A/N: Hello and welcome to the third chapter. We'll have a bit of a time skip ahead. First major one, but we're sticking with the Guild for a bit. Just fast forwarding a few years to not make it dreary.

From The Smallest Acorn

Summary: Jaune was nothing more than a simple farm boy, yet one terrible night shatters his view on the world and he finds out that his destiny is something much greater: becoming the greatest Hero to ever walk the soil of Albion.

*Trouble in the Guild*

The next eight years had passed by in a flash for Jaune. Every morning had begun with brutal exercises designed to improve his strength and endurance, pushing him to his limits and beyond. The afternoons were spent training with weapons and practicing magic. The nights, however, were where the real training began for him. Every night for the past eight years, he and Qrow snuck out with Ozpin into the Guild's courtyard to spar with each other, or at least that was the official story in case anyone else in the Guild poked their nose into business that wasn't theirs.

A lot had changed in those eight years. Jaune had grown in terms of height, with lean muscle hidden by light grey apprentice robes. His hair now reached his shoulders and had to be tied back in spars, and a few itchy stubs had sprouted from his chin. The hormones that came with growing up were unpleasant and he still had zero idea about what supposed relationships were, but Qrow and Ozpin were kindly helping him with their knowledge on it. When they weren't bent over backwards laughing at him whenever he had to spar against a female Guild apprentice and he ended up trapped in a leglock.

But not everything had changed for the best.

The Guildmaster and Maze scowling profusely at him, Qrow, and Ozpin in Maze's tower being one of those things.

"What the bloody hell were you thinking!?" Maze demanded, the three apprentices standing firm in the face of an angry wizard more than capable of turning them inside out. "Practicing fire magic indoors!? We have training courses outside for a bloody reason! Why am I wasting my time yelling at you for this!? You should know this by now!"

Jaune looked at the few burnt tomes, sliced curtain caused by an errant swing from Qrow, and the burn marks in Maze's desk. Ozpin was right. It was a bad idea to practice fire magic in here. What the ruddy hell was he thinking? Casting fireballs in an enclosed environment filled with flammables wasn't just a bad idea; it was completely and utterly stupid. The blond apprentice scratched his head. Maybe he had taken a few too many knocks to it the last time he went up against someone in the Guild apart from his two friends. I need to let Ozpin or Qrow beat some sense into me. Toss me around the ring a little.

"Thunder was being a twat and wouldn't let us," Qrow complained.

"That's because he was holding bloody exams!" Maze raged. "Exams that at the rate you lot are going, will never see the light of!" He straightened up with an angry snarl and glowered at them, Qrow letting out a sigh.

"I at least tried to sew your curtain back on."

"You went to the seamstress, and she told you to bugger off," Ozpin deadpanned.

"I never said I was successful." Qrow shrugged. "Just saying the effort was there. "

Jaune sighed.

The Guildmaster put a hand on Maze's shoulder before he could rage any further and the old bald man looked down at the three apprentices. "Before my good friend loses what is left of his mind to your antics, I will be dealing all three of you the necessary punishment. Since you three are so eager to use your powers inside the Guild halls, you shall use them to exterminate some pests that have sprung up in the Guild Woods. Naturally, we'd send a chaperone with you, but our older Heroes are busy questing or preparing for their final exams. You will not have help, nor will you have your weapons. Since you're fond of using magic to get your way, you'll be only allowed to use your spells."

"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Qrow groaned. "Pest control? Let me guess, it's a bunch of beetles again. Can't you at least put us against something that'll require brainpower?" The three of them spent a lot of time wiping out giant beetles that grew to the size of a dog. Their size made them dangerous to the lone trader or unarmed traveler, but for a Hero it was far too easy. One stomp was usually enough to kill them.

"Your target is a Wasp Queen."

Qrow sighed and Jaune and Ozpin both stared at him, eyes flat. You just had to say something, didn't you? Poor bugger never was good at keeping his mouth shut when it needed to be. Jaune never met a person flexible enough to fit both feet inside their mouth and still remain standing. Then Qrow came along and displayed his uncanny talent for it.

