Chapter 13: Of men and monsters
"Case? What case?" Ruby asked him.
"Nothing!" Jaune immediately yelped before giving the old man a look.
The old man seemed surprised by the presence of his red wearing companion. "And here I thought you were kidding about bringing a girl over!"
Jaune felt his eye begin to twitch. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing!" the old man reassured him. "It's just; I always assumed you'd never, ever find a girl willing to be seen in public with you."
"Huh? Why?" Ruby asked confusedly.
"Just look at him. Not really a catch now, is he?" the old man answered her with a flat look.
Jaune glared at the older man. "Just shut up and show us in, would you?"
"See? No manners at all!" the old man airily waved them in. "No wonder there are rumors that he's really just repressed and lonely."
Ruby gave him a sad, pitying look.
"What?!" Jaune squawked. "There are no such rumors!" he denied fiercely.
"No, but there will be!" the old man replied cheerfully.
Jaune reached for his gun.
"Jeez, kid, you really need to work on your temper." The old man whined as they entered his store/home.
"And you need to stop spreading rumors about me," Jaune snapped back, "Anyways, here's my shopping list." He handed the old man a list he'd prepared in advance.
"And I'm looking for something for my baby!" Ruby unsheathed her Crescent Rose.
The old man whistled. "Nice. Where'd you get that?"
"I designed it myself!" Ruby answered proudly.
"Seriously?"
Ruby nodded.
"Jaune."
"What?" he answered.
"Marry her." The old man told him seriously.
Jaune froze.
"Wh-wh-what!" Ruby cried out, now red as her hood.
"Just…Just go get our stuff, you old coot!" Jaune managed to stammer out.
"Fine. Miss, could you excuse us for a second?" The old man asked Ruby.
Still blushing, Ruby nodded frantically.
"We'll be back in a minute. Feel fry to look around!" He led Jaune towards the back of the store.
Jaune made sure the door was closed before looking at the old man. "You said something about a case?"
"Here's what I've got so far," the old man handed him a thick manila folder, which he accepted, "I have some theories, but nothing concrete just yet."
Jaune nodded absentmindedly as he examined the newspaper articles and various other papers assorted within. To his surprise, all the incidents detailed in the articles took place in the Emerald Forest.
In fact, he could recognize the ruins where he had had the misfortune of having to fight a deathstalker and a nevermore.
"I'll go distract your little friend, but don't take too long." The bearded man told him right before leaving.
Jaune once again nodded absentmindedly as he flipped the pages. 'Team of archaeologists missing. Bones found. DNA testing confirms missing archaeologists. Grimm activity suspected.'
He frowned thoughtfully as he read on. According to the various articles, those ruins were a popular spot for archaeologists, even though entry into the forest was illegal to most due to the high fatality rate.
Being deep in a grimm infested area, most fatalities there were believed to be caused by grimm. In all honesty, Jaune saw no reason to disagree.
He kept flipping through the pages and noticed that although a lot of people had gone to those ruins through the years, not all of them had died.
He decided to see if there a unifying factor for all the victims, although he was beginning to suspect that this case was a dud.
The old man walked in a few minutes later.
"So what do you think?" the old man asked him.
"Are you sure this is our kind of crazy?" Jaune asked.
The old man nodded. "Yeah. There's something about this that bothers me. Here." he handed him an encyclopedia.
"An encyclopedia of the First Civilization?" he read the title of the offered book.
In the long history of Remnant, the First Civilization had been the greatest human realm, although it had, for some unknown reason, collapsed a long, long, long time ago. The ruins of the vast fortresses and cities they had built remained behind for scholars to study.
"Just read the first paragraph." The old man told him.
"Deep within the Emerald Forest lies a ruin of what is suspected to have been a chapel. The exact date of its construction is debatable, but it was abandoned long before the First Civilization collapsed, reasons for this unknown," he began to read out loud, "It is interesting to note, however, that most Grimm avoid the area unless provoked."
Now that was curious.
"You think something's scaring the Grimm away?" he asked.
The old man nodded. "That's my guess."
"Then those victims either did something stupid enough to lure the Grimm or…" He mentally winced at that, considering his own experiences in those blasted ruins.
"Something else is in there." The old man finished for him.
Jaune frowned as he read the papers again. "Do you have any theories?"
"A few," the old man answered with a shrug, "But like I said, nothing concrete."
"What do you think?" Jaune pressed on.
"It has to be big, scary and at least somewhat smart."
"Smart? What makes you say that?" Jaune asked him.
"The fact that it's been killing people for decades and no one has found it out. Hell, I would have thought it was done by Grimm if I hadn't gotten bored one day and picked up that encyclopedia." The old man answered.
Jaune frowned as he considered the possibilities. "Wendigo? It's a forest, plenty of prey, and the ruins would make a nice, dark and cozy little place for it."
The old man nodded. "It's definitely the likeliest possibility."
Jaune grimaced. "I don't suppose you have a flare gun or some explosive rounds?"
"I'll add a couple of HEAT shells for your shotgun to your shopping list." The old man told him.
Jaune nodded gratefully. "Thanks."
They both got up and were about to leave the room when the old man grabbed his shoulder.
"What?" Jaune asked him.
"Are you sure you're fine on your own?"
Jaune glared at him. "I'm not a little boy anymore."
"True, but how many times have you been truly alone in a hunt? We-" the man paused. "I mean I have always made sure there was someone with you."
Jaune scowled, but didn't argue. The old man had a point. He'd never gone on a hunt completely by himself. He'd always had some help, either in the form of a more experience hunter who just happened to be in the area or by a concerned nurse and a schoolmate.
"Fine. I'll give you a call if I find anything weird." He finally replied gruffly.
The old man gave him a flat look.
"Well, weirder." Jaune conceded.
The old man nodded. "Oh, and Arc?"
"What?"
"Be careful out there. Monsters aren't the only we need to worry about. Grimm ain't particularly friendly either."
Jaune nodded. "Gotcha."
"Good. Now let's go back to your lady friend. Wouldn't want her to burn down my shop, after all."
They began to walk towards the shooting range at the back of the store/home.
"So, any news from him?" Jaune asked him hopefully.
"Your teach?" The old man asked back.
Jaune nodded.
"Nope."
He sighed sadly. "Figured. Do you think he's okay?"
"Absolutely. That bastard's just not the dying type, you know?" the old man asked with a grin.
"Right." Jaune grinned back, but the lack of news worried him.
They soon reached the range, where he saw his red wearing companion merrily firing away at the dummies.
