Welcome to ch 4 of TPA! Like always JJD mercilessly hunted down all my grammar mistakes.
CH 4: Old Friends, New friends.
There was only fire. It washed over him, and underneath him and covered everything. The only thing he could feel was the intense heat. The only thing he could see were the bright red and orange flames. And a female figure in the center of this inferno. She reached one hand towards him, and opened her mouth to speak.
But the voice he heard did not come from her - but from the flames. It surrounded him, just like fire, and burned even hotter. Only three words. But they hurt more than any wound.
"You are late."
Jaune Arc woke up with a gasp. It took him a few seconds to recall where he was, why he couldn't see a thing, and why every part of his body hurt like hell.
He started to push away the rocks that had fallen on top of him, then pushed himself to a sitting position, one hand covering his face. His skin felt hot - the effect of the dream he just had.
Hadn't had that one in few weeks… Why now?
He stood up, and had to lean against the wall when his vision swam.
Probably all that talk on bullhead about graduation stirring up old memories…
Heartshatter Ridge was supposed to be just a single stop on his journey back to Vale. Just a place to get something to eat, and a chance to sleep under a roof. A conversation overheard in the local pub had changed all that.
Ok, no time for that. He thought, recalling what had happened.
So I fought that Gri- Harrowed… the damn floor cracked open, and I fell. Must have gotten knocked out when I hit my head. I wonder why it didn't finish me?
The answer became obvious when he looked up.
Looks like the hole was too small for it.
He looked around. The hole he fell through was rather small, and damp, courtesy of several small streams running through it.
Well, looks like only way out is to climb. Guess it's better that way - I'd rather backtrack, than wander around in an unknown cave.
It wasn't a long climb - only 5 meters or so. The walls were slippery, but he didn't have too much trouble finding support for his legs and hands.
Now the big question - is it waiting for me up there?
When Jaune almost reached edge of hole he fell through, he paused to catch his breath. And listen. After a few seconds of hearing only the sound of his own breathing, he considered his options.
I can't see much, the perception enhancer effects must be wearing off. So I better not wait too long - if that bastard is waiting for me, I'd prefer to not fight it blind.
He took a few deep breaths, grabbed the edge of hole, and pushed himself up, instantly rolling to the side. He jumped to his feet, sword at the ready, prepared to dodge an incoming attack.
He needn't have bothered - the room was empty.
Jaune spent some time looking around the cave. Nothing caught his interest - beside three corridors. One of them turned out to be dead end, the second lead deeper into cave.
So what now? Should I go further? Or should I go back and report to Ozpin? How long I was out anyway?
In the end, Jaune decided to go back. He felt tired, and with the enhancer effect wearing off, he would need to take another to keep going. And that was risky - taking two strong elixirs one after another was bound to have some serious side effects.
The trip back took him a lot of time - he was extra careful to not run into any traps, even though the corridors were mostly narrow and relatively straight. When he was almost out of the cave, he pulled his scroll and called Ozpin.
""Yes Mr. Arc?"
"We have a problem." The older man just raised an eyebrow, so Jaune continued. "Found my target in this cave - it really was an Alpha Beowolf - quite a big one at that. It was very defensive, even tried to bait me into attacking. But beside that, there was nothing unusual about it - that is until I killed it."
"What happened then?"
"It got back up."
Ozpin looked genuinely surprised for once.
"It… got up?" Jaune nodded. Ozpin stared at him for few seconds, then shook his head.
"Pardon me Mr. Arc, but I have to ask. Are you sure the beast was dead?"
In any other situation Jaune would have felt offended by the question. Now he just took a deep breath and answered.
"I stabbed it in its maw, blade pierced its head, damaging the brain and spine - if it even had them. Anyway, I'm sure it was mortal wound - killed my fair share of Grimm that way. I even saw it starting to dissolve before turning back."
"So, it was Harrowed?"
Jaune nodded.
"Only explanation I can think of. But it didn't have any distinctive traits. It looked exactly like an Alpha Beowolf. It might have been responsible for it's strange behavior - if it boosted its intelligence, or survival instinct."
"So it was some type of Aberration…"
"Yes, but not any that I've heard of. A Parasite-type would deform it heavily, plus it wouldn't be able to keep it alive after an attack like that. Larva would burst out after it's death, and attack me… Puppeteer would cling to its back or head, so I would have noticed…. It might be some smaller version…"
"You sure there was nothing unusual about its appearance? Something we might identify it by?"
