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?

8. Laws and Reason

The night has come for me, meaning it's time for another chapter of Multiplayer!

Honestly, I wouldn't upload this chapter seeing as Chapter 9 isn't even finished. It's been a long week. The trip to the beach took a lot of time out of my writing schedule, had to set things up for my mother's birthday and take her out to dinner with my brothers and sisters, and have to deal with my now fucked up cell phone. Yeah, should of checked my swim trucks for my phone. Last year it was my wallet floating in the water, losing my version of Pokemon Black V2 which I kept hidden in its sleeves and sixty bucks, now it was my phone. I got crappy luck, swear to god.

Don't worry about next week's chapter though, I'm 9,000+ words in already. It just needs another day of writing before it's finished. And it's an action packed one, let me tell you.

Like I said last week, this chapter is as action-y as the others. But it's necessary. I think it came out better then I originally expected. I got some good moments in here that still make me laugh. And it comes with a DLC! I kinda felt dirty writing this one. Thank god the apartment was empty when I was writing this.

Review Time!

JustJustin3099: Thanks, man! Gotta say, this is the most reviewed chapter so far. Glad to know my skill in writing fighting scenes hasn't dulled. Don't worry, I am going to continue the DLC for Summon Madness after all the positive reviews left about it. And yeah, my grammar still needs some working on. I'll be fixing that soon.

Wandai: As always, you bastard. You're theories are actually scratching at the surface of what The Gamer is. I absolutely love your guesses, but I can't confirm them, of course. But you're getting there. More of The Gamer's aspects will be revealed soon. Look out for Forever Fall, got something planned that will open up even more questions. As for Hera, oh yeah, I love her, I really do. I got something planned for her born from Atlas. And yeah, some of the characters were created out of fairy tales, except for Anabel. I'm surprised no one's found her inspiration yet. Oh, and can confirm one thing: you're right, one of the Player's is broken as hell. The nodes to some of my favorite shows and stories are little cookies to everyone else, glad you spotted them. Keep up the awesome reviews.

Remzal Von Enili: Go ahead, PM the OC's. If their good, I'll ask you for your permission to use a few for future chapters. Inspiration is always good.

Benthino: Glad to know you enjoyed the chapter! And the other summons will be summoned in later DLC's, don't you worry. And your team, you mad man. You're not the only one wondering the identity of the Premium Heart Angel. I'll give you a hint, the game is complicated as hell and involves a meteor.

WBrendon89: I guess Jaune does have the potential to be a Harem King with his powers. Did not see that coming(I did.). Ren has his reasons, but that could be said too in a way. And you know, I actually got the idea for Lost Fairy Tales from Kingdom Hearts 2. It's pretty much similar to the idea. Not bad, if you got more ideas, I'd love to hear more for ideas.

Omegazeroinfi: Ey! Fellow hunter in the mix! Glad to know I'm not the only one playing Generations, when I have the time.

GhostHornet: Don't worry about the bromance, it's more entertaining that it came off that way. Makes me laugh out loud. I'll think about it, not really into Bioshock but my little brother is.

TalonIbnLaAhad: Old amigo! I didn't know you spoke mother's tongue too! Chale, should of known wey! And yeah, Cardin's still in danger of losing himself to the darkness, wait till you read Chapter 10, or was it 11? That's when shit hits the fucking fan! You DLC is very amusing, I'll mull them over as I work on the next Lost Fairy Tale DLC for next week. I of course leave you a tip for your awesome bannana hammock. I hope you too get Generations when you can. It's awesome, when I have the time to play it. Keep the ideas coming, I love them. And one day, those cherries will be popped. . .after I buy some cream for my cramping hand and wrist.

Cinderfall201: Don't worry, I got plans for Neo. She may not be a Player, but she has her role.

Acerman: So many questions! Sad to hear not being able to find that webcomic, but it lives on in us. I got the idea for the police from a short on RoosterTeeth with the self driving cars, I just had to put in at the end seeing as it fit just right. Holt has his own reasons which will he explained upon later, trust me, there is more then meets the eye with this bastard. In every Reset, everything is brought back to zero, nothing carries over no matter what Quirk a Player has. Still not saying nothing on the last two either, so good luck with that. One will be revealed soon. For now, keep reading. The rides far from over.

SonicFanFlame: You know, typing it down makes me want to put in 'It's no use!' in there somewhere so bad, just to get your goat. Jaune's getting there, slowly. And the FoF have yet to show you what they're made of yet. I actually love White Knight, I don't know why. Guess I'm a masochist. And now I want to drink the bleach out of spite, I'm a Rebel!

Zhalo Shadowcell: Don't fret, I do get reviews like this a lot. My grammar is not the best. So I'll try to work on it. As for the Beta, eh, I'm thinking about getting one.

Drake187: How do you fuck someone runni-Never mind. Curiosithy aside, glad to have you as a fan! Happy to know you gave this story a chance, I know seeing all those Gamer fics can turn some people off from my own. It's been over saturated in my opinion.

BlackFireKingKoncor: Yup, that was you. I sent the guy a message few days ago, hopefully I get a message back on the commission. If not, well I'll just look out for other artists. Thank for the recommendation!

Soulfulbard: Yup, FoF some messed up folks. Wait till the next chapter. Got a feeling you'll get a kick out of this next DLC.

Loganhunter2: It's good to be back. I was in a slump for a long time, you know, with my old laptop glitching and not allowing me to write or post anything for a long time. But with my new laptop shining and glistening, I just had to get back into writing. Right now I'm simply focusing on one story till I get my back on the horse. I don't know if I'll return to Fairy Tail though, kinda fell out of it with how things have been going in the manga. Glad to have you as a fan of this story though.

Man! This chapter generated a whole lot of reviews! Thanks for the support! I really do appreciate it, I really do. Now lets get to reading! I ain't one for mushy shit anyway!

---

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, or The Gamer. You know who they belong to, why make me say it? Does it please you, you bastards? I'm more then some piece of meat! I got bones and shit too.

---

Chapter 8: Laws and Reason.

The Vale Police Department handled many things within the city. While hunters and huntresses handled threats such as Grimm, the police were left to deal with the many threats caused by humans. Robberies, kidnappings, drug trade, abuse, and other troubles. It made you wonder which job was worse. Hunters dealt with creatures that killed for no reason, drawn by negativity. They didn't have the longest life span and many turned to vice to deal with their cruel line of work. The police on the other hand dealt with the negativity that draws in the Grimm. People were capable of cruel and sick acts that made the men and woman of the force question who the real monsters were. And it was their job to stop them from doing such things and protect the people without causing any alarm.

They were what stopped negativity from spreading. They protected the people from the dark corners of the city. They were heroes!

"They're a bunch of morons!"

Church slammed his fist atop the police chief's desk as he went over what the events of last night, nearly knocking down the chief's paperwork and coffee.

"Not only did they apprehend the wrong guy, but they used excessive force on a student from Beacon academy! I'm pretty sure the few folks wandering around at the time recorded the whole thing too. I wouldn't be surprised if we find ourselves dealing with Lisa Lavender, that woman is always searching for a new story!"

"Blane said the kid was in cahoots with our suspect. They had been trailing them for a while and when they thought they had a shot at capturing her, she bailed. Seeing as this 'Jaune Arc' kid was talking to her and even had one of the FoF's fliers on him when they apprehended him, they had every right to take him in." Chief Guz S. Rola explained as he tried to finish his work in peace. Unlike the other officers, the chief wore a dark blue police padded jacket and pants fitted for police chief. He still wore a pair of dark sunglasses and had bushy eyebrows along with a trimmed beard on his face. Stamping the sheet of paper with his approval, Chief Rola went to work on the next pile on his desk, not bothering to turn his eyes back to the man in front of him, "And don't worry about any videos. I got someone taking any down from the net. I'm sure this won't be making any headlines anytime soon."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe, sir. And we still have to deal with the fact that he's a student of Beacon. You know how overprotective Ozpin is with his kids."

"Well, one of his 'kid's' is under suspicion of having ties to an organization that wishes to humanize faunus kind by maiming them. It doesn't matter what he thinks or what position of power he has, the law is the law. Even hunters aren't above that."

"And we still don't know if he's guilty of anything!" Church shouted in anger, "I'm mean, he caught one of their recruits along with a few other hunters in training last week. For all we know he was unknowingly being recruited by her." taking a moment to calm his nerves, Church straightened his tie before looking back at the chief with a stern frown, "What we should be doing is questioning him at least. Not holding him in a cell like some criminal. He's a good kid, he doesn't deserve this kind of treatment."

