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Chapter 21: Jaune Faces the Fire

Not waiting for him to get over the shock the Beowolf exhaled a searing stream of fire from its jaws. Yelping Jaune hit the dirt, the fire blast skimming the surface of his shield. His eyes went from the sky to the snarling beast, clearly unset its first attack hadn't roosted him alive. It pounced on him with the quickness one would expect from a wolf, jaws flying open. Grunting he rolled to the side, grabbing his sword along the way and came up in a feeble guarding position. Clouds of fire and dirt flew up from where the Beowolf had landed obscuring his vision of the monster. It lasted for twenty seconds. First its burning vintage quickening towards him then becoming fully visible. With another roar it struck his shield leaving red claws and scorch marks on its white surface. Willpower was the only thing that kept the shield in place against its second attack, one that carried much more power behind it. Hissing in pain at the force Jaune's left arm went wide leaving his chest area exposed and he stumbling back a little. He saw the Beowolf throw back his head and knew what he needed to do. Placing most of his weight on his right heel he waited until he saw the build exit the unholy wolf's mouth before jumping to the side.

Out of the corner of his eye Jaune saw something register in the Beowolf's amber torch eyes. The stream of fire began to move to the side, right into Jaune's direction. Cursing the blond haired youth began sprinting as far as he could away from the burning Grimm. Behind him the stream of fire continued to follow him; Jaune could have sworn he felt the heat of the attack beating against his skin. Actually by this point the whole clearing was on fire. The remaining dead bodies he'd found were now slabs of meat left burning on the ground. Jaune didn't try to picture the man he'd just killed roosting along with his comrades.

Two fireballs shoot past him as he ran through the twigs and branches, they caught fire just like everything the Beowolf passed. Smoke began to flitter into his lungs and sting his eyes. A million questions raced through Jaune's mind. What was this thing? Where had it come from? It wasn't like he could turn around and ask the Beowolf nor did he really want to. One fireball almost hit its mark, he could feel the left edges of his wheat blond hair singe and burn even though it was only a glancing blow. This is Yang all over again! He thought with dread, only there wasn't a smooth talking Viking around to save him.

TINK!

Jaune's heart nearly dropped into his feet upon hearing and feeling the build of heat to his far left. Cutting his eyes from the front to the side he saw an orange-red object approaching him with frightening speed. Just like before he dropped face first into the dirt to avoid the fireball that would have surely left him a funeral pyre. "You've got to be kidding me." The knight whimpered seeing another burning Beowolf coming upon him. The one that had been following him howled something at its comrade to which it nodded its head. So they CAN communicate.

Flames began to build up in both their mouths while Jaune searched desperately for a way out of the dual attack. All his shield could block was one attack, not two. Sweat truly began to mount on his forehead and not just because he was now surrounded by a ring of fire but because his brain couldn't come up with anything.

Both werewolves released the fire they'd been building in their mouths at once. One came from Jaune's front and the other to his left.

The knight stared at the stream of fire heading for him then his face twisted into a determined scowl. Both attacks were coming at him in directions that formed a sixty-four degree angle. With that in mind Jaune crouched low and dove for down the middle of the attacks. The sound of two fire blasts colliding made his ears pop while the intense heat reached the edges of his back. Coming out of his combat roll Jaune saw one of the Beowolves had responded to his evasion, it now stood before him drawing one flaming claw back. No sound escaped Jaune's lips as he raised his shield up.

THUNK!

On top of the still vanishing scratch marks form the last attack appeared a whole new set battle scars. Though his shield protected his chest and stomach from the searing heat Jaune's face was naked to it. He hissed as he flew across the ground, through a tree and into a boulder. His back howled in pain while his mind was still stuck registering the flames licking at his face. It made his cheeks and eyes hurt to the point touching them elected a sharp cry of agony. Left on his knees growing he was easy prey for the flaming wolves hungrily eying him. One of them leaped off its hind legs at him raising its claws high just in case its prey tried to struggle.

Jaune was aware of death rapidly coming down towards him with its jaws waiting to sink into his flesh. He bit his cheek in fury at how easily the monsters thought he would go down. Using his sword as a leaver he straighten himself so he could see the image of the Beowolf descending upon him. He held his sword in a style befitting that of the warriors of ancient Mistral; shield up and his sword at the right corner like it was going to be used for stabbing instead of slashing. It was the best he could think of and he'd be damned if he wasn't doing to make it work. Come and get me!

CCCLLLIINNCCHH!

In the moment the Beowolf came down on top of Jaune he realized something; he was going to welcome winter if he lived to see it. Freezing to death sounded much better compared to what he was experiencing at the moment; having a seven foot Beowolf with a furnace for body odor trying to crush him.

"HOLY SHIY THIS HURTS!" It was a miracle he managed to ground that out as loud as he could given the insane amount of pain he was in. Everything hurt: his face, his arms, his legs, his chest, and just about every other portion of his body. There was no place the flames emitting from the Beowolf didn't reach. Where it was worse was his arms which were the hold thing besides his weapons keeping the Grimm's body from coming into contact with his. He was being bear-hugged by a Grimm.

Above him it barked, angry at being denied its kill.

I can't keep this up! I've got to kill this thing before it boils me alive! How long it Jaune held up the Beowolf he had no idea. What he would remember was how long it took for him to kill it. Seventy-eight seconds.

Power surged into his left arm then into his shield creating a white glow that stood in contrast to the ranging red, orange, and yellow. Shouting his resolve he pushed his legs upward. The light exploded pushing the Beowolf backwards. Shutting his eyes as not to damage them Jaune stepped forward and swung his sword as fast as he could, as hard as he could across the Beowolf's body. As its partner fell the second charged forth readying its claws. Going off the last traces of the strength he'd called up he sprinted ahead to meet the demonic canine claw to sword. He did the same when it attempted to swing its other claw.

