A/N: So, remember what I said was going to happen in this chapter in the endnotes last chapter? Throw it out the window. More explanation in the endnotes.

Chapter 18: The Great Enemy

(Mistral, Ruins of Kuroyuri, Two weeks ago)

With the impending shadow war with Salem breathing down their necks, Ren and Nora had a choice to make. Keep their heads down, and continue the reckless pace that their entire group had set during what the media had dubbed "The White Fang War", or they could take the time that their break from classes afforded them, and take a breath. Maybe several.

Seeing Jaune throw himself in front of Adam's final moonslice in a desperate attempt to protect Weiss had taught Ren something. He had realized that if it meant protecting Nora, he would make the same choice in a heartbeat.

This had led Ren to suggest a trip to the ruins of Kuroyuri, back to where it all began. Where he and Nora had met, where their lives had been turned upside down, and where their unbreakable bond had been forged.

We keep each other safe, alright?

As they approached the final signpost before Kuroyuri, Ren stopped.

"You okay, Ren?" Nora asked.

Normally, Ren kept a tight lid on his emotions, even without his Semblance. It was how he ensured that the Grimm wouldn't come looking for him. Nora took the opposite strategy, and reveled in whatever joy she could find, because they both had no idea where more would come from.

"I don't know, Nora." Ren admitted. "I've spent so long keeping my emotions locked down... I don't remember what being okay is supposed to feel like."

Nora took his hand. "That's okay. It's like I told Jaune a while back, it's okay to not be okay."

With his free hand, Ren brushed at the lock of his hair that he had dyed pink to remind himself to never take Nora for granted, as she had saved him countless times over. "I don't know, Nora. All I know is if I lost you..."

Nora tightened her grip on his hand, "I'm not going anywhere, cause I have you to protect me, and I need to protect you. We keep each other safe, remember?"

Ren nodded. "Yes, Nora. I remember."

They continued on their way, hand in hand. Part of Nora was ecstatic about this, normally when her and Ren held hands, it was just for a moment of comfort, but he was still holding on! Was he finally coming around to the idea of them dating?

Nora decided to take a chance. "Normally, you would've let go by now."

"I don't want to."

Nora whirled on Ren, "Ren, I know that you're not good at talking, but are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Losing you terrifies me more than anything." Ren explained, "But watching Jaune and Weiss made me realize that I can't that let that fear keep us apart any more."

Nora reached out to lightly tap Ren on the nose. "Boop!"

Long ago, Ren and Nora had decided that hooping the other would be the ultimate sign that the other was ready for their relationship to become romantic. Nora had certainly executed this maneuver at different times, but Ren had never done it back.

Until now.

With one of his rare smiles gracing his face, Ren reached out to return the gesture. "Boop." He said.

Nora giggled, "Was this really the whole reason you wanted to come here?"

They had finally made it to the ruins, destroyed buildings and ruined streets dominated the area, and the usual sense of foreboding that hung in the air following a Grimm attack still pervaded the area despite how long it had been.

Ren knelt and placed his hand on the ruined cobblestone of the street. "No, I needed to come back here to remind myself the real reason I fight."

Ren continued, "For so long, for both of us, fighting was just about survival, but now that we're relatively safe..."

Nora laid a hand on his shoulder, "You're fighting to prevent any more Kuroyuris."

Ren nodded, "Yes, Nora."

Ever perceptive of Ren's moods, Nora spoke up, "After this mess wIth Salem is over, do you want to come back here? Rebuild it?"

A single tear escaped Ren's eye. "I'd like that Nora," He cast his gaze towards the pile of rubble that used to be his childhood home, "I think my parents would've liked that too."

Nora sat beside Ren and laid her head on his shoulder. "We're going to need to head back soon if we're going to make it to the inn before dark." Nora said.

Ren sighed, "Just a little while longer, Nora."

There was a brief pause, then Ren continued, "And yes, I know that means you'll remind me in five minutes."

Nora grinned. All was right in the world, for a moment. Her and Ren were together-together, there weren't any Grimm trying to kill them at the moment, and she had eaten recently.

After a time, Ren stood, Nora followed suit, and they left the ruins, with the promise that they would return someday, to bring life back to a place where Salem and the Grimm tried to stamp it out.

