Chapter 22: The Price of Humanity
Part 2: Blending In
.
.
.
(((Jaune)))
By the morning, I woke up seeing there is a note on the door.
Taking Ruby patrolling the villages. You're gonna partner up with Ren. Ask him about Blend In. He should be at the rooftop in the early morning.
~('-')~
Really? He ditched me again?
I sighed over my absentee mentor. Well, he did tell me to ask Ren about Blend In.
I went to the rooftop and I just can't see where's the guy. Sure there is a dude just doing somekind of slow exercise but-
"Whoah!!"
Suddenly, the dude that was exercising becomes Ren. It surprised the heck outta me.
"Sorry about that.", Ren scratched the back of his head. "I don't usually reveal my presence suddenly."
"reveal your presence?", I thought for a sec. "You mean Blend In? Like you literally Blend In with the surrounding?"
He nodded. "Soren did mentioned you need better presence concealment technique. Zen State is a crude method to conceal ones presence and is hardly worth the trouble."
Suddenly, Ren disappears. I looked around the rooftop but I cant see him anywhere! There is this dude in green shirt but-
"Ackk!!! Again!", I jumped in shock when Ren once again reveal himself in front of me. No, he has always been in front of me! I just suddenly can't recognize him!
"That is Blend In. My family is rather specialized in blending our Aura with the surrounding, completely masking our presence. However unlike most of the Oldblood traits, I can teach you Blend In to a degree."
"But I don't understand! You're actually in front of me! Its not like you become invisible or anything! I just suddenly can't recognize you, like you're suddenly become something not important to focus on about!"
"That is the application of Blend In to the highest degree. My presence completely merged with the surrounding. Have you ever pay attention to a single pebble in gravel roads or a single blade of grass in the meadow? Never, isn't it, unless if you really focussed. That is what you become if you are able to master the pinnacle of Blend In."
"Wow.", how amazing. "Why did Soren didn't teach me that??"
Ren chuckles. "Not everyone can blend their Aura with their surrounding. In order to be one with the surrounding, you need to let go of yourself. Someone like Soren who is defined by his desires and ego cannot Blend In with the World. Besides, he has his own method to conceal his presence. Blending In is just one of the many concealment art."
Ren then walk onto a mat and beckon me to sit cross legged like him. I did so as asked.
"Now Jaune, what do you know about the Aura Arts?"
I mulled a bit as I recall what I had been taught.
"I know about Shell, Burst, Sponge and the strongest I know off is Armament Arts. I can use Sword Aura, if that's anything."
"I see that you had been taught only the most basic."
"Is that bad?"
"no.", Ren shook his head. "What you were taught is the basics most Aura users known. Shell to defend against Sharp Damage. Sponge to defend against Blunt Damage. And Burst can be applied both to defend against both as well as Surrounding Damage, for example being engulfed in flame or being shot with a beam, while also be used to increase your movement and strike dramatically. Sword Aura is an Enhance technique, one that is applied to a weapon instead of yourself. Simply knowing this four will be enough for you as a regular aura fighter. You will find most Hunters to only know these basics. In fact many of them just combine Shell and Sponge as what they call as Forcefield and call it a day."
I gulped my saliva. It sounds fine on surface but I just know it wont be enough as it is.
"But as a Drifter, that is not enough, is it?"
"That's right. Hunter's combined defensive method is called Forcefield. It is effective to defend against both Sharp and Blunt damage but it waste a lot of energy and can't be turned On and Off on the fly. Once engaged, a Forcefield user has to maintain it for the duration of their fight."
"But in return, they don't have to think about getting hurt as long as it is active right?"
"That is correct. But think about it, Jaune. What use is a defense that only last three minutes or be shattered in one decisive hit? Let me demonstrate."
Ren then grip his arm, and grip it so hard it broke in two!
"Ren! What the hell?!!"
Ren just smirks, sweating a bit hard as he endured the pain silently. Then, I see the edge of his broken arm mends and his arm reset in place.
