Welcome to ch 25 of TPA.
"Oi, Fearless Leader, are you ok?"
Jaune coughed, and tried to get up, but fell back to his knees when his vision swam. He just nodded, not trusting himself to not vomit if he opened his mouth.
"Because you don't look fine. Likeek not at all." He looked up at his team, noticing their concerned expression. He sent them a reassuring smile - or at least he hoped it was a smile.
"I'm.. fine." He managed to choke out.
"Really? Maybe we should get you to the infirmary? Afterall…"
He raised hand to silence his partner. A few moments, and a few deep breaths later, he managed to get up to his feet.
"I'm ok." He repeated. "Trust me, it looks much worse than it really is."
"Well…" Nora looked him over. " You just drank that strange mix, and then nearly passed out. And considering what you added to it…" she shrugged, "I mean, they call me crazy, but I wouldn't drink that stuff. Like, ever."
He took another deep breath, and slowly let it go.
"So, did it work?" Asked Ren, with a hint of excitement in his voice. Jaune couldn't blame him. After all, this was the first Elixir they made together.
"Can't tell yet. I need more time to get used to it. We changed the recipe quite a bit after all."
"So… How does this even work? You said your Semblance is some form of Aura enhancement, right? Then how are you doing… this?" Nora made a vague motion in his direction.
Jaune hummed, considering his answer.
"I guess the best way to put it is that my Semblance is boosting the effects of Aura. So, it's not like it gives me some new abilities, like Pyrrha's polarity, it just allows me to crank up normal Aura stuff to eleven. It requires concentration, and increases consumption, but I can - for example; speed up healing far beyond Aura's passive regeneration, or harden it, making it far better for blocking attacks."
"Like that time when you sparred with Yang? When she used her Semblance?" Asked Pyrrha. Jaune smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, just like that. But I can't keep it up for long. And if I put too much Aura into a 'wall,' like that, it gets expelled when struck. That what that white flash you saw was. Useful for blinding an opponent, but too taxing on my Aura."
"Ok, I got that. But if it's Aura strengthening, then how does it help you with your Elixirs? You said those things can melt people's brains and turn them into zombies!"
"To be honest, it's hard to explain. I kinda use my Semblance to pick apart the Elixir to a more basic level, then apply my Aura to it to see which parts do what, and then I figure out the sequence that will give me the desired effect… Does that make sense?"
The blank stares of his teammates said that no, it didn't make much sense at all. Jaune groaned and looked around the small classroom he and Ren took over for their little laboratory, looking for some inspiration. Unfortunately, neither the walls, the old desks, or even the roof wanted to give him any answers.
Assholes.
"Ok, how about this…" he trailed off, an idea finally forming in his mind. "Think about it as… a song." He said slowly
"A song?" Nora asked, uncertain.
"Yeah, a song." Jaune nodded, confidence building."An Elixir - or any kind of substance, be it food, medicine, or poison - is like a song. Something simple, like distilled water, would have only a few notes, while something more complicated could have tens, or hundreds of them. When I activate my Semblance and start changing the effects of whatever mixture I just took, I make certain notes play either louder, or quieter. Or maybe slower, or faster? Nevermind. Anyway, that way I can check what effects certain sequences have, and then boost only those that give me positive effects. Additional benefit is that when I learn some sequence, I can identify it in other substances. So for example, If I drink a beer, and figure out which part of it's 'song' is alcohol, I will be able to detect alcohol in anything I eat or drink. And if I memorize some sequences as harmful, my Aura will start blocking them without me having to think about it."
He nodded to himself, and smiled.
"When I test a new Elixir, there's this moment when I basically make lots of noise, playing this song randomly, until I start to figure what certain sequences do. It's easier if it has at least a few familiar parts, but the more components there are, the harder it is to control it."
He paused, considered something for a moment, then nodded.
"So, does that make sense?"
"Well…" Pyrrha trailed off. "I think i get it. So the reason you get headache, or nausea, is because you play the new song so poorly?"
Jaune chuckled.
