The creator of Relic of the future is Coeur Al'Aran, all credits for the Story go to him, I'm just building from there, go read it if you haven`t and then come back to read this.

Honestly, I've seen that the last chapter was very well received and I'm glad. I wasn't all that sure about some of ideas I had and put in it, but apparently they went off well.

Regarding the idea from Ushio, It is a good point and t would make it more interesting and fast-paced than all 176, but I don't think I have the actual skill to do so while maintaining some coherence and actual sense. So yeah, it was a good idea but I'm not good enough to make it happen.

Ren's and Nora's emotional trip this chapter was something it I wanted to get off the list because they don't come back until faaaaarrr later, of course their shit aint magically solved and will continue to develop as the story goes but they kinda just pop out the story for a while so I needed them to have something of show before they honestly fall back a bit.

I'll look out for the unreliable viewpoint better, thanks for pointing it out Zenhope.

If ya ever see a lack of presence or screen time mention, it might be because I forgot they were there, and it'll be like that from now on.

To be honest this chapter felt a bit off, I don't know why and it's why it took some time to actually go out.

I rewrote once since I didn't like how it turned out the first time around, and then again after it was too dull the second time and I just kept this one even if it felt off.

So I thought it would be better to progress in the story instead of beating my head over a feeling about the chapter and didn't try a third time, so yeah sorry bout that if it isn't good.

Paradox -Mystic POV-

The image stopped as Tai cursed, the image of the city in flames was the background they'd have to stick with for now.

"what?…" Tai questioned baffled as he looked around, the frozen flames losing all color like the rest of the image, concerned about the situation. "Why did it stop" He regained his composure quickly, not sure of what to expect.

"The chapter ended, there's no more reason" This time the knight actually answered fast, unlike most other circumstances. "I will make as per usual and return when we may contin-" Lancelot was cut off before he could finish talking, with half his body already consumed by light.

"WAIT! You can't stop it there, the town is under attack" It was the leader of team RWBY who had done so, not wanting to wait to see the city's frozen flames.

The students agreed with her, leaving it in such a place and with an attack on going wasn't something they wanted either.

Ren was really anxious seeing another city in flames, he couldn't afford to wait for him to continue, there were many things familiar with this situation to his own that made his blood boil.

Nora was concerned for her partner, from her perspective he had started acting very weirdly near the end of the last chapter and it was really concerning her.

At the same time, she was also trying to keep away the memories of Kuroyuri's destruction.

Pyrrha was even more helpless, not sure what to do seeing how Ren and Nora found themselves troubled by something, something she didn't know about and unlike most of the time, they didn't seem to be trying to rely upon the other.

Lancelot was uncaring of that, simply trying to continue the protocol. "It isn't as if I'm doing so voluntarily, it's just that when the chapter ends, I leave" Lancelot repeated, there was no truth further than that. "you should understand that these events already have happened in that timeline, we're just going over them"

"Wouldn't that mean we could just continue without stopping?" Glynda asked, she had the patience to wait, something that couldn't be said for some of the other people.

That didn't mean she'd liked having to wait for it, especially if they still had to look at the scenery while they did.

"Would you rather it be like that? discussion over the past chapter could do you some good" the 'thing' tried again as if he wasn't completely aware of the dismay that uncertainty brought.

"YES!" Half of the students replied, Ruby, Nora, Yang, Sun, Neptune, and surprisingly Ren being those students.

Blake, Weiss, and Pyrrha looked at their teams, they also wanted to know what happened and were worried, but they refrained from confronting Lancelot.

"urgh, keep it down kids" Qrow's complaints fell on deaf ears as they weren't paying attention to him, looking for any kind of signal that the knight would do as they want. "You lot need to learn to not get so worked up by just this, if you're going to be huntsman in the future keeping your cool is important, especially when the people panic" He was also too sober to deal with shouting teens.

Going already altered to a place full of Grimm might as well be a death sentence, and if they were bandits it could be even worse.

"I hate to say this, but I have to agree with Qrow" It did leave a bad taste in Winter's mouth saying that, more so when said man just laughed when he heard her. "It would be best If you were to keep your cool over this matter and in many other situations"

"But it might be better to continue observation, the event of the past chapter while definitively important on more personal levels, does not have any special need for us to talk as a group" Ironwood tried to get the knight to agree, the personal matters of the previous chapters came second to the world saving information they could get from the next one.

"That's true, we don't really have anything to go over this time" Tai agreed with the man, they said all they needed to say when it happened, he was happy to see Summer again and probably what could have been if she was still around, and some of them might not concentrate either way with the looming threat on the village.

Raven felt irritated, they were making a scene over something that had already happened and they couldn't actually interact with it.

"Bunch of brats…" She muttered before talking to her side, without taking her eyes off the landscape. "Vernal, does this place look familiar?" She decided it was best to ignore them, looking at anything else right now, that could do better for her anyways. "I believe we've seen this place before".

Vernal wasn't much in it, for her it was still just another village, nothing new there. "Maybe we trashed this shithole…I dunno it's all the same to me" That could be possible, it's not like she remembered every village they raided.

"Guess is just a matter of waiting" She concluded.

Lancelot never had any issue letting them cut straight to the chase, to begin with, he was simply following what he had been told, but if his audience desired to continue he might as well comply. "I see, let us continue then"

"just like that?" Blake asked, not very trusting that he was letting it go so easily.

"I hold no preference, if the majority wants to keep going then we shall do so" He didn't care, this was just one mandatory stop and he left that clear enough. "And if you remember correctly I said I would be summoned back once you were ready to continue"

Glynda finished for him. "You would have returned seconds later wouldn't you?" He nodded, confirming it.

"In the end, this was a useless conversation…and a very stupid one" complained Mercury, already tired of this and wanting nothing to do with it.

"hmmm well, it does serve as a good way to start a chapter" That phrase felt out of place and didn't really made sense as it wasn't really a good way to start.

Lancelot just looked on, to somewhere no one else could see and began reading as the holo-space began moving once more.

Jaune's feet pounded down the dirt path towards the burning village in the distance. He saw the smoke before he did the walls and the buildings soon after that. Many of them were on fire but some still stood, albeit not for long. Grimm ran through the streets and a Nevermore flew by overhead, screeching at something it had seen below.

It's the past, his mind protested. This must have happened in my time as well. I can't change the future this drastically. I promised I wouldn't. The best thing to do, the correct thing, was to let nature take its course.

"Let nature take its course and let all of that people you could save die?" Oscar saw this as something Ozpin would do, he knew how little Jaune actually liked the man trough their interactions…then why was he doing something he would so without a thought?

"just because it's the past doesn't mean you can't change it" He agreed with the kid, wasn't making a better future the point of having accepted Salem's offer? Then why in the hell wouldn't he change it. "He's stuck thinking he can recover the live he had" Tai understood he didn't want to let go, that maybe something he does could bring back that life back.

But clinging to it wouldn't let him see what it could be, instead of what it once was.

"He really won't save them?" Yang said trough her teeth, not liking the decision Jaune was thinking on making.

"He doesn't hold an obligation to" Raven pointed to her daughter, this being the first time she actually acknowledged her existence. "If it goes against what his goals, why would he do anything?" She found it surprising he was deciding against helping

"Because he's better than that and you" Yang growled back, she had been eyeing the woman from time to time, she wanted to ask her a couple of things but if this was the first thing she was going to say to them, it may not even be worth it.

"Yang calm down" Her sister asked in a lower volume so the raven haired woman wouldn't listen. "we know Jaune better than her, he isn't going to let them die, just look at him"

Ruby was right to show her, the look of dread that Jaune had was nothing like his thoughts and seeing him run toward the village even as he is doubting was a clear indication that his own body was betraying his thoughts.

The Nevermore dove down towards something.

He was already moving to intercept it. To hell with caution and to hell with the future – he'd come back to change it, not to sit back and watch the same tragedies repeat themselves. If he was going to save his friends, then he'd damn well try and save someone else's too.

"Exactly, you go kid!" Tai cheered, he knew Jaune had a good head of his shoulders and was probably strong since he lasted enough to go to the final fight, but this would be the first time actually seeing him fight.

Pyrrha smiled, he didn't doubt his leader and she knew he'd pull through this.

"Oi!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "Over here you stupid bird. Come and fight someone a tenth your size!"

A Beowolf dared to try and get in his way but slumped down a second later, cut from hip to flank as he dodged aside and let the beast's momentum carry its dying body behind and away. With a reverse and a twist he lopped the arm off another, stepping back into its body and driving Crocea Mors into its stomach down to the hilt. With his free hand he slammed its final claw away, kicking it off and to the ground, drawing his sword free in the process.

