Well here is another chapter. I really enjoyed writing this one and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. But for any of you that are artists, I have a description of Jaune's new look in this chapter if you want to draw him for yourself. So without further obstruction, here is chapter three!
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Jaune has no idea why he ever thought this might be the same as Beacon. It would have been lessons and homework if that were the case. Maybe some large lunches and a few sleepovers with other teams or something. He would have had friends his age who would all have been super cool and skilled and totally awesome. He would have loved getting to know his partner today and getting himself ready to try and achieve in class. It would have been amazing.
That is what he thought about as he groaned and drug himself from the grass. His whole body was aching in a way he hadn't felt before. But oddly enough, something burned inside of him that made him return to his feet time after time. Tai made sure he trained first with Qrow, something about wanting to see what he had to work with. Jaune slipped forward with his shield and sword up in what he thought was a better active position. Qrow easily made him throw that idea out the window as he used the tip of Harbinger to direct Crocea Mors past him all while he drove his knee up into Jaune's stomach.
"Well you sure do have a spirit kid." Qrow says in a flat tone as his free hand gripped Jaune's wrist. "But your skill in combat just doesn't exist yet. You have a tough weapon to learn on compared to most other kids. Maybe if you stole a gun and a combat knife you might have natural ability." Qrow finished by twisting Jaune around by his wrist and swiping his legs out from under him.
"Wait a minute Qrow… You might be onto something." Tai says his first words all morning while stepping down off his porch. "You can train him to use his sword better, sure, but until he gets good enough and learns enough form to get adept in that, maybe we should teach him like we teach kids at Signal. Start with basic weapons to see if he has talent elsewhere, and focus on those so he has a back-up to lean on." Tai says now standing by Qrow and extending a hand to Jaune.
"H-hold on a second… How would that work? Qrow uses a sword, which is a gun. So I get that I could maybe learn marksmanship from him. But neither of you uses a knife, so who would teach me that?" Jaune asks, taking Tai's hand and helping himself up.
"Come on kid, use your brain." Qrow says flicking Jaune's forehead. "We didn't pick our weapon choices the day we started and stick with them forever. The first weapon I ever touched was a revolver. I can shoot a bottle cap off of a fencepost, or out of the air even, if I had one in my hands. Then when I got a little older I picked up a machete for a while. Yeah, sure it eventually turned into a sword, but that doesn't change the fact that I can use several types of weapons."
"Admittedly Jaune, I was the weakest member of team STRQ when we all began our Beacon years. I was adept with my fists by then but I constantly got too deep in fights and had to lean on a baton I made in the forges. It wasn't until my third year that I eventually donated the thing to the Beacon armory. You see Jaune, while many consider the sword and shield to be easier to learn, neither of us know how to help you master it. Odds are, you are gonna learn Qrow's style of swordsmanship. And I am sure you can tell he does not use a shield." Tai says gesturing to both Jaune's sword and Qrow's.
"So what am I going to learn from you then? If Qrow is how I am going to learn weapon use, then what do I do with you while he is away?" Jaune says taking a few deep breaths while wiping his sweat from his brow.
"I never said I wasn't teaching you combat Jaune, I am just not going to teach you the Sword. I am one of the most accomplished close combatants in Vale, so you are going to be learning a lot of hand to hand techniques and motion based combat. I can even teach you close range bludgeon weapons. In fact I can teach you Knife combat too, that is a class option we teach at Signal. And if I still have any favours left that are worth a damn, I can get you a firearms teacher." Tai says walking back towards the house. "You two should get liquids and do something worthwhile, I am heading to work. It is almost eight now." Tai says grabbing his jacket from inside the door and walking off down the trail.
Jaune had never considered most of the things that both the older huntsmen had mentioned. It made sense now that he put more thought into it. One can't hope to just start learning advanced skills when they have no foundation. Sure, most combatants say sword and shield combat is easier to grasp. But they have tools and experience that Jaune just doesn't. He can barely keep himself in a combat stance. So having options could very much help him. A comparison jumped to mind. What if he wanted to carve a pumpkin in extreme detail. He would try using a few knives and maybe a little saw. Maybe he would even make a pretty cool pumpkin. But lo and behold, someone who had many more specialized tools carved a pumpkin so damn amazing he felt like smashing his.