"Yeah. Essentially."
"Ok, I get that." Said Nora, one finger tapping her cheek." But why can't other people can't use them? From what you said, anyone with good Aura control should be able to manage it."
Jaune shrugged.
"I'm not certain, but I think that my Semblance allows me more control on what part of them will be affected, how, and how strong. For example, this," he picked up the bottle with heart enhancer. " It has two opposite effects. For a normal person, it would either boost, or lower their heart rate, depending on which substance said person is more vulnerable to. It might even have no effect at all, or cause arrhythmia. Similar for Hunters, but in that case, Aura will affect it too. It might either dismiss the effect, or enhance it, but I never met anyone who could control it as well as I do. Well, not many people were willing to try, to be honest." He looked over his team and smiled. "But if you want to volunteer…"
"No." Ren said shaking his head.
"Nope." Nora exclaimed happily.
"I-I think I'll pass. I'm pretty sure it's against some of my contracts." Pyrrha smiled at him.
"Come one guys - for science!" Three blank stares were his only answer. Jaune huffed and crossed his arms.
"Ok, suit yourselves but when I finally perfect my recipes, and become filthy rich, you will regret not being part of it."
"Isn't Ren already helping you out?" Nora pointed out. Then hummed, tilting her head to the side. "Wait, what exactly he is helping you with? You spent all afternoon working on this thing.
Jaune meet Ren's eyes, and they both nodded. With smile blond boy pointed at now empty bottle.
"Ladies, I present to you, Perception Enhancer, mark two. Product of the joint efforts of myself, and my brilliant assistant Lie Ren."
"Ooooh! You made it even stronger? How strong it is now? Can you…."
"No." Jaune said calmly, stopping Nora's babbling.
"No… what?" She asked, blinking in surprise.
"It's not stronger. Quite the opposite in fact - it's much weaker."
"But.. why?"
"Well, it's simple. The original recipe was just too strong. Using my earlier analogy - the song had a very complicated melody. This meant it cost me a lot of focus and Aura to keep it right. So, I always needed a few moments to make sure I got the melody right. And even after that, I had to focus to keep it that way. And even though it gave me a potential to boost to my senses several times over - I would never need so strong a boost in any situation I could realistically encounter. And if I messed something up, and, for example, boosted my hearing, or sight by twenty times in the middle of the fight - it could easily cripple me."
Jaune smiled and took one of the many bottles standing on table next to him.
"I tried to fix this for a while. I had some successes, but nothing worth using. Either the effects were too weak, or the side effects too strong.. " he smiled, tossing the glass container in the air. "But now, with Ren's help? I think we might just make it work."
"So… what are you gonna call it?" Nora asked suddenly, walking to him, and picking up the bottle he drank from.
"Because 'Perception Enhancer mark two' is a bit too long, don't you think?"
Jaune hummed. She did have a point.
"To be honest, I haven't thought about it. I'm open for suggestions."
"How about 'Owl'?"
"Well… Why not? Considering I'm using it mostly for better hearing, and night vision, it's quite fitting."
Nora beemed.
"Great! Then I demand half the profit from when you start selling this stuff."
"Oh? What shady business are you nerds are getting into? And why I wasn't invited?"
They all turned to source of the new voice. Yang strode in with the rest of team RWBY following close behind.
"Nothing much. Just plotting how we will take control of the world."
"What, you wanna develop some mixture that lets you mind-control people?" Asked Ruby, pointing at the laboratory glassware standing atop one of the desks.
Jaune chuckled.
"Nah, mind control is overrated. Not very reliable at the end of the day. We will make people want to give up they freedom, so they can enjoy living under our benevolent rule. If you guys will be nice and obedient, we will find you some nice spots in our government. What do you say? Wanna be out lackeys?"
"Nah, I'll pass. To get to world domination, Ice Queen here would first have to let you off of your leash. Or at least ease up on it a bit." Yang smirked at him, ignoring the eye roll from Weiss.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. But when we're splitting Remnant among ourselves, you'll remember that you could be one of us."
