At exactly 7:42 AM, Jaune's eyes open. Immediately, he tried to shut them again, but the game wasn't having it. He won't be going to sleep anytime soon. Today's the day, and now he'd have to face it like a Team Leader should. Or he could just hide in his bed until it was all over, but Weiss wouldn't let him.

Speaking of Weiss, Jaune turned to see that she was already gone. Usually, he got up before her, but he had trouble getting to sleep last night. Well, not really. He was actually just going over battle strategies in his head for a while before he decided to go out like a light. Gamer's Mind always let him get the best sleep of his life every night. No dreams though, which was too bad.

No longer delaying the inevitable, Jaune sat up from his cozy bed and took a look at both his stats and skills.

[STATUS]

Name: Jaune Arc
LV: 3 EXP: 374/600
Title: [The New Student]
Race: [Basic Human]

/-\/-\/-\

-Health-

HP: 200/200 (+22 HP Every Ten Seconds for -1 AP)
AP: 2200/2200 (+22 AP Every Ten Seconds)
MP: 220/220 (+11 MP Every Ten Seconds)

/-\/-\/-\

-Stats-

STR: 19
DEX: 14
INT: 11 (9+1+1)
WIS: 11
END: 17 (18-1)
CHA: 20 (17+3)
LCK: 14 (10+4)
Current Modifiers: Title, Race
SP: 14

/-\/-\/-\

-Equipment-

Right Hand Weapon: [Unarmed]
Left Hand Weapon: [Unarmed]
Armour: [Pajamas]
Accessories: [None]

/-\/-\/-\

-Money-

Lien: 356
Other Currency: 0

/-\/-\/-\

-Bonds-

[Yang Xiao-Long] Bond LV: 14/200- Considers you a friend
[Ruby Rose] Bond LV: 21/200- Considers you a good friend
[Nora Valkyrie] Bond LV: 4/200- Considers you a friend
[Weiss Schnee] Bond LV: -17/200- Despises you
[Pyrrha Nikos] Bond LV: 16/200- Sees potential in you
[Lie Ren] Bond LV: 4/200- Almost considers you a friend
[Blake Belladonna] Bond LV: 3/200 Sees the possibility of friendship in you
[?] Bond LV: 200/200- Completely obsessed with you

[SKILLS]

-Gamer Skills-

Gamer's Mind LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to have a clear head in all situations, no matter how stressful or intense.

Gamer's Body LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to ignore all pain, as well as restoring their stats to some degree depending on where they slept. Also allows the gamer to never need to eat or go to the bathroom.

-Basic Skills-

Observe LV: 2- Allows the gamer to see information about other people and creatures.
At LV: 2- Name can be seen for people and creatures within 102 levels. Health can be seen for people and creatures within 77 levels. LV can be seen for people and creatures within 52 levels. Title can be seen for people and creatures within 42 levels. Race can be seen for people and creatures within 32 levels.

Sense Danger LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to be warned of impending physical danger. Said danger can be avoided if the gamer acts fast enough.

Detect Lie LV: 2- Allows the gamer to detect a lie.
At LV: 2- 55% chance to detect lie of anyone within 5 CHA of the gamer or lower. A target with less than 5 CHA gives 100% chance. A target between 5 to 10 CHA higher gives 30% chance. A target with above 10 CHA gives 2.5% chance.

Lie LV: 2- Allows the gamer to lie to others.
At LV 2- 55% chance to lie to anyone within 5 CHA of the gamer or lower. A target with less than 5 CHA gives 100% chance. A target between 5 to 10 CHA higher gives 30% chance. A target with above 10 CHA gives 2.5% chance.

-Aura Skills-

Aura LV: 1- A general overview of how adept the Gamer is in using Aura.
At LV: 1- The Gamer can learn Category 5 Aura skills and below. Category 0 Aura skills and below are instantly maxed out.

