Fatum - The End of Humanity

"Where were you when the light went out?"

That was the question people asked when they talked about how everything started going down the drain. It was almost like people were scared to actually talk about what had happened. The words were an easy way to refer to it without having to acknowledge what they had lost.

No one had to really accept the fact that Beacon was destroyed, torn to the ground by an army of Grimm. The headmaster, most of the teachers, and hundreds of students were dead. The lucky ones ran away, but nowhere in Vale was safe.

Jaune remembered the days before his family ran away. He wished he could have said they were rushing to pack things as soon as Beacon fell, but no. No, everything was so normal the day after Beacon fell. It felt like a Sunday, Jaune remembered, which is funny, because it was actually a Tuesday.

He and his sisters didn't have to go to school, but they all felt something weighing on them. Bad things were just around the corner, and when Jaune tried to talk to his parents, they refused to tell him the truth.

His father actually held him in his arms, promising the young man that everything was going to be okay. Jaune wanted to be angry, he wanted to hate his father for lying, but he was just a kid. He didn't need to know about how everything was falling apart outside their home.

After Beacon fell, everyone waited for the second bullet. Defenses were set up, enhanced, tripled, everything. Yet in Jaune's little world, everything felt the same. Even his parents seemed to act like nothing was wrong.

Then the Grimm pulled the trigger, and Jaune watched as his parents wept, trying to pack things up as quickly as they could, forcing their children to do the same with bags that were too small to carry half the stuff they wanted.

Days later, Jaune found out what had happened. The news was interrupted by a rogue signal, and a woman could be seen, her face and body mostly obscured by inky, black shadows, but her words came in clearly.

"The gods have abandoned you. Your savior is dead. Your leaders have joined them."

After the message, every news channel said the same thing. The Council of Vale had been assassinated. There were no survivors and the Grimm had come in waves of millions to deliver the finishing blow.

Jaune and his family left their home, and they ran as quickly as they could. The Kingdom of Vale was turned into a warzone overnight. The Grimm attacked, but the scariest thing was how they were attacking. They were using strategy, tactics, and some of them even seemed to know just how to beat the Huntsmen and soldiers protecting Vale.

Over the course of four straight weeks of bloody fighting and war, Vale was destroyed and the Arc family had barely escaped it.

Atlas had opened its borders to the refugees, but it came at a cost. Their intelligence predicted that Atlas was next on the chopping block, and for every family of refugees accepted, at least one member was drafted to fight.

Jaune volunteered, but he was a child. His father was the one drafted instead, and Jaune had to watch as his father took their family heirlooms to war.

A woman returned the heirlooms a year later with a letter. She said that the army of Atlas was sorry for their loss, and told them about how brave and heroic Jaune's father was.

She didn't even know him. It was just the same letter they gave to everyone who lost someone, copy and pasted a million times.


That was seven years ago, and no one had touched Crocea Mors since.

Seven years, and Atlas was still fighting back against the horde of Grimm. The two sides had kicked the other's teeth in, drew blood, fought with tooth and nail. Atlas had lost its capital, while millions of Grimm were killed in the city's self-destruction. Then New Atlas was born, and the fighting went on.

This was the eighth place Jaune and his family called home. Well, he called it that… The eighth in a long list of trading homes, trying to find a place that was safe.

From what Jaune had heard, Vacuo and Mistral were fighting their own battles. Which meant there was no supplies or soldiers they could spare for the icy nation.

The Atlas Government and the Huntsmen were fighting as hard as they could. Jaune passed by several recruitment posters on his way from work. Today, one of them had spray paint on it.

'LIARS!' 'Suicide sign up!' The usual stuff.

Jaune returned to his family's home with groceries in hand, and he found his mother hard at work. She turned her head towards him, smiling at the young man.

"Jaune! Welcome home. Mind helping me set up the table?"

"Sure, mom," he replied, returning her smile as he placed the groceries on the ground.

With dad dead, mom was left to lead their family. She did her best, more than any of her children could ask for, but Jaune refused to let her shoulder the weight alone.

"How was work? Another late night?" she asked, and Jaune chuckled.

"Nothing I can't handle. Besides, I get paid pretty well for overtime."

"Well, that's good. I can't imagine how badly they're working you in there..."

Helping make bullets, swords, and armor for the war. It wasn't glamorous, but it helped put food on the table. "Yeah, well, I think we'll all be singing a different tune next week." He grabbed one bag and placed it on the table, a proud smile on his face. "A very particular tune." His mother raised her brow as she leaned over, trying to glance at the bag.

He smiled, bobbing his head back and forth as he sang. "Get it? Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to- "

"W-what?! Jaune, you-" His mother placed the pot down for a moment as she walked towards the table, opening it to find the ingredients inside. "You got a cake for Violet's birthday!?"

"Shhh!" he pleaded, placing a finger to his lips. "It's supposed to be a surprise."

"How did you afford-? That's why you've been working so much lately."

"Not just for that. A couple more weeks, and we'll have enough for a new oven," Jaune grinned, smacking his hand against the table. It trembled from the blow and he flinched, waiting for a leg to drop. Thankfully none did, and he laughed. "Maybe a new table first."

"Jaune… You've been running yourself ragged lately. I'm happy for the help, but I don't want you to hurt yourself," his mother warned, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, well, I… I just want to make sure you guys are okay. You know, if something were to happen."

"What? Why? What's happening?" she blinked, before his eyes drifted away from her. They were aimed towards the living room, where a sword and shield were hung over the fireplace. Jaune's mother seemed to read his mind, before her lips fell and her fingers massaged her temples.

"Jaune, no. We've talked about this."

"I want to help."

"And you are! You're supplying the army with weapons, isn't that enough?!" his mother asked. "Or do you want to go out there and die, too? Will that be enough!?" His mother turned away, but Jaune just shook his head.

"Mom, I think I can make a difference. I want to make a difference."

"You won't." He stared at her back as she stirred dinner. "You'll just be another corpse on the road."

"Mom-"

"We are not going to talk about this, Jaune."

"Mom, I want to enlist. You don't even need to go out to the Academy anymore! I heard they're sending Huntsmen out all over Atlas to find possible recruits and train them. Some are probably already in town!"

She didn't say anything, and he took a deep breath. "I heard some soldiers get entire ranches for their families. Can you imagine that? A whole farm to ourselves? We wouldn't have to live in this shack, o-or in a tent like the Larks!"

"Do you know why the Larks live in a tent?" she spat, and Jaune watched as her hands began to shake. "Because they don't have any children left to give. I won't lose anyone else to this damn war."

"If this war keeps going, you might-"

"We are not." Her voice was like ice, and Jaune felt his throat run dry and barren. "Going. To talk about this, Jaune. Now, get washed up. Dinner's going to be ready soon."

Jaune closed his eyes. Another argument. Another 'closed' discussion about him enlisting. "I'm not really hungry," he muttered, carrying himself towards his room.

His mother didn't argue. When the door fell shut behind him, Jaune felt it all hit him. The exhaustion, the fatigue, his aching muscles, and sobbing bones just begging him to stop.

He fell onto his bed with a weak groan, laying there until he limped off to sleep. Yet even in his dreams, he couldn't stop thinking about Crocea Mors.


That night Jaune placed his hands on Crocea Mors and took it off the wall. He held it in his hands, admiring the blade and shield for a few seconds.

This was the sixth time he had 'secretly borrowed' the weapon. Six times and he still couldn't believe what he was doing.

The shield shifted in his hand, turning into a sheath for the sword. He tried to push the tip of the blade into the shield, cursing at it just poked and prodded around the hole. Six times and he still had a hard time putting it away...

"Shh, shh, shh. Please be quiet," he begged, before he finally slipped the sword inside. "Yes!" He slapped his hand against his mouth, eyes wide, before he glanced around the dimly lit living room.

Okay. So far, so good.

