Chapter III

The Inn of the Dead

Anima, a continent of immense dangers but also a holder of immense beauty. From the tropical shores to the deep green forests and snowy vales, Anima is a continent full of natural majesty. Such peace and tranquility were never seen inside the Kingdoms, nature can provide a sense of serenity that allows you to calm your heart and mind, flow as softly as the wind and grow slowly like the small sprouts that one day will become strong and imposing trees.

South of Lake Matsu, a small waterfall ran its course to a small lagoon and beside it Ruby was sitting on a rock, her eyes closed as she meditated as instructed by her mentor. Maria wasted no time on training Ruby, they were at a brief moment of peace but she knew it wouldn't last long. Ruby´s silver eyes were the only hope humanity had to survive the forces of darkness, and as a former Silver Eyes Warrior herself, it was her duty to pass down her teachings to the next generation of protectors of the innocent.

"Keep breathing, slowly. Focus on the sound of the water. Let your mind get clear of any thought" Maria said, but her apprentice wasn't much of the patient type.

"How much longer?" Ruby said while opening one of her eyes, just to be met with a hit on her head by Maria´s cane. "Ouch!".

"You are getting distracted" Maria responded with a serious tone and continued "Now, start over. Breath and clear your mind". Ruby stopped rubbing her head and nodded to her master, she closed her eyes again and did as told.

"We are bringers of light, Ruby. It is our duty to protect those who can't protect themselves. We protect not only their lives but their memories. It is that kindness, that joy and love what makes us strong. We treasure the memories of those we still stand with us and those who are gone and use them to defend everyone´s future." Maria explained as Ruby managed to clear her mind, feel the wind engulfing her body and hear the birds singing in the distance.

"What I want you to do is think of 3 of your dear memories. They don't have to be your dearest but they have to be strong enough to give your heart warm" Maria explained as she moved on to place three small cages around Ruby at a reasonable distance, each cage was placed in such way that she could only have 1 cage in her immediate field of view at the time.

"When I give you the signal, you will open and close your eyes quickly. Pay attention to your surroundings. Use your ears to locate your targets". Maria said. Ruby stood up in anticipation, but never losing focus, she had already thought of some of her happiest memories and she was holding them near her heart,

"Ready? Now!" Maria signaled to Ruby as she opened on of the small cages and ran to the next one. Form the cage a small Death Stalker ran in a frenzy, aiming straight to attack Ruby, but keeping her calm Ruby turned to the left towards the Grimm and opened her eyes. Her Silver eyes flashed with blinding light, disintegrating the small Death Stalker in an instant. Ruby closed her eyes as instructed and turned to another cage having heard it opening before. Opening her eyes once more silver light burned a second death stalker. For the third one, Ruby had to move faster, she heard wings flapping after the third cage was open. She followed the sound of the wings coming from behind and above her before opening her eyes, the light shining on a small Nevermore and turning it into ash.

"Nicely done, hothead. How do you feel?" Maria congratulated her student for a job well done.

"I feel great. I don't feel dizzy like I normally do" Ruby stated. Ever since she started using her Silver Eyes, she had the tendency to feel weak after each use, passing out on the more intense cases, but thanks to experience and training, she has been enduring this weakness more and more.

"Well, that's the idea. That is a technic my father called Silver Flash. It is basic Silver Eyes Warrior stuff. Basically, you reduce the tax of using your Silver Eyes by opening and closing your eyes quickly. The effect is reduced of course, you will only be able to affect around 3 Grimm at the time and they have to be at a short range but you will only feel tired the more you use it. You used 3 memories, but with time you will only need 1 strong one and simply blink to get the same result. Silver Flash will help you train your activation time as well. You told me how long you took to activate them with the Leviathan" Maria explained and she picked up her cages.

"Thank you. I really appreciate all your help" Ruby thanked her master who smiled before responding.

"Don't thank me. I mean I'm awesome at this teaching thing, but you aren't half bad either." Maria responded jokingly before asking "So tell me, what memories you used?"