His arms buckled under the pressure they were under and it showed on Jaune's face. It was red and buffy from the last few minutes which had been some of the most intense seconds of his life. The heat from the Beowolf's molten claws traveled through his blade and into his hands. His shield having been insolated against heat fared better though the strain was no less tendinous. He had to bury both his feet deep into the ruined soil to hold his ground against the struggle Beowolf. No matter how hard it pushed Jaune ordered his body not to give. There was no plan besides holding his ground, whatever could have passed for one was rapidly being assembled in his currently boiling head. Giving a snarl as its only reply the Beowolf lunged forward with both its flame tusk enlarging. They reflected in Jaune's stunned eyes.

The choice was painfully clear. Both choices Jaune had sucked ass but he chose the one that would prolong his life just a little longer. Dropping both his weapon the knight barely managed to avoid getting his head bitten off by the werewolf's jaws. Angrily throwing his weapons away it continued its attack on Jaune with a series of claw swipes.

Don't look at the face! Don't look at that ass-ugly face that wants to use your skull as a chew tooth! Keep your eyes on the claws and shoulders! By reading the shoulders he could tell were each attack was going to come from. Didn't mean he could cleanly dodge the attacks though. His armor took four blows that carved deeply into the metallic plates. I can't keep doing this! My feet hurt like hell and this thing is getting faster by the second! He needed a distraction to get back to his weapons and needed it now. Acting quickly he reached over his left and tore one of his shoulder guards off and hurled it into the Beowolf's face just as it released another frustrated howl. To his brief amazement the piece of armor melted in the monster's jaws. Regardless, Jaune had the window he needed. Sidestepping the Beowolf and dashing for Crocea Mors Jaune suspected the Beowolf might just stop playing with trying to curve him up and just blast his ass like it'd tried to do earlier. Behind him he heard the familiar crackling fore fire being forced into a concentrated blast.

Jaune went for his sword instead of his shield. A part of his mind screamed at how stupid it was to go for it instead of his shield but the blond didn't care. Grabbing the centuries old long sword he turned to face the stream of fire heading towards him. Now or never Jaune! It was the first time he'd tried such a maneuver, and an untested one at that. Either it worked or he was Beowolf breakfast, extra well down.

Gripping the hilt of Crocea Mors with both hands Jaune imagined his Aura has a lake that had a hole blown in it. The lake was his body and the hole was his arms, as Pyrrha had taught him. The water flowed from him into his weapon then into his sword. It may have been his imagination but the sword seemed to greedily take in the power the male Arc was feeding it. It glowed bright white from the bottom to the tip.

Light and flame collided turning into a blinding explosion that uprooted trees and scattered mountains of dirt and rock in all directions. The Beowolf raised both its molten hands to protect itself from the fall out, not suspecting its target had done the opposite.

Jaune came running at the Beowolf still holding his sword with both hands; rather than a simple piece of steel the sword was now almost five feet of glowing white light. Howling its irritation at the teenager it swung again at his head. On his way forward Jaune ignored the blistering heat nipping at his body up until he was within striking distance of the Beowolf. Springing upward he shouted then dragged his sword in a diagonal line, starting from the arm pit up to the chest. Grimm blood and embers flew out as the sword exited the flaming black mass. The Beowolf's head sunk to the severed head fell to the ground with its body following. It jerked for a minute before the flames seemed to condense into hundreds of fireworks over the fading shadows. Within a minute there was nothing left but a burn imprint on the ground.

The young knight stared at the imprint before he fell forward on his knees his breath coming out in labored huffs that hurt his chest. Around him smoke was still rising and filling his lungs. He had to get up and away before the fire spread. Stopping it was out of the question completely. At last able to free his sword from his hands Jaune measly moved pulled off his burned gloves to see what kind of damage had been done to his hands. "Heheh," he chuckled weakly looking at the pink and red flesh beneath. "Maybe first or second but no thirds, suppose that's lucky." The damage was already healing but the pain remained. Never in his life had Jaune thought he'd know what it felt like to have ones hands literally burn to the point just moving them caused him discomfort. Numbness from gripping a sword all day he was used to but fire was a whole different matter. He was beginning to understand why his parents and extended family held such to large flames.

Shuffling over to his shield he saw most of the damage had miraculously recovered from most of the damage it'd taken. How Jaune had no idea but he was gratefully. It had withstand the strikes of the empowered Beowolves and was still usable.

As he was about to leave the area he watched a tree hit the ground after having ninety-percent of its body burnt beyond repair. It fell with a loud thud Jaune winced at. Something flashed in the shadow of the fallen tree that stopped him from moving. At first he thought it was just a trick of the flames but he saw what he could tell was definitely a blinking red light staring at him. It was a drone. It had to be maybe three feet long with copter blades on both sides keeping it afloat in the sea of flames. It was staring at him.

And in another collapse of trees it was gone.

Shaking his head the boy turned around and began walking. "God this forest is creepy. Burning Grimm, drones, and crazy racists, all for the price of a simple mission." He trudged on in silence until he stopped under the shade of the forest leaves. His legs, no matter how much he wanted them to, wouldn't budge. A familiar feeling in his stomach built up demanding its access to the surface.

Kneeling over some bushes Jaune barfed up everything he'd eaten within the past two days. After that came the gush of tears he'd been stopped from shedding almost twenty five minutes earlier.

His head touched the ground while sobs rocked his body. Why was he doing this? Oh yeah, he'd just murdered someone in cold blood. That was the reason he was huddled up in a ball of his own crap and tears.

