suddenly grasping him around the throat. Mercury coughed and hacked as Jaune squeezed down on his skin as he hoisted him up in the air. He tried to stab at the thick, corded muscles of his forearm with his other blade as he punched and clawed at the vice-like grip about his throat to no avail. Finally, at the sense of movement coming up on his left, Jaune threw him to the side, using him as a makeshift club to knock emerald down again as she stumbled back into the fight.
The blow knocked the girl out as it drove Mercury to his knees. He shook the concussion away as he scrambled back into the fray, leaping on Jaune's back and stabbing down at his wounded head even as he tried to get him in a headlock. The big man shook him off again, sending him flying into and through a wooden chair before turning around with a roar of, "I won't let you!"
Only to stop as he seemingly ran into a blade made of molten glass, the tip penetrating all the way through to his back.
He looked down in shook as the blade exploded into flame before with a flourish, Cinder jerked the scimitar back out of him as she told him coldly, "You were never anything more than a pawn to me." Then she turned and stalked away, leaving behind only the image of her cold, hate-filled eyes as Jaune collapsed to his knees and then face first onto the ground as he strength left him and his world went dark and cold.
**/ ** / **
"Some time after that, Roman somehow found me in a puddle of cooling blood and shuttled me off to one of his hideouts with a full crew of hardnosed ruffians and a fully equipped staff of doctors and physicians to take care of me. Oh, and Neo, of course. She was the only one of his crew who could actually stand up to either Mercury or cinder, should they try and finish me off." He finished up with before shrugging dismissively as he said, "Not that they would. I was... beneath them at that point."
Ruby said nothing for a moment as she took all that in, and he chose to keep to himself the brief, albeit extremely intense, relationship he and Neo had had during the weeks of recovery he had spent there. Honestly, that was why he was so confused as to whether or not she and Roman were an item or merely colleagues. She did have an almost fanatical dedication to him, though...
He shook his head to clear that thought, and those, occasionally disturbing sounds he would hear on meeting up with the pair during their yearly reunions, from his mind. Neo was for sure some kind of hellcat and a hellion. She also liked to bite. A lot.
He almost smirked at that, and the memory of a certain permanent mark claiming him as hers somewhere on his person during their last, uh, engagement, and tried his best not to scratch at it down there before he finished his story with, "After I woke up, sometime between my falling out with Cinder and before Roman found me, I could only think about saving you so I somehow stumbled my way to where Cinder liked to keep prisoners or informants, and all I could find was your old cloak, and a lot of blood." He grimaced then and looked down while clenching his fist for a moment in silent pain before he looked back up at her and said, "For the longest time afterwards, I thought you were dead, and I blamed myself for failing to save you."
Ruby said nothing to that, her eyes taking on a haunted look as her own memories came to her of that time.
"Even after I started hearing reports of the Crimson Crusader saving lives and taking names like they used to, I couldn't believe it." He told her softly. "That 'hero' they weren't you. Didn't sound like it anyway. They were too aggressive, too brutal, and I could never get a clear definition of whether or not they were even a woman."
He sighed to himself before saying, "Still, it's good to know you made it out okay. Ruby."
The woman in red flinched at that and he started, not sure what to make of it as she clenched her hands into fists while looking down in silence. Finally, she said as she looked back up at him, "But, I didn't make it out okay, Jaune. Not really."
"What do you mean?" He asked in a whisper, alarmed by the connotations of that statement.
Ruby rubbed at her shoulders as she looked away from him before starting in a barely audible whisper that only drew in strength and power when he offer his had for her to take, which she did, "I awoke in a dark room with my arms tied behind me. I couldn't see all that well because one of my eyes was swollen shut and it was dark. But I knew I had to get out of there after seeing what Mercury had done others who had gotten in his and Cinder's way.
"I struggled to my feet as I tried to cut my bonds with the little letter opener Weiss gave me before the fight. I cut myself a few times on the blade but I was starting to make some progress when the door to the room opened and Mercury came." She gave him a brief smile as she said, "For what it's worth, you sure did a number on him cause he was black and blue all over stumbling about the place most likely from a concussion, muttering to himself."
She shuddered then as the memories flooded in and she said, "As soon as he saw me he gave me that stomach-churning grin of his as he made his way over to me. I tried to run past him but he grabbed me and forced me down. He hit me a couple of times on the way down to make certain I wasn't going anywhere, and then he stood over me as he began to drop his pants."
Jaune did his best not to crush her hand as he tensed up at that.
"Somehow, between the struggle and my poor attempts at cutting the ropes, they had come undone and so as he lowered himself... down... on top of me, he had to stop and try and retie them as I started to struggle underneath him again. He hit me. And then we struggled some more as he tore my skirts and leggings - I didn't have my armor at the time. I think they took them when they caught me. I never did find them again. - and, and, then I drove the letter opener into his shoulder as we fought." She clenched her eyes shut tightly as tears began to stream down her face as she sniffed and said while clutching at him like a life line, "And I stabbed him again, and again, and again. Over and over again until he finally threw me off of him.
