Missing Chapters

I'm aware that a lot of people are having trouble accessing my latest chapters. It's a site issue affecting a lot of them - including me reading other people's work. Sometimes it even says the number of chapters in their story is changing from chapter to chapter. I can be reading chapter 13 and it says the story has 10 chapters, lol. Not much I can do about it, I'm afraid. Part of me expects it's due to the huge amount of AI bots trying to sell commissions overloading the servers. I've had three today alone.

I've updated my profile a few times to try and include this message but that keeps resetting as well lol, undoing what I write. Fun!

If it continues then I will consider updating my stories to somewhere else in addition to this site. I might look to start migrating stuff to A03 or such anyway, once the company wraps up and I'm free.

Chapter 28

Exhaustion set in an indeterminable distance from the front lines, slowly dragging Jaune to a jog and then a walk, before he finally begged Weiss to get off and fell to his knees gasping for air. He couldn't tell how long he'd been running – hours, probably – but his aura was at a perilously low level and his meridians were burning like hot pokers up and down his muscles. Those, too, ached like they had when he first started training with Master Ren; a degree of soreness he'd thought gone because of how used to it his body had become.

"Is she still behind us?" Weiss asked. "Can you still feel the… whatever it is she's doing."

Jaune gulped down water from his flask and spat a hefty amount onto the grass. He wanted to fall and roll over but knew he might not be able to get back up if he did. "No," he rasped. "But she's probably still following."

There wouldn't be much need for fancy aura techniques when she could follow his footprints. The problem with Weiss' Semblance accelerating him to such a degree was that every step he took hit the ground harder, driving his prints down into the mud. It would be trivial to track them using that, but at least they knew they had several miles on the person.

"I need rest," he panted. "And we need people."

"People? A village? Why? Wouldn't there be a risk of them handing us over to Menagerie's forces?"

"They're tracking us by our aura because we're the only people in this area. But everyone has aura, even if it's only a little." And right now his aura was probably at the level of a civilian's with how drained it was. "Her technique will bounce off lots of aura signatures if we're among people. It'll make it harder to track us. And if we move on beyond a village then it'll muddy her technique even more."

The waves that came out like a sonar would strike the village. Some might go beyond, but not many, and it'd still be a messy reading on her end. Better that than striking off in a random direction and standing out as two aura readings in a place there shouldn't be any in.

"Fine." Weiss stepped away from him and set her bag down. "You catch your breath and I'll scout the area. If there's a place nearby, I'll find it."

Jaune sat and began to meditate, controlling his breathing and circulating what little aura he had left around his sore body. The tiny amounts of heat that created acted as a massaging force, and aura had always been capable of healing so it would also help protect and repair his muscles.

Importantly, the meditation prevented him falling asleep or lounging around and developing a cramp, as it kept him in a seated position with his legs stretched. Focusing on the quiet sounds of nature, he let his heart come down to a natural beat, and then let his lungs relax with a long exhale. It was late into the evening now, the sun setting on the horizon, and he was grateful for the cold breeze on his skin. His robes were soaked with sweat as it was.

It was perhaps thirty minutes when Weiss returned, her boots crunching softly in the grass. She was trying to be quiet, perhaps thinking him sleeping, but stealth wasn't her forte. Jaune hummed, indicating he was awake and not sleeping sitting up.

"I've found us a town," she said. "It's a decent sized walled town. Maybe fifty buildings. Quite large for being outside the city. I'm not familiar with it, but it looks to be in good condition."

"You sound surprised by that."

"I guess I am. The country is at war."

"No. Atlas and Menagerie are at war. Mistral is simply a victim to it." Jaune slowly stood and gathered his bags. "And don't argue who started it. You'll notice I didn't pick a side with that comment."

Weiss still looked like she wanted to argue on behalf of Atlas, which only made sense since it was her home, but she kept quiet and drew her good up to hide her distinctive hair. Jaune didn't think the locals would have any reason to report her presence, but he could respect her caution.

It only took ten minutes for her to lead him to within sight of it, and the town was much as she'd said. It was oblong in shape, built around and across a river with metal grates pushing down into the water where the walls crossed them. The walls themselves were brick and stone, a rarity for places outside the cities. Ansel's walls had a foundation of stone, but only about four feet high. The rest of it had been wood.

There were two gates, one on either side of the town and on either side of the river, which cut it in two and probably made for good fishing. The large wooden gates were shut, but smaller human-sized doors in them were open, with a singular man stood outside each one. A few other men dotted the walls, and he could feel Weiss tensing when she noticed them.