"Survivors to me!" he roared. There had to be some survivors, surely. "I'm a huntsman! Come to me!"

The attack got an impressed whistle from Qrow. "Seems like he really was trained by me" He remembers using moves similar to those in the past when he was a more…clean fighter than he is today.

Raven also saw that resemblance but noted that it was fundamentally different from what Qrow's style used to be.

It wasn't a great demonstration of strength in any way, but it also showed he was an incompetent idiot.

"That was one clean slice too, our jaune will need to train a lot to be able do that" Blake pointed out as they all knew that the leader of team JNPR wasn't a very adept fighter.

"Fearless leader is the strongest!" Nora's screams felt forced in some way as if she was trying to hide something, not many of them were able to see that though.

The one who could have noticed however, was having his own sorts of issues.

The second Jaune entered the town Ren's mind felt as if it had been shocked, this place was a reminder of his past, the buildings, the little water conduits, the familiar looking layout…

It was Kuroyuri.

There was a startled cry from the left, maybe thirty meters away and a little down – in what looked to be a ditch of some kind. It was too small to be a Grimm, too high-pitched and afraid. He moved towards it instinctively, but he wasn't the only one. Up above, the Nevermore screeched and dove down towards the location.

No. He wouldn't let it happen. His feet hammered quicker, moving from grass to tile and slate as he hurtled to intercept the monster which had seen something below. It landed, and for a moment he thought the survivor lost. Until, to his shock, the Grimm seemed to pause. It was confused, uncertain, glancing below as though it had lost its prey.

The look of the town, the scream, the familiar events.

Ren couldn't control himself reliving this again, forcing his semblance to shut off all emotion he could and failing miserably to do so.

He didn't want to see it, not again. "please…no" he wasn't crying, but the anguish in his voice might as well have been the same as Nora came to him sitting by his side and tugging her head under his shoulder, also trying not to see.

"Renny…" They didn't need to say anything to the other.

Luckily or unluckily, the attack happening in the background catches more looks than the two of them.

Jaune crashed into it a second later. His body bowled the beast off its talons and down into the ditch, where they splashed into water only a foot or so deep. It screeched and clawed at him, buffeting his body with its huge wings. He ignored it, scrabbling for the sword he'd dropped in his fall and bringing it up above his head. "Die!" he roared, thrusting it down into the monster's breast. The blade bit deep, cutting through feathers, skin and muscle. Even then, the Grimm's struggling didn't cease and it bucked him off.

Water splashed around him as he rolled aside, recovering quickly and staggering back after his quarry. The Nevermore had managed to get back onto its feet unsteadily, but the water was weighing it down, preventing it from taking off. He slipped under one of its wings when it flapped and cut at the tendons connecting the limb to its body. Again it screeched and fell, splashing down on one side and spraying him with blood-tinted water.

There was no mercy to his attack; it was more a butcher's work. He hacked and slashed at the thing until it stopped moving, and then hacked some more until it had started to dissolve entirely. After a few seconds he paused, aware of the water that sloshed around his ankles and his own harsh breathing, more fevered pants than anything.

Something whimpered behind him. The survivors, of course, he'd almost forgotten. He knew he didn't cut a comforting sight but there wasn't much that could be done about that. "Are you okay?" he asked, splashing towards them. "I'm here to help you, I'm-"

The confrontation between Jaune and the nevermore was cheered by his friends as they saw him take down the massive bird-like Grimm.

"Comparing him to the actual Mr. Arc shows that he's really improved far from what I expected in three years" It wasn't normal, at least not for someone who seemingly didn't have any prior training to Beacon.

Then again, conflict does make people evolve faster than in times of peace.

"Such brutal display" Winter was no stranger to fighting, not even close, but the barbaric butchering of the nevermore seemed over the top.

"he's doing a good making sure the thing is dead" ok, Qrow didn't antagonize Winter on purpose, most of the time, but she was simply saying things he couldn't just let pass.

Not when his nieces could learn more about being actual hunters than all the heroic shit they sell you.

"Oh…now that seems more interesting" Seeing the way the creature was razored and killed was enjoyable for Raven, not only that but it seemed like the blonde had more strength than he had expected. (Nowhere near my level, but more than any other in the tribe apart from me)

And the best part was that he didn't seem like he had given his all yet.

Soon the saw who approached the blonde knight.

Surprise gasps and eyebrows being lifted were the reaction most of the room had, his eyes, style and hair all made it back to the other boy on the beacon teams as he was followed by a little ginger girl holding a mini hammer.

Sadly, no one has the will to make a fun moment out of seeing the younger version of two of their friends, not after learning about this.

"so it really is…" Ren whispered as he could recognize himself on that fateful day.

He tried to get his semblance up and running again but it didn't work, he wasn't sure why it wasn't, but something seemed keen on not letting him numb himself.

He just hoped Jaune killed that monster.

Recognition struck those who knew them hard.

Team RWBY winced, Ren and Nora never spoke about their familied outside of the other, nothing on the life they lead before beacon…nothing, and now It all made sense.

Emerald could actually feel something towards them, even if it was nothing more than superficial pity since they were Cinder's enemies.

"…Nora…Ren…" Pyrrha didn't like the look on Ren's eyes, not how behind the pain he was going through there was anger, lots of it.

The invincible girl might have never known how they truly felt or what their life before beacon was, but now she knows and it's her duty as a teammate and friend to help them both.

She saw what her indecision let to in the fall of beacon when they started this, she wouldn't hesitate no more and she would be there for them.

Jaune froze.

"You're a huntsman," the boy said, in a remarkably calm and polite voice, especially given the horror he'd just witnessed. He was a small thing with black hair and pink eyes.

He would have known the eyes of his best friend anywhere.

"I-I am," he said, recovering. His eyes took in Nora, clinging to Ren's side. His heart broke. Kuroyuri. This was Kuroyuri. "I'm a huntsman and I'm here to help you. Are you safe?"

"We're fine," Ren whispered. He touched Nora and the girl visibly calmed, unnaturally so. "My father helped me escape. He… I don't think he's alive anymore. My mother died as well."

No child should have to say that, let alone with such a calm expression. He noticed that Ren was clutching a knife in one hand, something far too large for him. From the way his fingers gripped it he knew there would be no convincing him to part with it.

Ren's calmness in that moment sent chills down the spine on some.

The way he simply spoke as the event occurred was really fucked, his semblance could be really terrifying from certain perspectives.

His anger grew as he saw what was happening, once having been too weak to do anything and save his family and now as nothing more than a spectator.

He still had that knife with him, always with him.

Pyrrha hugged both of them, the look Ren had, the frustration, pain, and anger along with Nora's usual cheerfulness being reduced to a trebling mess just told her to do so, that they needed that and more,

She shielded their eyes from their surroundings using her arms and body, they would need some time to calm themselves without this unnaturally real reminder of their past.

"Okay. I'm going to get the two of you out of here. I just-"

A scream cut him off. His head whipped back towards the village. There were still other people alive in the village, though that wouldn't last for long. They'd be massacred without his aid. His eyes flicked back to Nora and Ren, quiet and awaiting his instructions. Indecision tore at him, twisting his insides into tight knots.

Ren and Nora would be fine. They didn't know that, not yet, but he did. Everyone else? They were doomed. Every single person here was going to die a terrible death, and if he walked away with these two now he'd be the one condemning them to it.

"There are others you can help," Ren whispered. "I – we – can escape on our own."

They could, but he didn't want to make them. How could he let his friends walk away after he'd just found them again? How could he let them go when he knew they'd struggle on their own, at least for a few years? Things would improve for them later, but that was later. Right now, they needed him.

But so did the people still alive in Kuroyuri.

Those who worked to become hunters or were in the progress of doing so felt useless, most of them anyways.

They could see everything the deaths, the fire. They know that there's nothing for them to do, that it's not even in real time, but the simple realistic look the holo-space gave made it all the more difficult to ignore.

And even if they were to not look, the sounds were as realistic as they could get.

It didn't matter how much Pyrrha shielded their eyes, the reading was still something that was happening.

"s-save them…we escaped once just p-please save them…" Nora chocked with many of the words she said, she hanged tightly onto Ren and Pyrrha, guilt over having survived had always been with her.

It didn't matter how much Ren worded it to not sound like that, She understood that she couldn't have done anything, but they lived, no one else did, why?

All Nora wanted now was for someone else to be saved, Ren too hoped for a similar outcome.

For Ren it was clear that there was no help for his parent, he knew so much.

Damn it. Damn it all. "Is your Semblance unlocked?" Jaune asked, splashing down to kneel in the water and take Ren's shoulders in his hands.

"What?"

"Your Semblance," he repeated, this time in a hiss. "Is it unlocked? Is it working!?"