Aura Channeling LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to move aura through their body at will, making it easier to learn new aura skills.
At LV: MAX- -50% difficulty when learning new aura skills and -25% difficulty when leveling them up.

Jump LV: MAX- Allows the gamer to chanel aura in their legs, giving them an increased jumping height.
At LV: MAX- Height of max jump is 150x gamer's height at -200 AP for initial jump and -50 AP for every meter over fifty feet. Fall damage permanently negated for free.

-Stance Skills-

Scythe Stance One LV: MAX- A Complex Stance that is pertinent for scythe combat.
At LV: MAX- The gamer is able to handle any scythe without injury. +20% Physical Damage when wielding a scythe in this stance. +30% bonus Endurance when in this stance.

Aggressive Stance LV: 4- A Moderate Stance for wielding any weapon type. Most effective with a longsword.
At LV: 4- +4% Physical Damage when wielding a longsword in this stance.

Defensive Stance LV: 4- A Moderate Stance for wielding any weapon type. Most effective with a longsword.
At LV: 4- +4% bonus Endurance when in this stance.

-Weapon Skills-

Scythe Proficiency LV: 5- Increases the skill the gamer has with scythe-like weapons.
At LV: 5- +5 Physical Damage when wielding a scythe-like weapon.

Longsword Proficiency LV: 6- Increases the skill the gamer has with long sword-like weapons.
At LV: 6- +6 Physical Damage when wielding a longsword-like weapon.

Light Shield Proficiency LV: 4- Increases the skill the gamer has with shield-like weapons.
At LV: 4- +4 Defense when using shield-like weapons.

Yup. Just as he thought. He wasn't ready in the slightest.

Pouring one final point into Strength and three into Intelligence, Jaune sighed. He knew it didn't matter what he did. Weiss was going to be stronger no matter what. All he could do was hope that his training hadn't been for nothing.

Steeling himself, Jaune threw on his combat gear.


Breakfast was quiet. For obvious reasons, Jaune wasn't feeling the most talkative today. Especially not when Weiss was in the same room as him. Ruby, too, wasn't as chatty as normal, and the two ate in silence as Pyrrha and Yang stared.

As Yang tried and failed for the third time to land a joke, she decided that she needed to know what was up.

"Okay. What's wrong with you two?" Yang laid out plain and simple, causing her partner to jump at how blunt she was. "Jaune, you have yet to flirt with me today, and Ruby, you've barely even touched your cookies." Jaune looked up from his food pathetically.

"Oh, sorry. You look beautiful today. Did you do something different with your hair?" He asked in a near monotone voice.

"I- I did, but that's besides the point." Yang responded, shaking off her blush. "The point is, took two aren't normally like this, and it's worrying."

"Yeah." Pyrrha chimed in. "I don't want to pry, but is there something bother you two? You can always talk to m- Us." Ruby and Jaune looked to each other.

"Team problems." Ruby clarified a little better. "But don't worry, Jaune will have it fixed by tomorrow."

"Don't bet on it." Jaune discouraged. Ruby glared.

"You'll be fine. Actually, you'll be better than fine." The little huntress insisted, trying to boost his confidence. It didn't work.

"We'll see." He replied simply. Yang and Pyrrha looked to each other for answer, but were only able to shrug. The conversation was dropped and the four of them went back to eating in silence, the mood thoroughly ruined.

Glancing up from his breakfast a second time, Jaune nearly caught Blake's eye, but she quickly looked away. Jaune sighed a little more. He had thought that with their bond he made while out grinding that he and Blake would become good friends, but that wasn't the case. Instead, she seemed to avoid him even more than before, like he was the plague.

Oh well. It wouldn't be much of a problem after he was dead.


As if practicing, Jaune paced around Beacon like a ghost. If only there was something the game could do to restore his confidence.

No? Nothing? Well, it was worth a shot. Anyway. He didn't quite know what to do with himself in the hours he had remaining on the planet. Ruby had done her best to stick around with him and take his mind off of things, but it was pointless and she eventually wandered off. He appreciated the sentiment, for what that was worth.

