6,480I've pretty much had to give up on downloading BG3. My friend is mailing me her portable hard drive with it on.
Rip my internet.
Cover Art: GWBrex
Chapter 60
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24 arrests made as terrorist ring linked to attack on Jaune Arc crushed by General Ironwood. Council left red-faced after claiming said ring did not exist.
Atlas Times
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Headmaster Ozpin speaks at state funeral for Jaune Arc. Lambasts the "entitlement of everyday people" for making the man's life impossible.
Vale Daily Tribune
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Headmaster Lionheart says team set to protect Jaune Arc "taking break" from public life to deal with their losses and should not be hounded by media.
The Mistral Review
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Gilian Asturias unveils touching monument to Jaune Arc.
Vacuo Today
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Sienna Khan and Adam Taurus agree 3-day ceasefire "out of respect" to allow for Atlas state funeral of Jaune Arc.
Kuo Kuana Express
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The more Jaune saw, the more his uncertainties mounted.
They were in a Bullhead flying over a blasted landscape where no grass or plant life grew, and where thick pools of black tar dotted the land. Nevermore squawked and flew through the air around the ship, but they never crashed into or attacked it. Hazel piloted it through the storm of Grimm in silence, and silence pervaded the back of the Bullhead as well.
Jaune sat next to Mercury whom, to his relief, looked just as nervous as he felt. Emerald, too. Only Cinder was calm, and after the talk she'd given him on standing back as she was potentially murdered, he didn't think she actually was calm. Just better at hiding it.
Yet, despite all that, he still couldn't say he regretted being here.
Maybe that would change but for now he would rather deal with immediate fear than the constant, crushing weight of all that expectation, and the dull, ache of a future trapped doing the same thing until he grew old and died.
The Bullhead came down to land at some huge black structure. It was ominous, but Jaune told himself any building in a place like this would look that bad, and it didn't necessarily mean it intended to be. What were they going to do, transport limestone from Mistral and hire painters to colour it every shade of the rainbow while Nevermore were outside pecking them to bits? They'd made do with what they had, which was black rock in a hellish wasteland.
Cinder opened the door and stepped out, then motioned for them to follow. The Nevermore that had been hounding their aircraft hung back for some unexplained reason, and they were allowed to enter a hallway peacefully. There, Jaune was faced with someone he recognised. A gaunt man with narrow features and a thick, segmented scorpion tail.
"I beat you here!" he said, laughing excitedly. "So slow. How very slow, Cinder."
Cinder sighed. "Tyrian…"
"And this is him, hm? Do you remember me, famous one? Do you?"
"Um. Yes. You helped fake my death so I could escape Vale." Jaune stepped forward and offered his hand, and the faunus – who seemed a little odd – looked down on it in shock. "Thank you."
"He thanks me?" The faunus laughed, then grabbed Jaune's hand with two of his own and shook it violently. "Oh, no one has thanked me for nearly killing them before. This is new. Exciting! Hahaha! Come." He tugged, and Jaune was forced to follow. "Come! You are all invited to dinner. She has had a great feast cooked up."
That was a good sign, right?
Cinder's grimace suggested otherwise.
Jaune had to jog to keep up with Tyrian, who babbled about how lucky Jaune was, and how thrilled he should be to serve his master. He was odd, and manic, but not aggressive. Not yet at least. Tyrian's excitement grew as Jaune asked a few questions, the man apparently not having much of a chance to talk to someone who actually cared to listen.
"Oh, it's wonderful here. Wonderful. You'll have your own room, of course. Temporary," he added. "But enjoy it while it lasts. The views are incredible." He cackled. "As long as you like the colour purple. But who doesn't like it? Red and blue. Such a good combination."
"I like purple."
"You do? Me too!" Tyrian laughed. "You'll fit in well. Fit in well indeed. Do you like steak? Bloody and raw?"
"I'm more of a medium-rare guy."
"As long as you're not a well-done person!" cackled Tyrian. "Then I'd have to kill you."
"My parents always said well-done steak isn't steak. It's charcoal."
"Clever! Clever! I will have to remember that one!"
Tyrian dragged him into a wide stone hall with a similarly stone table in the centre. It reminded Jaune of old medieval pictures of banquet halls with the vast amount of space on every side, and the high-backed chairs. There was one chair much larger at the head of the table, and Jaune wasn't stupid enough to try and sit there.
"Guest of honour!" chirped Tyrian, planting him down on the chair on the side closest to the left of the head. "Such honour! I wish I could sit there."
"Um. I don't mind switching if you want…?"
Tyrian gasped. "Such kindness! So thoughtful!" He sighed. "But no. She has demanded it shall be this way and so it must be." He giggled. "But I would have accepted it any other time."
