RWBY: The D'arc Game of Life

by ThePlayer1Company

Jaune Arc has lived a quite normal life, sans his parents splitting up when he was 10. Regardless, he wants to be a Huntsman, a hero like his father! One day, he messes up in the best way possible, and a tiny splinter grows into a grand adventure, in which the blonde must play a dark game of life. Only time will tell the truth. RWBY/Gamer crossover

18. The Noontime before the Fog

4/4/2017 at 9:35 AM: Just posted the new chapter a minute ago, cleared my email notifications about the previous chapter, so now I'm gonna at least throw some stuff down on this new document so I can at least say I started on it.

4/4/2017 at 5:38 PM: Well, I just spent like the last hour writing up all the reviewer responses and some stuff in the chapter. Currently wordcount: 1.9k

4/5/2017 at 6:17 PM: I'm really damn late for class, but I have 5.9k words done, so that's something at least!

4/8/2017 at 8:07 AM: The last few days have been... odd, to say the least... I think... I don't even know, but I DO have nearly 13.1k words completed, so that's cool. At this rate I should be done by the 12th. Fingers crossed!

4/9/2017 at 12:05 AM: I just woke up from a random nap and the dream in it was that Jaune went and did, like, a really boring training thing, then came home to find everyone naked and a note with everyone apologizing for being unable to wait for him, so they just had a big ol' orgy. He just kinda screamed in frustration and then the dream ended. When I woke up, I felt... angry. That is all I have to say at this time.

4/10/2017 at 5:09 PM: Well, it's been nearly a week, and I'm like... 5/8ths done with the chapter I'd say, about 17.6k words in the chapter as of this moment

4/11/2017 at 8:15 AM: It's been a week, I have 19.5k words written, and honestly I don't really have too too much left of the planned amount of chapter content left to go. Unfortunately, I am tired and it is late/early, so I will be stopping for now and going to sleep.

4/12/2017 at 1:36 AM: I REALLY should rearrange my sleeping schedule so I can stop writing in the wee hours of the AM. Oh well, can't do much for that right now, as I am most definitely not going back to sleep after a brief pass-out, so let's get back to work.

4/12/2017 at 9:25 AM: I just saved my progress and had EXACTLY 22k words written. It was pretty cool for me. I'm going to do my best to finish this thing within the next couple of days. However, I'm going to sleep as I just had a sizable mindfuck moment and got confused/scared for a minute.

4/12/2017 at 3:01 PM: Well, I'm awakened, and ready to type more stuff. Here's to hoping the next two hours will not go to waste!

4/14/2017 at 4:57 AM: Earlier I had a bit of a scare in that I was 85% convinced I was sick and running a fever, which is why I was sweating like a running pig and roasting like a dead pig. I am now 95% sure I'm not, but it can't hurt to be safe. I think it probably was just a combination of my abysmal overweightedness and some environmental factors like "the women in this household don't like to turn the A/C on unless it's like 80 degrees out". I'm going to try to write even a paltry amount of words before I'm so tired I pass out, so... anything more than 23.3k is good!

4/15/2017 at 5:06 AM: Well, I'm typing stuff. I spent a good amount of today just chilling out and I even hung out with some friends for a couple of hours, eating wood-grilled meats and shootin' the shit (though, while there WERE a couple of guns there, no shots were fired, obvsly, because we were in a neighborhood and also like 1-2 blocks away from a church, luckily none of them were THAT stupid). Point is, I justifiably did not type much today, but I put this note here to signify that I am acknowledging this and also getting into typing fully.

4/17/2017 at 3:44 PM: Well, the last day or so have been quite busy all around, so that's why I haven't been able to type much more of the story. My dad is home, and his presence is very loud and distracting sometimes, and he makes his exits take like 15x longer than an exit should. Overall, though, I've had a good time, I guess. Been trying to get better sleeping patterns to zero, perhaps even a negative avail. I don't know, really, but I think I can either walk around this brick wall, or bash my head against it enough to break it down. Either or, I'll win... in other news, currently at 28.4k words, and soon will be done with the chapter. This one's been a little rough, and I could have posted it like a week ago if shit didn't pop up randomly, but hey, what can you do? I also just realized that the story is over a year old now! Granted, about 6.5 of those 13 months were hiatus, but there will not be hiatus in the future, only the time between chapters.

4/18/2017 at 5:35 AM: Well, my dad will be leaving in like 5 hours. I'm currently stuck awake at the moment, sadly, but eh, what can I do? Go to sleep? I can't. I literally can't right now. I'm gonna type more stuff, because I'm pretty close to the end.

4/19/2017 at 3:00 AM: I have had the realization, like full-blown realization, just HOW MUCH faster I'd be writing these chapters if I didn't dick around so much. I'm currently on 30.8k words, but I could have been here like 5 days ago. Like, yeah, okay, I know, people should take time to go hang with friends, I know, but that was only like 2 days. Like... look at the start of these little updates, I wrote like 4k words in 1 hour. Hell, I could probably, if I focused more fully, go full-on Ryuugi-tier typing bullshit and get out like 20-30k words EVERY FEW DAYS if I could actually manage my time enough. Nonetheless, I know the true fans don't care about the time between uploads, so long as I don't slip into an "indefinite hiatus" like so many stories that were probably good, but I wouldn't know because I haven't seen them.

4/21/2017 at 6:13 PM: Goddammit, I'm nearly done, saved, and found out I have 38.1k words written? I wanted this to be relatively SHORT, only about 20-30k words. Just... ugh, dammit. That's also probably part of the delay too, besides my dicking around.

4/23/2017 at 12:20 AM: The past couple of days have just kinda... gone. I need to do a LOT of work tomorrow, so I'm going to see about getting this chapter up tonight. The omake is almost done, and after that is just a stat dump and then I'll probably just go to sleep. Let's hope that's the actual case!

4/23/2017 at 2:45 AM: Well, I'm finished with the chapter now, time to upload it! Final wordcount: about 39.7k words, over ten thousand more than I wanted it to be. I need to get better at making shorter, more concise chapters. Oh well, just gonna post this and hope for the best!

---

Reviewer Responses:

ExternalDark (on chapter 16): Well! You, sir/madam, did not have to wait very long! XDDDDD

Jack905: yep, only Pyrrha left. Also Velvet, Velvet was scheduled to join at the end of Beacon... on your second review: sassy answer= right after you make a profile and comment like a REAL person, brutha/sista!... serious answer= it won't be for a few more chapters.

Zhalo Shadowcell and Guest (That guy): Yep, skyrim and undertale... and also Smash Mouth. I do like abridged series, I just haven't yet mustered the courage to tackle the gigantic beast that I assume DBZ abridged is.

Wentley: *ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED* New Fan Magnet... Description: Bring a new fan in despite them not liking something your story is about... Gamer Score: 100g

Flametusk: Classes have new effects unlocked, is what it means. Each class provides bonuses, and now most classes have more bonuses the higher version you use... Cinder will play a sizable role but I can't be spoiling stuff like that, now can I? Gaster Blaster, I think I had Jaune mention, isn't really being affected by his Fundamental Factors of Intelligence and Wisdom. It is at a pretty high level, though.

XerzoLotCN: I see you have written an even longer review, as though in defiance. Well sadly for your enjoyment, I don't think I'll be making even close to an equally lengthy reply... possibly, IDFK right now. Let's begin:

Okay, zanpakuto, cool cool. Soul Blade idea, that is a pretty valid idea I can get behind... you know what, I'm gonna have that omake be next chapter's omake! Congratulations, man, you've received a promotion!... Yep on the armor, yep on the fight, yep on the souls and weapons, yep on the peace, yep on the vomit, yep yep yep.

Marbel. MARBEL. M-A-R-B-E-L.

... I'm sorry I don't want to harp on people for their grammar/spelling, but also there's a stark lack of proper periods, or even commas in your last paragraph, which renders it nearly unreadable to me. I have to go through and break it down myself. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be a bully or whatever, I just... I ask that you at least put some commas in there...

Back to this part: Marbel also is a little stronger but more unstable than the others in some ways with that new courage, but she'll get used to it. It's the thing Paarthurnax was talking about, "What is better: to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?", except replace 'good' with 'strong' and 'evil' with 'weak'... Marbel's semblance, yep. Rook, Knight, what will Bishop be, or whatever the other two things are? King is not one of them, because Marbel is a girl. 'Nuff said... Blake's clones just might be, beeyotch (sorry I just had the urge to say "Bitch I might be", I vaguely recalled that meme).

That's not exactly my logic on why Nora wants to be with Jaune and why not with Ren. I said they are LIKE brother and sister. Kinfolk is my personally perferred term. Siblings in all but blood. To them, pursuing romance between themselves wouldn't feel right. Though yes Nora might jump at the chance to be the "queen of the castle", there'd have to be feelings established before that first. Feelings that Jaune will, naturally, cultivate without realizing or wanting to, because he is the nice, protective guy.

Blake also, she's trying to ignore her feelings for Jaune, to let familiarity breed contempt, but all it's breeding is more emotion. It's clear that she's into him, at least to her, and she's trying not to be, but the matters of the heart are confusing as hell... Yep, metal elemental FTW... Your spelling of his name just makes me think of a dumb joke: How many assholes does it take to incite a White Fang attack? A dillion!... Yep that's an inception dream, alright. And I can't really tell you, but he might have had a dream based on the fairytale.

Sadly the only fundamental factors are of INT and WIS, because they refer to the concept of "mind over matter" and while LUK is technically classed as a mental stat, it doesn't work like THAT. I already have plans for 150 LUK, when he eventually reaches it... yeah, the Dual-Classing is pretty good. He won't be going for all of THAT, necessarily, but he'll be going for some good combos.

Alright, the meat of this... which I now realize, after breaking it down and reading it all, is just a suggestion for an EXP boosting skill. I mean, okay, to be fair, he hasn't reached the plateau that his enhanced mind allows just yet, mostly because I haven't gotten the most chance to focus on what skills he's been focusing on just yet. He'll definitely be getting more levels and stuffs, he's just not focusing on character levels right now, mostly skills.

Yeah, that part of the omake, now that I think about it, is probably why less people are mentioning it. It's not a very pleasant thought, but that's also why it's strictly non-canon to the story, because Jaune will stop at NOTHING to get his parents back together, when he gets the chance to focus on that... quest progression is basically "focusing solely on the quest to get Weiss up to snuff, and the now-completed quest to defeat the VcWF", he'll do more when he gets the time to.

JOOP-ROLL: I have, currently, 5 different google documents with 26+21+21+65+17 = 150 pages total content, encompassing the following:

Doc1= Profile, Bars and Regen, Classes, Nicknames, Titles, Friends, Quest Log, Elementals (with updated stuffs), Ki Costs, Elemental Combinations (both Dual and Intermediate), Movement Speed, Ease of Casting, and the theme song for this story arc
Doc2= all of the party member's profiles and details like appearance and Aura (the skill) levels, the Vacuan White Fang's meager profiles (recently added), the party member's semblances, and a special thing I can't tell you about.
Doc3= inventory, with special sections for regular items, normal weapons and armor, and Grimm weapons and armor.
Doc4= all of his skills that are Tier 1
Doc5= (recently split because Doc4 is 65 pages long) all of his skills that are Tiers 2 and 3.

the numbers I gave are the respective numbers of pages each of these documents have. Also, I'm 100% sure that he has more than 50 skills. I don't have a count of how many, but it's more than 50.

CrimsonSylvan: well, he won't be getting "desterity", but he WILL be getting "dexterity", XDDD sorry, I couldn't resist. But yeah he'll be balancing himself out on that stuffs.

uriil: Yeah, maybe, IDK, history repeats itself? The "seven" thing is intentional, actually. It's peculiar, yes, but it has a reasoning... Jaune plans on using Navio's weapon because it was fucking cool, he plans on either extracting the semblances from the souls, or finding a way to bind them to something. He could always just eat it, but given that he hasn't even eaten the soul of the one guy he killed to get the outfit to sneak into the VaWF base and end up assassinating Adam, it shall be stated that he is not comfortable at all simply "eating"/"absorbing" the soul. It's both, technically, but at the same time neither, I guess "assimilating" might be a better verb.

There were a lot of upgraded skills and stuff, but prestiging stuff is a little hard and I'd already written so much and... well this is mostly an excuse for why I haven't yet done it. It'll happen in this chapter, don't you worry. A LOT will happen in this chapter, as I just now realize how much will be prestiging and leveling.

Scribble novice: No, Neo is Neo. Marbel is Marbel. Marbel is also like over half a foot taller than Neo.

zen-aku spirit of the wolf: Truce agreed. Now hopefully we can move onto better things than needless arguing, like possibly chapter-related reviews. ^w^

A Guest with some info: I was aware of the non-disclosure clause... the reason Dillan said anything was that he was manipulated by Naranja and was drunk as fuck at the time. People say shit and spill secrets when they're drunk. Also, to be fair, Jaune was, for the entire duration, seconds from literally just tearing the man's head off, but he wouldn't have even given the man a chance if he also knew of the non-disclosure clause. Unfortunately, that's all said and done now, let's move onto new things and carry with us the knowledge we've acquired through this experience.

Avret: You know, sir/madam, you sting, but certainly in a helpful way, like cutting open a boil that will let me drain the pus. You're very right that I need to increase the risks and bad stuff that happens to the characters. I am also glad that your review was rather fair and balanced in its assessment and I'm happy that you enjoy the characters.

: and this is an example of a review that is not fair and balanced. Thinking of all the examples where "might makes right" seems like the MO: In the omake, to be fair, I was kinda more focusing on the stuff related to some people reacting the age-changed Jaune, Marbel, Yang, and John (which I mean, it barely showed Marbel or John, but I'm not fucking perfect, I spent pretty much all of my creative energy on the chapter itself). The brief bout with Ren was more "slap some sense into a guy who flew off the handle because he didn't like what Jaune said". In addition, when Jaune was talking about Nora's punishment, keep in mind that it was stated that Jaune is not opposed to giving a kid a spanking to discipline them. Ren got pissed because Nora is his bestest friend (use of the word "bestest" is intentional) and Jaune just said that he would MAKE SURE she got a whooping. To a Hunter, a threat against your best friend is grounds for a fight.

On the matter of Dillan's dickatry, I ask that you note the fair point that Jaune was getting pestered and bugged by the guy being a huge dick every day over the smallest things, and I'm pretty sure if someone was being a huge dick to you every day for the smallest of reasons, you'd want to punch their lights out too. The section with Jaune approaching Dillan afterwards was intended to plant the seed and show Jaune starting to move past "roided-up teenage anger and violence" as his argumentative MO. Even barring that, in the world of Remnant, the Hunters DO have a more violent mindset than civilians, but it's usually tempered by control. Even though he's The Gamer, Jaune is still a human and still a teenage boy, when he's verbally jabbed at a thousand times, he gets pissed, and when he gets pissed, he gets punchy. Dillan deserved to get fired for letting his opinions get in the way of his and everyone else's work, and I would say he deserved to get smacked around a bit. SHOULD he have been? No, but he deserved it.

Jaune still has growing up to do, and if the random notifications about "honing his mind" were to give progress bars on cleaning his mind of sins, he'd have the least progress in Wrath and Pride.

And as an addendum over two weeks later... In terms of him basically enforcing his correctness by beating the shit out of the WF... let me explain to you my logic: The Vacuan White Fang are, logically, from Vacuo. Vacuo is Asia, in a very warrior-oriented world, in Asia there is there code of Bushido: The Way of the Warrior, about honor and combat and the spirit of combat, and it's mixed with some other laws because I'm fucking allowed to make whatever I damn well please because I'm the author here!... and basically the social psychology of the country would lead to "battle them into submission" being a valid method of argument he could use. Does he like having to do that? No, but he's willing to if he has to, and he kinda wanted to avoid killing the VcWF because they were interesting, cool, and useful people to him. Was it the best outcome for the situation? No, definitely not. Was it the best outcome Jaune could manage to pull off for the situation, with the known and easily observed factors all provided to him? Yes, yes it was.

Long story short, Jaune is not waving his dick around, it's just his pride issues becoming a bit more problematic as increasing levels of power affect his unbalanced teenage mind. He may have Gamer's Mind but it's not nearly perfect enough to prevent innate pride, teenage hormonal unbalanced mind filled with rage-boosting testosterone and a whole cocktail of other hormones. He is not following "might makes right", he is using that as a tool that the VcWF will be affected by in order to avoid having to kill them all so he can try to redeem them. He made a mistake in his judgement. Despite what some people might think, I haven't made him perfect, because (and this is true for everything) perfection is impossible. Finally... bringing up some "minimal amount and form of attack needed to kill a person" as a point for your argument makes you out as "that guy", and nobody should want to be "that guy". It might have

thebebb: Wow. That's... impressive, I suppose. I do wish you'd came back after reading the whole chapter and commented on more than just the first few lines.

MysticSpider: Ew, you made me have to look up a Bleach character. XDDD jk but in all seriousness my lack of knowing who that character is should be evidence enough that THAT is not a plan of mine.

Alex2909: Oh just you wait until later on in this chapter, the plans get... significantly more real, the plans do, at least. Jaune STILL has to get stuff for internal structures, but as far as building buildings go, he can literally consolidate granite walls from the ground itself, upwards, and he does that for some stuff.

Colin: Oh boy! I love reviews like yours, nicely structured and allows me to answer your questions easily. Let's get started.

1) I have planned to make a supplementary log of stuff, maybe I'll put it in a forum. I'll have to see how to make one of those.

2) during the summer, he's going to be mostly focusing on the magics within him. Right now he's on the cusp of prestiging a few skills that he will be getting in this chapter, so just read on to see THAT. If I do make a forum, most of my posts will probably be either info, small notifications, or some casual posts with a few words and a picture.

3) I don't have a specific system, I suppose I mostly use the pictures I have as references. I did mention how tall they were when they evolved, but I'm not the kind of dick that tells you to just go find them on your own, so I'll tell you here as well: Crocea Mors went from 6'1 to 6'6, Xiburichu went from about 5'2 to 6'8, Mystral went from about 3 feet long to about 8 feet long (she's a quadruped, so it's length), Roimontagne went from 6'8 to about 12'4 (earth elementals are notably the largest of the six types), Pluviteus went from about 5'4 to about 9'5, and Juristimunja went from about 6'7 to about 10'8.

4) Jaune will observe some first-year Beacon students in this chapter, so I'll answer that fairly early in this chapter. However, be assured that he and his Party will be ahead of the curve, if not in levels then at least in stats and skills, since as Party Members, their Character Levels advance independently of their stats and skills.

5) I won't be warning you guys when I abandon this story, because I will NOT be abandoning this story. I'm far too invested in it to quit. Delayed? Yes. Delayed as all hell? Yes. Abandoned? No. My dedication is as undying as a Paladin's.

Fetterega: A not-so-ideal review, but hey, they can't all be all-positives, and personally I find myself proud that I've attracted a diverse enough audience that someone among you has taken the time to voice their concerns. I do have to answer peoples comments, questions, AND concerns. I WILL precede this entire thing, however, by saying that I DO surrender that you've made very good, valid points, and will admit I am wrong where I am wrong, but I will voicing what counters I have, as valid or invalid as they are/will-be-accepted-as... Let's begin then, shall we?.

1) Honestly, the last chapter was an exception, not the norm. I will mostly be trying to corral myself back to writing 20k-30k chapters, because I ended up taking much longer than intended to write out all the WF stuff, and there was a definite ending point I wanted to reach. If I were to go back and edit everything around in the last chapter, though, I'd probably take out the parts after he dealt with Dillan and put them into this chapter, but I wanted to start this chapter as fresh as possible when the group got to Vale.

2) This pattern hasn't been the best, admittedly, and I could probably remove a lot of little bits that don't matter and the story be just as good, but I'm just going to have to ask you to trust me when I say that I will stay dedicated to this story until the end, mainly because I too have seen many stories that have been seemingly abandoned. God have mercy that I don't die either, that'd suck all kinds of ass. I'm also probably not going to be writing THAT much. I'm going to focus as much as I can on getting the important stuff done and leaving some room for extra bits that marble the chapters with juicy fat, like a fancy steak.

3) I'm not going to be abandoning this story because it would kill me inside. I'm going to make all effort possible to avoid getting into long hiatuses as well, because that shit sucks all kinds of ass. As for bookkeeping, my ultimate goal is that Jaune doesn't go so much for quantity (multiple skills that are elemental variants on the same skill don't count) as he does quality. If I went for purely quantity, then the 66 pages of T1 skills would probably be 100 pages! He'll be advancing his skills rather than just getting new ones. I'm going to do my absolute best to make sure that happens. Party size will (spoilers) be staying at Jaune, RWBY and (J)NPR, his dad, Marbel, Thomas (Banesaw, for those who've forgotten), and Skyler. The most I'd add to this already substantial group of 12 people would MAYBE be temporarily a couple of his sisters, a pitied kid or two, and a couple of plot-important people. The ONLY permanent additions would probably be Velvet and Coco... as for series plot, I'm already planning on going through the entirety of V1-3 (40 episodes, 40 chapters.)

4) For the viability of canon, I personally believe that it's more affected by the changes in psychological, emotional, and social values of the group, rather than their power levels. Think about One Punch Man. Invincible super hero, but they managed 12 episodes of stuff because they managed a series that had that kind of powerful person in it well, and I'll be doing my best to manage this story. Things will hurt Jaune, I will FIND ways of hurting and breaking him. For obvious reasons, he won't just DIE, but it's like a Turing Test, how well will I be able to convince you that he WILL?... Also, to correct you on your allegations of his powers:

-4a) Dozens of Semblances? I will meticulously go through his skill list and FIND all skills I've made that are/could be semblances: Prismatic Spray (derived from Almaz), Engineer's Aura (derived from Ironwood), Charging Shine (derived from Adam), Blade Mode (derived from Ozpin), Signal (derived from a past person's semblance), Superweight Field, some abilities of Stealth could be part of a semblance, Teleportation (derived from Qrow), Telekinesis (Glynda), Alchemical Aura, Runecraft, his six single-element buffs could be the result of 1 semblance used to enhance the body with Dust, as could his dual-element ones, Guardian's Vigor could be a single full semblance, same with Invisibility, and Blinking (Enhanced Weight would be a part of Superweight Field so it doesn't count). Beast Tamer+Green Thumb+Nature's Bond would most-likely all be parts of one semblance, Stone Skin, Metal Skin, Beast's Blood, Illusion, Lifeforce Regeneration (derived form Sayon), I.D. create would be one, but also would be possible by very powerful people with either lucky elemental affinities or access to the right kinds of Dust, so it's like 0.5. Photolocation could be one, and Magic Eyes counts as like 3 I'll admit, but Pathfinder is 1 semblance. Druidic Proficiency counts as 0.5 as well. Fate Coin and Stay True... This is a total of 29... okay, yeah, I'll give you this point, but I'll take away that it's likely less than you assumed it was (it was twice what I assumed it was, to be fair).

