The Creed
Chapter 3
In a haze of fog slowly gaining consciousness in a void of white. Looking down at a man that lays dying in his arms. The man dressed in dark robes with a wooden cross around his neck. Lips moving but no noise coming from them. Looking up, they are sitting at the edge of a pool seeing a familiar face but colored differently. Dark brown eyes with black hair with a short beard looked back. Covered in a white robe of cloth and leather armor, what looked to be throwing knives just over his left shoulder with a leather paulder on his right shoulder. Sword at his side along with more knives at his waist.
The body of the man he held made a loud gasp. The noise so out of place in the white pure white and silent field made him jerk. Looking down at the body he saw his left forearm had a bracer of some ancient design covered crimson from the life of the man. A blade left the body and returned to its hidden sheath waiting to be called out when it was needed once more. Watching as his hand grabbed a white eagle feather from a pouch on his back and dabbing it in the crimson liquid and putting it away. These actions make no sense for him, but they all came with such ease that it scared him.
…
"BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP".
A loud and steady beeping sound woke Jaune from his deep dream. Coming into a room so bright it's blinding. Slamming his eyes shut from the violenting offending light. Jaune groans with exhaustion, and pain. His muscles give off dull pulses of pain in time with his heartbeat that feels like drums in his ears. "Well I'm not dead if this pain is anything to judge by." Jaune thinks to himself. Blinking slowly to adjust his eyes to a sterile white environment. Looking around, he found a room with a small Television high up in a corner in a metal arm next to both an open door and cabinet. A window with a bench seat against it, a sky with deep purple light yellow. Indicating sunset is all he can see. Looking towards the other side of the room he sees a solitary chair and the machine that beeps.
Looking at the machine seeing a blue line that jumps with his heart. And a yellow bar underneath it at what looks to be about at the halfway mark for whatever it is keeping track of. "Well I'm in a hosplite but where am I? The last thing I remember." Flashes of bright crimson jerk him up to a sitting position. Doing so made him groan and have him rush a hand to his chest to feel a cotton bandage around his wounded chest from his Right shoulder to his opposite hip. Light flecks of blood start to seep into the bandages from behind it. Huffing and taking short quick breaths that start to tighten his chest." I killed people." taking his hand from his sleeping chest looking at his now blood stained hand with wide eyes. Breath coming in faster and faster. Accelerating to the point he can't take a breath. The beeping in the back is getting louder and faster to match. Falling off the bead. Pushing himself into a corner, ripping cords off his chest and pulling a needle out of his that was attached to a bag of clear liquid. As the cord rip off a loud screeching sound came from the machine.
All these things Jaune ignores as he stares at his shaking blood stained hands. His brain is not coming to terms with the memories that are being forced to the front of his mind from the sight of his crimson colored hands.
In his state not noticing the door to his room smashing open and 5 nurses rushing in. The nurses seeing his empty bed only take a moment and then see him on the floor curled up.
"Get him back in the bed." shouted one of the nurses. Three attempting to grab him. In his state he sees shadows out of his dark cloud and panicked eyes. Starting to swing his arms around trying to push off the dead eyed faces that start to appear in the shadows. " NO GET AWAY." Jaune screams. Struggling to get him off the floor, the nurse stuck him with a needle. All he knows is black again.
…
On a dark moonless night in a large towering clock tower on a cliff overlooking a city, there stood a man overlooking the sprawling city below. The man with silver tossed hair and thin brown eyes in a black and green suit, with a black, silver cain and a coffee mug in hand. He stood behind a desk looking out into the dark seeing the lights flicker in the night like fireflies flying in the dark. Sipping his coffee the man let the earthy, bold flavor off the coffee and the kick and burn of the whiskey of his drink settled his mind. The long and hard look in his eyes says more than he ever would about the things he's seen and done in the name of keeping human life alive.
As he stood there he heard the bell to office for off as a dissolved looking man sticking of alcohol in his sweat standard hunters garb. red cape over silver shirt and dark pants lined with intricate designs on the worn clothes. A lopsided cross hanging from his lanky neck. Black hair looking as if it has never seen a brush. A sword hilt peaking over his shoulder.
"Well how is she?" Asked the man standing by the giant window as the soft click of moving gears above the men went off. Not even turning to the man who came in.
"She's in the vault, I don't know Ozpin, she still hasn't woken up." the now named man turned to him.
" That's unfortunate. Do we have any more information on how she was attacked , Qrow?" Qrow shook his head.
" No, the attack was quick and fast. They took her power and fled before I got to her. I don't think the white fang attack on the ferry is connected. I told no one and all that should have been on the manifest was food and lumber. I had her cropod designated as lumber and even if they knew why attack?"
Ozpin made a noise of discontent while taking a sip of his coffee and sitting down.
" Then there's nothing to do about it at this moment. Only a handful of people have access to the vault now. Hopefully her attackers think she's dead. How about the boy you helped? Any news?"
Qrow shrugged his shoulders." I unlocked his aura in time to keep him from dying before I got him to the hospital. Least i could do for the kid for having the balls to put his neck out for strangers. I'm more surprised a non aura user was able to take that many lives even if they were under trained terrorists. Not everyday a kid his age could do that."
Ozpin Nodded his head in agreement. " Do you think he could be of use to us?" asked the silver haired man.
" Maybe if he wants to be a huntsman. He has the blade skill for sure."
Ozpin looked at his desk with a longsword in a scabbard on his otherwise empty desk. The look of love and sorrow flashed briefly across his face.
" Well it's not everyday a scion of a house Arc leaves their island. I do wonder why he didn't have his aura unlocked though."
Then with a tap on his desk a monitor came out of the desk with the picture of one Jaune Arc with information from his age to his grades at a combat academy that just a year prior was destroyed in a Grimm hoard.
" Safe to say his application is fake. I was going to dismiss him when he got here later this week. But if you say he can fight, maybe he has what it takes."
Qrow raising an eyebrow says," What if he is a pawn off the Queen?"
Shaking his head dismissively states" No she would ever be this sloppy with a pawn. More than likely he is a wildcard who just wants to help. I've seen his kind every now and then. No, I think it's safe to assume he wants to fight, otherwise why have this sword. I'll go to him in the morning to check on his progress and to talk to him about the attack."
" As you will Oz, what's the next Job?" asked the black haired man as he pulled a flask out of his coat and took a deep drag of the contents.
"You'll go to Vacuo, I hear rumors of a freak storm and a woman being seen in the area with an odd semblance."
Qrow nodding his head in acceptance, he turns around and leaves the room. Ozpin, being left to himself, looks at the sword on his desk. "Well if you're back in play my old friend I wonder what hard times are ahead for us." looking at the info of the young man one last time sighing. He says." Only one way to know." change the big red words of REJECTED, to green ACCEPTED. " Well let's see what this wildcard will have in his hands." watching the video cameras from the fairy. He sips his alcoholic coffee in anticipation.
Author's note!
I know its been a while since i've updated this story. I've been so busy with life can't really say anything else. But my wife and I are both getting back into writing so now is a healthy competition to see who can write more. I'm hoping this will push me to write faster and better. If anyone has ideas for me or if i should change how i write let me know and i'll take it as good criticism.
Have a great time on the web, Kiro out.