Multiplayer Chapter 28: A Clockwork Exam, a rwby fanfic

FINALLY! Dear god, did this son of a bitch take me longer than I expected! The Great NeoShadows can only blame himself. I just had to throw out my medication that my Beta provided me. The words just kept coming without them.

Hello, folks! As promised, albeit late, this is the Final Chapter of Multiplayer Volume 1!

Lies. All lies! Okay, so here's the thing. Turns out that I once again wrote a monster of a chapter, like, 40K+. I had originally thought I could fit everything onto one chapter, but I was only being optimistic. No, for this to end right, it would actually take 2 chapters! Aren't ya bastards lucky? Your favorite story ain't going on break just yet. We got one more chapter and that I promise you on my name, which is after the bloodiest city in Mexico. Chapter 29, which I swear to fucking god, will be the last chapter of the Volume for now and it is done for your information. My Beta, A Fan1204 is currently finishing the edits for the chapter and will send it over for my own sometime this week, hopefully tomorrow.

And I got something to tell all of you concerning the Multiplayer's Journal at the end of the chapter, so look out for that.

Now, for Reviews. Holy shit, I just asked a simple question! And y'all basically brought the story closer to a thousand in two days. I did not see that coming. Now, because of the amount I received, and with this chapter being long already, I can't answer all of them. I've read them, trust me, I've read each one. And I just want to say one thing.

Thank you. Honestly, you're all the reasons why I continue this fic. And to tell you the truth, I've thought about dropping it a few times, only for your reviews to keep me going. I've had my weak moments, but you've all brought me up to keep tapping away. I'll be sure to answer reviews before we close up for a bit next chapter.

So, let's keep going! We're almost to a thousand! Seventy reviews to go and we'll hit a milestone. But first, let's get to scrolling.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, they belong to RoosterTeeth. Holy shit! Did you all hear about Arc Systems new game? Crossover with Blazblue, Persona, Under Night Re-Birth, and RWBY?! Ya hear that? That's the sound of fanfic writers going crazy with ideas. Jaune in the Blazblue world, huh? Hmm.

. . . .Please ignore me. My minds racing a mile a minute right now and no one wants to get in the way of that. Trust me, I've been hit by an Ice Cream truck, getting run over hurts. And the driver, swear to god, looked like a young Slim Shady.

Chapter 28: A Clockwork Exam.

Vale

The end of semester exams had finally arrived. The looming challenge Jaune had locked himself in all those months ago was today and after preparing himself for whatever the headmaster had in store for him, he was confident he was ready to take on any challenge. He had even set up his alarm clock to wake him up early so he could go into Vale to pick up a very important item he had been working on every chance he had. But despite how early it was, he had found himself with a companion in tow as he walked the streets of Vale for his destination.

With a breakfast bagel full of sausage, bacon, and mistralian cheese in hand, Velvet hummed alongside Jaune with a skip in her step as she accompanied the knight in her school uniform on his errand. Her brown bunny ears wiggled as she took a big bite of her bagel in delight.

"You know for a cute bunny girl, you remind me of a carnivore with all the meat you eat." Jaune fondly commented, earning a pout from the brunette girl.

"Carrots may be my favorite treat, but I just can't say no to greasy meaty food." Velvet grumbled as she took another bite.

Jaune chuckled lightly as he patted Velvet's head playfully. It was nice to hang out with her again. Lately it seemed her team was being called into duty more and more. Just went to show how skilled and popular they were. He faintly recalled fans of team CFVY wearing sunglasses and berets after the leader. Luckily, they were on break for the next month to catch their breath and focus on schoolwork. And with her free time, Velvet had jumped at the chance to hang around her favorite blond knight.

As friends! It wasn't like she had a crush on a first year. No matter what Coco was teasing at with those kissy faces she threw at her. Besides it wasn't uncommon for friends go out in the early morning for food before a big exam. At the thought of what awaited them today, Velvet spun her head curiously to Jaune.

"You think you're ready for your end of the semester exam? For your sake, I hope you studied instead of playing games on your scroll."

Jaune grumbled, "Don't tell me Pyrrha got to you too?" he said in betrayal as the bunny girl shrugged.

"Well you do play a lot of games on there. I don't think I've ever met another person who mumbles about stats, weird attack names, and Friendship levels?" she titled her head in confusion. Sometimes she could make out Jaune's video game mumbling when he was in deep thought over his scroll. What an odd boy.

Nervously, Jaune spun his head around and glanced at the sky for any lightning. Okay, so it looked like he was safe for now. The Game had a nasty habit of smiting Players for revealing the game world to anyone that wasn't a player. Luckily, he hadn't let anything slip, to his knowledge. He almost forgot that most faunus had very sensitive hearing. He was going to have to watch out for that.

"It's nothing! I guess I've just been really obsessed over this new game I downloaded is all!" Jaune laughed awkwardly as the bunny girl gave him a suspicious stare.

"You're not playing one of those dating sims, are you?"

"…No?" That was kind of hard to answer. When Jaune really thought about it, his aspects of The Gamer were built upon things he would see in dating sim games. It was like he was some protagonist in some make-believe world, capable of entrapping the heart of any woman he met. But even that sounded ridiculous to a guy whose life had become a video game.

Holding up her suspicions a bit longer, Velvet eventually dropped her stare and happily returned to her breakfast. She didn't really care what kind of games her friend played, as long as he got proper sleep and remembered his studies.

Going back to the original question at hand, Jaune reassured Velvet with a confident grin, "Don't worry, I'm more than ready for today. I studied with my team on what subjects I was having trouble with the past month, so I know that I'm ready for whatever lays in wait!"

"The way you word it, it sounds more like you're prepared for an ambush."

'You're not actually wrong there.' Jaune thought dejectedly as his shoulders slumped. Ozpin had given him very little details to what his exam would entail. All Jaune knew was that it would be different than the normal field exams students would take in order to be accepted into Beacon without school approval. A test specifically designed to test him and no one else. For all he knew, there was an ambush of training bots waiting for him back at Beacon. 'Why couldn't it just be as simple as the written exam?'

Jaune paused, blinking as a random thought struck him.

'Wait, do I even have to take the written exam? Huh, this might be less trouble than I thought.'

But before he could truly begin steeling himself for what awaited him back at Beacon, he needed to pick up an old friend. One he had lost that night a month ago against the first Player in this twisted new reality.

An excited grin grew on Jaune's face as they found themselves standing in front of a weapons shop displaying various unique arms outside on tables and behind the window of the small shop. Above the shop displayed the name in bold steel forged letters that glistened in the sun from the daily maintenance of its owner currently polishing its frame from a tall ladder.

'Armed and Ready.'

With a drawn-out yawn, Professor Kusanagi threw his small cleaning towel over his shoulders before climbing back down. Touching the ground, he stood back and smirked in appreciation of his work before blinking as he noticed two presences behind him. He chuckled as he scratched his red hair and glanced back to find a familiar blue eyed, blond boy grinning back at him.

"Mr. Arc, I see you're up early as I asked. Good, I wanted to go over your new shield in detail before class started. You're not the only one who has to prepare for exams after all." he chuckled deeply as he shoved his bandaged hands into the pockets of his dark kimono. His single visible orange eye twinkled with amusement as he noticed the girl beside the boy.

"Oh, Ms. Scarlatina? Come by to discuss repairs to your weapon, have we? Or is that you're out and about with a special boy of yours?" Kusanagi teased with a smirk, getting a fuming pout from Velvet as she glared.

"Professor, don't make me kick you." she threatened with a crack of her knuckles. You don't mess with this bunny.

Kusanagi threw his hands up in surrender as he shook his head with a laugh, "Let's watch those deadly cannons you call legs, Ms. Scarlatina. Can't a man tease one of his students? Right, Mr. Arc?" the older man smirked as he turned to Jaune for support.

In the month following his last major story event, Jaune had found himself becoming one of Professor Ise Kusanagi's students. The professor had promised Jaune to teach him about forging when they had last met. And with Crocea Mors shield destroyed in his fight with Roman, he had more of a reason to take the teacher up on his offer. After a week had gone by and his wounds had healed completely, the first thing Jaune had done was seek out Kusanagi as the man finished closing up shop. When the red-haired weapon's smith had heard Jaune's situation and his want to restore his families shield, he had whole heartedly agreed to teach him how to forge and even repair his shield.

Since then, Jaune had begun visiting the school's forge every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday after school for lessons. Since he was just an amateur, it had been a struggling progress. But that was one thing Jaune was thankful for The Game, it allowed him to learn and master things that would normally take months or years in a short amount of time with enough focus. And in between learning how to smith and design weapons, he had been discussing the upgrades he had been brainstorming with Ruby for Crocea Mor's shield. At his current Smith Talent level, which he had unlocked once he had been accepted by Kusanagi as his student, he was unable to work on repairing the shield himself. Instead the professor had taken it upon himself to forge it with Jaune and Ruby's notes in hand, as a special gift for his newest student.

Weeks of hard work and sweat were now about to be paid off. The new shield for Crocea Mors had taken time once they had finalized the blueprints for its design and functions, but Professor Kusanagi didn't mind one bit. The flames of molten metal, the scalding heat of steaming hissing forged steel, and the sound of hammering clangs was what dreams were made of!

Like Jaune, the blacksmith professor was equally excited to hand over the new shield. There was only one thing better than creating weapons, and that was uniting two partners of steel and flesh to their next battle.

Patting Velvet's head with a chuckle, Kusanagi gestured his head to Jaune to follow him inside.

"Come on. Your partner's waiting for you, Mr. Arc." Kusanagi said proudly as he opened the door to his shop.

Following his red-haired teacher along with Velvet, Jaune marveled at the many weapons on display in the store. They ranged from small handguns, great swords, knuckle dusters, lances, the works. And knowing how most huntsman and huntresses worked they were bound to have second forms to each one. It was hard to believe that the professor had made each one himself. The man was truly a weapon fanatic, just like Ruby. It was no wonder why he was the little reaper's favorite teacher on campus.

Kusanagi gestured for Jaune to wait in front of the counter before heading for the back. He wanted to make it a surprise.

"So, what kind of modifications did you add to Crocea Mors shield?" Velvet asked curiously as they waited. She had been curious since she had come back and discovered that he was working on its repairs with Ruby.

Jaune grew giddy at the question, "You'll just have to wait and see!" he winked as he tried to contain his excitement, "When I was designing it with Ruby and the professor, I decided to add in a few cool functions to make it much more versatile than defending. If I'm ever without my sword, now I'll be able to fight with just my shield in hand."

A weaponized shield? Velvet wasn't sure she had ever heard of such a thing. It was rare nowadays for someone to even be fighting with the simple sword and shield. And if someone like Ruby had helped design it, she could only wonder what the new shield was capable of.

"From how excited you are about it, I can only wonder what it's capable of." Velvet smiled as Jaune's excitement began to rub off on her. It was always fun to see the new kinds of weapons people could create.

"Then look no further, Ms. Scarlatina! Because the knight's new partner is ready to blind the world with its wonder!"

With a thud on the counter in front of the two students, Professor Kusanagi grinned proudly as he stabbed the sheath form of the new and improved shield for Crocea Mors. Jaune gasped in awe, his eyes big with wonder and joy as he gazed at the new shield.

In its sheath form, the shield stood at 110cm tall. Its white metal had been buffed a brilliant white and it honestly didn't look any different from its original design. The only difference being that the top gold edged lining and what could be made out as the golden arcs gleamed with the new gold metal along with an odd flame like design. Velvet frowned, not really understanding how the new heater shield was any different than before. Until Kusanagi smirked and activated the shield.

With a forceful spring, the shield revealed itself in all its glory. A crawling gold flame lining ran around the edges of the white shield along with what Velvet could guess was an odd flaming animal bite mark at the point of the shield. The two crescents at the center of the shield had also been designed with what looked like fire rising from the symbol. And upon closer look, she noticed that the edges of the shield were sharper, almost like a fine cutting edge. The edges also appeared like they were made of segments.

"Wow, it certainly does look much nicer than before." Velvet commented with awe as she inspected the new shield. But she still didn't understand how it could be used offensively now. Besides its design, it looked like a regular old shield.

Sensing Velvet's doubt, Jaune gave the black smith professor a go-ahead nod. Glad to be given the okay, Kusanagi attached the shield to his arm after putting on a metal gauntlet. The shield snapped onto his gauntlet easily and firmly, displaying the new magnetized function for equipping.

And with another click of a button, Velvet watched the shield spin around until the point of the shield faced the dark-skinned teacher's fist. What looked like the grips to a knuckle duster popped out from the underside, allowing Kusanagi fit his fingers in and grip it tightly. Only then did Velvet notice how the point resembled a pointed blade.

"This is the shield's special ability. Its bladed edge allows the wielder to swing it around and slash at their opponent while still retaining the blocking aspects. Along with that, its stabbing force is quite incredible with an added attachment at the slot of the sheath." Moving the shield around, the professor revealed to the two the small cylinders on each end of the slot for the sheath. Small flames suddenly erupted like jets, surprising Velvet as her ears stood up at the action, "I've added a small engine jet, one of my personal additions to Arc and Rose's original design, for a powerful stabbing punch in heated close encounters. Might as well since it goes with the added elemental affect."

"Added elemental effect?" Velvet mumbled curiously before watching the sharp edges of the shield burn a scalding orange.

"Along with the incredible gold metal Mr. Arc had given me for his weapon, he also handed me an interesting material that allowed the shield to gain a Fire element." Kusanagi said, still impressed at how the blond boy had found such a material.

The materials the professor was alluding to would be the Ingot of Victory and surprisingly, Shards of The Prideful. The latter being practically worthless by The Game's description. Worthless, unless in the hands of a master blacksmith. In Professor Kusanagi's hands, its full potential was fully unlocked as a material to smith a new weapon or armor with a Fire element as a bonus.

Done showing off the new shield, Kusanagi finally handed it over to Jaune's waiting hands. With it in hand, Jaune couldn't help but go teary eyed as he stared at his own reflection given off from the polish of the metal.

"It's good to have you back, buddy." Jaune sniffed with a happy smile. Combat just didn't feel right without the added weight on his waist or arm. It felt like a part of him was ripped off since he had lost it. But now his old friend was back in his arms. Back home.

"I wouldn't say its back entirely." Kusanagi frowned as he crossed his arms. "The remains that you brought me were the foundation of your new partner. It's not the same shield that your great, great, grandfather fought with. What you have now is a new soul, one created by your own design in mind."

"He's right." Velvet nodded as she gazed at the new shield, "I wouldn't call that Crocea Mors, that's the name of your sword. You're going to have to think of a new name for it."

Jaune blinked at what he was hearing before staring back at his shield.

"A new name, huh?" he mumbled as he went into thought. 'I guess they're right. I can't call it Crocea Mors anymore, the two aren't the same. But what am I going to name it?'

It would have to fit with its new abilities and what it represented. A shield that radiated fire, protected those behind him, and fought back like a blade. It was a shield that defended and attacked, born from the memory of the last time he had found himself without Crocea Mors' blade. Born from a material of a haunting chuckle.

'You don't have it, do you?'

A voice long gone, gruff and smug, tickled Jaune's conscious as he was reminded of that day. And of a rule by a man too far gone in his own justice. A rule of blades, of instinct. He found himself staring the snapping bite marks depicted after a wild animal on his shield in sad fondness.

'Even when you've long been gone, you're still haunting me, huh? You gave me something that day, but it's not what you wanted. What you gave me was-'

"Ignis." Jaune said resolutely, catching the attention of the blacksmith and bunny faunus girl as they turned to see him staring at his shield with a solemn grin, "Ignis Mors."

'Fire, a fire to rebel against those who scoff and mock my ideals and ways. And what better way to ward of the beasts biting at my back than fire? A raging will that even The Game and The Will won't be able to snuff out!'

"Ignis Mors?" Kusanagi said slowly, testing the name out before finding himself nodding, "Yeah, it does have a nice ring to it. It certainly matches the fire element to it."

"I like it. It sounds unique and fierce!" Velvet said brightly as Jaune snapped his newest shield back to its sheath form.

Happy to hear their approval, Jaune stretched out his hand and reached into his Inventory. Summoning Crocea Mors out of his pocket dimension, he gave the age-old sword a nice twirl before lining it up for Ignis Mors. And with a slow scrape of metal, the two weapons became one with a resounding click.

'Congratulations! You've received Ignis Mors!

Ignis Mors [Shield/Blade/?]: A pure white shield with gold flame designs and twin arcs stamped on the middle. With its unique design, it can be used to slash at targets like a razor-sharp blade and blast away targets with an explosive jab. Being a unique weapon, it comes with an Ability Tree that explores its full potential. Offers +45 Defense when defending and Fire Elemental Damage. A shied born from the remains of a war born weapon, rekindled by a burning rebellious resolve. It's true wrath and brilliance remains to be sparked.

Form 2: Locked.

Skill Tree:

1. Point of Eruption[20MP].

2. Saint's Bonfire [HP Drain].

3. ?

4. ?

5. ?'

"Welcome to the team then, Ignis." Jaune happily grinned as he patted the two joined partners. With them by his side, he was confident he could take on any challenge. Including Ozpin's waiting exam.

With the matter done with, Kusanagi decided now was the best time to hand over one more gift before beginning his own assignment handed down from his employer. Reaching for the back of his waist, the dark-skinned blacksmith placed a brown clothed item on the counter before sliding it over to the blond knight.

