At the moment, Jaune Arc was being assaulted. Not by the Grimm – which, the boy would admit, would be the more preferable option – but by the stench of death, made evident by the fact that he was currently on his back while staring at the rapidly disintegrating form of a Beowolf that was currently on top of the boy, with the only barrier between the two being the shield in Jaune's left hand.

The young boy from Orleans tried hard not to wretch at the stench even as he finally pushed the creature off of him with his shield only for a scowl to form on his face when he heard the sounds of clapping hands slowly coming closer.

"Congratulations, Jaune" came the voice of his new mentor as she stood over him. Unable to see what expression the woman was currently wearing due to his face being caked with sweat, it was all Jaune could do to grunt in acknowledgement.

"You know… you could have… helped me out… back there…" the boy said in between deep and heavy breaths.

"But if I did that, it wouldn't have been a very teachable moment, would it?" the woman countered, sounding incredibly pleased with himself "Besides, from what I can see, your overall fighting ability has made a huge improvement"

"H-has it…?" Jaune asked, still on the ground as he desperately searches for the strength to get up.

"Of course. Two days ago, your form with the sword and shield were awful. I mean, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that what skill – or lack thereof – you displayed on the first day was the worst I've ever seen" Musashi replied "And trust me, I've been to a lot of places"

"Gee, thanks" Jaune said as he finally found the strength to sit up.

"But cheer up, kid. Because of me, your overall level has gone up from a 1 to a solid 2, maybe a 3" Musashi said as she offered the boy a hand.

"Oh, yeah? What's the highest level?" Jaune asked, taking the woman's hand as she pulled him to his feet.

"One hundred, duh" the woman replied, causing the boy to stumble a bit at her honestly before she handed him a backpack. Taking it, the young blonde was surprised at how heavy it was as he looked to the woman for an explanation "It's full of rocks. And you're going to carry it all the way to Argus"

"W-what? Why?!" Jaune whined, as he stared at the woman and the backpack in his hands.

"Because skill with the sword is one thing, to actually be able to swing the sword with overwhelming strength is another" Musashi replied, grabbing one of the boy's arms "Your arms are very noodle-y, do you know that?"

"I've been told that before, yes" Jaune replied. Seeing the logic behind the woman's method to train him, the boy eventually put on the backpack with a sigh. Almost immediately, the boy understood how tough the rest of the journey to Argus would be.

"I mean, I've seen Udon noodles thicker than those things you call arms" Musashi added.

"Alright, alright. I get it" Jaune said as the two started making their way back to their campsite "I mean, I don't know what an Udon is but I don't like being compared to it"

"Ugh, not even you know what Udon is?" the woman beside him grumbled "Great. Just another reason for me to not like this stupid world"

Shrugging to himself, Jaune simply did his best to follow his new mentor's teachings, hoping that it would make him good enough to enter Beacon next year.

[/]

"Did her condition show any signs of changing during the flight from Argus to Beacon?" Ozpin asked as he, Qrow, and Glynda stood facing the pod that held the unconscious form of the Fall Maiden.

"Well, I'm no medical expert but as far as I can tell, yeah. That's about right" Qrow replied, finally allowing himself to drink from his hip flask, much to Glynda's disapproval.

"Must you drink at such a time, Qrow?" the blonde Deputy asked, a frown on her face.

"Hey, it's been a stressful couple of days. Cut me some slack" the veteran Huntsman countered as Glynda sighed at the man's actions.

"About that. Could you tell us again exactly what happened, Qrow?" Ozpin added

"Not sure what else there is to tell. I rushed towards the place you told me about but when I got there, Amber was in the middle of… whatever it was that made her into… this" Qrow answered, a scowl on his face.

"You said you can't recall any of the attackers' faces?"

"That's right. Just a… blur when I think about it" Qrow said.

"It might just be a semblance" Glynda suggested "Probably one that has the ability to alter memories or one that is more illusion based"

"Perhaps and both carry with them terrifying possibilities" Ozpin added as he shuddered at the thought of his enemy having a convenient and dangerous ally on his side "What of Amber's companion?"

"Her name's Musashi. When I got there, she was pretty much out cold" the man said "She was pretty banged up when I showed up but it didn't take too long for her to recover"

"And where is Miss Musashi now?" Glynda asked.

"Beats me" Qrow answered with a shrug.

"What? You lost her?"

