Gods Within The Arc
"Speaking"
"gods/heroes speaking"
'Thinking'
Chapter 8
First Day Lessons
Beta-ed By LordHellPhoenix
When Jaune awoke in the empty white void that was his mind, and he knew immediately something was either A, wrong with him or B, the gods wanted to show him something. He was only ever here when the gods wanted to teach him how to theoretically use their powers in new ways, giving him ideas that he would later try out in the real world or to tell him that something was wrong with him. That's how he found out why the nightmares kept happening. Jaune didn't wait long before the various gods appeared in front of him. But Jaune noticed that their attention was not on him, but rather something or someone behind him. Jaune turn around, curiously as to what may have drawn the attention of the gods. Jaune turned only to be met face to face with someone new, a goddess.
The woman in front of him looked to be around her mid-forties or maybe early fifties. She was about 5'8, and had a smile that only a mother could ever make. Her skin was pale blue and her body was slim. Her hair was black as the night and was tied in a uncentered pony tail, and she had black colored eyes that held nothing but warmth and kindness. She appeared to be wearing a black skirt that had star designs, a dark blue blouse with more star designs, and elegant sandals.
"Nut, what do you want?" Ra said with venom that Jaune had never seen nor heard before. The newly named Nut looked sadden, seeing that her old king still held hatred towards her after so many years.
"Greets your majesty, it is good to see you again." Nut greeted her old king, harboring no ill-will or hate towards him, even after what he did to stop her from having her children, she even forgave him for keeping her apart from her beloved husband. She understood why he was mad, having been overthrown and replaced by her son still angered him.
"And as to why I'm here is to simply speak to your host. I promise I won't harm him, I simply wish to talk to him." She said, prompting Ra to narrow his eyes, looking for any signs of deceit or treachery. When he found none, he simply gestured her to continue. The goddess smiled and turned her attention towards the blond host.
"Greets young one, I am Nut; goddess of the night and of the sky. It's good to finally meet you in person." She said while doing a small little , being courteous, bowed back like he had done for Quetzalcoatl two years ago.
"Why have you sought me out ma'am?" Jaune asked politely and professional, using the years of manners taught to him by his family and the gods.
"You know why I'm here. I, Nut, wish for you to be my host." She stated. "I wound have come to you during your time in the forest but I didn't want to put you in harms way. All I could do was help you escape that wretched creature." She said, causing Jaune's and the rest of the god's eyes to widened.
"So it was you who teleported Jaune and his partner out of the cave?" Loki asked, getting a nod from Nut as conformation.
"Indeed it was I who saved Jaune." She said, confusing Jaune as to how she could have accomplished that.
"How did you do it?" Jaune asked, wondering what power the goddess possessed that allowed teleportation. Nut smiled brightly at the curiosity of the blond host.
"My affinity with the night gives me control over the shadows. This shadow manipulation allowed me to place you outside the cave." Nut explained, causing Jaune to imagine the possibilities that this 'Shadow Traveling' had.
"But my power doesn't come without cost," She begun saying. "If my power is overused and abused without precaution or a second thought, then ones mind will slowly start to succumb the darkness within you. The darkness will start to cloud your judgement and will put you in harm's way. You'll lose yourself and you'll go mad and insane." Nut warned. Jaune knew that with every new god he hosted there would be a price to pay but this sounded even worst then any of the other downside.
"What exactly is the 'darkness within'?" Quetzalcoatl asked, confused as to what she was referring too.
"It could be many things. It can be hatred, it can be the impulse to do wrong, it can be lust, it can be many things. But to put it simply, it's the deepest and darkest desires that every single mortal locks away in the confines of their subconscious. They may try to deny their existence, but they're still there, waiting to be released onto the world." She turned to Jaune, watching him closely as he begins to grow fearful of the risk the power of Nut held. On one hand, this power could make Jaune into a versatile opponent and almost unpredictable, but on the other hand if he were to fall to the darkness, it could not only put his life at risk but also the lives of his newly formed team. Even the gods were fearful of what may happen if Jaune accepted this power and missed used it.
"Knowing this, do you, Jaune Arc, accept the power I grant you? Do you accept to become my host?" Nut asked, her voice booming in the empty void causing it to tremble a little. Jaune was unsure of what to say. For several minutes, everything remained quiet, allowing Jaune to think and consider the pros and the cons that came with such power. More minutes passed in absolute silence, before said silence was broken by Jaune sighing.
"I accept." Jaune finally spoke out. After accepting the goddess's power, wisps of black mist begun to incircle Jaune, engulfing him in absolute darkness. The wisps continued circling him, increasing in speed and in mass, causing Jaune to be blinded by the darkness. Jaune fell to his knees, his breathes were labored and deep, and if he paid close attention, he could hear voices in the darkness taunting and mocking him. What made it worsted was that the voices sounded just like his own. He cried out for help but he wasn't even sure if anything came out. He covered his ears in a futile attempt to block out the voices. And as fast as it came, it ended, leaving a terrified and tired Jaune on the floor gasping for air.
"I warn you Jaune, my power can easily corrupt someone, only use my power when you think its necessary." The goddess warned once more about the dangers that came with her power. Jaune's eyes begun to grow heavier and heavier by the second, and his body became lighter and lighter. Jaune closed his eyes and allowed himself to leave the void, and to return to the real world.
