Chapter 6: Forever Fall
"Jaune, Pyrrha." The voice, delivered in such a serious tone that it sent a shiver down his spine, came from behind him. "We need to talk."
Not for the first time in his life, a chill feeling of trepidation settled itself into his blood. He immediately ceased his conversation with Pyrrha, slowly turning his head towards the direction of the grave-sounding messenger.
"Oh, hey Ren!" He awkwardly chuckled. "So, uh, do you need anything-"
"Yes." A feeling of deja vu overtook the blonde as his teammate stared him down with fire in his eyes. The intensity of his gaze froze his feet to the ground, locking the Perspiration built up on his nape, and it took every bit of his willpower to resist sheepishly scratching his neck.
"And, what do you need to talk about?" Pyrrha asked. Much to Jaune's relief, the pink-eyed boy broke the one-sided staring contest in favour of answering her question.
He cleared his throat. "I've been noticing that you two have been spending a rather large amount of time together recently-" Their faces fell, utterly aghast at the implication of his statement.
"Ren, you need to believe us-"
"You don't actually buy that crap that Nora's spewing, right?"
His face pinched at being interrupted. "Look, it's nothing about that. I don't care if you guys are 'together-together' or not-" They let out a collective sigh of relief at that. "My concern is that we're not spending nearly enough time together as a team. In the mornings you're with Pyrrha, and in the afternoons we're all training individually. I'm just here to bring up the possibility of some team-exercises, if you both are okay with it."
The tone of his request was delivered with such finality that it was clear to both Jaune and Pyrrha that it wasn't really a question. There was an unspoken threat behind his words, one that promised a lifetime of Nora-induced annoyance if they so much as spoke a word of dissent.
'He brings up a good point, you know.' Minato chimed in. 'Teamwork was one of the most prized Konohan values, and for good reason. You know, back when I was a kid-'
"Sure! Should we start today, or..."
"I don't see why not, " Ren said with a raised eyebrow, as if daring them to disagree. They didn't, of course. "I'll go get Nora then." He turned away, striding off into the distance. They watched him go
"So what should we do? For our team-exercises, I mean."
"I… Don't really know, to be honest." Pyrrha seemed a bit embarrassed by the admission, though Jaune couldn't really tell why.. "Ren probably has some ideas."
'Try finding another team who'd be willing to spar with yours.' Minato suggested. 'That Ruby girl, she's the leader of her own team, right? She'd probably agree to a friendly fight, given that it might be beneficial to them, too..'
Jaune blinked. That was a pretty good idea, now that he thought about it. There was a slight problem with it, however.
"What about a team-spar against Team RWBY? It'd probably draw a crowd if we're not careful, though." It was an intentional decision on their part to spar so early in the mornings, if only to avoid provoking the ire of Professor Goodwitch.
"We would have to find some other spot to hold the match, yeah. Or, we could ask for permission from Professor Goodwitch."
He thought about it for a second. "Nah, there's no way she'd say yes."
Pyrrha shrugged in response. "I guess. Look, they're back."
"Ohmygosh-ohmygosh-ohmygosh we're doing team-bonding activities!" Nora gushed excitedly, bounding into earshot with a flourish of her hammer. "What are we going to do? An escape room? Or maybe "
"Calm down, Nora." Ren chuckled. "I was actually hoping that we could discuss what we were going to do as a team."
Jaune pitched Minato's idea to them, and in response to Nora's enthusiastic receptiveness in tandem with Ren's tentative acceptance, they were off to find Team RWBY.
-( ﾟヮﾟ)-
"Huh?" Ruby took a chug from her flagon of milk, washing down the remaining cookie bits while she sighed in satisfaction. "A team spar?" She looked over at her partner, who was still studying for Oobleck's exam.
"I don't see why not. It could be a learning experience for all of us, provided that we apply appropriate terms for the battle." She took a dainty sip of her tea. "Take this as a lesson, Ruby. Always negotiate for your team's advantage."
Jaune felt a drop of sweat build up on the back of his beck. "O...kay? I'll take that as a yes, I guess."
-( ﾟヮﾟ)-
The two teams squared off against each other on the field, the warm afternoon wind ruffling their hairs. There was a distance of around 5 meters between them, close enough for Jaune to hear the faintest of whispers from them as they plotted out their attack. Now, an odd air of tension emerged between them, both groups resolute on a single goal: victory.
"Are both teams ready!?" Nora shouted. She'd insisted on being the adjudicator, even though she was the furthest thing from a neutral party. There was a collection of nods from the participants, in response. "Alright!"
"5...4...3-2-1 GO!"
Team RWBY struck first, quickly utilizing Ruby's Semblance to break into their lines. A blur of petal-fueled motion, she swept Crescent Rose at them with a smooth flourish, smashing against Stormflower's blade with a harsh ring. Ren quickly followed up with a flurry of Dust-powered rounds, forcing the younger girl to retreat.
