A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, I am glad you are enjoying this fanfic. This is officially my longest fanfic. This chapter was so frustrating. Anyway, I won't be able to update so frequently anymore, college stuff coming my way.

The Price Of Obedience

Jaune stood behind the bar with his elbow on the long table, his right hand supporting his face, and the other holding his scroll as he read through an article in the scroll.

It talked about the difference in people that started combat training in their puberty and those that did it after, besides the time training.

The article said it was a difference in mentality because, during their formative years, they become more accustomed to pain and violence, which leads to their striving for different limits for their training.

Suddenly a hand appeared and grabbed his scroll, making him jump and stand up straight. It was Azure, she held his scroll and started scrolling through it. He immediately apologized, "I'm sorry; I didn't know we can't use our scrolls during work."

She raised her eyes and looked at him, "You can use your scroll; if you have nothing to do and no customers are in the diner, just don't look like a slob when you are at it."

She then raised her thumb towards the street and said, "Potential customers are watching."

Jaune knew she was a different person when she talked to customers, she had a smile on her face, tried to be friendly, and her tone wasn't as blunt as a hammer as it was with him and the rest of the staff.

Azure cared deeply about how the staff presented itself to the customers.

He scratched his head and said with an embarrassed expression in his face, "Sorry."

She waved it off and looked at his scroll again, "It's okay; Anyways, why are you looking at this?"

Jaune hesitated before saying firmly, "I want to be a Huntsman."

Azure raised an eyebrow and handed him his scroll and replied, "Really? You don't seem like the type."

He had to admit, that stung and dryly said as he snatched his scroll, "Thanks."

She seemed almost apologetic as she replied, "Well, most Huntsman I see are so confident." Azure then sized him up and said, "But you…"

That hurt, but he knew what she was talking about, she saw that confidence in every guard in his village.

He just ignored her and continued reading through the article. But, Azure didn't seem to be done talking as she said, "Ah, right, you are seventeen, you want to go to Beacon?"

Jaune replied without taking his eyes off the scroll, "Yeah."

She then asked without mercy, "So, what are your chances?"

Jaune immediately grimaced but didn't say anything as he tried to focus on continuing to read the article.

Jaune knew that she was blunt, but he was still underestimating her, as Azure said, "Not good, huh. Well, good for me."

He looked at her in curiosity, why would it be good for her?

She answered as if the question was plastered on his face, "Well, because it's a pain to look for good waiters."

Jaune heard a snort and saw that one of the cooks, Merlot, was on the other side of the bar and said, "Yeah, right; you just keep firing them."

Azure then said as she turned away from Merlot, "They weren't good by my standards."

It seemed like Merlot was about to say something, but Jaune said, "What are your standards?"

She looked straight into his eyes and said, "They have to connect with their client. like you do."

Jaune looked at her, questioningly, "I do?" He tried to remember how he talked to the clients and didn't seem like he did anything different.

It wasn't Azure who responded, but Merlot, in an exasperated tone, "Yes, you do… Remember that guy with the brown hair and leather jacket, in table fifteen?"

Jaune immediately remembered, "Yeah, Kona, the hairdresser.'

He then asked oblivious of their expressions, "What about him?"

Azure said in a frustrated tone, "Jaune, how is knowing what they do for a living not connecting with a customer?"

He finally realized at what they were hinting at and waved it off as he said, "Oh, that's just making conversation."

Jaune could tell that his boss came to a realization, "Jaune in your village, you pretty much knew everyone your whole life, right?"

He nodded, and she continued, "When you ask someone: 'How's your day been so far?' here in Vale is a chance for them to open up. That's how you are connecting with customers."

Jaune didn't know what to say, at this moment he felt the difference between his village and Vale, he was used to being open with people and having conversations about their lives with them, not just whatever business they had between them.

After a moment of silence, he spoke softly, "That's just sad."

Neither did Azure or Merlot respond to him, after a moment of silence, Azure spoke, "That's why I hired you. I mean, you take way too long with the payment, and you move slowly even if you have a few dishes."