He held the sheathed sword in hand as he slowly made his way to the exit, opening and closing the door behind him as he sighed with relief.

Alright. He was outside the house. Time for part two of his 'cunning plan.'

RA-27. Residential Area 27 was the 'town' Jaune and his family lived in. It wasn't much, but it was enough for a few hundred people to live. The walls protected the city well, but the best part of the town was the park.

A large, forested area that people could rest and relax in. A place where they could pretend like the world hadn't gone to hell.

Jaune walked down a secluded path, finally arriving at his tree. Said tree had several cut marks on it from when he had practiced with the sword, and with a deep sigh, Jaune began his training once more.

Of course, calling it training was a bit generous. He had never wielded a sword before. He held the weapon like a bat, swinging it, beating it against the wooden trunk of the tree again and again.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Jaune attacked again and again, imagining the Grimm before his eyes. He felt sweat dripping down his skin as he kept at it, and the cold wind of Atlas sent chills down his spine. Yet he kept going. "Ah! Hiya! Ha!"

"I was wondering who was vandalizing the forest."

"Haah?!" Jaune spun around, sword in hand. Before he could even understand what was happening, he felt something hit the sword. The vibrations made his fingers scream out in pain, and he dropped his weapon to the ground as he cried out in pain. "Dyaaah!"

"Sorry," a voice apologized. "But do you have a permit to be wielding that weapon?"

"P-permit? Oh." Oh, no. "A-are you a guard?" Jaune asked, holding his hands up as he stared at the woman.

The scarlet-haired woman shook her head, before staring at him with sharp, emerald eyes. "No. I'm a Huntress."

"Oh." Oh, that is so much worse! "Um, I-I-uh-"

"What are you doing?" the woman asked, walking away to pick up his sword. She had her back to him, but the thought of running away was quickly shot down. He knew he couldn't outrun her.

"I… I'm uh… I'm training," he muttered.

"Okay. Next question: Who are you?" Jaune bit his lower lip, but before he could answer, the woman smiled.

"My name is Pyrrha Nikos."

"Pyrrha." Jaune's eyes narrowed and he stared at the Huntress with a glimmer in his eyes. Now that he had a better chance to look at her, she seemed so familiar. "Have I seen you before?"

"You haven't answered my question, sir."

"Oh, r-right! Sorry. Sorry. My name is Jaune Arc." Why did I give her your real name? "Am I in trouble, Miss Pyrrha… Nikos… Officer. Huntress, ma'am." Jaune wanted to smack himself in the head as Pyrrha admired his family's weapons.

"These are very finely made weapons. Ones I assume you don't have a license for?"

"I…"

"Why were you out here?" she asked.

"I was… training, ma'am."

"Training?"

"Y-yeah. I wanted to be a Huntsman, so I thought I'd train to join the academy."

Pyrrha stared at him, before her eyes drifted behind him. She stared at the tree he had assaulted, before glancing down at the weapons in her hands.

"What's your Semblance?"

"My what now?" he blinked.

"Have you unlocked your Aura?"

"I don't… Uh, I don't know what that means," Jaune slowly explained, and Pyrrha sighed.

"I'm sorry, Jaune, but I don't think you are Huntsman material."

Jaune blinked, before he glared at Pyrrha. She blinked in surprise as she watched the young man change, becoming angry as she challenged his dream. "Hey! Look, I can be a Huntsman. I just need training."

"Being a Huntsman is more than just training. It takes strength, resolve, determination, and-"

"Courage, I know. I've seen all the propaganda."

Pyrrha sighed, palming her forehead. "I understand you want to help, but you need to understand what kind of life you would end up living if you became a Huntsman."

Jaune raised his brow as he stared at her eyes. They were almost invisible in the dark, but the dim light of distant lampposts gave him hints of her features. She was pretty. Bright eyes and long, scarlet hair. A strong, even curvy body, but her beauty was second to just how… tired she looked.

"The Grimm are monsters. If they find you, they will tear you apart. They're incredibly fast, and insanely dangerous. This isn't going to save you," she explained, turning his shield into a sheath and returning the sword to it.

"Then help me!" Pyrrha's eyes widened at that, and Jaune took a long breath. He couldn't believe what he just said, but he figured he'd let the momentum carry him forward.

"That's why you're here, right? You're recruiting." She didn't say no, and so Jaune took a deep breath. "Well, I want to enlist."

Mom was going to kill him, but he was eighteen. Old enough to throw his life away…

"Jaune-"

"Please, Miss Nikos."

"Pyrrha," she sighed. "Call me Pyrrha."

"Pyrrha, please, I have a family. I want to protect them, I need to, and standing around, making weapons isn't enough. I'm willing to do anything to help them."

"Even die?" she asked, and Jaune knew he couldn't hesitate.

"Yes." He was lying. Maybe. He wasn't sure, honestly. He took a deep breath, hoping the dark would hide just how terrified he was. It was so quiet.

The hooting of owls and the cold breeze rustling the leaves were the only sounds for a moment. Then Pyrrha spoke. "You make weapons?"

"Y-yeah. I work at the nearby foundry."

"I will inform your shift manager that you'll be under my tutelage for the next few days. That is how long I expect you to last. Meet me outside the foundry's front gate."

And then she walked away, and Jaune blinked. His mouth fell open, and he wondered if he just just jumped off a cliff without even a second thought.

His mom was definitely going to kill him if she found out...


And that is why he didn't say a word about it to her. He packed up his things, and left for work as per usual, and outside the factory was that same scarlet-haired Huntress.

Now that Jaune had a better look at her, he found that she wasn't much older than him. Maybe a year or two? They might have even been the same age, and yet the way she walked, the way she moved, it all seemed akin to someone else.

A general, or a queen, some kind of military leader compared to the inexperienced fighter he was. He greeted her with a polite smile and a wave of his hand. For a brief moment, it looked like she wanted to smile back, but then she just turned and walked away.

He followed, of course, back to the forest of RA-27. They walked deeper into the forest, nearing the wall that kept the city safe from the Grimm outside. Jaune didn't say anything, listening, almost waiting to hear the bang of a weapon fired at the Grimm.

Nothing.

Eventually, he came to a small campsite where three others waited for them. Jaune looked at them, watching as their attention turned to him.

There was a woman with vibrant, almost shining orange hair. She was lounging, practically laying on another man. While her clothes were a bright white and pink, slightly scuffed with dirt, the man beside her was wearing earthy greens and even dirtier clothes.

It wasn't surprising. Hygiene was just one of the first victims of the apocalypse.

His dark hair was another sharp contrast to the woman next to him. While her blue eyes analyzed Jaune with a toothy, almost excited grin, his pink eyes glanced at the blond and then returned to his book.

"This is Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie."

"Yo!" Nora beamed, waving her hand. "Fresh meat!"

"She's kidding," Ren quickly stated, closing his book. He held his hand out to Jaune, who smiled and returned the gesture. The two men shook hands, before Pyrrha turned Jaune's attention to the other man waiting for them.

"And this is Cardin Winchester."

Jaune looked at the final member of the group. He was sitting on a rock, like Ren and Nora were, but the way he sat just gave off a smug vibe. Or maybe that was the smug smile on his face as he crossed his arms and looked Jaune over.

Unlike the others, he was dressed in armor. Silver armor with a golden bird designed on the front. His black clothes laid under the armor, fit snugly over his mountain-like body. The man was tall, even towering over Jaune as he rose up onto his feet.

"Welcome to my team, shorty."

"Uhh… Hi." Jaune held his hand out to Cardin, who took it and immediately squeezed it. Jaune caught a shout in his throat, gritting his teeth as the bigger man crushed his own hand.

"Cardin!" Pyrrha growled, glaring at Cardin. The man released Jaune's hand, holding up his hands.

"Sorry. Didn't think I squeezed his hand that tight."

"He does that a lot," Ren muttered, moving towards Jaune. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. I'm okay."

