I'M FINALLY BAAAAAAACK!
First off, let me apologize for that REEEEEALLY long break. it's just that, a lot of things had happened in real life that i had to take care of first before being able to return here. But I'm finally done with that and it looks like i've finally secured some time for a few months so i can hopefully finish this story by then. And i made it longer as a sort of apology at the same time a get back to the story kinda thing. so without further ado:
Chapter 3
Jaune was not having the best of days. Granted he should have known this would happen, having ran away from home not but a week ago, in order to become a Hunter. At the ripe age of 14 he was positive he had everything figured out. He would find his way into one of the starter training schools, he hears that Signal is a good one, where he would learn to master his skills, and then go on to Beacon, where he would be the best at everything and everyone will fall for him and he'll become the greatest huntsman known on Remnant. That was the plan, but things weren't going out the way he'd hoped. So far he's lost in the forest on his way to Patch, after running away from a flock of Nevermore, forcing him to leave his supplies back at the makeshift camp he'd made. While running, he had tripped and tumbled down the hill and into a pile of mud. So he's lost, alone, hungry, dirty, full of scratches and bruises, and with nothing to protect himself with except for a sword and shield that's waaaay too heavy for him to use, but brought it anyways thinking he could just learn on the job. Yep, things pretty much sucks right now.
-RoL-
"Ryuki!"
"Ryuki! Wake up!"
Ryuki was woken up to a blue ghost currently forming ice pellets a few inches away from his face
"I'm awake! I'm awake!" He quickly screamed out, calling out to Aegis to stop trying to wake him up. He quickly but still groggily sat up, rubbing his head, trying to massage the growing headache
"Urgh, Aegis what happened?" Ryuki asked
"I honestly don't know either Ryuki, one moment I was attending to you, the next we're here" Aegis looked around "Wherever here is" Aegis finished, studying the forest clearing they were currently on
"I don't think we're in Lore anymore Aegis" Ryuki said
As soon as Ryuki said that a pack of beowolves came rushing at them, one in particular lunging straight for Ryuki, before hitting a wall of Ice that Aegis had just created
"Guess I spoke too soon" Ryuki said, as he requipped into his Cryptic armor as well as his Chakrams and began his blade dance, letting the levitating blades do his work for him. It took seconds to dispatch the entire pack, Aegis not even having to do anything. Ryuki noted how these Grimm were low-level compared to the Grimm he had grown used to fighting back when Valrith waged war against all of Lore.
"Well, that answers that then. We're still in Lore" Aegis said, after the battle
"Uh huh, but that also opens up more questions" Ryuki asked, "And how nice of you to set up camp while waiting for me" he finished, only now noticing the makeshift camp already set up
"Yeah no, that was already here when we got here" Aegis replied
"So why would anyone just leave this behind?"
"Maybe the Grimm attacked and they were forced to flee?"
As if on cue, a scream for help could be heard in the distance, Aegis and Ryuki not even hesitating as they quickly ran in the direction of the cry
-RoL-
Jaune was really regretting this day, why were there so many Grimm in this forest? He thought his day was turning around after he had successfully managed to avoid a Rapier Wasps' nest only for it to get significantly worse as he soon found himself face to face with an Ursa.
He tried to intimidate it by screaming, but not only did his scream not work, it actually came out girl and like a cry for help instead of the masculine war cry he was going for
He was able to raise his shield up, which took every ounce of muscle he had, just in time to block the swipe that the Ursa did, pushing him back a few feet but not making him lose his footing
It was then he heard a guy from his left scream "Sealing!" followed by a flash of blue, and then it was over. The Ursa lay dead and dissolving, head cleanly chopped off
"You're pretty sturdy there, being able to take on that hit and still be standing" Jaune heard a voice call out to him
Jaune just stood there, staring in awe. All he had done is raised his shield and take a hit, the next thing he knew his greatest fear come to life is already dead and on the ground dissolving, and in its place was a man in a brown coat with pointed tail ends, wearing what looked like an oriental dark brown vest with blue highlights and design. He had spiky white hair and his eyes, two different colors, were violet and gold in his left and right eye. He wore arm guards of the same design as his vest, with a strange crystal in each arm guard, just above the wrists.