He was about to respond, but Azure said, "Anyway, don't read those articles, any dumbass with a scroll can write one, go to the Public Library and look for research that has been proven with data."

Jaune wanted to say something as she walked away, but didn't know what. He knew Azure was deflecting; it felt as if he touched a nerve, but he didn't know what to do about it, she didn't seem offended.

So let it be? That seemed like the correct option, not a good idea to confront your boss about their feelings, especially if he could starve if she fired him.

She was also right about the article.

Jaune hadn't thought about that; he wasn't used to using this much information at his hands. In his village, there existed a Local Area Network, and it only worked within a certain distance and was mainly used for communicating.

He was going to the Public Library anyways to look for books to study from, so it didn't deviate from his plans. He didn't have any time to think about it further as customers entered for lunch.

Jaune was amazed at the massive structure that was the Public Library; he had seen it in a photo when he reached Vale, but it gave a completely different feeling being in front of it.

The Public Library was half as tall as a skyscraper, but many times wider, it took many blocks of the city.

Broad stairs were leading up to it, easily able to hold a crowd. It had enormous pillars supporting the structure, an immense door capable of holding a dozen people side by side, that stood open, making the dozens of people entering and leaving seem little in comparison.

Each pillar and piece of the wall had intricate designs, each a piece of art in their own right, of everything one could think of: people, Grimm, and entire landscapes.

Jaune was gawking at every nook and cranny, he then gazed at the door, and unlike all the walls and pillars it only held a single inscription in gold:

Founded by the Warrior King.

Nothing more was on the door.

Not a scrape, it was just a block of wood without the inscription.

Jaune knew who the Warrior King was, the Last King of Vale, The Destroyer of Armies, the man who ended the most significant conflict of history, The Great War.

He could see the meaning behind leaving only the inscription in the door; It was a sign of respect, worship, and fear towards the Last King of Vale.

Nothing deserved to stand by his side.

Jaune merely accepted it and moved forward; only the legend of the Warrior King deserved that respect.

He then looked at the entrance of the Public Library; it looked more like a lobby of a hotel than the entrance of a library.

There were at least dozen of people behind a long desk; he assumed they were the librarians. Right next to it was a stand with pamphlets.

Jaune read astounded, 'The Public Library of Vale, home to the greatest minds of the kingdom."

He read through it, and it gave a rough explanation of the institution.

The Last King of Vale founded it as one of his last acts before giving up his power as the ruler of Vale, an institution that would only strive for knowledge and would work outside of politics.

It received a percentage of the government's income, but it was an independent institution that gave knowledge to whoever wanted it.

Its sole purpose was the pursuit of knowledge in whatever form that would be.

From Science to Art; only the best of their fields would be welcomed to become a part of their institution, they would receive funding in whatever research would be, but their results would be for public use.

The pamphlet also had a map on the backside, showing the monstrous size of the Library, and which parts would be open to the general public.

Jaune decided that he had spent enough time gawking at the Library and decided to ask the librarians for the directions of where the books where.

He took his notebook from his backpack, where he had written the names of the textbooks Beacon recommended, and went to ask a librarian.

The librarian already knew what he wanted when he listed the third book; he told him that the books for students that wanted to apply for a spot in Beacon that originated from the outside of the kingdoms were on the fourth floor.

When he reached the fourth floor through a glass elevator, there was another long table with Librarians stood behind a desk.

Jaune listed the books again, and before he was finished, the man had a pile of books in front of him; apparently, it was common practice for students to come looking for books at the Public Library.

But if he wanted to take them out of the Library he had to pay a subscription; Jaune had no problem, it wasn't expensive at all, and he could afford it with the tips he had gotten throughout the week, besides it was much cheaper than buying the books himself.

He also asked about books about aura and how he could access the research of the scientists.

Jaune had to admit; he had gotten lost looking for the books about aura; the place was just too big, but after half an hour wandering through countless books, he found the one the librarian recommended.

'Aura and Semblances: For the Late Bloomer.'

It was a book, especially for people who unlocked their aura when they reached the end of puberty or were already adults.

The librarian told him that it was filled with common knowledge for students of combat schools, but a lot of it was unknown to the general public, easy to understand, and short.

