Jaune lay on his bed, looking up at the dark ceiling. He supposed that he should have fallen asleep by now, but he found that his brain would not shut down. The world was too loud and awake, the bed was too soft. Too domestic. Too forign to him.
He fell off onto the floor, half expecting his bed to be endless like the forest ground. Instead he flopped off like a fish, descending two feet onto the carpeted ground. "Oooff." jaune grunted, face down on the carpet.
You good buddy? B asked. Jaune made a grumbling sound of affirmation. "I'm good." He grunted, still laying on the carpet.
"You know what?" jaune asked with an odd amount of cheer.
What? A asked, slightly curious.
"I much rather prefer the floor." he yawned, shifting on his floor. He dragged the blanket down from the bed, wrapping it up into a pillow-like structure. He gave a stretch, and closed his eyes.
When he opened them, he was back in the wizards tower in the Dream. He looked at the magic locked door, remembering what his current task was.
"Welp, time to get on it." Jaune cracked his knuckles, ready to bring his metaphorical nuclear powered sledgehammer upon the master crafted filigree of magecraft. The lock shattered.
Jaune took to exploring the tower with relative freedom, and found it surprisingly boring. It was mostly full of reference books that Jaune was not at all qualified to even begin to comprehend. But he had found some things that were interesting. Namely he had come across clearly a scientific lab, most likely an alchemist's space. It was filled with glass vials of long expired solutions and solvents, burners long out of fuel, and covered and carefully placed instruments. Clearly, whoever was here knew that they would not be here for some time, but were expecting to come back.
They never did.
Jaune let himself wander around, trying to find anything of particular use. He found some bottles that smelled foully of tar and sulfur. On another shelf, a set of bound books with a custom spine labeled with dates. Jaune pulled one off, assuming they were some kind of encyclopedia.
xB055, The 40th day of the Season of the Boar.
I have finally gotten funding for my research. The king, Derobore VVV, has finally seen the wisdom and benefit of my proposition. I am finally one step closer to understanding the living soul. Now we just have to do the science.
Jaune scanned over the pages, figuring out what exactly was going on with this tower. The wizard, Alabast of Many Eyes, was a government funded researcher of the arcane. Jaune became more and more… morbidly intrigued as he continued his reading. "He seems a little off his rocker, doesn't he?" Jaune commented as he flipped the page. He was two books in, and he was currently reading about Alabast's search for an "Angel." Jaune at first had scoffed at the notion, but he had just encountered a freaking dragon, sooo….
Yeah. His most recent theory is literally trying to artificially birth an Angelic being… B pointed out. I think he might be off his rocker completely.
Jaune shrugged, continuing to take in the increasingly strange pages. A lot of it was devoted to the technical details and scribblings of such a project.
Jaune leaned back into his chair, brushing his hair out of his face. He had been at this for some several hours, and he was going down a rather extreme rabbit hole. But he still needed answers.
He was in the most recent journal, which had the first entry under the date of xGH7B, Squid season, day 15. He was midway through the record, where he found something interesting.
I have made a breakthrough regarding the odd pandemic sweeping this plane. Alabast wrote, instantly catching Jaune's eye.
I have found that, with my recent experiments with the subjects infected with the disease, both dead and alive, I have found something truly fascinating. The disease is fermenting the glucose and fat in their body into alcohol at an astounding rate- Jaune's brow furrowed as he leaned forward. He began to read with a fervor, trying to take in this crucial clue. As the alcohol permeates within them, it actively seems to decay their soul, driving them into an immortal madness that starts with death. The subject proceeds to become insane and bloodthirsty, seeking out whatever form of alcohol they can find, even going so far as to hunt other's blood for the residual ethanol that resides.
Jaune turned the page, his brow one of concern. At least the Doctor was correct. It was indeed a sickness, but one that attacked the soul before it did anything.