So that is what he needed now. He needs to learn to use more tools. What he doesn't have in pure skill and talent, he can make up for in variety and abundance. If he can't stand evenly on the battlefield with those his age, he will just have to find ways to tip the scales in his favour.
"I think you need a breather kid. All that thinking is making you look constipated." Qrow says smacking Jaune's back before walking towards the trail Tai left down. "I know what we can do to get you relaxed."
"I do not look constipated!" Jaune says with a flush as he stumbles after Qrow." And what do you mean relaxed? I am totally relaxed!"
"Tenderized is not relaxed, kid. Plus, Patch has a good mall. Me and the girls used to go there when they were younger. We can get you a few essentials." Qrow says stolling with his hands in his pockets.
"Hey Qrow, can you answer a question for me?" Jaune asks sheepishly.
"Sure kid, hit me."
"Your niece Yang… She seemed to, well she seemed to disapprove of this whole thing. I know she was trying to hide it and obviously she didn't bring it up to you guys yesterday. I just was wondering why that might be."
"Woah, loaded question there…" Qrow began while sighing. "Well, Yang has always been strong. And I mean that in all ways. She is strong physically, emotionally, and is stubborn as hell. She has been that way so long, maybe she just doesn't get why you are trying to get started so late. She sees you not for your aspirations and what you will be, but instead she sees you as you are now. So don't take it personally, she is a teenage girl. Most of her opinions are quickly made and last random amounts of time." Qrow says waving dismissively.
"Do you think she is wrong? I mean I get it. She has worked for years to get where she is, and from what I have heard she is insanely good for our age. All that, and then she meets me. Who hasn't had a day of training under my belt. I must seem ridiculously in over my head." Jaune states while shaking his head.
"Well. You are." Qrow says flatly. Instantly stopping in his tracks.
Jaune stops as well with a curious look aimed at the back of Qrow's head.
"I have seen a lot in my life Jaune. I have seen hordes of Grimm large enough to scare even the hardest of Huntsmen. I have seen frontier villages rise and fall. I have done battle with a lot of enemies. But one thing comes to my mind right now. Years ago, I was in Vacuo escorting a group of settlers from the city out to the shore settlements. I was the only trained fighter there. Was going great honestly. But towards the end we had bandits jump us. I dealt with most of them, but I took a beating. Afterall, a dozen to one isn't a fair odds." Qrow says starting on his way again.
"How does this relate to me?" Jaune asks.
"Well the fighting was over and I sent them packing. But I had no Aura left and I had pretty bad bruising on my left side that was getting to me. Well anyway, all the negativity from the commotion brought the Grimm. I fought for hours in that shape. It got to the point I thought we were all screwed. They were closing in droves and I was exhausted. Then something insane happened. The oldest of the settlers, well into his sixties, picked up a shovel and joined me. He had no Aura, he had no training. He was so in over his head that it was ridiculous he even dared. But as those Creeps and Beowolves came at us, he knocked them down for me to finish off. He wasn't strong enough to kill them or even hold his own, but he did it anyway."
"I-what are you trying to say Qrow?"
"I am saying that you are just like him. You are in a position that no one in their right minds would put themselves in, with tools and experiences not suited for your task. But this morning when I was wailing on you, you got back up again. Not once or twice, but every time. You had no right to think about continuing, but you did anyway." Qrow said, chuckling a little.
"So me being in over my head is a good thing?" Jaune asks.
"Absolutely not, but at the same time yes. It's not in the sense that you are going to have the hardest time ever. But it is because it shows your character kid. It shows you are suited to the absolute torture we are going to put you through, that you are going to be forged into something suited for huntsmen level combat and more. That is why I want you to stop worrying if you are ready or not now. Instead, start thinking on what you want from all this." Qrow says as they walk out into open ground. In a few hundred feet, their shoes met asphalt as they crossed into the outskirts of town.
They walked down main taking in the sights. There were a lot of bed and breakfast motels, and diners were common. Though there were some little shops, a general store stuck out. Jaune liked little places like this. It reminded him of the places his family used to go to on vacation. His Dad was a sucker for places like this. Eventually they came to a mall, which was decent sized. Of course it was nothing like the mega-mall in Vale, but for a small island with a few towns, it was impressive.
Once inside, Qrow led them to two shops that were in the back end of the mall. One was simply titled 'Weapons for Wannabe Huntsmen'. Qrow smirked and guided Jaune into the store.
