Chapter 6: An Older Sister's Tale

For the Arc family, Cherry's graduation from Haven came with a tinge of gloom. Their eldest daughter passed the grueling hunter's academy with flying colors, but one of their own was not there to celebrate with them.

As she continued her patrol of a remote village in Vale, she could not help but remember the images that Artemis showed them.

"Another world?" asked Saphron. Her sisters echoed her sentiment.

Artemis nodded. She showed them her scroll, numerous pictures of creatures that the family had never seen before in front of them.

A winged monster with two enormous bull-like horns on its head, a bright red winged monster that breathes fire and whose talons secrete poison, an absolutely gigantic spider whose legs end in hooks, and a pitch-black monster whose picture was not very detailed, aside from the fact that it seemed to be blind, and very large.

The seven Arc sisters found themselves fascinated by the strange creatures being shown to them.

"As much as I'd like to say otherwise, yes, it's an entirely different world," she said. "You don't have to believe me, I can't believe it myself either, but these monsters are unlike anything I've ever seen in this world."

"How strong are these monsters?" asked Toga, the youngest, named for the vibrant violet togas that rich people wore long ago. And certainly not named for a more recent crazy blood-drinking serial killer.

"They can give the Grimm a serious run for their money, that's for sure," replied Artemis. "They're still just animals, though. Unlike the Grimm, they won't attack humans indiscriminately, so unless your son was dropped with in front of a Diablos, he should be able to make it to civilization just fine."

She unsheathed her dual blades. "If it might help you believe, these are also from the other world, here," she said as she handed them to Cloud.

The Arc patriarch examined the twin swords. They looked like ordinary steel blades, but much thicker and heavier. Saphron and the rest of his daughters looked over his shoulder, curious.

"I'm assuming it's not made of steel," he said as he handed them back.

The huntress chuckled. "You'd be partly right. They're made of refined metal and bone from the other world. They don't have their Aura unlocked in there, so they need their blades nice and sharp to even penetrate a monster's hide. Compared to that, it'll slice through any Grimm like butter."

"Really?" said Evergreen.

"How about I let your elder sister give my carving knife a try," said Artemis as she gave the large knife to Cherry. "They're made of more or less the same material as my blades, so you should have the same experience."

Cherry hefted the blade. Despite its smaller size, it was heavier than Crocea Mors's blade. She placed the knife back in its sheath and put it behind her, glaring at Evergreen who quickly moved her hand away.

"Artemis, how did you end up in the other world?" said Sunny. She had stopped crying, but tears still stained her clothes.

"Your son and I got to the other world through the same kind of storm," replied Artemis. "It's likely that he'll come back the same way if he's lucky."

"How can you tell that it's the same storm?" asked Cherry.

"You'll know it when you see it."

'Artemis was right about the knife, at least', mused Cherry. 'They cut through Grimm like butter.'

Almost casually she swung the knife at another Beowolf. The blade caught the Grimm's neck, decapitating it like it was swinging through air. Crocea Mors was a fine sword, incredibly sharp and strong, and it's a testament to the quality of her ancestor's craftsmanship that it has retained its sharpness and durability even after decades have passed. It would have taken her only slightly more effort to slice through the same Beowolf.

But Artemis' carving knife was at least two magnitudes sharper and stronger. That, along with the pictures the professional huntress showed them, made her believe that she was at least not lying.

Cherry checked the area. There were no other Grimm nearby. Sheathing the carving knife, she turned to go back to the village, when the sudden crackle of electricity erupted behind her.

The expedition to the Elder's Recess and Xeno'jiiva is finally underway. A large number of hunters, researchers, handlers, and miscellaneous staff set off from Astera, intent on further studying the mystery behind the titanic monster.

Today the expedition is taking a break at the Research Base, located in the Coral Highlands. Jaune was not with them. Because he was still recovering, he was assigned on a survey to the Wildspire Waste, a desert adjacent to the Ancient Forest where some Commission members claimed they saw a strange walking cactus pass them by.

Serious Handler blew on the cup of coffee on her hand, sitting down next to the Excitable A-lister.

"You sure you're confident leaving your student behind?" she asked. "You were down for days while he was in the infirmary."

"He'll be fine," replied the A-lister. "I've seen the look in his eyes when he left that bed." He recalled the confident smile his student wore when he was finally given a clean bill of health.

"That's the face of someone who's finally decided on their goal in life and are prepared to face the world to get it," he said, taking a sip of coffee. "We'll just hold him back if we keep coddling him."

"You talk like you're twenty years older than you really are," quipped Serious Handler, earning a laugh from him. "But you're right, the Wildspire Waste should be relatively peaceful right now."

"Don't jinx it."

