Jaune arrived at the training rooms as per the note he had discovered on Professor Goodwitch's desk. He entered still wearing his new yet old combat gear. He nodded upon seeing the professor and moved to the center of the room as she indicated with a point of her finger.
"Miss Goodwitch."
"Thank you for coming Jaune, I know it must have been a long day for you."
"No longer than most." he replied, and he meant that. Most days had him down and avoiding people because of how pitiful he was in combat class. Today he still avoided people just to not have to answer the same questions repeatedly.
Miss Goodwitch moved over to the room's console and began to work the controls. She had spoken with Jaune's mother again after her last class; trying to gauge how she could help him improve. She was admittedly slightly out of her element. She could handle weapons, and semblances easily, but channeling. No that was something deserving a class of its own. Once she had finished making the needed adjustments she looked up at Jaune.
"Are you ready?"
"I guess."
"Then start." Glynda hit the activation switch and a pair of doors opened on the far wall. A set of three human sized, human shaped melee based robots walked out. From her most recent conversation with Jasmine Arc; she knew Jaune would have issues facing multiple opponents; especially if he spent too much time relying on his summons. This was a test to make him use his other skills.
The drones rushed him; interrupting his summoning ritual. Showing that he had learned something from combat class Jaune dodged and rolled away from the attacks. Regaining his feet, he did what Glynda and his mother hoped he would do.
"Flame Torrent." A sigil appear before his outstretched hands, followed by a massive wave of flame. It rolled over the floor of the combat ring to engulf the three drones. Glynda was forced to activate the projectile barrier in an effort to keep the intense wave of fire from escaping the ring.
The effect was nearly instant. The drones metal exoskeletons began to warp and bend. The intense heat of the spell causing insulation, wires and circuit boards to melt. Hitting the dirt Jaune barely avoided the shrapnel as the power supplies detonated scattering metal shards all about the ring.
Deactivating the barrier Glynda rushed forward, fearful that her young charge had been hurt. Stepping into the ring she noticed how warm the floor still felt beneath her heeled feet. It was scorched black and in some places thin wisps of smoke curled into the air.
"Jaune?" Glynda called out as she moved towards where she lost sight of him. "Jaune!"
Glynda rushed forward to the prone form surrounded by metal debris. She was scared to death that he was injured, partly because he was her student, and even though she pushed them she never liked to see one get hurt in or out of the training rings. The other side was what Jasmine Arc would do to her if he was hurt while under Glynda's care. As she closed on him, he pushed himself to his knees and then sat up.
"That could have gone better." he remarked as he began to stand, brushing himself off as he did so.
"That was a rather unexpected result."
"Guess I should have held back a little more, huh?"
"Held back? Are you telling me what I think you are?"
"What do you think I'm telling you?"
"How much worse could that have been?"
"Well if I put everything into that spell, I think I could have melted the metal. Maybe?"
"Maybe?"
"Mom always told me to hold back, unless my life or the life of someone else was in danger."
"How held back was that; what you used in your match with Cardin? What did you call it, ah . . ."
"Thunder Crash?"
"That's the one."
"A lot."
"I'm not sure if Beacon has the facilities to withstand you not holding back."
"My summons are far less" Jaune looked about him at the shards of metal scattered across the training ring, "destructive."
"Okay so this session has not gone the way I had planned."
"What had you planned?"
"To test your non-summoning abilities."
"I can tone it down even more, but that would mean I'd end up just using Thunder Crash, and I'm pretty good with that already."
"No, I think we're done here tonight." responded Glynda as she once again gazed over the debris strewn training ring. "You go get some rest, and I'll see you in class tomorrow."
"Okay Miss Goodwitch." Jaune nodded as he spoke and the instant he was done he made for the door.
Glynda watched him leave before she pulled out her scroll. The recent events would need to be discussed. She would need more assistance in finding a better way to help him develop other than putting him in harm's way.