"She was last seen attacking the picnic field in the woods. Something evil has corrupted her, turning her into an extremely aggressive monster. Several civilians have been killed and a request for aid was sent to the Guild. Unfortunate timing with so many of our seniors currently undergoing exams, admittedly, but thanks to you three getting into more trouble than what's comfortable, we can deal with it." The Guildmaster straightened himself up and glanced over to Maze, who nodded along in agreement. "Rest assured, you will be monitored for the duration of your quest. We will know if you fail or succeed."

"...you're seriously making us only use magic because of a spell gone awry?" Qrow asked semi-rhetorically. "Isn't that extremely petty for no reason?"

"It is, I admit, very petty, but right now I'm rather feeling it after you trashed the Master Wizard's tower." The Guildmaster's moustache ruffled and he looked to his colleague. "How about you, Maze?"

"Suffer..." Maze seethed, scowling at the three apprentices.

"There you have it. Well?" he asked icily when they didn't budge. "The ruddy hell are you waiting for? Go on. And try not to set the forest on fire in the process."

They were dismissed.

Jaune was the first to leave, Ozpin following him and looking remarkably calm despite them being called into Maze's tower for possibly the fourth time this month. The mage apprentice sighed and took off his glasses to wipe them down with the end of his tunic. "Well, that could have gone much worse."

Qrow followed them, no doubt taking the time to shoot one final insult towards Maze. "Yeah. We could have been kicked out. Why did we think it was a good idea to train in there? We should've just waited for Thunder to finish testing graduates instead."

"No use complaining about the past. What's done is done. If anything, it was my idea. I should take the most blame for it." Jaune scratched at the slight stubble on his chin. Cursed hormones. "I don't mind wandering into the forest alone."

"Not so fast, buddy." Qrow grabbed him by the elbow, yanking him back. The blond teen yelped in surprise and turned to stare indignantly at the black-haired rogue. "We're all in this one. Besides, Maze or the Guildmaster will know if you go in alone. It's for all of us."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Jaune sighed and yanked his arm out from Qrow's grasp. "Know anything about the target, Oz?"

"Wasp Queens are agile, fast, and large. Their stinger is obviously the most dangerous part, but we should be fine as long as we keep our distance and don't do anything stupid. We're three of the best apprentices inside of combat practice."

"And the worst outside of it," Qrow muttered, sulking and falling into a lazy slouch. Despite their late-night training sessions, the rogue struggled with magic more than Jaune or Ozpin. His offensive magic left a lot to be desired, only able to cast Lightning and Fireball, but he made up for it with Barrier. He could even heal to an extent, a spell most Heroes didn't learn until after graduation. Combined with his dexterity and strength, most of his fights against other apprentices had a tendency to be cut brutally short.

"Still. Could be worse." Ozpin shrugged. "Qrow, how are your summons coming along?"

"Not brilliantly. I can summon maybe one or two at a time before my mana reserves drop heavily. It leaves me closer to empty than I'd like."

"Conserve your mana for defense and healing. Jaune and I can be the aggressors." Ozpin, while not as built as Jaune, was more than capable of tanking hits thanks to Barrier to make up for the size differential. Jaune on the other hand could repeatedly take heavier blows thanks to his fitness. It worked best when he was engaged in melee combat, but it could work for him even if he was reduced to just his magic.

"What I wouldn't give for a sword," Qrow muttered irritably. "Or a bow even."

"Wasp Queens are too agile for an apprentice like us to hit with a weapon," Ozpin said, shaking his head. "We simply don't have the necessary reflexes for it yet. Most apprentices don't deal with one until they've graduated, usually."

"Why did Maze and the Guildmaster send us then? They definitely lied about us being the only ones available. The Guild is home to plenty of older apprentices who could deal with this and not run the risk of all three of us getting killed," Qrow pointed out. "Call me paranoid, but I feel as though they're purposely bending the rules here for us. If it were any other apprentices who set fire to Maze's tower, even if it was an accident, they'd be punished for it harshly."

He has a point, Jaune mused. As the youngest, he was definitely not supposed to be here dealing with a Wasp Queen, at least not until he was a few years older. "That's not important right now. We can worry about whatever is going on through their heads later; right now, people are dying and need our help." The longer they sat around complaining and speculating, the more people fell to the monster. "We're supposed to be Heroes, right?"

