Hi, it's me, Brandy. I am so pleased that so many people seem to be reading this story, because I am having so much fun writing it. I have so many ideas that I want to explore, and I don't want to give anything away, but I really want to get to a certain spartan. I am in love with the idea that I have for her, and that is all I can really say. I hope you all like her when she eventually shows up.

I will probably stick to updating every two weeks since I have a lot of other commitments. Once again, thank you for taking an interest.

So behold, Jaune's first step towards becoming a "legend," a one review put it.

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Another cough burst from Jaune's mouth as he made his way up the long wide path away from his home, and towards the blinding light. His hand provided shade to his now squinting eyes as he left his arm over his mouth, preparing for the cough to return. Jaune looked back for a moment, somewhat hoping that the vault would be open. A sigh and small chuckle of relief escaped his lips when he saw that he was still trapped outside. He had no choice but to follow the wish that had plagued his mind for so long.

The vault entrance was not far from the surface world. It was maybe a hundred steps between the walls of rock to the real world. As he came close to the end of the path each step and bob of his head brought the sun closer into view. The radiant orb brought warmth with the light. The bulbs in the vault were said to mimic the light of day, and Jaune could say that they certainly did, though nothing had ever come close to the embrace he welcomed as he continued on. The vault was warm, and the vault was bright, though it did not feel this welcoming.

He coughed once more as he reached the end of the path. Jaune found himself staring at a small embankment about thirty steps away. The crevice he had just exited was grey, much like the vault, though it was rough and damp to the touch. Jaune had barely noticed these sensations as he walked through; too enticed by the sun. The new sight was overwhelming.

Green.

Not the sickly green that rose from the pip-boy, but a soothing green. The green silently called to Jaune, reaffirming the innate notion that things will be better.

Green. The ground was green. A hint of brown was with the green, and clearly visible beneath it, but the ground was green. Jaune felt his breath shudder at the sight. He marched forward, collapsing to his knees as he pushed his hands onto the ground, crushing it beneath him. He quickly removed his hands, and watched slack-jawed as the ground almost entirely returned to normal, as his wild hair often does. The green that stood erect from the brown ground were like blades, but they shifted under pressure. Jaune watched as they danced in the whistling wind, and then he made them move himself. They were soft to the touch, though firm, unlike anything he had ever encountered at home. He had read of grass, but he had never seen it. He knew that it would be green, but no amount of reading that would have shown him this image. He could not have been prepared for the sight, the feeling, the smell, nor the sound.

That sound. It was not the grass nor wind. It had been there from the beginning, crashing in constant rhythm behind it all. Jaune stood slowly, eyes forward. Over the embankment, what was in essence a small hill, he climbed. The green slowly faded, giving way to a collage of yellows and golds, that soon ended with waves of blue and white. They rolled like wheels atop and from the depths onto the beach, though Jaune did not know the word for this stretch of sand, nor for sand itself, or at least, he could not recall it. Studying the outside world was mandatory study in school, though it seems that the smallest details were left behind by their ancestors. As he walked closer he felt spray engulf him. It definitely felt like water. It definitely did not taste like water. Jaune spluttered from his mistake. He made a mental note not to drink this water, as tempting as it could be. His cough returned, though it eased its assault.

The sea reflected the warming light, making the endless expanse shimmer as it moved of its own volition. What was making it move? Jaune had read of seas, of lakes, he even knew that they were meant to crash as the water ended and land begun, but again, the minutia had been left behind. He had learned that water was a source of fish, and could be travelled across, though the hows, whether they could be called big hows or small hows, had been ignored. Education was far too practical to involve such trivialities.

The sun was low, though it had not touched the horizon. There were a couple hours of light left. Jaune thought it best to explore, and if nothing could be found he could always return to the crevice he had crawled out from. He turned for the first time back to the crack that held the world he had known. It divided part-way a great cliff that loomed over Jaune, almost appearing as if it desired to crash upon him like waves upon shore. Once more, Jaune felt overwhelmed by this new world. How could he even call it a new world? This was the real world, was it not? The vault had been the lie. A cave in which he was imprisoned, in which he had been told truth, in which he sought escape but such escape would lead to castigation for his own protection.

