Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or the Gamer.

Warning: All warnings were addressed at the bottom of the first chapter.


Text Meaning:

Normal Text: Either talking when it's in speech or accounting for the detail the character experiences.

Italics: Thoughts - typically used to track what a person thinks of another: 'Jaune Arc, short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it! That'll work.' Can be used in a narrative context.

Bold Italics: Interaction with powerful objects: The Gamer's System, for example. It can be used on glitches. It can also be used when one person is being serious with another or straight-up trolling them.

Any form of text on lines: Scene Breaks, recordings of when things happen, etc.

[Statements]: Secondary form of interaction with the Game. It's involved with statements made by the Game itself, too. Mostly in bold.


"A person who has lost everything, and gained something afterwards, becomes the most horrific of monsters to keep it."


"Well done, well done!" Juniper laughed.

Jaune gave a small smile, watching the Grimm dissolve as he tightened the grip on his rapier.

"Thanks, Jun."

Juniper's smile widened.

. . .

. .

.

Vale

Beacon Academy

Beacon Rooftops

'I don't understand why people aren't grateful. Why do they want more power, more fame, more of everything?'

Well, he became grateful for everything, really. At this point, he thought that anything could happen. One moment, you'd be doing your usual routine, and the next you could have anything horrible happen to you. If anything, being ungrateful for the things he had became the last thing on his mind. Who knew when this'd be the last time he'd see this place, or anything at all?

Maybe that's why he was so grateful. He didn't know when anything terrible would happen.

It just happens.

So, sitting down and watching the area around him became a hobby. Nobody noticed it and he didn't want to talk about how he glossed over places all the time. They'd feel it was strange, and curious. Curious peers were an issue that he didn't want to deal with, and the second type of issue would be those who wanted to be friends with him. They'd be people who would need protection, guidance, and understanding.

Those three things? They bring in many issues, awkward silences, and uncomfortable situations. Again, he wasn't the kind of person who'd open up to many, let alone trust them.

He sighed; gazing at the giant screen.

[QUEST: "The Power Of Peace"]

[Description: Roman Torchwick, considered as one of Cinder's weakest tools, is far stronger than you. Yang is stronger than you.]

[Ruby Rose can be a tough fight. All of them have plagues that bothered them; but they're stronger because they faced them.]

[But, within your heart, you realise that Gamer's Mind can't erase the plagues that bother you - this weakness of mind, spirit, and strength must be faced.]

[OBJECTIVE A: Make peace with your past and move on.]

[Bonus Objective: Practise drawing - increase it to around LVL 30/40. Draw a picture of them to make sure that you never forget them.]

[REWARDS(S): None. No reward can replace a family.]

[Succeed: The Art Of Balance (Stage I) is unlocked.]

[Failure: Your past plagues you for the rest of your life; unless you attempt this quest again and succeed.]

[ACCEPTED.]

'This quest. It's just an absolute slap in the face.' Perhaps, he was being a bit disparaging with this, but how could he just move on? They were family, people who loved him, and he loved them. When it came down to it, was he a coward? Yes.

Was he the kind of person who'd abandon his loved ones? No.

He could never bring himself to abandon his family - no one could force him to leave them.

Yes, people could argue that he was being a coward, that he should be brave when it comes to facing down Cinder and her allies; but he'd be dead if he became brave in Cinder's presence. In Neo's presence, the same girl who is nothing compared to Raven, who is like a speck of dust to Salem. Perhaps, if he was stronger, he'd be different. But, this wasn't the case.

For that reason, this quest was such a slap in the face. How could he forget about them? It expected him, of all people, to simply forget about people he had known for his entire life. Or rather, his previous life? It was still confusing. He died, but he came back, and now he was in such a mess of a situation...

Jaune sighed.

'That's why I worry about making friends,' He pauses, 'I'd put them into harm's way; they'd get hurt or even worse. It's best that I don't get too close to many people or a megalomaniac will kill them all with her "evil" plans. Honestly, remind me of Cinder's motivation, again?'

"Jaune, are you alright? You seem rather... not okay." With that, he turned, revealing Ruby. Curiously, there was a solemn look on her face, as she walked to his side and gazed at the scenery.

"Ruby, is that you?" At the sight of Ruby, he mulled, only to speak: "I suspect you've had an argument with Weiss, and wanted to talk?"

"Kinda," Ruby sighed, "I guess. I was wondering about being a leader, since Weiss thinks I'm childish..."