"To commemorate not only your new partner, but acing your last assignment in my class last week, I wanted to give you a little something I know you had your eyes on since we first met." he grinned coolly as he watched Jaune begin to unwrap the cloth before his eyes widened in surprise.

'Congratulations! You've received Mamba!

Mamba [Pistol/Hunters Knife]: A black pistol revolver that shifts into a hunter's knife. Offers close range combat and long-distance combat. Its revolver allows for Lightning Ammunition and Explosive Rounds along with the ability to augment the blade based on the Special Ammunition. Grants +7 Attack. Must have a Talent in Firearms-Lvl 3 to Equip.'

Jaune stared in confusion at the familiar black pistol handgun in his hand.

"You're really giving me this? I though it cost 500Lien?" he said as he marveled over the weapon.

Kusanagi shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner, "Eh, that was while it was on discount. It's actually worth 11,300Lien. I thought I'd save it on the off chance that you took me up on my offer and learned a thing or two in my class. A new student is worth more than cash after all." he said fondly. Reaching under the counter one last time, he then handed Jaune several cases of ammunition on the house to go with his newest weapon, "But I also know you don't have any experience with guns, seeing as your weapon doesn't utilize a firing mechanism of any kind. So, now you have a reason to learn. I warn you though that you shouldn't fight with it just yet. Even for a huntsman, it's dangerous to use a weapon they have no experience with. My advice, ask Ms. Rose for lessons on firing a gun. We have a firing range on campus, so you'll be able to have a nice place to practice."

Dropping the cases of ammo into his Inventory, Jaune thanked his teacher while making a mental note to talk with Ruby the next chance he had. It was about time he learned how to fight with a gun. It offered a great source of long range combat.

"Thanks for everything, Professor Kusanagi. Really." Jaune said gratefully, "You've helped me become a better huntsman these past few weeks. Now I feel like I'm truly catching up with everyone ahead of me." he said wistfully as he stared at his hand.

A hand once too weak to aid anyone and only capable of accepting it. How things had changed.

Waving the thanks away, Kusanagi walked out from his counter and went for the door, "Nothing to thank me for, all that you're capable of is because of you. Now you just have to continue proving yourself to everyone else." he smirked as he opened the door. Urging Velvet ahead, the blacksmith gave Jaune a knowing look as he stood at the front of the doorway.

"I'll give you a minute to get ready. Once you step outside this door, your day will begin."

The sound of the door shutting caused a ripple effect to the world around Jaune. Everything froze still like a captured photo. And from the bottom of his feet, the world bled white until everything was painted and reformed to a familiar setting.

A Moment of Respite.

"Man, do you have a hell of a day ahead of you! What a way to close off the first Act, don't you think?"

Appearing in his usual effects of dark embers, Husk greeted Jaune with a lax wave as he stepped into the safe room.

Jaune greeted the odd godlike being in kind with a small smile. Unlike The Will, Husk wasn't a complete asshole nor was he manipulative. In fact, it seemed like he was cheering the knight on. And despite not meeting the final member of the godly trio, Jaune found himself liking Husk out of all of them. The guy did offer him healing items and abilities to boot.

"I take it by my surroundings that I'm about to step into a Boss fight once I leave this store?" Jaune said knowingly as the brown paper bag headed being nodded happily.

"Pretty much! It's Exam Day after all! Old Ozzy's got a few tests waiting for you once you step outside those doors. So, I thought it would be a good idea to offer you my services before you started the fun!" Husk cheerfully grinned. Oh, today was going to be so much fun!

Not a bad idea. But with how lax things had been since the last event, Jaune was already well stocked on potions for the time being. It didn't mean that he couldn't browse around though.

With a go ahead nod to the merchant god, Jaune's HUD was swapped out for the wares on sale. Nothing much had changed from the first time he had been presented with the item screen, only the price during Husk's sales. Apparently, he hadn't done enough for the merchant to stock up with new items, something Jaune found rather insulting. He fought two terrorist organizations for crying out loud!

'Husk Wares and Other Random Junk!

Items: Price:

Small Aura Potions. 500L(x1).

Large Aura Potions. 850L(x1).

Small Mana Drink. 700L(x1).

Large Mana Drink. 950L(x1).

Flash Dust. 600L(x1).

Fire Dust. 500L(x1).

Lighting Dust. 600L(x1).

Recipes:

Fury Burst Recipe. 2,000L.

Refresh Recipe. 2,500L.

Demon's Vein Recipe. 2,300L.

Abilities:

Giga Impact. 2,000L.

Avarus Mors. 77,777L.

Toxic Vent. 1,500L.

Counter Force. 3,700L.

Special Items:

AP Boost. 20,000L.

Health Boost. 15,000L.

21,769Lien. Finish? Yes/No.'

While Jaune and his team couldn't partake in any missions involving Grimm extermination until their second semester, they were allowed to go on small missions handed out by the teachers. And with Tsuki's Lucky Amulet(Power) equipped to Crocea Mors, the amount of Lien he was rewarded was boosted. Good thing too, anything that involved The Game, such as weapons, abilities, skills, and items were far more expensive than everyday items.

'Hmm, I could always buy a new Ability. I'm still not at where I'd hope to be in my Alchemist Talent to use Recipes, and I have enough Stat Boosts on me. Plus, I have enough Potions and Dust to get me through anything major today.'

After reading over the abilities, Jaune decided to add a physical ability without the use of a weapon to his growing list. Selecting Giga Impact, he handed over the 2,000 Lien to the merchant.

'You've received Giga Impact!'

Husk giggled in delight as he shuffled the colorful cards in hand. The feel, the texture, the SMELL! Ah, there was nothing better in this reality then currency in his opinion. Other than a good story of course.

"Pleasure doing business with ya, Jaune!" Husk grinned as he snapped his fingers, calling off the items on sale while pocketing his money.

With that taken care of, Jaune opened his Menu to fix his Abilities and Skills while he had the chance. He wasn't sure he would be able to change anything once he stepped out. Scrolling through his options while thinking over a balanced set for whatever awaited him, Jaune swapped out a few things before coming to a suitable Ability, Skill, and Perk set for the day.

Status:

Jaune Arc, Heart of the Gamer. Lvl: 27.

8,800HP/8,800HP.

215MP/215MP.

AP:60/SP:45.

EXP: 1,397,800E.

EXP to Next Level: 2,087/312,000.

Strength:47(53.8)

Defense:62

Speed:42

Charisma:29

Intelligence:30

Wisdom: 33

Dexterity: 29

Luck:40

Equipment: x1CEC Knight's Hoodie, x1CEC Knight's Gloves, x1CEC Knight's Cargo Jeans, x1CEC Knight's Boots, and x1Regen Ring.

Equipped Weapon: Crocea Mors (Lucky Amulet Equipped.)

Ignis Mors[Shield].

Abilities: Power Strike[2AP], Teres Mors[5AP] Crescent Blade[5AP], Warp Strike[7AP], Target[7AP], Arc Impact[10AP], Giga Impact[10AP], Stalwart Blade[7AP], Hyper Blade[5AP], Lunar Divider[8AP], Sonic Line[8AP].

Skills: Auto-Block, Reload, Angel's Radiance, Scarlet Drive, Kindle, Dual Dust Cast, Air Recovery.

Perks: Iron Roses, Champions Aura, Dragon's Scales, Blood Oath.

Spells: Reflect, Ember, Firebolt, Fairies Peck, Chill, Spark.

Affinities: Fire.

With a confident nod at his set, Jaune shut his Scroll before turning back for the door out of the Moment of Respite. It was now or never.

"You know, it's only just begun. Once this First Act is over, things will only continue to go downward for you, and your friends."

Stopping before he could reach the exit, Jaune glanced back to the merchant god staring at him blankly with a no-nonsense voice.

Husk tilted his head to the side, his drawn eyes growing bolder with a red hue as he grinned widely.

"You've grown strong, confident, and you seem to have finally eased into your body and reality as a Gamer. But I've seen that before many times, kid. And let me tell you, what you've tasted this far has only been the sprinkles of our marvelous cake!" he chuckled deeply in a high pitch tone, shaking his head in amusement as Jaune's blue eyes narrowed, "I just don't want you growing cocky. There's nothing less fun than a smug Player who thinks they're Godlike. What a boring game that would be."

And just when he was starting to like the odd god. For a second, Jaune had almost forgotten that Husk was in it for the show. They all were.

"You know, since I was resurrected as a Gamer in this game of yours, all I've ever heard from others is that I don't understand what I'm getting into. That I'm just a naive green horn with stupid pacifist beliefs that won't get me far. That I should just embrace my role as a Player and focus on an Ending." Jaune's words were somber as he thought back to the three Players before him.

He spun around to face Husk, his eyes hard as steel as he clenched his fist over his heart.

"But this is the path I've chosen. One that I'm determined to follow despite what the others may say. I know the others would complain about how I do things, but they're my way, not theirs." he said strongly with a raised voice of frustration, his glare growing sharp to accent the blue of his eyes, "I'll continue living my life as if it's the only one I have, not some game I can hit the reset button on. So, you don't have to worry about me growing cocky. Because despite these powers, I'm still the novice huntsman in training fighting to stay on the same level as my friends. If I ever grow arrogant, empathetic, or too laid back, I'll have them to snap me out of it!" he smirked proudly.

Husk's grin grew to split his bagged face. He laughed, nearly falling to his sides as his laughter filled the silent safe room at the knight's response. Oh, how fitting for a boy who wanted to be a hero! Power of Friendship and all that silly cliché stuff! That was The Heart for you though, so naive and passionate.

How he had missed such a Player.

"I just wanted to make sure you understood was all! Honestly, compared to the rest, you're my favorite little Player. Will just wants to see others struggle and pull miracles out of their bloody, mangled asses. Remnant just wants to see Players and NPC's die to her creations, be they the land itself or her Grimm, but Me?" Husk sighed in content as he shoved his hands in his pockets and fished for something, "While I enjoy the adventure, action, and currency of The Game, I find that you little NPC's and Players are far more enjoyable! Will may create the Cores of a simple NPC and fill them with certain characteristics, but they take a life of their own once they're born. We can't control you without tampering into said Cores, which is a giant pain in the ass to do that, even Will refrains from it, but you Players are special! And you, by far, are my favorite." he said fondly before a jumble of ringed data was pulled out from his pockets.

Jaune took a step back, frowning at the immense sense of foreboding the data gave off. To him, it just felt wrong. Just as it did when Husk had helped him into Ren's Core.

"What are you doing?" he asked warily as Husk stepped closer.

"Just giving you a little help is all. Why not?" Husk shrugged as his pleasant drawn on smiley face grew a frown, "Will's been doing things behind our backs for centuries, lining things up for his own goals and fun despite Remnant's and I's say so. Like his latest pet project. So, I'm going to do something for my own amusement."

With the jumbled ball of data in hand, Husk raised it above his head and pointed a single finger up. The rings neatly organized themselves, forming into bands around his arm before an intricate key popped out from his finger like a blade. And like a blade, he stabbed the key into Jaune's heart without a second thought. Jaune's hand flew for his sword, only to grow confused at the lack of pain as Husk turned the key.

Husk chuckled as the sound of a locks timbers clicked, "Take it easy, Jaune. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. I've just unlocked your full capability as Heart, just as Ren, Adam, and Roman had eventually done. Usually it takes achieving your first End to mature your Title to its true potential, but like you said, compared to them you're on uneven ground. With this, you'll be able to do a little more as Heart."

A brilliant glow of energy enveloped Jaune's body, coursing his body with a new power as his blue eyes glowed a deep blue. He couldn't help but marvel at the energy running through his body with awe.

"What is this?" he asked softly.

'Congratulations! The Heart's Clear Sight has been Unlocked! A new Option has been Unlocked! Dive, Unlocked!'

"Nothing too special in combat prowess if I were to be honest." Husk began to explain as he stowed away his Key, "Hell, you've recently began showing signs of being capable of it, probably because of the first time I gave you the power against regulation. What you've been granted is The Heart's clear sight. What it is, well, I'll leave it to you to find out. Trust me, you'll see how it works soon." he chuckled ominously.

Shutting his eyes as he felt the new power settle in, Jaune gave the merchant a thankful smile.

"You know, for a god, you aren't so bad. Thanks, Husk."

Husk gave the blond boy a salute. Suddenly, he blinked as a mischievous grin formed before throwing his hand out. Several dark neon green tendrils shot out of his palm and stabbed through Jaune's body, taking the boy by surprise before pulling out a weathered page.

"Almost forgot! That damn smug flameball made some counterfeit copy of Monty's Missing Page. The one detailing Ren's life as a Player, something that not even Monty knew about with his future sight. Nothing I hate more than counterfeits." he said darkly before crushing the false paper in his bandaged hands. The crumbled page ignited, burning up in his fingers before pouring out of his grasp like sand in ash.

"It was a fake?" Jaune said in disbelief. Why would The Will give him a fake page for? Going into thought, he realized something about the copy he was given. The Missing Page of Monty had helped in persuading Ren to give him a chance, to let him play the game they were both trapped in. And the way he had been rewarded the incredibly rare Key Item was through a Hidden Event. Now that he thought about it, Jaune hadn't come across any hidden events since that day, not even when he had tried out an old feature to his Menu, Event Finder.

Did that mean it was all Will's doing? Why?

Husk shrugged as his body began to slowly disperse in dark flames, "Eh, who knows what that thing is ever planning. It is the strongest of us three, seeing as it can directly change the original script to The Game. And with this run being a Remix, he gets a lot more leeway to do things its way. Just watch out for its tricks in the near future. Trust me." he grinned widely with a dark foreboding.

"There's a nasty one in the making."

Feeling the absence of the god, the world's original form returned as the Moment of Respite faded away. Leaving Jaune back to face the door out of Kusanagi's weapon's shop. With a small glance back at the space the odd merchant occupied, Jaune turned the knob of the door and stepped out into the bright flash of sunlight from the morning sun.

The being just couldn't ever leave him on a high note, could he?

As soon as the door shut behind him, Jaune made out the sight of the unseen dome of pixels trapping him within a controlled space. To the people mingling the area, some unknown source compelled them to stay clear by logic made up by The Game. Even Velvet stayed away from the dome, looking confused as she gazed at the back of the calmly smiling blacksmith greeting Jaune. In his bandages hands he held three unique blue plastic swords. One with a longsword blade, a great sword blade taller than himself, and a rapier blade.

"You know, if it was up to me, we would be using the real things. I was really looking forward to seeing you and your new partner in action, but the Headmaster said it wouldn't be a fair test if I used any of my weapons. Something about dealing with a lawsuit, an angry mother, and mountains of paperwork. So instead, we'll have to settle with these." Kusanagi said amusingly as Jaune walked to the center of the street.

"Uhhh, what?" Jaune asked in confusion. He knew he was in for a fight with the appearance of the Moment of Respite, but Professor Kusanagi?

With a knowing gleam in his eyes, the blacksmith explained, "The Headmaster already let me in on your situation a week ago. About you know what? So he's devised some dumb tests to prove your worth. Your own personal Entrance Exam!" he gestured his arms widely to their surroundings with a fired-up grin.

"For your first test, you will be graded on your Endurance against an overwhelming opponent. But to make sure you aren't critically wounded in our battle, we will be using fake swords. They'll be enough seeing as their made of a material that acts as a conduit for our aura. In our hands, they're as fine as blunt edged weapons. So, choose your preferred blade!"

'So, it's already begun? You know, when I thought about Ozpin's exam, I had thought it would take place in school. Not the streets.' Jaune thought dully as he stared at the plastic weapons Kusanagi presented him with. So, was that a no to the written part? Because he was fine with that. 'Well if I'm going to fight, I might as well go with the blade I'm used to.' He was still working on his Greatsword form with Anubis and he'd never fought with a rapier before. Not needing anymore thought on the matter, Jaune reached for the longsword.

'You've received Mimic Longsword!'

Mimic Longsword[Toy]: A professionally made longsword for fanatics and kids alike! While its edge is incapable of cutting or doing any real damage, in the hands of a huntsman or huntress, its blade can deal damage by infusing it with aura. Deals damage based on Strength. A toy made for fun of all kinds.'

Longsword, huh? Kusanagi nodded in appreciation as he chose his own weapon. The kid was more suited for the style than anything else. Hopefully that familiarity would be enough. Nothing worse than a short fight. Throwing the rapier toy to the side, Kusanagi heaved the large Greatsword mimic over his shoulder in a form he was used to. Jaune did the same, repeating the form he had created with the absence of Crocea Mors original shield.

"The test is as follows: You will have 5 minutes to survive a spar against yours truly. If your aura falls to Zero, you lose the first exam. Simple enough for you?" Kusanagi explained as a second later, Jaune's HUD displayed said Timer.

Jaune nodded as he tried to settle his nerves. A test of Endurance against a trained, professional huntsman. Even if they were going to be fighting with toy weapons, this wasn't going to be easy. What the hell was Ozpin thinking when he came with this test? Jaune was pretty sure there were better ways to tests endurance than this.

Taking a deep breath, Jaune tightened his hold over his mimic sword as The Game informed him of his task.

'The Clockwork Exam, START!

Test 1 of 3: Steel your Endurance!

Details: Headmaster Ozpin's exam has begun! For your first test, survive a spar against Ise Kusanagi, The Blacksmith Professor of Beacon! Endure his powerful, swift strikes for 5 minutes to pass!

Failure Conditions: HP falls to Zero before 5 minutes are up.

Note: Items, Spells, and Soul Links are disabled.

