Chapter I

The Dream Catcher

It is the beginning of the summer season in the continent of Anima. Normally, the norther port city of Argus has a cold weather, the likes of which only Atlassian citizens might be used to, but in this time of the year the sun shines and the city becomes warmer yet cold enough for you to enjoy a refreshing breeze. Argus is flooded with tourist from all over the world during the summer, many seeking to take part in their summer festivals, like the annual Sanctum Academy tournament, others wanting to fully enjoy their famous beaches which are very popular with celebrities across Remnant. It is a time in which the city´s commerce thrives, which is why this year many are worry. It is well known by everyone that tensions between the nations have increased ever since the tragedy that was the Fall of Beacon. With the Atlassian border closed, many in Argus worry that they wouldn't receive Atlassian tourists this year, which were their primary visitors and certainly the wealthiest ones. Their patronage meant a significant gain for the citizens of Argus, it is a merchant city after all. Fortunately, there have been recent news from Atlas, it would appear that a group of heroes managed to safe them from a large Grimm attack. There are rumors saying that these heroes were the same ones that saved Argus from a rampaging Leviathan a few months prior. Tensions between Atlas and Haven seem to have diminish thanks to these heroes and the border is said to be reopen soon.

As the sun shines and the seagulls fly, the Cotta-Arc family approaches the Argus base of the Atlas military.

"STOP!" firmly said in unison two tall Atlas guards. The soldiers continued speaking one after the other as if they were one person, "You are approaching a facility of the Atlas Military!", "Identify yourself, civilians! Or leave this area immediately!".

Terra Cotta pulled out a badge and explained to the soldiers, "My name is Terra Cotta, I'm a technician for the town´s relay tower, this is my wife, Saphron. We were contacted by Mrs. Cordoven…".

The soldiers interrupted, "SPECIALIST!".

Terra made a visible expression of annoyance and after a small pause continued, "Specialist…Cordoven. To…".

Terra was interrupted once more but this time by her impatient wife, "Could you just let us in already?! We are meeting Cordo to receive my brother and his friends that are coming from Atlas".

The soldiers felt indignation for this insolence but before they could replay, they heard the voice of their superior.

"Guards! What is the meaning of this?", the soldiers stood firmly facing Cordoven as she approached the gate.

"Ma'am! These civilians are trying to access the gate and…".

"Of course, they are, you dumbasses! I called them here! Open the gate at once!" Cordoven replayed with her characteristic authoritarian tone.

"YES, MA'AM!" the soldiers answered before quickly opening the gate. Cordoven greeted the women properly as they entered the complex while Saphron and baby Adrian discreetly sticked their tongues out to mock the guards, much to their annoyance.

The Cotta-Arcs were walked to the base´s main landing port, on their way they thanked Cordoven for letting them know about the ship´s arrival.

"Don't thank me" Cordoven said, "I´m just following orders straight from General Ironwood. If I had a choice, I would have thrown those insolent children in a forced labor camp!...but, they did save Argus and Atlas so, I guess I'll have to let it pass…" Cordoven expressed with a mix of anger and frustration.

The 3 women and the baby arrived to the landing port as the Atlassian ship arrived. Once the engine was off and the door opened, Teams RWBY, JNR, Oscar, Qrow and Maria stepped out of the ship.

"BABY BROTHER!" Saphron yelled at Jaune. It´s been over a 2 month since these two brothers have seen each other, so it came to no surprise when Saphron passed her baby to her wife and greeted Jaune with a big loving hug.

"I missed you so much!" Said Saphron to which Jaune with a visible painful face answered "You…are…My…Ribs…No…air…".

Saphron released him just to scold him "You had me worried, young man!".

"Hey, I can take care of myself!...sometimes…" Jaune answered while rubbing the back of his head.

"Saphron!" Ruby yelled before jumping for a hug of her own.

The heroes shared a tender reunion with the Cotta-Arcs, but Maria Calavera had someone else to see, she approached Cordoven and the two old rivals had their own…less tender reunion.

