First things first, I would like to apologize to my followers who are expecting the sequel to To Survive And Prosper. I wanted to do this first because I dropped the longer chapter format of the previous fic and I want it to match the format of the next part for consistency. Rest assured that I am still working on the sequel and I already have its first few chapters planned out. If you haven't read my fic from the start for a very long time, now would be a great time to begin reading it again through this version because I've edited so much since then.
I want to clarify that this is not a rewrite, just a revision so if you already read the story, you already know how it will end. I personally do my best to avoid doing things like this but I felt like my story deserves a republish because the previous story's format left a lot to be desired. Hopefully this will be the last time I do something like this.
Initially, my main intention of this was to just split the fic into smaller chapters because I was disappointed with the format of entire story arcs being a single chapter that I decided to split them and make individual chapters less bloated and more digestible. But I also felt like it was necessary to remaster it, improving upon what I felt lacking since it was my first fic and I made a lot of mistakes then and admittedly I didn't take writing seriously at first because my main focus on writing that fic was to get the idea of what Jaune would be like if he was like Ciaphas Cain during the events of RWBY out of my head. Most of the changes are just added paragraphs or revised text and dialogue, but there would also be a few scenes that would be either expanded or condensed in order to improve the story's flow and pacing. This would also better justify the republish of what is essentially the same story but with the chapters split into three volumes, Lord of The Rings style.
Speaking of volumes, if you finished my story, you're probably aware that I referred to the installments as 'volumes'. While I was recompiling the fic, I realized that 'volume' is a better term for the three divided substories in this single fic. So funnily enough, each volume is going to correspond with the show's volume they are based off, at least for this first part. Henceforth, each installment is now going to be called simply a 'part' or a 'book' unless someone has a better term for it.
Now for those new to the story, this is what is basically a darkly comedic take on typical Jaune-centric fanfics that follows RWBY's canonical storyline to the point of almost being a somewhat deconstructive parody of the show's premise and its themes as well as the certain type of fanfics this story is derived from, but not without its serious moments. And it's all done in the vein of the Ciaphas Cain novels of the Warhammer 40,000 universe written by Sandy Mitchell, from which the title character serves as a basis for this story's version of Jaune. Fics inspired by Ciaphas Cain is sorta its own genre because there are several other fics where the protagonist display Cain-like attributes as well such as Random Equinox's Accidental Hero of The Galaxy based on Mass Effect and Sasuke Uchiha, Hero of Konoha in Space Battles. There are also RWBY fics of these as well, and of course they also star Jaune, namely Coeur's Beacon Civil War and Jaune Arc: Hero of Vytal by Kartofel von Kouch, except Coeur's story was a comedic crackfic first and foremost while the latter story was written when RWBY was new and was sadly abandoned before it could finish the Initiation Arc.
The original version of this story will remain here for now as an archived work. I only recommend checking out it if you prefer chapters that are 12,000-40,000 words long or if you are too impatient to wait for newer chapters and don't mind the old edits. That being said, keep in mind that the original version will be considered outdated and will no longer be supported aside from minor grammatical edits, and that new chapters of this version shouldn't take long because the story is already done and all I had to do was revise the chapters.
With that out of the way, here's the revised and recompiled version of the first installment of The Jaune Archive to celebrate the third anniversary since its original publication.
The Jaune Archive presents...
The Hero of Beacon
Volume I
To Live and Learn
Editorial Note:
It has been years since the Fall of Salem when Remnant met a golden age of peace; crime rates and Grimm activity was at its lowest and civilization was able to flourish with far less fear than ever before, and it was all thanks to the heroes who bravely fought to restore peace among the kingdoms. In a world perpetually torn apart by rampant war, division, hatred, chaos, and extreme violence, we can rest knowing that always be brave individuals who will stand up and risk their lives to fight for the world they call their home. And one of these individuals stood out more than most others.
