Disclaimer:

The works of Rooster-Teeth and their characters are their own and that of the mighty Oum. The only thing I own are the one-shot ideas that popped into my head and whatever OCs I would create for them. This is a work of pure fiction made solely for fun, constructive reviews will be welcomed, flames will be ignored. Any references to characters in real-life or fiction are purely coincidental. If I could make money out of my ideas, it would be nice...

Oum Damn It!


Date Published: 30th January 2019

Chapter Title: Hammertime Part 1


~~ Scene 1 ~~

In many ways, the one and a half months of punishment was quite hectic for Jaune.

For one, Jaune had to deal with the attention by the student populace. Some looked at him like he was some inmate ready to shiv them if they turned their backs to him, but the majority was silent approval for his actions towards Cardin. Some of the upper years had actually started giving him tips for the lessons he would have over the year, and there were a few who had time to give him some spare training. A few Faunus students had tentatively approached him to ask about his views, to which he replied that he had no real issues with them, only the White Fang had fallen off the path they wanted and resulted in many of them getting targeted. That answer seemed to be met with approval and Jaune found himself with a lot more Faunus friends than anticipated.

One of the biggest supporters for his situation was Team CFVY. Velvet Scarlatina was the name of the rabbit Faunus he helped out from Cardin, and she was such a shy young lady that almost everyone had the instinctive urge to cuddle and assured her safety. The few who shared Cardin's disposition learned very quickly not to say anything to avoid getting pounded on by others, especially in front of her leader Coco Adel whose favorite method of dissuading them of the behavior was to use her handbag-slash-Gatling gun on them, and Velvet's giant of a partner Yatsuhashi Daichi who could get up close and personal with a big sword. The last member of the team, Fox Alistar, could only be described as a silent assassin with those shoulder blades.

Though Jaune wished he could understand why Pyrrha and Velvet would stare intensely at each other at times while occasionally holding his arms, or why Yang, Nora and Coco crackling like crazy women while Weiss, Blake and Ruby were face-palming, with Yatsuhashi and Fox looking to the sky looking for answers.

His 'punishment' if you would call it that was done under the watchful eyes of Glynda Goodwitch and Peter Port. Glynda was making him do a lot of drills with his Aura and Crocea Mors, throwing in random scenarios that would force him to consider the best method of fighting without losing his weapon and losing his temper. She managed to enlist the help of his team and Team RWBY with the option to train them on the side, something they agreed to but for a few ended up becoming quite hard to maintain as she was a serious taskmaster at hand. Much to his consternation, Glynda insisted on having Yang or Nora attack Jaune to enforce his defense, and that lead to an hour's worth of explosions and hard hits. Ren was there to help with his Aura control, Ruby and Blake were there to test his reflexes while Weiss and Pyrrha were to aid in his techniques.

Professor Port had his consultation with Jaune alone, and unlike what his friends and course-mates had thought about that, it was most certainly not story-telling. Granted there were times when the old man seemed whimsical with his advice, but majority of the time he sat quiet and let Jaune talk his issues out before he would discuss them with the teen. Port was quite blunt in his view about how huntsmen should conduct themselves, but he was also quick to remind Jaune that he was not at fault for what had occurred. Whatever stories Professor Port told Jaune were along the lines of what huntsmen had to deal with when drawing the first blood in a fight against a fellow human or Faunus, how they need to accept that they had either harmed someone or taken a life. It certainly helped Jaune in the early stages as he had a few nights waking up from nightmares either from the visions or his fight with Cardin.

Professor Port was however interested in the supposed visions and dreams Jaune had on occasions, and at some point during one of the sessions Jaune admitted to getting some information about his fighting and Grimm anatomy, even bringing forth his notebook to show his notes. Contrary to his fears, Peter liked his notes on the visions and the key points he noted about them. The man even brought forth his own notebooks and journals to demonstrate how he ended up teaching students the way he did. Reading through the professor's notes and hearing him tell his tale made Jaune very grateful to him and his respect grew further for the old professor. Clearly the old professor had to put up a jovial attitude for everyone to hide his pain.