-4b) He could scan a crowd for people of interest at the very beginning. The only change is that he's gotten better at doing that as time went on, as he became able to see better and read faster.

-4c) He can't break illusions, he can see through them, but not break them. He can challenge them, but he can't make them go away. Doing so would be very, VERY difficult at the moment. I cannot currently conceive how he'd do this.

-4d) Okay yeah, the insane AP regeneration, I'll give you that point too, so overall you get 2/4 points.

5) Here's a rough chart of Jaune's current goals, since you said it's getting increasingly important. I've listed the items in order of descending priority (dated to "as of the beginning of this chapter): Top priority = Deal with Weiss' stuff, keep the White Fang from fucking up Game Group (GG)'s shit, keep GG safe and sound, reform/exterminate White Fang... Priority = Figure out what's up with his own Game shit and dreams and stuff, Deal with Cinder and her shit, construct enough of Celeste to live in permanently... Back Burner = Deal with Juniper's shit, reconnect with his sisters... they might seem a little skewed, but know that they're all very important to him, but he has to have an order to this stuff. As he finishes some objectives, he'll shift his priorities considerably.

Alright... that's everything I have to say. As I said before, I do agree that you make very good points, I just have to say that I'm going to need all of my reader's trust that I will deliver ASAP every time.

anonreader47: No. To quote Ser Integra from Hellsing Abridged, "That would be retarded." XDDDDDD, but anyways no that's not going to happen.

A Guest with... ambitions: Sooooo... Sword Mastery, Sword Ascendant, Sword Transcendent, Sword Epic, Sword Legend, Sword Cosmic, Sword Myth, Sword God... none of those have any rings to them (except maybe Sword Legend and Sword God, but that's stretching it a liiiittle far, and when I put THAT many i's into liiiiiittle, it does NOT mean little)... Nope... wait hold on, I had to reread that part of your review like 4 times, but now I get it. Maybe, Jaune would consider letting them in on the secret after they're also well-established in Celeste, which requires Celeste itself be well-established, so it's gonna be a long time away... a tutor skill would help a lot, actually, now that I think about it. Usage of skill books will probably be reserved for perhaps a high-level bonus to the tutor skill... haha, hahaha, Hahahaha, HAHAHAHA, AHAHAHAHAHAHAH, HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHhAHhahHAhahahahahahAHHAHAHAHhahahahahahah *heavy coughing*... *ahem* I've read TGWP in its entirety, hell I actually have (sorry for those who think I'm a beacon of virtuous uniqueness and originality) a tab open with a bookmark specifically pointing me to the final tally of all of that story's skills (and some more stuff, but the skills are the most useful). I've been greatly inspired by TGWP, as well as The Name of the Game by literalsin, and a few bits and pieces of Multiplayer by NeoShadows. Other than those three, I've done my absolute best to keep all my ideas and plot points being my own designs. Now that I've clarified that, I'll cut this response off here.

A Guest dealing with Omakes: Let me explain it a little better. I will update a "serial omake" every 5 chapters (one that goes on for more than one "omake chapter"), and those that are not the serial omakes will be other stuff, like the ideas for omakes that will be shown in the next couple of chapters. You have given a fourth planned, so that's good, thank you for that... overall, probably the Yamcha of the group depends on what sort of parameters you're looking for. Nobody here is "pure Yamcha". However, the most like him would probably be Weiss, because she has the lowest level of skill in the group, AND has the weakness of motion sickness on airships (unless Jaune is there). The close 2nd place runner-up is actually Skyler, because she has a similar low level of skill, and no aura (since she's a grimm). Third place is a hot competition between Nora with the increasingly apparent "glass cannon" level of health, Ren with the increasingly apparent "can't keep it up" level of stamina, Blake with the "negligible defense" ninja-ism, and finally Ruby's soul's aversion to growing up into a big strong Aurora. The closest to being the Vegeta to Jaune's Goku would be Yang, as her only weakness is disappearing faster than the others'. Still, though, in this group, the distribution of power levels is not as skewed as in Dragon Ball, so DO keep in mind that even Weisamcha can kick your ass twelve ways to next Easter Sunday... hmmm, I think that's a joke from, uhhhhhh~, what were there names? The Five Sun Squad? Yeah, them... XDDDDDDDDD

Tailturner (in chapter 4): Yes, it was based entirely on that. "It's just a flesh wound." and such... yeah, the reference wasn't meant to be super duper well-hidden, thinking back on it, XDDD... yeah, I sometimes find it hard to limit myself so that I'm behind the line that marks the difference between "inspired by X" and "masked copy of X", but I'm glad I've seemed to keep behind that line. Jaune also likes keeping his numbers even... what was he doing? Why, regrowing pieces of skull and brain, my dear boy/girl! He 'blacked out' because he was shot through the head (which was briefly blown out like a watermelon would be), only for that wound to just seal back up like nothing happened at all and him to just smile. They were too shocked to fire again... also that chapter was a long time ago, before I improved a lot.

---

Still at this current moment looking for a cover image or something. IDK.

Last chapter was fucking huge! This chapter shouldn't be too long, though, it doesn't have as much faff to go through. Yes I'm american, Texan even, and I said faff. Fucking sue me, british readers, :P ... JK, JK, I just don't see this chapter lasting all too long, if I keep it to just "the stop in Vale and all Jaune does with that"... The only reason why I foresee like, 6 hours worth of stuff able to fill a whole chapter is because for Jaune, the world is getting smaller and smaller as he gets more mobile, and so he's able to do things across town from each other in less than an hour.

Alright, furthermore on the things having to do with the levels of skills and stats: Prepare for a significant amount of prestiging skills (by that I've found that I only mean "more than two"), because Jaune has more than a few skills ready to prestige.

Also, I just had a thought on another omake. Right now I have 4 lined up: Sequel to Jade Hex, Jaune pulling a Sans, and the just-thought-of idea of Gemline VS Spraymist. Just you WAIT to see what THAT one entails, hehehe. Fourth is one I just got from that one Anon review response, which is an omake on Jaune going Dragonball and wrecking shit with all those crazy boosts. Also, I've decided (and this may sadden some of you) to not update the Celestia Arc serial omake until chapter 24, purely just to make room for other stuff.

Anyways, let's get to it!

Story Arc 2: Playing Prometheus

Chapter 18: The Noontime before the Fog

---

(Patch Island, Ruby POV)

I yawned softly as I woke up slowly, my bed pooling the sun's warmth, as well as my own, into itself, leading to a soft, warm, comfortable waking up.

I shifted, rolling over in bed. I'd been sleeping better recently, if only a little. I didn't know if it was a side effect or just a coincidence, though, but...

I'd been waking up with 'urges', ones that brought a blush to my face despite my attempts to resist it. I knew what it was, and what it meant, I just didn't know what caused it.

I doubt I was getting wet from amorphous nightmares, that just didn't seem possible.

I got the urge to just lay in bed, too, or just have a lazy day, eating cookies and relaxing. I'd been working really hard lately, which included thousands of lien in fare for airship rides to other towns, in order to get closer to some big Grimm.

-/\/\/\/\-

Name: Ruby Rose
Title: Little Red Fighting Hood
Level: 64 -} 68
Class: Reaper
Nickname: Rosie

HP: 9100 -} 11,000
AP: 21,000 -} 23,000
SP: 13,000 -} 16,000

Strength: 42 -} 45 (+12%) = 50.4
Dexterity: 92 -} 95 (+217%) = 301.15
Vitality: 51 -} 55 (+12%) = 61.6
Intelligence: 100 (+88%) = 188
Wisdom: 40 -} 42 (+65%) = 69.3
Luck: 25
Charisma: 82 -} 85

Stat Points: 30 -} 50

You have been afflicted with the status effect "Natural Growth"

Height: 5'2 -} 5'3
Weight: 113 -} 120
Build: Svelte Graceful-} Svelte Athletic Graceful
Hair/Eyes/Skin: Black with Crimson Highlights / Silver / Pale -} Light
Cup Size: BB

-/\/\/\/\-

I sighed softly, recalling the game sarcastically congratulating me on getting some sun and ceasing to be a vampier. I rejected both the minor pissed-off-ness, as well as the sexual urges, finding it... oddly easy. I sat up, rubbing my eyes and thinking about what Yang wouldn't do, since she'd probably give into the urges.

I took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly, my Aura glowing softly around my body.

"Castitas" level increased by 1!

"EEP!" the sudden notification popping up sent me sprawling backwards. I rubbed my eyes and sat up again, groaning lightly.

Not the best way to start the day.

I looked around for the notification I had in mind, and found it sliding into view.

You have been blessed with the power of "Castitas"!

I stared at it for a few seconds. Blessing? What? I checked the skill in question.

-/\-

Castitas (Passive & Active) Level: 2, Exp: 25.34%
The rejection of the impure that shields one from corruption... the eternal love that remains when ephemeral Lusts are washed away. The Aura of living beings naturally shields them from many threats and passively prevents malicious effects from being formed within the body, washing away the Aura of others as it tries to take shape. Against outside forces, however, Aura may stand only as a shield to prevent invasion. With this skill, however, one's purity may spread outward and become a shield of its own, protecting the user from all harm.

For 298% the cost of a magic-based attack targeting the user, the attack may be dissipated in a burst of aura. Some types of additional effects are also dismissed.
Against magic-based attacks with a physical component, only the magical part of the attack is negated.
Against attacks with an area of effect, only the user is protected.
Only applicable to attacks targeting the user in some way.
Increases Ease of Casting for self-targeting skills by 102%

-/\-

I got... a defensive skill? It seemed to be based on purity of person, or something... I guess I was a pure person? I could feel its effects in my head, though. Something inside my mind, almost like what I'd imagine a piece of Gamer's Mind to be, helping me reject unwanted emotions.

That was how I found it oddly easy to reject those urges, especially after that dream...

'Yang guiding me... Jaune k-kissing me... and then we started to undres-'

"EEEEEEEP!" I covered my face with my arms, trying to push the thoughts out of my head. Stupid brain! Stupid hormones rising up! I blame VIT for this!

Being tougher sucks when it comes with the side-effect of lewd dreams and urges! I knew it was part of growing up, but hearing about them and actually experiencing them were two highly different things!

I rushed from my room, grabbing a towel on the way out, and made my way to the bathroom.

The skill wasn't working, I needed a cold shower!

---

(earlier, aboard Weiss' airship, Jaune POV)

By raising "Ki Breathing" to level 99, you have earned the skill "Ki Ventilation"!

By raising all "Boxing Champion" skills to level 75, you have achieved the title "Rising Champion Boxer"!

I let out a grunt, denting solid steel with another punch, then another, then another. Sixteen punches in total flew forward and dented a foot-thick wall of steel.

I felt a prickling at my mind that felt connected to my muscles and now to my internal organs.

I had been boxing for a while now, and I felt insight trying to enter my mind as I cut the combo and began anew, guarding against four rapid swings from Crocea Mors swinging iron rods attached to hinge joints on the wall. Mystral, during all of this, kept the sound from reaching the sleeping Weiss' ears.

It may have seemed like just punches and blocks, but there was something more to it. It was a style, and like any style it had masters. It had legends.

A master knew all about his weapon of choice, whether that be his fists, his sword, or even his gun. He had honed his skills into an art form, and after learning all there was to learn about what his weapon knew, it would be time for him to teach his weapon something new.

I punched Crocea the elemental out of the wall, shattering the unbelievably hard, but brittle steel, and followed up with a powerful slash, swinging Crocea the sword and cut the golden knight in two.

Silvery 'blood' gushed from his chest, drawing towards his feet after hitting the ground and soaking back in as I accepted a few truths all at once.

Swordplay was an art form, and I was to become a master. I would cut my way towards even the unobtainable perfection, to reach a point where there was nothing left to learn.

Boxing didn't just make you stronger and tougher as a fighter... it made you stronger and tougher as a person. I would not only be a bigger fighter, but a bigger man.

Ki... it was the essence of my breath and my body. As I breathed in and it ventilated throughout me, I felt it soak throughout my lungs, across to my heart and down to my stomach, infuse into my liver and pancreas, my kidneys and my intestines, reinforcing my functions. I even felt the poison I'd injected myself with already breaking down as my Ki flowed through my internal organs. My experience with games taught me that poison was fucking annoying.

I felt chains in my mind and soul break as the truths came free.

Honing your mind against the calls of Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Greed, and Pride, has increased your INT by 4!

By raising "Boxing Champion" to level 99, you have earned the skill "Boxing Legend"!

By raising all "Boxing Champion" skills to level 99, you have achieved the title "Champion Boxer"!

By raising "Sword Proficiency" to level 99, you have earned the skill "Sword Mastery"!

"Poison Resistance" level increased by 1!

"Ki Ventilation" level increased by 2!

I cracked my neck, letting out a long breath, and making Crocea drop the wall and remove the hundred or so steel spikes stabbed into my body.

"Physical Resistance" level increased by 1!

Enduring extreme physical damage has increased your VIT by 1!

Overcoming extreme weight and struggle has increased your STR by 1!

Working around very awkward ranges of motion and increasing your flexibility and reflexes has increased your DEX by 1!

Increasing your level of fitness and physique has enhanced your physical attractiveness and increased your CHA by 2!

I'd snuck out with a combination of several powers and gathered up tens of tons of steel from scrap, drawing from cars that could use some reinforcement, and other various sources, all of which wouldn't be missed. I stowed away my now twenty-ton weightsuit back into the inventory. Sighing, I rolled my shoulders.

Weiss was... well, she was still asleep, but besides that, I could tell she was damaged. We all were a little damaged from the incident.

I sighed and clenched my fist, then took in a deep breath, letting it go and letting my hand relax. I thought back to Dillan. He was an asshole, but he'd made a good point, even if his delivery of it made me want to wring his fucking neck. I had to take my job seriously, or more people would speak up like he did. I couldn't count on Charisma and Luck to always cover for when I looked like a clueless schmuck. I had to be a big man, suck it up, let go of my pride, and do better.

Not just for Weiss, or for money, but for the sake of this whole fucking tour, and all the fans that would be disappointed to see it crash and burn because I was a little too prideful and violent, punched a guy in the face, and he used his one good eye to find some dangerous people and point them at us for target practice.

I sighed again, then put four points into my INT to help me 'hone' my mind and help me reject these feelings.

-/\/\/\/\-

Jaune Arc
Title: All Star Boxer -} Champion Boxer
Level: 73
Class: Magic Knight / Tank v2
Nickname: Knightlight

HP: 46,000 -} 46,300
AP: 187,000 -} 190,000
SP: 68,000 -} 68,600

Strength: 88 -} 89 (+325%) (+115%) (+80%) (+220%) (+175%) = 903.35
Dexterity: 80 -} 81 (+325%) (+115%) (+80%) = 502.2
Vitality: 92 -} 93 (+325%) (+115%) (+80%) (+220%) (+50%) = 827.7
Intelligence: 166 -} 170 (+5) (+325%) (+50%) = 831.25
Wisdom: 200 (+5) (+325%) (+50%) = 973.75
Luck: 116
Charisma: 85 -} 87

Stat Points: 93 -} 89

-/\/\/\/\-

I sighed, it didn't help all that much. I had to condition myself to be better. I just... had to learn to be better, and act on that learning. I was still a human being, I still had flaws and those flaws were okay sometimes, but needed to be kept in check or else they'd end up fucking me and everyone else over.

Just the threat of being the reason why my friends got hurt was enough to make me suck in a tense breath and mentally say a prayer that I'd be able to do better.

Letting out the breath, I looked through my skills, noting several that were within a reasonable range of getting prestiged. I smiled, as this was a day I looked forward to.

The day I'd hone the more normal and mundane skills into something more. Something beyond their limits.

And then I saw a spell in the Misc folder that made me deadpan.

-/\-

Gender Bender (Active) Level: 1, Exp: 0.00%, Cost: 46,000 AP.
An ability oft theorized on, but rarely extrapolated. Manipulating certain life energies in certain ways allows the caster to switch themselves or another to the opposite gender. Be warned, though, for it is often that people will not be as fully formed in the opposite gender as they are in their natural gender.

Changes you to the opposite of your current gender.
Recipients may not be as developed in the opposite gender as they are in their natural gender.

-/\-

I stared at it, "I must be going fucking insane." I shook my head, rubbed my eyes, and stared the skill again, "This... this is a real spell."

I facepalmed, then sighed. I'd probably gotten it from that weird bit of dream where I was a woman and Yang was a man. Honestly, it was just... weird as hell.

I let out a long sigh, "Haaaaaaahhhhh... fuck, man." I didn't feel like testing it out, even if I could cast it twice without hesitation. I looked over and saw that Weiss was still asleep. It was hardly dawn, and I'd been keeping my 'banging fists against steel wall' sounds down to nothing, so it made sense.

However, besides resuming 'banging fists against steel wall', I had other things to do today. A lot of things, actually.

I sighed, rubbing my face. I had to get out and actually do some work on my physical stats, as managing the others has left me beginning to lag behind. Gamer's Body prevented any sort of decay of physical conditioning, and it wasn't like I was sitting on my ass meditating, reading, or just thinking about shit all day, but it wasn't something I wanted to leave sitting.

I rolled my shoulders, then checked my scroll, searching online for any good dancing music. I hadn't danced in so long, and I'd been leaving an old skill sitting for far too long.

Hmmm... adding that to the plans.

I burned a few thousand Aura to fill up my Hunger meter, which I found out long ago that it didn't require any sort of balanced nutrition, only calories. It was one of the common fairness factors of survival games that it didn't matter what you ate, so long as you ate at all. Maintaining a balanced diet when the most you probably had was 'berries, cooked meat, and fuck-all' was pretty much impossible.

I shoved the thought aside and began plotting ideas out on the mental map of Eagle Mountain in my head. Roimontagne would certainly be showing his stuff with this project.

I nearly left the room, but the second I stepped across the threshold, I heard Weiss let out a small whimper, needing my presence to stave off the airsickness.

I sighed... we were all damaged from the incident.

Some of us just hid it better than others.

---

(an hour later, ship landing, Jaune POV)

I cracked my neck, "Alright, everyone, we've got about... six to eight hours before we have to leave for Mistral. We have time to do plenty of things, which is what I'll be starting on in a moment." I looked at Blake and Marbel, "You two already know what you'll be doing."

They both nodded, smiling at me. Marbel stepped forward and hugged me, "Thank you, Jaune. We'll be looking forward to seeing you again." she smiled up at me.

I patted her on the back and smiled back, "Don't worry, Pebbles, it'll only be a month. Sorry about the bad stuff that happened, but hey! We're all much stronger for having gone through it." I took her dagger in hand, the blade being juuuust short enough to class as a dagger (rather than a shortsword) in her hands, and Crocea Mors began to work his magic, "Consider this a reward for making it this far."

The dagger was rather simple, a dirt-brown handle, lightly curved silver crossguard and silver spherical pommel. The edge was a very faint pink, the core a pinkish magenta, her favorite color. I was set to change that.

The double-edged blade compressed into a single-edged blade, as about twenty pounds of magenta-recolored redsteel was added, to increase its striking force. The handle wrapping changed from dirt-brown to a grassy green with Alchemical Aura's application. She'd told me about how she partially stopped Kroma during the incident, and I decided to add a greensteel revolver into the hilt, framed by a slightly wider green crossguard than before. It was sized to fit eight rounds of .360 magnum ammunition, fired from a barrel sitting on the back of the blade. The trigger was positioned right above the handle, well within easy reach. The pommel changed from silver to magenta, the blade's edge was replaced with whitesteel, and petal-like shapes of both color and actual metal formed. The line marking the transition from core to edge, or the 'hamon' as the Vacuans called it, shifted to look like a chain of dahlia petals, a few petals wrapping around the barrel of the revolver for more stability, overall looking like several dahlia blossoms had been stamped onto the weapon.

I smiled, then bowed and held the weapon out to her, laid across both hands, "Your sword, my young knight. As you grow stronger, so should not only your aura, semblance, and skills, but your equipment as well. I'll let you name it."

Marbel stared at the invigorated weapon with wide eyes, "That... I..." she let out a choked gasping sound, "I don't... I don't know what to say... thank you." she took the (very long) dagger in hand and tested its weight, swinging it a couple of times, "I... I don't know what to call it. I have to think on that."

I chuckled, smiling and ruffling her hair, "That's perfectly fine, Marbs. Now go on, you should run on home when we split up. Your parents have probably missed you a lot." she nodded, stepping back as I turned to look at Blake, "Well, Blake, looks like you'll be back at the castle then. You know the drill, try to keep the place clean while I'm gone, okay? And that means MORE than just the library."

Blake sighed, "So Marbel gets a new weapon, and I get cleaning duty? Hardly fair."

I smiled, "You'll be living at the castle, it's common practice to clean your own home. As for your reward for being awesome, I'll be acquiring a lot more books you can read, including a book on fishing. I'll also be working on setting up some environmental systems better than just 'some fans' working in the castle, so you won't be sweating all over your books. Home, food, water, entertainment, comfort, I'd say it's a helluva reward." I held out Gambol Shroud, and Crocea did his thing, adding material to increase the heft, reinforcing the weapon, and making the gun a little stronger by refining the shape so more force would be retained by the bullets, "And of course, here's your weapon upgraded."

She smiled, "Thank you, Jaune. For everything, really." she looked a little shy, and I made the move for her, drawing her into a hug, "You've done so much for me, for all of us really, I feel like I should repay you somehow."

I chuckled, "Just keep on being my awesome friends and be happy and smiling, and that's payment enough." I patted her on the back and let go of her, finding her reddened face adorable. I turned to look at Weiss.

"We already hugged earlier." she said simply, "You all go do as you wish, I'll be here, waiting for the ship to be ready."

I looked at Nora and Ren, "Why don't you two explore the town, hm? It won't be nearly enough time to explore everything, but you'll at least get a bit of experience being in Vale City." Nora nodded happily, and immediately dragged Ren off to go... wherever it was she wanted to go. I turned to Weiss again and smiled at her, "Well, Weiss, as a gift, how about I take you to go greet Yang and Ruby later? I know you three have been wanting to see each other for a good while now."

She hummed, thinking it over, then smiled at me, "I suppose that could work. Standing around waiting is just going to invite boredom and trouble. Let's go, then."

My dad cleared his throat, "I should probably head to the house and, I dunno, mow the yard. I hadn't done that in a while and it's been bugging me bit by bit since we left."

I nodded, "Well, you can go do your physical labor, that's your choice, and we've all made ours, so... teleport!" I pulled us into an I.D., which to those around us would have looked like a teleportation.

I watched Marbel and Blake start running through the now empty streets, avoiding now empty moving cars that crashed into each other on the streets. I looked at Weiss with a soft sigh, "Yang and Ruby are gonna take a bit to get here, which gives me time to go check on something at Beacon. You can come if you wish, but there's some confidential stuff I'll be dealing with, and I can't take you with me into the specific buildings to check on it. You can stay outside and have a look at the architecture, though. It really is a beautiful school."

