Multiplayer

by NeoShadows

Life is a game. In an attempt to save a friend during the Breach, Jaune Arc died. Brought back to life with powers of a Gamer, he must now attempt to beat the game called life. He's not alone though. Every win or lose ends in a Reset, so how will he beat a game that never ends?

6. To Cross Lines

NeoShadows here. And what a week it has been.

Since my last update, I've had my debt card frozen due to some asshole acquiring my cards information and spent $1,232, had to fix some of my bank statements because of it, cut the inside of my left fingers nail, which hurts like a bitch, and discovered some 'dirty' history on my almost nine year old brother's google history. No one has taught me how to deal with this kind of shit seeing as my own father was kicked out when he lost our third home due to lack paying the bills and being a drunk, woman beater. I have no idea how to talk to that boy about this kind of sensitive stuff. Fuck, I learned about sex from some older friends of mine when I was in second grade! All they did was tune onto the Spice network and I was educated. Which is a crappy way to discover this shit seeing as no one was there to teach me about it safely and correctly.

At least I got all my money back. Now I got to have a serious talk with him about what he's seen. I literally had to google what to do. Being a big brother sucks so much ass. I will say this, I approve of what he's searched. And I hate myself for typing this.

All that personal crap aside, I was able to finish Chapter 7 last night. And I finished editing just now.

Now that I'm gaining a good amount of Favorites and Follows, I'm wondering if I should pay a commission for a Cover Photo for this fic. What do you all think? Should I look for one? And if I should, what artist should I ask it from on Devaintart? That's the best place to look for one from my knowledge. Let me know in your reviews if you got one in mind.

Monster Hunter Generations is coming. Tomorrow. Must. Resist. Urge. To. BINGE!

Now onto some Reviews!

JustJustin3099: No problem. There's no need to apologize. The pairings can be a turn off to some, which is sad sometimes. A story is more then two people making out in the span of a chapter. Again, that's what one shots are for. Which I love, but it's not what I look for in story anymore. Except if it's about Neo. God, I love that silent chick. Glad you enjoyed the DLC. There will be more in the future.

Enerjack: Good question, but no. The Game does not allow certain situations to be paused, such as important events and parts of the story. When a Player isn't doing anything that has an impact on the game, it's allowed. But in a situation like the one you described, it's forbidden. It does not like cheaters.

Soulfulbard: Got love them DLC's! I promise the next one will have you dying as this one did. And Nora is fun to write, lets me go wild. Each Player plays The Game diffrently, Jaune's powers are linked to social aspects, and Ren's is a mystery for now. I did drop a hint to what he can do. Got his powers from a favorite game of mine mixed with a few others. The rest of the Players will also differ, one of them could be called broken. He really is. Oh, the scar! Like I said, got something in the works for this. Souls are a tricky thing. Wait till you see what the FoF bring to the table. I had a lot of fun coming up with them. I forgot about the deer girl from the ralley, it was honestly a coincidence.

Megatronus89: I know right? She's a hot little number. If only she wasn't a psycho.

Matrience: You're welcome!

Zachary2: Lost Fairy Tales will connect with the story. But some of the other DLC's won't be relevant to the story. I had just discovered My Hero Academia when I had begun the beginning stages of Multiplayer. And I love the hell out of it. I guess it's a little nod to both the manga and anime. Tsuyo number one girl! And I love the Jaune-Cena jokes on the internet! Another little nod.

TalonlbnLaAhad: I love your reviews! And your jokes to pokemon go are awesome. Might make that into a DLC. Hey, if you ever want to talk about RWBY and other crap, my PM box is open to ya! I'd love to talk to another person about this crap, don't know much people who enjoy this stuff too. And who knows if we've seen the last of Little Red Riding Hood? No said her story was over with. Ah, the FoF. I got some awesome stuff planned for them in this arc. Just you wait.

Now, onto you question about Pyrrha's death. I love that girl, truly I do. I honestly thought she was a bit bland when she was introduced, but man! Did she reel me in! Her death had be all the more bitter and resonating when it happened.

But I saw the death flag coming. As a writer myself, besides writing fanfiction, I've been in the works to original stories on my laptop, I sadly realized that her death could be a driving force for our heroes. That's the thing about death, it's a gut wrenching experience that pushes people to their limits or breaks them to pieces. They needed an reason to leave Beacon, and its fall would of been fine and all, but without a personal reason behind it, team RNJR would have never had a true reason to venture off to fight the bad guys. I love Pyrrha, truly I do, but I couldn't think of much to do with her once the story hit all cylinders. She was OP as fuck! It's hard to describe it in words, but it was a bittersweet move. Maybe if she was crippled, or lost her ability to use aura or something, then she would have been able to grow more and evolve.

Don't take this as a clear sign that she's going to be killed off or anything. I got my own plans. This does not mean she'll die, nor that she won't die. So don't think this has anything to do with the story. Everyone is going to have to wait and see what happens next.

And your insanity is welcomed! Keep them coming! Let's see how long it'll last.

DNkru135: Yes, yes it is.

Wandai: Nice theory. You know the drill, you bastard. But do remember, the blade is colored. And if I remember correctly, there's more then one red blade in RWBY. Whoever it is, they will be a difficult obstacle for our blue eyed knight. The Friends of Faunus is lead by a man with purposes carved onto his skin. Their ideas are pure to them, in a sick twisted sort of way. Wait till you read the upcoming chapters. I wonder if you can guess what's in store. You bastard. And the Fairy Tales aren't limited to only team RWBY. I got much more in store. I consider Fairy Tales as story from the past that are hard to believe or have been read to us as children. Even stories that inspired the character for Jaune. Oh, that one is going to be a very special tale indeed. Saving it for the end of the book for a good reason. And I'll be sure to keep up the good work with your continued support!

MysticSpider: You dirty, dirty, person! . . .I like what your thinking. But I got my own ideas in the works for them. Still, I love your line of thinking.

Otherguy14: You think that, but you never know. I do like to throw curve balls here and there. And this might be one. Blades come in all sorts of colors, there isn't only one red one out there. And the final Player is one of my favorites. Trust me, their strong enough to kill, and their morals only fit their needs. And Fairy Tales is going to be a fun ride. I got a lot of 'fun' moments planned out ahead. Too bad I can't write Lemons worth a damn. Now I feel dirty. And Ren is simply having some trouble with his best friend being a Player too. Who knows if their friendship will last. Drama~!

Zdeath01: . . .Huh. My brain just started whirring. I may have something planned in the near future as a DLC.

Goddy80119: I will never tell! You'll have to read and make up your own decision. Don't worry, this will be revealed eventually. I'd say be the end of this Volume. So keep an eye out.

Whateversnowburn: Hah! No, the 'experience' ended after some time. Should of written that better, but I like how people are thinking Jaune had finished quickly. Red had her fun, trust me. And Jaune's ego is safe, for the moment.

KuraiKodokuna: You just read something that can be found in one of Blake's favorite books. Gotta love that smut.

SonicFanFlame: Good theory, can't confirm it or deny it. Ren has a good reason, trust me. It's petty, but it has nothing to do with attention. And the wish is a tricky prize. A wish to change the world in whatever image you desire, think about it. So much can be undone or changed, for better or worse. With no monkey's paw side effects. And only one person can win it, making The Game competitive for those still trying to win it. I'll be sure to keep this up with your support and reviews!

Keep the reviews coming! I'm loving them with each one submitted. And to the one reviewer who said this story was utter shit and to stop writing, NEVER! These fingers wouldn't stop if they had a choice. Trust me, I've tried.

Now let's get this story scrolling!

---

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY. They belong to RoosterTeeth. I'm pretty sure I'm only a few pokemon away from getting run over again. Pokemon Go is a dangerous mistress. So be careful out there, walking through a gang territory for that Growlith is a bad idea. You're going to have a bad time. I will mug you for your shit.

---

Chapter 6: To Cross Lines.

"Do you think it was a good idea to send both Ren and Jaune out for breakfast?"

Pyrrha snapped her head up from her book, saving the page number and place as her eyes moved to the orange haired girl beside her. Blake had lent her one of her books a few days ago, and she was really enjoying it. Who knew people actually wrote about this kind of stuff? Her cheeks were beginning to hurt from all the blood rushing into them.

Laying back on the same bed, Nora busied herself listening to music on her headphones, kicking up her feet in the air. There was a light frown on the normally smiling girl's face.

