There are whispers across the frontier of a wandering knight.

One who wears shining white armor and wanders with a sword at his side.

They say nobody has seen him draw it, or at least nobody's lived to tell the tale.

But he smiles cheerily and always has lien to spare for the beggars.

And the people know when he comes, for he always sings a tune as he approaches.

On the outskirts of the Valean frontier town of Combhome, a knight was walking down the road. He was cheerfully singing a song that had accompanied him along his travels.

"We'll swim through lakes and climb up trees, catch fish, bugs, bears, and honeybees, there's endless possibilities-"

"SHUT UP!" The singing man was so startled by the sudden yelling that he both bit his tongue and stumbled on the dirt.

"Ow." With scraggly blonde hair, a ragged hoody, jeans, leather finger-less gloves, and shining white armor, Jaune Arc looked both unassuming and eye-catching. Crocea Mors stayed strapped to his side, the Arc family crest displayed proudly, though few knew of it.

Looking around, he didn't see whoever it was that yelled at him. The sky was starting to darken, so he shrugged it off, and continued to walk, sans the singing.

"Now, where have I found myself?" Jaune looked to a convenient map on the side of the road, which revealed some things about the town. Being a frontier village, Combhome was medium sized with most of its inhabitants spread across the vast farmland. Though there was a central town that he had walked into. He even spotted a water building that purified the water for the town.

As per its namesake, he spotted multiple honey farms owned by some families. Jaune supposed the lukewarm climate, nearby river, plentiful flowers, and somewhat safe nature was good enough. There were a few other towns nearby that the Grimm wouldn't come.

The map even highlighted the famous Gedal family, who produce a luxury 'Ruby Honey' that is said to be so rare that even the Schnee family could only get one jar from the harvest. They own a villa far from the town, one that only a rather rich family could afford.

"Maybe I can get a taste of that red stuff." Adventuring had quite a few effects on Jaune. One of which was an appreciation for good food. After dealing with horrid tasting meals for quite some time, a decent fried dish at a frontier bar was a godsend.

Speaking of, he was starving. So he walked to a place called Yaboze and entered the noisy establishment. Like most frontier towns at the end of the day, it was filled with farmers and other workers eating and cheering their worries away. A few spared Jaune a look, but none paid him much mind.

He flashed a smile to the occasional raised interested man or woman and made his way to the bar.

"What's your strongest drink?" Jaune leaned on the wooden countertop and looked towards the bartender, a woman old enough to be his mother and probably has dealt with the same amount of shit as his mother.

"Are you even legal?"

"I'm fairly sure Valean age of consent is 16." He spoke confidently, though cowered a bit as the woman gave him a withering glare.

"You know what I mean. I have lemonade, but I ain't giving you booze."

"Fine." Jaune sat down on a stall, making himself comfortable as his feet groaned in pleasure at the rest. "What's on the menu? I'm starving!"

"You new to town?"

"Yeap! Jaune Arc, short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it." Jaune flashed an honest smile to the lady, one that showed an earnest attempt at charisma and not lechery.

"Sure it does. I'll just give you some wings and dip, that alright?" Jaune gave a nod. "Got it."

And as she worked, Jaune decided to talk up the bartender, who didn't actually have any other customers to work with at the bar at that moment. "So, what's your name?"

"Yabo, owner of the place."

"Yabo? Isn't it-"

"Yaboze? I was trying to spell Yabo's, but I didn't have an apostrophe or an 's'. People got used to it." Jaune nodded in understanding. "So, what's a huntsman doing out here? And a young one. Shouldn't you be at your fancy school?" Jaune laughed.

"I took a wrong turn and somehow got lost. I've always dreamed of attending Beacon and becoming a Huntsman, but fate handed me a shortcut."

"Ah. Well, it's always nice to have somebody around. Council don't give us jack. The only protection we got is because the Gedals are here." She placed a glass of lemonade in front of Jaune, which he took and began drinking with gusto.

"That hits the spot! So, how's business?"

"Booming as usual. Jericho actually let me buy some of last month's Ruby Honey, so I'm brewing some Red Mead. The recent harvests have been really great."

"Hmm, what does this Ruby Honey taste like? I'm probably too poor to afford it, after all." She answered after putting some gorgeous chicken wings and honey mayo dip before him. The sight of it actually made Jaune's mouth water, which earned a chuckle from Yabo.

"It's weird. It's really sweet, but the flavor's really complex. It's a bit tangy and rich. Great stuff. I remember when my ma made cookies glazed with it, they were the best."

"Wow, now I wish I could afford some." His first bite into the chicken wings was slow, allowing him to fully savor the savory-sweet goodness that graced his taste buds. "Ok, this is great."

"Yep. Five lien for that and the drink, by the way." Jaune handed over some lien without a fuss, which she took and continued to speak. "So, you a wandering hunter? What for?"

"Hmm?" Jaune took a moment to swallow a piece of chicken and wash it down with lemonade. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that wandering huntsmen usually have a reason. Most either are going to a big city, are on a mission, or are looking for a place to settle down."

