L'Empereur ch 3 preview. (Patreon)

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Pastah!Cardin/Kali Belladonna.

My face hit the dirt.

Spite, anger, the humiliation of being so kicked around as easily made me stand up. It did not take a few more seconds for me to get familiar with the dirt once again. Above, I felt her presence hover over me. A second later, her rapier embedded itself into the earth.

True to her word, Mazarine had been there at the allocated time. She was pleased that I had showed up, probably expecting me to be sluggish about the whole thing. Now, I was already used in waking up early, a habit I cultivated in my previous life. After all, the sooner I could wake up, the sooner I could get to work immediately. I wasn’t exactly this industrious in my working habits but I suppose having the Grimm roam around your world was a motivator to do a good job.

”Sparing me? How chivalrous,” I grumbled, pushing myself off the floor, my other hand on my weapon supporting me as I rose.

”Cardin, I shall be frank. You are a terrible combatant,” Mazarine said bluntly. “You attacked me without form, without technique. How are you going to fight Grimm like this?”

I took her criticism in stride. “I operated under the assumption we were going to be fighting fair so I tried to fight fairly.”

Mazarine gave me a bemused look. “Oh? And how do you fight, hm?”

I hefted my weapon against my shoulder. “As dirtily and shamelessly as possible. So by your leave, can we have a go again?”

Mazarine offered me a bow. I’m sure it was supposed to be a sign of respect but it just felt mocking to me. “En garde,” Mazarine smirked.

I held up my warhammer, a long faithful copy of Robert Bobby B’s warhammer but RWBY-fied. My hands reached down and found a button. Mazarine’s eyes narrowed, expecting it to shift somewhat. What she did not expect was for the hammer to suddenly erupt in a brilliant flash of white light. With her distracted, I rushed forward, my warhammer glinting. By the time Mazarine realized that I was coming, it was too late as hammer smashed into her chest.

If she did not have aura, the force would have broken her chest and ribs. She was a huntress though and the force merely sent her flying.

A wave of satisfaction coursed through me as she landed on back. She sat up, her expression set in disappointment. “You cheated,”

I snorted, hefting up my hammer against my shoulder. “And I will continue to do so. Those who choose their battlefields tend to win and I will make sure all my battles have all the advantages stacked in my favour as much as possible.” I went over to her and offered her my hand. Mazarine looked at it as if it was a particularly dirty thing. Nevertheless, she shook her head and I pulled her up.

”That has no honor in it,” Mazarine said with particular disdain. I raised an eyebrow when I realized that she was most likely based from the Three Musketeers. I should have known, from her name. Pothos.

”Victory wipes away dishonor,” I replied, not budging from my stance on war and battle. Like shit, if I was going to fight someone, I wanted to win not just out of self preservation but for a love of efficiency. That sort of morality made my sense of honor basically non existent but that only extended to the battlefield. I wasn’t going to deliberately be a dishonorable douchebag for little gain.

Watching silently, Celeste offered me a towel, a towel I accepted.

Mazarine looked like she ate a particularly sour fruit. I felt some semblance of sympathy for her. Unfortunately, chivalry wasn’t something I was going to be particularly interested in practicing. All is fair in love and war after all.

”Mister Winchester, I have brought over the faunus representative!” Brown’s voice echoed out. I turned to see the older man, sweating and all, bringing along a man with brown hair and a particularly pronounced glare of the eyes. Just as Brown told me, the goat faunus had the signature goat horns on his head. I inwardly stifled a laugh. Lannes was a known stubborn bastard and there was no animal more stubborn than a goat.

I’m sure there was some practical joke in that.

”Ah, you must be Lance?” I said, putting the towel aside and walking up to him.

”I am,” Jeanne said guardedly. I smiled as I approached him, my hand out for a handshake. “A pleasure to finally meet you!” I greeted him. He looked at my hand as if I was holding out a knife to mug him. Brown watched with discomfort.

Seriously, what was with these people?

Slowly, Jeanne accepted my hand and we shook. I maintained my smile. “I hope I did not ask for you too early? Have you eaten breakfast?”

Puzzled, Jeanne shook his head. I gave him a understanding look and turned to Celene. “Can you prop up extra plates? For everyone?”

She nodded and bowed. At the extra work I gave her, I made up a mental note to hire some extra maids to help her out. I turned from her to my puzzled guests. “Well then, please wait for me while I get washed up. I smell, you see. Follow Celeste and I’ll be with you shortly.”

Dumbfounded, he and Brown followed along. I grinned at them before turning on my heels, for the bathroom.

I was half opening it when I realized the clacking of boots behind me. I turned to Mazarine, my face set. “Pray tell, why are you coming with me?”

