Chapter 10: The Power of Timeskip

(((Soren Coldforge)))

Normally, I don't get out of Oldtown for the whole duration of winter. From the beginning of November to late January next year, like any productive member of society, I used the period of winter to do very productive things.

Like banging your girlfriend for example. There's a reason why most people are born nine months after winter. Its fucking cold and you got nothing better to do other than chopping wood, maintaining the fire in your hearth, maybe carve something or try learn a new song on your guitar.

Then bang your girl coz that's pretty much the most fun thing you can do during winter in a rural region.

However, this winter, flipping Jaune and Ruby just came into town and now they're my fucking apprentices apparently. I have zero idea what to teach them nor do I fell like doing so, so I just send them off to Velvet and call it a day.

Then, Ruby asked me about my special forging trick, so I make the executive decision to just dip outta town. I was counting them to fail to learn Sword Aura so that I can cheat my way out if the MC role. MC as in Mentor Character, not Main Character. It's important to keep my actual role in this fucking fic distinct.

Newbie who never read The Writer other works may think, what is up with OC bozo with his 4th wall break deal? Long story short, I know I am in a fanfic. Does it gives me existential crisis? Not really. I am a One-Dimensional Being that only exist in text form in the perception of you Three-Probably-Four-Dimensional Being like you chuckleheads. Whatever image you conjure of me and my kind is just you reinterpreting text into an image construct you comprehend.

I only have the knowledge as a weeb. I failed chemistry in school and I am bad at math. So there will be no Dr Stone science crap coming from me. The only shit I know is a ludicrous amount of entertainment knowledge, which therefore I know how Plot Structure works.

As if this stupid AU fanfic isn't stupid enough. Whoever my predecessor was had read copious amount of RWBY fanfics. So I pretty much has a lot of reference to use to take down RWBY's cartoonish villains. Then, this fanfic proceed to go full AU making most of my wiki knowledge useless. Hell, Salem wasn't even considered as a major threat. My ancestors along with Ozpin and many other Drifters had taken her down a long time ago, reducing her to nothing more than a nuisance which my father has to kill off whenever she spawns back every year.

And now the Plot wants to kill me by trying to make me a Mentor. Yea nope, fuck that shit. I gonna dip. I can't just reject them myself because The Plot will just conjure an arc where they will try to prove themselves to me so they go to try to take down something big and it turn out to be a disaster, so I'll ended up having to save them myself.

The only way for me to get out of the role is to have them give up on my mentorship by themselves. So I decide to give them a task that is impossible to be done in the time limit of three months.

"Can't you just stay here?"

Tessa Codwell is…. I dunno, my Winter Wife? For all intent and purposes, we're not actually dating, which was weird even for me. In the previous winter, we sorta just ended up hooking up, I suppose. When I came into Oldtown, originally I was nust passing by and grab some lunch as we look for a safe space for her to open her orphanage, but it ended up with me getting a childhood friend and a whole town here. Then I came by every winter since I figured since I had gone through all that trouble on taking over the town, I may as well make it my winter vacation home.

"Sorry, Tessa, I just want to avoid those two kiddos."

Tessa frowns. "If you don't want to take them under your wing so much then just reject them."

Yea no, that's not how it works, Tessa.

"I have my reasons."

"Enough reasons to leave town for the rest of winter? What are you going to do in the meantime? Most monsters had gone into hibernation and you won't make past the journey down south with so many Winter Court's Fae on the prowl."

Yea, honestly I didn't really think this through. I just want to get away from Jaune and Ruby, the two actual Main Characters of this fic. I know if I stay around I will somehow slipped up some tips that connect their neurons in unexpected ways and ended up letting them figure out how to finish their task. I watched Naruto learned the Rasengan, damnit! I know how this works!

"I think I'm going into Lake Lullaby city. There's plenty of skeevers I can clean up in the sewers."

Tessa just look at me with the most 'I totally not believe you' face I ever seen. "Really? The great Soren Coldforge, banisher of wraiths, slayer of ghouls, hunter of many beasts will clean up Lake Lullaby from their skeevers problem?"

