Welcome to Ch 41 of TPA

Jaune closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it go. Once upon a time, he might have been too nervous to relax like that on board of a bullhead taking him to some remote village that may, or may not, be under attack. But after years spent traveling with Leon, he learned how to relax and catch a nap in just about any situation.

You never knew when you'd get next chance to rest.

Besides, it wasn't like he was just lazing around. He was doing some very important work. A few more deep breaths, and all sound started to fade. His team's chatter, the bullhead's engines, the music coming from Ruby's headphones. The only sound that remained was his breathing and the rhythmic drumming of his heart.

Jaune slowly opened his eyes to find himself in a white room. Ever since Leon told him about the second awakening of the black swords, Jaune was doing his best to find the 'balance,' his teacher had spoken about. As vague it was, he had pretty good idea of where to look. That's why he was doing these little meditation sessions whenever he could, usually on their way to, or from, a mission.

He looked around and winced - this place still reminded him of Spring Valley. Mostly because of the small monstrosity in front of him. Back then, he tried his best to ignore it, but now he took a closer look at creature that he first saw in that damned town. Black skin, chubby body, with far too small limbs, and far too big head.

And those eyes. Jaune tore his away, looking for anywhere to focus his attention, but twin blue orbs, so similar to his own. Unfortunately, it was hard in a pure white room...space… wherever he was. So as usual, he looked back to his unwanted companion.

Like usual, it started crawling towards him.

Like usual, Jaune kicked it away, and watched it fly several meters, bounce off some invisible wall, and hit the floor hard.

Like usual, he hoped it would disappear, or at least remain where it was. But, like usual, it shuddered, got up, and started crawling back towards him.

Jaune scoffed and turned around. Usually, he got some sort of vision soon after he entered. Logically speaking, he probably could ignore the thing - it appeared it would disappear when the vision started. But for some reason, he just couldn't stand to be close to it.

Soon his vision began to swim. Moments later, he was in forest, staring at a much younger version of himself bursting out of his hiding spot behind a tree, sword in hand, and murder in their eyes.

Ah… that one. Jaune shook his head. His first human kill. The memory was hazy now, but what he remembered was that, for some strange reason, he wasn't angry back then. Not really. Sure, it pissed him off what happened to the girl that died, but bandits? He shook his head.

They were trash. Monsters, worse than Grimm. It was pointless to get angry at monsters when they did something horrible - that was what monsters did. Instead of wasting your energy on screaming, getting angry, and asking 'why'. You should just take your sword in hand, and kill them.

Jaune smirked. Yes, this lesson he learned well. He spent a few moments wandering about, trying to recall the details of this incident. He couldn't walk too far away from his original spot, and the whole scene was static, frozen in time. Jaune often wondered what was purpose of these visions. His guess was that it had something to do with the whole finding balance thing. But how? He had no idea.

LIke usual, he started to wonder what could he have done differently. This time finding mistakes was rather easy. First of all, instead of wasting time behind that tree, he could circle the camp to get a better idea of the bandits' numbers. He might have even been able to free other villagers - honestly, it was small miracle they came out unharmed, none of bandits thinking of using them as hostages.

If he had acted fast enough, he probably could have killed all five bandits, and freed the villagers before the second group came. The bandits, seeing their prey gone and comrades killed, would probably have split up, searching for runaway captives, and the one who done it. Which would have made them easy picking. Or he could have just ignored them, and focused on getting the villagers to safety.

Jaune shook his head, staring at his younger self. He was such a kid back then, so naive. Still believing himself to be a hero, who comes in at the last second and saves the day. It didn't didn't take long for reality to start beating those foolish notions out of him. Heroes existed only in two places - fairy tales and graveyards.

This encounter here, his first kill - it wasn't the first time he'd seen how brutal the real word was, but now that Jaune thought about it - this was the moment when he finally started realizing how stupid his dream of becoming a hero was.