"Wh-who are you?" Jaune quivered, his shield still raised in case of any sudden attacks. Now Jaune normally wasn't the type of guy who would jump to conclusions and think people so badly of, but hey, you can never be too cautious in a forest teeming with Grimm.
"Cautious. You're pretty good kid. . . names Ryuki, and that spirit over there behind you is Aegis" the man said, making Jaune turn around and indeed seeing the spirit that was spoken of
"Nice to meet you, I'm Aegis. Spirit of Valor. Would you mi-" Aegis was interrupted by the sound of a dull thud, looking down to see the small boy on the floor, passed out.
-RoL-
"What do you mean we can't apply for beacon!?" an 18-year-old Jaune asked the clerk at the Registration Office
"I'm sorry sir but a pre-requisite of Beacon is that you must have formally attended any of the primary combat schools before moving on to beacon" the woman simply responded. She wasn't doing this out of spite or discrimination, that much Jaune could tell, and he somehow got the feeling that she was just following regulations
"But I can fight! Isn't there some test that I could take? Some guy I could beat to prove myself?" Jaune pleadingly asked
"There is sir, but I'm afraid only registered people are allowed to participate. I sincerely apologize sir, but unless you go back and finish at least two years in a primary combat school, we can't allow you to apply. Have a nice day" the Woman simply replied
Jaune sighed heavily, a quick "thank you for your time" before finally leaving. Heading back to the motel he was currently staying at.
Jaune was about to head back, but he figured a walk would do him some good. He spent the rest of the day silently reflecting on his life and the events that led him here. Things hadn't really been the same since he met Ryuki that day. . .
-RoL-
"So you want to be a hero huh?" Ryuki asked the young boy, a smile growing in his face
Ryuki, Aegis, and Jaune were currently sitting around a campfire. After saving Jaune and taking him back to camp the two had planned on what to do afterwards. They agreed to take the boy home first before setting off and finding a way to get back to his own time or dimension. Jaune woke up a few minutes later and surprised to find himself back in his makeshift camp. With saviors making themselves at home as well. The three chat and it was there that three had gotten to know each other
"Of course, who wouldn't want to be a hero?" Jaune enthusiastically replied causing Ryuki to laugh
"You remind me of a close friend of mind back when he was still a kid" Ryuki explained, noticing the confused look on Jaune's face when he was laughing "But listen to me kid, being a hero is a great and noble cause that's for sure, but running away isn't the right way to go about it."
"Then why don't YOU train me?" Jaune gave him an indignant humph
"Well I can't, me and Aegis are going to be travelling you see. Looking for a way to get back home" Ryuki explained
"But you said so yourself, you're not from around here so you're going to need someone who can guide you through the ways of this world. I can be your tour guide and you can train me along the way" Jaune reasoned out, growing more and more excited as he voiced his own idea out
"He's . . . not entirely wrong there Ryuki . . . it would indeed be easier if we had a local helping us out. Teaching us about the different places in this land" Aegis reluctantly saying
". . . Fine. But ONLY if we go back to your place first so that I could ask permission from your parents" Ryuki bargained "If they don't agree, then you're not coming with me. Deal?" Ryuki extended his hand out
"You got it!" Jaune shook Ryuki's hand, and that was that
It wasn't all smooth sailings though, as you can imagine how Jaune's parents had reacted, with their son running away only to come home with some stranger and asking permission to travel the lands with said stranger. Ryuki had done his best to promise Jaune's parents that he was perfectly capable of protecting their son, even going so far as to challenge (and defeat!) Jaune's hunter of a dad, with one arm tied behind his back no less. After that there was the issue technology. According to how Jaune had explained it to him, Ryuki comes from a place that's what is considered as a fantasy world in today's society. And as soon as Ryuki saw modern society in all its glory, with all the bullheads, the CCT, and even the scrolls. . . let's just say that the Technomancer in him had a field day. Ryuki carefully and diligently taking in notes in how they operated. Hoping to be able to bring this information back to Yix.