His stumblings around the Beacon campus came to an end at a small outdoor clearing. A tiny fountain in the center was all the noise produced around the area, aside from the occasional animal in the tree. It was certainly out of the way, but cozy nonetheless. Jaune had never actually been to this area of Beacon, but he'd have to remember it for later.

"...I am…" Disturbing the peace, Jaune caught wind of someone's conversation. He almost thought he made the noise up until he heard it a second time. "...But you…" The sun was just starting to go down and people were heading back to their dorms by now. Anyone still all the way out here definitely didn't want their conversation heard. However, Jaune couldn't help but walk towards the noise, as if there was something familiar to it…

Out of the clearing and back into the building he went, until, eventually, he stumbled across the sight. Or, it's epicenter at least. Being so close, Jaune could now tell that it was Weiss' voice that was doing the talking. Who she was talking to, Jaune had no idea. The Ice Queen in question had shut herself in a storage closet, but putting his ear to the door, he could hear just fine.

"...Can't believe this! If father were to find out, he'd pull you from Beacon for sure." The mysterious voice shouted. Clearly, she was a sibling or relative.

"Winter, please, I've been trying to tell you, I-" Weiss started.

"That you'll get the title, that it was all just a mistake?" The other woman, apparently named Winter, cut off. "It's always been excuses from you, your entire life. 'I didn't mean it,' 'it was an accident.' You've never just been able to do your duty and leave it at that. Disgraceful." The harsh comment made Weiss look away.

"Sorry I can't live up to 'Daddy's Perfect Child…'" Weiss muttered. If Winter heard it, she didn't comment, but her tone did seem to stricken a bit.

"Just remember that there will always be a place for you at Atlas academy, and it will still be there after your done 'playing around' at Beacon. You can have your fun and games now, but if you think you'll be able to go your life tarnishing this family's name, you're dead wrong. Goodbye, Sister." With that, Jaune saw the light from the scroll shut off. The checkup call was over.

Needless to say, it was more intense than he expected,especially for a call between siblings. Jaune thought about how he would react if one of his sisters talked to him like that… It wasn't a very pretty sight.

Being so caught up in thought, Jaune didn't have time to hide himself from Weiss, nor did he have time to move from the door. Jaune's team member pulled open the door only for him to fall down on it, nearly on top of her. Scrambling to his feet, he tried his best to explain himself,

-2 Bond with:
Weiss Schnee
Bond LV: -19/200

[OK]

"Weiss, I-"

SMACK!

After having been bitch slapped, Jaune had no words.

"Never eavesdrop on me again." The heiress growled, then stomped away hastily. Before she turned the corner to leave, though, she gave one final remark. "And we're still fighting tonight. This doesn't change anything."

The heiress walked away, leaving Jaune stunned and shamed. Just when it seemed that there was no way the fight could get any worse, the universe just slapped him in the face. He was doomed.


As the sun fell from the sky and the residents of Beacon took their leave for the night, two anxious students were left staring at their shared ceiling. Long past that, they waited, and waited, and waited until finally the pain of waiting became too much. Springing up from bed around what Jaune assumed to be 12:30, half of Team JWLR made their way out the dorm doors.

Nothing was said along the way. Perhaps out of fear, or maybe respect, but it was probably fear. However, unlike so many times before, this was fear on both sides. They both knew the stakes, they both knew how devastated the other would be after a loss. For all intents and purposes, it was a losing contest whichever way you cut it.

And yet, they walked on, out of the campus and into the woods. Far enough away that nobody could hear them, but close enough that there most likely wouldn't be any interfering Grimm.

Happening across a suitable clearing- though Jaune wouldn't have been surprised if Weiss found it beforehand just to look for 'adequate terrain-' the two seperated and stood opposite each other, still in silence. Predictably, Jaune broke first.