He would have called out to her but she seemed a little too trigger happy and excited at the moment. Seeing as she was holding a loaded sniper, he decided not to startle her until he was sure he wasn't going to get shot.
"You sure know how to pick them." The old man commented as Ruby happily giggled when the target she'd fired at exploded.
"She's just a friend." Jaune told him, hoping to shut down any more insinuations.
"That's how it always starts." The old man's eyebrows rose up and down repeatedly.
"She's too young for me!" he snapped.
"She's what, sixteen?" the old man guessed.
Jaune nodded tentatively.
"Then she's fine! The rule of thumb is half your age plus seven, right?" the old man asked
Well, he had a point. He was only two years older and Ruby wasn't hard to look at, but on the other hand, no. Just no.
"Perish the thought!" he almost yelled.
"Jaune!" his outburst had alerted Ruby to their presence, "Look, look!" she pointed at the numerous craters in the range. "They all blew up!" she giggled happily.
The fact that he found the sight of a young girl happily gesturing towards a shooting range mildly adorable was something that made him question his life choices.
"Neat-o." He replied with a small smile.
"And look, look!" she told him before loading her sniper and pulling the trigger.
The figure she'd fire at froze completely when the shell made impact.
A part of him winced. He did not want to be on the receiving end of that. 'Note to self, keep Nora away from Ruby.'
"Sweet!" he said out loud.
"I know, right?" she asked happily. Then her happy expression turned into one of disappointment. "Too bad I probably won't be able to afford all of these…"
"Oh, those? Keep 'em, they're on the house." The aged dealer piqued in.
'What.'
He had never once gotten a discount from the cheap old man.
"I can't do that! I mean, maybe if I…No!" Ruby squeaked, although he could see how tempted she was.
"Nah, it's fine. Just consider it incentive for our little promise." The old man told her.
'Promise? What promise?'
Ruby looked at him and then back at the old man. "I'd do that anyways! Jaune's my friend!"
Even though he had no idea what they were talking about, he had to admit he felt touched. But mostly just confused. What the hell had they been talking about?
The old man smiled at her and gestured at Jaune. "Then consider it a future investment."
'I swear to all the gods, if he's playing matchmaker again, someone's going to die.'
"Is it…is it really okay?" she asked hesitantly.
"Absolutely." The old man nodded.
She smiled widely. "Thank you!"
Jaune rolled his eyes good naturedly. "Well then, should we go? I bet Yang's pretty worried about you."
"Wait 'till Yang sees all of this!" Ruby agreed cheerfully.
"Here are the things in your shopping list. Do try not to spend them all in one place." The old man handed him a bag, "Oh, and I added a little extra. Might help you out in future."
"Thanks." Jaune nodded gratefully.
The old man shrugged. "Just get outta here and make sure you get some work done over there."
Jaune rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah." He paused. "By the way, you were right about Beacon."
"Told ya." The old man replied with a grin, "And can I say that I'm glad that you decided to stay there?"
"What? Stay? Were you planning to go?" Ruby asked him with wide eyes.
Jaune nodded. "Yeah, just had few things to do."
'Slaying Boo-hags, just your average Saturday night activity.'
"But you're staying now, right? Right?" Ruby asked with concern in her eyes.
Jaune grinned at her. "And leave the cafeteria behind? Pancakes every morning!"
"You had me worried!" Ruby complained before giving him a friendly punch, but he notice that she seemed relieved
"By the way, you were pretty insistent on me going to Beacon. You knew about Ozpin, didn't you?" Jaune asked.
He was dense, not stupid.
The old man smirked. "Consider it second part of you training. You know how to track and identify, but your combat skills always were…lacking."
Jaune sighed. "You can be just as bad as Goodwitch, do you know that?"
The old man snorted and Ruby giggled a little at that.
"How come no one ever told me about Aura?" Jaune asked, a little more insistently this time.
"You didn't know about Aura?" Ruby asked incredulously.
"If it helps any, you were always subconsciously using it even before they wakened it. As for why we didn't waken it…" the old man sighed softly. "Did you know that every person's Aura is different?"
Ruby nodded, but Jaune just gave him a confused look. "Really?"
Ruby gave him that incredulous look again. He pointedly ignored her.
"But even though there are differences, family members' Aura tends to have similarities, and some people can track others down people by their Aura signatures." The old man revealed.
That was…
"You were trying to keep me hidden." Jaune summed up.
"Exactly. There's something coming, and we couldn't risk losing you so early." The old man replied.
"What do you mean by that?" Jaune asked sharply. Ruby now looked slightly worried as she shifted her gaze from him to the old man in rapid succession.
"Wish I knew. I'll tell you when we find out more." The old man answered with a sigh.
They all walked towards the exit in silence. They soon reached the hallway that led to the titanium bolted door that led to the city.
"Well, see ya around, old man." Jaune finally broke the silence.
"Don't get yourself killed, kid." The old man smiled.
"Fingers crossed." Jaune replied as he smiled back.
"Thank you for everything!" Ruby added happily.
"You, miss, are welcome here anytime." The bastard told her with what he assumed was supposed to be charming smile, but came out looking kind of creepy on his old face.
Jaune rolled his eyes. "Go back to your magazines, you dirty old man."
The man snorted before waving them away. "Make sure you lock up on your way out!"
Ruby walked with him towards the entrance.
"Wait 'till Yang sees all of this!" Ruby cheered.
"Ruby?! Ruby?!" Yang's voice called out from behind the door. "I'm coming!"
"Yang?!" Ruby exclaimed.
Jaune rolled his eyes. "Yup. I bet she's been out there for some time now."
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked him.
"They've been following us since we arrived in the city." Jaune replied as he reached for the door knob. "We're coming!"
"RUUUUBBYYYY!"
That loud cry was all the warning he got before the door exploded back, sending Jaune flying with a titanium door right on top of him.
"Rubes, are you okay?!" That was Yang. Definitely Yang.
"Yang, you killed Jaune!" Why was Nora here? "And you can't kill him yet!"
That was…mildly reassuring.
"Jaune!" Oh, good, his partner was also here.
Jaune groaned from under the door.
"Wait, you're okay?" He heard Yang's voice.
"Yeah! And look, I got all of this for free! This one freezes you, and this one burns you, and this one-"
'Guys? I'm still here…'
"Err, why don't we go make sure Jaune's alright?" Yang interrupted her.
Oh, good, he was being used as a distraction. Ah, well, at least they were going to help him now, right? Right?
The door was lifted off of him.
"The light…Oh, thank heavens, I can see again…" he mumbled.
Yang stood over him, having apparently pushed the door off of him.