Weiss hummed, stroking her chin in thought, before looking at me plainly, "I suppose that sounds like fun. It would be wise to get a feel for the place before we start, so as to not get lost wandering around."

I nodded, "Alright then, let's get moving." I picked her up and slid her into a piggy-back hold, then stacked on my speed boosts and began running, splintering solid stone with my takeoff.

...(about a minute later)...

Bull Rush may have just been an empowered charge, but Bulldoze was much more. A small corona of Aura surrounded us, reinforced by Aurora, as we broke through walls and buildings, barreling through the city like a bat out of hell. Thankfully, the protective barrier kept any rubble or shrapnel from hitting Weiss, so she was safe.

We had not only sped through buildings, but also across the lake and up the cliff face (with some help from my Gravity elemental), popping up over the edge and flipping in the air, twisting and pivoting around, and finally landing on three limbs, blowing dust away from the impact point in a great plume. I then sped off again, reaching the statue in front of the school and smiling up at it. I let Weiss off of my back and waited for Blake and Marbel to give me their go-aheads.

While I waited the few minutes for the affirmative, I summoned a Flash Axe and a Gleaming Dagger, hacking and cutting apart a few dozen Ursa, jamming the dagger into one's eye, hacking the head off of another, making sure they all focused on me with Signal, an old skill that I realized was gaining levels fairly fast. Just for fun, I charged it up and prompted the I.D. to summon a few hundred various creatures, watching them all focus on me.

Every swing of the dagger refined its shape, every swing of the axe reinforced and sharpened it. Power Burst and Combo-Count Attacks both worked to help me slay dozens of Grimm at a time, supplementing my melee attacks with the power of VB Incandescent Glow.

I levitated the weapons as I summoned the VB Hunting Talons, the melee attack. As expected, it gave me claws of fiery aura. I focused on the patterns, ingraining them into my memory, and working to ingrain them into my soul. They resonated on a different frequency than the AD skills, which allowed them to exist in harmony.

For that, I was damn thankful, because holy shit would my inner completionist be PISSED if I couldn't use more than one of the Beastly Arts.

The two skills found themselves rapidly petering off in EXP gains, returning to a 'normal' advancement rate at about level 85 each, as the remainder of what I knew about the two weapons seemed to 'process' through the Fundamental Factors. I switched to a combination of both Day Breaker and Dawn Mace, the hammer in my right hand and the mace in my left, as I smashed heads and crushed bones into powder, reaching about level 86 with a bit more knowledge of hammers than either axes or daggers.

I knew a bit more about these 'weapons' after learning from wielding Excalibur. In truth, these 'weapons' weren't weapons at all. Even before when I'd called them 'weapons', they hadn't truly been weapons, really just... Aura given shape by will and solidity by an alignment to metal.

They weren't weapons, they were templates for weapons, shapes to be given soul, form, and detail by the user. In the past, such weapons were used and stories were written about the great ones, which had earned names.

No, they didn't just earn names, they earned identities. They earned titles that had symbolic meaning. In fact, they had come to possess, in their own right, as much spirit as their wielders did.

Beowolves rapidly dissipated as I plunged the spear-like Magic Missile through three of them, spinning it and jabbing seven more as they all came at me, and I could feel dozens of claws trying to cut into my back, but my defenses were high enough that the damage was minimal. When Magic Missile reached level 85, I spun around with Sunbeam Zweihander and Soul Scythe, clearing ten feet of space around myself as I used Frozen Light to assist Aurora in making them even more oversized than they normally were.

A sword of massive size and potential, the Zweihander was, in fact historically, its heft made it a prime choice for executioners who would put down dishonored soldiers, in place of the more brutish axes used for peasants. Similarly, the scythe was a symbol of harvest and, thus, historically came to be associated with time coming to an end, which naturally led to it being deemed the weapon of choice for the spirit of Death.

I suddenly saw a boost to both of their levels, which ended at about level 93 each. I pushed a little harder, calling on the power of my Moral Fiber as I unleashed Tenshi Katana and cut a swath through the crowd, reaching the edge near Ozpin's tower. I created Sparkling Chain, the 'magic melee spell' equal to a whip.

Admittedly, I didn't really know much about whips, but what I figured out was that Bloodlash, the weapon I'd claimed from the fallen Navio, could be used as a conduit for it, creating long, thin cables rather than amorphous 'consolidated liquid' whips, which gave them more durability.

I didn't recall every being very immune to the power of hype, so it made complete sense why I found such insane satisfaction in the fact that this weapon could be used in conjunction with Far Slayer of all fucking things.

Grimm fell to not only the razor-sharp 'whips', but to the massive arcs of energy that launched from them, thinning the crowd by a massive amount. Since the Dust crystals were the 'inert' variant, the only limiting factor was my Aura, which meant that Aurora actually allowed me to make much longer whips. The cost eased as the levels rolled in, which just allowed me to make them larger and larger.

Marbel C: Hey, I just got home. :C

Blake C: That's pretty convenient. I've passed by the border. :C

I nodded, Jaune C: Right, gimme a sec. Accidentally spawned too many Grimm, gotta kill them all real quick. :C I charged into the crowd, using Cyclone Strike and finishing off the last of the Grimm in about twenty seconds, Jaune C: Kay, killed 'em all. Just one second to get back to Weiss and help her into a disguise, and I'll drop it. :C

Marbel C: I hope we don't have to wait another second after that. :C

Jaune TC: XP :TC

Marbel TC: EP :TC

I helped Weiss into a thorough disguise, then destroyed the I.D. whilst making an illusion of a burst of light, which made it appear as though we'd just teleported here. I smiled and pat Weiss on the shoulder, "Alrighty, here we are. Don't draw too much attention to yourself, 'Rosa', but try to have fun. I'll see ya in a bit." I gave a two-finger salute, "Seriously though, this shouldn't take very long, but it's REEEAAALLLLLLY important." I flashed a grin at her and began running towards Ozpin's tower.

Weiss reached out to me as I ran off, but I hadn't been exaggerating when I said that what I came here for was really, Really, REALLY important. I knew she'd understand.

Hopefully.

...(some seconds later)...

As I got deeper into the school, I took the time to observe several odd students walking around, given that it was quite early in the morning on a weekend. There were still people who liked being outside, just basking in nature. I could probably count myself among them, except I also liked to help nature grow.

I simply kept to myself as I passed by them. Nobody paid much attention to my presence, and I saw that the first year students out and about right now were averaging in the 50s-60s range of levels. I saw a trio of fourth-year students all sitting around a tree, but none talking to each other, just peacefully and silently sharing the space. One was level 100, the second level 97, the third level 98. I saw a pair of second-years walking in my direction, chatting. I blinked, though, when I took a moment to actually examine THEM and not just their details.

Velvet Scarlatina
Title: Scarlet Heart sewn together by Light
Level: 77

Coco Adel
Title: Crosshair Tailor breaking the Boundaries
Level: 89

I chuckled, then quickly shot a message to Velvet with my scroll, Jaune M: Hey friend. You awake? :M

I saw her blink and pull out her scroll. She gave a small smile, then messaged back, Velvet M: Yes I am. Is there something you want to talk about? :M

I chuckled as I saw and heard Coco make a couple of teasing remarks and Velvet blushing and rebuking with a couple of lines about how she was just partaking in a project, before she was interrupted by my message, Jaune M: Good, that conversation with your leader with be VERY concerning if you just sleep-walking, sleep-talking, and sleep-texting. :M

She stared at the screen, then looked around. I raised an arm and waved at her, jogging up, "Hey there, Velvet. I assume this is probably your fashionable leader you told me about?"

Coco seemed to mull that over for a second, "Are you flirting with me?"

I shook my head, "No, because I have a girlfriend already and I think it would be silly anyways. You also definitely seem like you hear compliments like that a lot. I just chose the first thing that stood out about you from a distant gaze." I blinked. That... wasn't what I intended to say... Stay True was once again rearing its ugly head. Its effects during normal conversation were minimal at best, I might have said a few more words than intended, or my friends might have said a few more words than intended. However, sometimes it turned a normal response into... what just came out of my mouth.

She lowered her sunglasses and looked at me, "Astute, but dorky observation. Velv DID say you sounded like a nerd."

Velvet blushed, "Coco! I did not!"

Coco giggled, "She also said how you were planning on taking her in this summer for a 'project'." she lowered her sunglasses a little further, a warning resonating from her eyes, "I won't say I control her life, but I'm pretty well-invested in it, what are you trying to do to our little bun-bun?" she blinked, and I noticed that Stay True had activated again.

I sighed, "I just planned on helping her take her skills to a new level, get some new friends, maybe help increase her self-confidence. Nothing bad, I just see a lot of potential in her."

Coco hummed in contemplation, "Well, as leader, I'm responsible for my teammates even while school's out, so I might be joining you in your little 'training' sessions. Might even give you some tips."

I nodded, "Well, that would be nice. It's like they say, the more the merrier!" I chuckled happily. I didn't mind Coco joining us, not really. She was strong (least physically), THAT I could tell already. Maybe not QUITE as strong as I was, but I had like five different boosters and she only had two. If it came down to raw strength, though, she'd definitely win out.

Coco smiled lightly, letting out a small giggle, "Velvet was right, you DO sound like a nerd."

I smiled and shook my head a little, "And you sound like a tailor, weaving together lies~." I gave a small chuckle, "It's not nice to put words in other people's mouths, poor Velvet might have a heart attack from all the embarrassment."

Her eyes flashed with mischief, "Oh really? If you're concerned with her having a heart attack, what would you do if she did? Give her CPR? Maybe a little mouth-to-mouth?"

I cringed a little, "No, I'd just use some healing power. Alternatively, I doubt you wouldn't already be on top of the situation like soil on bedrock."

Coco quirked her lips, raising her sunglasses so they didn't obstruct her vision, and looked me up and down, "You're quite something, I'll say that. You've earned my self-introduction at least. I'm Coco, Coco Adel." she held her hand out with a sickly sweet smile.

I smiled right back and shook it, matching the strength of her grip by calling on a couple of buffs, "Jaune, Jaune Arc. Nice to meet'cha." I smiled, then let go, "I should be getting on my way, however. I think all three of us have things to do this morning."

They both smiled, nodding as I walked past them. I found the spot I desired and stopped, making the illusion that I was conjuring a runic circle.

Behind me, I heard and 'saw' Coco and Velvet turn back at the falsified sound, "Hm?"

Coc lowered her glasses looking at me, "Hmmm... he's got a nice ass, doesn't he?"

"COCO!" Velvet blushed, and I did too a little bit.

I sunk into the ground, appearing as though I'd teleported.

Really, though, I'd actually just sunk into the ground.

...(seconds later)...

It was quite an experience, magically digging through the ground. No, digging wasn't quite the right word for what I did... tunneling?

Closer, but I didn't leave a tunnel behind, especially not one down to the underground vault.

I guess I more 'flew' through the ground, leaving behind no trail, but I didn't quite move myself as I more rather displaced the stone to shift my air pocket downwards.

Eventually I came to a thick layer of heavily reinforced stone, which I could safely assume was the vault's ceiling, since there was a massive empty space below it. It was trivial to get through it, shifting the stone out of the way as the hole spit me out of the ceiling, which I fixed and even put the runes back into place. The emerald lights in the massive hallway gave it away, and if not that then certainly the mass of machinery at the back end.

I sighed, falling gracefully to the ground, landing and throwing up a light cloud of dust when I hit the ground in a three-point land. I lunged forward, stopping in front of the machine.

Amber's body laid still, suspended near-vertically in the machine. I could see IVs leading into her arms, "H-hi." I greeted awkwardly. I'd never really talked to an unconscious person before, especially one I didn't really know. I sighed, hitting her with Gamer's Sight.

Amber Cornucus
Title: The Fallen Maiden of the Fall
Level: 84 -} 83

I gasped lightly, "You're slowly withering, I can see that. Maybe you were nearly down a level last time I saw you, or maybe you'd just gone down a level before I arrived. I don't know which, but... I know I want to help you." I looked sadly at her scarred face, "You're very pretty, Amber, it's terrible that this had to happen to someone so young and innocent, as well. Whoever that wizard was, the one who designed the Maiden's powers, they were an asshole and a terrible person, shoving that responsibility onto four young maidens." I sighed, bringing out a comfortable chair and plopping down on it.

Amber didn't even so much as stir.

I sighed, "You know... last night, I had a dream. It was odd, and I think I'm starting to figure it out." I shook my head, "I uh... well, the first one, I was a tiger faunus, a white tiger faunus. It was while I was in Vacuo and studying the Beastly Arts... and after spending a long time thinking about the elements and the Maidens, I had a dream about what seemed like the Wizard. Maybe it was my enhanced mind letting me see from their perspectives while I was asleep, and... and the Ominous Nightmares aren't really predictions, but rather dreams that lets me see into the past with extremely heightened levels of details, but from a first-person perspective. I'd need another example to really cement it, but I guess that's just a theory, really."

She remained skill.

I sighed, "How did you awaken before?" I looked at her, thinking back to just over a week ago. The situation replayed in my mind.

I'd felt an oppressive weight on my body, one that wasn't present currently, we'd locked eyes when I was very close to her, and then Aurora had activated on its own.

Humming, I called upon Aurora, which by this point in time was as simple as breathing. I watched as the broad, star-like glow not only illuminated a large amount of the hall, but seemed to flow towards Amber, visibly getting absorbed into her. She coughed weakly and her eyes opened, looking into mine.

I smiled gently at her, placing my hand on the glass cover, "Hi there, Amber. My name is Jaune, and I'm here to help you." I saw her massive amount of AP steadily ticking up from emptiness, and she seemed to visibly relax. She regarded me with cautious eyes, but my smile stayed strong, "My aura is helping you right now, filling up your own reserves."

She opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a croak. I let Juristimunja manipulate the machine, and released the case. I reached out and gently took her hand, "Trust me. I want to help you." to help prove my point, I charged up Soulforge and cast it on her, several dozen times. Each time, she winced in agony, but I could see that after only fifty usages, the massive debuff to her strength reduced by 1%. It wasn't a permanent fix, she only received a status effect that would temporarily compensate for the debuff, which I focused on.

Status Effect: Shattered Season
Description: After her soul was drained away and torn open, Amber's ability to regenerate AP has been completely crippled, to the point that every point regenerated is used to sustain her withering body.

Effects: All AP regenerated is used to sustain the body. Reduces effects of Aura by 95%. Chronic Pain. Physical stats are reduced by 90%. Greatly weakened bodily functions.
Duration: Permanent.

She shivered as I finished reading through the status, and I saw a blush creep up her cheeks. I looked her up and down, only to blush when I saw a tube coming out of leg of the white shorts she currently wore, a tube that was filled with a yellowish liquid.

I coughed into my fist, continuing to administer the Soulforges, "I-it's fine. Nothing to be embarrassed about. You're very weak, and that comes with problems." her eyes looked a little empty, and I snapped my fingers in front of her face, "H-hey. Can you even hear me."

She paused, then nodded, letting out another croaked word before stopping and coughing weakly.

I frowned in pity, then used my various abilities to conjure up a glass of cool water, which I then crushed a bit of medicine into, "Here, this should help with the pain. Easy now." I helped her drink it, then gently sat her down in a cushioned chair, sitting across from her.

She coughed lightly, but let out a somewhat more relaxed breath, "Th-thank you." she said in a low, gracious tone, trying not to strain her voice, "H-how do you know my name?"

I pointed upwards, "Ozpin told me. You sure got messed up by those attackers, huh?" I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. Hell, it happened to me a few days ago."

She sighed, "I... I tried so hard. I let myself get hurt." she whimpered, looking down at her hands.

I shook my head, "No, no you didn't. I'm sure you fought valiantly."

She shook her head, and I could see her refilled AP was giving her some energy back, "N-no I didn't! I hesitated, and lost. It all hurts, s-so much." she shivered again, and let out a sniffle.

I gently pulled her into a hug, patting her shoulder and rubbing her back, "It's okay. Let me guess, you couldn't bring yourself to deliver the killing blow?"

She nodded against my chest, a few tears leaking through her clenched eyelids.

"It's okay, Amber. Not everyone can bring themselves to kill. It's... a final step that is hard to take." I'd already taken it, but there was a difference between murder, killing to prevent more death, and killing in self defense, and the latter two were justified in a lot of cases.

Still, practical and logical aspects didn't always alter people's moral quandaries, and not everyone could put aside their personal morals to do what was right or necessary. It was a whole big mess and Amber seemed to be caught in the middle of it, "How am I alive?"

I sighed, "The huntsman known as Qrow Branwen found you and saved you from being completely killed, severing the connection between you and the woman who drained you. Do you recall anything about how she did what she did?"

She sniffed, letting out a hum of thought, grunting lightly in the middle of it, "There was a beetle-like insect that came out of a glove on her hand. It attached to my face via some sort of spit, I think... all I remember after the beetle is a split-second of encroaching darkness, a lot of pain, and then nothing."

I sighed, "Of course it isn't easy. Seems like my luck's run out, then. Thank you for what you've given, at least. You're a good woman, Amber, and I hate that this has had to happen to you."

She nodded, "Th-thank you... w-what was your name?"

I smiled gently at her, cleaning her face with a soft, damp cloth, "Jaune, Jaune Arc. It's nice to talk to you, Amber."

She looked at my face, "You're... so young. Ozpin and the others, they trusted you to me?"

I nodded, "I have a special power that nobody else does. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who could have helped you to the point that you were conscious."

She sighed, "I... already feel faint again. I... th-thank you, Jaune, for this. I'm sorry for the trouble."

I shook my head, smiling, "It's no problem, Amber. I-"

You are out of AP!

I paused mid-sentence, staring at the notification. Sure enough, my AP bar read zero.

You received the status effect "Plucked Tree"

I read it and found that my AP wouldn't regenerate as it should for a full five minutes, which sucked ass.

I sighed, seeing Amber's AP already rapidly draining away, "... I was happy to help. For now, you should just rest. I'm going to find a way to help you, okay?"

She nodded weakly, her eyes fluttering closed. In less than ten seconds, she went from simply tired, to fully comatose again. I sighed and very carefully set her back into the pod, closing it and looking at her scarred face once more.

At the very least, she didn't look as agonized as before.

I sighed and sat down, meditating the five minute minutes away and drawing in a bit of AP from the power of mana. When the time had elapsed, and my AP surged back to full, I let out a breath of relief and reactivated my buffs. Without them, I honestly felt a little naked.

With everything in place, I levitated back up, seeming to phase through the ceiling with how smoothly it swallowed me up, setting the rune patterns back into place as I ascended back to the surface, locating Weiss with the Party Tracker and finding her just sitting on the edge of the fountain and statue, "Hey." I greeted cheerfully.

She turned towards me, "Jaune! You took longer than expected. Still, I suppose it wasn't so bad. About ten minutes, I've been sitting here." she looked around with a soft smile, "And you know what?"

I raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

She smiled, "Nobody recognizes me. I don't have to keep up appearances like this."

"Well, that's nice, I guess." I smiled at her. She certainly seemed happy to not be weighed down by her reputation, "Though I suppose we'd have to change Jellybrownmush to... actually no wait, it still works." I hummed as I thought about it a little more. Yeah, it still worked like that.

Weiss raised an eyebrow in confusion, "I'm sorry?"

I blinked, then cleared my throat, "Right, right, sorry, it's just a little thing I've thought about, JLYBRWNMS. Jaune, Lie Ren, Yang, Blake, Ruby, Weiss, Nora, Marbel, and Skyler. I'm hoping that whatever that quest will be leading to will make her... well." Jaune W: Human. If my power can turn a Grimm into a human, conceivably, then I could potentially go on to make some serious shit happen. :W

She looked at me funny, then snorted and giggled, "That has to be one of the most terrible acronyms I've ever heard of! Even if you picked, say, Jelly-brewman, I would probably accept that over 'brown mush'." she stood up and followed me as I conjured the illusion of a teleportation rune circle.

I made the 'flash' as we entered the I.D., "How about... JYSMWNBR, Jasmine Bar? That sounds like a fair name for us."

"That would be excluding that name Thomas, as well as your father. Though, I suppose, then, that we'd make two full teams in Beacon." she hummed in thought.

"Then, I suppose, for two teams, maybe JYSM short for Gypsum, and BWRN short for Burn?" I suggested.

She scoffed as we set into a pace of a several hundred miles per hour, the wind deflected off of us to allow out conversation to continue, "So you'd be on a team of yourself, your girlfriend, your childhood friend, and your grimm-human experiment?"

I shrugged, "I figure it works out best that way. Eh, it doesn't matter right now, I'm going to drop you off back at the airship docks and go make a statement to the White, letting the dead man introduce me as a trusted friend. I figure if I deal with them sooner, I'll have more time to spend with you all later." I smiled back at her as Roimontagne carved a path through the city for us.

Weiss smiled, "Alright then, sounds like a plan."

I nodded, then quickly bled off momentum as we reached the docks, and I set her to 'appear' inside the women's restroom, which was thankfully mostly empty. I used the relatively simple Realm Banish to send her outside the I.D.

Now alone, I poured on the speed as I ran towards the White Fang Alpha Camp, grabbing several cars and consolidating them into a massive ball of metal that I chained to my back through my skin, causing a river of agony to pour up from my muscles to my brain. I reinforced the structure with thick bands of metal wrapped around my body, with rods running through my torso.

Honestly, it hurt like five kinds of hell, one of which was cold, and another a hauntingly large and empty underground cavern with only enough to oxygen to live and suffer from oxygen deprivation, but not die of suffocation.

However, despite the extreme pain, agony, and struggle, I pushed forward like an unstoppable machine.

The fact that I was still (if just barely) able to maintain near-sonic speeds impressed me.

---

(A few minutes later, Jaune POV)

I broke free of the makeshift torture/training device, stretching with my fullest range of motion possible, by doing so naked. After limbering up, I checked the training notifications.

Extreme exercise of many muscles has increased your STR by 1!

Pushing yourself to move very quickly while heavily encumbered has increased your DEX by 1!

Enduring extreme pain and torturous physical agony has increased your VIT by 1!

I redressed myself in Adam's clothes, feeling my physique become a bit leaner as my physical form shifted to become more like his. I exited the I.D. and walked towards the camp, my stride and posture exuding confidence, authority, and a general sense of being pissed off at the world.

Sure enough, the act was convincing, as the two guards at the perimeter, who were looking through a crate, caught sight of me and immediately stopped and saluted, "S-sir! We weren't expecting you back for some time. Was your away mission successful?"

I sighed and regarded them with a nod, "It went well, however, I have an announcement to make in a few minutes, regarding a friend of mine." I concentrated and made the illusion of myself walking up to my side.

The two faunus glared at me through their masks, but I myself stepped forward with a grunt that told them to stop or receive my wrath. They backed down, and the copy of me gestured with manipulation of the illusion, and spoke with the power of Shimfan, "Adam's been training with me, and we've been talking about some stuff. I think I should be able to help all of you out." my copy smiled charismatically at them, and they looked at both of us.