"No… Wait." Jaune paused. He felt like he was forgetting something. Something he saw, something unusual. Just before he fell...or maybe when he was already falling? Something was there, right in front of his…
"Eyes…"
"Excuse me?" asked Ozpin.
"Its eyes - they were green. But I'm almost sure they were red until I 'killed' it."
Ozpin considered it for a few seconds.
"I see…" He said finally. "Consider your mission over, Mr. Arc. I'll forward you coordinates for your extraction. You will be taken to Beacon, and after a medical check-up, I will expect a more detailed report."
"What about the Harrowed?"
"We will discuss the matter when we meet."
"Understood."
It took him only 20 minutes to reach the designated location. The trip was uneventful - save for a single Ursa, that had the courtesy to act like a Grimm should - that is to charge at him without care for its own life, and stay dead after Jaune decapitated it.
There were no Bullhead in sight when he arrived, so Jaune sat under tree, closed his eyes, and started to analyze the fight in the cave.
Could I have missed somehow? No, I could feel blade pass through its skull. I could see it start to dissipate…didn't I? It's hard to say for sure, but I'm sure I saw some kind of smoke flow from its body. Did I miss something that would hint at it being Harrowed? I don't think so - the only thing out of norm was its behavior. And its eyes - but that was only after I killed its host… But none of the control-type Aberrations that I know of could move a dead body AND not leave any visible marks…
Jaune starting massaging his temple.
"Ok, let's start from beginning." He said a loud sigh this time.
"Am I sure there were no physical traits suggesting it was Harrowed?" He paused to think about it for few seconds.
"Yes. It looked exactly like Alpha Beowolf. If there were anything unusual about it, it looks like it was so small that I couldn't spot it."
"So what was unusual? It's behavior - it clearly preferred to go solo. It fought very defensively. It marked its territory." Jaune paused at this. Its territory… there was something about it… Well besides the fact that most Grimm don't have territory.
His eyes widened.
"That's right! There were no Grimm in its territory. I didn't check all of it, but it wasn't that big… and I wandered for quite a bit in there. And there was no sign of any Grimm."
That was another confirmation it was Harrowed. Little known fact was that, for some reason, Grimm and Harrowed avoided each other. Grimm would usually avoid entering Harrowed territory, and Harrowed usually avoided nesting in areas with high Grimm population.
Sadly this didn't give any hints on what kind of Harrowed it was.
Jaune sighed. This was going nowhere.
"Whatever it was, it looked just like an Alpha Beowolf…"
And then it struck him. It looked like an Alpha Beowolf.
"What if this wasn't some control-type Harrowed, but rather a shape-shifting one? I've never heard of anything like that - but that doesn't mean one couldn't have been hiding somewhere. Maybe the smoke I was seeing was it just changing its form, or maybe it just did it to distract me."
Any other musings were interrupted by the roar of bullhead engines. A few moments later, the machine landed in the clearing Jaune was waiting in.
The flight to Beacon was short one. When he left the bullhead, he immediately was approached by the blond woman who had accompanied Ozpin earlier.
"Welcome back Mr. Arc," she said extending her hand, which he took. "I'm Glynda Goodwitch," she introduced herself.
Heh, called it. I wonder if she knows she's giving all the male students complexes...probably.
"Headmaster is currently occupied with the welcome ceremony for students. He will be available in about half an hour. In the meantime, please come with me for a medical check-up."
Jaune made to protest, but thought better of it. If they wanted to give him free medical attention, who was he to argue?
The check ups didn't lasted long - nurse said he was fine, but low on Aura. She mentioned the unusual coloration of his pupils, and traces of some strange substances in his blood. He hurried to assure it was just side-effect of his semblance.
Gotta love that excuse. No matter how strange the shit you do is, people will accept it as soon as you say "semblance."
After the check ups, Glynda led him through the corridors of Beacon to the tallest tower in campus. They entered the elevator, and soon, Jaune was looking at the Headmaster of Beacon's office.
It was quite impressive. Spacious, albeit sparsely decorated. The big desk sitting near the wall-high windows giving a nice view of Vale.
Oh and cogs. Lots, and lots of cogs. Both the floor and ceiling were covered in some see-through material, and underneath it, Jaune could see multiple cogs of various sizes. When Glynda led him to the desk, and pointed to one of chairs for him to sit, he noticed that the desktop was also filled with cogs too. They all moved constantly, letting out a sound not dissimilar that of a clock.