The rest of the opposing team soon followed, making use of the opening that their leader had created. Yang crashed down on Jaune with a roar, drawing him into a rapidly-paced close-combat bout. Each strike held explosive power, something that he had quickly learned upon attempting to block a strike.
I can't treat this like one of my morning spars with Pyrrha, Jaune realized as he slipped a shout-gun round and jab combination. This is somebody completely different!
He brought Crocea Mors up in a loping slash, easily deflected with a wave of the brawler's gauntlet, then following up with a body-slam, smashing his blonde opponent into the dirt.
'Careful!' Wait, what?
A brief widening of her eyes was all the indication he needed to launch himself to the left, narrowly dodging the thrust of a rapier. Jaune snarled in frustration, the opposing blonde kicking his legs from under him with Weiss landing an elbow flush on his cheek. His newest assailant was drawn away just as quickly as she came, his partner redoubling her efforts to skewer the Schnee (and, wow, she looked really angry).
The two blondes scrambled to their feet, both angrier than when they had started. Dirt had smudged up his opponent's face, leaving streaks of brown in her rumpled hair. On the other hand, there was an angry red mark already developing on his face, his face a mirrored rictus of wrath.
They reengaged, the force behind their blows reinforced with their fraying tempers. A golden sheen formed over his arms and swelling cheek; one for strengthening him, and the other for healing. Before, each strike would rattle his bones, but with the glowing energy the impact they once carried was lessened significantly.
"Nice party-tricks, Vomit-boy!" She bellowed in between blows. "Too bad they're not gonna do anything-"
He interrupted her taunting with an Aura-enhanced headbutt, sinking the top of his head into her nose with a crunch. "SHUT UP! And stop calling me that!" She stumbled back a step or two, eyes flashing red. With the blood running down from her nose, they combined to create an almost inhuman visage of rage. Jaune backed away with a slight gulp. Was that normal?
"NO!, YOU SHUT UP!" Flames erupted from her hair as she leapt back into the fray. It'd become readily apparent that she'd gotten faster, as every punch that she threw became more and more difficult to slip. "I'll call you whatever I want, you stupid fugly fuck!"
'You need to create distance now, Jaune. You can't keep this up.' Yeah, and the sky was blue and roses were red, of-fucking-course he needed distance, but he was barely keeping up as it was. How could he give ground without getting decapitated?
Wait. But,he didn't need to be the one to do it.
"Yo, team! Backup!" He desperately cried. Almost immediately, Pyrrha came crashing down on his foe, Milo becoming a red blur as it sliced through her Aura. Jaune stood there for a moment, mesmerized by the sheer grace in which she handled herself. Even when she was outnumbered, his partner fought remarkably well, easily repelling the (literally) explosive punches of Yang and the pin-point thrusts of Weiss's Myrtenaster.
'You're in a fight. Don't get distracted.'
His eyes sharpened as they came back into focus. Jaune leapt back into the fight, tearing at the white-haired girl with newfound ferocity, something that he likely wouldn't have been able to muster without the prior blow to his pride. Weaving past the blows that he could dodge, he managed an occasional glancing blow, his sword sparking against her Aura. At the same time, he was taking a similar amount of damage, but with his superior stores of Aura, even exchanges favored him.
The heiress knew it too, judging by her narrowed eyes and pinched expression. Her once pinpoint strikes became ever so slightly sloppier, and her footing toeing closer and closer to the line of overextension.
'Now.'
With a burst of motion, he saw his opportunity. His heel purposefully weaved around the girl's lead foot, jerking it to the left and stumbling her severely. She brought Myrtenaster up in a futile attempt to maintain control, but it was with practiced ease that he dodged it. He cracked the flat of the blade onto the back of her head, and with that she was out like a light.
"WEISS!" Ruby howled. "NOOO! I'll avenge you!" She dashed towards him like a specter from the lowest circle of hell, a crimson blur of pointy scythe-y danger.
The gaps between their speeds was abundantly clear, but even with that Jaune could tank the majority of the smaller girl's damage output. From the corner of his eye, he could see Nora and Ren systematically dismantling Blake; the pink-eyed boy's clinical skill contrasted with his partner's wild-eyed ferocity. Similarly, Pyrrha danced around her adversary, surgically dissecting the brawler's defenses. If he could just hold out for a little bit longer, this fight was won.
That being said, it was easier said than done. While it certainly could be said that Ruby was smaller than him, she was also undeniably scrappy. There was no respite under her unrelenting pressure, with each swing of scythe only to be followed by the next. His hand reached towards his pocket, lashing forward with a flick of his wrist. A dagger shot forth, narrowly missing its target but achieving its purpose all the same. The metal wire that had been attached to it prior to the fight glinted as the sun deigned to shine its light on the razor-sharp string, revealing the secondary aim of the kunai. Ruby's eyes widened in realization, her scythe jerking upwards in an attempt to slice through the iron string.