Jaune's eyes shot open as he bolted up from his bed, hissing in pain in the process. Jaune grimaced when he felt a rush of dizziness overcome him. He fell back onto his bed, allowing the wave of dizziness to leave on it's own. Several minutes passed before the splitting headache went away, enabling the blond host the rise from his comfortable bed. Jaune grabbed his scroll and noted that it was 8:00 am, giving him time to take a shower and maybe get some breakfast. Speaking of showers, Jaune heard the shower in use, meaning one of his teammates was already up. On the subject of teammates, this whole teammate thing was...going to be hard to get used to, to say the least. Don't get him wrong, Jaune liked them and they seem like good and trustworthy people, and it's not like he was uncomforted by the notion of sharing the room with two girls, it was more that he was uncertain of how to telling them about his true semblance and how they would react or how well they would take it. He is willing to tell them, to tell them the truth, if they believe him then that's great, if they don't they'll just think he's crazy or joking. It's best to tell them now, then letting them find out on their own and making them feel lied too and betrayed. As Jaune thought about how to break down the news about his semblance, he heard the shower turn off and several seconds later, the door opened to reveal Nora, of all people.
"Nora? Why are you up so early?" Jaune asked, he expected Ren, similar to their encounter in Beacon's hallway, but not Nora. Nora, who had a towel wrapped around her, simply smiled brightly at the question.
"Ren and I were trained to wake up pretty early and to always be on high alert!" Nora said with a small smile, putting her hands on her hips. "But, he receive a beating yesterday, so instead of waking him up, I decided to give him extra time to rest." She said, looking over Ren's sleeping form with a sad smile. Jaune noticed a look that he'd seen in many people, especially his sisters, the look someone gave to another person when they weren't looking. The longing wished to be with that person, to spend time with them, to hold them, to love them.
"You and Ren, are you two dating?" Jaune winced when he saw Nora's smile fall
"No, we aren't together-together." She said in a sad and monotone voice. Jaune, realizing his mistake, quickly tried to defuse that situation by apologizing. "It's fine, a lot of people assume that. We've gotten used to being asked that." Nora said ending the conversation as she moved to her side of the room taking out her school uniform that came with the room. Jaune sighed and belittled himself for asking such question, had he forgotten his sister's lessons already? Sighing again, Jaune walked into the bathroom and proceeded to strip from his sleeping wear, walking into the shower and turning it on. Jaune basked in the warm water, allowing it to wash over his body and relax his muscles. But his mind was anything but calm. Jaune's thoughts went back to yesterday, he had gotten answers about the incident at the cave, but he was still in the dark when it came to what the odd aura surrounding Ozpin was.
The gods have told him that Ozpin was not a host, he was something different. His aura was something akin to magic, or maybe he was a host and he hid it well. Speaking of host, Jaune felt the faint presence of another host. He didn't know who it was, but he would have to look into it later, as well as to look into Ozpin. Jaune finished up with his shower, took a towel and head out. Jaune opened the door and found Ren already up and heading towards the bathroom door. Jaune and Ren exchanged good mornings as they passed by each other. Jaune walked over to his corner of the room and searched his dresser for his uniform. It was a simple black suits lined with gold, accompanied by a blue vest, and a white shirt with a red tie.
Jaune begun to get ready for his first day in Beacon, doing his best to ignore Apollo's and surprisingly Zeus's critique on the bland and dull uniform. As he finished getting dressed, he found himself staring at his arch-enemy, the tie.
He hated them as much as he hated bullheads. Call him childish, but those things almost chocked him once. Those things are pure evil and are out to get him.
"Stop being a drama queen, and put it on. And wake up Pyrrha while you're at it." Hephaestus said with a bland tone. Jaune huffed and took the accrued think while marching towards Pyrrha's sleeping form. Jaune reached her bed and proceeded to lightly and softly shake her while whispering at her to wake up. After several attempts, Pyrrha begun to slowly wake up. As Jaune looked at his partner, he had to admit that she looked both funny and adorable. The great Pyrrha Nikos, the Champion of Mistral, the Invisible Girl, looked like absolute shit during the mornings. Her once beautiful and elegant hair was disheveled and was all over the place. Trails of drool could be found on the side of her cheek and on her chin. All in all, she looked like she got hit by a train. As Pyrrha rose from her bed, her groggily eyes scanned the room until they landed on him.
"Morning Pyrrha." Jaune said, trying his best to stiffen a chuckle that tried to escape. Pyrrha's responds came out in the form of a cute yawn. At this point Jaune couldn't contain the laughter and he allowed it to come out, even Nora who had been sadden by Jaune's conversation, begun to giggle at her friend's state. Pyrrha, for what it's worth, looked utterly confused as to why her teammates where laughing. After several more moments of hysterical laughter, something clicked inside the Amazon warrior. Pyrrha finally realized that they were laughing at her morning appearance.
She blushed up a storm and tried to hide behind her covers but the damage was already done. Nora and Jaune were on the ground laughing by the time that Ren exited the shower, fully clothed and ready for the day. This gave Pyrrha the perfect opening to escape from the laugher of her teammates. The Amazon warrior shot from her bed, took her clothes from the dresser, and ran straight for the bathroom, passing a very confused Ren as she locked the door behind her, all the while Jaune and Nora laughed. Ren blinked a couple of times, trying and failing to wrap his head around what had just transpire.
It took a couple of minutes for Jaune and Nora to settle down and to come down from the high of laughing so much. After waiting a bit more, Pyrrha came out of the bathroom looking much better then how she did earlier. Her hair was done in a ponytail that reached her waist and she was wearing her circlet too. Jaune hoped he wasn't blushing because Pyrrha looked stunning with her school uniform.
"I've seen prettier and more stunning women then that, Hades, I lived with one." Apollo softly muttered within Jaune's mind, prompting Zeus and Hephaestus to silently agree. Baldur lightly smacked him over the head, it was rude to say stuff like that.