"Witch", "She Devil" the old women said, greeting each other in their own way.

Cordoven took a quick glance at Maria "So you are still alive. You didn't cause much trouble to the General, did you?".

Maria put her walking stink in front of her and with a smug smile told her "Oh don't worry Cordo, Jimmy and I actually hit it off".

"What?! You dare to address him with such disrespect?!" Cordoven replayed but Maria quickly answered saying "Of course, we became buddies over a cup of tea, he loved the stories I told him, specially the one about that little incident with the giant robot and the angry old hag".

Cordoven with panic in her eyes asked her "You…You told the General?!", Maria responded with a smile "Maybe…" as she walked off while bursting in a maniacal laugh, leaving Cordoven with a face of terror and anger, "CALAVERAAAAA!".

Noon arrived and the summer festival in Argus was full of life. Food, drinks, all sorts of souvenirs filled the different stands on the streets and decorations covered every single corner of the city.

"Ren! Look at that!" said Nora pointing at a stand selling grilled beef skewers. Ren´s attention however, was caught by the exotic teas on display on another stand. Saphron noticed how everyone became so curious and enamored with the festival. Blake´s eyes shined at the sight of the newest edition of Ninjas of Love, while Yang raced Nora to the grill stand dragging poor Oscar with them and Weiss got her eyes on a hand made tiara the likes of which she always dreamed of as a little girl.

"Hey! Don't split up!" yelled Qrow, once again he lost control of the kids, not that he ever had it though.

"Come on Uncle Qrow! We haven't had a moment for ourselves in months! And I just heard someone mention there is a Legendary Huntsman in town!" Ruby said to her uncle, it was true that ever since the Fall of Beacon these kids had to leave behind the moments of leisure, they were forced into an unbearable responsibility, and while not saying it, this pained Qrow deeply.

"It´s ok, let them enjoy the festival, we will regroup at the house later and go out for dinner. Sounds good?" Terra reassured Qrow, who turned his frown into a smile, "Fine. Guess I'm getting a bit old, I'm starting to sound like Tai".

With all set, the heroes explored the festival on their separate ways, however, something caught Ruby's attention, Jaune was looking for something unusual, flowers.

"They are very pretty" Ruby said to a now flustered Jaune.

"Th…They are. A bit pricy but, those are the ones I need" Jaune said as he picked up and paid for the bouquet of red lilies. Ruby was really curious, there were so many interesting and unique things in the festival, but Jaune buying flowers? It was odd for her to see that, she just had to ask

"So, who are they for? Are they for Saph? Or don't tell me you have a girl here" Ruby asked while teasing her friend.

Jaune blushed a little, "What?! Of course not! They…well I mean it kind of is for a girl…but not like that!".

Ruby laughed before asking once more, "So, who is she?".

Jaune´s face became a bit serious with a melancholic look, "You haven't seen it, right? You can come with me if you want".

Jaune and Ruby arrived at a park, with a statue of a very familiar friend. This is the memorial to their dear friend, Pyrrha. Ruby was in shock, her eyes tearing up a little, her attention was then put on Jaune as he placed the flowers on the base of the statue.

"You know, I think she wouldn't have liked it. The statue. She would have been embarrass but would have been too polite to say anything. As long as it made people happy, of course she would have let them make it. She was just that kind", Jaune said with tears in his eyes and his voice a little drowned.

Ruby turned to him and tried to comfort him "Jaune…" she said before he interrupted her.

"Sometimes it doesn't feel real, you know? That she is gone. Sometimes I wonder, had I've never gone to Beacon, she might have gotten a better partner…Someone that could have…", Jaune continued, getting a bit lost in his own words.