I cleared my throat and pointed behind them, "Go inform the others that I have an announcement to make." I ordered, and they obeyed, quickly running off to go spread the word. I looked at my copy and he looked at me, and we both nodded and smiled.

We walked towards the main tent, where Thomas was looking over a map, though he seemed unfocused, Adam W: So you're sleeping on the job, eh? :W

He jolted up in surprise, looking at me and my copy, Thomas W: I assume one of you two is an illusion? :W

Jaune W: No, clearly I found a way to revive Adam using only his soul, and did that while turning him into my friend through very un-nice mental manipulation. :W

Thomas W: Well, that sounds rather awful. :W

Jaune W: It would be easier with two voices here, sadly. Lucky me, though, I have a way to speak up with just my mind. :W

My copy opened his mouth, "It's nice to make your acquaintance, Banesaw." he smiled, "Adam's told me a lot about you."

He hummed, but decided to roll with it, "All good, I assume?"

My copy shrugged, "A decent guy, a helluva fighter, and a good friend. Sounds like someone I'll be able to get along with." the copy gave a bright grin, pulling up a chair and sitting down in it, which REALLY surprised Banesaw.

I chuckled, "Telekinetic force to mimic having a solid body. With luck, I should be able to avoid this secret getting loose." I smiled at him, "Now then, I'll give them a few minutes to gather everyone, then I'll start the speech. Would you like to join us?"

Thomas sighed, "Well, that idea beats staring at a map and doing nothing for two hours." he got up and walked over to me, crossing his arms, "So, 'Adam', I'm guessing the announcement is about the human next to you?" he regarded my copy.

I nodded, "Well, it's a rather big announcement for just one person, but he's a rather important person." I held down the urge to smile, because Adam wouldn't smile, "I'll give it a minute."

And so we waited.

---

(A minute or two later, Thomas' POV)

I sighed, stood, and stretched. The past week was... tough. I had to admit that for his efforts, Jaune had done very well.

It was tough to accept him as my new leader, but it was a choice I had to make, and make it I did. He was... powerful. Not just in terms of abilities, but he had a powerful presence that demanded respect.

I wasn't simply cowed into submission, though he did have to show some strength to convince me. I sighed as I remembered that conversation. There was shouting, screaming, it came to blows briefly, but in the end we'd come to an agreement like men.

I'd wanted a new life, a life where I could be free, pursue my own path, one where I wouldn't be shackled into the lower class because of a pair of fangs.

Then, in came Jaune, with new goals and in the position to actually help. Unfortunately, there was more to my trust than him simply being in the position with the power to help, because many politicians pandered to the faunus with promises of help, only to turn their backs on us the second their position in office were secured.

Let's just say that under Adam's rule, there was a sword hanging over many of those men's heads, waiting for some final straw to be cut and send it plummeting down to split their skulls.

One of the men showed a bit of hesitation as he entered the tent, "Sir, the troops have been gathered." he looked at the image of Jaune, and I could swear I saw a flash of disdain in his eyes through the eye slits in his mask.

The actual Jaune, disguised as Adam, nodded, "Good. We'll be right out." he turned and nodded at me, "Come on, lieutenant." his image stood up from the table, "I might need you for this announcement." he nodded his head towards the tent flap and the 'three' of us exited out to see the crowd gathered.

His image held out a hand and gathered a few boxes to act a makeshift stage, hopping up on top of them. I cleared my throat as I stepped in front of the crowd, "Everyone!" I called out, silencing their chatter, "As all of you know, our glorious leader has an announcement to make. Be silent."

'Adam' cleared his throat, "My followers, thank you for coming on such short notice. As all of you know, our goal is to show the kingdoms that the Faunus will not bow down, subjugated into being regarded as lesser people! We will fight for our freedom, and we will not give up until we have it!" he raised his fist and the gathered faunus cheered.

"But..." his image then spoke up, hushing many in the crowd, "I have what I think might be a bit better solution." he smiled, "It's... a little complicated. How about you start off the explanation, buddy?" he turned his head to look at 'Adam'.

Most-everyone was confused, so 'Adam' began, "As many of you know, I have been away for extended periods of time recently. I would like to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Jaune Arc." he gestured to his image, "We have been friends for many years, but recently have re-engaged our friendship, as he is already constructing a position for himself to do a massive amount of good for all of faunuskind." he gave a grin, "Though the meal tastes sweeter when you fight for it, I think it might a lot easier to have it served directly to us, on a silver platter, with no complaint."

Jaune's image spoke up, "I have a very powerful semblance akin to conjuration. I'm currently constructing the framework of a settlement in the mountains. It will take time, but when it's finished, it will be a full kingdom on its own, where all people are equal, and such racisms that we see in the four current kingdoms will be not only illegal, but the sociology of this kingdom will be cultivated so that people will willingly accept the faunus as equals." he gave a broad grin, "As Adam here said, sure your freedom might taste a little sweeter when you fight for it, but why bother the kingdoms when they actively resist the changes you plan on making, when you can just go to your own new kingdom where all those freedoms and rights come standard with your citizenship?"

There was a chatter among the crowd, and I could pick out that some people were getting on board with the idea, but of course a dissenter spoke up, "How do we know you aren't going to just stab us in the back like all the others who've promised us freedom?"

'Adam' growled, "Need I remind you, Jaune and I have been in close friendship for several years now. I've seen deep into his psyche and I can assure you that he'd will not disappoint us. He has a habit of making that which seems impossible, into something not only possible, but probable. Whether it takes days, weeks, or months, he will fulfill his promise. He hasn't let me down before, and he won't now." he appeared to give an expectant look at his image.

The image smiled, "You all have my word, not only all of you here now, but all of you in Vacuo and Mistral. I give you my word as a person and as a man. I'm an Arc, and an Arc never goes back on their word." he swept a finger across the crowd, pointing to all of them, "So, do I have your trust, that I will deliver you your freedom?"

More people joined in with those who agreed, but of course another person spoke up, "Hey, aren't you the one working that Schnee bitch?"

'Jaune' sighed, "The public story is that I am currently working as security for the Schnee's tour, but the purpose of this endeavor is to worm my way into her good favors, even her heart. As it was said, I've been crafting a grand position for myself to operate from. I've already begun to turn her from a simple Schnee bitch into a faunus sympathizer! Imagine it, the greatest perpetrator against the faunus, the SDC itself, pulled towards our side by the heiress herself! Our greatest enemy turned into an ally, with every single one of their damn mines emptied of slaves. Not only that, but the SDC also holds weight in the council of Atlas. It's the core of my plan, to gather a massive amount of weight to sway the councils with. Just think, if one kingdom already grants faunus equal rights, then you'll all have a more substantial foothold with which to get worldwide liberation."

'Adam' picked up immediately, "Just think, having one of their own on our side gives us a key ingredient for our victory. After all, those damned council members would be far more likely to listen to another human than even myself." he chuckled darkly, "And the best part of it all? Even while the SDC themselves place the kingdoms into the midst of our pincer attack, we will pull their stuffed pockets inside out and use that money to fund our goals and our own kingdom. An attack on their minds from all sides, where we will reap all of the benefits." he grinned viciously, "So who among you will join us in a renewed, refined fight for our freedom, one where we will humiliate them by making them hand over everything we want, and LIKE IT?!"

I gagged a little, surprised at how easily Jaune was able to channel Adam's viciousness, but was a bit more surprised that he'd turned the whole crowd to his favor. There were cheers from the crowd.

The two grinned, and 'Jaune' spoke up, "Now then, if anyone among you still doubts me, rest assured that Adam will be following me closely as I continue to craft my public image, readying for the moment when we will make our strike and systematically take everything we want." he pointed in the air, "To those of you in Mistral, all we ask is that you not interfere with the Schnee's music tour while we go through the kingdom, we all must bide our time, readying to make the strike." I saw that a scroll was floating above the crowd, "I will inform you all immediately when I deem my new kingdom, named Celeste, viable for living." he looked out over everyone, "This concludes the livestreaming portion of this announcement, the rest of the information we will be providing is only for the Valean White Fang. We thank you for seeing things our way, and hope that you all look forward to the future that we are securing." the scroll clicked as the video ended, then floated back over to 'Adam', who pocketed it.

I watched as Jaune, still disguised as my old friend, cleared his throat, "Now then... there is more information to be had. Some of you may know of another human, a woman named Cinder, who tried to strong-arm me into joining her cause. She promises many things, but Jaune is far more trustworthy. I want all of you to know this, that while we will appear to be on her side, we are definitely NOT." he grunted, drawing his sword and pointing it skywards, "When the time comes, that filthy whore will find the guns she assumed she was hiring all turn and shoot her in the face!" he laughed cruelly, "When the time comes, you all must be ready to betray that bitch for your people."

'Jaune' smiled, "In addition, and this may upset many of you, but we will have to play nice in Vale for a time. Whatever that woman wants, she needs an army for it. When the time comes, she will find that as she charges into the field of battle, there will be nobody by her side, and she will be stranded in the thick of battle as we watch and laugh at her foolishness in trying to trick us." ironic that he says that, because he was currently tricking everyone here.

Honestly, I didn't really have anything to add to the announcement, I just stood there. Maybe I held some importance, like I was a linchpin that solidified the claims that had been made, that it wasn't just Adam, but also his lieutenant that had agreed to this human's plans.

"Now, if we're all clear, I have one more request to make." Jaune said, looking at the crowd, "Celeste is not a kingdom for only faunus. There will be humans there too. I will be selecting only those who will not pose any issue with the faunus, but I am forced to request that in return for this kindness, you do not pose issues with the humans of Celeste. This includes my friends who will be helping me lead. They will not make any trouble with all of you, so long as none of you make trouble with them. One of them is a faunus herself, actually. We shall all be fair, kind, and generous leaders." he bowed, "All we ask for is cooperation, so we can all reach a better future together."

There was minor hesitation, but they all cheered for him, which was reassuring. Undoubtedly, there were at least a few who had reservations about working with a human, but they were willing to trust 'Adam's judgement about him.

"That concludes this announcement. Jaune and I have to leave now, prepare for the trip through Mistral. If any of you have questions, simply ask my lieutenant Banesaw. He will answer them all to the best of his abilities." 'Adam' concluded, hopping down from the crates.

'Jaune' followed, "I'm looking forward to working with all of you in the near future." he waved as the two of them simply walked away.

I sighed heavily, "That's everything, folks. Please return to your stations and camps. I will answer anyone's questions if you have them." I steeled myself in preparation for those who had concerns to voice. At least two dozen people stayed put, slowly making their way towards me. I hopped up onto the crate and regarded them with spread arms, "Alright then, let's begin."

It was going to be a long day.

---

(meanwhile, Jaune's POV)

Charming and deceiving hundreds of prejudiced people all at once has increased your CHA by 2!

Far Slayer struck trees as I launched it dozens of time. I was busy running at supersonic speeds towards my next destination. It was hard to believe that I was only barely coming up to three-quarters of an hour back in Vale. Just doing those two things, before all of this happened (assuming I'd be able to do them at all) would probably have taken an hour each.

I cracked my neck as I leapt into the sky, landing sword-first on an Ursa Gigantus that spawned on the city walls. It was impaled, yes, but the sheer force of my body hitting its chest caused its ribs to explode out of its back like a pair of macabre wings befitting its vile nature.

By raising "Rushing Strike" to level 99, you have earned the skill "Charging Strike"!

I leaped off of its body and landed on a Nevermore in the air, axe-kicking off of it and gaining altitude. Once I'd chained together enough ascensions to get a thousand feet into the air, I focused my magical prowess on enhancing my own gravity, sending me rocketing back towards the ground like a meteor.

I hit a Miraganger Star feet-first and proceeded to skate down the street on its body, breaking its head on the concrete and transitioning smoothly into a Sprint as its body disintegrated beneath me, accelerating into Furious Pace.

"Amazing Grace" level increased by 2!

"Incredible Strength" level increased by 1!

"Ki Ventilation" level increased by 1!

I followed the path set by my map, leaping through buildings to gib Beowolves I'd prompted to spawn on the other side, my title Twice Pacing a Bullet boosting my reflexes enough to keep track of everything around me and allowing me to not trip and go bouncing along the ground for a mile.

Lightning arced off of my body and zapped the grass as I began slowing down, skidding to a halt right where I needed to be.

I smiled as I sensed the familiar soul in this spot, right in front of the old war memorial as expected. I slipped out of I.D. and pulled the packed breakfast from my inventory, "Hey Jenkins."

The old man jumped in surprised, holding his chest, "God have mercy! Oh, shit, Jaune, don't scare me like that, I'm just an old man." he sighed in relief, "Glad I didn't piss myself."

I frowned, "Sorry about that, friend, just figured I ought to surprise you. Here, to make up for it." I held out the box to him.

He sighed and took it, "I know you didn't mean it, at least." he took a whiff and smiled, "Ah~, that's nice. Shall we?" he gestured to the bench, and I nodded.

"I'm running on a little bit of a timer here, friend, but I have a few questions for you." I made to help him, but he proudly walked over there all by himself, grinning as he sat down and patted the spot next to him.

I smiled and sat down next to him, pulling a drink from my inventory and taking a few swigs, "So... tell me, Jenkins, how WAS your time in the war?"

He chuckled, "I'm surprised you feel the need to ask that, Jaune. Pleased that you're concerned, but surprised by it nonetheless. A lot of people say that the war was terrible, but I had a damn good time in the war! I once shot three men in the head with just one bullet." he smiled, "I made a lot of friends, but... sadly, they're now few and far between." he rolled up his sleeve, showing me a tattoo there.

It was only slightly distorted, allowing me to easily make out that it was an eagle perched on an assault rifle. Wrapped around the rifle was a banner that read 'Veni, Vidi, Vici', which I smirked at, "I came, I saw, I conquered... humble."

"Hehe, it's the mark of my squad... we even called ourselves the Thirty-Cal Pred8or Kings... with the number... we even had a symbol, and even though it was just 30C8K, it was ours." he sighed softly and caressed the tattoo, "We were young, once, and then we were deployed as real soldiers." a tear slid down his cheek, "It was a wonderful time, really and truly."

I gently grasped his hand and gave him a hug, "It's alright, friend, I'm sure they're either alive and well, waiting for you, or yelling at you to 'suck it up, pussy!'." I chuckled, as did he, and we slowly got louder until we were just completely caught up in laughter.

After a few minutes, he sighed and wiped a year of laughter from his eye, smiling, "Oh god, that... that is exactly what Blaine would say." he sighed, a hand on his stomach, "I don't think I've had so honest a laugh in years." he smiled, "Thank you for that, Jaune. As I said, the war was a great time for me, but I have to say that my life slowly trickled downhill after it ended." he sighed, looking at his sandwich, "I should finish this thing, the others would admonish me for not doing so." he picked it up.

I smiled, "And I would be offended. I worked hard on that thing."

He chuckled, "Ah yes, toast. So difficult to make." we shared a laugh.

I looked around, "So... Jenkins... I'm starting a new kingdom."

He blinked, then looked at me, "If you and your family didn't have a reputation for making the impossible possible, I'd call you nutters."

I chuckled, "Yeah, well... we'll need a military, even if it's a small one. I was thinking, maybe you'd be willing to be my general?"

His eyes widened and his nearly choked on his food, but got through it and looked at me, "Really?"

I nodded, "Really really. You have the most military experience out of anyone I know. You'll even get your own squad if you'd rather lead on the battlefield rather than from behind a desk."

"Do I get to shoot stuff if I say yes?"

I chuckled at his enthusiasm, "Yes, yes you do."

He gave a cheer, "I'm in! Ahhh, this brings me back to the glory days." he sighed in content, enjoying his food all the more with his good mood.

I smiled at him, "Well, it won't be for a while, but I'll definitely be helping you get up to par at least." I pat him on the shoulder.

Yang W: Hey, Jaune, you're in town, right? :W

Jaune W: Yeah, I am. You can probably tell by the distance. :W

Yang W: I can, actually. Me and Ruby are on our way to town. :W

Jaune W: Alright! I'll be there to greet you when you get to the dock. :W I smiled widely, "If you'll excuse me, friend, I have young man things to go attend to."

He chuckled, looking at my smile, "Of course you do. Well, have fun with your friends and/or girlfriend, or whoever it us you'll be seeing. I have old man things to do." he finished his sandwich and I picked up the trash, crushing it down and disintegrating it in my hand, tossing the ashes into the trashcan.

I waved as I turned and began Running, appearing to teleport as I slipped into I.D. again.

---

(At the airship docks, Weiss' POV)

I smiled as Jaune appear a few feet away, "Ah, you're finished with your other errands then, I assume?"

He nodded, smiling widely, "Yes, yes I am."

We shared a smile, and began walking towards the street, "So, what now, then?"

I was swept off my feet as we slipped into the I.D. again, "We're going to the docks, to greet Yang and Ruby. Yang messaged me and you can probably see their distance reducing as we speak. We're going to go greet them at the naval docks." I was placed on his back as he took off down the road, and I saw the corona of angry aura that surrounded us push aside a couple of cars that were in our direct path, even pushing aside a motorcycle that was an arm's distance away.

"Can't we let them greet us at the airship docks?" I hummed curiously, noticing that we weren't going at sonic speeds.

Jaune shook his head, "Weiss... let me ask you. If you had a boyfriend who you were traveling to see, would you prefer that you greet him at his home, or that he greet you as you get off the ship?"

I mulled over his words. If I was going to be frank, I would say that I didn't know what that felt like, but I doubted Jaune would appreciate me trying to deflect the question like that, "Being greeted DOES seem nicer. I suppose it would better show that he cares about me."

Jaune grinned, "Exactly. So why shouldn't I show Yang the same?"

I sighed, "I'll give you that point, Jaune. You should always show her that you care." a near-mirror image of myself, face framed by boyishly short white locks, flickered through my mind's eye, "You never know what action will be the last you perform towards her."

He looked back at me, then flicked my nose, "Don't get back on that dying shit, okay? Nobody among us is going to die, not if I have even one single syllable to say about it." he smiled at me, "I'd take a whole machine gun's worth of bullets for you, Weiss, same with Yang, and with Ruby, and any of y'all. Y'hear me? Nobody's gonna die."

I stared into his eyes, a brilliant cyan that shone with promise and power, and I smiled, unable to resist snuggling a little bit into his back, "Alright, alright." I let out a small laugh, "No need to get all 'deadly protector' on me either. If I'm not allowed to tense the mood with my seriousness, you aren't either." I rubbed my knuckles into his scalp, "So stop it. It's unnecessary."

He sighed, "Maybe... maybe it is, but it still deserves to be said." he turns and went wide-eyed, then immediately hopped and angled his body to slow us down.

Jaune's skill "Amazing Grace" leveled by 1!

Jaune's skill "Shining Armor" leveled by 1!

We came to a rolling stop and hopped over a railing, landing in the area below. We'd reached the passenger docking area. Jaune's eyes glowed, the radiance visible even from behind his head, and I saw him scan the area. I didn't know what he was looking for, but he apparently found it as he walked over a bench and stood us next to it, gently shrugging me off of his back.

I couldn't help but blush as I realized I'd wrapped my legs around his waist. Sure, I was riding on his back like a child would, but I was not a child. The casual look on his face told me that he hadn't noticed my embarrassing act, which was a relief. We appeared in normal space, with nobody within at least thirty feet between us and any of the few people nearby. I was thankfully still in my 'Rosa' disguise, so nobody paid us any more attention than a few bewildered looks. Jaune began walking towards the dock, and I followed a few feet behind. He seemed focused on a distant ship, which I strained my eyes to see. Two small patches of distinct color, one bright yellow and one bright red, were visible. It was safe to guess that those colors were a slowly approaching Ruby and Yang.

Jaune closed his eyes and grunted, and I saw a splash of water on the docks grow a small patch of visible salt. Perplexed, I stared at it as it traveled over the side and into the water. I stepped over to the edge of the dock to see the compressed salt helmet of Pluviteus move through the water. After a few seconds, I saw the ship move noticeably faster.

Jaune grinned, "Here they come." he snapped his fingers, and the ship soon slowed to a halt right beside the dock.

I let out a small shriek, NOT a squeal, of surprise when the water crashed against the side of the pier, nearly splashing up and onto us, but curving impossibly back at the last second. I pouted at Jaune, and he just pat me on the head! The nerve!

Yang jumped down, stumbling and nearly falling from the sudden change in momentum, only for Jaune to catch her before she hit the ground, turning her over to face him, "Weird, baby girl, I thought you'd already fallen for me." he chuckled.

Ruby hopped down, having shown the intelligence to let her inertia settle before getting off the boat, "Booooooo~, puns are bad and you should feel bad."

Jaune chuckled, looking into Yang's eyes as he wrapped an arm around her back, "How can I feel bad when I have my sunshine with me?" he grinned at her, then picked her up, "Get up into my arms, baby girl."

I felt Yang's flames flare up and hit my face as Jaune lifted her into the air, settling into a strong, steady stance. As they rocked, Yang wrapped her legs around Jaune's waist and one of his arms wrapped around her back, their faces meeting in a deep, somewhat noisy kiss. Her fire heating my face intensified when I saw Jaune's right had snake down and grab ahold of her rear end.

I opened my mouth to comment, but just stared blankly. I looked at Ruby and noticed she was blushing furiously, "Y-you're blushing Ruby. It's unbecoming of you."

Ruby looked at me and pouted cutely, "Y-y-y-you're blushing too~." she whined.

W-was I? I felt my hot face. That... that feeling inside me, it was similar to sickness, it had to be Yang's flames hitting me the wrong way, right?

I stared at her, feeling a somewhat cold, yearning feeling settle through my skin as I examined their embrace. It... no... no no no.

I was nauseous from heat, I wasn't... jealous... was I?

'If you had a boyfriend...'

'It would show he cares.'

I shook my head to clear it, but all that did was cause the thoughts to sprout throughout my head. Wasn't it every girl's dream to find love? Wasn't that a fairly universal idea, that finding love should have been a goal in your life, no matter who you were? I knew I was correct, and I was just... thinking of my own future love, and how I...

I... wouldn't mind a hug like that, I-i-i-i-i think... EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

Goddammit, Jaune, you dunce!

---

(meanwhile, Yang's POV)

Bliss filled my head as Jaune and I finally broke our kiss, a string of saliva hanging between our lips before breaking and coming back to hit my chin. I knew he'd planned on something big for when he got back, but THIS?

This. Was. Amazing~!

It was just a kiss, yeah, but the energy, strength, and emotion behind it was all real and all amazing. I sighed happily, "Well, love, THAT was one hell of a pleasant surprise." I giggled and nuzzled my head into the crook of his neck, looking up at him sweetly, to make his heart throb.

His affectionate smile was all I needed in order to read him, "Heh, anything for my Sun Angel. Come on, you have a friend to meet, and I think that might not have been the most normal start to a first real meeting in the world." he chuckled and set me on my feet, giving my ass one last little squeeze. That felt really great too, that he wasn't intimidated by my beauty like that, and he missed me enough to really, REALLY grab ahold and not let go.