"Aura doesn't actually heal, but rather it enhance what's already there. Through Aura, I accelerate my healing rates, healing a broken arm in a matter of minutes. Of course, this is a waste of Aura, so make sure to apply potions to lessen your Aura need to a minimum."
"I see.", I start to connect the dots. "Soren had said if you have time to get hit, just dodge. While it is good to have defensive techniques, I shouldn't rely on it as a crutch. If I ever slipped and got injured, just applying Aura to enhance my healing rates is enough to cover it."
Ren chuckles. "Now, don't use Soren as a role model. He is, pardon my words, is a crazy bastard. I once saw he got both of his legs severed by a Marauder Mantis and he proceed to just fly around the Marauder Mantis like a drunk fly with Wind magic and killed it somehow. Then, he crawled back to his legs, sew it back in place and just pour potions before just walking back to town to collect the bounty. While yes, you shouldn't be reliant on defensive techniques, you should still use it when it counts. Keep your offense and defense balanced, Jaune Arc."
"Hahaha….", okay seriously what is wrong with that guy? I think the more Soren's friends I met, the more body horror stories I'm going to hear about him. That guy is All Offense, Defense is just a Suggestion.
"Now, I will teach you how to really use Aura. Mana, the energy that you use to cast magic is an energy that gives shape what is not there. Conjuring flame, manipulating water, creating illusions, so on so on. These are phenomena that does not occur naturally. Aura in the other hand is an energy which enhance what's already there. Take Shell for example. What you do is enhancing your skin's durability to that of stone and perhaps even more. Sponge enhance your muscles ability to absorb and disperse impact, as well as your bones and joints flexibility. Even Armament Arts is simply you harnessing the full potential of a weapon made with mythical beasts parts."
I look over to my hands as I flow my Aura across my body and feel rejuvenated. How each time I feel so energized by it that if I could I want to burn the Dust within me into Aura all the time. So what it do is simply enhancing my body.
"It's like taking performance drug.", I concluded.
"That is one way to see it. Simply activating Aura alone prolonged your lifespan, improve your fitness and delay aging. However, the effect can be even more pronounced the more Rank you have and the more better your Aura Control is. For example, at Rank 1, your lifespan is 100 years. At Rank 2, it becomes 200 years. At 3, it become 400 years. At 4, it is 800. And at 5, it is 1600 years."
My eyes went wide at the fact.
"But I never heard anyone who lives that long! You're saying our lifespan doubles at each rank?!!"
"Yes. But the reason you didn't hear about it is because the moment you unlocked Aura, every dark creatures will seek to hunt and consume you. It is very rare for an Aura user to live past 100 years old. Most of us only ever reach Rank 2 and few Rank 3 had break past the wall into Rank 4, and there are many monster that are capable to kill Rank 3 fighters. It is why there are many who choose to only unlock Mana. While it didn't grant the same longevity as Aura, it does not attract the attention of dark creatures. It is only because of Ozpin's establishment of the Hunter system that we have so much Aura users around now."
Wow. That's sounds dreadful. Many people would like to have the fitness and longevity granted by Aura but they wouldn't if they known that gaining Aura also put a bullseye on your back.
"Now Jaune. Let's practice controlling your Aura. While indeed gaining Aura means you become a target to dark creatures, that does not mean you can't conceal your Aura. Aura users becomes noticeable because we leak Aura into the environment like a smoking fire. This makes you noticeable as well as wasting your Aura, even if you generate more than your leak. We will practice to reduce your leakage, and then we will patrol the town at noon."
"Alright Ren! Let's do this!"
(((Ruby Rose)))
"Well, this should be far enough."
From early morning, Ruby had been riding an airbike with Soren and visited several villages. Soren asked the local guards some questions and leave right after. At around 10, he steer the bike deep into the woods until he found a clearing by the river.
He landed at the clearing and stood in the middle. Ruby stood awkwardly, wondering what's going on.