Ren appeared confused but knew better than to argue or ask why the strange man seemed to know so much. "Y-Yes, it is. It's how we avoided the Nevermore."

Good. Perfect. That explained why the thing had looked lost for a second. With his Semblance to help him, Nora and Ren would be absolutely fine. They were basically immune to any Grimm, and he knew from the future that there was no danger. Even so, he shrugged off his pack. "Here, take these supplies. There's food, water and camping equipment. Use it to get yourself to safety."

"I, but… what about you?"

"I'll be fine," he said, smiling confidently. "I need to go back and see if anyone is still alive out there. If so, I'll rescue them."

Nora spoke for the first time, leaning shyly out from behind Ren. "W-Will we see you again?"

A wave of nostalgia overcame him. Nora looked so soft and vulnerable in a way she'd never before been. He reached out a hand and she shied away, only to pause when she realized he was holding his pinky finger out to her. "You'll see me again."

She shyly took it with her own. "Promise?"

"I promise." The moment was gone when he released her and stood up. He stared directly into Ren's eyes. "Now go, get to safety. Keep your Semblance up at all times and don't stop until you reach civilisation. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Ren nodded. "We'll look after each other."

"Heh. I know you will." It was the hardest thing in the world to turn and run away, leaving his friends behind, even if it wasn't to an uncertain fate. Still, it would have been worse looking them in the eye ten years later and knowing he hadn't lifted a finger to try and save their village. He took Crocea Mors in hand and cleared the bank of the aqueduct, eyes scanning his surroundings.

Her hands were trembling.

One little moment of relief was something Nora wanted, just one second where she could actually collect herself and stand back again, without the end of Kuroyuri haunting her.

And just one glimpse she got, a little one, when she heard herself ask Jaune to see each other again, she looked over Pyrrha's arm.

And in the middle of the flames, in the middle of all the chaos, with screams and pain surrounding the place.

There, it was her and her leader pinkies grabbing one on the other…it felt calm…it got her a smile, a reminder of what she now had even after everything that was lost one day, she now had her team a family at that.

She stepped away from the other members of her seam, still being down, but now with a clear view of her surroundings.

Nora looked around, team RWBY looking worried, professor Goodwitch that looked in a mixture of impotence and understanding, the drunk man sighing as if this was just another day for him, the atlas group look of frustration as another place fell to the Grimm.

The flame bitch and her group who didn't look interested in the slightest, two very bothered by the drama while the third one just looked to the ground, the weird woman in black also looked unbothered, She appeared to be rather curious while the other woman just looked bored.

She saw all of that, even when she and her leader were shaking pinkies no one batted an eye at it, as it didn't give them anything, the sensation, and emotions.

But it gave hope…to her and to the little her.

Nora knew she was going to survive from the start, that the things that happened there weren't their fault, but now she could trust the people that remain in the hands of her leader to see them live after this.

She got up and wiped her tears away, looking directly at the burning town as she got behind Pyrrha and Ren grabbing a hand from each.

Now was not the time to cry, it was time to go face to face with the past that had been haunting her, if her leader could keep going forward after everyone's death it means that she can keep going forward.

For her and Ren…and team JNPR too.

She is Nora Valkyrie, and a Valkyrie DOESN'T FEAR ANYTHING!.

Several Grimm noticed and started to surround him, but he saw the two children slip through with a bag held between them. The Grimm paid them no heed, speaking to the power of Ren's Semblance. Those two would be fine. For now, he had to focus on those for whom he could make a difference. That meant the main village square, where the houses still looked to be in one piece.

"Get out of my way," he growled to the Grimm around him.

They howled and brayed back at him. It was always the same. It would have at least been convenient for Salem's mark to actually do something – maybe make him invisible to Grimm like Ren or let him order them away. Instead, he fell back on the usual solution, turning his shield into a scabbard and strapping it back to his hip, taking Crocea Mors in two hands.

"As if that witch would be so kind" Qrow spat out not sure what the kid was thinking when he believed Grimm immunity would've been something she'd give him.

The first Beowolf seemed surprised that its prey had attacked before it had. That hesitation cost it and it fell with its head cleaved in two. Following the motion, Jaune twisted past the beast and drew his sword free. He chambered and thrust it into the flank of another, beneath the armpit and directly into its heart.

The others attacked then, moved to action by the sudden violence. A claw swept by over his head and he hamstrung the beast in return. One tried to fall on and crush him but he slid aside and used it to cover his back as he parried the claw of a third aside, caught it on the edge of his sword, and then ran the length of it down its body to slice off the limb at the elbow. It roared but he'd already turned away, swinging wildly behind him at neck height. Neck height for a Grimm, anyway. As expected, one had found itself there and soon found itself a head shorter.

Beowolves really were predictable. It was what made them so easily handled, at least by an experienced huntsman. Ruby had been able to handle six or seven in the blink of an eye at the age of fifteen. He'd struggled with one at seventeen, but been capable of ten or more before he hit eighteen. For him, at least, his greatest strength had been just how fast he'd adapted.

"please I could do better "In whispers, Mercury complained, not wanting to get the rest of the idiots that know the guy to jump at him.

"He's fast and precise, are we sure he has the abilities we've been hearing of him?" it was an honest question, Tai had never seen someone improve like that in so little time and he himself talked about his skills in his past as very lacking. "because if he can adapt and grow that fast, he'd put most of us to shame in a matter of years"

"the Arc of our time is only capable of holding the sword right, probably not even that" Weiss scoffed a very cold response, also surprised by both his movements and the comparison he made between his seventeens and his eighteens.

"it seems Ozpin was right on his potential" Glynda knew his transcripts were fake, and that he didn't have any combat training prior to Beacon. "then again, that man usually is"

She may be pissed beyond belief for hiding even more after the supposed 'reveal of the truth' but Glynda couldn't deny that he was right on many occasions.

"GO JAUNE!" cheered Ruby, the faster he tore through the Grimm the faster he would save those people.

Now, with the added experience of Qrow and Ozpin's intuition, not to mention the constant campaign against Salem, such Grimm were chaff to him. The threat came in their overwhelming numbers, and eight or so just wasn't enough. He slipped under the guard of the last and pushed its arm down, using it as a springboard to leap up and pierce into its chin, up into the brain. It fell with a gurgle, Jaune stepping out of the way and allowing its own weight to drag his sword free.

"Help!" someone screamed. "Help me, please! Someone!"

"Huntsman!" Jaune roared. "Where are you?"

There was a moment of nothingness, a pause in the panic as someone dared to hope. "P-Please," the woman cried, sobbing now. "Please help. T-The bakery! I'm in the bakery!"

He saw it instantly, a shop front with smashed windows and several loaves of bread on display. There was a Beowolf hammering on a door that was being held shut. Another smashed a claw through the window, prompting a terrified scream from within.

He closed the distance instantly, slamming his sword through the back of the one trying to climb through the window and wrenching it back out, spraying himself with blood and toppling the beast backwards. The one at the door slashed at him but missed by a few inches as he stepped back. Open now, he thrust Crocea Mors into its windpipe and sliced sideward, removing its head in one savage blow. It fell like a tree cut through the base and toppled to the side.

"You're safe," Jaune panted. "I'm here."

The door opened a crack, as though the woman within couldn't quite believe her ears. A pair of green eyes met his, red around the edges and stained by tears that fell down her cheeks. She was young, twenty to thirty at most. "Y-Y-I… I…"

"It's fine. I've killed the Grimm. You're going to be okay. We need to get you out of the village – and to find any more survivors we can. Are you able to move?"

The woman nodded, too emotional to get any words out bar a few strained whimpers. Though terrified, she seemed willing – almost desperate – to do anything he told her. The courage required to step out of her store and into this hellhole would have been impossible for some. "Who…?" she asked. Her voice cut off halfway.

"A-Annie" Nora recognized, she was someone they used to know back in the day, and she was glad she got to live through this.

Qrow laughed tiredly, the monster that oh so much terrorized the world are actually not that hard to kill and might not be trouble by themselves. "If there wasn't a basically infinite amount of them we'd won this stupid war long ago"

Oscar nodded, the danger of the Grimm was their numbers, it had always been, hunters could kill hundreds or even thousands of them, and yet they seemed to never end.

"That woman may get in the way it would be better if she left her behind" the woman survived, that much could be said, but she was going to get in the way of the blonde, and Raven would rather continue seeing what he was made off.

"That fucker might even get killed because of that, must be pretty stupid" Vernal mocked, being that strong and wasting it 'protecting' people, true stupidity for her.

"I'm a huntsman, that's all you need to know. Is there anyone else alive in there?"

With tears in her eyes, she shook her head.

"Have you seen anyone else alive?"

