DISCLAIMER: I own nothing related to RWBY

*** On the elevator ***

"I would not expect too much, Ozpin. Though my knowledge is extensive, that does not guarantee treatment for whatever is afflicting her," Jaune preemptively states.

Ozpin stiffly nods, though one could see the disappointment in his eyes.

"I... am quite aware of that possibility. However, we are growing desperate as Amber's condition is slowly worsening by the day. At this point, I am willing to take whatever chances become available."

The elevator comes to halt and the doors slide open. Glynda stands in the opening, anxiously waiting for them.

"How is she?" Ozpin asks.

Glynda sighs, "The usual report. Her condition is worsening by the day."

"I see," Ozpin tightly grips his cane and steps out from the elevator. "Let's go."

As the trio walk down a large, long hall, Jaune notes the various corridors branching out into a series of tunnels.

'I wonder where those lead to...'

At the end of the hall is a large medical pod housing an unconscious young woman with chocolate brown hair. Jaune's eyes follow a series of pipes and wires leading from Amber's medical pod to a vacant one.

'Hmm...'

Noticing Jaune's gaze, Ozpin comments, "It is as you suspect. Unfortunately, I fear that we may have to resort to such a method given the current situation."

Jaune nods, then steps forward to take a closer look. He places a palm against the glass, then extends a tendril of Aura through the glass and into the pod.

'Divine sense would make this process much easier, but this method should suffice at this short of a distance.'

He gently prods her body and waits for a response from her Aura. Finding none, Jaune raises an eyebrow, then plunges his Aura directly into her body with no resistance. He closes his eyes and gently circulates his wisp of Aura through Amber. Once he reaches her navel, his eyes snap open. He shakes his head as he steps away from the pod.

'What a pity.'

Ozpin and Glynda feel their stomachs drop at Jaune's reaction. Ozpin braces himself.

"What did you find out? How is she?"

Jaune sighs, "I will be frank with you. Her soul is severely damaged. A large portion of it is missing, as if some force had torn it apart. She is as good as dead. The separation of a soul is a delicate process in which the slightest mistake can result in grave consequences. Whoever did this to Amber was anything but delicate. Though she is unconscious, she is in indescribable pain right now. It would be an act of mercy to kill her right now."

He narrows his eyes at the two professors.

"That is not an option for you two, is it?"

Glynda puts a hand up to her mouth, looking pale and ill.

"As much as it pains me to admit... No. That is not an option," Ozpin solemnly replies. "If Amber passes, we risk the rest of the Fall Maiden's powers to seek its other half, which lies within her assailant. For the sake of the greater good of protecting humanity, we can not allow that to happen."

Jaune closes his eyes.

"Just know this. Every second that you two keep Amber alive, is another second of agonizing torture you are knowingly putting her through. If you're willing to shoulder such a burden, then so be it."

Ozpin says nothing, but tightly clenches his cane with guilt ridden eyes.

"How long can she last?" Glynda softly asks.

"Three to six months. Where she falls within that range depends on her will."

'Our greatest fears are slowly coming true...' Ozpin mentally sighs.

"This was not exactly the news we wanted to hear, but thank you Jaune, for clarifying her condition for us."

He momentarily glances at the vacant medical pod. Jaune catches this and his eyes narrow.

'So he's made his decision.'

"If that is all you'd like for me to do down here, I'd like to return to the surface. Otherwise, my team will begin wondering where I have been."

*** Later that afternoon ***

'My first priority is to develop my divine sense. It is far too useful to ignore until Xiantian, and the current situation is urgent. This will likely increase the difficulty of my tribulation, but I have little choice. If I survive my tribulation, my divine sense will be far beyond average and will only grow more advantageous as I progress.'

'Next, I must consider my weapon, Crocea Mors. For a mortal sword, it is top grade. However, unless something is done, it will become a bottleneck. Completely discarding it is not really an option, as it is an heirloom of my family. Hmm... there is the option of making it my natal weapon when I reach Xiantian, but to make a mortal level sword my natal weapon? What a complete waste. It may be possible to reforge it into a sentient divine sword if I had the energy required...'