"M-Maybe next time then."
"Yes. Next time I shall gladly take your kind offer."
"Ahem." Cinder walked in. "Why don't you have the honour of delivering the new that Jaune is here, Tyrian? I'm sure she would be glad to hear that. Hazel and I will see the children seated." The faunus tilted his head, then nodded and sprinted off. "Be wary of him," Cinder told him. "Tyrian is mad. Insane. Dangerous."
"He seems to like the boy," grunted Hazel.
"Probably because Jaune doesn't compete with him. Even if he likes you, that's no guarantee he won't turn on you in the future. I'd rather you stay close to me. Failing that, Hazel at least wouldn't stab you for no reason."
The man in question rolled his eyes and took a seat on the opposite side of the table. Cinder sat to Jaune's right, and Mercury and Emerald further down, leaving Jaune to sit on the right-hand side of whomever would take the main seat. There was cutlery and plates already out, but no one dared touch them.
In between waiting for their host, another man entered, swaying into the hall and sweeping off his coat to lay it on the armrest of the chair across from Cinder. He sat with a flourish, grooming his moustache with his fingers.
"I see Cinder has finally found it within herself to return. Dragging your heels?"
"Watts." Cinder ground the name out. "Jaune, this is Arthur Watts. Watts, Jaune Arc. I'm sure you've heard of him."
"The miracle boy, yes." Watts smirked. "The boy with a four-hour limit on revivals. Salem shan't be pleased."
Cinder tensed. "That limit was always known."
"We'll see if that spares you her ire."
The doors at the far end of the hall groaned open, and Tyrian appeared, walking backwards and bowing. Cinder, Watts and Hazel stood, and Jaune, Mercury and Emerald scrambled to do the same, just getting up on their feet as a woman in black swept into the hall.
A woman in the loosest definition.
Or maybe it was human in the loosest definition.
Grimm was Jaune's first thought, but that didn't make sense. Grimm were mindless animals, and this was a female figure in clothing with glowing red eyes and paper-white skin. The way she walked was human, and the way her eyes roamed over them was the same. Cinder had mentioned her looking different because of a Semblance, but Jaune greatly doubted that was the full story. If she wasn't Grimm then she looked like someone dying of a disease. The pale skin, red eyes and angry veins pulsing over her skin made it look like she was on the verge of death.
And yet she walked of her own power, sweeping into the room and pausing by her throne. Tyrian rushed up and dragged it out for her, and she swept her black robes under her knees as she sat. Only then did the others do the same, prompting Jaune, Mercury and Emerald to echo it. He spared a glance for them and saw the two looked as shocked and horrified as he felt.
At least he wasn't alone in that.
Once the woman had sat, she snapped her fingers and Tyrian sprinted off again, then returned laden with a platter of steaks that he sat in the centre of the table, then he left and came back again with vegetables. Jaune would have offered to help him if this were anywhere else, but no one was saying a word and he sure as hell wasn't going to be the first to do so. Tyrian worked alone, bringing the food in before finally entering with a bottle of wine that he uncorked. The woman held her glass up and he filled it, then came to fill everyone else's around the table before taking his seat at last.
"A toast," said the woman, sounding surprisingly normal for how she looked. "To Cinder's return and success."
Jaune picked up his glass along with everyone else and raised it. "Cheers."
"We shall eat before we talk," said the woman. "Tyrian has prepared this lovely meal for us all. Please, enjoy it."
There was a clatter of cutlery as people picked them up, though Jaune still waited for Cinder to do anything before he did it himself. She even served him a cut of steak – a generous size, and pink on the inside. Thankfully not as raw as the one Tyrian stabbed a knife into, which squirted blood onto his hand. He cut into his own and ate silently, wishing someone else would say something to lighten the mood. No one did, obviously. They ate and drank in complete silence but for Tyrian's quiet giggling and gnashing as he tore into the steak with his teeth.
The woman at the head of the table didn't seem to mind it.
Jaune set his knife and fork down once he was done and resisted the urge to thank Tyrian for the meal. It'd only draw attention to him. Sadly, that was an inevitability as the woman set down her own cutlery, dabbed her mouth with a napkin and then took a sip of wine.
"So," she broke the silence at last. "You are Jaune Arc, the one that the whole world is going wild over. Is that correct?"
"Yes ma'am." Jaune could be polite if nothing else. "Thank you for hosting me tonight and thank you for the meal. It was delicious."
"Polite." It was said without inflection or interest. "Your parents raised you well. I am Salem. You may refer to me as such. And, while introductions are in order, why not introduce us to your companions, Cinder?"
