A mission for team RWBY leads them to the village of Domremy. Or maybe village wasn't the right word. What would you call an outside settlement that could easily match any kingdom? And all of it because of one person's Semblance. Jaune Arc, a one-man industrial revolution who could build almost anything. A power everyone wants, especially one Blake Belladonna and Weiss Schnee.
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[RWBY] No Victory in Strength (Minecraft Jaune)
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Chapter 1 - Breaking the setting in half
eratas123
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Next commission. This one has an OP Jaune, but not in the usual way. Instead of being a one-man army, his Semblance is Minecraft powers, making him a one-man industrial revolution that everyone wants on their side. Kind of like Raise but not as dark.
For anyone interested in making a commission, email me at: storylover543@gmail.com
Chapter 1: Breaking the Setting in Half
This was so exciting!
Ruby bounced up in her seat and eagerly looked out of the bullhead's window. She was practically buzzing with excitement. This was team RWBY's first-ever mission! Okay, so they weren't going out to kill a horde of Grimm or anything, but it was still exciting for her.
The rest of the team didn't share her excitement. Weiss was sitting straight and rigid next to her with her hands on her lap and a sour look on her face. Across from them, Yang was slumped over bored in her seat while Blake was reading some book that she scratched the title out of. Ever since she told them that it was a scouting mission, the rest of the team got super bored. Even Weiss, though she wouldn't admit it, was looking forward to getting some action.
Hey, she wanted to go kill Grimm too, but she'd take what she could get!
They were being sent to scout out a village on Eastern Saunus. Apparently, it was growing super fast and the place was completely safe from Grimm. Which was good, but from what the headmaster told her, the place got like that in less than a year. It was weird. Places like Patch and Argues took years to be safe, and even then that took the backing of kingdoms or Huntsmen deciding to congregate around the area. This place - Domremy, it was called - didn't have that.
Yang yawned and stretched her arms above her head, "Man, this sucks," she groaned, "Why are we being sent out for this? The freaking pilot could check out the town. You don't need four people to do this."
"Didn't you read the briefing, Yang?" Weiss asked.
"Eh, I leave that to you guys."
"Of course." Weiss sighed and tapped her scroll, "Our mission is to scout out a village, yes, but we're also supposed to 'observe, and protect, if need be' someone of great importance. Apparently, this settlement's rapid industrial boom was caused by said individual awakening to his Semblance."
"Pft, you're telling me one guy put a town on the map? He's not Cereal Girl." Pyrrha's team was doing their own mission: shadowing a deputy to get a better idea of what Huntsmen were supposed to do in remote settlements. It sounded about as interesting as what they were doing now, but she was curious all the same. While she focused on weaponry, engineering in general was something she was passionate about. She wondered what this guy did to help his village out so much.
"I passed by this place a year ago." Blake turned a page on the book and her bow twitched. Cute, "Domremy. It's more village than town. The only thing that stuck out was the winery they had. Enchanting Elixrs, I think it's called? A family called the Arcs run it if I'm remembering right."
"I've had a couple of their bottles in mealtimes. Decent enough vintages, though nothing spectacular. Mother has sampled their brews as well." Weiss wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips. She didn't like talking about her family and they didn't push.
"Hey, maybe we can score some free drinks while we're there!" Yang grinned.
"Yang! No drinking on the job!" Ruby said.
"Come on, Rubes! Lighten up!"
"Nope! We're professional Huntresses-in-training! Professionals, Yang!"
The four of them chatted for the rest of the flight. The mission wasn't supposed to take long. Get in, get some info on the settlement, then check out the person responsible. They were only supposed to stay for three days. Long enough for them to get an idea of what made the settlement so special and make a detailed report. Yang had whooped and said it was a chance to cut classes, which Weiss glared at her for. Ruby didn't say it out loud, but she was happy for a chance to avoid another one of Professor Port's lectures.
"We're here," the bullhead pilot said over the intercom. Ruby grinned and stood up, ignoring Weiss' protest that they should sit until the vehicle fully landed. Yeah, right. She saw Weiss' sister standing on the bullhead ramp when she arrived in Beacon.
Ruby stood in front of the ramp and waited for it to lower. She briefly considered the idea of making a pose for anyone who just happened to be on the other side before thinking better about it. Weiss would scoff about how she was being immature or something.
As soon as the ramp hit the ground Ruby rushed outside and stopped, eyes wide with wonder. The picture of Domremy they were given was of a pretty standard village-cum-town. Regular fortifications of a wall and a militia while the buildings were built more for practicality than anything else. She grew up in Patch, so she was used to rustic surroundings. The four kingdoms and some rare offshoots like Argus were the only places you could expect something better.
Domremy wasn't anything like the pictures. The buildings reminded her of the ones back in Vale, except even fancier looking if that was possible. Each and every building was meticulously designed and decorated, managing to look both expensive yet practical. Back in Patch, the biggest place they had was the mayor's house in the nearby town, and yet every single building easily matched or even surpassed that place with how well-built they were.
The docks they'd landed on were similarly designed. Most docks in outside settlements tended to be a clear patch of land with the bare minimum of necessities. Most villages didn't have the money to keep things like fuel and repair shops on hand due to the rarity of flying vehicles coming and going.
Not this one. The landing pad - an actual landing pad - was surrounded by the usual amenities back at Beacon. Heck, there were more than that. A fueling station, a garage, and even a small bar(!). It was like something straight out of Nova Wars.
Ruby turned around and her eyes boggled at the wall circling the town. Vale's defenses, like just about any kingdom's, consisted of a wall and automated defenses. There was a defense force, of course, but the majority of them were engineers who were meant to keep the defenses online. Most settlements couldn't afford anything similar. Defense systems were expensive and needed the right technical know-how to repair. That was why they made do with militias.
Like everything else in Domremy so far, it was different. The wall was big - easily matching Vale's in height - and covered in turrets, AA guns, and advanced watchtowers. There were sniper nests with spotlights observing the area and people patrolling the walls on top of everything else. And their armor...she knew that people without Aura (or those with poorly trained ones) needed armor to blunt the difference, even if most kinds of protection weren't really much of a help against Grimm. There was a reason they had to reinforce their weapons with Aura.
The miltia patrolling the walls were each wearing proper steel plate. Even from a distance, Ruby could tell each and every suit was well-made. It still wouldn't have been as good compared to Aura, but it was definitely above what the average outside settlement would have.
The rest of the team went down and looked around in similar awe. Yang's eyes in particular lingered at the well-stocked bar, though Weiss had grabbed her by the ear just as she was making to walk off.\, "Ow, hey! I was just gonna check it out!"
"No getting drunk, Yang!" Weiss scolded. She let go of the blonde's ear and looked around again, "This place is...not what I expected."
"It definitely didn't look like this a year ago..." Blake muttered.
"Stuff like this takes way more than a year to build," Ruby added. Just the wall alone would have been a huge effort, and that wasn't even counting everything else on top. And this was all because of one person? Even someone with a Polarity Semblance like Pyrrha couldn't do something like this in a year.
Their wondering was cut off when someone walked up to them. Ruby turned to greet him and stopped when she saw his armor. She was used to working with rare materials in her efforts to improve Crescent Rose, even spending most of her allowance on any esoteric stuff she could find. Still, she'd never worked on diamonds before. They were super expensive, and despite how hard they were, they were also extremely brittle. One good hit and it'd shatter into a million pieces.
And yet here a guy was walking up to them wearing an entire suit made out of diamond. And it was definitely diamond. Ruby wasn't fancy schmancy like Weiss, but she knew the real stuff when she saw it. Weiss did too. Her bestie's eyes were wide and the look on her face made it obvious that she was mentally calculating how much the entire suit cost. Ruby was more curious about how someone could find enough diamonds to make a whole suit of armor.
"Holy shit..." Yang whispered behind her. Blake hummed in agreement.
"You four must be Team RWBY. The headmaster contacted us. Name's John Oakwood, I run the militia around here." The man said. He was a tall guy with a big bushy beard and a rough face that didn't match the fancy suit he was wearing. He reminded her of Old Bear Gunderson from back home, "Headmaster said you all wanted to check out our one-man revolution. I'll take you to him."
"Um, pardon me," Weiss said. She sounded downright meek, which was creepy, "I know it might sound boorish, but are those..." She trailed off and pointed to the diamond chest plate.
The middle-aged man's face split in a wide smile and he laughed, causing Weiss' cheek to flush red, "Right, right. Forget how odd it must look to anyone new." Odd wasn't the word she'd use, but Ruby kept that to herself, "Yeah, it was a gift. Didn't think much of how useful it'd be, but I was proven wrong."
"Uh, really?" Ruby couldn't stop herself from asking. She continued before her embarrassment made her stop, "Diamonds are hard, but they're not really good at taking impacts."
"That's what I thought too, but results speak for themselves." He rubbed his beard in thought, "Hm, tell you what. You Huntresses got good guns, right?" They all nodded except for Weiss. Myrtanester didn't really have a gun form in the traditional sense, "Right then, why not do a test? Go on and shoot me in the chest." He tapped the diamond chestplate and grinned.
"Um...are you sure about that?" Ruby shuffled from one foot to another, "Do you have an awakened Aura, sir?"
"Sure, but I ain't trained it like you lasses." He rubbed his beard again. It reminded her of Professor Port, "But it'll be fine. Only if you really wanna see how effective the armor is, 'course. We could just get on our way."
Ruby chewed on her lower lip. They really should be going, but she couldn't deny that she was curious about how effective it was, "Alright..." No one disagreed. Either they were curious like she was or, in Weiss' case, still trying to calculate how expensive a whole diamond suit would be.
They walked over to a more secluded spot...after Yang made sure to record the guy saying he was giving Ruby his consent to shoot him. Just to avoid any problems just in case, she said. Ruby stood across a fair distance away from the militia leader and unfurled Crescent Rose into its sniper rifle form. Mr. Oakwood gave an impressed whistle, which caused Ruby to smile. She was never one to turn away compliments for her baby.
Ruby raised the rifle and aimed dead center at his torso before squeezing the trigger. A loud bang erupted and Ruby released a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding. The bullet impacted against the surface of the chestplate and...nothing. There wasn't even a scratch. The bullet had been smashed flat on contact and Ruby watched as the no-thin circle of metal fell to the ground.
...Wow.
"Told ya it worked." He rapped a fist against the pristine chestplate, "Jaune does good work."
"Jaune...I suppose that's the name of the individual responsible for all this?" Weiss asked. Her eyes hadn't left the diamond armor since he first showed up.
"That he be. Jaune Arc, Nathanel and Elise's kid. Lad always had his head in the clouds for a while, but then..." He shook his head, "Ah, I'll tell ya lasses on the way."
The four of them followed after him silently and listened. The rapid changes began six months ago. Jaune Arc, one of the people living in the village, had awakened his Semblance. Mr. Oakwood was sparse on the details - apparently, he didn't know much about it himself - but the gist of it was that his Semblance allowed him to build good. Like, really good. Everything from gathering the resources, designing the buildings, and creating said buildings from the ground up. The others tried to help where they could, of course, but apparently, Jaune was just way better at gathering and building than they were.
Ruby had to admit that she felt somewhat jealous. It took her years of lessons and trial and error to get where she was, and even then she wasn't nearly as good as this Jaune guy sounded. She definitely couldn't make buildings or make armor out of freaking diamonds.
"There's a lot of people here," Blake said, "The place was definitely smaller when I passed by a year ago."
"Things have changed, aye," Mr. Oakwood replied, "When Jaune started changing things, the other places noticed. They realized it was safer inside our walls than it was in their own places. It started slow at first. Just a few people coming in and making a place for themselves. But then more and more newcomers showed up and people got worried. Domremy wasn't built to handle so many people. We don't have enough land, enough houses...well, you get the idea."
"You seem to be all doing fine," Weiss commented airily.
"Thanks to Jaune." He nodded, "Needed more space? He just expanded. Needed jobs? He set the foundations for new farms, fisheries, and anything else you can think of. People always need more food and farmland comes at a premium. We still had some bums who came in expecting an easy ride, 'course, but we got the lazy bastards out. Damn wastrels wouldn't even patrol the walls or help plow the fields. Everyone else here works for what they have."
Ruby kept looking around without saying a word. This place reminded her more of Vale than anything else. More rural, sure, but just as advanced. Could one person really be responsible for all of this? She'd never heard of a Semblance that strong. Then again, she'd never heard of hereditary Semblances before she met Weiss, so...
The place was bigger than she thought. Miles and miles of land were filled to the brim with farms, shops, and factories. The people here were all working hard and many stopped to wave happily as they passed. Ruby eyed a bunch of people harvesting large quantities of grain along with a few other stuff. She didn't know much about it. Despite living in a cabin in the woods with Dad and Yang, none of them really knew about farming. They could all hunt and live off the land, but not that way.
She stopped and did a double-take when she saw something else. Was...Was that a strawberry farm? She rubbed her eyes just to make sure and, yep, it definitely was one. Her mouth salivated at the sight of the fresh berries being plucked by hard workers. She was so tempted to speed over there and get some, but she held back. It'd been so long since she had some strawberries...
"Hey, John. New people living in the village?" Another voice called out. Ruby tore her eyes away from the field of paradise and blinked. The new arrival was an old woman who looked like the classic gradnma straight out of a storybook. Short and dressed in heavy layers with a head of wispy white hair and a face full of wrinkles that told of a long life.
Except for the fact that she had muscles that put Yang to shame, which she put to use by carrying what looked like 300-pound sacks of grain over each shoulder. Her big sis looked at the bulging arms and legs of the old lady then self-consciously rubbed her own (not small) arms, "Hey, Annette. Nah, these city folk are Huntresses. Came to see our miracle."
"Visiting Jaune? Well, guess I shouldn't be surprised." She smiled, "How about I take them the rest of the way? I'm supposed to take these-" she hefted the bugs on her shoulders, "-over to Jaune's place anyway so it'll save you a trip."
"If you don't mind." Mr. Oakwood nodded, "Annette will take it from here. See you all around."
They all mumbled their goodbyes and followed their new guide. The woman - Annette Crowder - was just as chatty as Mr. Oakwood, "This is all thanks to sweet little Jaune, of course," she beamed like a proud grandmother, "Though, I guess he's not so little anymore."
"So hey, uh..." Yang rubbed the back of her head, "Hope you don't mind me asking, but what training regiment you got going on? I'd kill to look that good at your age."
"Oh, these?" Mrs. Crowder flexed her arms and laughed, "It's not because if anything I did, dear. It's another one of Jaune's gifts. They're...well, I guess you could call them health drinks? He brewed up some for me and af ew of the others when we collapsed. Old age, you understand." She shook her head, "We said that we didn't need it and he'd already done so much for us, but he insisted. Would've been disrespectful if we refused and the rest is history."
"Fascinating. I'm sure Atlas would pay a lot for that drink." Weiss hummed. Blake looked away and scowled slightly, "Would you happen to have the recipe?"
"No, no. Jaune has that, and he's the only one who can make it, I think. Some rascals tried to make some for themselves and all they got was an upset stomach and a trip to the hospital." She laughed, "Don't let the muscle fool you young'uns. The drinks make us strong, but it isn't permanent. All of us agreed that we wouldn't use it unless we really had to. Wouldn't wanna get reliant on it, right? You look like you worked hard for those," she said to Yang.
"Thanks for noticing." Yang grinned. She still looked somewhat self-conscious, but being praised had helped, "So...this Jaune guy. He makes buildings, gives jobs, and gives freaking magic potions. Is there anything this guy can't do?"
"He does seem universally skilled just from what we've been hearing," Weiss added.
Blake didn't say anything. She just looked around with narrowed eyes while her bow kept twitching. Ruby suddenly had a bad feeling, though she didn't say anything out loud. Blake was probably making some weird plan again.
They left the more bustling town and walked up a hill. At the top of said hill was an honest to Brothers castle. She'd been here long enough that she wasn't that shocked anymore, but it was hard not to be impressed. Like the town proper, the castle was surrounded by its own wall lined with anti-air defenses and automatic turrets. Any Grimm or ship trying to land without an invitation would've been shot out of the sky."
"And I thought Atlas was secure..." Blake muttered.
They walked past the drawbridge(!) before Mrs. Crowder turned to them, "Well, I'm heading off to the stables. The four of you can head on inside. Jaune should be inside. The rest of his family is out, but he should be down in the workshop. Take the first door on the right and the stairs down. Jaune'll be working on something else, knowing him. Boy will never slow down. Shame, so many of the village lasses wish he'd actually see what he built."
"Thanks." Ruby bowed politely and walked inside. The inside was just as fancy as the outside. Marble floor, numerous paintings on the walls, and gold-lined chandeliers on the ceiling. And that was just the start. The golden suits of armor lining the hallway made her dizzy to think about, and even Weiss felt out of place.
"...60 billion lien." Weiss mumbled.
"Huh?" Ruby turned to her.
"That armor Mr. Oakwood was wearing. It's worth easily 60 billion lien. No one would buy at that price, of course, but even at a reduced price, it would be enough to fund a decently sized town for months. Yet this Jaune gave it to someone else as a gift."
"Um..." Ruby shuffled from one foot to another. She really didn't know what to say about that, "Let's just meet this guy."
Ruby led the way down. It was weird. Beacon was a castle, but this place felt different. Not bad, but still. Ruby stopped at the bottom of the staircase and knocked on the door.
"Come in!" A boyish voice called out from inside. Not even a 'who is it?', just an open invitation. Then again, no one else seemed to worry about them going to meet him while he was alone. She liked to think it was because of how trusted Huntsmen were.
Ruby opened the door and stepped inside. She only managed a few steps before she was frozen at the amazing sight before her. The strawberry fields were nice, but this was amazing. It was a forge. No, calling it that was an insult. It was a basion of creation! Beacon had a forge, the best Vale could afford for their future protectors. And yet it paled in comparison to the the room around her. As an aspiring blacksmith and engineer, she could just tell that miracles were made in this place. Her mouth drooled at the thought of creating so many weapon upgrades. Crescent Rose with a high-frequency blade...
