Chapter V
Until Your Body Can´t Endure
The night was long for Jaune. His mind scrabbled with so many thoughts, none of them were coherent, so he just stayed there, sitting and watching the flames dance and slowly fade away.
He was lost, no path to follow, no reason to keep going. "They'll do better without me" he thought, referring to his friends back home. Ren and Nora could choose to continue or start a life together. He was sure they would be happy staying at Vale. Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Blake and Oscar, he was certain they would just continue on. Keep pushing. The fate of the world was safe in their hands. Ruby. He wished he could let her know that he was staying in this forgotten town. Mostly to not make her wait for him. He didn't want her to waste her time because of him…not anymore. "Ruby…What took me this far?". Dominique´s question resounded in his head. What took him this far? Why keep going after all that happened, after all the times he failed, after everything he had lost. What took him this far? Was it revenge? No, that can't be. Even after he thought Cinder was dead, he didn't have peace. Was it just delusion? Maybe that was it. The stupid fantasy of becoming a hero. Ruby…She would know, wouldn't she? In his times of doubt, she was always there by his side, she always knew what to say…But now? He was alone. Another failure left him like that. Why keep moving forward?
As the campfire faded, Jaune´s eyes shut with exhaustion and he lied down on the ground, falling asleep almost immediately.
The next morning, Jaune was woken up by the sun hitting him in the face. It took him a moment but he soon realized the oddity of the matter. He woke up during the day, no one woke him up for training, and Dominique? he was gone.
Jaune was heartbroken. He was truly alone. Forgotten. It took all of his strength to stand up and get ready for another day of work.
He headed to the Inn. He was running late but he really didn't care that much, so he just walked all the way there, wondering like a lost dog. The bags in his eyes gave away the rough night he had. As he passed the house of the little faunus girl again, he noticed that today no one was there. Maybe it was the time of the day, maybe she was at school…maybe that cough took the best of her…
As he entered the Inn, Jaune´s face showed shame. He was expecting to be yelled at for arriving so late, so he mentally prepared to endure it and decided to just apologize. However, he was caught by surprise at the sight of his master serving breakfast to the costumers.
Jaune was speechless. "He didn't leave" he thought. Things weren't back to normal, but…he didn't leave. As he saw Dominique get to the bar, he approached him.
"I…good morning…" He said. He was nervous and couldn't even see Don in the eyes.
Don addressed him seriously though. "Oh. Good morning" was all he said as he served himself a glass of water.
Maggie approached Jaune. Contrary to what he thought, she wasn't mad at all. Jaune found it curious but he didn't pay much attention to it. Don´s apathy towards him though, was painful even if he didn't want to admit it.
"You finally made it, sweetie. Your next costumer is waiting for you." Maggie said.
"Oh…right. Where should I go?".
A woman walked near them, she was wearing a nurse uniform and stood next to Maggie holding her hands in front of her "Is this the one?" She said.
"That´s right" Maggie told to the nurse. "Jaune, this is Abigale, she works at our local nursery".
Jaune immediately remembered what the old lady Ruth told him about the town´s nursery. The place had been in trouble for months now.
"Sure…" He said.
The nurse thanked him and asked him to follow her. The nursery was quite the distance from the Inn and she offered to walk him there.
As Jaune and the nurse left, Maggie addressed Don who was sitting on a stool drinking his water.
"Are you sure about this? I had another job ready for him. That nursery…is not a pretty sight" Maggie said.
Don finished the water and kept looking at the glass "Trust me. If things are as bad as you said. The kid needs to see it".
The nursery was on the top of a hill almost outside the town. As Jaune and the nurse climbed the long stare case there, he could see that the place was an old house. It was most likely an old mansion of a rich family that was turned into a small hospital. A dirt road circled around the hill and it seemed to double as a handicap ramp. The building, just like all the ones in the town, was in need of repairs. Ivies grew all over the walls and many windows were broken. Before going in, the nurse handed Jaune a face mask and told him to put it on before putting one on herself.
Inside the nursery, things were worse than he thought. The place was full of people, so many in fact that many were just sitting or lying on the floor. The ceiling was collapsing in some areas, full of muss in others. Some rooms had to be closed off as the roof had heavy filtrations and the rooms were pretty much flooded. Everywhere he looked at, Jaune saw sick people in terrible conditions. Skin diseases, infected wounds, people burning in fever being kept at bay with nothing but small bottles of water that weren't even cold anymore, and the buckets of vomit were so full, the patients had started to puke straight to the floor.
It wasn't just adults. Jaune saw elderly people and children, all fighting for their life in these terrible conditions.
The nurse and Jaune had to walk carefully avoiding to step on the patients sitting on the hallways until they finally reached her office where they could talk with the rest of the staff. The two other nurses where a young man with brown hair and glasses and a young woman with red hair and freckles.
"What happened, here?!" Jaune asked, removing the mask as the door shut behind him, still in shock after what he just witnessed.
"That? That´s pure and unedited tragedy, pal" The male nurse answered sarcastically, as he sat on chair.
"Everyone, this is Jaune. He´ll be helping us out today. Jaune, this are Jasmine and Midori" Abigale said as she introduced the team.
Jaune shook everyone´s hands, but still, what he saw outside, it was horrible just to think about it. Midori kept telling him that, that was just the tip of the iceberg as Jasmine handed Jaune a nurse uniforms and latex gloves. Jaune got dressed behind a curtain Abigale had inside her office. As he got ready, Jaune could still hear perfectly the conversation the nurses were having.
"How are we on the medicine stock?" Abigale asked, but after Midori and Jasmine shared a concerned look, the answer…was nothing short of alarming.
"As of this morning we are out of everything. The last thing we had were some antibiotics, but we had to use them on a patient in critical condition" Jasmine said, holding her hands close to her heart.
"The only thing left is a bit of alcohol and some gauze. Other than that, Jasmine and I have been giving some herbal medicine to some patients but many need stronger remedies" Midori continued.
Jaune finished dressing up, "How did it get this bad?" he asked.
"You are new in town, aren't you? Rookie." Midori asked sarcastically, laying on his chair with his hand behind his head.
Abigale stood up from her desk and opened the blinds on the office´s window. "Sigh. We have been struggling like this for months now. Our former boss, Dr. Rowan, he was more of a business man than a doctor. He knew how to do his job but his true talent was trade and commerce. He had many contacts that would constantly deliver medicine and help fund everything around here…at first".