Now here was the tricky part. He hadn't quite managed to get this during his training with Minato, but given his general lack of options, it was better to gamble than it was to slowly get worn down. Deftly maneuvering his fingers, he yanked the string back, tangling the-
What?!
The blade of Crescent Rose cleanly tore through the wire, snapping the gossamer-thin strand just as he pulled it taut. A dumbfounded expression found its way to his face as he watched the scythe approach his face, a red blur of kinetic force. At the last moment, he channeled every drop of Aura he could muster towards the scythe's point of impact. Watching with morbid curiosity, the blonde briefly witnessed the tempered steel grind against his bright yellow shield of Aura, releasing a screeching sound as the bright yellow sparks flew away from the violent interaction.
Ah, shit.
The force of the blow sent his neck snapping back, even though he reinforced the point of contact with Aura. He let go of Crocea Mors in a moment of panic, and within an instant his teammates converged to hold his assailant off. His breath was labored and it felt as though his thoughts were traveling through honey. Vision blurry, he surged forward, blindly grasping for the handle of his weapon. A keen static sounded through his skull, his brain was thoroughly rattled by the breakneck downward swing.
'Calm down. Breath, Jaune.'
Right, he thought.'Calmness is the only useful emotion in the middle of a fight' had been a lesson that Minato took special care in drilling into his skull. Aggression and stubbornness was only useful when controlled, and without control it was little more than a bona fide handicap.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Jaune's vision gradually cleared, his mental processes freeing themselves from the viscous soup that they had found themselves in. He wrapped his fingers around the familiar grip, wrenching himself up, ready to rejoin the fight.
The situation above had devolved into a full-on battle royale by the time he rose again. Ruby was a blur of perpetual motion, a perfect foil to Nora's sheer concussive force, while Blake's long, sweeping blows and clones were easily countered with Ren's overwhelmingly dextrous blade-work in tandem with the occasional well-placed bullet. Even then, though, Pyrrha was the one taking the lion's share of Team RWBY's concentration to keep down, her spear a blur of scarlet fire, pushing back even the Semblance-enhanced Yang.
He leapt into the fight, Crocea Mors becoming a rending force of nature in his hands, with his eyes perfectly clear. The first target he set his sights on: Yang. A quick slash to the body had her stumbling in pain, her Aura nearly folding under the combined efforts of both partners. Jaune was bodily shoved out of the way by Ruby, only for her to receive a punishing hit on her side, leaving her hacking and coughing on the floor, leaving behind only Blake and Yang to fend off the entirety of Team JNPR's unrelenting assault.
Their coordination was clumsy and wooden at first, especially with the introduction of their leader, but with a scant few moments they began to find their groove, coordinating their blows in such a way that both didn't get in the way of the others, and maximized the output behind their strikes.
It was Yang who fell next, simply unable to keep up with the amount of pressure that the team exerted. Jaune managed to land a sharp kick to her knee during a moment of weakness, stumbling her and allowing for Nora an opening to crack her warhammer across the other blonde's face, knocking her out cold.
Seeing this, Blake dropped her weapon, leaping away from Pyrrha and Ren's ongoing attack.
"I surrender, " she said quickly.
A short pause while the victorious team processed what had just happened.
"WOOO!" Nora cheered, waving around Magnhild like a children's toy, then crashing into Ren with a bone-crushing hug. "We did it!" She spun him around like a ragdoll, dancing over to the other two members of the team and dragging them into the fiasco as well. Too tired to resist the involuntary cuddling-session (if it could be called that), they simply gave in.
Jaune awkwardly patted her on the back, head still a bit woozy from the close call earlier. "Yep, I uh-" His face took on an interesting tinge of green as Nora continued to whirl them around, cheeks bulging as he struggled to keep the vomit in. The blonde frantically tapped the shoulder of his teammate, urging her to take note of his rising panic.
And, of course, she didn't.
-( ﾟヮﾟ)-
"I still can't believe you did that, " the ginger grumbled, picking at her hair as if the past 30 minutes of extensive cleaning still hadn't rid her of the chunks that Jaune spewed inside her hair.
Alright, maybe he couldn't blame her. Even thinking that sentence made him shudder in disgust. As penance for his terrible crime, he was forced to hold up a mirror for his begrieved teammate's convenience, along with an plethora of supplies, half of which he couldn't even name.
"Sorry, " he echoed for what felt like the sixtieth time. "I'm just saying though, if you hadn't picked us up-"
She sent a bone-chilling glare his way, stopping his sentence in its tracks. "N-nevermind, " he squeaked. "I didn't say anything."