No matter what he did he couldn't stop his body from shaking. More than the sobs were the shivers that pulsed through his body. He'd never felt like this before. In the darkness he saw the man's body sliding off his weapon over and over again. Jaune couldn't keep from looking him in the eyes. He'd done that, he'd been the one to extinguish the life in them. It made him feel like vomiting all over again.

This isn't what I thought it'd be like. His hands dug into the dirt to the point he could feel it getting under his finger nails. His left hand balled into a fist that he slammed down over and over again. "This isn't what everyone told me it would be like! Where's the honor huh! Why do I feel like this! Why!?"

Better question, why are you beating yourself up over a racist scumbag? A cold voice sneered from the back of his mind.

He was still a human being! Jaune fired back.

A human being who'd decided it was okay to take the lives of those who hadn't done anything wrong. Normally we call that justice.

That didn't make Jaune feel any better. Timidly he peered over to Crocea Mors's sword half. The human blood on the tip had been overshadowed by the drying life-blood of the slain Beowolves. Only a few scorch marks were visibly on the blade. For the first time Jaune really looked at the weapon, really looked at it as if reliving the moment the weapon was passed down onto him.

"Now listen carefully son," His father started in a tenuous voice he'd only used when talking to Jaune about serious matters. His blue eyes bore into his so deeply Jaune felt like his face had been frozen in that position. From the intensity of his gaze his feet felt the same way, rooted to the spot unable to move an inch. "Crocea Mors has been in our family for generations, since my Great-Great-grandfather's time really. It's seen a lot of things, a lot of horrible cruel things. It's seen wars of epic proportions, battles that shook the earth, blood bathes that would make a demon weep, and victories befitting a king. It's precious to us Jaune, it's a part of our legacy." Pausing for a moment he laid his hands on top of a young Jaune's.

Jaune blinked once looking between the sword and his father. "I don't get it dad. If it's so important then would are you giving it to me? What if I lose it? Or break it?"

Contrary to the fearfully look in his son's eye Julian Arc smiled. His son really was like him in more ways than he knew. Ruffling his hair to ease his fears he spoke again. "You won't Jaune, and you know why? Because you've got a warrior's heart." With his other hand Julian proudly pounded it against his chest. He knew his son always loved it when he did it. One day he was sure he'd be doing it for his own children and they'd be just as impressed. The older man's smile faded as his eyes fell to the family weapon; his son wasn't blind to this. "Before you accept this Jaune I want you to know something, the life of a Huntsman, no the life of a warrior is a brutal one. You're going to see and do some things you're not going to be proud of. It'll be up to you to decide if you'll let them be the end or not. It's going to hurt a lot but that's why you'll need to keep going. There's no doubt in my mind that you're going to make friends, good ones. When the time comes I want you to use Crocea Mors to protect them. This weapon…it's shed blood before. More than you'll probably ever know. What matters is whose blood it's shedding and why it's being shed. I want you to promise me when you do use Crocea Mors it'll be for good. Can you promise me that?"

It puzzled Jaune why his father kept saying when, like he knew for a fact it was going to happen. Beyond the puzzlement was the way in which his father was looking at him. It made him squirm a little but since it was his father he stood firm. Gripping the shield and sword tightly the young blond vigorously nodded his head. "I promise dad!" he didn't get the fully meaning of what his father was saying but he knew it was important.

The joyous crinkle in his eyes would stay with his son for years to come. "Then it's yours Jaune. Take good care of Crocea Mors." With that Julian Arc took his hands off the weapon allowing his son to grip it in his own hands. "I know it may be a bloody weapon but trust me my son, that sword has saved more lives than it's taken. With you I'm sure it'll save many more."

The unspoken question in Jaune's head was how many lives had Crocea Mors taken. Up until that point he hadn't fully gone over what his father had spoken to him that day. He'd always just looked at Crocea Mors as nothing but a family hand-me-down, one he didn't take entirely seriously. Now, as he held up the sword to see his reflection in the steel blade the weight of his father's words hit him like a sledge hammer. This sword has seen a lot of things, a lot of terrible things. Mouth slightly agape Jaune's whole body suddenly felt very cold despite the descending heat wave. His great-great-great-grandfather had used this sword to kill people, so had the rest of his forefathers including his own father. The sword in his hand wasn't an antique, it was a weapon that had been used to kill countless people. How many, Jaune would never know unless it decided to grow a mind of its own and talk to him.

All he'd done was just add to what was probably an incredibly long list.

Not to mention hadn't the man he'd just killed tried to kill him after murdering countless Faunus in cold blood?

Self-defense? Justice? Karma?

If I hadn't killed him, The knight thought lowering his hand to his knees. He'd have smashed my head in and just gone after more Faunus. Or have gotten eaten by whatever is out here.

The disgusted rumbling in his stomach had quieted down greatly. He continued to stare at the blood stained sword until the nervousness and doubt had faded from his eyes. Tearing his eyes away from his reflection to the sky he was moderately surprised. Based on the position of the sun it was probably noon.

"I can't stay here moping on my ass." He grumbled grabbing his shield.

CLINK!

He stood frozen as the drone took another photo of him from his left side. Now that he had an up close look he could tell it wasn't just a made from scratch device. The slick black chrome metal stood out in stark contrast to the wilderness around it. There appeared to be no weapons attached to it at all.

Immediately guessing it wasn't from Beacon Jaune felt he should strike the thing down. He didn't on the premise that whenever there were drones there were usually people watching from behind them. Why it was watching him he couldn't tell but it hadn't appeared to send any kind if signal or raise any sort of alarm. As long as it didn't he didn't feel the need to slice it in two.

It left him standing there with his sword in hand to fly off in the opposite direction. Before Jaune knew what he was doing he was following it through the maze of trees and bushes. It was tough work keeping up with it on foot and through the collection of tree branches but he did his best. As it rose higher and higher into the air Jaune began to slow his pace; he was getting a bad feeling.