"Oh. Well the first three that came to my head where: The night Weiss and I became friends, we had a bit of a rough start but that night she brought me a bit of coffee and we patched things out, she told me how she believed in me and that she would be the best teammate I would ever have, from then on we became best friends; The other one was when I became friends with my friend Penny, she was a…lonely and weird girl but had one of the purest heart I've ever seen. And the last one was the day I reunited with Jaune in Argus. At a time I was struggling to make friends at Beacon he became my first friend and as time passed we became closer and closer, but ever since the fall…he hasn't been well, which is why when I saw him at Argus I loved seeing him smile again, it was so long since I last saw him like that. Those are some of my dearest memories." Ruby answered with a smile and bit of nostalgia on her voice. Thinking about her friends and all the love she had for them and they had for her always filled her with joy.

Maria chuckled a little. She realized how much love Ruby held for her friends and as she said, it was that love, those memories what gave them strengths and with all the love she had Ruby was clearly the strongest person she had ever met.

"I remember that last one. The poor boy looked like he was going to cry. I wonder how he is doing" Maria remarked with a smile.

Ruby responded with a bit of an annoyed tone "Well he probably is lost in the middle of nowhere thanks to the lunatic you let him go with".

Maria laughed at the idea; she was open with how hilarious she thought Jaune´s situation was "Hahaha. Yeah most likely. But don't worry, Donny is not a lunatic. He is just enthusiastic…And reckless…And dumb…Well, very dumb, and…what's the word I'm looking for?"

"Nuts?" Ruby said in a sarcastic tone.

"There you go! But I wouldn't call him a lunatic." Maria said while chuckling but only got an annoyed look from her apprentice. "Oh relax. Your friend will be fine. Donny isn't a push over, you know? he might not look like it but he can handle himself in a fight. Besides I'm sure he has become more responsible with age".

"GIVE ME BACK MY HAT! YOU OVER SIZE STUFFED ANIMAL!" Dominique yelled while riding on the back of an Ursa, grabbing on to its neck. The Ursa had his hat on its mouth and was trying to shake him off violently. On a wild move, Dominique was sent flying in the air and landed hard on the ground. Jaune rushed to his master´s aid worried he might have gotten injured.

"Sir! Are you ok?" Jaune asked but before he could get an answer, the Ursa caught his attention. The Grimm, still with the hat in its mouth got ready to charge at the two huntsmen. Jaune got his shield ready to take the Ursa´s attack head on. The Ursa charged, savage rage could be seen in its face but before it reached them, Dominique stood up.

"Cover your ears, boy!" Dominique said. Realizing what he was about to do, Jaune quickly did as instructed and Dominique put his fingers in his mouth to let out a whistle. The Ursa was gaining speed but it suddenly made a quick shake with its head, affected by Dominique´s Semblance, it took a turn and charged straight to a nearby tree, slamming its head against it and falling to the ground. Jaune then took the change and stabbed the Grimm on the back of the head, killing it instantly. As the Ursa turned to dust, Dominique retrieved his hat and celebrated their victory.

"Haha! In your face you dirty hat stealer! That´s what you get for daring to challenge u…Arg" Dominique said, but his celebration was cut short due a painful feeling coming from his leg, he did get injure during the fight much to Jaune´s worry.

"Mr. Cervantes!" Jaune yelled as he rushed to help his master before he could fall to the ground again.

"I'm ok, kid. Arg... I guess I'm getting a little old, hehe" Dominique said with his usual joking voice.

"You have to sit down. I'll take care of it". Jaune told to his injured master as he sat him down on the floor. The wound was a rough bruise on the knee, when he fell, he slammed it with a rock he fell on to and while his aura prevented him from outright breaking it his old age made the wound still severe. At his age the wound would have caused permanent damage to Dominique´s leg. Fortunately, Jaune´s Semblance allowed him to boost a person´s aura to the extent of healing even mortal wounds. This surprised Dominique, it was the first time he had seen Jaune´s Semblance in action and was amazed at the strength of it as it completely healed his wound without even leaving any trace of it.

"Wow. Now that is a Semblance, kid. I feel amazing! So full of life!" Dominique said as he stood up and started flexing his arms.