/=/
Returning to his dorm he found it empty, and figured everyone was out getting something to eat. feeling not really hungry he chose instead to just take it easy. Pulling off his gear and draping it over the back of his chair, he fished out the slim ornate box. Climbing onto his bed he laid it upon his chest and thought about using it again. Though he really didn't feel like he needed to talk to his mom just yet. He knew she'd be overjoyed at his recent success, but that was against Cardin; a guy only a couple steps above him in the combat training boards.
Sighing he placed the box on his desk, and then reached up and placed his hands behind his head. He lay there not thinking about much. Well that wouldn't be entirely true. He was thinking about a lot of things, just none of them having anything to do with school or his training.
Crossing his ankles he yawned and let his eyelids droop. He felt tired, not overly, but tired none the same. As his eyes closed his breath grew shallow and steady; with in minutes he was fast asleep. His team arrived back from supper to find him in bed. Not wishing to wake him they closed the door behind them and moved to the common room to talk about the day's recent events, particularly the ones centered around their team mate and leader.
/=/
"So what's up with the fancy designs fearless leader?"
"You mean these?" Jaune pointed to the delicate silver and gold patterns adorning his robe like coat.
"Duh." replied Nora
"They boost the defensive capabilities of my clothing."
"Like how?"
"Nora, please." interjected Ren, "We have classes shortly, and still need to get down for breakfast. Give Jaune a break and get ready."
Nora humphed at Ren as she hopped up off her bed and took her turn in the washroom.
"So is there anything else we should know?" Pyrrha asked. She had been wanting to broach the subject since he first unveiled this side of him; and part of her wondered what else he maybe keeping secret.
"Like what?"
"I don't know, like anything."
"I don't understand what you want."
"Don't give me that!" Pyrrha slapped her hands down on her mattress, a sign of obvious frustration. "I mean come on Jaune. You suddenly out of the blue show up in this getup, basically annihilate Cardin, and you stand there and tell me; tell us there isn't more to all this!"
"I still don't know what you want me to say. This is who I really am. I can't use weapons, I have no skill with them . . ."
"I could have taught you . . ."
"You were teaching me, and you did teach me a lot. But I wasn't any good, and no amount of tutoring even from someone as skilled as you was going to help me bridge the skill gap you all know was there."
"Pyrrha maybe this isn't the t . . ."
"So what does this all mean?" Pyrrha spoke up cutting off Ren's advice.
"Again I don't follow what you're getting at."
"Our time together. The training on the roof. Was it all a waste?"
"No it wasn't."
"But you tossed it all aside."
"No I didn't"
"Yes you did."
"No, I still remember it all, and if push came to shove and I had to use it I could, its just that here at Beacon if I want to be true to my dreams I have to use the tools that I'm actually good with. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
"No." Pyrrha replied flatly.
"We can still train Pyr."
"What would be the point?"
"It would help with my defense, my conditioning. I know next to nothing about aura. These are all things you can still teach me."
"I guess that would be something."
"It is something."
"I hate to break this up, but we're late for breakfast and classes start in about twenty minutes." Ren interjected before yelling at the bathroom door, "Nora we're going to be late!"
/=/
While some students whispered about his change of dress, there was no change in how he handled his other classes. They remained as run of the mill for him as they always had. It was in combat class he now was developing a reputation. While still at the bottom of the boards, he had at least one decisive victory under his belt.
Some expected him to get more, others figured he would choke. There was no way they would say that string bean of a kid can take a REAL huntsman or huntress. Jaune and for the most part his team ignored them. Not feeling the need to remind them that they couldn't themselves take on a REAL huntsman or huntress. Everyone in class was training to be one, and not one yet.
His next time at the front of combat class was nearly a mirror of his most recent match. Sky Lark was his opponent, but many would change that to victim after witnessing what had happened. Like Cardin before him Sky figured swagger and false bravado would give him the edge. He like Cardin was sorely mistaken.
A Cerberus summons followed by a Water Lance and the match was done. Though Sky's racing around the ring being chased by a large red and black three headed dog did draw it out. As another member of team CRDL fell amid sporadic laughter, people were taking notice. Jaune was no longer the easy win most had figured he would always be.
