3Again, I'm not reallyhappy with this chapter. Too little in my opinion.
Reviewtime!
IsekaiFanboi: Honestly, it depends on what their preferences on characters.
"An alliance?"
Jax had to admit: he had never been offered something like this before. He leaned forward, a clear smile across his face albeit an arrogant one. Honestly, he was humoring the guy because admittedly, recruitment these days has been rather slow.
They needed manpower if they were to accomplish their goals. Although it was the first time someone had sought him out rather than the other way around. Then again, Jax had never actually considered a partnership with anyone.
It wasn't his style to work with anyone. Vacuo belonged to him and him alone after all. And the rest of Remnant eventually It was his birthright and anyone who dared say otherwise would be executed immediately.
"Yes. My Vanguard believes it would be beneficial to have our organizations work together. Our goals are very similar after all.
The person in front of him was a man with somewhat pale skin and silver hair. Jax thought he was a girl for a second due to his feminine features. Blue robes adorned his body, only revealing parts of his chest and stomach. Playful blue eyes seemed to dance as the man nodded in return.
The man or "Charon" had approached Jax after the second round of the night wrapped up. The two fighters were still brawling in the background with jeers being thrown around. Jax ignored the fight in favor of hearing out Charon's proposal. Even if he didn't accept, at least he'll have some information about a potential enemy.
"And what goals do you have that are so similar to ours?" Jax inquired, hoping to get more information. "I doubt that you would need the help from an unknown organization from Vacuo."
As much as he wouldn't mind the idea of ruling Vacuo as its king, Jax couldn't deny that the Kingdom was a shithole. There were barely any natural resources as it is and Grimm made it difficult to find a stable place to live in the desert. What made it even more dangerous was the lawlessness of the meager settlements scattered across the desert. If you could survive, you were welcome in Vacuo.
It was one of the reasons why he started the insurgent group called The Crown. Jax wanted to restore the monarchy and elevate himself as king. He wanted Vacuo to be given the respect it deserved before mining operations stripped the desert dry.
And Charon was his ticket.
"Our organization wants to create one single kingdom. We want to create one single banner everyone on Remnant can live under." Charon started, politely smiling at Jax. "I believe you also want to do something similar?"
Looks like they did their homework. Though Jax would be a fool to believe this group didn't have some ulterior motives for seeking him out. He didn't have much to offer so he is interested in how this will play out.
"Cute," the man smirked and leaned back in his chair. "But it takes a bit more than that to actually convince me. What do you even have other than more men to add to my little cause?"
Charon gave a small hum before answering. "Do you recall that there was a recent invasion on Vale by the Grimm?"
How could he not? It was the most-talked-about topic across Remnant. Hordes and hordes of Grimm coordinated in ways never thought up, sweeping like a typhoon of death across the frontier towns and settlements near Vale. The Kingdom was then subsequently attacked, forcing Vale to gather all of their Huntsmen just to be able to fend off the Grimm while also calling for support by the only kingdom with the most advanced military.
With Atlas' support, Vale managed to fend off the Grimm. The monsters fled into the outskirts as fast as they appeared. The aftermath was grisly to say the least.
Hundreds of casualties were reported, mainly villagers from the settlements attacked. It remained the largest Grimm attack since Mountain Glenn. The "Siege on Sanus" many were calling it. It reminded the world that the peace they have is merely temporary thanks to the Grimm.
Still, to get back on topic, why would Charon bring that up now?
Don't tell me…
"That was you?" It was more of a statement than a question.
"Correct! Impressive, isn't it?" Charon clapped his hands as if to congratulate Jax on connecting the pieces.
"It would be. If your little invasion," Jax gestured with quotation marks using his fingers. "didn't fall flat."
If Charon could smile even wider, his face would split apart. Instead, he playfully rolled his eyes. Bastard probably thought that this was some sort of game.
Jax darkly imagined that Charon wouldn't be so playful when Jax chopped off his head. No one got to disrespect him by treating this as if it was nothing more than a joke.
"Ah, but the intent was never to actually invade Vale," Charon simply said, a cocky tone clear in his voice. "Vale and Atlas are united now in a sense, are they not? We gave them a reason to unite anyway."
So that was how they wanted to play this.
Once the Grimm had been successfully fended off, a few changes were made to Vale's policies and laws.
Vale and Atlas had allied together after the invasion. Atlas agreed that they would contribute to and improve Vale's safety while the Councils of both Kingdoms would essentially combine together, creating a new government altogether. With the military and technological might of Atlas combined with the Huntsman of Vale, the end result was a nigh-invincible army.
Speaking of Huntsman, Beacon Academy and all other academies within Vale's jurisdiction were incorporated into Atlas' military doctrine. The academies now were essentially boot camps where the graduates soon became Strykers (Huntsman recruited into the Atlesian Military mainly to deal with Grimm) or Specialists.
