Welcome to CH 22 of TPA. JJD is the one keeping this madness contained.
Jaune awoke with a gasp, hand reaching for his sword, eyes scanning for any incoming threats. A hand landed on his shoulder, and he lashed out, trying desperately to free himself…
"Jaune, it's me! Calm down, everything is alright."
He stilled at the sound of a familiar voice. He looked around, only now taking in the details. He wasn't in some misty forest, or damp cave, or ruined town. There were no monsters around, trying to devour him whole.
Instead, he was in a familiar room, lying in a familiar bed. He looked at the hand that was resting on his shoulder, his eyes trailing up it, until he met gentle, green eyes, now filled with concern.
"P-Pyrrha?" He choked out.
His partner sent him a reassuring smile and nodded.
"Yes, it's me. Everything is alright Jaune. We're at Beacon, and everyone is fine. It's Thursday, but classes were canceled until next week, so we don't need to rush anywhere."
The blond boy scanned the room, noticing his teammates sending him easy smiles, and slowly relaxed.
"Thanks. I'm good now."
She looked at him for a few more moments, then nodded.
"What time it is anyway?" He asked, sitting up and slapping his cheeks to wake himself up.
"Almost ten." Answered Ren from over the book he was reading.
Jaune blinked, surprised.
"That late? Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"
"Who knows…" Nora trailed off, a sly smile on her lips.
Jaune looked to Ren, who just shrugged, then to Pyrrha, who for some reason didn't want to meet his eyes.
Realizing he wasn't get a proper answer, he got up and stretched. Then he froze.
There was something he was forgetting about, he was sure about it. Something important…
"Your meeting with Miss Goodwitch is in a half an hour. You still have some time left."
Jaune winced. The meeting was part of the 'mandatory consultation for students that suffered a traumatic experience on a mission,' as Ozpin put it. Even though Jaune didn't think he really needed them, he agreed to attend without complaining. He did get drugged out of his mind and had some pretty nasty hallucinations after all. So, now he had to visit Miss Goodwitch in her office two times a week, for two months.
He shook the thoughts out of his head. He only had half an hour until the appointed time after all. Enough that he didn't have to rush to get up, but not enough to go to cafeteria and grab something to eat.
Oh well. It's not like I'll die if I go without food… his thoughts were interrupted by a plate with toast, vegetables, and meat being placed on the nightstand next to his bed.
"We didn't want to wake you up, so we just brought you some food from the cafeteria." Explained Pyrrha with a small smile.
Jaune blinked a few times, looking at every one of his teammates with wide eyes.
"You guys are the best team ever, you know that?"
Nora looked at him like he just stated the most obvious thing in the world.
"Duh, of course. I mean, it's us we are talking about."
He chuckled and went to the bathroom. After a quick shower, he paused in front of the mirror, looking himself over. There were no sign of corruption anywhere on his body, nor any new scars. Overall, despite how wrong whole mission went, none of them suffered too severe of injuries.
Jaune smiled at the thought. To his relief, it turned out he wasn't the sole survivor afterall. The Old Man, Foxy, and Doc all made it out alive, though the old Witcher lost his left eye. When Jaune commented on it, he just shrugged, saying this was supposed to be his last mission anyway, and now at least he had a decent reason to retire, other than old age. Both Doc and Foxy had only a few minor cuts, and were signed off after just two days.
None of them suffered any lasting effects from the poison used in Spring Valley, and the test they took showed no traces left of it in their bodies.
With a sigh, Jaune got dressed, and walked out of the bathroom. With his team busy with their own things, he just grabbed the plate and started to eat. Things had calmed down a bit, though the uproar after people learned that everyone in Spring Valley died was massive. Despite official statements saying otherwise, a lot of people started blaming the White Fang, and the Faunus in general, despite how many of them died in that city as well. There were some small incidents, but thankfully it didn't turned into full scale riots. Eventually, the Vale Police department announced that the one responsible was the same person who commited all the murders in Vale almost two weeks ago. Despite them having no real evidence to back it up, people easily accepted this, and Jaune was all too happy to provide any information he could about this so called 'Master.' He still couldn't recall his face, but apparently the rescue team recovered Toto's scroll, and they had found some leads there.