I cleared my throat, wiping my mouth and smiling, "Heh, well, hey there Weiss. Nice to finally meet you." I flashed a winning grin at her.

She only blushed, "Within ten seconds, you disgusted me."

I smirked, waggling my eyebrows, "Oh~? Your blush says you're more jealous than disgusted. It's fine, a lot of girls are jealous of me." I flipped my hair and smiled, "But you're beautiful in your own right, every girl is. Come on, don't be so down, today is the first day of our awesome friendship, let's not spoil it with jealousy and jabs." I got between her and Rubes and put my arms around them, pulling them tightly in, "It's gonna be fuuuuun~." I said cheerfully as I squeezed them close.

Jaune chuckled, "Yeah, it is. I have some plans. Who wants free pizza?" now THAT was interesting.

Ruby cheered, "That's probably the best four words I've ever heard you say."

Jaune smirked at her, "Strawberry chocolate chip cookies."

Ruby blinked, then grinned, "I stand corrected."

Jaune, Weiss, and I all shared a hearty laugh as I gave Ruby a little hug-shake, "Oh my god, Rubes, you are just TOO adorable sometimes."

She pouted, and elbowed me, "Yaaaaang~." she whined, and I couldn't help but laugh a little more.

"Come on, Rubes, you know we all love you." Jaune ruffled her hair a little, "Now come on, free pizza is just one 'teleportation' away." he snapped his fingers and for half a second I saw a flash of light, then we were standing... in exactly the same spot. I looked around, only to find that everyone else was gone.

Oh, we were in one of those I.D. things.

I felt a moment of weightlessness as Jaune lifted me and settled me onto his back, "Alright, Weiss and Ruby, you two are pretty good at running really fast, so just follow me through the city." I felt his aura flare up and buzz slightly, feeling warmer to the touch, and he began running so quickly that I was forced to wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, holding on for dear life.

It lasted for... I wasn't sure how many seconds before I realized I wasn't in danger of falling, and I pressed myself against Jaune's broad, muscular back, letting out a sigh as I felt his muscles bulge and flex under his skin, exuding strength and vigor, which gave me small shivers.

Sexy shivers.

I pressed my lips to the back of his neck, "I love you, Jaune."

He turned his head, smiling at me, "I love you too, Yang." he looked like he didn't even notice the growing 'predicament' I was experiencing, "We're almost there. Trust me, we won't have to wait at all except for the time it takes for Crocea and Xibu to cook the thing."

I nodded, "So then... we skip the lines by being in alternate space where everything except the people are here?"

He hummed, then nodded, "Pretty much, yep. If we eat before we leave the I.D., the food stays inside us." he smiled, "Wouldn't want my precious girl going hungry, would I?"

I shook my head, "No... hey, wait, it's like 8 AM, and... don't pizza places usually open around lunch time?"

Our speed rapidly decreased as he stared ahead, then let out a loud, "SHIT!" and stomped the ground in frustration, Jaune C: Weiss, Rubes, hey, no pizza. The places wouldn't be open. Let's just get breakfast, shall we? :C

Weiss C: That sounds fair enough :C

Ruby C: Awww, I wanted pizza. :C

Jaune C: Don't worry, Rubes, we'll have pizza later. :C

Yang C: Yeah. We got time, sis. It's all good. :C

I smiled softly, but it soon fell, and I sighed and tried to calm myself. It would be good to start working on NOT looking all hot and bothered, it wouldn't exactly show a graceful side of myself to be a wet, blushing mess.

I sighed again, Yang W: J-jaune... s-slow down. :W

Jaune W: Something wrong, baby girl? :W

Yang W: I uh... that kiss earlier, and this right now... it's uh... w-w-well... y-y-y'know~... :W dammit, why was I feeling so shy? I could joke and jive with the best of them, but in less than five minutes Jaune wore my resistance down to nothing. If it had simply been broken, it could be shocked back into working, but with it so worn down, I would probably need either a couple of hours or a cold shower to calm down.

Jaune W: I... don't follow. What is it, sunshine? :W

Yang W: You can't be serious. Jaune, please... first you pick me up, kiss me deep, lick my teeth, and grab my ass, and now you run so fast that your back is rubbing against me... and you DON'T get what the issue is? :W

Jaune W: Oh... oh god, I'm sorry, sunny. I didn't mean to be a tease like that. :W I felt his hand gently pull my head forward, and our lips met again, W: Just... try to calm down. I know we're both a little emotionally charged, but I don't want to hurt you because we made a dumb decision out of pure excitement. :W

Yang W: Heh... you know, only YOU wouldn't want to jump at the chance to do... th-th-th-THAT stuff... with me. :W

Jaune W: Oh trust me, I'd definitely want to, but I hold back because I don't want to move things too fast, 'jump at the chance', and end up hurting you or your feelings. Like I said, a dumb decision made out of pure excitement. :W

I couldn't help but blush even more. Sure, the sexy feelings were nice, but it was hard to deny that his kind, loving, considerate words made my heart throb.

I pressed my forehead against his neck and concentrated. I began breathing in and out, slow and deep, to calm myself, the way my dad had showed me. Thinking about my dad did kind of stab my growing bubble of hormonal feelings in the face and make my level of arousal sink like an anvil, which helped a lot.

I didn't stop breathing, though, because we were still a ways away from... wherever Jaune was taking us.

I began humming quietly, thinking about the two of us and our... unorthodox relationship. Back in the beginning, it was... a flurry, really. Jaune had come in our of nowhere, and just... talked to me. It was just a casual conversation at the gym, a regular and a newcomer, and we were really... casual.

I couldn't help but smile and laugh on the inside. It was ridiculous that something like THAT probably allowed him to sneak his way into my feelings, but it was how he'd done it. He was just... friendly, which was a great change of pace between the usual 'either don't get approached by a guy who was too nervous, or get approached by an asshole and reject him and watch dad beat him up'.

It wasn't fair, and due to that conditioning, it had taken at least an hour of talking to Jaune to convince me that he wasn't going to ask me out. Even when he had suddenly brought out a compliment, it didn't feel like flirting, it felt more like banter, like I'd get into with a friend from Signal.

We had just been talking, it was nothing serious, but then there was a flurry. He had probably just been trying to be friendly, but there had been a period of time where he seemed to know when he'd upset me and immediately sought to correct it. Someone being so easily able to read my emotions had set me off balance, and maybe that had been what set our relationship into motion.

It was hard to pinpoint what caused all of this, but whatever it really was, it was an excellent decision on both our parts. I certainly felt happy about it, and that Jaune was all smiles and trust with me said that he was happy about it too.

Yang W: So hey... why can't Marbs and Blake come with us? :W

Jaune W: It's not that they can't, it's that I think I should switch you four out for the trip through Mistral. Marbel also has to go to a civilian school, Yang, which means that she can't request a futzing of the rules like you and Ruby were able to. By the way, how did that testing go? :W

Yang W: Five days of intense studying, followed by a grueling test, and finding out I made a solid A, it was... elating. :W

Jaune W: Nice! What did Ruby make? :W

Yang W: The little nerd made a better A than I did! Hell, she got all of the questions right! :W

Jaune W: Well, she DOES have 100 INT, I'm pretty sure she's justified in getting a 100 on the test. :W

Yang W: Yeah... well... still... nyeh. :W I stuck my tongue out.

Jaune just turned his head and gave my tongue a lick, Jaune W: Nyeh to you too. :W

I immediately retracted my tongue, Yang W: When are we getting there. :W

He looked forward, and I his head flit around as he observed our surroundings, Jaune W: ... shit... we passed it! Stop distracting me with your beautiful voice :W

Jaune chuckled playfully, and we were suddenly surrounded by a corona of angry azure aura, and Jaune turned, plowing straight through the walls of several buildings and turning back towards our actual destination.

I ducked lower, my hair still blown back by the wind, but was relieved when it seemed that pieces of rubble were swept away from us by the corona surrounding us, which was good. I sighed, and found us eventually skidding to a halt, a wave of pressure hitting my arms and legs wrapped around him.

We reached our destination, which I found to be a nice diner in the downtown area. Jaune smiled and set me down, "Here we are. And no wait either!" he led us inside, holding the door open for all three of us.

I looked around the place. It was modest and nice, the kind of place I could see myself coming to normally, "Nice choice, babe, what made yo-" I turned and the words died in my throat as I looked at Jaune.

Jaune Arc
Title: Magical Cleaning Maid
Level: 73

"... what the fuck?" out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ruby and Weiss turn to look at him, and they both promptly read his new title and burst out laughing.

Jaune sighed, "It's the only title I have that increases the quality of my cooking."

"How did you even get that?" Weiss asked through her laughter.

He sighed, deadpanning at her, "Raising my housekeeping skills each to level 50. Anyways, look over the menus and pick what you want, girls."

We all sat down while shaking in laughter, and started looking through the menu.

Already, breakfast was shaping up to be pretty awesome.

---

(After breakfast, Jaune POV)

I sighed softly, smiling at the girls as we drove along in a commandeered car. I'd have loved to use the invisible jet, but I was sure that Weiss would have lost her breakfast she just finished enjoying and even got a couple of tongue burns over.

Of course, I 'stole' the fastest car nearby, Jurist hotwiring it with ease, and Crocea reinforcing the frame while bleeding weight off of it, allowing us to cruise at a nice hundred miles per hour.

"Alright, hopefully this doesn't go to shit, but if it does, don't worry, I'll make sure none of you get hurt." I informed them, focusing all of my elemental charges into Roimontagne.

In front of us, the road itself reared up and formed a large ramp, and we started driving high above the ground, the ramp forming in front of us as we went along, thanks to Roi getting well over 200k AP/m, which I was happily giving him.

We traveled over the forest, heading towards Celeste. Cruising along, I sung a soft song with Shimfan's help, while Yang lounged next to me, and Ruby and Weiss relaxed in the back seat.

Blue moon~

Blue moon~

Blue moon of Segret

Keep on shining bright

Please let me and my friends

Have some fun tonight

Blue moon~

Keep on shinin'~

Blue moon~

Keep our spirits high~

Blue moon~

Shine on my friends and I~

Blue moon~

Let us have fun tonight~

The song was pretty simple, meant as a simple well-wish, and I felt it was fitting for this peaceful moment.

By the time I finished singing, we'd arrived at the illusion version of Celeste. I was thankful that it wasn't damaged by any random activity or some sort of military investigation. I scanned the area and found that only Blake was present, thank the gods.

I parked the car outside of the castle, "Alright, everyone out, I'm about to drop the I.D." I got out and opened the girl's doors for them. Not that they couldn't do it themselves, but it was the gentlemanly thing to do. When we were out, I dropped the I.D. and the car was left behind as we appeared in normal space.

There was a sensation that the others clearly felt as well. It was like our Auras were stretched like rubber bands before snapping back, probably their resistance to the I.D. trying to reclaim our breakfast. Weiss clutched her stomach for a moment, but recovered a couple of seconds later, "Let's not do that all the time." she said with a slight groan.

I nodded, patting her on the shoulder, "Don't worry, it feels kinda wrong anyways. We might do it once in a blue moon, but definitely not regularly."

I turned and looked out at the field, closing my eyes and willing the shift. I opened them to a darkened world, where a sheet of shades of greens showed itself in front of me. I saw a circle of different colors near the center, the circle of flowers that marked the place I sat while meditating and awakening the auras of the grass.

I hummed softly, switching titles to Mountain Monk and my two classes to Monk v5 and Wizard v4, to maximize my APR, "You girls have a nice chat, I'm going to awaken more grass aura, and maybe make some more buildings."

Yang pouted slightly, which compelled me to kiss her, if only to dispel the pout. Our lips met for several seconds, and I gave her a welcoming smile, "I just need to meditate, if you want to sit next to me while I do it, you're more than welcome."

She smiled back, "You two talk to Blake and stuff, Jaune and I are gonna awaken grass aura."

Weiss and Ruby smiled, and I walked over with Yang and sat in the center of the circle, cross-legged in a classical meditative posture.

Yang sat down beside me, leaning against my side, and I let my eyes drift mostly closed, feeling Yang's warmth on my side as she nuzzled her head into the crook of my shoulder.

You have received the status effect "Love's Glowing Embrace [Low]"

I felt my APR jump up by a little bit more, and smiled. I slipped into meditation, humming softly as my aura reached out and touched the grass I hadn't yet awakened. With the help of the various skills I'd gained, it was far easier to reach out through my meditative power.

The sensation I felt was like having thousands of arms, or maybe prehensile tentacles, each tipped with a fire made of pure aura, reaching out at the edge of the rough circle and touching square inches of grass, which then lit up with the glow of Aura and began feeding off of the AP I burnt off.

It didn't even take a minute.

By raising "Green Thumb" to level 99, you have earned the skill "Dryad Touch"!

By raising "Nature's Bond" to level 99, you have earned the skill "Nature's Favor"!

I felt the trickling of spent Aura turn into a sizable flow as it became ten times more expensive. I felt a new power and read the description of Nature's Favor, smiling as I found it gave a power that would help me a lot at the moment.

I took in a deep breath, not only using Ki Ventilation, but also using the power of Mountain Monk. I shifted the tune from an aimless one to one that was my best impression of the 'elemental song' for Water. A faint glow filled the air, tinted green as the new active ability granted by Nature's Favor, appropriately named 'Nature Aura', projected a field of light inside which plant life would be promoted, which allowed me to more efficiently use Dryad Touch.

I pushed a little harder, letting Awaken Aura simply surge outwards as fast and efficiently as I could manage it, even going so far as to drop my active defenses in order to free up as much APR as absolutely possible.

I felt the fire in my soul, the sheer energy, surge and crash and flow outwards as levels for Awaken Aura flooded inwards. My mind thundered with the resonance of energy released by ignited souls, and the flood of experience I granted to those tiny specks of spiritual power came back to resonate within my body, shaking me to my core as I held Yang close, feeling like if I didn't, then I would be blown into the sky by the unrelenting updraft of mannic energy.

And then, I felt my own light ignite with increased power.

By raising "Awaken Aura" to level 99, you have earned the skill "Bolster Aura"!

I hummed curiously, opening the skill window and reading it, barely holding onto my meditation as I did so.

-/\-

Bolster Aura (Active) Level: 1, EXP: 0.00%, Cost: 10,000 AP
A skill available only to those with incredibly powerful souls, and the ability to aid others. Generations after the Age of Enlightenment began, people found that those whom fate had ordained to heal the broken generally had an additional ability to stoke the fires within others. Isolated, purified, and expanded upon, this skill allows one to reinforce the power of trust of a person's awakened aura by reinforcing it temporarily, so it may beat back the shadows that threaten to encroach on the light within and snuff it out. Additionally, the mortal flesh that binds a soul may be better empowered to mitigate the woes that the world inflicts on all living beings.

Increases all parameters of one's Aura by 100% for 10 seconds.
Costs an additional 10,000 AP every 10 seconds.

-/\-

I used it on myself, to see what exactly it meant. It didn't increased my APR, but I felt the increase in how much of my power was flowing outwards, all increased by the promised 100%, doubled in flow. Activating Aura itself drained 2% instead of the usual 1%, and Aurora for 20% instead of 10%.

Okay, fairly straightforward. Activating that skill pretty much doubled the speed and casting power I had, but didn't reduce costs. Overall, I didn't particularly need it at the moment, but I would keep it in mind.

The best part about all of that was the simple fact that Awaken Aura now only cost 20 AP per casting. In reality, that was piecemeal for the ability I once thought unbelievable, awakening the soul of another human being... in fact, in my current state, I'd be doing it... let's see... 570k total for absolutely everything I was pouring into attaining maximum possible APR, plus 4k from Nature's Bond, Nature's Favor, and Ki Ventilation... about twenty-eight thousand and seven hundred times every minute.

I kept it up for about an hour before having a realization, "Hey, Yang?" I spoke up, hearing a groggy response, "Yang... Yang!" I shook her shoulder.

Yang jolted into awareness, "Huh?" she looked at me, "Something wrong, babe?"

I shook my head, "No, not particularly, but I realized something. Come on." I stood up and lifted her to her feet with a light pull of her hand, leading her to the castle, "I'm a quarter done with the field anyways, even after just an hour. Pretty sure after we're done in Mistral, I'll be well equipped to awaken the whole forest easily enough." we entered and soon found ourselves walking through the few hallways.

As we entered the library, I heard Ruby's voice speak up, "Do you have any... twos?"

Weiss responded with a sigh, "You're cheating, I just know it." there was a small shuffle of paper.

"Ah, Go Fish, a simple game. I like it." I smiled as I turned around one of the stone bookshelves, "Oh, by the way, Ruby, I can see the deck with my special senses... Weiss, she stacked it, at least as best she could."

Weiss pouted at Ruby, "How? How did you do that?"

Ruby shrugged with a sheepish grin, "100 INT? I mean, I couldn't orchestrate it perfectly, but I did what I could to maximize my chance of winning."

Weiss had three books, however, and I noticed she'd actually gotten a point in LUK for overcoming the very disproportionate odds, "Didn't do a very good job of that, then, Rubes." I smirked playfully at her, and in just a second she was in front of me, giving me a punch to the arm.

"Shut up~. Stacking decks is hard~." she whined, "Why are you up anyways? I thought you were awakening grass aura."

I nodded, "Right, I was about to get to that. Weiss, Blake, and Marbel each have an elemental, but you and Yang don't. I figured it'd be good to handle that problem while we have spare hours and are on solid ground." I looked between the two of them, "So, if you want to have an awesome elemental, I suggest we make our way to the newly constructed ballroom and get started."

They both grinned and hugged my arms, "Awesome~!" Ruby cheered, "Come on, let's gooo~."

Yang smiled, "Hold on, Rubes. I know Jaune can regrow his arms, but I don't think he'd appreciate you pulling them off." she giggled, "Come on, Jaune, if you don't match her pace she'll make you fly."

I smirked and pulled Yang onto my back, "Ruby, I think without Aurora you'll be hard pressed to win a race against me." I chuckled.

"Whaaat~?" she looked at me incredulously, "You can't be THAT fast!"

I equipped Twice Pacing a Bullet, "I can run at over Mach 2." I chuckled at her shocked look, "Don't worry, over the summer, I'll be teaching all of you a ton of my buffs, assuming we can get each of you to a high enough WIS that you're able to concentrate enough to perform them. After they make an imprint on your soul, though, it should be a lot easier." I stopped in the center of the grand ballroom, which I'd need to put a bit of sound insulation in. Just a bit, though. I'd make a pattern out of it, even.

Roimontagne made the summoning circles in the floor, "Alright, let's get started. From what I can see, Yang, you have way more Fire affinity than everything else, and Ruby, you have more Air affinity. We'll of course start with those." I brought out dust crystals of the aforementioned elements, "Just focus on the crystal, and on your soul. The circle should help ease and smooth over the process, but you basically need to split off a splinter of your soul, then reach out with it and coax it to be colored by the element I've provided you."

They both nodded, and hummed in concentration.

It took only a couple of minutes, but I saw Yang soon fall back as the skill took hold and she lost consciousness. Ruby, however, continued to struggle.

I sighed, walking over and kneeling beside her, "Ruby, you need some help?"

She sighed, deflating as her face flushed red for a few moments, "I feel like I'm only getting close to squeezing out a fart, and not actually getting my elemental." she pouted, "I don't want to fail at this."

I gently patted her head, "Don't worry, Ruby, you'll succeed. I know you will, you're the kind of person who never gives up. Let's see... try increasing your WIS. I wasn't able to use the skill book for Summon Elemental until I had 50 WIS to begin with, so maybe that's what's holding you back?"

She hummed, "It's worth a shot, I guess." she pumped ten points into her WIS, then tried again.

---

(seconds later, Ruby's POV)

I focused with a soft hum of effort. It was significantly easier now, the process going much quicker, like I'd been digging with my fingernails before, and now I was using a trowel at least. After a lot of effort, I felt my soul splinter and reach out to the dust crystal in my hands.

I felt it tug, then jerk at my core, and I felt my core tug and jerk back, as if either pulling it in, or trying to resist. I felt a hot, almost burning sensation as my Aura flared to life and I felt a painful bleeding-like sensation below my skin.

Your soul resists the alteration, but you power through!

The air was grasped by a piece of my soul, and I felt my blood boil in pain before all sensations faded away.

---

(seconds later, Jaune's POV)

Ruby's face twisted in pain, then relaxed as she lost consciousness.

That... wasn't good. I really didn't like how Ruby kept getting hurt when it came to soul-related matters. When Magic Eyes had hit level 50, the ability to see others' auras had been added. Ruby's aura was flared up and acting chaotic, not settling at all. I sighed softly, and began using the skill I'd just recently gotten to bolster and help recover her Aura.

Bolster Aura flared to life, and I could see the color gradient form as my cyan flowing into Ruby's rose-red. I sighed as I held that for as long as I could, maintaining it as I sent Pluviteus out to continue awakening grass aura.

I got comfortable, focused on the spell with one hand on Ruby's shoulder, and maintained it as I slipped back into meditation.

---

(meanwhile, Pluviteus' POV)

I hummed as I was called into being and given a task. Manifesting my physical form had become a lot easier after our evolution, even with the large increase in my size. I swept across the field, my form only half its now-normal size as I reached out and opened the auras of the grass.

I paused, still pushing power out, and knelt down, deciding to examine the grass. It was green, in fact the entire forest was green. I'd seen it before, but it was the first time seeing it since my mind opened, when that small crack in the wall that was cognition was punched out into a hole big enough to see so much it nearly overwhelmed my spiritual eyes. The water that was my skin fluctuated as I pulled control back in.

We were all... not good. We weren't broken, or incomplete, for we all were formed fully and individually, so there was nothing to say we were either broken or incomplete. Mas- Jaune had become sad at our lack of goodness.

No... it wasn't goodness. We were good in both the sense that we were morally sound, since we derived ourselves from him, and he would not find himself morally unsound, and were of quality, because we had 'prestiged' and thus become greater.

It was... ugh, it wasn't something I could understand, but that was the problem itself. We could not understand why our master was saddened, and our not understanding was why he was saddened. It wasn't fair for any of us involved.

We weren't smart enough to know why he was sad that we weren't smart enough. It was beyond our mental capacity.

I suppose, then, that was why we developed like we did. I had always been a bit more curious than the others, mostly due to my ability to heal rather than harm.

I was curious, an intelligence-person who healed and protected by healing. My hand caressed a colorful flower as the AP flowed in even faster with Animakinetic Flow, which I'd helped activate by using Aurora to boost the skills he'd already been using. Master had many skills, and often forgot about some. Luckily, I was curious enough to study a lot of them.