The trio had spent 4 years tracking down every possible angle in order to get home. They've been to every major kingdom, chasing down every rumor and myth they could get their hands on regarding the idea of fantasy lands and time travel, and the occasional other dimensions. In that time Ryuki had trained Jaune to be a strong and noble huntsman-in-training. They had run out of leads and decided to come back to Vale, Ryuki still keeping his promise to help Jaune become a hero.
-RoL-
The walk back was quick and uneventful. Still feeling somewhat down by the events of earlier today. It was already evening by the time he got back to the motel When he walked into the room he was immediately greeted by the sight of a man doing push-ups and a blue spirit floating above the bed, reading a book.
"So how'd it go?" Ryuki asked as he continued his push-ups
"Awful. They wouldn't even let me join simply because I didn't attend a primary combat school" Jaune whined as he sat down, slouching.
"Well then, that's their loss. They didn't know the talent that they passed up on" Ryuki simply said, standing up after finishing his workout
"Listen to me Jaune, we've been all over Remnant doing plenty of training and fighting. I know you can fight, your family know you can fight. You're practically a hunter already. And if society can't see that, its their loss" Ryuki encouraged, before turning to Aegis "and Aegis, how many times do I have to tell you to stop reading over the bed? You know your very presence freezes the bed. By the avatars I swear if I get another leg cramp tonight . . . "
Jaune wasn't really paying attention anymore, having been shunned and banned from his dream. He had spent 4 years training and studying to prepare himself for beacon, and he wasn't even going to be given the chance to do so. He was quickly snapped out of his moping at the sound of air siren's going off followed by Ryuki grabbing him by the shoulder
"Looks like we're needed hero, come on" Ryuki simply told him, before rushing out the door with Aegis right behind him
Jaune reluctantly grabbing his gear before heading out as well
-RoL-
Vale was currently alive with chaos. Bullheadss had suddenly flown over the city and suddenly dropped Grimm all over the city.
"There's Grimm scattered all throughout the city!" Jaune exaclaimed
"We're going to have to split up Aegis yo-" Ryuki was cut off by the sound of bells suddenly ringing followed by someone shouting "Robbers!"
"New plan, Aegis, you and I are going to deal with the Grimm, Jaune take care of that robbery" Ryuki ordered out before shouting "Re-Quip!" his whole body glowing for a few seconds before fading, and suddenly he was wearing what looked like a mix of black and red scales. And in his hands a katana that looked Rotten and decaying
"You're going to fight with THAT?" Jaune wondered "I get that you're practically unstoppable and all, but I doubt that weapon would be able to keep up"
Ryuki only chuckled "Don't let appearances fool you kid, the Zardbie Katana is more than enough for these weak grimm, besides, I can always change it into a better weapon if I need to. Now get going, that robbery isn't going to stop itself. Aegis, you know what to do" and with that, Ryuki made a downward slash and a rift opened, after stepping through the rift closed.
"Good luck Jaune" Aegis said, and went towards a different direction
"I don't think we'll need it" Jaune said out loud, before heading towards the shop that was being robbed
When he got there, Jaune wasn't sure of what else to do. Most of what he would guess were the robbers were already out cold and unconscious on the ground. It took Jaune a quick minute or two to round them all up and tie them to a lamp post when he heard a girl's voice shouting out "Get back here!"
Looking around, Jaune saw a little girl climbing up to a roof of the building chasing a man in a bowler hat wearing a white suit jacket. He figured this must have been the leader of these finely dressed (he had to admit) robbers and quickly followed afterwards. When he got up there he saw the girl and the man clashing weapons. The girl using her Scythe that was also a high caliber sniper rifle from the looks of it. That didn't surprise him however, since he was used to seeing mecha-shift weaponry by now, what did surprise him however was how this small girl was using it. She was using the momentum of the kickback of her gun firing in her fighting style, twirling and flipping around in a deadly dance. The man was able to keep up though, something Jaune acutely took note of. Whoever this man is, he was definitely dangerous. The man was able to knock the girl back and Jaune took this chance to enter the fight
"Sorry Red, looks like today isn't you lu-" the man was telling the girl, before Jaune caught him off guard with a shield to the man's rib cage
"I don't think so!" Jaune then positioned himself in front of the girl in a defensive position. Shield up, ready for whatever attack the man may do.