He finished his breakfast, and checked the time. Fifteen minutes till the appointed meeting. He better get going, it was safer to wait a bit, than make Miss Goodwitch wait.
He rose, and all eyes focused on him.
"You going already?" Asked Ren.
"Yeah. Better be too early, than too late."
They all nodded, and got up. Jaune sighed. For some reason his team, and team RWBY, decided they would escort him everywhere he went. This might have something to do with his parents asking them to look out for him...whether he liked it or not.
When he mentioned he didn't exactly need help to find his way around Beacon, when he went to his first meeting with Miss Goodwitch this past Tuesday, Weiss just snorted and said they didn't trust him to not get in some kind of mess on the way.
After realizing all his friends shared this opinion, he sighed and let himself be escorted. It's not like it harmed anyone, and he could think of worse things to happen than to walk through Beacon's corridors accompanied by five beautiful girls, and one cute one.
The amount of jealous glares he and Ren earned increased significantly because of this, but hey, who cared? Certainly not him.
They reached their destination after a short walk. Jaune knocked on the door, and after short wait, a 'come in' sounded from inside, he opened the door and walked into Miss Goodwitch's office.
The older woman looked up at him from over her glasses, and nodded once, pointing at a chair in front of her desk.
Jaune nodded back, and sat, patiently waiting for her to finish whatever paperwork she was busy with. It didn't take her long, and just a few moments later, she looked him in the eyes with a small smile.
"Welcome Mr. Arc. Before we begin, I must say I'm glad you agreed to these sessions. It was very mature of you."
Jaune chuckled
"Well yeah. I know how much talking things out can help after a mission that went to hell. Leon made sure of It. 'Talk it out, or beat it out - your choice,' he used to say."
Glynda raised a single eyebrow.
"Oh? And how did 'beating it out' work?"
Jaune winced at an old memory, and one of his many, many bad decisions.
"Literally. Very, very literally."
The older woman chuckled and shook her head.
"I think I can see Leon doing it. But I can assure you that we will not be using such methods, so you can rest easy."
Jaune blinked in surprise.
"Wait, you know Leon?"
Goodwitch nodded once.
"Mostly by reputation. But he used to work here at Beacon, as a second Combat instructor…"
Jaune recoiled.
"Leon.. worked here? That doesn't sound like something he would do…"
".. for about two days. I seem to recall him storming into Ozpin office, begging him to, I quote, 'let him back to the nice, safe wilds, away from this madness.'"
Jaune barked a laugh.
"Yeah, that sounds like something Leon would do."
He shook his head, then sighed.
"But I suppose we are not here to talk about my teacher, and his inability to deal with people?"
Glynda regarded him with a serious expression.
"How are you doing Jaune?" She asked after a few moments.
It was a nice, easy question. It could refer to a number of things. But Jaune was sure he knew it referred to one specific aspect of the mission.
"I… I'm not sure to be honest. It's not as bad as I expected it to be. It…" he paused, looking for the words. He took a deep breath, and slowly let it go. "It's not first time I've had to watch people die. Or grant them the last mercy." He sighed. "Anyway, how have things been in Vale? I know I lot of people lost family there."
She hummed sadly. "About as well as can be expected I suppose. Loss is always hard. You know that better than most, don't you? How well did you know Clay?"
The memory of that moment flooded back. A dark, damp cave. Clay's battered body. His calm expression and the words he spoke. A plea for help, the only help Jaune could offer him at that point. To not let a person he came to consider a friend turn into monster. To let him die as a human. With at least some semblance of dignity.
And, just a few moments later, the arrival of people that could truly help him. If only he had waited just a bit longer...
He shook his head, dispeling the thoughts. What was done, was done. No point in losing himself in what-ifs.
"Not that well honestly." He winced. "I guess I just kinda got used to it. I came to understand that in some cases, a swift death is the best thing you can offer someone. It wasn't that kind of situation, but at the time, I thought it was. I couldn't known that help was so close." He chuckled darkly, running a hand through his hair, then looked up at the older woman, smiling sadly.