"Hehehe, sorry about that," she rubbed the back of her neck with a sheepish grin. "You alright?" and she offered him her hand.
Still feeling groggy, he said the first thing that came to mind. "Can I call you Miki?"
"Come again?" Yang asked, confused look on her face.
He shook his head, clearing away those thoughts. "Nothing, nothing." He took her hand and was pulled up.
"Stupid brain, she doesn't even have green eyes…" he mumbled to himself.
"What was that?" Yang asked, still looking confused.
"Nothing, nothing." Jaune told her again. Then he looked at the door. The neo-titanium door that had been ripped from its hinges.
He said the first thing that came to mind. "Oh, just balls."
"Alright, what the hell's goi-" the bastard walked in and froze at the sight before him.
Jaune immediately pointed at Yang. "That was her, not me."
"Hehehe…" Yang laughed nervously as she rubbed the back of her neck. "It was an accident?"
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
"I still don't see why I had to pay for that door." Jaune grumbled.
"I promise I'll make it up to you!" Yang told him sheepishly.
He sighed. "Just help me convince Nora to drop this whole punishment thing and we're good."
She seemed disappointed but she nodded quickly. "Deal."
"Sweet. Now would you mind explaining why you were following us?" Jaune asked her.
She laughed nervously. "So you knew we were following you?"
He saw Blake roll her eyes and almost did the same. "Hiding behind fire hydrants isn't exactly conspicuous."
"You actually saw us?" Weiss asked him with wide eyes.
Jaune felt his eye twitch. "Surprising, ain't it? I mean, who could've possibly seen the very conspicuous figures hiding behind the lamp post?"
Pyrrha had the decency to look somewhat ashamed.
"Ehehehe…sorry about that, it was my idea." Yang told him with a nervous laugh.
Jaune rolled his eyes. "I get it, you were watching out for your sister, blood is thicker than water, yada yada yada."
"Thanks, Vomit Boy!" Yang told him with a wide grin.
He rolled his eyes. "Now that that's been settled, why don't you let Ruby here show you her new toys? Hell, you guys should all go into the range and try them out!"
Ruby's eyes widened with glee. "YEAH!"
Weiss's and Blake's looks were highly amusing. Ruby was an adorable little girl, but they'd all learned the hard way that once she started talking about weapons, she just wouldn't stop.
Yang's smile became slightly strained. "That sounds great, but I…uh…"
"Let me guess, you forgot to turn off the oven? Ren always forgets to off the oven." Nora told her.
Ruby suddenly gave her team mates the kicked puppy dog eyes. "Guys?" she asked tearfully.
"Not at all! I don't even have an oven!" Yang quickly answered Nora.
"But then why can't you come with me?" Ruby's doe eyes were powerful. It was a good thing they weren't directed at him.
Jaune had to resist the urge to laugh out loud as the rest of Team RWBY stammered and began to look really guilty.
"Uhh…okay, fine, we're going!" Yang relented.
"Yay!" Ruby cheered.
'Do not pet adorable puppy in front of Yang, Jaune. Just don't. We like our testicles where they are, Jaune, let's keep them there.'
"W-we?" Weiss asked her with a raised eyebrow, apparently having found the power to return to her normal self now that the doe eyes had been put away.
"We," Yang growled, "or I tell everyone what the heiress's reaction was to the ending of Marley and me."
"I'm coming!" Weiss hastily interjected.
"Have fun." Blake told them as she prepared to leave.
"Oh, no, you're coming too, Ms, Ninjas of-" Blake suddenly appeared next to Yang and clamped her hand over her partner's mouth.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Blake told her quickly.
"You guys have fun! I'd go too, but the old man gave me some new toys for me to tinker with in the armory!" Jaune told team RWBY, "Oh, and my team has already agreed to come help me!"
No need to antagonize his team mates, right? The last thing he could afford was a two-front prank war.
"Well, okay, then, you guys have fun!" Ruby told him with a wide smile.
The glares that the rest of team RWBY threw his way made him feel warm inside.
"I thought you said we were cool!" Yang whispered at him as she was dragged away by her sister.
They were probably going to spend the rest of the day in the shooting range at Beacon.
Jaune merely grinned at her innocently.
When they finally left, he allowed himself to laugh.
"That was evil." Ren commented with a small smirk.
"Oh, yes it was." Jaune replied between chortles.
Pyrrha was trying to hide a smile. "That really wasn't very nice, Jaune."
"Aww, c'mon, it was hilarious, admit it." He ribbed his partner.
His partner stubbornly looked away.
"I mean, that look on Yang's face as she left? Or the look Weiss had? Or the way Blake looked?" Jaune asked her with winning grin.
Pyrrha began to chuckle.
"See, I told you it was funny!" Jaune cheered.
"Hey, wait, you don't have an oven either!" Nora accused Ren.
Pyrrha's chuckles turned into full blown laughter. Her soft, melodious laughter was contagious, and he soon found himself laughing too. Ren and Nora joined in seconds afterwards.
"No, but seriously, you don't have an oven." Nora told her partner after the laughter had subsided.
Ren groaned.
"Well, why don't you guys go on ahead? I need to look for a few things in the library." Jaune told them.
"Really? You?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, me. Surprising from the guy who couldn't notice the group of people hiding behind a fire hydrant, right?" Jaune asked her good naturedly.
"We already apologized for that!" Weiss snapped, slightly embarrassed.
"I know, I know," He held his hands up in a placating manner, "Still, I really need to go."
"What are you looking for? I could help." Pyrrha offered.
Once upon a time, he might've tried to refuse or lie.
He smiled at her. "I don't want to be an inconvenience, but if you're willing to help, who am I to say no?"
When had he grown comfortable enough around his partner to accept her help on private matters?
She smiled back. "Let's go then."
"Oh, now I know why you weren't going for the Weiss route." Yang nudged him with her elbow and gave him a sly look.
What? What was she implying this ti-. Wait.
Pyrrha blushed and stammered out some denials.
What.
NO. Just no. Why was everyone suddenly so insistent on nosing around his non-existent love life?
"No! We're just friends!" he quickly denied her insinuations. Pyrrha deserved far better than him anyway than a socially stupid boy who would probably never hold down a normal job.
He had no idea why the redhead looked slightly disappointed. Really, he didn't, but he resolved to help her as soon as he had a chance. He was her partner, after all.
"Well, then, shall we?" he asked the redhead with a smile.
She smiled back. "Let's."
They chatted amicably before entering the library.
"So what are we searching for?" she whispered at him.
"Information on grimm activity in the Emerald Forest, information on the many ruins in the forest and anything news related to the forest." Jaune answered.