The vault could open now, and it would have all been worth it; though Jaune knew that his thirst had not been, nor could it likely be quenched. The cliff stood tall to the left and to the right, no clear sign as to which way would be the shortest to a route off the beach. Jaune looked down at his pip-boy. The map of the vault had been saved, but Jaune zoomed out, hoping to find his position in the real world. The map of the real world had always failed to appear when Jaune had looked when inside the vault. It appeared now. There Jaune was; the western shore of the island of Patch.

"Patch". Jaune looked bemused at the name that came from his mouth. A strange name. Although, it was the name of his home, or what was his home, or what might still be his home. He didn't know what to call the vault. It was far more complicated than he could pretend it was, though he was inclined to say that this world, the real world, was as much his home as the vault had ever been.

The pip-boy revealed that there was a path some way to his right. Jaune continued to play with the map as he followed the route he saw on the screen. The nearest town that caught his eye went by the name of Signal. It was fairly large. Well, from what Jaune could guess anyway. He was not exactly an expert on above ground population centres. If there were any people, any supplies, any shelter, then Signal would surely be the best place to search. The Huntsmen and Huntresses never seemed to bring back food with them, nor anything for that matter, why would they? His father's journal spoke of ration packs for all outings, since any food beyond the vault had what was called dust contamination, that is if food survived this long. Maybe some canned food survived, but even Jaune thought that such an idea would be ludicrous. There would surely be some plants or animals to eat.

Eventually the cliff gave way to a steep hill. Steps from before the war carried Jaune to the brow. The railing alongside the steps made for an easier time than trying to scale the rock and grass laden hill would have provided, though Jaune still found the journey taxing. He was not as fit as he first thought, with little time or room for cardio in his small room, and the coughs that had been plaguing him since he left the vault only made things more difficult. With a pant he came to a stop and sat on the final step and the apex of the staircase. He stared wide-eyed at the expanse that moved before him. A few clouds had drifted into view from the east, passing overhead towards the sun. The increase in altitude changed so much. A rough misty line had risen from the water to the west. What had appeared to be an endless expanse of water now revealed another land to Jaune. The map did not want to give away the name of the strange land in the distance, it did not zoom out nor travel that far, though Jaune thought back to his schooling in the vault, and the continents of the world. He was not confident enough to make any guesses though. Geography was hardly his strongest subject. That had been dancing.

As soon as his breath returned Jaune made to his feet and continued towards Signal. The grass that grew atop the cliff gave way to larger plants, to small shrubs. Soon these too gave way to grander flora. Bushes and trees sprouted from the earth, showering the ground with shade. The pip-boy showed a road not far east, just through the this small expanse of trees. Jaune ran his hand across the bark of the trunks as he passed them, trying to take in as many sensations as his simply limited body would allow. With the trees came the songs of birds above. The high pitched chirps and calls varied as much as the plants around him.. Purposeful or playful, Jaune could not decipher nor distinguish, though he thought them beautiful. The sounds of the dead crashing waves had been eroded and replaced by the living melody that seemed to oscillate as he passed below.

Brown pellets, obviously excrement, rested in a mound in the centre of a tiny worn pathway between a naturally formed line of trees, clearly the accidental creation of animals as they made their way on the same path often. Small animals at that. He made sure not to step in the mound, despite their appearing to be dry and solid.

Jaune knew that he had to eat, and this might have been the best option. He reached up to the tree branch hanging above, thinking back to the texts he read on survival. The branch was sturdy but flexible. It would do.