'Third comes the issue with my Semblance. Should I not have a Semblance? This body is one born on Remnant, so I should not be excluded from a Semblance. They say that a Semblance is the representation of one's soul. Perhaps... I should meditate and ponder upon this.'

'Fourth is-'

"Mr Arc," Oobleck calls loudly. "I can see that you've been paying great attention to my lecture. To demonstrate, why don't you answer the following question? Why do you think the Faunus prevailed in the battle of Fort Castle?"

'Fort what?'

Jaune keeps a calm expression and takes a moment to think. Despite having little knowledge of this world's history, both in his memories and Jaune Arc's, he is quite familiar with the art of war.

"I'll admit that I am not particularly familiar with this historical event, Doctor Oobleck. May I get some basic information? What were the sizes of the armies, and what was the setting?"

Oobleck hums in appreciation from his proper title being used. Having been put into a good mood, he decides to entertain Jaune's request.

"Very well. This is a good opportunity for the entire class to participate. Who'd like to answer Mr Arc's inquiries?"

Pyrrha's hand shoots up like a rocket.

"Miss Nikos. Go ahead."

"Thank you sir," Pyrrha responds. "The fort was under the command of General Lagune, and his army was substantially larger than the Faunus army. The one to initiate the attack was the General, and it was during a particularly dark night."

Jaune stifles a chuckle.

'She tried a little too hard being subtle with that hint. How amusing that she thinks Oobleck did not notice. So... a human army attacks a Faunus camp in pitch black darkness? Unless this army was somehow comprised of practitioners, they would have a difficult time seeing through the darkness without the aid of torches. What a fool to attack an enemy blind.'

"Attacking in pitch black darkness was a foolish mistake."

Pyrrha sighs in relief that Jaune had caught her hint, while Blake silently nods in approval.

"Very good Mr Arc."

Oobleck adjusts his glasses.

"Based on all evidence found, and the fact many Faunus can see in the darkness, your answer is undoubtedly the correct one."

A loud scoff interrupts.

"Mr Winchester. You seem to disagree? Would you care to explain why?"

"Isn't it obvious? It's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier," Cardin mocks.

Blakes eyes narrow dangerously, but before she could utter a retort, Jaune begins to laugh.

"What's so funny Jaunie?!" Cardin snarls.

"Cardin, even a child could recognize that blinding oneself is an idiotic thing to do. This General Lagune's impatience got countless men killed. Though... I suppose that you of all people would sympathize with charging in like an uncontrolled animal."

The other students suck in a cold air through their teeth, realizing that Jaune is alluding to Cardin's humiliating defeat in the 4 vs 1.

"YOU FUCKING-" Cardin roars.

"That's quite enough from everyone," Oobleck cuts Cardin off. "Mr Winchester, I will be assigning you to write a detailed account of the Battle of Fort Castle. Class is dismissed."

"Damn," Yang snickers loudly. "Gotta love a double burn. Remind him of his team's humiliation and turning an animal insult back onto him. Nice one Jaune!"

As the students stream out of the lecture hall, Cardin pushes past Jaune and growls in a low voice, "This isn't over."

Jaune shrugs and joins his team as they head back towards their dorms.

Up ahead, Jaune notices the members of RWBY heading towards the bullhead stations designated for the city.

'I have been meaning to ask Ruby for some input in redesigning my shield. Perhaps I should follow them. It is a good opportunity to explore the city as well.'

"I've just remembered that I have some business to take care of in the city. I'll be back later tonight."

He waves his hand behind him as he splits off from the group. Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora exchange confused looks, but do not think much of it. By this point, they are used to Jaune disappearing at times.