It was Saturday once again and the team JNPR had decided to stay in their dorm for the morning. Mostly due to the fact Nora had wanted to stay in her tight fitting Pj's today, and was banned from stepping foot on cafeteria grounds. To keep her away from the roaming eye's of the male populace, and because he didn't want to get dragged into anything today like last week, Ren had voted to bring the breakfast to them. Jaune, being the nice guy he was, volunteered to help carry everything, saying it wasn't a one man job. The two had been gone for nearly half an hour now and it was a little worrying to Nora.

She didn't now if Pyrrha could feel it, but there was this odd tension between her best friend and their leader. There were times she found the two of them glaring at another when they thought no one was looking. It was odd seeing as Ren had never been the type to get angry with anyone, not even her. And she knew for a fact she could be hard to deal with. Jaune was a great guy too! A little nerdy, a total dork, a horrible ladies man, and blind to woman that actually found him appealing, but a great guy none the less. Nora couldn't find any reason for the raven to dislike him. Other then jealousy.

A gasp escaped her lips at the thought. Were they fighting over her attention? She knew it! The hammer wielder nodded her head. It was the only plausible conclusion that made any real sense. To think her looks could cause such tension one day. She truly was a bombshell.

"What do you mean, Nora?" Pyrrha asked with a raised brow. Was there something wrong with that? "Should I have gone to help them? With your appetite, they may of needed the help." she said flatly.

Ha! They would need an army to feed her. "Not that. I mean, haven't you noticed the looks those two have been throwing at each other?"

"Looks?" Pyrrha blinked slowly, the meaning quickly dawning on her. "You mean, forbidden romance!?" she gasped into her palm, her blush once again coming to life.

"That book Blake gave you is nothing but filth." Though the idea did sound kinda hot. Something to save for later. "You're telling me you haven't noticed that Ren and Jaune kinda don't like each other? I mean, Jaune seems to be trying to be buddy-buddy with Ren, but sometimes I notice how frustrated he gets with him. It isn't like Ren to glare at other people either, especially a guy like Jaune." Nora's feet dropped back down to the bed, pouting as she racked her brain.

Boys were confusing. Even when they were your best friends. Made the situation even more confusing.

At Nora's words, Pyrrha settled down her book, smiling sadly, "I'm sorry to say I wouldn't know. During my stay in Mistral, I didn't have much time for socializing with other students. I was kinda ostracized because of my status as a champion, no one thought they were good enough to hang around me. I honestly thought it was normal for boys to act like that as friends, like on TV."

"What kind of TV did you watch?"

"I'm still new to this whole arrangement myself, so noticing such behavior isn't common to me. I guess I did find it a bit odd to see Ren act stiffly at times with Jaune." She tapped her chin, thinking back several occasions the two hunters talked to another. Sometimes it felt like they were having a conversation in their own little world.

The Invincible girl's head was dragged into chest of her fellow female teammate's, causing her to blush at the close contact. It was last Wednesday all over again.

"Aww, poor little Pyre!" Nora gushed as she hugged her red head into her bosom. She swung her around in her embrace, combing her long hair back, "It's alright, your Queen will sooth your loneliness! We won't judge you on your status as some ultra cool, invincible huntress! Jaune-Jaune didn't even know what your title meant, and me and Ren were never into watching fights when we could always go out and look for one! We're your friends now." she stopped her hugging to look into her new friends eyes softly. She smiled, "And we don't plan on leaving ya. I'm sure we'll get all this drama sorted out eventually. If not, we always have option B." Nora squealed.

"We're not having a Pancake wresting contest again." Pyrrha giggled, watching as the orange haired girl crossed her arms with a scowling pout, "The head of the cafeteria is still banning you from standing several feet from the entrance. Poor Ren now has to carry your food along with his back to the dorm now."

"Well worth the fifty-thousand hits on ScrollTube."

"Where did you find all that syrup anyways?"

"I know a guy." Professor Port was a good man. He would fit nicely in her new kingdom.

Falling back to her pillow, Pyrrha reached for her book, smiling happily as Nora fell along with her, drumming along to a beat.

Friends. It was nice to finally feel like a normal girl for once. Opening the book up, Pyrrha got cozy next to her friend as she went back to the thrilling, yet erotic, adventures of two gladiators fighting in a coliseum. Her heart beat rose with every word flying across the page, lost to the world within the text. Where the hell were books like this all her life? Was it wrong to secretly enjoy such books in the company of friend?

Blake would care to disagree. And give her a thumbs up in her taste in literature.

---

"Oum Theory? Isn't that some kind of religion?"

Two twin towers of pancakes dripping with syrup walked the halls of Beacon, threatening to collapse with one wrong step. The students gathered watched by with questioning stares. The ludicrous amount of fluffy fried batter was topped with berries and strawberries, two separate jugs of milk and orange juice, bacon strips dug in between the morning cakes folds along with scrambled eggs beneath, and crowned with cinnamon sprinkled whip cream. No one could make out the students behind such breakfast behemoths, nor would they care as they stared with watering mouths at the delicious strolling towers.

The left stack blew a stray lock of hair out of their face as he answered their friend/enemy, "That's what I believed as well before I was trapped as a Player in The Game. With each world that passed me by, I turned to the teachings of Oum, I can hardly remember the faces of my own parents anymore but I do remember the lessons they taught me about it. Their kinda all I have left to them." the tower of pancakes on the left shrugged.

When Nora had sent them off for breakfast, Ren knew that he would find himself in the company of his fellow Gamer. The last week Ren was busying himself with the class lessons, lessons he would have memorized if it weren't for the Remix in affect. And Jaune had used the kindness he had showed him last week to ask him questions about the game. He was done following the story, but with Jaune as his leader, he would be dragged unwillingly along with no consent. Without his help, the knight wouldn't survive a month in the new reality dropped onto him. Ren was helping him with what he could only so that he didn't have go through the drama of his unsurprising death. There was no way in hell that he was getting sucked back into The Game! A few tips and questions answered didn't mean anything. He was simply looking out for himself.

"The Oum Theory states that humans and faunas were gifted the miracle of Semblances long ago by a God named Oum. Oum is the reason why both species were able to stand against the Grimm once they had discovered Dust. It also says that Oum is responsible for the Grimm, created as payment for our sins, of our ignorance and hate. Oum is basically the creator of our world, and the reason why we're stuck resetting with every death or Ending."

"Really?" The right tower jumped, shaking slightly, "My parents always taught me to believe in God itself, not Oum. Is there any real difference?"

"None that I can find. What I've learned from my many resets is that whatever is causing them is in complete control of every detail in The Game. I fact, me and the other Players have each met 'it', the being that trapped us in this hell. I'm pretty sure it only does all this for pure entertainment. It's a huge asshole and I'm sure you'll eventually met it during one of your resets."

Jaune held back his comment. He was going to say that he wouldn't have to met whatever was creating this game because he was winning this game on one life, but decided against it. This was the first time they had held a conversation without it devolving into an argument.

"So, whatever 'it' is, is the true god?"

"That's still a difficult question to answer. It's better for you to make up your own decision the day you meet it. Honestly, I blame both for my circumstances."

"Being stuck in a Game, me being a Player, the pink streak in your hair, never being allowed to sleep more then eight hours, or being forced to cater a bubbly girl with a black hole as a stomach?"

The left stack of pancakes stopped to ponder for a moment, nearly knocking off the jug of milk balanced on their tray, "All of the above." it answered heatedly.

Right stack whistled, "And here I thought I was the only one you hated. Nice to know I'm not at the top of the list."

"You don't even come close. You're more of an annoyance, Jaune. The list of things and people I hate doesn't have room for a guy like you. I hate you, but not enough to put you down my list."

"Thanks? I guess? Help me out here, Ren. What does this make us?"

"What's between us. . .means nothing."

"But I thought what we had was special!"

"You thought wrong. Jaune, you were nothing more then free experience."

Ruby munched on her cookie with ferocity, crumbs flying across the air as her face reddened. Her big silver eyes were wide in attention of the scene in front of her.

The right tower of pancakes trembled, dropping a slice of smoked bacon from its folds. Yang opened her mouth remotely, catching it before turning back to the drama.

"That's a lie! What we did together back then meant more to me then experience! Ren, you were my first!" The right tower had never had a male friend till Beacon. It was nothing but girls, which would have been nice if they weren't his sisters.

The left tower scoffed, the motion slipping off several big berries. Weiss's rapier stabbed the fruits in their descent, kabobbing them as she shared the treat with a blushing Blake.

"Sorry not sorry, but you weren't that good. I've had better. What did I expect? Your girlish screams should of tipped me off."

"Ohhh, that had to hurt." Yang hissed quietly, getting a pained nod from Weiss.