"Heh. Alright then. Let's kick this overgrown insect back to the hole it crawled out of." Qrow smirked.

With the three of them onboard, it would over in a matter of minutes.


The picnic grounds on the edge of Guild territory were in chaos. Dozens of people were running for their lives, screaming in panic, and Ozpin frowned. "We may be in a bit more trouble than we realize."

"What was your first clue?" Qrow asked sarcastically. "Was it townspeople screaming in panic or, you know, the stench of the dead?"

Ozpin rolled his eyes and his gaze hardened. His green robes billowed behind him and the mage's hands became cloaked in green light. "Get everyone out of there, now! Buy me as much time as you can!"

"On it!" Jaune and Qrow rushed in, the blond boy casting a thunderbolt at a pair of wasps swarming around a villager. The large insects shrieked as they were electrocuted to death and Jaune pushed past her, pushing his magic to the front and motioning for her to retreat. "Go! Get out of here! We can handle this!"

The woman stumbled, clearly unused to being ordered around by a fourteen-year-old boy, but she quickly changed her tune when she witnessed another swarm of wasps get disintegrated by his lightning magic again. She ran as fast as her legs would take her, and Qrow was escorting another group of villagers out of harm's way. A light blue aura cloaked his body and the older teen was grimacing every time a particularly annoyed wasp flew up to sting him. The aura around him flickered but held, and he shoved the villagers out towards the Guild gates. "Oz! That's the last of them! We're clear!"

Ozpin's eyes snapped open and out from his hands came a powerful cyclone, tearing a path through the swarm of wasps. The gusts of wind had both Qrow and Jaune stumbling and struggling to keep upright, but it did its job of sucking in the wasps. The gale winds tore the insects apart and Ozpin let the spell die down, sauntering over to them with a smug smile. "Gentlemen. You two didn't get caught up in that nastiness, did you?"

"No." Qrow gritted his teeth as he yanked out a stinger that had stuck in his arm. "Got stung once. Stupid magic."

"Your Barrier held, didn't it?" Ozpin pointed out, moving over and digging through his robes for a vial of red liquid. He splashed some onto the sting and Qrow kept still as it cleansed the wound. "I'd take that as a sign to stop complaining when it could have been so much worse."

The ground began to shake and Jaune and Qrow both stared past Ozpin to the far end of the picnic area, where a large red portal had opened up. The blond then turned his flat stare to Ozpin and the mage turned around to look at it. "Ah. Right."

Ozpin strode over to the portal and touched it, only to immediately yank his hand back with a pained cry. Qrow caught him before he could be flung away by whatever dark magic kept the portal open, Ozpin hissing. "I think we found it." His fingertips were scorched black and in his unblemished hand, he cast a quick Healing spell. The mage's scorched fingers mended themselves but using magic to heal was always a tricky business. It held the caster together and stopped them from bleeding out, but it wouldn't regenerate any lost blood or completely take out the pain. That was before getting bogged down with details like how control over life forces was much more difficult than casting say Shock or Enflame. It was easier to set someone on fire than it was to heal them. Magic was funny like that.

The swirling red portal grew, and grew, and then grew a third time for good measure. It was large enough to start swallowing carriages and the three apprentices backed up as out from it came a pair of spiny grey legs thicker than Jaune's own limbs. A giant head followed suit, a pair of glowing red eyes focusing on Jaune, and the blond tilted his head back, mouth open in an 'o' as he stared down the beast that crawled out of the portal.

The Wasp Queen's large body was bigger than most horses, and each one of its spiny legs was covered in bristles and thorns. Its jaws snapped wildly as it took flight, its powerful wings carrying it through the air with far greater speed and agility than its bulk suggested was possible. Its underbelly was a dull pulsing red, tapering down to an enormous stinger capable of piercing through steel and iron armor with ease. Its beady eyes focused onto Jaune and it let out a shrill shriek as it charged him.