Pyrrha gave him a curious look. "Can I ask why?"
"A personal project of sorts," Jaune answered with a sheepish grin, "I guess Ruby isn't the only dork here, huh?"
She smiled back, "No, I think it's good to see you're interested in local species of grimm," she gave him another curious look, "But why the ruins?"
"They're the remains of an ancient civilization and Beacon has one of the best libraries in the world! Can you really blame me for being interested?" Jaune asked her incredulously.
"I guess not," Pyrrha replied with a grin, "I just didn't think you'd be the type to be interested in this kind of thing."
"Yeah, yeah, I've been told before, I'm not exactly the sharpest looking guy." Jaune replied with a good natured smile.
Had Jaune not been dividing his attention between his partner and his research, he might've noticed a brown haired boy eavesdropping their conversation and looking at the books they were checking out.
Jaune walked towards his special spot, on the top of the northern watch tower. He saw down on one of the benches and pulled out a book on grimm activity near the ruins.
"Jaune?" he looked up when he heard someone calling him.
"Ruby? What are you doing here?" Jaune asked her.
"I followed you here." Ruby answered a little sheepishly. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Reading. This is my…relaxation spot, I guess." Jaune replied.
Ruby looked over the tower's battlements. "The view's nice." She commented.
"Yeah, and people never come up here, so I can just sit back and relax!" Jaune added.
"Sounds…nice." Ruby seemed a little bothered for some reason.
"What's up?" he asked her.
"Your arms dealer…he said…he said this was the first time you'd been around people your age this long. Is that true?" She asked.
Stupid old man.
"I did say I spent most of my time on the road." Jaune answered cautiously. He mostly spent his time travelling between small towns. Funnily enough, the old man had always seemed to find someone nearby to help him out.
Although, given what he'd learned, it was possible they had all been trying to protect him. He internally sighed. Too many questions, too little answers.
Ruby gave him a sad look. "So you never went to school or anything like that?"
"Did for a while, but those moments were rare and in few between, and only when my guardian had to go on…business trips." Jaune replied
That made her look sad, which made him feel bad.
"Hey, it wasn't that bad, really!" Jaune tried to reassure her.
"But it's kind of sad, isn't it? You never had friends your age then…" Ruby looked down.
"Didn't need them." Jaune replied airily.
Ruby flinched. "Didn't?"
Jaune nodded. "It was fine, really. I used to have a couple friends back when I was around eight or so, but they…"
Memories. Memories of a young girl screaming as she was dragged down by an unseen presence. Memories of a young boy's unseeing eyes as the orphanage burnt down around them.
"…they left, so I got used to being alone." Jaune finished.
"But what about now? You have friends now, right?" she asked.
Guilt. He was lying to them just by being here. "I like to think I do, but sometimes I wonder if I deserve them." He replied somberly.
"You do!" She insisted, "We're all your friends, no matter what Weiss might say! Really!"
Jaune chuckled in spite of himself. "Thanks, I think I wanted to hear that."
Ruby smiled back. "That's what friends do, right?"
"According to all the movies I saw, they give you crap, and get away with doing to you what most others wouldn't." Jaune commented.
"Jaune!" she gave him a scandalized look.
Jaune chuckled again. "Sorry, sorry!"
She glared at him briefly before looking pensive. "So most of your information on interactions between people come from movies?"
"And books, and TV shows, and anime among other things." Jaune answered with a self-deprecating chuckle, "Kind of sad, huh?"
"So that's why…that's why you said those things to Velvet…" she muttered, mostly to herself.
"Velvet? You mean the girl that was being jerked around by that jerking jerk?" Jaune asked.
"Huh?" Ruby looked up from her musings, "I mean, y-yeah, her!"
"Why, did I say something wrong?" Jaune asked, feeling slightly worried.
"Uhhh…Jaune, I'm not the best at talking to others, but Yang said that what you said was a bit over the line. I mean, yeah, you helped her, but that it was kind of mean too." She replied with an incredulous look.
What. But he'd never meant to…He wasn't trying to…Oh, goddamn it. He hadn't been bullying her, was he?
"R-really? Do you think I should apologize?" he asked nervously.
"We talked to her, and she said she was glad someone helped her, but I think you should." Ruby nodded resolutely.
"Okay, how?" Jaune asked, hoping Ruby would have the answers he needed.
"How what?" she asked, confused.
"How do I apologize?" Jaune asked her.
Ruby rubbed her temples. "And I used to think I was bad with other people…"
"Hey!" Jaune whined.
Ruby giggled. "Sorry, sorry, but it's true!"
He pouted for a few seconds before asking again. "So how do I apologize? Maybe I could quote something…"
Ruby shook her head. "NO!"
"What? Why not?" Jaune asked her.
"Because apologies should come from you, they should be honest." Ruby told him with a resolute nod.
"So just go and say sorry?" He asked.
Ruby nodded, satisfied. "Yup!"
Jaune sighed. "This'd be easier if I could quote Bridges of Madison or something…"
"Eh? What's that?" she asked, "And hey, no quoting!"
Jaune knew he was putting it off. The apology. Ruby's disappointed looks kept reminding him, but he was honestly at a loss as to how to go about it.
Also, he was still trying to do his damned job.
"You guys go on ahead; I just need to ask Professor Mario a few things." He waved at his friends.
He noticed with some glee that no one commented on his habit of giving people nicknames anymore.
Hell, even Pyrrha had finally given in and begun calling their Professors by their proper names: McGonagall, Mario, and Doctor Coffee!
Although no one understood why he called the headmaster Gendo.
Heathens.
He approached the portly Professor Port. Ha, Yang would've been proud of that one.
"Professor, can I ask you a few questions?" he asked.
"Of course, m'boy! I didn't need a weapon to capture the Boarbatusk! It was just me, my wits, and my str-"
"It's about the grimm on the Emerald Forest." Jaune interrupted before he could be regaled with the tales of Mario the Great, stomper of goombas and other such things.
"Ah, of course, of course! Ask away!"
"It's about those ruins we went to for out initiation." Jaune began to explain. Everyone in their first year knew about the ruins by now, so it stood to reason that the professors probably did too.
The professor adopted a pensive expression. "Ah, those ruins. It's curious you should mention them, as grimm rarely approach the location."
"Do you know why?" Jaune asked.
"No," the aged man shook his head, "Although there are various theories. But about grimm, like I mentioned before, they tend to avoid the area unless provoked, and even then only rarely."
"What do you mean rarely?" Jaune asked.
"People with strong Auras, strong negative emotions…It may sound antithetical, but grimm are attracted to both." The professor answered while stroking his mustache.