"Hello," Jaune called, a short distance away. He raised a hand in a friendly manner and slipped his hood back to show his face. The guard hadn't challenged him, which was a good sign, but he didn't want to push it. "What's this town called? I'm not familiar with the area."

"You've reached Kizumi," the guard replied. "Your accent isn't from around here. Not Atlas or Menagerie, either. We're used to them by now. Vacuo?"

"Vale." Jaune chuckled. "I've come to Mistral searching for family I'm worried has gotten caught up in the war."

"Hm. Rare to get visitors from Vale nowadays. It's normally our lot trying to escape there. You're welcome in Kizumi if you're passing through. If you want to stay, you'll have to speak to the mayoress and prove yourself useful in some way. We have room aplenty, but we're not so well-off on supplies. Trade with Mistral has been iffy what with the front lines so close. Though, that ought to clear up soon."

"Oh?"

"Was a time the lines were raging so close to here that you could hear the shelling. In the space of a week, we went from Atlas control to Menagerie, back again to Atlas, and now we're in Menagerie control once more. There was no way of getting shipments to or from Mistral with that going on. Food we have aplenty, but we were lacking on medical supplies and equipment. Our doctors did their best with herbal poultices, but this isn't the dark ages. Insulin ran out and there's been a few deaths."

"I'm sorry to hear that. If it helps, we've not heard any artillery so the armies must have moved on by now."

"Aye. Menagerie has pushed Atlas back at last."

Weiss stiffened. "Is that a good thing to you?" she snapped.

Jaune winced, but the man at the gate didn't react as expected. Instead of getting angry or accusing her on her accent, he winced and rubbed his head. "Nah, I didn't mean it like that. We're neutral, we are. I'd have been just as happy if Atlas pushed Menagerie back. Just so long as we're spared the war. Both sides have been problems to us."

Jaune nudged Weiss to stop. "Problems?" he asked. "They haven't been forcefully recruiting people, have they?"

"Not that. Atlas offered lien to any who would join but no one was that desperate, especially not when we could see how the war has been going for them. Menagerie didn't ask; guess they want only their people in their army. But both sides have made demands in other ways. Atlas came and demanded we surrender medical supplies. It's part of the reason we're so low on stock."

Weiss sucked in a breath. Again, she wanted to argue, but Jaune stepped on her foot and interrupted. "And Menagerie?"

"Food and hardware for the most part. Weapons and dust. That hasn't led to any deaths, thankfully, but it still put us in a bad spot. Honestly, they're both as bad as each other. You've picked a shit time to come to Mistral, friend."

"Ah. I'm here because it's a shit time," Jaune said. "Need to find my family."

"What's their name?"

"Ren." Jaune hadn't come across anyone yet who asked, but he had the easy answer thanks to his mentor. There wasn't much point asking for Arcs since they were all dead. "Do you know any families with that name?"

"It's familiar but only in passing. Not an uncommon name to be honest. You might try the inn in the centre of Kizumi. It's the building with the red roof." He stepped aside from the door, waving them in. "Usual rules. Keep your weapons sheathed and don't cause any trouble."

He'd seen them, obviously, but no one was going to question people being armed outside the walls. It would be more suspicious if they weren't. "Thank you. We'll head there right now. We're exhausted."

/-/

They headed straight for the inn, guided by its red slate roof in the distance, and booked a room in it for a rather small amount of lien. The tables were all full but the man running it suggested they could take their food to the room and eat on the beds, so long as they set the plates outside the door for someone to pick up later.

The two of them accepted, retreating to the room with wooden bowls of porridge and a plate each of cooked salmon on toasted rye bread. It was good food. Fresh and heavy, washed down with honey mead and clear water. So much better than what they'd had on their journey here, dried fruits and packed ready meals full of sugar and preservatives.

"I didn't see a single person from Menagerie on the way here," he said, as Weiss sat at the window looking outside. "I guess they don't bother to station anyone at towns and villages after they pass on by. Does Atlas?"

"At towns and larger settlements, yes. Not small ones like where you met me. We try and have a small squad at each location to manage supply lines and maintain order." Weiss frowned. "I don't believe they would steal medical supplies from people like this, though."

"Then you think the guard lied to us? Why would he?"

Weiss stared out the window angrily.