Up ahead there was a clearing that seemed to lead into the mountains. He stopped just short so his form was obscured by the bushes but a clear view of the beaten pathway could still be seen.

There were almost twenty-two dead bodies lying in the middle of the road. There were no scorch marks or scars of battle around. The bodies weren't damaged in any way so Jaune couldn't figure out what had caused their deaths. Each of them were dressed in hospital garments, white shirt and pants and bare foot.

The bad feeling in his stomach intensified whilst hearing a humming sound begin to vibrate within his ears. To him it sounded like a cross between a flute playing and the sound of claws scratching on granite. The longer he heard it the more irritating it made him. He searched for the source of the noise; to his surprise it was coming from the drone. No, the drones, the four drones currently hovering above the pathway.

Almost as some type of greeting a chorus of familiar howls met the odd ball sound striking fear into the spine of every living creature in the area. Around him squirrels, raccoons, and countless other little forest animals either fled or ran as far up the trees as they could. Jaune envied them.

In mass the Grimm emerged from the tree line one like a pack of predators drawn to a fresh corpse. Beowolves, Boarbatusks, Ursa, Creeps, and a few Subterras. The sight of so many timing black masses caused Jaune's knees to go weak. I should be running now. Yet he wasn't running. For some reason he felt, dare he say it, safe.

The Grimm weren't interested in him, their attention was on the mass of dead bodies spread before them. The drones continued to emit that strange melody that seemed to hold their attention.

My God it's like a dog whistle! A way to call Grimm!

A Beowolf seemed to notice the bodies. It sniffed around the corpse then took its first bite out of the flesh. One by one the other Grimm moved forward taking a piece out of the bodies for themselves.

Jaune felt like he'd been strapped to an airship seat whilst it was doing a barrel roll. It was a good thing he'd already barfed once or else he would have been painting the forest floor for the second time that day.

Boom!

Turning back to the sign of the horrific feast Jaune couldn't believe what he was seeing. It blew his mind away and at the same time answered his question of where the fire-powered Beowolves had come from.

All of those Grimm that had taken a bite out of the corpses were now bursting into clouds of roaring flames. Their black bodies rapidly became engulfed in auras of red and orange so bright it lit up the entire area. The Beowolves howled, the Ursa roared, the Boarbatusks snorted, and the Creeps released a deprived moaning. A handful clawed at their masks with their transforming claws. Flames erupted between the cracks forming in their bone armor and masks. Pillars of fire shoot forth from the bony spikes of the Ursa and Creeps. They pounded against the ground and each other as if they could feel the fire racing through their bodies. Apparently they could because half of them were howling in true pain. Then some of them started exploding.

It was clear who was going to blow based on how hot they were burning. The flames concentrated around their chest areas turning them into torches in the middle of their bodies. They all raged wildly in accordance with the howling. Once the torches reached a certain size, they didn't stop growing until they condensed into a ball of fire that exploded with violent force. The black bodies disappeared completely in bright explosions of light and heat.

Countless explosions lit up the horde as many of the Grimm were going up in fiery clouds. A collection of them merged together taking not just the exploding Grimm but those beside them into oblivion. Whole groups of them disappeared in the blinking of an eye.

Dimly aware some of the burning shrapnel was impacting the greenery beside him Jaune reached for his Scroll. Whatever this was he had to get it on record and get it back to the academy. Jaune may not have been the smartest guy around but he knew danger when he saw it. Maybe he also should have gotten a few pics of the drones since they seemed to be recording the whole affair as well.

A few of the Grimm that weren't going up I flames appeared to be having better control over their new found power. Those that gritted their teeth were able to harness their flames, condense them into their bodies. Releasing victorious roars they emerged from the collective firestorms looking like beings walking out some horror novel.

The blond didn't stick around to see how many Grimm managed to tame the fire, he high-tailed it as soon as he saw three of them beginning to look like the two he'd fought earlier. He already knew what was coming next and there was no way in hell he could take down a horde of those flame-empowered Grimm. He wouldn't last a second.

Already he could hear the forest fires starting in the background. With any luck that'll get SOMEONE to notice that something's wrong! I mean come one, who's not going to notice a horde of burning Grimm at the center of a rapidly expanding forest fire! Jaune's expression dropped in the blink of an eye. No, i-i-it's too far away! There's no way those things could make it without getting spotted! From somewhere inside new strength surged through Jaune's legs allowing him to sprint harder than he ever had. The image of Ryswell going up in flames was clear and present in his mind. That was where the strength was coming from. That was what he feared would happen if he didn't make it in time.

Not much later he found himself running along beaten pathways he realized had to have been used by the older miners. He didn't have a choice in the matter. It was either waste time moving around the mountains or going straight through the abandoned networks to get to the other side.

Jaune already knew it was going to be hell but he'd do it.

That resolve wasn't totally unshaken when he saw the entrance to the old mine shaft blasted open. "Shit!" He yelled dashing into the darkness.

He didn't need light once he was inside, the aftermath of the Grimm's passage provided him more than enough light. Just by the footprints he counted Beowolves, Ursa, Boarbatusks, and Creeps trudging along the path towards town.

CLINK!

This time Jaune swung at the drone as it flew up to his face. "Listen, I don't know who you are or why you're doing this but you can't set those things loose! They'll destroy the town and everyone in it!"

The light on the drone's hood changed from green to blue. The accursed Grimm calling began playing.

Shouting in fury Jaune took a swing at the aerial bot only to miss. "Damn it!" He didn't have time for this! He had a town to save!