Optional Objectives:

1. Drop Kusanagi's HP to 75%.

2. Stagger enemy 5 times.

3. Deal 3 Critical Hits.'

"I'm ready!" Jaune shouted confidently despite his trembling hands.

Professor Kusanagi shut his eyes. A brief smile could be seen on his face before his face became stoic and hard as stone. He narrowed his eyes sternly as he placed his free arm within his kimono's front to his chest as he set his sights on Jaune.

"Good, now" he breathed as his aura flared around his body like a coat, displaying the silver color for all to see as he raised his mimic Greatsword overhead, "PROVE YOUR WORTH!"

'WARNING! Boss, Incoming! Ise Kusanagi, The Weathered Arms! Get Ready!'

'Ise Kusanagi, The Weathered Arms.

97,300HP/97,300HP.'

'FIGHT!'

The first thought to come to Jaune's head once the fight started, 'That's a lot of HP!'

The second? A tearing blade of silver aura erupting out of the overhead slash from Kusanagi's. It was a like a flash of light, brief but powerful. Jaune grimaced as the aura blade threw him off his feet and chopped off 800HP with one hit. With Sky's Skill, Aerial Recovery working its magic, Jaune was able to automatically fall into a roll and get back on his feet. Just in time to raise his sword over his head to stop a falling slash from Kusanagi's Greatsword. The force of the swing released a cutting pressure even as it was stopped by Jaune's shaking arms, dropping his HP again by 400.

"Running short on breath already?" Kusanagi said stoically as Jaune looked back at him, gasping lightly under the force of the great blade. Splinters of broken earth erupted underneath Jaune's feet as the teacher increased the pressure, much to his chagrin.

Not waiting for a response, Kusanagi kicked his knee up, striking Jaune's abdomen with enough force to raise him up in the air with a grunt. With the knight airborne it allowed the blacksmith to rear his Greatsword back before batting Jaune away with the flat side. An audible thwack rang out as Jaune was sent flying again for the shop. Gasping from the pain and bruise already forming around his stomach, Jaune maneuvered his body to catch himself before he was sent crashing through the windows. But his vision picked up a blur of silver behind him just as his feet touched the ground. Kusanagi's narrowed orange eyes met Jaune's surprised eyes before a spinning rising slash sent him back into the air.

'What am I? A JUGGLING BALL!?' Jaune thought incredulously. Righting himself again, he quickly eyed the silver blur that was Kusanagi just as he prepared to send him flying again. Not again! "Warp Strike!" Aiming for the red-haired professor, Jaune flung his plastic sword like a bullet for his head. Jaune grinned in victory as the man moved his head away at the last second. The blade despite its material embedded itself behind Kusanagi, warping Jaune to the spot. "Target!"

The tip of Jaune's mimic longsword glinted dangerously as Kusanagi spun around in surprise. In Jaune's sight, multiple cross haired targets dotted the teacher's body before he fired a flurry of wild stabs onto him. Kusanagi flinched under the rain of blows before frowning at the lack of pain.

'For all their speed, the attacks aren't doin-'

Critical Hit!

Kusanagi gasped deeply as one of the stabs hit his chest, unleashing a ripple of seeable gust stabbing through his back. Where did that come from?

'Ise Kusanagi, The Weathered Arms.

95,200HP/97,300HP.'

Rearing his sword back, Jaune continued his assault as the blade glowed a bright white, "Power Strike!"

Thinking fast as he threw out the surprise attack, Kusanagi moved the flat of his great blade to block the powerful thrust. With a roar, the red-haired blacksmith pushed Jaune back and sent him stumbling with a swift thrust of his blade. It was too fast to dodge, leaving Jaune to counter.

"Stalwart Blade!" Enduring the staggering thrust through gritted teeth, Jaune countered with a lighting quick slash to Kusanagi's chest. The blade was pulled back, draining the man of strength as Jaune breathed a relieving breath. A small amount of his HP was recovered as he moved back and dodged an earth shattering downward slash. Chunks of gravel flew up in the air that the teacher used to his advantage. His hand reached for a large chunk as he batted a cluster of shattered road after Jaune. It was like the shot of a widespread shotgun. Even as Jaune rolled away, he found a few of the shards drilling into his aura.

2:00 Minutes.

'Just a little longer!' Only two minutes to go and he would pass! He just had to keep on his feet and evade while throwing in a few attacks. It wouldn't be possible to achieve all the objectives on his Mission, but that hardly matter. What mattered was standing his ground!

Sucking in a haggard breath, Jaune focused his sights back on his opponent. Kusanagi was charging after him with his Greatsword scrapping a trail of broken asphalt following behind. Instead of aiming to strike, Kusanagi stopped a few spaces away and roared as he performed a rising slash. The asphalt following his blade rose up like an arc, spreading cement bits and dirt like a cloud. Jaune was blinded by the attack, coughing as he swung his sword rapidly to deflect the shrapnel.

"Let's play dirty!"

A clearing wave from the blacksmith revealed him spinning his large blade around like a twirling baton. Gathering momentum, he slashed diagonally as Jaune moved his blade in front of himself to defend. The move proved useless as Jaune felt his body cut through as a tearing edged wave of wind from the Greatsword was released against his own longsword. The windows to the teacher's shop behind him cracked from the monstrous wind as the crowd gathering around the fight were startled by the whipping gale tussling their clothing and hair.

Through grimacing eyes, Jaune went on to move away from the dangerous teacher. Professor Kusanagi was proving to be a man who knew his way around a fight. And that strength! The guy was fighting with an imitation Greatsword! And he could still break the road easily with one downward slash?

A large basketball sized piece of asphalt smashed into the side of Jaune's face before he could move his feet, earning a wave of groans from the audience. Velvet gasped into her hands at Professor Kusanagi's savagery, the asphalt chunk breaking in his hand from the left swing shattering under Jaune's aura. Following the swing, he jabbed his elbow into Jaune's face as he reared his arm back.

A ringing hammered Jaune's hearing as he stumbled back, his vision swimming. That was a low blow! What was this? A street fight?!

No, wait. It was a street fight.

'God damn it.'

Eying the disoriented knight, Kusanagi sighed as a look at his scroll revealed all that he needed to know about the kid's status.

'Jaune Arc.

25%Aura.'

A few more swings, and Jaune would be out of the count. It seemed even when Kusanagi was trying his best to fight at a fair level it was too much. Too bad, the kid held promise. But this was a test and he needed to push him to his limits. Only then could he surpass them as a true huntsman could.

Blood trailed the side of Jaune's head as he finally regained his bearings. For a second he was sure he had blacked out from the blows to his head! Popping his knuckles with a snarl of frustration, he forewent dodging and charged. If dodging didn't work, then how about attacking?

"Hyper Blade!"

Vanishing from sight from the spike of speed, Jaune raided the veteran huntsman with a series of dashing strikes from all corners. To the crowd, it looked like multiple blond-haired knights appeared around Kusanagi in blurs. Kusanagi found himself smirking, impressed as he deflected each strike as he danced around the attacks. So, he could be fast when he wanted to.

"Target!" Ending the speed raid, Jaune used the distraction of one of his Hyper Blade copies being cut down to slid around Kusanagi and aim for his back. A flurry of plastic steel struck his back, causing no damage until one of the stabs lucked out and sent the man stumbling forward with a pained gasp.

You had to love having a high Luck stat. Target was only capable of dealing damage by Critical Hit, basing landing the oh so important hit on Luck. Landing it twice was truly a stroke of fortune.

Clenching his left fist, red static veins began to crawl up his arm as a coat of white energy covered his skin. Left open by the attack, Kusanagi was unable to dodge the ruthless knuckle ramming into his spine, "Giga Impact!" As Jaune's fist dug into the huntsman's back, he twisted the knuckle and unleashed a corkscrew effect that ripped open the man's kimono with a spiral grove as a thunderous release of white, red veined energy exploded out his front.

'Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.

937HP/8,800HP.'

Jaune wanted to scream as the skin of his left arm dyed an angry, blistering red. Giga Impact was a powerful physical move, dealing high damage but at the cost of paying 15% of one's HP in exchange. His aura was already inching to the red. Giga Impact now left him in the danger zone. Was it worth it? The weak grin on his face as he watched Kusanagi hold his chest with a grimace said yes, hell yes.

:49 Seconds.

It was almost over. Not even a minute left!

Patting the new ripped open hole in his favorite kimono, Kusanagi turned back to Jaune with an impressed glance. Now that was a hit! Even when he was just about out of Aura, he was still fighting. Now that was Endurance!

Glancing at his Scroll, he realized time was about up. So, why not end it with one last dance? Twirling his Greatsword around his hands, Kusanagi gathered the destructive momentum energy around his blade for one last bullet fast charge.

Jaune knew that in his current state he wouldn't be able to dodge the next swing. He was already worn out from the monstrous blows from a toy of all things! But that was alright. Being in the red wasn't always a bad thing.

"Activate Skill, Scarlet Drive!"

About time he used Velvet's Skill. Funny how he always forgot about it in the heat of battle.

Scarlet energy enveloped Jaune's body, increasing his Evasion to 75% for a short time. More then enough for him. Appearing in a silver blur, Kusanagi swung a cleaving slash across Jaune's chest. With a surge of adrenaline pumping through his veins, Jaune leapt high above the large blade like a rabbit. He twirled around the air, bouncing off the greatsword as it swung up for a reaching scrape. Rolling onto the ground, Jaune found himself expertly dodging the swift slashes releasing whips of stormy winds. He spun around a stab, ducked under a wide spin slash, bounced back from a perfect cross cut, and at the last moment hopped onto the large plastic blade as Kusanagi spun his greatsword around in a whirlwind swing. The audience watching nearby shielded their eyes from the monstrous gale created by the ensuing vortex of wind pushing them back on their feet. Even Velvet with all her training as a huntress found it difficult to stand her ground as her long brunette hair and bunny ears were blown back.

:10.

Jaune grunted as he jumped off the blade and flipped in the air. He landed a good distance away from the blacksmith as he found Kusanagi's eyes sharpen.

:09.

At the moment, Jaune noticed something surprising.

:08.

Kusanagi was only using one arm.

:07.

And he was moving his free arm out of the sleeve of his kimono's waist to grip his mimic greatsword with two hands.

:06.

Silver aura ran up to the blade as he reared it back for a drawing slash, warning Jaune of danger as Kusanagi dragged a deep breath.

:05.

Jaune scowled fiercely as raised his mimic longsword by his side. White wisps of magic energy ebbed from the plastic blade just as Kusanagi's muscles coiled. Scarlet Drive was still active, so he had to time it just right.

:04.

He came this far, he wasn't going to fail!

:03.

"Crescent Blade!"

"BEGONE!"

:02.

The onlookers watched as the twisting gale was suddenly torn to shreds by a single swing of Kusanagi's mimic blade, the pure force of the single swing silencing all noise like the eye of the storm. A gleaming silver blade gashed the blacksmith's door, the force shattering all of his windows to twinkling shards that showered the sidewalk in front. A dead silence fell.

:01.

The sound of a body falling back to the cracked road echoed. A litter of small tears marred Jaune's combat vest along with tiny bleeding scratches on his face as he laid back on the torn apart street. His entire body ached. But despite the pain.

:00.

Jaune grinned widely in victory, his HUD's display telling him all that he needed to know.

'Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.

47HP/8,800HP.'

'Congratulations! Steel your Endurance, PASSED!

The first of three exams have been completed! By Enduring the overwhelming Strength of an opponent leagues above you, you've proven your resilience even against impossible odds!

An Objective has been Completed! Land 3 Critical Hits, Complete!

Reward: 27,000Lien(+700Lien)!'

A single red bead dripped off of Kusanagi's chin. A twelve-inch slash scarred his nose diagonally from the point blank white arc to the face. Thankfully his aura was still intact and soon went on to knit the scarred flesh good as new with no signs of previous damage. Only the slick blood from the knight's blade remained as a reminder of the damage done. He couldn't help but smirk as his ears made out the slow start of clapping hands.

'I'll be damned, he actually drew blood. Ain't that a surprise?'

After watching the breathtaking display of combat prowess, the crowd gathered around them could no longer keep their silence. With a raucous cheer, the people clapped and applauded the fight they had just seen. What a start to the day! It wasn't every day that you could walk outside and see two huntsman spar on the streets. It truly was a spectacle for the normal city folks even if a few of them now had to return home to change out of the torn pieces of clothing. The last attack from the blacksmith really did a number even from a distance. They were lucky that they didn't suffer a scratch.

But Velvet didn't care about the amazing fight she had just witnessed. What she cared about was the blond knight on his back staring at the sky with a weird expression on his face. Her feet moved before she could think, brushing past the crowd of applause, and ran towards Jaune as he tried to get up. Victory could only soften the damage he had taken in his fight so much as he grasped at the side of his gashed head, courtesy of Kusanagi's surprise asphalt bash. Even with the perk of the small amount of HP he could regenerate with his Regen Ring, he still found his aura nearly broken through.

'Professor Kusanagi is a beast! If that's what he could do with a well-made toy replica, then I'm scared to see what he could do with a real weapon.' The man wasn't a professional huntsman for nothing, that was for sure.

"Jaune!"

With a wince, Jaune fell back to the road floor only for his head to be cushioned by two soft but firm pillows. He was confused, not understanding what was going on until his head craned up to find Velvet's concerned dark brown eyes staring back. It looked like she caught him. With the blond in her arms, Velvet suddenly embraced him tightly. The action caused him to yelp as his wounds flared up.

Velvet blushed in embarrassment as she lightened her hug, "Sorry! I was just worried. You took a hell of a beating." she giggled before frowning. Ignoring his pain, the bunny girl smacked his shoulder, earning another yelp as her eyes narrowed, "Do you mind telling me what that was about? Because when you had said you were going out to pick up your shield, I didn't know that it was code for fighting with our teacher in the streets!" Seriously, what was that about?

The second Velvet had stepped outside, Professor Kusanagi had urged her to move a safe distance away from his shop along with the people walking close by. He didn't say much on why, only that it was important and to just sit back and enjoy the show. Which was hard to do once her teacher who had helped repair her weapon had begun smacking her friend around like a ball.

The footsteps belonging to said teacher drew near before Velvet found Kusanagi kneeling beside them. Kusanagi laughed as he found Velvet's glare adorable. How cute, she was protecting her little knight from him. Which was going a little far. He didn't hurt the kid that badly.

"Don't give me that look, Ms. Scarlatina. I know you're steamed at me for hurting Mr. Arc, but I didn't mean him no real harm." he explained as he went to rummage for something in his kimono. Finding what he was looking for, he quickly handed the small vial of emerald liquid to Jaune to drink. Not needing to know what it was, Jaune gulped it down and breathed a sigh of relief as his injuries were soon mended like magic.

"If you didn't mean him any harm, why were you fighting in the first place?" she pressed on as she helped Jaune back on his feet.

Professor Kusanagi tapped his chin, looking back to Jaune with a raised brow. Jaune understood what his teacher was silently telling him as he nodded and scratched his neck awkwardly. To the common eye, it was odd to see two huntsmen fighting in the streets for no reason. It was crazy. And to Velvet, she only saw her teacher attacking her friend to the point of drawing blood and nearly shattering his aura. After seeing that she was bound to be full of questions and concerns.

Deciding to explain as best he could, Jaune turned to Velvet with an apologetic smile, "It's alright, Velvet. It's all part of my exam for the end of the semester. The Headmaster had it planned out and had already let me in on it. He just didn't say anything about fighting in the streets of Vale as part of the test." he lamented with a pointed glare to his red-haired teacher. Kusanagi shrugged, unapologetic as he mumbled something about spontaneous.

Jaune's answer only raised more questions in place of Velvet's worry, "Exam? This was part of your exam? That doesn't make any sense." she said with some frustration. She knew firsthand what kind of exams they were going to be taking today. The 1st and 2nd year students would take written exams along with a combat exam against one another testing them on their progress. 3rd and 4th years had it different, their exams taking them out of the city and performing special missions that they would be graded on. But this? This wasn't anything like what she knew was to be expected.

"It's complicated." Really complicated. And Jaune had only himself to blame for it since he wanted to prove to himself that he had what it took to be a huntsman. Stretching out his arms as the last of his injuries healed, Jaune spun his head back to Kusanagi, finding the blacksmith grumbling by his store. It didn't look like he was very happy about the state of his shop. 'I should feel bad, but he did just bash my head with a piece of the road.'

"So, what's next?"

Making a sound of surprise as he was taken out of his thoughts, Kusanagi suddenly remembered what he was supposed to be doing. Almost forgot with the annoying thoughts of having to clean up his place. Reaching back into his ripped kimono with a reminder to change soon, he slipped out his scroll before tapping away on the screen. A ding blared from his device, sending its contents to Jaune's scroll as he found a message on screen.

"The Headmaster sent me two files; One if you failed my test, and the second if you passed. They'll tell you what you need to know next." he said with a dragged-out sigh. Surely the Headmaster would understand why he would be late to his class? Kusanagi couldn't just leave it like this! He had a reputation to keep, "My part is done with. I just wish I got to see you try out Ignis Mors. I'll just have to get the details of how you handle it from Ms. Rose later." he mumbled to himself as he turned back to his shop. Now, where did he leave the broom again? Probably next to the chainsaw hatchet.

Waving goodbye to the blacksmith professor, Jaune played the file on his scroll as Velvet leaned in close curiously. Headmaster Ozpin suddenly appeared on the screen, greeting Jaune with a lift of his favorite mug and a gentle smile.