"Well, whatever the case we should be safe here," he continued, knowing she wouldn's answer. "There are far too many aura signatures for that technique to pick us out in particular. And no one batted an eye at your hair. I've a feeling they wouldn't report you even if they knew who you are. It'd just bring unwanted attention on Kizumi."

"They seem to dislike both sides of the war equally," she murmured.

"That sentiment is echoed in Vale for the most part."

"Why?" she asked. "We didn't force you into the war. We were attacked and you, as our ally, responded. Your people haven't even taken to the field to help us, so what have we done to earn your ire?"

"It's the draft. To be fair, I can agree it's more Vale's fault than yours. Our government back home is gearing up and strangling our own kingdom to do it. Trust me, our own government is hated as much, if not more, than yours is."

"At least there's that." Weiss slumped. "We really didn't start this war. Menagerie attacked us first."

"What were their reasons?"

"…" Weiss scowled and looked away. "Systematic abuse of faunus and a refusal to deal with the issue. And… well…"

"Hm?"

"Menagerie technically belonged to Atlas before it was gifted to the faunus."

"I didn't know that."

"It was an empty island with no real value so no one cared to argue when Atlas slapped a flag on it. After the faunus revolution, it was given to the faunus as reparations. Both to give them a home away from the kingdoms, but also to prevent Atlas being carved up into smaller territories. I know a lot of faunus say they were exiled there, and I don't doubt they feel they were, but the leaders of the revolution did agree to it. They saw it as an equal trade. Mostly, that was because we agreed to recognise them as a country. Not one of the four major kingdoms, but a sovereign country with its own rights, independence and laws. Somewhere they could live how they wanted to live."

"Fair enough. Did they decide that wasn't enough later?"

"No. No, it was the other way around." Weiss groaned. "Dust was discovered on the island about thirty years later. A large deposit. Suddenly, the island became valuable again, and people wanted it."

"Don't tell me Atlas claimed it."

"I'm sure some would have liked to try but no, it wasn't like that. Menagerie belonged to the faunus. Instead, Atlas tried to purchase the rights to the dust, since Menagerie lacked the infrastructure to extract and process it. A deal was made where we would mine it, ship it and process it, and Menagerie would receive a twenty-five per cent cut of the profits."

"Is that a good deal or…?"

"It wasn't exploitative. I know it must sound like they would deserve half, but they'd be putting in zero effort and the investment in Menagerie would benefit them as well. We'd need to build warehouses there, hire local workers, and it'd all boost the economy in Menagerie. Giving them a quarter of the profit was seen as generous, and they agreed after a year and a half of negotiations. The mining began a year later."

"I'm assuming something went wrong."

"Yes. Small things at first. Accidents, deaths. They couldn't accuse us of racism since everyone involved was faunus hired locally, including the managers, but it soured relations. The real problem came ten years later when it was found out that the faunus who agreed to the deal in the first place had also agreed to several other things in secret and not told their people."

"Corruption, then. What kinds of things?"

"Historic rights to the land the mine was on after it was drained, trade deals benefiting Atlas more than they did Menagerie. Non-aggression clauses. None of them were illegal," she hastened to add. "And they were tacked on because the cut of the profits we'd promised was generous. We assumed that the leaders of Menagerie had told everyone about them, that it was known among the populace. We weren't in the wrong."

"Why did they keep it secret, then?"

"Popularity. Elections." Weiss scoffed. "Or maybe they assumed it'd never come out. It's politics, Arc. Politicians are ever making decisions that benefit themselves. The leaders of Menagerie signed away some of their country's rights to secure more immediate money in their coffers. When their populace found out, it was a brutal thing. The leaders were stripped of their positions and jailed. More than that, our people were forced off the island despite agreements and promises in place. That was just the start. Diplomatic arguments were thrown back and forth for years, and threats as well. Our council wasn't happy that Menagerie had pocketed the money we'd used to pay for rights to that mine and were now locking us out from using it. Whatever their issues, we had paid for access to that mine. It was a legally binding contract."

"One I'm sure they feel you tricked them into."

"How?" she snapped. "They met with us and negotiated with us on equal terms. Maybe their leaders were corrupt, but we didn't know and it's not like we would dare accuse them of that. How do you think they'd have taken it if their historic enemies started interfering in their elections?"

Poorly. Very poorly. Jaune sighed. "Right. That makes sense. So, one corrupt leader in Menagerie signs away his people's rights to Atlas, Atlas sweeps in assuming all is acceptable, and then doesn't realise they're crossing the line in the public's eyes. That about right?"

