So, odd thing I noticed about canon Jaune, he was totally untrained in the beginning, right? But at the trip to Forever Fall, he somehow was able to just behead an Ursa Major!
The cold sucked. Jaune knew that. The worst part of being a nomad was that winters sucked more than typical. For someone in Vale, they typically had heating and hot meals to protect them. So winter was more like a cozy vacation for them. For people on the frontier, it was freezing, and it sucked. They couldn't farm, hunting was harder, and there wasn't much to do. For nomads, it was the worst. Starting fires was hard, finding shelter was harder, finding food was hardest, and the Grimm were just the cherry on top that made the cold season the worst time ever. But, when he saw a trail of blood in the Valean snow, his instincts kicked in and he followed it.
Jaune observed the steps. A few were trailed, as if someone was dragging them along. The reason why made itself evident when he saw a dead body left in the snow. He was still warm, it was recent. With claws like a Beowolf's that left deep wounds in his back. There was something bubbling in the wounds, some green goop that let out a noxious gas. Jaune continued to follow the trail, only finding more and more bodies. One, two, three. And finally, there was one that he checked and found was still alive.
She wore Atlesian style military clothes like the other dead, bloodied as well. Her leg and arm was wounded with the same green stuff. Jaune pulled out Crocea Mors and laid the woman out. He didn't take the time to take in her fully and instead hyper-focused on her wounds. He tilted over the body and let the green stuff pour out, along with a bit of blood. Jaune winced at it but stopped when the green liquid was on the floor. With that done, Jaune used the fire dust weaving in his gloves to cauterize the wounds she sustained. After that, he pulled out some bandages and dressed those wounds. He used the fire dust in his gloves to warm her up, just putting enough power in as to not burn her. After fully checking her again for any wounds, he picked her up by the arm and began to carry her.
She still was living after all that blood loss. It was frankly a miracle he managed to make it in time. Jaune carried her to a forest area, where he instantly regretted not having an axe as a weapon. Slumping the woman down by a tree and warming her up again, Jaune began having at a tree in order to make it fall. He poured aura and a pinch of gravity dust onto Crocea Mors to make the process swifter and easier. And after occasionally going back to warm the woman up, he managed to cut down the tree. With the help of a gravity-dust-infused cut, he managed to split enough of the tree to make a campfire with the help of fire dust. He adjusted so the woman would get enough warmth from the fire and then sat by it, warming himself up due to practically freezing from exerting himself so much in the cold.
Eventually, after what felt like hours, the woman began to move. It started with her slightly shifting in her slumber, before she slowly opened her eyes and fully got up. Now that she was awake, Jaune could admire how beautiful she was. With snow white hair tied up in a bun, which was unfortunately messy from combat, and a beautiful face, she was the epitome of beauty, a snow angel. At least to Jaune. He was so awestruck that he didn't realize the fact that she was speaking to him.
"Who are you?" Was what he caught at the end. Jaune shook out of his daze and registered the question and, unfortunately, tried to answer.
"J-"
"Nevermind, I don't need to know." Thank god, a bit rude, but he was genuinely a bit thankful he was cut off before he could answer. "Where are we?"
"Vale, don't know where."
"Hmm." She looked at her dressed wounds and then around her. "Where is my team?" She seemed resigned, knowing the answer but wanting confirmation.
"I found all three of them dead in the snow. You were the only survivor." He really hated to be the bearer of bad news. It was somehow worse as she didn't cry or look devastated, simply resigned. It wasn't a look Jaune liked seeing. "Well, you aren't going to be going anywhere anytime soon. Your wounds are still fresh, don't want to agitate them." He pointed to said wounds. She cringed when he mentioned them, probably realizing the agony she was in from them.
"Thank you for rescuing me. My name is Winter Schnee, Atlas Specialist. My team and I were undergoing a mission to clear out laboratories once used by Doctor Merlot. We had successfully destroyed the base, but the mutated Grimm he experimented on overwhelmed us and managed to wound all of us before we could escape. It seems that I'm the only survivor." That was an explanation and a half. Jaune simply nodded, registering the words and not having much of a reaction to it. Not an outward one, at least.
"Got it. I guess you don't have a way home?" Winter pat herself with her good arm, finding that she had nothing on her besides a handkerchief. She sighed. "Yea, that's going to be a problem. We're miles away from any town or village. And I think that the Grimm aren't going to be that sympathetic to your injuries."
"I am an Atlas Specialist." As if that rank means anything beyond 'soldier' to him. She continued on. "While I appreciate your aid, I will not have any problems finding my means back."
"Yea? I don't think so." Her eyebrow twitched. "Look, you can have the rank of official chief asskicker if you want, but I'm not letting you walk into a cold death. You don't have your weapon or anything on you, really. I may not look it, but I'm a huntsman."
"And so am I. And you look barely older than my sister."
"And you look not a day over twenty." The flirting got another twitch, though he said it sincerely. "Look, it's in both of our best interests to band together. Do you have any food?" Before she could check herself, he continued. "No, you don't. I do. Does it look like I have much knowledge on what to do in the snow?" Winter looked over Jaune and found that he had frost and bits of snow all over him. Aura kept him from outright freezing, but he was still uncomfortable.
"No."
"And since you're from Atlas, you probably do. It has to be a class that's taught, right?" She nodded. "See? Instead of going out there and starving, freezing, or getting mauled to death, I say we pool our resources and strength to reach our common goal: Anywhere with warm food and a bed to sleep on." Jaune pegged Winter as the type to accept cold logic over emotional appeals. And he was right, as she simply stopped trying get up and let her regenerating aura get to work on her wounds without interruption. "Here's some jerky I have, don't have much left though." He tossed it over, which she caught without a remark or even glance towards him. Her face scrunched up when she chewed on it.
"It's over saturated in salt."
"It's jerky. Plus, I've heard that military rations taste worse."
"Perhaps." Winter chewed at it anyways, having enough discipline to get through the taste and eat the food. She could feel her aura begin to build up and work at her wounds, repairing torn flesh and closing her wounds. There wasn't much talking between the two of them for a while. For Jaune, he was silently sneaking glances at Winter, still a bit mesmerized by her beauty. She caught onto this and decided to force the issue, not having much to do at the moment otherwise. "Do you have something to say? Out with it."
Jaune was caught and just sheepishly smiled while scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, was just admiring how beautiful you are." Winter raised an eyebrow. She did not have a mirror on her, but it didn't take one for her to guess how she looked. Her bun was messy and her snow white hair was tainted with the blood of her comrades. One of her sleeves and pant legs were torn to shreds and she felt bruising on part of her face. She wasn't vain, or at least she didn't like to think of herself like that, but she knew at the moment that she wasn't feeling 'pretty'.
"Is that your way of comforting me?" She didn't mean to sound so bitter, but she couldn't help it. The shadow of death lingered over her. It, along with the intense cold of the Valean winter, made her shiver.
"Nah, it's just something I've noticed for a good moment." He offered a dim smile to Winter, mostly because it was really cold and that was putting a damper on his cheer. "So, while we're here, want to talk about yourself?"
"No." Winter was, as per her namesake, acting cold.