"If you are watching this, Mr. Arc, then that only means that you've successfully completed the first part of your exam. I must say, I am impressed. Mr. Kusanagi is more than just a teacher and blacksmith, he's a weathered warrior that has survived the worst that his home country, Vacou, has to offer. Withstanding him for a few minutes, even if he was fighting with a mimic weapon, says enough about your ability." A sense of pride lit up Ozpin's features on the screen, the sight making Jaune grin as the headmaster continued, "But this is only the first step. You wish to prove your worth in this academy, to be recognized as a legitimate huntsman like your peers, and to prove to yourself that you do belong. If that is your wish, then consider it done. But one must make that wish a reality with their own hands, you cannot wait for it to be fulfilled. Now begins the second act."

On Jaune's HUD, a new timer appeared. Unlike the first one's short time, the new timer displayed a 2hour mark in green.

"As a huntsman, you are expected to journey out to distant lands to help out the people in need whenever possible. And that is what you will be doing. You won't always have the luxury of having a ship take you out to your mission. It is up to you make your way there, no matter the circumstances." The Headmaster smirked vaguely with the sip of his hot coffee.

"I am so confused right now." Velvet stated flatly as her face pressed itself close to Jaune's as they watched the video. If she was confused before, then she was now officially down the rabbit hole.

"Mr. Arc, you have two hours to make it back to Beacon. No ship will be taking you there this time. It doesn't matter what it takes or how, but you must make it back to campus before your time runs out. Do hurry." Ozpin chuckled with mirth as the video ended, "Ms. Goodwitch does not tolerate tardiness."

'The Clockwork Exam, START!

Test 2 of 3: No Hands-on Deck!

Details: The second test is here! By the Headmaster's word, no ship will be taking you back to Beacon. It is up to you to find your way back within two hours! A test of your resourcefulness and drive for your mission. Just about anything goes, so be creative!

Optional Objectives:

1. Clear the Mission within an hour!

2. Fly your first Bullhead!

3. Learn to Barter!

a ship!

5. Use Stealth!

6. Make it to Beacon without use of transportation!'

Jaune groaned as he read over the mission details. Now this was going to be a challenge. How exactly did this even prove he was qualified to be a huntsman? He was pretty sure Ozpin was just making things up for his own amusement. But a mission was a mission. Dragging his hand across his face with a groan, Jaune tapped away on his scroll in search of a way to Beacon using his Map of the area. There had to be more than one way back to Beacon that didn't require a ship. His timer was already on the move, so he better move and think before he was out of time.

"Do you mind explaining what's going on, Jaune?" Velvet asked as she followed him in his haste. She wasn't leaving him to whatever he was going through by himself.

Jaune laughed awkwardly. Well, Ozpin didn't say he couldn't have any help from a friend. Might as well tell Velvet about it. There really was no reason to hide it any longer.

"Well, it's a funny story."

10 o'clock rolled around as the students in the halls left their morning classes for their next exam. Today was the day most had been dreading. Many were adept in fighting monsters and such, but the bane of all students would always be exams. Having survived their first exam of the day, they drudged their feet to their next class with hopes of passing. School was still school after all, even if it was one to educate in fighting the beasts that plagued their world.

But to one student in the sea of huntsman in training, the written papers that awaited him meant nothing. Nothing but scrap paper compared to the real test that awaited. A smug grin stretched across his face, straining the multiple bandages over his wounds. With some difficultly he popped his knuckles despite the simple action bringing him pain in anticipation.

To Helios Lyre there was only one test that mattered today. A test of brightness.

Behind the red-haired musicians back, a set of blue concerned eyes watched his every step as the rest of their team followed. Underneath Helios Beacon uniform, Hera could see all the hidden trauma he had suffered during their last mission. The many burns, lacerations, bruises, and sprained ribs he had endured were still healing. But unlike the many times he had been wounded, his aura was struggling to heal the smallest of scratches. As if something was disrupting his aura from its job.

Helios could act smug and cool all he wanted, but as his leader she knew better.

"You should have stayed back at the nurse's office. You aren't fit to be doing anything right now."

Pausing midstep, Helios's yellow eyes glanced back at his short leader staring back at him with a dead serious scowl. He scoffed, ignoring her as he turned back to head to their next class.

Hera's scowl grew deeper, "Ms. Sprig said that you should stay back and rest. Your aura hasn't fully recovered, your wounds haven't healed! If you continue forgoing some proper rest, then you'll only be hurting yourself!" she shouted angrily, losing her temper.

"I'm fine, ya damn shortstack." Helios glowered only for his leader to shake her head with worry.

"You haven't been fine for months. Something's wrong with you and it's been affecting your attitude. What you did yesterday, fighting the Alpha by yourself is completely out of character! Even though you make fun of my height and look down on me, you've never once went against one of my orders! So, you're not fine!"

Rue nodded, his usually sunny smile dimmed with a straight line, "Your behavior has taken a dive. Compared to the guy I found in the Emerald Forest in my first year, you're a completely different person."

"And? What's wrong with that?" Helios snapped, fully turning back to his team with annoyance, "That idiot didn't know how to fight or defend himself. I actually think this is an improvement to that weakling." he said smugly, his eyes roaming to Tsuki's cold red eyes with mirth, "Don't you agree, Tsuki?

Closing her eyes as she massaged her temple, Tsuki shook her head negatively.

"True, you're stronger by leaps and bounds compared to that weak worm you use to be. You've finally garnered my respect as a warrior as well. But this?" she gestured her hand to his form, bandaged up, bruised, and filled with an unhealthy arrogance and raged with disappointment, "This is not strength. And it's certainly not an improvement to what you once were. I could honestly say that the boy who didn't know how to fight had more respect from me then you do now." she said coldly with narrowed eyes.

The comment earned a snarl from the musician huntsman as his muscles bulged with his spike of anger. To him, that was a low blow. If there was something he hated more than the object of his deep-seated anger, it was the inexperienced brat he had once been.

"Care to say that again, Ebony Tits?" he hissed furiously as a red-hot burn glowed on his back. The many eyes from the students watching the scene play out stepped back. To the more insightful eyes, they made out the orange red burn peeking out his back as some kind of stamp or symbol.

Rue quickly stepped in between his teammates as Tsuki made a step closer to their friend. He smiled gently at the two, hoping to defuse the tension.

"Let's calm down now. No need to be throwing a fist fight in school. After all," he smiled grimly to his partner, "You're already in hot water as it is."

Helios spat to the side as the burn on his back cooled down. As much as he didn't want to agree, his partner was right. Ms. Goodwitch was already on his ass for disobeying orders from not only his leader but the huntsman watching over them. She had warned him of extreme punishment the next time he crossed the line like that. Apparently, his attitude would not be tolerated.

Today he couldn't go around causing too much trouble. Not when he had something to look forward to. Not when he had yet to shine to the entire school.

"Whatever. I'm telling you I'm fine. In fact," he grinned widely as he clawed his fingers over his heart with pride seeping out of his voice, "I've never felt better. Hell, I'm pretty sure that I could take over as leader of our little team, don't ya think, Hera? After all, you don't want the title." he laughed mockingly.

Hera flinched at his words before steeling her gaze.

"I may not want to be leader, but I would rather be in charge instead of some smug idiot!"

"Well, we'll see how long you'll be in charge after today." he laughed loudly as he spun back to continue on his way.

"Soon, you'll all see who the true star of the show is. Who the real hero is!"

Hera growled in frustration and moved to follow after him to smack some sense into her teammate. But Rue's gentle hand stopped her as he held her shoulder back. She looked back at him to see his face with concern.

"What are you doing? We can't just let him go on like this! If he keeps this up, he won't just get hurt, he'll be expelled!" she shouted in anger as the wavy forest green haired boy sadly sighed.

"Hera, we all know that Helios is not in a good place right now. He hasn't been since he came back from Atlas during summer break. But the more we try to force him to see reason, the more riled up he gets. I think the best course of action, for this moment, is to leave him be." he frowned as he watched his partner mix in with the rest of the students heading to their next class, "Once we're done with our exams, we should have a long talk with the headmaster and deputy headmistress about his attitude. Something's clearly not right with him."

"He's right." Tsuki sighed, her eyes showing some hints of concern as she thought back to his current condition, "Helios's aura has been out of sync. His emotions are hindering its capabilities in the field. If this continues, he won't be able to even heal the simplest scratch."

Hearing her teammates words of advice, Hera grudgingly relented as her shoulders slumped. She looked on with a conflicted and concerned eyes through the crowd of students where her teammate had run off. Something clearly was on his mind, driving him into a dark place that was clouding his judgement. Helios may like to show off and gloat, but what he was displaying was on an unhealthy level. And he wouldn't even talk to them, his teammates, and friends about his problem.

With a tired breath, Hera continued on her way to her next class. She could only hope that the teachers could help them with Helios' condition.

Because if he continued like this, she was afraid he would Fall.

Finding a way back to Beacon, which was actually miles away from the city upon closer inspection had proven to be one hell of a challenge for one Jaune Arc. After realizing that he couldn't climb his way to the school, mostly due to the fact that a ravine and a large body of water separated them from the city in the first place, he had begun running around in search of a way back. He couldn't do it on foot, he couldn't take a bullhead or small ship, and he was pretty sure none of his Abilities or Skills could help him back in less than two hours. Compared to his test of Endurance with Professor Kusanagi, his test of Drive was looking impossible.

At least it was until Velvet had chimed in with an idea of her own. From what she gathered, they were unable to take a ship to Beacon because of the Headmaster forbidding any of the pilots in the shipyard from taking them. But that wasn't to say they couldn't persuade any of them from taking them. In her many missions away from Beacon, Velvet had learned that sometimes you had to barter with people for their services. Her team didn't always have a ship to take them where they needed to go once they arrived at whatever village they were hired by, so they often times had to be creative on transportation. And one of those ways involved bartering.

"Take it or leave it."

"But come on! I'm willing to give you a thousand Lien! Don't you think that sounds better than an old book?"

"No, it does not. Not when said book is limited edition variant that can't be found anywhere else. Trust me, I've tried."

In the loading bay of Vale's airship docks, Jaune Arc could be seen pulling at his hair in frustration and tears running down his face. The pilot in front of the knight didn't seem to care about his disposition, giving the boy a flat stare as he gestured his open hand to the two students. Jaune's frustration only grew as he noticed the timer on his HUD tick down by the second, drawing closer to an hour before he failed his mission. He gritted his teeth openly, his fingers straining as they held one of his most precious treasures.

Velvet face palmed, dragging her hand down her face as she watched her secret crush struggle to hand over a lousy comic. How long had they been at a stalemate for? Five minutes?

"Jaune, just give him the comic. I'm pretty sure your exam is more valuable than some silly old picture book." she said flatly, earning a dramatic gasp from both Jaune and the pilot.

"No she didn't!"

"Yes she did!"

Velvet felt a twitch in her eye. Clearly, they weren't going to get anywhere at this rate. It was a good thing she had decided to tag along in Jaune's exam. The goof would be here until dawn. Snatching the comic from Jaune's hand, Velvet quickly handed it over to the pilot's greedy hands. The pilot was star struck, basking in glory over the ultra-rare copy of X-ray and Vav as he raised in the air like some trophy.

"My prayers have been answered at last!" The pilot cried as Jaune looked on with a grimace and teary eyes.

"B-But that was my Limited-Edition Variant copy of X-Ray and Vav #15! The one where they first meet Mogar! It's a collector's item!" he wailed like a child before Velvet's usually gentle hand smacked some sense into him. Sometimes he forgot for all her sweetness, their laid an aggressive hair beneath her docile appearance. He looked back to his bunny eared friend with a look of betrayal.

"Why?"

"Because I would rather have you sob over some book then have you expelled." Velvet said unapologetically. During their time brainstorming over an idea on how to make it back to Beacon without a provided airship, Jaune had let Velvet in on his little secret. When she had first heard his story, she found it hard to believe. Jaune was a skilled huntsman, why would he ever need to sneak his way into Beacon? Sure, he didn't start off as skilled as them, but he proved to be a quick learner and was skilled in combat. Surely, he could have passed the entrance exam if he wanted to.

But due to reasons he had missed his chance and thought the only way he could be accepted was to fake some transcripts, robbing someone else of their place in the school. And because of that, Jaune felt he needed to prove himself. He wanted to be recognized as a huntsman as the rest of his friends. So, he had gone to the Headmaster, knowing he was risking expulsion for revealing his fake transcripts, and asked to be tested to gain entry into his school.

Velvet sighed, shaking her head at the story she had heard. None of this would be happening if Jaune simply continued with the lie. He could be taking the exams normally like the rest of them, but his pride simply wouldn't let him. Now he was taking some odd exam to test what he was truly capable of. One made by Ozpin. The coffee obsessed headmaster of Beacon who spoke like a cryptic fortune teller. This exam was never bound to be normal from the start.

Patting the crestfallen knight's shoulder gently, Velvet turned back to the pilot carefully placing the valuable comic into a metal suitcase by his small ship. Someone was prepared.

"So, now that you have your price, will you take us back to Beacon?" she asked curiously.

The pilot quirked a brow at the girl, his eyes narrowing as they zoned in on her ears. Right, he almost forgot about the...thing.

"I'd be more than happy to take the kid back. The Headmaster of Beacon had asked all us flyboys not to allow the kid a ride for some reason. But I'm willing to look the other way for this baby." he grinned widely as he patted his briefcase before sneering at Velvet, "But you? Heh, you must be dreaming if you think I'll let some animal sit in my ship. I don't need you shedding on the seats." he spat.

Velvet stepped back at the man's words, flinching as her ears dropped. The comment hit a nerve. Her eyes narrowed, her fists balling up as the pilot suddenly grinned lecherously at her. She could see his eyes roaming over her body behind his dark shades.

"But, I guess I can overlook that too. Only if you're willing to pay your own fare. How about it?" he chuckled as he took a step closer to the angry bunny girl, "I've heard you bunny girls have a taste for a certain type of carrot humans carry around with them. Why don't you come al-"

"Power Strike!"

Whatever the man was going to say was suddenly cut off by a glowing white knuckle to the left side of his face. The force of the punch spun him around as everything went black in his mind. With a groan, the pilot fell back into sweet unconsciousness. The briefcase holding his treasured comic flew up in the air and fell back into Jaune's awaiting hands. The knight blinked, staring at his fist in puzzlement.

'Huh. My fist has a mind of its own. Punched the guy before I even thought about doing it. Nice going, fist.' Jaune smiled brightly as patted the raging fist. For a racist, the guy didn't seem to mind exploiting Velvet for his own sick needs. What an asshole. At least he now had his comic back. A win-win if there ever was one.

As happy, and flattered as Velvet was for Jaune's gesture, the bunny girl found a problem with their situation.

"Jaune, how are we supposed to get back to Beacon now?" Velvet couldn't help but ask as she prodded the pilots knocked out head. She had half a mind to rain down a fury of kicks for what he was suggesting. But a concussion would have to suffice.

Realizing what he had done, Jaune began to panic. His situation only grew worse as he found the few pilots around the ship bay point at him and begin to speak into their walkie talkies. That didn't sound good. Thinking quickly on his feet, Jaune spun his head back to Velvet with a sheepish laugh.

"You wouldn't happen to know how to fly a ship, would you?"

"Depends."

"Depends on what?"

"Whether a flight simulator counts for flying experience."

Debating whether or not if such a thing did count, Jaune's ears suddenly noticed a large ruckus and an angry uproar. Curiously, he turned his eyes to the left, spotting the large metal hull most of the pilots and navigators worked in before finding several of them pointing their fingers accusingly at him and Velvet. He gulped, taking notice of a small group of Vale's city police talking with one red faced captain.

"There they are, officers! They're mugging one of our pilots! And the blond one must have a briefcase of Lien from our broken safe! Get them!"

Out of curiosity, Jaune clicked open the briefcase the pilot had safely placed his comic in. Jaune's jaw dropped in disbelief as he found an insane amount of Lien cards below the comic book.

+200,000Lien!

'...Is my semblance bad luck? Because I call bullshit!' Taking a deep calming breath, Jaune shut the case and began to think. They were completely innocent! If they simply explained the situation to the police then everything would be resolved. After all, he did have the trust of the VPD with his Title equipped. So, there was no need to worry!

With that in mind, Jaune was ready to wave over the officers running for them. A few of them even recognized him as they caught eye of the blond. One went as far as speeding up as an excited grin spread across their face.

It was at this moment that Jaune's face fell, paled, and shuddered as Barbie Mattel licked her lips hungrily and reached for her belt. And he realized that there was no talking his way out of the situation he found himself in.

"We got to go. NOW." Jaune laughed nervously before dragging the confused bunny girl into the small ship's cockpit. He quickly sat himself down and buckled himself in as Velvet sat in the pilot's seat nervously.

"I wouldn't say that me flying is a good idea." Velvet warned as she began flipping switches. Funny, all the controls were like Remnant's Fly Simulator. Fox wasn't lying when he said it was like flying a real ship.

Jaune absently listened to the warning, his eyes staring out the window to find Barbie sitting on the chest of the knocked-out pilot waking up. He winced as the strawberry blonde began raining down a flurry of backhands across his wailing face. The pilot's trembling arm pointed back at him within the ship, turning Barbie's panting, drooling, red blushed face to meet his eyes. She smacked her lips with a sunny grin.

"I can honestly say, that I'm willing to take the chance of us dying in a fiery plane crash." he said dully before snatching his precious comic out of the silver case and tossing the stolen cash out the window. Anything was better than whatever Barbie was thinking in that sadistic little head of hers.