"You really should learn not to get in other peoples' business blondie, some of them won't act kindly towards those who do!" the man got up and charged at Jaune who had in turn blocked with his sword and the two began their deadly dance the girl just standing by, ready for her opportunity to strike
Jaune had to admit, there weren't many people who could match him when it came to fighting, aside from Ryuki that is. Not one to brag, but Jaune quickly learned that Ryuki comes from a place that, while in some ways more beautiful that this world, it was also significantly more hostile. This lead to the Ryuki having been bred to fight things greater than what this world has to offer. As such, Ryuki was arguably the strongest being in all of Remnant right now, and Jaune had been training under him for four years. Safe to say that Jaune is somewhat in the upper ranges in terms of skill and swordplay alone. Which is why he was slowly finding himself having fun going up against this robber, who was keeping up with him. The girl likewise found herself watching instead, staring in awe at both of these individuals duking it out
"Say, you're pretty good old man" Jaune smirked at the man when they had found themselves locked in a power struggle
"Who you calling old man blondie?" the man replied "But you're not so bad yourself"
"You know with skills like these I'm sure you'd make it big in Vacuo. Believe me, I've been there" they both broke away from their power struggle, both taking a few steps back. Weapons still at the ready.
The man chuckled "Every thief, outlaw, and bandit's haven. I know kid. That's the plan"
"So what are you doing all the way out here then?" Jaune asked
"It's not like I have much of a choice . . . " the man then grew silent
Just then a bullhead pulled flew by their rooftop, dropping more grimm on the rooftop
"Looks like the boss is here" the man turned, running towards the open hatch now empty of grimm
"Wait!" Jaune tried to run up to him, not realizing the beewolf already jumping towards him from behind
"Look out!" Jaune heard the girl scream from behind him, turning around to see her slice the beowolf in half before landing beside her, only now did Jaune fully grasp the danger they were in. The two of them were surrounded by beowolves
All at once the beowolves pounced. Jaune knew him and the girl wouldn't be able to stop them all at once, instead he grabbed the girl and covered her with his body as much as he could, waiting for the claws to sink into his back. But it never came. When they both looked up, they saw a man in full plate mail with his shield raised like an umbrella, and a dark sphere glowing all around them.
"Looks like we made it just in time huh Jaune?" Ryuki said, "You okay there little miss?"
"Uhhhh" the girl was stunned silent
When the shield faded they saw that the grimm had been frozen solid. Courtesy of Aegis.
"Who are you?" the girl exclaimed
Ryuki was about to answer when he saw Aegis draw a surprised look in his face
"Ryuki behind you!"
Ryuki was already turning, his shield first, ready to absorb most of the incoming damage, it never came though, as the attack, which turned out to be a fireball of sorts, was blocked by another new comer, a woman with blond hair, wearing an office lady outfit with a black cape and a riding crop
"We've got hunters" they heard the man scream inside the bullhead, before disappearing inside
The woman in front of them raised her riding crop, and bolts of energy scattered and flew towards the bullhead, causing the bullhead to take damage. From inside a woman neared the hatch as well, too dark to make out her facial features, but they could see she was wearing a red dress. The two women were locked in what could only be described as a magic battle, with the woman on the bullhead apparently sticking to fire manipulation
"We've got to help her!" the girl called out to Jaune and the others, as she spun her scythe a few times before setting her sights on the bullhead, firing off a few shots that were easily blocked by the women onboard
"Got it" Ryuki answered back, and the girl was stunned as Ryuki's cape seemingly turned into wings "Aegis, you know what to do" and then Ryuki flew off towards the bullhead
The woman onboard was surprised to see a man flying towards them, she spun her hands around her dress and then spread her arms out wide, releasing a field of red that enveloped the ship and pushed everything back. All except the man still flying towards them, his shield now raised to protect himself from the blast radius.