The only path to that outcome, however, was to go through everything that Salem had to throw at them. Luckily, "smash into the problem headfirst" was the only way Nora knew how to fight, and with Ren and all of their friends... no, their family to watch her back, it would be a cakewalk.

(Atlas, Ironwood's Office, One Week ago)

James Ironwood didn't believe in heroes. In his experience, heroes died. They made the sacrifice so that the others could go on, but what happened when the next battle came, the next wave of Nevermores crested the horizon, and there was no hero to save the day?

In some ways, James Ironwood counted it a blessing that the hero who sacrificed to save the day didn't know what happened after the survivors stopped cheering, and the next horror descended.

He had always butted heads with Ozpin on how to fight the war with Salem. Ozpin's insistence on raising "the best of us" to fight Salem never sat right with Ironwood. Ozpin's "Guardians" were simply heroes by another name, and when those heroes were taught to rely on one another, day in and day out, and one died...

Well, there was a reason that Ironwood didn't needle Ozpin about Team STRQ.

They were fighting a war. A war, not for country, not for resources, but for the right to exist, and Ozpin wanted to fight it with children! There was a reason that Atlas Academy had joined with the Atlas military. To fight a war, you needed soldiers. Heroes and guardians were all well and good, but eventually they would break, or they would sacrifice life and limb to save a few. Soldiers would survive to fight again.

That was the whole reason that the Miracle of Beacon had been a miracle. Since Blake Belladonna had given Ozpin Adam's playbook, for lack of a better term, Ironwood had been able to counter them as soon as the fighting had started, by deploying his flesh and blood forces appropriately. This left the Hunters of Vale and the police free to re-deploy when the Atlesian Knights and Paladins were hacked, and left the students of Beacon and the exchange students free to do what they were there to learn. Kill the Grimm.

It would've been a perfect victory over Salem, with next to zero losses, but Pyrrha Nikos decided to try to be a hero. Ironwood was fully convinced that Pyrrha's death could have been avoided, if she had been taught to be a survivor instead of one of Ozpin's guardians.

And how did Ozpin react? By giving up his childish belief in his guardians? No! Of course not! Ozpin simply chose seven more. Seven! Ironwood had given up on trying to change Ozpin's mind on this, the man could be just about as stubborn as... well, Ironwood himself. But now, Ozpin was dead, and now was the perfect time for a new approach. In his meeting with Glynda, that was coming up momentarily, he would suggest transferring teams RWBY and JNPR to Atlas Academy. The time for guardians had past, now was the time for survivors, preferably survivors trained by Ironwood himself.

The terminal in front of him beeped, and Glynda's face sprang into existence on his screen, her expression grim. "I hope this isn't a bad time, James." Glynda said, "The fact that you're actually speaking to me makes this better than the rest of my day."

Ironwood raised an eyebrow, "You're having trouble with the other headmasters?"

Glynda nodded, "You have no idea. Leonardo never bothered to answer my call, which makes no sense, given the reports I've seen from Qrow..."

Ironwood winced, he had seen those reports, according to Qrow, the mission to retrieve Oscar had taken at least twice as long as it should have, due to every village begging Qrow, Ruby, and Yang to solve their Grimm problems as they passed through. It was almost as if all of the Hunters that worked for the kingdom of Mistral had disappeared. "What about Theodore?" Ironwood asked.

Glynda waved her hand dismissively, "You know how he is. He said, and I quote, Why the hell are you bothering me if you don't need anything?"

"Yes, that sounds like him." Ironwood said. "Did he say anything of note before he hung up?"

"He put team NDGO on academic suspension for using civilians as bait for the Grimm." Glynda said, her distaste obvious.

Ironwood shook his head. Combine Vacuoan stubbornness with Ozpin's "guardian" rhetoric and desperate tactics like that were the result.

"Glynda, we can't waste any time in preparing to counter Salem's next move, whatever it might be." Ironwood said, "With your permission, I would like to have teams RWBY and JNPR transferred to Atlas Academy. We need to remember that this is a war, not some Saturday morning Mistralian cartoon, and to fight a war, we need soldiers."

Glynda's jaw dropped. "James," she began carefully, "I mean this as professionally as I can. Have you lost your mind?"

Ironwood set his jaw, and dug in for a fight, "No, Glynda, I haven't. Those kids are some of the best Hunters of their generation, and if I train them into being soldiers, survivors, then we could have a real chance to finally turn the tide of this war!"