"Well, I guess I'll start. I was-"
"No, we do not need to talk. I've agreed to cooperate with you, that does not require us becoming close. I will only talk to you if necessary. Now, it seems that it's getting late. I will be going to sleep." She shifted so she was laying on the floor and closed her eyes, keeping her aura up while asleep to keep her warm and perhaps out of some lingering caution towards the mysterious Huntsman.
Meanwhile, Jaune shrugged off the cold treatment. He really couldn't blame her for it. He decided to stay up and on guard, even if he was fairly confident in his ability to wake up when needed. Paranoia rarely hurt when alone in the frontier. And when traveling with others, the stakes are raised higher. He ran through his memory to recall if there were any nearby villages. The last one he went to was quite the distance away, so it was either aimlessly wandering in the hopes that there's another one closer by or just head backwards. Jaune reminded himself that he would have to consult Winter about that, she didn't look like the type to appreciate being given orders by anyone she didn't recognize as her superior.
He looked up at the night's sky and remembered what was coming soon. It was almost time for Givings day. The holiday actually just used to be a practice before Winter's Solstice, where people would settle their debts before indulging in festivities without any worries. It eventually morphed into people paying their 'debts' to other people with gifts. Family and friends would exchange gifts in what became the holiday of Givings day. Winter Solstice was still important, but given the market potential of the former, companies shone a light on Givings day in recent decades. Regardless, it was embraced because it was a major morale booster as it was the day when few Grimm attacked because of the sheer joy that was prevalent in most areas.
Before Jaune could think any further, he drifted off to sleep. The lost thoughts he had were of his family, wondering what they were doing for the holiday season.
Jaune woke up to Winter. Her wounds seemed to be healed, though she kept on the bandages for what was likely preserving a layer of cloth covering her skin. She was gathering up some pieces of charcoal, tied it up with a bit of her cloth, and put the bundle on some sticks. She looked over to him when she heard rustling in the snow, which he was partially buried in. He was lucky he didn't freeze to death in his sleep, having put his aura up while unconscious to prevent just that.
"I noticed the fire dust in your clothes. We'll use this in case we need to make camp somewhere without trees. Do you know where the road is?"
"That way." Jaune pointed from where he came, he learned to remember that sort of stuff on the road when he had to backtrack and didn't leave breadcrumbs.
"Alright. We'll head there in a few moments." Her tone was still cold, but hey, at least she was talking. "Do you know of any nearby towns?"
"Only one I know of is miles away. I wouldn't bet on trying to reach it." One of the things about traveling was the uncertainty. Without directions or a map, Jaune just kind of has to hope that he runs into a town soon, or else he'd be screwed. That's why he typically asked for directions. If they went far enough on the road, they might've been able to find signs to figure out where they were, but aside from that, they were lost.
"That is unfortunate. How much food do you have?" Jaune scrounged his pockets and found ten sticks of jerky, a box of raisins, and a salt shaker. Winter looked at the assortment of items in his hand and then straight at Jaune's face with an unamused expression. "Excuse me, you are a huntsman, correct?"
"Heheh, yep!" Jaune scratched the back of his head while he saw as Winter practically fumed with irritation.
"How have you survived this long!? Huntsmen are notorious for working up large appetites and somehow you've been surviving with a handful of dried meat, a box of dried grapes, and a salt shaker! In fact, you don't seem to be carrying anything!" Well, that was true. Typically, hunters require a lot of food since they burn a lot fighting. This was true of Jaune as well, but he typically avoided fights with Grimm in the wild. No use killing them if he could run (sometimes he couldn't) or just pass by them entirely. That and when he did fight, he always did the bare minimum. No crazy acrobatic shit and no mighty acts of strength like lifting a tree or something. Those measures combined with Jaune conditioning himself to wrestle the nutrients out of rations and foraged foods made it so surviving wasn't that hard. It certainly cut down on the physical cost of carrying anything more. Oh yea, Winter wanted an answer.
"Hah, well, I've gotten used to eating like this. Plus, carrying a backpack got annoying." Plus it was another part of him that could be attacked. He could always put it down during fights, but at that point why even bother with a backpack at all? If he got struck during an ambush and it leaked, then he'd have a useless backpack and supplies that he couldn't feasibly carry. Admittedly, it was pretty flimsy of a reason, but Jaune still ran with the logic either way. "What about you? I only saw your broken weapon in the snow. No supplies?" Winter gave a sigh.
"The clearing of one of Merlot's lab was supposed to be a quick mission. While it was, we severely underestimated the threat level of the Grimm he had experimented on based on past expeditions of the same nature." Winter sighed and re-bundled her hair up to prevent it from swaying too much in case of a fight.
"Isn't this supposed to be secret?"
"No, Specialist Operations are declassified after completion. Nothing I've said wouldn't be mentioned in papers when I report back to base. Dr. Merlot's experiments were not exactly secret." Well, didn't stop Jaune from barely knowing anything about them. Still, he supposed it was common knowledge to someone. He knew the basics, he was the guy who made Mountain Glenn fall.
"Cool, but if you're unsatisfied with my rations, we could always hunt for something. I don't think there are any berries or fruit around here an all." Despite their names, hunters were not the best at hunting animals. They weren't really trained in it. Jaune, luckily, had the very basics drilled into him by his teacher, whose motto was 'If you can't survive in the wild without fumbling for your scroll to order delivery, you are not fit to be on the road.'
Admittedly, his 'hunting' skills weren't very special. In fact, it was kind of just basic shit. Stuff like recognizing animal tracks as opposed to Grimm tracks, how to approach animals, and how to properly skin and cut them up. Winter looked up to the sky while he was thinking.
"Yes, it seems like we'll be out here for a while. I see no smoke coming from any towns, we'll have to be on the lookout for those. In the meanwhile, we should take care of our immediate needs. Nutrition and hydration. Do you at least have something we could use as a pot?" Jaune checked himself before finding a vial of water dust. "That will do as well. While I would typically search for plant life to balance out our diet, it would be a waste of time and effort." Was that a joke? Jaune really couldn't tell.
"Got it. By the way, do you have a weapon?" Jaune asked. In the snow, he found a broken standard military saber buried. He was just wondering if she had a knife or something hidden on her.
"No, I do not. Do you mind letting me borrow yours?" Jaune looked hesitant. "If you feel uncomfortable, you can always hand me it when we find our prey. I'm willing to assume that you are not capable of quickly taking down a deer?" Jaune nodded, affirming her assumption. "Well I am capable of doing that. If you have a knife, that would also be appreciated." Jaune sighed, creating a small cloud of breath.
"Yea, sure. Let's get to the road before we hunt. I'd rather make some progress towards our goal than waste too much time screwing around here for a meal." Jaune said, getting up from his spot and stretching a bit. His joined creaked and he felt his muscles unstiffen. It was oddly cathartic for him.
"Good enough." So the two of them walked out of the forest, where they found the road. While it snowed enough to cover it, the snow was concave enough as to denote where the roads went. So, Jaune and Winter walked down the snowy roads of Vale's frontier. While the roads nearby the city walls were paved, those in the countryside were often just dusty pathways that were cleared a long time ago. The two walked through the snow easily enough, the layer covering the road wasn't tall enough as to seriously impede them. Jaune decided to fill the silence with something.