Soon the vision blurred, and the scene he saw made him wince. It was some small city, his fifteen year old self and Leon talking with an older, half bald, fat man. Well, talking was the wrong term here, if memory serves him right. They were hired by some traveling merchant to recover his cargo, stolen by some bandits. They apparently snuck into his camp at night, and were able to make it out with a whole cart. Leon accepted the job, since it didn't look too hard - only twenty or so bandits against two Aura users? Too easy. Or it should have been, if what merchant told them was true.

Instead of ragged, half drunk band, they faced a small army - well over fifty well geared, and disciplined men that were expecting pursuit. They even had a few Aura users among them, and some military grade weaponry.

It took over week of planning, and picking off stragglers around bandit's camp, before two Hunters decided to attack. Still, this was closest Jaune had come to dying ever since he started traveling with Leon - not counting the event in which he unlocked hs Aura.

Somehow, they managed to win, and located the merchant's cart - though Jaune barely remembered that. He was half conscious, bleeding from multiple wounds. Leon patched him up as best as he could, put him on the cart and drove off as fast as he dared.

The trip back took them four days, mostly because Leon didn't want to drive too fast to avoid upsetting Jaune's wounds. When they finally met up with the man again, he was furious. About their delay, about fact that the cart got damaged, about the fact that some of the cargo was missing, and some of the other was 'ruined by this useless brat's blood'. Jaune was pretty sure Leon was seconds away from killing the merchant where he stood. The old man, apparently lacking any semblance of survival instincts, even demanded that he and Leon pay him back for the losses that they apparently caused.

Jaune shook his head. They took the time to help this man. They accepted his meager pay, believing he was some simple merchant who just lost everything. As it turned out, it was far from the truth. Yes, losing this cargo would be a big hit for him, but not nearly enough to drive the man out of business.

Jaune couldn't help but stare at the red faced man, spewing insults and poking Leon in the chest with a fat finger. They fought for him, they bled for him. Jaune almost died for him. And that's what they got in return?

Someone else might have just walked off. Some of these 'hero' types might even pay him, or offer to work it off. But, not Leon. First he punched the annoying man in stomach. He followed it with a kick to the face. Then he grabbed him by the hair, and put his sword to his throat, daring his bodyguards to try something.

"Me and this kid just slaughtered over fifty men. Fifty armed, trained, and disciplined men, that were waiting for us. There were at least five Aura users among them. Now, I see two ways this can end. You either give your men the signal to back off, pay us, and we will go our separate ways, or you give them the signal to attack, and I'll have to take the money from your dead, mangled body. Either way, me and kid will get our payment, and we will be on our way. Now, take your pick."

As it turned out, the merchant wasn't complete idiot. This was just another incident, just another job for a client that turned out to be an asshole, trying to use them. But for Jaune, this incident held special meaning. This was the day when he finally understood how ugly the world was. How utterly worthless some people could be.

This was the day, when he finally buried his foolish dream of being a Hero. His vision swam again, and several other images quickly followed. Some of them Jaune remembered well, some barely at all. There was the time he and Leon stumbled on a caravan and decided to escort it… then the time he decided to spent about a week in a village in the middle of a Mistrailian swamp, assisting the local herbalist in curing victims of some strange plague. It was there where he created his first Elixir. Then there was that time when he was kidnaped by slave traders… Well, it was more like they found him passed out after he overdid it with Elixirs. How did their boss put it? They were, 'gathering poor, hopeless children, and offering them a brighter future in the entertainment industry'.

The skinny, pale man was so confident in his goons, and whatever drug they gave Jaune, that he actually was happy when he learned that the blond boy wass combat trained and had his Aura unlocked.

He sang a different tune when Crocea Mors tore through his throat. It took him and Leon almost two weeks to find and kill every last one of their group, but damn, was it worth it. Jaune smiled. Yes, ever since he got rid of that stupid dream of being a Hero, life became so much easier. His vision swam again, but no new memory appeared. Everything went grey, and then with a flash of light he was awake, staring into the green eyes of his partner.

"Jaune, we will be landing soon."