Ruby held his hand to get his attention, "Jaune, Stop it already! She loved you. She would have been so proud of the man you´ve become. I'm sure of it.", Ruby told him, giving him a sweet smile afterwards. Jaune smiled back and thanked her before looking back at the statue in silence. Jaune really appreciated Ruby´s words, but his mind was full of doubt. Proud of the man he has become is a sentiment he doesn't share; he is stronger but he still has a long way to go. Sometimes he felt like he was nothing but dead weight to his friends, and sure he could support them with his semblance, but other than that he saw himself as useless at times. Proud of the man he has become? To Jaune there was nothing to be proud of, he was still the same weak dumb boy who cheated his way into Beacon Academy, too weak and too naive to protect those he loved, at least in his own eyes.

Jaune and Ruby stood there for a while, remembering their departed friend. Pyrrha´s memory was deeply engraved in both of their hearts. The memory of her smile and her kindness was at times the beacon of light that help them keep going, but at others, it was a thorn that pained their hearts. The two team leaders decided to stay at the park, eating some festival cookies while chatting about how far have they come. Jaune and Ruby always had a close relationship, it was the sort of friendship that could last a life time. They could spend hours just talking and laughing, it was those moments that they treasured the most as for a few moments all the troubles of the world just banished. Time flew by and the evening came, it was time to go back to their friends.

The gang reunited once more and headed to the Cotta-Arc house hold. On their way they saw a group of people grouping up in one place, and there were even more people running to take a look.

Weiss stopped a young boy and asked "Excuse me. What is happening over there?".

"Haven't you heard? A Legendary Huntsman is visiting the festival! That´s him!" the young boy answered before running towards the crowd.

Ruby instantly jumped with excitement graving Weiss´s had and running with her to meet the Legendary Huntsman with the rest of the gang following them.

On top of a wooden box, an old tall and skinny man stood. He was wearing a coat underneath a metal armor chest piece, long leather gloves with metal arm guards, a belt with multiple pouches, pants with metal leg guards, boots, a cape and a distinct leather hat with a bit of the front shaped like a half circle. His skin was light brown and he had a white pointy beard and mustage. The huntsman was wielding a circular shield on his left hand and an arming sword on his right, he was jumping around on top of the box swinging his sword randomly as he told a story.

"And before it knew it! I sliced the head of the King Taijitu in half, and when the second head saw what I did, it panicked! Shaking in fear and trying to escape, but the beast had killed an innocent girl and her mother, so there was no mercy from me!" the huntsman said to an applauding crowd.

Jaune was in awe, he has met many pro huntsmen before, but this one was different, he looked and talked like one of the heroes from the stories his father would read him before bed.

"Thank you, thank you, but it was just another day in the life of a hero, that´s a…" The huntsman stopped, as one person in the crowd caught his attention. He quickly jumped from his box, graved a flower that was decorating a near light post and immediately kneeled before Maria.

"My sweet and beloved orchid! Our paths have once more crossed! Fate! FATE I TELL YOU! It is what has brought us together once again, my dear" the Huntsman said with passion in his voice. The heroes stared in shock at the sight of this old man professing his love to their elderly friend. More surprisingly to them was hearing Maria chuckling and graving the flower.

"Haha. It´s good to see you too, Donny".

Ruby was the first one to jump in to the scene, not waiting a second to meet this legendary Huntsman that acts so friendly to her mentor, "You know each other?! No way!", Ruby said with excitement.

Maria turned to her companions and introduced them "Yeah, Donny is an old friend of mine. Donny, this is my apprentice, Ruby, and her friends".

"Apprentice you say? Then a party of young huntsmen! Remarkable!" The huntsman said before bowing and introducing himself "The name is Dominique Cervantes, Knight Errant of Remnant! At your service".

Jaune was instantly curious, "Knight Errant?" he asked.

Dominique proudly responded "That´s right! A Knight Errant. It is a title only the most noble and heroic huntsmen can earn. It means that you have been tasked to wander around the world protecting it´s people from the forces of evil!".

Jaune and Ruby were both thrilled, their faced couldn't hide how much of instant fans they had become of this eccentric pro huntsman, however, Yang wasn't that much of a fan, there was something about this quirky guy she didn't like and because of that she asked with a bit of a snarky attitude.

