Hello, and welcome to A Bold Opportunity. This is my first attempt at doing this in a while so comments are welcome. If you have positive reviews please comment. If you have some criticisms and such, I will be more than happy to hear them. I only ask to that you be respectful, I am more than happy to receive some critiques to improve my writing and storytelling. If you are worried about OCs, don't be, they are only hole fillers and will not serve a greater purpose besides being a name.
On another note, this story is inspired by a story idea from BlackJackHero, the writer for A Second Chance. If you haven't read it yet and find this story interesting, I recommend giving it a read. I also already contacted them about using this idea and received the Okay to go ahead with it. Matter of fact-
Beta Readers: BlackJackHero, IN5URGANC3
Chapter 1- Not the Start We Expect
Jaune Arc can't help but wonder how he ended up here as he stares up past the tree branches from the ground, blue sky above him. Groaning from someone nearby broke him out of his stupor. Looking around, he could see the cause of his latest predicament. Scrambling over to the downed boy with burnt orange hair and gold-trimmed, silver-grey plate armor, he slaps his face lightly, asking, "Cardin...Cardin are you ok!?"
Groaning, Cardin pushes him off. "I'm fine, Arc!"
"That's good. What the hell happened?"
"We crashed," deadpanned the taller of the boys.
"I know that. I'm asking how did we crash." Jaune shot back with an equally flat face.
"How should I know, I ain't the pilot."
"THE PILOT!" Jaune screeches as he begins looking around what is now evidently the area cleared by the bullhead crash they seemed to have survived. As the blonde knight scrambles, Cardin also begins to look around, seemingly searching for his weapon. Jaune figures he is looking for his mace to defend them since he was radiating negativity.
This is bad, I need to calm down and figure out what we can do.
Another groan catches his attention. Snapping his head to the right he locates a body lying next to a rather large rock. "I've found him!" Kneeling over the pilot he begins to inspect for injuries.
"This is bad. His leg is broken and he is bleeding from the head."
"What are we gonna do with him?" the voice of the other boy questioned from behind.
"We gotta take him with us, luckily it doesn't look like we will have trouble with moving him." Jaune stated while eying Cardin. "We are not leaving him behind."
Cardin spreads his muscular arm and gestures around, indicating the clearing the bullhead has made. "Take him with us to where exactly? In case you didn't notice, we are in the middle of nowhere."
Another groan catches the attention of the boys. They turn their heads away from each other and towards the newly conscious pilot. They watch as he struggles to sit up with one hand over his left side, coughing occasionally. He manages to sit up and brace himself on the rock he was found next to and begins to speak.
"We were headed east in the bullhead, when it started to randomly malfunction; we shouldn't be too far from a small village that sits on the shore of Lake Matsu. We were only about 30 mins out. I think its name is Higanbana - should be straight east of our current location."
"That was by bullhead. How long do you think that's gonna take?" scoffed the large ginger, pointing out the older man's leg. "And you don't look like you will be making that walk anytime soon."
"What do you mean the bullhead started to malfunction?" Jaune asked
"Exactly what I said. All the systems just started to go crazy, everything was going off before the bullhead stalled for no apparent reason."
Cardin scoffs at this information, "That doesn't really help us." He then glances down at the man. "And again, you seem pretty much useless right now."
Jaune stands back to his full height and begins looking around for something. "I get it, Cardin!" He glances at the taller boy, giving him a hardened look. "This doesn't look good, but he is going to need help. And we are not leaving him behind." Jaune continues to scour the site, until he stops in front of what looks to be a panel broken off of the bullhead during the crash. He crouches down and lifts one end, dragging it over to where the seated man is.
"What are you doing?" Cardin questions as he stands, watching the blonde teen.
"I'm putting a sled together so he can be transported semi-safely."
"Why not just unlock my aura?" asks the pilot
Cardin looks at him, "That would be stupid."
"What? Why?"
"A few reasons. One: you trained?" the pilot shook his head, "Ok not a deal breaker but makes the second point better. Two: it cost aura to do. This would weaken one of us," Cardin points between him and Jaune "the trained combatants." Cardin made air quotes when he said the word trained. "Last reason: it can attract Grimm. It's not really more than negative emotions, but it means always being a target versus being one when you are sad."
"Thank you," hisses the pilot in obvious pain.
"Whatever." Cardin scoffs as he walks over to what is left of the cockpit before rummaging around. He seems to locate a pack of some sort and throws it at Jaune.
"What's this?" Jaune asked.
"Parachute. You can use it to hold him on the metal and make a harness for the person pulling; should also be able to use the actual shoot as some kind of cushion between him and the panel."
Jaune just stares at Cardin blankly for a few moments.
"What!?" snapps the ginger.
"Nothing, just kind of surprised. So, what else do we have?"
"Well, we got some snacks and this small first aid kit."
Jaune reaches up and takes the kit to look for something to clean and treat the pilot's head injury. After a little searching, he locates gauze and bandages. He begins wrapping up the pilot, while the man says to look for the front panel as it should have a compass attached. Cardin walks over to the largest piece of it and begins searching. When he does locate the compass, it is still stuck in the panel. He grasps around the rim that separates it from the rest of the metal and, with a great show of strength, rips it free and walks back towards the other two in his group.
"We don't have a way to defend ourself besides this." He holds up what looks to be the metal shaft of Executioner.
"What happened to your mace?" Jaune asks as he begins to fasten the pilot to the metal plate, causing him to grunt and groan in pain. After a little bit of effort, the man is secure.
"Looks like the dust crystal blew up on impact and just left me with the shaft. What about your sword?"
Jaune just looks down and sighs while finishing his work. After setting up the handmade sled to be pulled by the harness, he places it around himself and makes sure everything is on tight.