"So where does that leaves us!? I refuse to accept that's all I ever was to you!" Right tower shouted in denial.

Ruby nodded her head with a stubborn pout, "Yeah! You tell him, Jaune!"

The two towers of pancakes stopped their bickering, the voice of a young girl alerting them to the small crowd they gathered. Slowly rearing their heads to the side to peek over the heavenly stacks of breakfast, Jaune and Ren were treated to the sight of the blushing forms of team RWBY.

When the hell did they get here!?

Jaune laughed nervously at the girls, "Uhhhh, how much of that did you hear?" he gulped in fear, praying to whatever being that could show mercy they hadn't heard anything dealing with The Game. Ren had told him earlier in the week one of the things The Game liked to do is rain lightning onto Players that revealed their secrets. Gods lightning. They died every time and he was not looking forward to death anytime soon.

"We opened our door just in time to catch something about Ren hating you, or something." Blake decided to answer for her team, smiling apologetically at the two. The blonde tilted his head to the right, catching the door to his dorm. It seemed they arrived without even knowing.

"It's not what you think." Ren automatically rebutted, glaring at the leering purple eyes meeting his own.

"I believe you." Yang breathed huskily, licking her lips. The two male members of JNPR soon found the busty blonde's arms around their shoulders, pushing their heads closer to her impressive chest. Her eyes twinkled in mischief, "Now, we have two options. Option 1: We believe you, or don't,"

"Aww, I want to believe the fantasy." Ruby grumbled as she played with the hem of her skirt.

"But decide to share this little nugget of gossip with your teammates."

"They'll never believe you!" Jaune howled adamantly, his fellow blackmailed teammate nodding along furiously.

Yang disagreed, slipping out her scroll from her pocket before playing the play button on the recorded video with a cheeky grin.

"But I thought what we had was special!"

"You thought wrong. Jaune, you were nothing more then free experience."

"You bitch!" They both yelled in both anger and embarrassment.

"I'm not finished~!" Yang sang, chuckling in the face of their red faces. "And then we have Option 2: we never heard a thing. This video doesn't exist, and you both don't have unrequited feelings towards each other."

"It's alright, Ruby." Blake patted the young leader's back softly. Ruby sniffed as her little fantasy was ruined before it could ever truly take off. "That's what my books are for."

Reaching for another strip of bacon from the towering breakfast, Yang popped into into her mouth, savoring it's juicy, crisp taste before continuing, "And you both generously invite our little team to eat breakfast back at your dorms instead of us having to walk all the way to the cafeteria and wait in line to get some grub. So," she burped suddenly, smacking her lips and looking between the two guys in her arms with an innocent smile, "What's it going to be, fellas?"

Well they did have more then enough food to feed both teams. Nora would just have to settle for a single ten stack. The girl had to cut back on the stuff anyways, she was turning into a pancake junkie.

"Fine." They both grumbled with nods. As long as they didn't have to deal with such a disturbing misunderstanding. Green tinted their cheeks, shivering in disgust.

"Sweetness!" Yang cheered, ruffling the boys hair. "Looks like I just found us some breakfast. And you wanted to wait in line like a loser." she spoke smugly to Weiss who hid her face in shame.

"You extorted breakfast. I'm pretty sure I could have asked Jaune to let us eat with his team. He hardly is the type to reject anything I say to him." Weiss said with a deadpanned look.

"It's true! I'm putty in my Snow Angel's delicate, yet firm hands!"

Weiss gestured her hand to the heart eyed knight, "See? And what I say about staying one meter away, Jaune?"

"I'm sorry, what you say? I was too busy staring into the cool blue oceans that are your eyes to listen." he sighed dreamily.

"Seriously, I will drive the end blade of Storm Flower into the back of your skull if I have to put up with your puppy love anymore." Ren said flatly, kicking the bottom of their door to let them in.

"Someone's jealous." Ruby whispered to Blake as the door slammed open.

Nora grinned widely at the towers of fluffly, golden crisp, pancakes before her eyes. Stars lite up her eyes as she licked her lips.

"My precious! I've been waiting for your arrival for what feels like weeks! And I see you brought a friend." she moaned erotically to the stack Jaune hid behind. He was really glad to be out of sight, he wasn't sure he was ready to deal with whatever emotions were playing out on her face. "Are you two related? I hope you don't mind that I suggest a threesome. I brought my own bottle of syrup." Nora whispered huskily, squirting a dab from the bottle in her hand to the tip of her tongue.

"Let us in! I need to change into some baggier pants!"

Ruby tilted her head, watching Jaune struggle to fix his pants only to fail. He was still holding onto the large tray of breakfast in both his hands. "You okay, Jaune? Are your pants slipping? It looks like you have something poking out of them. Here, let me help you with that!" she smiled brightly. Leaders had to stick together after all. Her sister's hand slapped her own from Jaune's pants, staring at her with mirth.

"No. May I remind you, fifteen. Dad would kill me if I let you touch a guy's erection."

"What's that?" Ruby tilted her head in confusion.

"And this is where my sisterly advice ends. I can no longer help you, Rubes. Ice Queen, she's all yours.

"Me!?" Weiss yelled in outrage, pointing her finger to her embarrassed red face, "Why do I have to explain to your little sister what an erection is!?"

"Oooooh, erection." Ruby slowly nodded in understanding, smacking her own head with a silly smile, "I thought you said something else. I know what an erection is. It's when a guy's di-"

Blake's hand silenced her leader's words, covering the red heads mouth, "We don't need to know!"

"The hell did she think I said?"

"Can we go back to entering our room, please?" Ren grunted. His arms were beginning to lose their strength as it was. He should of honestly stuck to making breakfast instead. It was better then dealing with this crap.

Jaune nodded his head as he calmed down his raging stiffness. He was still a seventeen year old boy! The hormones dwelling in his body were taking whatever openings they could find to exploit mercilessly. And the look Nora had been giving them, or more importantly the food in their hands, sent his blood pumping into areas he was not willing to reveal.

Nora gasped dramatically as she finally noticed the presence of the other girls behind the stacks of pancakes.

"You brought woman with you!? I don't know what to say! I feel cheated! Betrayed! Used! And a little thirsty. I thought me and Pyrrha's skilled mouths were enough to satisfy your needs!"

"Seriously, Nora! It's starting to hurt!"

---

Breakfast was soon over with. Despite the commotion the morning brought, Jaune was actually happy to be eating breakfast with team RWBY. Things were even better when both teams hung out with each other. The little event had even racked him in some major experience points in every girls Friendship level. After a whole week of spending time with both teams during classes and outside of school, he had gained one level in their Friendships. Except for Pyrrha's, her level was already high as it was. Looked like the more levels they grew, the harder it was to increase as time went on. Jaune's own level was easier to increase, it had already grown by two with the help of Combat Studies. Then again he was under-leveled, it wasn't that hard.

His head dropped at the thought. He was making progress, that much was for sure. But at the rate he was going at, the knight was going to hit an experience lull by the middle of the first semester. When a character in a game stayed in one area for too long to grind they were bound to hit a point in the game where the EXP they were earning would take them forever to bump up another level. They would need to explore outside that one area to look for more enemies to fight that offered more rewards and find more missions that earned them better loot.

That was the problem though. Jaune was a freshman. It had only been one week since he passed the initiation exam and started classes. Missions weren't available to him just yet. The one he and Ruby had completed from Professor Port had been the only one to find him since. Nothing else had popped up after that. It would take another week or two before the teachers were confident enough to let them take some missions in the Emerald Forest to practice their skills against Grimm.

The hustle and bustle of the cafeteria snapped Jaune out of his thoughts as he walked to the lunch line to return all the cutlery and plates he and Ren borrowed. Not to mention pay for all the food. They would of paid earlier, but their hands were busy balancing their breakfast.

At least he wasn't alone. Ren had dove back for his bed once they were done eating, refusing every attempt Nora had to get out of the cocoon of blankets he wrapped himself in. So Jaune had decided to go alone, waving away Pyrrha's helping hand. But someone had decided to tag along with him to repay the breakfast they shared with her team.

Jaune couldn't really argue with her. He never had much of a relationship with Blake till now.

"Soooo, what kinda books do you read?"

The silent ninja girl quirked a brow as her eyes continued to digest the story in her right hand, her left balancing the pile of dirty plates and cups on her palm.

"All sorts, I guess." she shrugged without looking away from her book.

"Even comic books?" Jaune asked with a rising grin.

Flat yellow eyes glanced back at him, ". . .No."