"Weiss, you know I don't want this." Jaune started as Weiss began preparing herself in a last minute check of her equipment. "I mean, we're Team JWLR for crying out loud, not Team 'JLR.' You have a place with us, always." Weiss scoffed while pulling out her rapier.

"So, what? All of my 'past crimes' will be forgiven and the whole team will accept me with open arms?"

"Well, I don't think Ren would hug you- but yeah, essentially."

"You're more naive than Ruby." The Schnee said simply.

"Don't listen to your sister, Weiss. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone." For once again being unable to read the room, Jaune then suffered a tactical disadvantage- or advantage, if he was smart enough about it. Which he wasn't.

"Leave her out of this!" Weiss yelled, almost instantaneously falling into a rage. With that, she charged, starting the battle once and for all. Unfortunately, Jaune didn't even have a weapon equipped yet.

Just barely managing to dodge the first strike, Jaune noticed the Health Bar at the bottom of his vision as he worked to pull the Scythe from his belt. He really needed to make a holster for it.

HP: 4000/4000
AP: 4100/4100

Unlike with the Grimm, two bars displayed themselves for Weiss. Somehow, this demoralized him even further, but Jaune shook it off. Now was not the time for self pity, now he had to be in the zone.

If Jaune was the rag tag underdog team that barely made it to the championships, Weiss was from the Varsity League, here to beat the hell out of some twelve year olds. Her glyphs caused her to bounce around like Nora, unceasing in ferocity. Weiss was smart enough to know that mindless rage wasn't the best strategy, but she was also cocky enough to think that she didn't need one against him- at least, that was Jaune's guess. If it wasn't obvious, he was on the defensive.

After barely blocking the umpeenth shot to his head, Jaune decided to change up tactics. As Weiss rounded about for another assault, Jaune steadied himself in Scythe Stance One, and faced her head on. Waiting until the very last moment, Jaune jumped sideways, out of the line of fire, while keeping his Scythe Level with her. He turned the Scythe of destiny to hook the weapon in her hand and wrenched on it with all his might. Just as Ruby taught him.

However, what Ruby failed to mention was how the move affect people with 'stabbing' type weapons, instead only focusing on the more common 'slashing' type. With Weiss extending her hand out further, the Scythe missed the blade and instead hooked onto the first other thing it could find, her wrist. Then Jaune pulled. The Scythe, in the perfect condition that it was, sliced through like a hot knife through butter, and with Weiss flying in the opposite direction, the skin and muscle peeled back with her, the wound getting deeper as it went. Had it not been for Weiss' pre-summoned glyphs and her ability to suddenly change course, the heiress' hand would have mostly likely been cut clean off.

Red splattered the ground. Jaune instantly knew something was wrong when he heard her cry of pain. Stopping his movement and turning around revealed a gruesome sight. Blood covered Weiss' entire hand from the elbow down, so much so that, Jaune couldn't even make out the wound. As he stood frozen, dropping his Scythe to the ground, Weiss immediately set out to work. Ignoring the pain, she applied pressure to the injury and looked for something to patch it up with. Jaune, coming out of his shock right after, ripped off the sleeve of his sweatshirt and began wrapping it around her arm without a word. From closer up, the wound didn't even seem to go past the middle of her forearm, but he wrapped to her elbow just in case.

"Are you okay?" Jaune asked, being the first to break the silence once more. She had been grunting in pain, but that didn't really count.

"My Aura should be healing this. Why isn't it healing this?" Weiss muttered to herself, ignoring his question. Jaune remained silent, guilty, and worried. She reached out with her other hand, only for nothing to happen. "I can't make my glyphs…" The heiress turned back to him, chasing him to flinch. "What did you do to me?"

"It's my scythe. It… It takes away a person's semblance- only temporarily!"

"Wha- How is that-?"

"I don't know, but we should go back now." At this, Weiss wobbled up and pushed him away, picking up her rapier off the ground.