"Fine evening we're having aren't we?" Ryuki flew in and immediately punched the woman in the face, knocking her back, before focusing on the man now sitting in the pilot seat, yanking him back before punching him in the face as well, knocking him out cold.
Ryuki picked the man up and turned to the woman, who had managed to get back up and glare daggers at him. Ryuki simply tossed the unconscious body to her, providing enough distraction for him to rush in and uppercut the woman in the face, effectively knocking her out as well. Picking up both villains the then jumped out of the hatch and onto a ramp of pure iced made by Aegis.
The girl, witnessing all of this unfold before her, simply said
"That. Was. AWE-"
-RoL-
"Reckless, stupid, and downright Idiotic!" The blond woman reprimanded the three people currently sitting on the other side of the desk, slapping her riding crop on the table before turning directly at Ryuki "Do you have ANY idea what the damage would have been had I not stopped that bullhead from going down and crashing into the block below?"
"But they started it!" Jaune immediately defended
"Yeah! We were only trying to help!" the small girl piped in as well
"If it were up to me, all three of you would be sent home with a pat on the back . . . and a slap on the wrists!" The blond woman then slapped her riding crop on the table causing the girl and Jaune to flinch slightly "But . . . there's someone here who would like to meet all three of you"
Just then a man with grey hair wearing a dark green suit walked in holding a plate of cookies on one hand and a mug of hot coffee on the other
"Ruby Rose, you . . . have silver eyes" he opened
"ummmm" the girl now known as Ruby replied
"Jaune Arc, and . . . Ryuki" The man said, turning his attention to the other two men currently sitting with Ruby
"Where did you three learn to do this?" The man asked, referring to the video the blond woman was holding up on her tablet
The video in question showed Ruby dealing with the henchmen, Jaune fighting with the criminal, and Ryuki taking on a horde of Grimm all by himself
"Uhhh well, I learned at Signal Academy" Ruby answered
"I learned from him" Jaune said, throwing a thumb over to Ryuki
"Practice" Ryuki simply said
"They taught you one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?" the man asked Ruby
"Well . . . one teacher in particular" she meekly responded
"I see" the man said, setting the cookies down on the table
Ruby hesitated for a moment, before digging in and going through the cookies two at a time
"Don't mind if I do" Jaune said, taking a cookie as well
Ryuki simply raised his hand to pass "Im good"
"It's just that I've only ever seen one other scythe wielder of that skill before. . . a dusty old crow" the gray haired man rambled on
"That's my uncle Qrow. He's a teacher at Signal, I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing, and now I'm all hyaaah! Wataa!" Ruby explained, making some karate chops for added effect
"So I've noticed" the man responded "and what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?" the man took a seat in front of the three
"Well" Ruby started "I want to be a huntress"
"You want to slay monsters?" the man asked
"Yeah, I only have two more years of training left at Signal, and then I'm going to apply to beacon. See my sister's starting there this year, and she's trying to become a huntress, and I'm trying to become a huntress cuz I wanna help people, and my parents always taught us to help others so I thought may as well be creative about it, I mean the place is alright but hunters and huntresses are just so much more romantic and exciting and cool and just just-" Ruby babbled on
"Okay okay, I think that's enough of an explanation" Jaune stopped her, putting her hand on her shoulder
The blond woman and the gray haired man before them just gave Ruby a deadpan stare before the man spoke up
"Do you know who I am?" he asked
"You're Professor Ozpin. You're the headmaster at Beacon" Ruby instantly replied, making Jaune wide-eyed in surprise
"Heh, Hello" Professor Ozpin replied
"Nice to meet you" Ruby replied
"I uhh it's an honor to meet you too sir" Jaune added as well
"You want to come to my school?" Ozpin replied
"More than anything" Both Ruby and Jaune seemingly replied at the same time
Ozpin shared a brief look with the blond woman, who only rolled her eyes with a simple "hmm" before looking back at Ruby
"Well okay" Ozpin told her
"YES!" both Ruby and Jaune cheered, simultaneously rising up from their chairs and hugging each other
Congratulations were cut short however, as Ozpin cleared his throat
"Ahem" taking the attention of the two teens "While I may have approved of Ms. Rose's application, your circumstances on the other hand Mr. Arc, are another matter"
Ruby sat down, slightly unsure of what to do
"What do you mean! You saw me fight right!? Isn't that proof enough that I have what it takes!?" Jaune outraged
"While that may be true Mr. Arc, there still lies the matter of you not attending any prior combat school" Ozpin simply replied
"Now them Mr. Arc, I'm sure that you and Mr. Ryuki are familiar with the fall of the Lighthouse Academy in Vacuo?" Ozpin asked the two
Jaune was about to answer before Ryuki cut him off
"Now hold on there headmaster, how do you know of us exactly?" he asked
"Believe me Mr. Ryuki, with the way you've been running around Remnant chasing rumors and myths of fairy tales and fantasy lands, you were bound to turn some heads and attract some. . .attention" Ozpin answered "Nevertheless that is beside the point. The question remains Mr. Arc, are you familiar with the fall of the Lighthouse Academy in Vacuo?"