Jaune's shoulder slacked, sighing in defeat. Thing was he actually knew a bit about Blake. She loved reading books, her favorite food is tuna, she enjoys reading smutty literature, and she's a cat faunas along with once being a member of the White Fang. Unfortunately he couldn't talk to her about those things, books maybe, if he ever read anything that didn't have pictures, but everything else was hush hush. Ruby was the one who had shared Blake's secrets anyways. The two of them never really talked till he laid out in a pool of his own blood.

He was friends with Ruby, Yang, and after the dance in Beacon he was sure that Weiss was beginning to see him as one too. But Blake was different. The two of them never really connected as friends like everyone else in their little circle of friends. This was probably the most time they had ever hung out with another since his death. It really sucked to have to start over again. Except his progress with Blake before was pretty much non existent.

This time would be different though. Jaune clenched his fist in determination. Blake and him would be friends dammit! He had the powers to make it possible! The fact that he would gain Perks and a cool new Ability with her friendship was an added bonus. There was no way that he was only doing it for the gains.

But she was proving to be a difficult opponent indeed. Whatever subject he tried to talk to her about was responded with single sentences. He was never much for talking in the first place. What was the point in having Charisma if it couldn't even help him talk to a girl!? It was literally the highest stat on him and it wasn't doing shit!

Stupid Gamer powers, stupid White Fang psycho!

Blake frowned noticing the subtle grimace on Jaune's face. His breath was sharp for a moment and he grit his teeth. It looked like he was in pain again. Shutting her book, the bookworm turned to Jaune with a look of worry. He caught onto her gaze, hiding the pain with a wide smile.

"You okay, Jaune? You know it's not too much to take back, I can handle the rest on my own." she offered with a small polite smile. They both stopped just before they could reach the line, standing aside to let the other students by.

Jaune scoffed, "Don't worry. I'm perfectly fine. Besides, I still have to pay for all this. I could of done all this on my own." he reassured her.

He hated to say it, but whenever he thought back to the White Fang, or even heard their name out loud, his mind would flash right back to the sounds of madly sawing teeth and the sensation of his organs and bones ripped to shreds. The event left a scar on him, both physically and mentally it seemed. He hadn't survived as scoot free as he thought.

"Why did you help anyway?" he felt the need to ask. It was weird of her to help him without anyone suggesting she go.

Moving back to enter the line, Blake scowled in thought, almost as if she was asking herself the same question.

"I guess I felt bad for my partner black mailing you into sharing breakfast with us." she answered, setting the plates in her hand into the dish dispenser. Catching an eye of milk in the display, she reached for one before going along with Jaune to pay for their breakfast. "Yang's not the most 'discreet' in getting what she wants. She caused you and Ren more than enough trouble with that recording. Guess I just wanted to repay you clean the mess." she shrugged.

"And this makes up for the blackmail." he said flatly, "By helping me put some dishes away?"

His response earned him a slight blushing frown, "I walked with you too. I'm not really good at these kind of things, repaying kindness." Blake was use to breaking into secure buildings, stealing valuable supplies from enemy territory, and raiding companies like the SDC for all their Dust along with tearing apart their robots when they got in the way. Paying someone back for a meal wasn't something she was familiar with.

Once they reached the front of the line, Jaune talked with the cafeteria staff manning the register, paid for all the food he had taken along with the milk in Blake's hand, and then went back to talking with the normally quiet girl. "I feel ya. I'm still getting use to leading a team. I'm not exactly the best hunter in school."

"Really? From what I've seen in Combat class, you've been doing fairly well. Winning a match isn't everything, I'm sure if you continued fighting when your aura's been dropped you may be able to drag out a win." Jaune wasn't that bad, he was decent if anything else. Compared to everyone else, he was doing fine for his first week. She didn't understand where all this low self esteem was coming from. Then again she didn't know much about the blonde boy.

"Maybe. In real life the fighting doesn't stop when your aura's low. I'm lucky to even be enrolled in Beacon."

"Why is that?" Blake asked curiously, looking back to his sudden nervous expression.

Jaune began to sweat, he didn't mean for that to slip out. "Uhh, nothing! It's complicated, and I don't really like talking about it." he chuckled nervously.

Blake nodded in understanding. She wasn't going to force anything out of him, she had no right. That and she believed that whatever he was talking about might have to do with the horrible scar that tore through his body. It was probably a sensitive subject he didn't like talking about.

"Oww! Please, stop."

'Goddammit, or Oumdammit.' The familiar cry of pain brought back memories. Jaune's eyes turned to the cafeteria lunch tables, not surprised to find Cardin tugging on Velvet's bunny ears as his team laughed. Sad thing was, Cardin was his lab partner in Dust studies. He was going to be seeing a lot of him in the coming years.

Cardin was an asshole when he first met him. Picked on him constantly because he was a poor excuse of a hunter. The incident with the Ursa Major had changed him though. Not by a lot, Cardin stopped picking on him but he still acted like a jerk along with being a racist against the faunas. It was some progress though, kinda. Not really, no. The real kicker though was the fact he Unlocked the bully's Friendship.

'Cardin Winchester. Friendship Lvl: 1. Affection Lvl: Locked. Status: Cocky, happy with himself, enjoying picking on the animal's ears. Available Perks: 0. Soul Wave Link: Locked. Until Next Friendship Lvl: 75/200EXP.'

It was during the middle of the week that he received the notification that he unlocked Cardin's Friendship after another sparring match. That was surprising to say the least. He would of never thought that a guy like Cardin would see him as a friend. It did explain why he wasn't being picked on other then the snide remarks during classes. It was weird. Jaune wasn't sure how to feel being friends with a guy like Cardin. He was arrogant, self centered, cruel and then there was the fact he was a racist. A huge turn off.

Hearing another pained cry, Jaune couldn't help but sigh in regret. They guy was his 'friend', so it looked like he was going to have to get involved. He didn't want to deal with Cardin, but poor Velvet didn't deserve this. Blake was looking at the scene with repressed disgust at Cardin's behavior and the fact no one else was doing anything to stop him. He wanted to be a hero, might as well take the first small step.

"These things can't be real!" Cardin laughed loudly, tugging the right bunny ear with a mean smirk. The girl tried not to wince but another hard pull caused her to close her eyes as a whimper escaped her lips. "What a freak! I can't believe that Beacon allows animals to attend our school. This isn't a petting zoo."

His hands gripped onto the furry appendage harder, his smirk growing in the face the girl was making. A hand found itself snatching his own, gripping his wrist to let go. Sneering, Cardin twisted his head to the dead man stopping his fun only to pause catching the familiar blue eyes of his Dust studies partner scowling in disappointment. A strained smile made its way to his face with a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"Jauney-boy! Didn't see ya there, pal. Mind taking your hand off mine? I'd really appreciate it." he growled.

"Are you going to continue messing with Velvet again?" Jaune asked with a frown, receiving a scoff in return.

"What's it matter to you?" he sneered, snatching his hand back while rubbing his wrist. Forgot that behind that scrawny appearance that the blonde was actually strong. He could still feel the powerful strike from his blade during his sparring lessons. "All I'm doing is playing with an animal, is that so wrong?" he grinned cruelly.

"She's not an animal, her name's Velvet and you know that!" Jaune snapped angrily. If there was one thing he hated it was the treatment of the faunas. It was racism like Cardin's that caused the White Fang to turn violent. Were it not for the hate they faced, the Breach would have never happened. And Weiss would have never had to look over her back in fear of them. Dying by a White Fang member had made him regret his lack of action when he had seen Velvet picked on. She wasn't picked on because she was a failure or a loser like him, but because of the adorable ears on her head.

Jaune took a sudden sharp breath as his scar flared, gripping his chest till his knuckles turned white. He grimaced, refusing to stand down in front of Cardin even when he was in pain.

The pained glare Jaune was giving him made Cardin scoff. Through out their fights in Goodwitch's class, he had noticed that the blonde's chest was very sensitive. It was how he had won most of their matches. The looks his strategy earned him from Jaune's team and team RWBY were annoying. Wasn't it their job to use whatever advantage they could fine in their enemies defenses to win? That was what Professor Goodwitch had been teaching them. Hypocrites. If they had something to say to him, then they were better off saying it to his face rather then giving him judged stares.

From the looks of it, Jaune had some kind of old wound that had yet to heal. Why not take advantage of it? It wasn't his fault the guy didn't know how to properly protect it. His chest armor did little more then buffer some of the damage.