Using the burned footprints of the Grimm felt wrong to Jaune but it saved him the trouble of stumbling around in the mine shafts. What was he going to do once he caught up to the horde? The only viable plan he had was using the Fire-Dust he had to cause a cave-in to slow the horde down. That would only work if he found some way to get of them. Like hell that was going to happen. For the moment all he could focus on was catching up with them.

Almost twenty yards ahead the young knight saw an orange ball of fire heading towards him; he no longer had to worry about catching up with the horde.

Since he had such a clear view of the Ursa he was able to easily dodge its roll out attack even as it veered off course trying to hit him. Instead it smashed into the shaft wall. I've got one chance, one choice here. Either I live to survive this or…Jaune didn't relish seeing his great-aunt Lucille so soon but she was one of his favorite relatives. He'd at last have a few interesting stories to tell her when he saw her. Her kind wrinkled face was the last positive thing he thought of before he cranked up open a door he vowed he'd never open since his late night talk with Ruby.

Rows of fire began to line the darkness behind him just as he'd planned. In front of him the Ursa zeroed in on him with a keen interest. It wanted first dibs on him so it rolled forward leaving melted metal in its wake. Jumping three feet to the right he was able to watch the Ursa plow right into a conjugation. The rest of the Grimm blasted him with fire instead of trying a melee attack. Running close to the wall with his shield up probably wasn't the brightest idea but it was one Jaune used. He had a feeling his left arm wasn't going to be usable for a few weeks. A Boarbatusk came rolling at him. Stopping for only a fraction of a second Jaune raised his sword then brought it down just as he felt the flames begin to eat away at his skin. Another two came at him simultaneously. Jaune concentrated his power into his sword causing it to glow with that same brilliant light it did before. Cutting through two Boarbatusks felt different than cutting through a single Beowolf; he had to put more strength which was harder since he was only using one arm. Fleeing once the two Grimm were slayed saved him from a fire blast formed by multiple Grimm firing at once.

Keep going! Keep going! The mantra continued in his mind. He'd thought enough bad things to draw a significant number of Grimm to his location as evident by the field of torches crowding around him. Fire blasts, skimmed against his body, his lungs burned as smoke took them hostage, and his arms were throbbing from the pain. Still, he pressed onward. Slashing and thrusting at the burning shadows rapidly, he lost track of the number of Grimm he cut down. All he could register was the amount of blisters he had on his face. His blue eyes were stinging like they'd been stung by bees. In the midst of it a single voice spoke one thing over and over again-I don't want to die in here.-until it drowned out the chorus of Grimm. That drove him to cut a Beowolf in half at the hip then bisect another from shoulder to hip. A boom melted the area to his right as what was probably the same Ursa appeared before him. Its claw swipe was too fast for him to evade or block. Jaune's breastplate took the hit for him. He screamed in both pain and rage then thrusted his sword into the limb in a reverse position. Jerking the sword away he moved in just as the Ursa struck with its remaining arm. Crocea Mors cleaved through the beast's claws, through the arm, and into its main body. Kicking to the side to leave the dying Ursa behind afforded him the view of an over sized Creep tail swiping him. Jaune went into the wall back first feeling like he'd just been smacked with a metal baseball bat.

Blood pulled between his gums then formed a thumb-sized puddle on the ground. He didn't focus on it, he looked up and held out his sword to meet the gaping jaws of the Creep lunging at him. He had to admit, the rumors were try about the jaws of the bipedal monsters; they did look as ugly as a bowl of rotten cereal.

CLINCH!

Just as the Grimm's jaws closed down on the sword Jaune pushed his Aura into his sword. The Creep's eyes flared up a moment before the tip of a blazing white sword burst through the back of its skull. Sliding the blade clean through the right side of the skull nearly took the top of the Grimm's head off. With his shield the blond pushed aside the corpse before it could explode like the rest.

The countless Grimm took note of the change in the knight's eyes. In the tunnel of red, orange, and yellow his bright blue stood out as a sharp contrast. His whole body was glowing as a matter of fact with a light that reminded some strongly of the luminance glow of the moon. Unwilling to allow such an affront to their flame the Grimm opened fire on the blond knight.

Neither Jaune nor the Grimm saw what happened next but one thing was certain, the Grimm had just made a terrible mistake in attempting to roost the Arc alive.

A shimmering light wrapped around Jaune forming a solid sphere before it rapidly expanded through the mine shaft. It effortlessly plowed through the fire blasts then it slammed into the Grimm. The inferno was quickly swiftly snuffed out by the dome of light; the naked bodies of the Grimm then began to sizzle and catch fire. They screamed in pain, true heart-stopping, tearful pain. Their bodies caught fire only it seemed to eat away at their black fur and flesh like any other animal. If it was possible one might have felt sorry for the Grimm seeing their fearful eyes widening and their claws pulling back to cover their faces.

When the light was gone the only creature left breathing in mine shaft was the star-struck Jaune. No traces of the Grimm remained save for their partially scorched masks. At least twenty of them lay scattered in the dark, some of them were in pieces.

Feeling light-headed Jaune fell back against the wall content to enjoy the sudden peace and quiet. "Holy shit. Did I just…did I do this this?" Clearly he must have, there was no else around. How he'd done it was what ate away at his mind. Despite the new found respect he had for Crocea Mors he doubted there were the root of the bright light that had protected him and killed all the Grimm. None of the Dust he had with him was capable of such a feat either leaving Jaune with the last plausible reason, he himself had done it.

In the desperate panic he'd activated his Semblance.

Too bad he wasn't conscious enough to see it or realize how he'd done it. Pyrrha had spent weeks working with him to find out what his was. During all that time he'd been hoping it would be something awesome or spectacular. Judging by the damage he'd done his hopes had been answered.