"Yea, I know. Skeevers are so boring."

"Now put down your bag and get back in bed. I am cold and in need of some warmth."

I look at my bag and then at Tessa. Think, Soren Coldforge! What is the better choice? To escape The Plot or to get laid?

(((Three months later)))

"WHOAH! YOU'RE TOTALLY RIGHT SOREN! I CAN DO SWORD AURA NOW!"

"Yea me too! Sword Aura in three months?! That's gotta be a record, right?"

Jaune then intejects. "Actually, Soren here figured it out in just two months."

"Really?! You must be a genius!"

Har har harr. Hardy har har. I choose to get laid, and this is the price I paid for it. I knew I would slipped up some tips that give them breakthrough.

It pretty much go like this.

A week ago, after another night of getting laid, I had to woke up early becoz I have some shit to do at the city. Nothing much, just me trying to arrange some weapon equipment for Rust Bucket.

I knew I should have slept early but my horny ass decide to have a bit of fun before bed, which as usual, turn out into a lot of fun instead. So I had like 2 hours of sleep before waking up and while my sleepy ass walks toward Lake Lullaby, Jaune had ambushed me with his strategic tips digging.

So I ended to reveal,

"oh yea, how I figure out Sword Aura so fast? Everything has their own frequencies. A song. If you just randomly brush a violin all it gives are earbleeds. Play it properly and you get a violin song. Sheesh, I can't believe no one gets this."

And of course, coupled with the Power of Training Montage and Timeskip, fucker did it within a week I had mistakenly given him the tips. Fuck me.

Now the Lancaster had succeed in their task and learned how to use Sword Aura. Tho I supposed Ruby will tweak it into Scythe Aura I guess. She's gonna need to forge a new scythe though if she ever want to get into using Armament Arts. Her Made in Beacon Crescent Rose is made with Auracite Alloy, which can only channel Sword Aura at best. Nothing more.

Ruby then giddily asked me. "We passed now, so we can learn how to make Mythic Arms like you two, right?! Right?!"

Jaune is also pumped up. Fucking Velvet. She rat me out. You couldn't just said that's my special clan thing?

"I'm not funding any materials, okay. You will use your own share of parts as well as your own money.", I relented.

"YAY! Give me five, Jaune!"

CLAP

Jaune high fived Ruby which is kinda awkward because Ruby is so short. If I recall from the random ass google search my predecessor did, Ruby is about 157cm while Jaune is 185 cm. Fucker is tall as hell. I myself is just 181 really.

I looked over to Tessa that setting up the table for celebratory lunch. She is 151, with a rather large racks for her size. Not comically big though. I probably responsible to her rapid development.

I grip my knuckles and close my eyes.

"Shortstack supremacy.", I muttered.

"huh?", Jaune heard me muttered.

Ruby is helping out in setting up the table much to Tessa's chagrin. I figure, what the hell. I am The Mentor now. Its time for me to impart to Jaune my wisdom.

"Tall woman is overrated, Jaune. And conventionally beautiful woman is boring. I think cute shortstack girls are the real treasure of Remnants. Tell me Jaune, what kind of girls you like?"

Jaune looked around for witnesses. "Dude, should we be talking stuff like this here?"

I side-glanced him with a deadpan stare. "It's just some small talk over girls you like, Jaune. It's not like I was asking you about what kinky shit you're doing with the twins."

Jaune panicked and looked over to Ruby, then calmed down when he realize she didn't hear me.

"Gee Jaune, panic much? Afraid of bubbly Ruby figure out you get laid few times a week at The Club?"

"Well yeah! I didn't want her to know I was doing that!"

I rolled my eyes. Silly Jaune, you can't become a harem lord if you keep tiptoeing in fear of offending your potential mates. "You get laid, so what? It's not like you're dating her."