"So, you a huntress?"
"Yes, I graduated from Atlas Academy."
"Hmmm, I always wondered why I only hear about Atlas having a military. I mean, I know that Vale abolished its own for the Huntsmen, but what about Mistral and Vacuo?" While his teacher had drilled many things into his head, none of that shit was global politics surrounding militaries.
That was probably for the better, considering how many successful Huntsmen were primarily poli-sci majors.
"You are correct about Vale. Atlas' military is well known mostly due to fearmongering from some in countries like Vale that see it as a threat. Vacuo is currently without an official army, though it is unofficially controlled by a variety of feudal warlords owning individual regions and having their own armies and hunters under their control. Mistral also has its own army, though it pales in comparison to Atlas in terms of technology and scale. And Mistral is also home to a bustling mercenary scene." Jaune kind of had to take her word for it, though his better judgement assumed there was a little bit of national bias in there.
"Hmmm, makes sense I guess. How would you describe Atlas Academy?"
"Aren't you already a Huntsman?"
"Yea, but I haven't been to Atlas before. And since we're on the road, I'm just using the time to learn some new things. Still at my learning age." Jaune heard many things about the snowy technological giant. Mostly bad things. But hey, might as well hear from a native of the place.
"Well, Atlas Academy is large and efficient. It doubles as a military academy and pretty much is like any other academy, though has access to the resources of Atlas' military." Jaune hummed a bit, taking in the info without much thought.
"Hmmm, do you use the same team system?"
"Yes, we do."
"Were they your team?" A silence enveloped the two of them. Jaune noticed the brick wall he just metaphorically walked into and backpedalled. "Sorry, a bit early." She stayed silent and Jaune didn't poke this time. A good fifteen minutes later, they heard rustling in the woods. Something was coming at them. Winter extended a hand towards him and he handed over Crocea Mors. She was a huntress older than him, even if it was just a few years. She also was actually academy trained, so he trusted her enough to be able to fight better than him. Plus, if he kept Crocea Mors then she'd be stuck without a weapon and would have no choice but to sit out the fight. Ane he didn't think she would be the type to appreciate that. Plus, letting her do the fighting wasted less energy for him. So, letting her get used to the weight of Crocea Mors, he pulled out his shield for protection.
After a few moments of anticipation, something leaped out of the woods. With a glowing yellow eye, a fractured skull mask, cuts along their body, human blood on its claws, and a ferocious snarl, an injured Alpha Beowolf emerged. It must've been the only survivor of a fight, one which decimated their pack from the looks of it. Jaune sighed in melancholy, it seemed like they were fighting a desperate and angry one. Winter held Crocea Mors with one hand, much like a saber, and got ready to attack. Jaune leapt at the Alpha with his shield and decided to take a few hits, deflecting swings and managing to occupy the Alpha for a moment.
The Alpha always kept its eyes on Winter, probably knowing Jaune couldn't really attack. His flare gun wasn't exactly going to be useful at the moment, even while injured an Alpha's hide would be too tough for anything to have an effect. Winter used her semblance, causing some weird glyphs to appear on the ground (Jaune could barely tell them apart from the snow) and speeding by with a slash towards the Alpha. It seemed she was aiming for the head, but the Alpha slashed at Jaune while that was happening and she got an arm instead. That was still good, it meant that Jaune only had one arm to worry about.
He heard Winter charge by for another assault, but before she could reach the Alpha, it leaped high up into the air, probably trying to get an overwhelming slam with its weight. It wasn't a bad idea, but Jaune thought up of a strategy. He crouched and aimed his shield diagonally towards Winter, who altered her course so she landed on the shield with a crouch. With her weight on it, he tilted it back to be level, facing up towards the Beowolf. He saw the rim of a black glyph spinning from his shield as he finally stood up, putting his entire body into launching her up. The black glyph probably helped as well from the sheer speed. Once in the air, she spun a bit and held Crocea Mors with two hands to try and cut the Alpha's head off. The giant wolf actually got a good hit on her midair that pushed her away, but she was held and propelled back by another black glyph. She used the momentum she gained from it to blitz by the Alpha and decapitate it. Its coprse landed in the snow with a thud, dissolving into black smoke. Winter landed a few feet from it, dropping Crocea Mors and breaking her fall with an extended roll.
She eventually laid down in the snow, panting. It looked like she hadn't fully regained her energy from how the looks of it. He cleaned Crocea Mors' blade in the snow before sheathing it and walking over to Winter, extending a hand to the limp soldier.
"Good work, you managed to take down an Alpha in one strike." It was genuinely impressive. Jaune would've had to either get several good strikes in or use some other work-around to defeat it. Winter didn't take his hand, she seemed to be thinking about something.
"During our first mission, Shuten and I had to fight a Beowolf pack. I chided him for being lazy and letting the Alpha get away. Later did I realize that the whole time, he had been achieving our objective: retrieving lost dogtags." Winter laid on her back in the snow, looking up into the sky. Tears pooled in her eyes and occasionally streamed from the sides of her head. "Yeneh had to calm me down from starting an impromptu spar with Shuten. Leikah was out sick that day and she was hit in the face when I threw my pillow at Shuten."
"Were they good people?" Jaune sat by her, hands supporting him as he sat in the snow. That made the passive tears grow and she began sniffling.
"Y-yes, they were. T-the best, even." She began to cry. A part of Jaune wanted to save this for later, as her emotions would definitely attract some Grimm. But honestly, they would've anyways given how she had them in the first place. So letting her sob here was a good idea. Plus, he wasn't about to tell a soldier mourning the loss of their friends to stop. "S-shuten was so lazy and piggish, but he was loyal and brave. H-h-he sparred a fourth year until his aura broke b-because they w-were picking on me and I didn't do anything. Yeneh w-was so kind and calm and sh-she wouldn't stop trying to tutor Shuten. W-when she learned I hadn't been to the Mantle Winter Solstice festival, she dragged me out of the dorm and we had so much fun. And Leikah, sh-she's the one who helped me b-break away from my father. T-they were family, and now?" Her coherency dropped and she began sobbing once more. Jaune simply sat there, also tearing up in sympathy.
No words were said between the two as Jaune simply listened to her occasionally hold her sobs in long enough to mutter something else about her companions. From what she said, they sounded like they were the best friends she could've asked for. If Jaune had a regret, it was being too late to save all of them. But even if he didn't know any of them, he was sure they would've wanted Winter to survive at the very least. And he would make sure that would happen. And he would protect her while she weeped and Grimm came closer. Mourning Stars would probably go to the sight of the tragedy, but Grimm like small Nevermores would flock to the grief like flies to honey. So, as she wept, he unsheathed Crocea Mors and stood up.
No Grimm would touch her. He made sure of it. It took a long time, but he stood as a stalwart shield for her, slicing up Nevermore when they tried divebombing her, gutting a few immature Ursai as they approached, and even dealing with a mature Beowolf. After that was all said and done with, he looked back to see that Winter had run out of tears. She was lucid now, wiping her tears and staring at Jaune.
"I-" She struggled for words for a moment as her voice cracked. "I apologize for that outburst. Shall we continue moving on?" The cold exterior had warmed up a bit, now she was melancholic. He supposed it was a step up from repressing all those feelings. With a silent nod, the two of them got back to traveling down the road.