Velvet knew there was no talking to Jaune at this point. Not when he was making a face like that. And she could kind of understand as she looked back at one of the officers staring back at Jaune like meat. Her animal senses were warning her of one hell of a predator and telling her to book it. Finishing the last of the preparations, Velvet put her feet to the ignition to start flying the small ship into the air. Her dark brown eyes wandered around the controls, brightening up as she found the radio. Maybe some music would help ease her nerves.

"Fuck the police coming straight from the underground!~"

Jaune slowly turned his head to Velvet, his eyes lifeless as the radio's speakers could be heard outside. The older huntress looked the same, as if the life had been drained from her paling face as the music continued playing loudly for all of Remnant to hear.

"For a punk motherfucker with a badge and a gun!~"

"... Why?" he stressed out in a whisper as their plane took off into the skies. They just had to leave the police with a song from Cold Cube. He wasn't winning any more points from them, that was for sure.

'Congratulations! You've Unlocked Barbie Mattel's Friendship! A new Perk has been Unlocked! Lawful, Unlocked!'

Okay, he was calling bullshit!

"It was an accident!" Velvet apologized as Jaune stared at his scroll in slack jawed disbelief, "How was I supposed to know that the radio would play a song like that!?"

Making a note to check out the newest Perk later, Jaune slumped into his seat as they flew towards Beacon. And at the moment, his body suddenly reminded him of his little problem with transportation. Face turning green, Jaune began to moan in pain as his stomach churned. He should have skipped out on breakfast. Cheeks bulging with restraint, he sadly lost the fight with his most dreaded enemy. Motion Sickness.

"Are you alright-EWWW! JAUNE, NOT ON THE CONTROLS!"

"I think I'm dying."

It was going to be a long ride back to Beacon.

"Pencils down, everyone! Time is up and I would now request every last one of you to pass down your exams to the person in front of you. Once all exam papers have been handed in by the students in the bottom row, you may all take a few minutes to unwind before the end of class!"

With a battle worn moan, Ruby's head smacked onto the wooden desk in front of her. It was over. She had done all she was capable of with Professor Oobleck's exam. Her poor Beowolf pencil was whittled down to a nub, no longer fit for written combat. It was in god's hands now.

"Oh, quit the dramatics. I'm sure you did... slightly above average." Weiss rolled her eyes at her partner's state. She was sure Ruby had done well, enough to pass. After all, she had someone such as Weiss tutoring her for the exams. Having someone as intelligent and diligent as her ought to have been enough to get her a decent grade.

"Weiss. . .I can't feel my fingers. My poor trigger finger feels numb." Ruby cried with a moan. How was she going to shoot Grimm now?

"At least you're here for your exam. Unlike a certain someone we know." Weiss frowned as her eyes glanced at the empty seat beside Pyrrha.

Ruby raised her head up, following Weiss's line of sight before frowning as well. Jaune was still missing. For the last three classes, they hadn't seen any sign of the leader of JNPR. It was starting to worry her. Mostly due to the fact that whenever said blond leader was missing, things weren't right. He just seemed to attract trouble. Funny considering he wasn't one for attention.

"Where do you think he is?" Ruby asked Weiss as her partner began to carefully put away her writing supplies and notes. The heiress quirked a brow as if to say, 'why ask me?' before going into thought.

"I honestly don't know where that goof could be. Surely, he understands how important today is? We've been studying since last month in preparations for the exams. And as unsophisticated as he may be, I didn't peg him as the type to ditch something so important."

Leaning back in her seat, Yang added her own two cents in as she caught their conversation.

"I'm sure he's fine." Yang waved off, noticing Ruby start to grow uneasy. "I mean, if Pyrrha's not worried, why should we?" To prove her point, she gestured her thumb to the red-haired girl having a pleasant conversation with Nora down the third row. Pyrrha didn't look worried, she was smiling as if nothing was wrong. And the invincible girl was always the first one to start worrying about her precious teammate.

"Then why isn't he here?" Weiss asked suspiciously as she tried to make sense of the matter.

Yang shrugged, "Like I would know. Jaune and I are good pals, but I don't know what he does all the time. Maybe we should ask our resident bookworm?" she grinned mischievously as her eyes leered over to her book reading cat girl partner. Blake glanced back at Yang with annoyance amid her reading of her novel in hand.

"How would I know?" Blake asked stoically, her question only feeding Yang's grin.

"As if you have to ask. We all know you've been really chummy with Jaune since the FoF incident. And let's not forget about last month's little venture."

"You mean when you knocked out that host's teeth. Didn't you get a bill for his cosmetic surgery?"

Yes, she did. But like hell Yang was paying for some smooth punk's medical bills. They had nothing on her! And it was completely his fault. But back to the matter at hand, "I'm talking about when we all found you straddling a certain leader's lap with your face awfully close to his own. And let's not forget that guilty blush on your face!"

Said blush returned as Blake hid her face behind her book. She had been hoping that they would have forgotten about that. It was a moment of weakness! Her emotions were going haywire and Jaune was so close, and his eyes were so blue and gentle, and then his hands found her waist, and-

With a frustrated growl, Blake shut her book and crossed her arms. Ever since that damn night on the rooftop when she tried to apologize to Jaune for the FoF incident, she couldn't seem to think straight about him. It was like he was in her head. And Yang's teasing certainly wasn't helping.

"I keep telling you, it was a misunderstanding. You just caught us at a weird time is all. And what about Weiss?" Blake said accusingly with a pensive stare at the bewildered Schnee heiress, "She's the one who knocked him out with her glyph like she had caught him cheating."

"Don't try to divert the attention to me! Besides, I don't have hidden feeling for him!" Weiss shouted, gasping as she clamped her mouth shut. The students around them curiously gazed back at them at Weiss's loud declaration before turning back to their own conversations.

Yang snickered as she waved Weiss away, "Weiss is Weiss. She doesn't know what she wants." Thought it was only a matter of time before the snobbish princess realized that. And what a fun day that was going to be!

"Well you don't know what you're talking about." Blake huffed as she turned away from her friend, "Besides, even I don't know where Jaune is. Last I saw him was yesterday as he was checking out a book I recommended him."

"Was it smut?"

"It was not smut!"

"It was smut."

Fighting the urge to smack some sense into her partner's ignorant head about the matters of well written adult romance, Blake decided to turn their attention on the only person they knew who kept track of their resident blond knight. "Why don't you ask Tsuki?" she said, gesturing to the blood eyed raven girl reading her own book in peace from a few rows above of them. How Blake envied her. "If anyone knows where he might be, it would be her."

"She does seem to know where he is all the time." Ruby agreed. It was kind of weird.

"Not happening." Yang immediately replied with a scowl, "I ain't asking Cow Tits jack shit. That stalker is the last person I would ask for help."

"And that person has ears, you loud mouthed bimbo." Dog paging her passage, Tsuki turned to face the members of team RWBY. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance as she caught Yang's gaze, "I would have thought better of you then to speak so loudly. Seems that big mouth of yours is good for more than one thing." she smirked.

"You wanna go!" Yang shouted as she raised her fist threateningly, "Cause I'll throw down! Best believe Yang Xiao Long ain't afraid of breaking in that smug pretty face of yours!"

Weiss sighed as held Yang back from bolting off her seat to start a fight, "Calm down, you brute. We don't need you getting detention over some silly spat." Going back to Tsuki, Weiss decided to go with Blake's suggestion now that they had the girl's attention, "You wouldn't know where Jaune is by any chance, would you? We haven't seen him since yesterday."

"My dear was heading out to Vale the last I caught sight of him this morning." Tsuki answered back simply. They weren't exactly wrong to believe she knew his whereabouts. No matter the prey, Tsuki always kept her tabs on her target. "I also noticed that he was being accompanied by Velvet as well. As for why he's not here, I wouldn't know either." she shrugged as she turned back to her book.

"If you really want to know, you should ask his team. They of all people would know him best."

"I could have said that." Yang grumbled as she turned away from the odd girl. Team JNPR ought to know why their leaders was absent. But at least they knew Jaune wasn't alone. He had Velvet with him, for whatever reason. The little info did make her grow curious. Did that mean Velvet wasn't in school too?

"She's right." Ruby nodded as she got off her seat. Her eyes zoned in on Ren sitting by himself as he gathered his things. The rest of team JNPR must have already left to get ready for Combat Class. He probably knew why Jaune wasn't around.

"Ruby."

Ready to go down to ask the silent pink eyed huntsman, Ruby was suddenly stopped by Tsuki's voice calling out to her. Curiously, she turned around to find the girl with a serious expression on her face.

"When you see Jaune again tell him to be careful of Helios." she warned sternly as the rest of the all girl's team's attention fell on her.

"Why?" Ruby frowned.

Tsuki shook her head, sighing as she got up and walked down. She stopped beside the little reaper, her eyes conflicted and even worried as she spoke.

"Helios... is not in a good place right now." she struggled to say, her expression darkening as she thought back to his change in attitude, "He's become very unstable these past few months. And I'm afraid that he's only a few steps away from doing something he'll regret."

"Then why tell Jaune to be careful?" Weiss asked warily. She knew that Helios wasn't Jaune's biggest fan, especially with how their first meeting had gone. But the loudmouthed musician never displayed any signs of bringing anyone any harm.

"Because there are actually very few things that anger Helios despite his appearance and speech. And for some reason, Jaune is a matter that infuriates him beyond reason." Having said her warning, Tsuki continued down the aisle of seats for the door.

The sooner they were done with their exams, the sooner they could get Helios the help he needed. Before it was too late.

Watching the older student leave for their next exam, Ruby couldn't help but feel a tension in the air.

Just when things were back to normal.

Arriving to Beacon had only taken ten minutes at best by ship. With the view of the school grounds and the docking platform coming into sight, Velvet had breathed a sigh of relief before their little hijacked aircraft touched ground. Her nerves had been frayed since taking the wheel, but luckily for her she seemed to have gotten used to working the controls. She was beginning to wonder if her Mimic Semblance could be used outside of combat.

Making a note to explain the situation to Ms. Goodwitch on why there was a stolen ship on Beacon grounds and why there would be police looking for them about a stolen case of Lien, Velvet helped Jaune out of the ship as gently as she could. He still wasn't feeling too well as he gurgled a thank you once they stepped onto Beacon grounds. But now that they were home, back in school, she thanked god that their little adventure was over with.

Well, it was over. For about ten minutes before they made it to the main hall auditorium. Once they stepped foot inside, the door behind them was shut as the darkened auditorium room was illuminated by a beacon of light in the middle of the large room. And what she had seen made her question the line of thinking of their headmaster.

'The Clockwork Exam, START!

Test 3 of 3: Havoc Quiz!

Details: Your Exam is almost over! Before the final test of your worth, your Intelligence will be judged! A good huntsman has a sharp mind to match their blade, or they risk dying to their own stupidity! You will be tested on the knowledge you've gained these past months by a programmed android, questioning you on several subjects you've studied. Be careful, the android will do more than question you, it will be attacking as the exam begins. The level of aggression and combat ability of the bot will depend on each answer, growing more hostile and powerful with each incorrect answer. Pass your exam with a score of 2,500 or more, and defeat the android without your aura falling to zero!

Optional Objectives:

1. Clear the Exam with a Perfect Score!

2. Disable the Warden's Destruction Cannon!

3. Defeat the Warden!

4. Pass the exam with HP above 50%.'

That was the message The Game had sent Jaune when he had made it back to Beacon and cleared his second exam. Knowing that he was going to have to fight in his next test, he had gone over the items and abilities he had available for whatever waited for him. And he had gone over a few subjects with Velvet after she had leaned in to hear Ozpin's video message on his scroll. This time he was ready to ace his next exam, no matter what waited for him!

"Multiple Choice: Dust!"

Jaune's brow twitched as he evaded a stream of bullets chasing after him. Ignis Mors flew up from his waist, unfolding as he grounded himself in place to endure the gunfire from his opponent. With a heavy breath, his mind prepared itself for whatever question he was going to face.

Standing in the middle of the auditorium hall at ten feet in height, a bulk platted training android ceased its firing as the mounted turrets on its shoulders paused. The bot's head was designed after a Atlesian's Knights with a monitor visor displaying a burning X, heavily armored chest with exhaust valves poking outs its back, sharp metal fingers and bulky arms and feet. The X on its visor spun wildly like a wheel as steam blew out of its back.

"Dust is naturally available in four common elements. Fire, Wind, Earth and-"

The android's bulky arm parted, revealing concealed cannon barrels charging with a deadly hum. From above the ceiling, four screens were lowered down behind the machine, displaying four different answers to the answer. Done charging, it aimed one of the barrels in the face of the panting blond knight fixing his shield over his arm.

"You have 30 seconds to answer or face a Remedial Lesson." it said dangerously in its metallic tone.

Jaune's eyes flitted between the options above, thanking god for the brief moment of respite. It had been almost half an hour since the third exam began. And with not being able to use Items, Spells, or his Soul Links this boss battle was proving to be difficult. It wasn't only a test of his mind, but his skill. And adding the questions into the mix only made it more challenging.

'A. Lightning.

B. Ice.

C. Water.

D. Gravity.'

Jaune licked his dry lips, his eyes zoning in on B. Seemed about right. He vaguely recalled a lesson on the subject while in Professor Pithos class.

"The answer's B, Ice!" he grinned confidently.

A loud buzzer dropped his grin, causing his eyes to widen in panic as the android's visor grew an angry red.

"Incorrect. The correct answer is C. Water."

"Oh. . .fuck."

"Beginning Remedial Lesson: Hyper Destroyer!"

Jaune gritted his teeth as the cannon barrels locked onto him. Well, that was a failure. Now he had to survive one of its big attacks. From its barrels, the mechanical being shot off several large rounds of plasma fire into the air. Jaune activated Gale Speed, going with the wind as he blurred in its sights and avoided the shower of crashing sparking orbs. It was like fighting the Atlesian Spider all over again. In his dodging, Jaune fired his own projectiles with Air Slash, chipping away at the boss's health with what little damage he could inflict. The area around them was raining with broken tiles as the plasma rounds tore apart the floor with every missed shot, filling the air with the sounds of explosions as it fired wildly.

'Atlesian Warden, Prototype-I.

3,040HP/21,000HP.'

Gale Speed withered away, leaving Jaune skidding in front of the Warden with a tired gasp. Ignis Mors shield was raised up in front of his body as he knelt behind it, fully guarding him as the giant android focused all its firepower onto its target. The newly born shield did well against the heavy fire, soaking in a lot of the damage with its added 45 in defense when blocking. Sparks flew past Jaune, stinging his face as he endured the bombardment ringing against his shield and held his ground. He just had to hang on a little longer and the boss would stop its attack.

Firing one last volley of plasma, the Warden shifted its cannons back into hands. It curled its fists, falling into a running start as it reared its fist back. Seeing the attack coming, Jaune rolled out of the way as it slammed its fists down for a mighty blow. The impact shattered the ground, throwing up more broken tiles as Jaune ran around it. With its back in sight, Jaune brought his own fist back as his shield spun around to face its sharp point with his knuckles. The small jets on the shield's sheath roared, releasing a stream of erupting flames that picked the blond off his feet and sent him flying for the Warden's exposed back.

"Point of Eruption!" With a roaring shout, Jaune drove his shield's point into the Warden's spine with the force of an explosion. The gold lining burned red hot, melting the metal of its back as it stumbled forward from the powerful impact. Picking up the boy on its radar, it swung its arm around to pry Jaune off. But Jaune moved quickly and stabbed Crocea Mors into its back before flipping over the crushing fingers and leaving his sword behind. Flying overhead from his flip, Jaune clenched his fists tightly and fell back for the Warden's head. The android turned its head up, finding the diving blond before aiming its turrets and firing after him. Jaune grinned, blinking out of sight before the bullets struck.

"Warp Strike!" Teleporting back to his age-old sword, Jaune then brought his fist back again before punching the pommel with the added effect of Giga Impact. A corkscrew energy blew out the Warden's chest like a spear, staggering it again as Jaune jumped back to the ground as he ripped his blade out. He stumbled back, catching himself back on his feet as he held his damaged arm close to his chest with a wincing glare at the boss.

'Atlesian Warden, Prototype-I.

2,150HP/15,000HP.'

'It's health is less than half now. Which means I just need to keep it up and stay on my guard. I just have to answer the next two or three questions correctly to finish it off, otherwise it's going to go off on another Remedial Lesson and raise its Defense again.' Not only did the Warden become highly aggressive, but Jaune found that when it was in its Remedial Phase, its defense was raised incredibly high. Attacking it with any of his big hitters was pointless, so he had to wait out the wild assault before he could do real damage. Luckily for Jaune though, answering the questions correctly dropped the boss's defense and attack for a short while.

Steadying its feet, the Warden spun its damaged upper body around to lock its sights back on the knight. It aimed its hand at Jaune, detaching it with the force of a cannon shot to snatch him in its hold. Jaune moved quickly, timing his next move just right so he could jump over the large grappling hand. Ignis Mors was enveloped in a bright light as Jaune swung its bladed edge at the retracting cord attached the robotic appendage, severing its link as the hand fell back to the ground with an echoing thud. Jaune couldn't help but grin in victory as he landed back on his feet and stared at the sparking twitching fingers of the Warden. Hah! Maybe now it would a bit easier to deal with.