"Have you even bothered to look at their files?" Glynda asked coldly.

Ironwood blinked. "Of course I did!"

Glynda leaned in to the screen, "Then why do you think that this could even begin to be a good idea?"

Ironwood tried to respond, but Glynda cut him off. "I'll save you the trouble and tell you why this plan of yours would be a catastrophe. To varying degrees, Ruby, Yang, Nora, and Weiss have idiosyncrasies ranging from Nora's tendency towards chaos to Weiss's elegance in combat that you would have to stamp out to make them soldiers. Jaune and Ren might work out, but without the support structure of their other friends, both of them are emotional powder kegs, and Blake? In the Atlesian military? Don't make me laugh."

Ironwood slammed his fist on his desk, leaving an indent, "Ozpin's insistence on fighting this war with guardians is going to doom us all! They'll die for nothing, just like that Nikos girl!"

Before that moment, Glynda could count on one hand how many times she had been legitimately angry, sure, she got frustrated with her students, but she rarely got angry.

Now she needed two hands.

"Pyrrha Nikos did not die for nothing, James." Glynda seethed, "If she hadn't delayed Cinder, the CCTS tower would've been destroyed, and Ruby wouldn't have unlocked the power of the Silver Eyes."

Ironwood scoffed, "The tower could've been rebuilt and Miss Rose would've had other opportunities for that. That is what I want to prevent! Them sacrificing themselves for things that can be replaced or rebuilt later!"

"You're half-right on that point, James." Glynda admitted, "Yes, the tower could've been rebuilt, but how many people would've panicked while the CCTS would've been down? How many Grimm would that have attracted?" She took a breath and continued, "As for Ruby, we don't know for sure what triggered the Silver Eyes, but if she hadn't awakened during the Miracle, then she wouldn't have been able to destroy the Grimm that Salem sent to help Adam. We would all be dead."

"And If you think that I'm not taking steps to help prepare them for the next battle, you're dead wrong, James." Glynda said, "And if you think that Jaune and Ruby will let any more of their friends die, you've got another thing coming."

Ironwood leaned back in his chair, "It's just... my distaste of Ozpin's insistence of using guardians to fight this war, if they're to be the next generation, they need to be ready."

"James, while they may have been chosen to be the protectors of the world, they're still children. So, let them play the part."

Ironwood shook his head and smiled ruefully, he wasn't going to win this argument, even his Semblance couldn't overcome the maternal instincts of Glynda Goodwitch, "That sounds like something Oz would've said." Ironwood said.

Glynda chuckled, "He said it to me after teams RWBY and JNPR destroyed the cafeteria with a food fight."

Ironwood laughed, "I changed my mind. You can keep them."

(Vale, Beacon Academy, Present Day)

With the onset of winter, came new dangers. Namely, one of the most insidious threats to Hunters ever seen on Remnant. You couldn't shoot it, you couldn't stab it, you couldn't even defend against it with Aura!

So, what was this Great Enemy, that made even the most courageous Hunter cower in fear? What was it, that could divide the world better than Salem could ever hope for, what was it that could make friend turn against friend, and make lovers forsake each other?

The answer was perplexing to those unfamiliar with the ways of Hunters, but made any Hunter who heard its name shudder in fear.

This Great Enemy was the common cold.

Everyone at Beacon Academy was on edge, searching for the first sign of the Enemy, so it could be stamped out with great prejudice. Suspicion quickly became the norm, every cough became scrutinized for signs of the Enemy's arrival.

This year, the first sign of the Great Enemy came at breakfast, minutes after Weiss Schnee defiantly declared that "Schnees don't get sick" she sneezed. Everyone immediately looked at her.

"Oh, come on!" Weiss protested, "I'm not sick!"

Professor Goodwitch had seemingly inherited Ozpin's talent of materializing out of nowhere, "You know the rules, Miss Schnee." Glynda said, "And you know exactly what is at stake here."

Jaune stood up, "If she's sick, then I've been exposed and should have to quarantine with her."

"Mr. Arc, there is no need to lie to me," Glynda said, "If you want to take care of Miss Schnee during this, you just have to-"

Professor Goodwitch was interrupted by Jaune sneezing.

"See?" Jaune said, "Just like I said."

Glynda rolled her eyes. She was half-convinced that Jaune had faked that sneeze, but she didn't much care at this point. "Fine, fine. Both of you, to the quarantine dorms."