"It's none of those things. I'm just a nomad, no home, no destination." For a second, it looked like the bartender didn't believe him, but she shrugged it off without a care.

"Alright, your business. Got any tales to tell from the road?"

"Plenty!" If Jaune could make up lyrics on the spot and had a guitar, he'd have pulled one out and begin to sing. As it was, he told his story. "I was on the road to here from Bonfire, traveling on the untamed path. There was no telling when a Beowolf or Ursa could pop up! But then, I heard the clicking of a gun."

BANG! BANG!

Two shots hit the dust, kicking up clouds by Jaune's feet. He was startled, to say the least, but managed to fall into a stance, ready to draw his sword. Out of the shadows emerged a group of bandits ten strong.

They wore standard marauder armor, a mish-mash of various pieces of clothing from their raids combined with a red bandanas. With leather aprons, dirty and ragged pants, and makeshift metal armor, they cut a ramshackle figure. All of them had various blunt instruments, bats, axes, shovels, and even the occasional spear. The leader of the bunch had a chipped sword in a sheath riddled with holes and a revolver.

"Alright blondie, here's how it's going to go. You hand over your sword, your armor, and your cash. We'd hate to damage it." The leader was young, with brown hair poking out of his hat. Unlike the others, he wore an outfit that'd fit in an old western. With a cowboy hat, a leather vest, a dirty white shirt, and leather gloves, he stood tall.

Jaune made a move forward, only to be met with another shot in the ground an inch away from his foot.

"Didn't I just prove to be a good marksman? Now, hand over your valuables."

Jaune remained silent, taking in his surroundings. The leader was in front of him on the road with two others, a large man wielding a sledgehammer, and a lithe woman with a machete. Four were hidden by the trees at his sides, two on his right and two on his left, all armed with hatchets. Sparing a glance back, the three behind him all had spears as well.

"Well? Don't tell me you're scared mute." The man cocked his revolver, a pointless action given its double action nature, but a threat nonetheless.

"Hmm, you guys should probably go home. I mean, an Ursa and a Beowolf could probably take you down. Those spears you got pointed to my back couldn't even pierce the hide." The leader laughed.

"Good eye, blondie. But you don't need to know our names. Just hand over the valuables and we'll be done here."

"That's a nice gun, by the way. An old five shooter, did you get it at a museum? Paper cartridges loaded with dust and a metal bearing, right? I'd recommend oiling up the cylinder from time to time, makes it take less effort."

BANG!

Another warning shot, the man didn't want to shoot to kill. Either that or he was bluffing their ability to harm the huntsman equipped wanderer out of their ass.

"I won't warn you again."

"Hmm, fair enough." So Jaune immediately jumped to the side and took cover behind a tree.

"GET HIM!" He heard the various forces mobilize and immediately ducked as a hatchet aimed for his head and was lodged in the thick trunk of Valean Oak. He wedged the hatchet further into the tree with a kick before punching the wielder.

It was enough to make them land on their ass without a weapon. Jaune took the opportunity to dash towards the leader, using the trees as cover.

BANG!

Another shot, this time it hit Valean Oak and caused splinters to blast. The other hatchet wielder tried striking his back with an overextending strike, but Jaune tanked the hit with his aura and let the bandit trip over.

When he emerged from the trees, the two hatchet wielders were coming from his right. The spearmen were coming in as threats from his back, and the big man with a sledgehammer and the woman with a machete were protecting their leader. Said leader was trying to line up a shot.

Jaune instinctively shifted his torso to dodge a spear and twisted to snap the spear head off. The twist also allowed him to dodge the second spear, which he yanked and used to swat at the hatchet wielders.

They were wearing armor on their chests, but their legs remained clothed by only ragged pants, so the blunt force was enough to bruise. The shoddy spear was snapped when Jaune dodged a slash from the machete woman, who snarled viciously at him.

"Thought it'd be polite, name's Jaune. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it." Jaune's attempt at being charming earned a furious slam from the sledgehammer man, who Jaune dodged before disposing of the spear stump.

"That's my girlfriend, dick." He was clearly a former construction worker. He wielded the sledgehammer with experience, though not like a weapon. He struck at Jaune as if he was hitting a rail into the ground.

"And you're too wimpy for my tastes." Ouch, that was gonna bruise. Well, as much as any of the attacks he'd tanked. Aura was a godsend.

"Yeesh." Jaune dodged another slam from the sledgehammer and blocked the machete with a sheathed Crocea Mors. At his side, the hatchets were getting up and were about to charge him.

So, on the next slam of the hammer, he used it as a stepping stool to leap over the large man and begin dashing towards their leader, whose hands grew shaky as he prepared to shoot to kill. The huntsman had one hand of Crocea Mors' sheath, and another on the handle.

The bandit leader feared for his life and prayed to the Brother Gods as he pulled the trigger.

Click.

Five shots were used. A sixth never came. But before the man could scream, he noticed that the huntsman simply ran past the leader.