"Thanks, I boosted your Aura to heal you so you might feel an energy rush for a while. Do me a favor and try not to use your Semblance. I almost died last time and I really don't want to know what it can do while it is like that" Jaune said to his master, but this just made him more excited for the potential of his apprentice.

"Haha! You really are full of surprises, my boy" Dominique said, his excitement gave him an idea, it's been a week since they have started their journey and Dominique was yet to fulfil one of his promises to Jaune, but that was about to change. "Tell you what kid, let's put this energy rush thing to good use" Dominque said to a confused Jaune. "Grab the bags and leave them over that tree, then bring your sword and meet me up that hill. We have some training to do!".

Jaune did as told, he left the bags below a tree and rushed up a hill to meet his master. His heart was beating fast. More than anything Jaune had been looking forward to learning combat from a Legendary Huntsman, and even though he no longer thought Dominique was such thing, personal training with a pro huntsman was an opportunity not many had and he needed. Jaune got to the top of the hill and there Dominique was waiting for him sitting under a single big tree with a smile on his face, it was clear he was also anticipating this moment.

Dominique stood up and instructed his student "Now, lad, walk over there and I'll stand on this side. Are you familiar with sparing matches?".

"Yes, Sir. We had that class at Beacon" Jaune answered, although he omitted the part where he was never good at it. Jaune´s memory of those days at Beacon started to cross his mind, the many times he fought the likes of Cardin and lost, but that was a long time ago, he wasn't going to let that thought distract him from his current match.

"Great, then I don't have much to explain. Get your sword up and come at me when you are ready. Let me see what you can do" Dominique said with confidence. On his right hand he held his sword, an arming sword with a short flat cross guard and a circular blunt pommel and on his left a circular shield made out of metal but painted brown as to make it look like wood but with a steel colored edge and on it painted in white, Dominque´s personal emblem, a burning windmill.

The two huntsmen adopted their initial stances. Shields up and swords ready.

Dominic shouted "Now!" and the match began. Jaune went straight for the offensive, slashing from the top on a downward angle. Dominic however didn't block the attack but rather evaded it doing a spin move, placing himself at the right position to strike Jaune on the shoulder. Jaune reacted quickly, parring Dominic´s strike with his sword but Dominic´s strike moved Jaune´s sword and he followed with a small jump and a shield strike, hitting Jaune on the shoulder with the edge of his shield.

"You are a tall guy, kid! Why did you bow that low?! DO I LOOK LIKE A QUEEN TO YOU?! Recover and try again!" Dominic instructed his student. Jaune backed out with his shield up and charged for a second attack. Jaune remembered his training with Pyrrha, shield up and putting his right foot forward he slashed with his sword from right to left and back again for a second strike, Dominic blocked both slashes and went for a thrust but Jaune quickly put his right foot back and blocked it. "Atta boy!" Dominique said impressed at his student´s defense.

Master and Student clashed a few more times. Jaune managed to block all the strikes Dominique delivered, but the Huntsman in turn swiftly danced in the battlefield, evading some attacks and blocking others. They continued for a few minutes before they backed off once more. Jaune waited to see Dominic´s next stance, while lacking in combat skill, Jaune was a talented strategist, given enough time he would be able to find his opponent´s weakness and exploit it…given enough time that is. Dominic didn't take another sword stance though, instead he placed his sword inside a socket in his round shield, "Now, lad…Bring it on!". Jaune took these words to heart and charged at his master, but was caught off guard by Dominique whose shield started transforming, the shield unfolded taking the form of a staff while the sword was taken to its tip, turning the weapons into a spear. Dominique charged at Jaune, thrusting his spear at him, Jaune was forced to stop right on his tracks to block the attack which Dominique took advantage of by spinning the spear striking with both ends of it. Jaune found himself cornered, the range of the spear was too long for him to retaliate and he had no choice but to keep his shield up and wait for an opening. Dominique however didn't give him such a chance, taking advantage of Jaune´s height, Dominique put the blunt end of his spear between his legs, bypassing his shield and with a sweeping move made him lose his balance and fall to the ground. Jaune tried to stand up but Dominque put his spear on the boy´s face. "And that wraps it up! Nicely done kid. Now I know what I'm working with".