Winter and Jaune walked down the road for a while, the mood now awkward since she essentially just spilled her guts in front of him. It was only when Jaune saw a thin stream of grey in the sky that he spoke.
"Is that smoke?" He looked closely, squinting to get a good look.
"I appears to be. It doesn't seem like we've found a village, perhaps a woodland cabin?"
"I guess we could ask for directions?"
"Yes, that would be a good idea. Let's make our way to it." They changed courses to head directly to the cabin.
"Hmmm, nobody's home." The two of them had found a log cabin in the middle of the woods. It seemed to belong to two hunters, given the gear they saw. There was a bow and crossbow plus some arrows and bolts. They didn't seem the type to hunt for anything other than food or fur, given they were the only things of the owners' prey they could find. From Jaune's observation, it was probably a family's home, with one child and two parents. A festive evergreen tree stood by the campfire, which was still burning with the last bits of fuel in it. The rest was charred and burnt.
"Indeed. Do you think the owners are out hunting?"
"Nah. Someone was in the middle of cooking something." He looked over to the half-cut apple on the kitchen counter. "Anyways, it looks like they had plenty of food for the winter."
"As you are a Huntsman and I am a Specialist, we are not going to rob a random family of their food." Jaune shrugged.
"Yea, fair enough. I guess we're still going out hunting?"
"Yes, we are. It won't do us any good to stay in here anyways, we were looking for locals to point us back towards civilization." She was right, there really was no point in sticking around the home.
"Well, could we at least take shelter in here for the night? It's going to be evening soon and if we're going to cook our food in their fire, it wouldn't hurt to sleep on their floors." Jaune wasn't a fan of breaking and entering himself, but his desire to not sleep in the snow overrode his discomfort. Plus, he'd personally compensate the cabin's inhabitants if they came in.
"Hmmm, no."
"Eh, why?" Jaune tried not to sound whiny. Emphasis on tried.
"Something bugs me about this place. Why is an apple just left half-cut? Why is the ice box still open? Why do the beds look disturbed? And if they are going out, why not bring their weapons?" Winter pointed out each little odd detail, each of which set off alarms in Jaune's head as well. He probably should've noticed it, but he was currently trying to get snow out of where snow should no be.
"Oh, yea. Now that I think about it, it's kinda creepy. Would we really be any better outside though?"
"Hmmm, I suppose not. Regardless, we should begin our hunt." Jaune nodded and walked out with her back into the Valean winter. Jaune shivered as he embraced the cold once more. Winter seemed rather used to it, probably was considering how she was from Atlas. In the silence, he felt a renewed urge to make friends with her. For one, she seemed like an interesting person. She was an Atlesian Specialist who also was a huntress, she had to have stories to tell! For another, she seemed remarkably lonely with the death of her comrades. It wasn't something he knew the feeling of, as he didn't have a team or anything.
"So, why did you choose to go to Atlas Academy? You said you were training to be a Huntress, were you aiming for the military?"
"Yes, I was. It was by sheer luck my team was picked out to become Specialists."
"Ah, I can't really imagine myself wearing a uniform. I'm pretty sure I'd be dishonorably discharged from day one."
"While I am sure you are better than you think, I have to agree with you there. You don't have the discipline of a soldier. But, you have somehow survived in the wild, so I will not doubt your abilities as a huntsman."
"Yea, I've been out here for a few months. Way longer than I thought I'd get."
"You've only started recently?" She seemed a bit surprised at the fact.
"Yea. I've been surviving out here for a while, you know, doing huntsman things. Saving people from Grimm, bandits, and even themselves sometimes. It's fufilling work." He smiled genuinely at the thought of the people he'd helped. Even if not every time was strictly legal, like when he helped a poor Faunas who was being lynched that he busted out and extracted from the town. He wasn't exactly thinking clearly when he punched a few people, grabbed the guy, and ran the hell out of there.
"That is admirable. But still, you seem far too young."
"I'm sixteen, I'm going to be seventeen in a few months." Indeed he was. Perhaps he should make his way back to Ansel for his birthday? That wasn't such a bad idea, it wasn't like he'd be staying forever. Plus, he wanted to see his family again.
"Impressive. I have a sister your age and she is still training to be one. How did you survive so long?"
"I had a good teacher. He's the only reason I ain't crying back home. Plus, experience has its ways of imparting lessons onto people." No kidding. While his teacher was often cynical, cold, and rash, he was also smart and very invested in seeing Jaune survive. In his words, "If I have to beat you within an inch of your life fifty times to make you survive a fight with your life once, I'll do it however many times it takes for you to reach old age." And despite the crass language, he did care for Jaune, as he did for him.
"Hmmm, that's true. I didn't really have a teacher who motivated me. At first, I went to the academy in order to escape my father, but then, I grew attached to it. I grew to like the military life. In fact, my position allows me direct access to a man that I think is the closest thing I have to a mentor, General Ironwood."
"Who?"
"General James Ironwood, of the Atlas Military?" Jaune clicked his tongue for a moment before nodding a bit.
"Oh yea! General, got it. Speaking of names, are you by chance perhaps related to the SDC in any way?" Winter paused in her search for animal tracks to give Jaune a deadpan and disappointed look.
"What." Before Jaune could speak, she continued. "No, I heard you, but, what? I do not mean to sound arrogant or boastful, but what else could my name mean? Do you know many Schnee families?" Winter seemed a bit disappointed and a pinch amused at the fact that he was that oblivious.
"I dunno, I thought Schnee was just old Solitanian for 'snow' or something and it was a common name. Like 'Sakura' in Sakura Communications in Mistral or 'Rashem' in Rashem Caravan from Vacuo." The logic made Winter's befuddled stare grow a little softer.
"I suppose the mistake it honest. Yes, my father is Jacques Schnee, CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, I am Winter Schnee, eldest daughter of him, though I have relinquished my birthright in my pursuit of a military career."
"Really, why?"
"If I'm being honest, Jacques Schnee is a horrible father. He displays no care for his wife, for me, for his youngest daughter, or for his son. It is for that reason that I decided to leave for the military, to get away from him." That sounded like a rough situation. No matter how strict his father may have been, at least Jaune knew he was doing it out of care about him and his family. Hell, Jaune would've been the first one to say that he'd been overwhelmed with love during his childhood.
"So, you kinda ran away?" She winced at that.
"I suppose. I, do regret leaving behind my sister, Weiss. She's the one I talked about earlier. Even if she won't admit it, it seems my leave was the reason father put so much pressure on her. Still, no matter my regrets, I cannot abandon my duty." Jaune could understand that much. He voiced his empathy, though in this case his loyalties remained to the road and its people, not any state. When they saw some prints in the snow, they followed it and eventually spotted an adult deer. Jaune unsheethed Crocea Mors and handed it over to Winter, which she took wordlessly.
And without wasting a moment, she darted on by the deer, and instantly cut its head off using the speed of her Glyphs. When the deer fell, Jaune jogged over and caught the body. He knew the basics on how to deal with an animal carcass. She handed over Crocea Mors, which Jaune used with little grace on the fallen deer. Winter looked away from the animal, not wanting to see Jaune butcher it. He could understand that, this wasn't going to be pretty for him either.