No unsheathing of his blade, no bloodthirsty eyes. The huntsman even stumbled a bit while running. But the leader and his gang decided to lay off for now, knowing they were rather outmatched.

...

"So, what do you think?" Jaune smiled with anticipation as the various patrons that leaned in to listen to his tale looked at him.

"So, you ran away from the bandits." Most of the patrons had an incredulous look on their faces.

"Yep!"

"Why are you so damn proud of it?" Now it was Jaune's turn to look confused.

"Why is it a bad thing?" He finished up his chicken wings and handed the plate to the bartender, who put it in the sink along with his empty glass.

"Cause you're a coward! I would've given that brat a broken leg!"

"I would've taken an eye!" Jaune sighed and swiveled on his stool to face towards the small crowd of patrons.

"I don't think any of them had bounties. Plus, the rest of them didn't have guns and couldn't hope to outrun me. There was really no point in fighting them." That earned a raucous round of laughter from the patrons.

"Kid, they're bandits. Sparing them just means you're letting them rob another traveler." Yabo was the one to speak through the laughter.

"They weren't that strong. A student at a combat school could probably beat them. And who'd travel alone on these roads? They were also trying to protect their identities. So they probably have a home under the eye of the law." To tell the truth, Jaune was rather nervous during that encounter. His dodges were panicked instincts rather than purposeful movement and he was running because he was getting overwhelmed from the sheer numbers.

"Eh, whatever. It's just that we don't always have the luxury of sparing bandits here."

"Fair enough. It's just that killing them would be pointless." With a meal eaten and the sun set, Jaune got up and stretched his muscles. "Well, that's a day. Thank you for having me."

"No problem, come again any time."

And so Jaune walked out to find a place to sleep for the night.

"Are you the new huntsman in town?" Jaune was laying on the grass by the river when someone approached him. He took his arm off his eyes and looked up to see a child having approached him. They were around 8 and had beautiful dark green hair made into braids.

"Yea, what about it?" Jaune spoke with an amicable smile, not bothering to get up and accidentally frighten the young kid.

"C-could you help me?" Jaune yawned.

"With what?"

"Mom is missing." The child spoke fearfully.

"How long?"

"S-since yesterday."

"And the sheriff?"

"He s-said he couldn't help." Jaune sighed and got up, which cheered the kid up.

"Alright then, I'll help ya out." Jaune gave the kid a pat on the head. "What's your name?"

"Jerry, sir."

"Got it, so, where should I start? Maybe you could tell me where you saw her last and about her?" Jaune sipped some water from his canteen as the two of them began to walk.

"Sure! Mom's really cool and funny and stuff! I last saw her go to sleep and-and then she was gone!" So it was a home invasion, that or a late night trip that ended with her disappearing.

"Is your dad home?"

"Yea. He's also looking for mom, but he has to work. He says she'll be fine but I can tell he's worried." Poor kid, having to deal with that sort of thing. The question that was on Jaune's mind would be motive. Why would someone kidnap a random farmer on the frontier?

"What's your parent's job?"

"Mom said we were sharecroppers, I think." So they weren't particularly wealthy. Ransom was out of the picture unless her kidnapper was really desperate.

"Do you have any other family?" That got the kid to think, humming in contemplation for a good moment as they walked.

"Well, we have an uncle in the city." A lead?

"Yes?"

"He's the owner of this super big company." A very potent lead!

"Yes?"

"But he doesn't like us." Godamnit. Well, that's another dead end.

"Hmmmm, does anyone in town dislike your mother or your family?"

"N-no, I don't think so. Well, everyone hides their face and whispers when they see my dad. Does everyone hate my dad? Do people pretend to like me?" As typical with kids, he jumped down a slippery slope.

"No, I'm sure they like you. And I'm sure they do that for a reason." They arrived at Jerry's house, a small thing whose owners oversaw quite the bit of farmland. Their barn was a small walk away with plenty of equipment in it.

"Dad!?" Jerry opened the door and walked into his house, calling for his parent. Jaune followed and eventually saw Jerry being hugged by his father. And- oh boy, now Jaune knew why everyone whispered about the guy.

He was large, muscular, and handsome. Handsome in the way that Jaune could only ever dream of being. Handsome in the way that made Jaune gulp.

"H-hello, Mr-"

"Belias Ina. Thank you for returning my son to me." Jaune could see the marks of tears from the man, who had probably cried wondering where his son went off. "Now, son, where did you go so that this young man had to bring you back?" Belias took a fatherly tone while lightly chiding the child, who shrunk a bit.

"S-sorry. I heard about a huntsman coming and th-thought-"

"No." Belias' voice was resolute. "We are not troubling a stranger with our woes. Even if I willed it, we could not afford to."

"Actually, I'm happy to do it for free." That got Jerry excited.

"Really!?"

"Yes. It's a huntsman's duty to help anyone in need." Jaune flashed a comforting smile to Belias who nodded.

