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G.N. Chapter 42
🕑 Added 2024-02-29 06:09:00 +0000 UTCChapter 42 Broken Bastion
The Lamps had long since become a source of comfort for Jaune during his time in Yharnam, but also they served as a waypoint.
When he saw a Lamp, he knew he had not strayed from his path.
It was… reinvigorating, especially after his recent bout of troubles, to know he had found his way forward once more.
Though part of him could not help but wonder if he was not yet stumbling into even more trouble.
Truthfully, making his way downward from Oedon Chapel had not been too complicated, with few enemies, a Scourge Beast being the worst of it and some slight wandering. Said wandering had allowed him to meet up with Alfred, though, so he would count such as a win.
But now…
Looking around, Jaune could see the change in architecture, a shift in the degree of splendour from the pious walks of Cathedral Ward to something more… ravaged.
The chamber he found himself in had all the makings of a church or temple, much like most of the structures he had encountered in the ward. But this one was apart from all of them for its decay. The walls bared naked brick to his eyes, and plants grew unimpeded from the floor either around bricks or in patches free of them altogether.
Even through his cowl, Jaune could smell ash and smoke, the scent seeming to have sunk into the very stones around him. The air here was stifling and carried with it a sense of age, and it was clear that while he was still within the boundaries of the Ward, he was very much on its border.
He took the last few steps towards the Lamp, allowing his hand to brush across the cool metal; the draw was simply magnetic.
A tug, a force.
He pulled back.
Drawing his arm up, he snapped his finger, and the candle wick came to life with a luminescent flame.
An almost ring in the air caused Jaune to take a long, slow breath and immerse himself in the calming glow.
Then he heard them.
Looking down, he smiled at each of the Messengers who had become his companions.
Anima was tall and straight; arms crossed as they looked around and took in the surroundings with critical gazes. Their one good eye was like the beacon of a lighthouse as it turned about the room, examining everything.
Mort was next relaxing on the floor with his hands crossed over each other, his diamond-shaped mouth ajar as always. His sunken eyes did not roam and instead sought out Jaune’s own, where he let out a soft but warm greeting.
With his bright, luminous orbs, Stitch was taking in the new surroundings with a great degree of franticness, one hand on the ground, the other curled about the lamp post. His permanent lipless grin was all the wider as he finally settled on Jaune, giving his Hunter a wave.
Finally, Hugo, who was present but busily praying, their head raised and his covered eyes directed to the lamp light. Jaune usually let the little one say his prayers before he engaged in communication, not knowing the social protocol of the matter.
“Hey, there guys, nothing much to report this time but a few items I would be grateful if you could take back with you,” Jaune reported to the Messengers.
The answering groans were in a mixture of tones, carrying varied emotions, but they were all, in the end, acknowledgments.
Jaune sat down with his legs crossed and began to empty his pockets as he usually did when he made his way to a Lamp. “Right, first of all, it's not much, but I got a few more bullets. I want these stored for now; we need to build up our reserves,” Jaune explained calmly, handing the ammunition to Stitch.
His bright yellow eyes widened at them happily as he disappeared with the proffered resource.
“Next, I think I might send these back with you, Fire Paper,” Jaune spoke to Anima, who looked at the small sheets with intrigue. “These have potential, and for now, I want to keep them safe, though I might need to ask the others if they sell them; otherwise, best save these for when we need them.”
Anima nodded, taking the offered sheets and disappearing just as Stitch returned with a burbling bubble from within the mist. Jaune didn’t miss how Stitch seemed put off that he missed Jaune showing off some loot.
The little guy really couldn’t help himself.
“Next, I found these just upstairs…. I don’t know what they are, and I am not dumb enough to muck around with random medicine; gods know I have already done so enough with the Blood…” Jaune muttered, pulling out a little brown folder.
Inside were small pristine tablets; perhaps they were medication or drugs of some sort, but Jaune was unsure, and thus, they would be going to the Dream for now.
“Here, Stitch, keep these secure. I want to know what they are; they could be just junk, but on the off chance they are something useful, I want them safe,” Jaune instructed, handing the folder to Stitch, who took it with a nod.
Jaune then turned his attention to Mort and Hugo.
“Now I don’t know who is better to give this to… but well, one of you might know better,” Jaune muttered, pulling out the odd skull.
For the most part, the Skull appeared human; it was missing the mandible, and there were traces of the Beastly Scourge, but otherwise, it was a normal skull. But it wasn’t. It was strange.
It was wrong.
It wasn’t a skull, but it was.
Beyond the dual elongated canines and the odd erosion around the top of the skull, there was even more about the peculiar head that made Jaune’s skin crawl. When he looked at it…
His brain itched.
He knew the feeling from when he was forced to witness true horror.
It was the same irritation the abominable left when he encountered it.
The Cleric Beast, Gascoigne, the thing in the Grand Cathedral.
Resting in the eroded hole atop the skull, like a bleak chasm carved from between the empty eye sockets to the back of the head, was… mist.
The mist unsettled him.
When he showed the skull, Hugo reacted, not Mort.
This also unsettled him.
The Messenger ceased its prayer, turning its blind gaze to him knowingly, its lengthy little arms moving to caress the skull.
“I suppose I best leave this with you then, Hugo? Not your usual fonts of knowledge but-“
“Usssmmmnnn,” Hugo groaned quietly, pushing the skull up.
“Ah?”
Hugo’s only response to Jaune’s confusion was to try and push the Skull towards his face with even more enthusiasm.