The other reason she was drooling was because of the person who owned the room.
Ruby didn't get why other girls were so into boys. Who had time for all that stuff when they were so busy being Huntsmen? That wasn't to say she was blind to how attractive guys could be, but the ones at Beacon just didn't do it for her. She didn't think Neptune was 'so hot' the same way Weiss and a bunch of the other girls in her year did.
Yet despite that, she was unable to tear her eyes away at the sight of (presumably) Jaune Arc hammering away at a blacksmith's table. He was shirtless, which made sense given how hot forges could be. His position gave them a good side view of his entire body. He wasn't the most muscular - people like Cardin or Sun were bigger - but he was definitely well-built with firm arms and well-formed abs. His bare upper body glistened with a light sheen of sweat and he panted softly in slight fatigue as he brought the hammer down on the cube atop the table.
She'd seen half-naked guys before - a bunch of them tried to show off in the auditorium before Initiation - but those didn't interest her. Way too many Huntsmen only knew how to hit things and didn't even make their own weapons like in Signal. Boring. Now, seeing a guy sweating it out at the forge to build something with his own two hands? That...she liked that.
"Ooh, mama like..." Yang said next to her.
"Be with you in a sec!" Jaune brought the hammer down one last time and the square cube turned into a sword. The pure white blade seemed to shimmer and she was almost blinded when he grabbed the golden hilt and raised it with a smile.
Oh damn. That was a nice image.
Weiss coughed, though Ruby didn't miss how red her cheeks were. Blake's too, "Mr. Arc?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, sorry." He set the sword down on the table and picked up a light blue shirt hanging on a nearby chair. Ruby refused to voice out how disappointed he was when he put it on, "How can I help you all? Need something built?"
"No, thank you." Weiss gave him the 'businesswoman' smile, "My name is Weiss Schnee. This is Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, and Blake Belladonna." She pointed to each of them in turn, "We were sent here to investigate this settlement."
"Oh. I hope it's nothing bad?"
"Quite the opposite, actually. We'd heard about the advancements that took place over the past year and the headmaster sent us to verify things with our own eyes, so to speak."
"Oh...cool. Hope it didn't disappoint." Ruby almost scoffed at that. He'd made his own miniature kingdom and he was acting like they were gonna say something bad about him, "I mean, I was just building stuff. I woke up one day with all these ideas in my head and I knew I just had to build it. You know what I mean?"
"Oh yeah." Ruby nodded eagerly. Granted, in her case there were a lot of failures and test runs. Just cause she thought she could give Crescent Rose a high-powered laser didn't mean she actually knew how to build one that wouldn't blow up in her hands, "Speaking of, what was that sword?"
"Huh? Oh!" He beamed proudly and picked it up again. The pure-white longsword seemed to gleam in response to being held, "I was testing out this new metal ingot I made. Meteor ore with a dash of silverite. Not sure how well it'll do yet, but I'm hoping it'll at least match the diamond sword."
"...Excuse me, the what?" Weiss said, barely managing to keep a straight face.
"Diamond sword. Should be around here somewhere..." He turned and rummaged through a nearby chest like he was looking for a spare bit of lien. It only took him a few seconds to pull out a sword covered in a fine blue scabbard, "Here it is."
He handed it to Weiss as if she'd asked for it. Her partner looked down at the sword and reluctantly took it before slowly pulling it out of its sheath. Her eyes practically bugged out as the crystal blue blade was exposed to the open air. Again, Ruby could already tell she was calculating just how expensive this one sword was.
Jaune saw the look on her face and smiled, "Do you want it?"
"Wh-What?!" Weiss sputtered, looking completely caught out.
"Do you want it? You seem to really like it!"
"N-No! I mean, yes, I do think the craftsmanship is superb, but I can't just accept this! This is too much!"
"Is it? I have a few more. I don't mind giving this one to you." The casual declaration made Weiss' breath seize. Ruby knew that Weiss was rich - she wasn't exactly shy about it - but all that money came with caveats. Her allowance came from her dad and continuing to receive one meant having to keep him happy. If she sold that sword, she could easily afford any expenses she had at Beacon for the next four years and beyond.
The internal struggle was plain for all to see. Weiss' pride and sense of decorum were fighting against the mountain of lien she held in her hands.
"What? No present for us?" Yang asked with a joking smile.
"Yang!" Ruby scolded.
"Huh? Oh, I'm being rude." He laughed lightly and picked up another box from a nearby table, "I don't really know what you three will like, but I have some spare materials. Here, see if anything interests you!"
He opened the box and offered it to them. Ruby, Blake, and Yang looked inside and Ruby was almost floored at the messy pile of gold, gemstones, and other high-quality items. A fist-sized ruby, some gold bars, a handful of pearls...it was like something of a pirate's buried treasure. Yang's mouth parted open, but there was no quip or joke to be had. Blake looked similarly stunned and looked into Jaune's eyes, trying to see if there was some kind of implication with the gesture.
Nothing. He just continued to smile and hold up the box.
"I...I can't..." Ruby mumbled. She was so tempted, but-
"Well, I'll take this then." She grabbed the ruby.
"Wha- Yang?!"
"Hey, he's offering!" Yang shot back.
"Thank you." Blake took a single gold bar.
"You too, Blake?! Come on, we're not here to..." Her voice trailed off as she saw something far more valuable than jewelry. Buried under the shiny rocks was a single dimeritium ingot. Whatever lecture she had died in her throat. Dimeritium was a rare and expensive material. Even if she saved up her allowance for a year straight, she wouldn't have been able to afford even a single one. So many upgrades she could do with Crescent Rose if she had even one ingot...
Jaune noticed where she was looking and smiled. Without any hesitation, he rifled through the box with his other hand and brought out three ingots that he handed to her.
"W-Wait, I can't accept-"
"It's fine." Jaune nodded and pressed it to her trembling hands, "Most people don't go for ingots. I'm guessing you want to build something, right?"
"Y-Yeah..." She blushed in embarrassment. The ingots felt heavy in her hands.
"Wanna try building it here? If you don't mind, I mean."
"C-Can I?" Oh gods, she was so lightheaded. He'd just given her some of the rarest materials on Remnant and now he was offering to let her use his workshop. She thought that people that like him didn't exist out of fairytales...
"Sure! It'll be nice to see someone else's work!"
"Uh...we'll give you two some room," Yang said. Ruby could barely hear her. Not when she'd found her soulmate.
Jaune Arc...
The name ran through Weiss' head as she walked aimlessly around the miniature kingdom. Her right hand limply held a sword easily worth millions. The thought of it made her head swim. As the heiress to the SDC, Weiss was used to luxury and expense. Birthday parties and celebrations were lavish events, each easily costing hundreds of thousands of lien. Father didn't care about his family, but he couldn't deny the temptation of throwing his money around and lording it above everyone else.
And yet she'd never witnessed such generosity. Or was it a pure lack of regard? Jaune had given her this sword with as much care as one would give out an old shirt. This wasn't like Father's audacious shows of wealth. He legitimately did not care to part with something so valuable. And why would he, she thought. If money was what he was after, he could easily make a fortune off of his creations and 'materials' and live the easy life of a king.
But he didn't. Instead, he built...all of this. She looked around at the happy people, the general feeling of contentment, and her grip on the sword tightened. It was everything her father could've done but didn't. No, instead he chose to abuse his employees and throw away any sense of honor and morality for the sake of his greed. He and those sycophants who followed him. Thinking of it made her gut churn with disgust at the selfishness of it all.
Despite her feelings, Weiss was already making plans. Father was a bastard, but he didn't raise a fool. Jaune was clearly skilled. Prodigiously so. Whatever his Semblance was, it allowed him to do miraculous things. She also knew that the headmaster wouldn't have sent them here simply to report that Jaune Arc did, in fact, exist. No. It was more than that. The headmaster wanted him, that she was sure of. A man of his skills (and physique...) would be valuable to anyone.
She could see it already. The people in the countryside were aware, but once Jaune's abilities were known throughout the kingdoms? They would each demand his skills, arguing over one another that they deserved his assistance over everyone else...including her. She chewed on her lower lip. Perhaps the headmaster didn't intend it, but he'd given her a headstart.
She wanted...needed Jaune's skills. Her position as the heiress was tenuous. Fighting for the chance to attend Beacon had soured her heavily in her father's eyes, and she was sure that Whitley was making his own little schemes to try and further discredit her. If she truly wanted to redeem the Schnee name, then waiting for her father to retire might not be enough. How many years would he take before he settled down? How much damage could he do in the meantime?
But with Jaune's help, she could...expedite the process. His engineering skills were miraculous. Surely, he could find some way to refine Dust or make the gathering process easier and safer. And if not, then less direct aid could suffice. Those potions of his could enhance the strength and vigor of any employee, and those tools she saw around the workshop would make it far easier for the miners to extract dust. If she could sell the idea that she could improve the SDC without needing to be devoid of morality, she could oust her father.
The diamond sword in her hands made her think of an even more audacious idea. Start her own company, damn the bloated mass of corruption her father created. She knew it was impractical, but it was a tempting idea regardless.
Now how could she...
"Weiss." She turned and blinked at the sight of Blake. Things between the two of them had been...tense ever since Blake had outed herself as former White Fang. While the two of them had publicly made peace for Ruby and Yang's sake, years of conflict couldn't just be swept away with one apology. They understood where the other came from, but it couldn't erase the fact that Weiss was the daughter of the man who'd borderline-enslaved Faunus and Blake was part of a group that had specifically targeted her family and killed people she knew growing up.
They weren't enemies, but they weren't exactly friends. Not yet, at least.
"Blake." Weiss nodded back. It was rare for Blake to seek her out and initiate conversation.
"I'll be blunt. What plans do you have for Jaune?"
Weiss raised a brow, "What makes you think I have any?" she asked back.
"Because I'm not stupid." Blake scoffed, "I could see the gears turning in your head when we left."
"Fine. You got me." Weiss crossed her arms, "I'm thinking of asking for his help in ousting my father." At Blake's silence, Weiss continued, "We might not agree on a lot of things, but we're both of the same mind that the SDC under my father is a bloated, corrupt beast. With Jaune's help, I'm sure that I could find a way to remove my father from his position." It would perhaps mean stopping her education at Beacon to take her place as CEO, though she could possibly find someone to serve the role in the interim while she finished her education. Regardless, she couldn't let this chance slip away.
"I see..."
"Do you disapprove? I'd have thought you would want Jacques Schnee removed from his position."
"That's not the issue here." She sighed and gestured to their surroundings, "Look around you, Weiss. See what Jaune did in just six months. Do you know who really needs that help? Menagerie." Weiss pursed her lips and resisted the urge to interrupt. Blake had given her the same courtesy, after all, "Two-thirds of Menagerie is uninhabitable due to the environment and Grimm, but with Jaune's help, that can all change. The Faunus can turn their home into something more than a glorified prison the kingdoms gave us as a 'prize'. Proper docks, defenses, and a town that won't be destroyed by one errant arsonist. The Faunus could have the kingdom they deserve."
"Sounds ambitious, but how long do you think this would take? Even with Jaune's skills, turning a village into a flourishing town is a far cry from turning something into a kingdom proper. You're talking about adapting to a hostile environment and having to deal with the Grimm. That would take months, if not years, even with Jaune's help. Whereas my plan would be far faster and lead to obvious benefits. No more employees - Faunus - dying in the mines due to greed and no safety checks. People can finally feel safe."
"And how long should my people have to wait while the rich get richer?" Weiss scowled at the insult, "It'll take longer, sure, but the Faunus deserve a chance to have a true home. You're already slated to become the heiress. You don't need Jaune's help. We do."
"I'm sure it appears that way from an outside perspective, but that's not the whole truth." Weiss sighed, "I need Jaune's help, Blake."
"So do I."
"Then I guess we're at an impasse." Weiss frowned.
"I guess so. Good thing I'm gonna win."
The two of them stared at one another for a moment before Blake turned on her heel and left without a word. Weiss did the same, face marred with a deep frown despite her best efforts to the contrary. It wasn't as if she didn't understand Blake's point of view, but her plan was sensible. Turning Menagerie into a proper kingdom would be a far more difficult task than Jaune assisting her in ensuring her transition as the CEO. She would have to convince the board that Jaune was loyal to her, of course, or else those snakes would try to cut her out. She could simply...
Weiss stopped. How...could she convince Jaune to help her? Her first thought was money and connections - the usual bait for those seeking alliances - but that wouldn't work. Jaune could create things that would earn him more than enough lien if he so wished. As for connections...would her role as the heiress even matter here? What could she offer a man who could build seemingly anything? Was that why Blake was so confident that she'd seize victory?
She shook her head. No, now was not the time for doubts. She might not have been able to use her usual methods, but that didn't mean Blake had a leg up either. She would be the one to secure Jaune's loyalty and accomplish her plans. She just knew it.
Uh-oh, war's brewing already. Weiss and Blake have met Jaune for like five minutes and they've already made plans on how they can use his Semblance without even asking Jaune first what he wants to do. Ain't life grand?
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Questions:
1. So between Blake and Weiss, who do you think deserves Jaune's help more? Ignoring the whole 'them not asking Jaune at all about his opinion' thing. Blake's plan is ambitious but is definitely a time-sink even with Minecraft powers. Weiss has a higher likelihood of success but it's not as widespread or significant as giving the Faunus an equal place on Remnant.
2. How do you guys want Weiss and Blake to try to appeal to Jaune? Especially Blake. I'm kind of torn on Blake trying to go for (poorly attempted) seduction or her trying to go full guilt trip like 'So I noticed you haven't helped any Faunus villages. Not saying you're racist, BUT...' to try and convince Jaune to help out of Human Guilt. Likewise, Weiss can't default to the 'I can pay you' option since Jaune just casually gives out diamonds to people he's just met.
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Chapter 1: Breaking the Setting in Half
This was so exciting!
Ruby bounced up in her seat and eagerly looked out of the bullhead's window. She was practically buzzing with excitement. This was team RWBY's first-ever mission! Okay, so they weren't going out to kill a horde of Grimm or anything, but it was still exciting for her.
The rest of the team didn't share her excitement. Weiss was sitting straight and rigid next to her with her hands on her lap and a sour look on her face. Across from them, Yang was slumped over bored in her seat while Blake was reading some book that she scratched the title out of. Ever since she told them that it was a scouting mission, the rest of the team got super bored. Even Weiss, though she wouldn't admit it, was looking forward to getting some action.
Hey, she wanted to go kill Grimm too, but she'd take what she could get!
They were being sent to scout out a village on Eastern Saunus. Apparently, it was growing super fast and the place was completely safe from Grimm. Which was good, but from what the headmaster told her, the place got like that in less than a year. It was weird. Places like Patch and Argues took years to be safe, and even then that took the backing of kingdoms or Huntsmen deciding to congregate around the area. This place - Domremy, it was called - didn't have that.
Yang yawned and stretched her arms above her head, "Man, this sucks," she groaned, "Why are we being sent out for this? The freaking pilot could check out the town. You don't need four people to do this."
"Didn't you read the briefing, Yang?" Weiss asked.
"Eh, I leave that to you guys."
"Of course." Weiss sighed and tapped her scroll, "Our mission is to scout out a village, yes, but we're also supposed to 'observe, and protect, if need be' someone of great importance. Apparently, this settlement's rapid industrial boom was caused by said individual awakening to his Semblance."
"Pft, you're telling me one guy put a town on the map? He's not Cereal Girl." Pyrrha's team was doing their own mission: shadowing a deputy to get a better idea of what Huntsmen were supposed to do in remote settlements. It sounded about as interesting as what they were doing now, but she was curious all the same. While she focused on weaponry, engineering in general was something she was passionate about. She wondered what this guy did to help his village out so much.
"I passed by this place a year ago." Blake turned a page on the book and her bow twitched. Cute, "Domremy. It's more village than town. The only thing that stuck out was the winery they had. Enchanting Elixrs, I think it's called? A family called the Arcs run it if I'm remembering right."
"I've had a couple of their bottles in mealtimes. Decent enough vintages, though nothing spectacular. Mother has sampled their brews as well." Weiss wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips. She didn't like talking about her family and they didn't push.
"Hey, maybe we can score some free drinks while we're there!" Yang grinned.
"Yang! No drinking on the job!" Ruby said.
"Come on, Rubes! Lighten up!"
"Nope! We're professional Huntresses-in-training! Professionals, Yang!"
The four of them chatted for the rest of the flight. The mission wasn't supposed to take long. Get in, get some info on the settlement, then check out the person responsible. They were only supposed to stay for three days. Long enough for them to get an idea of what made the settlement so special and make a detailed report. Yang had whooped and said it was a chance to cut classes, which Weiss glared at her for. Ruby didn't say it out loud, but she was happy for a chance to avoid another one of Professor Port's lectures.
"We're here," the bullhead pilot said over the intercom. Ruby grinned and stood up, ignoring Weiss' protest that they should sit until the vehicle fully landed. Yeah, right. She saw Weiss' sister standing on the bullhead ramp when she arrived in Beacon.
Ruby stood in front of the ramp and waited for it to lower. She briefly considered the idea of making a pose for anyone who just happened to be on the other side before thinking better about it. Weiss would scoff about how she was being immature or something.
As soon as the ramp hit the ground Ruby rushed outside and stopped, eyes wide with wonder. The picture of Domremy they were given was of a pretty standard village-cum-town. Regular fortifications of a wall and a militia while the buildings were built more for practicality than anything else. She grew up in Patch, so she was used to rustic surroundings. The four kingdoms and some rare offshoots like Argus were the only places you could expect something better.