It's like I'm inside gigantic… clock? Some kind of machine anyway. I wonder if all these cogs do something, or if they are just for decoration.
A few moments later, the Headmaster entered the room. They greeted each other, and after a few pleasantries, Ozpin asked for a detailed report of Jaune's mission.
He started from the moment he left bullhead, mentioning again the marks his target left at the edges of its territory. He added his observations on the high population of Grimm outside of it, and the complete lack of any sign of them inside.
"Interesting…" said Ozpin after Jaune concluded his report with his earlier assumption - that it might be a shape-shifting Harrowed.
"Have you ever encountered a similar Harrowed?" The older man asked.
Jaune shook his head.
"No, I haven't even heard of one. Tried to contact my teacher, but he was out of range for scroll communication."
"Are you sure it wasn't a control-type?"
Jaune shook his head again.
"I can't say anything for certain. Only that it didn't look like any Harrowed I know of. Plus it's behavior was unusual even for a Harrowed - it's true they are more intelligent than Grimm, but this one… it was far too clever, and too defensive. They usually are more aggressive, especially if you wound them. They start to run only if they're seriously injured or outnumbered."
"I see…" The Headmaster seemed to consider something for few seconds. "Well, we can't do anything about it for now. I'll send a few Hunters in the forest to try and track it, but ever since your report, we haven't catch even a glimpse of it on any of our cameras." He pushed his glasses up on his face. "Now, let's discuss other matters."
Ozpin took a long sip from mug he was holding, then spoke again.
"As I said, we watched your performance - and I must say that I am quite impressed. While it is a shame we couldn't see you fight more formidable opponents than a few Beowolves, and a single Ursa, what we saw is enough to allow you attend initiation."
Jaune just nodded.
YYEEEESSSSSS!
"As such you will join rest of the students in the ballroom. You will spend night there, and then join the rest of the students on the Beacon cliffs tomorrow mooring. Please take this," he said, handing Jaune a black scroll with a Beacon logo on it.
"This scroll will have all the required information sent to it - a map of Beacon, lesson schedule, and so on. It will also serve as a key to your dorm when you get assigned one. It has a few other functions as well - all of them are listed in the "Student's Guide" folder. Any questions?"
"No… I don't think so" said Jaune.
Holy shit, I'm about to go to Beacon!
"Very well. Please follow Miss Goodwitch - there are some formalities you have to see to. And Mr. Arc?" Jaune, who was already turning towards door looked back to the older man. "Welcome to Beacon." He said extending his hand.
Jaune shook it, and this time didn't fight the smile that appeared on his lips.
Glynda led him to a small room labeled as the "staff room." It looked like a normal office - a few bookshelves, two chairs, and a simple desk.
"First of all, allow me to congratulate you Mr. Arc." She said when they both took they seats. "It's not everyday we accept someone in such an… unusual matter."
Jaune just smiled and thanked her for the compliment. Glynda handed him few forms to fill and sign on. He did so - after reading them carefully.
"Never sign paper you haven't read and understood, that's how you lose your damn soul," was one of first lessons his teacher had taught him.
"Very well. There is just one more matter we have to discuss." She said after taking the papers from him. "All our students have their own lockers assigned to them, where they store their battle equipment. Unfortunately, due to your rather sudden acceptance, we don't have one ready for you just yet. That's why I have to ask you to hand over your weapons."
Jaune tensed, his hand falling to the hilt of Crocea Mors. Handing your weapons over was usually ill-advised in his line of work.
It's ok Jaune. Calm down. No one is going to attack you. It's just safety measure. Bunch of hormonal teenergers with superpowers and combat training bundled in an enclosed space is bad enough - no sane person would add weapons to the mix. So calm down, stop staring at her as if you planning to murder her, and hand your weapons over. Oh, and stop planning how to murder her while you're at it.
After a few deep breaths, he let go of the weapon, and stopped analyzing how to best act if the woman in front of him attacked. It took him several more to hand both of his swords to Glynda.
Judging by how she smiled at him, she knew exactly what was going through his head - and was used to it.
After he left Glynda in her office, he made his way to the cafeteria, grabbed something to eat, and then made his way to ballroom. He was grinning the whole way.
This is happening! He thought.
This is really happening. I'm going to Beacon. I'm AT Beacon. There is still initiation to pass, but it can't be worse than some of the shit Leon put me through.
Jaune grinned even harder when he stood at the door to the ballroom.
Beacon, here I come!
He pushed door open, and entered the room.
