Author's Headnote: Well, we're doing the Jaune chapter now, and then Finally the Ruby chapter. Given the circumstances, they're just about ready to leave Patch and head on their quest to Mistral, in which they have started, but they had to get to another continent first. But that's not until later, but for now... we're on their task. And that's where the chapter will lead.
RWBY: Festival of Blood: Arris the Wolf
Jaune Arc:
Aura Status: 100%
Semblance: Aura Boosting
Weapons: Crocea Mors
Team Relations:
-Nora Valkyrie: She's taking the destruction of Vale very well. Jaune Can't believe she went back to Vale.
-Lie Ren: He's been more twitchy and fidgety since the Destruction of Vale. Jaune Can't believe he went back to Vale.
-Violet Jasper: Given that JNPR is down one teammate, and that he's without one, Headmistress Goodwitch has transferred Violet to this team as a Placeholder for Pyrrha.
End of major character status report.
Green Van, January 14, Monday, 1:00 PM, Vale Roads
Jaune was sitting in the back seats stuck between Nora and Scarlet. And in front of him are Ren and Sage, and Violet and Neptune following. And at the front passenger's seat is Sun, and at the driver's seat is Yang, who willingly volunteered to drive, despite the status of her... armlessness... although Violet suspects that she'll be growing back some part of her arm, but it might need to be amputated because of deformity.
Yang was wearing a tank top and some cargo-pants, along with a ponytail, and a pair of box glasses. She's also wearing Ruby's cloak around her waist. She's by no means able for combat, so she's basically the designated driver.
Why Jaune's sitting in the way back? Well... because the way Violet arranged the seating in the passengers is by the choice of weapons. With Violet having and Neptune having combat rifles, Ren having SMGs, and Sage with an assault rifle sword. He said that defenses need to be ordained on average conventional bullets. Which means Nora and Jaune had to sit in the back, and as it turns out Scarlet does too.
Yang's been blasting her music too, it's quite a whiplash of moods... she really needs to organize her playlists.
"Are we there yet?" Nora asked impatiently.
"Nora, you know very well of my semblance and that it tends to set things on fire, don't try to put me in the mood." Yang stated in a calm and raspy voice. Yang's voice has not fully recovered from the incident in Vale, she even drank some water, and the raspy voice hasn't gone away.
"You drive so slooow..."
"I am driving a vehicle with nine passengers, including myself, in a large van heading towards a grimm and warlord infested Vale to go the crime-ridden mistral, driving fast is something I really don't want to do."
"You're driving 10 miles above the speed limit." Violet commented.
"The speed limit is a suggestion, especially more so now." Yang stated.
"Can you drive faster!?" Nora complained.
"Nora, I suggest you keep quiet. Unless you want Yang to detonate the car just by getting angry... or any strong emotion in general." Violet suggested. "And Yang, remain calm."
Well... drama aside... the driving kept going... well... until nightfall... where a roadblock had occurred. It was a gate made of makeshift material.
"Come on, guys. Wake up. I can't drive with that thing in the way." Yang shouted, to wake everyone up.
"I'm still up... it's quite hard to sleep when you keep blasting that music!" Jaune complained.
"I am driving, so I decide the music. Unless, well... any of you want to drive."
"I'll take the wheel!" Nora offered.
"NO!" Ren, Violet, and Sun shouted at the same time.
"Awww... you're no fun!" Nora said in a sad tone.
"Yang, just... don't let Nora near the steering wheel. There's more than one reason I keep her at the back, so she doesn't go anywhere near the steering wheel." Violet stated. "I was lucky enough to get this thing to Patch."
"You ran over 24 trash cans." Ren commented.
"That's besides the point. The point is, Nora is not allowed to drive."
"I don't care, if it weren't for the fact I have one arm, I would whack all of you with my wrist, but I need this arm to drive." Yang said, pulling over and parking the car. "Now, get out and clear the road."
"Alright, alright. Just got to wait for Scarlet or Nora to get out..." Jaune stated.
Meanwhile, everyone else got out of the van... Nora, however, has her belt buckle stuck and Scarlet is still asleep. Jaune intervened and helped Nora unbuckle her seatbelt. In which Nora got up and left the van, and Jaune followed.
Legion of Arris Fortress, January 14, Monday, 9:00 PM, Exterior
From the looks of it, it's a fortress made of junk. Various sheets of metal and wood, along with some other materials. Why one would build a fortress in the middle of the pathway is unknown. There is also a dead body of what appears to be an ameteur huntsman.