"What about the surrounding area? Are grimm common around the ruins?" Jaune inquired.
"There is a certain radius around the ruins that most grimm stay away from." The old man answered thoughtfully.
Jackpot.
Jaune handed him a map of the forest he'd photocopied in the library and a pen. "Could you point out the…"safe" zone?"
The professor chuckled. "I see, I see! It wouldn't be a bad idea to teach you all about the circle next class, since most of your first year missions will take place in the forest! Good initiative, Mr. Arc!"
The professor drew a small circle around the ruins. "Here you go!"
Jaune nodded gratefully. "Thank you."
"Don't mention, m'boy, don't mention it! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to prepare for the next class!" the professor walked over towards the blackboard, where he began to draw what appeared to be two headed snake.
Jaune left the classroom with a satisfied smirk and ran into the Racist Jerk.
"Watch it!" Racist Jerk snarled.
"Bite me." Jaune replied coldly before leaving. He had more important things to do.
On the downside, the two things he had left to do were both things he'd been putting off. He feared one and hated the prospect of the other.
He decided to go with the apology first.
Jaune swallowed nervously. When had his life become a damned sitcom?
"Come on, you can do it! And no quoting! I'll know if you are!" Ruby "encouraged" him.
'Is that a challenge? It sounds like a challenge.'
Not that he would, mind you. Ruby was probably right about this. He forced himself to approach the bunny-eared girl.
"Umm…Velvet?" he called tentatively.
She eeped and jumped. Something he found mildly adorable. Then she relaxed somewhat when she saw him.
"Y-yes?" she asked nervously.
"It's…" he swallowed again, "It's about that time, when that jerk was pulling your ears."
She looked down. "Oh…"
"I…I wanted to apologize." He managed to squeeze out of himself, "I've been told that what I said was hurtful, and that was never my intention."
She looked up, surprised. "W-what?"
He sighed. "The truth is, I often pretend to be confident, but I'm lost here." Now that he'd started the apology unintentionally turned into a confession, "This is the first time I've been around real people that are actually my age…my upbringing wasn't exactly normal…" he sighed softly.
Then he looked at her sincerely, trying to convey his feelings. "I'm sorry. And if I'm ever being a jerk again, I hope that you, or any of my friends pulls me back." At this, he looked at Ruby and gave her a smile.
She blinked before smiling back and gave him the thumbs up.
"What I said still stands though. If you ever need help, I'll always be willing to help out someone in need." He looked at Velvet again.
"I…uh…thank you." She told him and gave him a small smile.
"Eh?" Gratitude was the last thing he'd expected.
"I…because I'm a faunus, a lot of people look down on me, and others just stand by and watch." She told him.
His fists clenched. "Those people are wrong." He told her firmly.
"Maybe, but I never wanted anyone to get in trouble because of me. That's why I sit away from my team members." She answered somewhat sadly.
"Did they force you to?" Jaune asked angrily.
"No!" Velvet quickly denied that. "I'm the one that asked them to stay away!"
Jaune frowned but said nothing.
"You were the first to actually try to help me, even though I didn't know you." Velvet continued, "I was a little scandalized by what you said, but I was still glad that someone helped me…"
"Huntsmen are supposed to protect, right? I was just doing what everyone else here should've been doing." Jaune replied.
There was also the fact that living in an orphanage had instilled in him a deep hatred for bullying.
"Maybe, but you were the only one, so thank you. For helping me and for apologizing." She told him.
Jaune smiled at her. "Oh, thank god. You have no idea how nervous I was!"
She smiled too. "Then I should be more grateful, that you did something that made you feel uncomfortable for me."
"Why don't you sit with us?" Jaune asked her.
Her eyes widened. "Oh, no, I couldn't possibly imp-"
"It wouldn't be an imposition!" Jaune interrupted her, "Seriously! I'm sure my friends would love the chance to hang out with you!"
"But what about Cardin and ot-" she tried again.
"It's not a problem, really." Then he paused. It was this tendency to jump into conclusions, to try to force his good intention on others that had gotten him in trouble with her to begin with, "Unless of course, you don't want to." He added.
"No, no, I would like it, but a lot of people don't like faunus…" she looked at him with something akin to hope in her eyes, "Would it really be alright?"
Jaune nodded. "Absolutely."
She smiled. "Okay then, I guess I'll be seeing you in the cafeteria."
Jaune grinned. "You bet! Well, I gotta run, but I'll definitely see you later!"
He walked towards Ruby who was smiling at him proudly.
"See, I told you! I knew you could do it!" Ruby cheered.
"Only thanks to you." He gave her a warm smile, "So thanks for your help!"
Ruby grinned. "Am I good or am I good?"
"Yeah, yeah, you're the best." Jaune replied good naturedly.
"Hey! Say that again, with feeling this time!" Ruby commanded
Jaune chuckled.
Of course, his good mood vanished once he finally managed to convince Ruby to give him few minutes alone.
She was becoming kind of clingy lately, something that he blamed his dealer for. He still had no idea what he'd made her promise, but she seemed determined that he should not be alone for long.
He sighed as he reached the headmaster's office.
"Mr. Arc? What do you need?" McGonagall asked him.
"I need to speak with the headmaster." Jaune replied.
"About?" she inquired.
"It's about…" McGonagall was in the know, if he remembered correctly, "…it's about the reason I first came here."
Her eyes became sharp, her posture straightened. "I see. Please go on ahead."
He nodded gratefully at her and knocked on the bastard's door.
"Enter." The bastard's voice ordered.
He opened the door and entered the lair of evil.
"Arc?" Ozpin asked as he entered.
"Headmaster?" he paused briefly. "Your turn."
"Would you close the door?" Ozpin asked him. He might've considered saying no, but this conversation was not one he wanted to share.
"Mr. Winchester? What are you doing here?" he saw Goodwitch asking the Racist Jackass before closed the door.
"What do you need?" Ozpin asked him.
"I need to use those launchers. The ones you used to launch us all into the forest." Jaune told him.
Ozpin frowned. "Might I ask why?"
Jaune glared at the bastard. "Got a case. Need to get to the ruins, ASAP."
Ozpin nodded. "I see. Very well, I shall have them set up in the same place at eleven tonight."
It hurt him to say it, but, "Thank you." He spat out thought ground teeth.
"You're welcome. Oh, and Arc?" Ozpin replied.
"What?" Jaune snapped.
"Do try to come up with a better landing strategy this time." Ozpin answered with amusement in his eyes.
Bastard.
Jaune made sure his team member were sleeping before reaching under his bed and pulling out his rucksack.