Jaune jogs into the bullhead just in time before the doors slam shut. He glances around and locates Team RWBY huddled in one of the corners. As he begins to approach them, he notices that Blake and Weiss are having a bit of a heated argument, while Ruby and Yang helplessly watch from the side. Finally, Blake says something that causes the rest of her team to freeze, before she turns on her heels and dashes away in the opposite direction.

Without hesitation, Jaune turns on his heels and finds a seat as far away from RW_Y as possible.

'I would rather not get involved with that fallout if at all possible.'

He leans back and closes his eyes.

'So... it took Blake herself for her team to realize that she's a Faunus. Hopefully, they work this out between themselves. Otherwise, I've gravely underestimated their bonds.'

Jaune stifles a yawn and strolls out from the bullhead. He looks around, finding no traces of RWBY. Unworried, he shrugs to himself and begins to walk through the city streets, noting the various shops, restaurants, and people. Near the center of the city, he finds a small park. Appreciating the lack of people around that could disturb him, he takes a seat underneath one of the many trees.

'I suppose I will wait here for now. Given RWBY's tendency for causing chaos, I'll be able to react accordingly if something does happen. I will give them a few more hours to deal with the Blake situation.'

He crosses his legs and closes his eyes, slipping into meditation.

Jaune peacefully floats through his dantian sea.

'The path of cultivation is to defy the Heavens. Though there are plenty of things one should fear, the Heavens is not one of them.'

He waves a finger, conjuring a column of Aura to condense in front of him. He places his hands into the column and integrates his will into it. Molding, kneading, stretching, and churning the Aura to refine it into divine sense.

Having done this in his past life, the task goes as smoothly as drinking a cup of water. Eventually, the column of Aura is transformed into a ball of mist suffused with his will. He nods in satisfaction.

'This should be the limit at my current stage. Any more would mentally and spiritually strain me."

For the next several hours, Jaune experiments with his divine sense's capabilities, verifying once again that Aura and qi are greatly interchangeable.

When he finally reopens his eyes, he tilts his head up towards the skies and narrows his eyes. Despite the clear skies, a deep rumble vibrates the very air around him.

'As I'd thought, my tribulation will be considerably more challenging.'

He extends his divine sense into a thin strand and scans the area around him. He locates Ruby's Aura in the East.

'Surely they've handled their situation with Blake by now?'

"A White Fang member right under our noses!" Weiss exclaims in frustration.

"Weiss, shut it," Yang grits her teeth. "She said she left."

"And that's exactly what one of those criminals in the White Fang would say to avoid suspicion!" Weiss counters.

"Weiss! Yang!" Ruby attempts to calm them down.

Much to his dismay, this is the scene Jaune walks into.

While Weiss and Yang argue in the background, Ruby notices Jaune walking towards them.

"Jaune? Oh, hey!" Ruby weakly smiles. "Um, what're you doing here in the city?"

Weiss and Yang pause their spat. Due to her current state of anger, Weiss directs her aggression towards Jaune.

"What do you want, Arc? Can't you see that we are busy?" Weiss glares.

'... Perhaps I should have waited a little longer.' Jaune laments.

"You look very busy indeed," Jaune remarks. "I was just passing by and happened to come across you three. Is something wrong?"

He pretends to glance around in confusion.

"Where is Blake?"

"That is none of your business," Weiss curtly responds.

"Hmm," Jaune nods, then turns his attention towards the youngest of the group, Ruby.

"What is going on here?"

Ruby immediately caves to the pressure.

"We found out that Blake is a Faunus, and that she used to be with the White Fang. We've been looking for her all day and are having a hard time dealing with this revelation. Please don't tell anyone she's a Faunus!" She quickly blurts out.

Weiss pinches her brow.

"Just brilliant Ruby..."

Jaune looks at the three, amused.

"It took you all this time to learn that Blake is a Faunus? A cat Faunus to be specific."

"Huh?"

All three girls adopt incredulous expressions.

Jaune sighs, "It does not take much observation to deduce that Blake is a Faunus. Her food preferences, eyes, twitching bow. I'm finding it rather incredible that none of you figured it out despite living together."