Jaune decided to stay and read it in the Library, as he was a bit anxious about aura; he didn't know much, his father and sisters didn't talk about it, but they were vague about it.

He had only heard bit and pieces throughout the years, and they completely blocked him off after his argument with his father, going as far as locking the books in a cabinet inside their family library.

Jaune shook his head and focused on reading the book.

Jaune read the book on one sitting; the librarian was right, this book was to the point and easy to understand, aura and semblances were more profound than he imagined, he just thought it was a shield to defend yourself and a superpower; but they were so much more than that.

Starting by aura, everyone was unique.

That statement was applicable to everything about aura. From where in the body it would first appear, to its quality and quantity.

His aura' core' didn't have to appear in the abdomen. It could have popped into existence anywhere in his body, from his brain to his hands or feet. It also didn't have to be shaped like a ball; it was more common to have no shape.

It was random.

The same could be said about the quantity of one's aura; this was based on how much dust one could use, though having more aura didn't mean one would be a better fighter, as every advantage had a cost; usually.

The ones with more aura would have a broader range of aura exhaustion, as they would be more accustomed to their bodies being filled with aura; also, it usually would take more time to recover.

The other factor would be the quality of one's aura; this a more difficult subject, as a quality of one's aura was measured by different factors, a few examples are;

How resistant are they to attacks, some people's aura would be utterly fragile, breaking with standard bullets or they could be crushed by a Goliath and come out unscathed.

This category was also broad as attacks could also mean besides physical, they could be elemental, spiritual, or aura based attacks; some people could be completely immune to fire or easily susceptible to fire or any other element.

People with aura also had resistance towards attacks that seem to affect the user mentality, and this also varied from person to person.

This was just one subject, defense.

There were more: offense, healing, perception, and regeneration of aura, each with their categories, and when they combined, it became a mess.

One's stat sheet for each category could be pages long, but in the end, the book explained that it tended towards an average. People who's aura that broke through the 'average' usually pay the price one way or another.

For example, a person who's aura is extremely fragile would compensate it by being able to heal the User exceptionally quickly, even with fatal wounds.

In the end, a person would know the advantages and disadvantages of their aura through training and real combat and would adjust their fighting style accordingly.

For example, a person would choose to tank through a punch to the face because it wouldn't hurt them significantly, but would dodge out of the way of a fire wave because that could destroy their aura.

Also, the person's aura tended to match their personality, so it wasn't completely random, at least for the general overview of it.

If a person is watchful of their surroundings and avoids getting hurt, their aura would reflect that, by honing their senses and making their defense weaker.

All of this was known before The Great War; it was during that period that knowledge of aura exploded as soldiers fought with dire conditions and fewer resources.

In the face of death, Humankind and Faunuskind became adaptable. They only had one resource on a battlefield with no food and dust.

Aura.

If they ran out dust and couldn't fight at a distance?

They created long-distance aura reliant skills.

If they ran out of food?

They used aura to modify their bodies to be able to eat dirt.

Eventually, in the frontlines, the soldiers created a method of aura usage. It was unknown which kingdom created this method, but it became commonplace in the military.

They were becoming one with aura. The Aura Physique: the basis of it was a quality every person's aura had.

If one molded their aura in a shape repeatedly, it would eventually start to form that shape automatically. For example; If Jaune began to mold his aura into a cube, eventually his aura would stop being a ball and slowly transform into a cube.

The Aura Physique was complicated and required it's independent read. Still, it was a system consisting of seven stages that would mold aura to fit the body; it would amplify and modify the body, becoming stronger, faster, more sensitive, and fitter for survival in harsh conditions.

But it came at a cost: time and effort.

It was something most people with unlocked aura could achieve with time and effort. Still, they would have to sacrifice time and effort they could have spent in other skills, like mastering their weapons, their usage of dust, mastering their semblance, or learn different aura related skills.

So for most people, they would advance in it far enough that they would obtain the benefits of becoming stronger, faster, and sharper senses but would give up entirely after that, as they wouldn't face challenges that would force them to survive in harsh conditions.