Yang turned her head as she caught sight of someone entering the ballroom, and spotted him.
Jaune Arc, still dressed in full combat armor, looking as awkward as can be.
That's the bartender from the Rest, what's he doing here? He never mentioned coming to Beacon.
The boy's eyes darted around the room, taking in the mass assembly of Hunters-to-be.
God, he looks nervous. I wonder why he's so late? Did he take some other kind of exam to get in?
The knight shuffled his way around the other students and muttered apologies as he went.
Suddenly, watching the young knight, inspiration struck her. She knew how to kill two birds with one stone.
"Hey Ruby, there's someone I want you to meet." She exclaimed excitedly.
"I don't know Yang, I kinda just want to-GAH!" Ruby yelped as her sister grabbed her arm and pulled her along.
The weaved through the other students till they reached the tall blond.
"Hey there Ladykiller!" She grinned at the boy. "Long-time no see."
He smiled back at her. "How's it going Yang, still causing trouble?"
She placed a hand over her chest in mock flattery. "So, you do remember me! It's just that you don't call, you don't write...a girl doesn't give her scroll number to everyone, you know?"
"Oh...it's just, uh...I've been staying busy. Haven't really had time to talk to anybody." He tried to explain.
"Oooohhhh, still rocking that man of mystery vibe, huh? I like it."
Dammit, where's Mai when I need her! He thought.
"Yaaannngggg." A voice behind the beautiful blond called. "Did you drag me over here just to watch you flirt with this guy."
Jaune leaned to the side so he could peak around Yang, and saw a very young looking, very short red-head standing uncomfortably behind her.
How old is she?
"Oh, hello there." He offered.
She gave him a nervous smile and a small wave. "Hey."
"Jaune, I'd like you to meet my little sister Ruby." She wrapped the younger girl in a hug and began tossing her from side to side. "Isn't she just adorable!?"
"Yang! Let go!" Ruby cried as she pushed off her sister. "You're embarrassing me!"
Jaune chuckled at their antics, thinking about his own sisters. "Trust me Ruby, it never gets better."
Yang elbowed the younger girl. "Guess how many sisters he has?"
"Um, three?"
The knight sighed. "Seven."
"SEVEN!?" The girl exclaimed.
"Yep." He confirmed.
Yang just laughed, and threw an arm around the boy. "So, you know he's house-trained at this point. Also, makes a mean Strawberry Sunrise." She pointed a finger at her sister. "These are important traits in a man Ruby. In ten to fifteen years, when you have my permission to date, they're things you should look for."
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks mom."
"Thanks...I guess?" Jaune said.
Yang thumped him on the chest. "No problem, tall, blond, and mysterious. Why are you loaded for bear anyway?"
Jaune looked down his armor. "How did you know it was Bear HIDE?"
Yang looked like she was about to ask him a question, before an excited voice cut in.
"OH. MY. GOD. You have HIDE armor!?" The young redhead shouted.
There was an explosion of rose petals as Ruby disappeared, and began zipping around Jaune, poking and prodding his armor as she went.
"Ruby you need to calm down! We're not supposed to be walking around right now!" Yang admonished.
The younger girl bounced up in down in place. "I'm sorry, but I've only ever read about it!"
Yang sighed. "I know I'm going to regret this, but...what is HIDE armor?"
"I'm glad you asked!" Her sister said with a grin. "HIDE is High Impact Distribution Equipment. It's Atlas tech, but NO ONE outside of Atlas Specialist have it." She excitedly pointed at Jaune's armor. "See the plates he's wearing on his chest and arms? It's an insanely strong alloy, and beneath those is a scale and fiber-mesh weave that distributes the impact of anything - bullets, Grimm claws, blades - across the body. I've even heard that it assist with Aura distribution, easing the wear on the user!"
Jaune smiled at the hyper girl. "It does. You've got quite an eye. This is the Bear variant. There's four total that I know about. Cat, the infiltration variant - Wolf, light infantry type - Bear, if you get hit too much like me, and need a little something extra - and Gryphon, which is some real end of the world, shock trooper type stuff."
"That's so cool!"
Yang rolled her eyes and muttered. "Nerds."
Ruby ignored her. "Where'd you get it?"
"I did some...contracting work for the SDC a while back, and did pretty well I guess. They ended up giving me the set as a bonus after I completed the job." He explained.
He thought he saw Ruby wince a little at the mention of the SDC.
