Holy Shit! This took way too long to write!
I got writers block halfway through this and couldn't think of anything to type up. Then I had classes eating up the rest of my time too! Who knew the jump from thirteen hours to sixteen hours was so much?!
But I digress... it's done and I can go about the rest of my week and finish maybe one or two more chapters by Monday. It's also possible that I will have to only write a single chapter every week if my classwork takes up any more time. So expect there to be sparse updates at times.
Also, I have a poll on my profile page. If you want to vote for whoever Jaune will be partnered up with during initiation in, To Those Who Survived The Fall, go vote, please. Pyrrha is currently in the lead with seven overall votes and Blake is in second with five right now.
This chapter is the lead up to the hunt and the hunt itself. So tracking, and stalking the prey before moving in for the kill.
Also, again. My monsters are largely taken from Slavic or European mythology. I just adapt them to fit within the realm of biology with a magical twist.
Edit Note (1/15/20): Made several edits across this chapter. Not much in the way of content that I wanted to change. I did change the name of Jaune's new ability. It's a reference to another weapon.
Jaune woke up to the fantastic feeling of the sun shining right on his face. The beam of light was coming through the curtains and settled right on his eyes. He sat up and looked around the room his party shared. Jaune's eyes took a second to adjust to the brightness of the morning.
Yang and Ruby were both still sleeping in the bed. It was decided that since Jaune was neither related to the girls nor was he in a relationship, that sisters would share the bed. Jaune obliged them since he preferred to be the gentleman. So the Knight was assigned the ever-so-loved position of sleeping on the floor.
It wasn't all that bad. Jaune had his own sleeping mat. So, he wasn't freezing to death. It had actually been quite comfortable since he didn't have to deal with the clamour of the communal dorms. He was finally able to get a full night's sleep without somebody talking the entire night or being woken up by outrageously loud snoring.
However, the bed in the inn would have been weird to share. Jaune was always used to sleeping by himself. And Jaune had the suspicion that Yang was a rough sleeper who would not be able to stay on her side. Ruby would probably end up cuddling with him by accident and make everything awkward between them.
Need to get Yang and Ruby up...
Right now was the perfect time for tracking goblins since there would be fresh tracks from their own hunting. They would have also fled back to their nests come dawn, leaving the forest relatively safe for the moment. Jaune just needed to find a way to get the sisters out of their bed.
He put on a shirt and walked over to the bedside. "Ruby-Yang, get up," Jaune urged. The only response he got was a mumble from Yang and Ruby sucking on her thumb. Jaune kicked the wooden frame holding the bed up and got nothing. This was going to be harder than Jaune initially thought.
Really... am I the only taking this seriously right now? Ugghhh, they must not be used to waking up so early as I am.
Jaune scratched the back of his head, thinking of how he could wake the two up. He was used to fetching his sisters whenever they slept in, but these were two people he barely knew. So, he needed to tread carefully to avoid misunderstandings. All the damage those could do to the still fledgeling friendship they had needed to be avoided.
Jaune looked down at the two sisters again. Both were wearing oddly cut sleeveless shirts. They were not too far off from some of the shirts Jaune made for when he wore his armour. More of the middle section near the neck was missing, which was odd. It must have been a Valaen style he was never exposed to. But Jaune found it to be attractive with the extra show of skin.
His eyes trailed over to Yang. To Jaune, she was probably one of the most stunning people he had ever met. He barely took the time to appreciate her features in the brief period they knew each other. Yang's blonde hair disappeared below the shared blanket. The locks were bright, almost glowing in the light. They were brighter than Jaune's own blonde hair. Her smooth and fair skin, paired with her lilac eyes made her seem like a goddess.
And Ruby... she was adorable. Her short stature, mixed with her bubbly personality, was too cute. For her age, her pale skin, reddish-black hair and those silver eyes made her seem a little older than she was. Had Jaune been around her age then he would have most certainly been attracted to her. She was more like a kid sister to Jaune than a potential romantic partner.
Both girls were leagues beyond anybody back in Bar. At least anybody Jaune knew. He didn't really get out that much unless it came to killing monsters or labour around the town. So, the scope of women he had seen was mainly his sisters or some of the women in his neighbourhood. Not a very thorough view of the other humans or faunus on this planet.
Ok, how am I going to do this?
Jaune needed to get them up and soon. They were burning precious daylight! Jaune didn't want to get caught out in the woods in the middle of the night with goblins running around the forest especially if they had a hob among them. That would be a mess, and Jaune would be stuck cleaning it up.
He looked down at the bed frame. Jaune hooked both of his hands under the side and lifted. His Strength stat was more than enough to allow him to raise the bed like this. Slowly, Yang started to slide over to where Ruby was, and the smaller girl began to go with her.
"What the fuck," Yang yelled as she tumbled out of bed. She tried to grab the mattress on Jaune's side but slipped and fell the rest of the way. Yang landed on Ruby with a very loud, "Oompf," coming from the smaller girl.
"Yang, get off," Ruby wheezed from under her sister. The older girl rolled off of her. Ruby gasped for air in the most dramatic way possible. "God, you're fat!"
Oh, boy...
"I am not," Yang snarled as she balled her fists. Jaune knew where this was going, and it wasn't looking pretty. Fights between siblings were some of the worst because of how hurtful they could be. Jaune had seen some bad fight in his time between his sisters.
"Hey," Jaune raised his voice while clapping. "We need to get moving." He grabbed his armour and strapped everything to his body. Jaune did one last check for any holes that were left open. "Fighting goblins, while it did not require perfection, the hunter needed to show great care in his strategy and the gear he chose..."
