"...As day broke over the dunes of Vacuo, all that was left was a sea of death and decay. The once great armies of the four Kingdoms that had met on this ground now lay in ruin. Every army had suffered massive casualties, each force in complete disarray. Those that had managed to survive now faced the black vultures that surround this field of despair. The Grimm had been drawn to the massive amounts of negativity that now permeated those blood soaked dunes.
Even to this day, the Grimm have not left the battlefield that now serves as a graveyard for the many brave soldiers that died there. It is also the final resting place of the last King of Vale. The Great Warrior King."
'Fall of a Kingdom'
By Taiyang Xiao-long
"Grandpa, what was the war like?"
It was a simple question from a simple child. And yet it still caused the old man to hesitate and consider his words carefully.
"I won't lie to you Jaune: it was a terrible time," the old man said tiredly. His grandson sat in his lap on the tiny, child-sized bed. "It's something I hope you never have to see."
"But Grandpa, aren't you a hero?" Jaune asked his grandfather. "Dad told me about all the people you saved."
Noah cracked a small smile at the innocence of his grandson.
"Jaune, always remember this. There are no heroes on the battlefield."
"Not even you?" Jaune said sadly.
Noah looked into the small child's eyes.
"Especially not me."
12 years later…
It was cool nights like these that Jaune appreciated. Hiding in a canopy high in the treetops could get really hot and uncomfortable at times. The cool breeze of the night really helped keep him from squirming around trying to find a cool spot to rest.
He hated night watch. They really should have gotten one of the faunus recruits to do this, at least they could see in the dark. But nooo... 'You have to train your senses,' they said. 'You have to hone your focus,' they said. What a load. He always got the short end of the stick with the watch.
It wouldn't be so bad, if not for the fact that a bloodthirsty Grimm could be sneaking up on him at any moment. It took a lot of concentration to be able to discern the different sounds of the forest at night. He could hear the various sounds of the nocturnal creatures moving about in the darkness, searching for prey. The various hoots and growls from the animals echoed out into the cold night. The sounds of the wild life comforting him in his solitude.
Being alone didn't bother him. He was quite used to it, the other trainees in his group didn't exactly take well to him. Just because his name was Arc, doesn't mean that he was special or anything. His grandfather may have started the Rangers, but it didn't mean that he got any special treatment. That didn't matter to the others, they only saw all of his accomplishments as the result of favoritism. Honestly, he was glad to be able to get away from their hostile eyes.
As much as he complained about night watch, he greatly enjoyed the time he was able to spend collecting his thoughts while sitting in the treetops. He was given a great view of the stars on most nights, and the glow from the shattered moon helped illuminate the dark expanse of the forest. He actually enjoyed being so close to nature and the silence that surrounded-
Wait, silence?
With a quick motion, he sat up on his perch. Grabbing his trusty bow and readying an arrow, he waited, not daring to breath, his ears straining to hear even the most minute sound.
There! In the treeline across from his position, he saw it.
A black shadow crept into the dimly lit clearing that separated him and the creature. Its bony mask reflecting some of the moonlight that shone upon it. Dark red eyes glowed with bloodlust.
It resembled a wolf, if wolves were 10ft tall and stood on two legs with a hunched back.
Grimm.
Jaune calmly drew his string back, arrow ready to fly. And he waited.
And waited.
He sat on his perch simply watching the creature as it sniffed around the clearing, Its sense of smell picking up on something. It circled around the clearing, drawing ever closer to his position. And still he waited. His heartbeat was calm, his breathing measured. The sight of the creature did not frighten him. It was just an animal, looking for its prey. Just like every other one in the forest. He had no reason to be frightened.
Soon enough, the creature passed close to him. Close enough that he could make out the various scratches and marks in the monsters boney mask.
The beast stopped.
He tensed.
Its snout lifted into the air and took a deep breath.
He released the air he held in his lungs.
A long moment passed as the abomination processed what it smelled.
He wondered if it could smell fear.
The creature turned.
Then it walked back into the treeline it had come from.