Weiss snorted.
"Sure. Anyway, why did you called us out here? I hope it wasn't just to share your delusions?"
"Yeah, I would like to know myself. You said you have something important to discuss with us, but were quite secretive." Pyrrha smiled at her partner. "Will you tell us now?"
"Yeah." Jaune smiled and looked over his friends. How should he breach the topic? The more he thought about the idea, the more he liked it. But thing was, it wouldn't work if he couldn't get his friends on board. He'd laid some groundwork with his team after his debut in Nora's little tournament, and spent most of Sunday making preparations and plans. He considered taking a bit more time, but after discussing it with Peter, he decided to not delay any longer.
"So the thing is… I got call from the Company yesterday…" Curious glances turned into suspicious ones. Well, at least they weren't tackling him to the ground.
"And they said there is this one job… Ruby, what are you doing?" The red reaper chuckled nervously.
"Ummm.. Nothing?"
"Then why did you just use your Semblance to dash for the door?"
Another nervous chuckle.
"I didn't! You must have imagined it!"
Jaune looked at trail of rose petals, and raised a single eyebrow. Ruby started whistling some melody, not meeting his eyes.
"Well, nevermind, you can do what you want. So, like I was saying, I got a call from the Company, and they said there is this big job coming up…. Guys, am I talking too quietly?"
"No… why?" Asked Nora.
"Because you all are standing very close now. It's honestly a bit uncomfortable…"
"You must be imagining things." Said Weiss, nodding.
"Well, I don't think…"
"You are imagining things." She repeated.
"But…"
"You. Are. Imagining. Things."
Jaune chuckled nervously, looking over his friends for help. Judging by they started, and how thick a circle they formed around him, he wouldn't be getting any anytime soon.
"Yeah, right. Must be those Elixirs I drank earlier."
"For sure." Weiss nodded, and smiled at him. " Now, what was this about a job? I presume you refused, and feel bad about it now, right?"
Jaune chuckled again. Somehow, this wasn't going as he planned it.
"Hehe.. Actually.. I kinda accepted it?"
He could swear temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.
"Jaune…" Pyrrha began but he stopped her.
"It's nothing too dangerous, or secret, or anything like that."
"Jaune…" Ruby whined.
"It's really not that big a deal. Yeah, they called it 'big', but it's only because they are hiring a lot of people! It's a pretty standard operation, really…"
"Jaune…" Weiss growled at him.
Jaune swallowed. Maybe it would be better if instead of excuses he got straight to the point? Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.
"So I thought that maybe you guys would like to tag along?" He finished quickly.
There were a few moments of stunned silence.
"Tag… along?" Yang asked, as if uncertain if she heard him right.
"Well.. yeah." He answered, looking warily at his fellow blond. She paused, hummed, then threw the rope she was holding away.
Wait, where did she get that? And why she was carrying rope with her!?
"Well, you have my curiosity Ladykiller. Please, tell me more. What is this job, and what is in it for us?"
"So, they recently managed to clear one mining colony a bit east of Vale. Apparently, there is still a lot of Dust and some minerals there, so they want to go back to digging. But, they found out that there is a bunch of Harrowed in the old tunnels, so the Company is forming a team to clean it up. And I thought, that I might get you guys in on it."
"Ok… But why?"
Jaune sighed, and rubbed back of his head.
"Well.. I mean, none of you ever seen a Harrowed up close, right?" He waited for them to confirm and sighed.
"So I thought, it would be good if you get some experience in a more… controlled situation. It's not that I doubt your skill! It's just that.. " he sighed, shaking his head.. " when I was traveling with Leon, I saw many instances where people got wounded by Harrowed, simply because they let their guard down. I don't want it to happen to my friends, so I thought I would arrange a situation where you can learn more about them. And.. yeah.." he finished with a nervous laugh.
"So… you want to teach us?" Asked Weiss.
"Well, if you want to? I mean, if you are serious about being a Hunter, you will encounter Harrowed sooner or later. So it would be good for you to know how to deal with them. I'm not saying you need to become Witchers, but just knowing the basics could help you in the future."