It is with great pleasure that I write this passage. I have made what is the greatest breakthrough in my career yet: This disease which is fermenting the soul into alcohol, is fermenting souls into alcohol. The physical manifestation of one's very being, one's soul, decomposed and aged and decayed into physical manifestation. It is what I have been searching for all this time. The greatest step forward to my questions, to my quest. I have never been closer before.
I have more tests to do, and my pet project needs some attention as well-
Jaune just stared at what he had just read. He fell backwards, his gaze vacant and distant.
"What." he started, breathless. It felt like his soul was a glass dome that had just taken a hammer to its top.
He knew, on some base level, that the violence of the dream was unjustified. He should have known that it was wrong, and that there was some catch.
Jaune pulled out a bottle, about to drown the information he had just read. He looked at the bottle, and thought about who's decayed soul was trapped within the glass. His face twisted and withered at the thought.
"NO!" jaune yelled, throwing the bottle across the room. He finally bent over, mourning whoever he had dared consume.
Jaune was in the depths of the Balkaram Forge. He had wandered away from Alabast the Many eyed tower in shame and rage at his blasphemy. What other sins had he committed unknowingly?
Do you think that's where we come from? A asked. Do you think we are just the coagulation of the souls you've consumed?
Jaune shuddered at the thought. I hope not. You seem too kind to me.
The Forges were surprisingly cold, as there were no fires burning in the foundries. Jaune looked at his map. There was a highly detailed circle that was labeled AFDA was just up ahead. Jaune shouldn't have been surprised that he would find one of the mechanical towers within the dwarven city. Jaune approached the staircase. At the top was a large doorway, barred shut from the outside. Jaune squinted at the large metal statues flanking the sides of the door. "I smell boss music." The dreamer was immediately suspicious. The only thing that could have made it more suspicious was if there was sudden music. Jaune took his first tentative steps up the stone stairs.
The two metal statues turned to the encroaching dreamer. "Please present your identification, unknown pedestrian."
Jaune gave them an incredulous look for a moment. And then let out a ticking hiss sound. "Ohhh, sorry about that chaps. I'm afraid I left them at home. You know how it is, I would lose my head if it wasn't attached to my neck." Jaune smiled.
The two golems sat there in an awkward silence.
"Congratulations! You have been promoted from [Pedestrian] to [Trespasser]! Prepare to be detained!" The two moved forwards aggressively, brandishing their oversized weapons.
Jaune sighed, drawing out a hammer and glassvain.
"Well, I would hate to rain on your parade, but I am terribly afraid I really want to get to the other side of that door. I have a special order waiting, and I would love to get it sometime soon. They don't do delivery, you see." Jaune said as he dipped to the side, backing away from both the staircase and the large ax in one of the golems' hands. Jaune slipped under the swing, slamming his hammer into the calf of the golem. It rang out as the metal met metal. Jaune looked at the impact, and was unenthused at the damage his hammer had done. Jaune was forced to practically throw himself out of the way as the second golem made a lumbering and sluggish strike with its own blade. Jaune hit the ground on his shoulder, using the momentum to fumble his way into a roll. He stood up quickly, teetering at the edge of the living OSHA violation.
WHY DOES IT NOT HAVE RAILS! B bemoaned with anguish as Jaune quickly regained his balance, scampering away back towards the base of the stairs.
"So, physical attacks won't do much." Jaune grunted, rolling out of another heavy handed swing. So that leaves us with magic? A asked, way too happy about that.
"You really like magic, don't you?" Jaune chuckled as he began his small little prayer. A childs' prayer for warmth and comfort in dark and cold nights. A small candle flame to ward away the lonesome chill.