Yang whistled. "Look at you, high paying job and fancy duds, trying to impress the ladies." She waved a finger in his face. "Just know that Ruby's off limits."
God she moves fast, this is exhausting.
"Right." He said slowly. "I'm not really looking at the moment, so I think we'll be ok."
She smirked. "Got your eye on someone already, huh?"
"Yeah." The answer left his mouth before he could think about it.
She winked at him. "Then you should return those scroll calls."
What. Is. Happening!?
A strict voice saved him from himself.
"Student candidates!" A stern-looking blond woman with glasses and a short cape called. "It's lights out."
"Sorry ma'am." He responded, and began following the sisters over to the sleeping area.
Yang nudged him as they walked. "He's got manners too? Mr. Professional over here..."
He sighed, shook his head, and made a beeline for an open spot on the wall.
Yang turned back to her sister as he walked away. "What'd you think Rubes?"
"He seems nice!" The younger girl said excitedly as she settled into her sleeping bag.
Yang laid back and smiled contently.
Ruby had just made her first friend at Beacon.
Ok Jaune, deep breaths. Everything is ok, no one is going to attack you. This is the most prestigious school in Vale, not some run-down inn in some shithole of civilization. No one will try to rob you, or kill you, or rape you, or all three at the same time. So just calm down.
Was what Jaune was saying to himself after finding a quiet spot in the corner, with his back to wall, a good view on doors, and as many windows as possible. Coming back to civilisation after long trips to the Wilds always required an adjustment period. He usually was ok with his family and friends, but standing in middle of a crowd unarmed always made him nervous. Doubly so if said crowd was gathered in an enclosed space, or contained trained fighters.
After calming himself down a bit, Jaune took stock of his surrounding. It was getting late, and most people were either asleep, or lying in they sleeping bags chatting quietly with friends. He didn't had any sleepwear, but it didn't bothered him. He used to sleep in worse conditions, and his armor was far more comfortable than people thought.
His eyes drifted back to Yang and her sister. That was a surprising encounter - though it probably shouldn't have be. After all, the blond bombshell did mentioned she was huntress-in-training. And her sister was, in fact, adorable.
Heh, she reminds me of Rubin. Just as adorable as her. But I think she is even more energetic…
Jaune's eyes narrowed.
And dangerous.
Yes, Ruby Rose was most definitely a dangerous person. Everyone in this room was - but she was younger than anyone here, and she still got accepted to Beacon.
I wonder how she fights? She has rather small body, even for someone her age. Probably relies on speed and agility… What weapon would she use? Some type of polearm? It would give her range, and if she is quick enough on her feet, she could stay out of harm's way. With such delicate build, I doubt she could take too many hits. That's not counting her semblance - whatever it is.
He looked over several more people, trying to guess their fighting styles and weapons. This was a little mental game he was used to playing. He might not be able to accurately guess every time, but it was making him better at reading people.
His little game came to an end when the lights were turned off.
Oh well, I guess it's time to sleep. Not a bad idea either - it was a long day, and it would be embarrassing as hell if I failed initiation.
He closed his eyes, and sleep found him almost instantly. Thankfully, it was a dreamless one..
Jaune awoke at dawn. He looked around, noticing most of the students were still sleeping. After some brief consideration, he decided to visit the cafeteria.
After a light meal, he wandered around Beacon for a bit. He visited Glynda's office, hoping he could get his weapons back, but it was closed. Instead he decided to make a call.
He found himself a nice place under a tree in Beacon' gardens and selected the number. They picked up almost instantly.
"Hi Tob."
"Hey Jaune, what's up? I heard you had some trouble with your job?"
Of course he heard.
"Yeah, some strange Harrowed showed up. But I'm fine, no need to worry."
"So where are you staying? Mei was quite worried when you didn't come home last night."
"At Beacon. Turns out Leon pulled some favors, and convinced Ozpin to give me a chance to apply outside of the normal system."
"Really? That's surprising"
Like hell it is. You had part in it too, you Old Bear, I'm sure of it.
"Yeah, anyway, I'm here, waiting for initiation to start. Decided to call, since I woke up early."
"Rough night?"
"Not more than usual, when I'm coming back from Wilds. Was a bit tense when they took my weapons, but it wasn't that bad."
"Good to hear. Want to talk to Mei?"
Jaune almost said yes. Almost.
"Maybe later, after initiation. I have only like half an hour before it starts, and I still need grab my swords."
"Ok, but make sure you call. She was worried about you."
"Sure thing. See you later Tob."
