HUNTERS OF TWO WORLDS

By: Isangtao

Prologue

Fifteen year old Jaune Arc wanted to be a hero. Ever since he was little, the stories about Huntsmen and Grimm have fascinated him, and when he grew up, he dreamed of also being one of Remnant's protectors, helping people and being a knight in shining armor for them. That his ancestor was a war hero, his father a retired huntsman turned policeman, and his eldest sister was attending the prestigious Haven Academy only added fuel to the fire.

However, it seemed that the universe was vehemently against the idea.

It started on the day of his entrance exam to Signal. On his way to the school, he rescued an old lady who was about be run over by a truck. It did not send him to a generic medieval fantasy world, but the trip to the hospital had caused him to miss the exam. The story ended up on the local news and Signal was kind enough to allow him another chance.

That special test was canceled because of a sudden Grimm infestation on the exam grounds, and by then classes had already begun, and he missed his chance again.

His examiner, a teacher named Taiyang Xiao Long, apologized for it, but he told him that if he can get good grades on the local middle school, he can be eligible for exam the next school year.

So Jaune studied. He did his homework. He (tried to) pay attention in class. He went to the gym. He asked his father and his eldest sister for training whenever they had free time, which wasn't often. He exercised during the weekends. He ate his vegetables. He cut down on his consumption of Pumpkin Pete's cereal.

He felt he was ready for his second try.

But the storm warning that threatened to ground all bullhead flights to Signal, so close to the exam date, was looming over his dream.

With a sigh, he could only resign himself to his fate.

"Mom, I'm going out," he said, donning his sneakers and hoodie.

"Where are you going?"

"Just jogging, the exam is close, so I have to be in tip top shape."

His mother, Sunny Arc, walked out of the kitchen with a frown.

"There's a storm warning, honey. It's already a bit foggy outside, what if it suddenly rains cats and dogs?"

Jaune waived her concern. "I won't be out long, I promise. And I'll buy some groceries on the way if you want."

His mother considered this.

"Well, alright. Get me some extra pads for Evergreen and the twins, would you? I lent them all of mine last week and I'm fresh out."

"Mom!"

His mother laughed. "You were the one who offered to run to the store. Now get to it, and be home by breakfast!"

"Sure thing, I'll be going now."

"It sure is foggy today," was Jaune's first comment ten minutes after leaving the house.

Indeed, the fog was thick. Visibility was practically zero, and Jaune found himself periodically checking to see that he was still on the sidewalk and not on the road.

Stopping, he checked on his scroll. The storm warning was still there, but nothing was said about sudden very thick fog.

"Maybe I should just go home," he mused. A sharp breeze brushed past him. "The wind's also picking up, I don't like this."

As he turned around, the fog suddenly became darker.

"What?"

And began emitting electricity. Raising his fists, Jaune could only brace himself as the wind engulfed him in a vortex and flung him forwards.

"Crap!"

He hit the earth. Hard. Picking himself up on his feet, the first thing Jaune noticed was that he was standing on earthen soil and not concrete sidewalk.

The second thing he noticed, was that he was not in his hometown anymore. He was in some sort of ancient forest, and that the colorful bird-thing in front of him was not a Grimm, and looked very angry.

Chapter 1: No One Was Having A Good Day

Aiden, also known as the Excitable A-Lister, was having a good day.

First, his partner was not scolding him, and that's always a plus. Second, a monster had dropped a curious wyvern tear as it passed by and that was always in demand by researchers, and more brownie points for him. Third, he was the first to find a Seregios in the New World. Imagine that, a Seregios! In the New World! The game doesn't even have a Seregios and yet someone else besides the Sapphire Star had discovered it! He won't be left behind in this friendly rivalry!

While the Seregios left the Ancient Forest before he could get close, it was still a significant find.

As he sat outside the tent, sipping coffee and enjoying a break, he was confident that nothing could ruin his day.

Not even the storm clouds that were gathering on the horizon that surely spelled heavy rain, or another Kushala Daora, in the next few hours.