And jaune turned it to the bellows. That little child's prayer, a small flickering flame in the smothering, frightening dark, grew with a sweltering heat. That small candle flicker was fed quickly, growing into a furnace fire. The orb of sparking, slag burning flame was uncomfortably hot in Jaune's hand. Deciding that that was a good sign the spell had been fully roided out, he threw the bowling ball sized orb of pyromancy at one of the golems. It simply turned to face the spellcaster, the surface metal deformed from the sudden influx of heat. The two colossal metal statues lumbered towards him, whatever enchantment that acted as their computer programming driving them forward. Jaune backed away, summoning more mana fueled attacks. Ice, thunder and lightning, flame and scorching entropy spewed forward with reckless abandon, the forces that forged all worlds spilling out of the dreamers hands like blood and wine. The twin golems seemed unphased by the barrage, despite the onslaught of arcana. Jaune made a sour face at them. "These things just don't have a fuck to give, do they?" he grumbled as he readied his blade. He was running out of steam for his spells, and would have to be a little more conservative for this fight. Jaune started to advance towards the twin statues, that singular massive metal rectangle on a handle in hand. He shouldered the weapon, approaching them.
"Oh, you, [TRESPASSER], dare approach me?" One of the golems said, its preprogrammed voice somehow sounded smug.
Jaune stared it down. "I can't beat the shit out of you without getting any closer." he said sternly, brandishing his weapons with the intent to wack.
"Oh?" The other golem asked. "Then approach all you like." The golem mocked. Shouldering his blade, the dreamer approached onto the bridge. Wither a terrible creaking sound, the golems moved to smash the intruder like a bug. Jaune rolled, using his momentum to put the energy behind his swing. It connected into the malformed leg of the first golem, melted by the intense power of the magical elements. The heavy armor breaking sword did its job incredibly well, cleaving deep into the enchanted flesh of the metal statue. The statue wobbled as one of its supporting tendons was cloven into by the heavy handed blade. A massive metal hand scraped at jaune, up ended a swath of the stairs with it. Jaune backed away from the peppering spray of stone.
Behind you. Statue's behind you. B warned his host. Jaune gave a grunt of conformation.
He turned, putting the entirety of his weight into the heavy swing. The heavy set blade practically hummed through the air as it was spun in circles. Jaune spun, practically flying at an angle as he slammed the metal slab into the knee of the other golem. The golem raised its fists, ready to smash Jaune into a pulp. Jaune scampered between the titanus sculptures legs, narrowly avoiding the slam attack. He looked at the smashed craterous divit.
A couple more of those and they'll bring the entire bridge down! Jaune thought as he backed away, preparing for another two or three swings. The two golems turned, disappointed that the intruder was unexpectedly slippery. With their ground shaking lumber, they moved towards the dreamer with clenched fists. "[TRESPASSER] PLEASE TURN YOURSELF IN" the closest one boomed. Jaune raised an eyebrow.
I don't think the prison system still works, to be honest. Jaune thought to himself. Considering that everyone's dead or… well, zombies.
So they're dead? A asked. Jaune did not answer that.
Stepping forward, the oversized blade made its sweeping blows with terrible weight. Each step was a heavy impact, a thud into the stone. The blade reached, biting into a metal shin. The returning swipe was made with a grunt, and brought the golem to a knee. The golem raised a fist, hoping to swat down the annoying blade wielder. Jaune met the overhand slap with his blade, buckling under the impact. He pushed against the blade in a desperate attempt to keep the hand at bay. He dared to look down the stairs at the other charging golem.
Wait a second.
Oh shit. A said upon seeing the several tonne death machine bearing down at him.
Brace for impact! Shield! Jump! Spell! Something! B rattled off desperate attempts to force an action. Jaune dropped his hold, bracing the massive greatsword in front of him. He willed together whatever mana he had left into a barrier in front of him and his blade. A second skin of crystalline air crackled before him, interposing itself between the rapidly approaching foot and the dreamer.
It shattered like glass upon impact. The weak crystal structure only took a fraction of the force that slammed into the shield sword, and into Jaune's arm. Flying backwards, he bounced and practically rolled up the rest of the stairs. He impacted against the closed doors with a crack. His lungs suddenly retracted with the connection as he felt like he had been flattened.
Ohh, there goes our ribs. B remarked with a wince. We should probably chug some health.