"Very well. Let me show you where my beloved Andrea disappeared." And so, Belias led Jaune outside, to the site of an open grave.

Wait, what?

There was even a tombstone, with 'Andrea Ina, daughter, lover, wife, mother, deceased. May she forever rest in peace,' inscribed into the stone. That definitely gave Jaune pause.

"So when he said he last saw her go to sleep." Jaune looked towards Belias, whose expression was melancholic as he looked down at the dug up grave.

"He saw her buried. The next day, we found that someone had dug her up. It's happened. The dead may never rest easy in this village. That's why I no longer look." Jaune sympathetically pat Belias on the back.

"I'll look for her. I swear on my name as Jaune Arc that your wife will rest easy once more." Belias' eyes widened.

"That's a fools quest." He spoke without malice, just with conviction.

"Well, I'm going to have to embark on it. An Arc never goes back on his word." Jaune gulped, already feeling the pressure build up. There was no telling how complicated this task would be.

"Very well. My beloved was taken the day before yesterday. I beg of you to find her." Belias handed over a picture of Andrea, who was the epitome of a humble beauty. Her features were dirty, her hands calloused, but her face bore a gentle smile paired with captivating eyes.

"I'll do my best." And so Belias went back to work, leaving Jaune to begin his.

Jaune's first act was to check around for prints. Anything at all to denote that someone came by. And, indeed, there were a pair of footprints that headed away from the farm. Jaune followed it until he was met by the road, where upon the prints stopped.

Consulting a map, the road didn't have many paths. A driver could only feasibly southwards, where the village proper was, and north, where there were a few more farms.

Considering how this was a criminal matter and the fact that this seemed to be a normal occurrence, Jaune decided to head south to talk to the local sheriff about it. Though, given that it was still going on, Jaune wasn't confident.

"Combhome's known for two things. One, Gedal Ruby Honey. Two, the fact that the dead keep on disappearing." The sheriff was a huntress, one who seemed to have their fair share of experience. And from how she absentmindedly fiddled with her revolver and knife simultaneously, she was probably ambidextrous.

"So, why can't you solve the second thing?" The sheriff, whose name was Tari, pointed towards the dozen missing posters on the wall behind her.

"Because of this! If I don't solve this shit, Combhome's going to be known for mass disappearance as well!"

"What? People are disappearing?"

"Yep. Usually vagrants, town drunks, travelers, people who live alone. I have absolutely no fucking idea who or why but it's driving me crazy! I'd love to investigate why the graveyard's nothing more than a frequently disturbed garden, but missing people is more important than missing corpses." Jaune found that to be reasonable. Reasonable or not, it didn't exactly help him.

"Are there at least case notes?" Tari laughed for some reason.

"Kid, of course there are. This has been going on for decades now. Lemme check the old man's files real quick." Jaune had found the sheriff cooped up in her office after consulting the map.

She dug through the file cabinet and handed a particularly hefty one to him.

In it were the compiled reports of missing bodies. A large portion were dug out from the graveyard, some were taken from farms, and allegedly there were signs of Grimm maulings in the forest with no body to show. All pointed to the conclusion that the bodies were being used for something. All the bodies were fresh though, not healthy, but fresh. At most they were dead for one to two days before being nabbed.

Organ harvesting was out of the question, as plenty of the victims died of organ failure. Whoever was doing it probably had aura, given how a few bodies were buried with explosive traps that were set off without producing another body. Then, Jaune thought of something.

"Hey, when did people start disappearing?"

"Eh? Oh, two months ago." Jaune looked through the reports and eventually pointed towards a graph of the dates that corpses were nabbed.

"See this? The amount of dead captured was down for a bit over two months. And when did people start getting kidnapped?"

"So you're saying the same person did it? I wasn't given a fancy education, but even I know that correlation does not equal causation." Jaune shook his head.

"Well, think about it this way. All the corpses that were dug up were stolen immediately, at least one or two days after they died. That means they want fresh corpses. Or at least, as fresh as they could get."

"Yea? Oh, oh you are not suggesting-"

"Yes I am. I think that they wanted even fresher bodies. And when the amount of dead lowered considerably, which I just so happened to notice corroborated with when a doctor moved into town, they decided to start kidnapping people." Tari sighed.

"Well, that's all well and good, but that doesn't exactly help me. Let's say you're right, so? We just have another crime tied with this mystery culprit."

"Well it's good for me. Because I'm looking for one of the stolen bodies and if the same people who are stealing them are also looking for people who could easily disappear without a trace-"

"You want to be bait." Tari was picking up what he was putting down and sighed. "Well, it's not the worst idea. You a huntsman, right?"

"I could always disguise myself if that's the problem." He dodged the question.

"Nah, a few wandering huntsmen also disappeared here. I'll deputize you for now. You have my official authority to apprehend whoever kidnaps you and bring them to me." Jaune nodded and went out to get kidnapped.

Wow, his life really had been derailed if he was thinking that.