Chief Rola groaned as he scratched his forehead in irritation. Church was a good man, he really was, but he let his emotions get in the way of his work. Their was nothing the man hated more then prosecuting kids. "I know how you feel, Justin, but we have to follow the rules no matter what. He could be our only lead into the FoF and I'm not going to let that go just because he may or may not of been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Everyday that goes by that we spend scratching our heads wondering where the hell those bastards are hiding, is another day that another faunus is hunted down and amputated. And if you haven't noticed, their little hate group is starting to gain speed." picking up the remote by his side, the chief turned on the hologram TV on the far side of his private office.

"-and with little to defend himself with, Arron Whisk, a mouse faunus, was left at the corner of HayOak Street, bruised and bloody, with his mouse ears cut right off in a gruesome display of hate." the familiar face of Lisa Lavender greeted both men on the screen, her normally calm demeanor strained by the images displayed in pop up boxes by her head. She shook her head sadly at the scene, "This marks the third hate crime to leave a faunus in such a state since Monday morning, where a sheep faunus was found in a similar state behind an abandoned building by the pier. And if local chatter is to be believed, this isn't the first time to happen either. Several more attacks have been said to of taken place, but many believe that the Vale Police Department have been keeping such things under wraps in order to keep people from panicking. And while many are outraged and appalled by such attacks, others are questioning the faunus." Switching from her point of view, Lisa played the recordings of the people of Vale that she had questioned earlier that day.

"Who's to say these animals were innocent? For all we know, they could have been part of the White Fang! But instead of questioning them, the police are treating them like victims! Bah, I say leave whoever is doing this alone. They could be some kind of vigilante that's hunting down the White Fang."

"They're probably White Fang members. You never know which of those animals is part of that hate group. The faunus probably attacked first. Serves them right, is what I say."

"People are attacked all the time. Who cares if it's a stinking faunus? Hell, they look human now. Whoever did this is doing them a favor."

"Animals! This is what happens when you pledge yourself to a group of savages that wish to wipe out humanity off the face of the earth. The faunus are all alike, a little plastic surgery is a kindness compared to what we would of done to them back in the day."

Switching the camera back to her, Lisa frowned at all the negative comments she had received on the story, "Not much is known, but a group that calls itself 'The Friends of Faunus' has recently been under the eyes of the police. We've received no comment from the Chief of Police, Guz S. Rola, but it's this honest reporters view that they're are trying to keep these matters under lock and key. Tensions between humans and faunus have lately been luke warm, but with this new player in Vale and the White Fang suspected to be hiding within as well, many are fearing a full on gang warfare between the two. We now go to our crime specialist for mo-"

Guz shut off the screen with a tired sigh. Laying down his dark shades, Church could finally see the toll the new player in Vale was taking on his boss. The chief's weary and baggy brown eyes stared back at him sternly, "The news is too focused on The Friends of Faunus to care about a little beating that barely anyone witnessed. And we're up a shit creek right now with Vale's council demanding us to take care of the situation. I've got literally zero leads seeing as what little we find are killed the next day by some unknown killer picking them off like hotcakes to some deranged pancake lover. And now that we find one, still alive and breathing mind you, you want us to let him go and go easy on him because he's a 'good kid'?" The chief looked at Church incredulously as if he was insane, "Fat chance of that happening. I'm keeping him under our protection, guarded by our top officers until he spills every little thing he knows. I'm not taking any chances here. By the end of this week, the FoF will be put away, otherwise we have to deal with outside forces barging in to finish the job."

"You're not talking about the Atlesian military, are you?" Church gawked in disbelief. A few days ago he had ran into one of their troops as they left the station. Did the council really believe that they needed to bring in the big guns for a little hate group?

Guz nodded his head firmly, "One of the council members had gotten a hold of General Ironwood and asked for his assistance in dealing with this rising threat."

"But Ironwood's men deal with eliminating the Grimm, not some petty hate group."

"And at one point the White Fang was a petty hate group before they abandoned their peaceful ways. I'm guessing they had spun that little bit to the General to get him to agree. Sadly, I can see why he would agree. If a little problem is left alone long enough, it'll have time to grow and become a disaster. Better to deal with them before they become an equal threat as The White Fang." The General wasn't able to met him in person, but he had sent someone over to relay the message by private scroll. Either they take care of the problem, or he would be forced to deal with it himself. The Vytal Festival was approaching, so it was more then understandable why he would want to step in. But having hunters fix their problems would make the police look bad. It was a local problem, one that they could handle themselves. It was also odd that the General would accept the request like that. Seemed like he really wanted his men in Vale for some odd reason.

"Kris has already taken in four men who cornered a dog faunus girl in an alley. And each one had one of these."

Catching the coin thrown to him from his boss, Church began to run his thumb over the familiar markings of the small black disc.

"It's one of the tokens we've been finding on our suspects." he scowled.

"Dead suspects. I had one of our tech guys look it over and discovered they each have a little homing chip implanted within. Not only do they track their targets, but they seem to pick up on key phrases. Every time one of our guys catches a suspect, the coin listens in for police chatter. And when it catches even a single word, it sends out a single to the ones who've programmed it. I'm guessing that's how we keep loosing our suspects. Whoever is taking them out is fast enough to assassinate them from a mile away inside our police cruisers. They've got a hell of a sniper on them."

This was more then a little hate group. Whoever was leading them was skilled and well organized. They seemed to of thought of everything. Even their best reinforced vehicles weren't safe from the sniper's bullets. They were lucky not to have lost any of their own men while they were dealing with the case. That wouldn't last long though. It was only a matter of time before they got bolder and sent a warning message to stay out of their business. Just like the White Fang had done years ago.

"Not only that, but it looks like they're gaining followers. It won't be long till their numbers rise enough to pose a serious threat to the city. The four guys Kris brought in? Not only are they resting in body bags with nice bullet holes in their foreheads, but they're the only ones we've brought in that had actual ties with The Friends of Faunus. The seven we caught hunting faunus down this week were simply trying to get their attention so they could join. The problem can't be contained any longer." The whole thing was becoming a splitting headache. If Guz hadn't stop drinking after that charity event gone humiliatingly wrong, he'd be downing a shot before moving on to his bottle of vodka. For now he would have to be content with his coffee for stress relief. Downing a nice gulp of his steaming Mistral Roast, the chief fixed his sunglasses back onto his face before speaking to his old friend, "Tomorrow I'm sending Blane down to the Vale News Station to handle the social scene. There is nothing left to hide at this point, might as well come clean."

"And the kid?" Church couldn't help but ask.

Guz stood up from his desk with a grunt, stretching his arms back as he cracked his spine, "We'll interrogate him tomorrow morning. I'm not saying we're going to lock him away like some criminal, but out of all the suspects we've apprehended, he doesn't have a token on him. What little he knows will be a great service to us. So calm down, it doesn't look as if he's in cahoots with them. Otherwise we would have to deal with an angry Headmaster about one of his students buried with a headshot." he smiled awkwardly. The thought of an angry Ozpin was not a pleasant one.

While Jaune wasn't free of any charges yet, Church still sighed in relief at the news. The kid reminded him of his own son back home. It left a bad taste in his mouth thinking about him locked up like one of the sociopaths.

"Just try and be gentle. I don't think he has a good opinion of the police after being ganged up like that. And I'll be sure to be watching over the interrogation. Who's doing the questioning anyways?"

"Hm? If I remember right, it's Ken and Barbie."

"Dear god, no." Church deadpanned with a twitching brow. "Why them? You know how Ken gets, the idiot thinks that he can play both the good cop and bad cop at the same time! And don't even get me started on Barbie! That chick has no sense of personal space and she beat the shit out of the last guy she questioned!"

Guz shrugged his shoulders in apology, "My hands are tied. They're the only ones I got left to do it. Everyone else is busying with other important matters at hand. And they get results."

Yup, he was definitely going to watch over the proceedings. It's not that Church didn't have any faith in his brothers and sisters in arms, but he questioned their mentality at times. Sometimes he wonders if they had simply failed at becoming hunters and decided to join the force instead. It was starting to look that way, explained their act now, ask questions later attitudes.

"Fine, I'll be sure to keep an eye on them." he grimaced as they both headed out the door, "But if Barbie slaps me again, I can't be held responsible for what happens next."