Domremy wasn't anything like the pictures. The buildings reminded her of the ones back in Vale, except even fancier looking if that was possible. Each and every building was meticulously designed and decorated, managing to look both expensive yet practical. Back in Patch, the biggest place they had was the mayor's house in the nearby town, and yet every single building easily matched or even surpassed that place with how well-built they were.
The docks they'd landed on were similarly designed. Most docks in outside settlements tended to be a clear patch of land with the bare minimum of necessities. Most villages didn't have the money to keep things like fuel and repair shops on hand due to the rarity of flying vehicles coming and going.
Not this one. The landing pad - an actual landing pad - was surrounded by the usual amenities back at Beacon. Heck, there were more than that. A fueling station, a garage, and even a small bar(!). It was like something straight out of Nova Wars.
Ruby turned around and her eyes boggled at the wall circling the town. Vale's defenses, like just about any kingdom's, consisted of a wall and automated defenses. There was a defense force, of course, but the majority of them were engineers who were meant to keep the defenses online. Most settlements couldn't afford anything similar. Defense systems were expensive and needed the right technical know-how to repair. That was why they made do with militias.
Like everything else in Domremy so far, it was different. The wall was big - easily matching Vale's in height - and covered in turrets, AA guns, and advanced watchtowers. There were sniper nests with spotlights observing the area and people patrolling the walls on top of everything else. And their armor...she knew that people without Aura (or those with poorly trained ones) needed armor to blunt the difference, even if most kinds of protection weren't really much of a help against Grimm. There was a reason they had to reinforce their weapons with Aura.
The miltia patrolling the walls were each wearing proper steel plate. Even from a distance, Ruby could tell each and every suit was well-made. It still wouldn't have been as good compared to Aura, but it was definitely above what the average outside settlement would have.
The rest of the team went down and looked around in similar awe. Yang's eyes in particular lingered at the well-stocked bar, though Weiss had grabbed her by the ear just as she was making to walk off.\, "Ow, hey! I was just gonna check it out!"
"No getting drunk, Yang!" Weiss scolded. She let go of the blonde's ear and looked around again, "This place is...not what I expected."
"It definitely didn't look like this a year ago..." Blake muttered.
"Stuff like this takes way more than a year to build," Ruby added. Just the wall alone would have been a huge effort, and that wasn't even counting everything else on top. And this was all because of one person? Even someone with a Polarity Semblance like Pyrrha couldn't do something like this in a year.
Their wondering was cut off when someone walked up to them. Ruby turned to greet him and stopped when she saw his armor. She was used to working with rare materials in her efforts to improve Crescent Rose, even spending most of her allowance on any esoteric stuff she could find. Still, she'd never worked on diamonds before. They were super expensive, and despite how hard they were, they were also extremely brittle. One good hit and it'd shatter into a million pieces.
And yet here a guy was walking up to them wearing an entire suit made out of diamond. And it was definitely diamond. Ruby wasn't fancy schmancy like Weiss, but she knew the real stuff when she saw it. Weiss did too. Her bestie's eyes were wide and the look on her face made it obvious that she was mentally calculating how much the entire suit cost. Ruby was more curious about how someone could find enough diamonds to make a whole suit of armor.
"Holy shit..." Yang whispered behind her. Blake hummed in agreement.
"You four must be Team RWBY. The headmaster contacted us. Name's John Oakwood, I run the militia around here." The man said. He was a tall guy with a big bushy beard and a rough face that didn't match the fancy suit he was wearing. He reminded her of Old Bear Gunderson from back home, "Headmaster said you all wanted to check out our one-man revolution. I'll take you to him."
"Um, pardon me," Weiss said. She sounded downright meek, which was creepy, "I know it might sound boorish, but are those..." She trailed off and pointed to the diamond chest plate.
The middle-aged man's face split in a wide smile and he laughed, causing Weiss' cheek to flush red, "Right, right. Forget how odd it must look to anyone new." Odd wasn't the word she'd use, but Ruby kept that to herself, "Yeah, it was a gift. Didn't think much of how useful it'd be, but I was proven wrong."
"Uh, really?" Ruby couldn't stop herself from asking. She continued before her embarrassment made her stop, "Diamonds are hard, but they're not really good at taking impacts."
"That's what I thought too, but results speak for themselves." He rubbed his beard in thought, "Hm, tell you what. You Huntresses got good guns, right?" They all nodded except for Weiss. Myrtanester didn't really have a gun form in the traditional sense, "Right then, why not do a test? Go on and shoot me in the chest." He tapped the diamond chestplate and grinned.
"Um...are you sure about that?" Ruby shuffled from one foot to another, "Do you have an awakened Aura, sir?"
"Sure, but I ain't trained it like you lasses." He rubbed his beard again. It reminded her of Professor Port, "But it'll be fine. Only if you really wanna see how effective the armor is, 'course. We could just get on our way."
Ruby chewed on her lower lip. They really should be going, but she couldn't deny that she was curious about how effective it was, "Alright..." No one disagreed. Either they were curious like she was or, in Weiss' case, still trying to calculate how expensive a whole diamond suit would be.
They walked over to a more secluded spot...after Yang made sure to record the guy saying he was giving Ruby his consent to shoot him. Just to avoid any problems just in case, she said. Ruby stood across a fair distance away from the militia leader and unfurled Crescent Rose into its sniper rifle form. Mr. Oakwood gave an impressed whistle, which caused Ruby to smile. She was never one to turn away compliments for her baby.
Ruby raised the rifle and aimed dead center at his torso before squeezing the trigger. A loud bang erupted and Ruby released a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding. The bullet impacted against the surface of the chestplate and...nothing. There wasn't even a scratch. The bullet had been smashed flat on contact and Ruby watched as the no-thin circle of metal fell to the ground.
...Wow.
"Told ya it worked." He rapped a fist against the pristine chestplate, "Jaune does good work."
"Jaune...I suppose that's the name of the individual responsible for all this?" Weiss asked. Her eyes hadn't left the diamond armor since he first showed up.
"That he be. Jaune Arc, Nathanel and Elise's kid. Lad always had his head in the clouds for a while, but then..." He shook his head, "Ah, I'll tell ya lasses on the way."
The four of them followed after him silently and listened. The rapid changes began six months ago. Jaune Arc, one of the people living in the village, had awakened his Semblance. Mr. Oakwood was sparse on the details - apparently, he didn't know much about it himself - but the gist of it was that his Semblance allowed him to build good. Like, really good. Everything from gathering the resources, designing the buildings, and creating said buildings from the ground up. The others tried to help where they could, of course, but apparently, Jaune was just way better at gathering and building than they were.
Ruby had to admit that she felt somewhat jealous. It took her years of lessons and trial and error to get where she was, and even then she wasn't nearly as good as this Jaune guy sounded. She definitely couldn't make buildings or make armor out of freaking diamonds.
"There's a lot of people here," Blake said, "The place was definitely smaller when I passed by a year ago."
"Things have changed, aye," Mr. Oakwood replied, "When Jaune started changing things, the other places noticed. They realized it was safer inside our walls than it was in their own places. It started slow at first. Just a few people coming in and making a place for themselves. But then more and more newcomers showed up and people got worried. Domremy wasn't built to handle so many people. We don't have enough land, enough houses...well, you get the idea."
"You seem to be all doing fine," Weiss commented airily.
"Thanks to Jaune." He nodded, "Needed more space? He just expanded. Needed jobs? He set the foundations for new farms, fisheries, and anything else you can think of. People always need more food and farmland comes at a premium. We still had some bums who came in expecting an easy ride, 'course, but we got the lazy bastards out. Damn wastrels wouldn't even patrol the walls or help plow the fields. Everyone else here works for what they have."
Ruby kept looking around without saying a word. This place reminded her more of Vale than anything else. More rural, sure, but just as advanced. Could one person really be responsible for all of this? She'd never heard of a Semblance that strong. Then again, she'd never heard of hereditary Semblances before she met Weiss, so...
The place was bigger than she thought. Miles and miles of land were filled to the brim with farms, shops, and factories. The people here were all working hard and many stopped to wave happily as they passed. Ruby eyed a bunch of people harvesting large quantities of grain along with a few other stuff. She didn't know much about it. Despite living in a cabin in the woods with Dad and Yang, none of them really knew about farming. They could all hunt and live off the land, but not that way.
She stopped and did a double-take when she saw something else. Was...Was that a strawberry farm? She rubbed her eyes just to make sure and, yep, it definitely was one. Her mouth salivated at the sight of the fresh berries being plucked by hard workers. She was so tempted to speed over there and get some, but she held back. It'd been so long since she had some strawberries...
"Hey, John. New people living in the village?" Another voice called out. Ruby tore her eyes away from the field of paradise and blinked. The new arrival was an old woman who looked like the classic gradnma straight out of a storybook. Short and dressed in heavy layers with a head of wispy white hair and a face full of wrinkles that told of a long life.
Except for the fact that she had muscles that put Yang to shame, which she put to use by carrying what looked like 300-pound sacks of grain over each shoulder. Her big sis looked at the bulging arms and legs of the old lady then self-consciously rubbed her own (not small) arms, "Hey, Annette. Nah, these city folk are Huntresses. Came to see our miracle."
"Visiting Jaune? Well, guess I shouldn't be surprised." She smiled, "How about I take them the rest of the way? I'm supposed to take these-" she hefted the bugs on her shoulders, "-over to Jaune's place anyway so it'll save you a trip."
"If you don't mind." Mr. Oakwood nodded, "Annette will take it from here. See you all around."
They all mumbled their goodbyes and followed their new guide. The woman - Annette Crowder - was just as chatty as Mr. Oakwood, "This is all thanks to sweet little Jaune, of course," she beamed like a proud grandmother, "Though, I guess he's not so little anymore."
"So hey, uh..." Yang rubbed the back of her head, "Hope you don't mind me asking, but what training regiment you got going on? I'd kill to look that good at your age."
"Oh, these?" Mrs. Crowder flexed her arms and laughed, "It's not because if anything I did, dear. It's another one of Jaune's gifts. They're...well, I guess you could call them health drinks? He brewed up some for me and af ew of the others when we collapsed. Old age, you understand." She shook her head, "We said that we didn't need it and he'd already done so much for us, but he insisted. Would've been disrespectful if we refused and the rest is history."
"Fascinating. I'm sure Atlas would pay a lot for that drink." Weiss hummed. Blake looked away and scowled slightly, "Would you happen to have the recipe?"
"No, no. Jaune has that, and he's the only one who can make it, I think. Some rascals tried to make some for themselves and all they got was an upset stomach and a trip to the hospital." She laughed, "Don't let the muscle fool you young'uns. The drinks make us strong, but it isn't permanent. All of us agreed that we wouldn't use it unless we really had to. Wouldn't wanna get reliant on it, right? You look like you worked hard for those," she said to Yang.
"Thanks for noticing." Yang grinned. She still looked somewhat self-conscious, but being praised had helped, "So...this Jaune guy. He makes buildings, gives jobs, and gives freaking magic potions. Is there anything this guy can't do?"
"He does seem universally skilled just from what we've been hearing," Weiss added.
Blake didn't say anything. She just looked around with narrowed eyes while her bow kept twitching. Ruby suddenly had a bad feeling, though she didn't say anything out loud. Blake was probably making some weird plan again.
They left the more bustling town and walked up a hill. At the top of said hill was an honest to Brothers castle. She'd been here long enough that she wasn't that shocked anymore, but it was hard not to be impressed. Like the town proper, the castle was surrounded by its own wall lined with anti-air defenses and automatic turrets. Any Grimm or ship trying to land without an invitation would've been shot out of the sky."
"And I thought Atlas was secure..." Blake muttered.
They walked past the drawbridge(!) before Mrs. Crowder turned to them, "Well, I'm heading off to the stables. The four of you can head on inside. Jaune should be inside. The rest of his family is out, but he should be down in the workshop. Take the first door on the right and the stairs down. Jaune'll be working on something else, knowing him. Boy will never slow down. Shame, so many of the village lasses wish he'd actually see what he built."
"Thanks." Ruby bowed politely and walked inside. The inside was just as fancy as the outside. Marble floor, numerous paintings on the walls, and gold-lined chandeliers on the ceiling. And that was just the start. The golden suits of armor lining the hallway made her dizzy to think about, and even Weiss felt out of place.
"...60 billion lien." Weiss mumbled.
"Huh?" Ruby turned to her.
"That armor Mr. Oakwood was wearing. It's worth easily 60 billion lien. No one would buy at that price, of course, but even at a reduced price, it would be enough to fund a decently sized town for months. Yet this Jaune gave it to someone else as a gift."
"Um..." Ruby shuffled from one foot to another. She really didn't know what to say about that, "Let's just meet this guy."
Ruby led the way down. It was weird. Beacon was a castle, but this place felt different. Not bad, but still. Ruby stopped at the bottom of the staircase and knocked on the door.
"Come in!" A boyish voice called out from inside. Not even a 'who is it?', just an open invitation. Then again, no one else seemed to worry about them going to meet him while he was alone. She liked to think it was because of how trusted Huntsmen were.
Ruby opened the door and stepped inside. She only managed a few steps before she was frozen at the amazing sight before her. The strawberry fields were nice, but this was amazing. It was a forge. No, calling it that was an insult. It was a basion of creation! Beacon had a forge, the best Vale could afford for their future protectors. And yet it paled in comparison to the the room around her. As an aspiring blacksmith and engineer, she could just tell that miracles were made in this place. Her mouth drooled at the thought of creating so many weapon upgrades. Crescent Rose with a high-frequency blade...
The other reason she was drooling was because of the person who owned the room.
Ruby didn't get why other girls were so into boys. Who had time for all that stuff when they were so busy being Huntsmen? That wasn't to say she was blind to how attractive guys could be, but the ones at Beacon just didn't do it for her. She didn't think Neptune was 'so hot' the same way Weiss and a bunch of the other girls in her year did.
Yet despite that, she was unable to tear her eyes away at the sight of (presumably) Jaune Arc hammering away at a blacksmith's table. He was shirtless, which made sense given how hot forges could be. His position gave them a good side view of his entire body. He wasn't the most muscular - people like Cardin or Sun were bigger - but he was definitely well-built with firm arms and well-formed abs. His bare upper body glistened with a light sheen of sweat and he panted softly in slight fatigue as he brought the hammer down on the cube atop the table.
She'd seen half-naked guys before - a bunch of them tried to show off in the auditorium before Initiation - but those didn't interest her. Way too many Huntsmen only knew how to hit things and didn't even make their own weapons like in Signal. Boring. Now, seeing a guy sweating it out at the forge to build something with his own two hands? That...she liked that.
"Ooh, mama like..." Yang said next to her.
"Be with you in a sec!" Jaune brought the hammer down one last time and the square cube turned into a sword. The pure white blade seemed to shimmer and she was almost blinded when he grabbed the golden hilt and raised it with a smile.
Oh damn. That was a nice image.
Weiss coughed, though Ruby didn't miss how red her cheeks were. Blake's too, "Mr. Arc?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, sorry." He set the sword down on the table and picked up a light blue shirt hanging on a nearby chair. Ruby refused to voice out how disappointed he was when he put it on, "How can I help you all? Need something built?"
"No, thank you." Weiss gave him the 'businesswoman' smile, "My name is Weiss Schnee. This is Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, and Blake Belladonna." She pointed to each of them in turn, "We were sent here to investigate this settlement."
"Oh. I hope it's nothing bad?"
"Quite the opposite, actually. We'd heard about the advancements that took place over the past year and the headmaster sent us to verify things with our own eyes, so to speak."
"Oh...cool. Hope it didn't disappoint." Ruby almost scoffed at that. He'd made his own miniature kingdom and he was acting like they were gonna say something bad about him, "I mean, I was just building stuff. I woke up one day with all these ideas in my head and I knew I just had to build it. You know what I mean?"
"Oh yeah." Ruby nodded eagerly. Granted, in her case there were a lot of failures and test runs. Just cause she thought she could give Crescent Rose a high-powered laser didn't mean she actually knew how to build one that wouldn't blow up in her hands, "Speaking of, what was that sword?"
"Huh? Oh!" He beamed proudly and picked it up again. The pure-white longsword seemed to gleam in response to being held, "I was testing out this new metal ingot I made. Meteor ore with a dash of silverite. Not sure how well it'll do yet, but I'm hoping it'll at least match the diamond sword."
"...Excuse me, the what?" Weiss said, barely managing to keep a straight face.
"Diamond sword. Should be around here somewhere..." He turned and rummaged through a nearby chest like he was looking for a spare bit of lien. It only took him a few seconds to pull out a sword covered in a fine blue scabbard, "Here it is."
He handed it to Weiss as if she'd asked for it. Her partner looked down at the sword and reluctantly took it before slowly pulling it out of its sheath. Her eyes practically bugged out as the crystal blue blade was exposed to the open air. Again, Ruby could already tell she was calculating just how expensive this one sword was.
Jaune saw the look on her face and smiled, "Do you want it?"
"Wh-What?!" Weiss sputtered, looking completely caught out.
"Do you want it? You seem to really like it!"
"N-No! I mean, yes, I do think the craftsmanship is superb, but I can't just accept this! This is too much!"
"Is it? I have a few more. I don't mind giving this one to you." The casual declaration made Weiss' breath seize. Ruby knew that Weiss was rich - she wasn't exactly shy about it - but all that money came with caveats. Her allowance came from her dad and continuing to receive one meant having to keep him happy. If she sold that sword, she could easily afford any expenses she had at Beacon for the next four years and beyond.
The internal struggle was plain for all to see. Weiss' pride and sense of decorum were fighting against the mountain of lien she held in her hands.
"What? No present for us?" Yang asked with a joking smile.
"Yang!" Ruby scolded.
"Huh? Oh, I'm being rude." He laughed lightly and picked up another box from a nearby table, "I don't really know what you three will like, but I have some spare materials. Here, see if anything interests you!"