Jaune asked what happened to which Midori answered quickly "Well, turns out the good doctor knew how to make money, just not how to invest it and even worst, how to pay it back".
Abigale continued. "He didn't use the money on the facility, hence its state. He pocketed everything he could and left for Argus as soon as his loaners started looking for him".
Jasmine looked outside the window on the office´s door as she added to the story "We have been keeping this place running ever since, but without Dr. Rowan, his business partners decided to cut our supply. It was a matter of time before we found ourselves unable to keep going".
Jaune once again was hit with the reality he had seen over and over again. The cruelty of people. Monsters like Cinder that just disregarded anyone else for their own gain. The struggle of those few people willing to try to help those in need. And hundreds of innocent people, paying the price of living an honest life.
"How can I help?".
Abigale went back to her desk before answering, "Well, I was hoping you let us use your so called, Miracle Hands? Ruth told me you can cure people with your Semblance".
Jaune started rubbing the back of his head as he answered ashamed, "That's…not how it works. I don't heal people, I'm able to boost their aura, make it stronger than natural, that´s what heals them. I can try to use it but the thing is that most people have their aura locked, without it…".
Jasmine interjected "But, Ms. Ruth...".
Midori interrupted. "Sigh. The former bounty hunter? Of course, she has her aura unlocked".
Abigale hid her desperation behind a fake smile. "Well, Jaune. I'm not going to lie, that's rather…disappointing".
That word. Jaune felt it like a knife. It wasn't a word new to him. "I'm so sorry, I'll tell Ms. Magdalene to refund you and….".
"Oh. Hold on" Jasmine said a bit shy. "We could still use his help, and I'm sure some patients must have their aura unlocked. The place is overrun. We need every person we can get".
"He is already dressed up and If it means I don't have to clean up vomit, I say you got your money´s worth, boss" Midori said agreeing with Jasmine.
Abigale wasn't sure at first but she had to agree with her personnel, they weren't in a position to reject anyone´s help. "Alright. Let´s get to work then".
The team set off to perform their checks on the patients. The halls crammed with people but the nurses diagnosticated and treated everyone with steadfast determination.
Jaune acted as their assistant. Helping them to move equipment, and even patients themselves. Cleaning the floors and getting rid of the vomit buckets while the nurses comforted the people as best as they could. Jaune was impressed at the dedication of the nurses. He helped Abigale immobilize a man´s broken leg with nothing but whatever strong wood sticks she could find and her own belt. He saw how Jasmine stitched the open wound of a farmer who had a deep cut on her arm. He was even surprises at seeing how the sarcastic Midori was actually pretty good at attending little children, calming them down with toys before taking blood samples from them.
The nurses were a team that truly cared about their town. The people living there, the nursery was all that they had and they knew they were counting on them. Some patients they could help easily. Others…it was more complicated.
Jaune was taken to the area where the more critical patients were hospitalized. They had priority on medical treatment, but with their lack of resources, they were barely stable. As he walked by, a patient took Jaune´s hand, he was burning in a fever. Midori quickly passed Jaune a cold bottle of water.
"This is what we have, rookie. If he can't hold it, do it for him". Midori said as he left to continue his round.
Jaune did as told. The poor man felt such a relief as Jaune helped him drink a bit of water and then placed the bottle around his neck. He turned around to see how Midori helped an old lady sit down and gave her some tea, the same herbal medicine they had to rely on for a while now.
The nursery was a nightmare. A place of suffering and of dying hope. All those patients desperately reaching for help, they all knew that their chances of getting it there were extremely low…and still, they all came, seeking for at least a little bit of comfort.
If he was this disturbed by it, Jaune couldn't imagine how much had the nurses been struggling inside…and yet, they were still there. There was nothing they could do. They tried their best to keep this place a float and sadly they weren't able to. Why keep trying? Why were they still doing rounds handing over bottles of water and handling buckets of vomit if they knew, there was nothing they could do? Jaune saw a group of people determine to keep on fighting to save others. He saw a group of people that had been giving their all to save people´s life…and that sadly were now at a dead end. Stuck in a situation in which it didn't matter how hard they tried, there was nothing else they could do. That was a feeling he was far too familiar with. And still, they kept going.
As Jaune and Midori reunited with Jasmine and Abigale, they decided to take another round before preparing the patients for lunch time.
Suddenly, Screams were heard by all the staff. They came from a dispersed woman who came in rushing towards them. It was a person Jaune easily recognized, the mother of the little faunus girl.
"PLEASE! SHE IS NOT BREATHING!".
Everyone immediately rushed, following the woman through the nursery´s clustered hallways. Eventually, they reached the little girl who was lying on the floor with a folded jacket as a pillow. The girl was struggling to breath, her face was turning red and her throat was swollen.
"Jasmin, Midori! Hold her!" Abigale instructed as she took a small flashlight from her pocket.
As the nurses held the girl´s arms and head, Abigale checked the inside of her mouth, "She has a severe throat infection! We might need to perform a tracheostomy. Jaune! Pass me a scalpel!".
Jaune stood there, his eyes wide opened as the little girl fought for her life. In an instant, the memory of her shy smile flashed in front of him. Her waving at him every morning. She was innocent. She was born in a cruel world in which those who fight end up crushed by those who only looked for themselves. Yet…She was still fighting. Abigale was still fighting, Midori was still fighting, Jasmine was still fighting, Ren and Nora were still fighting, Blake, Yang, Weiss, Oscar, Ruby, they were all still fighting. Why? Because there were people that loved them and they loved. There were people that needed them, and they had to at least try. Someone had to.
"We don't have tubes for it!" Midori yelled.
"We have to try!" Abigale yelled back, but her face immediately turned to the girl as soon as she noticed Jaune whose glowing hands were placed over the girl´s neck.
"Kid, it won't work! Her aura is locked!" Midori yelled, but Jaune was focused.
He knew his semblance wouldn't be able to help, unless he did something he saw and felt just once, one of the first things Pyrrha did to support him with her love and kindness. Jaune´s aura covered the girl´s entire body. He struggled, this was something he had never done, but he had to try. The white light suddenly turned bright blue. Jaune had unlocked the girl´s aura and immediately used his semblance on her.
"GASP!" was the sound that came from the girl's mouth. She was breathing heavily, but she was breathing on her own, and as she finally felt relief, she started to cry out of stress and fear.