"Shut up, we both know she'd kick your ass if you weren't her senior."

---

Jaune sighed in depression as his head fell back against the wall of his cell. Two hours had gone by since they had dropped him into the little cell with no explanation as to why. If it wasn't for his aura, he was sure he would of woken up to an aching body. So that was a positive. Did bring up the question as to why he was beaten like a sack of potatoes to mind. A shiver went down his body remembering the haunting sound of rubber gloves and the breeze between his legs.

'I feel so dirty. Now I can never be wed!'

"You okay there, kid?"

Shoving such thoughts deep into his psyche, Jaune spun his head to the voice of the curly cotton candy blue haired officer guarding his cell. Luckily he wasn't dragged into a prison, but to the police station in the middle of Vale. The cell he was locked into was separated from the few within. It wasn't exactly big, it was half the size of his dorm back at Beacon and the walls were made of solid see through bullet proof walls. Leaving no sense of privacy.

The officer outside his cell was leaning back outside the doorway, tapping on his scroll before glancing back at the blonde. "Don't normally see kids like you in our private holding. Must of done something really crazy to get you locked up in here." he chuckled in amusement.

"But I didn't do anything wrong. I swear!" Jaune argued weakly. What was the point? The other guys didn't listen to him when he woke up. They simply branded him as some criminal. All he did was go out and eat noodles with a pretty girl! When did that become a crime?

"Really? Then why'd you get locked up?" the officer scratched his head in confusion, "It's not like we randomly go out and beat people up and throw them into a cell. Must have done something bad."

"All I did was go out and eat dinner! With a girl! If that was a crime, then this is pure irony seeing as can never get a date when I try. What am I going to tell my mom?" Jaune whimpered as he huddled into a ball. His mother was a gentle woman, but she was worse then an Alpha Beowolf when you pissed her off. There was no telling what she would do to him when she found out he got locked up in jail.

The officer grimaced in sympathy, watching as the blonde began rocking back and forth in a corner. His own mother could be a real monster too. Still got his ass kicked when he showed up late for dinner. And he was a cop!

Turning his eyes to the boy, Officer Kris knocked on the see through wall to get his attention. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure if you're really innocent of whatever is going on, they'll let you out in a few hours. You don't seem like such a bad guy to me." he grinned cheerfully.

Jaune's big blue, watery eyes looked back to Kris with a glimmer of hope, "Really?" he sniffed, getting a chuckle out of the nice officer.

"Yeah! I'm sure the chief will be sending me a message to let you out any minute now!" speaking of the chief, his scroll was buzzing. That must have been him with his orders. Kris gave Jaune a positive thumbs up before reading over the message.

"What's it say?" Jaune asked as he got back up to sit on his flat bed.

Kris cringed, the news was not good.

"Uhhhh, rain check on that release." he laughed nervously, receiving a groan of disappointment from Jaune, "Chief Rola wants to hold you for the night and bring you in for questioning in the morning. Says you have information that's crucial to the FoF case. He did say you have one free phone call for the night though. So you can call whoever you need to before lights out."

"I don't even know what FoF is! Is this punishment for taking a girl out for noodles?" Was this The Game at work? Seemed like everything that went wrong in his life was it's fault.

"Wouldn't say that. But if what he says is true, you may be the only lead we have against those bastards." Kris said with a serious expression on his face. It was draining dealing with those sick bastards and their twisted ways. That poor faunus girl he rescued today was still shaken up about her almost amputation.

"Who are they anyways? This is the first time I've heard about them." Jaune asked with a raised brow.

"Really? You don't know who they are, yet the chief says you have information on them?" The hell? If he didn't even know who they were, how was he any use to them? It would explain why he was still alive. Most of the suspects had been killed by a sniper before making it to the station. Kris shook his head in disbelief. Guess it was a good thing he didn't know.

"I guess telling you won't hurt our case. Chief said Blane was going to be spilling the beans tomorrow anyways." Pulling up a chair from the desk close by the cell, Kris took a seat as he began to explain the new player in Vale. Who know's? It might help them out if the kid knew about the people he was going to be questioned about, "FoF stands for Friends of Faunus. They're a radical group of humans, and even some faunus, that wish to humanize the faunus by amputating what makes them faunus. They've been around for years, but they've never made waves in their movement till now. Not only do they cut off their ears, tails, and horns, but those who they also kill from time to time, as a message. Either they live as humans, or die as animals."

'What the hell kind of shit have I walked into?' Jaune's eyes were wide in mute horror. This did not happen before in his last life. The Friends of Faunus didn't exist, at least they shouldn't have. 'This is the Remix at work. I know for a fact that this group had never existed in my first life. If they did, I would know about it.'

Was this the Event he started, Trial by Fire? Of all the times to be separated by his scroll! If he had it, then maybe he could figure this shit out. The Game must have sent him a message about what was going on. Right now he had nothing on him, only his hoodie and armor.

"By the your look on your face, I can see you weren't lying about not knowing about them." Kris smiled sadly, "Every lead we've had on them has been assassinated by an unknown sniper targeting lose ends. And it looks like you might know something about them. You're also not dead, so they don't seem to know about you. Yet." his face scrunched up in remorse as he thought back to the four perps he had taken in. All of them dead before they even made it half way back. It was a miracle he and his partner hadn't been gunned down. Kinda haunting to know they could of easily pulled the trigger again and killed him too.

What the hell did he know? Jaune hadn't done anything to discover any of their secrets. He only stepped out of Beacon twice now. During his mission with RWBY and his team for books, and today when he met Ann so she could repay him the 5L.

Wait, Ann? Thinking back to when they parted ways, Jaune recalled the flier she had handed him before disappearing. Did that have to do with the FoF? He grit his teeth as Ann's face came to mind. She seemed so misunderstood. She couldn't be involved with people like this, could she?

Trial by Fire had begun when he met her last Saturday. She was connected, whether he wanted to admit it or not. And the FoF was tied to the ugly Event now in play. It made sense why they brought him in if they had suspicions about Ann being part of their group, he had hung out with her and she even gave him a flier to some underground betting match. She was the reason why he was locked up like a criminal.

All because he had paid for her food. A single act of kindness had him locked up.

"Whatever information you might have could really help us, kid." Kris smiled gently before another message to his scroll caught his attention. Looked like it was time to switch shifts again. The day had been tiring, a nice warm meal and shower before bed sounded like a good remedy. His light blue eyes turned to the slumped blonde with a sad frown. The kid didn't fit in a cell. Yet somehow he had been roped into this mess. Poor guy, "Time for me to be heading out. I'll have the next night watchman let you make that call of yours. I'm sure tomorrow they'll let you out after telling them whatever you may know. It was nice meeting you. . ."

"Jaune Arc." Jaune introduced himself wearily.

"Name's Kris. Just hang in there, Jaune. I'm sure you'll be back home and you'll be able to put all this behind you."

Leaving the blonde with another thumbs up and a small grin on his face, Kris walked off to switch shifts and head home.

The guy was actually pretty cool. It was too bad that everything he said wouldn't come true. If their was one thing Jaune had come to learn about his life now that it was a game, it was that things didn't end so smoothly like that. The Event was in play, and it seemed like he was going to have to end whatever the hell he was being dragged into.

Ren was right. Life was a bitch.

---

"And you're sure you're alright?"

"I wouldn't say 'alright', my face stings a bit when I touch it, but I'm sure my aura will fix that by morning. Other then that, I'm good. I'm sure that I'll be back at Beacon before lunch. They can't keep me here forever for doing nothing."

Pyrrha was still worried as she bit her thumb. Currently she was speaking over the scroll to her partner who had somehow wound up locked up temporarily in Vale's police station for the night. She was starting to wonder if he was cursed with bad luck or something. It seemed like the world was always getting him into these odd situations for the hell of it. And she'd only known Jaune for almost a month now.

The police had told him that he would be freed tomorrow, but for the rest of the night he would be staying in a cell. Why, Jaune wasn't allowed to say. The Headmaster had already been notified about the situation, but the knight's own team was to be left out in the dark. Whatever the reason was, it must have been serious for them to keep her partner in a cell away from everyone else.

It was grating on Pyrrha's nerves. Her poor partner was all alone in a holding cell for common criminals. What made it worse was his boy pretty face! He wouldn't last a day in prison. Nora had even said they used guys like him as currency. She didn't understand what that meant, but it made her fear for her blonde knights safety.