"That little wound acting up again, Jauney-boy?" Cardin taunted. Stepping away from the wincing faunas brunette, Cardin draped his right arm over Jaune's shoulders, patting his unprotected chest with a rough smack of his palm. "You should really watch out with that thing. Don't want a Beowolf grazing that thing. Maybe you should focus more on finding some better armor to cover your wound then ruining my fun. It's not everyday that me and the boys get to play with a bunny girl." he laughed.

Gritting his teeth, Jaune pushed the brown haired hunter off him, "I'm not going to ignore someone in pain, even if they're a faunas. Shit like that shouldn't matter!" he barked as sweat dripped down his face.

"Really? Say that to the White Fang! You think we're to blame for a bunch of wild animals going feral on humanity!" Cardin growled angrily, picking Jaune up by the collar of his uniform. "Their lucky we never sent them to live on Menagerie! And this is the thanks we get!? A bunch of terrorists bombing shops, assassinating members of government councils, robbing honest companies of their Lien and Dust, and working to kill all of humanity in a mass genocide!?" he roared madly with a snarl. Cardin's blue eyes narrowed in restrained fury at his fellow blue eyed hunter.

He didn't care what others thought of him and his treatment to the faunas. He had every right to despise them. They didn't know him. The things he's seen at the hands of those genocidal freaks. Even assholes like him had their own reasons for turning out like so. Judge him all they want, he wasn't blind like the rest of them. Animals were still animals even if they could talk and appear human.

Jaune was weak minded. And here he thought he found someone like him. Despite the fact he lost to him in every sparring match, Cardin came to respect the little fight he showed. Jaune's own family had been well known in the Great War, but like the Winchesters they faded into obscurity as time moved on. Didn't he want to bring his families name glory? To once again be remembered as heroes as the days of old? So why was he sticking up for a bunch of freaks that were one step away from tearing out their throats? It pissed Cardin off.

"Guess I was wrong about you, buddy." he muttered coldly before throwing Jaune back on his feet. He watched him cough into a fit, still holding onto his chest in pain. The sight sickened him. And here he thought he was a decent hunter, "You're just another faker like the rest of them. Fooling yourself into believing that these animals have a soul just because they produce an aura. Stop living in a fairy tale and understand that we're working alongside monsters!"

Loud murmurs filled the lunchroom air as Cardin noticed the crowd of students gathered around them. And they said he was the asshole. What did that make everyone else who stood by and watched? At least he was honest with himself. No one else had a spine to say what they thought. All they could do is watch the drama unfold in front of their eyes.

"We're done here." Cardin spat, giving a dirty look back at the blonde who found himself leaning on the shoulders of a familiar black haired girl in Professor Oobleck's class. Her cold yellow eyes stared back at him, but kept silent. Typical, he scoffed in disdain. All they would ever do is give him looks, that's all they ever did! A bunch of cowards talking behind his back. And they called themselves hunters. He turned back to his team, their faces nervous and uncomfortable at the attention he was drawing in. Even his own team seemed apprehensive. They could play along with him when he was messing with faunas, but they would back down when judging eyes fell on them. They were his team though, so he had no choice but to put up with them. At least they knew to follow him without question. "Let's go. I got better things to take care of then talking to trash."

Turning swiftly away from the pathetic blonde ready to fall on his knees, Cardin moved to walk back to his dorm.

"What are you, blind?" The heavy mace wielder paused his steps, refusing to turn back to the voice calling out to him.

Jaune fought back the pain and the memories as he addressed Cardin with tired eyes. He ignored the look Blake was giving him before continuing, "Can't you see the look of pain and sadness in their eyes when you treat them horribly? Their human, just like us!"

An empty chuckle left Cardin's mouth as he kept his eyes forward, "Get real. If anyone's blind, it's you. I'm simply facing reality. Grow up, and stop trying to play hero."

Team CRDL left the lunchroom following their leader, afraid to say anything that might anger him further. Cardin was the type to take out his aggression with physical violence. It was better to let him take it out on the training drones in the training room. The guy had a hell of an explosive swing.

Gingerly holding Jaune up as he steadied his breathing, Blake couldn't stop herself from staring in shock at the recovering blonde. Was not expecting him to stand up for the bunny faunas when he heard her cries. Everyone else simply turned their eyes away from the scene. Even she did. In a combat school like Beacon they were taught to deal with issues without the help of adults, after all if they weren't capable of dealing with troubles such as bullying then how were they expected to survive in the wilds against monsters of Grimm. Still, it was surprising to see Jaune stand up against Cardin. It was actually heart warming to see. Looked like humans weren't all alike.

"You alright, Jaune?" Blake asked gently, receiving a positive thumbs up.

"Never better. Just give me a minute to for my second wind to kick in."

The damn scar was really starting to become a hindrance! He wasn't expecting the fit of pain to sneak up on him. What a sorry sight.

Light footsteps caught his attention as he turned his eyes up to meet the dark chocolate brown eyes belonging to Velvet. Her sad smile filled his vision.

"Are you sure you're alright? Can't have you falling into an early grave now, can we?" she joked lightly with a quirk of her head.

"I'll have you know it take a lot more than some chest pains to take me down." Jaune waved with a playful grin. In fact it took a chainsaw sawing his organs to mush to end him. Not the best experience in his young life.

"I'll take your word for it." Velvet laughed. Her eyes turned somber remembering what he had done for her, "You didn't have to do that you know. Cardin would have left me alone eventually. There was no need to involve yourself in my troubles." she said in remorse.

It wasn't as if she didn't appreciate the helping hand. Velvet was actually glad that someone had stepped in. But it left a bad taste in her mouth. Her shyness and unwillingness to fight back against a first year had caused her to fall under Cardin's line of sight. It drew him in and her weakness made her an easy target. A second year like herself should have take care of the problem before it began.

Her kind was under enough scrutiny as it was. She didn't want to feed the flames of hate anymore by causing trouble with a guy like Cardin. She would just bear with it, Yatsuhashi did say violence never solved anything. Which was strange coming from a guy who could wipe out Grimm with a single swing of his giant sword.

But Jaune shook his head, grinning widely as the pain ebbed away, "Sorry, but I'd hate myself even more if I let guy's like Cardin treat others like that. Someone once told me idiots like me don't know any better. So forgive my idiot chivalry."

"And here I thought chivalry was dead." The freshman surprised Velvet. It was rare to met a human like him that didn't ogle her ears and wasn't looking at her with disdain. "Jaune, right? We share History Studies together, don't we? I want to thank you for the help anyways. I do appreciate the gesture." she smiled gently.

"Don't mention it, Velvet. I watch out for all my friends the same." Jaune nodded firmly, wincing a second later. That's right, she didn't see him as a friend yet. It wasn't until the trip to Forever Fall did team CFVY begin to hang out with the two teams. They were still strangers in this timeline.

Velvets closed her eyes once the words slipped his lips, tapping her lips in thought before a bright smile blossomed onto her face, "Friends, we've only just spoken and already you think of me as a companion? Aren't you rushing things a little too quick with a stranger?" she grinned in humor.

"Not really." Jaune shrugged, glad she hadn't thought it was too strange, "My mother always said 'Stranger are just friends you haven't met yet'. And you can never have too many friends."

"No, you can't." What a strange hunter. It was odd, but Velvet could swear the image of shining white knight overlapped his image for a split second. She rubbed her eyes, squinting at the bright smile on his face once the image faded. Strange indeed. "Then I guess we're friends now, aren't we?" she giggled into her fist, winking back at the now grinning knight.

'Congratulations! You have Unlocked Velvet Scarlatina's Friendship and Admiration! +100EXP(FRND Lvl)! +100EXP(ADMN Lvl)!'

A buzzing in the pocket of her skirt alerted Velvet to a message to her scroll. Smiling in apology her eyes read over the message before pouting cutely. "Hate to run abruptly after becoming friends, but my team leader wants the team to meet up in the training room to go over some new strategies she's come up with. And I was hoping to finish my Carrot Cake muffins. Oh well, I do have to cut back on the stuff, a huntress can't be weighed down by love handles, now can she?" reaching behind to the table she had been peacefully eating at before Cardin showed up, Velvet gestured for Jaune to open his hands to drop something into his waiting palms. Two golden brown muffins, topped with a nice swirl of whip cream and little carrots fell onto his hands, the sweet scent of cinnamon and vanilla making even Blake salivate by his side. "I won't be able to finish them all off. Take 'em. Consider a nice little thank you between friends."

Another message blew up on her scroll causing the bunny faunas to roll her eyes sarcastically before running off, "I'll talk to you later, Jaune! Maybe we can study over some of Dr. Oobleck's lessons some time!" she shouted back with a grin, quickly disappearing into the halls of students leaving.