Nora nodded in approval, continuing her careful examination of her orange tresses, whilst their teammates watched on in (somewhat) silent amusement. Pyrrha struggled to contain her laughter, while Ren openly wore a smirk on his face, drinking the scene in with clear delight. The traitor, Jaune thought with a quiet glare.
The moment that his ginger-haired teammate had let up from scolding him, he'd gone on to heal each and every combatant, as per the agreement they had prior to the fight. It was agreed that there were no hard feelings between the two teams, despite the heavy amount of violence that both sides dished out to each other. Though, now that Jaune thought about it, Weiss did look pretty upset afterwards…
Eh, it was probably fine. Now, he had to start packing for the mysterious "field trip".
-( ﾟヮﾟ)-
"Welcome, students, to Forever Fall." The professor waved her riding crop behind her with a flourish, the endless landscape of greenery suddenly blooming into a mesmerizing shade of scarlet as if prompted by a spell. The view from above was an experience unto itself, as the ground beneath them smoothly blended from a viridian emerald to a shade of red not unlike his partner's hair.
"Now, let us set some ground rules here." Her smooth voice cut through the student's awe like a knife through butter, easily drawing the attention of the population. "Let me make myself very clear: going anywhere without a peer escorting you is strictly prohibited, and should any of you decide to flout this simple rule, you will be punished accordingly. This area is very much infested by Grimm, and regardless of how comfortable you think you are around them, you will heed my instructions." There wasn't an ounce of doubt left in anybody's mind after that, Goodwitch's tone completely and utterly sure.
"For our task today, we'll be retrieving some samples from the unique species of tree in this area. Or, more specifically, you will be gathering their sap." The teacher reached into her bag, revealing a large jar full of viscous burgundy fluid, and a shiny metal tap along with it.
"I assume that you all know how to operate these devices?" A wave of nods rippled across the room in affirmation. "Excellent. Seeing that the majority of you have prior experience with this, I expect that you need no further instruction." She set the items back into her bag. "Each of you will be receiving a single jar that you will fill with the sap over the duration of this trip. Keep in mind that this is in fact graded-" A smattering of groans sounded across the room. "-so make sure to use the time given to you wisely. We'll rendezvous back here in 3 hours. Don't be late."
The Bullhead was well into its descent, only a few hundred meters away from the now visible landing area. "Please make sure to be strapped in and seated for the landing, " came a buzzy voice over the intercom. With a soft thoom, the aircraft touched down, the whirring of its engines fading away abruptly as the vehicle came to a halt.
"Exit in a neat single-file line, exactly the way you came in. I'll be handing out your supplies at the doorway." Almost in unison, the students rose, the crisp clicks of unstrapping seatbelts traveling through the room along with them.
Jaune stood up, all too relieved to put this trip behind him. All throughout the journey it took a sizable amount of distraction from Minato and soothing pats on the back from Pyrrha to keep him from vomiting up the contents of his breakfast. The stories that Minato told were interesting enough that he almost could ignore the intense nausea building in the pit of his stomach, but even then he couldn't quite ignore the sensation. His partner became a godsend at that moment, opting to comfort him through physical contact, tracing out calming circles on his back and thereby alleviating the remaining queasiness to a somewhat manageable level.
"This shouldn't be too difficult, " he mused, fiddling around with the hilt of his sword. "I mean, it's just sticking the tap into the tree and letting the sap flow out, right?"
Ren, in the seat directly in front of him, hummed in agreement. "Rogue Grimm will be something that we'll have to watch out for though."
They exited the aircraft, accepting the jars and taps from Goodwitch, and following the example of the other teams, scattered off into the forest. Jaune selected a burly, stout-looking tree, whipping out his tap and preparing to insert it into the succulent wood. He plunged it into the timber easily, his strength-training aiding him in the simple task. Quickly placing his jar underneath the pipe, he whistled a jaunty tune, chuckling at how trivial a task this would be.
The blonde stared expectantly at the metal tube, waiting for the inevitable geyser of red sap to start pumping out of its opening. For at least 10 seconds, absolutely nothing happened.
Well, any second now…
He could hear stifled laughter coming from within, his tenant undoubtedly amused at his confusion. Did he do it wrong somehow? No, there was no way. Sap-collecting was a fairly regular activity back in Ansel, given their remote location and the abundance of trees around them, and the trees back home certainly yielded more sap than this.
Uncertainty gnawed at him, urging him to look around at what his teammates were doing. Nope, they were having the exact same issue, it seemed. Jaune turned his head back, and after around an additional 5 seconds of waiting...
A single drop of maroon sap dropped into the glass container, splattering over the bottom of the jar mockingly. He couldn't stifle his irritated groan.
-( ﾟヮﾟ)-
"P-please man, I don't want any more trouble, I swear-!"
"Stop groveling, dude!" Cardin laughed. "We're all friends around here, right?" He threw an arm around the shivering boy, dragging him into his side and forcefully administering a noogie. His teammates around him laughed at the victim's misery.