Another whimper and another shake of her head. "I-I saw M-Mr Li," she whispered. "H-He tried to fight the monster."

Li Ren, Ren's father. He was dead then. Damn it. In truth he'd already known since Ren's old story involved him only retreating to the aqueduct after both his parents were killed. There wouldn't be any hope for either of them at this point, but there was for this woman. "What's your name?"

(we told him eventually huh…) He trusted his leader, so it wasn't something he'd thought he would keep it a secret for too long.

Ren was still drowning in his own sadness and anger only hearing the book, not having noticed the determined look in Nora's eyes.

He had supposedly come to terms with this long ago…why did it have to come back?

"A-Annie…"

"Alright, Annie. I need you to stick close to me and do whatever I say, okay?" Jaune tugged on her hand, drawing her out and close to his body. The girl was shaking like a leaf and took an almost worrying amount of comfort in a blood-stained stranger. "You're going to see some things that will scare you, but it's important you don't run away from me. I can't help you if you run away. I need you to trust me."

Annie nodded and clung onto his hand.

"I'll also need my hand back," he said, wincing at the frightened look on her face. "I need to use it to defend you. Trust me and I'll get you out of here."

"Okay." She let go of him reluctantly, though he made no motion to stop her hovering close by. If the world worked on the concepts of fate or destiny, then hers was to die. This was a woman who wouldn't – couldn't – be alive in the future.

But that was the whole point of me coming back, wasn't it? I'm here to stop the same future happening. And if Annie turned out to be some psycho mass-murderer somewhere down the line? Well, he'd deal with her himself. Right now, she was a young woman who didn't deserve this.

He motioned for her to follow as he cut across the square, listening for the sounds of any other survivors. This was their most dangerous part. He on his own was fine here, but with a survivor things became delicate. His first instinct was to shout for more, but that would only alert the Grimm and he now had someone who couldn't defend herself with him.

Even if the better option was to retreat with but a single survivor, he wanted to look for more. It was possible, though unlikely, that one of Ren's parents might still be alive. Ren had assumed them both slain but if he was here early enough…

"Do you know where you saw Li fighting the Grimm? He might still be alive."

"He isn't," Annie said, sobbing lightly. "I… I saw him die."

Jaune cursed. "Do you know where his wife is, or their house?"

She pointed to a small and neat structure off to one side, not a hundred meters down a cobbled path devoid of Grimm, at least for now. Jaune nodded and motioned for her to follow, sticking close to the buildings so that he could cut off a potential assault from one side. Some of them were burning but the flames had yet to cause the walls to break down.

They reached the building Annie had indicated in short time and he bade her wait outside while he looked in. "If you see anything, shout for me. Don't hesitate." Not waiting for an answer, he pushed his body through the damaged door, the building itself a ruin. "An!" he called. "An Ren, are you there? Can you hear me?"

"…don't try Jaune, they were some of the first…" his voice sounded hollow and weak, his mental state was quickly deteriorating as he continued to hear the conversation.

He could also hear the others, discussing the tragedy, how unfair it was, Jaune's combat skill…but he didn't care, he wanted this chapter to be over, he couldn't keep hearing this.

Ren felt Pyrrha's grip tightening she was trying her best to comfort him, but it didn't do much…at least it kept his eyes off the screen.

He also had stopped feeling Nora there a while ago, but now it was the first time he actually acknowledges it.

No response. He ducked in a little further, wary of the roof above that had started to crack and splinter. The hallway was empty but a brief glance into a room off to the left revealed that the roof had already collapsed. And there, under a beam, lay a woman.

Ren shivered when he heard that.

Another dead body made the students flinch, especially considering it was Ren's mom.

"I never knew those two lived this, they always seem so…well" Weiss spoke without thinking, the sigh of the body made her feel sick, especially how bloody she was.

"Everyone has things they don't want others to know" the raven haired faunus replied, giving a small look to the two in question.

"This is just getting everyone's secrets out, I'm scared to think that they'll just reveal all of them" Neptune was right, It was unsettling, everything you've tried so hard to hide, blown away by this.

Blake agreed with that, she'd rather have some things kept to herself.

Team RWBY looked in the direction of their neighboring team, they knew that it was them who were having the worse time here.

Ren and Pyrrha were in an awkward position as the redhead tried to comfort Ren.

But when looking at the pink bomber, expecting her to be in a similar state to the one she was before, but there she was, looking a bit sad, but not scared or completely down like Ren.

Her eyes were focused on her leader, more than the woman. (Come on Jauney, save the ones that are alive) Seeing aunty An dead was hearth breaking, but she couldn't let herself loose the little hope she recovered now.

Jaune crouched and placed a hand to her neck. He ducked his head a second later. "Damn it."

"H-Huntsman, help!" Annie suddenly cried.

Crocea Mors cleared its sheathe and he was outside in a matter of seconds, drawing the frightened girl back behind him as he looked for a threat. He couldn't see any Grimm approaching, though dark shapes were always on the edge of his vision. "What is it?"

"Over there," she said, pointing. "I heard people shouting – other villagers!"

Survivors? He didn't dare hope but nodded instead and loped off, careful to keep his pace slow enough for her to stagger and bumble after him. The Grimm didn't seem interested in the two of them, and the reason why became apparent as voices and screams became louder. Annie was right, there were still people here. He also caught the distinctive crack of a gun. They were still fighting, but for how long that would last was still a mystery. Ren had no idea if there had been any survivors from Kuroyuri, or at least he hadn't said there was. As Jaune and Annie rounded the corner, he realized why.

They hadn't survived – or wouldn't.

It was a group of people locked within a restaurant of some kind, a little diner with a glass window out of which a faunus was shooting some kind of weapon. Another resident, a human, held the door with what looked to be a frying pan. It might have been comical but for the clear desperation and the sounds of children crying from within. And then he saw it, marching slowly towards the diner with the body of a middle-aged man, Ren's father, attached to its side.

The Nucklelavee.

"There's more survivors!" the cheers of the red reaper, trying desperately to change the mood that enveloped the room.

The amount of death one Grimm attack brought to the village was a sight completely new for her, she'd been told it happens sometimes and it would her part of her job to stop them in the future.

But no amount of words could describe how she felt once they started to see all of the chaos, it was like her uncle had said, this is just a part of the job no one told you about…a horrible part of it at that.

And while some of the others were glad there were more survivors too, they couldn't celebrate yet, after all the Grimm were near.

The sounds of a hose galloping slowly felt ominous in the way everything else apart from the fire seemed to have been silenced.

And there it stood, the black and distorted silhouette of a horseman moving towards the dinner.

Ren couldn't help and tried to look when they mentioned his father and froze in the spot when he saw it.

Nora gulped when it appeared, she had nightmares of that thing for a long time, and now she was seeing it again.

And they both wanted to see it dead.

"w-what is that Grimm" Ruby never thought she could find a Grimm so scary before, it's distorted human look made it all the more unsettling, its name wasn't helping either.

"That's a Nucklelavee, a highly dangerous Grimm specie" He had never found one in all of his career as general nor as a headmaster, they are considered rare Grimm for something. "This is a troublesome situation for him"

Glynda looked to James, he was right to think that way. A Nucklelavee is not something even a veteran Huntsman can be too confident in taking on by themselves.

Cinder was taken aback by this Grimm, she had never seen one in her stay on Evernight castle, but with the presence it was making and how dangerous he seemed to be, it might be a good integration to her plans from now on.

Raven finally found the answer she wanted from the start.

(so this is where I knew the place), this place was wiped long ago in their time, the tribe would have raided the village but a Grimm invasion stopped them, and that thing was first on that destruction.

If it was here then these people were about to die, because otherwise it wouldn't have been around to challenge them in the future. Everyone here – children and all – were about to be killed by it.

"Get into the diner," he hissed.

Annie started. "W-What?"

"Get inside and barricade the door. Try to send a signal out to find help. Call Mistral if you can, or anyone who will listen and send a Bullhead."

"It's a smart choice if he plans on fighting it, having them on his way could be problematic" Winter complimented while looking somewhat concerned, It was already bad being alone against it, he didn't need the extra responsibility of helping the other people.

Qrow cursed the luck the kid had to come across this situation, then again this proved he was his student alright.

"You're going to try and hold that thing off?"

"No," he replied. "I'm going to kill it."

Nora smiled at her leader, he said he was going to kill it and as such she knew he would do so, an Arc never goes back in his word after all.

In contrast, Ren shot him a desperate look, that thing had already taken too many important things for him, he didn't want to lose more.

"He's challenging it head on" the bandit queen chuckled as the blonde man turned to the creature. "this might not be as boring as I thought" Ever since this chapter started Raven wanted to see some actual combat, not some little Grimm that pose no threat and now she was going to get it.

