Jaune Arc was wandering the dirt path alone. The moon hung high in the sky as the night echoed his footsteps. A growl alerted the blonde knight to the presence of grimm. The knight turned and drew his sword, his rage and anger evident on his face. His grief and hurting soul from betrayal only drew the grimm in. they crawled from all sides of the path.
"Well, what? You want some?" The Arc spat at his foes. The beowolves growled as they circled the young Arc. he gave his own growl as his sword swung in the air, trying to fend off the wolves. The pack moved in on the young blonde, seeing no reason to continue waiting. One wolf fell to the blade as it drove it's way into its neck. The grimms packmember chomped down on his shoulder. He screamed in pain as the grimm piled on him.
"He's going to die." A female voice came from the shadows. A man in strange blue and green armor stood off the path to the side, watching the poor huntsman in training being mauled alive. The green hood matched the dark leaves of the surrounding trees. A green and bronze helm with patterns of a leaf hid his face.
"I know Arwren. I know." The hunter said to his ghost, the femenine construct clad in a dark vine green and black shell.
"Shouldn't you do something, Stryder?" Arwren asked.
"Should I? Probably. But I think he's strong enough." The Hunter said, looking at the dying knight fight with valor and vigor.
"Not strong enough to survive." Arwren pointed out.
"That's not the goal here, love." Stryder said, pulling out a blank ghost, quiet and dark. The Arc was slain in the background, bleeding to death as the Hunter sighed. "Wakey wakey little light. Time to go get a Guardian." Stryder said as he loaded a hand cannon. The firearm shot off once, twice, three times before the grimm scattered. Several dissolving corpses were left in the Hunters wake as the ghost came to life, blinking once or twice. The unnamed ghost floated over, scanning the mangled Arc. the light reflected off the matted blonde, glowing in the night.
"Well?" Stryder asked, impatiently. He had places to be, like the great city.
"Working on it. He's not fully dead yet. Give me a minute." the soft but masuline voice of the ghost said. "Guardian, can you hear me? You up?"
The corpse under the ghost groaned in pain. "Owwww…. What in the?" he asked groggily, looking up at the mechanical floating orb and the green and blue Hunter, masked by a helm.
"Hello, and welcome back Guardian. I'm a ghost!" the blank ghost said with enthusiasm. "Or rather, i'm your ghost! It's nice to meet you!"
The newly risen guardian just stared at it. "Uhh, nice to meet you too?" he asked, not sure what to make of the strange mechanical thing that spoke. The thing hummed as it finished imbuing the new guardian with light energy. It then proceeded to vanish into thin air.
"Uhh, was it supposed to do that? Where did it go?" The Guardian asked, confused.
"Don't worry, i'm still here, Guardian." the ghost said from inside the Guardians mind.
The blonde blinked, not used to hearing voices in his head. "What is going on?!" he demanded with a groan of confusion and mental pain. Stryder opened his mouth, but a semi-distant howl interrupted him. "We don't have time here. We need to move. I have a ship that can get us out of here. Follow me, Rookie."
The blonde grunted in annoyance. "My name's not rookie." he pouted, following the hunter at his rapid pace.
"Well, what is it?" he asked snidely.
"Stryder, be nice." the hunter's ghost chastised him as Jaune frowned. He didn't know, he didn't know where he was, who he was, or what was going on. "And don't worry, guardian. Some never remember their original name, and it's not uncommon for guardians to make one up for them." she said sweetly, trying to ease the new guardian's worry. The blonde just nodded, still feeling a little bit lost. Reaching to grab his sword and shield, he collapsed them into it's sheathed form. Stryder gave the guardian a look, but let it rest. The two of them went off into the darkness, illuminated by nothing but the shattered moon.
'So, uhh, ghost?' the guardian thought in his mind.
"Yes, Guardian?" the blank ghost asked.
'What's going on?' the blonde knight sighed in his mind, wishing that someone would explain what exactly was going on.
"I can understand your confusion, Guardian. You are a guardian, revived from the dead. I am your ghost, so think of me as a companion. I can manage things for you, like your equipment and Light!" the ghost said cheerily.
'And light is?' the blonde asked.
"Magic space powers given by the Traveller."
'Right…' the two guardians went onwards off the path, finding a spaceship hidden in the trees. It was a dark green and black, sleek and smooth. It was a square looking ship resting under the foliage.
"Come on rookie, we got to get to the city. We don't have all night, you know." Stryder said, hopping into the ship.
"My names not rookie." The knight grumbled as he entered as well. 'A bit more exposition about guardians and this Traveller, please.' It was decidedly weird to be talking to something in his own head.
"Of course. Guardians are warriors appointed by the Traveller, which was discovered by man a long time ago. Guardians defend man and the Traveller, and in turn, the Traveller gives us the powers of light. Both the traveller and Humanity have many enemies who want the Travellers light."
'Okay, I'm following you there. You mentioned something about inventory?' the blonde thought, feeling uneasy about the ship. "Hey, Stryder, this thing flies right?"