In much the opposite way, Roimontagne was perhaps dumber after the change. Before, he grunted, snorted, and broke things, but now he did it all with pride. He was the largest of us, and that added to his ego. He wanted to be the largest and strongest of all the things. Unfortunately, we wouldn't know if he would be the strongest of all the things, because we wouldn't know if there was someone stronger than him outside of who we knew. His passion for his own strength, size, and ego were all gotten from Jaune, filtered from his mind and into Earth, the element of Strength.

Crocea Mors' challenging ways were also born of pride, but more pride in his own endurance, a desire to prove he was the best by challenging all the things and besting them, instead of Roimontagne's method of simply breaking the things to make them weaker. He perhaps was given a lucky piece of the mind, because he gained a larger amount of intelligence than the others did.

Xiburichu's mind had increased in understanding, but the increase in knowledge came at the cost of what people called 'sanity', his infinite willpower pushing at his desire to destroy was born of Jaune's occasional urge to destroy everything just to have fun. Though fun as a concept was hard to think of, it made happiness, which joy was also a part of. Xiburichu gained happiness from destruction, from spreading himself to all things and destroying them.

Juristimunja was probably the only one comparable to that level of 'insanity', as her new mind was born of Jaune's desire to grow, which also added his insecurities into the mix that was filtered into Lightning, the element of Change. She didn't know what she wanted, just that she wanted. It was perhaps better than knowing only a tiny amount of things, her element, and only what Jaune told her. She now had a drive, an ambition, perhaps even a willpower like Fire represented, but she had no direction, she'd pursue one goal and abandon it when another presented itself. Nothing bound her to a single direction, except the general 'forwards'.

Thankfully, not all was gloom, as Jaune's greed was filtered into Air, the element of Breath, perhaps not so much Willpower or Change, but maybe somewhere between and yet opposite, the voice that allowed others to gain insight. It hurt to think of these things, it hurt so bad that I nearly lost form again. Mystral began to hoard things, pulling them in with no purpose than the simple desire that she would rather have them than not have them. She was also much the opposite of Juristimunja, having a direction, but no drive or ambition, just a desire that she fulfilled for no purpose other than fulfilling it.

Okay, maybe all was gloom. Perhaps the broken disarray of mental facets was what saddened Jaune. I did not know what exactly it was, but what I did know was that my task was one that could not be ignored.

I gave Jaune joy when I asked to plant flowers in the field, which he immediately approved and got Crocea to open a packet of seeds he'd gotten at some point earlier, dropping them on the ground and pouring water over them.

They sat, mingling with the grass, waiting to grow. The power of Dryad Touch boosted by Nature's Favor allowed me to help them start to grow. In fact, the former skill rapidly gained levels, even as Roimontagne came up to shift the ground so the seeds could be buried in the dirt slightly. I hummed curiously, pouring more water over them, watching the liquid soak into the dirt.

For hours I watched as the stems grew rapidly, plants awoken and given strength by our Aura's expending. The skills of The Fundamental Factors of Wisdom and Intelligence gained a steady, if slow flow of EXP, and I spread light throughout the field.

At some point, I found that I could force the frequencies of power between Dryad Touch, Nature's Favor, and Awaken Aura, to mix together. Maybe I was also Jaune's desire to solve problems, or at least part of the group of parts that solved problems.

By the end of it all, the entire field was awakened, through not only using the power of Jaune's aura itself, but also using Nature's Favor to coax the power of Dryad Touch to take the burnt Aura as fuel for the inflammation involved in Awaken Aura, allowing it to be used at a tiny fraction of the cost. It was complex, but not only did Druid Proficiency level up, but Aura Channeling as well, to ease the process.

By raising "Aura Channeling" to level 99, you have earned the skill "Aura Projection"

It had gained several levels by the time I was done, when master called me back to his soul. Being pulled away... it caused a small resonance inside myself that was difficult to understand.

I liked how the field looked, all the green grass and the flowers, I would...

I would think of it in its absence.

---

(meanwhile, Jaune's POV)

I pulled Pluviteus back into my soul, feeling a small surge of fondness in his spiritual mass, like he would miss being able to look at the flowers. Said, I had slightly more important things to tend to right now, which was the possible need for healing for Yang and Ruby.

When I saw Yang sit up with a groan, I cut the flow of Bolster Aura, counting on its now extended duration to hold Ruby over until she woke up. Sure enough, as I sensed my Aura's bolstering effects fade away, Ruby had stirred awake.

"Eep!" she squeaked, and both my and Yang's heads snapped towards her, only to see that she'd been surprised by Skyler's presence. I myself was slightly surprised, but I'd sensed a distortion in the air before.

I chuckled, "Skyler, don't stand right over someone when they're unconscious. You'll frighten them by doing that." I walked over and pat Ruby on the shoulder, "You gonna be alright, Rubes?"

She rubbed her eyes, "Y-yeah, I'm fine, just got caught off guard is all. Thanks for trying to make sure I was okay, Sky." she smiled at the vulcyrie.

Skyler nodded, "I... you're welcome." heh, I could tell she was only curious, and probably caught off guard as much as Ruby was.

I refrained from mentioning that, though, "So, Rubes, Yang, how'd it go for you two?"

Yang hummed softly, clenching her fist, then it snapped open, and held in her upturned palm was a small flame. She focused a little, and the flame grew bigger, then smaller, then roared, then shrunk into fizzling out. She stared at it all, then closed her fist again and flared her aura, wisps of actual fire flaring up in it, "It feels... incredible. It's hard to describe, really, but it's... amazing." she flexed, fire swirling around her skin.

Yang has learned the skill "Flaring Lava"

I blinked in surprise, "Well shit, THAT was fast." I chuckled, "Good job, babe. I was gonna teach all of you what buffs I could, but looks like you're ahead of the curve on that. Ruby?"

Ruby's tongue poked out from between her lips as she focused, and green-tinted streams of aura swirled around her hand, coalescing into a red ball of wind, a tint of green suffused throughout it. She fired it at me, hitting me in the chest and blowing my hair and hoodie backwards.

I grinned, "Great job, Rubes! Still, Air isn't the most effective for direct combat, it's more a supporting element. You'll definitely be able to move a lot more effectively, though, so try to focus on that. Now then, how about you two summon your elementals into physical form?"

They both nodded, then focused. On either side of me, fire and wind coalesced into two physical forms.

On Yang's side, fire grew and formed into a short woman with yellow flames for skin, orange flames curling into locks of hair that framed her face and flared out, and red fire filling her eyes and flattening into a sheet that curled around her slender body, forming into a strapless red dress.

On Ruby's side, air colored and coalesced into a surprisingly solid-looking small child, floating daintily in the air with her hands clenched over her chest. She had pale pink hair that was lightly waving back and forth, pale yellowish skin, and pair of small white angel wings coming out of her back. A simple white sundress hung on her small frame, and that was it for clothing. She opened her eyes and let out a delicate yawn, revealing ruby-red irises that looked at me and Yang, "H-hello." she said with slight hesitance, "Hm? Oh, right. I am Shamaestro." she floated over to me, extending a tiny hand to me, "It's nice to meet you." she let out a small hum, then blinked, "Oh." I picked up that she was probably having a hard time not verbalizing a response to Ruby's mental commands.

Yang and the fire woman by her side giggled, "I am Xiatianliming, pleased to make your acquaintance. So... shall I heat things up?"

Ruby let out an indignant cry of agony, "OH MY GOD YANG! NUUUUUUUUUUUUU~ WHY THE PUUUUUUUUUUNS~?!" she complained loudly,

Yang only giggled harder, "It's not THAT bad, sis. What is a Shamaestro anyways?"

I hummed, then used my Gamer's Sight on the two elementals, "Well, Shamaestro is a portmanteau of Shamal and Maestro, both of which are northwesterly winds, which I suppose makes sense, since I guess it refers to Patch Island which is west by northwest from the rest of Vale, and the elementals seem to base their names off of some combination of factors that relate to the owner. Xiatianliming means Summer Dawn, which makes sense as well, because your title refers to July, and you're the sun." I chuckled softly, "Well, looks good for both of you, girls. Skyler, have you finished all your books?"

Skyler shook her head, "Not yet, M- Jaune. I have finished dozens of books and I think I have a grasp on speaking in normal conversation."

I nodded, "Well, alright, have a conversation with Yang and Ruby, then. Hmmm... Yang, you start it off."

Yang hummed for a second, "Alright." she cleared her throat, then turned to the vulcyrie, "Hi there. How are you?"

Skyler smiled, "I'm good, thank you for asking. How are you?"

Yang flashed a grin, "I'm doing fantastic. Today's been good, hasn't it sis?"

Ruby smiled, "Yeah, it has been. So, Miss, what's your name?"

Skyler hummed, "I'm Skyler, thank you for asking. What's your name?"

Yang raised an eyebrow for a second, and I mentally deducted points from... some kind of arbitrary score Skyler had, "Well, I'm Yang, and this is my little sister Ruby. Nice to meet you, Skyler. You new in town?"

Skyler looked a little troubled, "Er, no. I've lived here all my life, actually." she smiled to cover up the temporary fault, "Why do you ask?"

Yang took a moment to think, "Well, me and my sister are looking for directions." she looked around, "Do you know the way to... the mine?"

Skyler hummed, "Well, if you head out of this building, turn right, and head straight for about half a mile, you should be right in front of it."

Ruby grinned, "Thanks, friend. Come on, sis, let's go." she waved to Skyler as she and Yang made to leave.

I examined Skyler's reaction. She paused, raised a hand as if to speak, then let out a small grunt as the words died on her beak. She looked troubled, and I sighed, "Alright, that's the end of it. Skyler, you were pretty good, but most people might pick up that something isn't quite right with you. The ending was a little shaky too. You looked lost after they 'left'. It only gets better with experience, so I'm going to have you stay in the castle with Blake while we're in Mistral. You two will be talking regularly, so you can practice and Blake doesn't get lonely. Marbel will also be stopping by semi-regularly. She has to go home and go to school, but trust me, I plan on hopefully having you at the end of this process before Beacon starts."

She smiled, "Thank you, Jaune. I will do my best. This process will allow me to have the power that you do." she got a determined gleam in her red eyes, which were ringed a bit more with that yellow of intelligence.

I nodded, "Yes, it will. For now, though, you've clearly done very well. I think we've all done well, so we're going to have a little celebration." I smiled at the three of them, "Just a bit of a dance party~." I chuckled as Ruby went sparkly-eyed, Yang grinned, and Skyler did her best attempt at a smile.

I grinned, "Just a minute while I make sure Marbel can be here." I slipped into I.D. and proceeded to zoom off towards the city again, going at full speed.

Jaune W: Hey Marbs, how's the homecoming been going? :W

Marbel W: Well... :W

---

(A minute or so ago, Marbel's POV)

I sighed as my mom once again mentioned my outfit, "You really should change, sweetie. At least make sure this dress fits you." she held up the thing, which was too frilly and girly for my taste.

"I'm fine, mom. It's all clean. Jaune did his wizard thing and cleaned all our clothes before we got to Vale."

She sighed, "Well, still, you look so boorish, sweetie, like your favorite place to spend time at is some greasy skate park." she crinkled her nose in disgust.

I rolled my eyes, "Mom, why do you refuse to accept that I don't want to be some girly girl? I want to be strong and fast and tough and cool like Aunty." I stared at her, "I want to follow my own dreams and ambitions, not work at a restaurant for my parents for the next ten years!" I held my raised volume at a limit, not wanting to shout, but clearly showing I meant my words.

My mother sighed heavily, "I... I see, sweetie. Well then... if that's what you wish, could you then at least just humor me and try on the dress?"

I groaned, "Alright, mom, fine, only for you." I took my outer clothing off and slipped the dress on, zipping it up and shifting in it a little, getting as comfortable as I could.

It did little to comfort me, only leaving me feeling naked without the layers of reinforced cloth and leather over myself. Sure, I could still kick ass, but... ugh, goddammit!

I was definitely making progress on permanently setting myself into a Hunter mindset, but that just left me in a limbo between civilian and warrior, where I was far enough progressed that I felt weak in the dress, but not far enough that I felt I could overcome the limiting factor and still kick ass.

Uuuugh, meta-psychological knowledge was weird and sucked ass.

Growing to understand yourself more has increased your WIS by 1!

Random points don't make people happy, game!

"Oooohhhhh~ you look so beautiful~!" my mother cooed, grinning ear to ear and taking a few pictures of me, "Sweetie, could you please make a pose?"

I complied, with all the enthusiasm of a barefooted person being forced to walk through a street infested with snakes.

Jaune W: Hey Marbs, how's the homecoming been going? :W

Marbel W: Well... :W

"Sweetie, PLEASE try to smile? For me?" my mother pouted, trying to guilt me into being more excited about her pink froufrou girly bullshit.

I smiled widely, widely enough that my face hurt, Marbel W: My face hurts from all the smiling, and not in a good way... also I don't like this dress. :W

Jaune W: Dress? Hold on a sec... huh, well I think you look pretty good in it. :W

Dammit, Jaune! Why can't you be on my side in this? I felt my face heat up a slight bit, Marbel W: I don't FEEL pretty good in it, though. :W

Jaune W: Oh?... OH!... Ooooohhhh... well, maybe coming to a dance party here in like ten minutes will make you feel better? :W

Marbel W: I would do literally ANYTHING to get out of this right now. :W

Jaune W: Heheheheheheheh, then I'll cut the power, kill the guards, blow up the escape chopper, and kidnap you away. :W

Marbel W: You DO realize that A) That guy's goal was to rape and kill her, and B) He died in the process. :W

Jaune W: Hahaha! But isn't it the thought that counts? :W

Marbel W: Please ask before raping and killing me :W

Jaune W: But that starts dismantling the concept right there! :W

Marbel W: Well I think the concept was dismantled the moment you weren't a vampiric perverted rapist unholy bastard jackass :W

Jaune W: Hehe, I guess you're right... so, about that dance party? :W

Marbel W: Please help me escape this all. :W

Jaune W: Your knight in shining armor is on the way! :W

Less than ten seconds later, there was a beep from my scroll, "Let me check that." I picked it up, checking the message, "Ah, hey mom, I'm gonna head out for a little bit, Jaune wanted to bring me and some of our friends together for a little party before he continues his business trip stuffs."

"Oh, well, alright then sweetie. Have fun, and be safe, and don't be out late." she smiled at me, at least happy I had friends to hang out with.

"Don't worry, it's only like a couple hours at most, we'll just be having some fun." I smiled at her, giving her a brief hug, then changing back into the comfortable clothes I had on before.

We heard a knock on the door, "Ah, if that's him, then he moves very fast."

I couldn't help but laugh a little, "Yeah, he's pretty fast." I checked everything on my person, then rushed downstairs to meet Jaune at the door.

I heard my father talking to him, "Yeah, sorry but I had to quit if I was going to have the time needed to put my all into my training."

"Ah, damn. It's a shame, you were one of the best waiters we had. Some of our reviews online were probably so high because you did such an amazing job. Still, I respect your decisions. So, what're you doing here again?"

"Well, Marbs is a friend and I'm gathering all my friends together for a little party before some of us go heading off to Mistral for a month. I decided she should come home, but that doesn't mean she's excluded from the festivities."

I walked into the living room and rushed up, "Hey Jaune! I'm ready to go." I gave my dad a quick hug, "Love ya, dad, I'll be back in a couple of hours."

My dad pat me on the back, "Alright, pumpkin, stay out of trouble, alright?"

I couldn't help but laugh, "Don't worry dad, it'll be no trouble at all. Jaune's got ahold of the situation."

Jaune flashed a grin and nodded, "Don't worry, Coalson sir, it'll be nothing but good times with good friends." he pat my on the shoulder, "Come on, Marbs, let's go."

I smiled, nodded, and followed after him.

When we were out of sight and out of earshot, he made the 'teleport' guise and smiled at me, "So, on a scale of 1 to 10, how bad was it?"

"The dress had a frill cluster flower-looking thingy on the chest, and I felt highly unprotected in it. I'm... I'm getting better, definitely, but there are limits on both sides."

He nodded, "Fair enough. Well don't worry, bud, you'll feel better when we get back to Celeste." he knelt down and gestured to his back, "Hop on."

I climbed onto his back, "Is this really the best method of transporting me?"

He took off, "Best way without tearing your arm off or relying on something like a skateboard, skis, or wing glider." he smiled, "Plus, as Ruby says, hugs are nice."

I sighed and settled in for the ride, "Hugs ARE nice." I hugged him a little tighter, smiling.

Jaune's hugs were especially nice.

---

(A minute or so later, Jaune POV)

We 'reappeared' outside the ballroom, Marbel smoothing her hair down. I noticed that it had grown quite a bit due to both VIT and time, now reaching two inches down her neck. It looked really nice, actually, and made her look more mature.

I pushed the ballroom door open, "Alright, is everyone here?" I looked around the room.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Skyler, and now Marbel. We were missing Ren and Nora.

I sighed, "I'll go get Ren and Nora. Let's see... the map says they haven't left the city, probably because they can't get through without an I.D., and they don't really have one. Gonna have to fix that, I guess." I groaned, "I'll be right baaaack~."

I chuckled as I slipped back into I.D., going full speed once again. It took only five minutes to get to them get them into I.D., and get them attached to me via a large sled. It had just been a joke to Marbel at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it could work in theory. Smoothing out the dirt road was crucial, as was focusing a lot of power into a magnetic Elemental Aura. The skill had been wracking up quite a few levels, which was good. I had decided to put off getting any new skills for the time being, mostly because I wanted to work on the skills I had.

I bled off momentum with both magnetism and telekinesis, and turned to look at the two of them, "Well, how was that?"

Nora's gigantic grin somehow widened even further, "THAT WAS AWESOOOOMMMMEEEE!" she cheered, throwing her hands up in the air, "You were like a comet, Jauney!"

I chuckled, then looked at Ren, "You like it too?"

He smiled, "I admit it was a nice way to get the heart pumping." he looked around, "So, this is Celeste?"

I spread my arms wide, "Yes! Gaze upon my empire of stone and dirt, gaze upon its trees and grass that glow with power." I'd noticed that in addition to the whole field of grass being awoken, Pluviteus had also awoken hundreds of trees and nearly nine times the original area of grass, "I have a simple thought, that when this fledgling kingdom truly takes off, and should it have to fight, then not only will the people fight for Celeste, but even Celeste itself will fight for Celeste." I chuckled, imagining a treant or dryad rising from the forest and swatting airships out of the sky like giant flies.

Nora grinned, "That sounds AWESOME! I wanna fight a tree!"

Ren placed a hand on her shoulder, "No, Nora, we're going to spend time right friends, not blow up the forest." he tugged her towards the door, which I opened wide.

I threw my arms out, "Alright! We're all here, let's get this party started~!" at my cue, my scroll floated out and set itself on one long table, and I pulled some large speakers out of the inventory, thankful that my dad had gone and bought them. It was just a bit of picking and placing later that the hall was laid out so that the music would fill it without being painfully loud. Using Engineer's Aura to power the whole thing, I started up the first song on the playlist.

Immediately, the entire hall was filled with sound, and it took all of ten seconds for most of us to get into some kind of groove. The music picked up, and so did some of our paces. I made it a point to nudge the others towards dancing together. We were all friends here, after all, and the powers of dancing and music had the tendency to strengthen the bonds between people.

By raising "Dancing" to level 99, you have earned the skill "The Dancer"!

It happened quite early, and over the course of the next couple of hours, during which I'd made sure to prepare drinks and snacks, and we'd all had a ton of fun. The music helped us all loosen up and have a well-earned break from work.

A couple of glorious highlights was when Marbel, Ruby, and I performed Rules of Nature of all songs, when Nora managed to create a small tornado while dancing to Through the Fire and the Flames, and Skyler working with me to create fireworks (with Vulcyrie Cinderus fire and my spell Cinder Sparks, respectively) during one of the more celebratory-type songs. She managed to conjure fire, which was signs of progress, and I doubted it was pure coincidence that she managed it after her Corruption lowered below 50%.

I was thankful that Ren and Nora had accepted Skyler, but I suppose I'd given off the image that I was the type of crazy-resourceful-and-powerful to actually pull it off.

By raising "Magic Hands" to level 99, you have earned the skill "Wizard Fists"!

It allowed me to increase the ease of casting by exerting 'manipulatory or brute force', which basically just translated to 'finger motions or punching'. It was pretty cool, though I'd earned it for just throwing Ash Sparks and Cinder Sparks into the air several times, though I'd earned a lot of levels while bolstering Ruby's aura while she was summoning her elemental.

Overall, it was a great time.

...(an hour or so later)...

Combining the strain of my heavy armor with the complex physical motions involved in dancing not only got the new skill a third of the way to the next prestige, but I'd also gotten two points in DEX by the time I realized that the playlist had run through and we had to end the party and return to the routine of normal life. I sighed and looked at the others.

Marbel, Ruby, Yang, Ren, Nora, Yang, and I all made our way away from the castle, Blake and Skyler seeing us off.

I grinned as I led the group, "So... we have half an hour to get back, buuuut I think we can make it even faster. How about a race? The only rule is no sabotaging the others. Hitting the ground going at the speeds we're capable of will definitely induce some injuries, maybe even serious ones. Plus... Ruby, Yang, Nora, Ren... okay like ALL of us would get avenged with like... triple the force."

Marbel nodded, "So where are we headed?"

I hummed, tilting my head to either side as I thought, "I think... my house. Here, let me mark it on the map." I opened the map up and found the Arc residence on it, marking it for everyone to see, "I'll be there to determine the winner, okay? Now then... readysetgo!"

In a second, I'd blasted off with extreme speed and force, leaving the others to scramble into runs, my laughter echoing in my wake.

I saw the walls around Vale approaching quickly, and simply allowed my momentum combine with several more skills, glowing like a comet as I struck the wall head-first.

My Aurora held strong, and the wall exploded in all directions, sending tons of rubble and shrapnel flying away as I tore up the streets, leaving a furrow in my path, making my way home with half-kilometer turning-radii leading my path, hitting myself with tons of force and energy as I slammed into an unbreaking wall of telekinesis, instantly causing my Aurora to explode outwards as I lost nearly thousand AP from the impact.

"Mana Shield" level increased by 10!

"Golem's Flesh" level increased by 7!

"Robot's Flesh" level increased by 7!

Withstanding extreme forces and surviving has increased your VIT by 1!

"Oh... FUCK..." I breathed heavily, realizing what I'd just done.

I was merely experimenting, but without some of my skills, I probably would have just killed myself just for an experiment. I sat on the shattered curb and thought about that for a minute.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead. I had to look into the kinds of physical forces I was dealing with here, with my running at over Mach 3 speeds, it wasn't something I could afford to play with unless I wanted to turn into chunky salsa.

I stood up after shaking off the shock. It wasn't the first time I'd had a brush with death, and certainly not even near to how close I'd ever come, but it still was worth consideration.

I sighed, brushing it off after a minute or two. The others were approaching fast, moving easily over a hundred, in fact I saw that except for Ruby, they'd all reached two hundred.

Ruby was currently moving at sonic speeds.