The plan may have worked a little to well. And a little too easily. He just retired for the night in an inn and woke up tied up, blindfolded, and gagged. He could feel Crocea Mors' weight at his side, as well as his armor still clinging to his body. He was in the back of a car, from the muffled noise of dirt being driven over and the occasional bump in the road.

Eventually, they reached their destination. He could hear the sound of a garage opening. Now he was at a crossroads. He could 'wake up' and begin thrashing about to gain intel and probably risk a beating. Or he could be quiet and listen.

His survival instincts were telling him to just shut up and lay limp. So he was carried by strong arms downstairs. He could hear the clicking of leather shoes and the occasional breaths from whoever was carrying him.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." His kidnapper was a woman, no doubt about it. "But this is necessary to prolong my master's brief period of peace." She spoke with restraint, though he could hear regret in her words.

He could feel her aura as her arms pressed against his legs and back. After a moment, he was brought into a cold room and put down.

"Hey? Is it you?" A man with a panicky voice called out. From the sound of it, he was on the floor with him as well.

"It is me, another victim has been brought." And from the sounds of it, they were blindfolded as well.

"Oh it's you! Let me out! I didn't sign up for an organ transplant! Please!" And he's been there long enough to pass anger and reach bargaining. "And it smells like death in here!" Jaune noticed that as well, the smell of rotting flesh and dried blood. It was like a graveyard of sorts.

"I apologize for the poor accommodations. Now, you." She was speaking to Jaune, who tensed up as she leaned in. "I know you're awake. What is it that you'd like for your last meal?"

"E-eh, I don't know." Jaune's voice cracked. Given that he was bound, blinded, and at the mercy of an opponent who he didn't know the strength of, he felt that was an appropriate response. "How about some lobster?"

"Very well. Thank you for sacrifice." Jaune stayed silent as he heard the clicking of her shoes. In the brief silence that followed, he could only hear the breathing of him and the other person in the room.

"So, a new victim?"

"Yep. Any idea what's going on here?" Jaune didn't bother to struggle with his bonds. For now, he was going to gather info on the situation.

"Nope. Bitch just told me she was sorry and I was going to be a sacrifice. Do you think I signed up for a cult when I was drunk?" The man laughed a bit, though it felt rather forced. "Sorry, didn't give my name. It's Kito. You?"

"Jaune."

"Well Jaune, you better say your last prayers. Wanna tell me your story? I was the town drunk, that's it."

"I'm actually a wandering huntsman." Jaune laughed a bit. If he told his younger self he'd actually achieve his dream in record time they would've fainted.

"Really!?" Oh no, hope entered the man's voice once more. "Didn't you learn in ya fancy schools or somethin' on how to escape this? Or do you have a fancy power like explosion or teleportation?"

"Hah, Beacon students probably learned something like that. I wouldn't know."

"Eh?"

"I didn't go to an academy." As Jaune put it with Yabo, he took a wrong turn and ended up lost. It was by pure luck he wasn't mauled immediately or got any training at all.

"..." The man was silent and then began to go on an explosively loud rant made up of a variety of swears that Jaune tuned out. With the click of the door closing, Jaune let a sigh out.

"You done?"

"Yea, sorry. Just got my hopes up. Hmmm, is that my last meal already?" And smoke slithered upwards only to be eaten up like a worm by the ventilation.

"Nah." Jaune snapped the few strands of charred rope around his wrists and took off his blindfold. He internally thanked his past self for weaving in fire dust into his gloves before looking around. The room was a poorly lit walk-in freezer. Across from where he was put, a portly man was bound and kneeling. Frozen tears pooled around him.

Jaune's steps were light as he put a hand over their mouth and took off their blindfold. He could feel the man struggling to speak until the surprise wore off, where upon Jaune took his hand off.

"Why didn't you do that earlier?" The man was clearly overjoyed at the prospect of going free, but was a tad irritated at the slight delay.

"Had to make sure that woman left. Do you know her name?"

"Fide, she's apparently a servant here. She's awfully tight lipped about who she works for." Jaune pulled out Crocea Mors and put a bit of aura into his sword to speed up the cutting process. The man flexed his bruised and shrunken wrists for a bit and nodded in thanks to Jaune. "Do you mind if I stick in here? I'm no fighter."

"It's for the better. Anyways, what are in these?" In the freezer with them were metal lockers. Jaune opened a few to find them empty. At least, until he found a body in one. "Oh!" Jaune muffled himself before he could make any more noise.

The body wasn't pretty. There was a large tear at the stomach, where the insides had been removed. It looks to be from a Beowolf from the texture of the wound. Still, seeing it in a locker freaked him out.

"Oh Brothers." Kito held himself back from expelling the contents of his stomach. Even on the frontier, this sort of sight wasn't pretty.

Still, Jaune recovered quickly. He closed the locker and began searching through them for a certain body. He pulled the photo out of his pocket and compared each oddly hydrated body to it.

He did not find it.

"Hmm." Jaune was not deterred, so he turned to the door and got ready to turn this place upside down.