"Need any help with that Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, noticing Jaune's blood feud with his tie. Jaune looked between her and the item of his downfall and processed to do this two or three before sighing in defeat and dejectedly nodding his head. Pyrrha softly chuckled and approached Jaune to rid him of his mortal enemy. Pyrrha slipped the tie over Jaune's neck and began working her magic. In a few turns and tugs, she was finished with her handy work.
"Thank you Pyrrha." Jaune softly said, stepping away to observe himself in the mirror. It was a simple knot, but it looked rather good with Jaune. Ignoring the critic for the voices inside his head, Jaune spun on his heel and faced his team to address them.
"Alright, I think we're all set to go. Now our first class is...Professor Port's Grimm Studies." Jaune finished saying while looking at his schedule on his scroll. So far, everything was pretty standard. Grimm Studies with Professor Port's, History with a man named Oobleck, Dust Study and Aura Theory with one Meli Peach, and finally, Combat class with Glynda Goodwitch. The schedule seemed alright in his opinion. Lunch was between Grimm study and Dust study, and they all had 10 minutes to get to and from classes. The only real difference in schedules was that Jaune had Leadership Skills with Professor Ozpin. Jaune collapsed his scroll and looked up at his new team, who was awaiting orders from him. It was still weird to be the leader of three other people who were his age and where equally if not more skilled then him, but with time, he could grow used to it.
"Let's hit the road!" Jaune ordered. The four exited their living quarters and begun walking down the hallway, but Jaune stopped for two reasons. One, he heard odd noises, like tools begin used and second, he noticed Pyrrha lagging behind the group. He was about to ask her what was wrong but he was quickly shushed by her. The red-haired spartan leaned closer to the door which led into the dorm of team RWBY and listened quietly and carefully. Ren was seconds away from committing Jaune's mistake of asking what was going on but that idea quickly died as Nora grabbed his arm and forceful yanked him towards the door. Once the together-not-together duo reached the door, they followed Pyrrha's example by putting their ears on the door to listen better.
"Fantastic! We were paired with a bunch of morons!" Loki exclaimed as he looked at the oddity that was team JNPR. Jaune sighed and shrugged to himself, before caving in and following in his teammates footsteps. Jaune couldn't distinguish what was going on behind the door. He could hear muffled voices saying stuff but he couldn't make out what they were saying. He could also hear things like things being banged into wood, buzzsaws, and other construction tools. Having his curiosity peeked, Jaune steady himself and gestured his team to take a step back before knocking on the door loudly. The noises came to an abrupt stop, causing a deafening silence to wash over the hall were team JNPR stood. They didn't have to wait long for a responds as a second later the head of Ruby poked out into the hallway.
"Morning Jaune! What brings you to our dorm?" Ruby said cheerfully, yet with a hint of nervousness and anxiety.
"Nothing much really, I was just checking in on you guys." Jaune replied honestly. He just wanted to make sure everything was okay with them. As Jaune and Ruby talked, the rest of team JNPR were trying to peek very subtly into the dorm room through the opening created by the red-headed leader but found that to be a fruitless effort.
"Although I did hear some odd noises coming for your dorm, what are you guys doing?" Jaune tried to step forward to get a better view of the inside but was denied by Ruby, who closed the door slightly and smiled a bit more forcefully.
"Noises? What noises? I don't hear any noises." Ruby said stiffly, her eyes darting back and forward to Jaune and to someone inside the dorm, some who was just out of view. He knew she was lying, it was plain as day, but he kind of wanted to see were this lead too. So for now, Jaune would simple play along and see where Ruby would cave in due to pressure.
"We heard odd sounds coming from within your room." Ren said stoically, yet somehow it still sounded very accusatory. Ruby began to panic even more, her eyes darted faster to the side as if receiving instructions from someone and she started to sweat bullets. To add even more pressure to the young prodigy, Pyrrha and Nora started to slowly approach the door in a menacingly way.
"I-I d-don't know what you guys are t-talking about. There are no weird noises here!" The crimsonette of team RWBY said as she began to crack under the pressure that Jaune's team was causing. Jaune kept a straight and smiling face externally but was rolling on the floor due to laugher internally.
"Poor child, Jaune I think she has suffered enough, don't you thing?" The brand new goddess Nut said softly, her voice sounding that of a concerned mother. With a sigh, Jaune got ready to call of his team before a wicked idea was whispered into his mind by the god of mischief.
"I-I swear t-there isn't anything going-" The red-headed leader of team RWBY never got to come up with an excuse as her attention snapped downwards to a serpent, who had made his presence known to everyone through it's hissing. Complete silence befell the hallway as everyone was trying to figure out where the snake had came from. That silence lasted for about five seconds before being shattered like glass by Ruby.
"AHHHH!" Ruby let out a ear shattering scream before she bolted further into her dorm, allowing Jaune and the rest of his team to enter and see team RWBY's handiwork. That handiwork came in the form of bunk beds, poorly created bunk beds.
"We're surrounded by morons." Loki muttered, prompting Baldur slap him over the head once more.
"Get rid of it!" Ruby shouted, now literally hanging off her sister's head as both were atop the top bunkbed, eyeing the snake warily. A scan of the room showed Weiss shaking her head in frustration and Blake eyeing the snake with less contempt and more curiosity.
"Take that thing out of here!" Yang screeched as she scooted inward atop of the bunkbed. Jaune chuckled as he nonchalantly picked up the snake and pet it like it was a common house pet. The snake seemingly melted and hissed pleasantly as Jaune continued to run his hand softly over it's scaly body. Pyrrha and Ren were somewhat indifferent of the scaly being while their energetic partner/teammate reached over to pet it as well.