"Yes. It didn't start the war, but it started the aggressive posturing. Atlas is… I'll admit it's not a good look, but we're used to throwing our weight around to keep the peace." Weiss managed to say that with a straight face, as if she wasn't condoning threats. "We suggested we could take back the mine with military action if Menagerie didn't either allow us entry or refund the money taken in the last year from us. It was a fair compromise," she said. "They could have kept the mine if they just gave us back the money they stole."

"But they didn't."

"No. They attacked instead. It was such a shock that our fleet was caught completely unawares and sunk. They were only there to look big and imposing. No one expected them to actually come under attack. That's how the war began."

It sounded much too mundane for what was a war sweeping across the whole world at this point. And yet maybe that was normal. Maybe wars really did begin over such small and inconsequential things. Jaune nodded, but he couldn't help but wonder if Menagerie might have a different story for how it began. If Weiss wasn't giving him the sanitised version from Atlas. Or if she even knew the truth. This could be propaganda she'd been fed, since she'd have been a child by her story for most of the events in it.

A knock came at the door. Weiss tensed, but Jaune stood and approached, speaking through the wood. "Yes?"

"I've come for your plates, sir," a young girl said.

"Ah. One moment." Jaune collected his and Weiss' and opened the door, and Weiss relaxed on seeing a girl of no older than fourteen outside. She wore an outfit a size too big for her and had a resemblance to the innkeeper. "Here you go," he said, handing them over carefully to her. "They were delicious. Our compliments to the chef."

The girl smiled. "That's my mom. I'll tell her. Um. Is it true you're looking for the Ren family?"

Jaune paused. It wasn't true, and yet he had to pretend it was. Beyond that, though, he was curious. This girl acted like she might know them. Had Master Ren had family here on Mistral? He'd never spoken of having a wife but it was possible. Or it could just be a family with the same name.

"I am. I'm looking for the family of my mentor, Shu Ren. Does the name ring any bells?"

"Not that name, sir." No surprise. If she was fourteen, then Master Ren would have already been an old man. "But there are rumours of a Ren family who are protectors of Kizumi and a few other towns and villages nearby." She glanced around awkwardly. "Mom says I shouldn't listen to it and it's just fairy tales, but some of the older townsfolk say it's real and the Ren family have been protecting us from Grimm for generations."

Protecting them? It sounded almost like what Master Ren had said the sects used to do before the academies became the de facto method for kingdoms to protect themselves. Could it be that Master Ren's sect, the one he belonged to, was out here? If so, it might provide some answers to the questions he had.

And, at the very least, they might shelter a fellow member.

"Really? Can you tell me more? Do you know where they're based?"

"I only know stories, but I can tell you who told me them. There's an old man downstairs called Mr Ming. He's the man with the long white beard. He drinks her most evenings and plays bridge with the other older men. He also tells stories if you ask. It was him who told me about the Ren family. He might know where to find them."

"Thank you!" Jaune slipped out his wallet and a small amount of lien. "For you," he said, and the girl took it with a big smile. "For helping me with this. I really appreciate it."

"Thank you, sir!"

The girl trotted off.

"I heard that," Weiss said, approaching from behind. "This Ren family. They're like you? More of your kind?"

"My kind…? I'm not an alien, Weiss."

"You know what I mean. They're like you and Menagerie, people capable of fighting like that."

"Perhaps. We won't know unless we check it out. If nothing else, they might be willing to put us up for a while. And if they are related to my mentor then they might have some answers for me. Less for you, though. It might be out your way…"

"I already said I wanted to learn what you can do. Besides, cutting back to Mistral is impossible with that woman on our tail. I'd be better off losing her first." Weiss brushed by him. "Let's go talk to this old gentleman."

/-/

Mr Ming was downstairs but had finished his game of bridge when they arrived. Finding him wasn't difficult. There was a whole corner dedicated to the elderly people, who were chatting and laughing and drinking, seeming so much more active than old people trapped in a care home. There were canes around, but many of them seemed very fit for their ages.

Likely due to the abundance of fish and exercise, Jaune thought. Master Ren had made it clear that longevity came from simple sources rather than magical means. Fish was a very healthy food full of good oils, and the lack of office jobs and public transport out here – or even cars – meant everyone would have a degree of fitness just to move around.

The man with the white beard regarded them curiously as they approached with drinks. He made space for them and gestured for them to sit. "A game?" he offered.