Jaune blinked. "Ruby, when it comes down to it, nobody has a clear idea of what a good leader is." He sighed, looking away from her. "I don't know; and it's clear that you don't have the brightest of ideas about it. Maybe, that's why Ozpin chose us?"

'Well, it would make sense. Ruby, by all accounts, shouldn't have been leader. She's too childish, too naive, too innocent...'

'But, here's the thing, it gives her the most potential to grow as a leader. So, why does Ozpin think I need to grow as a person?'

"I suppose that does makes sense," She paused, "Though, something else was on my mind, actually."

"Oh, and what would that be? Are my jokes getting too annoying?"

Ruby chuckled. "No, silly." Then, after a few seconds, she looked away. "I'm afraid that I won't be a good leader."

'That makes sense.'

After that, Jaune sighed: "Look, Ruby," He paused, whispering quietly, "It's your first day. How can you be a good leader when you haven't established a good connection with your teammates? When you do not have their faith and trust?" Again, he pauses, staring at the sunset and spoke within the silence, "Truth be told, nobody is ever ready to lead, ever. Not Weiss, not you, not even Yang." He chuckled, then spoke, "Definitely not me."

"Jaune, you're making that face again."

"What face?"

"Well..." She looked uncomfortable, waving her hands in a circular motion, only to speak: "That kind of face you make when you seem sad, almost as if you're remembering something."

'Oh fuck, I forgot that Ruby can be perceptive at times. I need to be careful with her.'

Jaune waves one of his hands at her, bringing a small smile on his face: "Oh, it's fine." He chuckled, looking away in thought, "I'm just thinking over a few things; nothing important. Say, do you want to talk about weapons?"

"Jaune, I'm your friend, we can talk to each other about why we're upset."

"Fine, fine!" He sighed. "I just miss my family."

Ruby put a hand on Jaune's shoulder; patting it slowly. "Same here. It's only been a day and I already miss living with my dad! It's just strange not seeing him take care of the flowers, or crack puns with Yang, you know? At least, we'll see them again, right?" Jaune nodded slowly, looking away, before letting a small smile appear on his face.

"Yeah, I know."

After that, it was just silence. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence at all, actually. It was pleasant. Pleasant, and something enjoyable for the two of them. They were just two friends, sitting on the same bench, two leaders mulling over the future and what lies in store.

It was soothing.

"Hey, Ruby?"

"Yes, Jaune?"

"Thanks."

He thought back to the drawings; before looking at the stats of his drawing skill.

-SK-

Skill: Drawing

Description: One of the many forms of visual art. The user uses a variety of drawing instruments to mark paper or a substitute.

40% Efficiency + Skill in Drawing/40% More Appealing.

LVL: 10

-SK-

'I really do miss you guys.'


Vale

Vale's Port

The White Fang

Seeing the White Fang on a screen was nothing, but seeing them in real life was making him queasy.

Vale's Port was a gargantuan structure that spanned for quite a bit, its details highlighted by the colourful skies, seemingly breathing life into the area around it. Its colours, looks, shine and fresh air had him wondering why it wasn't used as a tourist attraction. Then again, it's a port. A measly port.

"Alright, animals. Let's get this over with, don't want our bosses upset, right?" Roman Torchwick had spoken, with a small smirk on his face, it grew when the White Fang seemed to be negatively responding to him, acting as if he was horrible.

In a sense, he was horrible.

He was working with a man who would take part in a terrorist attack just to survive. Perhaps, Roman was the most frightening out of RWBY's enemies. Everyone had a goal, everyone had a malicious motive, every single antagonist had a some sort of twisted reason to fight and it was complicated and emotional.

Roman just wanted to survive. Roman must've figured that the world didn't care about spirit or any heroes. That'd explain why he put such a high priority on survival, no matter what happened.

So, what was more frightening? A person who has nothing to lose or a person who has everything to lose?

A few moments later, Roman Torchwick walked towards Jaune, giving a chuckle after looking back. Then, he turned. "So, kid, I heard Cinder told you about this whole operation with the White Fang?"

After a few seconds, Jaune nodded. Then, Roman spoke quietly. "About that, I'm going to give you an assignment."

'Fuck. I know where this is going.'

It wasn't the fact that Roman was giving him an assignment to do that was worrying. No, it was the fact that it was an assignment given during an operation like this one. Any mistakes would incur issues with the White Fang, and he could be killed because of it. Burned to death? Executed? Too many possibilities.