Jaune, Nora, Violet, and Ren had all got out of the van. Sun, Sage, and Neptune followed.
"Well... we're off to open the fortress gates and you can get through, stay here with Scarlet." Jaune stated.
"So what? I have one arm and suddenly I'm deadweight?" Yang retorted.
"Yang. Your fighting style is hand-to-hand combat. A one-handed brawler would not be ideal for combat situations. It's best if you stick with Scarlet, he can protect you." Neptune stated.
"I can protect myself!" Yang said defensively.
"Don't poke the bear, Neptune. Don't worry babe, we can find a prosthetic arm for you!" Sun said, trying to calm Yang.
"Okay... I'll just stay here... with Scarlet..." Yang said passively aggressively.
The gate seems to be well re-enforced... and opens from the inside... guess they'll have to sneak in to open the gates. Meanwhile, Violet appears to be scavenging the dead body. And he managed to pick up a pack of flashlights.
"Flashlights?" Nora asked.
"UV flashlights." Violet states.
"Is that for the vampires?" Nora asked.
Violet and Jaune facepalmed. Yang however, poked her head out of the van door...
"Nora... what exactly did you say?" Yang asked.
"Vampires, why?" Nora asked.
"Vampires aren't real, Nora." Yang lied. Of course, she's going to reflex to defend her sister.
"Sure, they are, Jaune said they are."
Jaune and Violet facepalmed, again.
"Jaune... who told you about vampires?" Yang asked.
"Wait, vampires are real?" Sun asked.
"I have so many questions." Neptune stated.
"You just had to open your mouth, Nora." Jaune retorted.
"What? Vampires sound sooooooooooooo coooool!" Nora defended herself.
"Try living with one." Yang retorted.
"So Ruby IS a vampire!"
"Wait wait wait. That can't be right, I saw her at the bowling alley, and she had to get there without burning to bits." Sun stated.
"I thought vampires would sparkle during daylight." Sage stated.
"Ayy, what's all of this noise?" a Legion of Arris mook said, popping from the door right of the gate.
"So... this fortress belongs to Arris... look, if you let us through, we can leave you alone." Jaune offered.
"No thanks, I've heard of you. You're Juan de el Arcanyo."
"That, by all means is not his name." Ren commented.
"Does it matter, yer all enemies of Arris. I suggest ya turn around and move on." the mook stated.
"No thanks, we need to get to Mistral." Sun stated.
"Well, looks like tonight's gonna be fun." the mook said, pressing a button.
And just like that... more mooks came out from the side-door... which by the way is not large enough for the van.
"Any tips on how to fight these guys?" Sage asked.
"They're basically the White Fang wearing different clothes." Jaune stated.
"Gotchia."
And just like that, the seven of them started fighting, While Yang was just chilling in the van.
The mooks made the first move with an all-out charge at Jaune and his group... well, the ones outside of the van. Jaune blocked his assailant's attack with his shield, while Nora and Ren line up and knock down various mooks, Sun focusing on the faster ones... and Neptune and Sage being covering fire.
Jaune however, couldn't focus on his allies and fight at the same time. So, he went to fight. Bashing his shield at the mook and proceeding to slash his sword at him an array of times, which would knock him out unconscious. And when he got rid of one, two more came. This remains true as he continues to do so. Jaune then came up with a plan... he decided to move towards the side entrance and take the fight to the base. By heading away from the main battlefield and towards the side entrance.
"Jaune... what are you doing?" Ren asked.
"Taking the fight to them..." Jaune responded.
"Isn't that what we're already doing?"
"I mean... taking it inside."
"Ohhh..."
Sun, hearing this jumped up above the gate and into the fortress courtyard.
Meanwhile, Neptune and Sage switched to their melee weapons to finish off the folks outside. Yang is just watching with utter annoyance.
Whilst team... J-N-R-V? J-N-V-R? J-V-N-R? J-R-N-V? J-R-V-N? J-V-R-N? Jaune has to figure out a team name to make things more convenient in the future. But no less, the four of them pushed and fought onto the side entrance.
Legion of Arris Fortress, January 14, Monday, 9:06 PM, Fortress Courtyard
Despite being made of junk, it's actually well designed. Given the structural integrity of the courtyard. Besides the road, the courtyard is well structured around... with a small building with the armory in it... according to the sign, along with a large 3-story castle-esque building around the walls, there is also a garage on the other end of the courtyard. The gate also has a small shack with a lever in it. In which Jaune went in and pulled... aaaaaand...