'You received a Special Gift! Velvet's Carrot Cake Muffin (2x)! A moist carrot cake muffin with cinnamon and vanilla mixed in along with the healthy treat of carrots! Instantly recover all MP and HP and permanently increase HP by 200, Mana by 10, and Wisdom by 2!'

Handing one of the muffins to Blake, Jaune withheld a whistle as he read over the message. This was what Special Gifts were? Sweet, literally! As much as he wanted to eat the moist treat, it would be a better idea to save it instead. While he was doing well in Professor Antheia's class, he still wasn't proficient enough to make potions yet. He was close though. So close, she whispered warmly over his ears while biting her lips. Sent shivers down his spine, his pants had never felt so tight since taking her class. It was becoming a problem, wasn't easy hiding a stiff one from a teacher that was always leaning over your shoulder.

"That was certainly nice of her." Blake smiled before biting into the treat. Now if only they could make tuna flavored muffins. "I didn't think such a corny line would work on her though. Guess your charm does work on some woman." Who would of thought?

"Nah, she's just being generous." Jaune said with a laugh and a shake of his head.

A dull stare looked back at him before she decided against saying anything. Jaune truly was thickheaded. Blake didn't know if that was a good thing, or a bad thing. Still, it was nice knowing that he wasn't the kind to ignore blatant racism when he saw it. It made her smile.

+500EXP! 'Blake's Friendship Level has risen by 1! Friendship Lvl: 3.'

"Well, we better head on back. No doubt they're wondering what's taking us so long. I wouldn't even be surprised if Yang's already making up some story about us sneaking off." That girl had a very open imagination on her.

"Yeah, right." Jaune scoffed in amusement as they walked off to their dorms, "As if you and I could ever be a thing. What would you call that anyways? KnightShade, BlackKnight? Help me out here Blake, I'm brainstorming."

Blake rolled her eyes. He certainly was a dork.

---

A sigh of relief left Jaune's lips as he clutched desperately onto the railing of the trashcan he was bending over. Sweet air rushed into his lungs, panting as he wiped his lips of the remains of breakfast. Why the hell couldn't they invent a cure for motion sickness? They could turn a gun into a sword, power gadgets with rocks from the earth that glowed, and build robots that can fight monsters of darkness, yet they couldn't focus some of their greatest minds on a cure for motion sickness? He would pay a fortune for such an invention, along with many other people. Motion sickness was a common problem! It affected one out of four people! That was a lot in his eyes. The things he did to get into Vale.

Seeing as today was their day off again, Jaune had decided to take a nice little trip into Vale. While his parents weren't so thrilled with the idea of him attending a school like Beacon with his lack of training, they were still supportive enough to send him a nice little allowance every week to pay for the necessities, and a few guilty pleasures. If only they would stop telling him that he was free to come home if things didn't work. Then again he did have a tendency to trip over himself sometimes, a guy like him fighting against Grimm wasn't really assuring to them. Only four out of seven of his sisters really believed in him.

Things were different though. With the powers of a Gamer Jaune now stood a greater chance against the Grimm. His grades were even better then before! Now he wasn't just some weakling that was struggling to get by, he was a decent fighter that was proving his worth in school. Even if he hadn't won any matches just yet. It's only been one week. Wouldn't be long till he was kicking ass like the rest of them.

Right now he was on his way to buy a few comics, the new album by Jeffrey Will, and grab a few groceries while he was at it. Ren told him to grab some before Nora ate through their fridge again. He also gave him a pointed look to not get distracted by any random Quests popping up in town. Vale was a HUB world of NPC's that was brimming with random events, it was easy to get side tracked by their endless requests. Said they were useless anyways. You got very little EXP from saving a cat from a tree, Ren mentioned.

'But kitties are so cute and fluffy! Why would I ever leave one hanging on a tree? That's just being an asshole. Sounds like the kind of thing Ren would do though.' Was it sad that his opinion of his best male friend was slowly dropping as the days passed by? Ren had seemed like such a nice guy when he had first met him. Polite, quiet, gentle, patient, and incredibly lazy. Turns out all that stemmed from a lack of caring anymore. He just didn't want to deal with all the drama the game world created.

It would have been nice to have someone come along with him on his trip. Pyrrha was more then eager to tag along, but had been dragged by Nora and team RWBY for some girl time in their dorms. Literally, they were dragging her by her feet back to their room as she tried reaching her hand to him. Maybe it was for the best. Pyrrha's talk about her status and how ostracized it made her from the other students still rung in his head from before. Some time with the other girls would do her some good.

'For the love of Oum! Don't leave me with them!'

A wince of regret left Jaune as the horrified shout of one Lie Ren haunted his conscious. He could understand Pyrrha, but why did they have to drag Ren along with her? Was it the hair? It must have been the hair. And the fact the guy was skilled in styling hair. How else did he keep such long raven locks silky smooth when he was always dragged along with Nora's shenanigans? It was a smart move not to mention it to the girls that he was wasn't bad at it either, came with living with seven sisters. He learned his lesson in his first life.

Spitting back the sickly taste of vomit from his mouth, Jaune thanked whatever god that created the world for the lucky sign of a soda machine in close proximity to the trashcan. Did not want to have the taste of pancakes and juice acids in his mouth all day. Dropping a few cents into the machine, Jaune waited for the mechanical clunking of the dispenser to drop down his drink. 'I don't care what Pyrrha or Ren say, Everybody Loves Grape Soda is too nutritious! It has the word grape in the title for crying out loud.'

The sizzle of caffeinated suds was music to Jaune's ears as he took a swig of the purple beverage, swishing it around his mouth to rid the taste of vomit before spitting it out to the pavement. And it made excellent mouth wash to boot.

With another few cents down the machine, Jaune pulled out his scroll as two more soda's dropped down. It would be a good idea to add a few into his Inventory while he was at it.

'Everybody Loves Grape Soda(2x)! The tasty flavor of grapes in soda form! Who doesn't like grapes? Recover 300HP and 20MP.'

Tapping the Inventory and Special Gifts icon on his scroll, Jaune pressed down two of his fingers on the screen, swiping them up to bring the screen floating in front of him. Fifteen open boxes were displayed in a neon blue grid, only three of the boxes were occupied by items. Four tabs separated the items if he wanted to organize them, Items, Weapons, Armor, and Dust.

The help guide had shown him how to bring up certain windows on his scroll right before his eyes, basically enlarging them to handle better. It had also taught him how to drop his items into his inventory and how to take them out. With the world paused around him, Jaune grabbed the two spare cans of soda and pushed them into the spare box next to Velvet's muffin. It now had a picture of a little can of purple soda with 2x on the bottom corner of the icon. Velvet's gift was highlighted pink compared to the other boxes. Guess it was due to it being a Special Gift.

Good to know that the little drink could heal and restore mana, as little as it could. For the time being it was going to have to do till he could create his own potions.

Calling off the pause, Jaune decided his first stop would be The Vibe Cafe, a nice little coffee hut that sold music as well. It was a new place he had never discovered before when both teams strolled around Vale after completing Professor Port's mission. He wondered if it was because he had never spotted it before or that it was due to the Remix. Either way it was a nice place to save on his map. That was another helpful feature. His HUD now displayed a little map of Vale on the top right hand corner of his sight. With a simple thought he could expand it or send it away like that. Most of the areas on the map were dark, meaning he hadn't discovered them yet or had no access to them. Not much of a problem seeing as he would be too busy to explore right now.

'I wonder if there is a Fast Travel option? That would save me the trouble of transportation.' He could understand Ren's reasons for hating the power of The Gamer, but he had to admit there were some really cool perks to it too. Made life a bit more bearable.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

"The hell?" Jaune lightly frowned in confusion as he reached for his scroll again. An odd little exclamation icon was buzzing on his screen with every step. Was that the Event Finder option? Well he really wasn't feeling like participating in an event right now. All he wanted to do is download some new tunes to his scroll and enjoy the rest of the day. It wasn't as if he was stopping a bank robbery or something. Ignoring the icon, Jaune continued on his way to the little cafe.

What could go wrong in ignoring one little event?

---

Cardin was not having a good day.

Strolling the streets of Vale with a bag of tools and Dust for modifications to Beaufort, his heavy mace, the leader of team CRDL was not feeling in high spirits. It was all Jaune Arc's fault for his sour mood. He had been enjoying a nice breakfast with his team, even had the chance to mess around with that faunas girl in Oobleck's class. But then Mr. White Knight had to go and ruin his fun by butting his nose in his business. And here he was beginning to think that Arc wasn't much of a loser as he made himself out to be. Instead he was just another faunas sympathizer, lying to themselves that those animals were to be trusted.