"Now, you're going to do exactly what Goodwitch told us to do, got it?" The team leader tapped the jars that the scrawnier boy held, a crooked smirk planted on his face. "In the meantime, me and my team will be working very hard, so don't bother us until you're done." He snickered.
"Um, Cardin?" The boy hesitated for a moment. "We only have 5 people here, why do you need 6 jars full?"
The Winchester's eyes darkened. "What made you think that I gave you permission to ask questions, huh?" He shrank back at the rebuke, cowering in fear at the scary look on his tormentor's expression.
"Whatever. Fuck off and get to work." The bully snorted, walking away with his team trailing behind him. "What a little bitch!" He jeered along with his teammates. The victim's eyes clouded with tears that he only just managed to hold back. How had he gotten himself in a situation like this?
He shook his head vigorously, trying to clear his mind from the negative thoughts. This is only temporary, the student thought to himself. Once Cardin loses interest in me, he's gonna leave me alone. Picking up a spile from the selection, he hammered it into the body of a nearby tree with the blunt end of his weapon. Much to his relief, a steady stream of sap began to flow out of it, filling the first jar within a few minutes.
At least this wasn't going to be too hard, he mused.
-( ﾟヮﾟ)-
Jaune scowled at the stubborn tree. He'd gone through at least 12 by now, and much to his apparent frustration, his jar was only around a quarter of the way full. The initial bout of unluckiness that had plagued his team had seemed to pass for everyone except for him, as they sat happily under their grove of sap-yielding trees with their almost-full glass containers.
'Here, let me try.' Jaune acquiesced, letting himself slip away from the reins of his body. It wasn't uncommon for them to swap for short periods of time, though it was more often for demonstrative purposes in training than for legitimately helping him out.
Minato examined the surrounding specimens with an appraising eye, taking note of the colors of the bark and leaves. He stopped at one in particular and walked to it, holding up a single finger.
A thin golden Aura-powered drill manifested at the tip of his digit, letting loose a shower of sparks as the shinobi slowly extended it to the desired length. With a keen whir, he pressed it into the bark of the wood, easily tearing a clean hole into the wood. Jaune watched on in awe.
This was the type of Aura-manipulation that he was working towards. To have the sheer skill to, not only generate steel-like Aura at a moment's notice, but to also have the prowess to spin the construct at such a high speed…
For him, that was nothing less than impossible. At least for now.
He turned his attention back to his mentor's actions. Gently tapping the spile into place, the spout slowly began to yield a steady stream of red sap. Jaune nearly whooped in joy, his excitement pumping through him. After nearly an hour of useless struggle, there was finally respite.
"And, now, we wait." The blonde heard, just as he reassumed control of his body. He stumbled forward, nearly dropping the jar as he did so before just barely managing to catch it. A bit of sap spilled onto his fingers, but beyond that there wasn't any damage done.
'Oops.' Minato said sheepishly. 'Didn't mean to do that, I swear.'
Jaune rolled his eyes, but the moment of exasperation faded away in favor of relief. He carefully set the jar of hard-earned sap down onto the floor, letting the spile drip away the tree's sugary contents into the container.
It was with a bounce in his step that he walked over to his team, cheerfully whistling a mindless tune before-
A blood curdling shriek sounded.
-( ﾟヮﾟ)-
"Are you insane?" The little midget cried, still latched onto his leg like the limpet that he was.
Cardin growled in anger, dragging him up by his hair. "Shut the fuck up, " He hissed. "If he hears you, we're all dead, got that? And if you don't do it, then..." The Winchester let the unsaid threat hang.
"You think I give a shit about staying in Beacon? He's gonna kill me if I do that!" His sudden bout of boldness was paradoxically accompanied by his desperate sobbing and pleading. "Please, man! You're giving me a death-sentence!"
The larger boy threw him onto the ground, slamming his leg into his victim's ribs. He heard a sharp gasp as the air was forcefully evicted from his lungs. "I didn't bring you along to question me!" He roared. In truth, he had a lot of doubt in this plan as well, but only because it was exacerbated by the boy's (reasonable) defiance. Now, questions sprang up in his mind. What if the little bitch snitched on him? Cardin didn't even blame him, really. Who wouldn't squeal when faced with a monster like that?
"You know what, fine." He huffed, turning away from the downed boy, still choking from the blow he'd been dealt. "You don't have to do this." Almost immediately, the turd got on his hands and knees and started thanking him, like the pathetic little shit he was.
"But, that doesn't mean that you're not gonna get some punishment, you hear-?"
The kid's eyes widened as he got to his feet in a flash. Cardin tensed, prepared to put him down like the last time, but the sheer panic in his next words put that idea to a stop.
"Ursa!"