"No! I can fight with my other hand! You're not getting out of this fight, damn it." With her covered in blood, she was actually a little scary. Come to think of it, he was covered in some blood to.

"This is crazy! I'm not gonna fight you like this. It's not fair!" Suddenly, her eyes lit up.

"You're right."

"I'm glad you came to your-"

"Now it's your turn to get cut."

"Yeah, it's- Wait wha- Ahh!" In the span of a second, Weiss has picked up the Scythe and slashed it across his exposed arm.

The health bar at the bottom of the screen flashed and felt monetarily woosy. The first time since his arrival at Beacon.

Error: GamerType=Null
Rebooting Systems.

[OK]

The message flashed away and Jaune suddenly felt an anger. And anger he hadn't thought he'd ever feel. It was that irrational anger that seemed to overcome Ruby, the one that made him blame Weiss for all his troubles despite what he knew of her life so far. This anger that had been building since the moment they met.

This anger was built on by a new sense of false pride. This pride was telling Jaune that, yes, he deserved his position as leader, and yes, Weiss needed to pay for challenging it. This pride fueled his self worth and for the first time all night, Jaune stood tall, a fire in his eyes.

Jaune's fiery eyes met Weiss' slightly crazed ones as he pulled out his sword and shield. The two of them shifted into their combat stances smoothly, with only a hint of desperation to their movements. Without a word, they charged, the battle born anew.

As it turned out, a Weiss that used her nondominant hand and lost a decent amount of blood was a good matchup for an emotionally uninhibited Jaune. The ebb and flow of the battle was much more akin to that of normal hunter battles, back and forth between the two, but never really tipping in anyone's favor. Had this been a simple, no hold bars match, Jaune might've had a chance.

Whenever he got close, though, Weiss disregarding her personal safety and exploded a dust crystal in his face. She'd then use the distraction as an opportunity to attack. The blast wasn't much of an issue, but the sudden onslaught after it certainly was. But, for a long while, that's how the fight continued. Each contestant using everything in their power to try and best the other. Long past talking things out, the two teammates were brutal to each other.

Cuts and bruises built up at a steady pace for each of them, every one fueling their rage and desire to go even further. Any other day, here's where they would've called it quits, but the heiress and the leader continued on in a sweat, not giving an inch to each other. Finally, after what could've been hours or mere minutes, the ebb beat out the flow.

After yet another explosion in his face, Jaune roundhouse kicked through the debris, intent on finally attack before she did and gaining control of the battle. Acting on instinct, Weiss raised her right arm to block, having Jaune directly kick her wound. The cry of pain caused Jaune to snap out of his anger momentarily, as he looked to make sure she was okay.

The cry of pain quickly turned into one of anger, and Weiss seized the moment to gain the upper hand. Ignoring her pain, she barreled into her leaders figure, pushing him down to the ground. He dropped his sword but raised his shield, and she went crazy on it, smashing and smashing and smashing on his shield like her life depended on it. Each consecutive blow lessened in ferocity, but Jaune was too sore at this point to notice.

"I'll end you!" Weiss shouted, the desperation evident in her voice. It seemed that Jaune matching her in power was too much for her to handle and now having him finally defeated was a godsend. "Just stay down already!" Point blank at his shield, Weiss aimed her rapier and fired.

BOOM! SHNG!

Weiss fell back slightly as the sound of dust exploding was followed by the sound of ice forming. When the dust cleared, a block of ice stood where Jaune once was, solid and stern. The adrenaline within Weiss started to wane and she walked over to the ice block clutching her wounded arm.

Jaune's head was frozen staring up at the stars, between a look of surprise and pain- one that Weiss could stare at all day. But she relented, and using Myrtenaster, broke his head free.

"Do you surrender?" The heiress asked, the exhaustion finally getting to her voice. Jaune sighed.

"What else am I supposed to do?" He questioned pathetically. He'd lost. The fact wasn't yet sinking into him. The confidence he had gained while fighting Weiss made it nearly impossible for him to admit defeat, at least to himself.