"I didn't lose her, Glynda. She ran off when she saw a village was being attacked" Qrow countered.

"And you just let her? What if she was working with the enemy?"

"She wasn't. She told me that she'd been travelling with Amber before they got attacked" Qrow said.

"She could have been lying" Glynda argued.

"She wasn't"

"We can't know that for sure, Qrow"

"Enough" Ozpin said, silencing his two allies "Regardless, Amber is now in our custody and so, we will do everything in power to make sure that whoever was trying to kill her never succeeds. It's almost a certainty that our enemies will do their utmost to finish the task at hand and so, we will have to make our own preparations"

"Yeah? What kind of preparations you got in mind, Oz?" Qrow asked.

"I will be meeting with the other Headmasters in a short while to discuss Amber's current condition" the old man said as he headed towards the elevator that went to his office "We will also be discussing James' suggestion"

"Suggestion? You're talking about that aura transfer machine of his?" Qrow asked, as he and Glynda trailed after the old Headmaster.

"I am, yes"

"Ozpin, you can't be serious. Such a procedure is… risky, to say the least" Glynda argued, a concerned expression on her face.

"I agree. Rest assured, even if we do have a suitable candidate to receive the powers of the Fall Maiden, the machine James is developing is still in the early stages of development" Ozpin said as the trio stepped into the elevator "A prototype has been made but even I wouldn't risk Amber's life in such a reckless manner"

"Even if there weren't risks to this idea, I still don't like it" Qrow added, a scowl on his face "Transferring someone else's aura to someone else is just… wrong, Oz"

"I agree with Qrow" Glynda said with a nod "Aura is the manifestation of one's soul. To treat it as something that can be exchanged is just… unethical and unnatural"

"Which is why that even if such a procedure were possible, it is to be our last resort" Ozpin said, a sigh escaping his lips as the elevator doors opened to his office "I understand why the two of you are worried. Trust me, I do but at the end of the day, we cannot allow Salem to have the full power of the Fall Maiden on her side. Doing so would bring her one step closer to the Relic of Choice. But enough of such discussion for now. Qrow, will you be visiting your sister after this?"

"Shit, that's right. Raven. With everything that's happening, I actually forgot that idiot got half her arm cut off" Qrow cursed, a frown on his face as his thoughts wandered to the reactions of his nieces, Yang in particular "Tai actually called me yesterday. Tells me she woke up a two days ago"

"Oh? Care to share with us if any incidents happened?" Ozpin asked, as he took a seat behind his desk.

"Heard there was a lot of shouting, mostly from Yang. Tai tried his best to calm the girl down but Yang doesn't usually have the best temper during the best of situations" Qrow said, an amused smile on his face "Eventually, one thing led to another and Yang actually delivered a right hook to Raven. Now, she's forbidden from being in the same room as Raven unless Tai is present"

"Certainly a… hectic development" Ozpin said, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Tell me about it" Qrow replied as he took another swig from his hip flask "Really not looking forward to this family reunion, to be honest but at the same time, I can't wait to see how she looks like without half her arm"

"Qrow, please do not antagonize your sister like that" Ozpin advised.

"Eh, no promises" Qrow shrugged as Ozpin dialed the numbers of the other Headmasters on his personal terminal.

[/]

With heavy breaths and a growing thirst, Jaune Arc trailed after his mentor as sweat started to blur his vision of the road ahead.

"Come on, Jaune. Just a few more steps" one of the villagers said in encouragement.

"He's right. We can see the gates to Argus now" another said but Jaune was too exhausted to register any of their words at the moment. That went on for what the boy felt like an eternity before his mentor announced their arrival at the port city.

"We're here!" the woman exclaimed, arms outstretched towards the sky as she drew the attention of the people around her.

"Thank the… Gods…" Jaune managed to say before collapsing onto the ground, face first.

"Halt! Stop right there" came the voice of one of the guards at the entrance as she and four other "Identify yourselves!"

"Whoa, easy there, buddy" Musashi said, arms held above her "We come in peace. The people behind me lost their village to a bandit raid and are just seeking refuge. We came her hoping that you could give them that"

At the woman's explanation, some of the guards let their rifles drop as they looked between the woman in front of them, the blonde boy collapsed on the ground, and the group of people.

"I see… What was the name of their village?" the guard asked.

"Why does that matter? Their village is gone and now, they just want basic food and shelter. That isn't be a tough thing for you to help them out with, is it?" Musashi countered, an annoyed frown on her face.