Without even thinking, he twisted, swinging Executioner in a wide arc and detonating its head in a fluid motion. The Dust crystal responded instantaneously, a blazing corona of heat exploding outwards from the centre of the mace. For the first time, he took a close look at his sudden opponent. There was no doubt that this was a mature Ursa Major, as it easily stood a full metre-and-a-half above him in terms of height, and with that it probably outweighed him one-hundred fold.
The Grimm behind him let loose a pained roar, charging at him with all the force of a wrecking ball. The Winchester panicked, swinging his weapon again in hopes of stalling the beast's wild attack.
It was with contemptuous ease that the bear-like creature batted aside Executioner, leaving him completely off-balance and vulnerable to attack. He looked over at the cowering boy and his paralyzed team. Here I am, risking my life, and they're just waiting there like house-plants. The fucking idiots…
"RUN!" He roared. "Get help-!"
The world turned upside down as an ungodly force ripped him from his feet, the monster's paw landing flush onto his torso. His entire body creaked as he slammed into the trunk of a tree, the impact completely incapacitating him. Blood-infused spittle flew out of his mouth as he struggled to breath, the panic caused by the incoming Grimm only worsening his plight.
From the corner of his eye, he saw both his team and the wimp fleeing. Whatever, it wasn't like they could help if they stayed anyway. Cardin stumbled to his feet, still awkwardly swaying as his vision swam and danced, not even a moment of time for him to readjust properly.
And before he knew it, the Ursa was upon him, its powerful blows raining down on him like sledgehammers sent down from the heavens. It took every bit of willpower that he possessed to dodge the strikes; his only saving grace was the fact that they were slow, and it took the creature time to reload.
The second blow landed without ceremony. At one moment, he was getting into a rhythm, slipping every blow that came his way as he slowly became accustomed to the pace at which his opponent operated, and in the next he could feel his arm nearly tear off at the seams as one of the Grimm's meaty paws caught him out.
He let out a cry of pain, letting go of his weapon and scrambling back for cover. Ducking behind a tree, the Winchester felt the wind of the monster's followup blow as it cracked against the trunk of a tree, splitting it in half cleanly.
Heart beating a steady, foreboding tattoo with his chest, he couldn't bring himself to calm down. His lungs went into overdrive, adrenaline finally kicking in full-force. The pain of the broken bones and mangled arm could almost be ignored now, and if he could just survive a little bit longer…
He might be able to survive this.
-( ﾟヮﾟ)-
Jaune and his team bounded through the forest at full-speed in the direction where Team CRDL came from. An Ursa Major encounter this early in the year… While it wasn't quite on the same level as his initiation Deathstalker, those Grimm were nothing to scoff at, and they most certainly weren't the type of Grimm that regular first-years could fight off.
Cardin Winchester, the blonde rolled the name around in his head. He was the one who started all the strange rumors about him trying to assassinate him, and it seemed that he was a rather notorious bully to all those who stood below on the metaphorical social ladder. But that didn't matter now. This kid's life was literally in danger. They were around two miles away from their rendezvous point where Professor Goodwitch was, and it was beyond unlikely that the kid could survive that long, at least without any major injuries. Therefore, it had been up to them to help when the hysterical Team CRDL (and a random kid) burst out of the treeline and begged them to save their leader.
"There!" Ren called out. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted it. A beaten and bloody Winchester, just barely stumbling away from each powerful swipe. His arm hung limply at his side, and a mixture of what looked to be sap and blood soaked the cloth under his armor, all in all making for a macabre sight.
They sprang into action as soon as they came into striking-distance. Ren let out a barrage of armor-piercing rounds, opening a number of wounds in the Grimm's hide. The creature turned with a roar, completely turning its attention away from Cardin in favor of its new opponents.
Jaune and Pyrrha engaged first, being the two more active close-combat specialists. Jaune ducked under a clumsy paw, scoring a clean slash against the bear's front. The red-headed champion immediately capitalized on the opportunity, cutting away its Achille's tendon with a single graceful strike before redirecting her spear and landing a stab that cleanly broke through its hide and burying the tip of Milo into its abdomen.
She pulled out with a wet squelch, and with the blade came a spout of inhumanly dark ichor out of its grievous wound. Nora came in at that moment, cracking its head open and letting loose a shower of ebony viscera and bone-fragments with a crack of her warhammer.
The fight ended unceremoniously, and with the Ursa downed and already dissolving, Jaune rushed over to his downed peer, placing his hands on the boy's heaving chest and channeling his Semblance.
"Cardin, can you hear me?" His eyes were wild, darting this way and that while his hand twitched in pain. Even through that, he managed a painful-looking nod, likely a result of his adrenaline-fueled state. "Good. I'm going to use my Semblance on you while your teammates call for help, alright? Give me a signal if you're okay with that." Not that Jaune was going to stop if he didn't consent, the boy looked half-dead as it was, it was more of a reassurance that he wasn't trying to hurt him. For some ungodly reason, he managed to convince himself that the Arc was out for his head or something.