So, he went step by step. First, he gutted the deer and removed the organs. He knew that they technically were edible or a delicacy or something, but he really didn't feel like finding a way to contain them. Then, he skinned its sides. it wasn't exactly easy, he got plenty of small deer fur strips, but he managed in the end. He also took off the shanks, those could be dealt with later. For around thirty minutes, he messily took pieces of the deer's meat off of its body piece by pieces, wrapping them all in the deer's fur. In the end, he managed to get a lot of meat and, in respect for the deer, buried the rest of the carcass. He got back up and looked to Winter, who was still looking away.
"Squeamish?" he asked with a light-hearted chuckle.
"Yes, I've never been one for blood." Winter turned around and sighed in relief when all she saw was Jaune carrying a few lumps of meat wrapped in deer fur. "Shall we head back to the cabin? I've learned the basics of cooking in my years at the academy." Jaune nodded and yawned, it was getting a bit dark. And he was getting the sinking feeling that something was watching them. Shaking it off but keeping a hand on Crocea Mors, they walked back to the cabin. Finding it still unoccupied, Jaune handed over most of the meat to Winter, who unwrapped it and got to work at the kitchen. Meanwhile, Jaune kept some of the lighter meat, lit a fire in the fireplace, and began roasting some thinly cut slices of deer meat on his sword, with salt of course, he wasn't a monster. When Winter came to check on why he started a fire, he gave him another deadpan expression.
"Doesn't that ruin the tempering of your sword?"
"Heh, funny thing, Crocea Mors just kind of doesn't have to worry about that. I don't know the logic myself, but if it means I can use it like a frying pan, I'm all for it." Given that there were no alternatives other than accepting it at face value, she shrugged and walked off, still preparing a meal with her portion of the meat. In the end, the two of them met in the dining room. She had made two plates of venison steak, the rest of the meat was left unused. She said she was leaving it for the family as an apology for using their home and Jaune accepted the logic. He also brought his thin venison fire-cooked strips, which she let him keep.
So, with a watering mouth, Jaune began to cut at the steak with a knife she provided.
"Mhmm, this is good!" Jaune wasn't exactly being slow in his consumption, though he did have to take some time to chew because of how gamey the venison was. "Where did you learn this recipe?"
"I learned it in Atlas Academy, there was a cook-off. There were some herbs I recognized in there." She ate in a more reserved manner, kind of reminding him that she did grow up as the heiress to a multi-billion lien company, even if she forsook that duty in the end.
"So, do you celebrate Giving Day in Atlas?"
"Giving Day?" She took a moment to register that. "Oh, no. In Solitas, we have a holiday called Last Light. It's celebration of an old tale." Jaune beckoned her to continue. "In the days before Atlas or even Mantle existed, there was a city called Bachsfield. They were under siege and were waiting for reinforcements to come and help them out. They had a bit of food, but the only thing keeping them from freezing was the sun. But then, that day, the sun did not go down. Instead, it kept up for another day, giving them just enough time and warmth in order to hold out as an allied army came in and broke the siege. Now we know that the extra day is because of Solitas' position in Remnant, but it was called a holy miracle back then." Jaune nodded and ate some bites while he listened, actually a bit inspired by the tale.
"Wow, what do you guys do to celebrate?"
"Usually, there are parties that last the full two days of constant sunrise. People actually sleep earlier in the day in order to last it all. Father had many charity balls and other parties during it, but I can't say that they were particularly enjoyable. I had to deal with many proposals during those parties and there are only so many times you can see someone you don't know try and ask you out before it gets annoying. The celebrations my team had were far more fun, even if I acted like it wasn't. Those three could always bring a smile to my face. And while I suppose I never got to tell Shuten, his cooking was superb. " Winter rolled her eyes and held a slight smirk and Jaune felt a bit warm inside, enjoying that she trusted him enough to tell him this. It might've been for some longing for a companion after all her comrades died, but it was still heartwarming to see her smile, even if it was in mocking of past suitors and remembering the joyful times with her friends.
"I can't imagine what life as a rich person might be like. I was born in a small town, so everybody basically knew everyone else. So if someone proposed, everyone would know by the end of the week." He laughed, because he somehow was the last person to hear about most news about him. Like that one time he apparently tripped on his neighbor's dog. Or when he was somehow a wanted criminal. Or that one time he apparently was the one who retroactively blew up the moon. He wasn't sure how any of those rumors began, but he supposed they did.
"I suppose that's what it's also like in the Atlesian upper class. Everyone of note knew everyone else of note and any event involving those people would spread gossip circles incredibly fast. If the wife of an executive was found cheating, it'd be known by everyone in a day at most." That did sound an awful like what living in a small town was like. He supposed it was similar effects but different circumstances. "Though, I suppose that there isn't the same intimacy. Everyone always felt stilted, masked in a sense."
"Yea, I get that much. Seriously, I don't know why anyone bothers with it."
"Money, fame, power?"
"Ok, good points. Counterpoint, none of those things get happiness."
"While it is true that money cannot buy happiness and it is often the richest people that have many problems with their life, money can be used to pursue happiness. Plus, there will always be those who chase after those things in the vain hopes that it can grant them happiness." She wasn't wrong in that. Jaune had seen enough movies where villains forsook their entire lives in the pursuit of power. On second thought, he probably shouldn't compare the very rich Atlesian upper class to comic book supervillains. On third thought, he probably should.
"Yea, we should probably stop talking about that sort of stuff at the dinner table." He took another bite of steak before realizing something. "You know, if there was a candle, someone could probably mistake this for a date." And that certainly got a reaction! A blush appeared on her cheeks and she put a bit too much force into her knife.
"Excuse me? I simply cooked what I knew how to cook. It was never my intention to make this appear romantic." And Jaune believed her. As much as the romance starved bit of him would love to believe in some delusion of romance, he didn't, not even a bit. She was just clinging onto the only other human being near her after her closest friends died. And while he could use that fact to try and make a move, it was an obvious breach of his morals to take advantage of a woman in their grief. He put his hands up and gave a teasing smile.
"Awe, am I not a steal?" He said it in such a comically sleazy tone that it was obvious that he was just teasing. She huffed and got back to her meal.
"You remind me too much of a man I had to work with once."
"Oh?" Jaune put down the smile and got interested.
"Yes. The general had me work with a huntsman from Vale in joint operation with Beacon's headmaster. We were supposed to investigate a differet type of one of Merlot's operations. Specifically, how he managed to fund so many of his labs. To make a long story short, he owned multiple shell companies he operated like ponzi schemes under pseudonyms. The huntsman was vulgar, teasing, and got on my nerves often." She scowled at remembering the experience.
"Jeez, he must've been a real prick to get your ire like that."
"While I would not personally phrase it like that, yes, you are right. He was, as you might say, a massive prick." Well that was not a word he thought Winter would say. What was this called? he heard Coral mention the phrase a few times. Oh, yes, it was called 'Gap Moe.' While he thought, she continued. "I don't know why, but Ironwood has had me work with him multiple more times since then. The general has not led me astray so far and he does not make any moves to hide anything regarding his intentions when asked, but so far I have kept these questions to myself."
"Eh, maybe you're just the best for the jobs?"