"Relax you two, Jörmungandr doesn't bite, unless told to." Jaune continued to lovingly pet the Midgard Serpent before it suddenly puffed out of existence. One second it was there on Jaune's hands, the next moment it vanished in an explosion of black mist, leaving everyone surprised, say for Pyrrha who had seen a similar incident two years ago with Fenrir although she was a little shock.
"So, this what you didn't want us to see? Bunkbeds?" Pyrrha asked as she quietly observe the beds being suspended and supported by ropes and books. The sister duo jumped from their hiding place and sheepishly scratched their heads. Right before they could speak, Blake spoke up as she adjusted her uniform.
"It was meant to serve as a way to free up more space in the room to have more mobility for our stuff and decorations, besides, we were going to show you guys later after classes as a surprise." Blake said as stoically as Ren, if not more. Team JNPR nodded in agreement to Blake's reasoning but one question still lingered in the air.
"Why didn't you girls just... ask for bunkbeds? If you explained and proved your reasoning, I doubt the teachers or Headmaster Ozpin would mind giving you bunkbeds." The blond host asked, bringing attention to the flawed planning. And all of the sudden, everything apart from team JNPR, seemed more interesting and/or important to team RWBY. Weiss was focused on her nails, Blake was staring at the floor and drawing invisible patterns on it, and the sister duo were chuckling nervously as they looked at each other.
"You didn't think of that, did you?" Ren accused as the silence and how each girl avoided direct eye contact with any of them was prove enough to show that he was indeed correct.
"It doesn't matter now, what is done, is done. Just make sure to secure those things tightly, I wouldn't want one of you girls to be turn into a pancake." Jaune said as he pointed at the beds, still not trusting the ropes and books that held them together.
"Relax Jauney, we'll make sure to have extra careful." Yang reassured with a wide and toothy grin which was mirrored by her crimsonette sister. Jaune and the gods felt less reassured by this but there was nothing they could do so they just accepted and went along with it.
"Anyway, we should head over to our first class, it starts at 9:00 and-"
"Did you just say nine o'clock!?" Jaune was interrupted by the resident Ice Queen's screeched. Jaune slowly nodded in responds, fearing that any sudden or harsh movements would cause Weiss to lash out violently. "We have five minutes to get there!" Weiss said as she bolted through the door, with no care if she shoved anyone out of the way or not. The others soon followed her example as they exited the dorm and booked it as fast as they could to class, some faster then others, primarily Ruby and Jaune due to their semblances.
As soon as the colorful merry-band of Huntsmen reached their first class, which they were several minutes late too, they took there sits close to each other. Team JNPR took their sits on an empty row while their apparent sister team took the one below them. To say Jaune was exited for his first class was a big understatement. Jaune was overzealous about it and so were the gods inside his head. The gods were always interested and exited to learn about what the world of Remnant had to offer, and some of that excitement seemingly influenced and fed into Jaune too. Sadly that excitement quickly crash down and died like Icarus, as the Professor begun to talk.
"Monsters! Demons! Abominations and freaks of mother nature! Indeed, the creatures of Grimm have many names but I like to call them prey!" The portly and veteran Huntsman known as Peter Port rambled in a vain effort to lighten up the spirit in his classroom.
"I am not listening to this old fool for an hour! Quick Apollo, give me an honorable death!" Quetzalcoatl said in deep despair as he point to his exposed chest, begging the Greek god to end his misery.
"Quiet! You could learn something useful for this man." Ra said as he defended the veteran Huntsman, and also because he hated when the youth didn't pay attention and learn from their elders.
Outside in the real world, Jaune was having trouble paying attention or taking notes. This was supposed to be a class where they studied the biology and physiology of the Grimm. To learn what to use to combat certain species of Grimm and what to expect in terms of attacks and hunting patterns. So what the hell was Jaune supposed to learn from the boosting of his teacher! Professor Port was now rambling about how he once killed three Ursai Major with a simple tree branch. Did Jaune want to call Port out on his bullshit? Yes, very much so. Was he the only one that wanted to do it? No, there were others that felt like their time was being wasted by Port's stories. Jaune put his pencil down and proceeded to take a look to see how his friends were fairing off. His partner was setting and somehow also failing to be the exemplary student by taking notes that, upon further expectation, were random and out of place. Further down team JNPR's row was Nora, who had completely given up on the class and was now in her own little dreamland. At the end of the row was Ren, who at first glance look like he was looking at his notes like a good student but like Pyrrha, if someone were to look closely they would find that Ren had completely mastered the secret technique of sleeping with your eyes open. A truly disturbing sight, yet quite clever too.
A glance below showed that Jaune's sister team wasn't doing good either. Blake had too given up on the class but instead of napping like Ren or Nora, she was doing something productive by secretly reading a book called Ninjas of Love.
Her blond partner was on her scroll either texting someone or playing some sort of game, Jaune couldn't tell for sure. Weiss had wholly devoted her attention to the professor's stories and was taking notes, while Ruby was doodling and drawing crude drawings of Port, which unsurprising made Loki and Apollo giggle like middle-schoolers.
"And as I had the third Ursa in a headlock, I shoved the branch through its eye socket, effectively killing it. But now, let me tell you a story of how I killed a Goliath with my bare hands!" Port announced pridefully, either not noticing or completely ignoring the groans of despair from the student body. A vain popped on Jaune's head and he was ten seconds away from turning into Ares but was stopped by Zeus's passive voice.