Jaune squinted, bleary eyed and grimacing from the pain. Ohh, that had hurt. "No." He grunted, refusing to notch another sinful tally to his belt. Those spirits were not his to consume, nor were they mere potions for life.
They were not his.
Jaune reached into his satchel, desperately seeking something that could be of use. He came up empty handed this time, much to his dismay. He was doing this old school then. With the metal blade and blood in hand, he would batter and rip these metal machines into submission.
Piece by piece if he had to.
He rose to his feet, shouldering his weapon. It was a laborious task, reading such a massive blade, but it was probably the best weapon he had for this fight, as blunter weapons did nothing. Because they rely on blunt impact force rather than the cutting force that baldes use, blunter weapons are effective against armored opponents due to their ability to pass on the impact to the fleshy bits inside. This makes blunt weapons, such as hammers and maces, a staple weapon of the Huntsman, particularly in areas where insectoid grimm are more common.
That was a brief excerpt from a book on the history of mechashift weapons Ruby had suggested he read. It was an interesting look into the history of huntsmen, but mostly went over his head. He was a dude walking around with a pointy metal stick and a shield.
But that particular section meant nothing in this fight for one reason. These beings were fully metal, so there was no actual flesh underneath for the hammer to pass its momentum to. It was pure metal that Jaune was slamming his blade into, which was probably not at all good for the sharpness of his sword in any manner whatsoever.
Jaune stumbled forward, ducking underneath what would have been a lethal blow. Jaune split the broadsword into its dual butcher knives, hacking away at the calf of the still standing golem. The other golem, which jaune had hamstrung right before he had his ribs kicked in, was struggling to get back onto its feet. Jaune turned with his strikes, seeing an opportunity to deal a little more damage to the enemy that was closer to death. Jaune darted away, lining himself up to the achilles heel of the kneeling golem. Chopping with the two blades, chunk after chunk from the tendon.
Number two, heading your way at alarming speeds. B pointed out. Jaune acknowledged the warning, dancing away to the top of the stairs. He wheezed with his burning ribs. They ached and creaked with the exertion that was forced upon them. Jaune slumped, taking a moment to catch his breath. The handicapped golem slammed its fists into the stone, just barely out of reach of the dreamer. It repeated the action again in vain. Jaune took a step back, looking down at the spiderweb lines forming under its fists.
I was being sarcastic when I said he was going to bring the stairs down. Jaune thought to himself with a smile. He knew it could not hide the aching guilt in his soul. Not from himself, but perhaps it could spare those in the waking world his sorrow? Who there cared for his sorrow, anyway? Jaune shook himself out of his mournful musing, and back into the fight on his hands.
The golem dragged itself forward, trying to reach the dreamer. Jaune pulled out his maul, and attacked the weakened points of the bridge. The bridge shook under the combined weight of the golems and Jaune's damaging blows. The golem continued to move forward, its buddy approaching at a much faster rate. Jaune made a face of only major panic as he whacked at the base of the stairs with renewed vigor. "Please break, please break, please break." jaune muttered, akin to a prayer. The standing golem took a heavy step forward, the full weight of the golem pressing into the compromised bridge. A sharp cracking sound came from the supports below them. If you looked at the cross section of the bridge, you would see a fault within the stone. Originally only a mere fraction of an inch long crack within the center of the supporting stone, the constant impact from the heavyset metal golems had rubbed and shifted against the fracture, widening it bit by bit. At the very end of the battle, with the slamming of massive metal fists and large hammered strikes, the crack had succinctly widened to a concerning width. Enough that OSHA would have had a conniption, if they had existed at all in the dreamscape. The golems froze, looking at the source of the sound. Jaune tapped it again, sending another crack echoing through the chasm. The stairs dipped down as the spiderweb fractures suddenly widened, fully cutting off the top of the stairs from the actual surface it was connected to.