He nodded, checking his equipment. He'd taken part in evacuation actions only two times, but it was enough to make him hate this kind of job with a passion. It always amazed him how stubborn some people could get, doing everything they could just to make life harder for Hunters trying to get them to safety.

It was like some of them wanted to be killed by Grimm. Jaune sighed, and prepared himself mentally, recalling Leon's lessons.

Remember Jaune, we are here to drag those people to a refugee camp, not to make friends. Be as polite as you can, but it's them who should do what we say, no other way around. If they don't listen, knock them out, and drag them to the evac point.

Jaune winced and looked through the bullhead window. It was getting dark outside, but he could see the lights of the village they were approaching.

It's going better than I thought… Jaune smiled and shook his head. Turns out having a celebrity on your team made it much easier for people to listen to you. Jaune wasn't sure if it was a normal thing, or they just found the place where only Pyrrha's fans settled, but all it took was a few words from the red haired champion to get everyone mobilized. In less than thirty minutes, every single villager was gathered near the landing zone, only the most essential things packed. They waited patiently for their turn for evacuation. Pyrrha was walking among the small crowd, chatting with people, taking pictures, and giving autographs. She looked genuinely happy.

Probably the first time she can use her fame for something good. Jaune mused, watching his partner with a small smile. The evacuation was going smoothly, and it looked like they would finish ahead of schedule.

Which was a good thing, since they had five more villages to take care of. Jaune sighed. He hoped other will go as smoothly as this one, he really did.

He just didn't really believe it.

The second one went as expected. The village mayor didn't take them too seriously, but after some persuasion, he did order the evacuation. Of course, there were a lot of protest, people refusing to leave their homes, and a few idiots declaring that they can take care of themselves.

This was when Jaune pulled out his trump card - a simple photo of approaching Grimm horde. It always amazed him how quickly people become motivated when they learned that several hundreds of humanity's worst enemy were coming at them. Still, the evacuation was messy - there was a lot of chaos, crying, people getting lost in the crowd, and even a few idiots trying to steal other people's luggage.

When the last transport ship left village, Jaune let out a breath of relief. He checked the time, and decided to call for a break. They were still ahead of schedule, and they all could use the time to catch their breath and grab something to eat.

"So, where do we stand?" Asked Ruby, walking over to him. Jaune was currently checking the tactical map he was provided, trying to figure out the best route for them to proceed. There were two villages that were relatively close to the approaching horde, that should take priority. One of them was south-east from their location. It was by far the biggest settlement, but it was in the opposite direction of the remaining three. How should they proceed? Go to the biggest one first? Take care of other three first? Go for two closest to the approaching Grimm first, then back to other two?

Split up?

Jaune sighed.

"Not bad. The first village went very smoothly, so we have a bit of spare time. I'm trying to figure how to proceed from here though."

"What's the problem?" She asked, leaning over, and Jaune quickly explained the situation.

"How about we split up? JNPR will go to this big one, and my team takes care of the small ones."

"I'm not sure. I would prefer to not split up." He hummed. "Mostly because we can't really afford to split our transport like that. We would need most of the ships to clear this big one in time… at best we could spare one, maybe two. And it's a pretty long trip to the refugee camp and back."

Ruby hummed, considering something.

"Then how about we group them up?" She said, pointing at two villages, further away from the Grimm horde. "These two are close by, we could organize an evac point in this bigger one, and make them help transport people from this smaller one over. We will then move to this one further ahead, put as many people on the bullheads as we can, and escort the rest by foot to the evac zone. That way we save some time, both by not having to organize everything three times, and moving those people further away from the Grimm."

Jaune hummed. This.. wasn't a bad plan. There was just one problem.

"Do you think it will be that easy? You saw how stubborn people in this village were, and let me tell you, it can be much, much worse. What will you do if they won't listen?"

"Weiss."

Jaune stared at his friend for a few moments, as if he saw her for the first time. Just when did Ruby become so ruthless? He sniffed internally. They grow up so fast.

"Ok, I think…" just then his scroll buzzed. He froze when he noticed who was calling and accepted the call.

"Yes?" He asked, lifting the device to his ear. He listened for a few moments, then just nodded.