Fire washed over its tough exoskeleton and Jaune dropped to the ground, letting the beast fly over him. Its stinger came close to stabbing him in the throat and he rolled to his left, throwing an arm out. Lightning coursed through its body and it crashed in a dusty heap. The giant insect spasmed in fear and pain, its stinger dripping venom onto the dirty ground and turning the earth a toxic green. Before Jaune and Ozpin could set the bastard ablaze, it recovered with a beat of its wings. The Wasp Queen rose back up, curling its body so its stinger faced them.

Its red eyes glared at Ozpin and before the mage could even begin casting, the overgrown insect moved.

The Wasp Queen lunged for him with an angry shriek and Qrow bowled Ozpin over. The two of them fell to the ground and the wasp soared overhead, just missing his face. The two boys rolled in the dirt before springing back up to their feet, and the Wasp Queen charged at Jaune, deeming him less of a threat than two more agile prey. Flame crackled from the blond's fingertips and he sent a Fireball right into its face, hitting it again. Scorch marks lined its exoskeleton and it spasmed uncontrollably. Its legs dug deep grooves into the dirt as it twitched, wings pathetically beating as it rolled around, trying to right itself up.

"Oz!" Jaune called out to his friend. "Tell me you have something!" He tried to cast another spell, but it flickered and died. His body screamed a warning and he jumped back as the Wasp Queen tried to thrust its stinger at him. "I'm out!" His mana reserves, while deep for his age, were nowhere near as enormous as Ozpin's. As a pure mage who relied on his spells in battle, his pool of mana was deeper and it regenerated much quicker.

The eldest of the three apprentices smiled and wiped dust off of his glasses. "I do."

Blue Will lines grew down his arms and to the palms of his hands, magic forcibly burning the scars into his flesh. A burst of green magic erupted from Ozpin's body, the mage gasping in pain as three ethereal swords formed around him. The trio of blades circled him and with a flick of his wrist, two tore through the Wasp Queen's wings and impaled the beast, keeping it pinned down. The Wasp Queen's jaws opened in a high-pitched scream and Ozpin finished it off, moving his hand to the side sharply. The remaining sword cut the beast's head off, and the headless giant wasp was no more.

"Who's not dead?" Jaune asked, wiping his hands down his trousers.

"In one piece." Qrow offered a thumbs-up. He wiped a smear of dirt from his cheek and leered at the corpse of the giant wasp they just killed, grinning. "So... first monster, huh?"

No one else laughed. Jaune had a sinking feeling he knew why.

Wasp Queens tended to stay near their nests in the forests of Greatwood, to the south of the Guild Woods. They were aggressive for sure, but only when defending their young from those who trespassed into their territory. Why the hell was one all the way out here, when its nest was easily a day or two away? They weren't exactly known for travelling long distances. The coloration on the body also seemed wrong. It had clearly been warped and distorted by some kind of magic.

"Curious." Ozpin leaned down to study the body. "These burns by its leg joints...they weren't done by fire. This is similar to the burns on people who try to use Cullis Gates when they're not Heroes. I'm not sure how much attention either of you have paid to magical research, but studies with willing volunteers-"

"Layman's terms, please." Qrow sighed.

"In short." Ozpin gave the rogue a flat stare. "This particular Wasp Queen was purposely teleported via magic to this location."

Qrow fell silent, for once devoid of any sarcastic remark. "...oh. We have to tell the Guildmaster about it. Maybe he'll be able to make sense of it. I doubt we'll be sent out on a quest anytime soon."

For once, they all agreed that this was something that was best suited to those more experienced than themselves.


The Guildmaster looked over the handwritten report compiled by Ozpin and Jaune. Qrow had left once they made it back to the Guild, saying he had a cute apprentice to try and woo. The rogue never had any luck with women when it came to long-term relationships, it seemed. "You say she came from a red portal?"

"Yes, Guildmaster," Jaune answered. "The Wasp Queen was unnaturally aggressive, and the color patterns on her body seemed warped and burned. Ozpin was the first to notice the burns on her exoskeleton."

"Guildmaster." Ozpin strode forward confidently. "The burns on the specimen are the same as the results from the Cullis Gate experiments over two hundred years ago. The portal itself was magic and not a natural phenomenon. The mana required to teleport a creature of that size is far too much for it to be an accident caused by an apprentice. It is my belief that a Hero very proficient in the arcane arts is behind this."