With the sparing match over, Dominique helped Jaune stand up and together they walked back to their things and started setting everything for a short lunch break. Jaune was a bit uneasy, in his head he couldn't stop thinking that Dominique would be disappointed for his lack of combat skill, he didn't manage to land a single strike and lost the sparing match. His insecurity was noticeable but he needed to hear it from his master. Jaune approached Dominique who was busy collecting some rocks and putting them in small bags.

"I…Sir? Jaune said with a shy tone in his voice.

"Don" Dominique responded quickly. "You keep calling me Mr Cervantes or Sir. There is no need, kid. Loosen up a little. Call me Dominique or Don", Dominique reassured Jaune.

"Ha..Ok then, Don. I wanted to ask you, well…how did I do?", Jaune said still nervous.

Dominique stood up and with a smile on his face responded, "Well why don't you tell me?".

Jaune was a bit shocked, he really didn't know how to answer. In his head he saw all his actions as a complete failure. "I…well", he said.

"I, well" Dominique repeated on a mocking manner, "You got some confident issues kid, we gotta work on that too. You did a good job but I saw a few mistakes and I want you to realize what was it on your own".

Jaune started thinking, he saw everything as a failure but what were the specific moments in which he failed? He thought for a few seconds and started talking. "Well…I parried your first strike with my sword and…"

Dominique interrupted, "And you still didn't block my shield strike. That´s one of them. Keep going".

Jaune thought some more, "I couldn't reach you before you got your spear and afterwards, I couldn't get close". Dominique nodded "And how did it end?". Jaune immediately responded "I couldn't block your low sweep and lost balance".

Dominque slow clapped and explained, "Precisely. Kid, you have a very strong defense, I can see you have been countering your lack of agility with that, it is a fighting style rare to see now a days and while I enjoy the classics, there is a reason why huntsmen fight with more agility. Grimm will attack you from multiple directions and for as impressive as your defense is, you need to keep moving. You could have blocked my first strike with your shield instead of parring it with your sword, all you needed to do was move your body quickly instead of just your arms and I wouldn't have been able to shield bash you. You couldn't reach me before I got my spear because you weren't fast enough to close the gap and you lost balance because you decided to stand your ground and wait for an opening, but if you can't stand a ground, move and find another, also don't wait for openings, either make them with your own brute force or find them somewhere else. That´s what we are going to work on first, we will make you faster and teach you to move on the battlefield" Dominque ended, taking a bite out of the rabbit they had just cooked.

Jaune was a bit sadden, his fear was right, in his mind he did shame himself before the eyes of his master, but Dominique´s advice and will to help him reassured him that this journey was exactly what he needed to become stronger. But something was still on his mind. "Wait, what about me no being able to get close once you got your spear?" Jaune asked. Dominque then responded "Well you do lack range but that comes after, lad. For now, grab a bite, you need strength, the day isn't over and we have more training to do".

Jaune and Dominique enjoyed their lunch. While eating, Dominique decided to keep their conversation on theme.

"So, tell me, lad, who trained you? Your Dad, Grandfather? Crazy uncle? Or are you one of those fancy combat school kids?" Dominique asked before taking a drink of water.

Jaune shallowed his food and started answering with a smile "Ah, no I…actually didn't do any of those. I come from a family of heroes but none of them actually gave me any training and I never went to a combat school".

Dominique replied amazed "So from a family of heroes and you got into Beacon with no training? How on Remnant did you managed to do that?!". Dominique found it amazing, in his head the only possible way was that his student was incredibly talented, more than he was letting on to.

Jaune started to get nervous, for obvious reason he always kept secret how he got into Beacon. Faking his entrance documents wasn't something he was proud of and he didn't want Dominique to think less of him. He then answered quickly "I…a, that´s another story, let's not get into that, hehe".

"Ha, a humble one I see." Dominique replied much to Jaune´s relief.