"You're a real piece of work, Winchester," Nora commented. The venom in her voice betrayed the smile on her face as Cardin smirked.

"You ain't seen nothing yet, babe."

Pyrrha cleared her throat, and the others each turned to her. "I've brought you all here because you all wish to become Huntsmen, but as your teacher, it is my responsibility to make you truly understand what that means."

She crossed her arms behind her back and took a deep breath. Jaune watched as she stared… pass them. She wasn't really looking at them, but through them, her eyes slowly gliding to each of the four.

"I will be testing you, putting you through the hardest days of your lives until you prove you are worthy of being Huntsmen. Worthy of me unlocking your Aura."

"So you're our teacher?" Jaune asked.

"Yes, but you may refer to me as simply Pyrrha, what's more important is that you see one another as your allies. From this moment forward, you are a team. Congratulations."

Jaune glanced at his teammates, feeling his stomach sinking as realization dawned on him. Nora beamed, waving at Jaune again as Ren simply crossed his arms. Cardin chuckled, laughing at something as Jaune felt like burying his head in the dirt.

He had a sinking feeling in his gut, one that only got worse as Pyrrha drew a smile on her face. "Now, why don't we begin with proper introductions. I introduced you to one another, but I also think it's important your teammates see you through your own eyes. Why don't each of you tell the others about yourself?"

Jaune blinked. Ren blinked. Nora's smile fell as Cardin's jaw dropped.

"What?" Cardin slowly shook his head. "What is this? First day of middle school?"

"It's simply a team building exercise," Pyrrha muttered, before clearing her throat. "I don't want to make it an order."

"I'll go first." Jaune held up his hand, before he looked at the other three members of the group. "Uh, hi, everyone. I'm Jaune Arc."

"Hi, Jaune!" Nora beamed, waving at the young man.

"Hi, Nora," he replied with a nervous smile. "Um, I'm a pretty good cook? I learned from my mom."

"Aww, momma's boy! That's awesome!" Nora beamed, giving the young man a thumbs up. "I'm Nora Valkyrie, and I tell people I killed a thousand Grimm with just my eyes." She then placed her hands on the sides of her head, before 'firing' a beam out of them. "Zyoom!"

"Is… is that true?" Jaune wondered.

"Is it supposed to be?"

"Lie Ren." The young man held up a single hand. "I enjoy tea and reading."

"Whoo!" Nora shouted, clapping her hands together. "What a badass!"

Jaune smiled at Ren and Nora, finding the latter's energy infectious, before he looked at Cardin. The man scoffed, shaking his head, and Jaune tried not to focus on how obnoxiously smug he was.

"Cardin Winchester. I'll be your leader."

"That isn't your choice, Cardin," Pyrrha sighed.

"Just saying. I'm the best choice."

Jaune could see Pyrrha's smile shaking for a moment, but she plastered it to her face. "Alright. Let's start with some basics…"


"Grimm are our predators. Monsters that feast on and hunt humans down. You all know this."

Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Cardin sat in front of Pyrrha as she stood in front of them, her hands behind her back as she continued to talk. Jaune's eyes glanced at the other students, before turning back towards Pyrrha.

"You've heard the legends and the stories, but now it is time to teach you the reality. I will be teaching you about the various Grimm you will encounter and, yes?" Pyrrha glanced at Cardin's raised hand.

"Yeah, when do we actually fight Grimm?" he smirked, and Jaune wanted to roll his eyes. There was just something about the guy. Maybe it was the fact he was kind of a prick?

"None of you are ready to fight Grimm," Pyrrha replied.

"Aw, come on. The Executioner has killed hundreds of Grimm. It cracked a Death Stalker's armor with one blow," Cardin laughed, and Jaune raised his brow.

"You call your weapon the Executioner?"

"It earned the name," Cardin shot back.

"Were we supposed to bring our weapons?" Nora asked, raising her hand.

"No, no. Weapon training is later," Pyrrha quickly stated. "For now, we're focusing on the basics."

"I bet I could kill a Grimm even without help," Cardin scoffed, and Pyrrha let out a tired sigh.

"Hey." Jaune elbowed Cardin. He tried to hide his wincing when the metal hit his funny bone, focusing on glaring at the man. "How about you stop talking and let her teach us?" Cardin glared at the blond, only for Pyrrha to snap her fingers.

"Cardin, that's enough. Please refrain from talking unless you have a question regarding the lesson."

Cardin rolled his eyes and Jaune glared at the brunette. He then glanced towards the teacher, and he caught her smiling lips for a moment, before returning to the lesson. Jaune blinked, before he smiled as well.

Looks like he was getting brownie points with the teacher, at least.


"Death Stalkers, Beowolves, Creeps, Ursas… How many Grimm are there?" Jaune sighed, looking through the tablet Pyrrha had given them.

"Many," Ren replied. "Some people spend their whole lives studying them, and even then, we know so little." He sat beside the blonde, looking over the same device over Jaune's shoulder.

Jaune knew there were a lot of Grimm, but when he thought about how many Grimm were listed here… Well, the list went into the triple digits.

"Some Grimm are part of an entire sub-species," Ren noted. "While others seem to be individuals."

Jaune nodded his head. "You sound like you've been studying them?"

"I have," Ren replied. "To kill your enemy, you need to know your enemy. Their habits, their patterns, their ideology."

"Not sure Grimm have ideologies," Jaune chuckled, only to pause as he noticed the stare Ren gave. He wasn't staring at Jaune or the tablet anymore. He was staring through them, lost in a distant memory, it seemed. "Ren…?"

"They might not, but whoever controls them does," he muttered.

"You think someone's controlling the Grimm?" Jaune asked, raising his brow. Ren finally looked at him, but Jaune wasn't ready for the sharp glare the raven-haired man gave him. The blond gulped, watching as Ren spoke slowly and clearly.

"Do you not? Someone was on TV years ago when Vale fell. The Grimm never exhibited real strategy before then, now they're outsmarting Atlas' forces." He turned his eyes towards Pyrrha, taking a deep breath. "I didn't bother asking Pyrrha. She obviously doesn't know anything about it. She's a cog in a machine, but someone is controlling the Grimm and that is why they've been so much more dangerous lately."

He had a point. Jaune remembered when everyone was talking about that voice on the TV years ago, but no one really pushed to find who they were. Vale went to war and everyone else was trying to prepare themselves for their own fight.

Maybe there was some small office of men and women looking for the truth, but Jaune doubted they'd get much help when everyone else was just trying to stay alive.

"You sound… This sounds pretty personal to you," Jaune mumbled.

"I used to live in Vale." It was all that needed to be said. The same story was told a million times over. A lost home, a ruined kingdom, thousands dead...

"Me too…" Jaune's eyes fell to the ground as Ren lifted his hand. He placed it on Jaune's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Their eyes met and Jaune felt his lips curve into a smile as Ren's did the same.

Then they heard a crash and their heads turned.

Cardin and Nora were laying on the floor, with her hand pinning down his. The two had been arm wrestling once again, and the winner was clear as the brunette fumed.

"Best six out of ten! Let's go, Valkyrie!" he roared as Nora snickered.


Day two of disobeying his mom and trying to be a Huntsman. Jaune would have been impressed with himself if he wasn't terrified of his mother finding out.

Standing tall and victorious instead of laying on the floor would also be a nice change of pace. Cardin's laugh echoed in Jaune's head as the blond stood up, glaring at the brunette.

Combat practice. Pyrrha had given the four training weapons to practice with before she allowed them to bring their genuine articles. Jaune quietly dreaded that moment. He'd hate to try and explain to his mom why he was taking Crocea Mors to work.

"Come on, Jauney-boy," Cardin mocked, tapping the ground with his wooden sword.

Jaune sighed, holding his weapon up as he glared at Cardin. Pyrrha was mentoring Nora and Ren at the moment, giving them some pointers, leaving the two men to duel. Jaune gritted his teeth as he looked at Cardin's smug face, watching his teeth gleam.