Jaune didn’t know why Hugo wanted the thing near his face, but Jaune would be far more comfortable with the thing being away from him. Luckily, the matter was taken out of his hands by the return of Anima, who let out a hissing groan of annoyance.
The skull was taken away, and Hugo seemed put out, but Anima glared at the other Messenger before turning to Jaune.
“Hugh?”
“Just put it away please, I am… Honestly, I don’t even know why I picked it up, to be frank with you…” Jaune admitted to the bossiest of the Messengers.
Anima nodded and left, Hugo following her, leaving him with Mort.
Mort happily reached out and patted his hand, giving him a warm croon.
“It's good to see you also, Mort,” Jaune smiled, patting the little one on the hand.
Not even a full minute passed of Jaune talking lightly with Mort before all three of the others reappeared, though Hugo looked particularly sulky.
“Right, I think- Oh! Wait, I have this as well,” Jaune remembered, pulling the best find from his pocket.
A Blood Gem.
Stitch threw his little body forward, never mind that his waist and below were concealed in mist. His fingers curled about Jaune’s own as he looked at the tiny treasure gleefully, his groans almost coming out as chirps.
“Heh, yeah, I was pretty happy with the find as well, buddy,” Jaune nodded for once, entirely in agreement with Stitch's enthusiasm.
When he finished his first exploration of Old Yharnam, he would need to sit down and research the Blood Gems. Gehrman made a point of their usefulness, and if nothing else, Jaune trusted the man regarding things that would improve his ability as a Hunter.
But what was peculiar was that Stich seemed to cut his celebration short, his head swivelling around. It was as if he was struck by a thought or perhaps gained awareness of something when he locked his head in a single direction.
Jaune traced his eyes to a section at the back of the old derelict building they were in.
When he looked back, Stitch was pointing.
“Moarrrrrgghh!”
“… Very well, I’ll go have a quick peak,” Jaune surrendered. Stitch might be a bit too enthusiastic about what was worth collecting, the many pebbles he gathered being a case in point… But Jaune was in no place to turn down any items at present.
Even if all he grabbed was valuable only as something to be sold, it was still worth grabbing.
Jaune was not surprised that Stitch’s directions led him to a corpse; it was the way of things in Yharnam. The vast majority of loot was the wealth of the dead. Be it from a corpse’s ruined coat or that mauled remains smeared across a cold brick wall, Jaune had accepted it.
This time, finding the ‘treasure’ was not difficult in the least.
A bottle, well, three, to be specific.
“I’ve seen one of these before…” Jaune breathed, holding one of the three, the corpse wrapped around them as if cradling treasure.
He recalled coming across they’re like in Central Yharnam, within an abandoned house being used as the bait for a trap. He had thought them nothing truthfully, having come across them relatively early into his ventures.
Now though…
It was unlike the Blood Vials, although the blood inside the bottle appeared very similar. The bottle was such that he half expected the substance within to be wine, but he knew better, knew the look of blood well at this point.
Around it was a fine wrap, a ribbon adorned with a pattern Jaune could not make out… the bottle looked well-held.
The top was stoppered with a cork sewn with metal wire.
It had the makings of a bottle of a good vintage…
Curiosity drew Jaune’s thump to apply pressure to the wire about the neck.
The cork popped, and Jaune’s nose flared.
His reaction was immediate.
He gasped, whipping his head away and nearly hurling the bottle to the far side of the derelict building as he tried to escape. The smell… was everything he feared. It was the terror of Gascoigne made manifest as the sickly sweet and metallic smell clung to the insides of his nose. The Blood emanated from the bottle, the same substance he had used to seal wounds, repair bones, and fight off death itself.
But different.
It was as if the substance, the Blood, had been enriched or concentrated to carry the worst of its aspects. As pungent as it had been… Jaune could not deny that a part of him was curious to imbibe the substance.
And that terrified him.
He blinked and looked at the bottle he clutched about the neck as if it were a serpent fit to bite. There were still lingering fumes visible about the cork, proof of the concoction's potency and aroma.
Jaune pushed down on the cork hurriedly.
“… Dammit, Stitch… a little warning would not go astray!” Jaune called over his shoulders, not trying to hide his voice's stress.
The unbothered groan that came as a reply did nothing to settle his now-frayed nerves.
Jaune eyed the bottles one last time before gathering them in his arms.
‘If they are this effective on me…’ Jaune thought, returning to the lamp.
Then, he set about making his final preparations.
It was time for him to venture into Old Yharnam.
YVYVYVYVY
“Now?”
Oto was half tempted to let the idiot go but realised that the autocannon would be far from discriminating with its payload. Luckily, he didn’t have to say anything as Simon cuffed the imbecile around the back of the head, and a feral snarl parted his lips.
“Shut the fuck up and wait,” the thug instructed, his eye still glued to the door through the binoculars he looted from Oto’s equipment.
“Oto, do we need, like, a passcode or something?” Sandy asked, shuffling up to be next to Simon.
Oto looked to the Faunus, who was only a year older than him and was struck with the reality of it all, the truth. Neither Sandy nor anyone in his group really cared about the White Fang, or even pretending to care, it would seem.
Simon was no surprise, but… Oto had still somewhat hoped the others were committed to the cause.
“… You really aren’t even trying anymore, huh?” Oto tiredly asked the person who should have been his comrade.
“What?” Sandy asked, his befuddlement as insulting as it was blatant.