But, what worried him was the serious look on Roman's face.

"Kid, I'll get this straight." He pauses, continuing to speak a moment later, "Your mission is to rob Dust Till' Dawn, distract any police units, and make sure that the police start to not focus on figuring me out. After you've done your job, come back here with the dust, and that'll prove that you're not the average mook."

[QUEST: "The Price We Pay"]

[Roman Torchwick wants you to rob Dust Till' Dawn, distract any dispatched police units, and make sure that the police start to stop focusing on Roman Torchwick and the White Fang.]

[REWARDS: 7,000 EXP; New Title; Quest Line Continuation; etc.]

[HIDDEN OBJECTIVES CAN BE ACHIEVED IN THIS QUEST.]

'Accept.'

Roman Torchwick nods, brandishing a pair of daggers and a revolver, placing them into Jaune's hands. "Using the same weapons repeatedly would be idiotic; people would figure you out instantly." Then, Jaune nods, putting the weapons in his pockets.

"Go."


~TFNF~ To Forgive & Never Forget ~ TFNF ~

Part III


Vale

Jaune traversed the roofs, looking behind him to check for any followers. He didn't want a repeat of what happened with Yang and Ruby. Regardless, he stopped still, gazing at the shops below, with only small groups of people surrounding the area. Then, he noticed the small shop from before,and the shopkeeper was glancing around.

'Not surprising, considering what happened. Alright, let's begin.'

Then, Jaune travelled down the building, getting through the stairs at a reasonably quick pace. Afterwards, he treads to the shop with weapons in his pockets. He breathed in deeply; breathing out a moment later. Treading into the shop, he notices that there are no people around, with the shopkeeper not in sight.

Jaune spots cameras in the shop, and a few seconds later, there are loud noises and fizzing from those cameras. The camera were smashed, ruined by the bullets that penetrated their exteriors. He reloads the revolver, looks around, and then reaches for the dust.

"I'd recommend you put that mask down, and get out of here."

Jaune stood silently, feeling a gun pressing into the back of his head. He feels uncomfortable, almost a heavy weight press onto his stomach, as if he was feeling anxious. For a moment, he hesitates to speak.

"Sir, it's just a mask."

"Is that so? Last time someone said that, they ended up stealing my dust."

'Oh shit, oh fuck. What do I do?'

'No, stop thinking like this, Jaune. You NEED to do this for everyone's sake.'

"Now, put your hands up, and I'll call the police-"

Then, Jaune shakes his head.

"I don't think we'll be seeing the police today, sir."

"What-?"

At that, he disappears, taking the gun from his hand and slamming it into the man's chest. The man is pushed back from the force; his body slammed through various pieces of glass that break. The glass collapses, spilling shards on the floor, with only the dust remaining. Jaune stands there in silence, looking at his hands, before looking at the crystals.

He could think about his actions later on, but he needed to finish this mission.

Jaune retrieves the crystals, putting them into a bag. Then, he looks at the unconscious man. He grabs the man's hand, presses it against the scroll, unlocking it. By then, he's already made the call, and he ends the call once everything's been sorted.

After that, he scales the building. It felt rough, as if the material was grating itself against his skin, giving an annoying sensation. He looks around, noticing an ambulance driving up towards the building. He jumps. To his astonishment, he managed to jump from the roof of the building to another, even if it was with [Aura Adrenaline].

[MP: 2780/2800.]

He felt it. It was a feeling of guilt, of anger, for what he had to do. He didn't want to do this; he never wanted to hurt the man who'd been robbed by Roman Torchwick. He never wanted to run on the rooftops as a criminal, he never wanted to run from the law when he was younger. So, why now?

'Of course,' Jaune thought with a bitter look on his face, 'in Remnant, only the strong survive.'

He runs from roof to roof; only to realise that there were already a few police cars following him. The sirens were loud, almost as if they were screeching in his ears, making him grunt in exasperation. 'Shit, I'm going to have to fight them. They'll chase me down to Vale's Port if I keep running.'

He descends. He climbs down from the roof, simply swerving through areas, acrobatically descending down to the ground. He gazes at a squad of police officers, who stood with solemn looks on their faces.

'Well, looks like I'm in for a fight, I suppose..'

"Put your weapons down, and lift your hands above your head."

'I just hope to god that I don't kill or maim any of them.'

