In Salem's Name

Chapter 6: First of Many

Two Years Later

A now twelve-year-old Jaune Arc smirked triumphantly as he placed his training weapon flat on the table. The boy just emptied another magazine from his sub-machine gun that was modified to shoot training shells, he managed to hit every target with each shot.

"There, another one hundred rounds, and no misses. Now, its time for another name." Jaune's smirk turned into a bright smile as he spoke to the young black haired girl standing next to him.

The girl in question just rolled her eyes, she picked up Jaune's training smg and started to reload another magazine into it. Jaune, on the other hand, pulled out a small book from his back pocket then flipped it open.

"How about, Sarah? Yeah, Sarah's a good name, its cute and I think you'd be a good Sarah." Jaune looked up from the book and back down to the young girl, who simply gave him a blank stare.

"Sooo, not Sarah?" The boy sighed as the girl simply stuck out her tongue and shook her head while handing him the gun.

The familiar sound of ringing filled the air. The girl was no longer wearing two bells, she was now wearing eight. Four in her hair, one on each sleeve, and one on each shoe. Of course, this didn't bother the girl, no she loved the challenge, and tried her best to sneak up on Amelia whenever she could.

"Fine, fine." Jaune said as crossed out the name, he then slid the book back into his pocket and accepted the gun.

Over the past two years, the relationship between Jaune and the young girl grew rapidly, the two were inseparable. Whether it was because Jaune was desperate for love after losing his family, or because they only had each other in the middle of the forest, the two young followers of Salem grew closer together.

From training together to sleeping in the same bed, there's nothing these two didn't do together.

"Fine fine, let's go for another hundred then." The boy aimed his gun down the makeshift range, but before he could pull the trigger Amelia walked up behind him.

"Enough training for today Boy."Jaune lowered his weapon and turned to give Amelia a confused look.

"But, it's only eight, and I just started."

"Don't question me, Boy, just clean up and meet me in the kitchen." With that Amelia walked away and headed to the church.

Once Amelia entered the church, Jaune turned to the young black haired girl and tilted his head at her.

"So, what's wrong with Sarah?" The boy questioned, but only got an eye roll in return.

Five Minutes Later

After hastily cleaning up and putting away his training gear, Jaune and the young girl walked into the kitchen. The two smiles the children wore quickly vanished as they felt the heavy atmosphere.

Amelia sat at the dining table, she had a stone-faced look and a large case laid on the table. Jaune knew it was a weapons case much like the ones that stored his training weapons, but the one on the table was far bigger and looked like it stored more than one weapon.

"Sit down you two." Amelia's voice was firm, and her words were short.

The two young church members quickly did as they were told.

"Its time." The two words spoken by the woman sent shivers down Jaune's spine. The boy gulped nervously as he looked over to the young girl, who simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Um… Its time for what?" The boy asked the Priestess, which caused her face to tighten.

"Its time your time Boy, and your time as well Girl… It's time for you to serve the Goddess, it's time for you to serve Salem."

Jaune's eyes widen, but Amelia spoke before he could say a word.

"A small group of bandits have taken up residence in the ruins of an abandoned village. These bandits plan on using this abandoned village as a headquarters of sorts… They plan to fortify the village, recruit new members, and rob, kill, and do everything else bandits do… The two of you will go to this village, and exterminate the bandits before they can start their master plan."

"E-Exterminate?" Jaune could feel the blood leaving his face, his hand started shaking at the idea. He knew this day would come, the day he would have to kill in Salem's name, but he didn't think it would be so soon. The boy was so focused on his own thoughts, he didn't notice the girl next to him moving until she placed on her hand on his. On instinct Jaune wrapped her smaller hand in his, holding it tightly. A wave of calm washed over Jaune's body, and the boy took a deep breath as he turned his attention back to Amelia.

"Yes Boy, you and Girl will exterminate these bandits before they can cause harm to others… This is how you will serve the Goddess, but this is also your trial." A frown crossed Amelia's face, but it was gone just as fast as it appeared.

"Our trial?"

"Yes, this will be a trial. There are three possible outcomes for both of you. One, you will kill these bandits, come back here and keep training. Two, one of or both of you will run away because you're unable to complete this job. Three, one or both of you will die during this job… I will not help you, I will simply take you there, and take you back if you complete the job. If you run away, I will not stop you. If you are seconds away from death, I will not save you. This is your job, your trial, your service to the Goddess. This will be one of many jobs, it will also be your first true step in becoming an Inquisitor and a Priestess."

Amelia stopped her speech to let Jaune process what she was saying. The woman had no doubts about the girl, Amelia knew first hand the young Priestess in training wasn't shy about killing. But Jaune on the other hand, Amelia wasn't sure if he was truly ready.