“… Just shut up and wait,” Oto whispered, looking down at his watch.
3…2…1
Oto could hear the click as the door latch popped, even if he couldn’t see the door open from his vantage point.
Simon did, however.
“Move it,” he grunted, shoving Oto before him as he ushered them to the entrance. They cleared the space between their foliage cover and the door swiftly, Oto doing his best to keep his eyes on the door but still found them peeking at the cameras.
He managed to avoid looking at the turrets.
They all but collapsed through the door, forgoing stealth as they hurried to make their window; Oto cringed at every loud breath and grunt.
‘We are all going to die here,’ Oto thought pessimistically.
“Oto, I thought that was your voice kit; get up,” Gundy, an old Faunus with buffalo horns and three fingers on his right hand, exclaimed. “The fuck you doing out here, lad? I wasn’t told of any other teams coming this way; you gave us a fright when you called in,” the old man grunted, clearly confused.
Oto didn’t know what to say. Gundy had been around in the White Fang before Oto’s mother was rescued. Oto had grown up with the old timer watching over him as he did for many of the young orphans the White Fang took in.
But right now, Oto couldn’t shake the gut feeling that if he said something stupid, Gundy would pay for it.
‘If you had trained harder…’
Oto decided then and there that if he survived tonight, he would go to Eury on hands and knees and beg her to train him.
He wished he could be like Adam.
He wanted to knock Simon’s fucking head off.
“Orders from the top, Gundy, need your map,” Oto whispered, hoping the panic wasn’t apparent in his voice.
Gundy blinked, his head turning to face the others behind Oto, his wrinkled face scrunched up momentarily.
“Gundy, " Oto said, putting a hand on the old Faunus’s shoulder. " Time is a factor.”
Gundy looked back to Oto, and the Faunus’s nod both relieved and killed Oto as he realised the old man trusted him.
As soon as Gundy left, Oto turned to Simon.
“Way to go-“
“Shut the fuck up, Sandy,” Oto snapped, not even looking at his ‘peer’. “You need to tell me what the fuck you want before Gundy gets back, or we are all fucked,” Oto explained to Simon.
Simon sneered, his busted fang appearing even more jagged as he did, “You trying to order me-“
“Go ahead, Simon,” Oto gestured behind them to the Airfield. They might have been concealed in a far-off corner hidden by the edge of the wall, but they were still inside. “Attack me, make fuss… we can all die together,” Oto spoke lowly, his eyes bouncing to the four major auto canons.
Guns like that were generally mounted around city settlements. They were big enough to make even an Alpha Nevermore into a tar-like splatter pattern.
Never mind the smaller turrets and the armed, flesh and robotic guards.
For all Oto knew, a Huntsman could be stationed in the airfield; it was undoubtedly a prime target, and with the city nearby, it wouldn’t be hard to rotate one out.
The fact was Oto didn’t need to fear Simon beating him to death; the base was equipped with more than enough methods to kill them both swiftly.
“You cocky little fuck…” Simon growled lowly.
Oto sniffed, feeling like a man on a tightrope.
No matter which way he fell off… death was likely.
“What am I asking for, or did you just want to die by firing squad?” Oto pressed.
At that moment, Gundy returned around the corner with a roll of paper and a radio. “I got the map, but I asked the others, and they all… what’s all this, Oto?” Gundy breathed cautiously, seeing the tense standoff.
“That the map?” Simon asked, his eyes darting to the rolled-up paper.
Gundy looked at the paper in his hands and backed up without saying anything, but that was enough for Simon.
Oto saw the same maddened flare that had danced in Simon’s eyes all evening, and he realised exactly what was about to happen.
Oto lunged, but he was too late.
Simon wasted no time stomping forward and snatching at the map; his foot shot out to kick Gundy away. Oto had moved swiftly, and while not enough to stop Simon, it was sufficient to intercept the Aura-enhanced blow meant for the older Faunus. The force was such that he ended up being launched into Gundy. Unfortunately, both of them were sent tumbling out into the open.
Oto heard Simon shout, “Move! Quick, this way!”
He ignored Simon, immediately rolling off the old Faunus he had landed on and checking on him. His nose was busted, and there was a cut along the side of his head, his face painted in a mask of grass, dirt and blood.
“Gundy, fuck, you ok?” Oto asked quickly, checking the older White Fang for any injuries.
“Watch ya fucken language,” Gundy spat, rolling onto his side, cradling his hip, “the fuck is going on, kit.”
“It's Simon; he’s gone fu- nuts,” Oto explained, checking his language.
Gundy’s eyes widened as he looked behind Oto, no doubt watching as the group hurried away deeper into the airfield. “That little feral fuck!” Gundy snapped, “He is gonna get us all killed, stupid shit, should have never let him in.”
“Agreed,” Oto nodded, dusting off the older man's jacket, the white Atlesian uniform now stained in the dirt.
“What’s he want? Why’s he blowing everything?” Gundy grumbled, just as sirens and spotlights flared to life, “Fuck.”
“He said something about the Schnee’s airship,” Oto told the other Faunus, dragging him carefully to the wall. He was grateful his strength with Aura made moving the old man a sinch.
Gundy’s reaction to this was instantaneous, “What! No, no… kit, you gotta stop him.”
“Gundy, I think we have more pressing issues-“
“Kid, the ship is rigged; it was supposed to be the final trap, the last route out for the Schnee,” Gundy explained. “If he got away and didn’t want to risk the airport, he would go for his private craft and then…”
“Boom, I know I was supposed to be the backup for you guys if Plan A failed and I still had my shot… then Sandy dragged Simon to my position and well… now we are here.”