A quarter of an hour passed as Jaune scavenged the wooded area for the items required and started on the trap. Thick branches snapped to roughly equal length would act as grounded pegs, the first two imbedded in the ground either side of the pathway, forced into a deep stable position as Jaune hammered them into place with a rock. A primitive but effective tool, just as the texts described. Four more plunged into the ground perpendicular to the first two, though they were packed close together, with just enough room for the flexible branch Jaune had snapped off at first to rest between them. The key to this whole endeavour rested in the fibrous climber plants that Jaune had collected. In theory they should be flexible enough to to tie the works together. A small branch was tied perpendicular to the peg on the side with the other four. The flexible branch instead of wood, had a sharp piece of flint that Jaune had found tied to its end, with the branch itself pulled back. The climber was strung across the two pegs, with a small section of branch acting as a hair trigger between the flexible arm and the peg, holding the trap in place.

The trap swung across the path at what Jaune thought to be the approximate body height of the small creature after he set it off from a distance with a stick. As simple as the construction was the text warned that it could still harm a person. It was designed to kill after all. Jaune reset the trap, made note of his position on the pip-boy, and continued towards the road.

Man's unifying construction was a sorry sight. The road was falling apart. Enormous cracks had formed along and across the wide road. Plants had begun to grow from the cracks; mostly grass, but flowers were in bloom here and there. The road was giving way to nature, and nature was taking a mile with the inch it was gifted.

A sign caught Jaune's attention. It lay flat on the other side of the road, with the legs it once stood on standing tall beside the trees. Stop. Look. Listen! Jaune was not sure what for, but the mantra had been drip-fed to the children of the vault. Jaune chuckled and crossed the road. He didn't look. Nothing would be coming.

One mile to Signal. That was the important message this sign had spent the last two centuries relaying to the animals that called these trees their home. Jaune was confident in presuming that this one mile was via the road, because the pip-boy showed a much shorter route. A rustle of leaves alerted Jaune to a presence. Most likely a bird, but a presence nonetheless. It came from nearby bush. An audible gasp escaped Jaune's lips as he honed in on the small woody plant. It was less of a bush and more of a bramble. The thicket was adorned with midnight jewels. Blackberries. With haste he ran to his dinner, being careful to stop before he fell into the thorny embrace. He plucked the fruit from the stem with speed and little grace, simply throwing the largest he could grab straight into his mouth. His hands were faster than his chewing, and he soon found it full. A moan befitting an orgasm passed through the mouthful of liquid and flesh, with juices running like blood down from the corners of his mouth. As he chewed he continued to pick as many as he could, pulling with his right hand, and hugging his bounty close with his left.

*Bang*

A gunshot echoed through the trees, causing birds to take flight and Jaune to drop his food. He dived onto his stomach and covered his head in preparation for another shot to sound. His eyes were held shut tight as his body shivered in fear and anticipation for the obvious threat.

Jaune forced his eyes open. Disappointment and shock flooded into his mind. He wanted to be a Huntsman. A Huntsman is not scared of anything. His parents had always encouraged and taught confidence. "It was the key to everything." That was what they said. Women, work, the world. They all waited for the confident man.

How would his father have reacted when he was a Huntsman? How would Ruby react if she was in this position?

Ruby. Their time in the storage cupboard was still warm in the back of his mind. She expected him to come watch her train. Jaune wasn't even sure if he would ever get back in the vault, and even if he did he would probably be punished. They would likely control and monitor his every action. Say goodbye to watching the Huntsmen and Huntresses train. Maybe this could be the answer to Jaune's problems though. If he could act as a Huntsman without an aura, if he ever made it back then maybe he could convince the overseer into letting him live the life he wanted. Even if that didn't work, he could always remain out here. He could be a lone Huntsman, living off the land, protecting the people of Patch. Were there any people of Patch? The gunshot certainly seemed to indicate the affirmative.

Pushing himself up, Jaune jumped to his feet and headed towards the source of the shot. He kept his head low but moved at a light jog. Long paces placed precisely around the fallen twigs; the attempt at stealth that seemed to work as Jaune made his way quietly onwards. A break in the treeline was visible to Jaune, and in the clearing rested a homestead surrounded by fences. Large green stalks crowned by yellow grew within the fences. The rows were too neat to simply be natural. People must have worked the land. Farmers. Where were they though?