He opened the box and offered it to them. Ruby, Blake, and Yang looked inside and Ruby was almost floored at the messy pile of gold, gemstones, and other high-quality items. A fist-sized ruby, some gold bars, a handful of pearls...it was like something of a pirate's buried treasure. Yang's mouth parted open, but there was no quip or joke to be had. Blake looked similarly stunned and looked into Jaune's eyes, trying to see if there was some kind of implication with the gesture.
Nothing. He just continued to smile and hold up the box.
"I...I can't..." Ruby mumbled. She was so tempted, but-
"Well, I'll take this then." She grabbed the ruby.
"Wha- Yang?!"
"Hey, he's offering!" Yang shot back.
"Thank you." Blake took a single gold bar.
"You too, Blake?! Come on, we're not here to..." Her voice trailed off as she saw something far more valuable than jewelry. Buried under the shiny rocks was a single dimeritium ingot. Whatever lecture she had died in her throat. Dimeritium was a rare and expensive material. Even if she saved up her allowance for a year straight, she wouldn't have been able to afford even a single one. So many upgrades she could do with Crescent Rose if she had even one ingot...
Jaune noticed where she was looking and smiled. Without any hesitation, he rifled through the box with his other hand and brought out three ingots that he handed to her.
"W-Wait, I can't accept-"
"It's fine." Jaune nodded and pressed it to her trembling hands, "Most people don't go for ingots. I'm guessing you want to build something, right?"
"Y-Yeah..." She blushed in embarrassment. The ingots felt heavy in her hands.
"Wanna try building it here? If you don't mind, I mean."
"C-Can I?" Oh gods, she was so lightheaded. He'd just given her some of the rarest materials on Remnant and now he was offering to let her use his workshop. She thought that people that like him didn't exist out of fairytales...
"Sure! It'll be nice to see someone else's work!"
"Uh...we'll give you two some room," Yang said. Ruby could barely hear her. Not when she'd found her soulmate.
Jaune Arc...
The name ran through Weiss' head as she walked aimlessly around the miniature kingdom. Her right hand limply held a sword easily worth millions. The thought of it made her head swim. As the heiress to the SDC, Weiss was used to luxury and expense. Birthday parties and celebrations were lavish events, each easily costing hundreds of thousands of lien. Father didn't care about his family, but he couldn't deny the temptation of throwing his money around and lording it above everyone else.
And yet she'd never witnessed such generosity. Or was it a pure lack of regard? Jaune had given her this sword with as much care as one would give out an old shirt. This wasn't like Father's audacious shows of wealth. He legitimately did not care to part with something so valuable. And why would he, she thought. If money was what he was after, he could easily make a fortune off of his creations and 'materials' and live the easy life of a king.
But he didn't. Instead, he built...all of this. She looked around at the happy people, the general feeling of contentment, and her grip on the sword tightened. It was everything her father could've done but didn't. No, instead he chose to abuse his employees and throw away any sense of honor and morality for the sake of his greed. He and those sycophants who followed him. Thinking of it made her gut churn with disgust at the selfishness of it all.
Despite her feelings, Weiss was already making plans. Father was a bastard, but he didn't raise a fool. Jaune was clearly skilled. Prodigiously so. Whatever his Semblance was, it allowed him to do miraculous things. She also knew that the headmaster wouldn't have sent them here simply to report that Jaune Arc did, in fact, exist. No. It was more than that. The headmaster wanted him, that she was sure of. A man of his skills (and physique...) would be valuable to anyone.
She could see it already. The people in the countryside were aware, but once Jaune's abilities were known throughout the kingdoms? They would each demand his skills, arguing over one another that they deserved his assistance over everyone else...including her. She chewed on her lower lip. Perhaps the headmaster didn't intend it, but he'd given her a headstart.
She wanted...needed Jaune's skills. Her position as the heiress was tenuous. Fighting for the chance to attend Beacon had soured her heavily in her father's eyes, and she was sure that Whitley was making his own little schemes to try and further discredit her. If she truly wanted to redeem the Schnee name, then waiting for her father to retire might not be enough. How many years would he take before he settled down? How much damage could he do in the meantime?
But with Jaune's help, she could...expedite the process. His engineering skills were miraculous. Surely, he could find some way to refine Dust or make the gathering process easier and safer. And if not, then less direct aid could suffice. Those potions of his could enhance the strength and vigor of any employee, and those tools she saw around the workshop would make it far easier for the miners to extract dust. If she could sell the idea that she could improve the SDC without needing to be devoid of morality, she could oust her father.
The diamond sword in her hands made her think of an even more audacious idea. Start her own company, damn the bloated mass of corruption her father created. She knew it was impractical, but it was a tempting idea regardless.
Now how could she...
"Weiss." She turned and blinked at the sight of Blake. Things between the two of them had been...tense ever since Blake had outed herself as former White Fang. While the two of them had publicly made peace for Ruby and Yang's sake, years of conflict couldn't just be swept away with one apology. They understood where the other came from, but it couldn't erase the fact that Weiss was the daughter of the man who'd borderline-enslaved Faunus and Blake was part of a group that had specifically targeted her family and killed people she knew growing up.
They weren't enemies, but they weren't exactly friends. Not yet, at least.
"Blake." Weiss nodded back. It was rare for Blake to seek her out and initiate conversation.
"I'll be blunt. What plans do you have for Jaune?"
Weiss raised a brow, "What makes you think I have any?" she asked back.
"Because I'm not stupid." Blake scoffed, "I could see the gears turning in your head when we left."
"Fine. You got me." Weiss crossed her arms, "I'm thinking of asking for his help in ousting my father." At Blake's silence, Weiss continued, "We might not agree on a lot of things, but we're both of the same mind that the SDC under my father is a bloated, corrupt beast. With Jaune's help, I'm sure that I could find a way to remove my father from his position." It would perhaps mean stopping her education at Beacon to take her place as CEO, though she could possibly find someone to serve the role in the interim while she finished her education. Regardless, she couldn't let this chance slip away.
"I see..."
"Do you disapprove? I'd have thought you would want Jacques Schnee removed from his position."
"That's not the issue here." She sighed and gestured to their surroundings, "Look around you, Weiss. See what Jaune did in just six months. Do you know who really needs that help? Menagerie." Weiss pursed her lips and resisted the urge to interrupt. Blake had given her the same courtesy, after all, "Two-thirds of Menagerie is uninhabitable due to the environment and Grimm, but with Jaune's help, that can all change. The Faunus can turn their home into something more than a glorified prison the kingdoms gave us as a 'prize'. Proper docks, defenses, and a town that won't be destroyed by one errant arsonist. The Faunus could have the kingdom they deserve."
"Sounds ambitious, but how long do you think this would take? Even with Jaune's skills, turning a village into a flourishing town is a far cry from turning something into a kingdom proper. You're talking about adapting to a hostile environment and having to deal with the Grimm. That would take months, if not years, even with Jaune's help. Whereas my plan would be far faster and lead to obvious benefits. No more employees - Faunus - dying in the mines due to greed and no safety checks. People can finally feel safe."
"And how long should my people have to wait while the rich get richer?" Weiss scowled at the insult, "It'll take longer, sure, but the Faunus deserve a chance to have a true home. You're already slated to become the heiress. You don't need Jaune's help. We do."
"I'm sure it appears that way from an outside perspective, but that's not the whole truth." Weiss sighed, "I need Jaune's help, Blake."
"So do I."
"Then I guess we're at an impasse." Weiss frowned.
"I guess so. Good thing I'm gonna win."
The two of them stared at one another for a moment before Blake turned on her heel and left without a word. Weiss did the same, face marred with a deep frown despite her best efforts to the contrary. It wasn't as if she didn't understand Blake's point of view, but her plan was sensible. Turning Menagerie into a proper kingdom would be a far more difficult task than Jaune assisting her in ensuring her transition as the CEO. She would have to convince the board that Jaune was loyal to her, of course, or else those snakes would try to cut her out. She could simply...
Weiss stopped. How...could she convince Jaune to help her? Her first thought was money and connections - the usual bait for those seeking alliances - but that wouldn't work. Jaune could create things that would earn him more than enough lien if he so wished. As for connections...would her role as the heiress even matter here? What could she offer a man who could build seemingly anything? Was that why Blake was so confident that she'd seize victory?
She shook her head. No, now was not the time for doubts. She might not have been able to use her usual methods, but that didn't mean Blake had a leg up either. She would be the one to secure Jaune's loyalty and accomplish her plans. She just knew it.
Uh-oh, war's brewing already. Weiss and Blake have met Jaune for like five minutes and they've already made plans on how they can use his Semblance without even asking Jaune first what he wants to do. Ain't life grand?
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Questions:
1. So between Blake and Weiss, who do you think deserves Jaune's help more? Ignoring the whole 'them not asking Jaune at all about his opinion' thing. Blake's plan is ambitious but is definitely a time-sink even with Minecraft powers. Weiss has a higher likelihood of success but it's not as widespread or significant as giving the Faunus an equal place on Remnant.
2. How do you guys want Weiss and Blake to try to appeal to Jaune? Especially Blake. I'm kind of torn on Blake trying to go for (poorly attempted) seduction or her trying to go full guilt trip like 'So I noticed you haven't helped any Faunus villages. Not saying you're racist, BUT...' to try and convince Jaune to help out of Human Guilt. Likewise, Weiss can't default to the 'I can pay you' option since Jaune just casually gives out diamonds to people he's just met.
Chapter 2 - Staking Their Claim
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Second chapter of Minecraft Jaune. Wow...this really blew up. Over 100 reviews and over 500-600 follows and favorites on fanfiction. I was pleasantly surprised with the detailed reviews people had when I asked if they sided with Weiss or Blake more. And people who wanted Ruby to just steal Jaune and screw them both over.
Speaking of, as dictated by the commissioner, the story will be a harem with team RWBY and possibly Pyrrha down the line with Jaune. For those interested in the faction warfare and societal stuff, don't worry, it's definitely still a major part of the plot going forward.
With that in mind, I'm thinking of some factions who'll try to use Jaune for themselves. Gimme suggestions you guys have for changes/new groups:
Blake and Weiss - Already shown in this chapter.
Ozpin - Wants his help against Salem. Tries to appeal for the morality of helping stop Salem.
Ironwood - Wants him to make potions and equipment for his soldiers, plus airships and other tech. Not sure how Ironwood tries to sell equipping a foreign army.
Cinder - Wants his power for the sake of just having his power. Power lust and greed. Tries seduction.
Adam - Wants to either kill Jaune to spite the humans or enslave him to be a craftsman for the White Fang. Tries murder.
Happy Huntresses - Want him to improve Mantle as a small scale version of Blake's plans. Try to appeal to his sense of goodness. Sends Fiona to try and seduce him otherwise cause sheep girl.
On a side note, Gacha RWBY (RWBY characters get addicted to gacha games) Chapter 1 is out for supporters. Chapter 2 will be out soon as well.
Chapter 2: Staking their claim
Yang stretched her arms and walked down one of the castle's halls. Ruby was upgrading her weapon with the stud while Blake and Weiss went back down into town, leaving her all alone. Lame. Didn't they know a good Yang needed constant TLC? They were gonna pay for ditching her later.
Sure, she could go down to town too, but she wanted to check out the castle. She wasn't a craftsman (craftswoman?) like Ruby or snooty about history like Weiss, but she was still from Saunus. A proud independent Patch woman. Architecture was in their blood the same way snobbiness was in an Atlesian's. Their cathedrals were the best in all of Remnant, no matter how much Atlas and Mistral tried to sneer down at them as country bumpkins.
She walked down the hall and looked around. This place was huge. Not as big as Beacon, obviously, but still fucking enormous. She was betting that even Weiss Cream's mansion had nothing on this place. She eyed the gleaming silver suits of armor and the paintings on the walls. This place looked like it was ripped straight out of a Bunkers and Beowolves game. Then again, why was she surprised? Jaune just gave Weiss a diamond sword like it was no big deal.
The weight of the fist-sized Ruby in her jacket pocket reminded her that Weiss wasn't the only one who'd gotten a gift. She'd asked for a present mostly as a joke, she didn't expect him to actually give her one! Cause seriously, who just did that?
'The same kind of person who builds a castle for shits and giggles,' her brain snarked back. She kinda wanted to give it back, but that felt even more awkward! Ugh, she shoulda just kept her big mouth shut. But then again, another voice whispered, how much stuff could she get if she pawned the thing off? Bumblebee needed some upgrades and nightclubs would've been a hell of a lot more fun if she didn't have to worry about burning a hole in her pocket...
Shaking her head, Yang kept up her solo tour of the place. Jaune said they had free reign of the place while they were visiting. How did he not worry about someone stealing something? Or maybe he just didn't care. This was the same guy who gave out diamonds to people he just met.
She traced a hand across the wall. Not even a bit of dust. The place felt like it was preserved in time. Yang peeked inside one of the rooms. A queen-sized bed with a canopy, a window with a good view of the countryside, and the same fancy decorations the rest of the place had. Yang looked up at the crystal chandelier and...was that a painting of the stars on the ceiling? Brothers, this made their dormroom back at Beacon look like the poorhouse. She could tell it was a spare room too - it didn't look lived-in at all - and it made her wonder just how much more intricate the actual family bedrooms were.
Yang looked around for a moment and, after making sure there was no one around, she jumped and belly-flopped onto the bed.
Oh. My. Brothers.
Ever heard the expression 'like sleeping on a cloud'? Well, forget that noise. This was like she was sleeping on...she didn't even know how to describe it. It felt like every inch of her body was being massaged by the mattress and the pillow covering her face was so damn comfy that she wouldn't have struggled even if someone tried to smother her with it. Her thoughts drifted back to her bed at Beacon and she shuddered. Going back to that after just a brief taste of this...maybe she could exchange the ruby for one of these beds?
Her utter bliss was interrupted by the sound of laughter. Yang (hesitantly) pulled her head out of the pillow paradise and furrowed her brows. That didn't sound like anyone from her team - she'd know. Maybe Jaune's family came back? If they did, it'd be a pretty bad look for them to catch her napping on one of their beds. She forced herself out of her new best friend and made her way back to the hallway. Be rude of her not to introduce herself and explain why they were here.
The sounds of laughter led her to a slightly ajar door. Yang debated between knocking or just calling out to them when the door opened just a bit more and she was hit with the smell of booze and smoke, "So I bite the old boy in the ass!" A roar of laughter came in response. The accent was hard to place. It sounded South Valean, a real 'wrong side of the tracks' kind of voice, but there was something off about it that she couldn't really explain.
Curiosity got the better of her and she peeked inside the ajar door.
Only to quickly wish she didn't.
Dogs. Half a dozen of them. Now, Yang liked dogs. They were her favorite animal (sorry, Blake) and Zwei was the best doggo in the world. That didn't mean she wasn't gonna react at the sight of six dogs sitting around a table playing cards. No, she wasn't imagining it. Six guard dogs - three Atlesian Shepherds, two Pugs, and one Rotweiller - were sat upright around a table playing cards. The table was filled with cards, glasses of booze, and...were those cigars?! How in the heck did dogs get those?!
"I'm getting too fat," the rottweiler complained, "There haven't been any intruders to chase in months!"
"No one wants to mess with Master Jaune." One of the pugs picked up (HOW?!) a glass of whiskey and chugged it down before lighting up a new cigar, "It's more annoying that we can't do anything about those cats down in town. Smug pussies think they're so much better than us. Bet they won't be so smug once I get my paws on 'em!"
"Hey now, the Master's friend is okay," the other pug said.
"Rrrgh, fine, but all those other cats!" The pug growled.
"Fuck cats. Let's talk about something better," One of the Atlesian Shepherds, "New people in town. And you know what that means." His mouth curled in a wolfish(heh) grin, "New bitches!"
The whole table was a mess of excited howls and barks. It didn't take a lot to figure out what kind of 'bitches' they were talking about, "Oh yeah, I saw 'em." Another Shepherd licked his lips, "Big golden retriever. I could tell just by looking at her. She's a workin' bitch." The other dogs howled in response, "I got a good look at her. She wasn't no mongrel or crossbreed. Nice smell too. Her owner named her Rosemary."
"A fine name for a fine bitch," one of the pugs nodded in approval. It was fucking freaky looking.
"I sniffed her butt earlier." The Shepherd somehow managed to make that sound dignified, "She sniffed mine too. We're going to meet up later, maybe howl at the big night light."
"Some dogs get all the bitches." The Rottweiler sniffed and drank his glass of gin, "I'll spend some time with the Master later. The family's worried about him. Whenever he gets into one of his moods he always forgets to eat or sleep."
"Master is very kind. He gives us good scratches and food that makes us smart. Master deserves better. His packmates should pat his head more." One of the Shepherds nodded sagely, "Lotta bitches in the village want him to sniff their butts but he never does. So sad."
"They should sniff his butt instead," the rottweiler howled sadly.
"Maybe the new visitors will do it." Wait, were they talking about team RWBY? "Four new bitches. I would've bit their butts if Master didn't say we should let visitors inside."
"I saw them," one of the pugs said, "The one in black and red smells like chocolate. Don't bite her. You'll probably die." Yang almost laughed at that. Despite her looks, Ruby more than ate her weight in chocolate and cookies. Yang had no idea how she was so thin, "The one in white hurts my nose. So full of that thing humans spray themselves with."
"The yellow one smells good. Like fried meat and burning wood." Yang's brows furrowed. Was she supposed to be flattered or offended? She resisted the urge to raise her arm and sniff, "But the other one..." He growled. It was a sound full of hate, "She smells like those damn cats. If she gets near the master, I'm biting her butt. Master deserves better than a cat that stinks like those smug pussycats. She should stay away." He growled again.
The dogs continued to chat and play cards. Any thoughts of going inside were immediately squashed by the part of her brain that still wanted the world to make sense. She grabbed the edge of the door to close it and give the doggos some privacy when it suddenly creaked.
The noise drew their attention. All six heads snapped to where Yang stood and the blonde found herself frozen as a dozen eyes bore into her. It was stupid - she could fight fucking Ursas, dogs were hardly a threat - but she found herself rooted to the spot anyway.