"Jeez, you're like a slave-driver," Yang dully commented as she stood up and walked over to where she set her clothes down the previous night. Jaune watched the sashay of her hips before looking away when she turned around.
"I am not," Jaune denied with mock indignation. Yang rolled her eyes and continued putting on her clothes. Jaune tried his best not to stare and found the floor or a nearby wall to be very interesting at the moment. The oak wood floors were finely constructed and very smooth.
"Yeah, couldn't let the girls get some more beauty sleep," Ruby added on as she put on her own clothes.
"If I let you two sleep in, then we wouldn't be going out until the afternoon," Jaune explained. The situation didn't warrant an explanation, and he knew the sisters were messing with him. Jaune was merely making a point.
"Fine," Yang drawled as she buttoned up her leather jacket. "Not like I had a good dream anyway, with Little Miss hogs the blankets over here!" Ruby blew a raspberry. The blonde came over and ruffled the little girl's hair, as Ruby tried to swat at her.
"Ok," Ruby said as she tried to fix her hair. It wasn't too difficult since it was so short. "Let's go, team!" She shot out of the door faster than Jaune or Yang could have hoped to follow. A trail of rose petals followed her out of the room. She must have used one of her Abilities to get a head start on the group.
The two blondes looked at each other and shook their heads. They took after the girl with a slow jog.
Today was going to be an exciting experience.
...
"Ruby, could you slow down," Yang yelled as she and Jaune chased her to the border of the village. Jaune was keeping up, but Yang wasn't doing too well. She was falling behind Jaune, and he was wearing more than thirty pounds of gear.
As the team ran through the town, Jaune made a note of the surroundings. Most of the homes were wattle and daub with thatch rooves. Many villages tended to lean towards this style of constructions due to the inexpensive nature of the building materials. Most of Bar was like this as well. The important buildings such as the town hall or the keep were built from stone or brick to prevent fire damage. The combination of thatch and wood was a poor one mixed with the lantern that burned down most of the village.
Yang took a second to catch her breath. Jaune stopped with her. While his Agility allowed him to get a solid sprint in for half of the town. It could only do so much at its current level. Yang must have had less Agility than he did, or her stamina pool was running low. Jaune's stamina pool was resting at about fifty per cent.
"I hate her Abilities," Yang gasped as she put her hands on the top of her head. Yang's face was bright red, and she was sweating. Her hair was plastered to her bangs. Jaune was about the same if not worse given he was wearing armour.
"Does she always do that," Jaune asked. "Run's off and leaves everyone else behind?" He leaned forward and pressed his hands on his knees.
"Yeah," she answered with a heavy breath. "It's hard to keep track of her whenever she does run off. Half the time I'm trying to watch her back, but I can't keep up when she uses her Ability." Yang must have been really close to her little sister to watch out for her like that. Jaune hoped it wouldn't get in the way of their current quest.
"You just keep watching out for her," Jaune insisted. "I have my own little sisters, so I know what it's like." Yang raised an eyebrow at that.
"How many siblings do you have," she asked with an honest tone. "In total, I guess." She started walking to where Ruby disappeared to, and Jaune followed. It would make up for their lost time trying to track Ruby.
"I have seven sisters," Jaune casually answered as if it was nothing. Yang's face turned into one of horror and disbelief. Jaune couldn't really blame her for it either.
"How is your mother still alive," Yang exclaimed. "I couldn't imagine ever having that many kids! First being pregnant eight times and then having to give birth to all of them! Ugh!" Jaune tried his best to sympathise with her position. Considering he didn't have a vagina nor was he capable of being impregnated, he couldn't exactly give an opinion about it. Unless some weird magical shit happened and then Jaune would be thrown for a loop.
"We had a very dedicated priest and healers," Jaune answered with a chuckle. "My parents also wanted a big family, and they had the means to do so." Jaune scratched the back of his head. "And growing up with that many siblings isn't awful. My mom and dad made time for all of us."
"Your mother must be a saint," Yang stated. "My dad only had to deal with the two of us running around. And when puberty started for me, then Ruby." She chuckled. "Oho let me tell you, Jauney-Boy. My dad went nuts trying to deal with us. Luckily my uncle was around to keep him sane." They had an exciting family dynamic going on. A little more spastic than his own, but then again, Jaune's parents were pros.
"You didn't mention your mother," Jaune carefully and respectfully pointed out. Yang didn't answer for a second and Jaune was afraid he pissed her off.
"No, she answered, more like muttered it. "But..." She went back to her usual upbeat personality. ...that is a story for a different time and place. I need to be really drunk to tell you..."
Drunkenly venting all of your problems and having a good cry... sounds like a Saturday night. Oh, the adventure that is being a teenager. Jaune loved every minute of it.
...
Jaune and Yang eventually found where Ruby had run off to. Thankfully the villagers were cooperative when asked about the whereabouts of a hyperactive and incredibly fast girl. Especially when one of them carried around two swords, and the other looked like she would hang you upside down and shake you until she got her answers. The blondes made for a very intimidating pair when they worked together.
"Hey, guys," Ruby shouted from underneath a large oak tree. She was sitting on a large stump several feet away with her weapon already in hand. The girl was probably waiting for them the entire time Jaune and Yang were looking for her.
"Ruby," Yang angrily shouted and stomped over to her little sister. "What did I say about running off!" Yang stood right in front of Ruby and crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.
"But I-" She tried to get something out, but Yang cut her off.
"I said, not to!" Yang leaned in, and Jaune could see her irises shift to red. "And when I say to slow down or stick with the group! You need to listen!" As Yang continued letting loose on her little sister. Ruby ducked her head down with every time Yang raised her voice.