"I'm not blaming myself, if that is what you're asking. I been through it a few times, and Leon beat that sort of thinking out of me. Yeah, it sucks that it happened, and it sucks that Clay might have lived, if I only waited for a few more moments. Or maybe he wouldn't. Maybe the Headhunter that was standing behind me would have killed him in some horrific way. Maybe he would die on the way to hospital, then turn, and killed someone." He shrugged. "It happened, I made a decision, and now I have to live with it. We can never know what would have happened if I waited, but what I do know is that the one truly responsible for Clay's death is this... Master." He spat the last word, as if it was worst curse.
So… yeah." He finished with a shrug. "I'm just glad that nobody from the school got involved."
Glynda watched him for a few moments appraisingly, elbows on her desk, fingers linked in front of her face.
"I see." She said finally. "I checked your records, and I saw several mentions of you being in similar situations in the past. I'm glad that you do not pretend that you are completely fine after what happened, or worse even - that you really are. So tell me, how are things with your team? These past few weeks found you rather busy with activities not necessarily linked to school. Are there any problems on that end?"
Jaune paused to consider the question.
"I.. don't think so. All of them are easy to get along with. Yeah, we didn't spend as much time together as we probably should, and I wasn't involved nearly as much as I probably should be, what with me being team leader, but…" He shrugged.
"It's not like I was completely out of the loop. We spent some time together, talked things out. Made plans for some team activities. Pyrrha offered to help me with fighting. Well all of us really. I think she was the one most bothered by the whole situation, but now that things have calmed down, she seems to have cheered up. Ren is chill, and a reasonable guy, he accepted that it wasn't me not trusting them, but suggested that in the future, I give them at least some details, so they don't worry too much. We talked a few times, and he offered to help me with my Elixirs. And Nora is… well, Nora." He ended with shrug.
The older woman chuckled.
"I see. I heard that you made your friends aware of you status as a Witcher. How did they take it?"
Jaune blinked in surprise. He honestly didn't expect this to come up.
"Umm... well, I guess? I never expected it to be a big deal, but it apparently was."
Goodwitch seemed to want to say something, but then just shook her head, mumbling something quietly.
"So, what are you planning to do now?" She asked eventually.
Jaune shrugged.
"Well, I think normal, student things? Unless I get myself involved in another mess."
"I was asking if you intend to pass some of your knowledge onto them."
Jaune blinked, confused.
"You mean... teach them?"
Goodwitch nodded.
Jaune started at her, dumbfounded.
"But… what?"
It was her turn to stare at him. When it became clear he really had no idea, she sighed, massaging her forehead.
"About Harrowed and Grimm."
He opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted him.
"Jaune, you may not realize it, but you are in a unique position. It isn't uncommon for people with some practical experience against Grimm to come to Beacon to study, and some combat prep schools do let their students go on missions with professional Hunters. In some cases, they let the best students shadow said professionals for a few weeks. But you have been doing it for four years, and in regions much more dangerous that any school would dare send their students to. The amount of practical experience you have is far beyond what most, if not all students would have. And I'm not just talking about first years."
Jaune started at the older woman, wondering if it was some kind of joke. Because seriously - was she really suggesting that he knew that much more than the others? Sure Pyrrha seemed surprised when he told her about the pack tactics of Bewolves, and then was that one time after Grimm Studies Class… But it was just Beowolves! They were kind of his speciality. They were everywhere, you could hardly throw a rock without hitting one. After Jaune unlocked his Aura, Leon usually delegated him to deal with the wolflike Grimm, while the older man was dealing with bigger threats. This gave Jaune more time to study them, learn their behavior, how they acted, and so on. So sure, he might know a lot about them, but other Grimm?
All he knew was common knowledge. Every Hunter he knew, knew more than him. Like Leon. Sure he was a veteran, but there were others. Like his father!
Ok, he was veteran too. But there was Sam parents...
And his father's old team…
And a few of Leon's friends he met...
He strained his memory to think of any person involved in the Hunter business that he knew at least the name of, that was not a veteran Hunter. It was surprisingly hard. Almost as if...
Wait, there was that old drunk that Leon called 'Birdy!' They only met a few times, and hadn't really talked much, beside that one time the old man gave Jaune a few pointers on how to properly grapple with someone. Yeah, he was totally a novice, and…
Jaune strained his memory even harder.
There was Crystal and her team! They were only twenty three, so they only had like, two years of experience! Not counting all the missions they took while they were students.