Raising his hand with the compass, Cardin continues, "Right... Well, it's only midday so we should probably get moving. Just follow my lead, Arc."
As they begin walking, Jaune can't help but go back to his earlier question of how they got to this point.
One Day Ago
"Hey, great work Jauney boy," calls out Cardin.
Jaune hobbles back into the clearing where team CRDL is seated. He had just finished collecting the sap needed to complete an assignment handed out by professor Peach during their trip to Forever Fall. Cardin had found out Jaune's secret and is currently using it to blackmail him into being his errand boy. The ginger has Jaune running all about for something as simple as a late-night snack, to much more dangerous tasks like securing a bag of Rapier Wasp.
"I think I'm allergic to this stuff," Jaune complains through his stuffed-up nose.
"You'll be fine, don't you wanna know why I had you grab so many Jars?"
"Among other things," comes the reply.
Jaune's mind wanders back to his partner, Pyrrha, and what she might think about his secret. At first, she seemed ok, but the more time he spends with Cardin, the more irritation he would see on Pyrrha's face.
"Good. Come on and follow me," Cardin states with a wave, "And bring the Jar."
As Jaune trudges along behind the group, he begins to hear talking and laughing from the direction they are traveling in. Ahead of him, Cardin and his team come to lie down at the the top of a hill. As Jaune approaches, Cardin pulls him down, as well. Once on even ground with the other boys, he is pointed in the direction of the sound. There, he sees the rest of his team, JNPR, and their sister team, RWBY, collecting sap.
A mane of long, black hair with a long magenta strip turns to reveal Ren handing a jar of sap to Nora. The short, turquoise-eyed girl grinned, ready to dive in and sample some more of the gooey liquid. To the right, Weiss' white hair catches Jaune's gaze as the girl checks her scroll. Just past them are Blake and Yang, chatting away while Pyrrha quietly fills another jar on her own. The youngest and closest of the group, Ruby, struggles to remove a tap she placed a bit too far into a tree, Nora swiftly coming to her aid (due to Ren's realization of their depleting sap jars).
"Cardin," Jaune asks nervously, "What are we doing?"
"Revenge on Nikkos, there," comes a curt reply, as he points out the red-haired girl. "How dare she make a fool of me?"
While saying this, he stands and pulls out a box emitting a buzzing sound, an occasional bump audible, like something is trying to escape. The group follows suit, curios to see what is in his hands.
"And thanks to these Rapier Wasps, it will be pretty easy to accomplish."
"C... Cardin you can't, that's..." he starts, but is cut off.
"With the sap Jauney here collected, we have the perfect way to put a target on her." Heproclaims with a wicked sneer on his face.
Jaune remembers the report Cardin made him type up the other day and how it mentioned that the wasps were attracted to the sap in Forever Fall. It also mentioned how their stingers could bypass aura and their venom, if not treated in time, could cause severe reactions, sometimes leading to death. It this realization that leads to Jaune snapping.
"I'm not going to let you do this!" he yells as he tackles the larger boy to the side.
As the two boys begin to roll on the ground trying to land punches and knees on each other, the box containing the wasp is knocked aside and the sounds they make are noticed by the people below. In the scuffle, Jaune manages to position himself on top of Cardin and starts to rain punch after punch down on the larger boy. Upon seeing this, the remainder of team CRDL decides it is time to step in, but right then, the box finally gives way and the wasps erupt out, buzzing menacingly above the two on the ground. The rest of team CRDL yells out and runs, not knowing how to handle this particular type of Grimm. Just then, Nora and Ruby, who were closest to the sounds, crest the hill, having heard the commotion, and witness Jaune pummeling Cardin, each punch accompanied with a growled word.
THUMP. "Don't!" THUMP. "You!" THUMP. "Threaten!" THUMP. "My!" THUMP. "FRIENDS!"
"JAUNE!" Nora and Ruby yell out.
This makes Jaune and Cardin look in the direction of the two girls, but they are not the only ones to notice them. The Rapier Wasps seem to turn with ill intent towards the two girls as they yell, noticing the smell from the sap that surrounds Nora's mouth and stains Ruby's tunic from when she was removing the tap. Before anyone can really grasp the situation, the wasps speed off in the direction of the girls, stingers primed to bring down and devour their targets.
Ruby and Nora both reach behind them to deploy their weapons - the scythe, Cresent Rose, and warhammer, Magnhild. This does not work out, however, as both are weapons that possess a long shaft. Jaune screams in horror as the stingers sink into the flesh of the girls and knock them back and down the hill. Without thinking, he rises off of Cardin, draws his sword, Crocea Mors, and slashes the wasps from behind, splitting them in half before they can give chase.
Pyrrha's group hears the loud yelling and looks towards its source, only to see Ruby and Nora rolling down the hill with weapons trailing behind. The world seems to stop for the group, only starting again when the girls hit the bottom of the hill with a thump, not showing any signs of standing up.
"RUBY! NORA!" come the yells from the remainder of the teams as they rush to their sides.
Ren and Yang are the first to arrive at the girls' side and immediately began checking them over for injuries. While most of JNPR and RWBY fret over the toppled pair, Pyrrha and Blake cast their eyes to the top of the hill where they see Jaune standing there with sword drawn. Blake's eyes narrows while Pyrrha's widen. Just as they are about to call out to Jaune, a stern voice rings out in the clearing.
"What is going on here!?" Glynda Goodwitch demands.
"First, misters Thrush, Bronzewing, and Lark come screaming about wasps and..."
She trails off as her eye land on the girls. Using her crop, she quickly moves the surrounding group aside and immediately notices the holes present on the front of the girls' clothing. She pulls out her scroll and presses a button, before switching it over to call mode, while lifting them. Once the call connects, she speaks aloud.