"Later, Jaune."
He ended the call, and made to walk back to Glynda's office. The buzzing of his scroll stopped him. He opened it and noticed one new message - from Glynda no less. It turned out his weapons were placed in locker. The message also contained the number and access code for said locker.
Well, that saves me a trip to her office. Off to the locker room it is then.
The locker room wasn't hard to find - all he needed to do was follow the crowd. As soon as he entered, Ruby appeared before him in cloud of rose petals, gushing over his HIDE armor. He noticed she was armed already - but couldn't make out what kind of weapon it was. He almost asked. Thankfully, he noticed Yang frantically shaking her head. He looked back to the very excited girl before him, recalled her reaction to his armor and put two and two together.
"Sorry Ruby, it was nice talking to you, but I still have to get my weapons."
"Oh… ok." She deflated a bit, but perked up soon after. "What weapons do you use anyway? Can we…" thankfully he was rescued from the over-enthusiastic girl by Yang, who started to wheel her off in the other direction. He nodded in thanks and went to look for his locker.
It should be around… He paused when he noticed a pair of girls - one white-haired and wearing a dress just as white, other red-haired and clad in what looked to be bronze armor. He recognized one of the girls instantly.
Well, beats me. What are the odds of meeting her here? Can't pass up this chance.
Smiling, he marched towards her.
Pyrrha Nikos sighed internally. So far Beacon was… not what she hoped. Sure, there was less people here who recognized her instantly, and gushed over her fame, but they were definitely still there.
She focused back on girl in front of her. Weiss Schnee didn't even try to hide the fact that she was approaching her because of her fame. And skill. Pyrrha appreciated her honesty - the heiress wanted to make strong team because she liked to excel. But it wasn't what Pyrrha wanted. She wanted to be on a team that saw Pyrrha Nikos, not the four time tournament champion.
Maybe I'm approaching it the wrong way? If I join up with someone famous, they won't care about my fame that much, right?
She noticed some movement behind heiress' back and looked up - just in time to see a blond haired boy looking at them. He paused for a moment, then his eyes widened in recognition.
Pyrrha winced internally.
Great, another fan. I wonder what he will do. Ask for autograph? Brag about his skill? I hope he won't try to hit on me, that would be embarrassing.
The boy was now walking towards her, a confident smile on his lips.
At least it doesn't look like he will be the aggressive type.
Pyrrha put on her well-practiced smile, and prepared to be as polite as possible. Afterall, it wasn't his fault she was famous. It was normal to want to talk to your idol when you saw them. Maybe if he turned out to be nice she could…
"Hi, there Wice."
Pyrrha blinked.
Weiss Schnee whipped around.
"J-Jaune?"
The blond boy, now named Jaune, smiled.
"One and the same, Snow Angel."
Weiss shook her head.
"I told you to not call me that, you dunce."
It was at this moment Pyrrha realized he wasn't there to talk to her…
"My sincere apologies." He said with a mock bow. "I was just wondering what Your Snowness is doing in place like this, mingling with plebeians?"
"Oh my, is it so hard to figure out why a Huntress-in-training comes to combat academy?" She smirked at him. "Has your intellect dropped even further since last time we met?"
Wasn't even looking at her.
"Nah, just surprised to see Ice Princess so far from her domain. Or..." he narrowed his eyes, "did you take my advice?"
Could it be? Thought Pyrrha.
"Hmph. What possible advice could a caveman like you could give me that would have any merit?" She made a show of turning her nose up at him.
Pyrrha gasped at that. This.. Jaune? Was quite nice, bar the strange nicknames. Why was Weiss so rude…
"I just decided some change of scenery would be nice. And to show people in Vale that a Schnee can excell anywhere".
"Oh, I'm sorry your Royal Iceness. Allow this simple caveman to crawl back under his rock." said Jaune bowing his head.
Weiss raised her chin, pulled her lips, and made a dismissive gesture with her hand.
"I shall allow this."
There was moment of silence. Pyrrha tried her best to figure out what the hell was happening in front of her. Just as she was ready to speak up for boy's sake, both he and the heiress burst into laughing.
"It's good to see you again Jaune." Said Weiss, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Likewise. But seriously, what are you doing here? Beside pestering people?" He said, nodding towards Pyrrha.
The heiress gasped.
Pyrrha steeled herself.
Moment of truth. He didn't paid any attention to me earlier, but that might be because he saw an old friend.