"How is that different from just a regular hunt…" But before she could finish, Dominique interrupted by stealing Jaune´s sword, pulling it out and activating its shield.

"Exquisite! This sword is simply magnificent! And the shield as well! It is a weapon worthy of a true knight! What is your name, lad?".

Jaune was caught off guard, but he managed to replay "Me?..I..Arc, Sir, Jaune Arc".

Dominique continued "Arc, you say? Well, Jaune Arc, you see, Huntsmen these days don't show appreciation for the classics anymore. But you? A young lad facing the hardships with nothing but a sword and a shield? That´s the spirit of a Knight Errant right there!".

Jaune got filled with happiness, to be a hero, a knight like in the stories of his youth is what he had always dreamed.

"Since you are such a good friend of Maria, would you like to go get dinner with us? It would be amazing to have another Legendary Huntsman joining us" Ruby said with cheer in her tone.

Maria got a bit concerned for a moment "Maybe we should ask Saphron first, they don't expect visitors", to which Qrow replayed "It´ll be fine, Terra said we were going out anyways".

"So, what do you say?" Ruby insisted.

"It would be my honor!" Dominique responded.

Night time came and the heroes all joined together at a restaurant. Stories came and went, jokes, laughter, it was a time of joy and happiness. Dominique finished his drink before continuing the conversation.

"Now. Let me tell you a story. A few years ago, I was captured by a pirate crew off of the coast of Vacuo. The captain was this fancy guy with a hook hand and a funny accent. But of course, me being a prisoner was not going to fly. I escaped during the night but before I could get to a boat, tentacles appeared from bellow the ship! A massive Grimm attacked us! the crew was in full panic! That was of course until I jumped into action. I literally jumped to the water, right into the maws of the beast and STABBED its insides! The crew was so impressed, they made me the new captain the next morning. But of course, I wasn't about that criminal life. That is no life for a hero".

Jaune was in awe, his face was that of a fan boy meeting his hero for the first time, "That´s amazing!" Jaune said with excitement.

Dominique noticed how much Jaune was enjoying his tales, "Haha! If you liked that story, I have many of them!", Dominique stated.

"Jaune has always love those kinds of stories, our dad used to read them to us all the time, and Jaune always ended up graving a stick and swinging it around in his pajamas" Saphron said, she always loved to embarrass her baby brother in front of his friends.

Ashamed by the laughter of his friends, Jaune´s face went red, but he was then surprised by Dominique´s hand patting his back, "Hahaha! A dreamer then? That´s the spirit, my boy. I followed my dreams too, kid, and let me tell you, you should never stop chasing them, keep moving towards them, and I guarantee that one day you will catch that dream and make it your own! And if your dream is to become a great huntsman, then I´ll say you are on the right track, lad!" Dominique told Jaune who answered

"Thanks, but I'm not really that skilled. They however are amazing".

"Is that so?" Dominique replayed with a curious tone.

"Aww, don't undersell yourself, muscles. This guy saved me from a giant robot with noting but his own aura! And don't even get me started with that time we fought a Nuckelavee!", Nora said with cheer as she boosted of the achievements her dear friend has accomplished with their team.

"We also have plenty of stories, grandpa" Yang said with a certain smug attitude before adding "And we have done way cooler things than that, I mean, we just saved Atlas form a Grimm invasion, and just before that we helped kill a giant Leviathan right here in Argus".

Dominique got a surprised face, the achievements of this kids caught him off guard but he quickly recovered composure "Did you really? That is simply amazing! Wouldn't expect less from the companions of the gorgeous Grimm Reaper herself!" Dominique said as he raised his drink for a toast.

"That´s enough of that, Don", Maria said with a little smile on her face.

"So what is your plan now, guys?" Saphron asked, she had missed her little brother deeply but she also knew he and his friends had an important responsibility to deal with.