"I have two students injured by Rapier Wasp stings. Tt looks to be three each. I will need the infirmary prepped and ready with anti-venom. The large bullhead is already nearby and should be promptly responding to my emergency signal."
She closes her scroll and looks around, searching for certain students. When her eyes locate them, she speaks, "Misters Thrush, Bronzewing, and Lark, explain what you were screaming about before right now."
The boys explain the plan with the extra jar of sap and how Cardin then produced a box of wasp that Jaune had caught. As soon as this information is revealed, Yang's stoic expression erupts into rage.
"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGRRRRRRR, I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Hair ablaze, she leaps towards the mentioned boys with a rabid snarl on her face. She would have descended upon them like an angry fire god if she hadn't found herself suspended in midair courtesy of Ms. Goodwitch.
"Ms. Xaio-Long, I will not have you attacking other students on my watch."
Yang answers with unintelligible grunts and growls as she struggles to break free of Ms. Goodwitch's semblance. Before the vice headmistress can continue, the bullhead is heard overhead. She makes sure all the students are onboard before directing it to fly to Beacon with utmost urgency. Upon arrival at the school, she tells all student to return to their rooms.
"Not you, Mr. Arc and Mr. Winchester. You two are to report to Headmaster Ozpin's office and await our arrival."
All eyes of the remaining first years turn to the mentioned individuals as Ms. Goodwitch begins walking away while floating Nora and Ruby, the rest of their teams not far behind. In the infirmary, the girls are given the anti-venom, and laid down on beds.
"Ms. Goodwitch what is going to happen now?" Pyrrha questions weakly.
"The two should recover fairly quickly, waking up tomorrow with a little soreness. Luckily, the wasp did not pursue the two, as they have been known to do. Because of this, the girls only suffered some minor poisoning. As for the other parties involved in this incident..." Glynda sighs and reaches up, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger, "They will most likely be disciplined to the highest degree for directly endangering another student."
Pyrrha is about to speak up, but holds her tongue when she thinks of Jaune's confession to her about his transcripts. Maybe this is for the best. He will most likely be sent home, away from danger. He won't be a risk to himself and others. And we will be rid of Cardin and his bigoted ways. Pyrrha looks over at Nora, Ren by her side, gently holding her hand. He was showing the more emotion than he had ever shown since their meeting.
She then glances at the members of her sister team crowded around the bed of their young leader. This sight only seems to reinforce her thoughts on the matter. Cardin, the cause of this, and Jaune, the "liability", would be gone. She hates herself for thinking this and a little voice in the back of her mind tells her to stand up for her partner, but she knows it would be for the best. "Ms. Goodwitch, I think that my team would be ok with this decision and support the headmaster. Our leader has been distancing himself as of late and spending more time with Cardin and I feel this is as much his fault as Cardin's."
Goodwitch just stares at the girl, before looking towards Ren, who gives stern agreement. This is followed by the agreement of the remainder of team RWBY. She can only sigh and turn to leave the infirmary before making her way towards the headmaster's office. As she steps out of the room, she bumps into Ozpin, who simply nods that he heard the two teams, while sipping from his mug. They both begin to walk away but not before hearing Ms. Nikkos say, "There is something I should tell all of you..." Both adults shake their heads as they continue to walk away.
Jaune can't help but worry about his friends. It feels like ages since they were told to report here as his legs rhythmically tap with a nervous energy. Cardin sitting next to him just seems to be more annoyed than anything, having a nasty scowl on his face. They both turn to the elevator door as the telltale ding that signals an arrival rings out. Jaune shoots to his feet, "Are Ruby and Nora OK!?"
The Headmaster hides his gentle smile with a sip from his mug before answering. "Rest assured, Mr. Arc, Ms. Rose and Valkyrie will be just fine after a night of rest." Jaune sighs in relief as he slumps back into his chair. "You and Mr. Winchester, on the other hand, are not in the clear." He suddenly sits up ramrod straight.
Glynda then speaks up, "Never in all my time as Vice Headmistress have I seen such irresponsible and reproachable behavior. Everything that happened today is a direct result of both of your actions. Not only did you endanger your fellow classmates, but you intended to bring harm to one for petty reasons. In doing so you injured two uninvolved students. With everything that has happened, I have no choice but to exp-"
"That is enough, Glynda." Interrupts a rather calm Ozpin. "I will speak with the boys alone for now."
"But Headmaster-" Ozpin holds up a hand, followed with a motion for Glynda to leave.
During this, Jaune has not looked up from the floor while Cardin continues to sit there believing that none of this is going to affect him. Neither make a sound even after Glynda has been gone for several minutes. The only sounds in the room are the clicking of the gears and the occasional sipping sound made when the headmaster takes a drink. Finally, the headmaster speaks, "Well I suppose we should start with you, Mr. Winchester. Based on what I have heard from your teammates, this incident was of your design. Is this correct?"
Cardin looks at the headmaster while thumbing towards Jaune. "It was Jauney here who gathered the wasp and the extra jar of sap." Ozpin takes another sip while listening. "He gathered up everything and is the reason that the wasp got free after he randomly assaulted me."
Jaune rises from his chair again, this time in anger. "Like hell this is on me, you-" starts Jaune, raising the volume with each word.
"Mr. Arc!" yells Ozpin "Let him finish his side."
"But Headmaster Ozpin, he-"
"Let. Him. Finish."
Cardin just smirks at Jaune.
"I think he attacked me because I found out his secret."
"Oh," Ozpin raises an eyebrow, "And what secret is that?"