Jaune continued "Actually, much of what I know I learned it from my partner, Pyrrha. She taught me as much as she could, we use to train together on the rooftop of the school. She uses to be sort of a celebrity, the untouchable girl of Sanctum Academy, she was even on the box of the Pumpkin Pete cereal! At a time not even, my parents believed in me, Pyrrha did. She didn't have to, but ever since we met, she was always there for me, helping me grow stronger every day". Jaune kept looking at his reflection on the water in his cup, nostalgically thinking of his dear friend.

Dominique looked straight at his student with a smile "Now THAT is a story, kid! You finally managed to tell one as it should! That Pyrrha sounds like quite the gal. Which one was it? Was she the same hyperactive rascal that ate my cheesecake?" Dominique answered, but he soon realized that the mood wasn't as joyful as he first thought once he heard Jaune´s response.

"No, she…Pyrrha …She is…gone…" Jaune said, his smile gone now as he was now looking at the ember left on their campfire, his eyes getting a bit teary.

Dominique immediately understood what he meant. "I'm sorry, Jaune. It must have been very difficult for you" he said to his student. realizing Jaune was watching the embers, Dominique tossed the rest of his water on them and turned them off, getting Jaune´s attention.

"Tell you what. Let's do as she did and make you grow stronger, stand up" Dominique said as he approached Jaune and tied the small bags of rocks to his belt. "You will now walk around with this. What am I saying? walking is for babies! I want you to run with those rocks, we need you to be a lighting on the battlefield!" Dominique said to his student.

"I…Yes, Sir! I mean…Don" Jaune replied as he got ready to resume his training.

"And where do you think you are going?" Dominique told Jaune with his arms crossed.

"I was going to go…" Jaune answered with a confused tone.

"Grab the bags, boy" Dominique instructed his apprentice.

"What? But…You said I didn't have to carry them if I told you a good story!" Jaune tried to reason his way out of more work by reminding Dominique of their previous deal, but he wasn't having any excuses.

"Yeah, but that was before I learned that you are as fast as a sloth. NOW is part of your training! Get to it! We have work to do!"

Jaune and Dominique spent the rest of the day training. Their focus was on increasing Jaune´s stamina and speed by running, something that may have been easier for Jaune had they not started doing it right after getting lunch. In Dominique´s defense, how was he supposed to know his student needed silly things like digesting?

The sun started to set as Jaune and Dominique finally made it to a small town. Starving, they decided to head to the Inn and get dinner before registering for their rooms.

Jaune was exhausted, his legs barely responded to him but it was a small fee to pay to become stronger, to fulfill his dream and becoming a true hero.

As they entered the Inn they were greeted by a short and a bit corpulent woman with dark skin. "Welcome to Magdalene´s Inn. Table for two?" the woman said to the traveling huntsmen. Dominique confirmed eagerly, and the woman took them to their table. The Inn was a small and comfortable place. The building was made of wood and was lighted by dust lamps, the main hall served as a bar and restaurant while the rooms where on the second floor. There was a small stage in which live music was being played and the entire area of the restaurant had a delicious aroma to it. Jaune and Dominique arrived to a booth table with upside down steel mugs on top of it and the woman handed them some menus.

"Good evening, gentlemen. I'm Magdalene, but you can call me Maggie. What can I get you?" The woman said, introducing herself to her customers. Jaune noticed that the woman introduced herself as Magdalene just like the name of the Inn. When he asked, Magdalene confirmed that she was actually the owner of the place.

"That´s right. Everything you see here was built by these two hands. Normally I'm over there at the bar, but we are short on staff for the time being" Maggie explained.

"So, you are the Queen of this castle! Then it is truly an honor!" Dominique said with enthusiasm which made Maggie chuckle. She then proceeded to offer the specials of the night, smoked pork chops with a side of mash potatoes and steamed vegetables, lemon chicken pasta with a side of garlic bread and what she called Maggie´s style eggplant lasagna.

"Everything sounds amazing!" Jaune said, his mouth started watering with just the thought of the meals Maggie described. He decided to try the lasagna while Don chose the pork chops. After a few minutes, Maggie came back with two bottles of beer.