"Now Ruby, flare your Aura with Burst."
"Huh?", she was perplexed. "Wouldn't that attract the beasts to us like I am a beacon?"
"I'm going to use Intimidation."
Ruby eyes went wide and she hastily flare up her aura. Blood red aura surge from her like roaring flame. Burst is normally used as defensive techniques against energy attacks, but it is also used for-
/
Ruby's knees buckled under the sudden emergence of invisible weight. Her roaring Aura muted under the pressure of deep sea. It felt like gravity had doubled, perhaps even tripled as Soren project his Aura to convey his intent.
Flee or be eaten.
The suffocating pressure lasted for only three seconds, but Ruby fall flat to the ground the moment the pressure was lifted. Intimidation is a rather simple technique. Project your own Aura outward with clear intent to drive away most living beings. However, despite the simplicity not many was able to use it. It require a strong ego in order to project intent into Aura itself.
Ruby collect herself as she rise to stand. Intimidation effect can be dampened through Burst, however just the casual usage of it by Soren was enough to make her shiver. She gulped down her saliva nervously, wondering if she could endure a more serious Intimidation. Only Intimidation can truly counter Intimidation, so perhaps she should try to learn how perform it herself.
"Alright, that should drive away most of them.", Soren concludes after waiting for few minutes. He tossed a vial to Ruby which she managed to caught with her left hand.
"What is this?", she asked.
"A stimulant."
"Err… for what?"
"To make you go crazy."
Ruby sweatdrops as she looks the vial containing clear liquid.
"Why do you want to drug me, boss?"
Soren went over to a small tree and cut it down. The trunk was then cut to a sword length, becoming an impromptu wooden sword. He tested a few swing and is satisfied with its weight.
"You're not used to fight with bloodlust. You had been limiting yourself with small prey while also holding yourself back. This is going to be a problem as we will encounter strong preys in our journey."
Soren then use [Forge, his magical energy seeps through the structure of the stick he's holding. He restructure the branch to become more durable and elastic, allowing it to perform beyond the specs of regular stick. Chains of cellulose and carbon is woven interlocking with each other as the stick slowly morphed its shape from a regular stick to a black bokken.
Ruby eyes went wide as she seen the rumored Forge magic Soren possessed being executed in action. However before she could ask, Soren cuts in.
"I'm going to get you used to operate with bloodlust through exposure therapy. That stimulant will trigger your bloodlust, making you lose control. I don't want you to fight it. I want you to harness it. I will be taking the brunt of your maddened state, so don't worry about you hurting anyone while you're consumed with bloodlust. Just let loose."
"But what if I hurt you?!"
"Pftttt bwahahahah!"
Soren laughed his ass off hearing Ruby's concern. Ruby pouted, realizing that yes, that was a silly thought. Still, he doesn't need to laugh that hard!
"This is just basic Oldblood parenting. Your dad was the one that supposed to train your bloodlust when you're a kid but he neglected it, thinking your bloodlust wouldn't surface if you never get used to violence. That's rather stupid of him, really. Rose bloodline is that of the carnivorous dryads. Coupled with Branwen blood, your predatory instinct is even more stronger than a regular Rose. Seriously I'm surprised you didn't murder anyone yet."
Ruby pouted and drink the stimulant in a fit. Instantly the stimulant take effect. Her heartbeats rise up as her blood pumps faster. She feels energized and hungry for carnage.
Ruby sees red and deploy Crescent Rose. She sped up to Soren and brought down the huge hooking blade to his neck.
Soren lazily raise his bokken and take the hit head on, not budging at all as if he dissipates the force of the huge scythe. The bokken glows with green Aura as Soren channeled his Aura through it.
"Armament Arts:", Soren declares. "Razor Sapling."
He pushed Crescent Rose aside with minimal effort, yet Ruby was flung backward from the sudden blow of gale and ethereal emerald Aura in the shape of leaves pelting her body. Each of the emerald leaves were razor sharp, threatening to slice through her body had it not been her last minute application of Shell. Even so, the difference of Aura density between a High Rank 2 and Low Rank 3 is huge enough that had Soren been serious his attack would have sliced through her Shell.