She sniffed again and rubbed at her nose and eyes as she said, "There was so much blood, and, and I tried to get away from him but he caught me again. And, he kicked me and threw me up against the wall of the room before tearing at my clothes again. And I bit him and clawed at him as he punched me and I tried to do all the things that Yang told me to in such a situation. I screamed, I fought... it wasn't enough." She whispered the last before falling silent again.
Jaune waited a beat. Two. Before finally he uttered in a voice suddenly made scratchy by his own intense emotions, "For my part in your pain, I am so sorry, Ruby." He swallowed before saying, "If the pain, if it hurts too much to go on, I won't make you, but... What happened?"
Ruby was quiet for a moment before she swallowed and sighed before she urged, "Nothing."
"Nothing?" Jaune implored worriedly.
She nodded back before saying, "Nothing. We fought some more and he tore at my clothes before I was somehow able to force him off of me. I slid and skidded on the blood from his wounds as I tried to et away and he caught me once more in whatever that mad state of mind he was in but I kicked him off of me after untying my cloak where he had caught it and ran out of the door." She wiped at her eyes again and said in a shaky voice, "I don't know how I got back outside. I can't remember really. It's all a confusing jumble of black corridors, screams and blood. But I made it out, and found Yang, and Weiss, and Blake, and they took care of me while I recovered."
She swallowed again as she took his hand in hers and looked him in the eye as she said, "Thank you, Jaune. For what you did." He blinked at that, unsure of what to say or do. "If it wasn't for you, I don't know what would've happened. But because of your fight, Mercury wasn't, wasn't in the right state of mind to just, do what he was going to do, to me. So, thank you, for saving me."
He pulled away from her as he said gruffly, "I did nothing, Ms. Rose. It was you who had the courage and strength to getaway from him." His eye then took on a cold, dim light as he bit out bitterly, ""Just like it'll be you who will one day bring him and the rest of Cinder's party to justice for their crimes, not me." He flexed his one arm as he muttered, "Not now."
"Um, about that," Ruby started only to stop as the door to the shop banged open and Scarlet came back in looking flustered as she held out a small book to Ruby alongside a pan and asked, "Please, sign this, Miss Crimson Crusader, Ma'am! You'remyfavoritestAdventurer, ever! **Pant, Pant**" Then she looked between the two of them and asked, confused, "Did I miss something Important?"
"Nothing like that," Ruby replied with a small grin as she turned and discreetly wiped at her eyes before walking over to take the booklet from her and opened it to a clean page. "By the way," She asked as she signed her name while looking up at the girl before her. "Is your hair dyed that way?"
"Ha! Nope! My hair is naturally this cute!" Scarlet returned with a cheeky grin as she flipped her long, straight red and black hair over her shoulder before she took a pose with her hands on her hips. Ruby couldn't help but snort and laugh at her antics. Jaune felt the edge of one lip twitch at that as his normal dark, brooding gaze lightened just the slightest bit. Then he coughed and went back to normal.
"So, what are you here for, Miss Crusader, Ma'am?" Scarlet asked her as she tucked the treasured book of autographs in her pocket again. "Are you here on an Adventure, Ma'am?"
"Yes, something like that," Ruby returned before looking back at Jaune with a small smile. "I'm here to see an old... acquaintance. Someone I've always respected, even as he infuriated me, and, perhaps implore him for his aid on a very, very matter."
Jaune stiffened at that as Scarlet gasped and "Ohmigoshed!" for joy, looking his way excitedly only to frown in confusion as she noticed how stiff he was. Ruby looked his way as well in question, saying noting. "No," Jaune bit out. "Those days are behind me. I want nothing to do with that life. Leave me be, I've done enough harm to the world for a lifetime."
As Scarlet "Wha-ed?" at that Ruby strolled back over to take his hand in hers again before he could snatch it away, rubbing her fingers over the many scars she found there, over the subtle bulges from repeated broken bones before she looked up into his eye and said softly, "I've followed your path for years now, trying to track you down to talk to you about that day, and all the days since. And I discovered, over the years, how you would go from town to town, doing small things to help with the populace from breaking up criminal gangs and slavers to hunting down lone killers and rapists" - Her voice caught on that work, the memories still fresh. - " to even smaller, innocent things as helping to plant a garden in memorial for those lost to the Grimm to helping to rebuild a town from the ground up with your own funds and blood and sweat and tears."
She rubbed at his finger as she looked down and smiled quietly, trying to hide the tears in her eyes as she said, "Over the years you've been a blacksmith, a carpenter, a shopkeep. You helped drive off a bandit raid or two and fought off a Grimm incursion singlehandedly, all without accepting the offer of reward. You did good deeds like that for years on end, never stopping for more than a few weeks at a time. " Then her smile turned into a frown as she looked at him and said, "Then, one day you just stopped, and vanished, why?"