Qrow felt sorry for Jaune the moment he saw that he knew very well that if her sister acknowledged his strength here, the one in their time was going to have to deal with her.

She might even try to kidnap him and try convincing him to join the tribe. (geez sis, you and your goddammed strength philosophy) he shook his head after that, the fight was about to start.

If his charge argued he didn't hear it. He dragged her toward the diner, drawing the attention of those within, and then pushed her towards them. One of the men rushed out to take her and drag her back, shooting him a grateful – if frightened – smile. They were trying but it wouldn't be enough. Not unless he could change their future. He took a stance in front of the building, sword held ready before him and legs bent.

The Nucklelavee saw him but didn't appear bothered by the intrusion. It reared up and stamped its hooves, the horse-like body seeming so much more alive than the rider, who slumped back and forth like a marionette with its strings cut. Worse was Li Ren, who flopped about and crashed into the sidewalk. His body, already dead, was being treated with such casual disregard.

Ren trembled in anger and grabbed his arm very tight, trying to keep his anger over the treatment of his father's body under control.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

First, he'd kill the Nucklelavee. Then he'd get these people out of here and to safety. And then, when it was over, he would come back and bury Ren's parents. His friend might not realize it at first, but if the future held and Team RNJR did end up coming out here, he'd see that someone had cared enough to give them a grave together. It would mean the world to Ren.

But he had to kill this thing first. That was no small feat given that it had taken a concerted effort before, not to mention Ren's Semblance. Then again, he was stronger than he had been. Qrow's training hadn't been for nothing. Jaune rushed the Grimm before it could him – surprising it for a moment, before it screeched and galloped towards him as well. He had to fight it away from the diner to limit collateral damage while still having space to maneuver. His eyes met that of the Grimm, its horse-like ones, and he readied Crocea Mors in one hand.

The expression on the blonde's knight face didn't waver, he looked collected to the creature as his thoughts were laid out for everyone to hear.

"Team RNJR? Who's team is that?" Yang was confused by this, the students never knew any team with this letter disposition.

"It has Jaune and Ren in it by what he is saying, then the N is probably Nora" Weiss guessed, it wasn't to hard since it gave them two of the members and they all knew Nora and Ren were setting apart any time soon. "who could the other R be?"

"wait so its just team JNPR but without Pyrrha and with someone else?" it was kind of an insensitive question from Sun considering it sounded as if they had replaced Pyrrha, but it did make a good point.

Blake may have an idea on who it could be but jumping to conclusions could be bad. "we'll have to see"

The mention of Jaunes plans got through Ren's anger a bit, this whole time he has been sitting there thinking and repressing the feelings he's always carried since this day.

He would always think on how he would kill that Grimm when he was a huntsman, how he was going to avenge everyone…but never stopped to ponder something so simple as a little grave.

One little reminder that would cement his family memory and that he could go visit them. He had let himself be caught by the anger he thought he could suppress with his semblance.

Jaune said indirectly that they killed it In the future, and it made Ren feel good…for a moment.

That was all his revenge got him, a little bit of satisfaction, just to fall in that suppressed anger again.

But now, seeing how his friend was thinking about it and about him even in that situation made him feel calm, his own anger was still there, but it was different.

Before, he wanted to kill the Nucklelavee but that was a revenge that wouldn't do anything for him…and maybe he didn't need to kill it, he didn't need that revenge, as long as it doesn't terrorize anyone else, it would be alright.

He looked over to Nora who cheered for her leader. Ren realized that this revenge of his could make him lose the one thing he kept and seeing how Nora was facing their personal demon, he knew that he has to do so too.

One hand touched the shoulder of the bomber of team JNPR. Ren was there standing by her side.

"together"

"together"

And then they saw Jaune run towards the Grimm.

At the last possible second he ducked and rolled aside, staying low as the monster thundered past. Steel flashed out, clipping its back leg above the hoof and cutting through flesh and muscle more by its own momentum than his strength. The Nucklelavee roared its displeasure and almost stumbled. It held itself at the last and lashed out with its hooves. Jaune leaned back, falling and rolling aside as they passed before his face. It turned and tried to stomp on him with both feet but he rolled again, this time underneath it. Its muscled legs kicked and bucked as it tried to turn. As it did, he thrust his sword up and into its stomach, past the armored plates and into soft flesh.

His victorious grin froze when he felt something grab his leg. One of the rider's hands, elongated like some kind of gorillas, grasped his ankle. It tugged suddenly and he fell, only to be dragged out from under it and held down a second later. The beast reared and made to stomp on his skull. It struck his shield instead, desperately brought out and deployed over him. The force of the blow crushed him against the concrete below, drawing a pained scream and a more panicked one from the survivors.

Another blow struck like a meteor, driving the wind from him. While the shield held he knew he wouldn't if there was a third. He lashed out with his free hand, bracing his shield against his shoulder and swinging for the hand gripping his left foot. It snapped free with a sickening crunch and the rider groaned in a slower, more belligerent, tone. The horse snorted and raised its head, breathing down on him and releasing a cloud of emerald-colored gas.

The sword slashed through the flesh as the spectators couldn't take their eyes away.

Pyrrha had picked herself back together after Ren got up, and it was a good moment to do so as she could see how much her partner had improved.

She couldn't help but worry about him, but at the same time she couldn't seem prouder as he fought.

"Fuck kid, dodge!" Qrow shouted when Jaune was a about to be stomped, he wouldn't say it out loud, but he's actually gotten fond of the kid and was looking forward to seeing how good the blonde had gotten from his training.

The crack the floor made when Jaune tried to stop himself from being crushed echoed loudly, and so did Jaune's pained scream.

"Come on Vomit boy, get up!" Yang wasn't about to watch the other blonde in her class be squashed by this equine monstrosity.

Others also gave their words of encouragement, Jaune had just started his journey, it's too early to lose.

Clutching his nose and mouth, abandoning his shield, Jaune rolled away and staggered onto his feet, hacking for breath. He'd heard stories but never seen that attack. Their plan had killed it too quickly the last time. Still, he'd wounded it and taken several blows himself. A quick glance at his scroll revealed he didn't have a scroll, which meant the best he could do with his aura was guess. It was probably still more than half-full, but those blows had covered him in bruises.

The Nucklelavee was uninterested in the pause and charged him down. Its hooves struck with such fury that it pushed him back with sheer aggression alone, and the rider seemed more alert now, swinging its arms to try and reach him. He fended them off as best he could but the day's long march had already tired him and he could feel his muscles begin to ache. This hadn't been the plan. He was supposed to come back and change things by not being reckless. Rushing in like this could easily get him killed, and before he'd changed a damn thing.

(We might need to start teaching how to feel one's Aura without a scroll) It was proven to be possible, just incredibly difficult, but in situations like this it could be a necessity and if these kids were to fight the queen, Glynda was surely going to ensure they were at their best in any situation.

Once they got away from one another the audience got a good glance at Jaune.

The extent of the damage didn't seem too much which got some sights of relief from Jaune's teammates and friends, but the adult knew better, It looked as if it wasn't to serious, but each would weighted down on the kid.

"He was already tired, and he's likely still wounded from the stand against Saleem". It wasn't something they had taken into consideration and caused Winter to reprimand herself for not noticing it as the knight read it. "and without his shield the situation worsens rapidly"

The general put his hand on his chin as Winter spoke, if he paid attention he could notice some signs of minimal exhaustion, but it was hard to know with how much the Arc moved. "that arm is a problem too, its range could be what determines the outcome"

The clash Grimm arm and blade continues, meanwhile Roman, who thought he didn't have enough screen time today, looked over to Cinder, who seemed to be more enthusiastic the more she saw that thing fight.

"We gotta be careful Neo, if she pulls one of these things on us because we're leaving her we might have problems" The battle of the two in the background just emphasized his point more. "Worse if there's more than one"

Neo agreed with him, they were leaving her to live, not to be killed by that.

That couldn't happen. Crocea Mors deflected the next attack away, the force of it causing the metal – and his hands – to ring violently. With gritted teeth, he pushed through it, charging in towards the beast and lunging for its breast. The Grimm turned at the last second to protect its heart, though that still caused the blade to cut deep into its flank. Rather than withdraw away as expected, he used his sword as a lever and hauled himself up onto the Grimm's back so that he was sat behind the rider. The Nucklelavee froze in shock – but only for a moment.

It soon went mad.

The Nucklelavee thrashed and whirled, kicking out with both front and hide hooves to dislodge him. Jaune threw his arms around the rider's waist, more than aware of how bad an idea that was. The rider tried to turn to remove him but groaned in pain as he – along with Jaune – were slammed into the side of a building. The horse was crashing into things now and Jaune grit his teeth as his aura flared, preventing any terrible harm but doing little for the pain.