“Yeah… kid, if they fly that over the city, or worse, crash it,” Gundy shook his head.
“… Fuck,” Oto exclaimed, picturing the destruction.
“Killing a fucking Schnee is one thing, kit, but blowing up a bunch of innocents, human and Faunus alike, ain’t something you want on your conscience,” Gundy huffed as he struggled. “That’s not even getting into the repercussions a terror attack like that would result in. The amount of shit that could spark,” Gundy grunted, tugging on his sleeve.
“What are you-“
“My jacket,” Gundy explained, pulling the item off with a pained groan, “take it, will give them pause from shooting you, tuck your ears in too and fucking gun it kit, you have to stop that feral shit, no matter what.”
“What about-“
“Oto! I work here; you don’t, they won't care about me, now fucking go!” Gundy roared.
Oto sprinted, sparing only a glance over his shoulder to see Gundy waving him on, a spotlight soon finding him. The old man quickly raised his hands, and Oto looked away, his focus shifting to the mission Gundy had handed him.
Tugging on the jacket as he bolted, Oto moved as fast as he could.
He had always been quick, but that wouldn’t be enough tonight. With the jacket, though it was a bit big for him, working as a disguise, Oto sprinted toward the centre of the airfield. He knew a few people had seen him as he went, but seeing as no one had shot at him yet-
Oto turned the corner only to barge into a body. He stumbled, rolling to the ground, but scampered back to his feet, only managing to keep his ears down.
“Sorry!”
“Wrong way- hey, come back!” A voice called out, but Oto ignored them and continued to run.
He wondered how he would find the others when he saw the flashes of gunfire and heard the rip of riffles.
Ignoring the part of him that told him to run away, he began to race towards the sounds of combat.
He darted into a hangar, throwing himself behind a Bullhead just as a pack of people ran past. His ears lifted, and he listened as the group moved on, heavy boots thumping on the hangar floor and metal clinking after their departure.
Before, he had been dumb enough to let Sandy drag him into a turf war, he had no place in and got stuck with Aura, which he was ill-equipped to handle; this had been his specialty. Though this was nothing like he was used to, the sheer amount of guns and eyes made this a challenge unlike any he had tried to overcome before.
Another burst of gunfire, a few hangers down, screaming, shouts, panic.
“Aura! They have Aura!”
“Weapons free!”
“Call for backup!”
“They’re Faunus!”
‘Fuck,’ Oto thought angrily, lowering his ears as he dashed out of the hangar and crouched next to some crate, looking around. With all the hangers, he wasn’t sure where the Schnee’s airship was, but-
A small explosion, the sound of someone in pain, more gunfire, a loud bang as if something with weight fell over. Oto cringed, the sounds booming to his sensitive ears even at this distance, as he opened his eyes though he spotted it.
The airship was on the far side of the base opposite the row of hangers he had just dashed through.
“There,” Oto breathed.
He went to walk from behind the crates when the sound of metal feet made him freeze.
He ducked low and watched a group of Atlesian Knights speed by, their rifles shouldered.
He had never seen Knights before, but he knew enough that the robotic soldiers would not hesitate to shoot. While not always equal to regular troops, the Knights had many benefits and were dangerous in their mechanical efficiency.
The White Fang was well familiar with their like, and Oto had heard horror stories of Cells that had been ripped to pieces by Knights used in raids on bases.
A scream made him look in the Knights' direction, only to see a body flung through the air. Oto watched it fall and crash into the ground, where it didn’t move. Oto sneered, knowing precisely who was at fault.
“Run!”
Oto watched as Simon and three others exploded out of a hanger, Simon’s group now armed with a rifle spraying wildly as they went.
The others copied him, though Oto heard their cries of panic as they did.
Oto didn’t even want to think of where the others were.
Oto took a breath.
Then another.
His legs were shaking.
“… Fuck!” Oto cursed and punched his thigh as he stumbled from behind the crates.
Once his legs began to move, he refused to let them stop; he let his stumble transform into a sprint as he bolted after Simon.
Then, the bullets began to fly.
Oto wasn’t sure if it was the confusion or the jacket, but luckily, most bullets were focused on Simon’s group. This didn’t stop him from holding his arms up to his head as he ran, not intent on finding out how much a headshot hurt, even with Aura. Oto counted his blessings even as he was forced to roll as Simon flung his arm back and pulled the trigger.
‘The crazy fuck isn’t even looking where he shoots,’ Oto thought, annoyed that even his internal voice was scared.
Oto had just gotten back to his feet in time to watch one of the three trailing Simon get ripped to pieces as bullets tore through him, his body crumpling a spotlight pinned to his still corpse. Oto swallowed bile as he saw the teen Faunus’s misshaped head, a bullet having devastated its natural shape.
Oto could hear shouting again, some from Simon’s group but infinitely more from behind.
Oto ignored them all and ran.
His feet tore up clumps of earth as he put his all into the pumping of his arms and the explosive pressure of each step. He might not be a fighter, but Eury had taught him the basics of Aura manipulation, and he knew how to enhance his body.
They cleared the field and closed in on the ship, and Oto was right on their heels. His heartbeat hammered in his chest as he was now close enough to see the faces of his ‘comrades’.
“Oto!”