"I understand."

"What was that?" Asked Ruby, curious.

"Mission control." He said, sitting up, and picking up his weapon. "Go get your team. We have to hurry."

"Wait, what? You said we were ahead of schedule!" She cried out, jumping to her feet.

"We were." He agreed, marching towards his team. "Unfortunately, it turns out the Grimm are too."

Ruby gasped.

"So, we splitting up?"

She asked, running up beside him.

"No. We are all going west."

"What about…"

"No need to go there now."

"You mean someone got them out already?"

Jaune paused, and let out a tired breath. He could lie to her, tell some half-truth that she would misinterpret, or just avoid the answer. But it wouldn't do her any good. She was a team leader too, she needed to have all the info she could to be able to make the best decision.

"Grimm." He answered simply.

Her eyes widened in shock and horror.

"But, surrivors…"

He shook his head. For a brief, very brief moment she looked like she would break down in tears. But then her expression hardened, and she just nodded.

"Then let's not waste any more time."

The first thing they saw was smoke, barely visible against the darkening sky. Next was the flames.

Then they heard it. The screams. And the roars. Jaune popped a bottle of Owl open and drank it all in one go. After a few seconds, the darkness in front of him turned grey, and he could make out the shapes of buildings, trees, and figures running below.

"See any flayers?" He asked. Blake shook her head.

"None. But my night vision isn't perfect so…

He nodded. It was a small bit of luck that there were no flying Grimm - it meant the bullhead could drop them in the village and remain airborne, giving them much needed air support.

Jaune focused on the burning village down below. He couldn't see any people on the streets, but there were a few buildings that the Grimm were doing their best to get into.

"Ok guys, remember. We are not here to clear out the Grimm, but to get any survivors out of there. Kill any that get in your way, but don't get too dragged into fighting. We have no idea how many of them there are, and how many more are coming."

"Jaune!" Ruby called out, slipping beside him. "Let's split up. RWBY will drop around the edges of the village, then we will start moving inwards, looking for survivors. You guys try to secure the evac zone."

Jaune nodded.

"Good plan. Get ready, we are coming in hot." Two minutes later, Jaune's feet hit the ground. He rolled and jumped to his feet, and was immediately greeted by the open maw of a Beowolf. He ducked, allowing the beast to sail over him, splitting it in half as it did. Two explosions, and sound of machine gun fire told him that his team was on the ground, and hard at work.

He took a deep breath, taking the swipe of another Beowolf on his shield, and slowly let it go, his sword separating the beast's head from its body. All doubts, all unnecessary thoughts left his mind, his mind focusing completely on the fight. His looked around, taking in the surrounding area.

Three roads in, North, north east, and south. Most the Grimm are coming from north one. About sixteen buildings facing the square, most in one piece, two staged by the Grimm.

He cut down another Beowolf, a plan already forming in his mind.

"We have to get to those buildings, there have to be survivors there." He shouted, charging ahead. He didn't look to see if his team followed, he didn't have to. Grimm dying everywhere around him were proof enough.

"Ren, Nora!" He shouted, pointing with his sword towards one of the buildings, a bakery if the sign above its doors were anything to go by. He turned to another building - a clinic, or maybe some kind of office. It was hard to tell. It didn't take the Grimm long to notice them. A few turned and snarled, then charged ahead to meet them head on.

Most continued to claw at the doors, walls, and hastily barricaded windows, driven into a frenzy by the terror of the people trapped inside.

Jaune and Pyrrha met them head on. The first Beowolf lunged at Jaune, maw wide open. The Hunter ducked and slashed, cutting the beast in two. The next one swiped at him with its paw. He took the blow on his shield, his sword piercing the Grimm's chest. He spared a glance around, looking for his partner. She was already ahead of him, four decaying Grimm left behind her, a fifth one sliding off her spear. He grinned and charged ahead. The two of them cleared the remaining Grimm easily. One quick glance around revealed no monsters in the immediate vicinity, so he tore the doors open, meeting several terrified gazes.