"I'm so sorry!" Said Weiss turning back to her. "Allow me to introduce," she pointed towards smiling boy in front of her "Jaune Arc - he is an old friend of mine. Jaune - this is Pyrrha Nikos. I'm sure you've heard of her."
Please, be 'no'.
"Of course I have!" He said, shifting nervously.
Pyrrha could feel a small spark of hope that blossomed in her chest wither away and die.
Weiss stared at boy for a few seconds, then sighed.
"You have no idea of who she is, do you?"
Please be yes, please be yes…
Jaune rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"No…"
YES! YES! YES!
Weiss opened her mouth to speak, not noticing Pyrrha's pleading gaze.
Don't say anything, please, just dont say anything, don't ruin this for me. Oh please, I beg you don't…
"She won the Mistralian regional tournament."
Boy looked at her with vague interest.
"Oh. You must be pretty good."
"Four times in row."
"Oh. You must be very good."
Pyrrha was cheering internally.
Weiss looked determined to find something that would make the boy recognize the world-wide know celebrity in front of him.
"Her face is on every Pumpkins Pete's flakes box."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, I know those. My younger sisters love them."
Heiress stared at him for few moments, then just sighed.
"Why am I even trying…"
She turned to Pyrrha.
"My apologies. Jaune spends a lot of time in… less civilized parts of Remnant. And is not biggest fan of… entertainment fighting."
"Hey, that's not true. It's just that I don't believe being successful in tournaments means one is a good Hunter..."
He looked at Pyrrha.
"No offense."
She smiled.
"None taken. I too believe there is much difference between fighting someone in arena, and fighting Grimm."
"Speaking of fighting… could you please move a bit?"
Pyrrha looked at him quizzically.
"You're blocking my locker."
"Oh!" She jumped back few steps "I'm sorry!"
Jaune just smiled, and nodded. When he strapped his weapons to his waist, Pyrrha couldn't help but stare.
He uses...two swords? She narrowed her eyes. Dual Wielding people weren't rare, but it didn't look like Jaune was one of them.
One of them looks like an arming sword… but other is clearly a longsword. I'm sure he is strong enough to use it one-handed, but it wouldn't be too effective. Maybe he combines them into bow, or something like that?
Her musings were interrupted by Glynda's voice announcing all first years should gather at Beacon's cliffs.
Oh well. I guess I'll find out when I see him in action.
Pyrrha smirked. She had this strange feeling she might end up on the same team as Jaune. After all, no one denied the goddess of victory.
The scenery was beautiful. The green of the forest was spread far and wide. A few towering mountains only added to to breathtaking view.
This… is actually quite nice.
Yes - beautiful view, nice weather, wind in his hair. All of this made Jaune feel at ease.
Despite the fact he was now flying at high speed over Grimm-infested forest - courtesy of Ozpin's launch pads. And he had no parachute.
Who the hell goes with this as initiation? Can you imagine if someone didn't have their Aura unlocked?
He drew Crocea Mors and expanded his shield, raising it in front of him, in an effort to kill off his velocity. Soon more than just air started hitting it. Leaves, branches - at first small, then bigger ones. When he noticed one that was particular thick, he grabbed it instead, spun twice to kill off the rest of his momentum, and landed on top of it. Jaune quickly surveyed the area below him, and not noticing any threats, jumped down. He rolled, and jumped to his feet, sword and shield ready to meet any incoming attack.
None came.
After making sure nothing was going to attack him, he lowered his weapons and looked around.
Ozpin said relics are in the northern part of forest…
His eyebrows furrowed. That was in the same direction as the Harrowed's territory. That was… actually a good idea. The Harrowed ran away - and that meant it most likely wouldn't come back to it's old lair. Even if it did, it seemed to be active mostly at night. Plus, there won't be that many Grimm there - they avoided Harrowed territories even for few months after one was gone.
Jaune relaxed and started marching north. The thought of some unknown Harrowed running around was still bothering him. Part of it was concern about how many people might fall victim to the monster.
The other was his personal pride. He took the contract, and failed to take down the target. Sure, technically he did kill it - after all, they talked about killing an Alpha Beowolf and he stabbed it through brain. Even the client himself had judged the contract to be completed. But still, it just didn't sit right with him.
It was his prey. And he failed to hunt it down.
The sound of an incoming call, caused him to stop. He pulled his scroll, and frowed when he noticed who was calling.
I wonder what he wants.
"Yes, Headmaster?"
"Hello Jaune. Have you landed safely?"
"Yes"
"Can we talk?"