“Shut the fuck up, Sandy!” Oto bellowed, closing in on them.
“Mutt!”
Oto didn’t bother replying to Simon; he just pounced.
He might not be as good a fighter as Simon, but he was faster.
He slammed his shoulder into Simon’s back and flung the feral Faunus into the side of the aircraft with enough force that the entire vehicle shuddered.
He was swiftly paid back with a punch that made his whole skull rattle.
He hit the ground but rolled, hurrying back to his feet.
He managed to block one of Simon’s jabs, the ache of the punch lingering on his arm as a second punch clipped his shoulder and made the joint throb.
‘What’s the fucking point of Aura if I still feel it!’ Oto thought angrily, trying to land a kick.
He never got a chance as a hail of bullets slammed into Simon, sending the Faunus sprawling.
None of them hit Oto.
‘The jacket!’ Oto realised, thinking how he could have kissed Gundy in that instant.
Then he heard the airship's engines start.
He looked to the side and saw Sandy and the last of his friends were missing.
Oto dashed for the entrance to the airship, all but throwing his body inside, “Stop, we can’t take off!”
Oto was flung back as he felt half a magazine dump into his chest.
The pain was a starburst of hurt as he tried and failed to breathe.
He looked up and saw Sandy looking startled and perhaps even apologetic, the gun in his hand pointed at where he had been standing a moment before.
“Shit, Oto, sorry about that-“
“Get us airborne!” Simon howled, now inside the ship, shooting back out, his gun cutting off with a poignant click. “Dammit!” Simon hurled the useless weapon wildly and turned to the cockpit.
“I’m trying. This isn’t a Bullhead,” the kid who had followed Sandy exclaimed, fiddling with the cockpit controls.
“If you don’t get us out of here, we are all dead, and I promise I will kill you first- Oto!” Simon snarled, finally spotting Oto.
“Fucking Feral!” Oto taunted, getting back to his feet and doing his best to ignore the throbbing ache of his ribs.
Simon lunged, but Oto was ready and ducked behind a table. The private airship was a slice of luxury, and Oto would use it. Simon smashed through the furniture, but Oto fully expected the enraged Faunus to do so.
Oto might not have been able to take Simon in a fight, but he didn’t have to; he just needed to keep them grounded and wait for the airbase.
He had the jacket; they had seen him fight Simon.
If he were lucky, they would shoot the bastard before arresting them all.
So Oto did what he did best and evaded.
Simon lunged and flailed, his Aura-enhanced strike denting the walls and tearing apart the cushions, chairs, and couches.
Oto was doing great until the whole world tipped to the side.
Oto hit the floor with a grunt, but Simon’s kick made the noise into a gag as he was flung into the ceiling.
“I am gonna rip those pretty fucking ears off your mutt head!”
Oto ignored the threat and grabbed a weapon, his hand finding a bottle of champagne.
The satisfaction of slamming the bottle into the side of Simon’s head was the type of memory he would draw comfort from for the rest of his life. No matter how short it might be.
Oto hurried away from Simon and clawed his way to the cockpit, Sandy and his friend sitting at the controls.
“You need to land us, the ship is-“
A hand wrapped around his neck, and Oto was hurled to the back of the ship, bouncing off the bathroom door.
At this rate, Simon would ground them before they left the airbase.
“Traitor!”
Oto snarled as he saw Simon grinning; the bastard having the audacity to call him such made Oto’s blood boil.
Oto gripped the bathroom door and yanked, pulling it from the hinges. He hefted the heavy piece of wood in his grip, intent on breaking Simon's other fang to give him a matching set. Had he not been focusing on the fight, he might have noticed how he felt his Aura move, reinforcing the door and making it even sturdier.
He went to throw it but paused and instead quickly held it in front of him as bullets rained down on the makeshift barrier. Simon had grabbed Sandy’s gun and was unloading it; the sound of bullets ricocheting around the whole room was terrifying.
“Are you nuts? We are in here!” Sandy’s friend screamed, jerking the controls and making Simon stumble forward.
Oto swung.
The door cracked into his head, bouncing the other Faunus into the windows with enough force that if it were ordinary glass, it surely would have shattered.
Oto swung twice more.
Then Oto was flying again, Simon having grabbed the door and hurled him back to the front.
Oto panted; he could feel the exhaustion sinking in.
He looked at his Aura, the copper colour still solid and stable… for now.
“Sandy, land us!” Oto demanded.
“What! Are you nuts!”
“The ship is rigged!”
“Rigged?”
“With bo-“
A pair of hands wrapped around his throat, and Oto gagged, his whole head slamming into the floor as Simon got on top of him and began to squeeze.
“You will not ruin this!”
*Thunk* *Thunk* *Thunk*
Oto’s eyes blurred as Simon bounced his head onto the floor repeatedly, trying to weaken his Aura so he could squeeze his throat.
“I will show that fucking bull how to make the humans fear when I kill the Schnee and make off with his fucking ship!”
“Stupid Feral-“
*Thump* *Thump*
Oto lashed out his thump, jabbing into Simon’s eye socket.
The other Faunus reared back, and Oto’s hand slid lower.
Right onto his broken fang.
Oto tugged, and Simon screamed.
Oto didn’t even try to hide his victorious grin.
Aura stopped the damage…, but it did not prevent the pain.
Simon’s hands switched from his neck to his arm, and Oto heaved; with his hips and arms, he jerked Simon over his floored body, slamming the other Faunus into the cockpit.
“Hey!”