"You mean the one that got overrun by the Grimm?" Ruby asked
"An unfortunate accident Ms. Ro-" Ozpin started, before getting interrupted
"It was anything BUT an accident" Ryuki cut in
This in turn left Ozpin wide-eyed and hastily looked at the blond woman still standing beside him
"What exactly do you mean?" the blond woman asked
"We aren't just familiar with it professor, we were there. . . " Jaune solemnly answered "It was a goddamn massacre . . . " the two men on the other side were silent after, having been reminded of that experience
"We were trying to get an appointment with one of the teachers their regarding a rumor about an underground cave that led to a different world when the school had been attacked. Grimm we're suddenly gushing towards the school, almost as if they were drawn to something inside it. We did the best we could to hold them off as long as we could until help arrived. We tried to get as many out of there as we could . . . " Ryuki couldn't bear to finish, and Jaune still silent head bowed down with his hands clutching his knees
"Glynda, inform the others." Ozpin simply said to the blond women beside him. The seriousness in his tone catching everyone off-guard "I will need to have you both stay in Vale for the duration. We'll need your reports on what exactly happened there. But for now, back to the matter at hand, your application to Beacon Mr. Arc"
"What about it? Like you said I haven't had any formal combat schooling" Jaune whimpered
"Glynda, remind me again, whatever happened to the student records from Lighthouse Academy" Ozpin asked, a little louder than necessary
"Well Professor, sad to say that they had been lost when the school fell" the blond woman now known as Glynda replied, getting the hint and playing along
"Such a shame, what would that mean for those students who had graduated Lighthouse Academy and wanted to apply to a finishing combat school like Beacon?" Ozpin asked
Glynda was about to answer when Ryuki's laughter broke the serenity in the room, causing the other four individuals in the room to turn at him
"You know what Ozpin, I'm starting to like you" Ryuki grinned at the headmaster, already figuring out what Ozpin was getting at
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked
"Well Jaune, it looks like you've just graduated from the Lighthouse Academy" Ryuki smiled at Jaune, who finally understood what was happening
"But . . . then that means . . .?" Jaune turned to Ozpin, a hopeful look in his eyes
"Yes Mr. Arc, welcome to Beacon" Ozpin nodded with a sly grin
''Uhhhhh I don't get it. . . " Ruby simply said, having given up on trying to understand what was happening.
And that's where I'm cutting if off for now, believe me i would have made this longer, but i wouldn't want to burn you guys out with too much information all at once. As for upload scheduling, i can't really promise anything right now, and i don't really want to set your expectations only to let you guys down. I frankly work based on how inspired or motivated i am, and as such, there may be times when you'd see chapters coming out back to back, and other times where they take longer. The only thing i CAN promise you is that i WILL be releasing a chapter once a week. so since i've uploaded this today (April 13), expect a new chapter within the week (April 20th being the latest).