"Just say it." Weiss insisted while subconsciously pointing her sword at his head. He eyed the weapon carefully.

"I… I surre- Argh! I can't. Please, don't make me."

"Say it."

"But-"

"Say it!" She was starting to get pissed, and fear had begun to overcome his pride.

"Alright fine. I… I surren- Ursa! Look out!"

"God damnit, Jaune! Just say you- Ugh!" Just as he said, Jaune winced as an Ursa- major, from the looks of it- smashed a sudden paw into Weiss, sending her flying into a nearby tree. He would have warned her sooner, but his position facing upwards made him unable to see the danger until it was too late. Though, the fact that neither of them heard it probably had something to do with just how out of it each of them were.

Ignoring all that, Jaune closed his eyes and readied himself to be eaten. But no pain ever came. Instead, the Ursa Major turned to Weiss trying to orientate herself, and calmly continued its walk in her direction. Maybe it had something to do with her stronger emotions at the moment? It didn't really matter, and frankly Jaune didn't really care. All he knew was that he was alive, Weiss was about to not be, and there was nothing was nothing he could do to stop it.

It wasn't like he didn't try to escape as Weiss bounced around, just barely missing the Ursa's claws. Jaune genuinely did, however he didn't have many options. His legs were frozen-tucked in the air, so he couldn't break the ice with his super jump- it was a super jump not a super 'kick'- nor was he able to get out by sheer force, and… That was about it. This was what ends up happening when you don't have many skills at your disposal. If only he had been able to learn the fire skill. Then Jaune would've not only been able to escape, but also kill the Ursa with ease.

All of a sudden, Jaune had an idea.

When Jaune learned a skill, it was usually because he was actually already doing it, but the game hadn't picked it up yet, like detecting lies or sensing danger. Jaune already knew how to do all that stuff, the game just didn't show him until he actively thought about doing those things. By that logic, multiplied to the extreme, Jaune already knew every single power he possible could, but hadn't yet activated them. And if that was true, then in order to gain the fire skill, he'd just have to usefire.

Now how did he do that?

On a whim, Jaune began trying to visualize the fire in his hands burning away the ice. It did nothing, but Jaune kept at it. He tried to imagine every single individual flame sprouting up from his hand and melting away the ice. Still, nothing.

As he practiced his mental exercise, Weiss was having a much harder time on her feet. She'd run out of dust- not that it did any good anyway- and things were starting to look dire. The Ursa's strikes started hitting closer, faster, and it all around felt like the giant Grimm was playing with her- and now it was beginning to get bored.

In vain, Jaune continued to try and summon fire from nothing. Wasn't a power, item, or person of significance supposed to come to the hero in his time of need? He wasn't saying he was a hero, but… Wasn't he? The Game sure made it seem so. Actually, the game treated him like garbage, who was he kidding?

Jaune's hand started to sweat, but he didn't notice.

Come to think of it, the reason he was in this mess was because of the game! He didn't want the title of leader, but he couldn't give it to Weiss because the Game threatened to kill him!

Now his hands felt really sweaty, but he continued to ignore it.

Ever since he'd started the game, he'd been treated like shit. All because of that 'New Game Plus' bullshit. Hell, if it wasn't for that, he would have fire powers right now, and he wouldn't be in this mess! And now Weiss, a person he never truly wanted to hurt, was about to be killed and he was sat here doing nothing. This was bullshit. This entire game was bullshit!

Straining his sight to catch a glimpse of Weiss, he watched as the Ursa final caught up to her and knocked her into another tree. This time, the heiress didn't move after landing. Then his semblance finally came back.

Gamer's Mind has nullified the status effect:
Rage

[OK]

"No, fuck that! I'm not letting this stupid ducking game take away the only shred of pride I've had since I got to Beacon! I'm angry and there's nothing the game can do it about it!" Jaune shouted aloud, catching the attention of the Ursa Major. Staring the Grimm directly in the eyes, Jaune continued. "You, son of a bitch! This ends now!" And with that, Jaune burst into flames.