They shot at one another, and once again Jaune was hitting the ground in just a few blows.

"Ugh…"

"You sure you wanna be a Huntsman, Jauney-boy? Maybe you'll be happier with cannon fodder or water boy," Cardin laughed. Jaune glared at the brunette, before a hand smacked Cardin's head. "Ow!"

"Cardin, you will not speak that way about a teammate," Pyrrha scolded. Cardin rolled his eyes as Pyrrha helped Jaune up.

He took her hand and rose as she leaned down, whispering into his ear. "Cardin favors his left."

"Huh?" Pyrrha then pulled away, leaving Jaune to stare at Cardin as he spun the wooden rod in his hands.

"Let's go, Arc. Round seven." He ran at Jaune, but this time the blond stepped back, focusing on evading his enemy's weapon rather than fighting. "Get back here!"

Jaune focused everything on running away and keeping his distance from Cardin. He was panting, heart racing, lungs shaking, but Pyrrha was right. Most of the attacks were coming from Cardin's left arm, leaving a gap in his defenses.

When the wooden rod hit the ground, missing Jaune yet again, he moved quickly and smacked his own stick against Cardin's arm. The bigger man grunted in pain, dropping his weapon as Jaune jumped back.

"Excellent work, Jaune," Pyrrha smiled, clapping for the young man.

"Heh. T-thanks," he replied, turning his head to smile at his teacher… and for that, he suffered a full body tackle from his opponent. "D'ahh!"


A week of training together. Jaune's body had never ached this much before. He wasn't out of shape, he liked to think, but this week had been exhausting for the young man. Push ups, pull ups, combat training, and generally being tossed around like a ragdoll.

Everything hurt, but it was nice to have a break, drinking tea Ren had made and sharing some marshmallows Nora bought. They hung out under the night sky, and it was almost like they were camping in the woods together…

"We should think of a team name," Nora declared as the five sat around a campfire.

"A team name?" Jaune repeated, raising his brow as he looked at the redhead.

"Yeah!"

"Team Cardin," the brunette grinned.

"No," the others replied without even a glance at the others. Cardin rolled his eyes as Ren poked at the fire with a stick.

"It was common for Academies to take the first letter of each team member's name to form a team name."

Jaune blinked, before raising his brow. "Wait, how would that work? What if there was a team made up of, like, 'Steve, Joe, Amanda, and Bob?'"

"Team SAJB! Team AJSB!" Nora laughed, and Jaune chuckled with her.

"I always thought the ability to form a coherent team name out of random words like that to be a skill befitting a Headmaster," Pyrrha giggled. "Gods know I couldn't do it."

"Let's see, Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Cardin… Hmmm," Pyrrha placed a hand to her chin, before snapping her fingers. "Narwhal!"

"Come again?" Jaune inquired.

"Team NRWA plus one L. Narwhal!"

Cardin counted the letters on his hand before scowling. "Why the hell does Ren get two letters?!"

"Well. then we'd just be Team NRWA, and that's dumb," Nora replied, her tone clearly mocking Cardn for failing to see the obvious.

"Team ACRN," Pyrrha stated. The others looked at her, and she blushed under their gazes. "Sorry."

"Acorns are deadly," Jaune joked. "Could probably kill a lot of Grimm with one if it was big enough."

Cardin suddenly snorted, and he began to laugh as the attention turned to him. "J-Jerkin. Team JRCN."

"Cardin!" Pyrrha scolded, holding back her own immature giggle as the others laughed.

"We're going to need a censor bar whenever we're on TV," Nora snickered.

"You really think we'll end up on TV?" Jaune asked.

"Of course! We're probably gonna save the whole damn world! Wanna know why? Cause we're… a winner! Team AWNR!"

Ren held up a hand and gave a 'so-so' gesture as Jaune laughed. "Man, how do people do this?"

"Ah, this is so hard! Can we legally change our names before forming a team?" Nora asked Prhha, who just quietly laughed at the young woman's frustration. "We can be Team NORA if Cardin changed his name to Oolong!"

"Screw you, I ain't changing my name."

The young woman rolled her eyes, before she blinked and smiled proudly. "Team LAWN!" Nora shouted, pumping a fist into the air.

"Team LAWN," Ren chuckled, holding up his own fist.

"Let's hear it for Team LAWN! When you need a lawn mowed, you know who to call!" Jaune chuckled.

He beamed as Pyrrha and the others' laugh joined his, even Cardin was chuckling along as the four held their fists up. When their laughter died down, though, Jaune turned towards Pyrrha.

"Wait, what about Pyrrha?"

"Oh, I'm your teacher, Jaune. I can't be included," she explained.

"Nuts to that," Nora replied. "Team ACRNN! With two Ns! Boom, we're bringing it back!" she laughed, and the others joined her as the fire continued to dance.


The training was going well over the last couple of months. Jaune really felt like he was getting better at fighting despite the many bruises and injuries he had procured over the last couple of weeks. His mother was confused, but he just told her it was just rough housing between Jaune and his friends.

A lie that he knew wasn't going to last much longer.

Jaune and Nora sat together, watching Cardin and Ren practicing their close quarter combat together. Jaune watched as Ren's weapons, StormFlower, easily cut through the air at a much faster rate than Cardin's Executioner. Of course, whether that came down to personal skill or Cardin's heavier weapon was hard to tell.

What mattered was that Cardin's body was thrown into the ground again, and he laid there with a painful groan as Ren slid his weapons back into their holster. He held his hand down to Cardin, who knocked Ren's hand away as he got up.

"Let's go again."

"Beating your head against the wall isn't going to be any help. You need to actually learn from what you're doing wrong," Ren sighed.

"You got lucky."

"Did I get lucky the last three times?" Ren asked, raising his brow as Cardin growled, throwing a punch at the other man. Ren easily sidestepped it, practically dancing around Cardin's fists as Jaune, Nora, and Pyrrha watched.

"He's right, Cardin. You're focusing so much on your hands that you're not paying attention to your footing. You're giving Ren a tell, and-"

Another defeat as Cardin was thrown to the ground.

"So Ren's weapon is called StormFlower?" Jaune glanced at Nora, who nodded her head as she drank from a juicebox. "But there are two guns. So what if he lost one of them? Is one called Storm and the other Flower, or are they both StormFlower…?"

"Right? I always wondered that too!"

Pyrrha clapped her hands, smiling at the two as they turned to her. "Okay, break time is over. Pick up your weapons, we're going to do some weapon training. I brought some practice weapons for you to use."

"No fair! Ren got to use real weapons on Cardin!" Nora pouted, making Jaune gulp.

"Uhh… I'd prefer practice, personally."

"Ren and Cardin are currently at a higher level of training than you two," Pyrrha replied, though it didn't take a genius for Jaune to understand the truth.

Jaune Arc was the weakest of the group. He lacked the speed, strength, and skill of the others. He was stronger than he was before, but compared to the others… Well, someone had to be on the bottom of the team.

Pyrrha gave Jaune a wooden sword, before giving Nora a staff. She twirled the weapon in her hands with ease as Jaune watched her, his jaw hanging low as she spun it over her head.

"No worries, Jaune! I'll go easy on you."

"Yay. I'm so happy," Jaune sighed, before Nora charged at him, spinning the staff so quickly Jaune swore the wind was almost enough to push him down. She shot the staff at him, aiming one quick strike at his chest… only for nothing to happen.

Jaune had closed his eyes during her attack, unable to help himself, and he glanced at Nora. She seemed confused and her eyes were aimed at Pyrrha. He followed her gaze, finding her talking to some battered old man.

Judging by his uniform, he was one of the city's guards, and he looked… scared.

"What's going on?" Jaune whispered and Nora shrugged as Pyrrha turned away from the man.

"Class is over. All of you need to go home, now," she demanded and Jaune could feel the air change.

It was icy. Cold. Just like Pyrrha was, at the moment.