As soon as it approached, other black shapes emerged from the darkness. They seemed to confer with each other in short pants and growls. And as one, the horrible monsters skulked back into the darkness of the night.
During all this, he silently observed them. He focused on keeping his breathing even, reciting a poem his mother had taught him in his head. He didn't allow a single thought to betray any emotion.
He stayed like this until the first rays of sunlight broke through the thick canopy of the trees, he let out a sigh of relief when someone came to take over the next shift.
...He really hated night watch.
Trudging back into town, he headed for the Ranger's outpost situated in the center of town. Preparing himself to report to the Ranger Commander of what he saw on watch.
The village of Urbino was not terribly large, its location was in the middle of a dense forest situated in a valley south-west of the Fallen Kingdom of Vale. Although most towns and villages had up and disappeared during the aftermath of the Great War and the following Vale Civil War, Urbino had remained mostly untouched by the strife of the past 100 years. It was the home of his family, the Arc's, and the birthplace of the Rangers. And while they had moved Headquarters to Camp Campe' near the Barrier Plains, the old Rangers outpost still stood where it had been built over 70 years ago.
Walking into the old lodge, Jaune made his way to the back of the building. He passed by other trainees going about their morning routines. Some stretched to work out their sore muscles from previous day's training. Others pulled on their training fatigues, getting ready to head out for morning drills.
Some gave him a dirty look as he passed by them. He just ignored them as usual.
Finally he reached his destination. A green door barred his path. He raised his fist and pounded on the heavy wooden door.
"Come in!" called out a gruff voice.
He grabbed the handle and let himself into the office of the Ranger Commander. Walking inside he saw the usual disarray that came to characterized it. Cloaks of various sizes and colors haphazardly strewn about. Boxes filled with files and binders littered the various shelves and cabinets that filled that room. He was certain that his sister Aditha would freak out if she saw the mess in this office.
The centerpiece of the room was the big desk made of wood from Forever Fall. His grandfather had once told him of the perilous journey made to drag a tree back from there to make this desk. Apparently, he had almost died no less than 5 times on the trek back.
Behind the desk sat a big, well built, blonde man. He appeared to be in his mid 40's, and had long hair that was tied into a sort of pony-tail with a few strands left to frame his face. His beard was short and well kept but Jaune could tell that the man hadn't shaved in a few days.
The man looked up from the paper he held in his hand, he gently placed it onto the stack of paperwork that cluttered his desk and reached for his mug that sat near a few folders that teetered near the edge of his desk. He took and quick swig and took a moment to enjoy the fresh brew. The man was clearly drawing out the action.
Jaune gave the man an unamused expression. The man simply smiled back.
"Good morning, son." The man, his father Jonas Arc, greeted. His smile still on his face.
"Commander." he nodded back. Trying to remain impassive to the annoying mannerisms of his father.
"You know you don't have to act so formal with me." his father pointed out. "I'm not going to punish you for calling me Dad."
"It's against protocol." He reminded his father.
"Are the others giving you a hard time again? You have my full permission to knock some heads around." His father said to him with a serious look on his face.
"That too, is against protocol." he stated impassively.
He wouldn't break the rules, not even if he could get away it. He might be the grandson of the Great Noah Arc, founder of the Rangers, and his father the acting Ranger Commander of Urbino, but he was no different from the other trainees. He didn't want, or need, special privileges. He followed the same rules as everyone else and he wouldn't justify the others misgivings about him by proving them right.
His father sighed and shrugged his shoulders. His father and him had done this song and dance practically every morning every since he was allowed to become a Ranger trainee. So the man knew when to give up on this line of dialogue.
"So what do you have for me today, trainee Arc?" The man said, leaning back into his big chair.
"Grimm reports." he replied.
"What happened that could be so grim?" His father said to him with a smile. Jaune couldn't help but crack a smile at his father's bad joke. But he quickly fixed his face back into a stoic mask. Still, his father had seen that small smile and it seemed to please him. Jaune's face twitched in annoyance.