“What the fuck!”
Oto squeezed, watching as Simon’s bloodshot eyes flared.
He brought his arm back, ready to try and bash the other Faunus’s skull into the controls when his whole world was inverted.
Black.
White.
The sound of wind and ripping metal.
Oto blinked and looked around.
Fire and wind and scrap and-
“We’re hit, We’re hit!”
“They’re shooting at us!”
Simon was back on his feet, a massive hole next to him where the airship had been hit, fire and scrap metal bordering a hulking hole.
‘How are we still alive?’ Oto wondered, surprised the explosives hadn’t gone off.
“Oto!” Simon snarled and clawed his way forward.
Oto tried to get to his feet, but the whole ship shuddered, and another shudder shook the entire craft as the sound of impacts rang on the outer hull.
“We’re going to die!” Sandy screamed terror in every word.
Simon snarled, and then his eyes locked on something.
Oto followed his gaze and paled.
It was his bag… the bag with the rocket launcher.
Simon smiled.
Oto ran.
Fighting Simon straight on was pointless, and Oto knew it even as the other Faunus began to kick and bash his body. But he had to try as he didn’t want to see what Simon, with nothing to lose, would do with a rocket launcher.
Oto tried to grab the bag but was torn back by a hand on his ears and flung towards the flaming hole near the cockpit.
He grasped wildly to the broken table, and never before had he longed for claws like some Faunus were lucky enough to get.
His ears were screaming from all the loud noise and abuse, but seeing as he was probably going to die soon, Oto fought on.
Simon was now tearing the weapon from the bag, “Steady us!”
“I’m trying!” One of the two in the front cried desperately.
Oto got on top of the broken table and jumped.
One hand went around Simon’s face, and the other clawed the barrel of the rocket launched and tugged it into the other Faunus’s chest.
“I won't let you!” Oto screamed into Simon’s ears, rapidly gouging at the other's eyes.
“MUT-“
The ship rolled.
Oto bounced off the ceiling, his grip on Simon not slacking for an instant as the other Faunus crashed into him. Oto grits his teeth and claws at Simon’s face, wishing the other Faunus’s Aura would break so he could rip out his eyes.
Then Oto was free, his body unchained from gravity as he spiralled through the air.
Right toward the hole.
While Oto was distracted, Simon's headbutt rattled his brain, and before Oto could react…
He was falling free, gravity rapidly pulling him down as he was cast from the ship.
The sight of the airship, flaming and spinning, was the last thing he saw as he crashed into a rooftop.
He heard his Aura shatter and felt his world become a single red-tinged ache.
He coughed, his chest tight, his head a pounding dizzying agony.
But he couldn’t look away.
He watched as the ship descended.
Lower…
Lower…
His vision was fading.
But he heard the explosion.
He saw the fire as his eyes closed.
Felt the air shudder.
…
His last thought was hurt, worry, and fear.
‘… It hit the city walls…’
YVYVYVYVY
Jade was no stranger to riding on the backs of her family members; it was a widespread occurrence in the Arc household. Every Arc kid had ridden on their parent's backs and shoulders or even just clung to their bodies as they went about their days.
It was like having a moving jungle gym inside the house, and with both of their parents being so tall and Huntsman on top of that, it made for some delightful memories.
But Jaune was another level of fun on top of that. Jade had memories of being carried around by Jaune as far back as she could recall, even before he had hit his growth spurts. It had been cute back then, Jaune being only a little taller than her but still happy to carry her wherever, a fact Jade took obscene advantage of.
Then, he took after their father, and it only became more prevalent. Now Jaune was just as readily used as a form of transport as their parents were, only he was far more amicable to it. Jade liked to think that some of his strength was thanks to Jaune being forced to move around the house more than once with several siblings clinging to his body.
Even though she was older, Jade still enjoyed that she could jump on Jaune’s back and be carried around by her older brother. She was not alone in this either, with all his younger sisters tending to find their way onto his person. The twins were quickly becoming the most prolific clamberers with Jaune happily taxiing the younger girls around.
Jaune was happy to carry any of his siblings around and didn’t even bat an eye if a familiar body was to pounce onto his back and find its way up to his shoulders. He didn’t budge either; their weight was not even enough to make Jaune take a step.
Even Orr got in on the fun, though she did it to shit stir Hella.
She had even seen Scarlett do it once, the tallest of her sisters, laughing as she was once more the tallest Arc child from her place on Jaune's back. It turned out the joke was on her because she made a joke about Jaune carrying her to work, and he proceeded to do so.
Scarlett could threaten all she wanted, but she would never find all the pictures.
Even now, with the dire circumstances, Jade still found comfort in the feel of holding her brother close. From her place on his back, she was reminded of all the times her brother had been there for her growing up.
Her brother was always there to keep her safe, whether it was monsters or nightmares.
But she couldn’t relax.
Jade glanced cursorily at yet another stranger, who eyed them warily as Jaune sprinted by, her brother still intent on racing back to their hotel. Naturally, Jaune paid no mind to the many strange looks they received from the nighttime population of Bastion. But it was not unusual for Jaune not to care for the opinions of others who weren’t his family or Orr.
But Jade could not imitate such.
Jade took a moment to consider their appearance and realised that something might need to be done.
A really tall man running through the streets with two girls clinging to him was indeed odd enough to garner the looks they were getting… but they could also be seeing the blood staining his clothes.
Or the bloody axe in his grasp.