"I don't know how to play it," Jaune said. "Sorry. I'm Jaune Arc. I'm from Vale, where I was raised and taught by someone called Shu Ren."

"Shu…?" Mr Ming smiled. "Well, well, well. I'd wondered why little Tabitha was asking around about the Ren family. So, you claim you were raised by old Shu. Any way of proving that to me?"

"None. Master Ren rescued me from Grimm and raised me, but he taught me very little of his past or the Lotus Tem—" The man lunged and pressed a finger to Jaune's lips.

"That," he whispered, "is quite enough proof, thank you." He leaned back again and took the extra drink Jaune and Weiss had brought. "And you should not throw that name around so easily."

"I'm sorry. Master Ren taught me valuable lessons, but he never had the time to tell me anything beyond that."

"Time? No, lad. It was inclination he lacked. Old Shu. Ah, my old friend. Does he live?"

"No. I'm sorry. He died defending me from enemies."

"Died in battle, eh? It's how he would have wanted to go."

Jaune frowned. "I disagree, sir. Master Ren always struck me as someone who would have rather died surrounded by the beauty of nature."

"Did he now?" Mr Ming's smile only seemed to grow. "Ah, that does my old heart such good, my boy. Maybe my old friend finally found what he was looking for. He left Mistral in search of peace, you see. Said he wanted to find it at last. That he was tired of battle and loss. I'd thought he would never escape that, but to hear he taught you the simple beauty of life tells me otherwise." He wiped a tear from one eye. "My apologies. You've made me emotional."

"It's fine, sir. You were a friend of his, then?"

"Aye, boy. Your master and I went far back. I was never one of his, not like him. No, I was a merchant of sorts. One he trusted to keep certain items for him." He inclined his head. "Items of a knowledgeable nature. Do you have them?"

The scrolls. Jaune kept calm. "I couldn't possibly say, sir."

"Good. Good. Keep it that way. Your master would entrust them to me to hide while he dealt with business, and I kept them hidden. He took them with him when he left, saying they were too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands. Your master had gathered them over his travels, over forty years of travel. Back then… well, his motives were different. He was quite the revolutionary, you see."

"Really? Can you tell me more? I hardly knew him."

"You knew his true self, boy. Shu would have rather you know that version of him than any other. But I suppose I can give you a little to ease your heart. Shu was a revolutionary of sorts. A dreamer. He dreamt of a world where all the sects worked together and joined as one – an ultimate sect which he felt would be able to teach people to defend themselves. He said they could band together and share knowledge, share techniques, and perhaps even replace the academies."

"He was a proud man, dismissive of huntsmen and huntresses, and he said the sects could quite easily stand in competition to them if they'd just stop hoarding knowledge and keeping to their secrets. Sects are exclusive, you see. They're competitive, even if they're on friendly terms. Each specialises in a certain thing, and they keep to their secrets as if they're badges of honour. Shu saw them less as honour and more as arrogance and pride. He argued their egotism prevented them from helping people. He said he would travel to every sect on Remnant and make the case for them to join as one to protect people."

All sects as one. It was a good dream, Jaune felt. One worthy of someone as amazing as his master. Though it was funny to hear Master Ren had also been dismissive of huntsmen, especially since he kept criticising Jaune for it. The apple hadn't fallen far from the tree, but then it was easy to see the same mistakes in others that you had made. Master Ren hadn't been hypocritical to tell him off for it; he'd been wanting to help Jaune not make the same mistakes.

"Are this other sect related to him?"

"You could say that." Mr Ming lost his smile. "Related by blood at any rate, though not necessarily on the best of terms." He hesitated. "But they might welcome you, if only to find out what happened to old Shu. They reside in the mountains to the east. Halfway up, on a plateau, where the air begins to thin. Climb the mountain and you'll find their sect. I would strongly advise you wait at the gate, lest you be seen as aggressors."

"Have they come under attack before?"

"Not for a long while. Some of Menagerie's forces paid them a visit but that was on friendly terms, from one sect to another. But you…" He shook his head. "I've said too much as it is. You'll get your answers there. Visit them, tell them I sent you, and tell them what happened to Shu Ren. Hold to the lessons he taught you. Or at least those I hope he taught you."

The man would say no more, simply staring into his drink no matter how many questions Jaune had. Eventually, he rose and thanked him for his time and walked away with Weiss at his side.

"East, then?" she asked.

"After a night's sleep, yes. I need to know more of what's going on and we might as well lead our pursuer on a merry chase."

Next Chapter: 11th March

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