"Oh, sorry we didn't order…"Jaune tried to explain, but he was met with a kind smile.

"This are on the house, sweety. I noticed your fancy gear, you two are huntsmen, aren't you? It´s been a while since we´ve seen some around and I always try to make sure to treat them well. Enjoy yourself, I'll be back with your dinner in a bit" Maggie replied and after Jaune and Don thanked her for her kindness she walked away back to work.

"Well, bottoms up!" Don said as he opened his bottle with the edge of the table, but Jaune was less enthusiastic.

"Ah, wait, I don't…" Jaune said nervously. "I actually have never drink before, I'm not even sure if it´s legal here" Jaune said while looking slightly to the side, but Don was not having it.

"What? For real? Not even with your old man? How old are you?" Don asked.

"I'm...", Jaune tried to respond but Don quickly interrupted him, not even waiting for an answer.

"That´s old enough!" he said as he opened Jaune´s bottle for him.

Jaune considered things and just decided to give it a try, what is one beer after all? He went for a sip from the bottle but Don stopped him immediately. "Stoopp, Stop, Stop STOP! What do you think you are doing?!" Don said in indignation as he took the bottle from Jaune´s hand and started pouring it in a mug "THIS is how you drink a beer, lad! From a mug like your ancestors! Here you go, now cheers!" he said as he passed Jaune the mug and he raised his own. Jaune looked at his mug with a bit of confusion but quickly decided to grab it and join his master.

"Cheers!" Jaune said before clashing his mug with his master and taking his first drink of alcohol. Of course, he wasn't able to handle the taste which resulted in Don bursting in laughter.

Jaune and Don started to chat, things were less formal between the two of them. It might have been the alcohol but Jaune was chattier than he normally was. Eventually they ate their meal and their mugs got empty but they just kept talking.

"Hahaha. Seriously? A white dress? Hahahaha! Oh man, why do we do such stupid things for women?" Dominique laughed as Jaune had finished his story.

"Come on, it made her happy! You should have seen her face. Plus, I have the legs to pull that off" Jaune replied as Maggie approached the table to pick up the plates.

"You two seem to be having fun. Is there anything else I can get you?" Maggie asked to her costumers.

"You know what? The night is young, lad, and I don't know about you but I'm having a blast. What do you say if we take a few more drinks? My treat of course". Dominique asked his student with a bit of a challenging tone.

Jaune wasn't sure at first but he was enjoying himself and it had been a while since he last had so much fun, "You know? Sure, let's do it!".

"That´s the spirit! Ma'am, we might need a jar or two here!" Don said with a big smile on his face.

The night went on and master and apprentice kept chatting, laughing and drinking. With each drink Jaune got more and more use to the taste and started to enjoy it, although the effects of the alcohol were starting to hit him without him noticing.

"Haha! 50 boxes of Pumpkin Pete for a hoodie!? Man, that better be a really good hoodie cause that cereal is terrible!" Dominique said, the drunker he got the louder he laughed.

"Oh, as if you have never done something dumb for clothes! Mr rode an Ursa and almost died for a hat!" Jaune said taunting his master as he took another swing of beer.

"Hey! Do you have any idea since what generation this hat has been in the Cervantes family?!" Dominique said faking anger.

"Since yours?" Jaune said sarcastically.

"Precisely! And let me tell you, that is at LEAST the third best one!" Dominique said proudly as he finished his drink. "Now, tell me. What is the story behind you and your friends? How did a party of young Huntsmen from Beacon ended up as far as Atlas! Are you some sort of elite group or something?" Dominique asked, he was curious, he knew there must have been something important for Maria to decide to join them but up until that point he just thought they were talented students looking to make a difference.