Jaune and Weiss left promptly, with a fair amount of complaining from Weiss. "I'm not sick I tell you! This is some sort of anti-Weiss conspiracy!"

Glynda sighed. "As for the rest of you," Glynda took out a package of face masks and put it on the table, "You know the rules."

As Glynda left, the others quickly donned their face masks, except for one person.

"Uh, don't you think that this is a little... excessive?" Oscar asked.

Everyone still at the table looked at Oscar like he had just suggested that they hand over the Relics to Salem.

Ruby shook her head vigorously, "Oscar, you don't understand! It's the Great Enemy!"

Ren nodded sagely, "If we don't stamp it out now, it could doom us all."

"Think about it, Oscar," Nora said, "If it spreads, and Cinder attacks, we'd all be helpless!"

Oz, help me out here! They're being ridiculous right?

Ozpin's response nearly made Oscar choke on his orange juice. "On the contrary, Oscar. Everything's going according to plan."

Excuse me?

Ozpin then launched into an explanation that bordered on absurd. "Allow me to explain. To put it simply, our first incarnation, for lack of a better term, died to the common cold. As such, once a former Companion found themselves with a host with some political clout, they both decided to prevent this from ever happening again, to any Hunter. Together, the two of them started a propaganda campaign to make Hunters everywhere think that the common cold was a plague that must be stamped out."

Oscar began to suspect that he was sharing his brain with an idiot. Wait, the first Oz died to the common cold? How long ago was that?

"A very long time ago."

Oscar rolled his eyes as he finally put his face mask on, and saw the others breath a sigh of relief. For the record, old man, I find that answer vague and unconvincing.

(Beacon Academy, Quarantine Dorm)

"This is ridiculous! I'm not-" Weiss's protests were cut off by a coughing fit, "I'm not sick, I just had something in my throat."

Jaune shook his head as he made sure that the small kitchenette was stocked. The quarantine dorms were markedly different from the normal dorms. In Jaune's opinion, calling them dorms was a misnomer, as they were more like tiny one bedroom apartments, complete with a bedroom and living room.

Finding that the kitchenette did indeed have food, Jaune moved to the medicine cabinet, grabbed an immuno-booster for himself and a dose of cough syrup for Weiss.

Jaune went back over to Weiss, who was still sitting on the sofa, practically radiating defiance. "Here you go, Weiss." He said, placing the cough syrup on the table in front of her.

Weiss glared at him as she drank the cough syrup. "I only drank that to put you at ease, Jaune." Weiss said, after clearing her throat, "I'm not sick."

Jaune, on the other hand, could see the signs a mile away. "Weiss, you never clear your throat." He placed his hand on her forehead, "And you're burning up."

Weiss's defiance was beginning to crumble. "But... Schnees don't get sick..."

"Weiss, that's ridiculous, you can't actually..." Jaune stopped as he came to a terrible realization. "Weiss, what's happened when you've gotten sick back in Atlas?"

Weiss fidgeted for a moment before answering, "I would take medicine, then be expected to continue with my duties as heiress."

Jaune's heart broke, that was horrifyingly cruel. "Well, we're not in Atlas, so, here's what's going to happen." Jaune said, his tone of voice leaving no room for argument, "We're both going to change into our pajamas so we can be comfortable, and you are going to let me take care of you, am I understood?"

Weiss had to stop herself from licking her lips, Jaune didn't take charge like that outside of combat very often, so when he did, it was incredibly sexy. That being said, she had her pride, so she couldn't roll over. "Fine. But only because it's you." Weiss said.

"Great, you go get changed, and I'll get a frozen towel ready." Jaune said.

Weiss did a double take, "Excuse me?"

Jaune chuckled, "It's an old Arc family remedy, for fevers."

"I see." Weiss said, "Thank you for this, Jaune. I apologize if you get sick because of it."

Jaune shrugged, "I was probably going to get sick anyways with how clingy both of us can be sometimes. Might as well quarantine together, right?"

Weiss sneezed. "Right, I'll go get changed now."

Jaune smiled, "Okay, I'll get the sofa ready for you."

Weiss left to blow her nose, because there was no way she was going to risk getting more snot on her clothes than necessary, then she went to the bedroom to change into her Beacon Academy issued pajamas. There was no way that she was going to risk exposing her nightgown to whatever biological contamination she was producing.