Vale had adopted so much of Atlas' military lifestyle and policies that both of the Kingdom's names were practically synonymous with each other. It became a common sight to have one person in the family be part of the military.
Which coincidentally lined with what the group Charon worked for wanted to do: create one singular Kingdom.
It perfectly coincides with his own goals.
Except there was a problem.
"You're making progress I'll give you that," Jax drawled, almost sneering at Charon. "But how does making essentially two Atlases help me? Last I checked, having a combination of both Huntsman and Soldiers puts a damper on any plan of conquest."
As if expecting this, Charon let out a small hum. "And therein lies the problem. An army of both Huntsman and Soldiers may be troublesome to deal with for many but it is also troublesome for the leader to supply them."
Supply?
"Go on?" Jax gestured for him to continue. He wanted to see where this conversation was going.
Charon was all too happy to oblige.
"What is the one thing that fuels Remnant's technology? Dust. Dust is the one fuel source that almost every Kingdom and settlement employs due to both its abundance and efficiency." As if to emphasize, Charon somehow produced a red Dust crystal from seemingly nowhere. "Everything relies on Dust. Transportation, Light, you name it. Even weapons are on the list. Both Atlas' and Vale's resources would be spread between two places thanks to their new partnership. Thus Dust would be needed more than ever."
Charon let go of the Dust crystal as if to drop it before it suddenly disappeared into particles of light. Like an illusion, there was no trace of the crystal. Jax, engrossed in the explanation, narrowed his eyes at the ability. A Semblance, perhaps? The ability to form interactive illusions is certainly useful. Jax could use Charon one day.
If he could use his Semblance on him that is. The reason why Jax didn't do it right now was the threat of an unknown organization retaliating for hypnotizing their subordinate.
Still smiling, Charon smiled and continued. Despite his playful tone and laid-back attitude, an observant person can tell that his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. What laid underneath the mischievous exterior was a cold, calculating mind. An archive of intelligence and wisdom sealed beneath such a joyful persona.
He would never admit it, but the smile had somewhat unnerved Jax.
"Dust mines would be set up all across Sanus. If these mines would be destroyed, however…"
The last part went left unsaid but Jax knew what would happen.
It would mean the largest shortage of Dust for Vale and Atlas.
If what Charon said was true and they could somehow control the Grimm, both Vale, and Atlas would be under attack on two fronts: the Kingdom walls and the mines. Having to defend several locations at once would spread their resources thin.
"...and the shortages would leave the Kingdoms vulnerable to another attack from a third party."
The ring of the bell signaled the end of the round. There were oohs and aahs about what happened inside the cage but Jax didn't care for that right now. All he cared about right now was hearing out Charon's offer.
T-This could be what he had been waiting for!
With the Grimm attacking the Dust mines and Kingdom walls, it would leave the two militaries too busy to focus on Jax's own army. They would be able to catch them by surprise. Shortages of Dust would also cripple their enemies' supplies, allowing Jax to quickly gain the upper hand.
There was a goldmine sitting right in front of him.
"What do you want?"
Charon clasped his hands together, clearly happy with how this discussion is going to end. As far as first impressions, Jax thought this unknown group definitely nailed it. They were much better than his sister anyway.
"What we want is simple," Charon said, holding up his one finger to highlight his points. "Any artifacts you find underneath the rubble of any academies."
Jax blinked. That was it? He had believed that with the support this big, this group wanted something more than just artifacts. Was that really it?
"That's it?"
"That's it." Charon repeated, still smiling. At this point, a smile was etched across the man's face. Any other emotion would be much appreciated at this point.
But this was happening too quickly. He couldn't rush into an alliance without knowing more about this group. Jax didn't even know if it even existed and the man named Charon was tricking him.
He needed more time to figure out what is this group.
"...give me a few days to think about this."
Charon simply nodded and stood up from his chair, glancing at the next pair of fighters preparing to brawl again. He tilted his head slightly before looking back at Jax who was currently deep in thought.
"We hope to hear your answer in 5 days then."
Five days, huh? Not a whole lot of time but certainly enough to make an informed decision by then. Jax had to be cautious after all. It can easily be a trap. He preferred if he didn't have any more surprises. But something told him that he would have to keep an eye out.
Even then, Jax felt that he was being too lax about the whole thing. An unknown organization claiming that they can control the Grimm? It was laughable.
He didn't trust this group. Not one bit. Jax had no information on them and no proof they could even keep their word. Yet there was a chance that they could prove themselves useful. At least temporarily. When the time came, he'll destroy their little group and take what remained as his Crownsmen.
Jax looked up from his seat after a moment. "If I am to work with your people, tell me your names first."
Charon paused, a brief moment of surprise crossing his face before it disappeared. He didn't seem to think anything was wrong with the line of questioning however and grinned.
"We are the Shadow Paladins. A pleasure to meet you."
Shadow Paladins, eh?
He'll enjoy crushing them.
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