"Wait." He felt Kito pull on his sleeve, on his knees since his legs were too weak from constantly sitting. "Before you came, there was a girl with me. Her name's Gel. Please, save her."

Jaune could only give a reassuring smile to the man. "I promise. Stay safe, alright?" Kito nodded, grabbing a pipe in the corner in preparation to ambush anyone who came in.

And so Jaune walked out of the freezer. It was situated underground, given how right out the door he bumped his foot on the bottom stair. Trying his best not to make any noise, he crept up and put an ear to the door.

He could hear two people talking.

"Hmmm, seems like the boss and Fide are going out again."

"Ever wonder why?"

"Why what?"

"I dunno, it just seems weird. The boss could make so much more money if she expanded with a few more people. Why just have it be her and Fide?"

"Don't get it, do ya? It's to keep supplies low. The less of that honey there is, the more expensive she can sell it for."

"Hmmm, I guess you're right. Well, since they ain't here, wanna take a break?"

"Thought you'd never ask." And so the two guards shirked their duties and walked away. Never in his life did Jaune feel as glad that people were bad at their jobs.

So the ones that kidnapped them and was stealing corpses was the head of the Gedal family. Jericho, if Jaune remembered the name correctly.

Creaking the door open, Jaune peaked around the corner to see if any guards were present. When none were found, Jaune stepped out and closed the door behind him. Looking out the window, they seemed to be at a countryside villa situated on a hall, as Jaune could actually see a few torches from the town in the distance.

Something he could also see were the headlights of a car that was leaving in the opposite direction of the town. Instead, it seemed to be going towards the mountains nearby. So Jaune decided to head to where the garage seemed to be.

Fortunately, the door was unlocked. Unfortunately, the only vehicles there were bikes hung up on the walls. Jaune sighed and took the bike. Honestly, with aura he could probably tail them, though that idea was rather shaky. Before he could mount the bike, he heard the sound of the door opening.

He froze.

"D-dad?" It was a little boy, probably the sun of Jericho if Jaune was guessing.

"Y-yes?" Jaune made his voice a little deeper, where upon the little boy's voice became excited.

"D-dad!? It's you? Oh my god! Mom said you were on a business trip and- sorry, it must be late for you. Can you go get mommy? It's been so long since you've been here and she's been so busy lately. Do you like the new house we got?" The boy sat down, unknowing of the fact that Jaune was awkwardly half-on the bike in the dark.

"Yes, it's very nice."

"Mommy worked so hard to get it. She's been working a lot lately. She always worries and-and." The kid was sniffling now. "I-it's so lonely here. Resin doesn't want to play with me anymore and mommy is always so busy. Will you play with me dad?"

Before Jaune could break his own heart with an answer, the kid beat him to the punch.

"Yea, no, it's fine. I'm sorry. You're probably so busy with everything and-yea." Jaune felt both sorrow at the resigned tone of the child's voice and anger at his mother for not catching it.

"Son, I'm sorry it's been so long. I'm going to get your mother. Could you please go to sleep?"

"Ok dad. I love you." And with that, the child went off. After he made sure the kid was gone, Jaune set out with the bike.

Riding a bike during the middle of the night to chase serial kidnappers was not the sort of thing Jaune thought he'd be doing, but it was the sort of thing he was doing. It certainly was getting his blood pumping and the lack of noise erased any chance of his target catching onto the fact they were being tailed.

In the meanwhile, he wondered why exactly they were doing this? Jaune guessed it had to do with the famous 'Ruby Honey' but he had no clue why. What was in it to require bodies? Do they trade the bodies for the honey? Does the honey need corpses? If so, that didn't make much sense. The honey would taste awful if it had dead bodies in it.

As he rode closer and closer, he felt around his body to check if his gear was all in place. Eventually, he slowed down as he saw the car stop by the mountainside. As he went closer, he eventually ditched the bike and stalked them on foot, making sure to not step on a branch or something.

When he got into hearing distance, he heard them. They were situated nearby a cave, from which Jaune could hear an odd buzzing.

"Alright, we're close." Fide was the one to speak. Jaune got a good look at his captor and her boss. Fide was a tall and lanky woman with pastel blue hair tied up into a ponytail. She had thin spectacles and a serious expression that betrayed the sorrowful look in her eyes.

"Ok, another night, let's do this." The other woman, Jericho Gedal if Jaune was guessing, was of average height and build, wore beekeeping clothes, and was currently dragging a few corpses out of the trunk of her car.

They had a prisoner with them, bound, gagged, and blindfolded. Probably Gel by the looks of it. She wore farmers overalls and had cheeks stained by tears. She was mumbling to herself, over what Jaune couldn't hear.

After Jericho loaded up the corpses, she walked over to Gel, who tensed up as she braced for death. Instead, a hand was put over her head, and a chant was let forth.

"For it is in our sacrifice through which we achieve immortality. Through this many candles are snuffed before the wick fully burns. Infinite in sorrow and freed from mortal connection, I relinquish your soul, and by my shoulder, sacrifice thee." Jericho spoke glumly, clearly hating this work that she thought necessary.