What a joke. It didn't matter what kind of sheeps clothing they wore, those animals would turn into a visage wolves the moment you let your guard down.

Why couldn't they see that? The White Fang was an obvious example of what they were truly capable of. The genocide of humanity was what those freaks wanted and it was something all faunas no doubt shared. Even the ones attending Beacon were no different. At least he wasn't the only one who had such thoughts. Not a lot of people trusted those animals to begin with, ridiculing them and even refusing to do business with them. But that was all they ever did. No one was taking any action against those freaks, allowing them to live among normal people while giving them nasty looks as they passed by.

Cowards. That's all they were. They were a threat, one that needed to be stopped before it was too late.

'P-Please, don't hate them f-for it.'

Cardin ground his teeth, frowning deeply in rage as he stopped walking. The plastic bag hung over his shoulders nearly came apart as he swung it against the wall beside him. Luckily he had stopped by an ally so no one could see him in his anger.

It was their fault. Animals. Every damn one of them.

"One day. One day I'll make those fucking animals pay." he seethed.

The shadows around the hunter seemed to darken at his remark, cutting off the light of day as a deep chuckle echoed in the air. Pushing back his anger, Cardin began to curse himself for leaving his weapon behind at school. Didn't matter, he didn't need a weapon to beat up some punk trying to mug him. He wasn't an easy target.

"My boy, that's a lot of hate you got there. Don't you know those kind of emotions can blind you? Such waste, don't tell me you're just another mindless racist like the rest of them?" the voiced mused, its owner hidden in the dark curtain hung around Cardin.

"What's it to you, punk ass!?" Cardin growled, moving his head left and right to find the bastard playing with him. "And don't compare me to those trash! My reasons are mine and mine alone! I don't have to explain myself to a coward that hides behind some shadows!"

The voice seemed to pause in thought to his words. The shadows around them dimmed, fading away to silhouettes and leaving one large shadow looming from a trashcan. A figure walked right out of the shade, revealing a dirty blonde haired man. The stranger wore a dark brown leather padded coat with fur trimming along with straps tied to the forearms, dark gray cargo pants with several pockets, a crocodile skinned western hat, and combat boots. Three scarred lines ran across his face, stretching as he grinned ruefully at the brown haired boy.

"Sorry about that, boy. Just testing you out is all. And might I say, you have a strong aura." he chuckled as he stood in front of the boy.

Cardin quickly assumed a stance, readying himself for any tricks the odd man had. Looked like he was capable of a Semblance. The man wasn't some ordinary alley mugger, he walked with a certain air around him. "Again, what's it to you? I got better things to do then stand around with some weird old man, so move aside. Unless you're feeling like an ass kicking." he grinned smugly, earning a sarcastic whistle of awe from the blonde.

The stranger nodded his head, scratching his fuzzy chin as he looked into the boy's eyes. He liked what he saw. He flashed his teeth in amusement, "Oh? Fighting some random stranger over petty looks? That's not the proper behavior of a hunter, now is it? And such hate. What a sorry sight."

"Shut up!" Cardin snapped, swinging his fist at the man's grinning face. The dirty blonde leaned his head to the right, laughing in the face of the furious boy as his fist missed. Cardin swung said fist into his face, cursing as the man bent back. Falling back onto his hands, the stranger kicked his feet under the brown haired hunter's chin, sending him stumbling back with a bloody scrap.

Damn. That actually dented his aura. Cardin growled in fury before rushing in with a few jabs at the smirking blonde. A left hook was blocked by a swatting slap, the right dodged before following up with kick to his chest, and his charging tackle was stopped dead by a foot sending him stumbling into the alley wall. The bastard was actually skilled. Finding a few broken pieces of cement blocks lying around he began throwing them back at the slowly approaching man. The firing cement shards meant nothing to the man as he broke them to smaller bits with a swing of his arm. With the dust created from the rubble, Cardin used the opportunity to rush in with a downward swing of a pipe he found.

"Not bad, kid." the stranger nodded, impressed as he caught the blow with one hand. Bringing it forward to his chest, the man began to smack Cardin's hand into his face repeatedly, the pipe in his hand creating a dong with each hit. "Even without a weapon you seem to be able to put up a fight. All kids these days seem to depend on their weapons like a life line, makes them weak when they lose them in a fight. You're not doing bad without it, though I can still end you right now if I wanted to. We're going to have to work on that, won't we?" he grinned widely as Cardin grunted in pain with each smack. Pausing the rain of blows, the stranger patted the boy's head in amusement before delivering a devastating knee jab to his stomach.

Cardin gasped as the air was robbed of him. He fell to his knee's clutching onto his stomach as he glared at the man standing before him. This wasn't some ordinary stranger, the fact he didn't use what he believed was his Semblance should of warned him of that. But this guy was toying with him like it was a game! That was insulting. So what, he thought as he tried standing back up.

He was a Winchester. And even when they were dead on their feet they never backed down in a fight!

"Shut up! I'm a Hunter! Just like my father, and his father, and his father before that! We don't back down in a fight!" he yelled hoarsely, his face bruised, blood trickling down his lip as he held his bruising gut.

Such spirit! Now this was a hunter with purpose. Holt grinned at the beaten boy. He didn't know what it was, but there was something about the streets of Vale that always caused him to stumble upon potential.

Seeing the man raise his hand for another strike, Cardin tensed his muscles to try and counter. What he didn't expect was for the man to ruffle his hair with a smile.

"Tell me, what do you think of the faunas?" he asked with a curious look in his eyes.

Cardin scoffed, batting away the hand on his hair before taking a step back. He held his stance, just in case it was some trick to lower his guard, "They're animals that are lucky to even be living along side us. I don't trust them, those freaks are only a single step away from turning on their tails and following the White Fang!" he shouted, panting as he took the moment to get his breath back.

Holt nodded his head, an unimpressed look on his face, "Meh. Nothing I haven't heard before. Those are just words though. It's easy to hate them for being different." Definitely nothing he hasn't already heard from other people. And he was hoping for something more original.

"It's more then that!" Cardin roared, taking Holt by surprise as his glare intensified. He gripped his knuckles till his aura began having a difficult time from keeping himself from cutting his palms, "You think I'm just like them!? I don't care if they have a few extra limbs or animal ears! I hate them because their feral animals that don't have any regard for the life around them! All they do is bitch and moan about how hard things are for them, thinking that the best answer to fix things is terrorism. They don't care if a few innocent people get hurt as long as their message is sent! I hate them because their nothing but genocidal freaks that are willing to kill to further their cause!"

Several machines hooked up to a woman in a hospital gown played inside his head. A worn out smile, fading blue eyes, and a heavily bandaged face. Cardin's blood boiled as his face became livid at the memory.

'P-Please, don't hate them f-for it.'

"My reasons are my own. And I won't let anyone else tell me other wise." he seethed.

Holt paused as he stared at the boy in front of him, blinking with a face devoid of emotion. A soft smile took over his features.

"Good enough. But you have to open your eyes more, boy. You lack an understanding, I can help you with that. And so much more." he grinned, gesturing his open hand forward to the confused hunter in training.

"I can give that hate purpose. I can help you grow stronger. I can open your eyes to the faunas, and save them from themselves. All you got to do is trust old Holt."

Trust? The guy was handing his ass to him a few seconds ago. What did he have that Beacon wasn't offering him? Then again, the teachers weren't of much help. All they did was blab on and on about things that happened years ago. Not to mention he hadn't lost a match yet. He was hardly being tested as it was. And this guy had turned all his training to nothing, playing with him as some joke to laugh at.

It was also filled with fakers like Jaune. Weak minded fools who played with the idea that everything was fine.

Cardin gazed at the smiling man, considering his offer for a moment. Well, it didn't mean he had to stop attending Beacon. If it did then he could always go back later as if nothing happened. He supposed he could see what the Holt guy could offer him. Even if the guy seemed to want to teach about the faunas and spouted some crap about saving them. He didn't seem to judge him like everyone else.

Holt's smile widened further as he found the boy taking his hand with a firm and a stern scowl.

"I'm only humoring you. I already attend Beacon Academy, I don't need to quit it to go with some weird old man with a thing for recruiting guys he just beat up. If this turns out to be a waste of time, I'm bailing." he glared as he felt his aura kick in and heal his wounds.

"Be my guest! I won't force you and you can still keep going to Beacon. I'm sure you'll understand my own cause and come to see me as a mentor of sorts. I assure you, this won't be a waste of time. . ." he left his sentence hang in the air, waiting for the boy to finish it.