"It´s ok. You will be fine, I promise". Jaune said as the girl broke down in tears. Soon after the mother did as well, falling to her knees due to the emotional shock.
The other patients gathered around to see this miracle. So many of them that Midori and Jasmine had to snap out of their amazement to tell everyone to give the girl some room to breathe.
"You…How did you…Ruth said you cured rashes but, I didn't expect…" Abigale said, still amazed at what she just saw.
Jaune had a smile, his hands were shaking, but he was feeling something he forgot a while ago, determination. That drive to help others, to do what was right. "She´ll be fine in a few more minutes, afterwards take me to next patient in need of quick attention. But in the meantime, why don't we let her mother see her?".
Abigale nodded with a smile as she stood up to help the mother who rushed to her daughter´s side.
"Poppy!" the woman said, tears of joy on her eyes as she kindly petted her daughter´s head.
"Mommy" The girl said. Her throat healed enough for her to talk again.
The woman turned to Jaune and gave him a hug, "Thank you! Thank you so much!".
The girl smiled kindly "Thank you".
Jaune blushed a little, soon after, he stopped using his semblance on the girl and stood up as Jasmine approached to examinee her throat, not finding signs of the infection anymore.
As the word spread. The nurse team started their treatment dynamic, as Midori and Jasmine rushed to prepare the patients with the highest priority, Abigale would accompany Jaune to them, diagnosticating the illness and instructing Jaune the best area to focus the usage of his Semblance, and as expected, in most cases Jaune had to unlock the patient´s aura before he could treat them, which was particularly taxing to him. The team worked hard all day, managing to stabilize majority of the patients by sunset, only taking small breaks for Jaune to recover his aura. There were still too many patients in need of treatment though, so Midori volunteered to notify Maggie that Jaune would stay until late at night working at the nursery, which of course she was completely in favor of.
After hours and hours of work, finally, every patient had been treated, those who could, went home, while the more severe cases stayed at the nursery for further observation, but thankfully now there were more than enough beds and rooms available for them.
"You did an amazing job today, Jaune", Abigale said, as Jaune finished getting dress to head back to the camp after a long day of work. "If it wasn't for you…I can't imagine how many people we would have lost today. Thank you".
"It was my pleasure". Jaune said, he tried to be humble but he was proud of what he had done. "If you need any help again. Just call, I would love to help out".
As Jaune was leaving the nursery, he was stopped by a shy voice.
"E…Excuse me", It was the little girl hiding behind her mother with her bunny doll in hand.
"Come on, Poppy. Tell the Mister what you wanted to say", the mother encouraged her.
Poppy slowly came out of her hiding spot but now she was covering herself with her bunny. "Wh…What´s your name?".
Jaune was a bit surprised, but he just chuckled, "Jaune, and you are Poppy, right? Nice to meet you. I'm glad you are feeling so much better". Jaune saw how the girl kept shielding herself with her trusty bunny, he then crouched to her level "Is that Pumpkin Pete? I love it! I use to have one of those when I was a kid, it protected me from the monsters".
Poppy put her bunny doll down to see Jaune´s smile better, she looked at the doll and then back at him. "No. Is not Pumpkin Pete anymore. Now is Jaune. After my hero".
Jaune was shocked, "Hero" he thought. This little girl just called him a hero. For a long time Jaune had always dreamed of becoming a true hero, and lately, he had every possible doubt that he could come even close to achieving his dream, but at that moment, in that particular place, he truly felt like one.
"Well, I'm sure he will always be there for you", He had a smile, the gesture really moved him, he stood up as the Mother addressed him.
"I own you an apology. I've seen you many times passing by my house with that old man, and, well if I'm honest…I always distrusted you. Outsiders aren't kind to faunus, even some locals aren't fun of us. So, when I saw you passing by, I always feared you would do something to hurt my Poppy. But you turned out to be here to save her. Thank you". The mother said, her voice had nothing but gratitude.
Poppy and her mother headed back home, while Jaune walked the long road back to his camp, without noticing that that day, a small spark reignited his deeming flame.
Back at the camp, Jaune started the campfire as usual. His body was exhausted, but his spirit was still strong. As he got the fire going, the first thing he got to see was the old pipe he used to train with Don. Seeing it brought Jaune the harsh memory of his argument with his old master. He sat down for a bit contemplating the pipe illuminated by the fire. He was at a dead end, he knew that and still, he didn't feel as trapped anymore. Jaune asked himself once more "What took you this far?". Initially, Jaune wanted to become a huntsman for the glory, that was the base of his dream, to be loved and praised as a hero, for stories to be told about him like the ones he heard a million times about his ancestors. He wanted it so bad, he was willing to lie and cheat to get there. With time, he came to realize that being a hero was never about the glory, it was never about being loved. It´s about helping others, it´s about standing for those who need you. His dream was the same, but his reason was different. He wanted to be a huntsman, because he wanted to dedicate his life to saving people, and there wasn't anything else he much rather do. His reflecting thoughts brought him to memories of Pyrrha, of how much she didn't have to stand there for him, yet she did it because she believed in him. As he closed his eyes, Ruby´s voice started to resound in his ears, as clear as if she had been standing next to him. "Is not just about you anymore, Jaune".
With his eyes open, Jaune stood up and grabbed the pipe. He took the stance he learned and started to practice. Strike after strike, movement after movement. He once again hit himself with the pipe, but this time, he didn't let this stop him. His aura was up and soon after, so was he. He kept saying to himself, "What took me this far? My friends, my dream. I came this far thanks to them and I'll keep going because there are people who need me. That´s my reason to keep on living, to keep moving forward".
Jaune kept on practicing for hours until late at night. Even if he didn't fully know what he was doing, he still kept going. That was until a voice came out of the shadows.
"Your feet are misplaced again, lad".
Jaune turned around in surprise. "Don…".
Dominique approached the camp. With a smile he took off his cape, folding it and placing it on a log, he then put his hat on top of it and approached Jaune.
"If you stand like this, you are going to fall down. Here, put your right foot like this" He said as he helped Jaune get a better stance. "Now, attack!".
Jaune did as instructed, his strike improving significantly.
"Good. Now start the sequence I taught you. Initial stance. Get ready, and 1,2,3,4. 1,2,3,4" Don kept instructing and Jaune kept complying.
"See, how easy it is?".