"O-Ok," Ruby quietly agreed and hung her head in shame, clearly discouraged by her older sister going off on her like that. She flipped her hood up and grabbed her scythe.
Yang walked over to where Jaune was. She still had her slightly angry face on. "What's the plan?!" Her tone still had a bite to it as well. Jaune was going to try avoiding saying something that would piss her off.
"Well, Ruby was already waiting for us where we needed to go," Jaune explained. He shot Ruby an approving look without Yang noticing. "Gaston said the goblins came from the south when they last attacked. So let's look around for tracks."
"Any pro tips?" Yang began looking around for footprints.
"Look for any sort of disturbance in the brush," Jaune explained as he got down on one knee. Yang gave him a quizzical look. "Broken branches, or overturned leaves..."
Jaune began sifting through the debris on the forest floor. The villagers kept the wood surrounding their village very clean, and it was easy to pick any tracks. Goblins tend to leave very small footprints, but their weight tends to become an issue. They leave almost invisible tracks on the forest floor unless they wear armour.
Jaune looked up to see Ruby standing about ten feet away from him. Her hood was still pulled down, and she held her head low. The girl wasn't even looking for tracks and was just kicking at the ground with her hands behind her back.
Best just to leave her alone for now unless it becomes an issue.
He got back to combing the floor. There wasn't as much activity as he was expecting. No footprints from children or animals nearby. Usually, these forests would be busy areas with lots of traffic, but there was nothing visible here. Jaune stood up and decided to get a broader view of this section of the woods.
There was a game trail about twenty feet ahead for deer or boar probably. Goblins were disorganised and would not think about travelling in single file to cover their numbers. They moved in herds usually spread out across the forest like a giant mass or how a mob of people travel. They wouldn't think of using the trail either and would merely make their own.
"Hey, Jaune," Ruby called out to him. She was kneeling over a patch of dirt. One of her hands traced the soil in circles.
"Yeah," he said as he walked over to her.
"Are these goblin tracks?" Jaune looked down to see a perfect footprint in the soil. It may have been a day or two old, but it led directly to the south in the direction of those caves.
Well, shit! Half of our work is already done!
"They are," he confirmed the girl's suspicions. "You can tell by the shape of the print. There are long nails on each of the toes, and they are too disfigured to be a human's." Jaune stood up and dusted himself off. "Good job!"
Thanks," she gave him a light smile and stood up. "So what do we do now? I've never tracked a monster before." Ruby still had her hands behind her back but was looking up to Jaune with an enthusiastic smile.
"It's best to just follow the to footprints," Jaune explained, crouching above the footstep. "See there is another one right here." He pointed out a faint depression in the soil. A toe was visible, but the rest was covered by a leaf.
"That's so cool," she cheerfully exclaimed. Her mood performed a complete one-eighty in a matter of moments. "How did you even see that?!" She leaned forward to get a clearer picture of the track.
"It takes a lot of practice," Jaune told her. "I've been doing this for a while, so I know what to look for." His eyes followed the nearly invisible trail leading deeper into the forest.
It looks like a single goblin. That may have been a scout or a straggler.
"Can you teach me how to track," Ruby asked with her same childish smile. She kneeled down next to Jaune. "I want to learn more so I can take quests like this one!" She kept her voice low enough that only Jaune could hear. Ruby must have not wanted Yang to know.
"If I find another monster contract, I'll invite you along," Jaune promised with a smirk. An ear to ear smile across Ruby's lips and she frantically hugged Jaune. The force behind the hug pushed him back a few steps and Jaune had to catch himself before he fell. Guess she must have been more excited than he thought.
"Thank you-thank you-thank you," she excitedly repeated herself. Ruby let go of him and stood up. "Don't worry, Jaune! I'll be the best student ever!" Jaune smiled at how peppy she was. Ruby gave him a salute and ran forward a few steps following the trail.
She stopped after a short jog. "Ummm, where are we going," Ruby asked while scratching the back of her head. Jaune snorted and followed her.
"You're going the right way," Jaune said while pointing at the trail. "There are small depressions in the dirt, see." Jaune kneeled down by the trail again and showed Ruby the tracks.
Ruby continued following the tracks for a few feet. Jaune called Yang over since they found a decent trail. The Brawler hadn't seen anything either, so it was better to just have her on guard duty in case another animal came along.
"I don't know how the fuck you two are seeing these footprints, Jaune," Yang stated for the record as she got down on all fours and literally crawled while looking for this trail. Jaune found her struggle to be very entertaining. "What is this wizardry?!"
"There's no magic involved Yang," Jaune corrected her. "Your Perception is probably lower than ours, and you can't see them." Yang shot him a dull look. Jaune gave her the same expression and pointed at a footprint.
"Oh..."
...
Jaune and company continued to follow the trail. It led them several miles away from the village. The frequency of older and newer goblin footprints increased as they went further and further into the forest. And the terrain was appropriate for caves. Lots of large boulders and rock faces jutted out of the ground.
The area they came to had a waterfall pooling into a large basin. It was one of those classic settings out of a fairytale. The pond was bordered by towering cliffs where several streams converged and dumped rainwater into the bowl. Jaune found it to be eerily beautiful because of how peaceful and untouched the landscape was.
"Ugh, my feet hurt," Yang groaned. She sat down on a large boulder and pulled off her boots. Her feet were looking a bit swollen and raw from all of the walking. "How far are we going to follow the tracks?"
Jaune dropped his bag and sat down on an adjacent rock. "It's not even noon yet, so we have all day," he told her how it was. "Hunting goblins can be tricky because they will travel for miles to raid a village. They tend to have vast territories that can include several neighbouring villages or towns. We could be following a scout."