"What's going on?" Cardin asked.

"Official Huntsman business. Something none of you are ready for," she replied, picking up her weapons.

"There's a Grimm attack," Ren realized.

"Boogeymen," the old guard explained with a heavy sigh. "T-they're attacking a transport caravan here and RA 26."

"Boogeymen?" Cardin whispered, his voice dripping with horror and shock.

"What are Boogeymen?" Jaune asked, raising his brow.

"A very dangerous breed of Grimm," Ren growled. "They're also known as…" A moment of hesitation that Jaune could feel pressing down on his shoulders. He gulped in anticipation, the second stretched out for hours as Ren finally confessed the truth. "Child Breakers."

Jaune didn't want to know how they earned that title. He felt his skin turn cold and a chill run down his spine as he shuddered in disgust. "Intelligent, aggressive, and with a bizarre attraction to children. They're… a very notorious breed of Grimm," Ren sighed.

"Let's kill them," Cardin growled, his fingers tightening around his weapon.

"No. I told you, none of you are coming."

"Technically you told us to go home," Nora corrected.

"This is not a game!" Pyrrha shouted, stomping her foot as her glare moved from each of her students. It ended on Jaune, who stared into her emerald eyes. He… He had never seen her like this before. "I can't protect all of you and save the caravan."

"You won't have to," Ren swore. "We can protect ourselves and offer support. You can take the lead, but you can't take on an entire troop of Bogeymen. That's fifty of them, at least, probably more."

Jaune could hear the determination in Ren's voice, and the rage in Cardin's.

"I'm not just going to stand here and let those Grimm hurt those kids. I'm going with you, and I'm going to kill every last of those damn animals!"

"Yeah!" Nora stabbed her staff into the ground and beamed. "Let's kill those damn, dirty monkeys!"

"None of you have unlocked your Aura," Pyrrha argued. "You'll be torn apart."

Jaune could see it already. Being torn in two like a wishbone between two Grimm. He trembled where he stood as his fingers tightened around his practice sword.

"You can change that," Ren argued. "Unlock our Auras and let us help you."

"You could all get hurt, or worse."

"We wouldn't be here if we weren't prepared for that." Jaune walked forward, dropping the training weapons to the ground as he stood before Pyrrha. He felt it. Fear. Gut-wrenching anxiety. Terror in every cell and bone of his body.

Those kids were probably feeling it tenfold. Their parents were crying, holding their babies, struggling to tell them that they could die.

Jaune couldn't imagine how terrifying that was. The pain… He had to help. They had to help.

"Please, Pyrrha, let us help."

The scarlet-haired woman closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. She turned away from Jaune as she stood in silence, hands shaking for a moment, before her shoulders fell. "Fine. Line up."

The group obeyed, standing over Pyrrha in a line as she began to move from one to another. She began with Ren, placing a hand on his cheek. The two closed their eyes as Jaune watched Pyrrha's hand glow red. That crimson light soon flowed into Ren, turning a lighter, pinkish color...

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality."

She pulled her hand away, walking towards Cardin as her hand touched his cheek and she continued. He held the Executioner in his arms, almost like he found safety in the weapon.

"Through this we become a paragon of virtue…"

Cardin began to glow a vibrant orange, almost like he was burning before Pyrrha pulled away and moved towards Nora. Pyrrha's hand touched Nora's cheek, and pink sparks began to erupt from Nora's skin. She bounced where she stood, beaming as she felt Pyrrha's hand grace her cheek.

"-and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death."

And then there was Jaune. The young man wasn't sure what to expect. Would it feel like lightning? Or fire? Or nothing at all? He felt his heart racing as Pyrrha stood before him, her emerald eyes staring into his as her hand rose up to touch his face. Her thumb slowly stroked his cheek as she leaned in close, her words dancing in his mind...

"I release your soul and by my shoulder protect thee."

Jaune saw a white light form before his eyes, almost blinding him as he squeezed his eyes shut. Then he felt this pressure on him. Like something was pushing down on his body, crawling inside of him, weighing him then… and then it was gone.

Jaune's eyes opened, staring into Pyrrha's as she let out a quiet sigh.

"I used part of my Aura to unlock yours. From this moment on, you are each Huntsman, bound by oath to protect the Kingdoms and all who reside within. Are you ready?" And before any of the others could speak, Jaune did.

"We're ready."

The others nodded in agreement, before Pyrrha took a deep breath. "I'll procure some transport."

"Ooh, are we getting an airship?!" Nora grinned.

"Almost all airships are being used by the military. We'll be taking armored vehicles," their teacher explained.

"Think we're ignoring the elephant in the room," Cardin grumbled, glaring at Jaune.

"You have been packing in the pounds," Nora commented, glancing down at his stomach.

"Not me! Jaune doesn't have a weapon!"

As much as it hurt to admit, Cardin was completely right. "I… I can go back home and pick it up!"

"No time. We need to move quickly. I'll tell them to pack some weapons on our transport," Pyrrha replied.

The others nodded their heads and they moved as a team, packing their things for the coming fight. Dust, ammo, whatever they could as Jaune stood, wondering if he had just walked into a bullet…


The transport was some kind of armored car big enough for the group. Pyrrha sat up front with the driver as Jaune and the others sat in the back with a few of RA-27's guards. Jaune looked up at the strangers by his side. Some of them seemed old enough to be his dad. Others were even older than that.

No one said anything. Even Nora seemed content to quietly whisper to Ren, leaning against him as the car tore through the snow, racing to where the civilians should be. Jaune could feel his heart aching in his chest as he looked down at himself.

Some basic armor, a decent sword, and a shield at his feet. He told himself it was enough, but he knew better than that. The sword had scratches on it, pieces of it chipped away over the years.

Would it have mattered if he had Crocea Mors? Would it make a difference?

What if he died? The last thing he would have said to his mother was a lie?

Jaune felt his gut twisting and he squeezed his eyes, begging his body to stop. He needed a 100% to survive this. To save everyone. He needed his best.

"Stay in the car."

"What?"

"Stay in the car," Cardin repeated, barely above a whisper as he glared at Jaune. "You don't belong here."

"Pyrrha unlocked my Aura. I'm a Huntsman, just like you," Jaune growled.

"No. You aren't," he replied, his voice firm. It wasn't the same condescending insult as before, but it wasn't much better. "You're the weakest person on this team. If you get out of this car, you're going to die. You really wanna leave that on us?" Cardin asked. "Maybe you'll be someone if you keep training, but here and now? The Grimm would tear you apart."

"And what? You're invincible?"

Cardin didn't reply, holding the Executioner in his hand. His fingers tightened around the metal grip as an electric crackle was heard from the front of the car.

"Sill, speed up! They're on you! Sill, you need to speed up!" A voice. A woman's voice. She was screaming into the radio.

"We're close." Pyrrha's voice showed neither joy nor sadness. No one said anything as Jaune listened to the woman's pleas.

"Sill, please! You have to go faster!"

"I can't! T-the truck is slowing down! I-I don't know what's happening." A gasp, choked with sobs and terror. "Dani! They're under the truck! They're-ahhh!"

The sound of broken steel and horrified screams. Then the radio crackled as the signal was lost and Jaune felt a rumble in the air. It wasn't their vehicle, but something else.

"That explosion was close."

"Can we get a message to them yet?" Pyrrha asked.

"Soon," the driver replied. "We're getting close."

Jaune stood up and walked towards the front of the vehicle. He ignored his twisting guts and sweaty palms to look through the front window. It didn't take him long to see the plume of smoke rising into the air.

"There they are!" Pyrrha shouted, and Jaune's eyes shot down, catching several trucks and vehicles speeding down the paved roads, running through the tundra with a wild pack of monsters behind them.

Jaune gulped. He couldn't remember the last time he saw a Grimm in person. Had he ever? He had seen them on TV and in drawings, but living, breathing, murderous Grimm?