"This doesn't seem like the sort of place to sell reliable equipment…" Jaune says looking at the dusty shelves and old posters of older model mecha-shift parts.
"Nonsense kid. Yang and Ruby both came here with me to get parts a million times. It may seem odd but this guy runs a great shop." Qrow says ringing the bell on the front glass counter.
Jaune saw a thin older gentleman walk in from the back with a case in his hands. He saw Qrow and smiled, showing off his yellowed teeth and wrinkled face.
"Well hello again young man! It sure has been a fair hop since you've been in here." The old man said, extending his hand over the counter to shake Qrow's hand.
"Yeah it has Earl, I haven't been on Patch in a while. You hear that the girls left for Beacon yesterday morning?" Qrow says as if he was seeing an old friend. To Jaune's knowledge they very well could be.
"Oh! Couldn't say I did, but ain't that something? That little Rose sure did live up to your teachings didn't she? But alas, who is this strapping fellow you have dragged into my shop?" Earl says extending his hand towards Jaune.
"I'm Jaune, Jaune Arc sir. I am Qrow and Taiyang's new student." Jaune introduces himself with a firm handshake.
"I see! Well I can't say they have ever had a student outside of the Family. But you could pass as Tai's family in a heartbeat." Earl says while putting the case down and dusting off the counter.
"Holy dust!" Jaune exclaimed.
Inside the case, previously covered in dust, was an entire assortment of the newest mecha-shift components and design template books. The parts were pristine and the complexity of the blueprint ideas were mindblowing.
"Told you kid, Earl runs a great shop." Qrow says. "So Earl, the kid needs something easy to use and that can surprise an opponent as a secondary. I have the Lien to get a few options, so size him up."
With that, Earl walks around the counter and gently grips Jaune's shoulders. With a few looks and examinations of the boy, Earl steps back and holds up Crocea Mors. With a calm ease the old man drew the blade and expanded the shield as if he had wielded the weapon millions of times. He walked back to the back of the shop and put several items from a large weapon rack that covered the back wall onto the shield, effectively using it as a tray. Then he hefted the load back to the front and set everything down onto the counter.
"Well first off, the boy is definitely not suited for a finesse weapon. So anything sly and tricky is out. He is scraggly now, but with some muscle definition he will be strong as or stronger than Tai. So a forceful and or brutal style will be most efficient for him. He isn't going to be running up walls and slipping under attacks like you do, but if he fights as dirty and vicious as you, he could do a few things well. Secondly, this shield, do you know how to use it boy?" Earl rambled.
"Uh… No sir, I am new." Jaune says embarrassed.
"None of that boy, you may feel bad now but you have two extremely high level mentors. You will be fine. So, if you can't use the shield I suggest you don't. Keep it in its sheath form and only use it as a last resort. But that said, I am adding a handle to the side of the shield. You can expand it and it will still work fine, but in sheath form, this handle will allow you to use it as a bludgeon. Along with that, I am giving you two options for a secondary. This is a standard combat knife." Earl says holding the small weapon out to Jaune.
Taking it in hand, Jaune pulled the blade from it's plastic sheath. The blade was around six inches long and had an edge on both sides of the blade. It tapered to a point, and had six or so serrations towards the base of the blade on each side. They were fine enough they wouldn't weaken the knife, but big enough they wouldn't break easily. Jaune found that it fit well in his hand and had an odd slot in the flat-round pommel.
"What is this?" Jaune asked, pointing to the feature.
"That is the Dust cartridge slot kid, put whatever you want in there and then sheath the blade. When you next pull it out, the blade will be coated in that dust type. Useful if you know who you are going against, everyone has a weakness you can exploit, usually having the right kind of dust in your arsenal can shift the fight." Qrow says.
"Yes indeed. But along with those I have two other things for you to try out. I know that your style will make use of being close and interrupting the flow of your foe. So along with that knife, I want you to try out this." Earl says sliding something wrapped up in cloth.
Pulling the cloth away Jaune found himself looking at a bulky vambrace. Armor Jaune was used to, so what was the catch?
"That goes on your left arm, it has three Dust cartridge slots for variety. Whenever you need to create space or set an enemy off balance, aim your fist at them and angle it upwards." Earl says while taking Crocea mors' shield to the back along with an ergonomic grip.