Or the ones his father took them on during, and even before they started attending Beacon...
Who else… Beside his team that is…
There were Butch, thought he wouldn't really call the man friend, more of an acquaintance.
Then there was the Old Man…
And Doc, even though they only exchanged a few words…
Foxy… with whom he didn't talk at all...
And…
Peter?
…
Oh.
Ohhhhhhhhh.
The realization finally settled in. How he never noticed that just about everyone he knew was an experienced Hunter? Sure, there was his mother and younger sisters, but for one, they were civilians, and for two, they still knew a lot about Grimm.
Jaune sighed, running a hand through his hair, his usual nervous tick.
"To be honest, I never thought about it. I always assumed that what I knew was common knowledge. I mean, they all have four years of studying under their belts, and me…" he chuckled nervously.
"I didn't even get into combat school. Sure, Leon taught me a lot, but he always warned me to not get in over my head. "
Goodwitch shook her head.
"It's good to be humble Jaune, but underestimating your own abilities can be as, or even more, dangerous than overestimating them. Not only for you, but for the people you will be working with. During those four years, you surely learned many things we either don't have time, or means, to teach our students here at Beacon. And when it comes to your knowledge about Harrowed - it's far beyond anything that is taught at school."
Jaune blinked, surprised.
"Really?" his eyes narrowed "What exactly are you teaching then?"
Glynda let out a tired sigh.
"Basics. A bit about they behavior, categories and main differences between them, that sort of things. Really, it all comes down to us saying 'Harrowed are monsters, similar to Grimm. Kill on sight.' The Council prefers to let people believe that they are just different type of Grimm, instead of having general populace be terrified of two separate kind of monsters that wants to kill us all, especially if one of them are basically dead people." She shrugged. "And besides, we can't tell for sure that they are not Grimm.."
Jaune hummed. Well, that... made sense? Kinda?
"So what, you want me to run my team trough Witcher preparation course?" He asked, half-jokingly.
"I don't 'want' you to do anything Jaune. I'm just pointing out you have a lot of valuable knowledge - and it certainly wouldn't hurt anyone if you would share it with your friends." She answered seriously.
Jaune snorted. Yeah sure. This was really… dumb…
Wait, now that he thought about it… why not? They were sure to encounter Harrowed sooner or later, and if he could help them prepare, there were no real reason not to.
If they wanted to, that is. He wasn't so sure about that part, but it was worth a shot.
"Well, I'll be honest about it - I never even considered the idea. Though now I'm not sure why." He laughed.
The older woman sent him a small smile and nod.
"Then I'm glad I mentioned it. I'm sure this will be a valuable experience for everyone. But for now, let us focus on the main reason you are here. Tell me Jaune, when you were in Spring Valley…" from there, they talked about his last mission for about half an hour. Eventually, Miss Goodwitch let him go, setting their next meeting for Monday afternoon.
Both teams were waiting patiently for him. He smiled, mulling over the idea that Glynda planted in his head. It would require some arrangements, but it shouldn't be too hard. He shook his head and followed his friends to the cafeteria for an early launch.
Well, he would talk to them about it later.
Cardin Winchester leaned back in his chair and smiled. It was a good day. He got to show some wimps their place, knock around some Faunus trash - seriously, why they let animals in a school for Hunters was beyond him - and none of the staff caught him. And on top of that, lessons were still canceled. Of course, unlike most morons he didn't use all this free time just for lazing around - he made sure his team didn't skip practice.
They were good, sure, but that didn't mean they couldn't become better. Especially considering the fact that, surprisingly, they weren't the top team in Beacon. And as hard as it was to say, after some cru… very close matches, he couldn't deny that teams NPR and RWBY were better than them. And yes, team NPR, not JNPR. Cardin refused to acknowledge a weakling such as Jaune Arc.
His face twisted in a grimace. Just thinking about the name left a bad taste in his mouth.
Seriously, who the hell did this guy think he was? Not only did he make himself comfortable as the partner of the Pyrrha Nikos, he even was made leader of his team! At first he was willing to give blond, tall and scraggy a chance to prove himself, but Arc was excused from every combat class so far. Why, no one knew, but considering he was the only one who still hadn't fought in Goodwitch's class, you didn't need to be as smart as Cardin to figure out something was up.