"It´s not…But I'm willing to learn". Jaune said with determination.
"Haha. That´s the spirit!".
Jaune looked down in shame, "Don, I'm…I'm so sorry…"
"It´s ok, lad. I was never mad at you. I was afraid. I just didn't want you to give up on this world…or on yourself." Don said as he put a hand on Jaune´s shoulder, reassuring him that their bond was far from broken. "Let's call it a day, shall we? I'm told you had it rough at the nursery".
Jaune took a look at the pipe and after a short while he grabbed on to it. Rising his head, he said as the flames of the campfire reflected in his eyes. "I can do this all night". He took his stance once more and started the sequence again.
Don smiled proudly. "What happened to being a failure?".
"Well. Ruby once told me that I'm not allowed to be a failure. So, I won't be".
Don´s smile got even bigger and prouder of his student. He grabbed his spear and stood next to Jaune, ready for a night of training.
The next 3 weeks were intense for Jaune and Don. Their routine was simple but strict. Start the morning with combat training, work all day on the town until sunset, work at the Inn until late at night, a sparring match before bed. They continued doing this every single day. They worked and trained until their bodies couldn´t endure and then did it again the next day, their conviction never diminishing. Their determination, always rising.
Don´s combat training covered multiple fields and his teaching methods were always more and more unorthodox. He taught Jaune how to shield fight. It was frustrating for him that Jaune only used his shield for defense, "You have a heavy piece of steel! Slam the bastards with it!" he kept saying, as Jaune used Don´s shield to hit trees.
Their hand to hand combat training covered the basics of fist fighting as well as how to use the environment in your favor. Don focused on teaching Jaune how to disarm an opponent. He wasn't always going to be in a fair fight so he had to be prepared. Don taught Jaune how to deal with both guns and melee weapons. How to damage the opponent´s joints, disarm them and even take their weapons and use them against them. He did this by attacking Jaune multiple times with a dirty plastic knife and his finger pistols. Of course, more often than not Jaune would end up slapping his face with Don´s immobile hand, but it was a work in progress.
Sword training was Jaune´s favorite. They managed to get a training sword courtesy of the local blacksmith and they would spar almost every night. It brought Jaune good memories of his days at Beacon. Don decided to teach Jaune how to fight without a shield so that he would be forced to rely on speed and agility for his defenses. Don´s fighting style was always compared to a dance by Jaune, one that he struggled to understand but as a good dancer himself, he eventually managed to pick it up. Don taught him how to move with agility and flexibility. Even teaching him how to throw the opponent off balance and some dirty tactics like locking the opponent´s weapon arm and knocking them down with a headbutt.
Spear training was the most difficult for Jaune. But as he said, he was determined to learn how to use this weapon and master it. Eventually Jaune came to realize that Don´s agility with the spear was based around letting the weight of the weapon move it down and up with a sort of pendulum effect. Applying your own force in combination with the built momentum to deliver hard and fast strikes. Of course, that was mostly Jaune over analyzing it, in really Don just thought making the spear spin looked cool. Their spear training focused on learning how to fight multiple opponents at once as the weapon gave Jaune both a longer and a wider range depending on how he held it.
Evasion and reflex training were a lot of fun…at least for Don. The kids of the town had actually grown interested in Jaune´s training. They tended to watch in awe as Don and Jaune trained while they waited for the school bus to pick them up. Poppy in particular was always thrill to see her hero in action, she looked forward to it every morning. Don took advantage of this by being a bit of a…bad influence. He made some slingshots and gave them to the kids to fire at Jaune who in turn was tasked to evade them. How many of those shots were aimed at his crotch? Well, saying that it was fewer than half would be a big lie.
The kids weren't the only ones whose smiles had returned. Jaune´s day job became a massive success. The Inn was full of people requesting his services in any field, and of course Don turned every single one of them into training for Jaune. A lot of the jobs were house repairs, as the town really needed it, but with time it started to diversify a lot. Jaune started to do plumbing, aiding at fields, trash pickup, painting houses both in and out. He did delivery services, he assisted the blacksmith, the mechanic, the florist and he even gave some classes at the school. He returned to the nursery once in a while to do some repairs for free and take care of cases they weren't prepared to deal with, which Jaune did with pleasure as he loved working there and he started using it as training for his aura, something he wasn't always that comfortable with back at Beacon.
At night, Jaune and Don dedicated themselves to work at the Inn. Serving dinner and drinks and even celebrating with the costumers. Don became the heart of the place, always cheerful, although he had the tendency of neglecting the job by sitting with the costumers and telling them his stories. Jaune was actually getting pretty good at the bar. He enjoyed learning about drinks, Cronan taught him how to properly serve a beer and when he was in a good mood, he would teach him how to mix cocktails. Jaune even developed a taste for beer, although he still couldn't handle his drink that well.
At times, Maggie would go on stage and sing the most beautiful melodies with Jaune at her side playing the guitar. Who knew something he learned to impress Weiss would come in handy one day? Don often tried to accompany them with his flute and while he was very skilled as a musician, Jaune didn't let him play more than two songs, he was afraid Don would let himself go with his Semblance.
With the houses around the town looking ever prettier. Eventually the town folk started to take care of their homes on their own without even going to ask for Jaune´s aid. There was a different feeling in the air. People started to feel motivated to improve. At first the streets were covered in trash, after Jaune was hired a couple times to clean them suddenly the people started doing it themselves. It was a domino effect, if a house got fixed the neighbor fixed theirs, and so on. Jaune´s conviction to improve might have been contagious, because every store he worked in started to renew itself a day later. Don´s charisma at the Inn even helped the town get new businesses as visitors would see the vacant locals and Don would convince them to invest in the town simply by befriending the foreigners. In a matter of weeks, the town went from an abandoned ghost town to the kind of prosperous village only described in fairy tales. The smiles of the kids had returned, they were now playing around. The people, once apathic and mad, were starting to show initiative, care, kindness and joy. The sick people that roamed the town and that overran the nursery got the help they needed and were now back in full force. The once dying town that people had given up on, was being reborn.
But sadly. This prosperity may had attracted some…undesired attention.
At a camp hidden in a cave in the mountains near the town, a woman finishes drinking wine straight from the bottle while sitting on her broken old throne. Around 20 people were sitting in her presence, some drunker than others.
"Boss!" A man said as he approached the woman running from outside the cave. He continued, "I think the town got some…".