Jaune stopped short of the treeline. The fence was a short sprint away, and the house not much further. His eyes scanned the environment looking for any signs of movement, and that was when the second shot sounded. Jaune ducked once more but he refrained from diving into cover.

The bushes in front of him provided good cover, but so would the cornfield if he needed it. The gunshot was close, so Jaune thought that it just might. With the coast seemingly clear Jaune passed between two bushes and made his way to the fence. He clambered over with ease and crouch walked towards the house.

"I won't tell you again!" An angered voice called out. Jaune slowed slightly as he made his way closer. Two men came into sight. The first stood in the centre of the path. The second was standing at the far side of the clearing that acted as the path between the two fields of corn and ran from the house. What they wore could hardly be described as clothes. A mismatch of leather and metal seemed to hang from them like decorations. Both men were wielding pistols. The second man was looking up at the first floor of the house, waiting for any response from the inside. The first was facing the front door.

A response finally came. "Please. Please don't shoot her." The voice was deep, but clearly that of an older man. "I already told you, we gave the supplies to the boy you sent." Jaune could not see the old man. He was in the house… somewhere.

A scream drew Jaune's attention to a woman. The first man had her by her long blonde ponytail, which he was now pulling on to keep her suspended just off her knees. The light red dress, though some would argue that it was pink, that she was wearing was soiled by the dirt she was being dragged about through. The man had blocked her from sight at first, but the response riled the agitated man. He threw her down, fired into the air, and pressed the gun against her head. She screamed once more, louder than before as he pressed the hot metal deep into her skin.

His voice boomed. "Don't talk shit to me old man. The boy never made it back to the boat. All he had to do was come here, get the shit, and come back." He howled with laughter for a second. "We know you killed him. We all know that you have a gun. Who doesn't?"

Jaune didn't.

The first man continued. "You had enough of it, didn't ya? You thought 'fuck this'. You thought 'I ain't letting some kid get shit'. Didn't ya?!" The man cackled as he pressed the gun in harder. Screams were replaced by shallow whimpers as the woman seemed to be giving up hope.

The old man's response came instantly. "Why would I shoot the boy? I knew he was with you. Why would I do anything to make you angry? I have always complied. Please, just give her back. When you return next month I'll double what you normally get." The old man sounded as if he was speaking through sobs.

The first man laughed once more. "Nah. You can't just give us double. Then we'd end up with what we would have got, but we still lost the boy." He knelt down and pulled the woman's head back to lick the side of her face. "Nah. I think I'm just gonna kill her to teach ya a lesson."

The old man screamed, the woman screamed, the first man laughed as he stood beside her, and the second man looked at Jaune. "HEY!" He screamed at Jaune catching the attention of the first man. Jaune fell onto his arse and rolled backwards into the soil. A shot rang out, followed by a thud, then a second shot, followed by a second thud.

Jaune stared in awe as the two aggressors rested motionless on the ground. No time had passed and their life had been snuffed out. The woman had screamed and ran to the house, being passed by the old man as she went. "You, in the field. Come out." Jaune swallowed hard as the order reached his ears. "Don't think I don't see you. Wearing blue and yellow out here surrounded by brown and green isn't exactly a bright idea. As you saw, my age hasn't impacted my aim much, so come on out before I kill you too."

"Ok." Jaune answered with a broken voice.

Eyes and rifle alike followed Jaune as he climbed slowly over the fence and down onto the dirt path. The old man stood with a slight hunch in his back, probably from years of hard toil in these fields, and especially under these robbers. He wore a red checkered shirt tucked into blue overalls which were themselves tucked into large black work boots. What little hair he had left atop his head was grey.

"You armed?" The old man asked through his thick grey moustache.