Minutes had passed since Amelia finished talking, the woman sat patiently as she felt Jaune struggle with what he was told. She could almost hear the battle going on in the boy's mind, hear him trying to justify the job given to him, but after another minute the boy took a deep breath and steadied himself.

"O-okay." The boy only spoke one word, but Amelia didn't press him. Instead, the blind woman nodded, then stood up.

"The bandits you'll be facing are nothing more than weak thugs with ambitions far outside their reach. So these weapons will be more then enough to take them down, I don't believe any of them would have their Auras unlocked, but even if they did their Auras wouldn't be strong enough to block dust rounds." Amelia unlocked the case and opened it.

The case had four weapons inside of it, a sub-machine gun, two pistols, and a dagger. Amelia knew both of the children well enough to know what weapons would suit them, for now at least.

Jaune placed a hand on the sub-machine gun, he could feel the difference between this gun and the modified training gun he used. This smg was perfect for someone his size, the gun was originally designed for bodyguards. It was made to be small enough to hide under suit jackets, and what it lacked in power it more than made up for in fire rate.

The two pistols were of different sizes. One was a standard issue low caliber dust pistol for Jaune. The other was a compact pistol that would fit the girl's small hand. The dagger, on the other hand, resembled the old kitchen knife they used to have before Amelia threw it out, the Faunus woman said she didn't like the way it made her food taste.

"Take your weapons, stock up on a few dust rounds from the weapons shed and practice using them on the range. I already have everything we need packed, we'll leave first thing in the morning." With those final words, Amelia walked out of the room, not giving Jaune a chance to speak.

Once Amelia was out of room Jaune awkwardly scratched his cheek as he turned to the young girl.

"So… Umm, you sure you don't like the name Sarah? It's a cute name." Jaune smiled at the girl, who in turn gave him a blank look.

One Week Later

The journey to the bandit startup was a relatively quiet one. The girl couldn't talk, Amelia preferred silence, and Jaune was busy trying to mentally prepare himself. Of course, the girl didn't like being bored so every now and then she'd pout at Jaune until he read her a book or played a game with her.

When the young girl wasn't distracting him, there was something else bothering him. It felt familiar, but he couldn't quite figure it out.

The boy was knocked out of his thoughts when Amelia started to speak.

"Prepare yourselves, we're getting close to the abandoned village. Be on the lookout for scouts or any type of lookouts." Jaune's throat went dry at her words, he felt a wave of panic wash over his body, but before he started shaking the young girl gripped his hand calming him down.

Ten Minutes Later

The horse-drawn cart pulled to a slow stop as Amelia expertly steered it off the road and deeper into the forest.

"Leave your gear and follow me. We're just going to take a look at the village." Amelia said as she stepped off the cart, she didn't wait for a response as she started walking.

Both Jaune and the girl quickly followed Amelia through the trees. They just managed to catch up as they walked into the clearing.

Jaune's eyes widen when he saw the village.

"That… That's…" Jaune's hand started to shake as he stared at the ruins of the abandoned village.

The young girl frowned as she looked at Jaune. She tried to calm him down the way she always did, by reaching out and holding his hand, but this time he didn't squeeze her hand back.

"Yes Boy, this is your village." Amelia's voice caused Jaune to react. The boy clenched his Jaw and squeezed the girl's hand hard causing her to wince.

"Why didn't you tell me." Jaune's voice was cold as he stared at Amelia. The boy was so focused he didn't notice the young girl trying to break out of his tight grip.

"I didn't tell you, because it doesn't matter Boy."

"WHAT! OF COURSE, IT-" Jaune's shout was cut off once Amelia turned to glare at him with her non-existing eyes. The boy froze under the pressure the woman was giving off.

"Keep your voice down Boy, and let go of her hand before you break it." Amelia's voice was firm and sent chills down Jaune's spine. It took him a moment to understand what she said, but when he did he quickly let go of the girl's hand and turned to her.

As soon as the girl's hand was free she backed away from the boy and held her hurt hand to her chest.

"Oh! I'm sorry." Jaune quickly said, he took a step towards her, but she quickly took another step back.

A sharp pain shot through his chest when he saw the upset look on her face. He tried to apologize again, but Amelia spoke up before he could.

"Boy, the fact that this is your former village does not matter. We're not here to deal with whatever feeling you hold for this place. No, we're here to fulfill your duty to the Goddess. We're here to serve Salem, that is your only focus, do NOT forget that. Do you understand Boy?"

"Y-Yes Ma'am."

Amelia's face softened, and she turned to walk away.