"S-So, what happens if we don't find the cave," Ruby asked with a worried look. Jaune suspected she would be pressuring herself to succeed the most.
"We go back to the village and pick it up tomorrow," Jaune explained. It was a clear cut situation. Tracking deer or wolves could take days depending on the terrain. Goblins were not too different in this instance. All were prey animals.
"Hey, Jaune," Ruby called out to him. He turned around and saw her peering out at the cliffs surrounding the basin. "Do you think this would be a good place for goblins to live?"
Why does she ask me that in the most adorable way possible? Jaune chuckled to himself as he got behind Ruby.
Jaune looked in the same direction Ruby was. The waterfalls were concealing sections of the surrounding cliffs. The area was clearly untouched and rarely visited since they found no other tracks other than goblins prints. This area actually had a significant volume of the trails too. Maybe Ruby was onto something?
"I-I mean this place has water, and there might be a cave here," Ruby said, unsure of her own words. "I would live here if I was a goblin. It's really pretty." Ruby was correct about the area having a very appealing look to it. Jaune could imagine building a hut on the side of the lake and living here.
It also satisfied the needs of a humanoid species. Water, shelter, and potentially a food source in the surrounding area. The cascade could be concealing an extensive cave system where the goblins could be hiding. It was worth checking out just to make sure nothing was here at least.
"It might be," Jaune suggested, making sure to be as encouraging as possible. "You're starting to get really good at this!" Ruby's eyes widened, and she put on a big smile. Jaune mirrored her own excitement with a grin.
"So should we check it out," she excitedly asked as she ran up to Jaune.
"Might as well since we're here," Jaune replied and grabbed his bag. He checked the contents of the bag to make sure the grain alcohol was intact.
"Alright, break's over," Yang groaned and stood up. She tossed a piece of bread out onto the lake.
"Yang, don't," Jaune tried to stop her, but it was too late. He cringed as the pastry flew from her hand.
Jaune watched the loaf fly for about twenty feet. Once it made contact with the water, the piece sank into the depths. After the bread disappeared from view, bubbles began forming on the surface of the pool. A hand reached out from the depths and grasped onto the shore.
Several other figures pulled themselves out of the pool. Jaune immediately recognised what these were. They were drowners. Jaune estimated there to be twenty of them in total.
Drowners or Drowned Dead were humans or faunus that drowned in a river. That's what the myths tell people and is entirely false. Drowners are an amphibious egg-laying humanoid species that inhabit the waterways of Remnant. Considered trash-tier opponents, having a lower level than even goblins, drowners are a farming source for Exp. Young adventurers typically go out and hunt them to get their levels up to at least five or six and then move onto higher level monsters. And there is a seemingly endless supply of drowners, so they are very popular and usually need to be culled.
The drowners all turned and looked in the party's direction. Twenty sets of frog-like eyes all stared at them. The biggest drowner with a reddish hue to its skin, most likely the bull, hissed and began making guttural noises with its throat. The rest of the pod started emulating their alpha.
"Son of a bitch," Yang cursed as she dropped her bag. "Sorry, guys." She was sincere about it, and that's all that mattered. The drowners would have come out of the water anyways once the party passed by the lake.
Jaune dropped his gear and unsheathed Ira Rubrum. "Ok, I'll stun them, and then we charge in," he explained as Ruby and Yang stood on his left and right. A bright yellow ball pooled in Jaune's left hand and dispersed with a brilliant flash of light.
Yang bolted forward and slammed her fist into the first drowner she found, tearing the flesh off the monster's chest with her gauntlet's knuckles. Ruby followed up and sliced two of the monsters in half, causing a cascade of blood to spill into the air. Jaune brought up the rear and shield charged the bulk of the drowners. Bones broke as the metal wall slammed into them.
Jaune ducked under a swipe from one drowner and shield bashed two others. He spun around and sliced the head off another one. Ruby swooped by and killed the two Jaune laid out on the ground. Most of the drowners had yet to recover from Jaune's debuff and were still flailing their arms in the hope they could hit something.
One of the drowners grabbed Jaune's arm and wrapped its jaws around it. The jaws didn't break or even pierce the vambrace protecting his forearm. Jaune yanked his arm out of the drowner's mouth and hit the monster with the edge of his shield. The blow caved the amphibian's skull in and gave Jaune a small portion of Exp.
Jaune pushed back another drowner. He entered the Ochs guard stance and thrust through the drowner's heart, effectively making the creature a shishkabob. The beast let out a bellow as the silver burned its insides.
Another jumped on Jaune's back when he wasn't looking and began clawing at Jaune's head. His defence stat prevented actual damage due to the drowner's low level, but it still hurt like hell. The claws were slashing across his skin, and the drowner's palms were covering Jaune's eyes, preventing him from seeing anything.
Yang grabbed the drowner of his back and slammed it on its head. A loud snap erupted from its neck, and the drowner stopped moving.
"Ahhhh it's broken," Yang whined as she kicked the drowner she just body slammed. She put her hands behind her back and gave Jaune an innocent pout. Jaune snorted and rolled his eyes.
"Ok, note to self," Jaune began while looking at Yang. "Let's never throw bread in the water!" Yang threw him a dull look and Ruby nodded.
"Like I knew that was going to happen," Yang replied with a hint of indignation. She crossed her arms and glared at Jaune, but he just ignored it.
"I know," Jaune conceded. "But we have to learn from it! Monster hunting requires you to learn from every encounter and develop your technique. So now you know to never throw food into the woods or the water." Ruby listened like she was being tutored by a master. Yang sat there and watched with a bored look on her face.