"Screw this," he muttered shaking his head. "I don't have time to sit around here." Before he took another step Jaune tore the remaining armor off his body. By this point it was nothing but dead weight. "At last for once it actually saved my life." He didn't wait to hear the armor hit the ground before he took off running. With the absence of fire his lungs worked easier though his chest still hurt from the blows he'd taken earlier. He was still sweating to the point it blurred his vision. "Note to self, hit the shower as soon as this is over. First thing off the airship."

After what seemed like hours of running Jaune could see the light at the end of the tunnel, literally. For the briefest moments he was blinded by the sunlight's light. Clean and unclean air rushed through his nostrils confirming his fears that the horde had already come through. Once his sight returned in full he could see the trail of ashes left by the advancing Grimm. Following closely behind them was another set of drones. One drone hovered above him; if it was possible it seemed surprised to see him alive. Jaune wished he had a rock to throw or gun to shoot.

The hairs on the back of Jaune's head stood on end; immediately his shield went up as his legs pushed forward propelling him into a roll. Creating a small tremor on impact was another Ursa. It stood a few inches taller than the average Ursa. It must have been waiting for Jaune to make it out of the tunnel so it could ambush him. Jaune counted three battle scores on its mask as proof some brave fool had tried to take it down once and had no doubt not lived to try it again. Rearing back it breathed a stream of fire at him. This time Jaune's heart didn't thunder in his chest once Crocea Mors's shield half met the flames. He felt unsettlingly calm. Step by step he pushed himself forward noting how much stronger the stream became when he didn't falter.

Ceasing its attack the demonic bear rolled towards him, Jaune jumped out of the way still keeping his shield raised. Molten spikes jetted out from the fireball rolling across the blacken ground. Everything they impaled themselves in vanished in clouds of explosive fire. Jaune rolled back when the bone spikes bounced off nor only his shield but his body. Coming back up in a crouch position he fixed the Ursa with a fierce glare. Behind his shield he reached into his back pocket taking out two canisters: one contained wind Dust and the other was bright red with a sword printed on the front. After barreling what few trees remained in the area the Ursa came back directly at him at a greater speed. It gave off a final burst of flames from the spikes on its back propelling it toward, uncurling so it could sink its magma-like claws and jaws into him.

The wind gathered around Jaune as his Aura triggered the Wind Dust first. It grew into a might whirlwind he leaped off of, soaring well above the Ursa's reached. He could almost see the disappointment it felt as it crashed into the ground. Next came the A-Booster Dust, one of the four he'd been given by Ruby about two weeks earlier. A feint red light lit up his body then focused on his sword, giving it a red glow around the stained edges. Placing his shield hand over the palm of his sword Jaune used the last traces of the whirlwind to jettison towards the Ursa's exposed neck.

THUNK!

It slammed both its claws into the earth creating a ring of flame on impact. For Jaune it felt like he'd just dropped directly into a frying pain, which wasn't too far from the truth. Just like in the simulation his feet burned expect his legs got to join in on the fun too. Luckily he'd actually remembered to get his clothes flame-proofed at the school armory so the pain was only half of what it could have been. "This looked so much easier in the comics!" The blond shouted struggling to hold onto the bucking Ursa. When it stood back on its hind legs Jaune got an idea what it was planning. "Woah, wait a second!"

Acting faster than reason could stop him Jaune reached out and grabbed onto the Grimm's mask. Using the grip as support Jaune dragged his sword across the neck, one his sword hit open air he let go of the Ursa thus dropped to the ground. He hadn't decapitated the Grimm completely but he'd left it in enough pain that all it would take was one more blow. Seeing fire brewing in its jaws he ran forward and executed a perfect spin slash giving the Ursa a nice large wound on the stomach. Not stopping there he added another slash forming a cross. Its body went slack then still. With Crocea Mors's blade having turned completely red Jaune ended the Ursa's existence with one last slash, this one split it in half at the hip.

CLINK!

Something small and metallic skid across the ground, away from the remains of the Grimm's upper half. Blue orbs followed the object across the ground even as the Ursa went up in a shower of red and black. Sheathing his sword while he walked over Jaune didn't know what to make of the object. At best it was maybe a foot long, chrome metal, and somewhat light weight. A red blinking light sat at the end of a series of digital numbers. Near one end of the cylinder a black cog could easily be spun around, each rotation creating a tiny beep sound. Flipping it over brought his eyes to the insignia and a name.

PESTILENCE

Alongside the name was a jet black insignia that reminded Jaune of something out of a comic book. It freaked him out honestly. A distinctive bird skull was flanked on both sides by a set of wings that looked more like scythe blades than feathers. Or maybe they were scythes blades crafted to look like bird wings. The more the wings spread out the more sinister they became. Only by examining the wings did he realize the bird skull wasn't a bird skull at all, it was a plague doctor's mask. After wiping some of the blood and perspiration from his eyes Jaune saw the way the wings seemingly connected to the mask completing the scythe look. To sum up the emblem it was morbid; it combined two of the oldest symbols of death.

CLINK! CLINK! CLINK! BING!

Recognizing the sound of a gun being cocked he snapped his head back to find the drone heading straight for him. Its light had turned red and the gun muzzle was starting to flash. Impulse caused him to drop the cylinder to avoid being caught in the semi-automatic fire. Judging by the rate of fire and power Jaune had to guess the drone had been equipped with the equivalent of a two-hundred and fifty millimeter barreled Uzi.

I've been spending too much time around Ruby. Jaune thought off handedly.

With the young knight out of the way the drone flew in low, a secret compartment opening upon its belly. It was a magnet. The cylinder attached itself to the drone with a clap then it flew away into the open sky far out of Jaune's reach.

"Could this day get any weirder?" he yelled. "I mean come on what else is going to happen today!"