"As long as your alright." Pyrrha smiled softly, picturing Jaune on the end scratching his cheek in embarrassment. "If you don't mind me asking, what did you do that ended you in such a predicament? You're not exactly the most threatening individual out there." How could you think such a boy with such a sweet smile was a criminal?

Jaune didn't answer. His hands gripped the loaned scroll in restrained frustration as Ann's face flashed in his mind. "It's. . .complicated." he sighed weakly.

"Well, I trust whatever it is will soon be resolved shortly. I'm not happy about what's happened, but I'm sure that you'll be safe and sound with us soon."

"Tell him not to drop the soap! He can't afford it with his pretty ass!"

"Nora says not to-"

Jaune grumbled over the scroll, "I heard her." This wasn't some crappy jail flick. And he was separated from the other inmates that were in the station. Not to mention there was no need for a shower. Though he could still hear the sound of a rubber glove slapping onto a hand. Made him shiver in disgust. Thank god the officer on duty had told him that he wasn't cavity searched. "Anyway, my times about up. They're about to call nights out. Now I can see why Ren loves his bed so much. The crappy flat bed in my cell makes my back ache."

"Stay out of trouble then." Pyrrha chuckled light heartily before a worried frown took over her features, "We'll be waiting for you. And I'm sure team RWBY wishes for your safe return if they knew. I haven't told them yet, I'm worried that they would exaggerate. Ren and I have already had to restrain Nora to her bed with chains."

"My loyal stead! Your majesty will soon come to your rescue! I'll topple whatever government has imprisoned my trusty Jaune-cena!"

"Where did you even get chains?"

"Nora had some hidden under her pillow."

"That only raises more questions!"

A stern muffled voice carried over Jaune's end of the scroll, causing him to talk back to the voice. Looked like they wanted him to finish his business.

"Got to go, Pyrrha. My times up." he sighed.

"I understand. Don't want you getting in any more trouble" She would just have to hold out for now. Tomorrow she would see Jaune again and everything would be back to normal.

"Tell everyone not to worry when they ask where I am. I promise to see you all tomorrow. Goodnight, and say goodnight to Nora and Ren for me."

"Right. Goodnight." The end of Jaune's line soon hung up, leaving Pyrrha staring into her scroll with worried lines.

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Ren reassured her from his bed, lying back with shut eyes. It was really surprising how well he had taken it all. He truly was the calmest of their group. Which wasn't hard seeing as it consisted of a bubbly girl that swung a grenade launching hammer. "For all we know it could be an example of mistaken identity. Jaune's a resourceful guy, I'm sure he can talk it over with the police."

Nora nodded as she stopped struggling from her bindings, "Don't worry, Pyre. Our fearless leader will be back in our hands soon enough. And if one hair on his pretty little head is misplaced, I will rain Valkyrie justice onto their sorry asses! Now, undue these infernal chains!"

Ren shook his head as the orange haired girl bucked up and down on her bed. Yeah, there was no chance in hell that they were letting her loose onto the public. It was a wonder that her bindings were holding up. Normally she would have been able to break free. Made him question what she was doing with such strong material. Even after all the lives he's lived in The Game, his best friend could still find ways to both surprise and terrify him.

"Keep this up, and I'm withholding pancakes for meals."

"You wouldn't dare! . . .Would you? Please, don't! It's worse then withholding sex!"

Nope. Was not going to continue that line of dailogue. Ren chose to ignore Nora and focus his attention on meditation. There was no greater challenge then finding peace in the company of a being that could not be silenced.

Knowing The Game though, Ren could already guess that Jaune had somehow found himself in the middle of an Event. He warned him Vale was a hive of random Events popping up wherever he went. The Game didn't treat Events as they normally did in regular games. Each Event was special in their own way. Some were pretty simple and you wound up with some nice gear and Lien for completing them. But others tend to affect the progress of events to come. In good ways and bad. He wasn't deaf, Ren already knew about the whispered chatter of an organization that went by the name The Friends of Faunus. Looked like The Game created some new antagonist to fill in the space of Jaune's bullied arc. It was reasons like these that he had refused to stray from the scripted path in The Game. One simple change resulted in drastic ripples in Events.

And Jaune was well aware of his life now being a game. He wanted to change things, even though he had no idea of the horrible events to come. Nothing would change, why couldn't he see that? He was playing The Game blind. The little things that would change wouldn't even matter in the long run. All would be reset.

Soft footsteps made their way to Ren's bed, catching his attention as he turned his conflicted pink eyes to the gentle emeralds that were Pyrrha's eyes. She stood by his bed side, not knowing what to say as she stared at him with worry.

"Are you alright, Ren?" Pyrrha asked softly, tilting her head to the side as Ren shook his head.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just that you had that look on your face again." she answered, rubbing her right arm nervously. Every once in a while, Ren would have this odd expression on his face that he tried to hide from the team. It looked conflicted, strained, as if he was repeating something over and over in his head desperately. Quite honestly, the expression didn't fit on his normally calm demeanor. And she didn't like it.

Shit, Ren internally cursed. Where his thoughts starting to leak out onto his expression? Just another problem that rose up with Jaune's status as a Player. Everything had been running smoothly before, now with the blonde trying his hand at winning, everything was changing. Now Pyrrha was worrying about him. His eyes softened as he turned away from the invincible girl.

That was so like her. Every life she had been the one to fret about their little team, like a mother hen to newborns. Something that had never changed with every repeat was her fond smile. Made meeting her every time all the more worthwhile.

'Do you believe in destiny?'

And it made her death all the more heart breaking with every reset.

"Ren, you know I'm also your friend. If something's bothering you, you shouldn't be afraid to tell me." Without turning back to her, Ren could still feel her warm smile pointed at him.

No emotion. He couldn't be showing any emotion. It was what The Game wanted. For him to find hope once again and try beating it. Only to kick him down every fucking time he tried to save her! He wasn't falling for it again, he was done playing the hero. The Game had had another sap to play the role.

Instead he would simply enjoy what little time they all had together. Turning back to Pyrrha, Ren duly noted Nora's snoring form. About time she tuckered herself out.

"I'm fine. Guess I'm also worried about Jaune too." he said with a faked smile.

Ren wasn't telling the truth, but Pyrrha wasn't going to push him. She just wished that he trusted her enough to let her into his problems. They were friends now, right? And that was what friends did for another, they helped each other out with whatever was bothering them. Ren was a nice guy, even if he seemed cold with his calm demeanor. She didn't want anything bothering him if she could help it.

Laying her hand on his shoulder, Pyrrha withheld the sad expression on her face when he flinched slightly to her touch. "Well, I'm here if you ever need anything. Nora's not your only friend anymore, I'd like to think we can be just as close as you are with her. So don't be afraid to come to me when you're having troubles. I'm your friend too." her pearly white teeth grinned kindly at him. And try as he might, Ren couldn't fight the warm blush making its way to his face.

"Thanks, Pyrrha." Ren smiled gently in return. "I treasure your friendship as much as I do Nora's. It's nothing to worry about though. If I have any trouble, I'll be sure to look for you. Nora really can't keep a secret, and Jaune wouldn't be much help. You're the only one I can trust, I guess." he shrugged.

"I'm happy to hear that. But I'm sure Jaune and Nora can help you too. I know Jaune is a bit. . .awkward, but I think he has the makings of a great leader in him."

He did. All Jaune needed was a push to become a leader that could wipe out Grimm with a single swing of his sword. And that push would cost her life.

"It's getting pretty late. We should go to sleep too. The quicker we fall asleep, the quicker the morning will come and we'll be able to see Jaune again. He's probably got a good story to tell when we see him again."

Pyrrha nodded her head. It was about time she go to bed. The longer she stayed up, the more her mind worried over her leader.

"Right. I am curious to hear Jaune's tale. Just don't forget that I'm here if you need me, okay?" Pyrrha smiled before heading off to ready herself for bed.

"Goodnight, Ren."

Nothing would change. It was his mantra. But no matter how much he killed his emotions, why did it still hurt to hope for change? Ren shut his eyes as he pulled his covers over his face.

The Game was a cruel being giving him hope. The higher one's hope, the harder the impact once they fell. And looking into Pyrrha's green eyes always dug up some grain of it no matter how much he tried to resist it.

Nothing would change. So why couldn't he stop hoping for it?

"Yeah, goodnight, Pyrrha."