Jaune glares at Cardin as harshly as possible, wishing he could finish what he started. "Well, Headmaster, Jauney here faked his way into Beacon with some falsified transcripts." Jaune lowers his head in defeat as the truth is finally out there.
"Disappointing," states Ozpin gravely and Jaune only seems to grow smaller.
"Exactly," Cardin followed. "Now with this new information, I'm sure you know what's best."
"Yes, I do. This is truly disappointing of you, Mr. Winchester."
"What?" comes a dumbfounded response from the two boys.
"Mr. Winchester, I have known about Mr. Arc's transcripts from the beginning. I chose to allow him in the school based on his character and desire to help those around him. The idea was to allow him to grow into a great huntsman alongside people like yourself who were always afforded a chance. I will also state we are well aware of your actions in this matter. We are aware of your actions against the faunus and even some of your fellow human students. So, in light of your most recent actions, we are sorry to say that you are expelled from this academy. You are welcome to apply to the other academies, but with your track record, I think you will find it most difficult."
Cardin just sits there with a dumb look on his face. Jaune watches as the look slowly changes from dumb to frustrated, to another look Jaune was familiar with – a look he wore after every time his father turned him down for training. This look hurt, Jaune even though he knows Cardin brought this on himself.
"Now you, Mr. Arc, are a different matter. While your actions did, indeed, prevent further harm to the other students, your involvement in collecting the wasp and the sap cannot be denied. While it is true you did so while being blackmailed about your transcript, it is now a known fact to multiple students that you are responsible for bringing in what can be considered a very dangerous Grimm with the potential to kill others."
Jaune's face pales with every word the headmaster says. He knows he messed up, but now it is really setting in how badly. He endangered everyone around him when he brought those things into school, and making things worse is the fact that he knew how dangerous those things are because of the report he wrote on them.
"This, along with your team's consent, has led me to the decision to expel you, along with Mr. Winchester." Jaune's whole body seems to deflate with the delivery of this news. "But I can do something for you, if you wish to still be a huntsman." The blonde perks back up with this news. "I can recommend you for another academy of your choice."
Jaune is excited by this, but does not want to leave his newfound friends behind. "Headmaster?" he questions, "Is it ok if I talk to my team and see if they will agree to let me stay? I will tell them the truth about my transcripts and this incident and hopefully this will get them to change their minds."
Ozpin sighs upon hearing the optimism in the boy's voice. "You are welcome to try, Mr. Arc."
With those words, Jaune stands and takes off towards the elevator. As he is leaving, the headmaster calls out to him, but Jaune is too distracted by his own thoughts to pay it much attention. Reaching the bottom floor, he takes off towards where he knows his teammates would be located. As he approaches the doors of the infirmary, he hears talking. The closer he gets, the clearer the words become.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE HIM!" comes an angry shout that could only be Yang. "First, he starts hanging with that asshole Cardin. Then he helps him in trying to get back at Pyrrha, only to hurt RUBY!" He can practically feel the heat coming from the room, no doubt generated by Yang. He's sure she will understand once he tells them about everything, but his blood freezes upon hearing the next words. "And now you're telling me he doesn't even deserve to be here!"
Weiss' voice comes next. "I should've known. It all makes sense! No one should be that bad coming into Beacon. He clearly doesn't have the training to be here. To make matters worse, his entry is illegal and should be reported to the police." Jaune's heart nearly stops at these words. Even though he has been distant from his team for the last week or so, he still holds hope that they will defend him.
Until he hears Pyrrha. "We already told the headmaster that we were ok with the worst punishment he could receive. After I saw him standing at the top of the hill Nora and Ruby came rolling down, I knew he had something to do with whatever happened. Put that together with the fact he was the one to gather the wasp that attacked them, I think expulsion would be for the best; this way none of us will be put in danger by his weakness again."
"I agree." Comes a solemn tone that can only be Ren.
Jaune takes his hand away from the door and begins to make his way back to Ozpin's office. The walk starts off slow, picking up pace until he is jogging. From the jog, he pushes himself into a full-blown sprint. As he tears his way through the hallways of Beacon, he bumps into someone, paying them no real mind and continuing with his mad dash, tears falling behind him the whole way. The elevator ride back to the office feels longer than before, leaving Jaune with plenty of time to consider his options. With a ding, the door opens for him, and one of the first things he notices is how lifeless Cardin seems as he sits there.
"Ah, Mr. Arc. I see you have returned. That was rather quick. I hope that means good news." Jaune's silence is telling. "I see. Well, I don't mean to make things worse, but while you were out, I placed a call to your household. They requested that I send them the Arc family sword, and give you a message. They say you are to return home immediately." Jaune just stares straight ahead, unmoving. "I must comply to their first request, seeing as it does indeed belong to the Arc family, but for the second request, it is just that: a request of you to return home," states the headmaster while sipping from his mug.
It takes a few seconds until it finally clicks with Jaune. "If it is a request, then I would appreciate it if you let my family know about my transfer of schools. I still intend to be a hunter."
As Ozpin stares into the young Arc's eyes, they show nothing but a burning determination. This young man seems to be more motivated than ever. "Well, Mr. Arc, which school wound you like to attend?"
Jaune pauses for a second, glancing back at Cardin. Once again, he sees that familiar look on his face. Should I help him?
No, Jaune, it's his fault you're in this mess in the first place.
I understand that but, when I look at him now, I can see myself every time dad turned me down. It hurt so much to be told I wasn't allowed to follow my dream. To constantly watch my dad go out, being a hero to people, while telling me I couldn't.
So? He didn't care about your dream. Matter of fact, he was pretty much using it to blackmail you. Why show him pity!?
It's not pity; it's a chance. A chance for both of us to be more.