"I spotted another pack of Beowolves at point 6. This makes the third sighting this week." Jaune reported.
"The presence of Grimm is increasing in the area." His father remarked. His face now a mask of seriousness. "I will have to lead a hunt to thin the numbers again." His father said with a slight frown.
"Are you sure that's safe?" Jaune asked, his voice leaking his worry.
"Concerned for your old man?" Jonas asked with a teasing smile on his face. Jaune gave him an annoyed look. "It'll be fine. We may not have the numbers we used to but I've accomplished bigger jobs with less people than we have here. A simple hunt won't be an issue." He father tried to reassure him.
Usually Rangers operated in larger groups when working on combat missions, this was because Rangers were taught to never take the enemy head on. From the minute they joined to the day they were inducted into the Corps, that lesson was drilled into their heads. It was the reason why trainees weren't allowed to unlock their Aura's until graduation as they were expected to learn to never fight the enemy head on and having their Aura unlocked only served to weaken that lesson due to its ability to shield and heal damage. It made people reckless and reckless people got themselves and others killed.
So the standard procedure was to always bring tons of back up when going after the Grimm. But Urbino was a small place, and while it had once served as the headquarters for the Rangers back in their early days, it was no longer their base of operations. So naturally only a few Rangers were garrisoned here.
Counting his father, there were only 5. The instructors and his father the Commander. The trainees were under no circumstances allowed to attend hunts. The most they could do was take pot shots at the occasional Grimm that wandered into their territory. And even then that was frowned upon. Trainees were very vulnerable to the Grimm due to their lack of Aura. So they were taught to avoid fights whenever possible.
"Look, don't worry about it." Jaune's father said as he rose from his desk and stepped around it to stand next to his son. "The instructors and I can handle it. You should be focused on your upcoming trials." His father reminded him. "This will be your third time taking them."
Jaune opened his mouth to argue further but snapped it closed. He shouldn't speak so brazenly to his Commander. Besides, his father was correct. His trials were coming up and he needed to focus on preparing. He had failed his last two attempts and he couldn't afford to fail again.
His father squeezed his shoulder once more before returning to his desk. He fell into his comfy chair and picked up his mug, once again returning to reading the various papers on his desk. Jaune continued to stand in front of his father's desk. Eventually his father noticed him still standing there. "Was there anything else?" He questioned.
"I haven't been dismissed." Jaune stated plainly.
"How did I raise such a stickler?" His father said with an exasperated tone. "Get out of here." He shooed him away. Jaune gave a curt nod and turned to exit the office. But before he could leave his father called out to him once again." Jaune! Wait!." Jaune looked back. "Can you stop by the house and tell your mother I'll be home late again?"
"I'll do it after morning drills." Jaune said to his father.
"Thanks, bud." His father said with a smile and a thumbs up. Jaune once again nodded in acknowledgement and continued on his way to the training area behind the building.
He passed through the barracks area that housed the other trainees. There were less this time as the morning physical drills were to start soon. Normally, he wouldn't go to the morning drills as he was in the stage of his training in which he could take the trials to graduate and become a First Leaf Ranger. Most in his position prepared by taking on patrol jobs around the village like the night watch, which he hated doing, and honing the various skills and techniques that would give them an edge in the trials. But Jaune had failed his last two attempts at the graduation test, and he was determined to not to fail this time.
If he failed here, then he would never be able to fulfill the promise he had made to his grandfather.
So even fatigued as he was, Jaune put one foot in front of the other. He would put every single second he could spare into his training.
With newfound determination, Jaune stepped back out into the early morning light.
The sounds of exertion and effort permeated the training grounds. Even he was gasping and panting for breath as he tightly gripped the training sword in his two hands, across from him stood his opponent who held daggers in each of his hands.
"You should give up now Jauney-boy, save yourself some embarrassment." His opponent breathed out a taunt. "I've already kicked your butt three times in a row, this is just getting sad."
"Not yet." Jaune replied. "I can tell that you are nearing your limits, you never could last long in a fight." He gave his opponent a grin knowing it irritated the other teen, if his annoyed look was anything to go by.