Unfortunately, the small moment of victory was shattered by the Warden's remaining hand, curled up in a fist as it decked Jaune's body. He had literally spun his head at the sound of another cannon and couldn't even widen his eyes in surprise before the metal fist crashed into him and sent him flying towards the far end of the auditorium walls. But before his body could meet the walls, an unseen force stopped his flight as he slid down the invisible forcefield with a groan.

Velvet winced from outside the forcefield. That really looked like it hurt.

"Good thing we had the forcefield installed, it's bad enough that poor Glynda's going to have to work her magic to fix the potholes created from the little fight, we don't need her patching up the walls as well."

"How did you get her to agree to this? I can't even get her to stop bugging me about my open lab coat, let alone my sweets! And that riding crop of hers makes her harder to deal with."

"Mr. Pithos, Glynda and I have known each other for years. She knows that whatever I do has reason behind it and hardly questions it. Even if said doings include borrowing one of General Ironwood's prototypes to pit against a student in the main auditorium hall during class hours. It's all about trust."

"... You have dirt on her, don't you?"

"Never underestimate the value of a photo, Mr. Pithos. And always bring fresh film to Halloween parties."

"Who still uses film?"

As another boom shook the auditorium, Velvet found her attention drawn away from the fight for the moment to the two professors standing by her. Her stare was flat, finding it hard to believe that the two men were the smartest huntsman in their school. Especially when they were both watching the fight with candy in their mouths like children watching their favorite tv show. Feeling someone staring at them, Ozpin's dark brown eyes found Velvet as he bit down on his lollipop.

"Yes, Ms. Scarlatina? Is there something I may help you with?" he asked as he chewed his treat, courtesy of Professor Pithos.

It was really hard to take the man seriously like this, "What is the point of all this, Headmaster?" Velvet asked with slight frustration, wincing again as Jaune ate a face full of plasma, "I understand Jaune faked his way in and now has to take an entrance exam, but don't you think this is a little ridiculous?"

"What's ridiculous about this?" Pithos asked curiously amid Jaune's dodging of a barrage of attacks. "I think it's fun. And entertaining."

"On what date did General Lagoon send his troops to invade General Fowl's military stronghold!

"Uhhhh, the fifth of May?"

"Incorrect! Proceeding with Remedial Lesson: Hyper Cutter!"

"GIVE ME A BREAK!"

Professor Pithos snickered, watching as Jaune did his best to evade the one-armed android's laser bladed cannon hand, "See? It pays to pay attention in class. Never know when what your learning could save your life." he said wisely as he shoved a handful of gummy worms in his mouth.

"This is literally something out of a video game." Velvet said dryly as she tried to make the men see reason. What she was watching was something out of Fox's video game collection. She could have sworn she had seen something like this while he was playing on their tv, "It's nothing like the normal entrance exams we had all taken. I'm just saying that this is a little over the top."

Hearing the bunny eared girl's concerns, the Headmaster nodded in understanding as he washed the taste of sweets from his mouth with a sip of his dark coffee. Sighing in content, he smiled reassuringly as he turned his eyes back to the unfolding exam.

"You are correct, Ms. Scarlatina. This is no normal exam, not when compared to the one you and your friends have taken years ago. And honestly, I never felt the need for such a thing in the first place. Mr. Arc is a fine huntsman, having grown leaps and bounds since he first stepped foot into my school. He has surely earned his place in my academy, especially with all that he's done for my students and the people of Vale." he said fondly, referring to the good the knight had done during the FoF event and the White Fang. His face fell into a stern frown though, "But that does not forgive what he's done either. Mr. Arc cheated his way in, robbed a huntsman of their place, one they had worked years for with sweat, blood, and tears. And he knows this. That is why he had revealed to me his secret, because of the guilt he felt. And to make up for it, he wished to prove that he rightfully deserves his spot in Beacon."

"So, you created this odd exam to test his worth?" Velvet was still confused. She understood the need for it, but this was just too complex. And odd.

"Correct. As you already know, Mr. Arc is strong. Stronger than most huntsman in training despite his... quirkily demeanor."

"Lemon Head's a goof." Professor Pithos blurted out bluntly, "For a guy who's regarded as one of the strongest in his year, he doesn't act like it. The kid still falls asleep in my class and can't seem to keep his eyes off his scroll. The kid's got a gaming addiction, I swear. And he's got the worst pick-up lines I've ever heard." he chuckled. It was always fun to watch the blond fumbled about when paired with the Schnee heiress. The reactions he witnessed out of those two always made his day.

Chuckling himself at the observation, Ozpin continued, "Because of how strong he already is, testing Mr. Arc at the level of the original course would be for naught. Knowing that, and what he is already capable of, I decided to create an exam that would test the four most promising aspects I've observed of the boy. His Endurance, his Drive, his Intelligence, and his Strength. And I believe this has shown me his capabilities as a huntsman at his level. And much more." he said quietly, his eyes following Jaune's every movement between dodging the Warden's laser blade.

"But isn't he failing at the Intelligence part of the exam?" Velvet said flatly, observing the score Jaune had been racking up as he was being quizzed. His score was 2,200. About average for a guy like him they had explained. It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't impressive.

Professor Pithos shrugged, "True, he's not the brightest crystal in the Dust shop, not in matters concerning books. But he's got another form of intelligence on that blond head of his. Just look."

Following the sweet loving man's words, Velvet began to pay close attention to Jaune's moves. She watched as he ran around the giant machine's gunfire, picking up the pace as he became a blur in her vision. The Warden grew restless and raised its foot high in the air. It stomped the ground, shaking Jaune's footing and ending his evasion. Aiming its arm at the stunned blond, it fired it off by the cable attaching the appendage. Jaune smirked, dodging it at the last second before chopping the steel cable off with an added oomph of Crescent Blade. The Warden reeled back the sparking steel line, the damage it had suffered overheating its core within its chest. With the built up of heat and steam, it was left no choice but to part its chest platting to cool it off.

"While fighting the bot, Lemon Head's been watching for its weakness. He observed that when the Warden grows tired of him dodging its attacks, it would shake the ground and use the opportunity to snatch him with its hand before slamming him to the ground. With that in mind, he lured it to go with that combo and time his swing just right to lob off its hand. And with all the damage the Warden suffers, its core heats up, leaving it exposed. He's been racking up whatever damage he could for this exact moment. He knew it had a weakness, so he's been looking to expose it whatever way he could." Professor Pithos calmly explained.

Out of all the students in his class, Jaune Arc wasn't the smartest. He was about average. Not to say he wasn't learning in his class, the blond boy was doing rather well for a boy who knew next to nothing about Dust as a huntsman. But he was still behind when compared to his classmates. But despite that, Pithos had seen something more in those blue eyes. It wasn't your normal form of intelligence, the kind that would help one solve the most ludicrous of scientific and mathematical equations. No, what he had seen was the intelligence to learn. To learn from every lesson, battle, and conflict and solve it in his own unique way. To outsmart even the strongest of opponents with his unique brand of thinking. That form of intelligence allowed one to be very creative in how they did things. And it matched perfectly with the Lemon Head's unique Semblance.

Professor Pithos found himself grinning in excitement as he watched the blond point his dull gray blade at the chest of the Warden and summon in its place a blood red rose themed short sword. The barbed vine coiled around the hilt came to life, springing forward like a spear to stab the core before suddenly sprouting vines all over its metal body. He then watched as Jaune summoned a sparking yellow crystal in his free hand with a promising smirk illuminating his sweaty face.

'If creativity and intellect aren't the same, then I'm as brain dead as you, kid! Because if there's one thing you excel at, its creativity!'

Smashing the lightning Dust onto the blade of Teres Mors, Jaune watched as the lightning traveled through the blade to the vines sprouting out of the Warden. From its core, the boss's body was electrocuted, chopping off a large chunk of its HP as its visor went haywire and twitched madly.

"Final Question: H-History!" it struggled to say through the bolts of lightning hitting its systems. With a high-pitched whine, it let loose a shock wave from its body to snap the line of lightning. The stumps of its arms cannons sparked madly, fried by the attack, and leaving it with little to fight with. With nothing left, it parted it chest again and revealed the damaged sphere of Dust powering its body. Gears and segments of its chest came to life, drawing its core further in as a slender cannon unfolded from within. The core grew an angry red, transferring all its power to its only form of attack.

"How long did The Great War last? Who fired the first act of aggression between Vale and Mistral? And at the end of the bloodshed, who stood victorious over the land of Vacou as the people's one and only Ruler?"

Digging its feet into the floor for stability, the Warden charged its main cannon for one last devastating attack. The exhaust valves erupted with steam as the barrel gathered visible red sparking energy to spiral around its head. The Warden's visor blinked wildly between an X and O, ready to decide its next course of action on the answers the student gave it.

"... Mr. Pithos, I thought you deactivated the Warden's Devastation Cannon." Ozpin said slowly with narrowed eyes pointed at the sheepish sweet lover.

"A gumdrop may or may not have fallen in while I was doing that. My bad?"

Ozpin shut his eyes and sighed in frustration, "Well, that's a problem."

"Why?" Velvet asked with a sense of foreboding. Her ears were standing upright in alarm. That wasn't a good sign.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Ozpin sipped his piping hot mug calmly as he explained, "General Ironwood designed the android prototype with a do or die function. At its lowest stability, the core begins to gather energy for one last attack that assures the eradication of its foes. Being a prototype, I had thought it wouldn't come with the function but was proven wrong when Professor Pithos discovered it. He had assured me that it was deactivated though and given me the okay to test it out against one of my students." giving Pithos one more pointed stare, Ozpin turned his eyes back to the gathering mass of volatile energy directed at Jaune with concern, "An attack at that level would not only kill Mr. Arc, but would also break through our shields defenses. I'd say we're looking at a high fatality rate if he fails." he said bluntly as Velvet's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"WHY WOULD YOU EVEN THINK IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO USE THAT THING AS A TEST DUMMY!?" she yelled angrily at the two nonchalant teachers. What kind of mad man would play around with a war machine of all things?! And where was Ms. Goodwitch in all this!?

"I thought it would be fun." Professor Pithos answered simply as he ripped off a chunk of toffee with his teeth.

"The General asked me to test it out against a skilled huntsman and record the results after I borrowed it." Ozpin answered the same with a sip of his coffee, "Clearly it's all his fault."

Fighting the urge to smack the two powerful men for their dumb line of thinking, Velvet turned back to Jaune and watched as he stood calmly before the loading cannon. Seeing as it was a life or death situation, she was ready to shout the answer to him but was beaten as Jaune began to speak.

"While many believe that The Great War lasted a century, it actually only lasted ten years with the century leading up to it filled with many small battles." Calling off Teres Mors, Jaune slowly walked forward to meet the barrel head on. He stared at its deadly mass of energy unflinchingly as he gripped Crocea Mors with two hands and raised it high in the air above his head. He shut his eyes, his aura cladding his body with a golden luminescence.

'Activate Skill, Champion's Aura!'

The old blade extended, forming a greatsword of golden energy. With a grin of confidence, Jaune opened his eyes and tightened his grip. Pyrrha's Skill allowed for one attack with an increased 50% in strength along with a buff in Defense. Just what he needed to finish things off.

"No one knows who fired the first shot between the two kingdoms. The answer has been lost to time!" he shouted strongly before the Warden's cannon barrel. The energy mass paused, done loading as it shrunk and gleamed with an ominous light.

It was do or die time.

"And finally, there was no one ruler above all others! The Warrior King, who all three kingdoms pledged to follow bowed to no one!" he roared before dropping his greatsword for an overhead slash.

"NOR DID HE WISH TO BE BOWED TO!"

From the overhead slash, a gleaming blade of aura was released. The golden blade phased by the Warden's body in an instant, fading away to nothing with a burst of light. A sudden line cleaved the android's body in two as its visor paused its blinking, displaying a proud green O.

"Correct. Final Score: 2,500 Points." Rays of light began to shoot out of its body, warning of its detonation as the energy it had stored lost control. There was no time to dodge what came next. Gritting his teeth, Jaune jumped back and raised his shield as the Warden said its final words.

"Jaune Arc, you have Passed."

With a dying whine, the Warden exploded, engulfing the inside of the force field trapping it and Jaune with a bright flash of orange-red light. Velvet, Pithos, and Ozpin shielded their eyes from the flash, their ears ringing from the loud detonation. The force of the explosion wound up being too much for the forcefield as it flickered, lasting as long as it could before shattering. A strong bellow of black smoke flew past the three as they began coughing. With a rough cough, Velvet ran into the hot cloud of smoke and lingering flames. Her eyes struggled to see past the black veil, searching for the mop of lovable blond hair.

"Jaune! Jaune, are you okay!? Please, say something!" she shouted in worry, her heart speeding up as the seconds ticked by without a response. Slowly, the smoke began to clear away, leaving behind the wake of the explosion a crater of shattered floor tiles and embers. The scrap of the Warden laid about in random spots with the head of its body scorched in the middle of the auditorium. And in front of it stood Jaune, standing tall with grime and soot painting his skin.

'Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.

907HP/8,800HP.'

A puff of smoke blew out of Jaune's mouth as he blinked. Despite how much his body ached and the burns on his skin, he was alive. He looked back to Ignis Mors, smiling brightly at the still white polished shield with pride. It was only thanks to the upgraded weapon that he had even been able to endure an explosion like that! He really couldn't thank Professor Kusanagi enough for all he had done. Hearing a buzz on his scroll, Jaune brought up his game menu.

'Havoc Quiz, PASSED!

Even through the havoc of attacks, you've proven that you can still keep calm and think clearly with a sharp mind! You're no genius, but you can think and deal with problems your way. Your Intelligence has saved you, and others. Never forget that knowledge is power.

Congratulations! An Optional Objective has been cleared! Defeat the Warden, Complete!

Fulmen Sigil, Unlocked!'

Another Sigil? Pulling up his inventory, Jaune found the odd reward in the Dust page along with the magical crystals and the other Sigil he had been rewarded from Blake's Mission. He didn't understand what it did other then what the description said.

'Fulmen Sigil[Dust]: A special symbol that wields archaic power. Modeled after the forces of Lightning. Worthless in less capable hands. Only those who understand the age-old form can unlock its capabilities.'

Jaune scratched his head, still not understanding what it did. The item was time worn, a piece of old paper torn at the edges that had an odd circle with intricate patterns drawn on it. He had asked Ren what it was, but the lazy ninja shrugged his shoulders and told him to find out by himself. He said it would be less fun if he told him. And that he wasn't sure that telling him would be any help seeing as their ways of gaining abilities was different. For now, it would be a mystery.

"JAUNE!"

"MY RIBS!"

Dropping his scroll from the hug tackle, Jaune smiled through the pained grimace as he patted Velvet's head nuzzling into his chest. Someone was worried.

"Hey, Velvet. Can you ease up on the hug? I'm still a little sore here." he laughed weakly.

"Oh, I'm just happy that you're alright!" Velvet said happily as she ignored his plea and hugged him harder.

"Define alright." Jaune croaked.

Waving away the lingering smoke around the area, Professor Pithos smirked as he patted Jaune's back.

"Still standing after an explosion like that defines alright in my book." he said in his usual lazy tone. Another puff of smoke escaped Jaune's mouth as Velvet gave the professor a deadpan stare, "That's also a sign of perfect health." he grinned.

With a mirthful smile, Ozpin joined in as he looked over Jaune's injuries. His aura was working faster than normal to heal the injuries and he didn't suffer any heavy wounds. It was actually surprising. An explosion at that range should have at least knocked him out. Good to know he didn't have to send him to Ms. Spriggan's office. That woman did not like to see the blond wounded. He was starting to wonder if she was into young men at this point.

"Mr. Arc, you've done well in your exam. You passed with flying colors and even defeated the Warden, something I wasn't expecting." he said earnestly. The android would have shut down after the final question had been answered. He didn't expect it to pull out something that deadly at the last question though. A certain candy lover was going to have to be punished for that. Good thing he already had an ideal punishment in hand.

"That thing was a war machine." Jaune said in disbelief as he pointed to the burnt wreckage of the boss with a shaking finger, "When you said I would be fighting an android, I thought you were talking about a training bot! Not one of General Ironwoods machines!"

"I assure you, Mr. Arc, you were never in any real harm from the beginning. The Warden would have shut down once it noticed your aura had fallen into the red and graded you on what score you had earned so far. That last oversight though, was not my doing." he said dryly, thumbing back to Professor Pithos who grinned sheepishly, "You can thank Professor Pithos for the activation of the Devastation Cannon."

"My bad."

Throwing the Dust professor an annoyed glare, Jaune went back to Ozpin as he began dusting himself off.

"So, does that mean I passed your exam?" he said hopefully, wishing to finally be done with The Game's antics. Everything pretty much hurt and he still had to deal with the VPD at some point. Hopefully he could explain the situation to someone who wasn't out of their mind with a twitchy whip finger.

Ozpin swished his coffee around in a Yes and No gesture, "You've completed the three exams I've prepared to test your capabilities, so yes, you have. I would shake your hand right now and grant you that official transcript you've been working towards since that day." he said with a sip of his coffee, "But, that still leaves your regular exam, which your teachers, once noted about the situation, have promised to wait another day or two for you to take. After all, this was a test of your worth here with what experience you've gained, that does not excuse the work you already were in progress with."

"I don't understand." Jaune moaned in depression. And here he had thought he wouldn't have to take the written exams! Guess it did make sense, he was still being tested for all the lessons he was taking. This was about gaining acceptance officially. Not passing his semester exams.