/=/
As the day wound to a close, RWBY and JNPR found themselves once again surrounding the same table. Plates piled with food, good conversation, and laughter. Particularly when it came to Nora reenacting Jaune's latest match using pieces of her dinner. The plate became the combat ring, Sky a piece of steak that was being chased by an overly large hunk of boiled potato.
"So what's you most difficult summons?" asked Ruby as Nora finished the match by scarfing down the actors.
"I have a couple."
"No I mean like the hardest, most difficult one." Ruby tried again.
"Like I said Ruby I have a couple that is describing."
"No like the hardest, most difficult, troublesome, uncontrollable one." Ruby tried for one final time.
Jaune paused as he was about to take a bite of his own supper. Setting his fork and knife down he sat back and thought for a moment. Everyone grew quiet wondering what he was going to say. Nora secretly hoping for some monster sized version of a sloth. Leaning forward Jaune made a motion with his right hand and wrist. A single card appeared. Gently he set it down face up in the middle of the table. RWBY and JNPR crowded around to catch a glimpse. The design was the same as the others he had shown them. Twice the size of a standard playing card. Black line drawing surrounded by strange writing. The image though was awe inspiring. In the center was a massive looking beast with five heads.
"Tiamat."
"Tia-what?" asked Yang.
"Tiamat, the dragon queen"
"Dragon queen?"
"Yes dragon queen."
"So she's the most uncontrollable?" asked Ruby.
"There is another one that is just as bad." replied Jaune, as he made the same hand motion. Again a single card appeared in his hand; and like the first he gently set it down.
The image was a simple black line drawing, surrounded with strange writing only this one depicted a beast with only one head, dwarfing a castle.
"And this is?" asked Weiss.
"Bahamut the dragon king."
"Fearless leader controls dragons!" Nora was beyond excited, the only way she possibly could have been more was if Jaune revealed a card denoting a sloth. "Suck it other teams!"
"Nora calm down." Ren reached up to guide her back to her seat.
"I don't control them, Nora."
"What do you mean?" interjected Weiss, "You can summon them so why can't you control them?"
"They are both chaos personified. If I was to summon one of them right now, they would just run amok."
"So why have summons you can't control?"
"I really don't have an answer for that Weiss. I have the ability to summon them, but know I shouldn't."
"Can you show us some more?" asked Ruby, excited to finally get more exposure to a weapon she never knew existed. Who would have thought playing cards could be so dangerous.
"One more." replied Jaune as he made the motion for the third time. He held the card from their view as it appeared and waited. Making no motion to set it down Ruby took action with the assistance of Nora.
Grabbing his arm and hand they twisted and pulled causing the card to slip from his fingers and land upon the table. While the other cards they had seen had an artistic quality to them, this one did not. The symbols along the edge were neat and looked to be about the same as his other shown examples. The image however was raw, and jagged. There was no smoothness to any of it. The center of the card was totally blacked out, with a pair of jagged claw like hands reaching past the edge into the lines of script.
"Shadow Wraith." Jaune muttered the name.
"Why would you have . . ." Weiss didn't finish, she took a hurried step back. "Did it just move?"
"Yes."
"What is that Jaune? Why do you have it?" it was Pyrrha who had spoken up, she too having taken a step back from the foul looking card.
"It is my nightmare." Jaune replied in a hushed tone, so low that is might as well have been a whisper, "I have it, because I created it."
"Nightmare? Created?"
"I don't want to talk about it right now." he replied as he collected the cards. A motion of his hand and they were gone. "I think I'm done eating."
"Jaune are you okay?" Pyrrha asked as he rose from his seat with his tray.
"I'm fine. I had just forgotten about that card, it came out as a surprise." with that he stepped away. Dumping his trash and setting his plates in the dish bin; he then walked off and out the double doors into the hallway.
"He forgot about it?" it was Ren who spoke, "How do forget about something like that?"
"What did he mean he created it?" asked Weiss.