There were low points to his situation of course. Cardin came out of the hospital about a week ago with metallic braces clamped to his arms and had been keeping a low profile at Beacon. He did however complained to his father and that man had been badgering Ozpin for Jaune's expulsion and even tried to use doctored clips to make it look like Jaune was the aggressor. But it was done way too late as the other students had come forward with their witness statements and apparently other bits of information was known in the form of Cardin having beaten a few of the faunus students beforehand or attempting to blackmail them for various tasks. A fair number of those who spoke out were Pyrrha's fans and they made their payback known very well to all. To them, Jaune was the hero and they made sure that everyone knew of it, particularly two evenings after Cardin's return from the hospital.

This was the first time he would learn of a new computer virus called the Howler and the first time Jaune would realize the type of fans Pyrrha had.

(Flashback)

"CARDIN WINCHESTER!"

Everyone paused in their actions and turned to said person who was in the far end of the cafeteria and was holding his scroll well away from him, the closest people being able to see the red screen and the animated mouth through the transparent lens as they covered their ears from the shrieking.

"HOW DARE YOU TRY TO ATTACK THAT YOUNG LADY AND THREATEN OUR MISTRAL CHAMPION PYRRHA NIKOS! YOU THINK YOU ARE SOME BIG SHOT TO MAKE SUCH ACTIONS! YOU ARE JUST THE WHITE SCUM AT THE BOTTOM OF OUR BOOTS, EVEN THE COCKROACHES ARE BETTER THAN YOU! YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A SPOILT BRAT GOING ON THE COATTAILS OF YOUR POLITICIAN BASTARD FATHER! NOT TO MENTION ALL THE DEALINGS YOUR FATHER MADE TO AGGRAVATE THE FAUNUS EVEN MORE SO THAT HE COULD GET SANCTIONS ON THEM AND PUSH THE WHITE FANG FURTHER! YOU THINK BECAUSE OF YOUR DADDY HAVING HANDS IN THE SCHOOL BOARD YOU GET TO PUSH YOUR BULLSHIT AROUND AND THINK OF LAYING YOUR FILTHY HANDS ON PYRRHA NIKOS, YOU HAVE ANOTHER THING COMING ASSHOLE!"

Everyone in the cafeteria were gaping at the message blaring out for all to hear as the target seemed torn between destroying the scroll and going into a deep hole to hide. Even Glynda who had just arrived was looking hesitant to stop the message.

"AS FOR MISTER JAUNE MILES ARC!"

"HI?!" Jaune gulped as people turned to him to see what type of message he would get. Much to their surprise and the relief of a few, the tone got quieter, more formal and more importantly nicer.

"Thank you for protecting Pyrrha Nikos and the young faunus lady from that brute! I understand it is quite tough with the current situation on Remnant but for you to step out shows that you have guts to pull it off! Just to let you know that you will have our support to watch over you, all we ask is for you to continue being a good partner for Miss Nikos, and to show that humans and Faunus can work together to prove the White Fang wrong!"

"Back to Cardin Winchester..." The message paused before going back to the loud volume.

"YOU BETTER START PRAYING TO EVERY GODDAMN DEITY OUT THERE THAT WE DON'T COME OVER THERE TO KICK YOUR ASS! YOU MAY HAVE SOMEHOW ESCAPED GETTING EXPELLED FROM THE BEACON ACADEMY BECAUSE OF YOUR DAMN FATHER BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE ASSHOLE, YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED! EVERY BIT OF HARASSMENT WE WILL GET, EVERY BIT OF CRIME WE WILL SEND TO THE POLICE, EVERY PORN SITE YOU BEEN TO WILL BE KNOWN TO ALL TO PROTECT THE YOUNG LADIES OF THE ACADEMY! THE WAY WE SEE IT YOU ASS WIPE, YOU ARE PRACTICALLY ONE STEP AWAY FROM BEING BLACKLISTED FROM EVERY ACADEMY OF THE FOUR KINGDOMS! BETTER GET YOUR AFFAIRS IN ORDER BECAUSE YOU WILL BE SERVED PUNK!"

'Biiiii~ Boom~'

With that the scroll let out a loud shriek before literally blowing up in Cardin's face. The teen gaped for a moment before looking around at everyone staring at him, prompting him to get up and get the hell out to dodge.