Determining that this could become problematic if they didn’t head it off, Jade shifted on June's back and pulled herself up so her head rested on his shoulder. With a quick tug of his hair, Jaune glanced back at her, a single brow quirking in acknowledgment.
“Alley up ahead; we are getting looks,” Jade ordered, knowing Jaune would listen.
That was just who he was.
Jaune quickly followed the instructions, and soon, they were off the main street and securely tucked in a narrow alley. Jade wasted no time sliding off Jaune’s back; Sky was far slower to release her grasp on their brother, but the younger girl was still very shaken.
Not that Jade could blame her.
“Why did we stop?” Jaune asked, kneeling so that Sky could continue to hold him and stand on her own two feet.
“We were getting some worrying looks,” Jade answered, taking a moment to think.
“So?”
“Jaune, you don’t exactly look inconspicuous right now, and I would rather not test our luck with the Bastion police just yet,” Jade remarked.
“Mm.”
Jade sighed; she should have guessed that Jaune wouldn’t be concerned about his rather startling appearance. “Look, just take my word for it, okay? Jaune, we need to get you cleaned up, at least a little bit, just enough so that we don’t need to worry about some random passerby calling the cops on us.”
As if summoned by her words, three police cars raced by, sirens blaring and lights flashing boldly as they raced by in a racket. It did not take a lot of thought to realise where they were heading as it was the same direction they had just come from.
With the sound of their sirens growing fainter, Jaune sniffed, “They have far more pressing matters to tend to.”
Jade couldn’t argue that point, and she reckoned that the Bastion police were likely to have a hectic night… but she still would rather not risk it.
“I would rather not risk it… wait here a moment,” Jade ordered, heading for the alley entrance. Her brother's eyes were glued to her the whole time, as protective as always. She reached the end and looked at the store beside them with a triumphant smile.
It was a convenience store.
She hurried back to Jaune and Sky, the younger girl whispering something to Jaune that had the taller boy resting his chin on her head.
Jade wanted a hug, too.
She leaned on Jaune, knowing her weight was nothing to her older brother. “I need your wallet, " she said.
Jaune passed it to her, “why?”
“I am going to drop into the store and grab some stuff to make us a little more inconspicuous,” Jade explained calmly.
Jaune nodded, accepting her plan, “Be careful,” Jaune instructed, moving so the fire axe was leaning on the wall behind him.
Jade nodded to Jaune, knowing well enough that what Jaune had meant was to shout if she needed him to come brutalise someone. “Hey, sis, you want anything from the store?” Jade asked a still timid Sky.
The younger Arc looked up, her hands still clenched around Jaune’s hoodie.
She didn’t speak, but June's red hand soon lay atop her head, drawing Sky’s gaze back to his unwavering eyes. Then Jaune spoke gently, " Buy water… and something with mint, mouthwash if they have it.”
Jade was a bit confused, but she nodded and moved to follow her brother's instructions.
She was glad she had dressed more casually as she walked into the corner store. Unlike Sky, who was all done up for her performance, Jade had gone for a pair of high-waisted shorts and a button-up that she was at least 60% sure might have been Jaune’s at some point.
It was baggy, but she kept it tucked into her pants. Above all, it was clean and a nice shirt, which hit the semi-casual look she was going for.
Jaune was his usual bleak-dressed self, though she knew well that Jaune could dress up if he wanted to… or was ordered to. Before the night went to hell, Sky was already talking about how Jaune would have to dress all fancy if she got past the opening rounds.
“Shit… I wonder if the show will be cancelled,” Jade muttered as she grabbed some makeup remover from a shelf. She hadn’t thought about it, but with the attack… that would be awful for Sky—another way to make this day even worse.
Jade frowned as she held up a travel-size bottle of mouthwash, her thoughts veering as she realised how absurd she was being. People had died… Jaune had killed some.
“I’m worrying about the talent show…” Jade scolded herself, moving to the counter.
“Just these?” the Woman behind the counter asked, looking up from her book.
Jade reached over to the refrigerated shelf and nabbed a water bottle, placing it with the other items. “Could I get a bag with these, please,” Jade asked as the woman scanned the wipes.
She paid with her brother’s Lien and returned outside, immediately veering into the alley and pausing as she heard retching. Sky was throwing up into a large skip bin, and Jaune held her hair and rubbed her back as the girl emptied her stomach.
Jade looked down at the bag, now understanding the reason for the mouthwash.
“She ok?” Jade asked, putting her bag next to the bloody axe.
“I’m fine,” Sky gulped.
Jaune didn’t say anything, but Jade was familiar enough with her older brother to know he was of a different mind concerning their sister's state. “The mouthwash and water, please,” Jaune gestured back, Jade hurrying to pass the requested items to him.
“Wash out your mouth; the taste will only make you feel more ill,” Jaune instructed Sky. The girl nodded before quickly tearing the plastic off the mouthwash cap. Seeing Sky doing as he instructed, Jaune turned towards her with an expectant look.
Jade took a moment to look her brother over and could clearly see that her brother looked suspect even in the less-than-stellar light of the alley. Blood coated his hands with splatter marking his face and his clothes being adorned in splotches and smears.
It was a violent look, and even knowing her brother as she did, Jade could admit it was an unsettling appearance.
“Right… Hoodie off,” Jade ordered, returning to the bag and bringing it over. Jaune complied silently, pulling the baggy item off, revealing his tattooed arms as his torso was only covered by a black singlet that wrapped tightly about his frame, unlike his hoodie.