And for Jaune, his blood chilled at the words uttered. A light green light enveloped Gel, though her bonds constrained her from exercising any newfound strength.

The chant used to activate aura historically served two purposes. To awaken the latent strength in those with potential, and as a funerary rite.

And as Jericho was shoved towards the cave, red eyes gleamed from the dark. Jaune's chilled blood froze and the realization. Ruby Honey was made from Malicefera, Grimm resembling giant honey bees. In place of pollen and flowers though, Malicefera used carrion and corpses.

But, Jaune never heard of Malicefera producing honey. This must be a special type of it.

Nonetheless, they were using human sacrifices to produce the luxury good. And Jaune was not going to stand for it.

So with a steady breath, an explosion that got the attention of all present, and the whistle of a flare, Jaune shot a bright light blue flare at the entrance of the cave. Upon impact, it burst into ice that blocked off the cave. Jaune emerged from his hiding spot, putting away his flare gun after popping out the shell for the custom flare.

As he entered the light created by Jericho's car, Fide's eyes widened.

"You." She spoke passively, though the surprise was evident in her voice.

"Yup, it's me. I'm your friendly neighborhood huntsman. I just noticed you were doing a little human sacrifice here. Just wanted to ask you politely to give up. I've never had to draw my blade on other people before, don't wanna start now." That wasn't untrue per say, it was just that he got into the habit of not drawing Crocea Mors in fights.

It was a stupid habit, one he blamed on his teacher. He knew how to fight with a sword, he had no issues on slicing up an ursa or beowolf, it was just that he fell onto old habits when fighting other people.

Twin daggers came out of Fide's sleeves, which she held tightly onto but didn't get into a fighting stance. That was probably because Jericho soon spoke.

"Please sir, it's rather late. Go home and forget this ever happened."

"I'm afraid I can't do that! You see, I made a few promises. I promised to find the body of a woman named Andrea. I also promised to rescue a girl named Gel." Jaune got a good look at the pile of bodies and saw a mane of hair akin to that from the photo. "And it seems like you have both! Plus, I made a promise to myself to exterminate the little pests in that cave." Well, he made the promise a few seconds beforehand, but it still counted. "And Arcs don't go back on their word, you see."

Jericho knew that was when words failed. "Fide, please take care of Gel. I'll get the huntsman."

"If it's in your will."

And so, Jericho brandished a spear and got into a fighting stance. Jaune decided to quickly hop into the darkness away from the headlights, making Jericho aggressively advance to try to find him in the dark.

And with the whistle of another flare, a bright light hit the car and activated its alarm, making it loudly blare and illuminate the area with a sudden influx of light. Jericho recoiled at the surprise noise before countering a kick from Jaune.

"Why bother doing this? You seemed miserable with it." Jaune dodged Jericho's swings and thrusts with ease, occasionally using the sheathed Crocea Mors to deflect or block a swing.

"You wouldn't understand!" The woman clearly knew that her life was on the line in this fight, even if Jaune wasn't actively hurting her. If he got away with his life, he could bring more authorities in and get her caught. She'd lose her freedom, her home, and probably her kids as well.

"So? Is that your reason? You disturbed people in their final rest!" Jaune shot a flare at Jericho's feet, making her backpedal as he advanced with a kick. "You killed people!" She blocked with a sturdy arm, though her footwork was a bit off. "All for no reason? Is that your final answer?"

The only reason Jaune pulled back was the thrown knife that came his way from Fide. The opening created allowed Jericho to make rapid stings with her spear.

"I have to do this! If I don't, I'll lose everything! Do you know how hard it is for a single mother to manage a business? The bees stopped accepting animals! I had to, or else I'd lose the business!" A sting was blocked by Crocea Mors' sheath. "My children would've had to live in squalor!" Another strike to the gut was barely sidestepped. "We were in debt! My children would have had nothing!"

Jaune had to backpedal alot. Her strikes weren't skilled. She had the basics down, but had no real discipline or skill. Well, he had basically none either, but he had strength and improvising on his side.

"If I must sacrifice myself to give my children a comfortable life, so be it." And so, Jaune couldn't help but snap. And as a lunge went through his arm, he grabbed the shaft and bent the standard steel.

"That's bullshit!" He stabbed the bent spear into the ground, yanking it from Jericho's hand. "You didn't need to go deeper! You didn't need to dig up the dead!" He stumbled to dodge another thrown knife from Fide. "You didn't need to kidnap people! You didn't need to murder people! Stop trying to excuse your greed!" He delivered a roundhouse kick to Jericho, who was pushed back as she blocked.

"W-what?"

"You said you were in debt. That means it was paid off, right?" Jaune didn't bother asking for an answer as he dodged another knife from Fide, who joined the fight proper and left Gel alone. "And why are you here!? You hate this as well! Why!?" Jaune was furious now.

