Remnant's Darkest Day Volume I: A Soul Reborn

Chapter 36 - The Vytal Festival (Part I)

Normal Font: Speaking
Italics: Thoughts/Whispers/Emphasis/POV/Timeskips/Weapon Names
Bold: Shouting/Misc. Characters/Flashbacks
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(Alexander's Forge - Training Dojo, Jaune POV)

Alexander: "Now then, since that's taken care of..." Alex says before pausing before slamming his hands on the main table, his scowl growing into that of pure rage.

Alexander: "...EXPLAIN YOURSELVES." he says with an almost murderous tone in his voice as I gulp and sigh, realizing there's no way out as I start to speak.

Jaune: "It happened the day after Team RWBY recruited us..." I say in a somber tone.

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FLASHBACK: Three days ago.

(Beacon Academy - Hallway, Jaune POV)

Jaune: "So, we're going to Alex's Forge after we leave Beacon, so we should..." I start to speak before a voice from behind us suddenly interrupts me, causing all four of us to stop in our tracks.

???: "You're heading off to see Alexander at his shop, yes?" the person asked as all four of us turn around to see none other than General Ironwood, who must've overheard me speaking as he walks up to me.

Jaune: "Y-Yeah, why do you ask, General Ironwood, sir?" I respond as I salute nervously, not knowing what to do, considering this happened so suddenly and he just chuckles and moves my arm down.

Ironwood: "Don't be so nervous around me, alright?" General Ironwood says as I nod and stand back towards my team as I notice his somewhat calm demeanor turn into one of slight malice.

Ironwood: "Now, as for the answer to your question, Mr. Arc, I think it'd be a bad idea to trust him, considering what he did to me a few years back." he says with an angry tone, but he soon composes himself.

Nora: "What did he do to you, General, was it bad?" Nora asks as General Ironwood looks at her with a grimace, as if reprimanding her without words being said at all and she shrieks before he sighs and walks up to us and places his hand on my shoulder.

Ironwood: "He left me to die on the battlefield, and..." the General says before pausing, standing up and sighing as all four of us just look at him, shocked by what he just said and frankly, I didn't want to believe him.

Ironwood: "...because I lived, he hates me for that, because you see, Team JNPR, we always had a rivalry with each other while he was still in the Atlesian Army and while we high-ranking officials, he and I had different ideals and moral codes: I believed in using our army to help create better ties to not only Mantle, but to the rest of Remnant." he explains as he walks past us, as if motioning us to follow him.

Jaune: "And what did Alex believe in, General Ironwood?" I ask as he looks back at me and sighs while shaking his head before looking back ahead, and I look at the rest of my team, and they all had different expressions: Nora was scared, Pyrrha was shocked and Ren looked dumbfounded.

Ironwood: "He believed in using our army and power to create an authoritarian stranglehold on Remnant, turning the world into a plaything and I need YOUR help to stop him." General Ironwood says as all of our eyes widen in complete disbelief.  Alex always had a temper, but to jeopardize a mission, as well as leaving the General for dead?  It didn't seem like an impossibility.

Ironwood: "Will you help me stop this monster, Team JNPR, or will you stand beside the man who wants to destroy all that myself and the rest of Atlas has built over the years?" he asks and I look at the rest of my team, who nod at me and in return, I nod as well and General Ironwood gives us a smile, as if saying thanks.