"Well…" Weiss began, yelping when Ruby shoved her aside.
"Wait, you're gonna teach us your secret knowledge? And how to make black swords?"
"Well.. if you want? Sure."
Ruby cheered.
"Yes! Team RWBY, we are becoming Witchers! It's gonna be so cool!"
"Now, wait just a minute." Weiss called out.
"I admit it's interesting idea, and acquiring more knowledge is always a good thing, but I would like to remind you, we are students. And this comes with some responsibilities. We should consider carefully if we can afford to divide our attention like that. And even if we start this Witcher course, I don't think we will be allowed to simply go and take 'jobs' as we please. There are regulations and rules we need to obey."
"But Weiss…" Ruby whined, tugging her sleeve. "Jaune went out of his way to help us out. How can you just refuse like that?"
The heiress looked at her team leader, but quickly averted her gaze.
"I-I'm not saying we can't do it. I'm just saying that if we are going to do it, we should do it properly."
Jaune chuckled. Ruby's puppy eyes must have been really strong, to melt Weiss icy exterior like that.
"I think it's a great idea. Maybe not this job thing, but learning more about Harrowed? I would love that." Pyrrha nodded.
Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like most of his friends were on board with the idea. Ruby and Nora were the most excited, Yang looked intrigued, Pyrrha and Ren interested.
He couldn't read Blake well, her face didn't give him anything, but she didn't argue, so there was that. The only problem was Weiss. But if he could convince her it wouldn't reflect poorly on her grades…
He smirked. Fortunately, he came prepared.
"Well yeah, I agree. We are students, so it wouldn't do to get expelled because we got too occupied with other things. But I'm sure our teachers will look at this positively. I mean - this will basically be us going over stuff that isn't covered in the basic program. We will show initiative, and so on. It's bound to earn us some bonus points."
"As long as it don't interfere with our regular lessons." The Heiress said, chin cupped in one hand. "Yeah, I can see merit to it. But, I believe we will have lessons about Harrowed in our third year…"
Ok, so she is in argument mode. Jaune sighed. This meant he needed to crush any arguments Weiss had - preferably before she voiced them. He knew full well that this was one battle where he had no chance to outlast his old friend.
"True, but what's wrong with covering a more advanced program early? I can't imagine teachers getting angry about it. "
Weiss eyes narrowed, a small smirk spreading on her lips. She recognized the challenge, and was all too happy to accept it. Usually he would look for a way to back off. But now? He had a plan.
"Oh, really? Well, I do agree that covering more advanced material is a good thing.. If one can understand it. What makes you think you are qualified to teach us?"
He smirked. He'd hoped for this question.
"Well.. I mean, it was Miss Goodwitch who suggested it."
Weiss' eyes widened.
Bingo. Got her on back foot. Now just to press the advantage.
"Yeah, I mean, think about it. I spent four years in the Wilds. Two training as a Witcher. I don't want to brag, but when it comes to Harrowed, I know far more than what is written in a textbook."
Weiss hummed, considering his words.
Good, almost there. Just one last push.
"Now, That is a grand idea if I ever heard one!" A jovial voice boomed.
Everyone turned around, to see Profesor Port marching into the classroom, a wide smile on his lips.
"It pleases my old heart to see my students helping each other grow. Why, it reminds of my youth, when…" cold terror filled classroom, where seven teens started to back towards the windows.
Professor Port, instead of launching into another tale, just chuckled and shook his head.
"Ah, but let's not talk about the past. Let's focus on present, and the future!" Seven explosive sighs of relief sounded.
"Now, I overheard a bit of your conversation. From what I understand, you want to start some self study group, right? Mind giving me any details?"
Jaune smiled, and quickly presented his idea to his favorite profesor. Port listened carefully, and when Jaune finished, smiled and clapped his hands.
"A splendid idea, truly splendid. I must say I'm surprised you didn't think of it sooner. Now, do you intend to make it an official studying circle?"