"Did you steal that from Professor Port," Yang sceptically asked. That damnable smirk crept across her lips. "Because that sounds a lot like something he would say!" She stood there, waiting for an answer.
Jaune decided to give her the truth. "Yang, have we learned anything in that class," he asked in response. She shook her head.
"No," she chuckled. "The most I've seen is a vampire beating the crap out of you." She ended her tease with a smile. Jaune gave her a dull look in return. It was true, and that's the reason why it was bothersome.
"It was fun watching that demonstration," Ruby meekly added on.
Not fun when you're the one getting thrown into a wall.
They fell into an awkward silence for a few seconds.
"OK," Yang abruptly ended the silence. "So if there are no more angry fish-people trying to eat us then we should get a move on! Yes?" Nice to see that Yang was taking this seriously now.
...
While Yang checked on the west side of the waterfalls, Jaune and Ruby checked the east side. There were goblin trails all over this place, meaning they either scouted this area or this may have been an old nest. It was difficult to tell if it was the former, the ladder, or anything considering how the trails were mixed between old and new. Any other signs may have been washed away by the cascade of recent rainstorms.
Jaune checked his levels to see what he gained since they weren't exactly on top of the goblins. Ok, I am a six-eighths of the way to getting another level. I was already halfway there. Great. This fight wasn't even worth the effort. Those drowners were all level ones and twos. Jaune could have farmed all day long, and maybe he would have gotten a level from fighting drowners. The issue was trying to find the damn things because baiting them could only do so much.
"Jaune," Ruby meekly called out to him. "Couldn't we set bait out for the goblins like the drowners?"
"Goblins are too smart for that," Jaune replied. "They would see the bait from a mile away and just avoid it." Ruby turned away in embarrassment. "But, if we found their lair, then we could set up bait inside the cave and lure them into a trap."
"We could use a drowner body for that," she suggested with a big smile. "They really stink, and I heard that trappers use rotten foods to lure in crocodiles or really big fish!"
"What I was thinking, exactly," Jaune exclaimed to Ruby's excitement. "You might be natural at this!" He turned around to face the cliff.
Frankly, Jaune wasn't sure where to start. Any obvious path behind the waterfall was either inaccessible from their current position or concealed. There was a lot of plant material in the way as well. Vines and roots from trees were covering most of the rock face.
"Ruby use your scythe to clear some of the vines," Jaune asked while unsheathed Crocea Mors. "I want to see if we can make a path."
"O-Ok," she stammered for a moment and recovered. Ruby swung her scythe and cut down a row of vines. She struck again, and another section of the overgrowth fell. Jaune could barely register her swipes because of how fast they were. It was like a blinding flash of silver, and a row of vegetation fell. Her passive must have made her a deceptively, powerful opponent.
Jaune didn't get a good look at how Ruby fought during the skirmish with the drowners but seeing her now. He knew precisely why the fight was so short. Her Agility stat must have been off the charts.
As the plant material fell, Jaune could make out what looked like a cavern on the other side of the hedge. Jaune pulled on the whole of the wall and tossed the growth aside. He looked around and spotted something.
"Jaune, what's that," Ruby asked as she pointed to a marker of sorts.
The marker was an obvious goblin totem. Goblins mark their territory using makeshift crests or actual flags if they stole one. This totem was a stick with an old pelvis tied to it. The pelvis belonged to a human male.
That meant the goblins hadn't used the girl yet as materials or they had not moved her corpse from the cave. Totems are only used on active nests or camps. If this nest had been cleared out before, the previous adventurer should have destroyed the emblem as a warning to the goblins and a way to tell other heroes they shouldn't have to worry about this camp.
"Goblin totem," Jaune answered with excitement in the back of his throat. Jaune could barely hold it back. "There's an active nest here!"
...
All three of the heroes were staring into the belly of the cave. Jaune laid out some equipment that would be necessary for hunting inside of a cavern. Some torches and chalk were the essential tools for this hunt. Even if they brought a faunus along, such as Blake, her night vision wouldn't work in total darkness. You needed a torch or an Ability to even have a chance.
"How should we play this," Yang asked as she dropped her bag. "I say, Jaune and I in the front. Ruby, cover our flanks, and we'll rotate." Basic rotation style formation. It would work better with more people and more shields, but they would have to work with what they have.
"I agree," Jaune said with a nod. "But we'll have to be careful. Sometimes caves have tunnels coming off of the main path. Anything could be hiding in there, so keep your eyes open and move slowly. Watch your back!" Yang and Ruby both nodded in confirmation.
"What about bait," Ruby asked.
Yang took Crocea Mors out of Jaune's hand and walked over to one of the drowner corpses. She kneeled and grabbed an arm. One cut with the sword and the forearm was separated at the elbow. Yang held the freshly dismembered arm away from herself and tried her best not to gag.
Yang walked over to Jaune and put the arm in his satchel. "Sorry, Jaune," she said, patting him on the shoulder. Ruby was pinching her nose, trying not to smell the stench coming from Jaune.
"Don't worry, I'm used to the smell," Jaune said with a disgusted look on his face. He swiped Crocea Mors to get the blood off it before sheathing the blade.
Jaune stepped up to the entrance of the cave. Yang got behind him, and Ruby made up the rear. The Brawler struck a dagger to a piece of flint and lit the torches. Jaune took one in his left hand, and the other heroes each grabbed one.
...
They began their descent into the cave. Jaune held Ira Rubrum in his right hand and prepared to thrust at anything that was around the height of a goblin. He especially watched the shadows created by the torchlight. Making sure to check every nook and cranny for a possible ambush.