Why give him a chance!? Is this just to feed your hero complex!?
No! Maybe! I don't know, maybe I just want to pay it forward- "Because someone gave me a chance." he says in a whisper while looking at Ozpin. He stands up a little straighter, hardening his resolvebefore asking, "Well, what academy do you think would be good for the both of us?"
At this, Ozpin raises an eyebrow at the young man in front of him, "Us?"
"Yes sir: Us. Me and my new partner." Jaune points at Cardin as he says this. Ozpin continues to stare at the young man. "I want to give Cardin the chance that my father never gave me. I know he had his chance, but now he can get a second one."
Cardin stands up and charges Jaune, lifting him up by the collar and yelling "I DON'T NEED YOUR PITY!"
Jaune just stares him in the eyes, "Good, cause you're not getting it." Jaune slaps Cardin's hand down. "The only thing I'm giving you is a chance; nothing else."
Ozpin watches the exchange before looking down at his terminal and typing in a few things. "Gentlemen, you're in luck. It seems that Haven Academy has recently had a couple of drop outs leaving one first year team incomplete. I'll have you both sent over, but I need you to make me a promise." Both young men look at their now ex-headmaster expectantly. "Improve... Go above and beyond to make yourselves the best huntsmen," he stares hard at Jaune, "and people," his gaze turns to Cardin, "that you could possibly be. Do so, and I'm sure you will have a place back at my academy next year if you see fit. You are both dismissed. Go collect your things and be at the bullhead docks two hours from now."
As he watches both young men enter the elevator, he can't help but wonder how they would turn out in the future.
"Arc!" Cardin calls as they are about to go their separate ways. He seems to struggle with something while keeping his back to Jaune. "Thanks," he utters before walking away to grab his gear.
Luckily, Jaune's team has not returned to their dorm so it was an easy matter for him to pack his few things and make his way to the bullhead docks, waiting for Cardin to arrive. Once there, the taller teen looks at Jaune and gives a nod. The bullhead arrives shortly after, taking them to their new home.
Rustling bushes bring Jaune out of his thoughts over the previous day's events. Cardin is already in front of him and the pilot, pointing the metal shaft at the origin of the sound. Seconds pass, but they feel like minutes as the groups stares at the location of the sound. Finally, a small brown rabbit appears from behind the bushes, running off after catching sight of the humans. Seeing the creature, Jaune has a thought and decides to voice his question, "How many snacks do we have?"
"Not a whole lot, but it should be enough to get us through the day. And that seems like more than enough to get us to this town the pilot keeps talking about." Jaune nods.
"Good. Would hate to run out of food and resort to eating the animals running around here."
Continuing to walk in silence, Jaune pulls the sled while Cardin uses the compass to lead them. After a few hours of walking, they hear more rustling from the direction they are traveling. Cardin assumes the same battle-ready position while Jaune shifts to make sure he is between the sound and the injured pilot. The rustling eventually stops. Cardin waits a few moments before lowering the shaft and looking at Jaune, "Must have been another ani-"
Suddenly, something shoots out in a straight line striking at Cardin. He manages to lift the shaft of his weapon in front of his body while being pushed back a few feet, his heels leaving small trenches in the ground. Both boys look where Cardin blocked with the shaft, only to see an armored hand. The hand has two, long, multi-jointed fingers tipped in a very familiar white plaiting, trailing off to a long, thin black extended arm. Another arm shoots out from the brush, slamming into the back of the first and pushing Cardin backwards into Jaune.
The arms retract as something walks out of the brush. What steps forward can only be called an abomination; tall and emaciated, with a somewhat humanoid torso, rib-like protrusions and pectoral-like bone plates prominent on its chest. Long thin legs hold it up, with slight spikes capping its knees, and human-like feet with more bone plaiting resting on top, matching its protruding nails. What really catches and keeps their attention is the skull-like mask with two horns curved upwards out of the front of it.
"FUCK! What is that!?" Cardin panics.
"I... I don't know," replies Jaune with worry in his voice.
At this, the creature lets out a screech that makes all three men cover their ears. After recovering, Cardin answers with his own yell, charging the monster. It shoots another arm at the boy, clipping his shoulder and sending him into a slight spin. Cardin uses the spin to power his own swipe, putting his weight behind a horizontal swing, aiming at the creature's lower abdomen. Upon making contact, its side is caved in, accompanied with a resonating bang. The creature is flung into a nearby tree, letting out a crunching sound as it passes through it. The Grimm is already disintegrating as Jaune speaks up, "What was that?"
"My semblance: Crash and Bang." Cardin answers as he rests the shaft on his shoulder. "It lets me generate and direct shockwaves, but I have to have momentum. It's simple, but I can use it for a few different things."
Another arm suddenly shoots out from the foliage, catching both boys off guard, striking Jaune and sending him to the ground. The arm then grips the metal sled and starts to pull the injured pilot towards the foliage surrounding them. "Shit! There are more around! Cardin, be careful!" Jaune exclaims as he is pulling the parachute lines that are holding the sled, trying to make sure it doesn't take the injured pilot. Another arm extends out next to the one holding the sled, aiming to impale Jaune through the chest. Thankfully, his aura holds, but he gets knocked off his feet again and since the other hand of the Grimm is still pulling on the sled, he is thrown back before getting jerked forward. He manages to get his feet back on the ground, heels digging into the dirt. As another hand fires forward, Cardin stabs the shaft down into the arm holding the sled, causing the Grimm to screech out in pain and retract both arms.
Jaune presses the release on the parachute's harness to make it fall off. "Cardin, cover the other side!" Placing his back to the sled, Jaune sweeps the forest moving his head from right to left while Cardin does the same on the opposite side.