---

A tired yawn left Jaune's lips, smacking them as he grimaced from the nasty taste in his mouth. Sleep had quickly found him once the lights had gone out. The day had been exhausting and took a lot out of him. Not to mention his aura had drained him of energy once his injuries had healed, as minor as they were. Guess it was good thing he had fallen asleep so easily, didn't want to be up staring at the ceiling of his cell all night.

It was around the early light of morning when Officer Kris had knocked on his door with his baton with an apologetic grin. Said it was time for him to go over to the interrogation room. They did give him some time to use the restroom and clean himself up. Too bad they couldn't give him some breakfast first. His stomach was growling for something to eat.

Guess it was time to answer some questions. The only thing he knew dealing with the FoF was the flier he had on him. Ann did tell him about the secret map written in invisible ink that only became visible under a special mixture of dust and light. The location must have been their secret base or something. Downside was that it would mean Ann would be caught under the fire to come. Knowing that she was connected to the sinister group added on to the nasty taste in his mouth. And he had begun to think of her as a friend too.

"Here we are." Kris gestured to the guarded heavy duty door leading into the interrogation room. "Two officers will be meeting you shortly to ask questions. Word to the wise though," he winced, thinking back to who was to be questioning the poor boy, "Don't play along with their act and try to answer their questions as clearly as possible. Ken's a pushover, but it's Barbie you should worry about. That chick has a screw loose in that pretty little head of hers."

Jaune nodded along before entering the room. Did not want to cause any trouble. All he needed to do is tell them what he knew and he'd be free. Nothing complicated about that. Seeing a chair pulled out for him and the metal table in the middle of the empty room, Jaune took a seat while he waited. 'Okay, stay calm and everything will be alright. The police aren't bad people. One bad experience with them shouldn't say anything about their mentality. All you have to do is answer some questions, grab some breakfast, and head back to Beacon. If only my Gamer powers could help me out of this. Maybe my Charisma will help me out for once. Has to be good for something.'

The door to the room slammed open, the loud bang startling Jaune as two officers walked in. Just like every other officer he'd met, they wore the same detective uniform down to the sunglasses and tie. Which was weird, the police in all the movies and TV always wore blue. The first officer had slicked back brown hair with a couple of strands over his forehead, standing out from the others with his pretty smooth face. And the other had long strawberry blonde haired falling over her shoulder, looking as if she was a model posing for the law. Honestly, they looked like paid modles then they did police. The male officer on the right smiled brightly at him, "Nice to you meet you, Jaune Arc. My name is Officer Ken Mattel and this is my sister, Barbie Mattel. We'll be conducting your questioning today on the subject of the Friends of Faunus. So please, don't leave out any important details, alright?" he said kindly, his teeth sparkling in the dim light.

He could do that. Didn't exactly know much other then the flier. "Gotcha. I'll tell you what I know."

"Good to hear, Jaune. That reminds me," reaching for something behind his back, Ken slid a plate of glazed doughnuts to the middle of the table, grinning at the hungry look on the blonde's face as he wiped a dab of drool off his mouth, "You didn't get a chance to eat breakfast yet, have you? Go ahead, don't want you sitting there answering questions with a barking stomach."

"Really? Thanks!" Licking his lips Jaune reached for the top doughnut. And here he was worrying for nothing! The cops weren't so bad. Much better then the ones that beat him up yesterday.

The hand slapping away said treat cared to disagree.

Two rough hands picked him up from the front of his hoodie, dangling him above his seat as he stared in surprise at the kind brown haired man shaking him around like a rag doll.

"Alright! Where the fuck did you hide the body!?"

Why him?

"Start talking, tough guy! I got enough evidence on you to put you away for a long time! How's two hours sound to you!?"

Jaune was seeing stars as the officer stopped shaking him, lolling back his head as he tried to still his shaken thoughts, "Not long, really." he mumbled dizzily.

"Smart guy, HUH!?" Ken sneered before slapping the boy's right cheek, "Well, I got ways to make your kind talk! Barb's! Give him the business!"

Shoving her brother off the table, Barbie sat in front of the flinching blonde gingerly holding his cheek. He was just how she liked them, sweet and squirmy. Barbie licked her lips, her right hand pulling Jaune to stare directly into the shades of her glasses. He could faintly make out the honey brown color of her eyes as she grinned widely, "In the name of the law, I will make you spill the beans! This I swear on my trusty pimp hand!"

"Please, be gentle!" Jaune whimpered before receiving barrage of slapping left palms to his face. This was not turning out how he thought it would! It was last night all over again!

"Hey! Be gentle on the kid. He's innocent! And he's just a boy~!"

"Why are you playing the good guy now!?" Jaune shouted over the sound of his face being slapped silly. A surprisingly sharp smack brought his attention to the sadistic female officer panting with a blush on her face. The fuck!? Was this turning her on!? They'd only been at it for a few seconds!

Barbie threw her head back with a sigh, grinning oddly, "My, you have such a slappable face on ya. I haven't heard such sweet musics since our bible retreat as kids! I could do this all day!" she laughed in a husky yet creepy tone, "Now, are you going to talk? Or will I be forced to whip out my 'talking shtick'?"

"OH NO! NOT THE NAILED BLOODY BAT, WIGGLES!"

"WHY IS IT CALLED WIGGLES!?"

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Barbie growled before somehow removing his chest piece from his hoodie. With that out of the way, the strawberry blonde ripped off what was left.

Silence engulfed the room a moment later as the two officers were left to stare at the ugly scar cutting through the boy's body. Was not expecting that. All Barbie wanted to do is make the boy squirm some more and try covering his body like some embarrassed chick. Ken whistled in awe at the sight. Didn't see scars like that often, and on a kid that wasn't even old enough to drink yet no less. Must have seen some messed up shit.

He quirked his eyebrow noticing his sister's shoulders tremble. For the love of god, she wasn't-

"Ken, please, leave us for a bit." his sister said lowly as she let Jaune fall back to his seat. Barbie's back straightened as she kept her eyes fixed on the dizzy blonde boy with a scary glint in her eye. Sent shivers in his spine, in the wrong way.

Backing away slowly to the heavy reinforced door with a sweating forehead, Ken chuckled nervously as he made his way out, "Just don't do anything drastic. We still need to get the information on the FoF out of him. He's our only lead."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure his mouth is still functional. For the most part."

Eh, as long as they got something useful out of him. Leaving his sister with the cowering shirtless blonde, Ken whistled a jaunty tune as a shrilly scream followed out the door.

'I wonder if I can still grab a coffee? They usually run out of Butternut Crunch around this time.'

---

Church grumbled to himself as he made his way through the station. He was running late due to a flat tire and a painted frog on his uniform. Should have never bought his son those paints for Colors day. Why couldn't he understand that his white shirts were not a canvas of creativity!? Chugging down his steaming mug of coffee crudely made of clay, Church quickly stopped by the front office for a cinnamon twist. Couldn't work on an empty stomach.

Hopefully Ken and Barbie didn't start the questioning without him. They tend to get out of hand with their work. Especially Barbie, the girl was a sadistic freak. There was a good reason why she wasn't allowed to patrol the streets anymore. Crime may of dropped a bit with her roaming the streets, but the number of police brutalities she had caused wasn't worth it.

Passing his ID to the officer guarding the way, Church quickly made his way to the Interrogation room, only to stop with a furrowed brow catching Ken leaning back by the side of the door to the room, sipping out of his own mug.

Church was relieved. Looked like they hadn't started yet. Ken must have been waiting for his sister then. Well in the mean time they could get started without her. Made things easier with only Ken. Out of the two, she was the worst.

"Waiting on Barb, Ken?" Church chuckled good naturally as he stopped by the odd officer. His keys jingled as he went to unlock the door to begin the questioning. Didn't want to keep the boy here any longer then he was needed, "Let's just get this over with. Poor kid probably hasn't eaten yet. We'll ask him what he knows, hopefully get something useful out of him, and send him on his way. We got a big day ahead of us."

But before he could turn the knob Ken's hand had stopped him. The look on his face was not reassuring. "I wouldn't do that, boss. Barbie hasn't given me the signal that she's done with the kid."

Church slowly turned to the nervous brunette, his face devoid of any emotion as he took off his glasses. His blank stare made Ken gulp.

". . .What did you say?" He must have been going deaf because he was not hearing right.

"Yeah, thing is, Barb's kicked me out so she can interrogate him in private. Won't be long now, I'm sure he's just about ready to crack!"

Speaking of crack, the see through window on the far side of the door cracked from a chair nearly breaking through it. Creeping slowly to the damaged window, both men were left with hanging jaws at what they were seeing inside.