This cavern was a basic limestone karst cave. Large stalagmites and stalactites interjected throughout the path and covered the flanks of the tunnel. Every surface of the interior had a light beige colour that was pronounced even greater by the torchlight.
Jaune couldn't make out any signs of life inside the cave. There were some rat bones scattered about, but so far there was nothing. Echoes were originating from further into the cavern. It sounded like water droplets or possibly a stream.
Something shuffled behind the party, causing them to freeze. Footsteps fast approached. Yang shoved Ruby out of the way and slammed her fist into the creature. The goblin was knocked onto the ground, stunned by the force of the blow.
"Gotcha, you little bastard," Yang said with a tone of confidence. She stomped the goblin's skull in with a sickening crunch. Its brain matter oozed out of the side of its head as her foot came down on it.
"Thanks," Ruby whispered as she picked up her torch.
"No problem, Sis," Yang responded.
Another set of goblins came out of an adjacent tunnel. Ruby swung her scythe in a flash of blinding silver. The three creatures that attempted the ambush were quickly severed in two with a geyser of blood raining down from the ceiling of the cave. Wet splatters filled the air as they bodies slapped into the floor.
One of the goblin body parts smacked Yang in the face. It was an especially bloody one that covered her whole upper body in the blood. Yang stood there for a moment looking like she was about to scream. Her hair was soaked in the crimson liquid and dripped off of her like a wet towel.
"Ruby, when we get out of here, I'm going to kill you," Yang threatened, wiping her face with a rag. Her eyes flashed red and glowed in the darkness. The little girl hid behind Jaune for protection. Like that was going to save her.
"You can wash up later, Yang," Jaune interjected. "Plus the goblin blood will help mask your scent." He bent down and soaked a rag in the liquid. Jaune coated himself with the lifeblood and turned to Ruby. The girl's eyes widened as she knew what was coming.
"Don't you dare," Ruby cried as she held her scythe up in defence. Jaune didn't listen and wiped her down with the rag. Ruby did her best not to throw up and gasped as Jaune pressed the cloth onto her head.
"Ew-ew-ew-ew-ew-ew," Ruby whined as she frantically waved her arms up and down. "It's so gross!" Ruby stood there covered in blood. Holding her hands away from her body as to not get any on them. Her face was halfway between one that looked like she was about to throw up and one that looked like she was going to sneeze.
...
"You so owe me after this," Ruby harshly whispered from the back. Jaune was willing to pay that debt too. Again if he could see the priceless look on her face.
"Quit your whining," Jaune whispered in response. He suddenly stopped, and the rest of the group stopped with him. Jaune set his torch down and stepped to the side.
They were at the entrance to another opening in the cave. Most of the passage was merely tunnels with the occasional goblin lying in wait. But there was a cacophony of snoring and mumbling coming from the chamber up ahead.
The nest is up here. It has to be!
Jaune heard another shuffle from behind the party. Without warning, he unsheathed his kukri and tackled the approaching beast. Jaune clasped his hand over the monster's mouth, silencing any screams. With a single downwards stab, he smashed through the ribcage and into the goblin's heart.
"Damn, Jaune," Yang whispered as she watched him wipe his dagger off onto the goblin's loincloth. "What did he do to you?!"
"Shhh," Jaune uttered as he crouch walked up the opening again. He grabbed a torch and tossed it to the far side of the cave. Dozens of goblins were resting in this room, including the hob.
That fat bastard was laying on top of a pile of straw, sleeping comfortably without any knowledge of the party's approach. Once he was eliminated, the rest of the hunt would go smoothly. However, he wouldn't go down if set on fire. It would thrash around and probably be even more pissed off at them.
Jaune was glad they found the nest before they could multiply even further. From what Jaune could see there were maybe forty or so in total. If the nest had been left any longer, there might have been a hundred, and the goblins would have swarmed the neighbouring villages and possibly the castle.
Jaune nodded to Ruby and then to Yang. He pulled the grain alcohol out of his bag and stuck a cloth soaked in alcohol inside. Jaune handed the drowner arm to Yang.
"Ok, when Yang tosses the bait," Jaune whispered the plan to the sisters. "I'll wait until they take it and then throw the bomb at them. Then we charge in after I use my Arclight." The sisters nodded, showing they understood.
Yang threw an overhanded toss into the centre of the chamber. Several goblins sniffed and stood up at the same time. Chattering from the others soon erupted into frantic shouting as they crowded around the bait. The hob stood up and lumbered over to see what was going on.
Jaune lit the fuse and chucked the bomb into the centre of the crowd. It exploded into a bright blue flame that burned more than half of the goblins. The room was illuminated by the fire, and the goblin's shadows danced across the walls as they clambered for their weapons.
"Now," Jaune shouted as he cast Arclight.
Ruby ran, more like flew, across the room in a bright red whirlwind. Her scythe cleaved through the remaining goblins, cutting down five or six with a single swing. Rose petals softly fell behind her as she continued to distract the smaller mobs.
The hob noticed the attack and lumbered over to the girl. It swung its club once, but Ruby dove to the side. Her Agility and Perception stats were more than sufficient at keeping herself out of the hob's reach. Ruby backpedalled to a safe distance and continued her slaughter of the normal goblins.
Jaune and Yang bolted forward, charging the hob from the side. The Hob replied with its club, swinging from right to left at the pair. Yang ducked under it, avoiding the bludgeon with ease. Jaune, however, took the full force on the face of his shield. The momentum from behind the hit forced him to take a knee to gain leverage over his opponent. Jaune's defence held up, and he was able to hold the club back.