(End Flashback)

Yes, Jaune was certainly enlightened by the fan club Pyrrha had around. Within a day of that message, everyone got data packets of information and videos supposedly on Cardin's endeavors or his father's deeds. Evidently Cardin had quite a fair bit of problems that should have seen him out of Beacon and to a prison cell at the most; aside from the bullying, harassment, porn-surfing and blackmailing, he had been seen agitating some of the store owners in Vale to 'persuade' them to serve only humans, one of the more notable being a massage parlor where Cardin and his group went about destroying the furniture as the poor man was pushed into a corner. There was also the supposed rumor that he was taking money for his father when acting on capacity as a huntsman-in-training. Yet despite of all the evidence, it would seemed that Beaufort had pulled a few strings to keep Cardin in Beacon.

But it was a close one, something that Cardin's teammates knew very well and were toeing the line very lightly. Out of the three of them, Dove seemed to be the only one that had actually held back from the bullying the others had done. Only time would tell.

There was also fallout on his part. The clip of him defending Velvet had drawn both praise and criticism from everyone as shown on the internet forums. There were a few who had the same thinking as Cardin, believing that Jaune was a 'freak-lover' weakling who would allow the Faunus to walk over him and in turn empower the White Fang. Worryingly enough, there were also Faunus from outside of Beacon who had stated that Jaune was a fool believing in the possibility of having peace between them and the humans. Word on the street that said Faunus were heavy supporters of the White Fang so they were closely monitored. That being said, there was a vast majority of Faunus who were looking to him to see where he stood, especially when he answered that there were Faunus staying in his home town and that in his honest view, it was stupid to be racist in an area where the Grimm would pick up on your aggression and attack.

Another issue came in the form of Weiss and Blake. In the beginning the two seemed to stick to their corners of the team, not much interaction with Ruby, Yang or his team had happened during the time the professors were cleaning up the forest of the Centipods and the catacombs. But after the incident with Cardin, the two seemed to have gotten into an argument regarding Faunus. Weiss with her family against the White Fang kept bringing up remarks about Faunus that set Blake off, the dark-haired teen claiming that the Faunus were misguided and that actions by her company were making the situation worse. It got to the point that the two had to be physically moved by Yang and Nora to keep the mood while poor Ruby was looking uncertain of what to do. Jaune and Pyrrha had to do some talking with her to ease her mind.

Jaune could only hope for the upcoming trip to be here sooner, that ought to make his situation less tensed. But considering the manner Cardin had been glaring at him and Pyrrha the last couple of days, he was not sure that this would be a quiet one...

~~ Scene 2 ~~

"FEARLESS LEADER!"

"Yes Nora?" Jaune paused in his packing to look to the hammer queen of pancakes coming to him with a big glint in her eyes.

"When we get to the forest, can we have some sap for the pancakes?!" The hyperactive girl bounced on her toes as she brought her hands together. "I heard the syrup made from the sap is great for any type of desserts and treats!" Jaune was mentally worried at this point; Nora was already hyperactive as it was and any form of caffeine or sugar was enough to send her over the top. That much he learned the hard way during the first week of the semester when she asked innocently for some ice cream. It was a hassle with his team and Yang to keep her under control while the others face-palmed at the scene, and it took a few feet of rope to keep her bound long enough to get her on the bullhead back to Beacon.

And if the stories of Forever Fall sap being the sweetest item in Vale was true...

(Inside Jaune's mind...)

"NORA! DON'T TOUCH THE DETONATOR!"

"OH MY OUM, MY SPLEEN!"

"REN, CONTROL YOUR GIRLFRIEND!"

"SOMEBODY STOP HER BEFORE SHE DESTROYS THE DUST REPOSITORY!"

"MEDIC! WE NEED A MEDIC HERE!"

"SOMEONE CALL THE ATLAS ARMY, WE NEED BACKUP!"

"EVERYONE SHE IS LOOSE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

"MUHAHAHAHAHAHA! MUWAHAHAHAHA!"

(Exit Jaune's mind)

"… I might consider that, just as long as we fulfill whatever requirements for the tasks at the forest." Jaune answered.

"YAH!" Nora cheered while throwing her hands up in the air. Her partner turned to direct a flat expression at Jaune with long suffering eyes that basically conveyed the message 'Are you kidding me?' to which Jaune could only shrug in response.

"Oh~ Do you think Professor Oobleck would let us borrow the hammer for this excursion?" Nora turned back and asked with a hopeful tone in her voice.

"I doubt it Nora, after all it is currently being studied by him and the other historians." Jaune leaned back on his chair. "We might get it later but I don't think they would appreciate us using it. It is an artifact after all."