Dove, one of his teammates, nudged his arm, and nodded towards the door of the cafeteria.
Cardin's scowl grew even fiercer.
Speak of the devil…
Here was Jaune Arc, not a single care in the world, surrounded by all the top girls among the first years.
"Look at him, getting all that attention, thinking he's better than us." Dove spat.
"Yeah, And all he does is hide behind his partner. And that mission he was sent on? I heard he was so scared when he got back he needs to have therapy sessions with Goodwitch." Sky Lark snorted.
Cardin just shook his head. Guy went on a mission, saw a few Grimm, maybe a body or two, and broke already? Pathetic.
"Someone should show him his place. Beacon is not a place for whiny little bitches like him." Russell cracked his knuckles.
Cardin nodded to himself. Yeah, he agreed wholeheartedly. But how should they go about it? The little blond bitch was always accompanied by at least one of his friends. And he had no doubt that he will run crying straight to Goodwitch if someone so much as shoved him aside. If only he could separate Jaune from his friends, it would be so much easier.
"By the way, are you gonna compete in the…" Dove began, but shut up under his leader's glare. That was not something to talk about in public like that. They didn't want to risk the wrath of the Queen. And then it struck him. It was so simple, he had no idea why he didn't think of it before. Not only it would allow him to show the little blond Hunter-wannabe his place, he would be able to do it in front of an adoring audience. He grinned viciously.
"Of course. And I think I'll be nice enough to introduce our blond friend to it."
His team looked at him in surprise, but they soon caught on what he intended to do. They smiled viciously. Dove however hummed, looking at the blond team leader talking with his friends.
"But… how do you intend to drag him there? I mean the Queen doesn't let everyone in, and even if she was interested in him, do you really think that he has the balls to come?"
Cardin grinned.
"Oh, I think he will have little choice in the matter."
And here we are. Some info about what effect tragedy in Spring Valley had on Vale, nd on Jaune himself. You didn't think he would get out of it without some mental scars, did you?
Anyway, I'm not sure if I mentioned it already, but the Jaune in this story doesn't have as big of self-esteem issues as the cannon one.
But 'not as big' doesn't mean 'none'. He doesn't think of himself as failure, more so that he is... average. Bar some exceptions (like his cooking skills, or...let's call it alchemy) that he takes pride in, he is sure that he is nothing special. That's why he never considered telling his friends that he is a Witcher - he simply believed that it's something not worth mentioning.
And now, thanks to Glynda's suggestion, he has something to think about. Does this mean we will have a few more Witchers in this story? Well, probably.
Also, Cardin. What has he gotten himself into? And who is this Queen he was talking about? Did he advanced from simple bully to 'evil boss minion'? Or is something else going on here?
Who knows. I'm not sure I do, and I'm author.
And here is this week omake. I wrote it some time ago, and was waiting for a good place to put it. I guess there is no point in waiting anymore.
JJD: Cr00cy and I have the same story telling method. It's called the 'who the fuck knows,' school of thought.
First Time.
Jaune was running through the forest in state that was not really panic - but really close to it. The tracks were still fresh, and clearly visible - the group of bandits he was chasing didn't bother to cover them. Though so many people - about ten bandits and the twenty villagers they kidnapped - walking through the forest were bound to leave a clear trail. All of this reminded him of another village, another forest, and another bandit raid, that happened not even a week ago.
Back then, they'd reached the village when the attack was still underway. Back then. Leon managed to take out most of the bandits before they left village. Back then, Jaune was taking care of the wounded, and learned about a small group - only five or so people - by accident.
Back then, he messed up bad, and a young, innocent woman had to pay the price for his mistake.
This time, when they burst into raided village, the bandits already left. The local doctor was taking care of the wounded. After some brief questioning, they learned that the bandits split into two groups - a smaller one with only about ten men went north, taking most of the young women from the village with them.
The other group - about thirty men strong, went north-east, carrying the stolen goods.
After some brief consideration, Leon and Jaune decided to split up. The older Hunter would go after the bigger group, where, according to villagers, the leader was, and take them out. Jaune would track the second group and make sure to leave clear marks for Leon to follow.