”I’m your bodyguard, silly. I have to be with you at all times,” Mazarine said, rolling her eyes. I nodded in agreement. “Oh yes, you have. But while I have to go into the bathroom? In our manor?”

”There might be assassins there,” Mazarine said, straight-faced. I gave her a look.

”Assassins, at this early of an hour, here on my bathroom and land, localized entirely in a single point?”

”They could be crafty ones,”
I sighed. “Look, I know my dad put you up to protect me but this is ridiculous. And besides, you need to clean yourself up too. We both stink.”

”We can bathe together?” she suggested.

I closed the door behind her.

Much later and dressed lightly, I descended to the dining table with a smile on my face. “Ah, sorry for the tardiness.” I rounded to my chair and sat. “Come, let us eat.”

And eat we did, quietly. There was a selection of freshly baked bread, eggs, bacon, cheeses and the like. I ate with gusto, as I often did. My companions however, they ate sparingly, if at all.

An orange eyebrow rose. “Is something the matter?”

Jeanne glanced at the food on his plate. He looked up at me. “What’s your game, Winchester?” he asked, arms crossed. “Are you here to mock me by making me sit with you? Eating your food?”

From her chair, Mazarine’s hand hovered over her rapier. My legs slanted against hers, urging her to calm down. I leaned in. “And what makes you think I’m mocking you, Jeanne?”

He glanced up at me. “Are you trying to show off how much you can eat? Trying to tell me how little I have? My people have?” He held up his spoon. The silverware glinted. “This is…this is the sum total of what my family makes in a week!”

”And pray tall, what makes you think I’m trying to mock you?” I asked, setting aside my utensils.

”The niceties, the politeness,” Jeanne said with grit teeth. “I know you Winchesters. Just tell me what you want from my people. Spare me the illusions.”

I sighed. I then looked up at him. “I promise you, there’s no joke here or anything. I’m not my father or family. I don’t hold any prejudice against your people. I brought you here so that we could talk shop, of how I can help you and how you can help me.”

Jeanne stared at me, looking for any sign of malice or deceit. Finding none, he sat back down. “Make it quick,” he spat.

”You will address him as Young Master or Mister Winc-” Mazarine started. I held up my hand to silence her. Looking back to Jeanne. “I respect the dignity of anyone that respects mine, Jeanne. I’ve been nothing but courteous to you since you arrived. So, may we?”

The goat faunus took a breath. “What is it you want, Mister...Winchester?”

I grinned. “Now, my father gave me this land to manage on account of the previous overseer being a terrible piece of work. Now, I do not plan on treating you and your people as second class citizens. We are all Valeans here and I will not let such practices stand.” I announced.

”I’ve yet to see that,” Jeanne commented.

”Which is hence, I want to ask you some questions so that I can get a bead on everything. First question is, what are the skills of your people?” I asked. For a moment, Jeanne thought about it. Then, he answered.

”We…we’re laborers, field workers. We’re also woodsmen, hunters Low paying and back breaking work.”

I nodded, mentally taking note of the jobs he listed. “Any specialized industries and work that your people do?”

”Pearl divers and fishing,” Jeanne replied. “The coast is rich, very rich.”

I hummed. “I’ll keep that in mind. Now, I’m going to get this place developed, as I said. That means roads, houses, and other sites that I have planned. You mentioned that your people do woodsmen work? You know the forests and the outside of the walls?”

He nodded gruffly. “I do.”

I thought of the logistics. I was planning to put Winchestown on the map and simply producing raw materials would not do. I was going to build a good city here and every city needed people. Not just ordinary people but folks that could keep it going. Of course, I couldn’t just get city dwellers to come out into here, safety concerns and all that. Fortunately, Jeanne’s people were a potential force of labor who would leap at the chance for good wages, good living, and generally just better treatment.

”I’d like you to talk with your people, see if they need anything to make their work more efficient. I plan to maximize everything we have here and I’m not going to deny your people a chance to earn money.”

”I’ll believe it when I will see it,” said the goat faunus. I smiled at him and we talked some more, on the mundane business of administration. I later bid him farewell and he walked off, a basket full of goodies in hand. As soon as he was out of earshot, Brown made his opinion known to me.

”We…it….we are helping…faunus?” He asked, eyes twitching.

”Valeans,” I stressed. “I plan to build a future for all our countrymen, Brown. A new Order where we all unite instead of dividing ourselves on arbitrary differences.”

”My…the rest of Winchestown will not accept that,” Brown said simply. “They…the Faunus are...!”