With a chair in his hand, Jaune tried desperately to keep the long haired blonde officer at bay as he backed into a corner. Light scratches adorned his already scarred chest and odd wet bruises trailed his neck, sweating in fear of the woman reaching for him. Said woman was shirtless as well, her lacy white bra free for the world to see, her belt undone leaving her pants hanging around her hips and raised above her head to whip. Her glasses had been tossed away, the honey brown eyes staring back at Jaune sending goosebumps crawling over him. And not in a good way.

Even with the sound proof walls blocking any noise from escaping, Burns could still make out the girly yelp as he began dodging his fellow blonde leaping for him.

"What part of you thought it was a good idea to leave Jaune with her?"

"The part that didn't want his ass handed to him early in the morning."

"We should do something."

"Yeah. . .we should-Not it."

"Not-Dammit! Best two out of three?"

"Nope. Good luck with that."

Church was beginning to wonder why he was even an officer at this point. Didn't get paid enough to deal with all this insanity. Whining as he opened the door to the room, Church quickly ducked under the plate soaring over his head. Was not paying for that crap.

"STAY AWAY! I already got enough shit to deal with at Beacon! I don't even know if I'm a virgin anymore!" Jaune cried as he tried defending himself with the only weapon he had left, a half eaten doughnut.

"Take your sexy lumps like a man! I'm so close, god dammit!"

"SO CLOSE TO WHAT!?"

'I wonder if I can sneak some vodka from Guz's secret stash. Coffee's not going to be enough to deal with this shit.' With a tired sigh, Church smacked the top of Barbie's head before she could trap her prey again.

Barbie growled wildly as her head whipped to the dead man interrupting her fun. Couldn't they see she was working? She blinked noticing Church tapping his foot at her. When did he get here?

"Hello, Sir!" she smiled cheerfully with a salute. If there was one thing Church could say nicely about her, it was that she at least had some respect for her seniors. "What are you doing here? I thought you had left this interrogation to us?"

"Who told you that?" Church frowned before smacking his head in realization, "It was Ken, wasn't it?"

"Yes, Sir!"

"I'm going to kill that guy." There was a nice spot by the pier that no one would notice a dead body. And he could send the guy's mother roses along with a ham. That woman loved her dead meat. "Look, I can take it from here. You've done enough damage as it is. Leave now, and I won't have to punish you for this."

"What did I do?" Barbie pouted.

Church looked at her with a deadpan before gesturing to the room. The place was a wreck with dents and cracked walls along with several doughnuts splattered everywhere. One of the lights was hanging above their heads by its wires. It was amazing what that girl could do with a simple belt. And terrifying.

"But I was so close!"

"Close to wha-Never mind! We can talk over this later. And remind Ken that if he does something like this again, he's on cafeteria duty again. That goes double for you if you do this kind of crap again."

Barbie huffed but relented. Didn't want to disobey him when he was using that tone of voice with her. Last time she was stuck on graveyard shift. Lost days worth of beauty sleep.

"Fine." she grumbled as she picked up her shirt. Buttoning it up, she sent a glare back at the relieved hunter in training. Bet your ass she wasn't done with him just yet.

Walking out, Barbie looked back at Jaune with a large grin, "We're not done, Jaune. I still haven't decided if you're innocent of the crime. Watch your back." she mouthed with a wink before sashaying out the door.

There was no doubt in Jaune's mind anymore, The Game was a sadistic bastard that loved toying with him. How else could you explain the crazy chick whipping him while moaning? If only he had his scroll on him, maybe he could have paused everything and escaped. Then again, Ren did say that while they were in a pause, The Game created an invisible barrier that limited their movement. Prevented any kind of cheating in its eyes. The welts on his skin were quickly healing with his aura kicking in as he sat back down on the same chair he was using earlier. Officer Church seemed like the only normal cop around here, excluding Kris. At least he wouldn't have to worry about his safety with him.

"Sorry about that." Church smiled weakly as he fixed the slightly damaged table in front of them. Taking his seat, he set down his mug and breakfast. "Ken and Barbie are very passionate about their work."

"Too passionate if you ask me." Jaune grumbled as he slacked in his seat.

Could not deny that, "Yeah, again sorry. Hope this doesn't affect why you're here."

"You guy's think I know something about The Friends of Faunus." It wasn't a question. And they were right, in a way. If Ann's flier was connected to them, then he could hold the secret to finding the bastards. An Event didn't have to end with violence, life may have been a game but it still seemed to follow regular logic. The FoF could be stopped with a police raid and everything would be done. Simple as that.

"Well, from what we know of you were seen with a suspect that's been connected to The FoF, Anabel Warhaul. Recent reports have put her under our raider after finding her sneaking around some private establishments. And what little witnesses that have seen her have noted that she's been handing out these fliers." the familiar UGC paper slapped onto the metal table, "We don't know much about where they're hiding, but we believe their base of operations is located wherever these fights are being held."

"Fights?" Jaune frowned as he read over the flier again. Didn't have much time when he was having his ass handed to him.

"Yeah, fights. If you can call them that. While we don't have much information on The FoF, we do know what the Underground Grimm Coliseum is about. We've caught a few heavy gamblers out drunk nights before, blabbing on about underground fights held in secret locations all around Vale. Each location changes and can only be found with secret messages. Unfortunately for us, the guys and gals were only one time goers who've been killed before we could get any real info out of them. Those who've been deemed worthy by whoever is holding these things are kept up to date on where each fight can be found somehow. If we can only find one of their fights locations, then I'm sure we can find someone who can spill the beans on the FoF. One of those drunks had recalled recruiters talking about joining some new movement called The Friends of Faunus."

"And they bet Lien here?"

Church nodded his head with a scowl, "These fights aren't exactly legal. Fighters are pitted against deadly Grimm for sport, to the death. Lien is placed on whether they win or lose, making these things even more twisted then they already are. And it's where we'll find the lead to break open this case." Jaune was their only hope at this point. Church didn't understand just how the Jaune had acquired the flier without the tracking token but he wasn't going to question it at this point. If he had the flier, then he must know the directions to the next match.

"You must know something, like the directions to where the UGC is being held today. Did Anabel say anything at all when you were with her about it?"

'I can't pay everything you spent today, but I know of a way you can make triple what you had originally. You seem like a decent hunter in need of cash anyway, this would be perfect for you.'

'There's a map written in invisible ink on the back. All you got to do is mix some Fire Dust along with some Lightning Dust into a fine powder and flash a blacklight over the powder on the back to create to reveal the map. Be sure to do it in the dark though, it doesn't work otherwise.'

Ann did tell him how to find the UGC. Because she had trusted him. Why did that make him hesitate? All he had to do is tell them what he knew. Wasn't much, but it would do. Friends of Faunus will be taken in and stopped before they could do anymore damage.

'And you were right. I am saving for something special. Something only Lien can buy. So, thanks.'

"If I tell you how to find the UGC," Jaune struggled, Ann's green eyes and faint smile popping up in his head, "What will happen to Ann? If you guys catch her with the FoF?"

That. . .was a tough question to answer. "Anabel will be taken in to custody. This isn't her first offense. She's under conviction of multiple thefts, assault, grand theft auto, and dealing with dangerous criminals. Not to mention she's no longer underage. They won't go easy on her once they convict her. She's out of chances this time." Church sighed sadly, "I don't know how many years she'll be put under but I know she won't be lucky if we find her there."

"Do you know her?" From the way he was talking about Ann it seemed like he had history with her.

"Yeah, you could say that." Church answered solemnly as he leaned back, "I've been dealing with her since she was a kid. That's personal though, and it doesn't have anything to do with what we're discussing."

"But she's my-" Jaune flinched back with a frustrated frown. What was she? Was Ann his friend? He hadn't known her for long, they've barely been around another for a day! All they did was eat noodles once, did that constitute as friendship?

What good did saving a criminal do him? Nothing but trouble would follow. So why hesitate? Why was it so hard to tell them what they needed to know? It wasn't like she thought of him as a friend. Jaune hadn't even unlocked her Friendship. There was no point in stalling. The longer he kept silent, the longer he was away from Beacon. The event could be finished like that. Right?

'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet, Jaune! There are friends all around you, you just don't know it yet! So, be sure to be the first one to make the first step. All someone needs is an open hand. So give them something to hold onto.'