Commissar Sir Jaune Felix Arc, The Hero of Remnant. The 8th child and only son of Caiaphas and Amberlynn Arc. A once simple boy from a lineage of heroes, who not only was able to live up to his ancestor's legacy but became one of the greatest in history. His exploits are famously detailed in his published memoirs: "The Bane of Chaos: A Tale of A Knight and a Commissar" which was co-written by his eldest sister, Bleu Saphrona Arc. While I can confirm that the stories about him are indeed true since I was able to witness most of them myself, they were usually embroidered and were more often than not presented inaccurately.
Not that they are further from the truth, however, he is genuinely one of the most exceptional Huntsmen to date; being able to prevail against every threat known to man, whether it be Grimm, bandits, criminals, terrorists, zealots and even unspeakable eldritch beings. Remnant would have suffered a more terrible fate without his vital and significant contribution, but unbeknownst to most people, he is also his own worst critic, as he always was. Everyone was able to acknowledge his accomplishments, save for himself, he tends to dismiss them as nothing more than a result of luck, coincidence, instinct, or an error on the opposition's part and he often emphasizes his shortcomings to the point of believing himself to be a cowardly, manipulating fraud and an occasional thief who's primarily motivated by self-interest. Admittedly, I once assumed this notion but only because I was admittedly arrogant and prideful in my younger years. Eventually, I mellowed up to him and I was even shocked to learn of his insecurities and ulterior motives.
However, it is clear to me that he was simply too humble for his own good. Contrary to his own self-deprecatory beliefs he is the most compassionate and valiant person I have ever met and I testify this as someone who personally knows him longer than anyone save for his own family members. I have witnessed his compulsive apprehensions noticeably fade away over time as he willingly puts himself before others in life-threatening situations where he could have easily withdrawn from. Thus, putting me in the conclusion that his claims and excuses to downplay or even deny his efforts were nothing more than his lack of self-esteem that he had always been suffering from since his childhood. Therefore, accounts of his heroism remain veracious, and that is to say nothing of the fact that the acknowledgments of his own imperfections have made him one of the most sincere heroes worthy of the title. It is said that courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it, and there is no other individual that I know of that is more courageous than Jaune Arc.
Before his recent disappearance at the time of this writing, he entrusted me with a series of journals that he has been writing for almost his entire life. Unlike his published memoirs which embrace the public's embellishments of his own exploits, these are written in a relatively candid manner and present the events closer to how they actually transpired, barring some missing information and his rather sardonic descriptions based on his personal opinions. I've taken the initiative to edit them and create a compilation of these accounts in his honor and for me to reminisce as well as so readers may gain insight on Jaune's peculiar take on heroism and experience these events in a whole new perspective. I shall henceforth name it "The Jaune Archive". (Please note that I am aware of the wordplay in the title and I want to clarify that it was completely unintentional on my part, but it is fitting nonetheless.)
While the contents are detailed enough for themselves, keep in mind that these accounts were written in Jaune's own viewpoints. As such, he has a tendency to leave omissions and discrepancies while describing events with his own personal biases, occasionally even outright lying about them. So I highly recommend you to take his own writing with an open mind, especially during his attempts to describe himself. Fortunately, I took the liberty to add annotations of my own as well as occasional excerpts from various sources to provide clarity, context, and better coherence to Jaune's self-centered narrative for the reader's convenience. That aside, I shall allow him to tell his story with his own words.
Before we begin, I would like to give a cautious reminder to the readers; due to the amount of sensitive information included in this accounts that remain confidential as well as to ensure public stability and Jaune's reputation as an inspiration for Huntsmen, these documents are classified for the time being and are only to be read by select individuals. Any violation is punishable by international law.
The first part of this archive covers a trilogy of journals detailing Jaune's life in Beacon Academy, the inception of his career as a Huntsman, as well as the friends and enemies he made along the way. And as a matter of course, we shall begin with the first one, chronicling his first semester in the academy.
Weiss Schnee
Chief Executive Officer, Schnee Dust Company™
PROLOGUE
"Blessed art the cowardly, for they know the perils of the world. Whereas the brave would foolishly storm toward it."