"No, sir." Jaune turned slowly as to show himself harmless.

"That is awful stupid of you, son." The old man lowered his rifle and laughed through missing teeth. "If it wasn't for you standing there like the idiot you are who knows what would have happened. These raiders are not exactly a consistent bunch. So I guess I have to thank you."

"No problem, sir." Jaune did not dare move, in case of causing unnecessary aggravation. The old man looked down to the raider at his feet; turning the head over to check if the beast had really ceased. After a long moment Jaune asked weakly "Can I move?"

"Yeah yeah. I suppose I owe you one. Head on inside. My granddaughter is in there. She will give you something to eat." He shouted that part over his shoulder towards the house. "I'll be in with you soon. I just have to deal with these two idiots." The old man said kicking the chest of the fool that threatened his granddaughter.

Jaune thanked the old man, who simply grumbled a response as he searched the raiders. The wooden steps leading to the door creaked under foot, showing their age. The door had remained open behind the granddaughter, and Jaune headed in slowly. He found himself in a small hall, with doors to his left and right. In front of him the hall stood divided; a staircase climbed on the right hand, and the hall continued on narrower on the left towards another door. A crash came from the left and was followed by a soft irritated voice.

The door, like the steps, creaked. It would have been impossible to sneak around this place, even if his clothes didn't burn the eyes. The door opened up to the kitchen. The woman from before sat on a stool at the kitchen island. Two black pots sat on the island whilst she rested her head in her hands.

"Hey there"

The woman jumped at Jaune's calling. She quickly stood and patted her apron down as she forced a smile for this intruder. She ran her sleeve across her face, clearing the tears that remained. "Well, hi, mister?"

Jaune was bewildered. This woman, no older than him, had just been held at gunpoint, but she held herself steady. "Jaune. What's your name?" He answered and asked awkwardly standing in the middle of the room.

"The name is Tera. And the name of the old hero that saved us both is my grandfather, as you probably guessed or he told you. His name is Venette." Her smiled seemed to grow more genuine the more she spoke. "Haven't my manners escaped me." She pulled a chair around the island. "Please take a seat." Besides the tear stains it would be hard to tell that she had just stared death in the face.

"Why, thank you. You are both so kind. But all I really did was stand in a field." Jaune laughed nervously as he took the offered chair.

The kind woman turned a nob and a flame burst from a kitchen counter. She filled one of the pots with water and laid it over the flame. "What were you doing out there anyway? You weren't exactly hiding well." Tera turned from her work and looked at the boy in blue and yellow with inquisitive eyes.

"I heard the gunshot. I had to see if anybody was in danger." He answered honestly, though leaving out the part where he dropped his berries and almost fouled himself.

"No offence, Jaune, but, what good would you have been without a weapon."

She was right. The security in the vault had batons. The guards at the vault entrance had rifles. Ruby had that sniper rifle. The Huntsmen and Huntresses would never leave the vault without a weapon. What could Jaune have done? He ran in without a plan. It was just dumb luck that had saved them, and he knew that. He wasn't a hero. He was a fool.

Jaune coughed into his sleeve as he looked everywhere but Tera. She took the moment of silence to continue with her cooking. She chopped vegetables and skillfully threw them into the bubbling pot. Jaune couldn't leave her without a response. "I don't know. Nothing, I guess. I didn't actually think it through." He let out a sigh and flung his head and chest down on the island.

Tera watched the poor boy closely. She closed the distance and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You were still brave running in like that. Most people out here would rather keep to themselves. They would rather not die than help out strangers, and sometimes, even those close to them." Her voice was soothing. She had a comforting familiarity about her.

Jaune looked up at her soft blue eyes and weak smile. "How are you like this?" Jaune asked.

"Like what?"

"You just had a guy almost pull your hair out and threaten to shoot you. How are you coping so well?" Jaune asked both for his own sake and from pure amazement.