"We shall let Briar Rose and Thunder investigate when they have the time," the Guildmaster said, rolling up the report into a scroll. "And though this was meant to be a punishment, it is fortunate that the three of you... where's Branwen?"

"Flirting with the older apprentices." Ozpin rolled his eyes. "Having no luck because it's him." Jaune snorted in laughter. Poor but unsurprising Qrow.

"Branwen's luck with the fairer sex aside, it is fortunate the three of you came out of this incident without harm. For something to attack so close to the Guild Woods..." The Guildmaster was troubled, and he has reason to be. The presence of magical interference with the attacks meant it was either a Hero who had abandoned the Guild or an active member. Neither bode well.

"But who could have enough mana to teleport a creature of that size over such a long distance?" Jaune asked. "No recent graduates were Will-users." It didn't help that the only true mages he knew were Ozpin, Maze, and the Guildmaster himself. Accusing any of them of treason against the Guild would be seen as idiotic at best and see him thrown across the ocean at worst.

"I am unaware. No matter. We will investigate and put and end to this madness. Letting it fester is unwise; the general populace of Albion would become overwhelmed by fear and panic otherwise. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. The three of you are free to spend the rest of the day as you see fit, but please try and refrain from indulging more immature behavior. Maze is still in a foul mood for what you three did to his tower." His moustache ruffled. "And tell Branwen to use protection."

Jaune's brain fizzled and he choked on air. Whatever innocence he had left after the terrible night of Oakvale's burning went flying out the tower and splashed pathetically into the courtyard's pond, but not before shattering in a hundred pieces.

Ozpin burst out laughing.


Jaune met up with Qrow in the courtyard after being dismissed by the Guildmaster. Other apprentices pointed at Qrow and laughed as they walked by, making him pout something fierce. The rogue was sulking on one of the picnic benches and his grey tunic bore a lovely stain of brown liquid dribbling down it. He looked up when Jaune sat next to him and grimaced. "Hey."

"Hey." Jaune looked at the stain. "No luck?"

"No." Qrow pouted.

"Nice stain. The Guildmaster said to use protection."

"Hah. If that old man isn't half a funny bastard." Qrow stretched, loosening his muscles. "I assume we're free for the rest of the day?"

"Yeah we are. The Guildmaster said he'd send Thunder and Briar Rose out to investigate what we found. Also said we were lucky to get out of there alive. Any other apprentice would have been chopped to bits."

"Heh. Isn't that nice and reassuring? Nice to know that we were almost sent to our deaths at an early age. Where's Oz?"

"The Grand Library. He said as Maze's apprentice, he would be dragged into studying their investigations and he wanted to get a head start on research. Or at least that's what he claimed. For all I know, he really snuck into the kitchens to try and swipe a keg of ale out from underneath the head washerwoman's nose."

"That sounds like something I'd do. Maybe I have corrupted him."

"You've corrupted both of us. How many times have we been yelled at by one of the Guild's senior members in the last month?"

"Hey, you can't blame me for all of them. Thunder is just a twat and Briar Rose won't ever shut up." Qrow groaned and let his head lean back. Briar may have been an instructor at the Guild, but everyone who had ever dealt with the woman came to the same conclusion.

She was bloody irritating. It wasn't just her snobbish attitude; it was more of the fact that once her mouth opened, it would run on for hours on end before she got to the point of the conversation. The only one who could stand to be around Briar Rose for more than ten minutes without immediately wanting to pelt her with apples was herself.

"...convenient that the two instructors who are the most irritating to deal with are sent out to wherever the Guildmaster says." Jaune grinned. "Should we grab Oz and swing by the archery range?"

An angry yell came from the kitchens and Ozpin came running out with a full tankard of ale in one hand, cackling the entire time. Just behind him was an infuriated washerwoman, chasing the mage apprentice with a wooden spoon and swatting at his backside every chance she could. Each swat missed, Ozpin keeping well out of range, and a dozen other apprentices roared with laughter. Yep, Ozpin had not gone to the Grand Library like he claimed he was. It was surprising how unsurprised Jaune and Qrow both were, watching wordlessly as the mage continued to outrun his pursuer. The washerwoman had stopped trying to swat his backside and instead aimed for his head, roaring threats how she would cut off his arms and legs when she caught him.