After stopping in the bathroom to blow her nose again, as there was a seemingly endless supply of snot coming out of her nose, and it was getting old very quickly, Weiss made her way back out to the living room to find Jaune singing.

Who am I to complain?

My life's been spared so much pain
Born with all that I need
My comfort's all guaranteed

Weiss froze. While she had known for a while now that Jaune had been a fan of her music, she certainly didn't expect to walk in on him singing Mirror Mirror. The singer in her immediately jumped to criticism, and while Jaune wasn't hitting all the notes, she appreciated that he was trying his best.

So what's the problem
What's keeping me
From moving forward
It's hard to see
I should be free now
I should be fine
But the life I fought for
Still isn't mine

As Weiss listened to Jaune singing, she came to a realization. Because of the Knight's Oath, her and Jaune were married, at least as far as the Arc family was concerned. And they were currently, for all intents and purposes, sharing a one bedroom apartment.

Was this what was waiting for them after Salem was defeated?

Some believe in fairy stories
And the ghosts that they can't see
I know that I could do so much
If I could just believe in me
Mirror Mirror
Tell me something
Can I stop my fall?

Weiss despaired. Could Salem even be defeated? By Ozpin's own admission, the fight against her was effectively a game of magical artifact keep-away. Would it ever be over? Or would they have to keep fighting until their broken bodies lay lifeless on some forgotten battlefield?

Years of scorn will leave you cold
Forget your dreams, do what you're told
When disapproval's all you're shown
The safest place becomes alone

It felt like she was in a dream, one that Weiss never wanted to wake up from. Weiss clenched her fists, and decided that she would have this again, that they would defeat Salem. No other option was acceptable.

And isolation's
The price you pay
And every friendship is pushed away
But bit by bit now
A step each day
I'm slowly starting
To find my way

Jaune was too wrapped up in singing to notice her, so Weiss took the time to make herself a promise. "By my word as an Arc, I will see this dream become a reality."

Some believe in fairy stories
And the ghosts that they can't see
I know that I could do so much
If I could just believe in me
Mirror Mirror
I'll tell you something
I think I might change it all

After Jaune finished, Weiss walked into the room. "Jaune, that was... passable."

What to others would sound like barely a compliment caused Jaune to blush. "Really? I didn't think my singing voice was that good."

Weiss smiled as she wrapped her arms around him. If he didn't care that she got him sick, there was no need to hold back from their usual level of affection. "Don't forget, my darling knight, I am incredibly biased."

Jaune smiled at her and brushed a hand through her hair. "How could I forget, Snow Angel?"

"Jaune, will we ever have this again? You, me, in a small apartment like this?" Weiss asked.

Jaune blinked. "You'd rather have this than Schnee Manor?"

Weiss nodded emphatically, "Yes, Jaune. I despise that manor with every fiber of my being. It's just so cold and loveless. Were it up to me, I would raze it to the ground."

Jaune frowned, "So, why..."

"Because this is... just so full of love." Weiss explained, "You and me, here together, I would never have to doubt that I'm loved, truly loved, ever again."

"I just have one question, Jaune." Weiss continued, "Out of all my songs, why did you pick Mirror Mirror to sing?"

Jaune rubbed the back of his head, "When that song first came out, Dad had told me in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't train me, and wouldn't support me in my dream of becoming a Huntsman. It helped me hold on to my dream, even when everyone else was telling me to throw it away."

That certainly brought a tear to Weiss's eye. Over the years, many an Atlesian had gushed about how much they loved her music, but they simply gave empty praise. This was so much more. By singing about her loneliness and self-imposed isolation, she had given Jaune the courage to pursue his dream, even when no one else believed in him.

Before Weiss could respond, an alarm on Jaune's scroll went off. "Oh, that's the towel!" Jaune said, "Go ahead and lay on the sofa, I'll be right back."

Weiss turned to the sofa, to find a quilt laid across it, with pillows at one end, complete with a absurdly large water jug, complete with giant bendy straw. "Jaune, was all of this here?" She asked, then immediately regretted it as another coughing fit racked her body.

"Uh, no! Mom sent me a Sick Kit, as we call it." Jaune called out from the kitchen, "My family never bought into the hysteria of calling the common cold the Great Enemy. Instead, we focused on getting over a cold down to a science. If I get sick, we should be both be over it in five days, tops."

