Autumn Arc


Almost didn't get this up on time! But here's chapter 3! Hope you enjoy it!

I don't own RWBY, it is owned by Roosterteeth.


"We'll find her, sir, I swear on my life."

Adam grunted. "Forget it! It's time I returned to Mistral and completed preparations for our next move."

The White Fang lieutenant's scowl was visible even through his mask. "She has betrayed the White Fang. There is no punishment acceptable for this act except death."

Pacing around the table, Adam shook his head. "It's not worth it. We have bigger things to worry about at the moment."

"But sir-"

"My word on this matter is final!" Adam's hand dropped just slightly towards Wilt and Brush, and the lieutenant felt his heart rate go up before Adam relaxed. "Blake was born in the White Fang, and therefore never had a choice when it came to joining our cause. If she merely wants to live out her life in peace, fine. I see no reason to deprive her of that."

Nodding, the White Fang lieutenant took note of the hidden meaning in that statement. In other words, if she in any way opposes us, she must die. "Then what are my orders while you are gone, sir?"

Adam jabbed a finger at the map, indicating the city of Vale. "Keep an eye on the city of Vale. From what little that woman told us, we can surmise that there will be some turmoil in that area soon. Find out what is happening, and if we can possibly use it to our advantage."

The lieutenant nodded. "Of course, sir."

Adam picked up a small traveling bag, and raised one hand in farewell. "Lead our forces here well, lieutenant."

Bashing his fist against his chest in salute, the White Fang lieutenant watched as Adam walked onto a Bullhead, accompanied by a troop of elite soldiers from their ranks. Good luck, commander.

He motioned to one of the soldiers standing in the corner. "Perry, get over here."

Perry strode forward. "Yes, sir?"

Motioning to the map, the White Fang lieutenant nodded at him. "I don't think I have to tell you again what we need to do in Vale. I want you to be in charge of a small troop whose job it is to find out what exactly is going on in the city. Can I trust you to pick out your own squad for the job?"

Gulping slightly, but still speaking steadily, Perry nodded. "Yes sir, I know just the people for the job."

"Good. Let me know when you get any leads." As Perry walked out of the tent, the lieutenant called him back. "And one more thing. Our intelligence indicates that the train Blake escaped on was headed in the direction of Vale. If you find anything out concerning her whereabouts, inform me at once."

Perry saluted. "Of course, sir!" He immediately exited the tent.

Growling, the White Fang lieutenant picked up his weapon and headed outside, eager to burn some energy in practice. Perhaps Adam is willing to forgive you Blake, but I won't. Perhaps I can't touch you now, but if you ever do anything against us, I'll be the first to know.

How could she so willingly betray the organization which raised her? I joined the cause willingly, and even gave up my own identity in its name to serve it. She is not worthy of the White Fang which raised her from childhood.

Striding out into the woods alone, the White Fang lieutenant revved up his weapon. The noise attracted a few nearby Grimm, a couple of Beowolves and an Ursa. As the first Beowolf approached, the lieutenant imagined that it had the head of Blake Belladonna.

And with a single, gruesome strike, he removed that head from its body.


Amber sighed in frustration as, once more, Jaune overextended with a swing and stumbled, losing his balance. He really doesn't know how to use a sword at all, does he?

Jaune had trudged down to one of the more remote training rooms, which was a pretty good idea in hindsight, given how any trained fighter would be able to see he had no idea what he was doing. His stance is wrong, he attacks blindly, and he's wide open every time he tries to charge at the dummy!

Unfortunately, when Amber had offered to help Jaune train, he had insisted on doing it himself. Some idea of macho pride, I suppose, but it won't help him to get any stronger!

It had been an hour, and Jaune hadn't shown much in the way of competence so far. Amber wanted to help Jaune, she really did. But how could she help him if he refused to let her?

Suddenly, Amber felt the rush of falling, as Jaune overextended once more and fell, unable to catch himself this time.

Jaune simply sat on the ground for a moment. Amber was silent throughout the entire training session, but she couldn't help herself after that particular display. "Are you sure you don't want my help?"