In a moment where the wall supported him, even as it grated his skin, he reached up with both hands to take hold of the rider's neck. Holding on for dear life and with the Nucklelavee now dashing across the central courtyard, he wrenched his arms from side to side, trying to snap its neck. He'd never had to on a human or a Grimm before, and it was a whole lot harder than the movies suggested. It fought against him the entire way, not with its arms but rather its brute strength, tossing its body left and right. At one point the rider did it so much that Jaune was dragged off the side of the mount to dangle next to it. He winced and brought his feet up, planting them on its back and using them as a piston to pull away, twisting all the while.

The rider's neck snapped with a jarring crack.

The space followed around as the Nucklelavee ran across Kuroyuri and were crushing everything the stumbled across.

"ouch, he's not going to have a good time when this is over" Yang tried to dial down the tension with a snarky comment but sadly it didn't work.

"I'm sure he's not having a good moment right now" and then Blake came to finish her of with one of her own.

"can you two actually take this seriously?" the complains from Weiss were distracting to say the least, but it was better than to see their friend, even if it kind of was just by association with Ruby, getting smashed against buildings.

"ice Queen look around you for a sec, Ren and Nora have been staring without saying anything for a while or keeping conversations to themselves, Pyrrha just looks as if she wanted to jump on Jaune right now" then in whispers she said. "…and Ruby too, even if it's a bit less" She then started to point at the people around. "dad and professor G are overthinking this fight while uncle Qrow seems to be eyeing Jaune, I don't know what that criminal and the ice cream bitch are doing, Cinders way of looking is disturbing and I don't want to know what she is doing" the last comment being directed towards her mother.

The heiress didn't catch her point.

"what I'm trying to say it's that right now everyone is tense as fuck, and I don't like that so I'm working on something"

"Xiao long, it'll probably just finish when the idiot snaps that things neck, we don't need you doing more of your 'comedy'" just as Weiss finished speaking a loud, bone-cracking sound made the girl's point clear. "see"

It slumped to the side and hung, but still turned to look at him with burning eyes.

"it-t's not dead?" Weiss stuttered when the red eyes were fixated on Jaune, having taken by surprise.

"it's not good to assume Grimm's might die from that, but I can't really fault him for trying". Tai offered a bit on his experience as a Huntsman. "There was this one weird panther Grimm, I don't think it even had a name, that STRQ encountered once, we thought it died when we sliced it In half, pffff the little bastard just kept going around"

That panther Grimm was a mission Raven would like to forget…It was too messy and annoying.

"fuck" was all Yang said.

"That's not enough?" he howled. "Die already!" He took its head and twisted again, this time the other way. There was another crack and the rider slumped forward, either dead of paralyzed. The mount itself screeched in agony and careened off the main path, down into the aqueduct he'd been in before. The Grimm stumbled on the embankment, toppled over and slid down. Water splashed all around him and the Nucklelavee rolled over, pinning him down and under. In shock and pain, he released his hold on the beast.

It wasn't a conscious move by the enemy, even if it was a good one. The monster looked like it had suffered brain damage, stumbling around like everything wasn't quite working – despite that it was still alive and able to function. It was like it was punch drunk, staggering and stumbling. It managed to get back onto its feet and roar at him, however. And worse, Crocea Mors was still stuck in its side. Jaune tried to move and winced as pain shot up his left thigh. A quick look down revealed a nasty gash running red with blood, staining the water below.

"Jaune!" it was Pyrrha the first one to worry when he and the monster fell in the water, and it only got worse when she saw where his sword was.

Ruby wasn't very accustomed with blood, and she could say the same for her partner so when his friend had his own weapon stuck in his side, it made her feel a bit nauseous.

Weiss was one in the same, but more towards the not accustomed to blood rather than pure worry.

"at least the Grimm's gotta be as fucked as he is or more" It was true, as he saw how the thing seemed out of place.

They all knew the end of this fight was coming.

He was stronger than this, he knew, but he was so used to fighting in a group and with a team that he'd never really had to do so solo before. Whether it was his plan, Ruby's or Ren's there would always be someone to watch his back and distract the enemy if he got in too deep. Not here. He was very much on his own and this, for the first time since he'd come back, reinforced that fact. But if he couldn't kill even this thing, then how could he hope to kill all the other things he'd have to face? Tyrian, Watts, Hazel and even Salem herself. They were all out there and they all needed to die if he was going to change anything.

"I was the other R in team RNJR" she didn't know why she joined them without her team, but at least she helped some of her friends that way.

"heh, killing a Nucklelavee, good work short stack" her uncle was also there to distract her from thinking about that, he suspected that something may have happened.

"Going solo after being in a team a long time can be hard" Tai remembered the old STRQ times, they had ended long ago but at least it gave him good memories. (And if your life was surviving Salem, they were some strong bonds too)

Translucid images of the inner circle of Salem appeared.

Thinking of Hazel made Oscar shiver, the experience they had in Haven wasn't something he wanted to repeat.

The little Rose once again shivered at the thought of taking a life, it didn't make sense to her that there were good reasons to kill, even if it seemed like it. But her uncle's words weren't wrong, there are monsters that look like humans.

(is that really a good reason to kill someone?) being evil and a monster were two different things for her, but she didn't know when did that line ended or started. She knew Cinder was evil, that those Jaune mentioned were too if they worked for Salem, but does that really justify it.

In the end, it was just another thing about being a huntress no one told you about. "no, there has to be another way" She held onto her morals, she was going to be a huntress but she wasn't going to kill anybody.

Exhausted and with his muscles cramped, Jaune pushed one foot forward and adopted the stance Ren had taught him, Ozpin helped to perfect, and Qrow turned dirty and brutal. He was no Yang Xiao-Long, but he could hold his own.

He'd have to.

Qrow knew immediately what he was referring to when he spoke of turning his style dirty and brutal, which honestly surprised him. "I though the kid went with the knight in shining armor motive" And it was good he learnt that from him, because people with no honor in battle are the ones who live to tell the tale.

He had hated those methods long ago, but now they were literally live saviours.

"ja, you know it Vomit boy, I approve" It was funny thinking she was the close quarter brawl fighter reference for Jaune, but she wasn't complaining.

The Nucklelavee wasn't much better and that was evident in the way it labored for breath and didn't attack him, despite its advantage. The rider was slumped over its neck with an arm on either side of it dragging in the water, and the blade lodged into its side had been driven even deeper by its impromptu fall into the aqueduct. They were both of them the worse for wear, so he'd done a damn sight better than he had against it the first time.

The sounds of gunfire had ceased from above. Were the survivors he'd left in that diner still alive? He had no idea and no way of telling. All he could do was hold this thing off and try to get back to them. With that in mind he sloshed forwards through the water, slowly making his way toward the Grimm. It didn't shy away but neither did it charge at him. Instead, it steadied its hooves and watched him warily.

Their clashing wasn't the stuff of legends, not even close. Jaune lunged in and nearly tripped in the water, which luckily meant that its hooves reared up and struck air. When he went for his sword it shied away, presenting its other flank to him. He rammed into it regardless, hooking his arms around one of its hooves and pushing with his shoulders and body. More noxious gas was blown into his face but he held his breath and struggled on until, with a startled cry, the Nucklelavee fell backwards. It impaled itself on Crocea Mors once more.

"the gas is poisonous?!" Tai didn't actually expect something like that from an already over the top Grimm, but this one was turning to be more dangerous each moment.

"The Nucklelavee is a rare species, we barely know enough about it" Glynda would also need to have a word with port now about this, each piece of information was useful. "I wonder how come we didn't notice before"

Oscar had met the group after this had already happen so he couldn't know…but Ozpin did, and it was one of the few times he actually could tolerate his memories. "The first time we saw the green gas was back when Jaune lost his shield, and it probably tried to get it up in the air, that's why we didn't think it could do anything"

"would that mean the Grimm has intelligence" Weiss asked the boy, not too sure of what he was saying.

"It could be something instinctual, or an automatic response that Salem engraved on that type of Grimm kid" Qrow countered, he'd encountered enough elder Grimms to know that if this thing were smart, the battle could have gone way worse.

Its legs kicked weakly at him and one caught the side of his head, knocking him into the water with a splash. He gasped for air as he came up and quickly looked toward the beast, prepared for an attack that never came. The Grimm spasmed one final time and lay still. Motes of its flesh began to break down and be washed away.

"F-Finally," he croaked. Exhausted, he dragged himself towards its body to free his sword. He didn't have the strength to sheathe it, nor the scabbard he realized on second glance. He'd dropped it back in the courtyard.