Weiss stared at Jaune as he walked in with a tray containing a steaming hot cup of... something. "Jaune, we have to quarantine for two weeks."

Jaune grinned, "Do we? That's such a shame."

Weiss took on a mockingly scandalized tone, "Mr. Arc, if you hope for us to undertake such lewd acts, I do hope you brought protection."

Jaune snorted as he put the tray down, "I didn't mean to imply... that, Weiss. I figured that we really haven't had a chance to relax and take stock of things since we beat Adam. This seemed like a good way to do it. No Salem, no Atlesian high society, just us."

"It does feel like we've been going nonstop since the Mirac-" Weiss stopped herself before she finished, she had almost forgotten how much Jaune hated that moniker for it, "The First Battle of Beacon. Some time to rest... gods, it feels like a luxury." She reached for the cup and spoon that Jaune had placed in front of her. Weiss blinked, was this...

"What's wrong, Weiss?" Jaune asked.

"Jaune, is this chicken noodle soup?"

Jaune shrugged as he draped the frozen towel around her neck, "Yeah, why?

Weiss shuddered briefly, "Ah, that's cold!" After a moment, she continued, "I've never had it before. It's considered... food for the lower classes in Atlas."

Jaune grimaced as he settled on the sofa besides Weiss, "You know, the more you teach me about Atlas, the more I hate it."

Weiss would've answered, but she was currently busy sampling heaven in a cup. After a few bites, Weiss drew in a shaky breath, "Oh, that's good."

Jaune grinned as he fiddled with his Scroll, "If you think that's good, don't forget to drink all the broth once the noodles are gone."

After weathering another bout of coughing, Weiss drank deeply and found that Jaune had a very good point. The broth was delicious! Weiss couldn't help but giggle to herself, this truly was a dream. One that she never wanted to wake up from.

"Now, how about a movie?" Jaune asked, "A so-bad-it's-good action movie is the best way to pass the time when you're sick."

Weiss hummed, "Well, I assume your experience with action movies far outstrips my own, Jaune. What would you recommend?"

"Well, first off, one where Humanity and the Faunus come together to make giant robots to fight skyscraper sized Grimm." Jaune said.

Weiss shook her head, "That's an absurd premise, and just a little too close to real life."

"That's fair." Jaune said. "How about... wait not that one."

Weiss softly elbowed Jaune, "Oh, no. Tell me what it's about first."

Jaune blushed, "It's the movie I wanted you to go with me to see the first time I asked you out."

Weiss couldn't help but smile, "That sounds wonderful, Jaune."

Despite the symptoms of her cold, Weiss snuggled into Jaune as they began to watch one of Jaune's favorite Spruce Willis movies, Decease Harshly. At some point, probably halfway through the movie, she began to drift off to sleep.

"Jaune... I think I'm falling asleep..." Weiss mumbled.

Jaune paused the movie, "That's okay, Weiss. We can finish it when you wake up, now let's get you to bed."

Jaune stood up, and scooped up Weiss in a bridal carry. Weiss wrapped her arms around his neck and let herself drift off some more. By the time Jaune got to the bedroom, she was fast asleep, her cold symptoms be damned.

Jaune laid Weiss on the bed, then threw a quilt over her. He then knelt beside the bed. "Weiss, I know it seems almost impossible to see a future that doesn't have Salem dogging at our heels. I promise you that one day... one day, we will have a life like this, a life where our greatest concern is what to have for dinner. I love you, Weiss Schnee. There isn't a force on Remnant that can change that." He punctuated his declaration with a kiss on her forehead.

A/N: I'm back finally! Sorry this one took so long, but I had a lot to chew on.

The Discord server that I'm a part of (The RWBY Nook) for RWBY fanfic writers put chapters 1-15 up for the monthly "Nook Club" discussion. (Yes, that is a pun. No, we have no shame.) I got a lot of good feedback, and insight into my missteps. The most glaring of which is my pacing.

Basically it boils down to the fact that bad things happen, and the characters just power through, and they trusted both Ilia and Roman way too fast.

So, what does this mean? Basically, I'm going to slow things down a bit. This should make things better in the long run, and make the big moments feel more earned.

Next Chapter: Shopping trip to properly outfit the farm boy for combat, Jaune gets blown up again (sort of), and Weiss and Yang learn to fly.