Jaune snapped a bit defensively at that. "What, are you saying I can't do this on my own?" The air around him shifted dangerously, and without Jaune even noticing, lightning began to crackle around the training dummies.

Amber winced. The whole reason I wanted to train him was to keep this from happening. I'll have to choose my words carefully if I want to get through to him.

"I certainly couldn't when I first started training. Neither did the other students at this school. That's the whole reason the schools exist in the first place."

"I-er..." Jaune took a few deep breaths before continuing in a calmer tone. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shouted there. You're only trying to help." The winds died down, with only a few scattered pieces of training equipment as evidence that there ever was a disturbance at all.

"I can only help you if you are willing to accept my help. Otherwise, all I can do is watch from the back seat."

Jaune's face took on a thoughtful expression for a moment. And after a few moments of contemplation, he nodded. "Is your offer from earlier still valid? To help me train, that is?"

Although she lacked a face to do so, Amber felt as if she were smiling broadly at that moment. "Yes, of course! Let's start with your stance."


Skidding across the club floor, Junior winced as he collided with yet another one of his decorative glass pillars and shattered it. Not so much at the pain itself, Although that last hit really did fucking hurt, but more so at the thoughts of how much all of this was going to cost him.

Although at this point, any rage he might have felt was replaced by resignation. Struggling just to sit up, Junior once again laid eyes on the cause of all this.

Yang strode forward, eyes red and her hair aglow. "Had enough yet?!"

The aggressive part of Junior's psyche really wanted to say "Like hell!" and jump right back into the fray. And after all that she had done, Junior was really tempted to do so, despite having had his ass handed to him just now. However, the business savvy side won, and that side decided that it was best to cut his losses.

"I give..." And Junior simply collapsed. While it would have been nice to say he was acting at that moment, honestly it was pretty goddamn hard to stay up after that beating.

Yang's eyes shifted to their lilac color, and her hair returned to its natural hue. The aggressive look remained however. "Good." With that, she walked straight out of the club. Right through one of the holes where a wall once stood.

After about a minute, Junior struggled to his feet, groaning. What the hell was that even all about? Was it because I hit on her? Or was it seriously because I didn't have the information she wanted?

In any case, Junior's club was completely wrecked now. Looking around, Junior could see that none of his...employees (thugs) were even on their feet yet. That Blondie hits with the force of a goddamn truck. Maybe if the twins were here, things would have been different...

Unfortunately, a few days ago, that freak storm finally hit Vale, and it knocked out a circuit in the residential part of the building. The light in Melanie's and Militia's room was completely fried. At the time, they were content to leave it as is. As a matter of fact, Junior had to practically chase those two out today to go shopping for a new lightbulb. Several hours later, and Junior was resigned to the fact that the company credit card was being taken for a joyride.

Which is even more unfortunate because of all the repair costs I'll need to pay after that little fight! Junior scowled. How can this day possibly get any worse?

A new voice gave him the answer to that question. "Well, this isn't quite what I had expected when I decided to drop by for a visit."


"Like this?"

From within his mind, Jaune felt like he could see Amber's face with a slight frown on it. "Move your back leg to your right just a bit."

What they had discovered early on is that Amber had one huge advantage when it came to teaching Jaune. She could use Jaune's own senses to determine if he was doing the technique correctly.

Of course, all we've been doing so far is working on my stance...and movement. Is it really necessary to practice those so much?

Jaune shook his head. He'd already been enough of a nuisance earlier. I just need to trust that Amber knows better than I do, at least, for now.

After another set of movement drills, Amber spoke to him again. "Good. Now I want to start running you through some basic hand-to-hand striking techniques."

"Hand-to-hand?" Jaune couldn't help but sound a bit surprised.

"I know you would like to learn to use your sword, but you will benefit from learning unarmed combat first." There was a brief pause, and then she continued "Not to mention one other thing..."

"What is it?"

"I don't know very much about how to use a sword and shield, to be honest. I've neither trained to use them. I've never even fought anyone who has used them."