"Of course." Cinder stood. "This is Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black. They are loyal allies and companions of myself. Emerald possesses a Semblance that allows her to alter what the target sees, creating visual and auditory hallucinations. Mercury is a skilled combatant."
Said skilled combatant looked a little put off at having himself sound so bad compared to Emerald but, like Jaune, he wasn't feeling up to talking out loud with this scary woman at the table. They both bowed their heads and thanked Salem for the meal as Jaune had done. Salem waved her hand for them all to sit.
"You have done well, Cinder. Praise is due where it is earned."
"Thank you, ma'am." Cinder bowed her head. "I live to serve."
Salem smiled. "I'm sure you do." Her eyes slid back to Jaune. "Tell me. What has Cinder told you of me?"
To not say anything and let Cinder do all the talking, which wasn't looking like a possibility right now. Jaune swallowed and chose his words carefully. "She told me that you are a mother who lost her children, and that you are hoping I might be able to bring them back."
"I did not lose my children." Her eyes flashed dangerously, glowing red. "They were taken from me. Murdered."
Jaune ducked his head. "I'm sorry."
Salem took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "But, yes, what she has told you is essentially the case. You have the power to bring back the dead. I would have you bring back my children. Four of them."
Arthur Watts smirked.
Jaune swallowed. "I… I can try…"
Salem's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by try?"
"Um." Cinder cleared her throat. "Jaune's Semblance is currently limited by a time frame This was information we knew in advance!" she hurriedly added, when Salem's eyes narrowed to slits. "You asked us to collect him anyway on the possibility it could be altered, either by time or experience. Semblances evolve and—"
"I know more about Semblances than you, Cinder."
"Y-You're right. I'm sorry. I forgot myself—"
"You did. Sit down. Be silent. Jaune Arc, you shall talk. Tell me of your Semblance."
"My Semblance lets me bring back people who are recently deceased," he said, trying to remember every little detail. "Right now, that's capped at four hours. I expend a little of my aura to do so, so it's not something I can keep doing forever or I'll pass out or die. The person who comes back does so in roughly the state they were before they died, but that means I can't cure any illnesses, so if someone is dying of a disease then I can't fix them, but if they died due to surgery treating that disease then I could bring them back so the doctors can continue the surgery."
"My children were killed via the use of a person's Semblance. Assuming the time limit were not an issue, would you be able to return them?"
"Yes. I've brought back people who were ripped apart by Grimm so it wouldn't matter."
It shouldn't matter, but he wasn't about to talk in half-measures around this woman. Not with how dangerous everyone's complete obedience suggested she was. He didn't want to be the one to upset her.
"So, you are saying that you cannot do it right now."
"Probably not right now. No."
Salem took a deep breath. "Cinder. Your thoughts?"
"Semblances evolve through one of two ways normally," said Cinder. "It either comes through extensive use or through time. No one has used their Semblance as extensively as Jaune has in the last two years and it's shown no sign of evolution from that. In fact, his aura problems from over-use threatened his life."
"On the issue of the time limit, I think it could be that the amount of aura he uses dictates how far back it can go, so having him be utterly spent is limiting him. But that's all the Kingdoms cared about since they wanted quantity of people brought back. If Jaune were allowed to rest his Semblance and let it grow naturally then he might find his limit growing naturally, like a muscle."
"Might…?" Salem caught the excuse. "You are not certain."
Cinder licked her lips. "Nothing is certain, ma'am. But evidence shows—"
"Let us speak more of evidence in private. First, I would like to see this Semblance in action to discern something."
Jaune's stomach dropped.
Cinder looked faint.
Tyrian, however, raised his hand. "Oh! Oh! Pick me! Pick me! I'll die!"
"Cinder is the one who brought him here, so Cinder shall pick." Salem tilted her head. "But only among her own."
Mercury and Emerald tensed up and looked at Cinder, clearly terrified. They knew they'd be fine, but that didn't mean they were eager to experience death. Cinder looked to them, then to Jaune, and finally closed her eyes and sat shakily on her seat. "Kill me," she hissed out. "But make it qui—"
Tyrian's tail speared across the table and punctured through Cinder's left eye, into her brain. The woman choked and blood sprayed out over the table, before she slumped, her one remaining eye wide and her mouth hanging open.
Jaune gagged.
Emerald whimpered, and even Mercury stared down at his plate.
"I did not mean for it to be at the table, Tyrian," said Salem, in a low and deadly voice. "You will clean this mess up later." She sighed. "Regardless, let us see it be done. Bring her back. Let us bare witness to your divine Semblance in action."