It opened the gate on the other side of the fortress...
Who designs the system likes this? Is it to be deliberately complicated? Jaune has to go to the other side to open the gate on this side! And by opening the gate on the opposite side... he put the entire fortress on alert.
Which means more mooks... However, they don't appear to be interested in fighting... radther, they're making room... but for who?
And just like that... an individual wearing what appears to be a retrofitted White Fang uniform... mostly black. With some yellow and blue patchings around it. Along with wearing the fur of a wolf, along with a skull bandanna and sunglasses. This individual had walked in a gentleman style fashion towards Jaune and his party. In which then he raised his hand... having the mooks lower their weapons, and then he lowered his own hand himself... he appears to be unarmed.
"I assume you have a good reason to break into my fortress?" The leader asked.
"Let me guess, you're Arris the Wolf, right?" Violet asked.
"You are correct, I am the former senior member of the White Fang and the leader of the Legion of Arris. I left the White Fang right around when the individuals there went for a different direction, but my followers stayed and informed me of their actions. I've had informants and spies amongst the Vale branch, when Vale fell... they immediately split and joined my faction officially." Arris stated.
"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Violet asked.
"The tales of my demise have been... exaggerated..."
"So... why did you send your troops to invade Patch?" Jaune asked.
"Patch is right across from Vale, and thus defenseless to fight the grimm, and the White Fang." Ariss said, trying to justify his troop's actions
"And they go around in bars demanding free drinks?"
"I can assure you, not all of my troops are in it for the free drinks."
"Yet... a good number of them are?"
"Unfortunately. That's the consequence of mercenary work."
"Why leave the White Fang?"
"I felt like we were heading the wrong direction, personally. I wanted the White Fang to be able to include humans in it's organization."
"Why would a human join the White Fang?" Nora asked.
"Well, why not? Many humans are quite in the same position as faunas are. I'd want the White Fang to represent the people in general, not just the Faunas." Arris said.
"That sounds incredibly different from what the White Fang is currently doing..." Sun stated.
"Unfortunately, most of my former comrades didn't see things I did. They blame humanity in general for the problems of society. Even though it's only the people in charge that's the problem." Arris stated.
"Seems rational, so why the Warlord business?" Jaune asked.
"If I could Unite the former kingdom of Vale, I would be able to create a kingdom that would be able to care for all of it's peoples."
"However, it appears you are extorting people for protection. They aren't even paying for their drinks."
"If they are complaining, then they aren't grateful for the protection. But no less, what do you want?"
"We just want to get to Mistral?"
"And you go through my fortress?"
"It's the fastest route, according to the map."
"I suggest you find another route, if you know what's good for you. It's very clear we're not allies, but I much prefer it if anyone had to die tonight."
"My semblance picks up other wise." Violet stated.
"What do you mean?" Jaune whispered
"He's a vampire." Violet stated.
"Oh? And I assume you're the infamous Beacon third year student, the lucky survivor, Violet Jasper." Arris stated. "One whose semblance can detect detect and auras, even if the auras aren't unlocked." Arris announced.
"And I know what you are, and I suggest you let us move."
"And I'm afraid I can't do that, Violet."
"That's unfortunate."
"Quite is, don't waste your ammunition troops, I've got this." Arris stated.
"I challenge you to a duel!" Jaune announced.
"Oh?" Arris uttered.
"If I win, you will let us pass." Jaune said confidently.
"And if I win... Your entire crew will be my prisoner." Arris stated.
"Jaune? Are you sure you have to do this?" Ren asked.
"It's either this, or we have to fight the entire fortress." Jaune stated.
"He's got a point, if he defeats Arris in a duel... we can go through." Violet stated.
"And if he doesn't, we're going to be stuck here forever!" Sun complained.
"Don't worry, I have a plan."
Jaune Arc vs Arris the Wolf
Arris had drawn up a dirt circle around the ground in the courtyard and had gathered two iron longswords. Two-handed weapons, but still sword-like... unlike the great sword. Jaune didn't like this, he's playing a game in which his opponent controls all the factors, which means he has little chance to win. Not to mention he's not very skilled in swordplay without a shield.
"Three ways to win the duel, aura needs to get below 20%, surrender, or ring-out." Arris announced. "Let the duel begin."
"For a former member of the White Fang, he seems to be very... honorable." Sun commented.
"Easy to be honorable when you decide all the factors of a duel." Violet commented.
"GO JAUNE!" Nora yelled.
"BEGIN!" the Arris Legion announcer yelled.