Ruby finished shallowing a bit of her cheese cake before answering "Well, our next destination is Vacuo, we have to visit Shade Academy, but because of our success in Atlas we actually don't have a rush".

Blake continued "So tomorrow, we are getting the Argus Express to Haven and from there most of us will take an airship back to Vale".

"Most of you?" Terra asked.

"Yeah, because we have a bit of extra time, Ruby and I will take the long road south of Lake Matsu. We will travel by foot on our own training retreat and then take a ship at the town of Gaviota back to Vale", Maria explained before sipping her tea.

The idea of a journey through Grimm infested lands resounded in Dominique´s head, the dangers, the thrill, the adventure! His mind couldn't shake the idea off. Traveling across the region was something he was used to, but this was different, the excitement of this adventure wasn't just the dangers to be face, it was the journey itself, a journey of growth, and the bond of master…and apprentice.

The next morning the team was getting ready to leave Argus, they all said their goodbyes to Saphron, Terra and Little Adrian.

"You better take good care of yourself; you hear me?" Saphron told her little brother with a loving tone on her voice. "I'll be fine, don't worry" Jaune reassured her before hugging her goodbye.

Right when they were leaving, a voice was heard in the distance.

"Hey! Wait up!" Dominique yelled while running towards the gang.

"Donny?" Maria said, surprised to see her friend this soon.

"The Stained Coast Line!" Dominique said while recovering his breath.

"The Stained Coast Line is the land mass that goes north of Lake Matsu from Argus all the way to Gaviota" Dominique explained, although his comments just left the group baffled.

Dominique continued "I've made my choice! Jaune! I want you to become my squire!" Dominique said as he put his hand on Jaune´s shoulders. "We´ll be traveling The Stained Coast Line and meet with Ruby and Maria at Gaviota. Ill train you! Shape you into a true Knight Errant of Remnant! What do you say, lad?".

Jaune was in shock, here it was a pro Legendary Huntsman offering him, the kid who cheated his way into Beacon, the chance to mentor him, but Jaune had another concern. After the Fall of Beacon, Jaune had grown worried for the safety of his friends, he was hesitant to be apart from them, and they noticed it.

Ren approached him, putting his hand on Jaune´s shoulder before tell him, "You should go, Jaune. Nora and I will be fine, go".

Nora continued "Is a one in a life time chance! You have to take it!".

Jaune then turned to Ruby, their eyes met and Ruby said with a smile in her face "Go, you know you want to, and that way we will both be training with legendary huntsmen and become better leaders! Ill meet you at Gaviota, I promise".

Jaune got teary eyed, he had a chance to get closer to his dream and his friends supported him with love.

Jaune turned to Dominique and said "I'll do it!".

"Excellent! We´ll leave at once!".

As the Knight and his squire left Argus heading to the Stained Coast Line, the group stood there watching them walk in the distance.

"So, he will be trained by a legendary huntsman. It´ll be interesting to see how much he improves" Oscar claimed before noticing something weird, Maria was chuckling, and that is never a good sign.

"Oh, Donny isn't a legendary huntsman", Maria said while barely containing her laughter.

"What?!" they all yelled.

Maria continued "No, he is just missing some screws and exaggerates his stories, he most likely will get the kid in a lot of trouble".

"I knew it! I knew something was off with that guy!" Yang said proud of herself.

Ruby quickly asked Maria,"Then why did you let Jaune go with him?!". To which Maria replied "Well obviously because it´s funny! Hahahah!".

Author´s notes.

Thank you everyone for reading. This is my very first Fanfiction and also the first story I have published period. I would really appreciate any comments and Im completely open to criticism, after all, how else would I improve?. If it wasn't obvious enough, the character of Dominique Cervantes is based of Don Quixote and the story will put Jaune in the role of Sancho Panza on a journey across Anima. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, I dont have a schedule for the next ones but I already drafted the rest of them and will be uploading as soon as they are ready.