"Well I'm not a stamina freak like you, normal people can't fight for two hours straight you know? I'll do you a favor and make sure you stay down this time." His opponent stated as he shifted back into a fighting stance, his training daggers held up in a guard.
Jaune raised his sword in front of him, he shifted the stick into one hand pointing it at the teen across from him. "Not if I knock you down first Russel."
Suddenly Russel closed the gap between them in a burst of speed, nearly managing to strike Jaune, but he had already anticipated his opponents opening move and moved his sword to block. "I'd like to see you try!" Russel shouted at him as he followed up his attack with a quick flurry of slashes and jabs.
Jaune was being pushed back as he blocked and dodged the furious barrage, he knew that Russel's strategy was to try to overwhelm him with his superior speed and it was only a matter of time before his long time friend broke through his defenses and trying to create some space was pointless if Russel would just close the gap again. He would have to go on the offensive if he was going to have any chance at winning.
Using his sword as a shield, Jaune thrust himself into Russel's guard using his body as a ram to force the teen back.
"Oof" Russel made a noise as he was unexpectedly shoved backwards. Jaune didn't allow him to recover as he capitalize on the opening he had made, he slashed at Russel with all his might hoping to end the fight in a single strike but Russel was quick to recover and managed to put his guard up at the last moment. Still the force of the blow was great and Russel did not have time to brace himself for the attack, he rolled backwards into a crouched position as he fought to keep his footing, but Jaune was on top of him once more, charging in with an overhead strike.
"Its over!" Jaune cried out as he cleaved the air in front of him, but his strike did not land as he expected. Unexpectedly, Russel rolled into his guard, similar to what Jaune had done earlier, and delivered a punishing kick to his abdomen with both his feet.
Jaune wretched in pain as he doubled over from the strong blow, dropping his sword as he clutched his stomach. Russel was merciless though as he took advantage of Jaune's vulnerable state to sweep his legs from under him sending Jaune to flop onto his back. Russel finished his attack by jerking his legs out to launch himself to his feet, standing triumphantly above his downed friend.
"I've got to hand it to you Jaune, I didn't see that counter-attack coming. But you over-extended and over-committed to your finishing blow, and allowed me to counter you." His friend lectured him, seemingly unconcerned with Jaune gasping on the ground trying to recover his breath from Russel's brutal counter. "Oh, and you dropped your weapon too. Don't do that." Russel explained airily.
"You. Are. An. Asshole." Jaune weezed out.
"Hey, you're the one who said 'Don't go easy on me Russ' when you asked for my help. How are you going to learn if I don't beat the weakness out of you?" Russel asked with a smug grin. Jaune replied with a swift kick to the shin, but Russel's smug grin didn't falter one bit even as he rubbed his shin.
Finally taking pity on Jaune, Russel held a hand out to help Jaune to his feet, which he gratefully took. Now on his feet again Jaune took a second to steady himself, still reeling from having the air knocked out of him in such a brutal manner. He took a few deep breaths to recover and picked up his discarded weapon, once again intending to fight.
"Ugh, are you still not done? How many more times do I need to slap you around until you're satisfied? I swear you must be a masochist." Russel complained. "Look we have been out here for a couple hours now, and didn't you have night watch last night? Have you even slept yet?" He questioned.
"I'll be fine." Jaune replied. He still had some energy left in him. He could sleep after he felt prepared enough for his test.
But Jaune was surprised when his friend laid a hand on his shoulder. "Look man, you can't push yourself too hard, what happens if you end up hurting yourself and you can't make it to the test? What then? You've already taken them 2 times. There won't be a next time for you if you fail." Russel said seriously. "Plus, if you don't want me flaunting my cloak in your face for a week. I suggest you take my advice and get some rest." Russel threatened jokingly.
"...You're right." Jaune admitted sourly. Having been friends with Russel since childhood, he knew that Russel was always looking out for Jaune's best interest.