So advancing up to the fourth Stage was enough for them, as each Stage was progressively more laborious than the last.

That was unless they reached the seventh Stage, as it would complete The Aura Physique. This Stage would amplify every benefit from the last stages, making the difference enormous.

The only records of people in this Stage were from the Great War, and there are no records indicating someone has reached it since.

But the book said that whenever a person that reached that Stage would enter the battlefield, it would rapidly change. Either because he would rip through the enemy, or someone on the other side would come to match him.

That didn't mean only someone who reached the seventh Stage could match them, as the stages of the Aura Physique were no indication of strength. They were several records of people fighting evenly with them through other means.

They ripped through the battlefield because they were veterans of the war, they had fought since the first year and had been in hundreds of battles and eventually reached the seventh Stage.

But they only reached that level of strength because their people to match it, people who mastered dust, their semblance or their weapon to the same level of strength.

Or because they reached a level of teamwork with their allies that made them equally as dangerous.

Each of these men or groups of men reached a level of strength unprecedented in history; they would easily reap apart Goliaths as if they were nothing more than Beowolfs.

But even then, some of these men didn't stand a chance against the Warrior King.

Jaune shook his head as he reviewed the information he had just read; he had been getting off-topic.

He already reviewed what aura affected and how it was trained, now he reviewed how semblances were classified.

The question when classifying semblances was: Who does it affect?

If the answer is the User, then they were called 'User-based' as the point of focus was the User.

If the answer was something outside the User, then it was called 'Environment-based' as the point of focus was in whatever the User was manipulating or affecting in some way, be that a person or an object.

If the answer was both, the User was an 'Outlier,' they usually had an indiscriminate effect over their surroundings. Still, it could consist of other types as well, like someone who could copy semblances.

Generally, they were unpredictable most of the time. The example the book gave was from the Great War.

There was a man that, when his aura was unlocked, everyone from the fortress felt their aura disappear. This produced mass spread panic, nobody knew what happened; they felt as if this was an attack from the enemy.

It wasn't, but an enemy did attack: Grimm.

Few people survived and managed to piece together the clues and figured out that the lowly cadet was the cause. Somehow the man had survived the horde of Grimm. This thought was only reinforced when they caught sight of him and lost their use of aura.

The surviving captain gave the cadet an order: Infiltrate the enemy base.

It was clear; the captain wanted the cadet dead.

It was a suicide mission, but the man didn't say anything and went towards the enemy base, he hid near a wall by making a hole in the ground and burying himself. Eventually, people started running out.

The man took a chance, captured a soldier, took his uniform, and headed deeper into the fortress.

Grimm destroyed the fortress in a few hours.

The man came back, and the captain asked the cadet if he had aura, the cadet simply shook his head. The captain then sent him towards another base, this time with supplies.

With his stolen uniform, he was once again victorious.

The man would do this dozen of times throughout the war, each time more successful than the last.

Eventually, the King of Mistral sent him to assassinate the King of Vale.

The servants' diaries show that the man managed to infiltrate the King of Vale's chambers, took a gun out, and only ashes where he once stood.

The man didn't come back.

Jaune knew he technically belonged to the Outlier category because he could switch between the two types, but practically, it just depended on what semblance he chose for the day, like [Shadow Fighting] belonged to the user-focused, but something like [Space Manipulation] was an environment-based.

Jaune then looked at his scroll and realized that it was almost nighttime, he decided to look for a book about Aura Physique and go home.

Jaune was sweating in the backyard of the dormitory. The only light he had was the broken moon, but it was enough.

Jaune dodged too late, and a claw dispersed near his face.

He had considered how he should train and ultimately decided that he wouldn't use the shield, as there would be no impact from the illusion, and it wouldn't prepare him for a fight.

So he would try to dodge and strike the Beowolf as it stumbled past him.

He hasn't been too successful, he either failed to dodge when it charged or was too slow to swing when he had already avoided, so the Beowolf would strike him again before his sword reached it.

This reinforced the idea that the book planted on his mind: He was screwed.