I leaned in, my height overshadowing the poor man. “My father tasked me to make something out of this sorry place. I will do that, in a manner that I believe will maximize profit with as little fuss as possible. If it means I have to play nice with the faunus to avoid agitation, I will.” I did not mention that he had essentially exiled me in all but name but I wasn’t going to say that out loud. Well, his loss. He wanted me to make something out of this backwater? Well I was going to. “I will build a new place here, Brown. A city where all can live well. You can choose to participate and profit from this society that I wish to make or not. What will it be?”

Brown glanced at Mazarine who simply shook her shoulders. He deflated. “I…my follow has served yours for as long as we remember. I…I’ll…follow.”

A smile graced my lips. “Good man.”

As the old man excused himself and left, Mazarine gave me a certain look. “Is it really wise to go and bully the mayor?”

”He has no choice,” I said simply, popping a piece of cheese into my mouth. “I read the books. This place runs on Winchester money and support. The houses, the docks, the walls? It is Winchester money. Oh I am sure he is going to report my pro-faunus views to my father but it’s nothing the old man hadn’t seen before. And it’s not as if I’m going to make sure he isn’t getting something out of this.”

Mazarine gave me a look. “Are you also sure it is wise to antagonize your father?”

”Mazarine. I’ve been banished. That ship has sailed.” I said. “And besides, we’re in the frontier. Outright stripping me of my family name which he has not done, I cannot think of anything more worse than he will do to me.”

The musketeer tilted her neck slightly, her gloved fingers tapping the table. “And why hasn’t he done that yet?”

”Family politics,” I said, thinking back to my brothers. “There’s Henry, William, then me. Henry is the heir but he’s more interested in attending parties and banging hookers. It’s a fun way to live but not really ideal for an heir. There’s William, the one you fought, but he’s VPD and totally uninterested in getting the family business. Then, there is me, the third son.” I looked at her. “Now I have been persona non grata thanks to my pro-faunus sentiments so, father has had no choice to send me out. But, that does not mean it’s the end for me. He is still trying to set Henry straight but if it cannot be done, he would have no choice but to hand everything to me.”

”But you are banished,” pointed out Mazarine. I smiled.

”Which comes to my sending here. As it stands, I would be totally unacceptable if things continued the way they were but if I make something out of this backwater, my father will have enough to say to his board members, “Lo and behold, he is not a total and lost cause for he has made an oasis in a desert.” That sort of thing.”

”Are you sure about that?” Mazarine asked, raising her eyebrow. I shrugged my shoulders. “I could be wrong, who knows? All I know is, I’m going to make this place into something worth it, provided there’s no emergencies that are beyond my capabilities.”

The sound of running feet echoed through the halls. “Mister Winchester! Mister Winchester!” cried a young voice. Three heads, mine, Mazarine and Celeste turned to the side as a young boy came running. Panting for breath, he looked up. “There’s an emergency!”

I stood up. “Where?”

Later, Mazarine and I hurriedly descended down the hill. There, the boy led us two into the small harbor and into the harbormaster’s little office. He met us inside his office where he sat before a large screen. Turning around, I could see that he was old and slightly pudgy, no doubt thanks to his line of work.  

”Harbormaster, what seems to be the problem?” The man swiveled his office chair and pointed to the screen. Looking up, the screen was displaying a navigational map of all sea routes off the coast of Vale. At the bottom right of the screen, a red alert was blaring. "Mayday! Mayday! This is the SS Sunflower! We are under attack from seaborne Grimm! We are requesting immediate assistance at coordinates 41° 43' North, 49° 56' West! Please, anyone!"

“A ship SOS,” Mazarine surmised, her white plumed hat bouncing as she leaned in. “Won’t Atlas help?”

”The issue, ma’m, is that the closet Atlesian vessel is way too far,” sniffed the harbourmaster. “We called you here because well, you and Mister Cardin are Huntsmen and Huntress, with a bullhead at yonder fancy manor. I’d like to ask if you could help the ship out,”

Note to self: Restore a Coast Guard.

I turned to Mazarine who also looked at me. “That is up to you, Young Master,” she said deferentially but her eyes all but told me that we should. I reached into my belt where my weapon rested. Well, when I wasn’t using it, it looked like a baton. But when held out

There was a low whir as the baton shifted into a massive Bobby B hammer, the Winchester crest glowing on its sides.

Mazarine grinned.

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Kali Belladonna

Salt, smoke, and the iron-copper smell of blood assailed her senses. But Kali did not let it distract her from the fight for their lives.

"FIRE!" she cried. At her order, the cracking of rifles and the roaring of cannons echoed. Bullets and cannon shells arced forward and found their mark. However, all it did was enrage the sea feilong who regarded the bullets and shells as a hindrance. Amber eyes widened as the Grimm launched itself from the sea and revealed its wings. Twisting in the air in a brilliant display of acrobatics for such a large Grimm, it then went into a-

Horror filled her.