And just like that, Arris went to make the first strike, which is a strong blow in which Jaune barely parried.
Jaune's turn, he went to slash with his sword, but Arris managed to dodge the attack quickly, and attacked him from the side. In which Jaune went with a thrust in which Arris had blocked. He's much more skilled than Jaune, there's no way Jaune could win this playing fair...
When Arris went for a downward slash, Jaune kicked him in the gut and then went to strike him while he's down. He then got up and rotating his neck around.
"Playing dirty huh? Well, you're not the only one." Arris stated. Jaune felt like he just made a terrible mistake.
Meanwhile he could see Sun and Violet walking to the other side of the of the courtyard, likely aiming to open the gate which is currently blocking Yang. So... Jaune just has to stall Arris. Which he made just harder just by deciding to fight dirty.
Speaking of... he did not notice Arris pummeling him with his fists, and then slashing downward... to counter, Jaune kicked Arris in the groin and got back up and went to slash him with the sword. He needs to keep fighting, until he wins or until Violet opens the gate. So, he went with various strikes, he attempts to kick arris, only for him to grab his foot and attempt to throw him out of the ring, only for Jaune to yank on his bandana. Which ends up putting both Arris and Jaune at the edge of the ring, and with Arris' bandana off, revealing the purple veins on his face.
"Well then. The conditions have changed. You've seen too much." Arris said, grabbing his longsword.
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.
"Doesn't matter now." Arris said, retrieving his bandana and putting it back on, followed by him performing a fast downward strike, that Jaune barely parried.
Jaune was now on the defensive, trying to block attacks that are incredibly fast, coming in from left, right, diagonal, up and down. Jaune feel like he's fighting four people at once. Being stuck on the defensive without a shield, and Jaune no longer thinks surrender is an option... so he's just blocking the attacks as they came. He tried to do some kicks, but he kept dodging those. Well, if it isn't obvious then, it was clear that Arris is a vampire, and he's not intending on taking Jaune or his friends as prisoners anymore.
But no less, Jaune still had to keep buying time... keep stalling... until...
And then the sounds of a stopping and drifting van occurred.
"Guys, get in!" Yang yelled.
And just like that, Jaune dropped the longsword and armed himself with Crocea Mors to fight off Arris as he went into the van, team SSSN, and the rest of... Jaune's team went and followed.
Jaune, however was being pulled on by some rope from Arris, binding his arms and right leg, he sinks his left foot to slow down his dragging. However, he didn't need to struggle long when Violet flashes a flashlight at him, causing him to retreat to the garage.
Jaune managed to get in the van, and the door was slammed before any of Arris' mooks climbed in. Yang started driving at high speeds to get away from the fortress.
Character Change: Jaune Arc - Yang Xiao Long
Green Van, January 14, Monday, 9:12 PM, Vale Roads
CAR MODEL: Large Bear 65 Van, Painted Green.
SPEED LIMIT: 65mph
CURRENT DRIVING SPEED: 120mph
HULL: 76%
INSTALLED WEAPONS: None, but passengers can provide fire support
"Well, looks like we've lost them..." Neptune commented.
"Don't get your hopes up, yet. We're still in visible range of the outpost." Yang commented.
And right there is... as the van gets away from fortress, another vehicle could be spotted on the rear-view mirror. It was an armored car, with a gun turret installed on top of it. It appears to be chasing the van, and firing at it... well, Yang's trying to avoid the bullets by swerving.
"You really think I would let you escape?" Arris yelled from the armored car.
"I'm getting very obvious movie villain vibes from him." Neptune commented in the van.
"Shut up and start shooting back while I avoid any damage on this thing, it's durable, but not bullet proof!" Yang shouted, with her rasp being apparent.
Yang can hear gunfire from her van, which means people are, in fact shooting back at the armored car... this means Yang would have an easier time driving... no time for music, though. She needs to get off of Arris' tail. Yang then went and make a sharp turn off-road. She doesn't worry, as the tires were designed for off-road terrain. She had drove into the forest, narrowly dodging trees as she's driving, the armored car however could just break through them by driving over.
So... Yang had decided to went through the hills and caves, and Arris followed, so far... the armored car looks unscathed and the van is not looking too good, especially with the gunfire between the two vehicles. Not as much affecting Arris' vehicle, but it's definitely affecting the van. Even though Yang's driving can get her through rough terrains, the armored car doesn't seem too affected by forests, caverns, or hills. Like it's built to resist Vale's natural climate.