"Aww~ I just thought that with Crimson Blitz currently on hold, you could get an alternate weapon to work with Crocea Mors." Nora slumped on her bed looking like a kicked puppy. "With the hammer, we could be hammer buddies. I can show you the glory of bashing Grimm in the heads!"

"Maybe next time in the future." Jaue placated her with that. Nora could only nod before moving to pack her items, with Ren close by to remove the unnecessary ones. Jaune watched this little work while thinking back to the period Doctor Oobleck approached Jaune for that odd favor involving a certain hammer.

It was around his first week of punishment when Doctor Oobleck came running into the dorms, talked to him at high speeds and dragging her away with him still processing the first half of his words. It was only Professor Goodwitch stopping the doctor that Jaune found himself at the docking bay and halfway inside a bullhead, supposedly to go to the catacombs he and Pyrrha had discovered during their initiation. It took five minutes of fast talking and rebuke from the both of them before Professor Goodwitch allowed Oobleck to kidnap, erm... 'borrow' Jaune for the expedition. It was only during the trip that Oobleck told him of his reasons to dragging Jaune along, and it was all Jaune could do to limit his reaction to blinking as opposed to glaring at the doctor. He seriously dragged him to this flying trap just to remove a certain war relic from the old catacombs?

It later turned to confusion when they arrived at the site to find a queue of students from the entrance all the way to the area where Jaune watched each student try different methods to remove a few weapons that were apparently resisting all of their attempts to remove them. The most extreme would have to be a certain war hammer that was the prize of the day; around it Jaune could see the results of their attempts to remove it, be it from explosives, acid, mechanical means or whatever methods they could think of.

In a way, Jaune could only pity them for their efforts, especially since Oobleck had brought him along to remove the item in question. Jaune was wondering why but figured he would indulged the doctor by walking up to the weapon and at least touch the handle. The expressions on everyone's face as the hammer started to vibrate hard enough to crack the bedrock it was embedded in was quite embarrassing for him. He could still hear the screams of despair as he lifted the hammer from its cradle and held it up for all to see, the etchings on the hammer glowing brightly in the darkness.

And then there was the time when he returned to Beacon with it...

(Flashback)

"Hey Jaune-Jaune!" Jaune barely processed that before getting a pink missile crashed into him and sending him to the floor. He groaned under the weight and mentally considered asking Ren for a weight-loss regime to give to her.

"Are you thinking of me being fat?" Nora's words broke his line of thought and make him look at her with a dangerous light in her eyes, a light shared by the other females surrounding him while his 'brother from another mother' stood way back with a shrug that said 'Not my problem bro'.

Damn it.

"No, of course not. You just remind me of my sister when she does this." Jaune lied with a straight face, praying that it works.

"Okay!" Jaune sighed in relief as Nora accepted it and got up from her position. He was safe from the righteous fury of females. Then Nora spotted the package he held in his hand. "Oh, what you got there?" Jaune shrugged as he removed the cloth to show the war hammer.

"Something I picked up at the catacombs. Doctor Oobleck needed my help to find the place where Pyrrha and I were stuck in and to help move this fellow." Jaune gave that answer as he lifted it to show to them. He decided to keep the part about the weapon rejecting the attempts of others to himself for the time being.

"Oh~ a weapon from the old days!" Nora and Ruby came forward to look at it at all angles. "It is such good shape too! It is just like Crimson Blitz!"

"Want to look at it?" He held it out to Ruby. "Careful, it is a little heavy."

"Thanks!" Ruby grabbed the handle and pulled it towards her, blinking at it with a curious expression. "Hmm, it is actually very light. A lot lighter than I thought."

"Really?" Yang leaned forward to look at the war hammer. "I would think it would be the same if not heavier than Crescent Rose at least."

"That's what I thought. Here, try it out." Ruby flipped the hammer so that the handle was towards Yang.

"Sure." Yang shrugged and reached forward to grab the handle…

'CLUNK!'

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

Only to be pulled down by the hammer that made a big crack in the cement and have her face introduced to the floor. Sputtering as she got up, she glared at the offending weapon before grabbing the handle and pulled hard only to almost drop to the floor again. Her eyes turning red at this point, she grabbed the handle with both hands and let out a yell as she pulled harder, her aura now glowing as the ground beneath her feet cracked and collapsed under the strain. This continued for a short while before she lost her grip and fell backwards with her aura diminished.

