Let's take a quick break from dealing with Roman to address the "Jaune" arc. Ha, I made a funny. But seriously, this is basically Jaune dealing with his bully situation. Also, Matt, do you see the words "Sign up" when you first enter the Fanfiction homepage? Click on that... Follow the instructions... And now you have your own profile. It's really that easy. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY, the Persona series, Five Nights at Freddy's, or Devil May Cry.

Volume 2-7: A Knightly Thief

The next day during combat class, Jaune was facing off against Cardin. Cardin was a big guy, with orange hair and grayish eyes. He was dressed in full plate armor with the image of a bird stamped on the chest plate. His weapon was a large mace made of ten flat flanges with a Fire Dust crystal in the center, called The Executioner. However, it was only doing so much to metaphorically execute Jaune. While Cardin had been able to knock Crocea Mors and its shield out of Jaune's hand, Rubeus Rex had plenty of mass over The Executioner to block on its own, and Jaune was just as skill fighting one-handed. The two had their weapons locked, Carding looking pretty smug. "This is where you lose."

"You sure?," Jaune said, "Because I see a major weak spot." He caught Cardin off-guard by kicking him in the crotch, causing the big guy to whimper in falsetto. Cardin backed off as Jaune rolled over to retrieve Crocea Mors, then leapt into the air in a spiral. Thinking quickly, Cardin opened The Executioner to blast Jaune with shots from the Fire Dust crystal, only for Jaune to tank it and strike at Cardin. "The heck...?" Cardin took a quick look at the nearby board and was shocked to see his blasts had hardly phased Jaune. Jaune, who had his back to Cardin, smirked. 'Really glad Don Quixote gives me fire resistance.'

Nearby, Jaune's team was looking at the fight. "He's incredible," Pyrrha said, "Where did he learn how to fight?" "I'm not sure," Ren admitted, "But from the looks of it he's had several teachers. His style is multifaceted, to the point where if one is blocked he can easily adapt." "Kick his butt, Jaune!," Nora called out. Team RWBY was also watching. "So Jaune's Persona let him tank that attack without risking his Aura?," Yang asked. "All Personas have resistances and weaknesses," Ruby said with a nod, "In Jaune's case, Don Quixote is resistant to fire and vulnerable to ice."

"That doesn't bode well for Cardin," Weiss noted, "According to his teammates, he always focuses on using Fire Dust, since it fits perfectly with his fighting style." Finally, the match ended with Jaune's swords inches from Cardin's neck. Jaune still had seventy-two percent of his Aura, while Cardin had dropped well below thirteen. "Well done," Glynda said as she approached, "Jaune, your technique certainly shows great promise. Cardin, you need to try and learn how to adapt. Not every opponent will fall so easily to such a straightforward fighting style. I'd recommend varying your Dust usage."

Cardin grunted in annoyance, but nodded. Glynda then turned to the rest of the class. "Remember everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away. It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving, so remember to keep practicing. Those who choose to compete in the tournament, will be representing all of Vale." Ruby was practically bouncing with excitement. Cardin rejoined his team. "So what did you think?," Russel asked. "He's good, no doubts there," Cardin admitted, "But something's off about him. I find it hard to believe he got such a fighting style from your typical academy."

"The guy's insufferable!," Jaune called out. He was with his team, Team RWBY, and Team FJGS in the cafeteria. "What did I ever do to him to make me his personal punching bag!? This week alone, he's shoved me into the Rocket Lockers, triggered the shield mode on Crocea Mors' sheath just as I walking through the door to class, knocked my scroll out of my hands just because, and bumped the table I was using in shop class! I nearly broke the engine on Rubeus Rex!" "Sounds like this was catharsis for you," Yang said with a smirk, "Why do you even put up with it?" "Hey, better someone who can handle it and fight back when given the chance," Jaune pointed out, "If it's not me it'll just be someone else."

"Like her?," Nora said. She pointed to where Cardin and his team were teasing a rabbit Faunus with light brown hair and matching eyes. Cardin was tugging on her rabbit ears. Jeremy's hand clenched. "A little intervention, methinks," Fritz said to his team. Susie stood up, her brothers with her. Cardin had been laughing for a moment, until he felt someone tugging on his ear. "Doesn't feel so good, does it?," Jeremy said, his burning red eyes actually scaring the rest of Team CRDL, "Cuz that's what you're doing to Velvet. Or did you think our animal ears were some sort of decoration?" That got the entire cafeteria laughing.

Ruby shook her head with a smirk. As they filed out, she walked up to Jeremy. "You really stuck your neck out there. What if the teachers caught you doing that?" "Then I'd explain what Cardin was doing," Jeremy said, "Believe me, I've spoken with the faculty and they know how much of a jerk Cardin is. I've every confidence they'd believe me. Besides, I had to stand up for my fellow bunny. It's especially terrible since Velvet Scarlatina is actually a second-year student." Ruby nodded. "I'm surprised the teachers didn't step in." "They can't be everywhere," Jeremy pointed out, "And we're supposed to be learning how to defend ourselves. Doesn't mean we can't help each other." Ruby smiled.

I am thou, thou art I
Thou hast awakened to a new vow

It shall become the wings of hope
That lead thou to a shining future

With the birth of the Devil Arcana
Thou hast obtained the key to balancing light and shadow

Devil (Jeremy Holmes) Rank 1: A Huntsman in training and member of Team FJGS. Despite his nihilistic views, he still chooses to stand up for his fellow Faunus.