The survivors. He had to find them.

"...he did it…" Ren felt relieved to see him survive and watching the thing that took his family's life die was also something that brought some comfort to his heart.

He had stayed quiet the whole encounter, he wanted to see and learn from it, just because he figured that revenge wasn't the way didn't mean he would let the Nucklelavee live, not when he could destroy so many other villages.

But it wouldn't be for revenge, it would be for himself, to finally let that part of himself be forgotten and grow to a better person from it.

"HE DID IT RENNY!" Nora was way more vocal than him. "YOU GO FEARLESS LEADER, I'LL FOLLOW YOU FOREVER!"

As soon as she started to scream the others cheered as well, he deserved it after this.

But it was obvious this wasn't over yet, and with the mention of the survivors the cheering got lower.

His physical state was also a critical problem.

Sword in one hand and the other clutching his wounded leg, Jaune dragged himself up the slope towards flat ground, listening desperately for the sounds of any fighting, any Grimm, or even the screams of the dying. All he could hear was a dull buzz in his head like static, that and the rush of water. As he reached the top his hand stretched out and clamped onto something soft and yet firm at the same time. His eyes sought it a moment later, and through the haze of fatigue, poison and aura loss he saw what appeared to be a black boot. His hand was around the ankle, gripping it. It was a person's foot, not a Grimm's.

With that last thought his strength failed him. He collapsed down on the embankment.

/-/

As the consciousness of the blonde faded so did the screen, letting the fiery look of Kuroyuri behind.

And for the first time, Ren's shoulders fell, all the built up stiffness going away once Kuroyuri was out of his sight.

He may be getting better and trying to forget his vengeance, but it was still a work in progress.

Then, it began to brighten up again.

"Oh fuck"

"Oh, this is interesting"

The Branwen twins said at the same time, once they were able to see where was it that they stood again.

And for a first, Vernal found the story more interesting than anything else.

It was the cry of some distant bird that woke him, but his eyes did not open to joyful song or a bright summer's day but rather a white-cream tent and agony searing through his body. He folded up on instinct alone, cupping his head with one hand as he groaned out loud. Was this to be his fate, moving from one battlefield to the next and passing out each and every time? First with the ocean and now Kuroyuri, it felt like waking up in some strange bed had become the norm. Yang might have had something teasing to say about that. Ren would caution him for being so reckless, and with good reason. There wasn't much point coming back if he got himself killed like a moron.

"I fought the Nucklelavee," he recounted, trying to figure out what had happened. A brief surge of pride filled him. "I killed the Nucklelavee." From there he could remember trying to get out of the aqueduct before he'd seen someone and passed out. That had definitely been a person, as if the fact he was alive wasn't enough of a clue. Had the survivors also escaped, then? Had he been picked up by them and brought to safety?

Nothing about his surroundings answered that. He was on a low bed that was somewhat ramshackle and balanced on wooden slats. His quilt was both a linen sheet and also a sheep's fur blanket of some kind thrown over the top. The tent was bare, incredibly so. There was a central pole helping to support it but apart from that there wasn't so much as a wardrobe or a stool. His sword and shield were nowhere to be seen.

It was that realization that forced him to his feet, even if he almost cried out the second he put some weight on his left leg. The wound from the Nucklelavee was still there, bandaged over but the pain a constant reminder. Gingerly, he tested it again, and found it easier to stand on once he'd gotten used to it. It ached, and he'd be walking with a limp, but he could walk and that was the point. He had to find his sword. It was the last thing he had left of Pyrrha.

(what the fuck!?) Vernal's expression twisted with surprise when she saw him in the leaders tent. (How…what…EH?!) She didn't get how he had gotten there.

"Now I can confirm this kid did get some of my semblance to go with him" How could he not recognize this tent, it was the Branwen tribe leader's tent after all, and it was his sister who currently occupied that spot. "what are the odds really?"

"Do you know where he is uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked, the man nodded, but didn't say much else, knowing Yang it might bring more problems if he speaks more than what he has too.

And He knew his other niece was listening.

"what a disgusting place" Looking around and finding a mess of bottles, papers and whatever else isn't something Weiss is fond of. "Arc better get that sword and leave soon, I wouldn't want to spend any more time here"

Raven snorted when she heard that, of course that bratty girl wouldn't get the way of the Branwen, much less being an Atlesian.

"what does he mean when he says that his weapon is all he has left from Pyrrha?" Neptune asked the knight, he'd figured nobody else had an answer, so he resorted to the host to get them. "I have seen the sword before and it looks different, but it still doesn't answer much"

And it did get some attention when he asked.

Lancelot hummed for a moment before deciding to simply tell them. "Crocea Mors was reforged with additional metal from Pyrrha's remaining armor after the fall of Beacon, as such he considers it, the last thing he has from Pyrrha"

While the knight explains how it happen Glynda sees Jaune walk with a prominent limp.

"Mr. Arc is still harmed, meaning it hasn't been long since he fell unconscious" Knowing how much he was down could be an indicator of where he was depending on how much time it took to get him there.

"Don't bother Glynda, the kid is in 'her' camp" and Qrow crushed her thoughts, replacing them with slight worry as she understood what he said.

"would you care to share with the rest of us Qrow?" He never liked dealing with Qrow because he seemed to just fuck around when he was there, so the general didn't have much hope for an answer.

"just keep watching Jimmy"

The tent flap wasn't secured and flapped open when he pushed through. Early morning sunlight washed down over his thin shirt and equally thin trousers, the remnants of the Del'Ashari tribe, or at least what hadn't been ruined and blood stained beyond repair. His hair hung loose and his chin felt stubbly and unshaven, though he imagined it still looked an annoyingly childlike shade of yellow. He probably looked as haggard as he felt, which was something like a man trapped under a Bullhead.

Even so, he staggered out and onto a worn dirt path that ran between a series of cone-shaped tents and marquees. They came in various colors and were scattered around haphazardly, with little regard for theme, sense or order. It might have reminded him of a carnival were it not for the lack of any song, dance or fun. Someone walking nearby saw him, cursed, and rushed away.

"What have I gotten myself into now?"

"in a very fucked up spot kid, in a horribly fucked spot"

A commotion to the left drew his attention, the sound of voices but also wood cracking against wood. He gravitated towards it, recognizing it as some kind of sparring as he drew near. There was a gap between two tents and he pushed through, coming out into a rough circle made of logs. Inside, a man was fighting against a young girl not ten or eleven years old. They both used wooden swords, but that concession was all the girl received. The man twisted and disarmed her, then backhanded her across the face.

"Keep hold of your weapon or die!"

"Fuck you!" the girl responded.

The brutal way of training felt to sudden, many of the people in the room were astonished to find it and the exchange of words was also a break from how the atmosphere was.

"Look at you, back when you were still as mouthful as you could be" The leader of the tribe couldn't help but to make fun of what was most likely her second in command. "a pain in the ass too"

Vernal didn't take that with embarrassment or shame, she didn't regret her numerous challenges and broken bones that she got from defying Raven. "It made me strong, it wasn't a mistake"

Times like this reminded Raven of why Vernal was of some form of trust.

In the background said woman listened to, by her own words, the red bitchy child asks about her training like that as a kid.

It was annoying that the kid considered her weak enough to not handle it.

"how barbaric" Winter also found this unpleasant.

"Big talk from someone with a split lip. The day you can back up your threats is the day I take them seriously." The man kicked her sword up towards her, and to the girl's credit she caught it. "Take a break. We'll continue later."

"Why not now?" the girl demanded. "I can still fight!"

"Because, if you used those senses I've been trying to drill into you, you'd realise we have an uninvited guest."

That was the cue for their attention to turn on him, and Jaune bore it without any show of weakness, standing firm even with his injured leg and low reserves. He stepped towards the ring, seeing no sign to trying to hide now. Many of those around and in front of their tents had also noticed him, and some paused with hands on their weapons to watch him. They relaxed when it was clear he was unarmed.

Up close, the man was at least forty or so with grey hair and grizzled skin. He wore a loose chainmail shirt and a leather harness, from which several knives hung. The girl, on the other hand, was tan and short with cropped black hair and icy blue eyes.

Jaune focused on the man and nodded. "I'm looking for my sword, and for what happened to the survivors I found in Kuroyuri. Do you know where I am?"

"well that's one strong spirited kid" He couldn't say much about her training, but Tai could encourage her drive to continue.

Vernal casually ignored how actually flattered she felt from that, she wasn't going to give that to the strong, tall, handsome blonde…No Vernal, bad thoughts.

"how can he be considered uninvited if he was brought there?" Sun asked the million dollar question.

And no one paid any mind to him after that.