Jaune then looked annoyed with me. "How about you?", he deflects. "I saw you get out of Doctor Elsa's home the other day. And the other week I saw you leave Mrs Zane house when her husband was out of town. I didn't rat you out to Tessa, even if I think what you're doing is wrong!"

That went a bit loud, so Tessa and Ruby looked over me. "What's wrong, you two?", Tessa ask with a bit of concern.

Jaune fidgeted as he was flustered over his blunder. I just roll my eyes and replied, "Oh, Jaune here was airing out his concern about me sleeping out with other girls in town. He thinks I'm cheating on you."

Ruby eyes went wide, but before she could comment anything, Tessa already replied back. "Oh that? Did you sleep with Mr Zane's wife again?"

"Yep."

"I told you if you're sleeping around you should at least stopped messing with other people's wives. You don't even like older women much to begin with!", she pouts.

"Yea. Zane the husband just piss me off though. Who the hell doesn't sleep with his wife for five years after their kid was born? I'm not usually get into older women but even I had to admit Mrs Zane is hot."

Tessa just shrugs. "Some people are just not into it, I guess."

"Wait wait wait!", Jaune interjects. "Tessa! You're not mad at all?". Ruby looks at the both of us, confused with what's going on.

Tessa just smiles. "If that's concerned you so much I'll just talk to you later. For now, let's eat!"

(((Jaune Arc)))

The celebratory lunch is attended by me, Ruby and Velvet and her kids. Soren just ate a bit then he left to look on Rust Bucket that's being tested by Neptune after three months building it.

After the party is over and everyone had left, I help out cleaning the dishes. I suppose that is when Tessa figure it's about time we talk.

"So, what do you want to know, Jaune?"

I pause a bit, the I continue to scrub the oil of the plate.

"Honestly, your relationship with Soren confuse me. You said you're not dating but you're together like you are. I don't think both of you are just friends with benefits."

Tessa hums as she rinse the soap of the plate and let it dry on the dishrack as she rinse another.

"I supposed that's what it looks like on the outside, huh? Well, to start, I'm the one that encourage Soren to sleep with other girls."

I dropped the plate into the soap water. "Wait what??? Why?!"

"I don't want to get too attached to Soren."

I went quite and just cleaning dishes for awhile, not knowing how to respond. Then, after I finish cleaning the dishes, I asked.

"Why?"

Tessa wiped off her hands. She looks like she's thinking for about trying to find a way to explain it.

"You're from the rural region, right Jaune? You're used to people with several wives right?"

I nodded. I heard the Blue Zones mainly practice monogamy, but outside here in the Frontier, the male population is so much lower than females. Males often take guarding roles, while many also left their hometown to try their luck in the Hunting business. This lead to high mortality rate among the male gender, so it leads to males to commonly takes several wives to keep up the population.

I have seven sisters because My father has three wives. I was born of the first wife, Juniper, where I share the same mother with Saffron, our eldest sister.

"Well Jaune, I'm from Vale."

"Vale?"

How did you ended up here then?

"As you may had heard, Blue Zones practice monogamy and frown upon polygamy. Unlike the outside, the population in there is roughly equal on the gender distribution. And with how overpopulated the City is, birthrate is highly controlled. You get taxed if you had more than one child, you know."

Tessa then took a seat in the kitchen. Not wanting to appear demanding, I took a seat too.

"My mother is a Valean. My father on the other hand was a migrant from Yellow Zone. He made it big by becoming a famous rare monster chef. He met my mother, get married and I was born. However,"

Tessa looks a bit hurt, but she continues. "Dad is a Frontiersman, even if he knows the city frown upon a man having relationships with other women, he doesn't really agree to it. Dad has girlfriends behind my mother's back, and went she found out it lead to a nasty divorce."

"Then, how did you got here?"

"I was nine when mother remarried. She doesn't want to pay taxes for the child of the Frontiersman she despised, so she gave away my custody to dad. At the meantime, dad was struggling to keep his business. The scandal had pretty much ruined his career in the city. And then, mother gave me to him and raise up his burden further. So he moved back to his hometown. Here, in Oldtown.