"Can't you see, I'm drinking?" The woman answered with little regard for what her subject had to say.
"But, boss!" The man tried to say but was shut up by a flying empty bottle of wine that was thrown straight to his face, forcing him to dock quickly in fear.
"You are too loud!. What do you want!?".
"I…the town…".
"What about it? we raided it dry already" The woman said as she sat back down on her throne.
"They…I don't know, they seem to have gotten more cash, like, a lot of it" The man said as he slowly stood up. "I saw them painting and fixing the buildings and even new stores opening".
"Oh really. Wonder what got them so ballsy all of the sudden. Meh, I really don't care. It´s nothing a little visit from a few of you can't fix. Just take some people and remind them their place". The woman said a bit apathic.
"But boss. There is more…I heard; two huntsmen now live there".
The bandits all got alerted at the mention of Huntsmen in their territory, but their boss just put on a massive smile.
One of them, a big man stood up, towering over the scared bandit. "Those cowards wouldn't have dared to call huntsmen. Are you lying to your boss?!" The man said with a deep threatening voice.
"I…I'm not lying, I swear! I didn't see them but everyone talks about them".
The bandits exchanged looks but soon all their eyes were placed on the woman as they heard the crazy laughter of Jessie the Viper Fang. "Hehe…hehe…Hahah...Hahahaha! Finally! Things get interesting around here! I was so bored! I've been meaning to use my new toy on a huntsman, and just like that they come to visit me. How thoughtful of them, don't you think?" Jessie said as she grabbed Crocea Mors and drew it out, admiring the blade. "Rest up, fellows. We are going hunting tomorrow. And I want to get me a Huntsman's head".
The sun rose and a new morning of training was in progress. Jaune and Don had turned their sword sparring match into a little play for the kids to watch. As they fought, Don would narrate one of his trademarked tales of chivalry much to the amusement of the children.
"And so, the thief king launched his attack" Don said as Jaune struck him three times, parring each of them quickly.
"But the knight errant was too fast for him!" Don continued as he retaliated, but Jaune managed to evade all of his strikes, locking blades at the last one.
"The battle was intense, none of them would back down. But then…" Dominique said but got interrupted by Jaune.
"But then, the thief king, caught the knight off guard!" Jaune said as he backed down and quickly leaped towards Don who swung his sword to slash him, not realizing that Jaune was actually doing a dodge roll, getting behind him. As Don tried to turn around, Jaune made a spin and a low sweep and caused him to fall down. Don tried to get up but Jaune´s training sword was right in his face.
"The thief king had triumphed, but it turns out, he wasn't a thief. He was a friendly huntsman, who just wanted to prove himself against the bravest of the knights errant" Jaune said as he helped Don get up.
They both turned and bowed at their crowd as the children were clapping and cheering.
"That was quite the plot twist, lad" Don said congratulating his apprentice.
"Jaune. Do you think I can be a huntress too?" Poppy said a bit shy as usual. All these days seeing her hero grow were giving her a dream of her own.
"Don't be stupid. Everyone knows Faunus can't be huntsmen, they are the bad guys" A boy said, much to Poppy´s annoyance.
"That´s not true!".
"It´s to".
"It´s not! Jaune!"
Jaune was a bit uncomfortable but of course he had to step in and stand for his biggest fan. "Of course, it´s not. Many faunus are also huntsmen. My friend Blake is a faunus and she is one of the strongest persons I know. She fights for both humans and faunus to live together in peace. And if you have it in you to fight so that other people can live a happy life, then I'm sure you'll be the best huntress, Poppy".
Poppy´s eyes shined as her face was covered with a massive smile.
"Whatever. You can't be a huntress because you are dumb". The boy said right before Poppy tried to bite him, not for reals though, just to scare him a bit and as the boy jumped scared the other kids started laughing.
Jaune chuckled a little before trying to calm down the kids as to not make the poor boy cry. As the school bus arrived, the kids left and Jaune and Don knew it was time for them to head back to the Inn.
The place was packed with people, the Inn hadn't seen so many customers outside of dinner in years. Don rushed to serve the food but thankfully on that day Jaune didn't have other jobs so he stayed at the Inn helping out. The faces of the town folk, once full of sadness and apathy, were now cheerful. Jaune and Don had made a name for themselves and the customers let them know as they all greeted them and thanked their service, all knowing their names. Don even got a phone number from old lady Ruth, but he had to turn her down, after all, His sweet little Orchid was always going to be Maria.
The day was hard but finally evening came and the Inn slowed down enough for them to catch a break before the madness of dinner time began. Cronan and Don sat at the bar drinking some beer and laughing at each other´s jokes, it was rare to see Cronan laughing, but after he warmed up to someone, he was a big softy and Don certainly earned that.
Maggie asked Jaune to give her a minute.
"What is it, ma´am?".
"Well sweetie, I wanted to congratulate you".
"Congratulate me?", Jaune said a bit confused.
Maggie nodded "When I met you, I'm not going to lie, I thought you were a big dumb screw up. But you grew so fast, kid. You worked so hard and under such bad conditions. I don't even know why you never asked to move in here, I have spare rooms you know?".
Jaune rubbed the back of his head as he answered. "Haha. Well, I thought about it, but I really didn't want to own you even more money".
"Speaking of which", Maggie said as she took a big stack of Lien out of her pocket and handed it to an astonished Jaune. "Congratulations, you paid your debt and had a lot to spare. It should get you enough supplies to get you to Gaviota, if you know how to spend it of course".
"I…I don't know what to say" Jaune couldn't hide his happiness. He had fallen in love with this town but he had a duty. He had found himself stuck in this place but through hard work managed to climb his way back on track.
"You did an amazing job, sweetie. I don't regret having hire you one bit" Maggie said, but as soon as she finished talking the sound of plates and glasses breaking caught their attention.
"Good news! We have fewer dishes to wash!" Don yelled and as soon as he heard that, Jaune handed the money back.
"Haha. Keep it. You earned it, sweetie". Maggie said as she pushed Jaune´s hand back at him with a smile.
Jaune´s smile was full of hope, but the peace was broken when disturbed sounds started to come from outside the Inn.
Everyone rushes to see what was happening. A group of bandits, 5 of them, were harassing a man who was begging for his life.