Then, he runs around the area, using [Aura Adrenaline].

Jaune fired a hail of bullets from his revolver, striking various police officers who were sent down to the ground. Then, he rushes into the fray, with two daggers brandished in his hands. A continuation of slashes are blocked by one of the police officers, feeling pain from getting kicked in the face. Jaune grunts.

"You know, I believe I'd appreciate it if-!" He blocks various punches, and grabs the man's arm, swinging him around. A second later, there are a couple of officers sprawled on the ground, some of them quickly recovering and reloading at an admirable pace. Jaune grabs the man, putting a dagger in front of the man's throat, and glares at the rest of the officers.

"I'm not in a good mood; I've already ruined an old man's day and I need to get back. Drop your weapons, and I'll spare this man."

'Please fall for it, dammit.'

It is only silent after that. Each side refuses to budge; staring at the other within silence. Jaune hesitates.

Then, the man he was holding escapes his grip, slashing at his mask with a knife. The mask gives a sound of cracking, its pieces shook slowly in recoil. Barely, the blade missed his face, to the point where it almost cut his skin. But, he didn't care.

The mask was cracking!

'SHIT! I need to get out of here!'

Jaune activates [Aura Adrenaline], and runs as quick as possible. He moves in random directions, knowing that the police will open fire at his sudden movement. He fled. He keeps running and running in hopes that they'll stop chasing him, that they'll forget about trying to find him.

But, they never stop. Jaune doesn't relent; he manages to get to Vale's Port on time.

At that point, Jaune couldn't be any more relieved to see Roman.

He didn't bother to check the status of his quest.


~TFNF~ To Forgive & Never Forget ~TFNF~

Part IV


Vale

Beacon Academy

The Arena Of Combat

Professor Goodwitch's Class

The arena was an intriguing place, without doubt. Despite its ordinary appearance and normal systems, it seemed to possess an intricate show of patterns, crossing amongst the area with a few flashes from the lights above. He watched, gazing at two students fighting each other. 'They fight rather cleanly, for huntsman.' As those thoughts came to mind, he frowned.

'Goddammit, I can't believe I actually did what I did. I bet Torchwick's happy knowing that the police are distracted, now.' Jaune's face contorts into a frown, only to fade into a smile shortly.

Regardless, Jaune sat quietly. His teammates seemed to be watching intently, as well as Nora, who commentated the fight at a quick pace. Various people amongst the crowd heard her, and it seemed that the two fighters were paying close attention to each other, and her comments in case she mentioned anything useful.

After that, one individual lost, they shook hands politely and stood there. After that, the two seemed to chuckle, and walked off the stage after Professor Goodwitch analysed their fighting styles.

Meanwhile, he could hear people conversing.

"Did you hear about how somebody robbed one of the shops, attacked the shopkeeper and the police? It was atrocious."

"Who would do such a thing?"

"I don't know, probably some worthless idiot who thought it was justified."

Jaune gripped the arm of his chair tightly, but let go, and sighed.

Meanwhile, Ruby gave a concerned glance at Jaune, only to begin looking at the arena a moment later.


~TFNF~ To Forgive & Never Forget ~TFNF~

~ Reviews & Responses ~


TheSetupMage: I think Volume 4/5's Cinder Fall is interesting; but I'm still hoping that Cinder doesn't be that kind of antagonist who gets betrayed for the sake of it. That'd be annoying. At least we have an interesting Cinder now, I guess.

Zentari2238: I don't believe that Gamer's Mind should be used for drama, it's just there to stop the player from depending on the Gamer's Mind for everything. Gamer's Mind can be something interesting, but it definitely won't be used as a crutch, so don't worry about it.

Thanks for the reviews!


~TFNF~ To Forgive & Never Forget ~TFNF~

~ Stat Sheet ~


Name: Jaune Arc

Level: 29

Title: The Gamer

HP: 2900/2900

MP: 2900/2900

SP: 2900/2900

EXP: 180/12,895

Location: Vale

-Biological Stats-

Hunger: 4/100

Stamina: 100/100

Dehydration: 3/100

- General Stats-

Strength: 33 [41]

Dexterity: 32 [40]

Vitality: 35 [39]

Intelligence: 27 [32]

Wisdom: 25 [30]

Perception: 31 [33]

Agility: 40 [40]

Gamer's Mind Influence: 0/10 (1 point per minute. Point is taken off per six mins after use. Reset after an hour.)

Stat Points: 5