Tessa looked over the kitchen.

"For two years, dad try to raise up this diner. He couldn't afford to send me to school, so he taught me the best thing he knows, cooking. Right here, he taught me everything I know. Jaune, Oldtown back then was a terrible place to live in. But still, I have my dad, at least. Uncle Ben is his older brother and he and his wife treat me like his own kid too. To be honest, despite Oldtown being a hellhole back then, I was happier than when I was in Vale where I spent most of the time in daycare and only be taken back by night to home only to be sent back to daycare the next morning. My mother was a busy office executive while dad was busy running the restaurant. I hardly spent any time with them. In Oldtown, I was with my dad and uncle and auntie all the time. It was genuinely a happier time."

But, I had lived here for months. I never seen Tessa's father nor her aunt.

"You noticed right?", Tessa's bitterly smiled. "When Sky and Velvet came into town, they weren't really planning to stay here, you know. Soren isn't wearing the Drifter Armbadge right now because he is officially on a break, but when he came into town, he was on active duty. A twelve years old Drifter cane into the den of criminals that is Oldtown? That's a recipe for disaster. Drifters takes criminal extermination quests for time to time, so when a pair of a Drifter and a nun came into this town, that put everyone on edge."

Tessa took a bit to calm herself down she's recalling a traumatic event in her life.

"Soren and Velvet was stopping by this diner for some lunch, nothing more. I don't know where they were heading but it didn't matter anymore. What happened was that when they leave, the gang which dad owed money in order to open this diner had accused him that he's hiring a Drifter to take them out. So…"

"You don't need to tell me this, Tessa…."

"No. Everyone keep saying Soren is a bloodthirsty monster and they know nothing about who he really is on the inside. So, I want to tell you this, the person who's going to learn under him. Everyone kept dehumanizing him because he always just randomly kills people if they piss him off in the slightest. I want you to know him more than just The Murderhobo everyone had called him as."

I nodded, shakily.

"Anyway, where was I? Ah. Well, my dad was killed right in front of the diner. 15 goons beat him up to the death. My aunt tried to stop them but she was stabbed in the stomach. Uncle Ben tried to brought her to the clinic but she died along the way. I was…. It was hazy, but because the gang keep yelling about dad hiring a Drifter to kill them all, I went upstairs and broke my piggy bank to take out my savings. 3.65 Lien. That's how much money I gave to Soren to avenge my dad and aunt. Jaune, Soren Coldforge bathed Oldtown with the blood of hundreds of criminals at the price of 3.65 Lien. All because a crying little girl asked him to. That's the kind of man you're learning under."

I was stunned. No one had ever told me that. From the gist of what every townsfolk spoke about, Soren just came into town and proceed to commit violence. Even Velvet wasn't sure why Soren had picked Oldtown, as she mentioned that she was trying to find a good place to settle in a Green Zone actually instead of Oldtown which is in a Yellow Zone.

But to think he had done it for just 3.65 Lien given to him by a crying little girl?

This goes beyond professionalism that Soren kept yapping about!

"So you fall for him because of that?"

Tessa burst out laughing. "God, no! He was terrifying! Even if I did hire him, I didn't really understand what I just did. So when he massacre those thugs it really scared me to the bones. I wouldn't come out for weeks even after Soren had left. Velvet then start to take in kids, whoever she can afford to. I came by to cook for them, which is where Velvet starts talked about what kind of a person the scary little boogeyman really is. I wasn't really convinced until summer came, when the gangs tries to take back Central and a West Gate. Within a week after Velvet sent a call, Soren came back and took them all out and solidify his grip in Oldtown."

"And that's when you fall for him?"

"No, it get worse. At least the Red Winter was a regular massacre. The Screaming Summer was worse. For the duration of a week, Soren tortured every ringleaders that backstabbed him in public, and the hanged corpses were not taken down until the meat all fall off from the bones. You know the scariest part? Soren doesn't do all that with a sadistic evil face you may be imagining. He's doing all that cruelty with the face of a cheerful innocent child. It was as if he was just playing pretend."