Jaune blinked in surprise.
"Official?"
"Oh, you don't know? Student's can form official student groups. There are some formalities that need to be taken care of, but if such group works well, all members receive additional points on evaluation."
Weiss perked up at that. Jaune smiled. She was so easy, sometimes.
"And what are the formalities?" The heiress asked, suddenly very interested.
Professor Port hummed.
"Well, first of all, a list of the people involved, the theme they will be studying, as well as a schedule of sessions has to be presented to a faculty member. If this is something combat related, they need to have at least one teacher as a supervisor. If such an application is accepted, the group needs to select their representative. A person who will take care of all formalities needed for the group to function."
"I see…" Weiss hummed.
Ok, she is basically on board. Now, for the finishing blow…
Two Witchers exchanged a quick glance.
"Well… I'm sure professor Port would agree to be our supervisor, right?
"Of course, Jaune my boy! What kind of teacher would I be, if I didn't do everything I can to support my dear students pursuit for knowledge?"
"It certainly sounds interesting. But I wouldn't want this to affect our grades..."
"Now, Miss Schnee, judging by yours, you have nothing to worry about!" Weiss blushed a little at the compliment.
"I'm sure you would have no trouble with it. But if you are concerned about it - since I'm sure you would have no problem covering necessary material yourselves, If you form this study group, you all will be excused from my classes. You would still have to pass the end of semester exam, but…"
"DEAL!" Seven voices sounded in unison. Profesor Port laughed, sending a discreet glance to Jaune. The blond boy remained composed on the outside, but internally he was cackling like a madman.
Hook, line, and snicker. Just as planned.
"Ok, so I assume everyone is on board with the idea?" He asked aloud. When he got confirmation from his friends, he smiled and nodded.
"Great. So, could you guys go with the professor and take care of the formalites? Me and Ren need to clean this up." He said pointing thumb towards tables covered in laboratory glassware.
"Do you want some help?" Asked Pyrrha.
"Nah, we will be fine. Go, we will join you soon."
Ren sighed, and moved to start clean up. After a few moments he noticed his team leader just stood there, not moving. He only stared at a single point, a blank expression on his face.
"Jaune?" The raven haired boy called out. The blond hunter don't answered at first, only titled his head to the side.
"Hey, Ren…"
"Yeah?"
"So, I think that last Elixir works quite well. Even if I don't focus on it too much, it doesn't seem to go nuts. And even if I boost my hearing, or sight, it seems to tune down on its own, if there are louder noises, or I look at something brighter."
Ren hummed.
"Sounds good. We will probably need to test it in some more extreme conditions. See how well it works when you go from a very dark room, to a bright one, or from complete silence to some very loud noises. What are the side effects?"
"That depends...Do you see the white Ursa in a pink suit with the trumpet sitting over there?"
Ren looked at direction his team leader was pointing.
"No, I don't see anything."
"Oh, that's good. I was almost certain it was part of the side effects. Just making sure."
Ren nodded, and went back to his work.
"I assume that means that giant yellow marshmallow moonwalking over there isn't real too?"
"No, I don't think so."
Jaune tsked.
"Damn. It has some nice moves, let me tell you."
"I see… Jaune?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't mention any of this around Nora. She might…. Just don't do it, ok?"
"Sure thing."
And that wraps up chapter 25. Jaune starts working on upgrading his elixirs, with the help of Ren. And with help of Port, he gets himself seven students. How will our resident blond monster slayer will fare in this role? Will he survive having to teach seven people? Will they serve him training?
Also, a bit more insight on how Jaune's Semblance works.
Anyway, Jaune is scheming, Weiss is being the voice of reason, and Ren is being cool. Like some hallucinations could faze this guy.
And here is this week's omake. Enjoy.
Twice As Nice
Things, Jaune decided, could be going better.
He wandered the streets of Vale looking in vain for Hunter's Rest, trying to keep his lunch down.
His latest Elixir mix had more than a few side-effects.