In her haze of bloodlust, Ruby had barely registered the black bokken in Soren's hand. Emerald ethereal leaves circles the blunt carbon blade. She knows that Soren is capable of creating Mythic Arms through a unique method but she did not expect he could just make one on the spot from a random stick.
"Hmm… pretty good but it can only be used two more times.", Soren commented as he cut off his Aura injection into the bokken. The emerald leaves fades and the bokken returns to be nothing more than just a sturdy stick. "Come on, cookie monster. Let me bonk you."
Ruby growl as her bloodlust takes over and she rushed to him with a flurry of reaping. She is like a whirlwind of blade, spinning on her heels as she twirls her scythe with a deceiving ease. Yet even so, none of it reached Soren. With minimal wristwork he parried each of the reap, redirecting the blade away from him.
Frustrated, Ruby discard away her scythe. The steel of its making channels Aura well, but it is hard to shape her Aura's true nature through it. She clawed her hands and swung like a beast. With each swipes, crimson leaves conjured into existence and swung in an arc, slicing through the trees as Soren retreats into the woods.
Her instinct took over and she fight with the combination of graceful dancer and a wild beast. Sharp thorns made out of Aura protrudes out of the side of her arms. She swung her arms in the grace of a dance, clashing through Soren's bokken.
Shit, she's a fucking prodigy alright.
Soren did not expect to be pushed into a retreat right off the bat. Then again, the Rose had always been monstrous in combat talents even among the Drifters. Still, Soren did not expect Ruby to near immediately learned how to use her innate Aura nature.
She better not figure out how to absorb sunlight and shoot it back as Silver Cannon right off the bat. Fucking Main Characters.
Ruby then slammed her palm to a tree. Her nails conjures crimson claws and it dig into the bark of the tree. Red veins spreads across the barks and pulsates with energy as Ruby's Aura infects the tree.
Roots infected with glowing crimson veins shoot out the ground, lashing as whips trying to capture Soren. He deftly weave his steps among the lashes of roots, not even a single whip nicked his skin. He rushed forward in an opening and thrust his wooden sword. It hit dead center to Ruby's solar plexus and she was flung back to the clearing.
The red veins dimmed down and the roots falls down, withered and dried. The leaves of the tree fall down like avalanche, dull and wrinkled as it dried. Soren walks calmly into the clearing as Ruby had risen up, shaping the thorns over her arm and shift it to her wrist. She bends the Aura thorns and thin it down, and soon enough it turns into a pair of scythe blades attached to her wrists. Despite Roses are supposedly dryads, Ruby looks like she was based on the mantis as a theme with a pair of Aura scythes attached to her wrists.
"Well Ruby, I think this is going to be more fun than I thought."
Soren channels Sword Aura to strengthen his bokken. Neon blue veins spread across the black bokken, it's excess energy sparks out as blue electricity. Ruby growls, drunk on excitement and frustration over her stronger target.
Red scythes clashed against black bokken, the sound of slashing wind and blunt wood resonates with the water splashing through the rapids.
.
.
.
(((Jaune)))
By noon, his first lesson of Aura control with Ren was finally over.
Jaune felt like he was starving for a few days by the end of it. So now he is on the lookout for a good spot to have lunch. He found a stall selling noodles made from rice flour. Udon, he thinks the name of the noodle was. He ordered a bowl to test out the foreign dish and found the soup and noodles to be to his liking, and so he ordered several more bowls.
His hunger was sated and he now fell Dust slowly being replenished in his body as his body digest the food. Figuring he should take note of the lay of the land, he patrol the streets of Shion, taking cues of the landmarks around the town.
At the southern edge of the town, he stumbled upon a church which doubles as an orphanage. It is a church dedicated to Salem, The Mother Goddess.