"Arc?"
"Yeah?"
"You know your semblance?" Cardin questioned.
"No." Jaune responds while scratching the back of his head nervously, "I haven't figured it out yet."
Jaune takes this time to glance at the pilot, "Are you doing ok?" The pilot can only nod his head, too afraid to make a sound.
"Here." Cardin points the hand holding the shaft backwards, poking Jaune in the shoulder.
"Don't you need it?"
"I'm better in combat then you and I can use my semblance with my hands. It's weaker and hurts like a bitch, but I can still use it."
Grasping the shaft, Jaune assumes a ready stance when two more of the Grimm rush forward from the foliage, one in front of each boy. Cardin begins to step out to meet the Grimm until he hears Jaune yell not to get too far from the sled. Taking this to heart, he takes about two steps forward and holds his hands up in a basic boxer stance. The Grimm's arm extends and lashes out, aiming at Cardin's side. Crouching, Cardin leans into the hit, taking the impact on his arm.
The Grimm spears its other arm forward like javelin. Cardin, waiting for this, weaves slightly to avoid the pointed arm, focusing his aura into his legs and shoots forward, raising his fist. While closing in, he begins to activate his semblance, bringing his fist forward to aim at the spot right below its chest plating. The impact is loud and staggering. The Grimm folds over Cardin's fist, giving him a shot at its head, which he gladly takes, bringing his other hand around and delivering a devastating haymaker that causes another louder bang. He jumps back from the creature to rest his aching hands and get a look at the damage he just did. The creature seems to spasm and twitch before righting itself, all of this is accompanied by an eerie cracking sound. "Well, shit."
On the other side, a very different battle is taking place. As the Grimm closes in on Jaune, it extends its arm in a swiping motion, aiming for the upper part of Jaune's body. The blonde clumsily ducks the incoming strike, and quickly rolls out of the way of a downward piercing strike from the Grimm's other hand, causing the appendage to stick into the ground. While the hand is stuck, Jaune spins around on his knee, bringing the shaft down with an overhead strike, eliciting a pained screech from the Grimm.
It tries to retract both of its arms to prepare for another strike but has some difficulty with the one stuck in the ground, allowing Jaune to rise to his feet and strike it further up its arm. Aiming where he assumes the elbow joint is, he this time earns a crack just before the creature swats him aside using the other arm. He quickly scrambles back to his feet after a short roll, holding the shaft at the ready, only to pause upon seeing the Grimm still struggling with its stuck hand. The sound of a loud, muffled bang hits the air, making him glance back to watch Cardin deliver a monster of a haymaker, resulting in an even louder bang. Cardin steps back, shaking out his hands, and Jaune joins him in watching the Grimm right itself, horrible cracking included. At this moment, Jaune has an idea. "Cardin, we need to switch!"
As he dashes over to the other side, he tosses the shaft to Cardin and quickly points to the Grimm still struggling with its arm. Cardin gets the message really quick, and with an aura-powered dash, closes in, raising the shaft above his head, gripping it with both of his hands. He uses a little more aura and leaps into the air, taking care not to jump too high, before bringing the rest of the weapon down with an angry yell. It strikes the creature on top of its head just as it begins to turn, nailing it into ground and causing small chunks of dirt and dust to fly up. Cardin stands in the small crater created by his blow, gasping for air, watching as the Grimm dissipates into smoke.
On the other side of the terrified pilot, Jaune is trying to create a similar situation with the one Cardin was originally fighting. He slides under a backhand from the Grimm, stumbling back to his feet and charging, hoping to make it aim down at him. Instead, Jaune has to jump as the Grimm continues to rotate and bring its other hand around in a low, sweeping blow. Landing with a minor hitch, he realizes he is staring at the back of the Grimm, and that there are some protruding spikes leading up to the base of its neck. "Ok," he mumbles to himself. "I've got this."
The Grimm reverses its rotation, bringing both arms back around, but it seems to be moving faster thanks to the recoil its body generates by twisting. The first swing is high and Jaune doesn't have time to duck completely, so he raises his arm, slanting it slightly. The swinging Grimm appendage hits and slides off of his arm, leaving a stinging feeling in its wake, throwing Jaune off balance so he is left standing on one leg. He sees the low sweeping arm coming and hops off of his last leg, turning so he lands on his stomach. From there, he focuses on pushing his legs to their limit, aura flooding them and making him launch forward off the ground. This is so surprising that he almost stumbles face first into the spikes coming from the creatures back, but he manages to stick his hand out at the last second, grabbing a spike and catching himself. He quickly scrambles up the back of the Grimm. Upon reaching the top, he grabs onto the horns. It is here he realizes that he doesn't have anything to bring down the Grimm.
"JJJJJAAAAAUUUUUNNNNEEEE!" Cardin cries out.
Turning towards the voice, Jaune catches sight of the shaft flying at him and reaches out for the object, barely grasping it as it tumbles through the air. He ends up over-extending to reach it, leaving his body leaning out over the head of the Grimm. Bringing himself back in, he grabs the weapon with his other hand and drives it down into the creature's eye socket, straight through its head and out the back of its neck. Jaune then wrenches the protruding object to the side, breaking apart the skull-shaped mask, bringing the ghastly figure and himself to the ground with a loud thud. He rolls onto the ground, heaving as Cardin approaches him. Jaune looks up at the ginger, speaking between gasps for air, "Is - that - the - first - time - you've said - my name - correctly?"
The larger boy just stares at Jaune with a deadpan expression, offering a hand, "Come on. We still have some walking to do." Lifting Jaune up, Cardin walks back over to the sled and begins to strap it on.
"I can take that." Jaune reaches for the harness before Cardin stops him.