The Boogeymen weren't big. They were the size of children, almost, and yet they were moving fast enough on all fours to actually keep up with the cars. They kicked up dust, stone, and snow with how quickly they were moving, many even throwing themselves onto the cars with wild, shrill howls.

Like all Grimm, they had black fur, covered in it from head to toe. They moved like monkeys, but bigger and scarier than any monkeys Jaune had ever seen. He could see the white bone-like armor on their shoulders and chests as they leapt onto the cars, beating their hands against the metal frame…

Jaune swallowed spit down his throat as Pyrrha stood.

"Our mission is the protection of this caravan and all human life. My team will deal with the Grimm on the cars, the rest of you will deal with the ones on the ground."

"Can't we just have them lead them to us?" one guard asked.

"They're already overrunning them," Cardin spat. "You wanna wait until those things are picking bones out of their teeth?"

"Time is of the essence," Pyrrha explained, glaring at Cardin. "That is why we need to move."

"Sir, I've told them we're here. Be there in a few seconds," the driver declared.

Jaune looked forward again, staring at the vehicles. Another one just went down. He told himself not to think about the driver as the Boogeymen swarmed over the car, pulling their still breathing body out of the vehicle. He told himself not to watch as they dug their claws into each limb and…

Four cars left. Civilians. No military escort. Dead already? Two buses. Both filled with innocents. Maybe even kids.

Jaune took a deep breath as Pyrrha pulled open a hatch on top of the vehicle and motioned Nora and Ren up first. Cardin followed as Pyrrha held her hand out to Jaune.

"Jaune, wait. I need you here."

"What?" His fingers dug into the palms of his hands as he glared at his teacher, shaking his head. "No way. I'm not just going to stand around and let your guys go into battle! You can't ask me to just sit here and watch you all fight for your lives!"

"I'm not. I'm telling you to stay here and man the turret," she replied, pointing to another ladder behind him. He turned to look at it, before turning back to her. His lips parted as her hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Aim the gun, pull the trigger, watch out for the recoil. Good luck." He felt her fingers squeezing his shoulder, before she climbed up the ladder. Jaune tilted his head up, watching her go until his face turned red and he quickly looked away.

Right. Pyrrha wore a skirt.

He shook his head, telling himself to focus as he holstered his sword and climbed up the other ladder. He found the turret's controls waiting for him, along with a small platform for his feet to stand on. He grabbed onto the controls as he heard… everything.

The roar and barks of the primate-like Grimm around him. They numbered in the dozens, screeching at the humans, hungry for their deaths. The crackle of bullets shooting through the air, the bang as more followed. He saw Ren standing on one of the buses, firing away as Cardin shattered bones with his weapon and Nora fired several grenades with her own weapon. Jaune pressed down on the triggers as he heard the explosions go off, waves of heat going through him as his own scream entered the battle.

He opened fire, feeling his body shaking as the turret roared with gunfire, blasting away at the Grimm and tearing their black flesh apart. He felt it shaking and rocking in his hands as their armored vehicle drove closely by one of the buses, guarding it as Jaune fired away.

He killed a Grimm. He wished he could say it was some eye-opening moment, some grand revelation, but honestly? It was as easy as pulling a trigger. He felt nothing but a fire inside of him as every shot rang out, some hitting snow or stone, others piercing right through flesh and bone.

By now some of the Boogeymen recognized him as a threat and they broke off their attack to throw themselves towards him. Some jumped off the bus and onto the APC, others were starting to climb up it from the ground. Jaune just kept firing as the guards inside aimed their weapons through the windows and opened fire, hitting every Grimm they could.

It wasn't enough. Jaune spun the turret around, firing as the Bogeymen came closer, screams growing louder. Jaune watched as the bullets tore one one of the monkeys apart in a hailfire of bullets, before another wrapped their fingers around the barrel of the gun.

Jaune tried to swing the barrel of the gun towards it, but the monster's fingers dug into the metal. It bent under the pressure as Jaune's eyes stared into its eyes.

He hadn't noticed. The Boogeymen didn't wear masks like the other Grimm did. Then he watched as the black face of the Boogeyman began to peel back. It just… retreated into itself, like someone was pulling the skin back.

The white mask of the Grimm was clear now, jaggad teeth gleaming and sharp as the skin was released back into place. The face grew back in an instant, before it roared at him, tearing the turret off of the APC as Jaune fell.

He hit the metal floor of the armored vehicle, watching as the Boogeyman began to slide down the shaft, face retracing again as it screeched again. The skin gave way to bone as it fell onto Jaune… right into his sword.

The blond felt his heart pounding as the Grimm's furry body pressed against his. He felt its hands grabbing onto each side of his head, fingers digging into his closed eyes as he twisted the blade in it.

It screamed into his ears as he felt small thumbs digging into his eyes. He held back his scream with gritted teeth as he plunged his sword deeper through the chest of the Grimm. He could feel the fingers dig into him like two blunt knives, and he began to scream as he wondered if it was actually going to gouge out his eyes. A hand pushed against it, beating against the furry hide as he silently begged it to stop…

But finally, its grip finally began to weaken. The Grimm died on his sword and he pushed it off as one of the guards hit a button, sealing the shaft.

Jaune laid on the floor, staring at the closed hatch above him as his heart raced and his fingers trembled. He was alive. He was alive, but so were the Grimm. He must have killed twenty of those things, and they were still coming.

"Where are the others?" Jaune asked, looking at one of the soldiers.

"They're still on the bus. Those Grimm seem pretty drawn to it."

Jaune nodded his head, before he picked up his shield. "Open the back door! I need to help them!" The driver nodded his head without question, opening the back and letting Jaune look outside. Nora and Ren were on one of the buses, fighting off more Boogeymen. Pyrrha was on the other, cutting down more Grimm with her spear.

Cardin was inside the bus, under Pyrrha's feet. Jaune stared at the shattered window near his teammate, and his heart stopped as he watched two Boogeymen trying to attack Cardin.

The bulky man fought back with one arm, wielding the Executioner as best as he could, but his movements were sloppy, awkward. Jaune's wide eyes then caught the bundle of scarlet hair in Cardin's arms. He held a child with one hand as he bashed one of the Boogeyman back, only to be tackled down by the other.

Cardin was on all fours, using his body as a shield to keep it away from the child beneath him. If a jackass like Cardin stepped up like that… Jaune took one last, deep breath, before he ran forward, jumping towards the bus with his shield in hand.

If he aimed this wrong, it'd be a pretty embarrassing death. A blonde idiot jumps into a bus and gets crushed under the wheels. Grimm stops their attack to point and laugh.

Thankfully, Jaune aimed well and true.

His body shattered through the glass as he crashed inside of the bus. His body hit the wall as the Grimm turned to shriek at him, only to silence with a metal blade through the throat. It died on his sword as Jaune kicked it away.

"Cardin, you okay?"

"I had him," Cardin grunted, standing up and pushing the child past Jaune. The blond followed the young girl, watching her run into the arms of an older woman.

Several children and a handful of adults laid in the back of the bus, clinging to one another, each shaking in fear as the Grimm continued their assault.

"How bad is it?"

"Driver's dead. He set the bus on autopilot before they…" Jaune caught the crimson stains from the corners of his eyes and he merely nodded his head.

A loud thump. The two men turned their heads to find a Boogeyman hanging onto the side of the bus. Its hot breaths fogged up the glass as it turned to stare at the cowering children and their guardians.

Jaune and Cardin watched as its face retracted back, revealing its dagger-life teeth before it dragged its long tongue against the glass. It trembled with excitement, before it charged towards the open windows.

"Couldn't have come in through the window that was already broken?!" Cardin growled.

"You try jumping through a window!" Jaune shot back as the Boogeymen swarmed over the bus.

The two men watched black hands shatter through the glass as the Grimm fought to break in. Those that did howled as they either charged towards the two, or towards the back of the bus.