Jaune wasn't much of a religious boy but he do knows several of the major gods worshipped across Remnant now courtesy of the express tutelage of Velvet. There are many local minor gods worshipped by the many small tribes and villages across the Frontier, but some of them become quite major and is worshipped in big cities, some even across continents.
Goddess of Light and Kindness, Lumierre.
Goddess of Death and Destruction, Cliostro.
Goddess of Motherhood, Salem.
There were few more major gods in Remnant but Velvet had said that you only need to be wary of the three. The Church of Lumina is the most powerful of the three, its influence spread across East Sanus, Solitas and a good portion of Northern Anima. The Mother's Shrine is popular in the rest of Anima with Yanchen Peninsula being their main stronghold while The Temple of Cliostro controls Middle and Western Sanus.
And we don't talk about Dracarys.
Feeling intrigued, Jon decide to visit the church. According to lore, alghouls requires to eat good people in order to sustain their evolved form. Jon doesn't know what constitutes as good to a ghoul, but through many horror stories which Jaune had heard one thing remain consistent.
Monsters often targets children because they are undeniably good. Evil consumes good, and so what better prey to target to if its not defenseless children.
Jaune felt bile rising through his throat but he gulp it down. Now is not the time to be nauseated, Jaune.
He stepped into the church. Salem was said to be a goddess originated from Vale, but as Church of Lumina spreads into Eastern Sanus many of her worshippers was ousted from the region. Thus, many of them settled in Yangchen Peninsula, west of Anima. He saw a young woman kneeling in front of a statue. The statue is that of a woman in mourning robe, her face covered by a mourning veil. She cradles an infant in a bundle of clothes, however the infant was eerily carved, as if they were dead.
"So, what brings you here, lost lamb?", the kneeling woman rise from her kneeling, ending her prayers.
"Ah, I'm sorry for interrupting.", he apologized.
"You had interrupted nothing.", the woman smiled. "I am called Cinderella around this part of town, but you may call me as Cinder. May I know your name, lost lamb?"
"Oh.", he sheepishly scratched his cheek. "Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it!", he cringed as he realized he just spouted his lame pickup line on reflex. All that useless self intro practice really bite him in the ass now.
Cinder chuckles, amused with this innocent lamb. "Now then, what brings you here, Jaune Arc?"
"Oh, I was just curious, that's all."
Cinder turns to the stained glass depicting the murals of the Mother's Shrine divine history, starting with the depiction of a woman surrounded by four children. "Salem, the Mother Goddess was once just an ordinary mother. A mother with a quadruplet of twins. However, one day, her children died in an accident."
While he didn't ask, Jaune let Cinder continues her impromptu history lesson. He just thought it would be rude to stop her. Cinder carries in as she pointed to the next mural, depicting Salem facing a golden silhouette of a woman with halo of thorns.
"Refusing to accept their deaths, Salem travels to Lumina and seek audience with Goddess Lumierre. However, the Goddess declines as the dead is not a domain she presides over. So Salem seeks Limierre's counterpart, Cliostro."
She pointed to a mural of a terrifying horned woman silhouette.
"Goddess Cliostro presides over death, and was insulted that Salem dares to covet what was hers. The souls of the dead belong to her and no one else. Salem was then banished to the Land of Between, neither dead nor living."
"That's…. Cruel….", Jaune had commented.
"Indeed it is. You may found that the divines tends to overreact, Jaune."
"Then, how come Salem becomes a major deity?"
She pointed to the next mural, depicting Salem discovering a seed filled with red eyes.
"Salem travel across the Land of Between, seeking for a way out. At the end of her journey, he found a tree which bears a seed. By consuming it, Salem becomes a being that neither lives or die."
Then, she show the next mural, depicting….
"Grimm?!!"
"That is right. It was said that Salem was the First Grimm, which gave birth to Grimm as a concept to our world. A type of being that neither lives nor die, seeking to replace Creation as we know it."