"Good, now repair the damage you've done, I'll be waiting back at the cart."

With that, Amelia walked away, leaving the two children behind.

Jaune looked over to the girl, she was still holding her hand and a frown was still on her face.

"Um… You know I'm sorry. You know I… I didn't mean to… I would never…" Jaune struggled to find the right words.

The girl just watched him and sighed, she snapped her fingers getting his attention. Then once the boy was focused on her, she held out her hurt hand, raising it to the boy.

Jaune stared at her hand for a few seconds while tilting his head in confusion. The caused the young girl to roll her eyes and snap her fingers.

Once she had his attention, she pointed at her lips, then her hand and then at Jaune. It took him a few seconds to understand, but when it clicked he quickly sprung into action.

The boy gently held up her hand and pressed a kiss on her knuckles.

"There, all better?" Jaune asked as he pulled away from her. The young girl smiled, but then tapped a finger on her chin in a thinking manner.

After a second she shook her head and delivered a swift kick to Jaune's shin. Causing the boy to dropped to one knee as he yelped in pain.

With that, the girl smiled and gave Jaune a thumbs up.

"G-Great, I'm glad, if you're happy I'm happy." Jaune managed to say through gritted teeth as he held his now throbbing leg.

Hours Later

The moon sat high in the sky as clouds drifted past it. The Church of Aura members reached the village hours ago, but Amelia wanted to wait until it was dark out. In her words, it would be much easier to attack while the bandits were tired and sleeping.

"Are you ready Boy?" Amelia's voice broke Jaune out of his thoughts, causing him to look over his gear.

The boy was now wearing dark clothes to help him blend in with the shadows. He even wore a hood to cover up his bright blond hair.

Once he was done checking his clothes, he looked over his weapons. His sub-machine gun was attached to a shoulder strap hanging by his side. It was also loaded with wind-based dust rounds, these bullets exploded on impact and unleashed a flurry of wind blades that ripped through everything in its range. The stronger the bullet the further the range, these bullets were the best for cutting down people without Aura protection. Even if they didn't kill on the first shot, they would at least maim the target just enough to set up a second shot.

Finally, his pistol was sitting in a leg holster. It was also loaded with dust rounds. On Jaune's opposite leg, there was a pouch that was stuffed with extra magazines for his smg.

"I-I'm ready." Jaune said to Amelia, he then turned his attention to the girl standing next to him.

"Are you ready?" He asked her, which simply caused her to smirk.

The girl was also wearing a full dark outfit, with her pistol strapped to her leg. Amelia did allow the girl to remove the bells, at least until the job was over.

With a smile, the girl spun the knife in her hand and nodded at him.

Once the two children were ready, they stood in front of Amelia who stared down at them.

"Remember what I told both of you. This is your job, your test, your duty to the Goddess… I will not help you. If you die, I'll bury you. If you run, I will not stop you. If you succeed, I'll be here to take you back. I believe you two are ready for this, but before you go, let's say a prayer to the Goddess."

Amelia quickly fell to her knees as she raised her hands to pray. Jaune quickly followed her lead, but the girl rolled her as slowly copied the boy.

One Hour Later

Jaune let out a nervous breath as he crouched behind the ruins of a bakery, the young girl was at his side. It had taken the two an hour to find the bandits, this was mostly due to fear of being caught so the pair moved as slow and cautious as possible.

The group of bandits made a makeshift shelter inside the ruins of the villages former police station. Since it was a small village, the police station was just as small. The village was also peaceful, so the station was mostly used as a place where drunks would sleep off their alcohol without causing damage to the public.

The front of the police station was completely gone, there were clear signs of an explosion. Jaune quickly understood this must have been one of the first places the bandits attacked when the village was first raided. The boy quickly shook his head, he didn't have time to think about the past, instead, he focused back onto the group in front of him.

A small campfire was set up in the center of the building, and Jaune could see meat being cooked on a spit roast above the fire. The bandits themselves were spread around the fire. Jaune could see one of the men cooking, while another sat against a large piece of broken stone as he cleaned his knife. Two more men sat around a small pile of weapons as they were picking through it. To Jaune it seemed like they were finding working weapons and tossing away the broken ones.

Now that he had the bandit group in his sights, Jaune turned to the girl next to him and spoke as softly as he could.

"I see four, can you see anyone else?" He asked the girl, who poked her head out to give her own look. After a few seconds, she tapped Jaune's shoulder and pointed to the corner of the station.

A few feet away from the campfire a row of small jail cells stood, a man was sleeping in the last cell. Jaune quickly pulled out a pair of binoculars to get a better look.