The human and the half-a-dozen dogs stared at one another for almost a full minute before the rottweiler spoke up, "Ya mind? We're having a private game here."
"R-Right, sorry." She closed the door, muffling the words and growls that came from the other side. Talking dogs. Talking dogs that drank, played poker, and talked about how much they liked butts and bitches. She'd literally seen just that.
...
Nope, nope, nope. Yang shook her head. She didn't see that at all. This was a dream and she was totally still asleep back at that amazing bed she'd flopped into earlier. Speaking of, she should get back to it. Maybe if she went back to sleep she'd wake up from this weirdass dream.
Yang turned around to do just that only to see Zwei walking down the hall with a cigar in his mouth and a little fedora draped over his head. He and Yang stopped to just look at one another. This time the stareoff lasted for just a few seconds before he slipped past her, went inside the room, and shut the door behind him...somehow. The dogs inside cheered at his arrival and yelled about how 'now it was a party' while Zwei barked back. He wasn't talking, but the others seemed to understand him just fine.
...
Okay, that was another thing she didn't see. Time to-
"Oh, hello!" A pair of eyes appeared in front of her. She didn't get the chance to scream and bat them away before the eyes turned into a multi-colored purple and cyan...thing shaped like a cat standing on a nearby cabinet, "A visitor? My oh my, Jaune is rather popular these days." It laughed, "Would you be interested in chatting for a while? Oh, I do so love talking to the new arrivals! They always have such fascinating stories, and so many are eager to talk!"
"Bwuh?" Yang said.
"Oh, where are my manners?" It licked its paw, "My name is...well, I am the Curious Cat, though everyone calls me Curious for short. It's both my name and describes me perfectly well." It jumped down from the cabinet and rubbed up against her legs, "Would you be willing to talk? You look like someone with a good story!"
...
Yang didn't say anything. She walked past the cat, ignored the sounds of howling dogs, and belly-flopped back onto the most amazing mattress on Remnant.
Weiss walked around the town aimlessly. She'd been in a foul mood after her brief argument with Blake and she hoped that taking in the sights would improve that. She looked around the buildings and hummed. From what she was told, Jaune built almost every single building in this burgeoning kingdom all on his own. The villagers tried to help where they could, of course, but his Semblance made it so that it was far quicker and more practical to simply do everything on his own.
She didn't know how to feel about that. While she was already planning to ensure Jaune's help for her plans, she also wasn't one on being completely dependent on others. She knew that she'd need Jaune's help to oust her father. After that, however, she hoped that she could stand on her own two feet. Jaune would give her the leg up she needed, certainly, but once she was established she would lead the SDC to a far more righteous path than her father ever did with her own power.
It was one reason she disagreed with Blake's plans. She hoped that Jaune could uplift Menagerie - and by extension, the Faunus - by turning the island into their own kingdom. It sounded good in theory, but would the Faunus truly be satisfied knowing that their elevated position came from the efforts of a single Human?
And how long would others have to wait for Jaune's help? While she understood that her own plans were a time investment, it was far less so compared to turning an entire island into a kingdom. And what about the White Fang? For someone who'd been so obsessed with them the past few weeks, she certainly seemed to ignore the fact that they would be less than amenable to a Human providing such crucial aid to their cause for equality.'
But what did she have to worry about? While she couldn't entice Jaune with money, she was sure that she could find some way to convince him to join her cause. Perhaps by leveraging possible connections to the newly reformed SDC? Money was immaterial to him, but she could offer other things. More than Blake, that was for certain. She was sure that he could find the value of forging connections with one of the most powerful organizations in Remnant, especially one led by a CEO with a debt of personal gratitude to him.
Her musings were cut off by a sudden voice.
"GREETINGS, CITIZEN!" She jumped up at the booming voice. Ignoring her instincts to draw Myrtenaster, she turned to the source of the sound and blinked at the sight of a nine-foot-tall stone golem. She'd seen Atlesian robots before - the SDC was working in tandem with the army to create the new Paladins - and yet she still found herself gaping at the sight of the stone sentry. Rather than sleek metal and wiring, the golem looked like a roughly carved statue with nothing powering it or enabling it to move.
And yet move it did.
"I'm not a-"
"FAREWELL, CITIZEN!" It saluted her and went on its merry way. Patrolling, perhaps? Weiss eyed its retreating form and looked it up and down, searching for any sign of what might've been powering it. Nothing. It looked like a carved statue and yet it moved like a robot powered by Dust. Yet another impossibility in the world Jaune Arc inhabited.
"Excuse me," she called out to a passing farmhand.
"Yes, ma'am?" he asked with a pleasant country drawl.
"Do you know how those golems are powered?" She gestured to the golem that was saluting another person as it walked through the gate leading outside.
"Don't rightly know." He hummed, "Never really thought about it much. I saw Jaune build one of 'em fellers once. Just puts 'em together out of some pieces of rock and then they start moving. He puts them outside usually so they can smack around any Grimm that gets past everything else. It must've been helping someone else." He rubbed his patchy chin, "Never seen 'em stop patrolling or need to get fixed, though. Those big boys walk all day and night."
"I see. Thank you." Weiss nodded and walked away, deep in thought. While she couldn't discount the possibility that they were powered by Dust, there was an equally likely chance that they were powered by something else entirely...or that they required no power source at all. The thought made her both excited and nervous. Her father secured his domination because of the fact that everything needed Dust to function. Some outside settlements used alternative power sources such as windmills, but they couldn't truly match Dust. Dust was power. It was energy, fuel, bullets...
Could Jaune change all that?
Weiss shook her head. Focus, she told herself. She could worry about that later. Right now she had to focus on her plans.
She wandered around the kingdom without a destination in mind. Truthfully, she was more focused on the people. Perhaps it was cynical of her, but she found herself looking for signs of discontent. Weiss had been raised on propaganda and doublethink. The employees were satisfied with their lot in life. Those who complained weren't justified, they were simply greedy and lazy. The Faunus weren't discriminated against, they were entitled and thought they deserved more than they were oh-so-generously given.
And so on and so forth. She'd heard the myriad of propaganda and justifications for over a decade now. It led to a rather pessimistic viewpoint she'd done her best to rein in ever since she arrived in Beacon. The world was far more complex than her father's propaganda machine liked to portray it as.
Case in point, Jaune's kingdom.
Weiss was adept at seeing under the masks people put up. It was a necessity when men and women thrice her age attempted to exploit her for their own benefit. Father was hardly a loving parent and he took her ability to see through deception (or not...) as a measure of whether she was worthy to be his heir.
Which was why she found it both amazing and relieving that she hadn't seen a single person putting on a mask. All around her, the villagers worked with a gusto that she'd never seen in anyone who worked under her father's management. Many of them had smiles on their faces and they worked in tandem with an easy cooperation that seemed more like they'd done it for years rather than mere months. Those taking breaks eagerly chatted with one another and they all did their best to ensure that the workload was easily shared.
What drew her attention the most, however, was the spirit of cooperation. Under her Father's rule, the SDC had fostered a culture of paranoia and mistrust. Employees were encouraged to stab each other in the back and used anything they could to gain a sense of superiority. Older employees lorded over younger ones out of perceived superiority and many sucked up to those they perceived as their betters. The Faunus received the worst of it. Even those at their lowest considered themselves better than them for no other than because Atlesian society deemed the Faunus lesser.
Weiss wanted to say that she was better than that, but she too had been blinded by prejudice up until recently. While she wouldn't apologize for her feelings on the White Fang - they hated her and she saw no reason to give them any leeway - not every Faunus was responsible for their crimes.
Her eyes were once again drawn to the farmers and laborers. Young and old, Humans and Faunus. It didn't matter. They all worked together as equals. A young Faunus man and a middle-aged Human man laughed and chatted like old friends as they worked the fields. Something like that would've never happened in one of the mines. Or if it did, it was an extreme rarity. Yet here it was treated as nothing special by everyone around them. An Arcadia where people stood as one.
This was what the SDC could've been. The SDC her grandfather built. A company built on the spirit of cooperation and fair treatment of its employees before her Father had corrupted it. This was what she could turn the SDC back into. A company that cared for others and made proud the lineage of the Schnee name. All of this - the spirit of cooperation and equality - could be spread across all of Remnant.
All she needed to do was ensure she received Jaune's help...
The sounds of whirring drew her attention elsewhere. Weiss watched, utterly gobsmacked, as the farmers left the freshly harvested field only for a machine to suddenly roll over the empty dirt. It looked like an oversized tractor or combined harvester, except instead of shearing away the fields, it spread seeds and water with extreme precision. That in and of itself wouldn't have been too odd. After all, she'd seen similar machines back at Atlas.
No, what really made her gape like a fish out of water was the sight of the plants growing right before her very eyes. Weiss rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing correctly. Yes, the crops were growing from fresh seedlings to assorted fruits and vegetables in a matter of minutes. And as soon as the crops finished growing, the farmers quickly set to harvesting them with practiced ease. Was that why they never had any problems feeding their rising population?
She stared at the machine which continued to plant more seeds and water. Could Jaune perhaps do the same with other resources? Perhaps Dust?
The possibilities made her feel lightheaded. Weiss took one last look at the efficient farmers before slowly walking back to the castle. She had to ponder some things...
At the other side of the settlement, Blake made her way through what could be considered the 'downtown' part of the city. While a decent part of the city was devoted to needed things such as agriculture and production, the other parts were more focused on what you might expect from a kingdom.
Settlements outside the walls were practical beasts by nature. Unlike the kingdoms, the threat of being attacked by Grimm or bandits meant that pragmatism won out over leisure. Villages and towns focused on ensuring production and protection. Militias and walls were crucial and the most common source of entertainment were bars. It was the easiest way to release the tension held by the villagers and helped foster a sense of camaraderie. Alcohol was a cheap repellent against negativity.
She remembered being so surprised when she first got into Vale. Movie theaters, nightclubs, bookstores, spas...any sort of Want was there for those who could afford it. While outside settlements did have those occasionally, it was unheard of for them to be present in such excess. Things like horror movies were considered contraband. Inside the kingdoms, they were amusements. Outside of them, however, the fear and dread they elicited could draw Grimm to the settlement.
Jaune's rising kingdom matched the likes of Vale in that regard. She couldn't walk down the street without spotting some form of entertainment. A movie theater showing horror films, a sports center, and an arena where people cheered in drunken revelry as people fought. There were shops too, which sold anything one could think of from armor and weapons to airships(!). Atlas would've had a heart attack at the sight of the ships being sold.
Blake's stomach grumbled and she made her way to a cafe. The waiter cheerily took her older of a fried fish meal and tea, The smell that wafted from the inside made her mouth water. She'd gotten used to subsisting on rations and foraging for her food in the past five years she spent with the White Fang. While Beacon was far better than what she was normally used to, the food tasted oddly bland considering the grade of ingredients they were working with.
Her eyes drifted over to the other cafe patrons and she lingered at the sight of a young couple. A female Cat Faunus and a male Human. They were clearly together judging by the way they held hands and laughed, leaning against one another without shame. The sight of it made her smile. Back in Vale, couples like them would have to hide their relationships. Oh, Vale claimed to be equal, but she knew from experience that a Human-Faunus couple would be considered 'eccentric' at best or freaks at worst.
And Vale was one of the nicer places to their kind...
Her cynical musings were cut off when the waiter returned with her food, which she quickly paid for. Blake sniffed the fish fillet appreciatively and, after a second to brace herself, bit into the crispy food.
Blake did not moan. She merely hummed in appreciation at the taste of the fried fish. And no, it did not not remind her of her mom's home-cooked meals. Don't be silly. Blake finished off the whole thing and even licked up the flakes. Just to not be rude, of course.
This was what Menagerie could be like, she thought as she left the cafe. A place where Humans and Faunus could live side-by-side without judgment. A home that was more than crammed together wooden huts. They could have a true sanctuary. A kingdom all on their own.
And Weiss would take that from them so she could take over a company she was already set to inherit. Blake wasn't petty enough that she couldn't see her teammate's good intentions, but compared to the salvation of the Faunus, Weiss' plan seemed so insignificant in comparison.
Blake stopped when she passed by a bookstore. While she would've been interested in checking it out regardless, the sign up front made her breath seize in excitement, "Auctioning a limited edition copy of Kunoichi Kitty: The Untold Chronicles." Her mouth went dry after she read it. Kunoichi Kitty was her favorite...tasteful literature, beating out even the Ninjas of Love. The plot, the setting, the characters...the PLOT. It was all so enthralling and she eagerly devoured every single book she could get.
Sadly, the author was a famous recluse and finding copies was hard. The Untold Chronicles was so rare that she heard that there were only 100 copies in all of Remnant. Finding one here was a miracle. She opened her wallet and gulped. 3000 lien, all the money she'd saved up over the past three years. What? It wasn't like being a terrorist for five years led to a lot of money-making opportunities. People signed up for the cause, not the salary and health benefits. They couldn't all get allowances from their rich parents.
Blake stepped inside and winced at the crowd of people - easily two dozen - already sitting down. She could tell by the looks on their faces that they were all true connoisseurs like her. She'd have enjoyed discussing the plot (and the PLOT) with them at any other time, but right now, they were her enemies. They all wanted the same thing here.
The store owner - an old man who looked to be in his eighth decade of life - spoke into the microphone with a nasally voice, "Thank you for showing up, everyone. I see we've got some new visitors too." His eyes scanned the crowd, "Well, there's no sense in dragging it out. We all know what we're here for."
He took out a briefcase from a nearby table and opened it slowly. Blake's breath hitched at the sight of the holy relic he so carelessly put on the podium, "Ninjas of Love: The Untold Chronicles." He coughed. If he got his spit in it she would kill him! "A collector's item. I've heard it's valuable, so let's start the bidding at 5000 lien."
...
What?
5000? She looked down at her wallet and found, much to her dismay, that she hadn't gotten 2000 extra lien since she last checked. M-Maybe he'd misspoken? He must have. He looked like he had one foot in the grave. He probably meant 500 or-
The middle-aged woman to her left raised her hand. Blake's turned to her in disbelief, "5000. Do we have 6000?" A young man two seats in front of her raised his hand, "6000. Do we have 7000?"
Up and up the number went. 10,000, 20,000, 40,000...Blake found herself frozen and helpless, unable to raise her hand even once as the bidding war escalated. This...This couldn't be happening. She'd finally found something that could give her true joy after so many years of struggle and now it was being taken from her. Didn't she deserve this? Deserve a reward for fighting for half a decade? Why was fate being so cruel?
And then a light, a memory of what could be her salvation. Blake groped desperately for her pouch and pulled out the gold bar Jaune had gifted her. She'd almost forgotten about it with her (selfless) plan to save Menagerie. She held it with both hands like a mother cradling her child and looked up just as the owner said, "70,0000. Going once, going twice-"
"80,000!" Blake said in a rush, raising her hand and the gold bar. All attention was drawn to her sudden entry. Many were surprised, and yet just as many looked at her with respect. Blake ignored them all and focused solely on the book.
"80,000. Going once, going twice...sold to the new arrival."
The crowd clapped politely while Blake nervously went in front. She took a deep breath to steady herself and walked up to the makeshift podium. The gold bar felt heavy in her hand and she handed it numbly to the old man, "Here..." Blake didn't even look at him or the crowd shuffling out of the store. All she cared about was the book. Her heart beat so loudly that it was all she could hear and she reached a tentative hand out to the holy scripture.
"Hold on a second," the nasally voice cut in. He slammed the gold bar on the table and gave her an unamused look, "What's the idea? This is only worth 75,000 lien."
"What? How could you tell?" Blake asked, disbelief cutting through her excitement.
"You ain't the first person who's tried to buy with gold and jewelry, little miss. Now, are we going to have a problem here or-"
"N-No! No problem!" Blake opened her wallet and pulled out the lien cards, "I-I have 3000 here. I know it's not enough, but I can get more!" How, her mind asked. Was she shameless enough to ask Jaune for another handout? It was one thing to ask him for help with the Faunus, but for something so selfish?
"Hm..." The old man took the lien cards from her and rubbed his chin, "There's a loan office a couple of streets down. You can get something there. They got reasonable rates. Or you can find some other way to get the 2000 lien. I'm gonna need it by the end of the day."
Blake bit her lower lip. A loan office...even thinking about it made her shudder. You could run from the Huntsmen and the Atlesian army, but debt collectors? They would hound you to the very ends of Remnant. Not even Adam would risk defaulting on a loan. Say what you will about her ex, but he had an amazing credit score.
Ultimately, she decided to bite the bullet and take a loan. The interest rate was 3 percent every month. It wouldn't take her much to pay it off if she did a couple of missions, but she'd have to convince the teachers to let her do some cleanup work. Or maybe she could beg Yang for a loan to pay off this one once Yang sold off the Ruby. Yang was a lot of things, but she wasn't a loan shark. Blake would still have to pay her back, but there wouldn't be any interest.
She went back and got the book. Once her fingers touched the smooth leather cover, she felt as if it was all worth it. Blake smiled brightly and returned to the castle with a skip in her step.
Weiss ran into Blake at the castle's entrance. Their previous argument was still fresh in her mind and she halfway expected her teammate to snap at her.
Instead, she had a dopey smile on her face - and dopey was the last word Weiss ever thought she'd use to describe Blake Belladonna - and pressed a book against her chest as if her life depended on it, "...What are you so happy about?" Weiss asked with a raised brow.
"Nothing." Her face flushed and she held the book tighter.
"Right..." Weiss crossed her arms. Something told her that way lay madness, "Well...I've been walking around trying to get a lay of the land. Would it be too much to assume that you changed your mind in the meantime?"
Blake's smile immediately disappeared and she looked at Weiss with a narrow glare, "No."
"Of course not." Weiss sighed, "Jaune helping me is for the greater good, you know."
"For who? For the people who already have more than enough?"