"Cardin, Cardin Winchester." he introduced himself.

Holt gave his hand a firm shake, tipping his hat to him as he grinned, "Nice name, sounds like a warriors. Name's Holt Delmos. Let me introduce you to The Friends of Faunas." he laughed loudly as the shadows under their feet sprang up under their feet.

The shadows stretched around them, forming a veil of darkness before wrapping themselves around Holt and the surprised Cardin. The shadows twisted over them, condensing within themselves before leaving behind nothing in the alley.

Today was a good day. Holt couldn't wait till Ann met their newest addition. Hopefully she didn't get jealous. Where was that bubble gum popping girl anyway?

---

"Here you go! One Kona Mocha with lots of whip cream and cinnamon sprinkled on top! And your download shall be ready shortly." a black haired man smiled kindly as he passed Jaune his chilled drink.

Jaune thanked the worker, placing his scroll down on the counter top as the man pressed a few buttons on his register. A hollow music icon popped on the screen, dropping musical notes into the empty icon by a crane as his music downloaded.

It would have been much easier to download his music back at Beacon, but certain albums could only be downloaded in music stores. It was a way to keep them in business. The Vibe Cafe understood that it wouldn't make much business only selling music that some others might be able download in the comfort of their own homes, so the company had decided to sell coffee drinks and treats along with offering a nice lounge area to listen to free music as they sat down. The place was cozy. He was going to have to stop by again later when he bought his comics. It would be great to finish a comic without Nora's shenanigans interrupting his reading time.

The place would also be a great spot to sit down and think about The Game. He could look over his stats and other options here without being stared at by both teams. Thanks to Pyrrha they all thought he had a gaming addiction. He could still remember how Yang had snatched his scroll as he was looking over his abilities and played keep away with him. There was no chance in winning, seeing as when he did catch her in a corner she had dropped his scroll into her cleavage, winking back at him to try and reach for it. Her purple eyes had gone red, daring him to try.

Jaune sighed at the memory. Thank god for Ruby and Weiss. If they hadn't wrestled it out of her hands, or breasts, then he would have had no choice but to attempt it. He wasn't willing to find out what would happen if he lost that thing. Most of his powers revolved around his scroll. Didn't even want to imagine if it ever broke.

Heavy musical beats rang in his ears, drowning out the jazzy melody playing over the cafe. Blinking in confusion, Jaune twisted his head to the side to find a girl waiting behind him, listening to her own music loudly with her headphones.

She had light blue hair curling at the tips, a long parting strand falling over her left eye and wore a dark purple and magenta stripped hoodie with short jeans. Her green eyes stared boredly back at him, raising an eyebrow catching him staring at her. She tapped her neon green sneakers, cocking her hip as he smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, didn't mean to stare." he scratched his cheek nervously as he gulped. "You waiting in line? I'm just about done here so you can go right ahead." Jaune moved to the side, letting the girl step right up to the register.

She spared him a glance, popping a green bubble of gum as she nodded curtly, "Thanks, Blondie." she thanked dully before speaking with the man behind the register.

"Give me a Breakfast Wrap to go and a copy of Jeffrey Will's new album, I Burn."

The man nodded his head politely, ringing her up, "Gotcha! Breakfast Wrap and Will's new album. That will be 25L, please!"

The blue haired girl frowned with a tsk, "Fuck. I only got twenty Lien on me." Should of listened to Holt. It was a bad habit to only bring what she thought she would need. Forgot to eat breakfast this morning and thought she could buy something small before heading back. "I thought the new album was 15L?"

The counterman shook his head with a sorry frown, "No, that was their last album cover, Like Roses. Their new one, I Burn, costs an extra 5L. Comes with a bonus track."

As awesome as that was it meant she was going to have to forget about that wrap. Ann's stomach growled in response, causing her to curse it out. Music ruled over food. Going to have to wait till her briefing with Holt was over with. And that old man could go on and on. It was waste of Lien anyway, a plain sandwich back at their warehouse was free.

"Fine." she sighed with a grumble, "I'll just take the new album. I can grab a bite when I find the time."

Another angry response from her stomach caused her to blush in embarrassment. She punched her gut with an angry glare. Damn thing didn't understand that it could eat later. Her tunes came first dammit!

Rummaging through her short's pockets, Ann was ready to pay for her download before a hand slapping onto the counter startled her. A green Lien card glared at her, the exact amount she needed for her breakfast. A shoulder tapped against her own, causing her to turn her head to the smiling blonde kid that stood in front of her earlier.

"Here, it's only 5L. I'm sure your stomach will thank me for it." he chuckled, earning him a growl from Ann's lips.

"That damn thing ought to shut up before it finds itself eating a knuckle sandwich."

"I don't recommend those. They aren't great for your figure unless your looking for blueberry tinted abs. Trust me, I've eaten my fair share."

Ann scoffed, her eye gazing lazily at his blue eyes, "I bet you have, Blondie." he looked like the pushover type. Staring back at the Lien card on the counter she scowled sternly, "You don't have to pay for my wrap. It's not a good idea to waste Lien on strangers."

"Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet. Besides, it's only Lien. I may not have much of it, but it's not that important to me."

"You're not the brightest guy, are ya?"

"Is it the blond hair? Because I find that discriminating. My kind have been belittled enough as it is!"

"And you're certainly not helping the stereotype."

"Just humor me, oh so mysterious blue haired girl."

"Fine." It wasn't looking like she was going to win this matter. Pushing the currency forward, she was allowed to begin her download. Ann looked back at the blue eyed boy, grudgingly sighing, "Thanks by the way. I'll be sure to pay ya back, Blondie."

"It's Jaune, Jaune Arc. And don't worry about it. It's only 5L."

"To you. Lien makes the world go round." Seeing the scroll beside her own and connecting it to the blonde, Ann snatched it off the counter as it finished downloading. She ignored his 'Hey' and opened his contacts page. "Here." After pressing a few buttons, she shoved the scroll back into his chest. Jaune looked at his screen in confusion.

"I'll message you sometime to met up when I have the free chance and pay you back the Lien with interest. That way I don't have to owe ya anything."

A new contact was created on his scroll. It read 'Ann' with a little picture of music note on her contact information.

That was nice. Kinda. But she didn't really owe him anything. "I told you, you don't owe me anything. I don't need the Lien."

"Too bad. What's done is done." The smell of a grilled tortilla wrap with sausage, Vale cheese, fresh greens with tomatoes, and mustard notified her that her food was ready. Seeing as her scroll was now done loading her new music, Ann quickly grabbed her meal and scroll and ran off to the exit.

"You better met me when I text you! I will hunt you down and shove those Lien down your sorry ass throat if you don't!"

Watching the odd girl run off, Jaune could only scratch his head at the turn of events. What a day it was turning out to be. At least he got the number of a cute girl. That was something.

'Congratulations! You've just Unlocked an Event! Trial by Fire, Begun! More details will be unlocked as you progress with this Event. Quest Unlocked, Returning the Favor!

Returning the Favor:

The mysterious Ann wishes to payback the Lien you lent. Await for her message to met up in Vale during the next week to receive your Lien. Plus interest.

Reward: 5 measly Lien. And interest.

Failure Penalty: She will hunt you down. No joke. You'll be tasting plastic cards for weeks. Trial by Fire Event will be failed as well.'

Jaune was not expecting that. Reading over the message, he began to wonder if he stumbled onto an Event when he wasn't paying attention. His scroll did stop buzzing just as he got here.

Ren was not going to like this. He somehow felt that he had a long week ahead of him.

---

And that's another chapter out of the way. Sorry, but no DLC today. I decided to work on editing the past five chapters instead. Got a lot of mistakes to fix. Again, I'm seriuosly considering accepting a Beta reader. It would help me a lot down the road. Something to think about.

What's in store now? Cardin has accepted a look into the FoF. Jaune has met a strange new friend. And poor Ren is in the clutches of huntresses and their gossip. That's a DLC to look forward to in the future. The wheels are turning, what will await them in the end? Lines are crossed, is conflict inevitable?

You'll have to tune in next week! Got to finish Chapter 8 first. And deal with my little brother. *Sigh* I'm not looking forward to this awkward conversation. Going to need to play some RWBY: Grimm Eclipse to settle my nerves. And finish watching Ip Man. A good fighting movie always cheers me up. Now to deal with my other brother. Damn idiot is babbling about becoming a meme lord on something called Animo. A good ass whooping out to ground him back to earth. Backhand, don't fail me now!

Read and Review. It's common courtesy.

NeoShadows fading in and out.