Yikes. Just when I thought its getting heartwarming.

"Anyway, peace is restored to Oldtown. Soren then came back at the every start of winter to take a break here. Originally he stays in the chapel, so I had to see him each time I came by to cook. And you know what he do?"

I shook my head.

"Hey, you're pretty good, he said. The he gives me ingredients everyday and make me cook it. It was gradual but eventually I find him to be harmless in actuality. How to describe it? A lion couldn't care less about a beetle. It's hardly even give any energy and doesn't even taste good. I let my guard down as I learn that Soren has zero interest on killing someone like me. Then, I suppose I grew so used to him. He's the only boy around my age here, god knows this isn't a place to raise family. So, I guess I just ended up falling for him."

"But why are you trying to net get too attached to him then? Why encourage him to sleep around then?"

"Maybe because I was a Valean. Even if I moved out at nine years old, I still remember how my dad's infidelity ended up breaking our family. Sure, my dad doesn't see what is wrong from his cultural perspective, but for my mother, it was the greatest betrayal in her life. I still remember her scorned face vividly. Personally I want to keep Soren for myself, but…"

"Soren isn't the type that settle with just one girl."

"That's right. It's just the norm for the people around here. But for me, I think of Soren with other girls and I just… remember how scorned she looks. I don't want that to be me, so I never make us official. I encourage him to sleep with other girls despite being each other's first. In fact, I don't even want to cross the line and reveal my feelings, but the problem was, this is Soren we're talking about. He's not a shy boy, I'll tell you that."

"So, he's the one that pursue you?"

"That's right. A predator through and through. He's always the offensive-type. He's not the kind of a man that sit around obliviously. When he sees a girl that he likes, he attacks her, metaphorically. Soren came back last winter and I supposed he noticed me to have grew up, so he really wasted no time at all. I pretty much fallen the very day he came back."

I chuckled hearing how the two got together. That is so like him, alright. Its been several months and what I am sure that I know about Soren is that he is never unsure with what he wants. If he want to eat a cake at 3am in the morning then he will ran off to Lake Lullaby and broke into a bakery and leave some Lien on the counter table. That guy is very decisive.

"Do you ever want to get serious with Soren."

Tessa looks over the kitchen once again.

"He asked me to be the cook for Rust Bucket. Horrible name by the way."

"It was meant to be humorous. And Tessa, are you going to decline?"

Tessa was just quite.

"Just go, girl."

An old voice interjects into our conversation.

"Uncle Ben?!", Tessa exclaimed.

"Tessa, I appreciate that you keep me company the past four years, but it's time to move one."

I keep silent. This is between them now.

"But Uncle, who's going to take care of you? And the diner too!"

Uncle Ben just shook his head.

"It's about time you let go of this diner now. It may have some memories, but it has too much bad taste along with it. I don't want to work here anymore. I think I will be moving to the chapel. I have no children myself, so I think I want to spend the rest of my life taking care of those unfortunate children in the orphanage."

"Uncle."

"Tessa.", Uncle Ben hold her by the shoulders. "boy .. no. Man like Soren does not like to be stringed along like this. If he asked for you to come with him then he wants to get serious with you and don't want play games anymore. Don't squander you own happiness for me. Live for your own happiness. And if it's about other girls that Soren may taken as his mate, you have to talk with him personally. Don't hurt yourself with this foolish shock-therapy of yours. Your dad is a bit of a womanizing fool, but if Soren is a good Frontiersman, he wouldn't taken another spouse that you disapprove. I myself never thought of marrying anyone other than my sweet May. Who knows what's Soren preference is."

"Are you sure, Uncle?"

"Dead sure.", Uncle Ben smiles. No go girl. Go tell him you want to go with him. I'll be alright, always."

The two shared a tearful hug, then Tessa ran out to Soren. Uncle Ben tell me to go with her, more for caution really. Even if Soren controls Oldtown, you could never be too careful.