Don was outraged, he reached for his sword but realized he had left it and his shield on the back of the Inn, he turned to go find his weapons when he noticed something, his apprentice was missing.
"It´s ok buddy. Just give us the cash and tell us where the huntsmen are and we´ll be on our way". The bandit said as he put a knife on the man´s throat holding him by the shirt. The bandit was enjoying seeing this man shake in fear, that was until he was met with a fist to the face.
The bandit fell to the ground, his knife flying away from him, his other 4 friends watched in awe at the sign of their fellow on the floor and Jaune standing in front of them.
"Get out here".
"Y…yeah…Thank you!". The man said as he ran away to safety.
The bandits all drew their weapons, one of them was holding a rifle, another had a pistol and the other two had a machete and an axe. The bandit in the floor stood up, mad at what just happened.
As the two gun men opened fire the shots were met with a shield protecting Jaune. "Not cool, kid. Starting the fun without me". Don said as he handed the shield to Jaune and kept the sword for himself.
The huntsmen charged at their opponents. Jaune ran first to cover Don from the gun shots. The machete wielding bandit tried to get to Jaune, but Don managed to block her strike and retaliate with his own. Jaune reached the pistol wielding bandit, knocking him down with a tackle and shield bashing him on the floor. He quickly turned around to block multiple shots from the rifle shooter.
Jaune´s shield was met with an axe. Two strikes blocked, he took a quick glance behind him and as the axe bandit swung her weapon, He dodge rolled evading the attack and the axe got stuck on a wood beam. Jaune stood up and with an arching blow hit the bandit with the edge of his shield right in the back of her head, knocking her out. Again, as soon as Jaune finished off an opponent, the rifle bandit finished reloading, but he was ready to take on every shot.
Don and the machete bandit engaged in a sword fight. As the bandit kept missing every strike, she got angrier and angrier at Don´s mockery. Suddenly, the bandit that was threatening the town´s man joined Don´s skirmish with knife in hand. It was a 2 versus 1 fight but Don easily danced around the bandits, even managing to make them damage each other. Eventually, through raw rage, the bandits started to get the upper hand. Don rose his view for a moment and saw how Jaune was getting pinned down by the rifle bandit.
"Kid! Ears!" Don yelled as Jaune took a position to cover himself with the shield while also covering his ears. Don used his semblance, causing a light hallucination to all three remaining bandits. He took the change to kick the machete bandit away and disarm and beat the knife one.
Jaune took the opportunity to charge at the rifle bandit who couldn't aim anymore due to the effects of Don´s Semblance. He reached him and used his shield to push the rifle away and followed with a punch to the face.
The machete bandit shook her head, still under the effect of Don´s semblance. Don struck her but she managed to randomly parry his attack. The bandit started seeing multiple Dons and decided to just swing her machete wildly hoping to get a hit. Don was confident but the knife bandit had stood up and was about to stab him in the back. Thankfully, Jaune managed to block the stab. As master and apprentice stood back to back Jaune told Don to switch opponents and with a swift move, they traded sides. Jaune blocked the machete´s strikes and managed to push the blade away with his shield, grabbing the bandit by the shirt and headbutting her. Don in the meantime bashed the knife bandit´s face with the blunt end of his sword and finished him off with a punch to the stomach and a kick.
The 5 bandits lied on the ground defeated and Jaune and Don kept standing. The town folk couldn't believe it. For years they had been living in fear of bandits, but now they saw how two lone men stood victorious in the middle of a circle of unconscious bandits. People started to gather around to witness Jaune and Don´s victory, but something still had them worried.
Don was wondering why the people weren't cheering, but then Jaune noticed how the knife bandit stood up and pulled a flare gun out of his pocket. The sun was setting as the flare´s signal called for reinforcements.
"You are dead. Huntsmen!" The man said.
The small group of 5 bandits was just the tip of the iceberg. A gang of around 50 people rushed to the area signaled by the flare. The town folk ran into hiding, seeing in terror as the gang approached. Jaune was stunned but he kept his shield up, awaiting the beginning of this fight.
As the gang gathered around, some took the knocked down bandits away. The street was full of them but Jaune could see how the crowd started to split to let a person walk through.
"Jessie the Viper Fang" the town folk murmured loudly enough for Jaune and Don to hear who were they fighting against.
"Aw, sweet heart, look what they did to your cute face" Jessie said as she grabbed the cheeks of one of the knocked down bandits. "Who did this to my men!" she yelled.
"Boss! There they are! Those are the huntsmen!".
Jessie took a look up and down to Jaune and Don who were standing in front of the gang. "Those? An old man and a pretty boy? You got to be kidding me. I wanted a fun huntsman kill today! Sigh. But I guess you´ll have to do".
Jaune and Don stood firmly. Don´s gaze was focused on Jessie while Jaune´s eyes scouted the area, trying to find a way to tip the scale on their favor.
"They are too many, kid" Don said, a bit tempted to retreat. But Jaune´s face was serious and calculative.
"The flour bags" Jaune said, moving his head pointing to big flour bags stacked on a pile outside a store.
Jessie took Crocea Mors out and pointed the sword at the huntsmen "Go get them fellow! Bring them to me!".
The bandits charged at them, but Jaune and Don quickly grabbed a bag each, they were heavy but they had been training and were able to toss them at the bandits. In response, the bandits slashed or shot them, just as planned. The street was covered with a small cloud of flour that Jaune and Don used to distract the closest bandits and cover themselves from the sharpshooters at the same time. The two then split up, entering the empty stores to attract smaller groups inside and be able to take them out. Jaune fought with his shield, blocking strike after strike and even taking down a couple of bandits, but there were just too many of them, he got hit multiple time and even pinned down to a wall, but he managed to release himself and escape through the back door. Don in the meantime, lacked anyway to protect himself, but he realized that he didn't have allies near him and that the empty store had good acoustic, he used his Semblance and crashed out of a window, leaving the hallucinating gang inside the building.
Jaune was running for his life, the bandits running after him, as he ran behind the stores, he saw through an alleyway and spotted Don fighting in the main street, outnumbered. He ran to his aid, inadvertently taking the horde with him.
Don´s sword was swift, but he was vastly outnumbered and even took several shots from the snipers. Jaune ran as fast as he could. "Don!" he yelled as he threw the shield at him. Don managed to disengage the opponents and grab his shield. Meanwhile, Jaune tossed over a barrel to make his chasers fall down and continued fighting with his fists against any bandit that approached him.