The introduction of the book wasn't about aura or semblance at all. It used data to prove how dangerous it was for a person who unlocked their 'aura' late. It was as blunt as Azure.

'People who unlock their aura at seventeen or older have twice as much of a chance of dying in their first years of combat-related jobs, that is outside of military carriers.

That statistic didn't even include being a huntsman, as most people who unlock their aura at seventeen or older and strive to become a huntsman never become one in the first place.

They either become a mercenary or a guard. Those few that do become a huntsman would quit in their first few years or die in duty.

The idea of [Prodigy of Combat] was becoming appealing, to be honest.

He tried to dodge the claws of the Beowolf, only to go head first against a tree.

Jaune rubbed his head in pain, as he deactivated [Shadow Fighting] and looked towards the broken moon.

He could feel the softness of the grass, that comforted his rough breathing and beating heart.

Jaune could see why his father said that it was too late for him to start training. After all, people start training at the latest when they are eleven years old.

When he was already late by at least four years, maybe even more. He remembered his sister saying their father started training them when they were nine.

Still, Jaune felt some resentment towards his father; if he had let him train when he had asked to he would have two years to catch up instead of four months. He felt that with the variety that his semblance provided, he would have been able to use different semblances to match other people.

But he couldn't blame his father; his semblance was an oddity as most that entered the outlier category were. Besides, he knew his father did it out of care and love.

It was a simple reason why his father started training them so young; because the basics skills to survive in a job as dangerous as being a guard or even more a Huntsman was incredibly tough to learn and would take years to get the basics down.

One was very obvious, the Aura physique, every graduate of a combat school, would at least get to Stage II, and even then, none of them would reach past Stage III.

Those were people that understood that they would put their lives on the line daily; they most likely put blood, sweat, and tears in their practice.

But Jaune's concern didn't come from not catching up, he was sure he could, his semblance would allow him too, and he wouldn't have to sacrifice his semblance of it, maybe just his sanity.

There was something that he found out about his semblance that helped him understand it better.

It wouldn't make him pay the price because he was saving time. That wasn't why those semblances that enhanced learning or growth would take years away from his life.

It was because they were shortcuts.

They would allow him to get to the same Stage with less effort.

That thought was only reinforced when he read through [Nightmare Of Eternal Battles].

[When the User falls asleep, he will enter a dream world and be able to battle enemies he has previously defeated in the real world. Enemies will never stop spawning and will grow in strength and numbers.]

Yes, it would save time, but non-stop fighting against enemies seemed extremely painful as there was no way he would be able to dodge all of the attacks, and if he didn't manage his aura correctly, he would 'die.'

He would fight enemies to gain the combat experience he wanted and would suffer through every moment.

He, someone that was whining about a few cuts on his back, would fight death every night. Thinking about it now seemed as if he severely overestimated his capacity for pain.

How could he survive real, claws, and bites if he would cry out in pain with only a few cuts?

But Jaune knew; that the only way he would become a Huntsman would be if he put in the same amount of effort and pain people accumulated for years and cram it in four months.

With that thought, he stood up and activated his semblance once again and decided he would modify [Shadow Fighting].

[Shadow Fighting V.2]

[User can create an illusion of simple enemies, may produce up to twenty, only seen by himself. The User will feel pain if the illusions strike him.]

[Price: For 24 hours, temporarily lose 5% of the User's aura reserve. Uses 2% of aura reserves per minute used.]

[User has another semblance in use]

Jaune could only wait to use it the next day and decided to save it for the next day. That would undoubtedly motivate him to dodge better and to improve his swordplay.

As there was no better motivator than pain.

He would come up with a plan later for Aura Physique, but he knew that it would be much more painful than [Shadow Fighting V.2]. He would have to ensure on a semblance that would either force his aura to mold into his skin to achieve the first Stage.

Not to mention, he also needed to train his body and study.

Jaune knew he could do it, but it depended on whether or not he was willing to pay the price.

He tried to enjoy his last pain-free training session.

Jaune wondered as he dodged the Beowolf's claw, 'Should I have run away sooner?'

The question went unanswered as he missed his swing towards the Beowolf.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, they really got me motivated.