-The Book of Light, verse 276
Every time I look back on my childhood, it's almost impossible not to have the urge to strangle my younger self for all the stupid things I did. One particular memory that I strongly regret is when I was stargazing with my family and saw a shooting star. They told me that if you make a wish when one passes, it might wind up eventually coming true. Being the naïve child I was, I wished to become a hero like my parents. Not an unusual wish, I know, but my family came from a long line of renowned heroes with almost everyone in it having some sort of Huntsman-level skill so it was only natural for me to have that as a wish.
That was before I grew older and wised up so I took back what I wished for. I realized that being a hero wasn't as glamorous as the stories like to paint it as and it's just a polite term for people who just happen to be lucky enough to look good in life-threatening circumstances and were rewarded for it, even more so if they still have all of their limbs attached to them, otherwise they'd be remembered as fools caught up by their own bravado who would eventually be forgotten. Even then, the title of a hero is liable to get you killed in your next adventure if you aren't smart enough to retire and choose to live a relatively modest life as my parents did. They still do minor missions as Huntsmen every now and then, but they take the ones that don't guarantee their children getting orphaned.
You won't be making much of a difference anyway, we're stuck in a never-ending war with Grimm, which already outnumber us ten-to-one, and they still keep growing every second. These are creatures that are attracted to negative energy that people had to sleep with guns under their pillows in case Grimm finds them for simply having nightmares. And they're not the only ones you have to worry about; there are also bandits and terrorists, who are arguably worse because they are made out of people unlike the Grimm. It wouldn't be so bad if the kingdoms weren't so above their heads that they're still on each other's throats ever since the Empire fell. The world just wasn't worth saving; at best, we'll only be able to delay the inevitable.
Therefore, I have decided that a hero's life was not for me and chose to stay with my boring yet safe life at home as another lazy teenager. Just fool around, play video games, read comic books, maybe help with the farm whenever I feel like it, and not waste my lifespan by trying to be something I am not and will never be. Most people didn't even know that Caiaphas Arc had a son anyway and my status of obscurity didn't bother me that much; it kept me away from trouble so there was no real reason for me to complain about it.
That didn't stop Dad from training me and unlocking my aura though, since it was mandatory for Arc family members to be trained and have their aura unlocked, regardless if you're pursuing to become a Huntsman or not because Remnant is a dangerous place and mommy and daddy won't always be there for you. I mostly accepted it out of necessity, besides I can at least understand where he was coming from. It's a pain to look after eight children while living in a countryside that is occasionally riddled with Grimm. And honestly, I had no issue with getting my aura, I'm aware that it's the manifestation of the soul something which the Grimm are attracted to, and thus making you a magnet to them. But they would still want you dead regardless and if something wants to kill me, then I might as well last longer with an invisible force-field covering my physical body.
As for Dad's training—I've managed to do well enough to survive against Grimm on my own. Perhaps I was too good because training became increasingly challenging with Dad holding back less and less. I managed to beat him several times, enough to make him believe that I was Huntsman material, even though I never believe that I fought like a Huntsman since I mostly just fought like a normal person who only used my physical enhancements made possible by aura when they are absolutely necessary, which isn't exactly strange since Dad used to fight like that too. [1] After all, there is no point in showing off when you're barely making a scratch on your opponent. He told me to keep it up and that my childhood wish would indeed come true someday. I assured myself that he was simply making a figure-of-speech and all that wish nonsense with the shooting star was just a silly superstition and I shouldn't worry about it becoming true anytime soon.
And to my horror, it kind of did.
It all started with a day like any other, I was trying to mind my own business when Dad told me to make myself useful and run for some errands at the nearby town of Podunk. Since I had nothing to do because the holonet was down that time due to the CCT being under maintenance and that I couldn't be bothered searching the house for my comic books that Rouge hid again, [2] I took the task without any objection. I had no reason to worry then. Podunk was a small boring idyllic town where nothing interesting ever happens. The Grimm don't even bother attacking the place because of how little negativity its denizens are experiencing, which almost makes the existence of its wooden walls almost pointless that no one seemed particularly worried when it was struck down by lightning the night before that.
Little did everyone, including myself knew that it wouldn't be a typical day for long.