"While I would like for that to be the answer, I'm not sure. Anyways, enough about me, what is your story? You've told me bits and pieces, but what happened after you ran away from home?" Winter seemed actually invested in his life, which was something he didn't expect. He honestly thought he was going to be a conversation sponge the whole time. Well, it wouldn't hurt.
"Well, after running away with these two things, I kind of got lot. Took a wrong turn and managed to find myself fighting bandits. Some guy came in, saw this happening, kicked their asses, and almost cut me in two. He became my teacher." That certainly got a response out of her, as she almost spat out the glass of water (made from melted snow) that she was drinking.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, you wanna see? I still got the stitches!" She put a hand in front of herself when he tried to pull his shirt up.
"No! No! I do not doubt you there. It's just, how did you almost get cut in two? And why would you let him teach you after that?"
"Well, I woke up with my chest patched up after severe blood loss. The guy then went on a rant about how I'm a moron traveling alone, without aura. You see, he thought I was a huntsman and didn't notice I didn't even have my aura unlocked at the time." Winter took all that in, realized the implications, blinked, and looked at Jaune in the eye with a confused look.
"So, let me get this right. Months ago, you had no aura. In the time since then, you've somehow become proficient enough in survival and combat that you've successfully survived in the Valean frontier without help?"
"Yep. Apparently, combat school pales in comparison to being thrown of a cliff at a pack of Beowolves. True story." Very true. His ass still hurt from the landing. And the claws. And the jaws. And the gauze. Really, it was a painful moment for him. Least of all because he decided to teach him 'landing strategies' by chucking him off a cliff. His excuse was 'If Ozpin could do it and get paid, I can do it and not get arrested.'
"I. See." She took that in for a moment before sighing. "I apologize, I should not be doubting you. You have clearly proven your abilities to me. While I was using your sword during our fight with the Alpha Beowolf, you were proficient in using your shield to minimize the amount of energy you used to block its strikes. And you were able to fend off a small crowd of minor Grimm while I was, incapacitated."
"Nah, it's fine. I'm kind of amazed I don't get more flak for what I'm doing. Seriously, shouldn't somebody be arresting me or something for calling myself a huntsman and doing huntsman things without legally being a huntsman? Isn't that some sort of fraud?"
"It's only fraud if you are benefiting off of calling yourself that. As you are, nobody would exactly be trying to arrest you, given from what you've said you do. Plus, you are on the frontier. Most won't bother caring about licenses if the person saved them from the Grimm." That was a good point. People generally appreciated the help he gave and even if he denied any monetary compensation, he was treated to plenty free meals or rooms as thanks. To them, it was the least they could've done. To him, it would be rude to deny the offer given the norms around hospitality.
"Yea, that makes sense. Don't see many courts around here, aside from informal ones." Again, the memory of that lynching came to mind. Jaune really wasn't the type to like self-righteous assholes. And that event just made him see red, especially given how it was obvious that they were doing it out of racism. He sighed and let his anger cool. It was over and he wasn't helping just sitting around fuming over what he saw.
"Yes, trials by the people. I remember one time I was present at a mock court martial we had in class. It was over a theoretical case our teacher cooked up to show the inner workings of military tribunals. I have to say, I may have gotten a little too into my role as prosecutor." She scratched her chin in embarrassment. Meanwhile, Jaune thought about Winter wearing a form fitting suit that highlighted her body and blushed before hiding it.
"Anyways, my teacher taught me most of everything I know. From how I fight to how I survive, pretty much all of it is from him."
"Pretty much?"
"Well, like any good combatant, I experiment constantly. I will admit that in most of my fights, I usually plan on the fly. And usually these plans revolve around getting past situations where I'm too weak to solve with brute force. I find myself in those situations a lot, honestly." He had run into too many situations like that to count. While under his teacher's care, he'd mastered the technique of battling while strategizing. It wasn't a special talent, but it was rather useful in keeping him alive against superior fighters. Though, according to his teacher, he always had that trait. Even from the beginning. He just had to hone it.
"Hmm, I can't say I've heard of that phrase. Still, there's no shame in using your wits to win a fight. In Atlas Academy, we've been trained in the notion that strength is meaningless without intelligence and that there is no such thing as a fair fight. A strong punch will not matter if you are smart enough to circumvent physical and short ranged attacks with a gun. But those won't matter if the hand-to-hand combatant is smart enough to bait out gunfire in order to force a reload, where they can then pounce." It was the exact sort of thing his teacher pounded into his head and actually the same lesson he taught Talos. Was it a good idea to teach a sentient Grimm how to fight dirty? Oh, well it was a lesson they were gonna learn anyways. Plus, they didn't seem to care much about the whole 'murder all them humans' thing that Grimm seemed to adamant about. Oh, yea, conversation.
"Yea, yea, I know that much." Jaune finally ate the last bit of his steak and yawned. "Alright, I guess it's time to sleep. It's been nice talking to you, Winter."
"As was with you." She gave a warm smile to Jaune as they both got up and brought the dishes to the sink, where they washed them, dried them, and returned them to the cupboards. After that was said and done, they didn't have much to do beyond going to sleep. Jaune decided to nap on the floor while she went into one of the bedrooms. And so, with a food words of well wishes for the night, they each went to sleep.
At least, Jaune did for about an hour. With the lights gone, Jaune could only make out the dim outlines of his slightly moonlit surroundings. That said, he felt an itch. An itch that said they were in danger. Jaune didn't feel like disturbing Winter, so he didn't get up or anything. He just laid prone, waiting, listening, watching. His eyes were open and alert, looking out the cabin's window for something.
And with the sounds of hooves crushing the snow and the occasional crackling of fire, Jaune knew what was there. Out the window, he saw something pass by, and he saw the dull orange of embers soon after. He bolted up and pulled out Crocea Mors. He decided to knock on Winters door. After a few moments, she got up and looked strangely at Jaune.
"What is it?" She seemed tired.
"I found what took the inhabitants of this house."
"What?"
"Just, hold Crocea Mors, alright? You can use it better than me and all I need is my shield." And his flare gun, but with what he knew, it wouldn't exactly be effective against what was now their hunter.
"No, as in what is chasing us?"
"You know how Giving Day is the day when basically no Grimm attack?"
"Yes?"
"That's a lie. There is one type of Grimm that attacks around the time of Giving Day. I always thought it was a myth. An old fairy tale used to scare children come to life. With a goat-like form, a forked tongue, and coal forever burning with hate coating their back, the Krampus stalks the houses of naughty children and kidnaps them, stuffing them in the endless sack they carry on their back. And apparently, Krampus is real! Who knew!?" Jaune was really pissed at whoever created that fairy tale. Because if that was why Krampus was real and now hunting them, he would send a very strongly worded letter to whatever afterlife held its creator.
"Oh. Oh no. It's right outside, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is. Take Crocea Mors." He held it out once more and now she readily took it, her eyes becoming sharp and her muscles tensing up. She was ready to fight. "Now, it's used to kidnapping kids, so it won't be too deadly. But we should stay cautious. No telling what tricks it'll use." And just as he said that, the two of them heard the sound of claws raking the log cabin walls from outside. It made both of them wince as they heard small nicks being torn into the wood.