He'd packed everything he might need beforehand.
He slung the bag over his back and quietly left the room and went towards the cliff where he'd first been launched into the accursed forest.
This time, he'd made sure the coordinates were set into the launcher before he activated the mechanism and stepped over it.
'3…2…1…'
The launcher threw him into the forest.
No Pyrrha to save him this time. He reached into his pocket and drew the 'little extra' his dealer had given him.
A hook gun.
Due to the darkness, he was barely able to see, so he aimed downwards, where the trees were and fired.
'Oh, please work…'
The hook impaled itself on a thick tree and he started to swing down, towards the ground.
'Hell yeah! Tarzan ain't got crap on me!'
Then the hook fell off and he fell on his ass.
'Damn you, Murphy!'
Still, at least he'd made it. He reached into his rucksack and drew his Scroll and a flashlight as well as his shotgun.
According to it, he was few clicks away, although he was still inside the "safe" zone, so grimm encounters would be unlikely.
Still, he crouched low and walked cautiously. The last thing he needed was to alert a grimm to his presence, especially if Pyrrha was right and he had loads of Aura.
He walked silently, and he soon reached the familiar looking ruins. He reached into his bag and drew some light sticks. The kind that hikers used and placed them around the ruins.
Wendigos were good hunters, so any kind of advantage would come in handy, even if it was just lighting.
He made sure the HEAT round were in his shotgun and that the safety was off.
"I finally found you."
Jaune turned around, shotgun raised, ready to fire.
What he was not ready for was Cardin Winchester standing in front of him with a wicked grin on his face.
He lowered the gun. "Gods above, man, do NOT sneak up on a man with a gun!" he whispered.
How the hell had he arri-Damn. This explained why he'd been running into him so much lately.
"Why not?" Cardin demanded loudly.
"You followed me here." Jaune stated.
Cardin nodded proudly. "Yeah. Wasn't that hard to guess where you were going. Just had to figure out when you were going."
"And how did you figure that out?" Jaune asked, still quiet.
"Wasn't easy. Had to basically camp out on the cliff after I figured out you were going to the launchers." Cardin replied.
"And how did you figure out I was going to use the launcher?" Jaune wondered.
"Duh, I'm not an idiot. I knew a coward like you wasn't going to walk all the way here." Cardin answered.
'Didn't you also use the launcher?' a part of him mentally facepalmed.
Jaune internally swore and looked around for any kind of danger. "Keep it down!" he snapped, voice still low.
"What a coward," Cardin told him with contempt clear on his face, "I should have expected it out of a faunus lover."
Jaune cursed his luck once more. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.
"I could ask you the same thing, Arc. Just wait 'till Ozpin hears about you sneaking out on the middle of the night like this." Cardin answered gleefully.
Seriously?
"So your plan to catch me sneaking about was to sneak out yourself?" Jaune asked him incredulously, "Brilliant plan, Malfoy!"
"What'd you just call me?" Cardin asked him dangerously.
He rolled his eyes. "Read a freaking book." He turned around, focusing once more on the job at hand.
Perhaps it was the sound of grass as someone moved over it, or the sound of air whooshing around him, but he threw himself to a side and narrowly avoided Cardin's mace.
"Are you insane?!" Jaune demanded, gun once again aimed at the Winchester.
"I've been waiting for a chance like this since you cheated our duel." Cardin told him with a savage grin.
Jaune jumped back as Cardin swung his mace at him.
"The hell do you mean cheat?" he demanded angrily.
"You only won because you cheated, you faunus loving freak!" Cardin snarled before swinging his mace at him once more.
Jaune ducked, at the mace hit one of the many pillars on the ruins.
He kicked Cardin away and jumped back once more.
"So you're going to kill me here?" Jaune asked him coldly.
"Kill you? No, I think I'll just beat you into a bloody pulp and leave you here." Cardin answered with a grin.
"You do know what "no" means, right?" Jaune's free hand reached into his belt, where his knife was.
"I'll leave you here for a while and then I'll tell our teachers I heard you were going to pay the ruins a visit." Cardin explained his master plan.
"All this because you lost? You have issues, mate."
"I only lost because you cheated!" Cardin snapped. "and if you don't behave, I won't tell them until after a week."
"You're insane. You do know that I'll die here if you do that, right?" Jaune asked him, unable to believe the blatant display of psychopathy.
Cardin smiled. "Oh, I don't think so. You see, I began to research this ruins after seeing how interested you were. Grimm usually avoid this place, right?" Jaune frowned at that. "And most grimm have migrated to other parts of the forest."
Jaune had to admit he was impressed. Too bad Cardin was a psychopath.
"Just stay still and you might not bleed out to death!" Cardin roared before charging at him again.
Cardin swung his mace at him right as Jaune pulled the trigger. The HEAT rounds he'd loaded up collided with the mace and exploded into a fiery inferno.
Cardin flinched, surprised. Jaune was not surprised. They were not typically allowed to use special or modified ammo during spars and duels. Jaune quickly closed in on him, knife in hand.
Unfortunately for him, Cardin recovered quickly and his attempt to put the knife at his throat and forced him to yield were aborted in favor of defending himself from the sudden onslaught Cardin unleashed on him.
Jaune tried his best to dodge, but ultimately had to use his knife to parry some of the strikes, which proved to a futile attempt, as the mace was simply too heavy for the knife to handle.
He swore as the knife was wrenched from his hand by a powerful swing. Fortunately for him, the mace struck yet another pillar, destroying it, but giving him enough time to disengage as the mace wielder had to pull the mace out of the rubble.
He grimaced. Firing at Cardin when he was so close would result in heavy collateral damage done to himself and he could not afford to use up all his HEAT rounds on him. He needed a way to end this, fast.
Cardin, on the other hand, grinned and began to swing his mace around leisurely, destroying more and more pillars as he approached.
It might have been his senses working in overdrive, but Jaune noticed that the birds had stopped chirping and the insects were quiet. He frowned, but had no time to ponder it as Cardin forcibly dragged him away from academic pursuits via mace attack.
In the end, one of them had to give and it wasn't Cardin who did. Jaune gasped as the air was knocked out of him when Cardin managed to sneak past his guard and deliver a devastating kick to his stomach, which was quickly followed up by a sharp jab from the mace that sent him tumbling back.
Jaune hit a wall and began to pant heavily.
Cardin aimed his mace's gun at him. "Your loss, Arc!"
Jaune was about to say something defiant when he noticed it. Behind the mace wielder. He could barely see in the darkness, but the two, glowing scarlet orbs seemed to emit a light of their own, alerting him to their presence.