He paused and sighed at her before saying, as Scarlet stared between the two, "Because I gave up. I realized at that after all the things I did to make up for what I caused, for the things I set in motion, that it did nothing to ease the hate and loathing and bitterness I have inside for myself." He shrugged and said, "I given up. I'm not he man you think I am anymore. I can't help you. So, either arrest me for my crimes or kill me, but there is nothing I can do for you now, Ruby Rose."
"Nope," She said almost instantly, popping the "p" as she did so, before giving him a huge smile. One that rose to her eyes and took in her whole being. It was near blinding to him.
"Nope?" He asked, confused.
"Nope," she repeated before smiling as she said, "I know that's a lie because you are that man. You are still a Knight of Vale, a Paladin of the Church of the Maidens, because if you weren't you wouldn't still be here, trying to protect me. Protect her. You are a Good man."
"Wha- how can you say that? Especially after what I've done to you and yours?" He asked in confusion, distressed by her easy answer. "I've hurt you. I've hurt your sisters and your friends, so much! How can you say, that I'm a good man. After everything I've done?"
"Because you tried to make up for it, tried to give back, after everything that happened. And," the smile she gave him was beatific in the extreme as she said while looking down at their hands, "because even now, you're still holding on to me, giving me an anchor, as I try my damnedest to not throw up from how scared and anxious I am for trying to do this, to recruit you to my side."
He looked down at their hands and his eye widened as he saw what she meant by that. Her hands were shaking even as they clutched tightly to his larger one. A hand that was still gently holding hers h=back. He sighed at that, slumping, before he looked up at her and asked, "What do you need me for, Ms. Rose?"
She beamed at him as she said," Well..."
/ /
The woman turned her head and glared at the bearded, one-armed man as he walked over to her where she stood, following behind the two similar women in red cloaks. They even had making red and black hair. It was old.
She shook that thought from her head and absently stopped the biretta she was wearing to fall before she made her way over to them after she finished saying a prayer to the expectant couple before her. On reaching the one armed man she struck him in the face with the Gohei-like stick in her hand as she snapped, "You brute!"
The man, Jaune Arc, rubbed at his jaw as he said, "A pleasure as always, Lady Schnee. Sigh, still not over our meeting, I see?"
She sniffed daintily as she said, "Oh, you mean when you tried to seduce me into joining up with that whore Cinder and her creepy little followers? Then, yes. Yes, you brute!"
He sniffed as the girl with them "Wha-ed?!" before sighing again as he said, "I told her that wouldn't work on you. She should've just come out and told you, well, the "truth" that she fed me at the time."
The priestess waved her "wand" at him as she almost jumped up and down in her outrage, tears at the corner of her eyes, as she said, "You made me feel special! And then you showed yourself as nothing more than an unfeeling brute! Uncaring about a young lady's feelings! I hate you!"
H blinked at her with his one eye before stating in utter confusion, "But, you are special. You're Weiss Schnee, a Priestess of the Valean Branch of the Church of the World Tree."
She sniffed again and turned her head away with a hmphed! before saying, "Well... well, I don't forgive you! Not yet! And, it's High Priestess now, thank you very much!"
"Well, my apologies, Lady Schnee. I was unaware of that." He returned calmly, though with a smile of his own. One that was very reminiscent of the one he had in the old days.
She hmphed! again while crossing her arms before asking, "And, is there any reason as to why you didn't properly take care of those Death Cores when you and this... trumpet, killed those two Grimm in the forest, hmm?"
"My apologies, high Priestess," Jaune returned with a slight bow. "But I can no longer access my powers as a paladin, and I felt it unwise to proceed further. At least, not unless you want a Corrupted in the area with my level of combat skill, however diminished?"
The woman sniffed again at that but said nothing. Meanwhile, the taller of the redheaded brunettes seemed to flinch at that as she looked back at the man in horror. the younger, smaller one only looked between the three in confusion, fear and dismay. this was not how she was expecting things to go on her first Official Adventure. Finally, the woman in white, gilded robes turned to look at the man, staring at him, taking in his figure as she looked him up and down, before she asked, "Can you still wield a sword?"
"Aye, Lady Schnee." He returned, still in that odd half bow of his.
"Then you'll be of some use, after all." The Priestess remarked before turning and walking away. After a moment of hesitation, where the taller cloaking wearing woman shrugged at the other two, they followed after her.
A/N: And with that we are done with this chapter. As I said it was a doozy. I do apologize if Ruby's backstory was a bit much for some of you. I will say that that is the furthest I'll go on that particular subject matter. Is Mercury alive? Probably. Will he be pissed off when Our heroes meet up with him again. Oh my, yes. And, the battle will be Legendary!
The fight with Emerald, not so much. But it will be memorable. I'll say that at least.
Goodbye and take care of yourselves out there! Essiter out!