Tera went back to the pot to stir it gently. "It's not the first time I have been in a situation like that." Jaune sat up straight at the response. "I would say that you should know what it's like, but from the naive look you have stuck on your face, and the stupid suit you wear, I don't think you do know what it's like." Tera span on her heel and rested against the counter beside the pot. "Where are you from, friend? And what's with the blue?"

Jaune swallowed hard. "My family live in the vault down by the water. And this is what we all wear."

It was Tera's turn to look bewildered. She gave a noise of acknowledgement regarding the vault suit. "You live on the beach?"

Jaune thought that must be the name for the yellow and gold he encountered. "Not on the beach. There is a hole in the rock. We live in there. Have you never seen it? It's massive. There's no way that you haven't seen the vault entrance."

Tera shook her head and gave a small snicker. "I'm afraid not, Jaune. People don't exactly go down to the beach. If you aren't running into raiders down there coming over from Vale, then you face the grimm."

That word. Grimm. He recognised it. He was sure it was in the journal. "Grimm?"

It wasn't a snicker this time. It was a laugh. "You really ain't been outside that hole of yours before, have you?"

"First time." He rubbed the back of his head, smiling innocently, not wishing to tell of his escape.

"The grimm are like ordinary animals, only normally they're bigger, and black and white, and they have eyes as red as blood. They glow in the night, Jaune. Some nights you can see them in the treeline as if they're watching, waiting for you to leave and enter their domain. They have claws like daggers that can carve through rock, and a bite that can cut through a tree like a knife through flesh. And the howls that descend when they talk will cause your blood to retreat away from the outside world. They stalk people, Jaune. They don't care for animals much, but they come for us."

Jaune didn't realise that he had begun to shiver.

Tera shot a smile his way. "No need to worry though. In fact, I hear worrying only makes things worse. We don't exactly know where they come from, but we don't have many on Patch. The grimm that live on the beach seem to deal with them. I don't know why those grimm attack the others, but I ain't gonna complain."

"I didn't see anything on the beach." Jaune couldn't shake the worry. Had he really been that close to these beasts whilst he played with the grass.

"Grimm are a rarity on Patch. The raiders are the real problem. They come over on their rafts, take our crops and head on home. They come every month, though with what happened today, I expect we'll be having another visit very shortly." She looked at Jaune's wrist, and the pip-boy that rested on the island. "What is that thing anyhow?

The door behind Jaune swung open as Venette entered, making both parties forget the question. The rifle he had wielded earlier swung on his back from the loop over his shoulder and chest. "Tera, I stripped those bastards of everything and threw their bodies into the mulch pit. I'll need you to take their belongings into the attic in a bit, I can't be climbing no ladder."

His granddaughter nodded at the command before heading back to her cooking.

"How are you doing, boy?"

"Jaune." Tera corrected over her shoulder.

"How are you doing, Jaune? Venette asked as he walked around the edge of the room, peaking out of the windows.

"I'm doing fine. Thank you." Jaune didn't know what to make of the old man. Venette could have have shot him though. Jaune could be laying naked out in the mulch pit with those raiders right now if Venette had wanted such to pass. Instead, Jaune sat in a house, awaiting food. It must have been the way that Venette carried himself. The way he stood at the edge of the windows to peak out. He made absurdly quick movements of his head as if he was scanning for anything out of the ordinary. It was paranoia.

"You can stay the night for free, boy." Venette offered, either forgetting Jaune's name or just not caring for it now. "And since you had the balls to even come running towards a gunshot, if you want to stick around for a while I could make use of a virile idiot around the farm. We gotta get you out of those damn clothes though. You're an eyesore."

Venette took the seat across from Jaune as Tera poured the boiled vegetables into three bowls and set them down on the island. A fork was passed to Jaune by Tera, but Venette had dived straight into his dinner with his dirty hands. He waited for noone.

Jaune took a bite out of the carrot on the edge of his fork. He gazed at the pair before him whilst he accepted this filling gift.

He looked forward to being out of this uniform.