"Jaune, hold on a second. Pay very close attention to his words. Don't think of it as boosting, think of it as a simple tale." Jaune sigh in frustration but did what Zeus told him to do. Jaune sat there, listening to Port's story, still finding no meaning but Zeus told him to press on and continue listening. As Jaune listened to how Port ran around the Goliath to wear it out and to disorient it and how the Goliath was having a hard time keeping up, Jaune caught something. It was a very small detail about the battling ram of the creatures of Grimm. They were incredible siege weapons against walls and heavy resistance, but were horrible at keeping up with tiny targets, like a Huntsmen running around it. And just like that, it clicked in Jaune's blond head. Whether he had gone insane by hearing to Port's rambling, or he had finally understood Port's odd and unorthodox form of teaching. Whether the stories were real or not, they all had valuable details that one can miss. And it seemed like Jaune was late to this party of revelations as others were already focusing on Port's words as to not miss out on any details. What Jaune failed to understand was why he would teach like this. Yes, it kept the students on their feet to pay close attention but what of the ones that didn't pay attention? The information taught by Port was meant to prepare future Huntsmen and Huntresses to face off against the creatures of Grimm and to avoid causalities. What if a unexperienced Huntsman went up against a Grimm they didn't know how to properly fight? Maybe there was something Jaune was still missing, maybe he needed to pay more attention, something Jaune noticed his fellow crimsonette leader wasn't doing.
Jaune noticed Ruby drawing more pictures of Port, this time of him as a pig and she had even given him a new title; Professor Poop. As immature as it was, Jaune and some of the gods, primarily Loki, Apollo, and Quetzalcoatl, got a hearty chuckle for it, something that was not appreciated by Weiss. As Ruby delved further into her antics, Weiss grew angrier and angrier as the seconds ticked by.
"A real Huntsmen must be honorable! A real Huntsmen must be dependable! A real Huntsmen must be strategical, they must be extraordinary-educated, and they must be wise! So...who among you thinks themselves capable of embodying this traits!" Thankfully, Port's rambling drew her attention enough for her anger levels to return to normal.
"I do sir!" Weiss shouted as her hand shot up faster then Hermes.
"Excellent Miss Schnee! Anyone else, don't be shy." Port said challenging anyone else to raise their hand. Seeing no one else took the challenged disappointed the portly professor. "Alrighty then, Miss Schnee, please head to the lockers and please hurry. Your opponent is waiting." Port said as he gestured to a cage behind him that was violently shaking nonstop. Eerily enough, faint giggling and cackling could be heard from within the cage.
'Where did he hide that!?' Jaune thought as he tried to comprehend how such a big and loud cage could be missed by anyone. Even the gods were baffled for crying out loud! As Weiss left for the lockers to retrieve her weapon and combat outfit, half of the class was being hit by a massive wave of headaches, which was cause by the mind-fuckery that Port just pulled.
Weiss returned several minutes later, wearing her combat shirt and brandishing her weapon Myrtenaster. She took a step forward and faced the cage that housed her opponent. The portly professor retrieved his Blunderbuss and approached the cage nonchalantly.
"Are you ready Miss Schnee?!" Port boomed as he readied and leveled his weapon against the lock of the cage. Jaune watched as Weiss fell into a combat stand and nodded towards the professor.
"Go Weiss! Kick some Grimm ass!" Yang shouted as she shook some pom-poms that matched Weiss's color scheme, drawing the attention of many people, confusing most.
"Fight well!" Blake said as she weaved a tiny flag with team RWBY on it. At this point, Jaune decided not to ask where they had gotten those and just allowed the madness to carry unbothered. It was far too early for this kind of shenanigans.
"Go Weiss! Make a name for team RWBY!" Ruby said as she shouted her encouragement but was meant with a hated glare from the Heiress.
"Ruby, I'm trying to concentrate here!" Weiss said through gritted teeth, causing Ruby to shrink back into her chair while muttering 'sorry'. This outburst caused Jaune to grow confused. Why was Ruby, who was Weiss's leader, the only one to receive such harsh treatment. Before Jaune could continue thinking about it, Professor Port spoke up, seemingly ignoring the tension that was slowly brewing.
"Very well then! Let this match, begin!" The portly man boomed as he slashed the lock keeping the cage locked, quickly backed away to a safe distance after doing so. The heavy metal door fell to the floor with a 'thud' and revealed the two red glowing eyes inside. The inside was somehow dark, obscuring any visibility to the inside and only allowing the red eyes of the Grimm creature to be seen. It was dead quiet, only the breathing of the students could be heard, that was before a haunting cackle rang out from the cage and spread through the entire room, causing many to shiver in slight fear. The cackle grew louder and louder, before it abruptly died as the Grimm inside the cage lunged for Weiss's jugular. Weiss ungracefully dodged the attack, allowing her and many others in the class to take a close look at the Grimm.
The Grimm was slightly smaller than a Beowolf and resembled a hyena. Jaune observed the Cackler, the named given to this species of Grimm due to their trademark giggling and cackling. The Cackler had the same jet-black fur that every other Grimm had and as Jaune looked at its body, the only words that came to his mind to describe it was emaciated and withered.
The Cackler had skeletal legs that looked like they would snapped like twigs if a simple breeze past it. And its torso was so malnourished and emaciated that its ribs were practically poking out and were almost forming the bone protrusions that were scattered all over its ghastly body. Bone-like-spikes protruded from its back, legs, with several patches to serve as the spots found on the hyena, and the bone-like-mask that protected its face. Its nails were five inches long and the creepiest feature that the Cackler had was that its razor sharp teeth formed a haunting grin when closed.