"I owe my life to her. That is all." Jaune huffed as he dodged a few knife strikes and thrown blades. Fide was a tad more proficient in combat, though even then it was amateur. With the lack of range, Jaune had no problem dodging the slashed and thrusts. But, knowing that Fide was a brick wall, he turned once more to Jericho.

"And your children!? That's your excuse? Your son thought I was his father! He's lonely, you barely spend time with him! What childhood is that?" Jericho's brief stint in the sidelines was cut short as she tried striking him in grief, even as Fide warned against it. She let out a sob as she did so.

The attack was clumsy and she stumbled a bit, allowing Jaune to pull her into a headlock.

"Look, the debts were paid, right? You never had to continue with this. Sure, you may not've been able to pay the guards, but Fide over here would've served you faithfully. You could've ended your debt, sold the house, took all that money, and lived the comfortable life you said you wanted to give them." At that, she burst out sobbing. He lessened his grip and allowed her to cry it out, even helpfully removing the beekeeping outfit. After her tears ran dry, she spoke.

"Y-you're right."

"My la-"

"Fide, please." The servant lowered her guard, allowing Jericho to speak. "At first, I thought that a few dead men weren't going to be missed. B-but, last week, we figured out that victims with aura produced better honey. A-and my only thoughts were on how much more I could bring in with it. You're right, I was just excusing my greed."

"You know I have to bring you to justice, right?"

"Y-yes. There's no need to bring Fide into this, though. Please. I saved her as a child and she only went along with it to serve me." She looked up at Jaune pleadingly. And Jaune, knowing that much, sighed.

"Je-"

"No, she's right."

"Take care of my Resin and Oak, please." Jaune let go of Jericho, letting her hit the dirt and rise with the help of her servant.

"I promise."

"Can I leave a message for them?" Jaune nodded. So, Jericho pulled out her scroll and called home. After a few moments of ringing, it was answered. "Hey, Resin, sweetie? I'm going to be a while. Please wake up your brother and go to the safe in my office. The combination is 5-11-46-91-30. Got that? Good. Please be good to Fide." And so she hung up.

"I'll take you to the sheriff soon. For now, I've got other matters to attend to." Jaune walked over to the tied up Gel and broke her bonds, took off her blindfold, and plucked out the gag.

"W-who a-are you?"

"I'm just a wandering huntsman here to help." Jaune could see her eyes widen. She then threw herself at his feet, hugging his legs.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou." She began mumbling incoherently from there on. Jaune helped Gel up gently and pat the dust off her back.

"You'll be back home soon, alright?" Gel nodded. "Wait her for a moment."

And so Jaune turned to the Goliath in the room, the sealed up cave full of Malicefera. Shrugging, he poked a small hole in it with Crocea Mors, and chucked in some vials of red dust. After making sure the compound was neatly spread out, he shot a flare into the cave, making it light on fire.

He could heard the panicked buzzing of Malicefera wings that burned up instantly under the heat. The ice blocking the cave stood strong enough as he could hear the sweet sounds of the Malicefera burning up. Eventually, the fires died, and the Malicefera all became dust.

"Alright, let's head back."

In the end, Jericho turned herself in to the sheriff, who said she'd be brought to central Vale in order to be tried at a higher court. The Gedal estate was sold and her children, plus Fide, used that golden parachute to go to central Vale, where they could rest easy.

Jaune, meanwhile, was rewarded with a handful of Lien from the sheriff and a free drink at the tavern. Still, the real reward came when he brought Andrea's body back to Belias and Jerry's farm.

"Thank you." Belias gave a really tight hug that threatened to crush Jaune, which Jerry joined in to minimal effect on his ribs. Belias offered some dust he bought, which Jaune sheepishly took, given the fact that he spent a few vials too many on the flares and Malicefera.

"Hey, mister?" Jerry looked to Jaune, who was feeling the road for what path he should take forward.

"Yea?"

"Where will you go next?"

"No clue, Jerry, no clue. But that's the fun of it."

"Can you come back? I want to know what other cool things you did!" Jaune gave a hearty laugh and looked to the young kid before rubbing their hair, to which they pouted.

"Sure. I can't promise when though, but I'll be back one day."

"Promise? You said an o-ork never goes back on their word."

"An Arc." Jaune spoke gently as he looked at the bright blue sky, smiling as adventure awaited. "An Arc never goes back on his word. And I promise you, as Jaune Arc, that I will come back to Combhome. Could you promise me one thing, though?"

"Yea!?"

"Promise me you'll take care of your dad, alright? And that you'll take care of yourself. Not much point in coming back if you aren't here."

"Sure! I promise!"

"Alright, remember that promise."

"I will!" Jaune laughed and began walking on the road once more.

"I know. Take care." And so, Jaune walked to the horizon, wandering to the next town in need.

AN: Well, I hope I'll get to make more of these. I'm planning on it being a sort of anthology series without a real central plotline, just exploring towns on the frontier of Remnant and all. With Grimm ideas and maybe I'll actually bring in a canon character occasionally. I'm thinking of Qrow