When I went to the bank to withdraw some money, a man in a mariachi outfit and a decorated skull mask with four other masked men suddenly came out of the blue and declared a robbery. The local authorities weren't able to do anything because they were bound and gagged at their own station, and even if they weren't, they wouldn't have been much help since they were not prepared to handle a crime like this and they are used to peace to the point that they get paid for literally doing nothing. Since the CCT was inconveniently down, no one was able to call for help.
Instead of staying there and putting my head down until it was all over, I decided to knock out the robber that was taking me hostage and then ran away. I wasn't exactly keen on leaving the town to their fate but I doubt that there was anything else I could do apart from getting out of there. Regardless of what was I thinking that time, what followed were a series of events that somehow led me into bringing an Ursa Major to town by accident, have it kill three out of the four bandits including its leader, and being forced to get rid of the Ursa Major myself with nothing but a dull iron sword I only use for training because there was no one else kill the thing and I had no other choice.
Next thing I know, the town regarded me as a hero who simultaneously foiled a bandit and Grimm attack even though I was the one who put the town in greater danger by inadvertently luring an Ursa because I turned back after running straight toward it, and that's not even mentioning that I only intended to save myself first and foremost. If I had known that they were about to raid Podunk, I would've stayed at home. But I knew that telling them that won't do any good, so I just nervously smiled, waved and went with the flow.
Becoming a hero was just a stupid childhood dream when I wanted to be like my parents and the comic book heroes I used to look up to. One of the reasons I gave up the dream is because I realized that I will never be worthy enough to become one. I never even cared about being selfless and altruistic, it was just the thrill and the adventures that used to get me interested in becoming a hero; saving lives and fighting evil were just excuses to make me feel good about myself while becoming famous and beloved in the process. Now I found myself getting those things and I can't help but feel bad about it.
I'm just glad the whole thing is over and that I'm still in one piece. Unfortunately, word about my 'heroics' went viral and almost immediately after the CCT went back up, someone posted a video on the holonet of me fending off the bandit leader and killing the Ursa Major. It was made even worse when I found out the bandit I just defeated was one of Vacou's most wanted by the name of 'El Segador', so not only I managed to save Podunk by beheading an Alpha-Class Grimm—but I also got an infamous bandit lord killed without knowing who he was. Why he was in the northern part of Eastern Sanus, raiding small villages with no significant value was beyond me. [3]
It didn't take long for the Headmaster of Beacon Academy: Ozpin, to take notice of my recent exploit. He was impressed enough to recommend me to his school, and unfortunately my father was concurring with it. I've been trying to avoid combat schools for all my life since I wasn't interested in sharing classes and competing with bloodthirsty nutjobs nor was I seeking to fight the worst monstrosities in Remnant while enduring hours of boring lessons before having to deal with piles of tedious homework. For the past few years, I've successfully convinced my parents that they were not worth my time and that I was better off being home-schooled and have them personally train me instead. Besides, half of my sisters, Viola, Verte, Blanche, and Noire didn't have to go despite being skilled enough with their auras unlocked.
Sadly, I won't be able to convince them otherwise because Beacon was not like other schools, it was one of a kind—the most prestigious combat academy on Sanus, only the best of the best have the privilege to study there, which is why I didn't believe that I belong to that place. But Dad decided that I wasn't going to have my 'talents' wasted on me sitting around the house for my whole life and took the opportunity to accept the offer, effectively making one of my worst nightmares come true.
I later discovered that Ozpin had been interested in me even before the Podunk event. Dad used to be one of his pupils and kept in touch with him, and he must have mentioned how much I bested him in mock-battles and that would be proof of how I was adequate for his academy. So even if I didn't go to Podunk and cross paths with an evil bear and an angry mariachi musician, he would have still dragged my ass into Beacon. The recent incident was just the last nail in the coffin.
It didn't help that everyone in my family pressured me to go, trying to convince me that going to Beacon is going to change my life for the better or something. Dad was noticeably worried at first but he saw a lot of potential in me as a Huntsman and he doesn't want to see them get wasted on nothing. He begged me not to have his only son let him down. Dad was a good man, he was always there when I needed him and this was the only way I could repay him after everything he's done for me. I would have hated to see him upset. So in order for me to cope with my fate, I'll just have to treat it like a normal school—just with blood sports and dangerous field trips, it can't be that bad.