"But," Ozpin interrupted, bringing back Jaune's attention as he continued, "There is still one last test you must pass before all is said and done. And if I'm correct, Combat Class is still in session. Might as well kill two birds with one stone while you're at it."

"What are you saying?" Jaune frowned.

"A test of Strength, Mr. Arc. You've shown me that you have the Endurance to withstand against a foe leagues above you, the Drive to reach your mission and destination no matter what, and Intelligence in not just matters of history, science, and literature, but combat. But when all is said and done, it is your Strength that reveals the kind of huntsman you are. As your last test, you will have to show me that Strength and convince me that it is the kind of strength I wish to welcome to my academy." Giving Jaune a look of praise, Ozpin turned his back to the boy as he began heading out.

"While your injuries aren't severe, I would like it if you stopped by Ms. Spriggan's office to speed up your recovery before your final test. And take a nap to recharge your batteries. And Ms. Scarlatina? I would like to thank you for lending your fellow student a hand in his trials, but I believe now is a good time to head back to your team so you may at least take your Combat exam. You will be given leniency today for your help, but I expect you to take your make up exams along with Mr. Arc when all is said and done."

"What about me?" Professor Pithos gestured to himself as the gray bed haired headmaster turned to him with a mirthful smile.

"You will be the one responsible for telling our dear Ms. Goodwitch about the damage the auditorium suffered. And you will also be helping her to patch everything up before classes end. After all, we don't want the students thinking that a Goliath had passed our defenses and wreaked havoc while they were testing. That just wouldn't do." he chuckled before shutting the door behind him.

If Professor Pithos could, he would have raised one of his favorite fingers to the headmaster as he sniffed back a terrified cry. Sending him to the hot blonde deputy headmistress was the same as sending him to his grave. Especially if he had to explain what had happened behind her back. With a tired sigh, Pithos accepted his fate and turned back to his little students. He smirked, watching as Velvet began to fret over Jaune's wellbeing as he waved off the concerns with a goofy grin.

'Hard to believe that a kid like that thought he had to cheat his way in. Either he lacked confidence, or the education to be allowed entry. He must have been born in an area without access to a huntsman's education, but he still could have been taught in other ways. What an odd kid.' Looking over the blond, Pithos eyes suddenly zoomed in on a piece of age worn paper tucked in the kid's pocket. Odd symbols could be seen, clicking with his head as he walked over. Without permission, he snatched the paper from Jaune's person and ignored his cry of surprise as he read over it.

"Where did you get a Dust Sigil this old?" the professor couldn't help but ask with a puzzled frown.

"Dust Sigil?" Jaune repeated in confusion. Well, it was categorized under Dust in his Inventory. "Wait, you know what it is?" he said in surprise as the teacher nodded.

Fixing his trucker hat to get rid of some of the shade falling over the old paper, Pithos began to explain, "Yes, Dust Sigil. See, Dust can be used a number of ways. It can be used by itself to conjure elements without innate magic, as ammunition, to power technology, and even be woven into clothing for unique abilities. But one method, considered dangerous and volatile under companies such as the SDC, is Dust Imprinting. Watch." Pushing up the sleeves of his lab coat, Professor Pithos stunned his students by lifting his finger up and conjuring a wisp of lightning without the use of Dust. Strange markings suddenly glowed around the tanned skin of his arm, reminding them of the odd marking on the paper in his hand, "By grounding Dust and creating a special sigil based on the element, one can tattoo the markings onto one's skin and use Dust in a whole new way. It's the same as using a crystal without the physical body. From a layman's view, it looks like magic. It's a unique practice that can take years to master and offers a creative way to fight with Dust. But due to how dangerous it can be if used wrong, and the affects one can suffer if their body can't handle the strain, it has been deemed hazardous."

"The real question is, how did you get your hands on a Fulmen Sigil? And one this old?"

Hearing the suspicion in Professor Pithos voice, Jaune thought quickly, "It's just another item I was able to summon with my Semblance. Sometimes the things I conjure can be random, like this." he gestured to the paper in the teacher's hand, "I never really knew what it could do. Everyone else I asked didn't seem to know what is was either."

"Well it takes a professional such as I to understand a thing of beauty like this." Pithos said smugly as he patted the old paper gently. Man, it really was old. Dust was falling off of it from a simple little pat. Something like this was very valuable in research. It was a shame he couldn't have it for himself. At the that, a random thought hit him and he grinned.

"I'll tell you what, Lemon Head. How's about you give me this old trinket in exchange for something just as valuable?"

"Why would you want that? Isn't it too beaten up to be of any value?" Jaune asked only for the older huntsman to shake his with an amused chuckle.

"That's what makes it valuable! This thing seems to be older than any of the sigils I've ever encountered. Hell, I'd be shocked to my core to find it as the original blueprint to the art of Dust Imprinting. To a researcher in Dust like myself, it has more worth than gold." he said with a sense of excitement in his tired voice, "I know that it's very valuable, companies like the SDC would pay an arm and a leg for a relic like this. I honestly don't even care how you got it, if you got more of these, then I'd be willing to offer you my own unique services."

Velvet titled her head at the suddenly energetic man. Services? She'd known Professor Pithos for a few months since the school year started and knew he didn't offer any kind of services despite his vast knowledge of Dust.

"What kind of services are you willing to offer?" Jaune asked in confusion.

Professor Pithos proudly displayed his forearm, lighting it up with the sigil markings of his Dust imprint with sparks of lightning, "I'd be willing to teach you how to use Dust Imprinting of course! Like I said, it's a unique art, one not too many people use. And those who do only know the simple stuff. But me? Oh, I'd be more than happy to teach you the basics and advanced lessons for every old sigil you bring of this quality! I'll teach you things that would drop the jaws of even advanced Dust users like Glynda to the abyss!" he said loudly with glee. Hugging the Fulmen Sigil close to his chest, he gave the blond boy watery eyes and a pout as he pleaded, "So, how about it? Please~? I'll throw in a few gummy bears to sweeten the deal!" he grinned widely as he threw up a bag of colorful gummy bears in his hand.

Jaune went into thought as he brought his fingers to stroke a none existent beard. It sounded like a good offer. From what the Dust professor was saying, what he believed to be a useless scrap of ancient paper was worth a lot of Lien. He could always sell it to line his pockets. Lien wasn't easy to come by with his status as Heart of The Gamer, he relied on some of the easy beginner's missions offered by The Game through the teachers and people of Vale to get by since he stopped contacting his family. But he did need every advantage he could take with how green he was at all this. Plus it was a pain being unable to use magic inside school and other areas that forbid him. Brow furrowed deeply, Jaune finally came to a decision.

"Throw in gummy worms, and you have a deal!" he said sternly.

Professor Pithos flinched back as if he was struck, sweat running down his face as he could be seen visibly fighting with the decision. But in the end, he sighed with defeat as he rummaged through the deep pockets of his lab coat.

"Fine. You have yourself a deal." he bit out sourly as he tossed the last bag of one of his favorite treats along with the bears to the happily grinning blond. When the hell was he going to have the chance to order another shipment of gummy worms with his schedule? Those were some top-quality stuff, damn it!

Velvet didn't understand any of what she had just witnessed. As far as she was concerned, and she was concerned after getting a better understanding of her headmaster and Dust professor, they were all out of their minds.

"Did you just hand over a king's ransom of knowledge for candy?" Velvet asked Jaune dryly as the knight went straight to snacking on his gummy treats.

"And lessons on forbidden Dust techniques, Velvet. The gummy worms only sealed the deal." Jaune mumbled.

'Congratulations! Professor Pithos Friendship has been Unlocked! A new Talent has been Unlocked! A new Skill has been Unlocked! Dust Impriting-Lvl 1, Unlocked! Nature's Insight, Unlocked!

A Rare Friendship has been Unlocked! Professor Pithos is an enigma, a man of secrecy despite his lazy, sweet obsessed nature. With this special NPC's Friendship Unlocked, you will now be able to learn how to equip Dust Sigils! With each new Sigil discovered, a new Imprint will be become available, for free of course. Spells will be become accessible in public with an Imprint equipped. The power of Dust knows no bounds, as does your capabilities. Who knows? Continued application of Imprints may lead to an unknown discovery?'

Pumping his fist in victory, Professor Pithos carefully placed the ancient paper in one his pockets not filled to the brim with sweets, "You have my sincerest thanks, Jaune. You have no idea how thankful I am for this." he said fondly before frowning and scratching the back of his head, "But I won't be able to give you an Imprint just yet with this particular Sigil. It's too advanced for a greenhorn like you. If you had something simpler though, I would be able to get you something quicker."

At that, Jaune summoned the first Sigil he had been rewarded and handed it to the older man. Professor Pithos whistled, impressed even more that his student had more than one. That semblance of his was incredible! Now he wanted to understand how it exactly worked.

"Now this I can work with. Ignis is the simplest of Imprints to start with. It's one of the first Imprints Dr. Wa-" The fondness in Professor Pithos voice abruptly died as a dark shadow fell over his face. The sweets suddenly tasted bitter.

Jaune grew worried as his teacher spat his sweets out with a look of disgust. That wasn't normal.

"You alright, Professor?" he asked as Pithos spun around and left for the door. The man stopped, still refusing to look back at his students right now. Too many ugly memories were plaguing his thoughts.

"I... I have something to take care of right now, Mr. Arc, Ms. Scarlatina. Head back to your classes, there's no need to stick around here any longer. I'll be sure to tell Glynda about the damage and get everything fixed. Leave." he said with finality.

Velvet looked after her teacher's sudden departure, just as worried as Jaune. That was the first time the professor had ever used their last names. He always referred to them with his candy themed nicknames. What she had just seen was odd.

"Do you think he's alright?" she asked Jaune as he sighed.

Hard to say. Jaune had seen that look before, and it never spelled fine. With a mental note to look out for his teacher, he and Velvet left for the other entrance. A small nap would do him good after all he had been through.

Shutting the door behind him, Professor Pithos suddenly found his eyes falling on Ignis.

'With enough practice, Hope, even you would be able to change the face of the world. Barring a death of diabetes from all that empty sugar that is. Just trust in your mentor. And I'll lead you to a brighter future.'

The amused chuckle drifting through the memories consumed him with fury. It was a surprise to him later when he had stopped by with Glynda to find a scorching crater where he had stood at the time. It also explained why the platinum blonde deputy mistress dragged him to the nurse's office to treat his heavily burned arm.

Move back.

A laceration opened on his back. Annoyance replaced pain.

Roll to the right!

Several small knives dug into his right shoulder, his aura preventing them from fully piercing his skin. He ripped them off with a growl, his magenta eyes rapidly moving back and forth around the arena for his opponent.

Sidestep the glinting knife!

An amused chuckle tickled his ear. His bladed SMG swung back, missing as the voice's owner vanished into thin air. He panted, growing on edge as his HUD became useless. All he was seeing was a flitting dot constantly disappearing and reappearing.

"My, my, my! Isn't someone a little paranoid~? Having a hard time keeping an eye on little old me, Ren?"

Ren stifled a growl as he once again dodged a series of small ninja knives falling from above. They hit the ground with a thud, vanishing into nothing as he spun on his foot to slash his blades like a top, deflecting another round of blades. They too disappeared as they were knocked out of the air. Feeling a presence pop up behind him again, Ren jumped forward, spun around, and fired his SMG's at his opponent. An unseen force deflected the bullets before he could make out a faint shimmer rush at him. He moved Storm Flower to cross over his chest, just in time to block a downward slash from an invisible blade. He narrowed his eyes as the faint shimmer died away to reveal a bright smile and wavy green hair.

'Rue Edisia, The Unseen Lvl-51.

9,280HP/15,000HP.

Stats:

Strength: 48.

Defense: 40.

Speed:49.

Wisdom: 40.

Intelligence:49.

Luck: 40.

Weapons:

Jester's Bounty [Throwing Knives].

Gravity Mines.

Abilities:

Unseen Rivets.

Detonate.

Lightning Strike.

Gale Talons.

Blade Dance.

Now You See Me.

Fear Sight.

Skills:

Vanish.

Gravity Field.

Fear of the Unseen.

Information: Rue Edisia, a second-year huntsman with unknown origins. A boy always seen with a smile on his face and a cheerful nature opposite of his enigmatic status. Rue is a skilled user of throwing knives, able to attack at both long range and close range. Jester's Bounty only makes him more lethal with the ability to augment his knives with special compounds of Dust that range in effect. Add in his Semblance, Vanish, and he is not only able to vanish himself, but whatever he touches, making him a deadly opponent. Beware of his skill, Fear of the Unseen. It is capable of inflicting Fear onto opponents with every missed attack.'

Ren scowled as he pushed back Rue and distanced himself from the pleasantly smiling huntsman. He looked at the second-year, noting his odd dress wear for a huntsman. The wavy forest green haired boy wore a silken white long-sleeved dress shirt under a rich black vest and a dark blue tie, sleek black greaves over his forearms, black dress pants with a two pocket chains that jangled lightly, and snow-white dress shoes. Other than the armor, he didn't look any different than a butler. Faintly he could make out the encouraging shouts from his friends in the seats on the outer ring of the arena as his heart beat rapidly. Sweat drenched his collar as he breathed heavily. Idly he noticed his sweaty palms shaking as they gripped Storm Flower painfully. He cursed under his breath in annoyance.

Damn, he was inflicted with Fear.

It was the last class of the day and all their exams had been finished with. Now all that was left was Combat Class with Ms. Goodwitch. A test of their combat prowess against opponents that they've been growing with. But unlike their regular exams, it didn't matter if they passed or failed. What mattered was displaying how far you had come since the first day. Winning simply gave you bragging rights and a sense of accomplishment. Even if you lost the fight, as long as you displayed how strong you had become and shown development, you would pass. Their general score ultimately fell on how Glynda graded your fight in her eyes.

Class was almost over with. For the last three hours, the first and second years had been pitted against one another in fights that lasted from ten minutes to about half an hour. It was nice to watch their friends fight against each other and it gave them bragging rights when all was said and done. It was a nice change of pace from fighting with the words and equations on paper. But for Ren, he would have taken written exams over fighting any day of the week. He was The Mind after all, his Intelligence assured him he would naturally ace tests he had taken over and over again. Especially when he had to fight an NPC created from The Remix.

See, that was the thing about remixes in The Game. The reason someone like Adam would enjoy them so much was due to the unique NPC's born from the mix of old concepts. After playing The Game for so long and memorizing the fight patterns of almost every opponent they would meet, the only true challenge any of them would receive would be from NPC's they had never encountered. They were new, unknowns with abilities and skills they had never seen. It was a breath of fresh air for them, like they were playing a whole new game! The same went for Grimm, new ones would be created that were unlike anything they had ever seen. In a way, Remixes were the only reason they hadn't died of boredom.

But to Ren, who was lazy and liked to finish his fights quickly at this point in The Game, Remix NPC's were a giant pain in his ass. Because that would mean he had to try against his opponent. Like right now.

Fear, a Status infliction that dropped Accuracy by 15% and prevented use of Items. It was a nasty little status inflicted by some of the more dangerous Grimm and powerful NPC's in The Game down the road. But to meet a student NPC who was capable of it this early? It was safe to say he was surprised. Combined with a semblance that allowed not only himself to disappear but his weapons, it created a deadly opponent. For once, Ren was actually struggling to fight back. All because he had forewent actively grinding like the other two veteran Players. Whatever patterns he had learned from the many opponents he had fought over and over again were useless against this newer threat.

A challenge. It had been a long while since an NPC was capable of that.

Past all the sweat and heavy breathing, Ren found himself smirking. Funny, he was starting to get a sense of excitement from it.

Throwing an odd toothed emerald bladed knife in his hand lazily, Rue titled his head at the shaking ninja boy. Eerily, one of his eyes opened part way, revealing a slit of dark purple iris devoid of emotion. His smile widened.

"Taking a breather, Ren? You look a little winded, want to take a break?" he teased with a giggle.

Ren scoffed, easing his shoulders as his HUD came to life. An option displayed itself to him, one he had hardly used up until now.

Activate Semblance: Fade?

Warning! Activating Semblance will disable Abilities as long as it is Active. Drives will be unavailable. Continue?

It wasn't every day that he busted out his semblance in front of others. It was a trump card he liked to keep in his sleeve just in case. But for once, he didn't want to half ass his way through a fight. It was time he tried again. It was time to act.

'Fade, Activated!'

Rue looked at Ren quizzically as the silent boy's very aura could be seen like static. Did he take damage? He was sure he hadn't done anything or activated the little nasty surprise he had up his sleeve. Why would his aura-

Ren's body faded into a gray hue to the sight of the students watching before vanishing. They grew confused, not sure what to make of what they had seen. Rue's eyes snapped open in alarm, giving them all a chance to finally make out the color of his dark purple eyes. The forest green haired boy spun his head around, trying to find something that had left his vision.

"You're not the only one who can hide in plain sight." Ren's voice echoed.

Catching the voice of his opponent, Rue quickly threw one of his knives in Ren's direction without a moment's hesitation. Ren titled his head to the right, narrowly avoiding having a lock of hair cut off by the whizzing blade. He was impressed, only a faunus would be able to pinpoint his location on voice alone that quickly. With the older boy's attention trying to locate him again, Ren sprinted with Storm Flower's blades ready to dish out some damage. His Abilities were inaccessible with this setting, but he had a couple of tricks Unlocked after grinding his Semblance to a decent level.