"I'm not. Cool Fiver is with him, and she's almost as good as you are. Plus, he has his new armor too. He shouldn't encounter any difficulties in the mission. Really, what's the worst that could happen?" she asked.

"Did that Kulu Ya-Ku just grow bigger again?!" shouted Jaune. His shiny new Seregios armor and weapon were far stronger than his old Pukei-Pukei equipment. But he had also just seen the normally low-level bird wyvern bash a Barroth and Anjanath to unconsciousness, and Barroths have solid rock for a head!

Said Kulu was holding a strange but powerful crystal that was somehow imbuing it with the energy to grow. Even now it was still growing bigger.

"Yes!" replied Cool Fiver, her switch axe humming with energy.

"How?!"

The Kulu jumped at them, intent on braining them with its shiny new rock.

"Maybe that Lynian we found earlier knows, but let's ask that question after we kill it!"

Behind them, a thoroughly concussed Barroth and Anjanath moaned.

"Yeah, they'll be fine," agreed Excitable A-lister. "You ready to go?"

"Yes, just let me—"

"Aiden, Lea, look!" shouted the Handler. The A-lister and Serious Handler followed the direction she was pointing at.

Below them, in the grounds below the cliff, was a cloud of swirling electric energy.

"That storm!" shouted Serious Handler. "That looked exactly like what Jaune was describing!"

"Damn, Jaune's not here!" said Excitable A-lister. The Sapphire Star frowned as well. The rest of the base turned to discover what the commotion was about. The Third Fleet Master moved closer to them.

"I got it!" exclaimed the Handler. She quickly pulled out a fresh piece of paper and a pen. She pushed these into Serious Handler's hands.

"Write a letter quickly, we'll send it to the other world!" she said.

Serious Handler did so. When she was done, the Handler took some string and a copy of the field guide and tied the letter to it. She gave the package to the Excitable A-lister.

"Throw it!"

The A-lister hurled the letter and field guide as hard as he could. Less than a second later, the storm dissipated. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that their package was nowhere to be found. It had successfully crossed to the other side.

"Do you think his family would find it?" asked Serious Handler.

"Chances are his eldest sister is the one waiting on the other side," commented the A-lister.

Seriously, his student had seven sisters. Never mind being the only boy, his parents' virility must be insane.

"That would be a hell of a coincidence."

The A-lister held his hands up. "Hey, I'm just saying."

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation," the Third Fleet Master moved to them. "But while you were busy fussing over the letter, I just saw a monster enter the storm."

Pits formed in the stomachs of everyone present.

"Oh, it's no one dangerous," continued Third Fleet Master, waving her hand. "Just a Shogun Ceanataur, certainly not a challenge for any hunter here."

"What about hunters there?" asked the Handler.

"Hmm," said Third Fleet Master. "If what Sir A-lister's student said was true, that they have figured out a way to directly manipulate the bioenergy in their bodies, then it shouldn't be much of a problem for them as well."

"Let's just hope," said Serious Handler, turning back to the place where the storm was just a few seconds before.

The only reason Cherry did not rush into the storm was that she knew her family could not afford to lose another member.

"Jaune?" she asked, uncertain. Instead, something went flying straight at her.

She blocked the object with Crocea Mors, picking it up when it fell on the ground.

"A letter?" she asked out loud. Turning it over, she saw that it was tied to a book.

No sooner had she said this when she heard sound coming from the storm.

It looked like a hermit crab, if a hermit crab was over a hundred times bigger and possessed pincers like a praying mantis.

"A monster?" she asked herself, taking out her scroll to take a picture of it.

The confirmed monster must have heard her because it suddenly looked in her direction and waved its pincers threateningly.

'It didn't attack immediately, unlike a Grimm,' thought Cherry. She backed away, not wanting to deal with a completely unknown opponent. The monster watched her leave, before moving away in the other direction, slashing a nearby tree like the tree just insulted its family. With one swipe, the trunk was cut cleanly, and the tree fell to the ground with a crash.

'Yup, definitely don't want to fight that right now,' Cherry mused.

As soon as she returned, she called Artemis. The reception in the village was terrible, but she managed to connect to the older huntress.

"Hello?"

"Artemis, did everything you say back then, were they all true?" asked Cherry.

"Why would I lie?"

"Until now, they'll all just hard to believe."

"Until now?"

"You might want to see this."

She sent over the picture she captured earlier.

Artemis was silent for a while, but Cherry heard her suck in a breath.

"That's a Shogun Ceanataur. They're fairly aggressive and highly territorial. Not the strongest monster, but still dangerous if you're not prepared. You might want to keep that one away from town," said Artemis.

"How do I fight it?"