"No, you don't!" Cardin caught the tail of one as it soared over their heads. It slammed into the ground as Cardin drove his foot into its head and pulled. Jaune didn't look, keeping his back against Cardin's as he held back other Grimm with his sword.

The two stood behind the other, with Cardin acting as the final line of defense for the civilians as Jaune forced his sword into the hides of the other monster. He slammed his shield into another, knocking it back, before he skewered another on his sword.

They held the line for the next few minutes, their Auras and weapons protecting them as they fought off the horde. They held the line, but Jaune could feel something was wrong. The sword. It didn't feel right in his hand. He didn't have much practice with it, but he knew something was off.

He was right, to his disappointment. He impaled another primate Grimm on the sword, but when he tried to pull the blade out, it refused. The Grimm was beginning to evaporate around the sword, but Jaune continued to pull… until the sword broke in two.

"What was that?!"

"Stupid cheap sword!" Jaune growled, throwing the handle at one of the Boogeymen as he pushed another back with his sword. "It broke!"

Cardin roared in anger as he caught a Grimm in his hand. He squeezed its arm with his hand as he held the Executioner out to Jaune. "You're giving this back to me, or I'll kill you myself!"

Jaune felt his legs buckling as two Bogeymen slammed into the shield. The rim of the metal weapon nearly hit his forehead as he reached a hand out to Cardin. He grabbed the weapon and swung it, using the momentum to bash both of the Grimm away.

"Thanks." Jaune glanced behind him, watching as Cardin's hand burned a fiery orange. His jaw dropped for a moment as Cardin's arm began to turn to stone and he crushed the Grimm into a black smoke with boulder-like fingers.

"Oh, hell yeah. This is a Semblance!" Cardin laughed, decking another Grimm.

Cardin nodded his head, before he felt something pull on his legs. He fell onto his back, looking up at the skull-like face of a Bogeyman. It shot down to bite into him, only to have its teeth smashed to pieces by the Executioner. Cardin reached down to pick Jaune up as the two continued to fight, beating back the wave of Grimm.

It almost felt like they were going to win.

Then a portion of the bus was torn apart. Just ripped apart like tissue paper as a large Boogeyman tore its way through, landing inside the bus and causing the underside to grind against the road.

"What is that?!" Jaune screamed, staring at the monster that towered over them, unlike its smaller brethren.

"Alpha Boogeyman."

The other monkeys clapped and shrieked for their leader as it charged forward at Cardin and Jaune, moving on all four as the bus trembled from his sheer size. Cardin shoved Jaune out of the way, as the blond's eyes widened.

"Cardin, don't!"

"Ahhh!" Cardin pulled back his fist… and the Alpha tore a seat out of the bus and slammed it into Cardin, crushing him between it and the wall. The snap of bone was clear over the roar of the engine and the howl of the mighty Alpha.

Jaune swallowed spit down his throat as he held Executioner in one hand and a dented shield in the other.

He was the only thing standing between this thing and a group of innocent people.

He made his stand, waiting for the Alpha to make its move as it pulled its face back and growled through its bony maw. It watched Jaune with the red pits within its hollow eyes, chest rising and falling as it watched him…

Then it shot forward and all Jaune could do was raise up his shield to defend himself. It slammed into the top part of the shield, and Jaune felt the metal cutting into his own forehead as he was thrown to the ground. A foot was driven into his stomach as he cried out in pain, his fingers barely grazing the Executioner. The shield laid on the floor nearby, a large dent on the top of it.

The Alpha pounded its chest and roared, spittle falling from its teeth as it stared at its prey. Jaune could see a dark red tongue slowly sliding over the teeth as Jaune wondered if his bones were broken.

He couldn't feel anything. Were there two of those things on him? Things were so blurry. His fingers felt the Executioner's handle. His eyes fell shut.

A scream. He opened his eyes to watch the Alpha pick up one of the children. The boy's arm snapped from the pressure.

Jaune could still breathe, meaning he could still fight. No excuse not to. He wrapped his fingers around the mace and he swung it once more, driving the weapon into the Grimm's leg. It roared in pain, dropping the boy. It then lifted up its foot and Jaune closed his eyes.

He waited for the final blow, but it never came. Jaune blinked and he watched as a rain of metal debris was slammed into the Alpha, impaling it on several pieces of the bus. It fell to the ground, bleeding a black smoke as one final wail echoed in the air.

It was gone before it even hit the ground as Jaune blinked, turning his head to find Pyrrha standing over him, looking down at him through a hole in the ceiling. She hoped down, landing beside Jaune as the Boogeymen mourned the loss of their Alpha.

That seemed to finally break their spirit. They began to retreat in mass, jumping off the moving bus with fearful shrieks as Jaune laid on the ground.

"Pyrrha…?"

"I'm here, Jaune. It's going to be okay." She crouched behind him, looking at his wounds as Jaune's hand slowly pointed at the wall. Pyrrha followed his eyes, finding a seat torn out of the ground… and something else.

Pyrrha held up her hand, and Jaune figured that this was her Semblance. He watched the metal debris pull away from Cardin, revealing his beaten body.

Jaune felt his teacher help him stand and the two brought themselves over to Cardin's body. His chest still rose and fell as Pyrrha allowed Jaune to kneel beside their teammate.

"Cardin…?"

"I… had him."

Jaune scoffed, shaking his head. "Sure you did."

"T-thanks," Cardin groaned, his eyes falling shut.

Jaune felt his fingers twitch, before he reached out to the brunette. "Hey. Hey, wake up, Cardin. This isn't the time for jokes!"

"Everything… hurts."

"Come on, if it was me, you'd tell me to get over it." Jaune placed his hand on Cardin's shoulder, unable to help his fingers from sinking in. "Cardin…?"

That was when Jaune felt it. A pull on his fingers. His brow wrinkled as Pyrrha placed her hands on him, trying to tell him something, but he didn't listen. He just stared at Cardin, feeling a strange… pull at his fingertips.

Jaune said nothing as his fingers pulled away from Cardin, still feeling that strange sensation as his eyes looked Cardin over. Jaune said nothing as he tried to focus on the string at his fingertips, tugging on it.

That was when Cardin's Aura began to glow, dancing like fire on his skin.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha blinked as the blond grinned.

"I-I think that's me! I think… I think this is my semblance!" Jaune took a deep breath, before he exhaled and pulled harder on the string. His own hands began to glow with golden light as ripples began to form in the empty air.

"Are… are you giving him your Aura?" Pyrrha blinked.

"I… I think so? It's almost like my Semblance is recharging his. I think I'm healing him." Cardin groaned, louder this time, and he opened his eyes to stare at Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Everything hurts like hell."

"Yeah, well, the pain means you're alive. Now shut up, I think I can heal you," Jaune smiled, and he began to do just that. His hands hovered over Cardin's body, feeding the other man's Aura, and giving it the strength to properly heal...


The bus Cardin and Jaune were on was damaged beyond repair. It was a miracle it was still able to move. Pyrrha had turned off the autopilot, letting the Huntsmen and guards help the civilians exit the vehicle and get onto the others.

They spread out the group amongst the APC, the remaining bus, and the other cars. Jaune and his team sat on the bus with the children they had saved, basking in the praise and tearful gratitude the people gave them.

Jaune had never really felt like this before. He didn't know what to say as a mother squeezed him, thanking him again and again. He didn't know what to do as a burly father broke down in front of him, sobbing as he thanked Jaune and the others.

Eventually Jaune sat in a little corner of the bus, watching Cardin regale the story with some story he had made up.

"You okay?" Pyrrha asked.

"Oh, uh, y-yeah. Just still processing everything."

"You did good today," she smiled, brushing hair from her eyes.

"Really?" He smiled back at her as she nodded her head. "Thanks. All thanks to your training." He paused, before tilting his head. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yes. Just tired," Pyrrha wore a smile well, holding it on her face. Jaune frowned at the sight, before the driver suddenly shouted.