Not like it's needed. He thought, looking at all the tracks clearly visible in the soft soil.
It didn't take him long to find the bandits. Hidden behind a tree, he observed the group of five rugged men sitting around a small campfire, drinking and laughing.
Good. As long as they're just drinking, the hostages are safe. And they will be easier to deal with once Leon gets here.
One of the men get up, staggered, and then walked towards the cart sitting nearby.
That has to be where they are keeping the hostages.
This was confirmed when the bandit got back to his companions, dragging a young girl with him.
When the men started tearing her clothes away, Jaune tensed, memory of different clearing, in a different forest flashing before his eyes. He tensed, ready to sprint out of cover and help the girl. But stopped himself.
Don't. You failed against two guys, here you have five - and another five missing. If you go in, you will just make things worse.
He closed his eyes and desperately tried to ignore the sounds he was hearing.
Hurry up Leon. Please hurry up.
Suddenly, a painful cry shocked him out of his thoughts - mostly because it was a manly voice crying.
He looked back to clearing to see one man clutching his face with one hand, and two others holding the struggling girl. The bandits argued about something for a few moments, before the one who got hurt walked back to girl. Steel flash in daylight - and her struggles stopped.
The bandits left the lifeless body, and walked towards the cart.
Jaune did nothing. He just stared mindlessly at bloodied and bruised body of the young girl. His mind stopped working, he couldn't formulate a single thought.
Only when the two men came back, dragging another girl with them, did Jaune's brain start working again. When they started to tear her clothes away, he could feel something stir inside of him. It started around his stomach, and was sending waves of cold and heat through his body.
Terror. That's what Jaune was feeling right now. He watched in terror as the, now naked, girl was thrown to the ground - not far from the lifeless form of the previous girl. This terror grew even further when the same man who killed the last one walked to the new victim, knife in hand. He was saying something, pointing the bloodied piece of steel first at the corpse, then at her. The message was clear enough that Jaune understood it even without hearing what the bandit said.
When the girl stilled, and just laid on the ground, without any sign of resistance, something snapped inside of the young Hunter.
How? He asked himself dumbly.
How can this be happening. How can people do such things to other people?
He watched as man kneeled, apparently eager to finish what he couldn't last time.
They are like animals. No, not animals. More like wild beasts. Mons…
And then it dawned on him.
About six months after he left with Leon, they stumbled on the first village raided by bandits. Jaune could still remember the terrified, hollow faces of villagers - people who lost their money, their homes, their loved ones. When Jaune asked how people could do something like that, he didn't expect his master to answer.
Back then, he didn't understood what Leon meant when he said that something like that could be done only by monsters. That there were borders, and rules that every person had to follow. If you break these rules, go past these borders - you are no longer a person. You are monster, no better, and maybe even worse than the Grimm.
But now he understood. He understood why the situation looked so hopeless to him. Why he couldn't think of anything he could do to help, and even why he failed so miserably the last time.
He was trying to protect people from other people. Of course he would fail - since it wasn't people attacking other people.
It was monsters attacking people.
Crocea Mors left its scabbard easily, like it was eager to start its bloody job.
Just like last time, the bandits didn't noticed him until he was almost upon them. Just like last time, he collided with his target at full speed, striking with all his might.
Unlike last time, he did it with his sword, not his shield.
It honestly surprised him how easily cold steel tore through flesh and muscle, pierced spine and lungs and erupted from chest. Jaune twisted his blade, and then tore it free, lashing at the monster to his right. He tried to defend himself, but a clumsy parry left him off-balance. Something the young Hunter quickly capitalized on, by removing his right leg.
The bandit fell with cry of pain, but Jaune paid him no heed - he was no longer a threat, so he focused on the remaining three.
A mace hit his shield, and slid down, its wielder stumbling forward. Crocea Mors bit into soft flesh, splitting his stomach open. Jaune spun, letting the third monster sail past him and fall to the ground. He got up to his knees, and apparently tried to decide whether to focus on keeping his insides from spilling out, or continue attacking.
Jaune helped him make the decision with a quick stab to the heart. When the lifeless body fell to the ground, he focused on the last two threats. They stood on the other side of the campfire, around eight meters from him. They watched him warily, weapons held at the ready. One had a crude spear, the other a decent looking sword and a small round shield. Both looked uncertain whether to attack or not.