"I've never fought one, I'll admit. But considering it has a shell, I recommend explosives and armor piercing rounds."

"I did a background check on you, you recommend that to everything," said Cherry dryly.

"Hey, I graduated from Atlas. If it works, it works."

Cherry shook her head before frowning. "I'm serious now, what can I do?"

"For most monsters, the head is a major weakness," replied Artemis. "You might also want to try breaking its pincers."

"Head and pincers, got it."

"Cherry, hunters usually observe their quarry extensively before engaging. As long as it isn't near any village, don't attack it immediately," warned Artemis.

"You don't have to worry about that, I'm back in the village to talk to the chief."

"Good, treat this monster like you would any other powerful Grimm, I'll be coming there as fast as I can."

"Thanks, Artemis," said Cherry. Then she remembered the letter. "Oh, I almost forgot—"

The older huntress had already hung up.

With the chief yet to have come back to his house, Cherry had little to do, so she untied the letter from the book. The book looked like a field guide, filled with detailed drawings and notes about various monsters. She turned to the page about the Shogun Ceanataur, noting that it had an ice and thunder weakness, but the monster can cause serious bleeding if its stronger attacks connected.

Closing the book, she turned to the letter and opened it. It looked like it was hastily written.

To the Arc Family,

Greetings, my name is Lea, a handler for the Research Commission in the New World.

First things first, you will be happy to hear that your son Jaune is safe and sound. My partner Aiden found him after Jaune managed to trap two monsters that had been chasing him, named Pukei-Pukei and Great Jagras, into a tangle of vines. After that ordeal, my partner took him to Astera, where he is now currently staying.

He is now learning to be a hunter, and already he has proven his mettle by single-handedly defeating a Seregios, a powerful apex monster who otherwise takes a team of fully-trained hunters to hunt. You need not worry about him, all of Astera is lending their full support.

We're sorry that we are not able to send him to you through this storm. He was on another quest when the storm opened. Instead, we decided to send this letter to inform you that he is safe, and we will do our best to send him home.

I write this on behalf of the members of the Research Commission.

May the Sapphire Star light your way.

Best regards,

Lea

P.S. It seemed that creatures known as Grimm have also come to our world. While they are not that difficult to dispatch, they are agitating the local wildlife. If possible, perhaps you can find the cause as to these portals on your end?

Cherry was at a loss for words. On one hand, her brother was safe, and not only that, was kicking ass and taking names in the other world. On the other hand, the Grimm were in the other world and making a mess of things, and Jaune had just encountered and fought three dangerous monsters with no Aura.

"Achoo!"

"Are you okay?" asked Cool Fiver.

The giant Kulu Ya-Ku they hunted was given to the smithy, while the strange Lynian, who called itself a Moogle, was coming with them to the council table.

"Yeah," said Jaune. "Someone must be thinking about me." If it was not his mentor or Serious Handler, he sincerely hoped his family was thinking of him. He missed them.

"You know, for someone who's only had a month and a half of training, you've encountered things than most hunters will never see in their lifetime. And danger, more danger than most hunters will ever see."

"That's what I said!"

Having opened the field guide and seeing the entry for Seregios, Cherry could only conclude that Jaune was either very skilled or very unlucky. Or most likely both. Still, the fact remained that he had defeated what should amount to a particularly powerful Giant Nevermore.

That he did it all without Aura was the most impressive part. According to the field guide, hunters in the other world used monster parts to compensate for the lack of aura, but by hunter tradition, Jaune only had access to equipment made from two monsters, a Pukei-Pukei and Great Jagras, both of whom paled in comparison to the Seregios.

And he still won.

A pang of guilt suddenly coursed through her. She and dad should have trained with him more. While they only spent time with the basics and physical exercise, there was still a lot that could be learned before coming to combat school, and Jaune was a highly dedicated worker if nothing else. Now an entire hunter community in another world was giving her brother its full support for his training, when it should have been his family who had done so.

She shook her head. The pang of guilt remained, but nothing could be done about it now. Deciding that she cannot be outdone by her younger brother, Cherry dusted off her pants and went to meet the chief.

She had some planning to do. Tomorrow, that overgrown crab will face the power of an Arc.

Author's Note:

Has the oldest of the Arc siblings been named in RWBY yet? I gave her the name of Cherry here. I only know of Saphron and I haven't been keeping up.

Jaune was fighting the Crystal Kulu Ya-Ku from the Final Fantasy/Monster Hunter crossover.

From what I've seen of Artemis in the event quests and movie clips (I've never seen the full movie), she seems a lot more confrontational compared to what I've portrayed her here. Maybe just the stress from being in a completely different world and having your entire crew torn apart in front of your eyes?

Thanks for reading!