"Naw I got this; you've done enough. Here," beginning to trudge in the direction he remembers to be east, he throws the blonde the compass.
Catching up, Jaune looks down at the pilot on the sled, "Are you doing ok?"
The pilot stares back at the boy with a haunted look on his face, fear seeming to eclipse the pain he had been feeling. This makes Jaune want to chuckle at the situation. "Yeah, I think I can understand that." Pushing deeper into the forest, they eventually discover a path going in the direction they are walking. Choosing to follow it, they can only hope it leads to their intended destination.
What greets them after an hour of following the road is a crudely made wall with some people standing guard.
One guard holds his hand up. "Stop and state your business."
"We were on our way to the city when our bullhead crashed. We have someone injured." Jaune, pointing to the injured pilot, continues, "He seems to have hit his head and may need some emergency treatment."
"We will need your IDs; we will run them through our CCT terminal and see if you are telling the truth."
"What? You can see from right there how bad off he is."
"You could be bandit scouts and your 'pilot' could be faking his injuries."
"What are you-" Jaune stops as Cardin places a hand on his shoulder. He glances back at Cardin and then the Guard. "Fine, just make it quick." They reach into their pockets and produce wallets, throwing them over to the guard while explaining, "You have to use our kingdom IDs as we don't have scrolls right now."
The guard nods and collects the wallets before passing through what can barely be called a gate, leaving another guard staring at the teens. Cardin opens his mouth, "Anima is pretty lawless in certain places. They have a lot of settlements taken out every year by Grimm and bandits. Some villages can't take the chance." He jerks his chin towards the village while talking.
"My family used to travel to Shion for vacations and camping; it never seemed that bad."
"They probably have dedicated huntsmen to keep them safe."
After standing there for a few more minutes, the first guard finally returns, followed by a middle-aged woman wearing a long, white coat. As she crouches down to examine the pilot, they notice that she has a rather thick, tan-skinned tale. Jaune could see the scowl beginning to form on Cardin's face before morphing into a frown instead. Before either boys could really say anything, a question comes from the woman, "What happened to this man?"
"We were in a bullhead crash. Is something wrong?"
"It looks like in addition to the head injury and broken leg, he has some broken ribs. Luckily, they didn't stick his lungs, and from what I can see, I don't believe he is bleeding internally. We have to run more tests to make sure." She stands as two more people approach and begins to order them to transport the man. "Did anything else happen? There are bruises on his side."
"He might have been squeezed by a strange Grimm when it tried to pull him away." With those words from Jaune, the woman gives him a nod and begins to walk away with her new patient. Cardin turns back to the guards, "So where is your CCT terminal? We have a call to make."
Right before the guards can answer, a voice speaks up causing them to turn, "Our CCT terminal is towards the center of our town." What they see is a man looking to be in his late 50s wearing a simple brown shirt, blue pants, and brown work boots. His brown hair and kangaroo ears are peppered with grey, while his olive eyes still hold a youthful glean.
"You boys won't have any problem using it now that we got a look at who ya are. Name is Jack, Koyama Jack." He holds out his hand for a shake, which Jaune returns. "I happen to be the mayor of this small town." He starts walking towards what they can only assume is the center of the town. The buildings around them are made from wood and the largest seems to be a three-story inn. There isn't a bullhead dock, but they have regular docks that seem busy as fishing boats continuously pull up and set out. "Are you boys Hunters? I ask because I see you in armor, but neither one of you is carrying a weapon."
"Yea, but some things happened and now we don't have weapons." Jaune chuckles nervously while scratching the back of his head.
"That doesn't sound good. We just lost half a team of hunters not too long ago. The remainder of the team hobbled back into town looking real beat, bloody, and bruised. Really put my sister to work. Got them treated and sent back to Mistral."
The conversation ends there as they approach a building that looks small enough to fit in Beacon's cafeteria. "There you gentlemen go. Hope you and your quiet friend are able to reach the person you need to speak with." Waving, the man bids them farewell, leaving Jaune with Cardin.
"Why were you so quiet?" Jaune says, dropping his hand after waiving
"Didn't have nothin' to say," Cardin replies.
Walking into the small building, the receptionist greets them, "Hello, welcome to the CCT. What can I help you with today?"
"We need to make a call to Haven Academy."
"Not a problem! Is there anyone specific that we can patch you through to?"
"Headmaster Lionheart, if that is possible. Please let him know it is a call from the Beacon transfer students."
"Let me see what I can do." The receptionist begins typing at a speed so fast it might be her semblance, and after a minute or so pipes up to say, "Ok, your call has been set up. Please go to terminal 5." She motions over to booths that were clearly meant for more private conversations.
Upon arriving at the large inlaid scroll screen, it blinks a few times before displaying the Haven Academy symbol in a yellow-orange color. A few seconds after that, the call connects completely and the boys are greeted with a middle-aged man with a tan complexion and dark brown eyes, all framed by brown-grey hair that could easily be called a mane, with a beard to match it. He is dressed in a formal manner wearing a brown vest with light brown patches on the shoulder and two columns of four silver buttons over a white dress shirt, a brown, Western necktie finishing the look. This man has to be Headmaster Leonardo Lionheart and he looks to be speaking with someone off screen.
It takes a second but the man finally focuses on his side of the screen and a minor flinch is seen. "You must be the boys Ozpin is sending over. I must say, when I heard about the bullhead crash and was unable to connect with you or the pilot, I had feared the worst."
Cardin steps forward and picks up the conversation, "Well, Headmaster, while we did survive the crash, we didn't have our new scrolls yet and the pilot's was attached to a part of the cockpit panel that was destroyed."