Jade examined his hoodie discerningly, “Turn it inside out for me.”
Jaune did so, and Jade felt her plans fall apart as some of the blood had soaked through the thin make of the hoodie. It was cheap, but she hoped it would be thick enough that they could conceal the blood.
“Well, that won’t work…. I guess it's going in the bag,” Jade sighed, pulling out the makeup remover. Will this get the blood off your skin?” she asked, gesturing to the makeup remover with her head.
Jaune took the wipes and examined them, “They will work better than just plain water,” Jaune nodded.
Jade smiled and began working on his face while Jaune scrubbed his hands forcefully. Sky eventually joined them, handing over the large bottle of water, looking pale but marginally better now that the taste of vomit was gone from her mouth.
“I kept my lips off it,” Sky explained.
“Thanks,” Jade nodded, immediately taking a swig of the water. It was still cool and felt amazing as she drank it down. “Jaune?”
Her brother, ever the odd duck, opened his mouth expectantly as he scrubbed at his hands, the red noticeably less. Jade snorted in amusement, carefully pouring the water into his mouth. Jaune gulped it down without breaking his attention from his hands. Jade stopped when the bottle was about half empty.
“Thank you,” Jaune nodded, standing up, “How is my face?”
“… Pink, but in the low light, it shouldn’t be too noticeable; we should be able to get into the hotel,” Jade nodded.
Jaune didn’t smile, but his expression did lighten marginally. “Good thinking, sister. Toss some water on my hands, then see if you can make the axe look a little less… used.”
Jade quickly obeyed, and Jaune went back to washing his hands. Sky hovered near, her hands fiddling with the mouthwash bottle. Jade worried for her little sister. She was pale, and the shake in her hands was noticeable.
‘Shouldn’t I be similar?’ Jade wondered as she began wiping the axe, the thick metallic scent of blood still pungent on the blade.
“Hey Jaune?”
Her brother gave a hum of acknowledgment.
“Can't we just ditch the axe? It's kind of… well, it's not a good look,” Jade cringed, holding the murder weapon aloft and looking at the partially dried gore clinging to it.
“... Not until we are back at the hotel. I will not relinquish an effective weapon until we have our own back in hand,” Jaune stated with finality.
“But aren’t we out of danger?” Sky whispered a tremor back in her voice.
Jaune’s shift was almost instant, as he had his younger sibling in his embrace. Sky pressed into his chest, “You are safe; nothing will hurt you. I will get you home, little sister. I have no doubt we will be back soon enough in Reach… but until then, I will be much more comfortable with a weapon in hand.”
Jade had to admit Jaune’s words did a lot to calm her as well, and she wasn’t even the one being hugged. She knew her brother meant everything he said, and were it coming from anyone else, she might have thought them just to be words…
But Jade knew her brother wasn’t bluffing.
Because her brother would always keep them safe.
As she wiped down the axe, she remembered the first time he came to her rescue, the first time she ever laid her eyes on the hero that was her brother. His frame, so much smaller then, standing between her and the Boarbatusk, a rock in his grasp, his arms outstretched.
She glanced over to the tattoos that entwined about his right arm, the savage crawling chaos that seemed to warn of utter violence. Even the symbols that the hazardous designs encircled seemed to warn of something dangerous and clawed.
‘My greatest work,’ Jade smiled, looking at the designs she had inked onto her brother, knowing she had done well.
With a toss of water over the head of the axe, she turned back to Jaune to announce the job done, but as the words were set to leave her mouth, she was silenced.
Before she could utter a syllable, a large and booming explosion, though not too close, rang through the air and even managed to shake the ground, the artificial thunderclap made her lock up; she froze and waited for… something to follow.
But nothing did.
Not at first.
A wail… no, a siren rang in the air with a sheer and piercing alarm that made Jade cover her ears for a moment.
The air seemed to gain a stillness as the night was drowned beneath the noise. Jade looked to the alley entrance and saw people, just a few, running past in both directions. When she turned to her siblings, it was to see Jaune holding his hands over Sky’s ears, a look on his face very akin to the one he had worn back at the studio.
“Jaune?” Jade managed to eke out, the look on his face making her stomach plummet. “What’s with the siren? I swear I know it from somewhere, but-“
“That is the Breach Siren…” Jaune explained, rising back up to his full height, his arms flexing as he clenched his fists, the pop of his knuckles audible even over the siren.
“Wait, doesn’t that mean-“
“It means, dear sister… that I’m going to need that axe.”
Comments
Erik Johanson
The actions of the Whitefang, causing an Invasion of Grimm and threatening Jaune's sisters. I can't see him let this go afterwards.
clagann
And when the world needed him most… he returned
LoneStar
Good to see you back! Can’t wait to see how Jaune handles an Grimm Invasion, especially since his first & last priority is getting his sister out. I look forward to see his plan. Time to see a Hunter in action!
KirbyKingShip
LETS GO!!!
PoisonPen37
It's good to see your return. I'm looking forward to more.
Laplase
It would be awesome if he could transform that axe into the Hunters Saw Cleaver or Axe.
ASHNRider
Peak. Glad your back
Druidic
I am indescribably happy to see this being updated again.
A Bad Rose
And so begins the invasion. Honestly, can't wait to see how Jaune holds up here. No Aura, axe in hand and body dripping with blood, it'll almost be like good times, won't it? I guess except for he'll be defending the city rather than plundering it. Someone get this man a GUN!