Jaune didn't intended to let them choose. He charged straight at them, swinging his sword wildly, and roaring at the top of his lungs.
The bandits jumped aside, trying to flank him. Jaune blocked the spear with his shield, and knocked the other bandit's sword aside with his own. He tried to pursue the spearman - but he proved quite fast, and the blond Hunter earned a strike to his shoulder for his trouble. The blow didn't go past his Aura, but staggered him for a moment. The spearman stabbed, but Jaune blocked it, and jumped back. The swordsman followed, slashing towards the blond's neck. Blade impacted shield, and the young Hunter retaliated with his own slash. The bandit managed to block it with his shield. Jaune tried to follow up with a shield bash - but the spearman attacked again, forcing him to defend.
Jaune snarled. This was going nowhere - these two were too good at covering each other. He couldn't attack effectively because he had to use both his shield and sword to defend. If only he could block both attacks with his shield… And then idea struck him.
He had another shield, didn't he?
So, the next time the bandits attacked, he blocked spearman's strike with his shield, and purposefully left himself open for the swordsman's strike. Moments before the blade impacted his chest he focused as much Aura as he could on that place. Jaune expected a bit of pain, but hoped the swordsman would leave himself open for a counter after delivering what he thought was a deadly attack.
He didn't expect a flash of bright, white light. Both bandits screamed in surprise, the swordsman doubly so, when his weapon was pushed back by an invisible force. Not wanting to waste this sudden opportunity, Jaune lunged forward.
The bandit tried to raise his head - but he was too late. Crocea Mors bit into his chest, tearing lungs and heart. Jaune didn't pulled his sword back - but rather pushed to the side, splitting the bandit's chest open. He fell to the ground, and Jaune stepped over the dead body, eyes locked on the spearman.
He didn't look too intent on going one on one with someone who took out four of his companions in less than two minutes.
Jaune was about to charge ahead, but then noticed something that stopped him. The bandit's stance, stiff just a moment before, relaxed. He gripped his spear firmly, but not desperately.
The only warning Jaune got was the way the man's eyes shifted, and focused on something behind him, and small smirk appearing on his lips. Something heavy and metal impacted his hasty raised shield, sending him flying. He hit the ground hard, rolled, and stopped when his head hit a rock.
His vision swam, he couldn't focus, and felt like he was about to pass out. Instead, he forced himself to get up, and looked around to see who attacked him.
Fuck.
Was all that came to his mind when he took in the scene in front of him. There were ten more men in the clearing now, all rugged and armed - no doubt bandits. More were coming, and fanning out around one figure - a large, fat man, with a black beard, bald head and massive hammer in hand.
It has to be the second group. They got the loot wherever they wanted to get it, and reunited with the second team. Or just came for good time with the girls.
Jaune's eyes narrowed.
Fat-ass had to be the leader. Judging by his weapon, he had to have his Aura unlocked. It didn't look like a mecha-shift weapon, so he probably wasn't a rogue Hunter.
Still, the odds were not in his favor. Around thirty men now stood in the clearing. Even if none of them had Aura, Jaune doubted he could take them all on. And with their massive leader? Yep, this looked bad.
The sounds of footsteps from behind him made him curse.
"Language, kid. I know a man has to throw it out from time to time, but if Mei finds out I taught you such words, she will make a doormat from my hide."
Jaune actually laughed at his master's words. He let his arms fall to his sides - but he refused to fall to the ground. Not yet. Leon walked past him, scanning the mob of bandits in front of him. They were shouting something Jaune couldn't quite understand. It didn't really matter - they all were going to die soon.
"Hostages?" His mentor asked.
"In the cart."
"Casualties?"
"One dead hostage. Three dead bandits, one heavily wounded."
"Which one beat you up like that?"
"I'm not sure - I was hit from behind. But judging from the impact, it had to be fat one."
Leon nodded and started walking towards the bandits. Jaune forced himself to stay awake - and standing. He simply had to see it.
"So, you guys not only raided the village with one of my favorite bars, you also beat up my pupil. I do not appreciate this. I think I'll have you pay - with your lives."