The junkyard is situated 3 km west of Oldtown. The Rust Bucket is built here, and once the weapons arrived and mounted on the zeppelin, we will take off. Sore had just started to walk back home when we came to him.

"Soren! What's your take on polygamy?!"

Wait what? That's the first thing you asked him, Tessa? I thought you're confessing your feelings or declare you're joining the Rust Bucket crew! You really that hung up about your dad's cheating?!

Even Soren was confused. But he just put his hands into his pockets as he casually answers, "Well, if I like 2 girls I'll marry 2 of them. If I like 4 girls then I'll marry 4 of them. That's just depends, I guess. I don't actually talk to a lot of girls really and most of them just ran off after seeing me murder some bandits. So eh, we'll see."

"Oh.", Tessa looks deflated.

Then, I see gears running inside Soren's head. Soren is many things but a dude oblivious to a girl's feelings, he is not.

"Heee, you're jealous huh, Tessa?"

"N-no!", Tessa looked away with a pout.

The guy had the gall to smirk.

"Well, Tessa, are you into girls?"

"What?", Tessa asked in confusion.

What? What does Tessa being into a girl or not has anything to do about this?

"Hooking up casually get's dull real quick after the novelty wears off. It just doesn't feel as good as doing it with someone you actually likes.", Soren just look up to the sky, as if he is passing down a sagely wisdom down to earth.

The problem was, he was not.

"My father has several wives like most guys, but he said this to me. Soren, thinking you wives as your harem is a wrong mindset. It's actually 'our harem'. The key to a happy polygamy is for the wives to also loving each other too. So basically he told me the girls shouldn't just dating me. They should also date each other. I never met a wiser man in my life."

"Eeeehhhhh….."

Tessa looks like she just got a revelation. Actually, that's quite a revelation to me too. Now that I think about it, my mothers do looks a bit too chummy with each other. Like they're lovers….

Oh my god! My mothers are fucking each other!! I heard problems from my friends about step-moms quarrels and I always thought that was a bit weird since my household was happy and harmonious for the most part! Dad, why did you never told me this?!!

"What if I'm not into girls, Soren?", Tessa, asking the real questions here.

"I suppose I'll just separate the household if I marry some extra girls. I'll stop hooking up casually if you get serious with me, but I still want to pursue other girls if I am serious about them too. Though, I'll ask you first, obviously."

"Oh… is that so?"

Tessa starts to twirl her hair. Oh shit, if my girl language is correct, that is a positive sign!

"But first, are you sure to you're not into girls?", Soren asked to confirm.

"Not really. I mean, I never thought about that."

Soren had the gall to put on a thinking pose. Like he's actually thinking!

"Well, we can test it out with some chick I know off. Nothing serious, she's casual with me. With you too if you want to try it out. What did you think?"

Tesaa starts tapping her foot. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try…", she replied shyly.

"Okay, let's go then. Oh hi Jaune. Bye Jaune."

The guy had the gall to wink at me as he took Tessa's hand and carry her away to have a trial FFM threesome.

What the flying fuck?!! I was expecting a touching moment so how the heck it get turned into the prelude of a threesome to discover Tessa's true sexuality?!!

He's a predator through and through, that's what Tessa had told me earlier. I don't think Soren planned this outcome at all but he sees a window of opportunity and just seize it in that instant. I don't know if I'm supposed to be scared or impressed!

If Tessa really do swing both ways then good for them, I suppose! Apparently the key for a good polygamous marriage is for everyone to date each other apparently! Still, the fact that Soren just did that so smoothly is kinda lowkey pissing me off! Some guy is just that smooth with the ladies, I guess. I still don't believe I somehow manage to hook up with the Malachite twins but I was pretty sure that was becoz they just want to have some connection with Murderhobo's apprentice!

So by extension, the only reason I get laid is becoz of Soren Coldforge!

And I don't know if I want to be mad or thankful about it!