Jaune's hands gripped tightly onto his seat, gritting his teeth as his mother's words rang in his thoughts. Ann wasn't a bad person, he didn't see a criminal behind those eyes. She wasn't like the Friends of Faunus, or even the White Fang! Something inside of him was screaming at him not to throw her to the wolfs, consequences be damned. It was foolish, stupid, utterly moronic of him to try to save some girl he had only met, but the idea of Ann being locked away with other criminals made him sick to his stomach.

A hero didn't abandon others, even criminals. They tried to save whoever they could. And that was the kind of hero Jaune wanted to be. He didn't see an NPC that he would never have to deal with again, that had little matter to his life or the world around him.

Jaune saw a stranger that was only a step away from being a friend. It made him want to laugh. Ren was right, he was too soft for his own good.

"I know where the next match will take place." Jaune nodded firmly as he came to a decision. Time to see if his Charisma can make itself useful for once. Life was a game, time to start playing it like one, "But I'll only tell you it under one condition."

"Condition? You know you aren't exactly in the position to be asking for them."

"Just hear me out. After all, once you know where the UGC is being held today, who's to say that will be it? If your suspects were being tracked the whole time, then the people that will be of use to you will most likely be as well. The moment you bust them down, the sniper that's been taking them out will do the same to everyone involved with the FoF. Including some of your own men." Jaune's mind was working over drive as he worked his Intelligence over its limits. What he had for now would do as he began to think of a plan that would benefit them both. Once this was all over with, the next stat to work on was definitely going to be his INT. It was amazing what he was actually capable of when he stopped to think, "You'll lose your only lead and the FoF will stop playing games and see you all as threats on their tails. You need an inside man that can gain their trust, to spill the beans on their whole operation and find where the FoF is really hiding. If someone can gain that kind of trust, then maybe you'll be able to take them down without any kind of casualties."

Church felt his jaw tighten at what he was implying, "And you think that inside man can be you? Kid, that's not going to happen. This isn't some kind of game you can just jump into for crying out loud! Not only are you not trained for this kind of crap, but there is no doubt in my mind that you'll wind up dead! What do you have that any officer in his station doesn't have that can get you in with those bastards!?"

"Ann's trust! Along with a mark on the front of my head!" Jaune shouted loudly as he got up from his seat to stare down the older man. "If Ann's connected to all this, then she must have trusted me enough not to hand me a bulls-eye! That means that I can run back information to you all without the threat of a sniper gunning me down in cold blood. And with enough trust, she can introduce me to the leader of The Friends of Faunus. She was a talking about a boss earlier last night, he must be the guy organizing everything, even the fights. I even have her number on my scroll."

At lost of words, Church was left to grind his teeth at the idea. It was stupid. There was so much wrong with what he was proposing, there was little doubt that he could lose his badge if things went sour during the mission. But he was fucking right. Jaune knew Anabel closely, enough for her to tell him about the UGC and not mark him down as a liability. Any undercover officer sent in wouldn't be able to yield the same results as the kid and might even wind up dead. They would probably be marked with a token, watched closely.

Was he seriously considering this? Dear god, he was. What the hell was it about the kid that made him listen? Looking into Jaune's eye, Church was surprised to see determination shining in his blue eyes. Why? Why the hell was he doing this? All he had to do is tell them what they needed to know, he'd be free and never have to worry about the matter ever again. Why would he throw himself into the lions den?

'But she's my-'

A sad smile found itself on his face as Church shook his head. And here he thought Anabel had no one watching out for her anymore.

"Say I do take what you're saying seriously, what's this condition you're speaking about? What do you want out of this if you help us and tell us the location of their base?" he asked sternly as he crossed his arms.

"You let Ann go."

"No can do. Like I said, she's exhausted her chances. She's a wanted criminal at this point, I'm not exactly some hot shot here at the prescient, I can't exempt her of her crimes."

"Then knock a few years off her sentence or something! She's not as bad as you think. It's not like she's killed anyone or cut off someones ears off like those bastards!" Ann didn't deserve the same punishment and treatment as them. Even if she worked for them, she had to have her reasons. She said she'd been saving for something, something that only Lien could buy. It had to be the reason why she had stooped so low to work with psychos like The Friends of Faunus.

How the hell did some kid not even half his age have him backed into a corner? Alcohol was the only thing to cure his headache at this point. Sadly, Church wanted to agree only to help out Anabel. Never liked treating kids like criminals. Not to mention he had grown attached to the little blue haired trouble maker the last few years. He blamed himself for allowing her to fall into such bad company.

Guz did owe him a few favors. Good thing he had never used them and saved them for a rainy day. Maybe he could work something out with his old friend. Jaune was right, Anabel had never been charged for anything worse then assault. Hopefully she had never killed behind his back. It would be impossible if she was convicted of first degree and such. Guz was also going to have a fit when he told him about the plan. It was career suicide if things failed, not to mention he would have to deal with Ozpin for getting one of his students killed.

In the end, Church had come to his own decision. It was completely moronic as well, but sometimes you had to use unorthodox methods to get the best results.

"Anabel's not going to get off lightly, but I'll see what I can do." Church grumbled. Inside he was actually relieved. Maybe it wasn't too late to save her. He already messed up twice, they said third time was a charm, "As for you crazy plan, we'll discuss it over with the Chief for approval. I'm not saying he's going to accept it." he stalled the happy grin on Jaune's face with his hand before smirking to himself, "But I'll see what I can do. He's my old friend, I'm sure I can get him to see that it's the best, and only, option we got at this point."

"Really? Thank you, Officer Church." Jaune grinned in gratitude as he shook the man's hand happily, "I promise that you won't regret it!"

"I somehow doubt that." But what choice did he have? Kid made good points. And he was watching out for Anabel. He was two for two.

"This does mean that you won't be heading back to Beacon anytime soon. If the chief agrees, we begin this immediately. From what we know, another match is scheduled today. So you'll call up Anabel and let her know you'll be coming over. We'll do our best to get you ready for what's to come."

Jaune nodded, "I just need my scroll back. It's kinda important to me." After all, all his powers dealt with it.

Making their way out of the room, Jaune could only hope that he was making the right choice. He was heading off into the Event with little experience and skill. All to save someone who didn't even see him as a friend.

Eh, he needed something to do, he supposed. Might even gain a few levels while he was at it. Playing undercover cop did sound like fun.

---

DLC 3: RWE, Remnant Wrestling Entertainment.

Glynda sighed as she hid her face in her hands. Ozpin was a great man, intelligent and wise beyond his years, not to mention he could be monster on the battlefield with his incredible abilities. The man was truly the picture perfect example of a hunter. As a headmaster though, he was anything but.

Said man calmly sipped from his coffee mug in a shared booth along with her lifted above the arena of the auditorium class. The place was packed with nearly every student on campus and their teachers for the show about to start. Cheers filled the air, popcorn was munched, soda and even some alcohol that had been sneaked in without anyone responsible noticing was sipped, and various knickknacks were being sold. And all the money being spent was going towards Beacon.

Glynda supposed that allowing one of their students to hold a wrestling event while raking in the Lien from the tickets sold was a good idea. Along with all the Lien made from selling food and beverages. Beacon wasn't made of money and they would need plenty of it with this years rowdy student body.

Still, having someone like Nora Valkyrie hold the event was more then worrying. Not to mention all the maple syrup she had used for the wrestling ring had drained them quite a bit. A good niche of the Lien would have to be used restocking all they had lost.

"Calm down, Glynda. While I know that Ms. Valkyrie's last attempt at this had gone. . .messy, I'm sure that this time everything will be fine under our supervision." Ozpin tried to reassure her as he relaxed back into his velvet chair. Last time the girl had made 10,000 Lien in less then an hour, which he may of already spent on new coffee machines without the witch's consent, there was no doubt in his mind that they would make a fortune with the school funding her idea.

"I somehow doubt that, Headmaster."

"Have some tea, Glynda. You get cranky when you're thirsty."

The lights in the auditorium suddenly swiveled to the center of the maple arena to the grinning orange haired girl standing on a platform above. Nora was wearing an odd outfit bikini top and tight shorts designed after pancakes. In her hand she held a rather large microphone as they spotlight fell onto her, "Welcome Beacon Academy and other weirdos to the first live event of RWE, Remnant Wrestling Entertainment! Sponsored by Everybody Loves Grape Soda, Beacon Academy, and Pumpkin Pete's Cereal! For our first match of the day, we have everybody's crowd favorite, the man with a woman's squeamish scream, the blonde goofball and self named Ladies Man, Jaune-Cena!"