"Weren't expecting this, were you?" Port mocks as he wiggles his mighty mustache. The Cackler let loose another cackle before rushing Weiss anew, this time aiming for her legs. This time Weiss was ready for it, easily side-stepping the attack and swinging her weapon at the hyena-like-Grimm's side, launching it to the side. The Cackler slowly got up, brushing the attack like it wasn't anything, and cackling once more, this time in a weaker and more tired tone. Weiss rushed forward to finally end the match, her rapier aimed for the Cackler's face. The Cackler stood there, grinning with it's razor sharp teeth, seemingly uncaring of the fate that awaited it. Just as Myrtenaster was about to meet its target, the Cackler lashed out and met the length of the rapier with its mouth, biting down on it and holding it tightly it is maw.
"Let go, you filthy mutt!" Weiss shouted as she tried to pull her weapon from the hyena's mouth. The Cackler then begun to violently shake its head, causing Weiss's grip to start to loosen. With one final shake of it head made the Heiress's grip to falter, allowing the Cackler to remove Myrtenaster from Weiss's hand and toss it to the side.
"Oho! Let us see what you do without a weapon." The portly professor said as the hyena began laughing again, this time sounding like it was taunting Weiss. Weiss eyed her weapon but every time she tried to make a run for it, the hyena-like-Grimm would step in front of her and would scare her off by mockingly biting into the air. The Cackler lunged once more for Weiss's neck but was easily avoid by a mere side-step, finally creating an opening for Weiss to make a mad dash for her weapon. Weiss gained extra time as the Cackler stunned itself by hitting its head on a desk.
"Weiss! Go for its legs! There the weake-"
"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss shouted as she cut Ruby off mid-advice. Ruby shrink further into her sit, looking hurt by Weiss's reply. Weiss reached her weapon and immediately fell into a stance. The Cackler shock its head and regained its murders rage as it turn towards Weiss before charging for one final time. Weiss, either consciously or subconsciously, listened to Ruby's advised and went for the Grimm's legs by stabbing her weapon into the ground and creating a glyph that froze the Cackler's legs in place. The Cackler looked down and immediately attempted to free itself, failing to notice Weiss making another glyph under her feet. The glyph shone brightly under the Heiress's feet, before she was sent forward like a speeding bullet, her weapon Myrtenaster leveled to the hyena's head. The Cackler didn't even have proper time to react to what had happened before it's crimson red eyes dulling out and darkening as its body, signifying its timely death.
"Bravo! A truly excellent and most magnificent match indeed! We truly are in the presence of a true Huntress!" Port began saying before turning to address the class. "Sadly, I think this is all the time we for today. Do make sure to read, study, and be vigilant and on your guard, as you might be the next one up here. You are all dismissed!" Port concluded as the class begun to fill out of the class. Jaune started to pack his stuff before catching Weiss stomping out the class with Ruby following close of her trail through his peripheral view.
'Maybe I should check on them. Make sure their alright.' Jaune's thinking was not shared by many of the gods, them wishing for him to worry about him and his own team, but alas, Jaune had the final say in things.
"You guys head on over to our next class. I'm going to check up on Ruby." Jaune said as his team nodded and told him they'd be saving a seat for him. Jaune grabbed his stuff and exited the class to find where Weiss and Ruby had went to.
Jaune didn't wondered the halls for long as he heard what sounded like shouting around the corner.
"You've done nothing! Nothing to earn your position of leadership. Back in the Emerald Forest, you acted like a child and almost got yourself killed for it, and you still act like one now!" Weiss shouted. Peeking around the corner allowed Jaune to discover that it was the crimsonette leader of team RWBY who was at the other end of the shouting.
"Where is this coming from Weiss? Didn't we agree that we'd be working together? You know, like an actual team?" Ruby spoke, her voice trembling. The words spoken by Weiss stung hard, even Jaune felt his heart grow heavier at Weiss's words, but it grow heavier once he heard Ruby's sadden tone.
"We can work together, but as a team led by you? I've studied and went through rigorous training. I deserve a better leader." Weiss said coldly. Jaune watched around the corner as she turned away to leave, prompting Ruby to raise her hand, in an attempt to maybe salvage the situation.
"Ozpin made a mistake in making you leader..." All hopes of mending the situation and their relationship shattered like glass as Weiss spoke before turning away and walking off, leaving Ruby with her arm raised, her body was trembling and shivering. She dropped to her knees and put her back against the wall. Jaune came from around the corner and saw Ruby silently sobbing on the floor. He quietly and wordlessly walked over to her and sat beside her, and enveloping her in a much needed hug. Ruby, in turn, didn't react, maybe already noticing Jaune's presence. Jaune and Ruby stayed like that for several minutes, saying nothing nor moving at all, say for Ruby's sobbing. Even the gods remained silent.
"W-was she right? D-did Ozpin m-make a mistake." The silence was broken by Ruby's shaky and broken voice, causing the strings and weight on Jaune's heart to tighten. He closed his eyes to contemplate on his answer, if he wasn't careful with what he said, it could inadvertently cause Ruby to feel even worse.
"Is a leader born Ruby?" Jaune asked in a much more wiser tone of voice, sounding like an old sage, using a little bit of the gods knowledge, especially does that are gods of wisdom, and his own mind. Ruby lifted her head to reveal her face stained with tears. She seemed confused at the questions but answered with a shake of her head.