The vomiting was pretty standard, he was used to that by now. Same with the dizzy spells.
The hallucinations however? That was new.
He'd spent about an hour fighting imaginary Grimm...or five minutes, it was hard to tell at this point.
The voices had been creepy, but meeting Pumpkin Pete was pretty cool.
Now, he'd settled into double vision. Hooray for progress.
Finally, he saw the grand double doors of the bar and sighed with relief. He had thought he remembered there being two Ursa statues outside of Tob's place, but…he REALLY needed a drink at this point.
He pushed open the doors and was immediately assaulted by blaring music and flashing lights.
Yeah, definitely not Tob's place.
He turned to leave but caught sight of bar out of the corner of his eye.
Tob won't mind if I get just one drink at someone else's bar, right?
He made a beeline for the bar, stumbling all the way. He practically tripped over the stool, before settling on the offending piece of furniture and ordering a scotch.
The tall, well dressed bartender looked at him skeptically over his sunglasses.
"You look like you've already had enough."
Who wears sunglasses indoors? Jaune thought.
"Please, it's been a rough day."
The man grunted in sympathy. "Yeah, I know about those. Ok kid, just don't start anything, or you'll have to deal with them." He nodded over Jaune's shoulder.
Jaune turned, and laid eyes on one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen. She, or more accurately, all four of her, had flawless pale skin, with jet black hair reaching down her back, and piercing green eyes.
What Jaune couldn't figure out, is why half of the hallucinations were wearing red, and the other white.
Oh Gods, it's getting worse.
The quartet of girls began making their way over at the bartender's insistence, and Jaune began to panic.
Oh No! I can't even think straight! Keep calm Jaune, just be confident!
The bartender gestured towards Jaune. "Watch him. Seems chill enough, but I've had enough of drunk Hunters in my club."
"I think we can handle him." The girl in white spoke as she took a seat on his left.
"Yeah, he doesn't seem too tough." The one in red chipped in as she took the seat on his right.
How is she doing that!? What the hell was in that Elixir?
Jaune knew he had a decision to make. If he tried to chat up the illusion, the girl would think he was crazy. He was going to have to guess.
He decided on the girl in white, she seemed mildly less aggressive.
"Hey pretty lady, does my bodyguard have a name?"
She frowned. "I think babysitter is more accurate."
He shrugged. "I'll take it."
She smirked. "Melanie."
"I'm Miltiades." The illusion on his right spoke.
He ignored her.
"I'm Jaune Arc. That's a pretty name, is it Valerian?" He asked.
Melanie looked at him in surprise, eyes widening a little, then broke out in a grin at her sister's flabbergasted expression.
"You're smarter than you look." She teased. "Where are you from blondie?"
It's going well!
"Someplace a lot more boring than this." He said, gesturing to the lively bar. "What's working here like?"
The girl leaned back against the bar. "More boring than you'd think. Mostly just people watching. Occasionally someone will get out of hand, and my sister and I will have to put them down."
"Yeah we do." The illusion in red spoke again.
"A sister huh? She must be jealous."
Melanie cocked her head. "Why's that?"
Jaune chuckled. "How could she not be, with a sister as beautiful as you?"
"What the hell!" Miltiades shouted.
Melanie's grin returned. "Oh, I think I like you."
He mock bowed. "I'm here to entertain."
She leaned in. "And what if I get bored of you?"
He leaned forward conspiratorially. "Well, we'll just have to stop that from happening." His eyes flashed towards the dance floor. "Do you dance?"
She brushed her hair back. "Depends, are you any good?"
"Get a room." The illusion called.
He ignored it again, instead held out his hand, his confidence surging. "The best."
She giggled as she took his hand and they made their way to the dance floor, leaving a very confused, very angry Miltiades in their wake.
The girl in red fumed.
NO one ignored her. SHE was the pretty one.
She watched Jaune's form disappear into the crowd on the floor and made a decision.
Her sister wasn't about to outdo her. Jaune Arc would be hers.
Omake written by JJD. I hope you enjoyed. See you next week.