The three look down at the ground in shame.

"As for the White Fang, did she not say that she left?" Jaune questions. "Blake is your teammate, and at this point, someone who should be as close as family. Based on your understanding of her character, is she someone who'd lie to you about such a thing? Aside from her hiding her Faunus status, do you have good reason to doubt her word?"

Weiss averts her eyes, unable to meet Jaune's gaze, knowing he is right.

While Jaune was speaking, he secretly scanned a vast portion of the city with his divine sense.

'Found her.'

"Speaking of which," Jaune puts hand up to her chin. "I think I saw someone who I thought was Blake near the cargo docks. I'd figured it was just my eyes playing tricks because I did not see you three. But considering the current situation between you four, it was probably her."

Weiss' eyes narrow.

"The cargo docks? If I recall, there is a large shipment of Dust scheduled to be delivered by the SDC tonight. I have a difficult time chalking this up as coincidence."

"Then what're we waiting for? Let's go!" Yang declares before sprinting off towards the cargo docks, with Weiss following close behind.

Ruby stays behind for a moment and takes the time to thank her friend.

"Thanks Jaune, we really needed that. I'll try to make it up to you later, and... if it means anything, I'm sorry for all the yelling Weiss did. You know how she is sometimes," Ruby apologetically smiles.

"Well... I do need some help in redesigning my shield. Perhaps you could assist me with that?"

Ruby's eyes instantly grow bright and widen, but before she could start, Jaune preemptively interrupts.

"We can discuss this at a later time. Don't you have a teammate to make up with?"

Ruby pauses and nods. Flashing Jaune a quick smile, she speeds away to follow after Yang and Weiss.

'Perhaps I should observe them from a distance. Just in case.'

*** Cargo Dock ***

The trio arrive just in time to see Blake and an unknown monkey Faunus fending off several members of the White Fang. Much to their surprise, Roman Torchwick stands in the back, leading the operation. He points his cane and shoots the ground under Blake and Sun's feet, knocking them several feet away. Grinning, he fires another shot to finish them off, but Ruby dashes in with the assistance of Weiss' glyph and blocks the shot with Crescent Rose.

By this point, four additional bullheads enter the scene and drop off dozens of more White Fang reinforcements onto the ground. Yang and Weiss run up to the sides of Blake and Sun, helping them up onto their feet. Several hundred yard away, Jaune sits casually atop a crane, watching the battle play out.

'They are handling themselves relatively well, despite being outnumbered. Many of the White Fang are too fixated on getting at Weiss, causing them to lose focus on Yang, Ruby, Blake, and that monkey. In actual combat, their teamwork is rather decent, despite their constant bickering.'

His eyes narrow at a figure approaching the dock.

'Who is that headed for Ruby?'

Penny appears on the scene, surprising Ruby. Capitalizing on the sudden distraction, Roman quickly closes the distance and disarms Ruby before striking her away with his cane.

Penny's eyes flash with anger, and the compartment on her back opens to reveal several narrow blades.

'A robot?'

Jaune eyes Penny with some interest.

'To create a sentient golem is no small feat. Especially for a mortal.'

The sound of fluttering wings distract him, and Jaune turns his head to his right.

'A crow? No... a raven.'

When Jaune looks back at the docks, Penny generates a laser and shoots down three of the bullheads. Down on the ground, Roman is standing beside a petite girl with multi-colored hair and eyes.

'Another new arrival.'

Roman and Neo shatter into pieces when RWBY, Penny, and Sun launch their attack. Not one to be easily tricked, Jaune's gaze trails up to the final remaining bullhead as it escapes the scene. The raven perched beside him stares at Jaune intently with its intelligent eyes.

'What're you looking at?'

Jaune's right hand blurs into motion and he lightly flicks the raven on the head.

Crying in indignation, it frantically flaps its wings and flies away.

As Vale police begin to arrive, Jaune stands up to leave.

'Time to return to Beacon.'