"Then you would be correct. A leader is never born and ready to make decisions. This even applies to us Arc. People always say that all Arcs are natural born leaders but I don't really believe that crap. A leader is made. You could say their craft after years and years of experience. A good leader is one who leads his people and takes care of them, respecting them and ensuring that they respect themselves and each other as well as him too. A true leader however, is one who puts his team's needs before his own. One who listens to his people and acts upon their needs and one who can rely and lead with their own followers at their side. Besides, it's been literally one day since you became leader, give it time. In this upcoming months and years, good leaders will be separated from the bad ones. And I bet you'll be one of the good ones." At this point Ruby's tears had dried up and had stopped flowing down, her attention solely Jaune. At Jaune's finally statement, she remembered Weiss's words.
"How can you be so sure? What if I end up being a bad lea-"
"Stop thinking like that, if you do, you'll end up dragging yourself down." Jaune cut Ruby off mid-sentence, causing her to snap her attention back to him. "You've proven that your earned your badge as leader. You did so in the Emerald Forest! You were able to bring together your sister and two complete strangers in order to bring down the Nevermore. And need I remind you that it was you who came up with the plan to take it down." Jaune said, recounting the battle with the Nevermore.
"A-are you sure I can be a good leader?" Ruby asked, her hopes beginning to blossom like a rose once more.
"I believe you'll be one of the greatest leaders molded by Beacon. But that's not up to me, it's up to you to become a good leader. You have my support, but you are the only one that can be decide. But like I've said, I believe with your skills as a Huntress, you'll make a fine leader. Prove to Weiss that you can be a great leader. And if you ever get caught up, come to me, we are in the same position after all." Jaune said with a warm smile. Ruby wiped and cleaned the tears on her face and smiled back to Jaune with a faint hint of a blush on her face, before she enveloped him a tight hug.
"Thanks Jaune, I...really needed to hear something like that." The crimsonette said, standing up from her place. "I-I think I'm going to follow your advice. I'm going to prove Weiss wrong. I'm going to work long and hard! And when we graduate, you and I will be the best team leaders ever!" Ruby exclaimed, causing Jaune to chuckled as Ruby struck an over the top pose.
"Alright, you do that, I have to go and do something else." Jaune stood up and the duo hugged once more before bidding their goodbyes. Jaune walked off and began to look for a certain white haired heiress, as he walked away, he was informed by Nut that Ozpin had been listening on their conversation the entire time.
Weiss stared at the sky as she sat in a balcony atop Beacon. It was peaceful up there, the wind was blowing gently and was creating a nice and cool environment, this tranquility allowed Weiss to reflect over the words of Professor Port.
"There you are. I've been looking all over for you." A voice called out, causing the Heiress to turn around and be met with the blond host.
"What do you want?" Weiss asked with slight irritation dripping from her voice. She wanted peace and silence to be able to think and reflect over the words spoken by Port, and here comes Jaune and ruins it.
"I want to talk." Jaune said simply and vaguely, leaving Weiss to wonder what he wanted to talk about. When Jaune saw that he wasn't being shooed away by Weiss, he approached and proceeded to take a sit right next to Weiss.
"To talk about what exactly?" Weiss arched an eyebrow as she questioned Jaune.
"Oh nothing much, just about a certain discussion you had with certain friend of mine." Jaune said with a undecipherable and neutral tone of voice, sounding much like her older sister when she was angry. Although he was being extremely vague, Weiss knew exactly what he was referring to.
"You were eavesdropping!" Weiss accused, as she looked at Jaune with shock and disbelief.
"Would you consider it eavesdropping if you're yelling and shouting? I could hear you guys way before I actually found and began hearing your little debut." Jaune replies with a more laid back and softer tone this time around, dulling chuckling as he replied. This made Weiss quiet down as she was embarrassed to have lost her cool in such a place as a hallway were anyone could see and hear her, that wasn't the Schnee way, she had to keep her cool.
"Why did you come here in the first place? What did you want to talk about?" Weiss asked, growing more irritated by Jaune's avoidance of the topic.
"I'm just here to ask you something. Why don't you give Ruby a chance to be a leader?" Jaune asked as he looked at Weiss, hoping for an answer. Weiss remained silent for a while, gazing into the ever-so calm Valean sky.
"Is it truly wise to have a fifteen year old as leader?" Weiss begun saying, still looking at the clear and calm blue sky. "Do you think that when the time comes and Ruby needs to make a life or death decision, do you think she'll be able to handle that? Ruby is a child that hasn't the faintness idea of how to lead and how to make decisions that will affect both the team and the mission. I'm not being harsh because I hate her, but because I believe she isn't adequate for the role she has been given." Weiss finished speaking, but before she had the time to catch, Jaune spoke up.
"That's bullshit and you know it." Jaune said crudely, causing Weiss's head to snap in his direction and for her eyes to widen to epic proportions. But before she could reply, Jaune continued speaking. "Yes, Ruby is a child but she was able to craft a plan that managed to take down the Nevermore back during the Initiation. She maybe be young, but she is here, at Beacon. That should be a staple of her abilities and skills. Ruby may not be a good leader right now, but everything is subject to change in the future. What I'm getting at is that you have to give Ruby a chance, no matter how small of a chance it is." Jaune concluded, hoping that his words would be able to reach Weiss and not fall at deaf's door.
"For someone from another team who has no right to meddle on our team's affairs, you seem hellbent on mending our situation." Weiss said, finding some humor in the situation. In her eyes, this whole ordeal was her and Ruby's, no one else's, but her comes Jaune out of nowhere like a prince in shining armor to try and help.
"I'm just a very considerate guy, you know? I like helping friends who are having problems." Jaune said with his trademark smirk, the gods within his mind smiled proudly at Jaune.