Immediately, pop ups came to signify that Jaune had learnt a skill or two, but he completely ignored them, instead focusing in on the Ursa Major across from him. It was clear the Grimm wanted to have an intimidation off, but Jaune didn't even give him a chance, not even observing the Ursa before he started his charge. The Ursa roared, Jaune shouted, and a flaming hand connected directly with the Ursa's mask.

BOOM!

The Ursa Major had finally gotten a taste of its own medicine, slamming backwards into a tree so hard, the plant nearly collapsed on top of it. The Grimm groaned with a cracked mask, trying to get its bearings, and Jaune was filled with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. Now just another strike, and the Ursa would be done for.

At that moment, Jaune's fire disappeared. Fear instantly filled the hesitant team leader, and he immediately pulled up his health stats.

HP: 134/200 (+22 HP Every Ten Seconds for -1 AP)
AP: 1643/2800 (+22 AP Every Ten Seconds)
MP: 0/280 (+11 MP Every Ten Seconds)

Zero MP?! What good was that skill if he could only attack once? What was one punch supposed to do to an enemy?! Looking up from his stats revealed the Ursa right upon him, and Jaune nearly pissed his pants.

But then, something… Strange happened. Instead of being mauled by a furious Ursa Major, Jaune was… Completely fine. Not dead, and not even hurt in the slightest- at least, from the Grimm. No, instead, he was simply awestruck, as the sight he witnessed was unlike any other he had seen.

A Beowolf, one so huge it nearly crushed the Ursa Major under it, pounced on said Grimm and started tearing at it. Viciously turning its fellow Grimm into pieces. Out of nothing but sheer morbid curiosity, Jaune observes it.

Name: Gary

/-\/-\/-\

HP: 5873/5900

[OK]

At seeing the name 'Gary,' Jaune couldn't help but get a sense of familiarity about the whole situation. Not that giant Beowolves mauling Ursa Majors happened often around him. When the monstrous creature final finished its kill- the Ursa Major was a nasty one that just wouldn't stay down- Gary looked directly at Jaune. This time, Jaune engages in the Grimm's antics.

For a long while, the two looked at each other, not moving a muscle. Any and all tension from the situation seemed to disappear, and Jaune didn't even feel like he was in any danger. Finally, as if Gary heard a timer go off that Jaune didn't, the Beowolf turned away and ran back into the forest from whence it came. Just like that, it was gone. And just like that, Weiss woke up. Instantly, Jaune ran to her, forgetting the 'Beowolf' experience entirely.

"Wha- What happen to the Ursa?" His teammate asked groggily.

"Don't worry, Weiss. It's gone now." Jaune reassured.

"You killed it?" Even in such a state, Weiss could still put disbelief in her voice. It almost made him laugh.

"Well, sort of." The gamer confessed. Technically, it wasn't him, but he wasn't gonna bother explaining the giant Beowolf to her. Suddenly, Jaune nearly toppled over as a pair of arms wrapped around him. It took him a bit to realize, but Weiss… Weiss was hugging him!

"Thank you…" She whispered in his ear. Together, hugging, Jaune stood the two of them up, and Weiss immediately released him with a blush. "If you tell anyone about that, I'll kill you." The heiress threatened bashfully, making Jaune chuckle.

"Well, you're the leader now, so you can order me to not tell anybody." Weiss' brow furrowed.

"What are you talking about?"

"Our battle, you won fair and square. Though I didn't want to say it before, I ama man of my word. I surrender." As Weiss' face scrunched in displeasure, Jaune looked away. Being reminded of his own failure- though he took it well- still hurt him.

Ignoring all that, Jaune started to make his way back to the Beacon, leaving the clearing. Before he left entirely, he heard Weiss call out to him.

"You-! You can beleder…" Jaune turned.