Yang slammed her fist into the abdomen of the hob. The force behind the punch forced the goblin to throw up the contents of its stomach. Jaune was able to get out from underneath the club and rushed forward to assist Yang.
The hob swung again in a sweeping motion. Yang hopped over, but Jaune was forced to block the attack. It pushed him to take a step back in recoil from the momentum. Holy shit! They hit hard! He dropped the dented shield as it was too damaged to continue using. The metal face was nearly bent in half.
His Aura was only down at around seventy per cent. He could take a few more hits from the club until it started to do actual damage to his body. Jaune wanted to end the fight before he could get there, however. He rushed forward again while the hob was distracted. Jaune needed to thrust Ira Rubrum under the rib cage and into the heart. It was the fastest way to bring it down without trying to decapitate it.
He yelled as he rushed forward with his sword in the plough guard stance. Yang was tossed to the side and over Jaune's head. The hob must have been around her level to be able to throw her like that. Higher than Jaune initially thought it would be.
Jaune thrust his blade, but the hob caught it in its hand. The skin grasping the sword sizzled and burned as the silver did its work. The goblin yanked the sword out of Jaune's hand and threw it away from him. The blade clanked as it landed on the far side of the room.
It swung its club down again, but Jaune rolled to the side. The hob overcompensated and stumbled. Jaune took the opportunity and dove behind the hob.
Before the hob could stand, Jaune climbed onto its back. He wrapped his arms around the goblin's neck and began squeezing on the joint. One of his forearms was secured under the goblin's chin, and the other was bracing the head itself.
Jaune yelled as he continued putting pressure on the hob. The goblin thrashed around, making gurgling noises as its airway had been cut off. It stumbled backwards and slammed Jaune into a wall. That cut Jaune's Aura down to fifty per cent.
Jaune fell off the hob's back. His grip loosened up when he was slammed into the wall. His feet hit the floor but refused to carry him. The hob whipped around and kicked him in the face forcing Jaune onto his back.
The hob grabbed its club and swung it downward. Jaune narrowly avoided it, rolling to the side as it came down. The goblin backpedalled and stomped on Jaune's chest. The breastplate buckled inwards, and Jaune felt all of the air leave his lungs. A spatter of blood rocketed out from Jaune's mouth as he shouted in pain.
Yang bumrushed the hob from behind and tackled it to the floor. She brought both of her fists down simultaneously cracking something inside the hob's chest. Yang continued beating down on the hob, shouting, "YOU MONSTER!" Her eyes burned a deep crimson as she laid down a flurry of blows. She lost all control of herself.
The hob cocked its fist back and threw it at Yang's face. She seemed to take it the first time and the second and the third. On the fourth, Jaune heard what sounded like metal on metal clanging. He managed to pull himself up to see the hob's fist encased in metal.
It slammed that fist into Yang's face, and she was thrown away from the hob. Yang rolled several feet away before she stopped moving. The Brawler lay there, seemingly unconscious. The hob stood up and lumbered over to her body.
Something snapped inside of Jaune. A burning pain ripped through his broken body. He grasped at whatever he could and pulled himself to his feet. The air around him seemed to shudder as he rose. He didn't care about how much Aura he had left. Jaune wanted the hob dead.
Jaune bolted forward and slammed into the hob from behind. The hob stumbled and Jaune lept onto the goblin's back. He elbowed the hob on the back of the head and wrapped his arms around its neck. Jaune crushed the joint like a vice-grip. He was going to snap its neck.
The hob began flailing about. His arms slammed into unsuspecting goblins, killing them instantly. The hob landed several blows onto Jaune's sides and his back knocking his Aura down even further. He ignored everything, focusing on the task at hand.
Jaune squeezed down even harder. He summoned every ounce of strength he possessed to kill this single goblin. The hob continued to gurgle and sputter as Jaune constricted his throat.
Come on! You're dead!
Yang ran forward, holding Jaune's sword in hand. She cut across the abdomen of the hob. The contents of its abdominal cavity spilt out onto the floor. Yang went for a thrust through the upper thigh, severing an artery. Jaune squeezed even harder as the hob took a knee.
"AHHHHHHHHHH," Jaune screamed as he pulled back with all of his might. The hob punched him in the face three times. Jaune pulled back even harder. "COME ON! COME ON, COME ON!" Jaune spat some blood out of his mouth as he screamed again. It felt like both of his arms were about to snap like twigs.
Jaune wretched the neck to the side and broke it. He and the body fell forward and slammed into the floor. Jaune rolled off to the side and onto his back. He looked up at the ceiling as everything rushed to a sudden end.
Then the rush of Exp hit him like a tsunami. Two and half whole levels from one kill. Jaune felt a warm euphoria cross over him as his stats jumped with his level. He felt stronger and a pang of hunger for more power. Jaune wanted more. He needed more. It felt like an addiction taking over for only a moment.
With the new levels came a unique Ability. Jaune closed his eyes and read the description of it.
Longinuslanze Testament
A most unholy weapon. Forged by our lord to answer to only one master. He who has the will to dominate such a blade.
It shall sunder any armour. It shall never miss its mark. It shall grow with your own strength. Its holy light searing all who stand to oppose it.
In turn, you shall become vulnerable to attacks whilst wielding this unholy relic. It shall challenge your mastery by forcing you to fight at your full strength.
"JAUNE," Yang shouted as she rushed over to him. Ruby ran over to his other side. The blonde cradled his head in her lap as Ruby fetched something from her bag.
Ruby uncorked a bottle from and held it to Jaune's mouth. "Here, drink this," she begged. Jaune grabbed Ruby's hand and gently pushed it to the side.
