Disclaimer: RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth and was made by Monty Oum;
This fic is the property of a bored gamer and unless he tries to monetize it, he can keep it.
To whom it may concern: Sorry for the long absence and that this is probably not what you were expecting out of me.
'Just let him go…'
It was safe to say today has not been the best for one, Jaune Arc; although to be fair that has sort of become the norm for him the past couple of weeks. After all, having to do the bidding of a person filled with nothing but contempt for weaklings like himself, while lying to your friends about just how little you enjoyed his company, had an odd tendency to worsen one's mood. A bit of an ironic situation to be in when you considered the words that brought him here in the first place.
'I lied…'
Because those words were nothing but the truth. Jaune Arc did not lie when he said he was a descendant of a long line of warriors, he did not lie when he said he was never good enough and he did not lie when he said all he ever wanted was to be like them. Jaune arc however did lie to himself, when he thought he could remedy that.
'I got my hands on some fake transcripts...and I lied...'
But fake transcripts, no matter how well made, were not something that could be used on yourself. They could not fool Jaune into knowing what aura is and going to initiation with it unlocked, they could not fool Jaune into winning duels with people that had four years' worth of experience over him, and they could not fool him into knowing subjects covered in the years he missed.
'I mean I didn't go to combat school! I didn't pass any tests!...'
Yet here he was, months after he landed on the grounds of Beacon Academy, and he was still here. Teachers weren't exactly happy with his performance, yet they weren't disappointed either, and his friends were always there to offer a hand whenever he stumbled. To him, it was like living in a dream, a dream he unknowingly woke himself out of with the truth.
'I gotta say, Jaune, I never expected you to be such a rebel!...'
Doing what Cardin wanted came easy at first. He found comfort knowing he was keeping himself in shape when Cardin made him carry everything, he found some joy in all the new things he learnt when doing multiple homeworks, and he justified everything else by reminding himself he needed his secret to not be revealed.
'Don't worry, Jaune; your secret's safe with me...'
But of course Cardin kept pushing, trying to see how far Jaune would go to keep his secret. Not far enough to throw a jar of sap at a friend as it turned out, and that's how Cardin found his armor filled with sap and a hungry Ursa Major eagerly clawing at it alone, as his teammates fled in fear from the beast, leaving Jaune to watch Cardin being attacked Cardin, and his mind could only suggest...
'Just let him go…'
Cardin didn't tell the other three why Jaune was more or less acting as a servant. When Russell tried asking him why Jaune was following them, Cardin just glared at him and simply told him it was none of his business. Cardin never trusted them, and as a result was the only person that could blackmail Jaune with the knowledge...unless of course, the Ursa had it's way with him.
'No…'
Still having some spine left after you threw the jar at him? You'd best have put it back where you found it. That Ursa major was far too big and well armored for you to have cut on your own. And even if you, by some miracle, slayed it, there was little reason to believe Cardin would have been grateful enough to keep your secret.
'NO!...'
Of course, doing the smart thing never was your thing was it? Instead you chose to draw your sword in a hopeless battle with a beast far too strong for you, because it was the right thing to do, because it was what you wanted to do all along, become a hero. That's why you didn't give up even when your parents did, that's why you bought those transcripts, and that's why you took a highly lethal test blind, because despite having a brain, you always thought with your heart.
Thud
Shame you took so long to decide, and the Snow Angel beat you to it. Quite impressive really, how she dispatched it in one blow, going straight for the neck and not even hesitating, unlike you...Do you think he would have kept his mouth shut if you didn't hesitate so long? Or would he have still told Goodwitch the instant he saw her out of spite? I guess some part of him appreciated you tried, otherwise he wouldn't have whispered the information and simply shouted it for everyone to know, but trying is not the same as succeeding now is it?
'What now?...'
It was a deceptively nice day in the kingdom of Vale. Not too warm, not too cold, with nary a cloud in the sky and no wind to bother the silence. It was a perfect day to take a stroll and relax. Jaune Arc vaguely wondered if the world was mocking him.
Sorry again about the long absence…I should have known I wouldn't be able to maintain a biweekly schedule…for what it's worth, I have no plans to stop writing an time soon, but I'll do it at my own pace from now on.