Fat-ass answered something, but Jaune wasn't listening. Who cared what a dead man is saying? Not him, that's for sure.
Leon grabbed the handle of his sword. The bandit leader charged with a loud roar, taking a wide swing. The massive hammer was met by a silvery blade - that shattered into thousands of pieces almost instantly. There was a moment of stunned silence - and then the bandits cheered.
Their leader smirked and said something. Leon didn't answer.
The bandit said something again, and when he did not receive an answer - started shouting.
Leon just tilted his head to side, watching the massive man in front of him with a vague curiosity.
The bandit leader got bored, or angry, and raised his weapon to finish off the defenseless Hunter.
His arm ceased to exist. It wasn't cut off, or torn, or smashed, or anything like that. One moment a fat arm was raising massive weapon, the next it exploded into cloud of red mist. The bandit leader opened his mouth to scream - but he choked. Then more of the bloody mist exploded from his chest. A perfectly oval hole formed - Jaune could see some of the bandits through it. At first it was small, barely enough to fit a finger in, but in less than a second, it grew to size of a fist. More such spots appeared, turning flesh into mist.
After not even thirty seconds, the only thing left of the bandit leader was his clothes, weapon, and head - which Leon considered for a moment, then kicked at his cronies.
They all stepped back. Someone shouted something, and they looked ready to attack - but then his head exploded, splitting fragments of bone and brain all over the place. A lot of it landed on the bandits themselves.
Leon casually walked forward, still holding the hilt of his sword - the only thing that remained - with one hand. Then, slowly, the broken blade started to reform. In less than fifty seconds, one wouldn't be able to tell that it was broken at all.
Leon just continued to walk forward.
The bandits hesitated. They fell back a few steps. Someone shouted something.
Someone else shouted back.
They spread out, surrounding the lone Hunter. No one paid any attention to Jaune.
Leon stopped, content to wait for them to come. He didn't have to wait long.
Another shout sounded, and the bandits readied their weapons. Then, with a roar, they charged.
And then they died. Not single a one survived. This wasn't even a fight - it was a completely one-sided massacre.
Jaune smiled when he saw his master help the lone girl stand. Then he passed out.
Three days later, Jaune was standing alone, staring at a fresh grave. The girl he watched being raped and killed laid there. He had a feeling that he should feel something - anything.
But he didn't. He was just tried. Of this place, of people, of his own thoughts. He wanted to just curl up in some quiet place, and sleep.
After the bandit attack they escorted the kidnaped girls back to the village, but it quickly become clear that it was not a safe place. They barely sat down, when the Grimm came. The first wave was small - only five Beowolves. They were dealt with fast, but more followed.
It quickly became clear that the village was done for - the damage to walls was too great to fix, and over half of the residents were killed in the attack. Those who survived - mostly women, children, and elderly - couldn't hope to defend themselves. So yesterday the decision was made to abandon the ruined village. Jaune and Leon offered to escort the refugees to the nearest bigger city. Thankfully it wasn't a long walk - only a week or so.
When the villagers were making their preparations, Jaune excused himself and came to the graveyard. He came here often in these past three days. Each time he visited the same grave, each time feeling like he should say something. But he never did.
A familiar hand landed on his shoulder.
"You know what?" Said Jaune "I feel like I should say something. Feel something. Anything. But I just... don't."
There was no answer from his companion - but Jaune didn't expected any.
"It's not even that I'm spent, or shocked. Or at least I don't think so. I'm just… I don't know."
He turned around and looked into Leon's eyes. There was no judgment there, just attention, and maybe some curiosity.
"I guess it doesn't matter now. We have villagers to escort. We can talk about what I feel - and what I don't - after we get these people to safety."
Leon nodded and they walked towards the village center.
The time for talk would come later. Now, they had job to do.
Yep, here it is. Jaune's first kill. It probably didn't come as surprise, considering how and when Jaune was learning to be a Hunter, and even what he said to Glynda. But I just thought I should make it clear. Jaune has killed people. And not only as act of mercy.
Oh, and someone mentioned that even though there is a 'comedy' label on this story, there was not much to laugh at for few past chapters. So I thought I should do something about it. The next few chapters should be much lighter, without anyone dying, or dead people raising.
Maybe.
I'm not making any promises.