"He has a weapon, so I guess he isn't a prisoner. He must have locked himself in so he could use the bars to keep the Grimm away while he slept." Jaune said as he slid the binoculars back into his pocket. After taking another deep breath, the boy raised his gun and took aim.

From this distance, and the fact that all the men were either sitting or standing still, Jaune could have easily taken them down. But instead of pulling the trigger, his hand started to shake.

Jaune did use his training guns to kill animals, some times for food and sometimes because they were dangerous. Those guns were also just strong enough to kill newborn Grimm, he had to kill a few that wondered near his church. So Jaune was used to shooting live targets, only this time he held a much more powerful weapon, and his targets were humans. The boy lowered his weapon and clenched his eyes shut as he tried to steady his breathing.

A few moments later, the girl softly tapped his shoulder, causing him to open his eyes. He looked at her as she simply pointed back at the bandits. Following her finger, he noticed one of the bandits walking away from the group. The solo bandit was holding a magazine in one hand and a small lantern in the other. Jaune looked over and noticed this was one of the men sorting through the weapons pile.

"W-what do we do?" Jaune softly asked the girl, who in turn tugged his sleeve as she slowly started following the solo bandit.

The bandit didn't walk very far, he just put a building between him and his group as he stood in the alleyway. Jaune watched as the man put down his items and started to unbuckle his pants.

"What do we do n-" Jaune was about to ask the girl what they should do, but when he turned to her, she was gone. Before the boy could start panicking, he heard a soft thunk. He quickly turned his attention back to the bandit, and his eyes widen in shock.

The bandit was on the ground, blood rapidly seeping from his body. The girl stood over him with her knife in hand. She had her back to Jaune, so he couldn't see the wide grin on her face.

Jaune was so focused on the body, he didn't even notice the girl walk up to him until she was standing in front of him. He still wore a shocked look on his face when he looked up at her, which caused her to frown, but she didn't let it stop her. Instead, she held her up and motioned for him to stay put. Jaune simply nodded as she quietly walked away.

A few seconds later a loud shout managed to break out of his stunned state, the boy quickly got up and ran back towards the group of bandits. But by the time he reached the camp, it was already over.

The young black-haired girl stood over a body as two more laid next to her.

"How-" This was the only word Jaune managed to say as a large metal mace slammed into the girls back, sending her flying until she crashed into the wall and fell to the floor. Her Aura flickered as her natural shield shattered. Jaune had always known she had a weak Aura, so he knew she couldn't take another.

"YOU LITTLE BITCH!" The bandit shouted in rage as he lifted up his mace once more. Time seemed to slow down for Jaune as he watched, he was frozen in place. All he could focus on was the look of fear on the girl's face as the mace got closer towards her.

Jaune couldn't move, he couldn't stop the mace from hitting her directly in the face, he couldn't stop her from being shattered into a million little pieces like glass. He couldn't even process what he just saw, all he knew was his friend was gone.

The image of her terrified face was burned into his mind as flashes of happy memories filled his vision. Scenes of the girl smiling, and laughing were now replaced by her body shattering as the mace smashed into her.

His body started to violently shake harder than it ever did before, but this time it wasn't out of fear it was anger.

The boy must have blacked out for a moment because one second he was standing still. The next he was sitting on top of the bandit screaming while he was striking the man over and over with a hail of Aura infused punches.

Even though Jaune was half the man's size, normal flesh and bones couldn't stand against Aura. After the first few wild and enraged punches, the man's arms broke. After a few more he was starting to lose consciousness. Unfortunately for the bandit, Jaune was so angry, he didn't care that he already won the fight.

After a few more, Jaune's punches did slow to a stop as the boy was getting too tired to keep up the pace. But instead of getting up Jaune simply pulled out his pistol and jam the barrel into the man's cheek.

There was no hesitation, Jaune pulled the trigger, then he pulled it again, and again. He kept firing until all eight rounds were fired, and the man's head no longer existed.

Jaune's mind was blank as he sat on the man, the boy was repeatedly pulling the trigger of his empty gun causing a clicking noise to fill the air.

After a few more clicks, a small hand softly gripped his wrist, causing the boy to stop firing. Jaune focused on the hand, it took a moment for him to understand what he was looking at. But when it clicked he quickly spun around.

The girl was standing next to him, she was covered in dirt, her hair was a mess, her clothes were torn in spots, but she was okay. She was alive, she was breathing, she was standing in front of him.

"Y-You-Your-" Tears started flowing from Jaune's eyes as he tried to speak, but when he couldn't find the words he simply wrapped her up in a tight hug.

He refused to let her go, even when the girl started rapidly tapping his arm because she couldn't breathe.