"I guess he meant he made the card." Yang answered for the first time speaking since the group had sat down for their meal.
"I don't like that card." Nora commented.
"Neither do I." agreed Ruby.
"There was something terribly wrong with that one." Blake added. Finally speaking up after having been silent the whole time.
/=/
Jaune entered the dark training room alone. Flipping a couple of switches he brought the lights up, and walked into the center of the combat ring. The blue sigil appear by his right shoulder and with a flick of his hand and wrist a single card appeared. He let it float from his hand up and past his shoulder before saying a word.
"Neko."
A moment later the top heavy, bell dancer attired, twin tailed, cat eared girl was before him.
"Master," she purred, "it has been a long time yes."
"Sorry."
"No need to be sorry. I am here now." she sauntered up towards him and ran her delicate fingers along his jaw line. "What troubles you? How may I ease your mind?"
"I need you to protect me."
"I always do master." she walked around him letting her twin tails coiling about his waist.
"No, really protect me." he repeated as he made the motion with his hand and summoned a second card.
"No, do not master." she hissed as she noticed the card he held.
"I have to face it sooner or later."
"Please forget about that wretched thing. Let me distract you."
"I need you to protect me. Really protect me."
"Please don't, not now." she pouted as she moved to stand before him. "This is not the time."
"When will be the time?"
"I don't know, I just know it is not now."
"But .. . ."
"Look at me master. Drink of me." she draped her arms over his shoulders and stood on her tip toes to gaze into his blue eyes.
Jaune returned her gaze. Slowly getting lost in the depths of her deep purple orbs. As they stood there her tails uncoiled from his waist and reached up. He didn't resist when they plucked the card from his grasp and dropped it to the floor.
"Much better yes?"
"I have to face it." he replied blinking his eyes and breaking the trance he had fallen under.
"Someday perhaps, but this is not that day." she stepped back from him and smiled.
"When will it be that day?"
"Some day, just not today." she replied as she dropped to a crouch; snagged up the card and vanished.
"Neko!" Jaune yelled, but she did not respond. She did not reappear.
Reaching up over his shoulder he tore the card free from the sigil and repeated the summoning; and still she did not return. Frustrated and annoyed after repeated attempts to force her appearance he gave up. Canceling the sigil he walked over card in hand an took a seat on the bleachers. Running his hand down his face he sighed and then turned his attention to the card in his hand.
"You always did have a mind of your own, didn't you?" with a flick the card vanished.
Leaning forward, elbows on his knees he just sat there in silence. One of these days, soon he'd have to deal with that card. One of these days he'd have to face the nightmare; his nightmare that he had trapped.
/=/
Jaune returned to the dorm room with a look of exhaustion. His mind more than his body felt the need for sleep. His friends too one look at him and remained quiet. Letting him strip down to his jeans and undershirt and fall face first into bed. They shared knowing looks, but still said nothing. Choosing instead to let their leader sleep. Whatever they wanted to say could wait until morning.
Morning came with the usual rush of activity. Jaune was second in an out of the washroom, leaving Ren and Nora to finish up before the quartet could head out for a bite before classes. As he sat pulling on the last of his gear Pyrrha came and took a seat next to him.
"You looked really worn out last night when you came in. Did it have anything to do with that card you showed us yesterday?"
"Sort of."
"You want to talk about it?"
"Not really."
"Okay, if you're sure." Pyrrha started to rise but stopped herself, sinking back into his mattress, "You can talk to us if something is bothering you, you know that right?"
"I do, it's just that right now, I don't have the words to talk about it."
"Well when you do," Ren added in, "we're here for you."
"Just like Ren said, whenever you're ready we'll listen."
"Thanks."
"Nora are you ready?" called out Ren, "We're going to be late for pancakes if you don't hurry up."
Nora buzzed out of the washroom. Pulled on her boots and grabbed Ren by the arm. They were out the door before Jaune or Pyrrha could move. Looking at each other they grinned, before they as well got up and left the room. Breakfast was a quiet affair as RWBY and JNPR watched Nora inhale her meal.