I guess it would have been too good to be true if the coach in my head knew everything I needed. Still, it was far better than Jaune could have realistically hoped for. He nodded in response. "Well I guess I can try to learn what else I can then."

"Hopefully, if you can learn the styles of combat I have to teach you, it will be possible for you to create your own style revolving around your weapons based on what you have learned."

An idea struck Jaune. "Why don't I just try to create my own style now?"

"I think it would be best to build up a bit of basic combat training and experience before you start experimenting. You'll have a greater understanding by that point. Let's get started, shall we?"


Later that day, Jaune stumbled back into his room, and immediately flopped onto his bed. "I've never felt more exhausted in my life..."

Amber's voice sounded a bit amused. "There isn't much point to training if you didn't come back like this. Don't worry, with your aura it won't take long for you to recover."

"I certainly hope so." Jaune stretched out, opening up his scroll. "I could barely even walk here." He began typing a message.

"Letting your family know you made it?"

Jaune nodded. "Yeah, I told them I was heading off to Beacon when I left." After pressing send, he chuckled softly, although there was little amusement in the sound. "I don't think they really expected me to actually get in, though."

"You did get in though."

He shrugged. "Maybe they were right about me though. All this training just shows me how far behind I really am."

"Perhaps that's true, but you heard what Ozpin said. You have the spirit of a true Huntsman. Given time and hard work, you will have the skills of one too. That's all that matters."

"I hope so." Jaune wasn't so sure. There was a reason he was planning to forge documents to get into the school in the first place. Not that Amber knows about that.

"You'll be able to tell for yourself soon enough."

Jaune hesitated before phrasing his next question. It had been on his mind all day, but he had been reluctant to bring it up before. "About these powers that you have...what exactly are they?"

There was silence for a moment, before Amber's sigh could be heard. "Every Huntsman and Huntress has aura, and utilizes dust. But some of them also each have a unique power called a Semblance. One example appears to have been that green-haired girl from the road, she seemed to have the power to conjure illusions."

Jaune's eyes widened. "That would explain why I wasn't able to see that other guy that one time." He shuddered. "That's a pretty dangerous power."

"Indeed, they pulled that same trick on me." Amber sounded somewhat bitter.

I can't blame her, she lost her body in that fight... Jaune nodded. "So your...Semblance... has to do with controlling nature?"

After a brief pause, Amber responded. "Yes, my abilities are of that nature."

Jaune grinned. "That's a terrible pun."

"Wait what? Oh right, heh heh..." Amber's laugher seemed a bit forced.

Yeah, I guess it really wasn't that funny. "I guess I should try and get some sleep."

"Good night Jaune. Rest well, you will need it for tomorrow."

Jaune shivered. I wish she hadn't reminded me.


Amber pushed away the feelings of guilt. It was necessary. Jaune is not ready to learn the truth.

It didn't make her feel any better about lying to him. But it was better this way regardless. If Jaune began using her powers in school, it would be better for him to say they were part of his Semblance. It would be even better if, in his mind, that was a partial truth.

One day, I will tell him the truth. And I will apologize for misleading him. But for now, this is the best course of action.

As Jaune began to lose consciousness, Amber also started to drift into sleep. Good night Jaune. I promise I will help you to become a Huntsman, no matter what else I have to do.


Waking up the next morning, Jaune stretched out his arms and yawned. To his pleasant surprise, he felt pretty great compared to yesterday. Amber wasn't kidding about this aura stuff!

Speaking of Amber, Jaune felt a bit of an odd sensation, a movement in his mind, as if she was stirring as well. "You were sleeping too?"

"It doesn't necessarily feel like I need sleep, but whenever you're unconscious, I also black out. The same seems to apply when you fall asleep."

"Huh, well I guess that makes sense." Jaune picked up his weapon, and as an afterthought, also picked up Amber's staff. "I'm guessing you want me to practice a bit before breakfast?"

"Why yes, it's almost as if I told you to do that yesterday." There was a slight teasing note in Amber's voice.

Jaune couldn't help but grin sheepishly. "Let's get started."