I'd almost say that wasn't fair, but I was able to move triple that, and without getting tired like Ruby clearly was getting.

Thankfully for her, she was able to slow to a halt outside the Arc household about a two minutes later, panting and laying down next to me, sighing at the feeling of the cool stone below herself.

I gently pulled her so her head lay in my lap, and gently patted her head, applying Soulforge, "You won, Rubes. Congrats." I smiled down at her.

She turned her head up at me, her eyes gleaming, "Thanks... uh... hey... Jaune... I have a question?"

I smiled, "I may have an answer, what is it?"

She opened her profile, turning so she was looking up at me, "I have 50 points... I want to increase my CHA, but I feel like I should put it into other things."

I looked at her stats, contemplating, "I would suggest 5 into DEX and VIT, 15 into CHA, and 25 into LUK."

She nodded, recovering with my help and mentally applying the stat points.

Ruby has advanced in her life story!

I also noticed she'd gained the status effect Natural Growth, even though she'd just gotten through one of those.

-/\/\/\/\-

Name: Ruby Rose
Title: Little Red Fighting Hood -} The Red Fighting Hood
Level: 68
Class: Reaper
Nickname: Rosie

HP: 11,000 -} 12,000
AP: 23,000/23,000
SP: 16,000 -} 18,000

Strength: 45 (+12%) = 50.4
Dexterity: 95 -} 100 (+225%) = 325
Vitality: 55 -} 60 (+12%) = 67.2
Intelligence: 100 (+90%) = 190
Wisdom: 42 (+65%) = 69.3
Luck: 25 -} 50
Charisma: 85 -} 100

Stat Points: 50 -} 0

-/\/\/\/\-

I hummed as I looked over all of it, "Hehe, yep. Good choices, I can see. Hopefully in Mistral we can get you to Aurora. I promise I'll do my best to get you there. Don't worry, Rosie." I brushed her hair off her sweaty , feeling its silky softness between my fingers, "You're adorable, you know that?"

She sighed, "I've been trying to get past that, Jaune." she pouted up at me.

I took out a soft cloth and gently rubbed it over her face, "Hmmm... nope, no such luck. I can't wipe it away, looks like you're stuck being adorable." I chuckled, feeling her flick my nose and let out a whining sound in protest.

She took the cloth and rested it over her face, and I felt an unnatural breeze flow over us, "Tell me, Jaune, and tell me the truth... do you think I'm pretty?"

I sighed, "Ruby, you and the other girls are all beautiful in your own rights. Weiss has a beautiful conviction, and a gorgeous smile. Blake is like a supermodel. Yang is like a supermodel that gets a proper diet and rigorous exercise. Marbel has the sort of friendliness that gives her a beautiful heart. Even Nora, she has a kind heart and a great, if overbearing passion, plus she has a cute smile and the kind of emotional pull that makes me want to see her succeed. You're adorable, but you also have a grace to you that outshines many, with a loving heart worn on your sleeve, kindness in droves, a willingness to share and spread your joy with others. If you'll keep this secret, then I must say that honestly, if I wasn't already with Yang... if I'd met you first... then I'd probably have pined after you instead."

Ruby's face lit up like Christmas, but her eyes shone with realization, that I was serious.

I nodded, just smiling and gently petting her head, "Really it's that way with all of you. If the situations had just been a little different, I could have ended up with any one of you... well, except Ren." we shared a laugh at that, "I don't think he'd want to be with me either." our laughter intensified, "But... regardless of Ren's preferences, I just wanted to say that. You're pretty, you're beautiful, you're even gorgeous, Ruby." my mind teased me with the memory of the laws that were in place, laws that encouraged polygamy. I shook them from my head, "You'll make some lucky guy very, VERY happy some day." I gave her a brotherly smile.

Ruby just smiled at me, but I was sure I'd made her brain bluescreen from shock and joy. I just watched after her, looking out for the next to arrive.

Weiss ran up soon enough, looking at me and Ruby curiously, "She tuckered herself out. Don't worry about it." I'd given Rubes the courtesy of covering her face with the cool cloth, blowing AD Frosty Breath on her, then turning it onto Weiss, who shivered for a moment, then sighed.

"She seems to have recovered, though." she looked at Ruby laying her head on my lap.

Ruby spoke up in a very frank tone, "My pillow is very comfortable, and because of that, I cannot get up yet."

Weiss just raised an eyebrow, "So... you're just enjoying yourself, then? Just... using your sister's boyfriend's lap as a pillow?"

Ruby nodded, "Yeeep, Jaune doesn't mind it, nor does Yang. Right, Jaune?"

I just shrugged, "Ruby is adorable, how could I deny her?"

Weiss shook her head, a light laugh slipping from her lips as she went over to my side and leaned up against it, "Well, I also happened to 'tucker myself out', so I will be resting for a moment as well."

I chuckled, reaching around with an arm and giving Weiss a quick little noogie, "You picked a bad position, Weiss." I chuckled and ignored her protests, only to let her go right after she paused to breathe, "Come on Weiss, you know I'm just messing with ya."

She sighed, "Be that as it may, I still do not appreciate you grinding your knuckles into my scalp like a brute. I thought we were friends." she pouted sadly.

I sighed, hugging her with one arm, "We ARE friends, Weiss. Friendship means we can banter and joke and play around with one another." I smiled at her, letting her go after a few more seconds, when I sensed two more approaching quickly.

I turned my head, seeing Nora and Ren arrive at nearly the same time. When they came to a halt, Nora did a cartwheel and Ren did a faceplant, collapsing from exhaustion. I couldn't help but laugh a little, patting his head, "Welcome to the afterparty, man." I greeted with a grin.

He grumbled something into the sidewalk, but I couldn't understand it. Nora, meanwhile, did a backflip and landed behind me, leaning down with her hands on my shoulders, "Jauney~, that was so cool! You went kaboom, but didn't explode, which was weird, but then Weiss explained that you just broke the sound barrier, which was even cooler! And then Ruby did it too! You two are so COOL! I'm really really really glad you let us come with you! Another day of chores and stuffs and honestly I think I might have gone CRAZY!" she bounced on the balls of her feet, her fingers tapping on my shoulders like they were drums.

Ren flipped over onto his back, taking in a deep breath, "Nora, you know that we have to do work if we're going to pay Jaune back for his kindness."

I waved a hand, "No need, Ren. I brought you two on because you were two hunters in training that I felt truly exemplified what being a hunter is about. When you ran to our aid in Vacuo, you didn't have to do that, in fact it would have been so easy NOT to that the fact that you did it is something worth rewarding. Bringing you into the folds of our merry band of Huntsman trainees was a reward for your own kindness." I flashed a grin, to which Ren sighed, looking away slightly.

"I suppose you're right." he went quiet after that, and I smiled, tilting my head back until I saw Nora's upside-down face smiling down at me.

She poked my nose, "Boop."

I chuckled, then poked her nose in return, "Boop. You know, a lot of people would write you off as crazy, Nora, but I can see you're a nice person under it all, you're just... high on life."

Nora blushed, but smiled at me, "Thank you for the consideration, Jauney! Unfortunately, there is a process to complimenting the queen! I'm going to have to ask that you mail in a compliment privilege request form, which you can find online and print out at any local printer. You'll need to fill out the forms in triplicate before mailing them to my PO box, where I will find them and go over them and get back to you within 16 to 35 business days with a confirmation or denial of your request."

Weiss, Ruby, and I all stared at Nora, then we all burst out laughing at the rather ridiculous process she'd described, "Oh my god, Nora, that is too much! You're fucking adorable and hilarious, like... adoralarious." my shoulders shook with laughter, causing Nora to decide that she no longer wanted to lean on them.

She pouted and kicked me in the back, "It's not THAT funny." her blow hardly did any damage, both due to how little effort she put into it, and my substantial defenses.

After a bit more laughing, I sensed the last two approaching quickly, Marbel and Yang running on nearly even footing. Even though Marbel had clearly superior DEX, she was lagging behind due to her physique. Sure, they were nearly equal, but Yang clearly had a natural physical advantage, even with her oddly fudged numbers.

That was something I didn't like about her and Ruby. Their numbers were very clearly nerfed from what they should have been. Yang should have had over twice her current HP, AP, and SP, as should Ruby. In fact, Ruby should have had nearly TRIPLE her current AP.

I brushed it off. It was something for later. Right now, I had more urgent things to do.

I shot up to my feet, causing Ruby and Weiss to both jolt and fall, and I heard them let out sounds of complaint as I caught Yang's lunging towards me, telekinetically keeping myself stable as I spun around after catching her, the two of us sharing another deep, loving kiss. I smiled against her soft, full lips, which tasted of fruit punch and oranges.

I slowed the spinning to nothing, then held out a fist towards Marbel for our secret handshake, my other grabbing a handful of Yang's glorious ass.

Two inverting vertical fistbumps, a normal horizontal fistbump, followed by a medium handshake, then a low handshake, then a high handshake (both held together by our thumbs), then bird wings flapping, followed by lowering our hands back to medium height, pointing at each other through our fistbump, then sliding our fingers against each other as we withdrew our hands, pointing 'gun fingers' at one another, firing a shot, then ending it with a snap of our fingers.

Marbel grinned, "Funny how perfectly you can do that, even while kissing Yang." she let out a small laugh.

Jaune W: I'm flexible and have great coordination and motor control, I could do that to two people while Yang hangs off my front. :W

Marbel W: Why do I get the impression that you'd enjoy that more? :W

Jaune W: I dunno. I wasn't implying anything perverted by it, I was just saying that I could do that. :W

Yang and I broke our kiss and leg go of one another, "Alright, everyone in the house. I can sense my dad is in the garage. I think we should have one last little toast or something to Vale City for being awesome, before most of us must go back to the ship and resume this tour." I led the way to the door, my feet practically gliding across the mowed grass, which had translated from normal space to the I.D.

We got inside and I dropped the I.D. when we were all in the living room.

I equipped my earpiece and transmitted a quick check, "What's the ET on everything being ready to go?"

"We've loaded the last of the supplies onto the ship. Final checks are underway, we'll be ready to fly in about twenty minutes."

I smiled, "Great news. We'll be there before then." then turned off the earpiece. I looked at the others, "So... a toast!" I produced glasses and a bottle of wine, pouring us all half a glass and serving them to everyone, "A toast to Vale for being awesome, a toast to Celeste for being a spark of light to brighten the future, a toast to Weiss for being an awesome singer, a toast to all of us for getting along and being great friends, and a toast to the future." I smiled at everyone, swirling my glass as we all raised ours and then downed them (some of us only the best they could, though I'd picked a light, smooth wine for this purpose).

After that, the others settled into a little chat while I went to the garage, finding my dad working on our car, "Hey dad. We gotta head back to the airships here in a minute." I brought us all into ID in preparation.

He lifted his face from the oily innards of the hood, shooting me a grin, "Right, let me just get cleaned up really quick, and-" he paused as I used Crocea, Mystral, and Roi together as a 'physical cleaning' elemental to wash the oil off of his body with a wave of my aura, noting how Dishwashing leveled up from the act, "That works too. Let's get going, then." he dropped the hood and smirked in satisfaction.

I summoned a few Gaster Blasters and carved a massive hole in the wall, startling the others, especially when the wall all fell at once, "Alright, ID's up, let's get going." I received a chorus of affirmation as I focused on speed, both in increasing my own and warping time so we would (relatively speaking) go even faster.

And so, with Marbel heading home, and us heading to the ships, we all made our way to our destinations.

---

(a couple of minutes later, Weiss POV)

I swallowed my fears, as well as a mouthful of seltzer water, as Jaune and I made our way to my room. It was horrific that I just... I just couldn't get over the motion sickness. I knew it was bad, and only a hindrance, but I didn't have Jaune's mind, nor his body, so I found myself lacking a solution, but Jaune's presence calmed my traitorous stomach with the soothing warmth of friendship...

... and maybe a bit of attraction. It was undeniable that he had incredible strength, both of body and character, which... EEP!

"Come on, Weiss, don't get tired on me now. Arranging sleep isn't exactly easy, and I don't want you to get to Mistral and be stuck in a jetlagged state." his hand was on my upper back, a comforting touch.

I sighed, "Of course not. I'm not tired, just... thankful I'm not nauseous."

He grit his teeth, "So... it didn't go away?"

"I..." I gulped down as a wave of partially digested food let out a battlecry at my throat, "I had to cut through the burnt, but not yet dead pilot in order to kill Kroma... he screamed in the two seconds it took for his own blood to gargle up his throat, but I think it was the sheer shock of my aura attack that killed him." I gripped my elbows, unable to keep from curling my shoulders in and looking at the floor.

Jaune tensed, muttering something under his breath that I couldn't quite catch, then let out a hollow, morbid laugh, "Well... at least his suffering was ended... *sigh*... don't... don't worry about it too much. You did him a mercy, AND killed the enemy, not to mention saved the other pilot's life. Sure, he was wounded too, but... look, it was bad, but you minimized the damage as best you could. Nobody can blame you for doing your best." he pulled me into a brief hug, rubbing my shoulder soothingly, "So... try not to fret over it. It's over and done, and while it wasn't ideal for them, it was better than if you'd done nothing."

I sighed, trying to force the image of the bisected pilot from my mind, but found it instead just falling to the floor, with the other pilot looking at me with diminishing horror and slowly growing relief, breathlessly giving his thanks as he cradled the wound in his gut as he pushed and corrected the ship to the best of his ability.

It was... it mitigated the effect, and helped me not feel so sick. Still, I felt the odd sensation that I'd long come to realize the meaning of.

Jaune's presence negated my motion sickness. Of course, it wasn't complete negation, but I didn't get anywhere close to throwing up while he was with me, so it was enough.

It was almost funny, how that seemed to be his own logic towards my failure to stop Kroma before she could compromise the pilots. I hadn't failed completely, I'd stopped her and one pilot had been alive to try to keep the ship afloat.

I'd done enough to keep the night from being lost to a swift and uncompromising crash.

It was a comforting thought, one I could take refuge in. I had acted as a true Huntress would, pushing past my fear and doing what needed to be done. That it wasn't perfect was irrelevant, in fact it was normal that it wasn't perfect. Perfection was impossible, after all.

I sighed softly, "Thank you, Jaune. It seems like you always know what to say to make me feel better." I couldn't help but lean into his side, his warmth soaking into me.

He coughed lightly, "Well, I just do my best to help my friends, that's all. I'm just really lucky in that what I say usually works." he gave a chuckle, opening the door to my room and leading me inside.

I smiled, sighing in contentment as we sat down together, "So... what should we do while we're just flying to Mistral?"

He hummed in thought, then a grin broke out across his face, "How about I show you the marvels of the great Marvel Comics movies?"

"... what?" I stared at him.

He chuckled, "I have signal due to... I dunno, my aura? I can stream the movies."

I tapped my chin in thought, "I suppose that could be fun. Alright, let's do it."

He grinned, "Awesome! Ooh! Hey, we don't we take this to the other ship with the others and all watch them together?"

"Sure. I'd hate to keep it from my friends." a jolt of unsureness passed through me, "I... uh... Jaune... we ARE all friends, right?"

The idiot just smiled and hugged me tightly, nearly smushing my face into his side, "We're all friends and allies, forged in the fires of camaraderie in battle, and tempered by the soft, strong bonds of sharing and trust. I love all of you dearly, and while that may still be a work-in-progress for Ren and Nora, they've shown they're willing to join us all in these endeavors, and do what they must to keep close. They're good, hardy friends, and I know it's just a matter of time until they're just another part of our big happy hunter family."

"Heh, that sounds amazing." I smiled, thinking about the...

wait...

hold on...

FAMILY?!

---

Well well well! We've come to the end, finally! Well... not the end end, much less the end end end, and definitely DEFINITELY not the end end end end. Don't ask what tacking on more ends means.

Just know they're justified.

Mistral is split into nine regions, and the current region they're in is basically France, and Jaune's name is french, and his character's inspiration was french, and... yeah, you should get it.

So you should know that the Arc Family is in Southwest Mistral.

Anyways, as mentioned a few times previously, as in "at the very beginning of this chapter, in the mid-writing note updates" this chapter's delay was for very arbitrary and dumb reasons... well, one reason, really, "I was dicking around", and don't take that as I was playing around with my dick out (though that happened during this period of time, it wasn't what was delaying the story"

So... yeah, that's really that, actually. I'm going to try to do my best to minimize the dicking around from now on, because like srsly with only an hour's worth of videos I actually care about coming up in my subscriptions, I shouldn't be delaying this much.

I am, and I'm sorry for that.

Anyways, let's just have a cool little note: 20 skills prestiged in this chapter, and while 10 of them were his Boxing skills, it still stands that that's a pretty big amount... hold on, let me just put on my Integrity Hat, and read through the entirety of all of Jaune's T1 skills that are not max level. Redoing this because I realize how easy I CAN do it if I use ctrl+F

241 total skills in T1, -56 prestiged skills, so that means he just got about 20/56 new prestiged skills in THIS CHAPTER ALONE... eeeexcept it's less than that, because a recount says that 12 of the new prestiges were T2, so it's actually 8/56, or about 14.3% of his total amount of prestiged T1 skills coming from THIS CHAPTER ALONE.

Still... that means he has 56/241 T1 skills prestiged, or about 23.2%. More are set to follow, of course. In fact, a lot of his T1 skills are only delayed because I have to come up with stuff for every single prestige skill, because I'm not letting them go undocumented AT ALL!

I also will definitely be adding like... 9 new T1 skills just so it balances out to 250... AAAAND Jaune has the three sets of 3 skills for getting STR, DEX, and VIT past 100 to still get, so I think I just answered my own question before I even asked it (the question was "what 9 skills should I add?")

Alright, well, that's all of THAT settled now, how about we get to that omake, shall we?

---

Omake: Glass? Try Indestructible. Cannon? Try Epic Fuckoff Doomlaser.

---

(Evening of Initiation Day, "Jade" POV)

I stared as Jaune polished off his second plate of steak, veggies, potatoes, and garlic bread.

The Game must have allowed him to get a lot more immediate effect out of his new VIT score, because that was his eighth plate of food.

"You know, I'm glad you've thus far chosen to eat lighter, more protein-rich/calorie-deficient foods, besides the steak, but steak is fucking awesome, but like... dude, you're gonna get fat at this rate, even WITH the light food." I stared at him.

He burped, then blushed, "S-sorry dude. I just... damn, I was REALLY hungry." he sighed, leaning back with a hand on his stomach, "But... I'm full now. Say, why aren't you eating?"

I rolled my eyes and smirked with teasing smugness, "I was, you ate my plate. You're lucky that one of my skills lets me convert AP into calories. And Gamer's Body means I just need to eat food, no need to worry about what kind. Man cannot survive on bread alone, but I am no mere man, I am The Gamer, and I say 'fuck off I'll eat all the bread I want'." I chuckled and flicked his forehead, "So... how does it feel to be indestructible?"

"Well... I wouldn't say it feels much different from normal, just like... I feel denser, and kinda slow, I need to up my DEX."

"Yeah, you do, and your STR, luckily it seems like you've already started doing that based on VIT alone."

Jaune's extremely high levels of lifeforce have been fed, and have increased his STR by 1!

Jaune's body has been refined and has become more attractive, increasing his CHA by 1!

-/\/\/\/\-

Jaune Arc
Title: The Indestructible Arc Knight
Level: 63

HP: 210,000/210,000
AP: 27,000/27,000
SP: 350,000/350,000

Strength: 26 -} 30 (+150%) = 75
Charisma: 16 -} 20

Stat Points: 0

Weight: 250 -} 260
Build: Light Muscular Juggernaut -} Lite-Med Muscular Juggernaut

-/\/\/\/\-

Jade Hex
Title: Grand Wizard of the Elements
Level: 136 -} 137

HP: 140,000 -} 145,000
AP: 526,000 -} 540,000
SP: 211,000 -} 220,000

Stat Points: 0 -} 5

-/\/\/\/\-

I hummed in thought as I compared our stats, "You know, I think it's probably that you need to eat more... I'm not saying eat eight plates of food per meal, but maybe like 3 or 4. It seems to be feeding your muscles almost passively... wait a second..." I checked his traits, and found what I was looking for.

Auric Myostatin-related Muscle Hypertrophy: Genes that inhibit muscle growth to normal human levels are themselves inhibited. Effect: Boosts STR gains by 400%. This is affected by the highly strong Aura Jaune possesses, increasing the boost to 1000%

"Wow... okay, so... just having your strong Aura and insane VIT score means that you're seriously just gaining STR because you can. Damn, I wish I could get some of that bullshit-level awesomeness." still, I had a lot of skills tucked away, skills that could easily put me far beyond any person, even the pesky Taiyang... speaking of... "So... have you made any friends besides me?"

He blinked, "Oh! I met a few people, let's see... there's Ruby, and then that Weiss girl, but she's not a friend, just a bit of a... well, a bit of a crush I guess." he rubbed the back of his head, blushing, "And that Pyrrha girl, who's apparently a big deal or something. I mean, she's on front of a cereal box!"

I stared at him, then facepalmed, "You know, I realize... tell me, was Pyrrha more willing to talk to you than Weiss was?"

He nodded, "Yeah, Weiss was cold, but I know she's just... well, I don't know, but she's sad inside, and that's made her bitter outside, and I wish I could make her happy."

I hummed softly, "Right... and her money?"

He looked surprised, "Money? I'm pretty sure she's not s-some k-kind of... p-p-prostitute, or something. I'm not going to pay her so she can pretend to be happy, I want to be her friend so I can make her ACTUALLY happy."

I smiled, raising an eyebrow, "And what about Pyrrha? She seemed nice, but she also seemed uncomfortable with Weiss. I don't think she likes being treated like she's a big deal, in fact she seems to be rather partial to the opposite, just being treated like a normal person."

He hummed, stroking his chin, "That sounds really good. I'm not really good at dealing with high class stuff, I mean when I was a kid I once went to a charity event thing with my dad and I kinda just ended up hanging by the snack table and hiding in the corner playing games on my scroll." he blushed a little, "Thinking back on it, I wish I had the knowledge to help out a little, at least."

I chuckled, "Only YOU would feel bad about being an unhelpful 10-year-old at a high-class charity event."

"A-actually I was like... eight." he looked away.

I laughed harder, "Not the point, Jaune." I reached over and gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder, "Come on, let's go, the team assignment should be starting soon."

He blinked, "Oh geez, we've been here that long? Damn." he got up, "Let's get going, then. I don't wanna be late in getting a team, I might end up on a really bad one."

"Oh, don't worry, I think we'll be fine in that regard." really, who expected the queen piece to be partnered? There wasn't even a king piece!

...(nearly an hour later)...

I... hate... EVERYTHING.

Why? Why why why why why?

I was tempted to pull the bitch into an I.D. and murder her ass, probably after hate-fucking her, I was itching THAT much for her death.