'It's going to ram the ship!' realized Kali. Her horror turned to rage as she emptied her pistol's ammo into the free falling Grimm as a spiteful determination filling her to fight until her last breath. Around her, the men followed though out of desperation than true courage. Time seemed to slow as the Grimm got closer and closer. Her heart went still when her pistol clicked and the Sea Feilong’s details became more visible, its face twisted in rage.

'So this is how I die,' thought Kali. She could feel her attendant grasping her, urging her to get away from the Grimm. Even if she did, the force of the ship getting rammed would no doubt send her flying anyway.

If this was going to be her death then she would die standing. Quickly swatting her attendant's hand away, she reached into her pockets to reload her pistol. While it had been years since she last used her weapon, muscle memory allowed her to reload faster.

She then lifted her pistol and aimed it square at the rapidly closing Grimm.

"I'm sorry, Ghira. I'm sorry, Blake," she whispered as she pulled the trigger.

As the Sea Feilong opened its massive maw to tear at the ship and her apart with it, the dragon-like Grimm was suddenly blanketed in a hail of explosions. The faunus on the deck gripped their ears as the Sea Feilong shrieked in pain. The sudden attack had done the job and instead of crashing into the ship’s middle, it instead landed on its port side. The splash that followed was magnificent, kicking up sea water up high and making it rain on the deck.

For a moment, the faunus went still, their minds processing the fact that they hadn’t been sent to the Brothers yet. Then like a thunderclap, the roaring of engines became closer as a dark shape went past them.

They had been saved.

”YEAH!” the faunus cheered as one. Kali would have sighed in relief but she knew that it wasn’t over. Running past her cheering crew, she glanced over the railing and saw the waters boil. Her eyes widened as she leapt back as the rising form of the Sea Feilong erupted from the sea’s womb. The missiles had done much to damage it and seeing the look on its face, it was absolutely pissed.

But then, two figures landed on the deck, right next to her. The first was a woman garbed like a ancient Valean musketeer, a white-feather plummed hat on her head. A confident smirk was on her lips as she tilted her hat at Kali, her other hand holding a wicked looking rapier. On her side was a tall youth, orange haired and sporting a spiked warhammer as large and tall as him. He smiled at her before turning to the Sea Feilong who gave one lone rage-filled roar.

(Recommended OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwohhs3LvRQ)

The two charged.

The Sea Feilong moved forward to consume the two but explosions blanketed its back. It turned, snarling at the speeding Bullhead but the pilot, armed with more balls than sense, switched to the VTOL’s chain gun and let loose its arsenal against the Grimm. The distracted Sea Feilong did not notice the youth and the musketeer who leapt over the ship’s railings, weapons gleaming in the light.

”Assist them! Open fire!” Kali hurriedly added, getting to her feet and unleashing everything her pistol had at the Sea Feilong. Her crew roared, rifle-fire and cannon shot joining the orchestra of battle.

The musketeer and the youth landed and ran up along the Sea Feilong’s serpent-like body. The Musketeer dug her rapier into the Grimm’s back, her blade tearing through the skin, all around them, dust rounds and explosions decorated their path. The Sea Feilong’s head snapped to the huntsmen on its tail and roared, as if its incessant roaring could do anything.

The dragon-like Grimm swept its body into a wave, intended to sweep the charging huntsmen off into the sea. Instead, they leapt. The Huntress somersaulting up high and caught a free scale. She let go, falling back down and landing on her feet. The youth used the momentum of the wave and propelled himself forward, warhammer glinting. The Sea Feilong realized its mistake too late as the youth closed in, warhammer sweeping and smashed against its face.

The Sea Feilong stopped moving, dazed.

Yelling, the youth reared back and buried the hammer into the Grimm yet again, its hits clapping like thunder and hitting twice as hard.

Cracks formed on the Feilong’s skull.

Kali’s eyes widened. Turning to her men, she yelled, “Cannons, into the cracks!”

The crew roared their affirmations, their iron-cast cannons glinting. Not a second later, the Sunflower’s artillery fired.

Fire dust infused shells sailed.

They struck true, blasting holes into the Sea Feilong.

Kali’s heart went still as the youth landed with a thud. Not a second later, the Sea Feilong’s corpse landed right next to them. Warhammer still resting against his shoulder, the youth turned to Kali, a grin on his face as the Sea Feilong began to rot and waste.

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A/N: Cue credits. If you are wearing what Pastah!Din is wearing, imagine a Napoleonic Cuirassier but RWBY-fied and without the helmet.