"Yes, it does Rookie." The blonde sighed at this, looking at his weapon. It flashed as the ghost inspected it
CAROCA MORS: Legendary Exotic Sword
"It is not a blade that makes a huntsman, my boy. It is the huntsman that makes the blade"
Julius Arc
Traits: Honed Edge: Increased sword damage, Balanced Guard: over all balanced guard, Surrounded: This sword gains bonus damage when there are three or more near by enemies, Sword and Shield: This weapons pass-
That was as far as the guardian got before he blanked, a dormant memory of his past surfacing to his brain.
An old blonde man sat in a rocking chair, a tiny boy on his lap. "Now, remember Jaune. You're an Arc. that means that you must defend those wherever you find them. When others are in need it is your duty to go help. But most importantly, it means that you're Jaune Arc, and no one else. Remember that."
The little jaune smiled brightly, looking up at his grandfather. "Will do Grampa! I'm an Arc!" the old man chuckled patting his head.
"No Jaune. You're Jaune Arc."
"Rookie, are you still with me?" Stryder asked, looking worried at the guardian.
"Jaune." he said in return, still snapping out of his blank.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"My name is Jaune. Jaune Arc." the guardian said, looking at the hunter dead in the eye. The hunter chuckled as he turned his attention away from the new guardian. "Nice to meet you Jaune. Let's go home." the spaceship started up, rising off the ground
-(POV of Jaune)-
I hurled whatever was left in my once dead stomach into a bin as my ghost did his best to console me.
"Can't believe it. A guardian ,first and last protector of man, has airsickness." Stryder sighed as he drove in space.
"It's more common than you think-Blearrg!" I protested weakly as I vomited once again into the bin. Stryder, who I learned was a hunter, shook his head.
"This is Stryder to Fireteam. I repeat this is Stryder to Fireteam." Styrder said into a comm link in the ship. An indistinguishable voice came over on the comm. "Hey Star. Yeah, the mission went well. I picked up a new guardian, Jaune Arc. Yeah, yeah I know."
I cocked my head, trying to understand what was going on. 'Hey, ghost.'
"Yes Jaune?"
'I'd like another look at Caroca Mors."
"Of course buddy. Give me a moment." the ghost said.
CAROCA MORS: Legendary Exotic Sword
"It is not a blade that makes a huntsman, my boy. It is the huntsman that makes the blade"
Julius Arc
Traits: Honed Edge: Increased sword damage, Balanced Guard: over all balanced guard, Surrounded: This sword gains bonus damage when there are three or more nearby enemies, Sword and Shield: This weapons passively reduces damage you take by 15% while out, Arcadian Legacy: dealing damage with this weapon heals you and nearby enemies with this weapon provides more healing.
"Huh. that's neat." I said to himself.
"Hey, kid. Four hour warning until arrival." Stryder said.
'Great….' I thought, forcing my stomach to rest. 'Four hours'.
-No one's POV.-
'Four hours'. Ozpin sighed, looking at a sheet of paper. It was the application of one Jaune Arc, who was now missing.
'For four hours i've been looking at this application. Why do I do this to myself?' Ozpin thought as he put the folder down.
"You look stressed." Glyda said, the blonde witch putting down another cup of coffee. Ozpin took it swiftly and greedily.
"I feel it." he sighed, putting the empty cup down on the desk. "How does one untrained huntsman, who we have been keeping track of and saw personally in Vale less than two weeks ago, disappear off the face of Remnant?"
Glynda shook her head, not sure. "I have no idea Ozpin. I have no idea." she sighed. "Anyway, RWBY and JNPR wanted to see you."
Urrg. "send them up." Ozpin sighed, looking at his scroll. "We don't have much time however. I'm expecting a message from Qrow sometime today."
The elevator dinged as the eight most promising students entered the spacious office, compared to the cramped elevator that took them there.
"I still don't see why we are bothering to be looking for someone who decided to leave Beacon." Jack Lantern, Jaune Arc's replacement said. Ren's eye twitched as Pyrrha's fist clenched. "Because he is our friend, and we owe him that much." She growled, glancing at the silver haired boy. Turning to her headmaster, the redhead spoke. "Any new news?" she asked, hoping and praying for good news. Ozpin just shook his head. "Still missing, same as of four days ago. I'm sorry."
Ruby's face worsened with grief. Her minor crush on the Arc had only grown in his absence, or atleast grew more pronounced. It had led to both a fight and an interesting bond between her and Pyrrha, in the form of a new thing to bond over. The mutual missing of the blonde knight. Not that the void of laughter and dorkiness he left wasn't felt by everyone. Everyone felt the lack of stability, like an immovable watchtower that was now gone, that Jaune left. Everyone in the room was feeling the loss of Jaune.
"Is that all you wish to speak to me about?"
The eight of them looked around glumly. Ruby was the one who spoke. "Yes it is. Please alert us if there are any more developments, please?" she said with baleful eyes.
"Of course Ruby." Ozpin said as his phone buzzed.
I might have found something. -Q.