Jaune stepped back, letting gravity do what it did best. The stairs collapsed under the combined tonnage of the metal statues, sending them plummeting into the abyss below.
Jaune peered over the edge, making sure that the metal creatures had indeed fallen, hopefully to their deaths.
Jaune collapsed onto his back, letting out a heaving gasp. "Well." he managed through the pain in his ribs. "I think that went rather well." Jaune said, looking up at the ceiling. B gave him an incredulous look.
Bitch, you broke most of your ribs, and I'm pretty sure you punctured a lung. He countered, scolding the dreamer like a distressed father. Jaune merely waved him off.
"I'll be fine. Just give me a moment to recover." He said, taking the post battle peace to rest. He spent quite some time just laying there, casting whatever healing spells he had the energy for. His supply of sanctified spirits remained untouched, but not forgotten in his bag.
Eventually, he felt in good enough shape to continue on his quest into the unknown. With a heave, the doors flew open. A long hallway, littered with long dead mechanical parts and rusted chassis of androids. Jaune strolled down the hall, picking over the ruined husks of machines for anything that might catch his eye. He would have to try to reconstruct one if it tickled his fancy later. Jaune heard a similar chugging sound to one he had listened to so long ago, in the bowels of the eternal city. He raised an eyebrow, moving quickly to the source.
He came upon a glowing mound of mechanical machinery, pulsing with the forge fire red glow in between the cracks and dents. The room was sweltering hot, fueled by the fire of the great manufacturing machine. A jointed mechanical arm poked up through the mound of whirring mechanical parts.
"I AM AFDA PRIME, HELLO HUNTER." The Machine said, to which Jaune blinked.
"I was unaware there were multiple of you." He admitted, not entirely surprised that there were indeed multiple copies of AFDA. It made sense, considering how important and useful AFDA must have been in the Eternal City.
"YOU ORDERED A CUSTOM ITEM, CORRECT?" AFDA responded, jarring Jaune out of his thinking. His head tilted to the side, frowning in a confused manner at the machine.
"How do you know that I made a custom item, AFDA?" The dreamer asked, wiping his brow with his sleeve. He took off his cape, as it was far too warm for the article of clothing.
The robot curled back around the top of its hill-like structure. "ALL AFDA SYSTEMS ARE CONNECTED TO THE CENTRAL AFDA SERVER HUB, AND ALL INFORMATION IS READILY ACCESSIBLE FROM ALL AFDA LOCATIONS." The machine said. Jaune nodded. It was sound reasoning and design structure. It acted like the CCT back home. Juane had one more question though.
"What makes you AFDA Prime, instead of, you know, just an AFDA?"
The Machine was quiet for a moment. "I AM THE LARGEST AND FIRST AFDA INSTALLATION." AFDA Prime answered. Jaune nodded.
He walked towards the interfacing screen. "Do you have my shield ready?"
AFDA whirred, the internal mechanisms coming to life. "NO. PLEASE STAND BY WHILE CONSTRUCTION IS UNDERWAY." Jaune rolled his head back as the machine started to make metallic clanging sounds as it started to create the shield that had been added to its database so long ago.
It took two hours for the machine to let out an almost startling ding, sending Jaune to his feet. He had taken out a sheet of music he had been writing, slowly figuring out the math behind the chords.
"Is it done?" The dreamer asked hopefully and expectantly. AFDA did not respond, but instead carted out a steaming metal bracer. Gentle curves glided along the metal work, the overly large wrist watch shaped plate in the center betraying what mechanical aspects it could have. Jaune took off his current archer's guard, trading it for the machine built shield. His fist clenched, activating the trigger hidden in the extended palm guard. That noticeable metal cap popped outwards, a series of overlapping segments not unlike the blades of a fan unfolding from the inner mechanisms. Jaune smiled, retracting the trickcraft.
"Thank you." he said to the machine.
"I AM PROGRAMMED TO BE OF SERVICE." AFDA replied in its mechanical tone.