"Combat class first thing." Ruby mentioned.
"Yeah that's right. Who you think Goodwitch will let Jaune pummel today?"
"I haven't pummeled anyone Yang."
"Then what would you call it Jaune?"
"I'd call it finally winning."
"You should take more credit for what you've accomplished Jaune." Pyrrha chimed in. "I mean yes you're winning, but you're doing it in a way none of us could."
"And faster, don't forget faster." Nora added between bites of pancake.
"And yes faster."
"I still don't feel like it's that big of a deal. I'm just using what I'm good with."
"Jaune, saying you're just good with that stuff," Yang chimed in, "is like saying I only have good hair. Its an understatement of epic proportions."
"It's still not that big a . . ."
"Jaune," Pyrrha interrupted, "you've never won a match before, and now you've done it twice in a row. That's a big deal to us."
"It's not. I was tired of being the weakest link of our team. I need to change that."
"You were never the weakest link." commented Pyrrha, as Jaune watched all his friends nodding in agreement to her statement. "Whether you believe us or not, you never were."
"I . . ."
"We best get going. Class starts shortly, and we need ring side seats to see who Vomit-boy's next victim; er opponent is going to be." Yang smiled as she stood up.
The rest of them followed suit, gathering their trays and following Yang's lead. Trash in the trash, plates in the wash bin, trays piled on one another; and one by one they followed each other out the doors into the hallway.
/=/
"Jaune Arc and Weiss Schnee." was the call for the fifth match of the day. Jaune stood followed by Weiss as they separately made their way down to the combat ring.
"I did not see this coming." muttered Yang, a little down about her earlier comment in the cafeteria.
Weiss stood on her side of the ring trying to read what Jaune was going to do. She knew he would summon something, but what? She was sure it wouldn't be any of the cards he had shown them last night. Those were ones he had no control over, so it would have to be one of the ones he did have mastery of. Drawing Myrtenaster she spun the dust chamber. And made a decision. Two could play at the summoning game.
"Start."
Weiss paid no attention to sigil forming by Jaune's right shoulder. Nor did she pay heed to the card he seemed to pull from thin air. She solely concentrated on her own gifts. Drawing in a deep breath she focused, and as Jaune allowed his card to drift upwards she pushed the tip of her weapon into the dirt of the combat circle.
The students watched in silence as a glyph formed before the SDC heiress and a red sigil formed before Jaune. Slowly rising from the glyph came the pale white form of a massive armored knight.
"Armored Gigas"
"Heavenly Defender."
A winged and cowled human like figure holding a massive kite shield materialized before Jaune. Class was struck silent. Before each student now stood a towering figure.
"You're not the only one you know." shouted Weiss as she prepared to order her gigas to attack.
"Never said I was." replied Jaune as another card appeared in his hand. "Heavenly Avenger."
"What how?" Weiss and for that matter no one else had ever seen Jaune use two separate summons before. Yes they had seen one that contained multiple creatures, but never two separate entities. With a flick of her wrist Weiss sent her gigas barreling forward; sword raised to strike.
The class watched dumbfounded as the defender moved in shield first while the avenger fell back. The gigas blow rang loud and true as it impacted the massive shield, and Weiss had to struggle to have it recover as the avenger swooped in from the side. The avenger's blade was blocked by the gigas' sword almost a fraction too late, but it was left open; allowing for the defender to bash it sideways with its kite shield. Knocked back and off balance it had no time to react when the avenger swung its blade low.
Knowing she was outmatched Weiss spun the chamber on Mystraster. If she couldn't out summon him, then she'd just have to out maneuver him. A glyph appeared at her feet and as she ducked low she noticed a sigil also appearing. Taking the briefest of seconds to look up she saw Jaune pointing in her direction.
"Lighting Sand." Her glyph broke suddenly as her feet sank into the dirt of the combat ring.