"Huh? What was that last part?" Weiss huffed and hurried to catch up with him.

"I said… You can be… Leader…" Jaune's eyes widened.

"Say again."

"You can be leader! Dammit, don't make me say it a fourth time." Jaune's shock then turned into a grin.

"Does this mean we're friends now?" At this, Weiss scowled.

"No, definitely not." Seeing his face, she continued. "But… I suppose we could be friends… Eventually!" she exclaimed that last part and Jaune smiled.

"I'd like that."

Quest Complete:
Fight for Leadership

Secret Objective Completed: Save Weiss from a Grimm

Objective One Failed: Beat Weiss Schnee in the fight

Failure Avoided: Death/Loss of Leader status/Mauling by Ursa

Reward: Ability to remain the leader of team JWLR
Secret Reward: +1 Level, +20 Bond with Weiss Schnee, +1 True Bond with Weiss Schnee

[OK]


3:42 AM. It was 3:42 AM when Jaune and Weiss finally got back to the dorm. He had been awake for a full twenty hours- Weiss, even longer. Normally, this wouldn't mean anything for Jaune, as Gamer's Body would keep him stable, but after temporarily losing his semblance, he couldn't help but feel a little tired. Tomorrow was the weekend, so it didn't matter if he slept until noon. Unfortunately, that wasn't what was he was focusing on.

Seeing the state Weiss was in- and then glancing in the mirror- made Jaune realize that sleep wasn't happening. The two of them were going to be up for the rest of the night. That thought made Jaune even more tired, but he shook it off. If Weiss could power through, so could he. As he thought that, though, the Team Leader sat down on his bed. All of a sudden, the pillows looked more comfortable than ever before, and Jaune wanted nothing more than to just-

"How do you like your coffee?" Weiss asked him before he nodded off into 'La la land.'

"Uhh… Two cream, one sugar. Why do you ask?" Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Because I'm making us coffee. Duh." She stated as if it was obvious.

"With one hand?" Jaune pointed out. The heiress flinched, finally realizing the pain she was in.

"I… I guess I could use a little help…" Weiss conceded, clutching the arm he wrapped a piece his sweatshirt around. Jaune just smiled.

"Don't worry, I got you covered." He glanced at his own wound, which had stained his undershirt in blood. "From the looks of things, we're gonna need all the coffee we can get."

+1 Bond with:
Weiss Schnee
Bond LV: 2/200

[OK]


It's finally here! The moment we've all been waiting- And it's over. What a shame.

Of course, my Beta's Macheddy and CasuallyPosting putting in some work this chapter, as always. CasuallyPosting recently published a new chapter of "In Which Jaune," so go check him out.

Just a notice, there will be a small break in between this and the next chapter in order to better plan out the next arc of the story. Nothing less than the best for all of you.

All of their wounds, Skills, pop ups, and such will be addressed in the next chapter, so don't worry about me skipping over information. I'll just let you theorize what everything means.

Now onto Reviews.

Who said no bonfire ability? Yes bonfire ability!

Weiss and Jaune will not become friends immediately, the ending is just showing that Weiss' willing to give things a chance for once. I can assure you that the problems she caused within the team will not be suddenly disappearing.

I also want to address Jaune's use of the Scythe, as it can be construed- especially from this chapter- that he's over powered with it. The fact that he can't properly use a scythe is the reason he isn't overpowered with the scythe. He's too big for it and doesn't have the proper body type to handle a weapon like the Scythe. The scythe, in itself, is inherently overpowered. If Ruby was to gain it, she would be able kill anybody in her way, meaning to or not. However, Jaune inability and unwillingness to use such a potentially dangerous weapon is the reason why it isn't over powered. Not to mention, one hit makes a Grimm go up by a level, so it's not exactly a weapon he'd be using at all times.

Thank you for all the wonderful support and criticism. As always, you guys are awesome.

Reviews welcome- they are the fuel to my fire- and until next time,

-RMV