"Of course I am, who do you think you're talking to?" Russel said in a cocky manner. "It's a good thing you have me around to watch your back, or I'm sure you'd have ended up as Grimm food by now!" His friend boasted. "Now get up and let's hit the shower. You smell like my great Aunt Margaret!"
Jaune gave him another kick to the shin.
"Do you think we'll be be put on a squad together?" Jaune wondered aloud as he and Russel walked out of the Outpost. Russel usually liked to stop by and say hello to his mother whenever he and Jaune walked back to his house. Supposedly it was because he thought Jaune's mom was "cool" but Jaune knew that Russel had once admitted that he thought Jaune's mom was hot. Jaune was fine with it so long as his friend never tried anything. Else he would have to kick his ass.
"Depends, have you decided what Order you're going into?" Russel responded. As he waved at a passing by girl. She simply turned her nose up at him.
"You already know the answer to that. I'm going to join the front liners in the Red Swords." Jaune answered.
Russel sighed as he slumped forward. "I was hoping you had changed your mind."
Jaune gave his friend a meaningful look. "You know I can't do that."
"The front lines is a dangerous place Jaune," Russel warned him. "You're going to come up against all sorts of nasty things. And that's just the Grimm." He stepped in front of Jaune stopping him. "You'll have to fight people too, you know." He said to with a serious look on his face.
Jaune paused, if only for a moment. But gave the answer he had always given before. "I have to, Russ. I have to finish what my Grandpa started." He told him seriously. He gave a squeeze to his friends shoulder, letting him know that he appreciated his concern. Russel obviously didn't like his answer, but they have had this conversation many times before and everytime he gave him the same answer. He had to keep the promise he had made to his Grandpa Noah.
And an Arc never went back on a promise.
The rest of the trip was spent in silence. Russel always getting in a bad mood whenever they talked about his choice to go join the front liners. But he had made up his mind. He would go join the fight to take back the Kingdom.
They arrived at the house not too long afterwards. Jaune simply walked right in, knowing his Mom liked to keep the door to the house open. Russel followed him inside, knowing that Mrs. Arc had no problem with his presence.
"Mom! I'm home!" Jaune called out as he stepped over the various items that were strewn about. The Arc home, was a cosy place with many pictures and decorations hung on the wall. The house had a very much "lived in" feel to it due to the presence of its many occupants. It was a fairly large house with 5 rooms. Jaune, being the only male aside from his father, got a room to himself. Although that wasn't the case any more with his two older sisters having moved out allowing the sweet sanctity of their own space.
"I'm in my room!" His mother's voice called out from upstairs. Jaune motioned for Russel to follow him, and they both went upstairs to go greet his Mother. His parents room was closest to the stairway so he could see his Mom when he got to the top of the landing.
"Hi baby." His mother said as she moved around her room. She searched through drawers and opened up various boxes and containers. "How was practice today?" She said as she continued her search.
"It went well-"
"Hi !" Russel interrupted him, Jaune giving his friend a sideways look. Russel just gave him an innocent smile.
"Oh! Russel, how are you doing?" His Mom stopped her search to turn and give his friend her attention. But before Russel could answer, his Mom gave him a once over and put her hands on her hips, an annoyed look on her face. It was a position that all boys knew. The look of a Mother about to nag at her child. "Russel R. Thrush, what have I told you about that horrendous hair-style?" His Mother ask rhetorically.
Russel had a mohawk that stretched straight up with pale-green hair. His Mom often nagged at his friend for his strange stylistic decisions, saying that it made him look like a thug. Russel just laughed it off.
"That it's cool and stylish?" Russel gave a smart-ass reply. Taking some enjoyment out of annoying his Mom with a big grin on his face. Jaune gave him an elbow to the ribs for his trouble. "Ow!" Russel yelped as they both shot each other dirty looks.
"That's enough, boys. Oum knows this house doesn't need any more broken furniture." His mother said tiredly before going back to her search.
"What are you looking for Mom?" Jaune asked. "Need any help?" He offered.