He swallowed. "Cardin, you might want to turn around."
Cardin snorted. "Do you really think I'll fall for that?"
Maddening, crimson eyes glowered at them from the shadows, and though they were concealed under the veil of darkness, he could see the hatred, the rage burning within them.
"Damn it man, look behind you!" he shrieked.
"I told you, I'm not going to fal-" Cardin stopped when an inhumane roar came from the darkness, cacophonous and bone-chilling.
The burning, crimson eyes began to close in on their position, fast.
"What the hell was that?!" Cardin screamed hysterically before aiming his mace wildly.
"Behind you, you goddamned moron!" Jaune shrieked back before aiming 'Ole Trusty behind the brown haired boy. His trembling hands barely rose to aim at the monster.
He'd heard about Wendigos, but coming face to face to one actively attempting to cut his life short was different from reading about them. He grabbed his arm in an effort to steady his shaking trigger hand.
Now closer, he could see the figure the eyes belonged to. Shaggy, filthy fur surrounded a massive, hulking frame that dwarfed him completely. Moonlight gleamed off its pearly fangs and razor claws. Large tusks the size of his arms grew on its twisted and misshapen face.
"What the hell?!" Cardin screamed before firing at it.
It didn't even slow down its reckless charge. As if to scoff him, as if to mock him, the creature howled with insane laughter before it raised its claws.
Cardin froze.
And in that brief second before it struck, Jaune had a choice. If he fired, the HEAT rounds would most likely end the Wendigo, but there was a reason there was a "standard" ammo cartridge used during duels in Beacon. Cardin would most likely get hurt from his proximity to the creature.
Jaune felt a surge of self-loathing at the fact that he didn't even hesitate before pulling the trigger.
The explosion sent Cardin flying back, but it stopped the creature in its tracks as fire began to envelop the creature.
Jaune allowed himself to take a deep breath. "It's over." He said out loud with a confident smile, but he couldn't help but feel unnerved by it.
The creature howled defiantly and Jaune's eyes widened.
"What the f-" he screamed when the creature slammed its massive claw into him. Even with his Aura, he felt something inside him break as he was slammed into a pillar.
He skid off it slowly, painfully and noticed the brown haired boy lying by his side, moaning.
The same inhumane laughter from before filled his ears. That twisted, cruel and insane laughter echoed though the ruins, and for the first time that night, he felt an emotion other than anger, determination or anticipation.
Fear. Jaune Arc was someone that loathed monsters. That absolutely hated inhumane creatures. He felt some degree of fear while hunting, but his anticipation far outweighed it.
But now, as he stared at crimson eyes shining brightly from its repulsive visage, as he stared at its jaw curled into an insane grin, displaying its gleaming fangs and tusks, he felt a shiver run down his spine.
'True, but how many times have you been truly alone in a hunt?'
Arrogance, to believe that those trips he'd gone on with more experienced hunters could prepare him, anyone, for this. Arrogance, to believe that he could face creatures that mankind had fled from when he was so clearly outmatched.
Arrogance, to believe that he could do this half-assed.
The creature, still enveloped in flames, approached them slowly, almost tenderly, as if it believed him to be defeated. As if it believed itself superior to him.
A surge of anger.
These creatures were responsible for the deaths of his family, for the end of his childhood, his innocence.
These creatures had taken the lives of his first friends, of the people he'd grown to confide in after his family had perished that night.
No.
His hands reached into his belt. More specifically, for the pins of the grenades. The creature got close enough that he could smell the stench of its breath. The smell of copper and rotten flesh filled his nostrils.
Jaune threw the grenade at it and covered his ears even as he closed his eyes.
Flash grenade.
He threw a frag grenade at it seconds afterwards.
He heard a loud howl even though he'd covered his ears and forced himself back into his feet. He ran towards the fallen mace wielder who'd taken the brunt of the explosion from his HEAT round up close.
"C'mon, get up!" He ordered before hauling him up and half running, half dragging him away.
A few feet away, the effects of the flash grenade wore off and the brown haired boy regained enough of his senses to push him away.
"What the fuck?!" Cardin screamed at him.
"Shut up and get the hell out of here!" Jaune screamed back. "Go back to Beacon!"
"What the fuck is that thing?! What the fuck do we do?!" Cardin screamed again.
The creature's murderous howls could be heard from the ruins behind them.
"Shut the hell up and run!" Jaune slapped him. "That is an order, do you understand?!"
"But what the f-" Cardin almost screamed again before Jaune slapped him again.
"I said do you understand?!" Jaune yelled.
Cardin nodded mutely.
"Good, get out of here." Jaune ordered a little more calmly this time.
He pushed the boy away before running towards the source of the deafening roars, toward the creature enveloped in crimson flames that was rapidly approaching them.
With panic coursing through him, with his instincts yelling at him to avoid the bigger predator, with his Aura reserves low, Cardin ran. And he hated himself for it.
'What a coward.' He'd told Arc. Coward. Him, the one that had dragged him away from that…from that thing and gone back to finish the job.
Jaune Arc, who was now proving himself to be more a huntsman than he ever was.
Self-hatred coursed through his veins as he ran, as he fled from his duty.
His family would be ashamed. The legacy he was supposed to live up to, the mantle he was supposed to carry…
His parents' sacrifice would be in vain.
The shame and self-loathing forced down his panic. Goddamn it, he was Cardin Winchester, last son of the house of Winchester, the scion of a great and powerful house!
He ran back.
Jaune didn't have to go far. The crimson flames made the creature's position easy to find, and the damned things had been chasing after them.
He aimed and fired again, hoping more fire would finish the job.
The creature howled in what he hoped was agony. He could feel its hatred, its rage as fire ravaged its body. He fired again, and again, until all he could hear was a clicking noise when he ran out of bullets.
And then, to his shock, the creature opened its gaping maw and laughed. Laughed uproariously, capriciously, mockingly.
"THOU ART A CHEEKY LITTLE HUMAN, ART THOU NOT?" its voice was like the sound that two boulders being crushed together would make.
"What the fuck." Jaune took a step back.
"KNOW YE THAT I SHALL REPAY EACH AND EVERY INJURY THOU HAST INFLICTED UPON ME A THOUSANDFOLD." The creature laughed again, and suddenly, the flames on its body died, plunging everything into darkness.
Jaune's eyes widened and he immediately raised his gun, barely in time to block its tusks, but even then, the force behind the attack wrenched the firearm out of his hands and sent it flying off into the darkness.
Then a massive clawed hand was slammed into his chest. For what seemed like the thousandth time that night, he was sent flying back and hit a tree. Hard.