"The heck is wrong with that hammer?!" Yang panted hard as she glared at the hammer again. "I thought you said it was light!"

"It is." Ruby blinked as she looked at the weapon again. She grabbed the hammer and lifted it off the ground easily, inspecting it closer to see if she could find anything. "See?"

"Oh honestly, you two must be joking!" Weiss let out a snort and moved forward to it. "It cannot be that bad, you must be bored to pull such a stunt. I am sure that it is not that heavy~" She went to grab the handle and pulled it away from Ruby only to have her knees buckle and hit the ground hard. "OW!"

"Okay, this is getting weird." Jaune blinked as the ice queen attempted to kick the hammer only to start jumping on the spot while grabbing her aching foot.

"Is it really that heavy?" Nora put a finger at her chin as she looked at the hammer before grabbing the hammer. Before Ren could stop her, she started to pull lightly only to have it off the ground too fast, making her stumble lightly. "It is really light, even Magnhild weighs more than this. Why are you guys complaining about the weight?"

"Hey! Not fair!" Yang pouted at the bombastic girl who proceeded to swing the weapon around her. "How come you two can lift it?"

"Maybe it likes me!" Nora smiled as she hopped around with the hammer. "Or maybe it is the type that chooses those that are worthy~ AHA! I am Queen of the Hammers!" She twirled on her feet and pointed the hammer at one of the trees in the area.

"BOOM!"

Only to gape as the hammer glowed a bright white and let loose a lightning bolt that destroyed the tree completely, leaving only a scorched patch of dirt in its place.

"… Whoa..." The bomber looked to the hammer with eyes of one that had met her patron god. "This is awesome!"

"Oh no~" Ren placed both hands to his face and groaned at the possible firepower she now wielded.

"Miss Valkyrie!" Everyone turned to find the headmistress of Beacon coming down on them with a scowl on her face. "What are you doing?"

"Just trying out this weapon!" Nora waved the hammer like it was a foam finger.

"Oh, so I was right about the ore inside!" In a blink of an eye, Doctor Oobleck appeared next to Nora and scrutinizing the war hammer with great interest. "Interesting, even after so many years, the Lightning Dust inside is still going strong that it can fire off a straight bolt! How incredible it has withstood the tests of time!"

"This is the item in question?" Glynda's glare at Oobleck was practically glacial. "You could have warned me about it!" That statement made Nora push the hammer back to Jaune before making an exit with Ren.

"Mister Arc, if you don't mind, perhaps we can make our way to my office so that you can deposit the item in question and get you back." Oobleck merely sipped his drink without reacting to Glynda's glare, "I appreciate the help and hope to study this hammer properly in the light so that I can get it into the museum."

(End Flashback)

Yes, that was a rather odd time to have during his punishment. Jaune carried the hammer to the doctor's office for him to examine and to photograph for reference, occasionally turning the hammer in place for the doctor to check all angles. The part that interested the doctor the most was the array of symbols covering the head of the hammer, consisting of old runes and markings from Vale and old Mantle before it became Atlas. It took Oobleck sometime to translate them but one he did, Jaune could not help the snort at the thought that Nora was closer to the truth than she anticipated.

'Whosoever wields Mjolnir, if he be proven worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.'

Least they knew what to call the hammer. The other name Doctor Oobleck theorized was that of the patron god in old Mantle, supposedly one of thunder. Appropriate considering the Dust ore inside the hammer, but tests done by a few friends from Atlas led the doctor to realize that the amount of power released from the hammer was actually increasing for some odd reason and it was enough to make Glynda Goodwitch demand it to be moved elsewhere outside of Beacon or at the least to some bunker in the academy. What the latter meant Jaune did not get to know since Glynda hushed Oobleck at this point and asked Jaune to leave the office.

Oh well, not his problem, best to get back to packing.

~~ Scene 3 ~~

A few odd miles away from Beacon, various kinds of Grimm began appearing en mass under the cover of darkness. Be it Beowulves, Boartusks, Nevermores, King Taijutsu and even the occasional Death Stalker, all of them began to stir restlessly.

They had felt it, the odd presence that had been tickling their senses for some time. For those that have been living in the area, they would be able to tell that the presence has been there for a longer time than them. For the most part, they had ignored it, content that the presence was sealed away from them.