Ozpin's response to the threats to his well-being was a rude hand gesture.

Qrow shook his head, clicking his tongue. "And there is where he messes up."

Qrow proved to be correct five seconds later, as Ozpin, in his haste to outrun the angry washerwoman, tripped over a gnarled tree root. With wide eyes he toppled headfirst into one of the courtyard's ponds, much to the amusement of those watching. The tankard of ale remained in his hand and didn't spill, keeping his arm sticking straight up out of the water as he swam away from an irate woman hellbent on taking him over her knee.

"Should we help him?" Jaune asked, making no move to assist his friend as he swam one-handed to the opposite bank. The washerwoman was smart enough to not follow him into the water and stood waiting patiently, tapping one foot with a thunderous scowl on her face as she glared at the wizard apprentice.

"He dug his own grave on this one." Qrow chuckled.

"LET HIM GO!" An angry female apprentice screeched like a screamer and leapt at the woman. One of Ozpin's not-so-secret admirers. Gillian, if Jaune's memory was right.

Poor Gillian went soaring past, missing by a good four meters, and splashed pathetically into the pond.

The washerwoman ignored the soaking wet apprentice, who was now helped out by a few of her giggling friends. Her focus was entirely on Ozpin, and he looked up sheepishly to meet her glare. "Um... none of it spilled?"

Jaune sighed and Qrow dragged one hand down his face, continuing to make no move to help their friend. To be fair, it was definitely Ozpin's problem and not theirs, for once. Jaune spent enough time getting yelled at by one of the Guild's instructors this month alone. Qrow probably was double or triple that number by now. Anything that went wrong, Qrow was usually the one blamed for it despite the times where he was nowhere near the time or place of the incident in question. It was just convenient to blame most problems on the only Hero in the entire Guild who specifically used Guile, even though there were more than a fair few of rogue-class Heroes of Skill apart from Qrow. Mercury Black was one, and even though he was a bit of a sarcastic twat on the best of days, he was loyal to the Guild to a fault. He, like Qrow, had several skills that made most Heroes shun him, for he was specialized in the ways of assassins.

Whisper, Thunder's little sister and a fellow apprentice, came over to join the two as they amused themselves by watching Ozpin get chewed out and swatted. Her dark dreadlocks were tied back and her normally flawless chocolate-colored skin was marked by magical burns up and down her right shoulder. Her apprentice robes were torn in places and she favored one leg as she sat next to them. "Afternoon, Jaune. Qrow."

"Hey." Qrow winked, giving her a roguish smile. "You look like someone tied you to the back of a carriage and sent it down a mountain. What happened?"

"Training." Whisper eased herself down with a groan. "My dear older brother." She rolled her eyes as she said it, making it clear what she thought of Thunder and his continuous boasting. Even though Thunder was her brother, the two of them never saw eye to eye. Whisper complained about Thunder being a git who wouldn't know the definition of the word, 'humble' if it danced in front of him naked, and Jaune briefly wondered if he and Theresa had ever gotten on each other's nerves like this.

Jaune, no! The berries go in that basket, not the bread!

Don't drop the linens! We just washed them! By Avo you're so clumsy!

Jaune clenched a fist, the noise of the Guild drowned out by the crackle and pop of fire. Theresa...

Theresa was never accounted for amongst the dead. Her body was never found after reinforcements from the Guild took back Oakvale from the bandits who burned it, leaving Maze to believe she was possibly still alive. His findings didn't turn up any new leads, and with his training Jaune barely had time to think about what he once lost.

I'll find you; I promise. But I have to get stronger.

Strong enough to take back that what was stolen from him.

A/N: Bit of a shorter chapter than I'd like, to be perfectly frank. The early sections in the Guild aren't going to be glamorous; it's all about training. Tweaking little things from the original Fable, and that requires a run of the first game. Hmm...

-Kagerou#9718