Annnnd we are leaving. A said, turning Jaune away to the exit.
The dreamer looked at his new toy. I wonder what good you would have done if I had you sooner. He wondered. I'm sorry, Reed. I would like to think that this could have saved you.
Jaune shook his head. He had many regrets, and he would say that his failure to that sacred duty was his largest. His greatest regret.
Reed should be remembered. A somber commented. Jaune nodded.
"He should." He said, still looking at his shield. "You don't have a name, do you?" he asked for the wrist brace. It, of course, did not answer. It couldn't, being a piece of clockwork and all.
"I have a good name for you." Jaune decided.
"I'll call you Reed's Regret."
Jaune found a good spot to rest, pulling out his map. He would have to cross though what was probably the slummier part of the undercity to get back to the central hub, and back to the dragon. He hated to say it, but he did kind of want to kill the dragon. It seemed straight up evil, if the records and personal documents he had salvaged and scavenged meant anything.
Jaune sat on a balcony, brooding over the recent events and discoveries, looking at the violent rabble of drunken duergar squabble amongst each other. They were in front of the Western gate, barring his path.
Why are we waiting around? A dozen duergar should be no match for you, Jaune.
It's not right. Jaune thought bitterly, looking at the deceased things. I pity them. Jaune mourned the poor drunken things, decaying in their own filth as their souls soured into spirit, poisoning their blood and minds.
Look at them, jaune. If they could see themselves, if they could know what they had become, do you think they would want to be alive? B asked jaune, posing the moral question. If you pitied them, you would put them out of their misery.
They wouldn't want to be dead. Jaune responded, his voice full of a guilty grief.
No one wants to die, Jaune. B sighed the obvious statement. But do you honestly think that the sham of existence they suffer through is life?
Jaune scoffed. Since when was your job to pose moral quandaries?
My job is to keep you alive! B snapped, rising to his feet. To make sure that you wake up tomorrow morning, to make sure you get out of this place!
Jaune's face twisted in anger. At the cost of my humanity?! He snarled at the figment.
That is A's job, not mine! B snapped at him, much like a chihuahua. Snarly, pent up, and would hurt if they were any bigger. My job is to keep you alive! Not to keep your dignity intact!
Jaune returned his own snarl. "What is the point of being alive if you kill what makes me human for it?!" He yelled, slamming his fist into the wall. The section he punched crumbled into dust, the fragments blacked by the magical energy.
"Why is my life so fucked up?" he mourned. Standing, he left in search of a routed path, shed away from any conflict with what had once been human creatures. It was in the depths of the maze like alleyways that he found a gravesite.
I wish to sleep no longer, knowing what sins my dreams have seen.
He had written that in his notes shortly after his encounter with AFDA. he didn't understand why this realm had to have been so vile, so dark. So full of gray.
And so he closed his eyes, dying back to the waking world once more. He hoped it would, by some miracle, be better than the subconscious depths of his own mind.
Oh my god, this was hard to write. I knew that I wanted him to find Alabast's notes, and I knew that I wanted him to meet AFDA Prime. Between that? no clue. I apologize for the lack luster fight, and for how long this freaking chapter took. Last stretch in my school semester, yay...
but, as promised, Lore for the dream! Dreamlore. The drought is over!
we get to see jaune start to develop his legend next chapter, plus I'm hoping to really establish the tone of Jaune and Arslan's relationship. That and moving forward on the Bolin plot/ some of Nadir's Nuances.
I'll be honest, I have no idea what to do with Reese right now. I have a short plan for her after the fall of beacon/ The haven arc, but nothing that really ties her to the main plot the same way Nadir (being Jaune's close friend/ Right hand in the same way Ren is in cannon (ish), plus semblance) and Arslan (for hopefully obvious reasons). I mean, I want Reese to be as important in a separate way than those two, but have no clue. So that's why her character might feel a little lackluster right now. My apologies.
As always, please leave a review, comment, cool idea or suggestion. they make me happy to read