Try as she might she found she was unable to break free, but was also sinking further the more she struggled. With the sound of shattering crystal she knew her gigas had been defeated. Looking up from where she had been staring at her feet she saw Jaune approach flanked by his defender and avenger. Stopping just out of reach of her weapon, he squatted down and smiled his goofy friendly smile.
"Yield?" he asked.
"Yield." she replied as she was now almost shin deep into the ground.
"Winner Jaune Arc." Professor Goodwitch announced as Jaune reached out to give Weiss a hand to free herself from his trap.
"What just happened?" Yang asked.
"Looks like Jaune won, again." replied Blake.
As the pair left the ring, Weiss finally free of Jaune's impromptu trap; Jaune staggered. Weiss thinking quickly grabbed him by the sleeve of his jacket, preventing him from completely collapsing. Pyrrha was at their sides in an instant quickly followed by Ruby.
"Jaune?"
"I'm fine."
"You're not fine, you just about fell flat on your face." retorted Weiss.
"Just clumsy I guess."
"That was not you being clumsy." commented Pyrrha. "What's going on Jaune?"
"Nothing . .. just a little light headed."
"Is there something the matter Miss Neikos? Miss Schnee?" came professor Goodwitch's voice.
"It's Jaune, he just about collapsed." Pyrrha replied. Without a pause Professor Goodwitch approached as Jaune weaved on his feet once again.
"Get him to a chair." Glynda directed as she closed the last few meters. Normally she would just give a student leave for the infirmary, but that was with lacerations; and minor injuries. Never once had she sent a student out who was collapsing or unconscious. If Pyrrha Neikos was correct about Jaune's nearly collapsing she wasn't sure she wanted him to risk the trip, at least until she could look at him; and maybe get a sense how serious this was.
Once seated Jaune tried to wave everyone off. Only to have Glynda grab him by the jaw and tilt his head. She looked into his eyes.
"Are you okay Mister Arc?"
"Just a little light headed."
"Light headed?"
"If I hadn't caught him the first time he would have hit the floor." reported Weiss.
"Thank you Miss Schnee. Is that true Mister Arc?" Glynda kept her grip on his jaw and continued to peer into his eyes.
"No, yes, maybe?" he sounded confused.
"Jaune you need to see the nurse." commented Pyrrha.
"Miss Neikos is right, you should see the nurse."
"I'll be fine, I just need to . . ." Jaune slumped, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. If it wasn't for Glynda's hold upon his jaw he would have slid to the floor.
"Call the nurse." Glynda commanded as she released her grip and grabbed him by his collar with her free hand.
Ruby pulled her scroll out and quickly punched in the number for Beacon's emergency line, while behind and around her the rest of team RWBY and JNPR stood. In fact everyone in class was craning their necks to see what was going on.
"Hey what gives? When I was hurt you just sent me to . . ."
"Not NOW mister Winchester!" Glynda snapped as she tried to control Jaune's limp form. "Help me get him to the floor."
Pyhrra and Weiss both stepped in and assisted professor Goodwitch with the move. Finally with him flat on the floor Glynda could release her grip on his collar.
"Nurse?"
"On her way."
"Okay. Good." Glynda stood straight and adjusted her askew glasses before addressing the class. "In light of recent events I'm giving you all an early dismissal."
The sounds of chairs being pushed and books gather surrounded them, as the other students filed out; leaving team JNPR and RWBY alone with Professor Goodwitch. Standing up Glynda moved to her desk and picked up her own scroll. Quickly she thumbed through her contact list. Finding the one she wanted she thumbed the connect icon.
As they waited for the nurse and for whatever the professor was doing, Blake gathered up the team's discarded uniform jackets and placed them like a pillow under his head. Pyrrha knelt beside him holding his hand and gentle stroking the side of his face.
"Anyone have an idea what happened?" asked Blake in a hushed tone.
"He was exhausted last night when he came back to the dorm," replied Ren, "but he seemed fine this morning."
As the group fell into silence the door to the classroom opened and in hurried walked one of the school's nurses. Glynda still waiting on her scroll pointed her in the proper direction.