One of the bandits knocked Jaune to the floor and tried to step in his face, but he was able to roll on the ground and evade it, as he stood up, that foot resulted familiar to him, "Hey that´s my boot!". Jaune yelled as he tackled the bandit, but another one slashed him with a machete.
"Kid!" Don yelled, as he tossed his sword to Jaune, who then fought the bandit, disarming and slashing him, but he just got tackled by another one, which made him drop the sword. Jaune fought this bandit with his bare hands and while he was able to land some good punches, he was just too strong for him and things turned worst when more bandits joined the fight.
Don ran to grab his sword and help Jaune, but a wall of bandits stood in his way. Don was forced to switch to his spear to be able to fight multiple bandits at once but even then, it was too much for him.
The bandits Don had used his Semblance on earlier had recovered and joined the fight. Jaune and Don were overwhelmed. Eventually Don´s aura was broken and the bandits took his spear, holding him by the neck with it. Jaune tried to go help him but bandits took him by the arms and made him kneel in submission.
The town folk watched in horror and shame at the sight of the heroes' defeat.
"Bravo! That was a great effort, you two. You did way better than I thought. Don't get me wrong you still got your asses kicked, but it was entertaining, I'll give you that". Jessie said as she clapped, mocking the fallen heroes. "But I suppose it´s time for the main event". Jessie addressed the town folk who were starting to gather more and more. "I WANT YOU ALL TO SEE! SUCKERS! LET THIS BE A REMINDER! THAT YOU ARE WORTHLESS! YOU ALL LIVE FOR MY PLEASURE! NEVER FORGET THAT!". Jessie started to breath heavily after her cruel message. "Now, heroes. You want to know why I came here today? I love killing huntsmen. It's just the best! So, when I heard two brave heroes had come to my backyard well, that was just too good to be true. So, who wants to be the first to meet my blade?".
"Take m…" Don was about to offer himself to protect Jaune´s life, but Jaune was faster and his way of sacrificing himself was more effective.
"That´s my sword!" Jaune said as he stared at Jessie. He knew that would encourage her more, he had dealt with the likes of Cinder before. People like them loved to put down the spirit of those who defied them.
"Oh really? Aww, such a pretty boy, I wish I could keep you. But if you want your sword so bad…" Jessie said as she snapped her fingers ordering her men to bring Jaune closer to her.
"JAUNE!" Don yelled as the bandits held him even tighter.
The men left Jaune kneeling in front of Jessie, as she prepared to swing the blade on the boy, Jaune thought to himself, "So that´s it, I die a hero. That´s what I wanted, wasn't it?".
Jessie was about to strike Jaune down, when a small pebble hit her in the head.
"STOP BULLING JAUNE!".
Jaune eye´s opened in shock.
"POPPY!", Poppy´s mother yelled in horror.
Jaune saw the little girl as she stood in the middle of a bandit gang, with nothing but a stick in hand and tears in her eyes. "POPPY GET OUT OF HERE!".
Jessie turned to Jaune and gave him a little smile, "Hehe, guess you have a white knight, kiddo. Aww you care a lot about her, don't you? Let´s see how much you do". Jessie walked away from Jaune, she placed Crocea Mors on its sheath and proceeded to activate its two-handed mode as she walked slowly toward Poppy.
Poppy´s eyes got filled with terror, the stick falling off her hand.
The town folk watched in horror as the bandit gang leader got ready to murder a small girl in front of them. All these years of suffering and despair, they were finally ending. The town´s spirit was finally back on top, for the first time in years, they had hope. And now…another reminder of their cruel reality.
Jaune´s eyes showed his despair. His memory showed flashes of the last time he was in this exact situation. Haven Academy. How he fought Cinder with no intention of making it out alive. How she beat him and mocked him for his weakness and stupidity. How he lied on the floor, as she threw a spear at Weiss. How she almost lost her life, because of his failure… "Not again…Not again!", he thought.
Jessie brought the blade down on the little girl….and all people saw was a blinding white light.
The shock wave was felt by everyone around, and Jessie was launched back, dropping Crocea Mors in front of her as she flew backwards.
When the light deemed, everyone saw how Jaune was hugging the little girl, shielding her. Jaune didn't use to boost his own aura, not only didn't he fully understand how to do it, he didn't even want to figure it out. He didn't care about his own life, everyone else´s was more important. That was…until he realized that he did have a reason to live. A drive to protect others, to defend his love ones and those that needed him. He didn't want to die protecting one person, he wanted to live protecting them all.
"Thank you. You saved me, in more than one way. You are my hero" Jaune said to the scared Poppy who gave him a hug and ran away to her mother.
"Ah! You BASTARD!". Jessie said.
Jaune stood up and grabbed his sword. "You are not hurting them anymore".
"Kill him!" Jessie yelled at her men, but she was only replied with their own screams.
"Boss! Help us! AHHH!" A bandit screamed in fear as Cronan trampled them away, meat cleavers in hand and letting out a mad pig squeal as he sent out bandits flying in the air.
Behind him, the town folk charge ready to fight for their home.
A shotgun blast hit a beam as it almost hit the head of one of the bandits that was holding Don. "I DON'T MISS TWICE! PUNK!", Maggie yelled as she cocked her shotgun again.
The bandits released Don and ran away. He was ready to join the fight with his trusty spear, even if his aura was broken. That just made the fight more exciting.
The once imposing bandit gang was now overwhelmed by the swarm of town folk, bound on ending the injustice and suffering of their people.
"No…You! This is your fault! I'll have your head!" Jessie yelled at Jaune as she took out two large daggers and charged at him.
Jessie the Viper Fang was an extremely acrobatic fighter. Quick and deadly. And still, Jaune was able to defend from her strikes and evade them as well. His two-handed sword gave him a range advantage, but Jessie´s daggers and movements were swift and precise. Jaune managed to block another strike, but Jessie used it as a faint, she leaped over him and slashed him from behind, Jaune barely had time to recover when he saw her blades quickly bypassing his defenses and hitting him in the neck, thankfully, the blades were not able to touch his skin.
"How do you still have AURA!?".
Jessie was enraged and this just made her attacks wilder. Jaune was starting to get pinned down by her quick strikes, but as Don taught him, if he couldn't find an opening, he had to make one. Jaune leaped to the side evading another strike before charging at Jessie and quickly slashing her as hard as he could, aiming for her left arm. He was able to hit her so hard, he made her drop her dagger. Now that she only fought with one hand, Jaune had more gaps to exploit.