Curious, Jaune slipped the Vambrace on and tightened it. On the inner-arm side, three circular slots sat up higher on his forearm, all angled down towards his wrist. At wrist level was a slim metal tube that stopped before it protruded to impede his wrist mobility. Jaune made a fist and moved the fist back till his knuckles pointed to the ceiling. The slim tube then extended out a little more and the tip split to slide slightly away from each other. The entire action was instantaneous. Much like pulling the trigger of a gun and watching the hammer slam down. He also noticed that caps slid down over the openings of the cartridge slots. Most likely they had built in firing pins. Which made Jaune question.
"Qrow, do you think that I could put shotgun shells in here?" Jaune asks.
"I mean, they are the same size, and would most likely go off with the trigger. But those slots are connected to the muzzle by pressure tubes so most likely if you fired one through it, it would tear those open and probably shred the components on the way out." Qrow says grabbing a few boxes of Dust cartridges. The shotgun shells filled with metal and fire dust sat there next to them undisturbed.
"So only in a last resort kind of way then. I guess that scratches that off." Jaune says shrugging.
Qrow helped Jaune pick out a utility belt that would better hold his sword, while also holding several Dust cartridges around his waist. His combat knife was strapped to the outside of his calf now too. He actually kind of looked like he was prepared. Of course Qrow made him take it all off and put it on the counter so Earl could ring it all up later.
"Well kid i'd say that this will give you better options. It doesn't take a genius to work your fist back, and with how that thing will bark I doubt you have to be deadly accurate. Plus, Tai can teach you to use that knife better than Atlas Special Forces. Get all that down well, and my sword teachings will add to it all nicely. And if the handle Earl is attaching is good like I think it will be, then Tai can teach you to use it as if it were a Baton. So I call this a success." Qrow says drinking from his flask.
Jaune did not mean to stare at it, but the symbol was intriguing.
"No you can't have any. And not because of your age, but because this is mine. I know you can drink with the best of them first hand." Qrow says laughing. "I can tell that we are going to be good drinking buddies, kid. Tai would kill me if he found out I was drinking with Yang. SO I never did. Oh that reminds me!" Qrow says reaching behind him and diving his hand between his waist and weapon.
Jaune was caught off guard when a pack of Dust-cigarettes were placed in his hands.
"I-I have never smoked before." Jaune says staring at the red and white box.
"Yeah well I found it in Yang's room. Only one was missing, so I guess she didn't like them. Plus, those have been changed over the years. Almost completely harmless now, some study a year or two back said that you would have to smoke a few hundred packs of these a week to see any kind of damage. Plus when I unlock your Aura you won't even be harmed at all. So no harm done." Qrow says.
Jaune couldn't help but feel that Qrow wouldn't do this if it didn't mean something. So he decided to keep them, and to show he appreciated the gift, on the way home he would try one out. His hand slid the box of cigs into his hoodie pocket and then Earl came back from the back room.
"Well the handle is sturdier than the sheath, and that was hard to do. For how old this thing is, it is remarkably pristine. And I took a look at the blade too, that is a finer blade than I have ever seen. The smithy that made it must have been one heck of a craftsman." Earl said after handing Jaune back his weapon.
The sheath fit back to his old belt snugly and felt good. The end of the sheath, right up against the crossguard of his blade, now had a sabre-type handle. It stuck forward, most likely so that he would just have to grip it and pull it up into a fighting stance. It was nice, and when Jaune expanded the shield, the handle sat on the right edge out of the way. It was practical.
(Example)
"Well I really like this sir, I can't thank you enough for all of this. I will be sure to put it all to good use." Jaune says bagging everything and shaking Earl's hand.
"Well with Qrow Branwen smacking you around you will need to. But it was a pleasure son, I wish you luck." Earl responded letting Jaune go and gesturing for Qrow to hand him his scroll.
Earl swiftly swiped Qrow's scroll across a wireless reader and charged him Lien. Though Jaune could not see the amount, Qrow visibly smirked when he got his scroll back and checked his account. With a quick wave to Earl, Qrow led Jaune outside and they walked to the nearest Kiosk. They ordered some hot-dogs and found themselves sat on the edge of the fountain in the center of the mall. Some kids ran around them while playing tag or some game similar to it.