"His location is actually a good question, it's harder than it looks to locate that central base of the Branwen" Ironwood had spent quite a bit trying to eliminate Raven as she was a danger, so it was clear to him how bad Jaune's situation could be.

"You would know wouldn't you tinman" Raven knew the general hated Qrow's nicknames and that one as the worst, so she had to go for him.

"Aye, I know," he said. "Not sure you do, though."

"I wouldn't need to ask if I did." Call him short-tempered but he wasn't in the mood for such games – not with Crocea Mors out of hand and the fate of those he'd risked his life for in doubt. "What happened to the survivors?"

"Taken to the nearest village," the man said. "They asked for you, or one lass did, but you were too injured to make the journey."

Relief washed over him. They had survived, and so had Annie by the sound of it. That was… honestly, it was perfect. It was liberating and exciting at the same time because it was proof – definitive proof – that he could change the way things were going. He could make a difference, even if it was just in the lives of a few people.

"Thanks for that," he said, nodding. "But that only answers one of my questions. Where is my sword?"

The girl from before, who had yet to leave the ring, had started shaking the moment he appeared. Now, furious at being ignored so easily, she stomped one foot down and pointed her wooden sword towards him. "Stop ignoring me, you bastard!"

"The man seems rather calm" it may be because he doesn't fear Jaune, but something told Blake that he probably thinks he's a new member of the tribe. "unlike that girl"

"yeah, every two words she just insults him as if it made her look better" Yang laughed while she said that, not actually aware that Vernal was that kid.

And Vernal was getting tired of this.

Jaune and the man both paused. "Is there a problem?"

"You heard me! Stop ignoring me. You come out here and interrupt my training, and then you stand there asking stupid questions. Your sword obviously isn't right here so stop wasting my time and fuck off." The language was surprising enough from one so young, but the sheer arrogance – different from Weiss', more primal – surprised him. He heard the trainer mutter something about brats, but the man stepped away, leaving Jaune to handle it.

"I'm sorry if I ignored you," he said, not really sorry at all but knowing that saying so to an angry child wouldn't calm her down any. "I was just trying to find out where my sword is and-"

(I swear…I'm going to snap this kid in half) the description he had of her wasn't helping her mood.

"heh, Jauney called her an angry child" And Nora would be the kind of person to laugh at something like that.

"Sword, sword, sword, is that all you think about?"

Jaune's eyes narrowed. "It's important to me."

"Yeah? Is it sentimental?" The girl sneered at him. "Boo-hoo, is it your daddy's sword and he gave it to you when he died?"

"My friend's, actually," he said. "And she died for it."

He expected her to back off or gasp. Instead, she laughed. "Just shows you were too weak to stop it."

There was a loud crack. It might have been his patience.

Vernal' supposed comeback silenced the students, and she felt so proud about that.

And after the crack, it all went down.

The _NPR of JNPR however didn't take that particularly good.

"Try to say that again you little bastard I'll break your legs!" Pyrrha felt frustrated that she was such a weight on Jaune, Ren tried to keep Nora on check as she was rampaging and shouting at the younger Vernal.

Ruby wasn't well herself, it angered her and at the same time she knew it was something Jaune would have thought of himself.

And while the others were angry too, it wasn't on a level like the other four.

"Excuse me…?"

"You were weak," she repeated, failing to sense the sudden tension in the air. Everyone else did. They shifted away, hands reaching for weapons as they sensed the threat in the air. "I bet your friend died cursing how weak you were, because if you were stronger she would still be alive. I'm right, aren't I?" She laughed. "You're pathetic. Just a pathetic and weak little piece of shit!"

Jaune's breath came out slow and measured. Stay calm, he told himself. Pyrrha would have your head if you used what she taught you on a child, even if it's in her honor. His hand, clenched into a tight white fist, loosened. "Maybe I was," he admitted, because really, it was all true. Except for the part where Pyrrha cursed him, of course. He knew she wouldn't have. "But I'm stronger now and I still need my sword. I'll get out of your way. You can go back to being knocked around if you really want to."

"I definitively would, but I couldn't blame you for it either" The fact that the brat thought she would ever think that about Jaune shifted Pyrrha's gears in a more aggressive way.

A wooden sword stopped him before he could leave. The girl held her sword before him. "No, wait," she said, smiling cruelly. "You want your sword back and I want a spar. How about you show me just how much `stronger` you really are, huh?"

He sighed. "Do we have to do this? I'm injured, not to mention unarmed."

"Then I guess you're fucked, aren't you?" the girl laughed, swinging for his head. It was a good blow, a fast blow – and aimed well.

It cracked loudly against the palm of his hand.

The girl gasped. "What!?"

The hilt, wood and leather, slammed back into her stomach as he rammed the sword back down into her. She fell with a gasp, releasing it as he twisted it to the side and around, hauling her toward him and over one knee. The girl made an impressive somersault before landing on her back in a cloud of dust. She stared at the sky in shock, and then the tip of the practice blade as it rested against her throat.

"bullshit" It was humiliating for her to see this, but then again, it is what happen to the weak.

But seeing Raven not reacting worried her about what could happen.

"deserved, definitely deserved" Yang felt satisfied seeing Vernal get Kneed.

And Mercury laughed hard at it.

"Are we done now?" he asked, aware of the laughter of the crowd. She was too if her red cheeks were any indication.

"Fuck you," she snarled, swatting the sword away. She rolled onto her feet and dashed for her trainer, stealing the man's sword as he sighed and shook his head. He'd hand it to her; she had a high pain tolerance. Most kids her age would have been in tears after having the wind blown out of them like that. Guts didn't really cut it though, and he wasn't in the mood to play nice. Bad enough he'd lost his sword but she'd knowingly insulted Pyrrha.

No one got away with that.

"NO ONE MESSES WITH TEAM JNPR!"

She swung in and slashed down towards his face, crying out as she did. His own blade moved to block it and he saw her muscles tense for the impact. At the last second, he pulled back and feinted, stepping aside. The girl, so certain she'd make contact, over extended and stumbled. She managed to keep her balance, or at least did so until he hooked his toes behind her foot and swept it away.

The crowd laughed again as she hit the dust. She slapped a hand down angrily and rolled to the side, standing and charging once more. One, two, three wild slashes were dodged with relative ease, even if he could have deflected them. On the third he slipped around and rapped her knuckles, earning a yelp from her as she dropped her weapon. She caught it on a foot, kicked it back up, and would have caught it if not for him catching it on the blade of his instead. With a casual flick, he sent it back to the trainer from before, who caught it with a gruff laugh.

"she's just getting humiliated, I wouldn't let it go if it were me" The mocking from Roman caused a reaction in everyone.

The more immature people laughed, and the stricter ones repressed said laughs.

"it looks like you need to step up Vernal" Raven wasn't going to say she isn't enjoying this, because she definitely is.

Now with her pride shattered, Vernal could do more than swear to return this to the one on her world.

"We're done now," he said, holding the blade under her chin. He made it a statement and not a question this time. "You're not bad, especially for your age, but you really need to learn to control that temper of yours." She was like Weiss and Yang combined, except without the self-control of either. "Preferably before someone controls it for you. Permanently."

"Fuck you, you piece of shit. I'll tear off your head and-"

"And that mouth," he said, smacking her none-too-gently on the head. She fell onto her knees with a gasp. "Talking like that doesn't make you strong. It makes you sound like an idiot."

"my thoughts exactly" said Raven, not aware of how in sync she was with herself.

"Exactly," a voice from behind called. The girl before him gasped and went white and the crowd watching became silent. "Actions speak louder than words, as I've told you time and time before. If you want to run your mouth, you'd best be prepared to back it up, because I won't be there to help you when you fight someone you can't defeat. And your language does not make you strong. It impresses no one, least of all me."

The girl looked to be on the verge of tears. "I-I'm sorry…I..."

"Apologies are for the weak, Vernal. Grow strong or get out of my sight."

Callous, imperious and with a causal disregard for the shamefaced child before him. He'd have recognized the tone anywhere, and the voice, but he still turned just to make sure. She was younger for sure, fresher-faced and without some of the lines he'd seen in the future. She stood a little taller, a little more arrogant - and dare he say it, she looked more like Yang than she ever had before - but her black hair, crimson eyes and the smirk she wore marked her as a very different woman.

"oh~ it is my time to appear then"

"let's hope this doesn't go to shit" Qrow begged the universe.

But the universe's answers were always the same…not in his favor.

Raven Branwen.

And the screen faded to black leaving the room to the guests

-END-

Soo, how does it look?

Was it enjoyable to read?

Does it have enough dialogue?

Do the characters feel good, or they need something else?

Did it feel off?

Let me know and Thanks for reading.

-Mystic-