"We're just doing our duty, ma'am" the guard answered "For all we know, you and your group could be bandits who are planning to raid Argus, as foolish as that sounds"

"We're not-" Musashi maid to argue before a hand came down on her shoulder. Looking back, the woman came face to face with an elderly woman.

"It's alright, Miss Musashi" the woman said before facing the Argus guard "We come from the village of Myrefall. I am the village elder, Jess Cyan. A few days ago, our village suffered from a raid by the Branwen tribe of bandits. Our fates would have been much worse if it were not for the brave actions of this young lady here. Please, all we ask is food and shelter"

"V-very well, thank you for that, Madam Cyan" the guard spoke as she sent a few nervous glances towards Musashi before turning to the other guards behind her "You two, help these villagers with what they need"

"Yes, ma'am" the two guards said before leading the villagers deeper into Argus. Before Musashi and Jaune – who had somehow managed to find the strength to stand and not immediately collapse – could follow them, the female guard from before spoke up.

"Excuse me. The elderly woman from before called you Musashi. Might that be your name, miss?" the guard asked as Musashi narrowed her eyes in suspicion as her hands fell towards her swords.

"Yeah, why? We got a problem here?" the woman asked as Jaune took a worried step back.

"No, there's no problem, miss. It's just that we were told to expect your arrival by a friend of yours. A certain Mr Qrow Branwen…?" the guard said as Musashi relaxed herself.

"Oh, well why didn't you say so?" the woman said, a laugh escaping her lips "Where's that old man now?"

"Mr Branwen has already left for Beacon Academy yesterday, miss" the guard replied "But he did ask us to provide you the same kind of transport. That is, if you want to, Miss"

"Heck yeah, I want that. When can we leave?" Musashi asked, as she shared a look of excitement with Jaune.

"Well, we still have to prepare a Bullhead for you, Miss so the earliest is tomorrow afternoon"

"Ah, well. Can't be helped. Which reminds me. Jaune, you're coming with, right?" the woman asked as she looked at the blonde boy.

"T-to Beacon?" the boy asked.

"Of course!"

"It's too early, isn't it?" the boy countered, nervousness in his voice "I-I mean, you need to be seventeen to apply for the Academies"

"Well, duh but nobody said anything about applying. We're just gonna go there and check in on a friend of mine. Maybe see the sights" Musashi countered "So, what do you say?"

"A-alright, I'm in" the boy answered after taking a few seconds to think.

"That's the spirit" Musashi said.

"Excellent. As I've said, the Bullhead will be ready by tomorrow afternoon. Until then, please feel free to explore the port city of Argus" the guard said as she lead them to a nearby guard post "Before we enter, the two of you will have to register your identification cards first"

"Ah, well… About that… I actually don't have any… identification on me…" Musashi replied, looking guiltily away.

"What? What about your Huntress license?" Jaune asked, surprised when the woman replied with a shake of her head "Why is this the first I'm hearing about this?"

"You… never asked…?" Musashi replied, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips.

"It's quite alright" the guard escorting them said before the discussion could move further "I've just remembered that Mr Branwen informed us of your situation and thus, we have provided for you a personal identification card"

"He did? Ah, that Qrow" Musashi said, a hearty laugh escaping her lips before turning her attention towards Jaune "See, what did I tell you? I told you everything was going to work out just fine for us"

"You most definitely did not say that" the blonde boy countered as the two stepped foot into the port city of Argus.

[/]

Unbeknownst to Jaune, his entrance into Argus did not go unnoticed as a woman with a pair of brown eyes carefully watched him enter the city like a hawk. With narrowed eyes, the woman took out his scroll before dialing in her spouse's phone number.

"Hey, honey? You would not believe who I saw just arrive in Argus" the woman said into the scroll.

[Chapter END]

A/N: And that is Chapter 6. Hope you guys liked it, even though it's mostly a 'nothing much happens here' Chapter. Nothing much to say about this chapter except thank you for all the follows and reviews. I absolutely appreciate every single one of it.

Also, new story has been published: 'I Was Summoned To Another World As A Carrot', a self-insert story where the MC has been put into the body of Achilles to save the world of Remnant. Ship: Achilles x Cinder because Cinder is Waifu.

As always, faves, follows, and reviews are always appreciated

Praise be to Cinder Fall