"For everyone." Weiss grit her teeth. The words came out far more strained than she would've liked, "I saw things down there. People working together equally with one another. It didn't matter their age or race, they cooperated with smiles on their faces. Imagine how much Remnant could be improved if the SDC was run like that. No more mining accidents because the company decided safety checks were too expensive. No more employees being mistreated and forced to work for pennies so some corrupt bastard can afford another mansion he'll never actually use."
"I thought you'd want the same thing, Blake!" Weiss threw her hands up, "Haven't the White Fang been attacking the SDC - my family - because they wanted equal treatment." Blake winced slightly at the reminder of how often Weiss had been at the other end of her former group's wrath, "Under my leadership, Faunus will finally be treated equally and Dust will be made far more available to all of Remnant. Villages outside the settlements won't have to pay through the nose just to afford Fire Dust that will let them survive the winter."
"It sounds like a pleasant dream, Weiss, but you're wrong about one thing." Blake's gaze was firm, "Your plan won't make us equal. We'll be treated better at the SDC, sure, but what about outside of it? How do better wages and more affordable Dust help the Faunus? We'd still be seen as nothing more than filthy animals without even a kingdom to go back to. Jaune can give us that. He can turn Menagerie into a true sanctuary for the Faunus so they aren't forced to survive in cities that treat them as second-class citizens."
"The Faunus will have the power to stand with their head held high. The other kingdoms can't ignore us if we've got a kingdom of our own. We don't have to hide and bow our heads because some racist asshole decided attacking us is the only way he can get some meaning out of his worthless life. We can have a chance at true equality, something we've been denied for as long as we've existed. How could I not fight for that chance?"
"And what about the White Fang?" Weiss raised her head, "For someone who has been positively obsessed with them for the past few weeks, you're quick to ignore the risk they pose. Do you believe that they would allow the Faunus to achieve equality if it comes at the hands of a Human?"
"That's..." Blake grit her teeth, "Not all of the White Fang hate Humans. Many of us just want equality."
"And just as many would abhor the idea of being reliant on a Human for anything. They'll sabotage any plan you make with Jaune." Weiss scoffed, "And even if they did accept his help, do you think the other Kingdoms will respect a Menagerie that houses the White Fang? Is Menagerie willing to disavow the White Fang if it means Jaune's help? If not, your plan is short-sighted and doomed to failure."
"As if you're any better." Blake scoffed, "Do you think your Dad and the rest of the snakes on his board won't try to take advantage of Jaune? Even if Jaune refuses, Jacques Schnee is not a man who's accustomed to being told no. And neither is General Ironwood. I'd take the White Fang over Atlesian politics."
The two of them glared at one another for a moment before going back inside. It was clear neither would convince the other about why they deserved Jaune's help more. Weiss sighed. She really did want to become friends with Blake, but right now, she felt as if their relationship was on tenterhooks. It wasn't as if she didn't understand Blake's motivations, she did, but her plan was simply far riskier and more of a time investment compared to her own.
They'd barely managed to step inside before they caught sight of Yang lying down on the couch with a look akin to someone who had stared into the abyss.
"Uh..." Blake nervously palmed her book.
"Blake, Weiss...this place is fucking weird," Yang said.
"Yeah." Weiss sighed again.
Thankfully, they didn't have to ruminate on that for long before they heard Ruby's voice, "Oh, that was amazing~" Weiss turned around and blinked at the sight of her partner. Ruby was never the neatest girl in Beacon. While her outfit was as ornate and well-fit as any other Huntresses, Ruby was a tomboy and a blacksmith at heart. Her quarter of the room was often messy with blueprints strewn haphazardly and weapon components littering her mattress and the floor. Wiess often had to remind her to clean up after herself.
Ruby looked like she'd been through a particularly in-depth 'caring session' (she called it that, not Weiss) for Crescent Rose. Her blouse and cloak were wrapped around her waist. Instead of the expected camisole, however, she wore a light green shirt that clung to her body due to how sweaty she was. Weiss' nose wrinkled and she tried to ignore both the smell and the grease smears on her cheeks. If only she'd brought her perfume along...
"Oh! You guys are back?" Jaune stepped into the living room last. He wasn't shirtless this time (pity...), though he'd rolled up his sleeves to his shoulders and the sweat had caused the light blue shirt to cling to his torso like a second skin. Weiss did her utter best to not stare at the line of muscles that his wet shirt did absolutely nothing to cover.
...
Okay, she stared heavily, but she still did her best not to! And it wasn't like Blake was any better. Blake tried and failed to look like she didn't care while Yang openly leered without any shame.
"Hey there, stud. You and Rubes have fun 'yanging' out?" Yang grinned, forcefully ignoring her previous look of shock.
The rest of Team RWBY groaned. Yang's puns were incorrigible and weeks of her trying to force them to see how 'funny' she was hadn't done her any favors.
Jaune, proving once again how alien he was in this world, actually laughed at the horrible, "Haha. 'Yanging' out. I get it. Good one."
"Huh. At least someone here has a sense of humor." Yang laughed in turn and then gave the three of them the biggest, smuggest smile. Weiss rolled her eyes, "So...what were the two of you doing?"
"Oh, oh, oh!" Ruby squealed, loud enough to make Weiss wince, and unfurled Crescent Rose again, "Me and Jaune did some crafting and now Crescent Rose is gonna do WAY more damage against Grimm!" She paused, "I mean, I haven't tested it yet, but it's pretty obvious that everything Jaune makes works perfectly!"
"I wouldn't say that, but thanks." Jaune laughed and rubbed the back of his head, "It was nice talking to someone as interested in crafting as I am. Maybe we can do some more upgrades next time?"
"We super will!"
Ruby squealed again and, before any of them could react, she wrapped her arms around Jaune's neck and kissed him on the cheek. Weiss blinked at the sight and didn't realize her hands her balled into shaky fists till she felt her nails digging into her palm. Blake's eyes narrowed, though she didn't react overly much.
The same couldn't be said for Yang. The blonde looked utterly gobsmacked at Ruby. Among everyone on the team, Ruby had been the least interested in relationships. Yang peeked into the boy's locker room, she had her short-lived crush on Neptune, and even Blake read those pornography books she thought she kept hidden from the rest of the team. Ruby had once bragged that she knew more about the inner workings of a rifle than interpersonal relationships.
Ruby seemed to remember that she wasn't alone and pulled back from Jaune, face as red as her cloak, "S-Sorry!" she squeaked.
"It's fine. You were excited." He smiled back somewhat awkwardly, his own cheeks somewhat red, "S-So what are your plans?"
A lot of things, mostly including trying to convince Jaune to help her for the good of all Remnant. Since she couldn't say that, however, Weiss instead said, "Technically, our mission is complete, but our allotted time for the task is three days." When she first heard of the mission she'd rolled her eyes and assumed it was would be a quick in-and-out. Now she thought that a mere three days wasn't long enough, "We'll be staying at an inn - or a hotel, I suppose - in town. The teachers gave us a stipend for just that."
"A hotel? You don't have to do that. There are tons of guestrooms here! You guys can stay in one. Only if you want to, of course!"
Normally, a man trying to offer four women he'd barely known a place to stay would make Weiss suspicious, but Jaune was sincere enough. And besides, it would give her more of a chance to convince him about helping her with her plans, "Well...we all graciously accept." The rest of team RWBY agreed with her and they went to get the luggage that had been sent ahead to the hotel.
The room Jaune led them to easily matched the opulence of Schnee manor. No, that wasn't right. This place felt...warmer, if that was the right word. Every part of it felt as if it was created with care, "Hm." Weiss sat on a nearby desk and took out her scroll after setting the diamond sword down while the others situated themselves. Ruby had gone to the bathroom for a quick shower, Blake was reading that oh-so-precious book of hers, and Yang was lying drinking a soda she got from the mini-fridge and staring at the ruby she held with her right hand.
Ruby stepped out of the bathroom minutes later with a fresh change of clothes, "Whatcha doing, Weiss?" she asked.
"Making the report we're giving to Miss. Goodwitch." Which was supposed to be Ruby's job as leader. Something the younger girl seemed to realize judging by her wince.
"Oh...I-I could do it if you want?"
"Nevermind. I'll be correcting it anyway before you send it." Weiss shook her head. Ruby had many good qualities as a leader, but paperwork wasn't one of them.
"Thanks, Weiss."
Silence settled over the room. Weiss continued to type while Ruby had taken to sharpening and cooing at her scythe. Huntsmen had a special bond with their weapons, but Ruby took it to some downright uncomfortable levels.
The semi-comfortable quiet was broken when Yang suddenly spoke up.
"I'm gonna date Jaune."
The reaction was instantaneous. Weiss dropped her scroll, Blake dropped her book, and Ruby dropped Crescent Rose. The last one was surely a sign of the end times, "Y-You can't!" It took Weiss a few seconds to realize that she'd been the one to say it.
"Uh...pretty sure I can?" Yang raised a brow and sat up on the bed, "Like, I can go to his room right now and tell him I wanna go out with him. Pretty sure I got a good shot of him saying yes." Yang smirked and crossed her arms under her chest.
"Wh-Why do you wanna date him?!" Ruby cried in a panic.
"He's nice, he's buff, he's got a good sense of humor...do I really need to go on?" Yang shrugged.
"All this because he laughed at your stupid pun?" Blake scoffed.
"Excusing you? It was a great pun! It's not my fault you guys can't see my comedy genius."
"You can't date him, Yang. You'll ruin everything," Weiss said firmly. Right now, Jaune Arc was (presumably) a free agent. If Yang got her grubby hands on him then he'd never agree with her plan. Not unless Yang could convince him, and Weiss doubted she cared about the Dust situation and the state of the SDC's employees.
"Yeah, Yang. Think about more than just having fun," Blake added.
"Wait, what are you two talking about?" Ruby rounded on them.
Weiss winced. She was tempted to lie or come up with an excuse, but Ruby was oddly perceptive at the worst of times. She knew making up a story wouldn't work here. Sighing, she told Ruby about her and Blake's plans to enlist Jaune's help. The Faunus looked obviously annoyed at being outed, but if Weiss was going to confess then there was no way she'd give Blake an undue advantage by covering for her. She still needed her plan to succeed.
Ruby looked at both her and Blake with an expression of pure disappointment, "Y-You two are so selfish!"
"What?! How am I selfish?! I'm doing this for the good of the SDC's employees and all of Remnant!" Weiss shot back.
"This isn't for me, Ruby. This is for the Faunus," Blake said after.
"You two can dress it up all you want, but you're both just trying to use Jaune!" Weiss winced. It certainly seemed that way at a glance, "We just met him today and you're already thinking up schemes to have him do what you want! That's selfish!"
"Yeah, I'm with Rubes here. That's pretty messed up." Yang added.
"Hey, you're not off the hook either!" Ruby rounded on her now, "You were the one who asked Jaune for free stuff and took that ruby!"
"It was a joke! ...Sort of!" Yang groaned, "What do you want? I can't just give it back now! It'll be super awkward!"
"All of you are just trying to use Jaune." Ruby crossed her arms and harrumphed, "I think it's best that I date him instead. At least I'm not in it for anything."
"Now you want to date him? Since when?" Weiss raised a brow.
"S-Since earlier! He's my s-soulmate!" Ruby said it fiercely. Or at least she tried to. The stutter and red face ruined the effect.
"Soulmate? You still believe in that stuff, Rubes? That's cute." Yang laughed.
"Rrrgh, don't look down on me, Yang!" She pointed at her, "You'll see! I'll go out with Jaune and we'll be crafting partners! And unlike some people, I'm not doing it because I want Jaune to do me favors."
"Hm. And I'm sure the upgrades to Crescent Rose have nothing to do with it, right?" Blake asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Th-That's different! We did that together! I didn't ask him to do stuff for me!"
A tense, heavy silence settled over the room. Weiss looked at each of her teammates - her friends - and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. They all wanted Jaune. Maybe not for the same reasons, but they wanted him all the same. Weiss would've been lying if she said she wasn't worried, but she quickly dispelled the thought. She was Weiss Schnee. Even if she couldn't rely on money to convince Jaune, she had other methods.
None of them said a word to one another as they turned off the lights and went to sleep. Their friendships would survive this, she was certain of that, though she expected that things would be tense for the next few days. Honestly, couldn't they all see that her plan was the most sensible? And it wasn't as if she would force Jaune into anything. She'd find a way to convince him on why supporting her would be for the best.
...
...
...
"Oh yeah, you're a bad bitch. Raise that butt up higher," a voice said outside their window. It was quickly followed by some barks.
"What the hell was that?" Blake asked.
"Trust me, you don't wanna know," Yang said. Her voice was flat and oddly serious.
The three of them decided Yang was right and they all went to sleep, ignoring the sounds of howling that lasted throughout the whole night.
Jaune's out here just casually breaking the setting. It's gonna be chaos once the stuff in Domremy spreads to the kingdoms and people realize just how busted Minecraft powers are in a pseudo-death world setting. There's a reason I called this 'Raise but not as dark' elsewhere.
Anyway, the four members of team RWBY have staked their claim on Jaune. Let's see how this goes. Oh, and Curious Cat means that Jaune has a way to travel to the Ever After. I'm sure that won't be a problem.
Questions:
1. How do you guys think each member of Team RWBY would try to seduce Jaune? Yang is likely a flirt, but what about the other three? Ruby has never shown interest in romance while Blake and Weiss are used to being pursued rather than the other way around.
2. Following up on Weiss' question, do you think the White Fang (or even the Faunus as a whole) would let their technological leap come at the hands of a Human? Especially Sienna given that she died before her character could be well-established.
3. Same as the above Authors Notes, which factions/characters do you wanna see involved in the Minecraft free-for-all? And how would they try to get Jaune to help them?
Speaking of, as dictated by the commissioner, the story will be a harem with team RWBY and possibly Pyrrha down the line with Jaune. For those interested in the faction warfare and societal stuff, don't worry, it's definitely still a major part of the plot going forward.
With that in mind, I'm thinking of some factions who'll try to use Jaune for themselves. Gimme suggestions you guys have for changes/new groups:
Blake and Weiss - Already shown in this chapter.
Ozpin - Wants his help against Salem. Tries to appeal for the morality of helping stop Salem.
Ironwood - Wants him to make potions and equipment for his soldiers, plus airships and other tech. Not sure how Ironwood tries to sell equipping a foreign army.
Cinder - Wants his power for the sake of just having his power. Power lust and greed. Tries seduction.
Adam - Wants to either kill Jaune to spite the humans or enslave him to be a craftsman for the White Fang. Tries murder.
Happy Huntresses - Want him to improve Mantle as a small scale version of Blake's plans. Try to appeal to his sense of goodness. Sends Fiona to try and seduce him otherwise cause sheep girl.
On a side note, Gacha RWBY (RWBY characters get addicted to gacha games) Chapter 1 is out for supporters. Chapter 2 will be out soon as well.
Chapter 2: Staking their claim
Yang stretched her arms and walked down one of the castle's halls. Ruby was upgrading her weapon with the stud while Blake and Weiss went back down into town, leaving her all alone. Lame. Didn't they know a good Yang needed constant TLC? They were gonna pay for ditching her later.
Sure, she could go down to town too, but she wanted to check out the castle. She wasn't a craftsman (craftswoman?) like Ruby or snooty about history like Weiss, but she was still from Saunus. A proud independent Patch woman. Architecture was in their blood the same way snobbiness was in an Atlesian's. Their cathedrals were the best in all of Remnant, no matter how much Atlas and Mistral tried to sneer down at them as country bumpkins.
She walked down the hall and looked around. This place was huge. Not as big as Beacon, obviously, but still fucking enormous. She was betting that even Weiss Cream's mansion had nothing on this place. She eyed the gleaming silver suits of armor and the paintings on the walls. This place looked like it was ripped straight out of a Bunkers and Beowolves game. Then again, why was she surprised? Jaune just gave Weiss a diamond sword like it was no big deal.
The weight of the fist-sized Ruby in her jacket pocket reminded her that Weiss wasn't the only one who'd gotten a gift. She'd asked for a present mostly as a joke, she didn't expect him to actually give her one! Cause seriously, who just did that?
'The same kind of person who builds a castle for shits and giggles,' her brain snarked back. She kinda wanted to give it back, but that felt even more awkward! Ugh, she shoulda just kept her big mouth shut. But then again, another voice whispered, how much stuff could she get if she pawned the thing off? Bumblebee needed some upgrades and nightclubs would've been a hell of a lot more fun if she didn't have to worry about burning a hole in her pocket...
Shaking her head, Yang kept up her solo tour of the place. Jaune said they had free reign of the place while they were visiting. How did he not worry about someone stealing something? Or maybe he just didn't care. This was the same guy who gave out diamonds to people he just met.
She traced a hand across the wall. Not even a bit of dust. The place felt like it was preserved in time. Yang peeked inside one of the rooms. A queen-sized bed with a canopy, a window with a good view of the countryside, and the same fancy decorations the rest of the place had. Yang looked up at the crystal chandelier and...was that a painting of the stars on the ceiling? Brothers, this made their dormroom back at Beacon look like the poorhouse. She could tell it was a spare room too - it didn't look lived-in at all - and it made her wonder just how much more intricate the actual family bedrooms were.
Yang looked around for a moment and, after making sure there was no one around, she jumped and belly-flopped onto the bed.
Oh. My. Brothers.
Ever heard the expression 'like sleeping on a cloud'? Well, forget that noise. This was like she was sleeping on...she didn't even know how to describe it. It felt like every inch of her body was being massaged by the mattress and the pillow covering her face was so damn comfy that she wouldn't have struggled even if someone tried to smother her with it. Her thoughts drifted back to her bed at Beacon and she shuddered. Going back to that after just a brief taste of this...maybe she could exchange the ruby for one of these beds?