"The pilot was injured during the crash, so we made a sled to transport him after doing a quick check to make sure he was well enough to move," Jaune continues. "After a few hours of travelling, we encountered some strange Grimm. They looked humanoid, with skull-shaped masks and two horns sticking out of the tops of their heads."
"Ah, those would be Imps, lad. They are not the strongest of Grimm but are known for the versatility of their extending arms, which has been more than enough to trick even some veteran hunters." He smiles at the two boys with a caring expression, "But it looks like you managed to handle them just fine."
Cardin stands up a little straighter and Jaune scratches at the back of his head, "And we did it without any real weapons," adds Cardin a little haughtily
There is a sudden shift on the Headmaster's face, "I hope you aren't speaking truthfully, young man. Even the newest of huntsmen in training know better than to take on a Grimm without a true weapon."
"Well with my semblance-"
"It does not matter what type of semblance you have. I understand that hunters are supposed to protect others, but what can you protect when you are dead because you challenged a Grimm under prepared?"
"How were we under prepared, we had everything we needed to win!" snaps the ginger.
"It sounds to me like you didn't know the abilities of the Imps you fought. Correct? You just informed me you had an injured civilian with you and lacked a real weapon. Make no mistake, I have read over both of your files intensively. While good when a situation goes awry, you, Mr. Arc, are still mostly untrained and you, Mr. Winchester, while strong and single-minded, have been shown to forget your surroundings when pursuing victory."
About to snap back at the Headmaster, Cardin instead chooses to shut his mouth as he remembers Jaune's warning to not get too far from the sled. He knows that he would have charged at the Grimm, leaving the pilot completely unprotected. During these thoughts, one word from Ozpin rings out in his mind: Improve.
Beside him, Jaune can't help but flinch at the Headmaster's remark about him being untrained. It's true that he doesn't have any training, but isn't that what the academies are for: training the heroes of tomorrow? A thought occurs to Jaune, and he also remembers the one thing Ozpin asked of him: Improve. He knew that he was behind, but it finally hits him how seriously he needs to take this. He needs to get help from others while working hard on his own to get better.
Bowing slightly, both boys apologize, "We are sorry Headmaster." Cardin continues. "We should have been actively working on a way to escape to ensure no more harm came to the civilian."
Jaune follows, "Since we were surrounded shallowly, we could have rushed one side to break the encirclement and used that chance to escape without bringing any more harm to the pilot."
"Good, good." the Headmaster rubs his chin with his hand, seemingly in thought for a few moments. "Ok, I was going to test you boys when you got here, to get a look at what you can do, but I have something a little different in mind. You are in Higanbana, correct?" The boys look at each other before standing and calling out to the receptionist for confirmation. "You boys have 2 weeks."
"Sorry, what?" ask Jaune.
"You boys will have 2 weeks to traverse from there to Mistral. Now, for normal people this will seem like a near impossible task, but for two hunters-in-training such as yourselves, it should be possible with a couple days to spare. You will have today to get yourselves prepared with whatever you need and I expect you to call me in the morning when you set out at dawn." He pauses, giving the boys a stern look.
"I want you to show me what you have pulled together to complete this task. If I am not satisfied with what you show me, you will be forced to spend another day in the town, and again the next morning you will show me what you have, and again I will approve or deny. This will continue until you show me you are ready."
"Wouldn't that eat into the 2 weeks we have to get to Mistral?"
"Precisely," comes Lionheart's answer.
"And what happens if we can't make it in 2 weeks?" Cardin spits out.
"Same thing that happens when someone fails initiation."
"Headmaster, we barely have any lien to purchase what we might need." Jaune speaks up, pulling out his wallet.
"Well, I suggest you boys get creative and make some choices about what you need versus what you want. I will see you in the morning, bright and early; let's say around six A.M." With those last words, the call cuts off, leaving two very befuddled boys gawking at the screen.
Cardin speaks up, "How did we get to this point?" Jaune's jaw falls even further as he turns his head towards the ginger teen.
Headmaster's Office
After disconnecting from the call, Leonardo pulls back up the files on the two boys. Why is he sending these boys to me? One is an Arc, and I know Ozpin has had his hands in that family for generations. The other is a Winchester; not the greatest of the well-known families, but they still carry some weight. The current head is also a known Faunus hater. Did he figure out that I am working with Salem? No, that can't be right, he wouldn't send mere children to investigate me if he was suspicious. Qrow would be the first one here. Is he just growing distrusting?
His thoughts are interrupted by a knocking at the office door. "Come in."
In walks a tall, stern-looking buffalo Faunus in a pink and black checkered pencil skirt and lavender long sleeve blouse. On the back of her waist is a small golden staff with a point at one end and what looks like the cylinder for a 6 shooter at the other. Her ebony horns form a sort of crown around the roots of long, beautiful hair that falls to the middle of her back, matching her horns in color. This is Melissa Faunt, the current combat instructor for Haven Academy.
"You called me, Headmaster?" comes her deep, effortless voice.
"Yes, yes I did. Originally, it was to let you know that we would not be receiving those two students that were transferring from Beacon, but they have gotten in contact and let me know they still intend to attend."
"Would you like me to inform Ms. Altan and Ms. Chloris about this matter?"
"No, but I would like you to keep an ear to the ground and monitor the boys progress after they set out. I will be speaking with them in the morning and will decide from there if they can leave Higanbana and make their way here in 2 weeks' time."
"My, Headmaster, that is quite the task. That would be a difficult trek for even a graduate to make. You must have great faith in these incoming students."
Leonardo sits down at the small, round table in his room and pours two cups of tea from a rather ornate tea set while motioning for Ms. Faunt to sit down. They sit in quiet reflection, enjoying the tea while looking out at the forest behind the school.