"Fade: To RED!" The green pigment of Storm Flower faded away, leaving behind a basic red skin. Power ran through the dyed metal, upping Ren's Strength by 15% along with a sense of aggresion. With a burst of speed, Ren appeared behind Rue's back with a side swing for the boy's neck. The blow sent Rue stumbling forward with a pained grimace before he found a slash tearing a horizontal slash in his vest. Again, and again, unseen powerful blows smacked his body around. He grunted, gritting his teeth with a smile as what felt like an iron hard palm strike to the face knocked his head back.

Okay! This was getting old. It was time he took things up a notch.

Sliding two knives out of his sleeves, Rue pumped his aura into his weapons and watched as the curved green metal was shrouded by tearing winds. Sensing another attack coming, he swung his knives around him in a spin. Shredding winds spun around him and slashed the ground around him like paper. Ren ground his teeth, caught in the attack as the winds tried to open up several cuts and grazes on his body. Instead, all it left was a dull aching pain as his aura flared to protect him from physical damage.

Rue chuckled as he cleaned off a bit of blood running from his mouth. The first year could hit! This was starting to get fun.

"Copycat~!" he sang amusingly with a shake of his head. He grinned widely, faintly noticing a dripping sound. His eyes partly opened, looking out for spots of blood as he rose his middle finger and thumb up, "It's not nice to steal someone's trick. I'm going to have to punish you for that." he chuckled before snapping his fingers.

Ren went on the defensive. Something didn't feel right. Suddenly, his HUD began to pick up several little red dots around him. An enemy? No, that wouldn't be possible. The only other time his map would display a marker was if there was something else with HP around him. If not an enemy, then maybe a hazardous-

A sudden explosion on Ren's left broke him out of his thoughts, throwing him off his feet before another explosion threw him back. All around him, random booms of licking flames erupted and threw him around like a rag doll. His gray color left him back to his original pigments as one last explosion sent him skidding on his side with a shout. Groaning, he moved his hands to push himself up when they suddenly grazed a sharp edge. With a grimace, he found nothing until he grasped the unseen object and found an orange-red double-edged knife appearing out of nowhere. The metal of the blade came to life, glowing dangerously. Quickly, he threw the knife away and watched it blow up in a large ball of flames.

"There you are! I thought my little sensor would pick you up eventually." Rue chuckled as his eyes found Ren picking himself up. The younger student's clothing were ripped by the force of the explosions and smoke trailed off his body. It looked like he took quite a hit. "You know, huntsman really do relay on the most complicated weapons. Too many times I see them focus their entire combat style on big fancy, overly complex weapons and never think about what would happen if they were to lose them. Me though? All I need are a few knives, and this!" he tapped his head with a cheery smile as he juggled a few yellow gold zig-zag toothed knives in his free hand. "My mind is way sharper than any edge you got on you! I could take you out even without my fancy tricks. Ain't that a scary thought?"

The Fear status he had inflicted said yes, but Ren himself? He scoffed, amused at the second year.

"You talk too much to be scary." he smirked before fading out of sight.

Rue pouted as he followed suit, vanishing as well. An unseen battle began to take place, both using their heightened senses to locate the other. The sound of steel clashing was all the students could make out as small visible shock waves erupted in the arena. Bolts of lightning struck the floor, explosions detonated, and other elements followed in the invisible battle. It truly was a battle to be seen! If, you know, they could actually see the fight.

"Psssssst! Blaaaaaaaaake!" Yang leaned over with a whisper, her partner's yellow eyes refusing to meet her, "Can you see what's going on? Because I can't see jack shit!"

"And what makes you think I can see any better than you?" Blake couldn't help but ask tiredly.

Yang shrugged before pointing to her bow, "Super faunus senses?"

Blake gave her a look, "Wow. I don't know if I should take offense from that or not."

"Oh, Blake. It's only racist if you mean it!"

"I'm pretty sure that's not how it works."

"Why? Is this because I'm a blonde? Who's the racist now?"

Ignoring her teammate's childishness, Weiss had to agree. She found herself unable to observe the fight with both of the fighters having the ability disappear. All they could make out were the effects of their attacks. How were they going to know who won? There was only one person she could think of who would remotely be capable of seeing the silent raven-haired ninja like this. She turned her head past Ruby sitting next to her to Nora, finding the orange haired girl's eyes darting all over the arena with a stern expression. The sight took Weiss by surprise. Could she really see him?

"Nora, can you actually see Ren?" she asked, grabbing Nora's attention. Nora grinned widely.

"Nope!" she said brightly, causing Weiss' face to fall and slump. She turned back to the unseen fight, catching a powerful shock wave to ring out and blow back all their hair as a webbed crater appeared in the middle of the floor. "But I have faith in Renny. He's got this in the bag! He's actually taking this fight seriously, which is rare for him. Most of the time he's phoning it in."

That little dab of information caught Weiss's attention along with everyone else's.

"Phoning it in?" Pyrrha frowned. What did that mean?

"Yup! What, don't tell me you guys never noticed?" Nora snickered before blinking in realization, "Wow, you guys never did notice, huh? Sheesh, and they call me ditzy."

"I still don't understand the expression."

"It means Ren hasn't been fighting to his full potential, he's been half-assing it this entire time." Yang explained with a conflicted frown. After all, she had fought him in Combat class a few times and always won. And now she was being told he had never been taking her seriously? She couldn't tell if it was because he thought she was weak, or he was lazy. "I think I'm pissed."

"That's quite a revelation. I always thought there was more to him than he led on." Weiss thought in deep contemplation. He had been accepted into Beacon after all. When she compared him to Jaune, she found them strikingly similar, both average in combat level when they had first arrived. But with Jaune, he had been growing rapidly to the level he now stood. Ren on the other hand apparently had been hiding his true strength. How curious.

Another resounding gale flew past them, causing their eyes to squint as they tried to focus on the area of the shock wave. Ren and Rue's semblance seemed to have run out of power, leaving the two boys locking blades at the center of the webbed arena. Their bodies were littered with wounds from their fighting, showing that their auras were at low levels. Above their heads their profiles displayed the percentage of their 'Health'.

'Lie Ren.

37%.

Rue Edisia.

41%.'

Rue smiled cheekily, his face covered in bruises from the fighting, "Wow! Aren't you something? You know, I don't recall you ever displaying this amount of strength before. I always thought you were more of the tactical kind of huntsman, like me! But you also got the power to stand your ground." the thin, light cold blue knife in Rue's hand pressed down harder against Storm Flower, sending chills along Ren's knuckles, "I like that! It means I can up my game up even more!"

The icy blade grew bold, lengthening to a long sword's length, and nearly stabbed through Ren with its growth. He jumped a step back and fell into evading the sweeping swings of the bright smiling butler themed boy. Each swing released a gust of cold wind that caused frost to creep over him with every pass. And the Fear status was making it worse. His Spells were useless right now since he couldn't display them publicly.

"Fade: To Magenta!" The color of Storm Flower dyed to magenta, transferring his magical power to his blades and extending them to double their size. He countered a horizontal slash and chased him off with several rapid fired rounds of pink colored magical rounds. Seeing Rue swiftly dodge every shot and then curve in his round to come back with a forward lunge, Ren spun his magical based fanged gun in his hand until it resembled a spinning disk before snapping his wrist to throw it after him. He cursed, noticing his accuracy was off as his shuriken swerved to the right. There it was, the drop-in accuracy. Oum damn Fear!

Luckily his right-hand Storm Flower spun back despite the miss and even forced Rue to duck before it could lob his head off. Ren flipped back, kicking his foot under Rue's chin in an uppercut kick. Pumping aura into the muscles of his legs, he then jumped over Rue as the older student staggered with a bleeding chin before spinning his body in a suspended state and fired every last magical round in his magazine. A rain of magenta bullets fell over Rue, dealing a decent amount of damage and puncturing holes into his combat gear. To finish off the attack, Ren threw another large shuriken down as the barrage ended.

Rue smiled through the pain as he threw an orange-red knife to meet the SMG turned ninja star. The meeting detonated the special blade, saving him from having to dodge. Which was a little difficult right now. His body was starting to feel the pain. With the smoke of the explosion in the way, Rue jumped back with a grin as he drew back his free arm. Not a second sooner did Ren dive back at his previous spot with a descending ax kick. The leg was dyed red as it shattered the floor to pieces.

Swinging his right leg to the side to rid himself off the dust of the impact, Ren turned to Rue with a satisfied smirk. The always smiling NPC's body was riddled with tears and bullet holes, his soft features dirtied by their long fight with visible bruises mixed along with the dust and faded blood smears. It didn't look like he would be fighting for long now, not when his HP was nearing the red.

"Do you give up yet? It doesn't look like you're in any condition to continue any longer." Ren asked as the forest green haired boy couldn't help but laugh.

"Look who's talking! I know for a fact I got a few good hits on ya too! Careful there, Bedroom Eyes." Rue chided as he pointed his finger up. Ren frowned, his senses warning him of something before turning his eyes up. A zig-zagged themed blade floated above him, sparking madly as Rue grinned.

"Arrogance doesn't look attractive on anyone."

The speed of the bolt of lightning matched its element, striking Ren quicker than he could fully process the danger. His body was lit up with volts of scorching energy, chopping off a good amount of HP in the few seconds the attack lasted. Forcing his body to stand as the lightning died and his body began to visibly spark in warning of his dwindling aura, Ren smirked through his pained grimace as he looked past the cheerful huntsman.

"I could say the same to you."

Rue tilted his head with confusion, wandering what his opponent was talking about before his ears twitched. With alarm, he brought up a Wind themed knife from his sleeve and spun around. But he was too late. It was only then did he realize that Ren was missing one of his fanged SMG's. The buzzing windmill that was Storm Flower flew past his left side, slashing his ribs like a saw as it returned back to its creator. Rue grunted deeply as his hand flew to the bleeding laceration, his fingers and palm soaking with red as he fought to remain upright.

What a dirty little trick! Rue found himself chuckling weakly, his smile still in place as he glanced back at the equally hurt huntsman. Half parted, his deep purple eyes were filled with amusement at the boy. It seemed that the lazy attitude was just a front. A beast lied underneath.

Just like that blond boy.

"I'm about empty on Dust, how about you?" Rue asked Ren with a bright grin.

Ren smiled tiredly as Storm Flower dropped the last empty magazine to the floor audibly.

"That was the last of my bullets. And I'm running on empty here." he scoffed with no actual venom in his voice. His eyes glanced at his empty MP bar. It was charging, but it wasn't going to fill up in time. Not to mention he was feeling sore.

Rue nodded in understanding as he turned back, the bleeding from his gash slowly mending itself. A look of understanding passed between the two at that second. Rue grinned widely and Ren sighed with a small smile.

"I forfeit."

The echo of the two huntsmen was deafening. Everything was quiet for a moment before a slow clap filled the air. After recovering from the stupors, the students began to cheer and applaud the amazing fight they had just witnessed. The roar of cheers was actually surprising to hear to Ren. He blinked, staring up at the dozens and dozens of NPC's going crazy over his little fight.

Rue chuckled at the face of the silent Anima boy as he walked over to him.

"What, haven't you ever heard applause before?" he said mirthfully as he wiped the blood off his hand with a handkerchief. With the fighting over, his aura was working on finishing the last touches on his wounds.

"I have. I guess I've just forgotten how it sounded." Ren shrugged as he used the free moment to reach into his waistcoat. Subtly, he grabbed a healing potion from his inventory and drank the delicious liquid to heal his wounds.

"Well you certainly took me by surprise, I'll tell you that! I was actually worried that you wouldn't put up much of a fight with how lazy and unmotivated you appeared." Rue grinned, taking Ren back as he leaned dangerously close to his face. Again, he could see the deep shade of the happy huntsman's purple eyes. Something about them sent shivers down his back.

"Just like that leader of yours. Full of surprises."

"Right." Ren drawled as he stepped back. What an odd NPC.

With the fighting over, Professor Glynda decided to enter the arena. She surveyed the damage with a quick glance before waving her riding crop in the air with a series of complex motions. The remains of the floor were taken over by an unseen force and then lifted up before fixing themselves back together. It was akin to putting a puzzle together. But there came the problem, puzzle pieces could come together, cement couldn't. Sending a request to one of the helping androids via scroll to touch up the floor now that it was fixed together, Glynda greeted the two huntsmen with a small smile.

"Mr. Lie, Mr. Rue, I must say that was a splendid performance of combat prowess. The best I have seen out of the both of you since first coming into my class." she acknowledged as she tapped away their scores on her scroll, "You've both certainly riled the others up with your impressive display. Mr. Edisia, your use of your Vanish Semblance is remarkable, allowing you to set up traps with your Dust infused knives and make your opponent go on edge with your taunts. And Mr. Lie, your quick thinking and reaction time to attacks helped to counter his unseen attacks, not to mention your odd semblance at the end. I would very much like to hear more about it when you have the time. It looks quite fascinating."

"I'll see if that's possible. I like to keep such things a secret." Ren explained with a shrug, "A trump card for dicey situations."

"Of course, Mr. Lie. You're more than free to keep it to yourself. Too much information is a danger after all." Glynda said in understanding, "But I could always help in developing that special power if I were to know more about it. I'm your teacher after all."

Done with her scoring, Glynda turned back to the rest of the class as she gestured for the two to move along. It didn't look like they needed any special treatment despite how hard they had been fighting one another, so no need to send them to the nurse's office. All they really needed now was some rest and a change of clothes. Now was as good as any for a small break before finishing the last few matches of the day.

"Well students, we still have a few more matches left in the day to look forward to. So, in the meantime, while we set up the last of the matches, you may all prepare yourselves for your fights or relax. You'll all have half an hour before we start up again, so do remember to keep track of time. While some of you are done with your fights, that does not excuse you from missing class." she warned with a dangerous glint of her glasses and a snap of her crop. Even the rowdier students gulped as they all began to head out.

Watching the last student leave the classroom, Glynda went back to her scroll. A message suddenly popped up on her screen from a certain candy loving professor. Reading the message, she found herself massaging her temple with a frustrated sigh. She should have known not to have left the last part of Mr. Arc's exam to Ozpin. That man just did what he wanted half the time. What went on in that enigmatic mind of his, she'd never known.

'As if he wasn't giving me enough headaches today.' she thought with an annoyed scowl. Pulling up the roster of students set to fight, her eyes fell on the last match up of the day with concern.

'Helios Lyre Vs. Jaune Arc.'

A match set up personally by the headmaster for some odd reason. Even after she had warned him of that particular match up due to Lyre's declining mental state. She had hoped that month away would help in cooling his temper, but found that it had only grown worse. She didn't want to think about having to go with the alternative to his situation.

'I'll have to schedule a meeting with his teammates to get a better understanding of his current mentality. He's been showing some troubling signs in the last few months. If it were up to me, I would have him suspended from combat for the time being until he was cleared of his symptoms.' But Ozpin had set up the fight to test Jaune and his strength. She had argued that anyone else would be better suited instead of the rocker, but he had been adamant. Which meant he was up to something.

Whatever it was, she just hoped it didn't cause any more damage for her to fix.

The curtain to the show is ready to Fall. Stars will clash, lighting up the stage in dazzling flashes to awe the crowd. A song will play, but what is a song when played from a heart that is untrue to itself?

Your name, whatever it may be, says a lot of yourself. But does it define you? Don't hesitate, and Dive in.

Hero.

Man, I can't tell you how many times I thought Multiplayer Volume 1 would be over! Goes to show the best laid out plans never survive. Originally I had this planned out for 12-15 chapters. And I haven't really added anything new to the story from what I recall. It would start out from Jaune's death, starting over Initiation, then the Friends of Faunus Arc would begin, followed by Ren's Arc, then the Black and White Arc, and I would finish it off with the end of semester exam. All that was suppose to run around 100K+. This story has reached 600K+.

I don't even understand how. I could barely churn out 10K+ in my Fairy Tale days.

Anyways, the end to the Volume has been completed. It's done. All we have to do is wait for my Beta to finish the edits and that's it for now. I will go on a two month break of uploading. But don't worry, I ain't going to be sitting on my ass playing tv and discretely researching things you don't need to know about on my incognito page all day. No, I got plans. Three in fact! And one of them just so happens to involve working alongside my Beta in a new Sect of FF. I won't say which, but its lacking in fics.

I will return to uploading Multiplayer around October though. Until then, watch out for any works under NeoShadows in the coming future. I've already completed the first chapter of one of my new works.

Now, what am I leaving out? Ah, right. The Journal.

So, yeah. Multiplayer: Journals, is now a Forum in RWBY's Forums. BUT! It's not complete. I'm still working on finishing the last touches to a few of the pages, but I do have one page already up. It will explain Game Mechanics, basically how Leveling Up works and details on Stats. I've also got an Introduction explaining it more. And just to let you know, yes, you can add on to the forum, but try to keep it concerning RWBY. I've seen some of the forums on this site, and I shudder to think my own turning out the same. Its a nice little place for all you fans to discuss Multiplayer and future stories I will be posting.

More will be posted in the Volume 1 section during this month. For now, you can gloss over the mechanics and discuss with another about theories and such in Discussions. I'll be posting as well from time to time to answer questions as well.

I have much more to discuss concerning my future plans, stories, and other matters, but I'll save those for the final chapter of Volume 1. Just be patient, it's coming.

. . .I swear, I sound like George R.R Martin when he was portrayed in South Park during the Black Friday trilogy. They're coming, they're coming! Only its not dragons.

Read and Review! It's common courtesy. And we're so close to a thousand, I can taste it.

Tastes like ginger. I like ginger.

NeoShadows fading in and out!