Her utter bliss was interrupted by the sound of laughter. Yang (hesitantly) pulled her head out of the pillow paradise and furrowed her brows. That didn't sound like anyone from her team - she'd know. Maybe Jaune's family came back? If they did, it'd be a pretty bad look for them to catch her napping on one of their beds. She forced herself out of her new best friend and made her way back to the hallway. Be rude of her not to introduce herself and explain why they were here.
The sounds of laughter led her to a slightly ajar door. Yang debated between knocking or just calling out to them when the door opened just a bit more and she was hit with the smell of booze and smoke, "So I bite the old boy in the ass!" A roar of laughter came in response. The accent was hard to place. It sounded South Valean, a real 'wrong side of the tracks' kind of voice, but there was something off about it that she couldn't really explain.
Curiosity got the better of her and she peeked inside the ajar door.
Only to quickly wish she didn't.
Dogs. Half a dozen of them. Now, Yang liked dogs. They were her favorite animal (sorry, Blake) and Zwei was the best doggo in the world. That didn't mean she wasn't gonna react at the sight of six dogs sitting around a table playing cards. No, she wasn't imagining it. Six guard dogs - three Atlesian Shepherds, two Pugs, and one Rotweiller - were sat upright around a table playing cards. The table was filled with cards, glasses of booze, and...were those cigars?! How in the heck did dogs get those?!
"I'm getting too fat," the rottweiler complained, "There haven't been any intruders to chase in months!"
"No one wants to mess with Master Jaune." One of the pugs picked up (HOW?!) a glass of whiskey and chugged it down before lighting up a new cigar, "It's more annoying that we can't do anything about those cats down in town. Smug pussies think they're so much better than us. Bet they won't be so smug once I get my paws on 'em!"
"Hey now, the Master's friend is okay," the other pug said.
"Rrrgh, fine, but all those other cats!" The pug growled.
"Fuck cats. Let's talk about something better," One of the Atlesian Shepherds, "New people in town. And you know what that means." His mouth curled in a wolfish(heh) grin, "New bitches!"
The whole table was a mess of excited howls and barks. It didn't take a lot to figure out what kind of 'bitches' they were talking about, "Oh yeah, I saw 'em." Another Shepherd licked his lips, "Big golden retriever. I could tell just by looking at her. She's a workin' bitch." The other dogs howled in response, "I got a good look at her. She wasn't no mongrel or crossbreed. Nice smell too. Her owner named her Rosemary."
"A fine name for a fine bitch," one of the pugs nodded in approval. It was fucking freaky looking.
"I sniffed her butt earlier." The Shepherd somehow managed to make that sound dignified, "She sniffed mine too. We're going to meet up later, maybe howl at the big night light."
"Some dogs get all the bitches." The Rottweiler sniffed and drank his glass of gin, "I'll spend some time with the Master later. The family's worried about him. Whenever he gets into one of his moods he always forgets to eat or sleep."
"Master is very kind. He gives us good scratches and food that makes us smart. Master deserves better. His packmates should pat his head more." One of the Shepherds nodded sagely, "Lotta bitches in the village want him to sniff their butts but he never does. So sad."
"They should sniff his butt instead," the rottweiler howled sadly.
"Maybe the new visitors will do it." Wait, were they talking about team RWBY? "Four new bitches. I would've bit their butts if Master didn't say we should let visitors inside."
"I saw them," one of the pugs said, "The one in black and red smells like chocolate. Don't bite her. You'll probably die." Yang almost laughed at that. Despite her looks, Ruby more than ate her weight in chocolate and cookies. Yang had no idea how she was so thin, "The one in white hurts my nose. So full of that thing humans spray themselves with."
"The yellow one smells good. Like fried meat and burning wood." Yang's brows furrowed. Was she supposed to be flattered or offended? She resisted the urge to raise her arm and sniff, "But the other one..." He growled. It was a sound full of hate, "She smells like those damn cats. If she gets near the master, I'm biting her butt. Master deserves better than a cat that stinks like those smug pussycats. She should stay away." He growled again.
The dogs continued to chat and play cards. Any thoughts of going inside were immediately squashed by the part of her brain that still wanted the world to make sense. She grabbed the edge of the door to close it and give the doggos some privacy when it suddenly creaked.
The noise drew their attention. All six heads snapped to where Yang stood and the blonde found herself frozen as a dozen eyes bore into her. It was stupid - she could fight fucking Ursas, dogs were hardly a threat - but she found herself rooted to the spot anyway.
The human and the half-a-dozen dogs stared at one another for almost a full minute before the rottweiler spoke up, "Ya mind? We're having a private game here."
"R-Right, sorry." She closed the door, muffling the words and growls that came from the other side. Talking dogs. Talking dogs that drank, played poker, and talked about how much they liked butts and bitches. She'd literally seen just that.
...
Nope, nope, nope. Yang shook her head. She didn't see that at all. This was a dream and she was totally still asleep back at that amazing bed she'd flopped into earlier. Speaking of, she should get back to it. Maybe if she went back to sleep she'd wake up from this weirdass dream.
Yang turned around to do just that only to see Zwei walking down the hall with a cigar in his mouth and a little fedora draped over his head. He and Yang stopped to just look at one another. This time the stareoff lasted for just a few seconds before he slipped past her, went inside the room, and shut the door behind him...somehow. The dogs inside cheered at his arrival and yelled about how 'now it was a party' while Zwei barked back. He wasn't talking, but the others seemed to understand him just fine.
...
Okay, that was another thing she didn't see. Time to-
"Oh, hello!" A pair of eyes appeared in front of her. She didn't get the chance to scream and bat them away before the eyes turned into a multi-colored purple and cyan...thing shaped like a cat standing on a nearby cabinet, "A visitor? My oh my, Jaune is rather popular these days." It laughed, "Would you be interested in chatting for a while? Oh, I do so love talking to the new arrivals! They always have such fascinating stories, and so many are eager to talk!"
"Bwuh?" Yang said.
"Oh, where are my manners?" It licked its paw, "My name is...well, I am the Curious Cat, though everyone calls me Curious for short. It's both my name and describes me perfectly well." It jumped down from the cabinet and rubbed up against her legs, "Would you be willing to talk? You look like someone with a good story!"
...
Yang didn't say anything. She walked past the cat, ignored the sounds of howling dogs, and belly-flopped back onto the most amazing mattress on Remnant.
Weiss walked around the town aimlessly. She'd been in a foul mood after her brief argument with Blake and she hoped that taking in the sights would improve that. She looked around the buildings and hummed. From what she was told, Jaune built almost every single building in this burgeoning kingdom all on his own. The villagers tried to help where they could, of course, but his Semblance made it so that it was far quicker and more practical to simply do everything on his own.
She didn't know how to feel about that. While she was already planning to ensure Jaune's help for her plans, she also wasn't one on being completely dependent on others. She knew that she'd need Jaune's help to oust her father. After that, however, she hoped that she could stand on her own two feet. Jaune would give her the leg up she needed, certainly, but once she was established she would lead the SDC to a far more righteous path than her father ever did with her own power.
It was one reason she disagreed with Blake's plans. She hoped that Jaune could uplift Menagerie - and by extension, the Faunus - by turning the island into their own kingdom. It sounded good in theory, but would the Faunus truly be satisfied knowing that their elevated position came from the efforts of a single Human?
And how long would others have to wait for Jaune's help? While she understood that her own plans were a time investment, it was far less so compared to turning an entire island into a kingdom. And what about the White Fang? For someone who'd been so obsessed with them the past few weeks, she certainly seemed to ignore the fact that they would be less than amenable to a Human providing such crucial aid to their cause for equality.'
But what did she have to worry about? While she couldn't entice Jaune with money, she was sure that she could find some way to convince him to join her cause. Perhaps by leveraging possible connections to the newly reformed SDC? Money was immaterial to him, but she could offer other things. More than Blake, that was for certain. She was sure that he could find the value of forging connections with one of the most powerful organizations in Remnant, especially one led by a CEO with a debt of personal gratitude to him.
Her musings were cut off by a sudden voice.
"GREETINGS, CITIZEN!" She jumped up at the booming voice. Ignoring her instincts to draw Myrtenaster, she turned to the source of the sound and blinked at the sight of a nine-foot-tall stone golem. She'd seen Atlesian robots before - the SDC was working in tandem with the army to create the new Paladins - and yet she still found herself gaping at the sight of the stone sentry. Rather than sleek metal and wiring, the golem looked like a roughly carved statue with nothing powering it or enabling it to move.
And yet move it did.
"I'm not a-"
"FAREWELL, CITIZEN!" It saluted her and went on its merry way. Patrolling, perhaps? Weiss eyed its retreating form and looked it up and down, searching for any sign of what might've been powering it. Nothing. It looked like a carved statue and yet it moved like a robot powered by Dust. Yet another impossibility in the world Jaune Arc inhabited.
"Excuse me," she called out to a passing farmhand.
"Yes, ma'am?" he asked with a pleasant country drawl.
"Do you know how those golems are powered?" She gestured to the golem that was saluting another person as it walked through the gate leading outside.
"Don't rightly know." He hummed, "Never really thought about it much. I saw Jaune build one of 'em fellers once. Just puts 'em together out of some pieces of rock and then they start moving. He puts them outside usually so they can smack around any Grimm that gets past everything else. It must've been helping someone else." He rubbed his patchy chin, "Never seen 'em stop patrolling or need to get fixed, though. Those big boys walk all day and night."
"I see. Thank you." Weiss nodded and walked away, deep in thought. While she couldn't discount the possibility that they were powered by Dust, there was an equally likely chance that they were powered by something else entirely...or that they required no power source at all. The thought made her both excited and nervous. Her father secured his domination because of the fact that everything needed Dust to function. Some outside settlements used alternative power sources such as windmills, but they couldn't truly match Dust. Dust was power. It was energy, fuel, bullets...
Could Jaune change all that?
Weiss shook her head. Focus, she told herself. She could worry about that later. Right now she had to focus on her plans.
She wandered around the kingdom without a destination in mind. Truthfully, she was more focused on the people. Perhaps it was cynical of her, but she found herself looking for signs of discontent. Weiss had been raised on propaganda and doublethink. The employees were satisfied with their lot in life. Those who complained weren't justified, they were simply greedy and lazy. The Faunus weren't discriminated against, they were entitled and thought they deserved more than they were oh-so-generously given.
And so on and so forth. She'd heard the myriad of propaganda and justifications for over a decade now. It led to a rather pessimistic viewpoint she'd done her best to rein in ever since she arrived in Beacon. The world was far more complex than her father's propaganda machine liked to portray it as.
Case in point, Jaune's kingdom.
Weiss was adept at seeing under the masks people put up. It was a necessity when men and women thrice her age attempted to exploit her for their own benefit. Father was hardly a loving parent and he took her ability to see through deception (or not...) as a measure of whether she was worthy to be his heir.
Which was why she found it both amazing and relieving that she hadn't seen a single person putting on a mask. All around her, the villagers worked with a gusto that she'd never seen in anyone who worked under her father's management. Many of them had smiles on their faces and they worked in tandem with an easy cooperation that seemed more like they'd done it for years rather than mere months. Those taking breaks eagerly chatted with one another and they all did their best to ensure that the workload was easily shared.
What drew her attention the most, however, was the spirit of cooperation. Under her Father's rule, the SDC had fostered a culture of paranoia and mistrust. Employees were encouraged to stab each other in the back and used anything they could to gain a sense of superiority. Older employees lorded over younger ones out of perceived superiority and many sucked up to those they perceived as their betters. The Faunus received the worst of it. Even those at their lowest considered themselves better than them for no other than because Atlesian society deemed the Faunus lesser.
Weiss wanted to say that she was better than that, but she too had been blinded by prejudice up until recently. While she wouldn't apologize for her feelings on the White Fang - they hated her and she saw no reason to give them any leeway - not every Faunus was responsible for their crimes.
Her eyes were once again drawn to the farmers and laborers. Young and old, Humans and Faunus. It didn't matter. They all worked together as equals. A young Faunus man and a middle-aged Human man laughed and chatted like old friends as they worked the fields. Something like that would've never happened in one of the mines. Or if it did, it was an extreme rarity. Yet here it was treated as nothing special by everyone around them. An Arcadia where people stood as one.
This was what the SDC could've been. The SDC her grandfather built. A company built on the spirit of cooperation and fair treatment of its employees before her Father had corrupted it. This was what she could turn the SDC back into. A company that cared for others and made proud the lineage of the Schnee name. All of this - the spirit of cooperation and equality - could be spread across all of Remnant.
All she needed to do was ensure she received Jaune's help...
The sounds of whirring drew her attention elsewhere. Weiss watched, utterly gobsmacked, as the farmers left the freshly harvested field only for a machine to suddenly roll over the empty dirt. It looked like an oversized tractor or combined harvester, except instead of shearing away the fields, it spread seeds and water with extreme precision. That in and of itself wouldn't have been too odd. After all, she'd seen similar machines back at Atlas.
No, what really made her gape like a fish out of water was the sight of the plants growing right before her very eyes. Weiss rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing correctly. Yes, the crops were growing from fresh seedlings to assorted fruits and vegetables in a matter of minutes. And as soon as the crops finished growing, the farmers quickly set to harvesting them with practiced ease. Was that why they never had any problems feeding their rising population?
She stared at the machine which continued to plant more seeds and water. Could Jaune perhaps do the same with other resources? Perhaps Dust?
The possibilities made her feel lightheaded. Weiss took one last look at the efficient farmers before slowly walking back to the castle. She had to ponder some things...
At the other side of the settlement, Blake made her way through what could be considered the 'downtown' part of the city. While a decent part of the city was devoted to needed things such as agriculture and production, the other parts were more focused on what you might expect from a kingdom.
Settlements outside the walls were practical beasts by nature. Unlike the kingdoms, the threat of being attacked by Grimm or bandits meant that pragmatism won out over leisure. Villages and towns focused on ensuring production and protection. Militias and walls were crucial and the most common source of entertainment were bars. It was the easiest way to release the tension held by the villagers and helped foster a sense of camaraderie. Alcohol was a cheap repellent against negativity.
She remembered being so surprised when she first got into Vale. Movie theaters, nightclubs, bookstores, spas...any sort of Want was there for those who could afford it. While outside settlements did have those occasionally, it was unheard of for them to be present in such excess. Things like horror movies were considered contraband. Inside the kingdoms, they were amusements. Outside of them, however, the fear and dread they elicited could draw Grimm to the settlement.
Jaune's rising kingdom matched the likes of Vale in that regard. She couldn't walk down the street without spotting some form of entertainment. A movie theater showing horror films, a sports center, and an arena where people cheered in drunken revelry as people fought. There were shops too, which sold anything one could think of from armor and weapons to airships(!). Atlas would've had a heart attack at the sight of the ships being sold.
Blake's stomach grumbled and she made her way to a cafe. The waiter cheerily took her older of a fried fish meal and tea, The smell that wafted from the inside made her mouth water. She'd gotten used to subsisting on rations and foraging for her food in the past five years she spent with the White Fang. While Beacon was far better than what she was normally used to, the food tasted oddly bland considering the grade of ingredients they were working with.
Her eyes drifted over to the other cafe patrons and she lingered at the sight of a young couple. A female Cat Faunus and a male Human. They were clearly together judging by the way they held hands and laughed, leaning against one another without shame. The sight of it made her smile. Back in Vale, couples like them would have to hide their relationships. Oh, Vale claimed to be equal, but she knew from experience that a Human-Faunus couple would be considered 'eccentric' at best or freaks at worst.
And Vale was one of the nicer places to their kind...
Her cynical musings were cut off when the waiter returned with her food, which she quickly paid for. Blake sniffed the fish fillet appreciatively and, after a second to brace herself, bit into the crispy food.
Blake did not moan. She merely hummed in appreciation at the taste of the fried fish. And no, it did not not remind her of her mom's home-cooked meals. Don't be silly. Blake finished off the whole thing and even licked up the flakes. Just to not be rude, of course.
This was what Menagerie could be like, she thought as she left the cafe. A place where Humans and Faunus could live side-by-side without judgment. A home that was more than crammed together wooden huts. They could have a true sanctuary. A kingdom all on their own.
And Weiss would take that from them so she could take over a company she was already set to inherit. Blake wasn't petty enough that she couldn't see her teammate's good intentions, but compared to the salvation of the Faunus, Weiss' plan seemed so insignificant in comparison.
Blake stopped when she passed by a bookstore. While she would've been interested in checking it out regardless, the sign up front made her breath seize in excitement, "Auctioning a limited edition copy of Kunoichi Kitty: The Untold Chronicles." Her mouth went dry after she read it. Kunoichi Kitty was her favorite...tasteful literature, beating out even the Ninjas of Love. The plot, the setting, the characters...the PLOT. It was all so enthralling and she eagerly devoured every single book she could get.
Sadly, the author was a famous recluse and finding copies was hard. The Untold Chronicles was so rare that she heard that there were only 100 copies in all of Remnant. Finding one here was a miracle. She opened her wallet and gulped. 3000 lien, all the money she'd saved up over the past three years. What? It wasn't like being a terrorist for five years led to a lot of money-making opportunities. People signed up for the cause, not the salary and health benefits. They couldn't all get allowances from their rich parents.
Blake stepped inside and winced at the crowd of people - easily two dozen - already sitting down. She could tell by the looks on their faces that they were all true connoisseurs like her. She'd have enjoyed discussing the plot (and the PLOT) with them at any other time, but right now, they were her enemies. They all wanted the same thing here.
The store owner - an old man who looked to be in his eighth decade of life - spoke into the microphone with a nasally voice, "Thank you for showing up, everyone. I see we've got some new visitors too." His eyes scanned the crowd, "Well, there's no sense in dragging it out. We all know what we're here for."
He took out a briefcase from a nearby table and opened it slowly. Blake's breath hitched at the sight of the holy relic he so carelessly put on the podium, "Ninjas of Love: The Untold Chronicles." He coughed. If he got his spit in it she would kill him! "A collector's item. I've heard it's valuable, so let's start the bidding at 5000 lien."