"They worship Grimm as divine?!!", Jaune backed away, confused and disturbed.
"Yes. Confusing isn't it? However, it was a time where Cliostro actively seeks to claim all souls in Remnant as hers. So at the time, the Mother's Shrine was not see as a new enemy but rather an ally. Many had taken the Seed of Grimm from the Divine Envoys, cutting off their afterlife from Cliostro's control.", she says as she pointed at the mural of faceless people receiving the Seeds from the Grimms.
Then, Jaune observe the next mural, where a trio of warriors with Red, Blue and Silver eyes attacked the Mother's Shrine.
"Intriguing, isn't it? Are you familiar with the Drifters, Jaune Arc?"
"Err… sorta."
"Yes. It was a lost order of monster slayers, which is now had so few members left. The Red, Blue and Silver eyed slayers were the oldest of them, and three thousand years ago they vanquished Goddess Salem."
Cinder then turns to him, staring in his blue eyes. "While I doubt you are descended from the those slayers, you should be careful around this parts, Jaune Arc. Blue eyes may be common for people with Solitas' ancestry but some locals may not be as understanding as I am, especially with you coming into this sacred ground."
He gulped down his salive. Nervous, he asked. "I don't get it… how can people worshipped the Grimm?"
She smiles. "As said, it was a different time back then. It was a time where the divine walks among us. What Salem offers was salvation from being toyed by the gods by joining her as her children in the Land of Between. The Drifters may have vanquished her physical form, but Salem still awaits in the Land of Between, waiting to return to Remnant."
"I… wha…?"
"Well, I admit Salem is quite an odd deity to be worshipped. Nowadays, our priests mostly gloss over our old history, editing our sacred text to be…", she air-quoted with her fingers. "… more modern and less controversial, so to speak. Now, the Mother's Shrine claims to see all of humanity as her children, and if we ask forgiveness from her, she will forgive us like a mother would. Her association with the Grimm had mostly been scrubbed off."
"then, this mural?"
"One of the few churches that the Shrine had missed. Notice that we call it the Mother's Shrine now, not Church."
She then faced Jaune once again. "Do be careful around this parts, Jaune Arc. While Salem's association with Grimm had been scrubbed off, the Shrine still maintains the doctrine which the Red, Blue and Silver eyed slayers had vanquished Salem's physical form and deny us all salvation. Shion is close in proximity to the Branwen Mountain as well as Kuroyuri Plateau, so the Mother Goddess worship is not as prevalent here. However, Yangchen Peninsula is the stronghold of Mother's Shrine, and Mistral is their capital. Do be careful when you travel across this land, lost lamb. Afterall, you eyes is blue."
"I see… thanks for the warning, Cinder."
"No need.", she chuckles. "You are a good person afterall. It is only right for me to help you."
.
.
.
(((AN)))
Yep, took me a bit to rework RWBY's lore into a form of mythology.
Do note that Cinder is reciting the old Mother's Church (Mother's Shrine is the sanitized version of the religion) version of the lore. The actual events regarding the emergence of Grimm will be different according to the other interpretations.
While I didn't introduce Grimm into this fic yet, I delay it with the intention that Grimm is an actual big deal in this AU. Even though Beacon was supposedly a Hunter Academy that produce anti-Grimm specialist, most of Beacon Graduates never actually fought any and when they do many of them died. Basically Ozpin just use the method of spam as many Hunters as he can to beat a Grimm Outbreak. In this timeline, its been 300 years of relative peace, so Grimm Outbreak had been rarer aside from the occasional Wesen outbreak.
So when Grimm appears in this fic, they are going to be a bossfight.
In case some people didn't get it, The Wesen is basically the Arrancar of Grimm, and Salem was one of them before her physical form was destroyed by the Drifters 3000 years ago.
Sorry that this fic updates had been a bit slow. I mostly focusing my attention right now to SAANIN. Once I finished the season 1 of that naruto fic of mine, I'll be focusing my attention to this one.