But something has shifted, the presence has grown and started weighing on the Grimm's senses. For the weaker Grimm who could detect it, they made themselves sparse from the area. To the others, they felt an odd sensation of getting a sharp item at their necks waiting to remove their heads.

Then the presence grew, this time something akin to the lightning storms that came about every now and then, with all the static that could mess with their instincts, with the odd scent of iron mixed in it.

They did not like it then, not one bit.

But then, their 'Queen' had noted their odd behavior and ordered them to seek out the source. They could only obey her commands less they suffered her wrath, with the Alphas serving as part of the observation crew to see what was making them agitated.

Slowly but surely, the Grimm started to make their way to the Forever Fall, with one other type of Grimm silently keeping its presence quiet following them.

In the depths of the recently discovered catacombs, several weapons started to glow and vibrate in their places, sensing the presence of their enemies but unable to leave their place. Slowly, each one dimmed and stopped their vibrations, having to wait for the one who would wield them in battle once more.

Back in Beacon, inside the weapons locker of a certain Jaune Arc, a single-edged weapon started to glow the color of its namesake, small arcs of crimson electricity coming off it as it started to shake in agitation. It could sense a danger coming to its bearer but unable to go to him. It could only wait for its bearer to call it to his aid.

In an underground bunker beneath Beacon's feet, another weapon started to vibrate under the watchful eye of a certain professor, his professional curiosity being fed by the anomaly. He wrote quick notes and made recordings of the hammer as the symbols on its body started to glow lightly with small bolts of electricity coming off it, not knowing that its pulsing was in sync with a certain ancient artifact located somewhere in Beacon.

Further down in the earth, in a bunker known only to the headmaster and selected people, laid an unusual room that held equipment that would make one think an Atlas experiment gone mad. All the pipes and cabling seemed to mix together in some unholy matrimony that led to a large medical pod housing a young woman inside. What little could be seen from the frosted glass would let people know that she had tanned skin, shoulder height brown hair and an odd scar on her face. She appeared to be in a deep comatose state as the only bit of movement from her came from her chest that rose and fell at each breath she took.

At least, until one hand started twitching...

~~ Scene 4 ~~

"Yes students, the forest of Forever Fall is very beautiful." The stern headmistress of Beacon stated as she turned to face the teams sent for this trip. "But we are not here to sight-see. Professor Peach has asked for samples to be collected from the trees deep in the forest while I am here to ensure all of you come back to Beacon alive. Each of you are to watch your backs while collecting at least one jar's worth of sap, there are more and tougher Grimm in the forest than what you got from the Initiation." She looked to Team RWBY and JNPR with a raised eyebrow. "We will meet back in an hour. Have fun!"

"You think she really meant that or she was just saying it out for us?" Ruby asked as she watched their professor moved away from them to a small tree creating a shade for her, beginning her tasks of monitoring them and guarding the transport bullhead.

"Definitely the latter." Yang nodded before reaching over to wrap her arm around Jaune much to his embarrassment. "So Lady Killer, which spot to start with?"

"I… I think that spot would do!" Jaune stammered while trying to make sure he did not touch anywhere inappropriate by standing real still. Yang chuckled at his reaction and let go of him before walking off with a sway of her hips, looking over her shoulder to tease him with a wink.

'Damn it! What is with this academy? Is it meant to be for huntsmen or supermodels?!'

(Back in Beacon, a certain upperclassman sneezed loudly while his teammates asked if he was having a cold. In a certain clock tower, the headmaster paused in pouring out hot cocoa to look up with a certain smirk.)

"Come on, let's get the syrup!" Nora shouted as she raced forward with Ren following at a more sedated pace. Jaune was about to follow when he spied at the corner of his eye Team CRDL moving away from them with their box of jars. He frowned at the sight of a smaller crate that Russel was carrying with him as they disappeared past the treeline.

"Jaune, what's wrong?" Pyrrha asked while placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Nothing." Jaune assured Pyrrha. "Guess I am a little paranoid around Cardin with all that has happened."

"That is understandable, but I think that Cardin should know that he is already on thin ice as it is so he would need to toe the line right now." The spartan smiled while pulling Jaune along.