The shooting between the two cars still occurs. And Yang gets back on the main road, however Yang wants to get Arris off her tail, so...
"Violet! Aim for the tires!" Yang yelled.
"You know, it would be a lot easier if we could see them, the entire front is covered in armor, we need to pull over." Violet responded.
"Yes... that's a good Idea."
And just like that Yang decided to pull over on the side... and waited for the other car to do the same... as soon as it got in range... Violet shot the tire, causing the car to crash, and Yang pressed on the gas and drive away from the crash-site.
But... she did not notice that Arris had gotten on the van. And started to attack until it was around a bit too late to shake him off, guess he has good balance. Well, guess he really is a sore loser.
"We need to get him off the van!" Yang yelled.
"Wait, couldn't you just... stop the van?" Jaune asked.
"Well, that's smarter than I am thinking of." Yang said, stopping the van by pushing on the brake. This causes Arris to fall off the van through the laws of physics. In which Yang then went to hit the gas and proceeded to run over Arris before continuing on the road.
"Was that really necessary?" Ren asked.
"I don't want to spend the rest of my life as livestock." Yang retorted.
"Still, I doubt we've seen the last of Arris." Violet stated. "Vampires are tough to kill."
"Oh, on the topic. Care to explain why team JNPR knows about vampires?"
Character Change: Yang Xiao-Long - Jaune Arc
Vale Wilderness, January 14, Monday, 11:00 PM, Camp Site
The nine individuals had set up camp around the wilderness, somewhere where there's not much grimm. Meaning that everyone would get some shut-eye.
"So... ya, that's all we know." Jaune concluded.
"I see... but when we see Ruby again, please don't bring it up when we see her." Yang requested.
"If Ruby is still alive, chances are she would have run away. So, it's best even if we see her, we let her be." Violet stated.
"Not for sure what would have made her abandon her cloak, but from the fact that her weapon was not recovered would mean that there's a possibility she's still out there. I know my sister, she's still out there. Alone... by herself."
"Well, no matter. Whatever the reason she ran away, I doubt we would be much help to her."
"Can we change the subject to something other than my sister? I don't feel like talking about her right now." Yang requested. "Or vampires."
"So... Violet... tell us about yourself." Sun said, trying to change the subject.
"What about?" He asked.
"So... why did you become a huntsman?"
"My reasons are my own. But much like Jaune, I snuck in because I failed the actual test by one point."
"Pretty sure Jaune here didn't fail by JUST one point!" Nora commented.
"Hey!" Jaune retorted, being offended.
"Oh, lighten up!"
"So... Violet, how much did you know about Arris?" Jaune asked.
"Ah yes. The black sheep amongst the White Fang's old guard." Violet stated. "He's a wolf faunas, adopted and raised by a human couple, so he doesn't use his last name on legal documentations and instead goes by 'the wolf'."
"Did his parents... abuse him or something?"
"From rumors, yes. But from reliable sources, no. From the sounds of it, Arris was raised in a healthy environment, but he refused to don his adoptive parent's last name as a sign of patronage to his his faunas brethren."
"So... why did he join the White Fang?" Sun asked.
"You've heard it from the man himself, he wanted a society where humans and faunas are seen as the same." Violet answered. "However, his proposals were very... very... radical amongst members of the White Fang. The reasons why the White Fang membership went to one Sienna Khan is because apparently she was a moderate between the various factions in the White Fang, constantly tip-toeing in the middle."
"There was infighting in the White Fang?"
"A lot of it."
"So... how do you know this stuff?" Ren asked.
"I find my ways, being that I've done a full-on report on the White Fang for my second-year history project." Violet answered. "So, I can assure you, any information I dug up, is accurate. But alas, I think we need to get some rest." he added, preparing to head to sleep.
"Well... that was an eventful night."
And then the rest of the group had decided to sleep at the camp, keeping the fire burning throughout the night. Jaune was the last one to go to sleep... slowly closing his eyes... "I hope Weiss is doing fine." Jaune whispered, before heading to sleep.
Author's Footnote: And that's the Jaune chapter. Specifically, the last one before the intermission. We're not going to be seeing much Weiss until much later, but I wanted to bring Yang along, despite her... armlessness... so, I figured her being the designated driver for the crew would be fitting. However, in terms of combat: she's currently deadweight. Don't worry, Yang won't be stuck on driver duty for too long, I have a couple ideas on a new weapon for her. While you are here, check out: The Ruby of Cerberus, a RWBY/Mass Effect Crossover I just made. See ya next chapter.