"Yes."
"Good. There was new development regarding your job yesterday. I thought you might be interested."
Jaune tensed.
"I'm listening."
"The team of Hunters sent out after your report failed to track down the beast. However this morning one of our professors went to the Emerald Forest for a routine patrol and encountered a Grimm that he believed might be the same you fought against. According to his report, the beast was surrounded in cloud of black smoke, was limping on its left leg, and was missing its right paw. He also mentioned the smoke it was surrounded with appeared to come out of wound on the back of its neck. I believe these are the wounds you inflicted on it?
"Yes. What happened to it?"
"The Hunter engaged it and managed to put it down. Since he was informed of your encounter, he remained on his guard. This paid off, since beast got up after few seconds and resumed its attack. It continued to fight even after extensive damage to its body, and every wound that normally would mean death just put it down for a few seconds. Even decapitation didn't stop its "resurrections." It stopped only after approximately 40% of its body was destroyed. It then remained still, and after around thirty seconds the Hunter noticed that smoke from the Harrowed did not disperse, rather its condensating into vaguely oval shape. It then retreated. Hunter wasn't able to chase it down. He opened fire on the target, but it was ineffective."
Ok, so it doesn't have a solid form. Probably can "infect" Grimm, or maybe somehow copy there form? Anyway it would be a pain to find it if the only hint is its strange behavior… "
"Do you think it's still in the area?" Asked Jaune.
"Yes, I believe the chances are high."
"Do you want me to try and track it down?"
"No, focus on completing your initiation. But keep your eyes open. If you notice something worrying, call me or Miss Goodwitch, we will send help. But only if its the Harrowed we speak of. Am I clear?"
"Yes sir. May I ask question?"
"Go ahead Mr Arc."
"What parts of its body were destroyed?"
Ozpin seemed to consider it for few seconds.
"I'll send you the photos made by Hunter in question. Anything else?
"Yes. Was ammo was used..."
Jaune asked few more questions. If he paid more attention to his surrounding, he might have noticed a pair of yellow eyes watching him.
Cr00cy : And here we go. Jaune succeed in securing a place in Beacon. And this time he did not have to resort to fake transcripts. It also turns out he has some pretty high-tech equipment. Thanks to JJD for coming up with decent name for it(he also wrote this whole scene).
Some people asked why Jaune would want to go to Beacon. It will be addressed in future chapters. For now, l give simplest reason - he wanted to. There are others as well.
Anyway, not much to talk about here - it was mostly a transition chapter. Next one will be initiation - and with it will come with some action. For now, please enjoy another Samantha short (written by JJD).
Cr00cy: Do you want to try to write more Ya-
JJD: Yus!
She watched as he swung the sword diagonally across his body, sweat flying off his brow from the force of the strike. He brought the blade up again and swung across the other side, letting out a grunt as he did so. He pressed forward, driving his opponent back, seizing the initiative. His mighty blade rose and fell again and again.
She supposed it might have been a little more impressive if his opponent wasn't only in his head, and his 'mighty weapon' wasn't an oak branch.
She couldn't fault his work ethic though. He'd been at this for the better part of an hour. She'd never seen anyone want something as bad as Jaune wanted to get into Combat School.
They did this same routine almost every day. They'd go to one of the street vendors and pick up some sweets, walk along the boardwalk until they reached the same patch of cleared earth next to the river, and then she'd watch him swing his stick of wood around, slaying imaginary Grimm. If it had been anyone else, she'd have grown tired of it long ago, but somehow with Jaune it was just…different.
The boy swung again, and collapsed to his knees in exhaustion as he tripped over his feet. He gasped for breath as he struggled to find his feet.
"Did you get'em this time?" She drawled.
He shot her a look between gasps.
"I just want to make sure the area is secure." She grinned at him.
"Yeah, I think I got most of 'em." He smiled back.
She just shook her head. "Why do you try so hard Jaune? What makes you want to be a Hunter so bad?"
He laid back on the grass and stared into the sky.
"Because it means something. People are trying to live their lives out here one day at a time, but they do so in constant fear of the Grimm. If I could be a part of taking that fear away, even a small part of it, then that would mean something." He closed his eyes and smiled. "It would mean something to me."
She walked over and leaned over his prone form. "You're ridiculous."
"So you keep telling me."
She nudged him with her foot. "Well hero, you know what would mean something to me? Lunch. You think the area is safe enough for us to go get some?"
He grinned. "You know, I think it just might be."