With Amelia

The blind Priestess stood on a rooftop far away from the bandit camp. A jellyfish-like Grimm floated next to her, watching the two children.

"You were right, that girl is certainly a natural." A sinister sounding voice flowed from the jellyfish creature.

"Yes my Lady, in a few years I believe she will be just as deadly as Tyrian, less annoying too." Amelia said but mumbled that last part.

"She does show promise… But that boy, I expected more from an Arc. Especially one you've trained." Even though the voice spoke in a soft tone, it still sent a chill through Amelia's body.

"The boy is rough around the edges, but this was his first kill. I am not ashamed to admit, even I fumbled my first kill… I lost my eyes that day, but it made me far stronger. Jaune nearly lost his love, he will learn from this. The boy has the potential to become one of your strongest, and he will be just as deadly. You can trust me on this, my Lady, I will make sure he is worth the investment you put into him." Amelia's voice was steady, she tried to speak with as much confidence as she could.

"I do not doubt you, Child, but I expect great things from you, and from them… So don't disappoint me." With those final words, the jellyfish-like Grimm slowly floated away.

The creature didn't get far though, it stopped as the voice spoke once more.

"You know I paid a lot of money for those bandits to be here, those silly fools thought they were being paid to rob some caravan coming this way. They should still have that money with them, so find it, and treat the children. After all, they did complete their duty, one should always be rewarded for a job well done."

One Week Later

The journey back to the church was even more silent then the ride to the village. Once again, the girl didn't speak, Amelia preferred silence, and Jaune was lost in thought.

This time though, when the young girl was bored she didn't bother Jaune with books or games. Instead, she enjoyed laying in his arms, the boy was much more open with physical affection after her near death. She was very pleased with this.

Jaune yawned as he helped the young girl step off the cart. After a long trip, the servants of Salem were finally home.

"Girl, go get yourself cleaned up, Boy gather up the weapons and take them to the shed." The two kids got to work once Amelia gave her orders, they knew better than to disobey the woman.

Jaune sighed as he opened the shed he built to store his training gear. He walked in carrying the large case that held the weapons he and the girl used on their job. The boy was just about to stuff it into a locker when Amelia spoke up.

"Did you learn your lesson boy?" The woman's sudden question caused Jaune to spin around in surprise.

"What!?" The boy asked/shouted at the Priestess, she ignored his question as she spoke again.

"You and the girl seem quite close now, tell me boy do you care about her." Jaune didn't know why Amelia was asking him, but her voice was starting to make him feel uncomfortable.

"Y-Yes?"

"She's very lucky you know, if her semblance didn't active in that exact moment, well she would have been turned into paste." Hearing that caused Jaune to freeze as a flurry of emotions filled his chest.

Sadness, anger, fear, Jaune wasn't sure what he felt, but Amelia kept speaking before he could respond.

"You froze Boy when she needed you, you froze and nearly got her killed." Amelia's words were like a dagger to his chest, twisting with each word.

"The girl was lucky this time boy, but what about the next time? Will you watch her die? Or will you use those skills I've taught you to protect her? Not just her, what about the Innocent people those bandits would have killed because you were too afraid to stop them? I really hope you learned your lesson boy, you cannot hesitate, you must kill your enemies before they kill you, or someone you care about… Never hesitate again Boy." With that Amelia turned and walked away, leaving the boy alone in the shed.

"I won't hesitate… I won't hesitate. I won't hesitate." Jaune repeated over and over as he clenched his fist.

The Next Morning

Jaune yawned as he sat at the dining table. Amelia gave the kids a day off to rest, so with a bowl of Neapolitan ice cream, shredded bacon, and cheese. Jaune was going to make the most of his time off.

The familiar sounds of ringing bells grabbed his attention and caused him to turn towards the doorway. What he saw caused the boy's eyes to widen.

"Wha-how?" The young girl was standing in the doorway, but her normal black hair was now split between pink and brown with hints of white. Her once bright green eyes were now also brown and pink.

The smile on her face grew wider as she saw his reaction. The young girl cheerfully skipped to him, taking the seat next to him.

Suddenly a light bulb went off in his mind after staring at her for a few more seconds.

"I think I have the perfect name for you… Well, the perfect name for you that's not Sarah." The boy grinned as the girl tilted her head waiting to hear the name.

A/N: Well that's another chapter down, I hoped you enjoyed. Big thank you to everyone that has followed or favorited this story, we broke 100! More follows/favs means more people will come read it, which means more tips/ideas, which just helps me as a writer and this story for you guys reading it. So if you have any tips or ideas feel leave a review or send a pm.

~Improv