The Winchester gave another nod. He opened his mouth. "T-thank you, " he rasped.
"Save your strength, and don't talk, " Jaune admonished. "But you're welcome." He flashed a quick smile. He moved onto his mangled left arm, pumping the limb full of his Aura in an attempt to heal it. The wound visibly began to sew itself shut, albeit slower than Jaune would've liked.
The wind rustled the scarlet leaves around them, leaving the hairs on the back of his neck raised. The blonde continued to heal the downed boy, his steady recovery a sight for sore eyes.
There came a crack from behind him. Jaune tensed and jumped to his feet, unsheathing his gleaming blade with less than friendly intention.
Another one?!
Before the first even fully dissolved, a second Ursa, just as big as the last, had emerged and engaged his team. It was dispatched just as quickly, though. Its brains were scattered all over the forest floor and Nora's Magnhild. His eyes surveyed his surroundings, finding a number of silhouettes converging on their location.
'I'm here if you need me.' Right. It was beyond lucky that he had access to Minato at a
Moment's notice; it was almost like a get-out-of-jail-free card with how amazingly strong the man was.
But the thought of letting the reins go anytime he met the slightest hint of resistance left a bitter taste in his mouth. How could he call himself a Huntsman if all he did was work out and train? There wasn't any pride in an accomplishment that he didn't earn for himself.
He turned back, again flashing what he hoped to be a reassuring smile back at his injured comrade. "Don't worry. I'll be back in no time."
The familiar weight of Crocea Mors helped to steady him, his breathing perfectly even and his eyes sharp. Jaune calmly strolled over to his team. They'd incorporated team-spars into their schedules exactly for situations like these. While it wasn't necessarily uncommon for Grimm to gather in large groups, especially Beowolves and Nevermore, there was always a more than zero percent chance of infested locations to have such an abundance of monsters that it was impossible for them to not group up
In his peripheral vision, he saw the motley crew of monsters becoming bolder, sniffing at the air and slowly approaching them. The posse was a loose conglomeration of around twenty Grimm, comprised of Beowolves and Ursa, both their larger and smaller varieties. Nora was bouncing on her heels in excitement, Pyrrha mirroring her passion with a quiet focus, while Ren looked oddly pensive.
"Jaune, did I ever tell you what my Semblance was?"
He slowly considered the question. "Huh, now that I think about it, no, you haven't. I'm guessing that it'll be useful in this fight."
"Definitely." The pink-eyed boy said assuredly. "It'll be easier to explain if I just show you." He reached over, lightly touching his, Pyrrha's, and Nora's shoulders. Pigment began to bleed away from the point of contact, a wave of grayness slowly spreading across the surface of his body like a ripple traversing a pond. An odd feeling of numbness accompanied the change in color, his now gray skin tingling at the novel sensation.
"I call it Tranquility. For all intents and purposes, it'll make you invisible to Grimm, or at least very difficult to spot." Ren cracked a smirk. "Now seemed like a good time to reveal it."
One particularly stupid Beowolf braved towards them confusedly, almost as if to ask why or how their prey had disappeared before them. 4 meters, then 3, then 2 and then 1. He could smell, even taste the revolting odor on the beast's breath, but even now the Grimm couldn't seem to see them.
"You're right, " he whispered breathily towards his teammate. "That's useful as all hell."
Jaune cut down the creature with a flash of gleaming silver, bisecting it from shoulder all the way down to its groin. Its body gave a surprising low amount of resistance as his blade snapped through tendons, muscles and bones alike, easily culling the straggler.
The rest of its friends stared confusedly at his corpse, silently questioning what had just happened. Jaune pulled out a kunai from a pouch on his left leg, whipping the blade forward with a sharp whistle.
Landing with a meaty thunk, the dagger found its target in an Ursa Major's eye, burying itself all the way up to its hilt in the creature's eye. It didn't even have time to roar in pain before it fell, a slight push from Pyrrha's Semblance shoving the blade in even further into its gray matter.
Cottoning on to the fact that there was something fishy going on, the beasts grew agitated. The Beowolves took centerstage as the only species who could even remotely detect them, owing to their slightly above average olfactory senses. The thing about Grimm, though, was that despite their appearances, they couldn't be further apart from their normal animal counterparts. Their senses were based almost entirely off negative emotions, which was usually a reliable method of detection. But, unfortunately for them, that wasn't the case here.
They charged in his team's general direction, wildly swinging their claws in the futile hope that they'd catch them out with a stray blow. With damn-near mocking ease, Team JNPR cut through the legion of night-terrors, dodging their targetless blows in the same way that you'd dodge a blind and deaf man's cane. Within the course of around 2 minutes, the group of Grimm was entirely exterminated.