"Its a letter from your Grandpa. I received it yesterday after you left to go on watch." She said as she upturned a small box of letters; looking for the parcel in question.
"From Grandpa Nezbit?" He asked in an excited manner. It wasn't often that he got mail from his Grandfather, and he hadn't seen him for quite a long time. Not since he had stopped training him 3 years ago. "What did it say?" Jaune questioned.
"I didn't want to open it yet, and was going to give it to you. I know how much Dad means to you." His Mother said happily. "But I seem to have misplaced it…"
"Lost it." He interjected.
"Misplaced it." His Mother affirmed. His Mom had a bad habit of losing things. It didn't help that the house was constantly a mess due to his younger sisters leaving things lying around.
"Well let me know when you find it." He wasn't even mad, far too used to his mother losing various items of importance, he knew she'd find it eventually.
With a huff she threw up her hands, finally giving up on finding the letter. "I'll have to find it later right now I need to go pick up your sisters from Samantha's House." His mother said as she moved to leave her room, giving both him and Russel a quick hug on her way down the stairs. "You're welcome to stay Russel." His Mother said as she slipped on her shoes.
"No thank you, Mrs. Arc. I have to head home and help my pops with the woodcutting, but thanks anyway." Russel said with a grateful nod of his head.
"You tell you're father I said 'Hello' and that I expect my good cooking pot back from when I lent it to him last week." His mother rambled as she started lacing up her shoes. "I'll be back later Jaune so right now would be a good time to rest before I return with your sisters. You know how noisey they can be." His mother advised him. Jaune grimaced at the thought of being woken up again by his rambunctious little siblings, he loved them to death but he needed his sleep. So it was a good thing that his mom would return later in the day.
"Oh Mom!" Jaune yelled out, suddenly remembering what his Father had asked of him earlier. "Dad said he would be home late again."
His Mother gave a annoyed huff. "I swear that man, you would think that he married his desk rather than me." She finally laced up her shoes before leaving out the front door. "Anyway, Jaune, go to sleep. Dinner will be later so I'll wake you up like always." She closed the door behind her setting out into the Village. "Bye, son!" He heard her call out before he lost sight of her through the window.
"Welp, I should get going too." Russel said. "Tomorrow, they are letting us off of our duties so we can rest up for the Trials in two days. We should totally go out and have some fun!" Russel said excitedly.
"Sorry man, I think I'm going to just stay inside and hang out with my sisters. You know I'm not the partying type." Jaune said with a sheepish smile to his friend.
"C'mon dude! Live a little! I know some hot babes we could totally hook up with. You know the village girls love us Ranger boys." Russel said with a sly grin. Waggling his eyebrows up at Jaune.
"Well, we're not quite Rangers yet, Russel. So somehow I don't think we will have that much luck with the ladies." Jaune reminded him with a deadpan expression. Russel gave him an unamused frown in return.
"You're no fun Jaune. Why are we friends again?" Russel complained.
"Because our parents are friends and you think my Mom's hot?" Jaune said with a raised eyebrow. His body leaning against the railing, his arms crossed.
"Right on both accounts." Russel grinned at him.
"Get out"." Jaune said, pointing towards the door.
"I'm just saying you're Mom has a nice a-"
"Don't make me throw something at you."
And with that, mostly joking, threat Russel laughed and retreated from his house, slamming the door on his way out.
Jaune shook his head at his friends antics with a smile on his face, before climbing the stairs to go prepare to take a nice, long, rest. Jaune finally climbed into bed after changing into his pajamas, a baby blue onesie his mother had gifted to him for his last birthday. He didn't want to make his mother sad and so he wore it with pride, not even the bunny rabbit on the front bothering him.
After spending the last 20 hours awake, Jaune was finally starting to feel the fatigue of his past day's. He could feel how sore his muscles were and he was pretty sure he was going to pay for taxing them so much tomorrow, but it was worth it.
He had two days before he set off for his third attempt at the Ranger trials, and there was no way he was going to fail this time.
With that silent vow made, Jaune drifted off to sleep.