Standing, and thinking he was in this well over his head, Jaune stumbled over to Cinder's ruined body and reached out for his Semblance. Everyone watched silently as the white light spread out to illuminate him, and then as it seeped into Cinder's frame. The woman sat still, spared the grisly experience of her face knitting itself back up before she snapped awake, coughing and choking on blood still in her mouth. Cinder grasped the table and heaved, vomiting out onto the floor as Salem pursed her lips unhappily.
"You will be cleaning that up as well, Tyrian," she said. "But I've seen enough, and what I see pleases me. Your power is not divine at all. I should know seeing as how I watched my love be brought back to life once. It was nothing like this. How very amusing. Had it been his—" She trailed off. "Well, it is not. It's no different than any other Semblance. Good. Very good. Then it won't be limited by his asinine rules."
Cinder gasped for air.
"Hazel, take Cinder's guests to their rooms and show them around. Make sure they know where to find the bathrooms and food should they need it. Tyrian, get to work cleaning this mess up. Cinder, retire to your quarters to rest. We shall speak tomorrow. As for you, Watts, I wish to know the world's reaction to this young man's death. You shall have two hours to compile a report and then deliver it to me."
The four bowed their heads, Cinder still struggling.
/-/
The room Jaune had been given was frankly nicer than he expected. Carpeted floor, drapes, colourful bedding and plenty of cushions. It was as if Salem had chosen to save all luxury for the bedrooms, which he could at least appreciate. It made the woman seem slightly more human, though that didn't change much after what he'd seen.
What the hell have I gotten myself into…?
A knock came at the door, followed by it opening and Cinder stumbling in. She'd changed her clothes out for fresh ones and obviously had a bath because her hair was wet. She looked tired. "Jaune," she said, walking in and closing the door behind her. "I feel as if I owe you an explanation."
"Several, I'd say."
"Yes." Cinder took to sitting on his bed. "Would you rather ask questions or have me speak?"
"You came to Vale for me, didn't you?"
"Not initially, no. We were there for entirely different reasons and fully expected you to be kept in Atlas. But when you transferred to Vale, then my orders changed. Yes, I was there for the sole purpose of kidnapping you for Salem afterwards."
"Then all this friendship is fake?"
"No. Mercury was tasked to get close to you, but I know for a fact he considers you a friend. It was he who convinced us not to go ahead with our plan to abduct you, and instead to help you."
"Did you manipulate me?"
"Did I have to?" asked Cinder. "You wanted to leave even before I came into the picture. I'll admit I pushed you harder on running away and faking your death but that's all. I helped facilitate the plan. I helped see it through. But only you can know for certain whether I forced you into it or whether you wanted it all along."
That wasn't the answer he wanted, but he understood it. Looking back, he could see a lot of moments where Cinder had nudged him, but nudges were all she gave. He'd been the one who wanted to get away. He'd been the one who was unhappy. Cinder and her team could have leaned on that and made him feel worse, but they didn't. They'd actually made his time at Beacon less of a pain with their antics.
"What is that… thing down there…?"
"Salem? As I told you, it's easier to think of her as someone affected by their Semblance. Or a Semblance. The truth of it all is so ridiculous that even I struggled to believe it, and I genuinely don't think you want to know. It will only distress you. It should be enough to know she's in a position to help you, and that dinner went better than I thought it would."
"That's grim given the fact you died at dinner."
Cinder shrugged. "Mercury or Emerald would have never trusted me again had I let them die in my stead. It… It was shocking, and not at all pleasant, but I can put it behind me. I have experienced worse, and from the woman who society called my mother." Cinder snarled. "A sharp pain and then darkness was nothing compared to that."
Jaune sighed. "Am I even going to get the retirement in a village I was promised?"
"Yes. Yes, you will. Salem knows there's no point keeping you locked away here. I promise you, Jaune, you will get everything I promised. Trust in me just a little bit longer and I will personally see you set up in a quiet village far away from all this. Pyrrha will visit you, and probably hound you, and you can settle down and have obnoxious children if that's what you want." She scrunched her nose up. "Just don't make me the godmother of any of them. I have less than no interest in children."
He laughed and, maybe against his better judgment, trusted her. For now. "Okay. I'll hold you to that."
"Pyrrha can expose our lies if we don't let her have access to you. Let me speak with Salem tomorrow. I will explain to her how you can never return to the cities anyway, so there is no risk of you being disloyal. She may have Tyrian or Hazel check in on you periodically to make sure you remain loyal, but that shouldn't be a problem."
"It won't be."
"Good." Cinder slapped his back. "Get some rest. I'm going to sleep myself. Mercury and Emerald will keep you company tomorrow while I speak with Salem. We shall be away from here soon after, and back toward greener pastures."
Next Chapter: 7th September
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