"We should fight it outside. At the very least, we'll limit the damages to the home."
"Good idea. And since I think the family was taken recently, they're probably still alive. The tale says that the kids kidnapped by Krampus are imprisoned in his sack, still conscious. And given the implications, I'd say most of his victims starve." Again, he was going to send a very strongly worded message to whoever thought making this was a good idea. Seriously, if all it took to create a Grimm was to spread a rumor about it, then the world was screwed.
Anyways, braving the cold and unknown, they went out into the darkness. Jaune carried the torch they made and his shield, while Winter held Crocea Mors tightly. She held a brave face, as did he. Internally, he worried. One of a kind Grimm were rare. Even rarer were Grimm with fairy tales explicitly attributed to them. He hadn't met many before, maybe that vampire counted, but aside from him, none. He had no idea what made Krampus special, but he had a feeling he was about to find out. And with heavy breaths, light steps in the snow, and beaming yellow eyes, they saw Krampus approach.
"Hello, naughty children." Krampus had a face-splitting smile made of jagged and bloody teeth across his face. As it spoke, Jaune could see the bright orange of embers in its mouth. His voice was deep, his face demonic and hairless, revealing pale skin. Two jagged horns sprouted out of his head. With black fur coating the rest of its body, it had goat-like legs and a bulky body. And coming from its back were embers and the crackling of flames as ever-burning coals were embedded into it. And apparently, it could speak. "Naughty, naughty, holding weapons against me." It chuckled deeply and continued to smile.
"W-w-what?" Winter wasn't so used to the concept of Grimm speaking. Jaune kind of was. "W-w-w-who are you!?" She held Crocea Mors tighter and Jaune tensed up, ready to block any blows Krampus would make.
"Heheheheheh." A dark chuckle escaped Krampus. "I am Krampus, but you already know that. So, ready for your Giving Day judgement?" It only had one arm avaliable, the other carrying the large cloth sack that carried his victims. "I was blessed with the gift of voice and power. And I will use my power to silence your voice." The Krampus then opened its mouth, its jaw dropping a bone-breaking amount and releasing a small flurry of sparks and embers, though it practically was just a shot out cloud of flames. Jaune pulled up his shield and stood in front of Winter, covering for her to back up as Krampus left forward to slash Jaune with its sharp claws. All the while it launched its offensive at Jaune, it laughed.
It was obscenely strong. Jaune had to either put his entire body to even block a blow for a moment or deflect it entirely. Winter had used the openings he created to get some experimental prods at Krampus. It wasn't encouraging, given that from every cut that pierced its hide, orange embers popped out from the flesh. It seemed that Krampus' insides were made of hot coals. And that wasn't exactly a good thing, given how when she tore off its claw with a clean strike, it just revealed one made of hot coals. And that made blocking strikes harder, given how the heat went through his shield and straight into his arm.
"Winter! I don't think your strikes are doing anything!" She clearly noticed that, given how she was refraining from attacking. "Sorry, that was obvious. Anyways, I think you should keept attacking!"
"What!?"
"Just do it!" With a shrug, she trusted in his advice and continued. Krampus' laugh got harsher and louder as its inner flames were released, slash by slash.
"YES! YES! YOU FOOL! You will burn in the flames of hate!" Krampus' attacks grew more ferocious, its stabs more hateful, its scratches more erratic. Winter, utilizing her superior speed and strength, managed to get in plenty more attacks. The final straw was when she went for its head, tearing it clean off. What she revealed wasn't pretty. A burning skull was left, with blood seeping out of it. Bits of flesh clung to it before being burnt away to nothingness. The skull was engulfed in fire, hateful flames that formed bright orange horns. It laughed. "YES! THE FLAMES HAVE BEEN UNLEASHED! I AM KRAMPUS! LISTEN TO MY NAME! IT SHALL BE THE LAST ONE YOU HEAR!"
"It's a good thing we didn't need this earlier!"
"WHAT!?"
"Water gun!" Jaune, holding a vial of water dust in his hand, pointed a finger gun at Krampus. He pumped aura into the vial and watched as a jet stream of water began shooting out, dousing the flames of Krampus and causing massive clouds of smoke to billow out. Jaune smiled as he heard Krampus scream in pain. Winter nodded, impressed by the show. After he had used up all of the dust, all that was left was a doused coal statue. All that was left was its sack. So, with Winter's help, they laid the sack down and tore it open. And out from it came a man, a woman, and a child. It took a few moments for them to wake up and take in their surroundings. The child was asleep, while the parents seemed to have been forcing themselves to stay awake.
"W-what!?" The man was the first one to speak.
"Hello, we are huntsmen. You've been kidnapped by Krampus. We have successfully defeated it. Your home it right over there." Winter was the one to speak to the family. Jaune could've sworn he heard the sound of steam.
"W-w-w-we're free?"
"Yes, we apologize but we have used your home in your absence. We've left some deer in your icebox as apologies."
"Thank you!" The woman bowed down in gratitude, almost tearing up from the hysterical joy she was feeling. "Thank you! Thank you!"
"A-alright honey, we're free. We're finally free!"
"D-don't wake Hestian, please." The man's wife held their child and the man nodded in agreement. And with the sound of stone breaking, he leapt into action. The water coating Krampus had been boiled away and he tried to get a surprise attack on Winter. It would've worked if Jaune hadn't lept in the way, though he was hit badly on the arm by its blazing coal claw. He was knocked aside and heard Winter yell for the family to get away before engaging in a fight with Krampus. Jaune forced himself up and slammed his arm into the snow, putting out the small flame that had been set on his arm. Shaking off the soreness of his arm, he put up his shield and charged back into the fight.
He couldn't attack and he didn't have any water flares, but he could act as another annoyance. And Krampus definitely tried. It grew in size, with more coal making up its body. Luckily, in its growth, Jaune could see a weak point. In its chest, there was a beating red heart of coal. It was also where the flames were the strongest, as they could see through the cracks in its chest.
"Winter! Aim at where the flames are the strongest!" Jaune was rolling and leaping to dodge the slams Krampus aimed at him while Winter flipped and dashed to avoid the ones aimed at her.
"FOOLISH CHILDREN, YOU THINK THEMSELVES CLEVER AND ADULT, BUT CHILDREN WILL ALWAYS BE CHILDREN IN THE FACE OF FIRE." It let out a bloodcurling scream as it melted the snow around them in blazing fire. Jaune had to stab his shield into the snow as Krampus bathed them all in flames, while Winter seemingly ran away. "SEE!? YOUR COMPANION RUNS IN FEAR, NO MATTER WHAT, YOU CANNOT STAND UP TO THE BEAST LURKING OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOWS."
"Nah, she's fine." He knew better. And when he saw a flash of white in the distance, his hopes were confirmed. In a moment, a snow white star flew by them and straight through the body of Krampus, leaving a human sized hole where its heart was. Winter had used her running to create momentum for her to use a black glyph to slam straight through the Krampus, thus circumventing its flames.