"Yeah!" Ruby came to his other side and pulled his other arm. "Don't worry too much about him, just go and get the sap then we can relax!" Jaune could only chuckle at her comments while agreeing with Pyrrha's. That being said, Jaune took one more glance at the direction Cardin went before continuing on to his bit.

He would worry about it later.

"Took you guys long enough." Yang called out as the three got to the others. "Better help with the sap, Nora is trying to clear us out." Indeed Nora seemed to have partaken 2 jars worth of the syrup and was now reaching for a third that Ren had raised his arm away from her to keep it safe.

"We will get right on it!" Ruby brought out Crescent Rose and swung hard at the closest tree, making a deep cut to let the sap out. "Oh~ I got a good one!"

"Nice one Ruby." Jaune took the jars handed to him by Pyrrha and took the sap into them. "Though I get the feeling we would need to seal it off soon."

"Yup!" The girl nodded while placing her own jar. Jaune merely let the sap flow into the jars as he looked around. It was a very beautiful forest indeed, with its dark colors that seemed to blend everything else nicely. The wind was gentle and there was hardly any noise to harm the tranquility of it.

Yes, no noise at all…

It was quiet…

Too quiet?

Jaune straightened his back abruptly and looked around with a nervous eye, his hand gripping the handle of Crocea Mors very tightly. His time with his grandfather and uncle had made him aware that there has to be some sounds in the forest, and if there were none that was usually the indicator that something was very wrong. And considering that Forever Fall was a place that had been frequented by people over the years, that made it more obvious since the creatures would be used to their presence.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha called out to him while the others turned to face him.

"Something is wrong." Jaune answered as he looked with his eyes. "I can't hear anything."

""Well it is a quiet day." Yang replied not understanding his words.

"No, that is not what he meant." Blake commented as she looked around, her eyes narrowed as her hand reached for her sword. "He is right, the forest is too quiet today. Normally you can still hear birds and insects, but I can't hear anything but the wind on the leaves." That got the other's attention and each one started to prep their weapons.

"I got a bad feeling about this." Jaune commented as he felt the hair on his neck stand up, prompting him to turn just as a brief flash drew his attention to the flying jar. He deployed his shield in time to block the jar of sap from hitting his head, spilling its contents on the shield instead.

"Damn it!" Jaune cursed as he looked over the shield to where he spotted Cardin's head peaking out of the bush. "Damn it Cardin!" Before the others could throw in their own words, a buzzing sound filled the air and they found to their horror the wasps heading their way.

"Raspier Wasps! Are they bloody insane?!" Weiss yelled out in rage as she whirled the chamber of her weapon. "That dunce has totally lost it!"

"Jaune, they are going for the sap! Toss your shield away!" Pyrrha yelled as she readied her rifle and started firing Fire Dust Rounds at the wasps. Jaune unclasped the grip and threw the shield as hard as he could to get the wasps away from them.

"Weiss, your Fire Dust!" Ruby called out as Yang got in front of her and started to unload her bullets. The heiress got the right cartridge and stabbed her blade into the ground, creating the insignia of her family crest around Jaune's shield and unleashing a firestorm to burn off the wasps, turning them into ashes.

"That is it! Cardin, get your damn ass down here this fucking instant!" Yang shouted angrily as she stomped her way to where the team was. "Do that and I might make your death a clean one!"

"Not sure that would motivate him or his team to come down." Blake quipped as she made her way to her partner.

"Nope, but it makes me feel better." Yang replied back. The others were about to give their agreements when howls filled the air and the ground started to shake.

"Incoming Grimm!" Someone in the distance yelled out in distress as Beowulves and Boartusks spilled out of the treeline and headed straight for them, their eyes gleaming in madness. There was only one thought going through Jaune's mind as he grabbed his shield and faced them.

'Fuck my life!'


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Hello there, here's the latest chapter for this story. A short chapter to get things started for the forest portion, but it would be interesting to use this to speed things up so to say with Blake/Weiss argument and others. Still thinking about how to get Cardin out of the way. The reviewer cyberas has some good points for me to consider for the story, and I am definitely going to try changing some more of the canon to make it less of a copy-paste issue.

Can you spot some of the shout-outs?

I will be taking a short break from this, got to deal with my other story in the other account Kratos1989. But I will be continuing, so no worries.

As always, please R-&-R and let me know how this goes, and hopefully you stick around for me to bring out another chapter.

And I put my pen down for now.