Jaune was a little bit dizzy, he never told Dominique about their real mission but at the time it may have been the alcohol that made him talk "No, no. We are just students. And we are just on a secret mission to save the world from an immortal magical witch that controls all Grimm. The headmaster of Beacon was kind of sketchy and hid that he can reincarnate and that his ex-wife became immortal after she defied the Gods of Light and Darkness who killed all of humanity. We are trying to collect a bunch of artifacts before she does because they can be used to bring the Gods back and then they most likely will kill us all ag…" Jaune stopped as he realized that he had been talking out loud all this time. He thought of trying to save it by claiming it was a joke but surely Don wouldn't believe all that nonsense anyways…or so he thought.

Don´s face was full of shock, his eyes wide open and his jaw almost hit the floor. He didn't even notice he had dropped his mug and as a reactionary movement he took the jar of beer and chugged the little bit left in it.

"I…Look it was just a jo.." Jaune tried to say, but Don was quick to interrupt him.

"The Gods…And a witch and…The end of the WORLD?!…..WHAT THE HELL!?" Don yelled making some costumers turn their heads. As Don held his head on the table, Jaune was quick to silence him.

"Shhhh. Shup up! No one is supposed to know!" Jaune whispered desperately trying to get his master to calm down.

"Maggie! We need another round! I'm begging you!" Don said frenetically as he ordered some more valor juice to endure this.

Dominique chugged another mug of beer before finally calming down. As he recovered his breath he said "So… The Gods are real, and it will be the end of the world if this immortal witch isn't stopped? No wonder Maria wanted to get involved. Damnit, I should have known she´ll be fighting something like this!".

Jaune put a bit of an ashamed face before replying "I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have told you; it is supposed to be a secret. If news of these spreads out…"

Dominique interrupted "It´s ok, kid, I understand. Mass panic will just make tensions on the Kingdoms even worse than they have been lately. Your secret is safe with me".

Jaune smiled, he was relieved that Dominique seemed to be very trust worthy. Thinking of the mission he had been involved with, the threat he and his friends have been facing brought many memories back, plenty of which were very painful to him.

Dominique noticed how Jaune´s expression changed from a happy smile to a face of remorse as he once again looked at his reflection in his drink.

"You are thinking about her again, aren't you?" Dominique asked on a serious tone, he had known Jaune for a short time but he could already tell that his heart had wounds still open.

"I…" Jaune began to say, thinking he had bothered his mentor. But Dominique genuinely wanted to help him.

"You can talk with me, kid. Don´t keep it to yourself, it would only hurt more. This mission…Your friend fell because of it, didn't she?" Dominique asked with care in his voice.

Jaune grabbed his mug tightly before answering. "Yes. She did. Pyrrha…She gave her life trying to protect us all at Beacon. She gave it her all because she knew she was the only one who could try. Ruby tried to help her, she ran as fast as she could…and in the meantime there I was, too stupid to think of anything, too weak to even try to do…something. Sometimes it doesn't feel real. I just…Ever since that day, I´ve been thinking on doing the same, give my life and protect those strong enough to bring a new tomorrow…Maybe if I do, I'll be able to see her again…"

"That´s enough, kid" Dominique stopped him, his tone serious and his gaze straight on him. "You think that´s noble? That that is the honorable way to go? And that you are somehow honoring her memory? It might sound like it, boy, but believe me when I tell you that you couldn't be more wrong. Trust me kid, I know how is like to lose a love one and think you have failed them. That pain and emptiness in your heart, that unbearable guilt. But throwing away your life is disrespectful to what she fought for. Death is the destination that awaits us all but what is truly important is not how you die, it's the road you take in life and in it you must fall, stand up, persevere and learn. You have a duty, to carry her memories and to wake up every morning determine to make things right, or at the very least you are obligated to try. And I believe you can do it, my boy, you are the shield that will protect the innocent, and as such you will not fall. I know that you have what it takes to face the Gods themselves and yell HERE I STAND! I see a flame in you, Jaune, but the question is, can you see it too?".

Jaune got teary eyed. He couldn't hide how much he truly valued those words. As he washed his tears out, he looked at Dominique and responded with a sincere "Thank you".

Jaune had a lot to reflect about. His actions, his situation, Dominique´s question started to resound in his head. Could he see a flame in himself? He struggled to find an answer, his head and heart filled with doubts, but there was one thing he didn't doubt anymore, getting in this trip wasn't a bad idea after all.