"W-w-w-whattttttt?" Smoke clouds rose from the falling coals. Upon further inspection, that smoke was mixed in with the dissolving black smoke made by Grimm. In the end of the fight, all that was left was Jaune and Winter, panting over a large patch of the ground where the snow was melted by Krampus. Winter was a bit charred from her attack, as was Jaune for enduring Krampus'. They were both tired from the fight, having taken quite the beating from the nightmarish monster of myth. And in the end, when the smoke cleared, and the coals dissolved, there was something left of Krampus. It was odd, considering how Grimm typically didn't leave any remains.
It was a piece of coal, barely the size of his palm. But it was hot, red hot. With an outline of black, bright orange burned constantly. Jaune tossed some snow on the hot coal, but found that, no matter what, the coal was never put out. Jaune focused his senses and couldn't tell if it was aura. But, he did sense something. It was minor, but the odd feeling he got when he focused on the coal was akin to when he observed Amber using her powers. So, using what knowledge he had, he assumed that the piece of coal was magical.
A magical ever-burning piece of coal, how peculiar. While Jaune would've loved to take it in order to have the perfect fire-starter, he didn't exactly have a container.
"W-what is that?"
"Left by Krampus. I think this is what made it special. It burns forever." Jaune stared at it.
"W-will it come back from it?"
"I don't know."
"It feels weird when I focus on it."
"I know."
"Hmm, what should we do with it?" Jaune wondered about that. He wasn't sure if the Atlesian Military would have any use for a magical burning rock. And he really couldn't reasonably carry it. So, he now had two options. Either destroy it, or-
"We could give it to the family."
"I suppose, but we aren't sure if Krampus will reform around it." Jaune shrugged.
"Eh, Grimm normally dissolve. I'm not too sure why this would be different. It doesn't feel like Grimm, since we can sense something coming from it. It's not exactly aura, but it's something. So, I think that Krampus was a Grimm that actually ingested it, you know? Like a Geist possessing something." The theory held water.
"Yes, I suppose that works. Still, I'd rather carry it myself and bring it back to base. Ironwood would want to hear about such an item." Jaune shrugged, not really caring or knowing too much about this sort of stuff.
"Alright then, I guess we could ask to use some furs? I mean, wrap enough around it and you won't burn eventually."
"The only downside is that I'd feel like I was bagging dog feces and sending it for military study."
"Yea. Well in a way, it is the excrement of a Grimm." Winter sighed, not having wanted to have that mental image flashing in her mind.
"I'll go ask them."
In the end, they stayed the night at the cabin. The people they rescued from Krampus' sack made the offer and they accepted. In the morning after, Jaune and Winter told some stories to their kid, had a well made breakfast, and then got some directions to a nearby town with a CCT tower. They exchanged some final pleasantries before departing from the hunters' cabin. Winter had bagged up the magical coal (Jaune called it Krampus droppings to the extreme annoyance of Winter) and they made their way to the town with minimal interruptions. He had one final lunch with her after she made a call to her superiors to pick her up before they had to part ways. Winter seemed melancholic, though Jaune retained a goofy grin.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye."
"Yes, I suppose it is."
"Yea, it's been a blast traveling with you." And he meant that. It had been so long since he'd had a companion to travel with. And he always welcomed company. Even if she was frosty at first, he felt a bond now. They fought together, he took a pretty nasty hit for her.
"You know, I never told you my name. It's J-"
"Don't." She stopped him before he could say it for some reason. He raised an eyebrow and she gave a sad smile. "I've already had my second family die. While our time together was short, I do care for you. But, you still are a huntsman constantly on the frontier. Please, spare me of the experience of hearing of your death when I come by once more. Do me that at least that." She was sincere about that and Jaune nodded, respecting her wishes.
"Yea, alright. I guess I'll stay the anonymous wanderer to you. That's fine enough. I can't guarantee we'll meet again, but I'd like if we did." She smiled at the thought. "And Winter? The same goes for you. We've only known each other for a day or two, but you feel less like a stranger and more like one of my closest friends." More like only friends, but the point still stood and was sweet. "I know your name, so please, don't make me hear of you falling."
"I cannot promise anything, but I will try." That was all Jaune needed.
"Well, with that said, goodbye, Snow Angel." And hey, if that was the last time he'd see her, then at least he'd leave teasing her. It felt right. And so, the two of them parted ways. Winter would wait in the town for an Atlesian bullhead to pick her up and bring her directly to Atlas, where Ironwood was waiting for her. Jaune would go on the road once more, wandering northward for new sights. In the end, they would see each other again in a few weeks.
General James Ironwood cut an imposing figure. At least, he typically did. His gaze of steel and upright posture often intimidated lower ranks. It even scared Winter at times, but now? Ironwood had a look of empathy for Winter. He'd read the report she wrote up on the way there and expressed his deepest sorrows for Winters' fallen comrades.
"I cannot apologize enough for sending you there. We should've done some initial recon to determine the threat level of the lab."
"It's fine, we weren't expecting it in the first place. And I managed to get out, despite it all."
"Yes, it was a miracle you managed to survive. All thanks to some nameless huntsman? If you ever meet him, give him my most sincere thanks. Anyways, onto a different matter entirely." Ironwood looked at the fur bundle Winter had brought back. He looked at Winter and thought for a moment. "Winter, are you very sure that the item in this fur is, indeed, a mysterious piece of coal that burns forever without need of fuel?"
"Yes, General."
"Please, call me Ironwood. I suppose I owe you an explanation."
"No, I-"
"Winter, I should've probably given you one when I started having you work with Qrow. So, what's your favorite fairy tale?"
One very long winded explanation later and Winter's worldview was shaken. Magic was real? And that piece of coal was a magical artifact? That was a bit hard to swallow, but she managed it given the nebulous nature of the piece of coal.
"And you said that this huntsman didn't seem all too surprised about this piece of coal?" While Winter really didn't want to throw Jaune under a bus, she had a duty to not lie.
"Yes, he actually put snow on it that subsequently melted. He didn't seem fazed at all." Ironwood hummed.
"Now I'd really like to meet him. If this man knows about magic, he might know the location of other artifacts like these. They might even be useful. This one is essentially an infinite heat source. That is revolutionary! We could theoretically heat the entirety of Mantle using this! Are you sure you don't know his name?"
It was as that moment in which Winter realized, she screwed up. Because, in fact, she didn't. She explicitly requested he not tell her. And now it was coming back to bite her in the rear.
Motherfucker.
AN: So, uh, happy early Christmas episode! Ok, seriously, now, you may wonder why I made atheistic interpretations of Christmas and Hanukkah. Now, that's a good question. The answer is that I just don't know what to fucking do when it comes to religions. Because with the existence of the Brother Gods, I cannot make a religion without there being an implication that it is 'wrong' because of the existence of the Brother Gods. I know that you may not care for those sorts of things, but I kind of do. Sorry about that, but honestly RWBY didn't do much with the concept of religion at all. One idea I have is that I could have people just not worship the brother gods at all in recent years and the use of 'Brothers' as a phrase is just a holdover. Though, considering the origin of the Faunas from the fairy tale book or smth, I could always say that other 'gods' (relatively minor deities that aren't of the same scale) have spawned in remnant and are the objects of worship. Eh, all ideas.
AN2: Also, while it may seem it, no there won't be any sort of SCP stuff in here. It's just magical artifacts and shit. Kind of like the Grimm necklace in the RWBY DND thing.