"I'm fine," Jaune reassured the girls as more blood spilt out of Jaune's mouth. "Save it for later." He stood up with Yang's help, and she let him use her as a crutch. Jaune clutched his sides in pain. He had broken a rib or two during his feat of strength.
The group stopped when another sound echoed throughout the room. It sounded like a cry. Ruby grabbed a torch and made her way to where it came from. Jaune was ready to kill whatever was hiding in the cave.
A small wooden door muffled the sounds. Jaune brandished Ira Rubrum and entered the plough guard stance. Yang braced herself just behind him. Ruby nodded to both of them and pulled the door open. Jaune held his breath, ready for the threat to be revealed.
On the other side was a small girl. Two amber eyes peered out at the party. Ruby shined the torchlight into the hole, granting them a better view. Jaune could make out two cat ears jutting out from the top of her head. Her cheeks were dotted with small freckles accompanying her red hair.
"It's a girl," Ruby stated the obvious. "Come on, let's get her out of here!" She bent down and offered her hand to the girl. The faunus pulled back and tried to hide farther inside the antechamber.
I can't imagine what she's been through.
"Here let me," Jaune took over. He handed his sword to Yang.
Time to work my charm.
Jaune kneeled down in front of the girl. "Hey," he said with a warm tone, reaching into his pocket. The girl jumped and tried to hide again. He didn't want to move too fast and terrify the girl. Jaune slowly pulled out what he was looking for.
It was the small daisy, a village girl handed him yesterday. Jaune offered it to the faunus girl, and she reluctantly took it. "My name is Jaune," he began, hoping to calm the girl down. "What's yours?"
"B-Brianna," she quietly answered him.
Damn, she looks rough. Her nose is broken, and she's got cuts all over her.
"Ok, Brianna," Jaune emphasised her name. "We're heroes. We were sent to find you and to kill the monsters that took you away."
"A-Are they all gone," she asked with fear in her voice.
"Yes," Jaune gave her the answer she was looking for. "I killed them with my bare hands." Jaune's tone grew dark as he held out his hand.
"Ok..." She crawled out of the hole and tried to stand up. Her legs proved to be too weak, and she collapsed. Jaune caught her before she hit the floor and helped her up.
"Here," Yang said as she handed Jaune a sheet she found somewhere in the cave. Jaune wrapped her in it and picked her up despite the pain he was in.
"Try to rest, okay," Jaune asked Brianna as she curled up into his chest. "I'll handle the rest from here."
...
Jaune brought the girl into a makeshift infirmary. Saexhollow managed to get some relief from the local lord in the way of supplies and manpower. Luckily they sent a medic as well along with the other craftsmen and soldiers. The villagers were actually making decent progress with the cleanup and were already setting up their smithy again.
"You sure she's gonna be alright in here," Jaune asked Gaston as he closed the door behind them. Brianna slept the entire way on the journey back to the village.
"The healer will do what he can," he gave a brief reply. "He'll get her stabilised, and when Bri gets some food in her, we'll take her to the capital so she can see a proper doctor."
Jaune nodded. "Sorry about the supplies by the way. Everything was gone by the time we got there."
"Don't worry," Gaston played it down. "With the next resupply coming in and the forests now safe, we can recoup our losses in no time. Your party can take the carriage heading back to the capital if you want." There was no point in staying in the village any longer. It was only a little past noon.
"Take care of her," Jaune ordered with a demanding tone.
Jaune made his way out of the hut. Ruby and Yang were already waiting outside for him. Both of the girls waved at him as he walked over to the carriage.
"Are you sure you don't want to see a doctor," Yang asked. "You kind of look like you went twelve rounds with me." Now Jaune needed to look in a mirror. His looks were one of the few things going for him.
"I just need some sleep," Jaune stated. He stretched his arms, and several joints popped all at once. And then his ribs started hurting again.
He hopped into the back of the carriage with Yang. Ruby took the reins with the driver again. The blonde brawler leaned against him and quickly nodded off.
"Ugghhh," Jaune groaned as he settled down and leaned his head back. Sleep quickly took over shortly after.
Edit Note: Due to a recommendation, I changed the ending of this chapter a bit. I also added some more onto the fight with the hob.
Quest number one is completed, Jaune is even more of a badass and is now a solid level seventeen. We'll pick the story next week with the group's return to Beacon.
Also, assume the hobgoblin was around level twenty-four - twenty-nineish. That's the reason why it gave them so much trouble.
Level Seventeen
Strength 33 (+5)
Agility 17 (+3)
Defence 23 (+3)
Perception 27 (+3)
Constitution 33 (+3)
Intelligence 40 (+5)
Charisma 21 (+3)
Willpower 14 (+2)
...
Abilities
Arclight
A high-intensity explosion of light, equivalent to that of the sun. Burns the flesh of undead and magical entities. Momentarily blinds living and non-magical entities. Sudden magical intensity can cause affected to flee regardless of status.
Longinuslanze Testament
A most unholy weapon. Forged by our lord to answer to only one master. He who has the will to dominate such a blade.
It shall sunder any armour. It shall never miss its mark. It shall grow with your own strength. Its holy light searing all who stand to oppose it.
In turn, you shall become vulnerable to attacks whilst wielding this unholy relic. It shall challenge your mastery by forcing you to fight at your full strength.
...
Miscellaneous Knowledge/Buffs/etc.
Monster Slayer
Spent years studying the various monsters of Remnant. Knows the different species and taxonomy of each known creature. Understands the weaknesses of most known monsters.
Armour and Weapons Smith
Worked a forge for his entire life. Jaune is able to judge the composition of metals, and know the condition of his weapons and armour.
Next Update: Whenever I get it done!