"We're friends? Since when?" Weiss asked, one eyebrow raised as if to challenge Jaune. And oh-so-gladly did Jaune take it.
"Since the day we met in those lockers. We're friends now, like it or not, you got to deal with me now!" Jaune said with a loud and obnoxious voice, like a kid who wasn't allowed to get candy from the store. Even if it was obnoxious and extremely unpleasant, Weiss found herself giggling at Jaune's antics. As Weiss's and Jaune's chuckling and giggling died down, the two fell into a comfortable silence.
"Fine, I'll follow you're advice. I'll try to be considerate of Ruby and I'll give her a chance, but before that, answer me this, why are you trying to help?" Weiss asked as she looked at Jaune with a serious expression. Ocean blue met light blue, and before long, Jaune smiled brightly.
"Because I believe that Ruby and the entirety of team RWBY have the potential to become great Huntresses but that can only happen if you guys work together. If you can't be leader then help Ruby when she does falls. Like I told Ruby before, a true leader leads with his people's need before his owns and who can listens to their advice when he falls. When Ruby falls, be there for her and help each other, your team needs one another." Jaune finishes talking and smiles once more before bidding farewell and leaving Weiss all alone on the balcony.
Weiss looked at the tranquil and almost unmoving sky and closed her eyes before sighing, knowing that she had many things to think and rethink about, both what Port and Jaune told her.
Author's Notes
By the Lord, that took too fucking long to finish. First thing has to be the apology, I'm sorry for the super late update. I've been busy with school projects and with finals week, which now means I'm in my Summer Break! So now I can focus on writing and continuing GWTA. So yeah, I'll be updating hopefully sooner and with more chapters. So, do bear with me. And if you haven't noticed, I got some little fanart which is now my cover, which I love. Also, I made a small little change in the Omake, but apart from this, I thank Phoenix in helping me with this chapter's Beta. Anyway, please leave a comment or some constructive criticism or PM me if you to Beta my work in the near future. Aztec out
List of Jaune's Gods, their powers, and drawbacks
Zeus: Powers are the ability to generate electricity and to call down lightning and lightning storms. Can also allow Jaune to sour through the skies with his ability of flight. Drawbacks are that overuse of lightning control will drain the Jaune's stamina and energy. It can also cause the Jaune to twitch uncontrollable causing to lose focus or making it impossible to aim or move easily, it can also cause spasms that can turn painful or constricting.
Apollo: Powers are that it allows to form constructs made of light. As of now, the Jaune can only construct a bow and arrow, which can be coat with a sickness to be turned into a Plague Arrow, apart from this, the Jaune has gained excellent talent with musical instruments, art and writing. Jaune has oracle like powers but is unable to use them as of yet. He also has sun control powers thanks to Apollo but prefers to use Ra for that. The drawbacks aren't many, the only one is that if Jaune were to use the Plague Arrows far to often, he'd fall victim to a awful fever or in more extreme cases, a random disease.
Ra: Powers are the ability to control and harness the power of the star that Remnant orbits around. Moves and techniques include Sun Beam; a destructive beam comprised of pure solar power, similar to a solar flare. Mini Sun; three miniature suns that were made by harnessing the power of the sun that have the destructive power of a hand grenade. Drawbacks include pain sunburns, the inability to endure the sun's heat that could cause fatigue and hallucinations.
Baldur: Power is the blessing/curse, depending how you look at it, that enables him to become immortal against any and all weapons, attacks, and another hazards, giving Jaune invulnerability, immortality, and inhuman strength. Drawbacks are that if Jaune overuses Baldur's power, he will start to lose feelings on his limbs and body as they slowly go numb and are unable to be moved, rendering him immobile. Jaune also inherited Baldur's vulnerability to mistletoe.
Hephaestus: Powers are the generation of fire and control of flames as long as those flames aren't made or generated by other Hosts or a Semblance. The Host also has control over the temperature of the fire. Unbeknownst to Jaune; Sully, the man who gifted him an ore that held fire properties, was indeed a Host but since the ore that had made his sword wasn't a part of him or a flame generated by him but simply an ore with fire properties, Jaune is able to control it. Drawbacks are that if Jaune overexerts himself, he'll suffer either first, second, or third degree burns, depending on how long he overuses the fire. Similar to Ra, if Jaune isn't careful, the heat will become intolerable and will cause massive fatigue.
Loki: Powers include, being able to summon Fenrir and Jörmungandr, children of Loki who don't count as gods but as a weird and odd extension of their father. Jaune also has the potential to cast and detect illusions, but is incapable to do so due to lacking practice. Drawbacks are that if he were to use the illusion power without practice, it would cause Jaune to start to hallucinate which could lead to putting himself or others in danger. Jörmungandr and Fenrir have no drawbacks as they are loyal to their father Loki.
Quetzalcoatl: Powers include the ability to control and wield the wind as a weapon, allowing Jaune to either become as light as a feather or to either blow his enemies away with moves and techniques crafted and created by Jaune and the other gods. Jaune also gained great wisdom due to Quetzalcoatl. The drawback of using Quetzalcoatl's power will lead to fatigue and Jaune's stamina to be drained, as well as him experiencing a lack of oxygen which can lead to him becoming nauseous or having the chance to blackout completely.
Nut: Powers include the manipulation and control of darkness and shadows. As seen during the Initiation, The goddess Nut rescued Jaune and Pyrrha when they were being chased by an Elder Deathstalker, by using the shadows to teleport Jaune and Pyrrha outside the cave. The drawbacks is if Jaune uses this newly acquired power, his mind will be clouded by the dark desires within humans and can lead to Jaune going mad and insane.