Nope, this was a great day.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

Scratch that thought.

"Was there anyone else besides us who were supposed to be in the Ancient Forest today?" he asked his partner.

Lea, the Serious Handler, shook her head.

"No, not that I know," she said, checking her notes for a list of hunters and their current expedition or mission areas.

The Sapphire Star was in the Elder's Recess along with the Admiral, the Seeker, and his partner, closing in on the mystery of the Elder Crossing. Everyone else was in other regions or back at base, away from the Ancient Forest.

"So who was that?"

The roar of a Pukei-Pukei was heard.

"Whoever it is, I don't think they're supposed to be here. We need to save them!" Said Serious Handler. Already she was slotting an SOS Flare on her slinger.

Nodding, the Excitable A-Lister grabbed his sword and shield and jumped into the forest below.

Jaune was not having a good day.

Finding himself in uncharted territory was bad enough. Him having no weapons was even worse. But the googly-eyed thing chasing him made it with worst day ever.

'This is not a Grimm! It's too colorful! What is this thing?!' would have been his thoughts if he wasn't running for dear life.

The bird monster struck its horrifyingly long purple tongue at him, missing him by inches, and he quickly ducked into a hollow tree trunk, which was not unpopulated. A wasp carrying what looked like a pouch full of green liquid was flying inside. It looked at the sudden intruder but did not seem to care, and for Jaune that was good enough at the moment.

His hiding place was blasted mere seconds later when the bird monster smashed into it, sending him flying. A glob of purple liquid plopped next to his head after, which Jaune was very sure was toxic, and he scrambled to his feet, running into the more sunlit areas of the forest.

As he entered the clearing, he could see fires and buildings in the distance to the left. Civilization. The wooden and stone architecture were far from the concrete buildings of his hometown, but he'll take anything at this rate.

If could reach it, he would be saved, but there was another monster in his way, sitting under a vine-covered tree that looked like it was about to fall at any moment.

The best way he could describe it was that it was a yellow iguana the size of a bus. With dreadlocks. Its belly was fit to burst, and it looked exceedingly satisfied. Having just fed, Jaune surmised that it might not want to eat him, but he did not let it distract him from the fact that he was still being chased by the bird monster.

It burst into the clearing, letting out a huge roar that forced Jaune to cover his ears. The iguana monster heard it too, and it roared in return.

Jaune noticed, however, that the iguana was not looking at him but at the bird monster. With a strategic mind born from playing video games and getting away with sleeping in class, an idea came to him.

The bird monster raised its head and overly long tongue and charged, and Jaune ran. But instead of running from both monsters, he ran straight into the other monster, or more specifically, the vine-covered tree.

It was just his luck that he did not see the ledge, tripping him and making him fall, but nonetheless it did the trick.

The bird monster, unable to stop in time, crashed into the iguana and the tree, knocking them both down and entangling them in vines.

Jaune got up and looked at his handiwork. The two monsters were still on the ground, struggling to get up, made harder by the vines that covered them.

Before he could do anything else, a figure jumped from above him and into the bird monster.

A human.

The man plunged his sword into the bird monster's face, sending blood and feathers flying. He jumped down and looked at Jaune.

"You okay?" he asked.

Jaune nodded numbly.

"Alright," said the man, who could not be older than twenty-one. He pointed to the direction of the buildings and, now that Jaune had a good look at it, a very imposing wooden gate.

"Go to that gate over there, quickly! Someone will open it!" He said, just as the bird monster was starting to get away from the vines.

Too high on adrenaline to speak, Jaune nodded and ran to the gate.

Unknown to him, his Aura, still locked inside him, started to hum in rhythm with the rich energy of the New World.

Author's Note

There was a lack of RWBY/Monster Hunter fanfics, so I made my own.

Sadly, updates will be sporadic as I try to juggle between work, play, and my unfortunate tendency to start one story and never finish it, but enjoy this first chapter.

Thanks for reading!