"We're here! We made it!" Jaune looked forward, and he smiled at the familiar sight.

Residential Area 27. The black, stone walls had never looked so good before. He watched as the gates opened, letting in the caravan as Pyrrha stood.

"Everyone, please remain calm. We need to give you all ID badges and find housing for each of you before you spread out too quickly."

"How about a hot meal?" Cardin asked, holding his mace up. The people were quick to rally behind the idea, cheering and shouting with approval as Pyrrha smiled.

"We'll see what we can do, but first, please, everyone step off the bus one at a time. Guardians, stay close to your children. Please stay around the bus," she commanded, and Jaune smiled as she fell into the role of leader once more.

"She's a good woman," Ren commented, standing from his seat as he and Nora looked at Jaune.

"Yeah…" He heard Nora giggle and he raised his brow, looking at the smirking woman. She just winked at him, before she and Ren followed the others out of the bus.

Jaune shrugged his tired shoulders, before he forced himself up and followed the others. His body ached and his muscles felt like string, but he pushed himself forward. As soon as he was off the bus, he smiled as he saw the people of RA-27 welcoming their new citizens.

Some even began to praise Jaune and the others, thanking them for their heroic deeds. Jaune could feel his cheeks heating up at the words, but he supposed people were just hungry for good news nowadays.

A group of Huntsmen saving lives and defeating a troop of Grimm would be a story told for a while. Something to help fan the flame of hope for many of the residents here.

"To the Huntsmen!" one man shouted, pumping his fist into the air, and many people quickly followed him as they shouted out their cheers for the heroes of the hour.

Jaune's lips curved into a wide grin, and part of him wished this moment wouldn't end. That was when he saw her.

The commotion had drawn in a crowd of people, and one of them was a very familiar face. His mother stared at him with wide eyes and a horrified, broken grimace.

"Mom…?" Jaune walked forward, moving towards her as she pulled away from the crowd and walked away. "Mom!" He grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Mom, wait, I-I can explain. I-"

"You lied to me." She tore her arm from his grip, staring down at her feet. "You told me you wouldn't. You told me…" She gasped for air, balling her hands into quivering fists as she shook her head. "Jaune, what have you done?"

"Hey. Jaune saved a lot of people back there. You should be proud of him," Cardin stated, walking up behind the blond. Jaune stared at him, watching him shrug his shoulders as the rest of their team stood nearby.

"Yeah! You should have seen him! Swish, swish, bam! He was awesome!" Nora added, but even Jaune could see how her smile struggled to reach her eyes.

Ren and Jaune's eyes met for a moment. The former gave the latter an inquisitive glance, before speaking. "Jaune wasn't allowed to tell you, ma'am. His training was confidential."

A lie, one that his mother wasn't buying.

"Ma'am, my name is Pyrrha Nikos." Jaune's teacher stepped forward and bowed her head to the older woman. "Your son, Jaune Arc, is my student. I am the one who has been training your son."

"How long?" his mother whispered. Her eyes turned towards Jaune, and the young man took a deep breath.

"A-a couple of months."

His mother nodded her head, before she started to walk. Jaune watched her for a moment, before he began to follow. He motioned for his friends to stay back as he followed his mother back to their home, entering the shack with her.

"Once I start getting paid, I'll be able to afford a better place for us." No response. "A new table. New oven. Even a farm." No response. "I mean, imagine an actual house, not-"

His mother held Crocea Mors out to Jaune, and he blinked. He glanced down at the shield and sword, before looking back at his mother.

"Take it. You'll need weapons, won't you?" Jaune nodded his head, taking the weapons from his mother. Then she spoke again, and Jaune felt his entire world shatter. "I don't want you coming back, Jaune."

He didn't understand the words, at first. He told himself he heard wrong. He begged with the universe that he did. He opened his mouth as his mother continued.

"I can't do this again, Jaune. I… I can't," she whispered, tears falling down her face. "If you want to throw your life away, take this damn relic with you.. I never want to see it again."

"Mom…?"

"I need you to stay away from your sisters."

"W-wait, you can't-!"

"No, I can't let you do to them what propaganda did to you!" His mother screamed at him, and Jaune felt his blood run cold as she glared at him with tears streaming down her face. His vision began to blur as he realized tears were pooling in the corners of his eyes.

"Jaune, I… I can't go through the heartbreak of burying another person. I can't take another letter thanking me for your service! It also killed me when your father left, and I had to just wait for the news to reach me. I knew when he walked out those doors, he was a dead man. He was gone. I lost him!"

She pulled away, wiping the tears and snot from her face. She didn't even look at Jaune as she placed a hand onto the table, leaning on it. "I just… I can't do this again. I'm not strong enough. So please, just go. Keep the weapons, keep your money, just… just go."

Jaune stood there. Never had Crocea Mors felt so heavy in his hands. Never had he felt so weak. The joy and hope in his chest felt like it had been turned to ice as he slowly turned around, walking out of the house.

"I love you… Mom." She didn't say anything. He just holstered his weapons and walked out, finding the faces of his team waiting for him.

None of them said anything, but the look on their faces told him enough.

"We should help the refugees get used to the town," Jaune muttered. "They… They'll need help."

Pyrrha's hand found his shoulder, squeezing it for a moment as their eyes met. Her emerald eyes shimmered for a moment and she opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

She simply nodded her head and the group moved forward.

Team ACRNN. He was a Huntsman now. He had sworn an oath.

He held onto that promise as he wiped the tears from his face, and marched forward into the future.


The moments never lasted long. The moments when she could think. She didn't have much to think about, honestly, but she tried.

Her mind was like a thick fog. Almost impossible to push through it, almost impossible to form a coherent thought before it all went away.

She'd wake up. She had woken up a thousand times before, but each time was a little different. Sometimes she'd wake up to total darkness. Other times she'd be able to see red. Sometimes she'd smell gunpowder in the air, and she'd wonder why she knew what that smell was.

Regardless, no matter what her thoughts were, she was always put back to sleep. Before she could ask who and where she was, before she could realize the red she saw was her own blood stained fingers, before she realized what had taken out of this world.

She'd go back to sleep, and her body would become the extension of someone else. Something else.

Another day, another dream, another moment in the forgotten life of who she used to be. All she had were those little moments of clarity before she fell back asleep and her body was no longer hers.

Her heart had been put to sleep, drowned in darkness, burned by a black flame until it was nothing, but a dried, withered husk of what it once was.

Another target, another attack, another victim.

END

Phew. This came out a lot longer than I had planned. I just wanted to establish Jaune's life and the world around it with this chapter, and it got a bit out of hand.

But yes. Here is a new story. A darker alternate universe, a world where Ruby fell to Salem a long time ago and was changed into a beast like the Hound.

I don't want this document getting much longer, so let me establish some quick details.

1. This story is an alternate universe take on the franchise. So Pyrrha's a little older, Cardin's a little nicer, and the world is a bit darker. I imagine Cardin's not so bad with the world as bad as it is, and that being around Jaune and the others are a good influence to help him be a bit of a better person. Still arrogant, still abrasive, but not a bully.

Besides, no Faunus in this chapter, so he can't be racist to them.

2. I really wanted to portray the Grimm as terrifying. They're one of my favorite aspects of the show, and I wanted them to be more than just cannon fodder. Expect lots of twisted Grimm in the future.

3. The plan is that this will be an interspecies love sort of take on Ruby and Jaune. I want to be clear on this, so no one gets the wrong idea. I have no plans on Ruby ever becoming human again.

4. Don't worry, you won't have to wait long for an update, at least for October. Expect the next two chapters this month, with the next coming in a week or two.

That's all for now. You can talk to me on Twitter if you want to hear behind the scenes info, ask questions about the universe, or just listen to me talk about future projects. Take care, be safe, and remember, you are loved. Thanks for reading the story and I hope you enjoyed it! Love you!

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