Jessie was getting tired. Her acrobatics were impressive but they took a big toll on her. She took a look around and saw how the town folk were defeating her forces. How? How did these cowards get the guts to defy her? This kid…This kid standing there, he was giving them courage to stand up to her. But it was ok, all she needed to do was kill him and she would have her kingdom back. But Jessie didn't have a chance to end her train of thought when Jaune´s blade slashed her across her belly.
Jessie´s anger kept rising. She attacked Jaune on a frenzy, managing to hit him multiple times, but while she was fighting, a group of town folk started to throw rocks at her. This served as the best distraction Jaune could ask for and he took the chance to do heavy damage to Jessie, slashing her left and right. Jaune´s strikes were strong, the weight of his blade combined with his acquired physical strength made for a formidable combo that had Jessie severely hurt. Even worst for her luck, it wasn't just rocks what the town folk were throwing at her. Some had picked up the bandit´s guns and opened fire on the bandit queen.
Jessie could barely stand. Her aura was about to get broken and this kid still had his. The anger blinded her as she went for a stab with her right hand. Jaune stayed calm, with swiftness he moved his body to evade the stab and quickly he was able to grab Jessie´s wrist, he then hit her in the stomach with the blunt end of his sword and twisted her arm to force her to drop her dagger. He kicked her away and as she stubbled, Jaune slashed her, sending flying towards some barrels and finally breaking her aura.
"It's over…Just surrender." Jaune said, he was clearly exhausted as he was breathing heavily.
Jessie saw how his men had also lost. The town folk had beaten all of them. Her body wasn't responding, she grabbed her wrist in pain and realized her aura was broken but her anger kept her going. She reached and found a gun near her, she thought she was being clever, she quickly grabbed it and intended on unloading on Jaune, but he had already seen her intention. He dropped his sword and with speed, he kicked her face before she could even start to move her arm and aim. With that, Jessie the Viper Fang was defeated and Jaune claimed his first victory.
Jaune was shaking and breathing heavily. He was exhausted and even stubbled. But he did it. He won.
"AHAHAHAH! YOU DID IT, KID!" Don yelled as he hugged his apprentice. "THAT´S MY BOY! ME! I TRAINED HIM! HAHA!".
The town folk cheered. Their town was finally saved. For the first time in years, they had complete faith that there was a bright future for them.
The bandits were tied up and gathered together. Even Jessie who had woken up. She was put front and center for everyone to see her defeat.
"What should we do with them?" someone asked.
Don rubbed his beard "OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!". He said as Cronan stood next to him clinking his meat cleaver.
"WHAT?!" The bandits yelled in fear.
"What? No, Don! Of course we are not going to kill them!" Jaune had to intervene.
"Dawww" Cronan said in disappointment.
Don then tried to cheer his friend. "It´s ok, buddy, you'll have your time".
Maggie approached Jaune, her shotgun on her shoulder and a proud smile on her face "I seem to remember there is a bounty on this scum".
Jaune smiled at her and he proceeded to announce "Then we´ll claim the bounty for the town. I'm sure Abigale and the nursery could use the money".
Maggie smiled proud of him as the town folk cheered for their victory.
That night, a massive celebration took place at Magdalene´s Inn. The town folk gathered to celebrate having gotten their town back. Abigale, Midori and Jasmine all rushed from the nursery to both help the wounded in the fight as well as congratulating Jaune for his efforts, and when he told them that the bounty´s reward was going to the nursery, Abigale couldn't restrain herself and gave him a tearful hug.
Cronan had to work on double duty, but he did it gladly. This was a special occasion and he had mouths to feed.
Poppy was hailed as a hero. In a town full of grown adults, this little girl was braver than all of them combined. If becoming a huntress was really her new dream, then she was a natural at it. Of course, she was grounded the very next day. Running to pick up a fight with a bandit queen? Not while she lived under her mother´s roof!.
Don as always was the heart of the party, only that this time he didn't have to tell imaginary stories. He had one right there that people were eager to hear.
Jaune went to sit by the bar, he was having a lot fun but he really could use a break for a bit. He couldn't believe it, after all this time, he actually succeeded on his own. He even got his sword and boot back. His attention was caught by a beer mug sliding on the bar on his direction.
"That´s on the house, sweetie" Maggie told Jaune just like she did the day they first met.
Jaune thanked her and as he took a sip, Maggie continued.
"You know, maybe I was wrong." She said, much to Jaune confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Maggie continued, "This town was lost before you two arrived. We could barely find the strength to wake up in the morning, let alone kept going in the day. Having your future stolen is a terrible feeling, not fighting for it is worst. But then came along the two dumbest heroes I've seen, and now, look at us:"
Jaune smiled as he saw the happy faces of the town folk. He saw them sing, he saw them dance. It was so different from what he saw on his first day in town.
"All I did was fix some roofs and paint some houses. They did all the rest, even the bandits they were the ones to beat them", Jaune said, but Maggie shook her head.
"You did more than that. Sweetie, a hero is not only the person who saves people and beats the bad guy. A hero must inspire the people to aim higher, to be and do better. That´s what you did. We saw you struggle and then we saw you stand up. We saw you helping others when we didn't help ourselves. We saw you fight when we hid. That´s what made us rise once more. You gave us back that flame and now, no one else will be able to extinguish it again. So, yeah, maybe I was wrong. Maybe you aren't that bad at this hero thing." Maggie said as she gave Jaune a loving hug.
The party lasted until late at night, but by the next morning, Jaune and Don got ready to continue their journey. The town folk were kind enough to give them some supplies to take on their trip. Jaune made a promise to Poppy to visit her someday and in the meantime, she had to promise that she would protect the town while he was gone. And so, with smiles on their faces, Jaune and Don gave their farewells to the town. They set their sight to reaching a brighter future, to protect all those that needed them and to enjoy the thrills of the adventures that awaited them ahead.
Author´s notes:
Thank you everyone for reading. It is with pleasure that I present you the end of the first arc of this story. As always, Ill really appreciate any critism both positive and negative that you may want to give. Special thanks go to Merendinoemiliano whose previous review helped me shape this chapter in a better direction, Im really grateful. Hope you are enjoying the story so far and Have a great day.