"You gotta move out, this building will catch fire soon." He shouted. The people inside - five adults and three children, reluctantly started to get up.

"Pyrrha, cover us." Jaune shouted, ushering people to move on. The fires spreading through the village gave enough light to see where they were going, but at the same produced a lot of smoke, making it harder and harder to breathe. They needed to get out of here fast.

"Bird, do you copy?" He called out, activating his earpiece.

"Loud and clear." Their pilot's voice sounded in his ear.

"How does it look from above?"

"No Grimm in the immediate vicinity, but there is another group coming this way. About fifty, sixty of them. ETA, thirty minutes."

"Ok, come back and sit down in the town square, we have a few civilians waiting for evac."

"Roger."

Jaune ended the connection, and contacted Ruby.

"We secured the town square, have fifteen people. How it's goin on your side?"

"We have twenty-five, me and Weiss are escorting them to your location. Yang and Blake found a breach in the wall, and are trying to secure it."

"Tell them to back off. Another group of Grimm is coming, a big one. Better that they not get caught alone."

"Got it."

Jaune sighed, looking around the square. It wasn't the worst place to defend, with only three roads inside, two of them being really close by. If they had to, they could hold this position for a long time, especially if they collapsed a few buildings for barricades. At least as long as no flying Grim appeared. A Nevermore, even single one, could easily mess things up for them. Ideally, they should be gone before the approaching group of Grimm hit them. The problem was that there were too many civilians for the bullhead to carry in a single trip.

Ruby appeared seemingly out of nowhere, a few rose petals falling on the stone floor around her. She eyed the group of terrified civilians behind him, then looked back to one of the alleys leading to the square. Jaune could make out vague shapes of humans approaching.

"They won't all fit into the bullhead." She said.

"I know." Jaune sighed. Ruby looked like she wanted to say something, but her voice was drowned out by the roar of the bullhead's engines. Jaune's eyes narrowed. It somehow sounded different than before…

And then the sleek, white machine flew over them. And then another, and another, and another. Moments later, he could see several explosions from the direction the Grimm were coming. A few moments later, his earpiece came to life.

"JNPR, do you copy?" The familiar voice of their pilot sounded in his ear.

"Yeah. What the hell is happening?"

"Turns out there was Atlas assault squad stationed nearby. Called them for help, and well, they were free, so they responded."

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. It certainly was nice to have some good luck for chance. Maybe they will be able to catch their breath now.

When Jaune reached the next village, it looked like a military camp. Soldiers, Atlesian Knights, aircraft, even some of those big, spider-like mechas.

What the hell is going on here?

Jaune shrugged. It wasn't his problem - at least he really hoped it wasn't. For now, he had other things to worry about - namely securing food and a place to rest for his friends. Fortunately, the cafeteria was not hard to find, and open to everyone.

"What do you think, what's going on here?" Asked Yang, looking around once they all got their meals.

"No idea, and not really interested." Said Jaune. "But whatever it is, I have a feeling I don't want to get involved."

"I guess you're right." Said blond brawler with a sigh. "When I get back to Beacon, I think I'll sleep for a week."

Jaune smiled.

"You might get a chance pretty soon. From what I overheard, this whole area was already evacuated, so our job is done." Said Pyrrha

"Don't tempt fate." Weiss warned her.

The red haired champion chuckled.

"I mean, what could happen?"

"Jaune Arc?" An unfamiliar voice sounded from behind them. They turned, to see soldiers in Atlas uniform standing there.

The blond boy groaned, shooting his partner an annoyed glance.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Please, follow me. The captain wants to see you."

Jaune sighed.

"Ok, let's get this over with."

Nora leaned towards Pyrrha.

"You were saying?"

Poor Jaune, he just can't catch a break. At least their job went relatively easily…

Well, the last few chapters didn't have too much action, but that will change soon. Like I said, we are closing in on the finale, only a few chapters remaining. Anyway, see you all next week.

If you like what I write, and have a buck or two to spare please consider supporting me at 'Pat' 'reon'.

See you all next week.