"It's never fun when you use your Semblance, Ren!" Nora whined cheerfully, twirling her warhammer around like a baton, all the while spraying her surroundings with Grimm-bits that had gotten stuck onto her hammer during the fight.
"I'm sorry for not considering your wishes, Nora." Ren deadpanned, cleaning the blades of his Stormflower with a handkerchief that he'd retrieved from his pocket.
Jaune had gone back to healing Cardin, who had fallen into a deep restful sleep following their victory over the gathering of Grimm. His arm looked exponentially better than before, no longer showing any visible bone or muscles. He'd probably still require medical attention though, what with the severity of his injuries and all.
The distant sound of rustling trees had them all alert for a moment, but in a few seconds their fears were sated. A Professor-shaped projectile shot forward from the treeline, landing onto the ground and, upon observing the stacks of dissolving Grimm, nodded in approval.
"Good work, Team JNPR. I'll be taking Mr. Winchester back to the Bullhead, so return to the rendezvous point and spread the news that this assignment is over for now." She picked up the sleeping boy with almost comical ease, levitating herself up again and shooting back in the direction where she came from.
They breathed a collective sigh of relief at the dismissal, almost forgetting to bring their jars of sap as they hurried back to the meeting point. Jaune's jar was ironically overflowing with sap now, slowly collecting the tree's essence over the course of all the excitement.
In the end, the field trip ended more with a whimper than with a bang, as it seemed that they were the one of the only teams who had met significant difficulty, and so after sharing their tale with Team RWBY, they were hurriedly ushered into the aircraft along with the other students.
On the way back, Jaune Arc couldn't hold back his vomit.
-Chapter 6: Forever Fall END-
AN: Hooboy. I'll be honest, guys, I don't have an excuse for the late update. I just felt pretty shit and lazy over the course of the first week, and so by the end of it I had 1k words done, which really just wasn't acceptable. Sorry for making you guys wait! ALSO HOLY SHIT WE BROKE 100 REVIEWS LESSSGOOOOO! Like always, your support means a lot to me, and the amount of love this story's getting is insane.
In other news, Jaune gets stared down and extorted by Ren (even though it was wholly unnecessary), Weiss ends up on the receiving end of a sword-slap, Cardin gets the sass slapped out of him, and the blonde ends up vomiting twice. I did end up breaking the 7k word barrier for this chapter, which turned out to be a mental limit more than anything. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter, I tried to make action the centerpiece of it.
As always, questions, comments, concerns? Leave them in the reviews! I take the time to look at each and every one of them. By the way, do you guys have any opinions on where I should take this story in terms of mood? Like, should I keep the semi-cracky energy or should there be a more serious atmosphere?
Responding to Reviews:
adislt: That was honestly a mistake on my part. Not entirely sure how I forgot that, so, uh… yeah LMAO. I hope that doesn't impact the story too much, but I'll try to avoid blunders like that from here on out.
In terms of fuinjutsu, I imagine that the concept of technique formulas like the Hiraishin are pretty intertwined, given their aesthetic similarities. At this point in the story, I'm not too sure how flexible I want to make Aura, so if it comes up at a convenient time, then yes, I'll definitely add it. You bring up a good point in terms of weaponry, though.
CallMeCayde: LMAO, I really do hope that that doesn't happen. I know what you're talking about though, there are way too many super-duper good fics that end up abandoned. I'm glad that you're enjoying the ride so far, though.
CNwamadu: Oh, they do, it's just that it's not focused as much 'on-screen' because in the afternoons Jaune is working on his strength and conditioning.
Budderz: *whistles innocently* That certainly is an idea! ;)
Reader: Bro, every review you leave has so many good ideas that it's not even funny. I genuinely value your input, and it's a privilege for me to have your creativity directed at this story. I cannot thank you enough.
Dingussaurus: HARD agree on that one dude. I don't even know how to write a good monogamous relationship right now, so I can't imagine myself doing a good harem fic. So you can pretty much take this as indication that, until I improve significantly in my writing skill, I'm not going to write a harem fic, and Blonde Menace certainly isn't one.
X3runner: Tbh I'm really being pulled in two different directions in terms of Jaune's wardrobe. Option A: Assassin's Creed style, like what Reader and WhatDidIDoToGetHere described. And then there's Option B, traditional ANBU shinobi gear. I'm not nearly experienced enough to marry the two fits together in a cohesive way, so I'm trying to stall for time lol.
The Baz: Woah, that's metal as fuck yo. Don't muay thai fighters kick banana trees to do that? I'm definitely going to start adding that to Jaune's regimen now lol. Kicking walls ftw ;)
Bloodfox22, PandaTobi, Lord-Azrael3, killermemester, mastercheif1229, gogo bananas, Monster King, Batman1998, Guest, Amargi'sNodachi: Thank you all very much for your kind words and support! I hope this late update doesn't turn you guys off too much. I'll see you next time!