Eclipse - Act 4 - Cycle's End

Chapter 21 - Memories of Home

And Dutch would be lying if he claimed he couldn't understand her logic. The Academies were essentially training child soldiers unknowingly, preparing them for a war they never knew was coming for them.

Not until it arrived on their doorstep, clad in black armour.

"Killian had a similar thought..." Dutch said. "But of course, he was obsessed with control. At least your intentions are noble. But we still don't know the Hound's goal, and we don't know if Jaune is its target or if what you fear is even true. We are drowning in unknowns that we are letting our paranoia drive us."

He turned to the Deacon, who was standing silently. "Please... let's just stop this, stop all the infighting. The desperation... and work together like we always have in the past. No more desire for revenge, and no more fear guiding our choices." Dutch begged, looking at the Deacon first and then Amara. She looked at him and sighed, sitting down in her chair.

"Thankfully, nobody was killed in your reckless attack." Sienna sighed.

"No... Elm Ederne... she was killed in action." Amara revealed, her voice filled with regret. All of them stared at her, Sienna, with the hardest glare compared to the others.

"What?" she harshly replied.

"Harriet returned from the mission. She's on her way back now with a snapped arm and broken ribs. She said that... Jaune Arc crushed her skull with her own hammer in a moment of rage." Amara explained to them. Dutch pinched his brow and walked backwards, and Sienna growled with frustration, pacing around the office. The Deacon was motionless, bowing his head and clenching his hands into fists. Her inability to communicate with the other leaders was simply angering him all the more, because now he had lost a friend and a trusted soldier in the Legion. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, but he buried them all. But he couldn't even bear to look at her. "This is on me. I know that and I accept that."

"The Council will not take kindly to this, Amara. You forced Jaune's hand, and now he's killed many Legionnaires and now a famed Huntress." Sienna stated, and Amara sighed, hanging her head with grief.

"That... wasn't all she told me. She said there's something she needs to tell us... all of us, not just me. And whatever it is, it's serious." Amara explained.

"Where is she?" Dutch asked her.

"I asked to have her brought here once she was patched up." Amara explained, and so they all waited until two armed Onyx Guards, who stood outside, brought Harriet to her office. They welcomed Harriet and sat her down. The Huntress had her broken arm in a cast, and she had bandages around her chest where her ribs were broken. She was still battered and bruised from the fight, but she knew she had to tell the leaders what she saw.

"Harriet... you said to the President there was something we needed to know?" Dutch asked.

"During our fight, Jaune's daughter kept trying to fight me, trying to help her aunts when I had them pinned down. I kept mocking her, insulting her..." Harriet explained, making Sienna scoff.

"Mocking a child..." Sienna sounded disgusted as she said the words. Unlike others, she had no time for Ex-Black Gallows, especially ones who did very well when under their leadership, like Harriet did.

"Continue." Dutch, of course, remaining neutral on his stance, focusing on the new data to be collected.

"She got angrier and angrier, then she started screaming, and her eyes turned purple... burning too. Just like..."

"... Jaune..." Dutch replied, furrowing his brow and walking around the room.

"How is that possible?" Sienna asked, even Amara was confused.