...
What?
5000? She looked down at her wallet and found, much to her dismay, that she hadn't gotten 2000 extra lien since she last checked. M-Maybe he'd misspoken? He must have. He looked like he had one foot in the grave. He probably meant 500 or-
The middle-aged woman to her left raised her hand. Blake's turned to her in disbelief, "5000. Do we have 6000?" A young man two seats in front of her raised his hand, "6000. Do we have 7000?"
Up and up the number went. 10,000, 20,000, 40,000...Blake found herself frozen and helpless, unable to raise her hand even once as the bidding war escalated. This...This couldn't be happening. She'd finally found something that could give her true joy after so many years of struggle and now it was being taken from her. Didn't she deserve this? Deserve a reward for fighting for half a decade? Why was fate being so cruel?
And then a light, a memory of what could be her salvation. Blake groped desperately for her pouch and pulled out the gold bar Jaune had gifted her. She'd almost forgotten about it with her (selfless) plan to save Menagerie. She held it with both hands like a mother cradling her child and looked up just as the owner said, "70,0000. Going once, going twice-"
"80,000!" Blake said in a rush, raising her hand and the gold bar. All attention was drawn to her sudden entry. Many were surprised, and yet just as many looked at her with respect. Blake ignored them all and focused solely on the book.
"80,000. Going once, going twice...sold to the new arrival."
The crowd clapped politely while Blake nervously went in front. She took a deep breath to steady herself and walked up to the makeshift podium. The gold bar felt heavy in her hand and she handed it numbly to the old man, "Here..." Blake didn't even look at him or the crowd shuffling out of the store. All she cared about was the book. Her heart beat so loudly that it was all she could hear and she reached a tentative hand out to the holy scripture.
"Hold on a second," the nasally voice cut in. He slammed the gold bar on the table and gave her an unamused look, "What's the idea? This is only worth 75,000 lien."
"What? How could you tell?" Blake asked, disbelief cutting through her excitement.
"You ain't the first person who's tried to buy with gold and jewelry, little miss. Now, are we going to have a problem here or-"
"N-No! No problem!" Blake opened her wallet and pulled out the lien cards, "I-I have 3000 here. I know it's not enough, but I can get more!" How, her mind asked. Was she shameless enough to ask Jaune for another handout? It was one thing to ask him for help with the Faunus, but for something so selfish?
"Hm..." The old man took the lien cards from her and rubbed his chin, "There's a loan office a couple of streets down. You can get something there. They got reasonable rates. Or you can find some other way to get the 2000 lien. I'm gonna need it by the end of the day."
Blake bit her lower lip. A loan office...even thinking about it made her shudder. You could run from the Huntsmen and the Atlesian army, but debt collectors? They would hound you to the very ends of Remnant. Not even Adam would risk defaulting on a loan. Say what you will about her ex, but he had an amazing credit score.
Ultimately, she decided to bite the bullet and take a loan. The interest rate was 3 percent every month. It wouldn't take her much to pay it off if she did a couple of missions, but she'd have to convince the teachers to let her do some cleanup work. Or maybe she could beg Yang for a loan to pay off this one once Yang sold off the Ruby. Yang was a lot of things, but she wasn't a loan shark. Blake would still have to pay her back, but there wouldn't be any interest.
She went back and got the book. Once her fingers touched the smooth leather cover, she felt as if it was all worth it. Blake smiled brightly and returned to the castle with a skip in her step.
Weiss ran into Blake at the castle's entrance. Their previous argument was still fresh in her mind and she halfway expected her teammate to snap at her.
Instead, she had a dopey smile on her face - and dopey was the last word Weiss ever thought she'd use to describe Blake Belladonna - and pressed a book against her chest as if her life depended on it, "...What are you so happy about?" Weiss asked with a raised brow.
"Nothing." Her face flushed and she held the book tighter.
"Right..." Weiss crossed her arms. Something told her that way lay madness, "Well...I've been walking around trying to get a lay of the land. Would it be too much to assume that you changed your mind in the meantime?"
Blake's smile immediately disappeared and she looked at Weiss with a narrow glare, "No."
"Of course not." Weiss sighed, "Jaune helping me is for the greater good, you know."
"For who? For the people who already have more than enough?"
"For everyone." Weiss grit her teeth. The words came out far more strained than she would've liked, "I saw things down there. People working together equally with one another. It didn't matter their age or race, they cooperated with smiles on their faces. Imagine how much Remnant could be improved if the SDC was run like that. No more mining accidents because the company decided safety checks were too expensive. No more employees being mistreated and forced to work for pennies so some corrupt bastard can afford another mansion he'll never actually use."
"I thought you'd want the same thing, Blake!" Weiss threw her hands up, "Haven't the White Fang been attacking the SDC - my family - because they wanted equal treatment." Blake winced slightly at the reminder of how often Weiss had been at the other end of her former group's wrath, "Under my leadership, Faunus will finally be treated equally and Dust will be made far more available to all of Remnant. Villages outside the settlements won't have to pay through the nose just to afford Fire Dust that will let them survive the winter."
"It sounds like a pleasant dream, Weiss, but you're wrong about one thing." Blake's gaze was firm, "Your plan won't make us equal. We'll be treated better at the SDC, sure, but what about outside of it? How do better wages and more affordable Dust help the Faunus? We'd still be seen as nothing more than filthy animals without even a kingdom to go back to. Jaune can give us that. He can turn Menagerie into a true sanctuary for the Faunus so they aren't forced to survive in cities that treat them as second-class citizens."
"The Faunus will have the power to stand with their head held high. The other kingdoms can't ignore us if we've got a kingdom of our own. We don't have to hide and bow our heads because some racist asshole decided attacking us is the only way he can get some meaning out of his worthless life. We can have a chance at true equality, something we've been denied for as long as we've existed. How could I not fight for that chance?"
"And what about the White Fang?" Weiss raised her head, "For someone who has been positively obsessed with them for the past few weeks, you're quick to ignore the risk they pose. Do you believe that they would allow the Faunus to achieve equality if it comes at the hands of a Human?"
"That's..." Blake grit her teeth, "Not all of the White Fang hate Humans. Many of us just want equality."
"And just as many would abhor the idea of being reliant on a Human for anything. They'll sabotage any plan you make with Jaune." Weiss scoffed, "And even if they did accept his help, do you think the other Kingdoms will respect a Menagerie that houses the White Fang? Is Menagerie willing to disavow the White Fang if it means Jaune's help? If not, your plan is short-sighted and doomed to failure."
"As if you're any better." Blake scoffed, "Do you think your Dad and the rest of the snakes on his board won't try to take advantage of Jaune? Even if Jaune refuses, Jacques Schnee is not a man who's accustomed to being told no. And neither is General Ironwood. I'd take the White Fang over Atlesian politics."
The two of them glared at one another for a moment before going back inside. It was clear neither would convince the other about why they deserved Jaune's help more. Weiss sighed. She really did want to become friends with Blake, but right now, she felt as if their relationship was on tenterhooks. It wasn't as if she didn't understand Blake's motivations, she did, but her plan was simply far riskier and more of a time investment compared to her own.
They'd barely managed to step inside before they caught sight of Yang lying down on the couch with a look akin to someone who had stared into the abyss.
"Uh..." Blake nervously palmed her book.
"Blake, Weiss...this place is fucking weird," Yang said.
"Yeah." Weiss sighed again.
Thankfully, they didn't have to ruminate on that for long before they heard Ruby's voice, "Oh, that was amazing~" Weiss turned around and blinked at the sight of her partner. Ruby was never the neatest girl in Beacon. While her outfit was as ornate and well-fit as any other Huntresses, Ruby was a tomboy and a blacksmith at heart. Her quarter of the room was often messy with blueprints strewn haphazardly and weapon components littering her mattress and the floor. Wiess often had to remind her to clean up after herself.
Ruby looked like she'd been through a particularly in-depth 'caring session' (she called it that, not Weiss) for Crescent Rose. Her blouse and cloak were wrapped around her waist. Instead of the expected camisole, however, she wore a light green shirt that clung to her body due to how sweaty she was. Weiss' nose wrinkled and she tried to ignore both the smell and the grease smears on her cheeks. If only she'd brought her perfume along...
"Oh! You guys are back?" Jaune stepped into the living room last. He wasn't shirtless this time (pity...), though he'd rolled up his sleeves to his shoulders and the sweat had caused the light blue shirt to cling to his torso like a second skin. Weiss did her utter best to not stare at the line of muscles that his wet shirt did absolutely nothing to cover.
...
Okay, she stared heavily, but she still did her best not to! And it wasn't like Blake was any better. Blake tried and failed to look like she didn't care while Yang openly leered without any shame.
"Hey there, stud. You and Rubes have fun 'yanging' out?" Yang grinned, forcefully ignoring her previous look of shock.
The rest of Team RWBY groaned. Yang's puns were incorrigible and weeks of her trying to force them to see how 'funny' she was hadn't done her any favors.
Jaune, proving once again how alien he was in this world, actually laughed at the horrible, "Haha. 'Yanging' out. I get it. Good one."
"Huh. At least someone here has a sense of humor." Yang laughed in turn and then gave the three of them the biggest, smuggest smile. Weiss rolled her eyes, "So...what were the two of you doing?"
"Oh, oh, oh!" Ruby squealed, loud enough to make Weiss wince, and unfurled Crescent Rose again, "Me and Jaune did some crafting and now Crescent Rose is gonna do WAY more damage against Grimm!" She paused, "I mean, I haven't tested it yet, but it's pretty obvious that everything Jaune makes works perfectly!"
"I wouldn't say that, but thanks." Jaune laughed and rubbed the back of his head, "It was nice talking to someone as interested in crafting as I am. Maybe we can do some more upgrades next time?"
"We super will!"
Ruby squealed again and, before any of them could react, she wrapped her arms around Jaune's neck and kissed him on the cheek. Weiss blinked at the sight and didn't realize her hands her balled into shaky fists till she felt her nails digging into her palm. Blake's eyes narrowed, though she didn't react overly much.
The same couldn't be said for Yang. The blonde looked utterly gobsmacked at Ruby. Among everyone on the team, Ruby had been the least interested in relationships. Yang peeked into the boy's locker room, she had her short-lived crush on Neptune, and even Blake read those pornography books she thought she kept hidden from the rest of the team. Ruby had once bragged that she knew more about the inner workings of a rifle than interpersonal relationships.
Ruby seemed to remember that she wasn't alone and pulled back from Jaune, face as red as her cloak, "S-Sorry!" she squeaked.
"It's fine. You were excited." He smiled back somewhat awkwardly, his own cheeks somewhat red, "S-So what are your plans?"
A lot of things, mostly including trying to convince Jaune to help her for the good of all Remnant. Since she couldn't say that, however, Weiss instead said, "Technically, our mission is complete, but our allotted time for the task is three days." When she first heard of the mission she'd rolled her eyes and assumed it was would be a quick in-and-out. Now she thought that a mere three days wasn't long enough, "We'll be staying at an inn - or a hotel, I suppose - in town. The teachers gave us a stipend for just that."
"A hotel? You don't have to do that. There are tons of guestrooms here! You guys can stay in one. Only if you want to, of course!"
Normally, a man trying to offer four women he'd barely known a place to stay would make Weiss suspicious, but Jaune was sincere enough. And besides, it would give her more of a chance to convince him about helping her with her plans, "Well...we all graciously accept." The rest of team RWBY agreed with her and they went to get the luggage that had been sent ahead to the hotel.
The room Jaune led them to easily matched the opulence of Schnee manor. No, that wasn't right. This place felt...warmer, if that was the right word. Every part of it felt as if it was created with care, "Hm." Weiss sat on a nearby desk and took out her scroll after setting the diamond sword down while the others situated themselves. Ruby had gone to the bathroom for a quick shower, Blake was reading that oh-so-precious book of hers, and Yang was lying drinking a soda she got from the mini-fridge and staring at the ruby she held with her right hand.
Ruby stepped out of the bathroom minutes later with a fresh change of clothes, "Whatcha doing, Weiss?" she asked.
"Making the report we're giving to Miss. Goodwitch." Which was supposed to be Ruby's job as leader. Something the younger girl seemed to realize judging by her wince.
"Oh...I-I could do it if you want?"
"Nevermind. I'll be correcting it anyway before you send it." Weiss shook her head. Ruby had many good qualities as a leader, but paperwork wasn't one of them.
"Thanks, Weiss."
Silence settled over the room. Weiss continued to type while Ruby had taken to sharpening and cooing at her scythe. Huntsmen had a special bond with their weapons, but Ruby took it to some downright uncomfortable levels.
The semi-comfortable quiet was broken when Yang suddenly spoke up.
"I'm gonna date Jaune."
The reaction was instantaneous. Weiss dropped her scroll, Blake dropped her book, and Ruby dropped Crescent Rose. The last one was surely a sign of the end times, "Y-You can't!" It took Weiss a few seconds to realize that she'd been the one to say it.
"Uh...pretty sure I can?" Yang raised a brow and sat up on the bed, "Like, I can go to his room right now and tell him I wanna go out with him. Pretty sure I got a good shot of him saying yes." Yang smirked and crossed her arms under her chest.
"Wh-Why do you wanna date him?!" Ruby cried in a panic.
"He's nice, he's buff, he's got a good sense of humor...do I really need to go on?" Yang shrugged.
"All this because he laughed at your stupid pun?" Blake scoffed.
"Excusing you? It was a great pun! It's not my fault you guys can't see my comedy genius."
"You can't date him, Yang. You'll ruin everything," Weiss said firmly. Right now, Jaune Arc was (presumably) a free agent. If Yang got her grubby hands on him then he'd never agree with her plan. Not unless Yang could convince him, and Weiss doubted she cared about the Dust situation and the state of the SDC's employees.
"Yeah, Yang. Think about more than just having fun," Blake added.
"Wait, what are you two talking about?" Ruby rounded on them.
Weiss winced. She was tempted to lie or come up with an excuse, but Ruby was oddly perceptive at the worst of times. She knew making up a story wouldn't work here. Sighing, she told Ruby about her and Blake's plans to enlist Jaune's help. The Faunus looked obviously annoyed at being outed, but if Weiss was going to confess then there was no way she'd give Blake an undue advantage by covering for her. She still needed her plan to succeed.
Ruby looked at both her and Blake with an expression of pure disappointment, "Y-You two are so selfish!"
"What?! How am I selfish?! I'm doing this for the good of the SDC's employees and all of Remnant!" Weiss shot back.
"This isn't for me, Ruby. This is for the Faunus," Blake said after.
"You two can dress it up all you want, but you're both just trying to use Jaune!" Weiss winced. It certainly seemed that way at a glance, "We just met him today and you're already thinking up schemes to have him do what you want! That's selfish!"
"Yeah, I'm with Rubes here. That's pretty messed up." Yang added.
"Hey, you're not off the hook either!" Ruby rounded on her now, "You were the one who asked Jaune for free stuff and took that ruby!"
"It was a joke! ...Sort of!" Yang groaned, "What do you want? I can't just give it back now! It'll be super awkward!"
"All of you are just trying to use Jaune." Ruby crossed her arms and harrumphed, "I think it's best that I date him instead. At least I'm not in it for anything."
"Now you want to date him? Since when?" Weiss raised a brow.
"S-Since earlier! He's my s-soulmate!" Ruby said it fiercely. Or at least she tried to. The stutter and red face ruined the effect.
"Soulmate? You still believe in that stuff, Rubes? That's cute." Yang laughed.
"Rrrgh, don't look down on me, Yang!" She pointed at her, "You'll see! I'll go out with Jaune and we'll be crafting partners! And unlike some people, I'm not doing it because I want Jaune to do me favors."
"Hm. And I'm sure the upgrades to Crescent Rose have nothing to do with it, right?" Blake asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Th-That's different! We did that together! I didn't ask him to do stuff for me!"
A tense, heavy silence settled over the room. Weiss looked at each of her teammates - her friends - and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. They all wanted Jaune. Maybe not for the same reasons, but they wanted him all the same. Weiss would've been lying if she said she wasn't worried, but she quickly dispelled the thought. She was Weiss Schnee. Even if she couldn't rely on money to convince Jaune, she had other methods.
None of them said a word to one another as they turned off the lights and went to sleep. Their friendships would survive this, she was certain of that, though she expected that things would be tense for the next few days. Honestly, couldn't they all see that her plan was the most sensible? And it wasn't as if she would force Jaune into anything. She'd find a way to convince him on why supporting her would be for the best.
...
...
...
"Oh yeah, you're a bad bitch. Raise that butt up higher," a voice said outside their window. It was quickly followed by some barks.
"What the hell was that?" Blake asked.
"Trust me, you don't wanna know," Yang said. Her voice was flat and oddly serious.
The three of them decided Yang was right and they all went to sleep, ignoring the sounds of howling that lasted throughout the whole night.
Jaune's out here just casually breaking the setting. It's gonna be chaos once the stuff in Domremy spreads to the kingdoms and people realize just how busted Minecraft powers are in a pseudo-death world setting. There's a reason I called this 'Raise but not as dark' elsewhere.
Anyway, the four members of team RWBY have staked their claim on Jaune. Let's see how this goes. Oh, and Curious Cat means that Jaune has a way to travel to the Ever After. I'm sure that won't be a problem.
Questions:
1. How do you guys think each member of Team RWBY would try to seduce Jaune? Yang is likely a flirt, but what about the other three? Ruby has never shown interest in romance while Blake and Weiss are used to being pursued rather than the other way around.
2. Following up on Weiss' question, do you think the White Fang (or even the Faunus as a whole) would let their technological leap come at the hands of a Human? Especially Sienna given that she died before her character could be well-established.
3. Same as the above Authors Notes, which factions/characters do you wanna see involved in the Minecraft free-for-all? And how would they try to get Jaune to help them?