"There is so much regret right now." Jaune grumbled as he posed while strutting out of the two large entrances beside the arena ring. The Game had him trapped into a mission requested by Nora of all people to help her raise some money for the school. Paid 300 Lien and offered a new Ability just for agreeing, Can't See Me. Too bad that the move was locked due to his Strength and Speed not meeting the abilities requirements.

Reaching the ring, which was designed after an honest to god authentic wrestling ring, Jaune hopped over the bungee like rope into his corner. He flexed his muscles to the crowd, surprised to actually find some of the female body whistling and calling out his name. The hell? Was that a large life size body pillow with his wrestling outfit printed on it? Nora had just given him his new jean pants, orange trucker cap with his grandfather's crest stamped on, and two orange wristbands and chain necklace! How the hell did they have merchandise already!?

Ozpin hid the smirk on his lips as he read over his scroll. Looked like his stocks in RWE had gone up three points. Knew it was a good idea to start funding that merchandise line. Nora had a gift in business. Who would have thought?

"And in the right corner, weighing in a 'I don't know, she threatened to kick my taco', with golden locks of blazing yellow hair, the puntastic, Yangtastic!"

A catchy tune began to play as Yang walked down the ring, shaking her hips with every step as she blew kisses to the crowd. She wore a semi revealing yellow top and skimpy pair of flaming shorts that hugged tightly to her bottom. A dragon tattoo circled her waist, slithering up to her neck where it bit down on the skin.

Note to self, Jaune reminded himself as his eyes stuck to the sexy blonde jumping over the rope, her breasts jiggling with the motion, thank Nora for the baggy jeans.

"When did you get a tattoo?" Jaune couldn't help but as ask he tried to keep his eyes anywhere near her lower body. A body like her's was cheating! How was he suppose to fight against that!?

"Eh, it's temporary. Nora said it would spice my outfit up. And I'm actually liking it." Yang craned her neck, showing off the nicely done fake tat with a grin, "What do you think? Do you like it?"

"Uhhhhh,"

"I'll take that as a yes." she said in a husky tone.

Unfair, unfair! How the fuck do you fight sexy!?

"Now that we have our opponents set and ready, let's get RWE's first match going with a Yang! Wrestler, are you ready!"

"Where the hell am I suppose to put my hands!? She's a landmine with a Cheshire grin!"

"Be a man and show me some balls, Jaune-Cena! Or else I'll make you a real man in front of the entire student body! And the people of the internet."

"I'll take that as consent! FIGHT!"

The crowd exploded in cheers as Yang shot off the sticky mat. Leaning back, Jaune missed the swiping fist passing his nose, only to groan as she kicked up her tapped feet into his stomach. He grimaced, taking the chance to grab onto her exposed foot for his secret technique!

"Coochey, coochey, coo."

"Y-You b-bastard!" Yang suddenly snickered, roaring in laughter as she fell back to the syrup soaked ground. Who the fuck used tickling as a grappling move!?

Jaune had her by the ropes, or foot. He grinned evilly, moving his skilled tickling fingers further along her leg. If there was one thing he had learned from fighting with his sisters, it was that all woman fell before a feathery hand.

Willing herself through the fit of laughter, Yang hooked her other leg into Jaune's, shouting in victory as she toppled him on top of her. His face fell into her breasts, freezing deathly still as his hands found themselves squeezing the heavenly mounds in confusion. Blue eyes looked to her in horror, his blush burning brightly as she grinned widely.

"You going to leave the job half done, Lover boy?" she purred, earning her a shaking head, "Thought so. Now, time for mama Yantastic to have her fun."

Flipping her fellow blonde over onto the sticky ring, Yang sat upon his crotch, grinding deathly slow with a teasing wink before raining a barrage of backhands to his face.

"Talk about mixing pleasure with punishment! Yangtastic has our underdog by the ropes! I can't even tell if we're watching a wrestling match or some hardcore porn!" Nora announced amidst the hollering and chanting of the spectators.

"Note to self, add a rating of 18+ to future broadcasts." Ozpin mused, typing the note in his scroll as Glynda sunk into her seat, hiding herself in shame.

The Headmaster shrugged as the blonde downed a long island ice tea handed to her. What could you do, sex sells.

Jaune was having enough of the odd mix of pleasure and pain. He was pretty sure he was at half mast despite how hard he was trying to keep his erection down. Bucking his hips in one powerful thrust, Jaune sent the busty purple eyed huntress flying off his waist. Yang flipped in the air, landing back on her feet as she panted with a blush. Was getting a little out of hand there for a second.

Sliding on the syrup coating the ring, Jaune took Yang by surprise as he came in with a sweeping clothesline. With an added spin, the knight sent Yang off her feet into the ropes. Time to finish her off.

Yang grimaced. Did not see that coming. Jaune actually had some muscle, guess it wasn't for show. But she'd be damned if she went down like a bitch!

"Oh no! Here come's Jaune-Cena's special move, The Punisher!"

"The Punisher?" Yang frowned in confusion as she tried to regain focus on her sight, "That sounds so gay-WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?"

Twisting Yang out of the ropes, Jaune seated himself on them as he sat her down over his knee. Her rear was raised in the air along with his straining palm, ready to rain justice!

"TAP OUT, OR FACE PUNISHMENT!"

"You don't have the balls!" Yang growled as her eyes went red.

Jaune shook his head in pity, "I warned you, please remember that."

With no remorse, Jaune rained the smacked down onto the tight ass, drawing winces and blushes from the audience as each slap rung in the air. Even Glynda peeked her eyes from in between her fingers at the sight.

'The hell is wrong with me!?' Yang thought to herself incredulously as she bit the bottom of her lip, her red eyes dying back down to purple as they rolled up in pleasure, 'Am I really getting a kick out of this? Oh my god, I think I found my turn on!' Each slap to her cheeks was sending tremors to her core, teasing her in a way she had never felt before. She was doing everything in her power as it were to keep herself from moaning loudly.

"Do you give up yet?" Jaune asked as he paused his smacking for a second.

Yang panted, her tongue peeking out of her mouth as she slumped on Jaune's knees. She couldn't keep this up. Anymore and they would be cleaning more then sweat and pancake syrup off the ring.

"I-I give, please, n-no more." Yang whimpered before rolling off his lap. She weakly tapped the sticky mat, struggling to raise it with the lack of energy.

Splashing his feet in the syrup, Jaune stood proudly in victory over the roar of applauding fans. Could have sworn there were a few scroll numbers flung into the air like roses.

"And there we have it, folks! The great Jaune-Cena has won by tap out! What a brutal victory!" Nora shouted with giddy, her own cheeks red from the ultimate move.

Scratching his chin in mild awe, Ozpin noted his stocks rise another few points. This show was a literal goldmine. Hello continental coffees.

"Glynda, are you alright? You seem a little red there. Tea too hot for you?" he teased with a grin.

The smacking crop to his face didn't appreciate his comment.

"Stay tuned, folks! We got a lot more action in stores! We have wrestlers like Cold Stone Renustin, Weiss Royal, The Reaper, Blake Shaddy, and many more! Along with your host, Nora the Pancake Diva! So don't go anywhere, the nights only just begun!"

Jaune winced as his scroll buzzed as he waved goodbye to the exhausted Yang moaning lightly as they carried her away in a stretcher. Ren was messaging him.

'Stay. The Fuck. Away. From Me. I swear to Oum if you even raise your hand like that to me, I will kill you on the spot. Game be damned!'

Looked like he couldn't use his special move with Ren. That was for the best, did not want to spank a man. With great power comes great responsibility.

"Up next, we have Weiss Royal readying herself against Jaune-Cena! And she does not look happy."

Raising his trembling hand, Jaune gripped it as he tried to calm it down.

'Down, Spank Hand! Snow Angel will kill us we fight her like that! Our honeymoon will mean nothing if she castrates me on the spot!'

It was going to be a long night.

---

And we're done for the night, or day.

Chapter 9 is almost done, I'll be sure to take the rest of the afternoon tomorrow after work to finish it up and then get to work on Chapter 10. Things are about to go crazy! I knew it was a good idea to have a chapter saved up just in case I didn't finish one. The system works.

Bed is calling me. Me need shut eye. I got to train a new girl coffee and dining management. I'm going to need two cups in the morning.

If I missed anything, let me know.

Read and Review! It's common courtesy.

NeoShadows fading in and out.