"You know he was right, at a glance you could pass as Tai's kin. The jaw is different, but with some color contacts you could play some funny pranks." Qrow says pointing to Jaune's head.
"Yeah, and have him beating my head in when I come home." Jaune says with a scoff and a smile.
"So it feels like home?" Qrow asks with a mouthful of food.
"W-well is guess. I don't know why but it does in a way. I feel at ease at the cabin, or when I am around you and Taiyang. I am not getting hounded by family and I am not trying my best to be invisible. I only ever felt this way when I was around Saphron. She was always trying to take care of me and fend off the wolves." Jaune says casually.
"A younger sister?" Qrow says after swallowing.
"No, she is my only older sister. Dove Saphron Arc is one of the best humans on the planet." Jaune says laughing.
Qrow visibly froze, but it was gone so fast Jaune couldn't say whether it happened or not. It might have been his eyes playing tricks on him.
"Anyway kid, I have to know one thing… Who on Remnant let you dress this way?" Qrow says subtly changing the subject.
"Hey! When I ran away from home I grabbed what was on top of my clean laundry. I only have the two pairs of clothes in my backpack at the cabin. So my bad if I don't live up to your standard." Jaune says mocking a look of defiance.
"Well that settles that, we are getting you clothes now. And most likely burning your other stuff when we get home." Qrow says standing.
"Hey, I happen to like this Hoodie-" Jaune says before snapping his hand out to catch one of the kids by his shirt. The boy had been falling.
"Are you okay?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah! Thanks, I just tripped on something I think." The young boy said trying to look for said thing but not finding anything at all. "Huh, I guess it was just bad luck then."
"Be careful!" Jaune shouted out as the children ran off.
"Well then let's go kid. I am going to get you some clothes that are gonna make the ladies swoon and your foes intimidated!" Qrow says looping his arm around Jaune's neck.
…..
Yang could honestly say that her first day of Beacon had been a blast. Sure, there had been rough patches but overall things were looking good. Ruby and her landed on the same team, so score! Blake, her new partner, was really neat too. She was a heck of a fighter and once they got to know each other better she bets Blake will be her best friend. Ruby will have a tougher time with Weiss-cream though. Her frozen attitude was nasty to say the least.
Yang was laying on her bunk in team RWBY's dorm trying to sleep but just found herself lost in thought. She was sure comfortable though. She was in her lilac tank-top and board shorts. The others wore more conservative night clothes but she loves being cool at night so she dressed this way. She was about to doze when her scroll buzzed next to her. With a groan she grabbed it and slid it open before seeing she has a text. From Drunkle Qrow no less.
I saved your ass with those cigs. Plus, they look better on the kid anyway.-Qrow
Along with that was a picture. It was the boy she met yesterday, James? No, Jaune!. But she had to admit if she hadn't met him before she might not have recognized him. He had his mop of blonde hair slicked back with gel, and a lit cigarette hanging from his lips. Speaking of his lips, they were formed in a confident smirk. His clothes from before were gone too. In place of the hoodie, he wore a sapphire button up shirt. Over the shirt was a form fitting black vest that had class. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to the elbow with the cuffs pointed back. His faded jeans had been replaced with black slacks much like her Uncle's.
The pants flowed nicely down to his shoes. Which were black dress shoes that had obvious changes. The laces were sapphire blue and the shoes definitely had more grip on the bottom than most which led her to believe that they were multi-purpose. At his waist was a stylish but tactical black utility belt. Which had a combat knife on one hip, and his sword on the other. The extra handle spoke of upgrades. On his bare left forearm was a vambrace. From her angle it was just a smooth piece of silver steel with straps securing it to his arm. Most likely him knowing his left side was weaker and needing more protection. But overall, she couldn't help but admit the guy looked like a stud. Qrow was useless most of the time, but Yang knew that when it comes down to fighting and dressing correctly, her Uncle had it in spades.
Other than that, Yang shut her device down and settled in with one thought in mind.
I wonder what Dad and Qrow are gonna make of him.
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I hope you guys loved this, because I sure as hell did. Like I mentioned earlier I would love for you guys to make art of this story, I sure know I will be making plenty of art from the content I write for this. I am always doing something. So if you feel like doing that, you have all the permission in the world. Anyway, see you tomorrow with the second chapter of the week.!
-SlyShorty