"J-J-Ja-Jaun-Jaune!"

In the blink of an eye the blond' tirade came to an end. Snatching his Scroll out of his pocket relief spread through his face at the sight of Pyrrha's blurry image. "Pyrrha!"

"W-W-We've be-beee-been-si-all day! We-air-air….fo…foro…"

"No! Pyrrha forget about me! There's a horde of Grimm heading for Ryswell from the backside of the castle! I know this is going to sound crazy but you have to believe me, they're not normal! I don't know how but they've…they've got…damn it I don't know how to say but they can control fire now! Yeah, fire! Just like Yang! Call the academy or the military, call someone with airpower! Get somewhere between twenty-six to forty-one barrels of ice type Dust ready! I don't know what I can do but I'm going on ahead to stop them!"

"W-Wh-at!? Wa-! Jau-Jaune! Jaune!"

He was probably going to get an earful from Pyrrha but that could wait. After what he'd been through Jaune could say he was probably looking forward to it.

Catching up to the Grimm horde had been the easy part, getting their attention had been a cake walk, but actually impeding their advance?

Yeah Jaune was sure if any of his peers were around they'd been laughing their asses off at his stupidity.

At least he'd managed to keep himself alive in the middle of a frenzied Grimm swarm as well as a raging wild fire. He came in screaming like a madman and by God had it worked. Before entering battle he'd activated the A and D boosters he'd been keeping stored away. As he fought his sword glowed red and his shield glowed blue.

In his eyes every flaming black mass had to be cut down and he did so with little hesitation. The fear he'd felt during his first time facing a Grimm was long gone. Instead something fierce burned in Jaune's breast. It burned so hot it made the infernos surrounding the Grimm seem tame in comparison. He hacked away at limbs like his life depended on it, which it did. He thrust so deeply in scorching hot fury until the entire blade had disappeared into their bodies. Every kill, every howl of pain, further stocked the fire inside of him driving him to slash and kill even more. It's possible Jaune would have gotten high on the feeling if he wasn't reminded every twenty seconds how painful a price he was paying.

CLLIIISSSHHH!

Locking his jaw into a snarl Jaune paid the Ursa back for slashing him across the back with vertical slash. That was probably the fifth time his back had taken a blow he'd been too slow to avoid. His arms had several sets of claws marks and burns on his armors. A handful were shallow and the other half made his arms feel like they'd been transmuted into lead. His legs had too many scratches from narrowly dodging the lunges of Creeps and Subterras. The positive side was Jaune could say beyond the shadow of a doubt he'd mastered learning how to concentrate his Aura into his legs. Whatever he struck out with his legs he was met with a satisfying crunch. Hell, his sneakers becoming stained with blood just as much as Crocea Mors was.

What was strange was no matter how much damage he took none of it was enough to cause him true, bone-searing pain. The concentrated fire blasts that should have boiled him alive never made contact; they hit something, a white wall of sorts that held up until the blasts faded away. Jaune pushed through the blasts with his shield until he was sure he was close enough to strike. The barrier became more and more pronounced with each passing second; its shape was shifting but the fact it was there was made clear to the masses of Grimm timing around the knight.

In its purest form it was an impenetrable shield they couldn't bypass. At least not individually. Forming lines a handful hanged back as their brethren continued their zerg rush against the Huntsman –in-training. They waited until he'd cut through them all, exhausting the last of the A-Booster he'd activated at the beginning of battle. Together Beowolves, Ursa, and Creeps began to throw their heads forward to release the miniature infernos building within their jaws.

Jaune saw the line and panicked. By instinct his body braced for the attack.

Then the loud crack of thunder silenced the nonstop hissing of the forest fire.

"JJJJJJJJJAAAAAUUUUNNNNNEEEEE!"

Jaune had only ever seen Nora's signature Thunder Drop, from a distance. Being almost at ground zero made him both fear and respect the attack a hell of a lot more.

BBBOOOMMM!

Hitting the dirt nearly broke his cheek bones but Jaune was gratefully. No sooner had he hit the ground was he being dragged up. He grinned sheepishly looking into Nora's turquoise eyes. "You always know how to make an entrance eh Nora?"

Grinning broadly she brought him into a tight hug. "I know right! You were watching that? We should have recorded it! We could make a video! Nora's top ten Thunder Drops! We could put it on the school website! It'd be awesome!"

Two more solid thumps took Jaune's attention away from his go-lucky teammate. In the crackling inferno Jaune thought Ren and Pyrrha had never looked better. "Thanks guys."

"Are you okay? Are you…" The words seemed to die within Pyrrha's mouth when she noticed the whit glow covering Jaune's body. Ren and Nora seemed to take notice as well as evident by their mouths dropping a little. "J-Jaune? What is that?"

All of their eyes widen at the exact same moment. Rearing his shield back he pushed it forward just in time to meet the oncoming Boarbatusk. There was another flash of light and the boar was crashing through a tree with its face looking like it'd just been smashed by a mallet.

"Talk later! Fight now!" the young knight cried.

The drone was there again. Jaune thought his eyes were playing tricks on him again but he could see it clearly moving through the wall of shifting orange and yellow. He knew something was coming. A towering figure began to break through the tree line. Jaune saw two scythe-like blades gleaming in the light.

"Guys! Kamakiri at four o'clock!"

"I got it!" Nora shouted getting off a shout in the giant mantis's general direction. It was intercepted by a fire blast.

"I'll handle it! For now you all-gah!"

In Pyrrha's case guarding against the Burning Grimm was much harder and dangerous than it was for Jaune. Most of his clothing wasn't made of metal and his shield wasn't a natural conductor for heat. Pain was nothing new to the Spartan, but the growing sense of urgency it brought screamed at her to end this as soon as possible. Flipping Akuo into its spear form after fending off the Beowolf she split it in two from the hip to the shoulder and went on from there.