The next class was History, and Jaune was especially keen on the subject. The teacher here was Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck, a veteran Huntsman with spiky green hair and eyes that seemed to shift in color regularly, though it was hard to tell considering he was wearing thick glasses. He also wore a white shirt with yellow tie, brown pants, and black shoes. He also talked about a mile a minute, though he did try to slow down for the sake of the students.

"Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution," he stated, "More popularly known as the Faunus War, humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie." Jaune raised his hand. "Yes Mister Arc?" "I've often heard many use the racial slur 'animal' to refer to Faunus," Jaune said, "But to be honest that doesn't make sense to me. I mean, Faunus can speak human language, they can ignore base instinct the same way humans can, and other than the various animal parts they're born with they look exactly like humans. So why would anyone refer to them as animals?"

"Two major reasons," Oobleck replied, "The first, sadly, is sheer ignorance. Propaganda has painted the Faunus in a dangerous and often monstrous light, and in our modern society many cannot look past it. The second, while less common, is no less terrible. Some simply see the Faunus as lesser beings. However, at least with the former people still know what they're getting. The second often leads to people underestimating the Faunus. For example..."

He took a quick sip of coffee. "Can anyone here tell me what many people consider to be the turning point in the war?" Weiss immediately raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Schnee." "The battle at Fort Castle," Weiss said. "Precisely," Oobleck said, "Now, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?" Now it was Jaune who raised his hand. "Mister Arc?" "Night vision," Jaune said, "Most Faunus possess it, especially those with traits of nocturnal animals."

"Correct," Oobleck said, "General Lagune was inexperienced, and thought the Faunus would simply fall asleep once the sun set like any animal would." He took another sup of coffee. "However, as Mister Arc pointed out, Faunus are still mostly human, and can think strategically. So Lagune's Faunus opponents, suspecting a night raid, took advantage of their near-perfect vision even in the darkness, and easily defended against Lagune's ill-planned ambush. Ultimately, General Lagune was captured, in spite of having the larger army."

"You'd think he'd have done his research," Cardin said, "An experienced general wouldn't have fallen so easily to a bunch of animals." He then found Oobleck right up in his face. "I'll thank you not to bring speculation or prejudices into my classroom, Mister Winchester. We're here to learn about history and banish ignorance. Perhaps some additional readings after class will be enough to make you understand that." Cardin groaned as his head hit the desk.

Later, Pyrrha brought Jaune up to a small balcony. "I really feel I should ask," Pyrrha said, "Where did you learn how to fight? And how do you know so much about history?" "Well," Jaune said, "I was taught by this guy named Philemon. He never said his last name, if he even has one. Of course, he was never a real fighter, but he brought in this group of young warriors from somewhere that had learned to fight on their own. Thanks to them I was able to become a better fighter. Which is good, because I never really had any formal training."

Pyrrha looked surprised. 'But your transcripts..." "All forged," Jaune admitted, "Though the faculty is aware of that. Actually, Ozpin admitted he nearly framed my transcripts with how expertly I did the forging. He said that if there's one thing he's learned the value of, it's ingenuity, which he felt I showed great promise in. Maybe that's why he chose me as a team leader." What neither of them knew was that Cardin was right below them, his team dorm's window just under their feet. "Hear anything interesting," Russel asked. "Nothing the faculty doesn't already know," Cardin said, a little disappointed, "Those forged transcripts would have perfect, but apparently Ozpin was way too impressed with them."

"So we got nothing," Russel said. Cardin shushed him, hearing something else. "So what were you doing in Vale the other day?," Pyrrha asked. Jaune held his hand to silence her. He carefully leaned over the balcony and narrowed his eyes, his thief mask manifesting. "They're not saying anything," Sky said. Just then, they saw a skeletal figure in armor, flames starting to emerge from its mouth. Jaune smirked as Team CRDL screamed. "Run for it!," he heard Cardin call out. He then turned to Pyrrha. "We should find a more quiet place to talk next time. Preferably away from the dorms."

Pyrrha realized what Jaune was referring too. "Oh my... I'm sorry, I didn't realize. But that mask..." "Yep," Jaune said, "I'm both a knight... And a thief. I was offered to join the Phantom Thieves during a training trip to Atlas." He then took Pyrrha's hand, causing her to blush. "Why not come with us during our next trip? You can understand just what it is we do." Pyrrha's breath caught in her throat. When she finally recovered, she said, "I suppose I could give it a try. Though it sounds dangerous." "Hey, it's no more dangerous than being a Huntsman or Huntress," Jaune pointed out. Pyrrha nodded. "Then I think I will join you."

Yes folks, I'm starting to sail the Arkos ship. Also, for those of you who are curious, the individuals Philemon brought in to train Jaune are the Investigation Team from Persona 4. The sword skills from Yu Narukami, dual-wielding like with Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka gave him some martial arts tips, Yukiko Amagi taught him how to fight with grace, Kanji Tatsumi helped him gain raw strength, Teddie provided a means to keep calm during a fight, Rise Kujikawa showed him knowledge of combat tactics, and Naoto Shirogane taught him observation and precision. Hope everyone is still safe out there. Read and review.