He coughed violently into his hand and winced when he saw the blood.
'Ribs broken. Aura low. Internal bleeding.'
"Ah…" he heard his voice, so distant and dim…
So he was going to die here. He chuckled bitterly.
"Forgive me…everyone…" he whispered into the night sky, where the stars shone down brightly, uncaring of his mortality.
He saw the creature approaching leisurely and his face became determined. He wasn't going to go down screaming, begging for mercy.
He would go quietly, defiantly and unafraid.
That's when he heard a familiar noise and the creature turned its misshapen face around.
Cardin. Cardin firing at the monster. Hadn't he told the brown haired boy to run? What the hell was he doing here?
The creature snarled and lunged at the mace wielder. Jaune took the chance to slowly force himself up.
Cardin blocked the first the creature's first swing and swung his mace to meet the creature's second arm.
A meaty crunch echoed through the clearing and the creature howled in agony. It turned its hateful eyes on him, and Cardin forced himself to ignore the shivers running down his spine and swung the mace once more.
The creature used its tusks to block it and drove its fist into him, sending cracks over his chest plate and making the brown haired boy stumble back wheezing.
The creature roared in triumph before angling its tusks at him.
Jaune saw the creature about to impale Cardin on its tusks and even though every step sent waves of agony through his battered body, he slashed Crocea Mors in a wide arc, slashing the creature's tendons, its muscles, with ease.
Jaune had a second to look down at Crocea Mors with wonder before the creature howled, causing his eardrums to reverberate from the proximity, and suddenly, shockwaves ran through the ground beneath them, robbing him of his balance.
The creature swung its arm in a wide arc and smashed both him and Cardin away.
His vision became blurry.
There was no way to win. Jaune realized. Not when almost everything he'd thrown had proven to be ineffective. Not with the heavy damage they'd sustained. Not with his faulty knowledge and the creature's incredible power.
But he wanted to kill it. Wanted to murder the damned, inhuman thing.
He looked down at Crocea Mors, his father's blade. His father, who had one dream, a dream he couldn't accomplish for him if he died.
'Damn it all to hell!' he mentally screamed.
"We have to get out of here!" Jaune tried to yell, but it came out barely louder than a whisper and even that sent waves of pain up his chest.
"No!" Cardin coughed some blood, "We…" more coughing, "…can kill it!"
Were it not for the blade in his hand, Jaune would've agreed. He would've stayed and fought a heroic last stand even with the odds stacked against him.
He would've died.
He lobbed another flash grenade at the creature, the last he'd brought and forced himself to reach the other boy, forced himself to ignore the bone-sapping weariness, the pain coursing through his body.
"Goddamn it, man, are you insane?!" he demanded.
Cardin glared at him and at the creature.
"My ribs are broken. I bet yours are too. We're both coughing blood and our Aura is low!" Jaune couldn't even yell, his chest hurt too much when he tried. "And I'm about to pass out!"
It was true. He couldn't swing his arms anymore. He wasn't even sure if he could run back to Beacon as he was, but it sure as hell beat staying here and dying.
"And whose fault is it that my Aura is low?!" Cardin demanded before coughing more blood.
Jaune winced. "We can discuss that later! We have to leave, now!"
Cardin gave him a defiant glare.
The creature roared once more and Cardin faltered.
"Fine." The boy agreed tersely.
They both began to run away, to run back to Beacon, like cowards.
He'd been defeated.
They'd barely made it past a few feet when they heard the creature's demented heaving breaths as it chased them.
Jaune chanced a look back and saw that the only reason it hadn't caught up was that it was limping, but it was still coming at them quickly, covering large strides in the blink of an eye.
"Shit!" he heard Cardin curse as they reached a stream.
It looked deep.
The creature's loud steps forced them both to jump into the stream. He tried to swim, to move across somehow, but the current was too strong, and with his waning strength, Jaune found himself unable to wade through it and soon sank under the water.
His vision was fading…it was getting hard to breathe…
How ironic that he would escape one death only to die shortly afterwards anyway.
Then an arm grabbed the front of his hoodie and dragged him forward.
Cardin hauled him into the other side.
"T-thanks." Jaune managed.
Cardin couldn't even manage a grunt as he fell to a side and passed out. His own vision was still fading.
With the last of his strength, he looked towards the other side of the stream, where the thing was glaring at them viciously.
"Well, fuck." He said before his vision faded completely.
AN: Man, it took a long time to write this chapter. In my defense, my USB got corrupted, and I kind of lost the will to write this story for a while, seeing as that was a 10,000 word document lost. Rewriting it took me a long, long time. But hey, long chapter, so that's kind of a plus, right?
Now, as for the story itself, Jaune Arc is socially awkward. That is one of his defining traits. Which why I felt like I needed to make him socially awkward here too, but differently, as his upbringing is slightly different from canon. Don't want a Gary Stu as a main character!
Also, hurray for minor retcons to make the story more coherent!
Future chapters won't have as much swearing, I swear.
As for all that "First civilization" thing, well, it's called Remnant, right? I'm just using some artistic license here. This may or may not come into play later on.
Reviews:
General: Some of you have pointed out that the number of references is becoming ridiculous, and you're right. I mean, Captain America? Sigh, what was I thinking?
Necrofantasia: I'm actually surprised that it's taken someone this long to ask about pairings in this fandom. To be honest, I have no idea what pairing I want to see in this story, although I have always made sure to keep my options open. When Yang teases Jaune about going for the Weiss route, was Ruby simply annoyed by her sister or was she jealous? If she was jealous, who was she jealous of, Jaune or Weiss?
Everyone who disliked Jaune last chapter: Man, I knew that his interaction with Velvet and Cardin was going to cause some uproar, but I was not expecting half the reviews to be about that. I feel like I can successfully say that I'm portraying a character that is flawed, but feel free to tell me what I'm doing wrong. Character development is something that I just cannot get right and all criticism would be greatly appreciated.
Dimensionist: I was under the impression that Aura had to be activated for its passive bonuses to take effect. "Why didn't you activate your Aura?" –Pyrrha, RWBY episode 6, season 1. I could be wrong though, and if I am, I apologize.
Also, I feel like I gotta ask: Have you seen the show? They're children. They get treated as children. Yes, there are some exceptions, yes, they are being trained to fight, but they are, for the most part, treated as children.
And I feel you're underestimating the psychological aspect of it all. It's one thing to fight grimm, creatures of instinct or a mindless robot. It's another to fight a monster capable of coherent thought that still wants to murder you.
I do admit that I was favoring one side over the other, so thank you for pointing that out. I will take that into consideration.