"Oh, you mentioned someone you lost too." Jaune asked.

"Yeah" Dominique responded with nostalgia and a bit of sadness in his voice, "My older brother, Miguel. I think of him every day".

Jaune poured more beer on each of their mugs and raised his for a toast.

"To Pyrrha and Miguel", Jaune said.

Don was a bit surprised but with a smile replied "For those who are no longer here, and yet…They are".

As the night went on, Jaune and Dominique kept drinking more and more and more. The Inn´s restaurant got empty, the band had stopped playing hours ago and everyone that was left was either passed out at the bar or the floor. Jaune had his face placed on the table while Dominique could barely talk.

"ANotHer, RoUnd! MA..!" Don said but Maggie was done for the night.

"I think you two had enough, grandpa" Maggie said as she put the 4 empty jars of beer on her tray.

Suddenly a group of people entered the Inn. They were noisy and rather rude. The group was rather large, around 4 men and 5 women, most of them with scars on their arms and face. A couple of them were faunus with sharp teeth, horns or claws. They approached the bar demanding booze.

"Ugh. Not them again" Maggie said with an annoyed voice.

"WhAt?" Jaune answered.

"They are from a gang of bandits that camps nearby in the mountains. They come down here once in a while to cause trouble." Maggie said. Her usual method of handling bandits was not show submission or fear but also serving the food and booze they looked for, just to avoid any trouble. However…that wasn´t going to be the case tonight.

"BAndits, YoU ssaY! HOw DARE THey?! DOnt vOrry, mY Queen! WE´ll tAke CarE oF ThEm!" Dominique said as he stood up with a lot of difficulty.

Behind him, Jaune also stood up with a lot of bravery…I mean drunkenness, in his heart.

"YeAh!DOn´t WorRy. MA LADY!" Jaune said as he ran after Dominique.

"Wait! What the hell are you doing?!" Maggie said in a panic.

Don and Jaune struggled their way to the bandits, ready to fight for the honor of the Inn and it´s keeper. The Bandits initially laughed at their drunkenness, Jaune could barely stand and Don at first was threatening a pillar. Things got more serious thought when during his threats Don mentioned that they were huntsmen.

"Huntsmen?!" one of the Bandits said before they all stood up menacingly.

Jaune was overly confident thanks to the alcohol in his blood. Preparing to throw a punch he said "YEah! And wE ArE GoIng tO..." but before he could finish, Jaune was met with a fist to the face. It appeared that in his drunken state he forgot to activate his aura. Jaune´s vision went completely black as he fell down to ground.

The next morning the sun hit Jaune´s face like a knife. His vision was blurry but he could feel the ground and mud bellow him. He sat down and realized they were outside at around a block away from the Inn and Don was passed out next to him. He woke him up and told him where they were. Suddenly, Jaune and Don realized something, their bags were missing, their money and weapons were gone, they even took Don´s hat and Jaune´s right boot.

"THOSE BASTARDS ROBB…!" They yelled, but their own screams hit them like a truck because of their hangover. They fell back to the ground and agreed to take care of it after the sound of their own voices didn't make them, you know...want to kill themselves.

Author´s notes:

Thanks for reading. As always, I would appreciate any critism and receive them with open arms.

This chapter we get introduce to Dominique´s weapon, "Rocinante" (Named after Don Quixote´s horse), a sword and circular shield able to combine into a spear. For those who care a bit about weapon taxonomy, Rocinante´s spear mode is technically what is known as a "Swordstaff", a type of polearm that is, as its name says, a staff with a sword attached at the end, in this case is more similar to the Scandinavian version with a crossguarded arming sword. Being that said, from this point onward it will be refered to as a "Spear" for the sake of simplicity and because that´s the weapon Quixote used. And for those wondering why "Spear" and not "Lance"? I never read the English version of Don Quixote, the story was originally written in Spanish (my mother language) and that´s how I read it and in Spanish the word for Lance and Spear is the same "Lanza", so Ill use "Spear" out of personal preference.