Ren and Jaune watched the towering Kamakiri make its grand entrance into the battlefield with baited breath. Behind it the two boys saw the drone move direction into firing position. There was a sharp whistle then the Grimm's body began to jerk and twist. Jaune's face went ashen. In front of them the other three members of team JNPR watched the Kamakiri join the other Grimm in a flame enhanced power-up. Its razor sharp blades turned into wicked sharped flames mirroring its now positively fireball like eyes.

Wide eyes suddenly narrowed on the now flaming twelve foot giant insect. "You weren't kidding about the fire-power." Ren growled.

The Kamakiri swung its blades releasing four burning slashes that sent the four teens scattering across the battlefield. With a speed that betrayed its size it sprinted across the field low on its hind legs. Briefly its wings spread out to perform a three-sixty spin that leveled the surrounding trees as well as the remaining Grimm. The members of team JNPR hit the dirt at their leaders command then rose to continue their attack. Ren and Nora struck from one side while Jaune and Pyrrha from the other. The mantis Grimm crouched low again then jumped off the ground leaving the four stunned. As it descended it fired a stream of fireballs. Once again they scattered to avoid the damage. At random its eyes zeroed in on the single human it viewed as the most dangerous.

A stream of flames blasted from the Kamakiri's its anus like some kind of engine. In a flash of flames it was looming over the downed Valkyrie. Shocked Nora looked up to see the flaming blade heading straight for her.

Ren's pink eyes enlarged to dinner plate prepositions. His body was moving before he'd even realized he was sprinting at full speed. "NORA!"

Jaune was silent as the blade came sweeping down. He didn't want Nora to die. He wouldn't let her die. He wouldn't have it! He wouldn't let Ren suffer the pain of losing his closest friend! "NORA!"

CLING!

Hundreds of burning bone shards flew from the Kamakiri's broken blade. Nearly the entire blade was gone. In fear it stumbled backwards.

Ren and Pyrrha watched frozen the light down around a still breathing Nora. Besides the fact she was alive it was what had saved her that amazed them. A shield, white with golden outlines, hovered above the Valkyrie protecting her. It was six feet long and four feet in diameter. All their eyes stayed on the shield before they traced it back to the source, the second mass of light.

Jaune's eyes were locked on Nora, his body practically becoming a sphere of white and yellow light of the same kind as the shield that had saved Nora. He was the source of it. He'd projected it. Jaune didn't take any of that into account though. "Nora! Fire into its shoulders! Freeze them! Pyrrha aim for the legs and Ren blast the arms once Nora's done!" His teammates continued to stare at him in slack jawed awe. "Guys! Battle! Now!"

The gong sounded in their heads. With a savage cry Nora fired four ice-blue grenades at the stunned Kamakiri. Within the fifteen second window the joints of Grimm's arms were frozen Ren emptied Storm Flower, fire and lightning exploding in a crescendo of ice and steam.

"Heads up guys!" he shouted looking towards the sky to see the pair of Bullheads coming in fast and hot.

Against their hot skin the four teens were grateful for the cascade that rolled through the area. The rapid transition from hot to cold were heart-stopping but welcomed, especially for Jaune. In an instant the wildfire that had been raging around them died out. The flame coating the Grimm possessed turned into steam; they weren't able to handle the rapid thus fell to their knees in pain. As for the Kamakiri it howled to the skies, both its arms were gone and its fire had been temporarily snuffed out. Rather or not it would come back team JNPR wasn't willing to find out. Pyrrha darted from one leg to another, slicing cleanly through it with cold determination. Its face nearly hit the ground. Shrieking again it attempted to call back the mysterious power it'd been filled with. Out of the corner of its eyes it saw the blond knight making the final step towards its head. The sword in his hand burned white for an instant then he swung it.

One slash wasn't enough for Jaune, he swung again, and again, and again until the Kamakiri's mask shattered. Another wave of water fell down over the area extinguishing any flames that had been fighting to come back to life.

Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha joined their leader with their weapons still posed at the ready. Above them two Bullheads hovered protectively over their heads. Dropping down without a care in the world a very stern looking Professor Port joined in their little circle. The remaining Grimm knew when to cut their losses. With a snarl or growl the Grimm trudged away into the forest, some leaving trails of embers in their wake and others not so.

Professor Port turned to face Jaune to congratulate him but it died in his throat once he got a good look at the boy. His clothing was torn, he was bleeding and burnt in various places, his arms were throbbing, and if he had to guess he most have been dehydrated Pyrrha and Ren were supporting him and trying to access his condition. The boy kept shaking his head definitely asking if the town was safe.

"Ryswell is perfectly fine Mr. Arc." Professor Port spoke ending whatever argument that had been going on. With a canister in hand he walked over and offered it to Jaune. Greedily he drunk up its contents not even bothering to ask what it was. When he was finished Port knew the boy had seen some grave things based on the hard light in his eyes. "Jaune, what did you see out there? What happened?"

His face grew darker. "If you hadn't seen those Grimm then you wouldn't believe me." He'd lived through it. Against all the odds Jaune had lived through it and he was proud. Now came the hard part.

Jaune took his first steps to becoming a badass this chapter; what did you guys think? He bleed, he cried a little, and in the end he's come out just a little bit tougher. His Semblance did make an appearance and what it is will be explained much later on. His fighting style I tried to describe as being rocky now and defined by adrenaline fueled instinct rather than actual skill. In time that's going to change but for now I've set him up to be just a little tougher and smarter than Canon. By the way, I've been thinking about doing a Halloween themed chapter next, what do you think?