Right?
In all honesty, I didn't actually mind attending the stupid academy itself that much. I can take hours of boring lessons just fine, it helps that they are said to be more bearable than normal classes and that even includes combat training. I have at least picked up a few experiences to catch up with those subjects. So the only thing I had to worry about was the dangerous activities that contain live Grimm and other hostile wildlife that becomes more dangerous and challenging as the years go on, especially with the name I've unintentionally made for myself since they would believe that I deserve a better challenge that would be considered worthy of my supposed stature. I could only hope that I get competent teammates that would do all the heavy lifting that I don't want to do without having to expose myself as a wimp who never actively fought Grimm outside of a few unfortunate events.
My dad bestowed upon me the Arc family sword—the Crocea Mors. A sword once held by my great-great-grandfather, Harry "The Flash" Arc, who fought during the Great War [4]. Passed down from generation to generation, it was a symbol of Arc Family honor. It witnessed many conflicts and slew countless amounts of men and beasts alike, yet it still looked like it was fresh from the forge. Mom also handed me her old, yet fully functional and effective shield—The Désir Ardent, it was once a simple steel heater shield with the crest of the Valleé family, now it's painted to have the Arc family crest and was modified to be transformable to a scabbard for the Crocea Mors.
I felt ashamed of carrying the weight of these valuable relics, I've never truly done anything that made me worthy of their possession. Was it because I was the only Arc child who bothered using a sword and shield and that my parents decided to give them to me so they wouldn't have to stay in one place and collect dust any longer? Whatever the reason was and regardless if I deserved them or not, they're mine now.
Before taking the airship to Vale, I gave my parents a hug and waved my sisters goodbye. After almost all my life, I was finally leaving my comfort zone. I am going to miss our time as a family together whether it's Dad's training, Mom's comfort, Bleu's lessons, Viola dressing me up, farming with Vert, shooting with Rose, helping Blanche and Noire with their music; heck, even suffering from Rouge's antics. While we would still keep in touch via video message, it just won't be the same.
As the airship lifted off. I gave one last wave to my family through the window as I watched one last Pucelle's landscape while I still could. This was a place I've called home for my whole life and I prayed to whatever gods that this won't be the last time I see it.
This was not the day I waited for.
=o=
1. Caiaphas Arc was known to be one of the most skilled living swordsmen on Sanus. The fact that Jaune managed to defeat him a few times in duel was impressive enough on its own, something which he rarely acknowledges likely because it contradicts his own belief that his fighting ability was only average at best.
2. The Arc family manor is rather huge, having two floors with 20 rooms. It's understandable why Jaune chose not to spend any effort to search for his comic books.
3. According to police reports, El Segador was supposed to meet for a face-to-face trade with members of the infamous Mistrali Yakuza, The Twin-Dragons Syndicate. He arrived far ahead of time, so he went on a crime spree, taking advantage of the state of the CCT. After his death and the apprehension of his surviving accomplices, the Yakuza ship he was supposed to visit was raided by the authorities and seized all of the assets inside it.
4. The Crocea Mors was originally the personal weapon of King Phadrig the VII prior to recompensing it to Harry Arc after the war and becoming an Arc family heirloom.
[Note from the old version
Jaune's father obviously is based on the titular protagonist this fic is inspired from as if his name didn't give that away, while his mother is a combination of Joan of Arc and Amberley Vail (where Jaune's blond hair and blue eyes inherited from.) (EDIT: I renamed Joan to Amberlynn, since she was becoming too much of an Amberley, that I decided to name her after her. That and I wanted to deviate from stories where Jaune has a relative named Joan.)
And yes, El Segador is based off Overwatch's Reaper in his Mariachi skin. And no, some of Jaune's sisters, namely Vert, Blanche, and Noire aren't intentional references to Hyperdimension Neptunia, I have yet to play those games myself.
Whether you enjoyed the fic or didn't, please don't forget to leave any feedback.]