Later, Jaune found his way to the cafeteria. I feel a bit sore, but it's not quite as bad as yesterday.

Picking out some eggs and bacon, Jaune was about to make his way to a table, when Amber interjected.

"Some fruit would probably be a good idea as well."

Jaune almost responded, but closed his mouth, realizing that there were a few people here in the cafeteria. I'll need to figure out a way to communicate with her without looking like a loon. Picking out a pear from one of the bowls, he made his way to an empty table.

As Jaune ate, he looked around at the other people eating. I remember Goodwitch saying that upper years sometimes stayed at the school over the summer. Sure enough, most of the people around looked like they were students.

"A lot of flashy outfits in here." Amber sounded out. "In good taste though."

Jaune shrugged. Never been much of a fashion person, so I wouldn't know.

"Hello, I don't believe I've seen you around here before."

Who me? Jaune turned to say hello, and almost fell out of his seat. The person addressing him was easily a full foot taller than him.

The giant continued. "My apologies, I did not mean to startle you."

There was a bit of an apologetic chuckle from behind him. "It's always a surprise for people when you sneak up on them, Yatsu." A bunny eared faunus came into view.

"Are these upperclassmen?" Amber wondered

Jaune sheepishly laughed. "Sorry, I just didn't see you there."

"No apologies are needed. Are you a new student here?"

Jaune nodded. "I was allowed to stay here for a few weeks, due to...some odd circumstances. My name is Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. The ladies love it."

"...Really?"

Admittedly, that had sounded better in my head. Luckily, the two he had been addressing seemed more amused by the line than anything else.

"I am Yatsuhashi Daichi. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. " The giant gave a small bow as he spoke.

The bunny eared faunus spoke up as well. "My name is Velvet Scarlatina. Nice to meet you."

"You're so lucky these two seem pretty easygoing..."

Jaune choose to ignore that. "So you're upperclassmen here?"

Velvet nodded. "Yup, we're second year students. We just wanted to come over here and introduce ourselves."

Yatsuhashi nodded as well. "If you have any questions while you're here, don't be afraid to ask us."

"Wow, thanks!" These guys seem pretty alright!

"I know it can be pretty intimidating to talk to some of the teachers." Velvet continued with a grin. "But among friends, there's less of an issue."

"One small problem with that."

Jaune turned to see a new person had entered the conversation, another girl wearing a beret and sunglasses. Indoors?

Velvet sighed "At least introduce yourself."

"I'm Coco Adel. And while I don't have any problems with you personally..." Coco looked him up and down. "...your fashion sense is a whole nother issue."

Internally, Jaune winced. Although, she really isn't wrong...

"She's not wrong you know, although I might have worded it a bit more diplomatically."

"Coco! You can't just say that to someone you just met!" Velvet sputtered indignantly.

"What? I'm only trying to help him. Tell you what." Coco gestured outwardly. "Since Velvet and Yatsu seem to have taken a liking to you, why don't we all go and pick out a few outfits for you?"

On the one hand, Jaune still felt a bit offended at the jabs to his personal clothing. What he wore was comfortable!

That was all drowned out by Jaune celebrating the fact that he would be hanging out with people near his own age for once! "Sure! I needed to go shopping soon anyways." It's true, I don't really have much in the way of clothing.

"Alright, finish up and we'll get going!" Coco grinned, and Jaune suddenly felt as if he was looking at a shark preparing to devour a hapless seal.

Even as Velvet started apologizing for Coco's behavior, Jaune had no illusions as to who the seal was in this particular situation.


And there we have it! The next two chapters will focus on things happening before the start of school. After that, we'll get into initiation and teams forming and stuff like that.

While I wanted to acknowledge that Jaune might have an issue with Amber training him at first (like with Pyrrha in canon), I also didn't want to drag it out for too long. I hope it seems realistic. After his near death experience with Cinder and co, I think he is more aware of how much he needs the help, just like everyone else. Similar to how after the Ursa Major almost killed him in the show.

Hope you enjoyed! Review, follow, and/or favorite if you did!