Ozpin just smiled, none the wiser, "Jaune Arc, Jade Hex-" the headmaster's words were muted in my ears, and I thanked my Illusion that nobody saw me glaring daggers at the woman on the far side, "You collected the Queen pieces, and from this day forth, you will be known as Team JJCP (Jasper), led by... Jaune Arc!"

"M-me?" he seemed surprised.

Ozpin nodded, "Congratulations, young man."

I mumbled, "Yeah, congratulations." hiding my anger and hatred.

Pyrrha Nikos
Title: The Invincible Champion
Level: 47

Cinder Fall
Title: The Shadow of the Fall Maiden
Level: 142

Why was she here?

Was this a result of me fucking the timestream up just by being here?

Fucking... NO!

Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!

I was happy I had a poison elemental, I was going to wear that bitch down before she could ever have a chance to pose a threat to the rest of us. Not all poisons were deadly, and I had enough of a mastery over Alchemy that I could conjure a strength-reducing poison. She wouldn't notice it as time went on, if I dosed them correctly, and the darkness in her heart, I could see, had reduced the effectiveness of her Aurora.

I would make sure none of her plans would come to bear... in fact~...

I looked at Jaune, sighing as I prepared a mental list of objectives.

QUEST RECEIVED!

Quest: Burning the dark kingdom to ashes.

Description: Changes in the timestream have led to Cinder Fall being a part of Beacon's student body, and more dangerously, a part of your team! Her plans cannot be allowed to come to fruition. Keikaku's accordance shall be damned to hell!

Objective: Dismantle Cinder Fall's plans.
-Eliminate the threat of the White Fang.
-Eliminate the threat of the Grimm near the city.
-Find out what else the plan entails.

Rewards: +300,000,000,000 EXP, +750 Closeness to Vale City and Beacon, recognition for your heroism.

Penalties: Destruction of Vale City and Beacon, countless innocents and hunters die.

I smashed the accept button with my fist, "Well, great job, fearless leader! And thank you, sir." I gave Ozpin a slight bow, looking at the two girls on our team... well, one girl and one evil conniving plotting bitch who deserved to be nailed to a stick and set on fire, "Looks like we're all in this together."

Cinder gave a strained smile, "It seems we are."

Pyrrha smiled politely, "I'm glad to meet you."

Jaune led us off the stage, and I smiled at Pyrrha, "Thank you. It's nice to meet you too, Pyrrha. You seem like a very nice girl." I gave Cinder a sweet smile, "You too, Cinder."

Cinder blinked in surprise, "I uh... y-yes." hah, caught you off-guard, BITCH.

+1 Closeness to Cinder Fall!

... no.

No no no.

No no no No No NO NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I won't let this stand.

Maybe... NO!

Ugh, this was going to give me a headache. I needed a chance to chill out...

We made our way to the room, settling in and selecting beds, and I looked at Jaune, "Hey, leader, can't skip a day of STAB, wanna go?"

Pyrrha looked surprised and shocked, "D-don't tell me you have a hobby of stabbing people."

I blinked, then looked at Jaune's face of realization, "Ah, no no no, it means Sweat, Tears, and Blood. I've been training with my buddy here for a long while now, and that's what we call the training, because it's pretty intense."

Pyrrha blinked, "Oh, well I think I'm done for the day. Maybe I'll join you next time?"

Cinder scoffed, "It's nearly the middle of the night. You two can waste precious sleeping time without me." she ran a hand through her hair, gathering her pajamas.

I shrugged, "Alright then, more sweating, crying, and bleeding for us. You ready Jaune?"

He cleared his throat, "Sure man, let's get to it."

We left the room, walking down the hall, and once we were behind a wall of silence, I voiced my thoughts, "I don't like Cinder... trust me, man."

Jaune looked surprised, "Dude, she's like... INSANELY strong, I mean, your sight thing said she was level 142? That title though... something's up with her, I'll agree."

I hummed, "There's this story, The Story of the Seasons, with the four maidens-"

Surprisingly, my copy cut me off, "And the wizard gives them powers because they're nice people. Yeah, I know the story. My mom read me all kinds of fairytales when I was little, I know that one by heart, it was my favorite. It was a sign to me that success and power can come from just being a good person."

I nodded, "Heh, yeah. Anyways, I'm like 85% sure that it's a true story, and that Cinder is some kind of evil maiden."

"That WOULD explain the title." Jaune mused, "Uh... anyways, so what Grimm are we going to be killing? I'm pretty sure we cleared all of the Emerald forest out earlier."

I grinned, and once we were out of view, I activated I.D. and teleported us to the forest, "Alright Jaune, here's the plan. I'm going to strap trees to your legs as skis, and pull you along using auric ropes. I want you to try to keep your balance for some good STR training while we go nearly a thousand miles southwards. If I can maintain top speed, then we'll get there in a bit over ten minutes." I grinned at him, "These buffs, and your VIT, should be more than enough to prevent your from getting your legs pulled off."

I pulled a pair of trees from the ground, trimmed off all the branches and roots, and made a metal device that would hold Jaune's feet. I heard him speak up, "Um... is it REALLY necessary to do that?"

I smirked at him, "Unless you want to ride piggyback or get carried in my arms like a princess, this is the coolest way I can think of." I combined some elementals and reinforced the wood to be stronger than diamonds, "Now come on, get ready to get strapped in. Also, I'm going to equip you with thirty tons of armor when you're in, so get ready for that."

"Wait wha-" he didn't get much chance to speak as I lifted him up, set him in the harnesses, and equipped the armor onto his body, wrapping dozens of layers of mana ropes around his arms and started pulling him along.

He was nearly knocked over, but the trees held strong, as did the ropes and his spine.

Enduring great muscle strain has increased Jaune's STR by 3!

I began glowing like a comet as we streaked through the night, under the cover of a pocket dimension.

...(about ten minutes later)...

-/\/\/\/\-

Jaune Arc

HP: 210,000 -} 220,000
AP: 27,000 -} 30,000
SP: 350,000 -} 360,000

Strength: 30 -} 120 (+150%) (+300%) (+500%) (+600%) (+750%) (+600%) = 3600
Dexterity: 20 -} 80 (+75%) (+225%) (+500%) (+300%) (+250%) (+550%) = 1600
Intelligence: 48 -} 50 (+75%) = 87.5
Wisdom: 38 -} 40 (+150%) = 100
Charisma: 20 -} 40

Height: 6'1 -} 6'3
Weight: 260 -} 375
Build: Lite-Med Muscular Juggernaut -} Medium Muscular Juggernaut

-/\/\/\/\-

By the end, Jaune was keeping himself not only straight, but also leaned back, and learning about balancing and shit had increased his mental stats a tad.

Now, however, I was casting Signal, and boy did I stop at the right giant mountain.

A roar shattered the night air, and I saw a monumental beast rise in the distance.

Funny choice of words, self, because I soon saw its info.

Salemonumender
Title: Great Tyrant of the Mountains
Level: ?

"Aaalllllright." I said with a broad grin, "Let go over there, and kill the thing." I summoned my Master Gaster Blasters

Jaune gulped, "Jade... I'm not so sure about this anymore."

I turned to him, "Don't lose your urine now, Jaune. You're a hero, and a hero doesn't back down, even when they're afraid! Cinder is probably more dangerous than this thing, because who knows what kind of powers she has, but this thing is just big and strong and tough. I want you to focus on murderizing it, don't back down, don't let up, and whatever you do, do NOT let fear overwhelm you."

He sighed, then drew Crocea Mors, "Alright then... let's do this.

"Ohp, hold on, dragon!" I shouted as I caught the thing in the jaws of my MGBs, grinning ear to ear.

Dreadwing
Title: Razor of Settlements, Scorcher of the Earth
Level: 140

And then it was nearly dead from 50 giant lasers blasted right onto its body from point blank range. It fell from the sky and landed at our feet, but our DEX let us not get knocked over, as did our tremendous weights.

Jaune looked at the thing, fury filling his eyes, and his sword fell into his hand, then sliced through the beast's neck with ease.

Your level increased to 138!

Jaune's level increased to 73!

It dissipated into smoke, and the Salemonumender had taken one single step, "Ooh! Mithril!" I used all of it to quickly upgrade Jaune's Crocea Mors, still grinning, "So, you gonna put in your points, or nah?"

He opened his profile and put thirty five of the points into his VIT, and fifteen into LUK.

I snagged several more Dreadwings and repeated the process, shamelessly grinding with all of what some would consider outright cheating, but it wasn't MY fault that there were so many Dreadwings here, just that they'd been awoken and were attacking us.

Dozens of pounds of mithril poured into Crocea Mors, reinforcing it as the Dreadwings broke from Gaster Blaster's grasp and we had to take matters into our own physical hands.

Shockwaves broke out as Jaune punched one of the draconic grimm down to the ground, grinning as the hype filled us both, and I couldn't help but start playing music in the background.

It was an obvious choice, since we were fighting dragons.

Toniiight~,

I'm gonna have myseeelf~,

A real good tiiime~!

I feel aliii-iii-iii-iiiive~!

And the wooorrrld~,

I'll tuurrrn it inside ooouuu-uuut~!

I'm floating around~,

In ecstasyyy~

The dragons were gone, and Jaune was grinning, as was I, and the Salemonumender was half a kilometer away.

So DON'T. STOP. Me, nooowww~!

We closed with distance with a pair of hyper-empowered jumps, causing great blasts of earth to be blown away from our previous spots.

DON'T. STOP. ME-

Cause I'm having a good time!

We lit up the sky with our Auroras, and I gave us both the buff I'd been holding out.

You have received the status effect "High Frequency"!

Jaune has received the status effect "High Frequency"!

HAVING A GOOD-

*CRASH*

RULES OF NATURE!

We sprinted down its back as the song blared, slashing through its giant scales with ease as the molecular bonds were shattered. Jaune grinned at me, "WE'RE DOING IT!" he shouted over the screaming wind.

"YEAH! WE'RE DOING IT, BUDDY! COME ON! LET'S NOT GIVE UP YET!"

We reached its tail, but were suddenly thrown into the air by the thing swinging upwards, then with surprising swiftness we were swatted to the sides, ending up hitting a mountain for me, and a craggy field for Jaune, which tore at his reinforced Aura and flesh.

I saw in the corner of my eye that his HP was down by a whole fifth just from that blow, which frightened me. I was sixty feet underground, and felt only the prestige of Aurora keeping me from shattering like glass, along with all my defensive buffs.

Then, I saw an ore next to me in the cave I'd ended up in.

This was... interesting.

Uranium Ore

Description: A dangerous radioactive metal, which emits radiation and should be handled with care. CAUTION: EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN HIT WITH PARTICLES, HANDLE WITH EXTREME CARE!

Huh... there were about a hundred kilos of it, so I drew it all out of the rock and rose back to the surface.

I saw that Jaune was already on the beast again, their strengths actually a little even, though the thing still had hundreds on him, at that level of the scale, it wasn't a gigantic difference in the grand scheme.

I formed the hundred kilos of uranium into a massive ball, and threw it with great force at the gigantic beast, which from this angle I could properly see was fighting on its knees, and was still over three hundred feet tall.

Jaune actually managed to cut off a hand when I gave him the message to retreat, only to see him get picked up and thrown towards me, hitting the mountain

He'd only been hit twice, and was already at 2/3rds health, which wasn't ideal.

I summoned Mystral, Xiburichu, and Juristimunja, the three coalescing into Solaris, the Radiation elemental. He was, as he was before, a dragon, now one that emanated harsh violet light, with bright azure eyes. It was massive and coiled into a long corkscrew shape, glowing literally like the sun, with ultraviolet radiation pouring off its scales, but not in the direction of me or Jaune.

The Salumonumender turned to face me, roaring like a storm and clearing the dark sky. Then, it turned its roar upwards as pain no doubt shot throughout its entire body from the wound in its gut.

Granlero, the combination of Crocea Mors, Roimontagne, and Pluviteus. His massive halberd cut a deep gash in the beast's chest, an opening for Solaris.

A beam of irradiated particles hit the beast, activating the uranium inside.

And then there was boom.

Solaris protected us from the radiation, but the sheer force of the radiation explosion (something was definitely up with that material, I had to study it further) threatened to shatter my bones. It DID cause an avalanche. on the mountain, which I prevented from harming Jaune as Granlero split up and traveled back to me as his constituent elementals, then Roimontagne held the rock aside.

Your level increased to 144!

Jaune's level increased to 120!

You have earned the title "Nuclear Scientist"!

Enduring kilotons of force has increased your VIT by 10!

After a long time, the mushroom-shaped cloud dissipated, leaving the raining chunks of smoking, dissipating flesh to fall around us as Jaune climbed his way out of the crater he was in.

I grinned at him, "WE DID IT!"

He nodded, obviously tired, "WOO!" and looked at his profile.

I looked at my own, and his, recording our increases.

-/\/\/\/\-

Jade Hex
Title: Grand Wizard of the Elements
Level: 137 -} 144
Class: Wizard v4
Nickname: Mr. Player Man

HP: 145,000 -} 170,000
AP: 540,000 -} 625,000
SP: 220,000 -} 250,000

Strength: 150 -} 160 (+500%) (+150%) = 1125
Dexterity: 140 -} 150 (+500%) (+150%) = 1050
Vitality: 180 (+500%) (+150%) = 1275
Intelligence: 290 -} 300 (+10) (+500%) = 1800
Wisdom: 290 -} 300 (+10) (+500%) = 1800
Luck: 117
Charisma: 175

Stat Points: 5 -} 40 -} 30 -} 20 -} 10 -} 0

Age: 17
Birthday: November 20th
Race: Human
Height: 6'7
Weight: 320 -} 350
Build: Med-Heavy Athletic
Hair/Eyes/Skin: Golden Blonde / Starry Azure / Medium Tan

-/\/\/\/\-

Jaune Arc
Title: The Indestructible Arc Knight
Level: 73 -} 120
Class: Juggernaut
Nickname: Vomit Boy

HP: 220,000 -} 500,000
AP: 30,000 -} 150,000
SP: 350,000 -} 1,000,000

Strength: 120 (+150%) = 300
Dexterity: 80 (+75%) = 140
Vitality: 335 -} 500 (+150%) = 1250
Intelligence: 50 (+75%) = 87.5
Wisdom: 40 (+150%) = 100
Luck: 30 -} 100
Charisma: 40

Stat Points: 0 -} 235 -} 70 -} 20 -} 0

Age: 17
Birthday: November 20th
Race: Human
Height: 6'3
Weight: 375 -} 500
Build: Medium Muscular Juggernaut
Hair/Eyes/Skin: Blonde / Royal Blue / Light Tan

-/\/\/\/\-

We touched down on the cleared forest floor while Solaris cleaned up the radiation, and Jaune shivered in agony. I caught him from falling completely, but ended up getting blown away as his body erupted into pure ivory light, wisps of purplish black growing into it, along with streaks of gold

I watched as his body seemed to crack, pure white leaking from the cracks, and then... it all faded away, leaving Jaune shirtless, his body smoking and white markings trailing up his right arm and flowing across his shoulders, reaching down towards what I saw was a sword, pointed downwards, positioned between a pair of tribal wing-like markings on his upper back, the shoulder marks seeming to try to grasp the sword on his back.

Jaune's impossible VIT and great LUK has caused him to ascend beyond the limits of mortal men!

I stared, and brought up his glowing profile, several pieces of information changing.

-/\/\/\/\-

Jaune Arc
Title: The Indestructible Arc Knight -} The Great Arc Paladin
Level: 120
Class: Juggernaut -} Paladin
Nickname: Vomit Boy

HP: 500,000 -} 750,000
AP: 150,000 -} 200,000
SP: 1,000,000 -} 1,500,000

Strength: 120 (+150%) (+250%) = 600
Dexterity: 80 (+75%) (+225%) = 320
Vitality: 500 (+150%) (+250%) = 2500
Intelligence: 50 (+75%) (+225%) = 200
Wisdom: 40 -} 50 (+150%) (+250%) = 250
Luck: 100
Charisma: 40 -} 80

Stat Points: 0

Age: 17
Birthday: November 20th
Race: Human -} Paladin
Height: 6'3 -} 6'4
Weight: 500 -} 250
Build: Medium Muscular Juggernaut
Hair/Eyes/Skin: Golden Blonde / Royal Blue / Light Tan

-/\/\/\/\-

I stumbled over my words, blown away by the transformation, "... Paladin... is not... a race... you fucking game..."

Jaune slumped, exhausted, "I feel like I just ran like... fifty marathons."

I helped him up, only struggling slightly, "You just turned from a normal human into a paladin... your race changed. It doesn't make sense, I know. I think you might be able to fly."

He blinked, "What? How? With my arms? I think they're broke-whoa. That's... pretty cool." he seemed to still be reeling from the transformation.

I sighed, "Okay, you see, now THIS is why I've kept from dumping all my points into one stat, not only was I worried it'd fuck something up, but I also grew to fear that the human body wouldn't be able to handle stats so high. At least you're basically fucking unkillable now, so THAT'S a thing."

He grinned weakly, chuckling, "Tank all the hits?"

I chuckled back, "And hit all the tanks. Yeah... literally just put yourself between enemy and ally and the enemy will have a hard time getting to you. You also weigh a lot less than before, for some reason, so try to be wary of that." I cast a flurry of buffs on myself, the others having dismissed during Jaune's transformation basically burning away all other light, "Alright, come on bro, I think I could grind you along the ground and you don't have to worry about anything even getting past your skin." I trussed him up with dozens of layers of mana rope, noting that his Aura was nearly gone, probably from somehow converting nearby matter into mass for his body.

I decided that was more than enough training, and the Dreadwings nearby had fled from the radiation explosion, or 'nuclear' as the title I'd gained suggested about it. I started running back to Beacon, going a little slower.

Jaune didn't seem to be taking pretty much any damage, even without his Aura flaring up as much. He grunted a couple of times as the ID copied cities led him to crash through buildings or cars headfirst, but nothing was getting through his pretty much adamantium skin.

...(about thirty minutes later)...

I hadn't gone full speed because... I felt like it, really. I sighed and cracked my neck, helping Jaune up and helping him restore SP as we made our way back up to the room. Thankfully, he seemed pretty alright after we found out he could now also burn AP to get calories, but clearly it wasn't an efficient trade.

We entered the room quietly, seeing Pyrrha and Cinder sleeping, the former with a beautifully peaceful sleeping expression, the latter visibly tense and uncomfortable even while asleep and having her back turned to us.

I let Jaune go to bed while I tucked in for a night filled with meditation.

"Goodnight, Jade." I heard Jaune whisper to me.

"Goodnight Jaune." I whispered back, smiling lightly.

About twenty minutes passed before I heard Jaune speak up, "I'm having a little trouble falling asleep."

I hummed, then simply conjured up my sleeping spell, "Here, this should help." I cast it on him, amping the power up a few hundred times to make sure it worked.

Thankfully, Gamer's Sight told me he had fallen asleep now, which was good. I sighed and conjured up a picture of Yang, hugging it to my chest.

I... I had things to do, yes, prevent whatever Cinder was planning was a part of it, but... I could find time for love.

I'd found time for it before, no doubt I could find it again, and with my sweetheart once more.

Things were... rough. Damn, I didn't need the emotional stress, but I couldn't stave it off forever. Best to let it in while nobody was looking and let it process so it wouldn't affect me later.

Sighing, I kissed the conjured image and let it disintegrate like most matter that my power conjured.

It was a relatively common philosophical question: 'If you could go back in time, and you knew then what you knew now, would you change things?'

The question was actually part of why I had such a strong belief in the value, sacredness, and right to having second chances...

But... well... I hadn't gone back in time, but I'd gone to a world where everything I'd done before was... just wiped away, just like that.

I would do my best to forge the bonds I'd had with the others once again, to help them grow and become closer with one another and myself, and to win the privilege of being a part of Yang's heart again.

And I'd help my copy get a girlfriend too. He seemed to be into Weiss, and I knew she was a valued and dedicated friend, so she'd be perfect for him.

I'd do whatever I could.

Whatever was possible.

To make sure that this version of me didn't make the same mistakes that I did.

---

Well, there you go everyone, the sequel to the Jade Hex omake. I hope it was up to your expectations.

Honestly... and I probably sound really pessimistic here, but I'm like 65% sure that it isn't, because it seems like a ton of people absolutely adored the first one, and...

No reason to not be honest with you guys and gals, I've read a few reviews that commented on the first part of this little omake series, and they mentioned how that person enjoyed the omake more than the story.

Now I understand I'm not exactly an A-class writer, but when I see things like that, it doesn't make me feel proud for the omake, it makes me think the story is lacking so much that what should be a nice treat at the end of the chapter, a literature equivalent of Billy Mays saying "But wait there's more!", or a post-credits scene like in a Marvel movie, was turned into the focus of the chapter.

I don't like feeling like that, and I know I shouldn't because you beautiful readers don't mean it like that, and enjoy my story and what I write, but I'm only human and not only do I bleed when I fall down, I also feel insecure and shit.

But... hey, that's all just in my head, I bet. I have to do a bunch of work in the "morning" *wink wink* so I think I'll end the chapter off here after a few more lines.

Next chapter we'll be seeing some of Mistral, same with the chapter after that, and the chapter after that will conclude Mistral, bring them back to Vale, and start on the mysterious "additional bits" between Mistral and Summertime that a lot of you probably haven't noticed that I've been subtly alluding to.

So... yeah.

Chapter 19: Mistral part 1

Chapter 20: Mistral part 2

Chapter 21: Mistral part 3 (the last part) and pulling them into the mysterious bits

Chapter 22: The conclusion of Story Arc 2.

Chapter 23: The start of Story Arc 3.

There we go, a schedule that I will hold myself to because if I don't then I'll look like an asshole... not that I probably don't already, what with some of the responses I give to reviews, but I just give my reasoning as best as I can articulate besides "I could, and I could justify it at least a bit, so I expanded the justification and did it."

Anyways, let's get the stat dump now.

-/\/\/\/\-

Jaune Arc
Title: Champion Boxer
Level: 73
Class: Magic Knight / Tank v2
Nickname: Knightlight

HP: 46,300/46,300
AP: 190,600/190,600
SP: 68,600/68,600

Strength: 90 (+325%) (+140%) (+85%) (+220%) (+175%) = 936
Dexterity: 85 (+325%) (+140%) (+85%) = 552.5
Vitality: 95 (+325%) (+140%) (+85%) (+220%) (+50%) = 874
Intelligence: 170 (+5) (+325%) (+50%) = 831.25
Wisdom: 200 (+5) (+325%) (+50%) = 973.75
Luck: 116
Charisma: 87

Stat Points: 89

Age: 17
Birthday: November 20th
Race: Human
Height: 6'2
Weight: 260
Build: Med-Heavy Athletic
Hair/Eyes/Skin: Golden Blonde / Brilliant Azure / Medium Tan

-/\/\/\/\-

Well, that's all folks.

*puts Porky the pig away*

Haha classic reference.

*goes to rest so my creative energy may return*

This is Player 1 sighing off.

See you all later, beautiful loyal readers and fans, ^W^