A/N: And finally, they come home. Enjoy!

The door opened up, causing the five of them to look up from their jail cells, revealing a fat, jolly man in the doorway.

"Oh my! It seems you guys might need a bit of rescuing." Professor Port said. This was the one time Jaune will admit that he was glad to see the man, a relieved smile breaking out on his face.

"Peter." Professor Goodwitch said, relief as visible in her voice as it was on their faces. "I'm assuming you're here to pick us up?" The portly man nodded, hopping down the steps.

"Why of course Glynda! I, renowned Hunter extraordinaire Peter Port, has come to your rescue!" The professor wagged a finger, his mustache twitching. "Let me tell you, it wasn't an easy task. I had to convince them that burning you all at the stake would not be a good thing, seeing as how your aura would just make it so that it would last an unbearably long time, and they would get sick of the screaming after the first few hours. Then I had to convince them to let you all loose so that we could bring you back and execute you guys in a more appropriate manner, say like, being drawn and quartered, which will not last hours by the way. Not that we're actually going to do something like that, of course, it's just to put their fears at rest and—"

"Peter!"

"—yes Glynda?"

"As… much as I appreciate you coming to tell us exactly what happened, but I would appreciate it just a bit more if you could let us out and into the nearest Bullhead before you told us all about it." Professor Goodwitch said, a hint of impatience hidden under the thin veil of fake politeness that was coating her words. Jaune nodded fervently in agreement, especially since he would be too busy trying not to throw up to listen to the professor tell his tale.

Professor Port seemed a little disappointed in being interrupted, his mustache drooping before he righted his posture, laughing boisterously.

"Why, of course! I'm sure you all are quite tired of being held in that cage for the past few days. Let me tell you, it's not the worst that can happen. You see, there was a time when I was imprisoned—unfairly of course—for a whole six months in one of the most gruesome prisons on Remnant! I had to survive by killing rats and eating their—"

"Peter!" This time, the anger Professor Goodwitch was feeling was apparent in her tone, causing Professor Port to break his storytelling short, much to the relief of the others in the room, and set the Beacon teacher and students free.

"I was just going to explain, for future reference and all." The professor's voice was almost a pout, but no one was willing to sympathize with him, being trapped in an enclosed, cramp space constantly for the past three days.

"Well, for future reference, people will be much more receptive to listening to you after you've set them free." The burly professor nodded.

"Yes, yes, of course, of course."

With that, team JNPR and Professor Goodwitch stepped into the light for the first time in three days, stretching out their limbs and looking for the Bullhead that would bring them back to Beacon.

Villagers from Ravenwood hung in a loose circle around them, eyes hardened with suspicion and hostility. Jaune's hands twitched a little, hand unconsciously trying to find the hilt of Crocea Mors, before he remembered that his weapons had been confiscated after they were detained.

"All of your weapons have already been loaded into the Bullhead, and the only cargo we have left to transport is five humans, along with a charming, pinnacle example of a Hunter, ha ha!" His words were met with silence, no one really wanting to say anything, eyes flitting from one villager to the next warily, not sure if they would decide to attack again or not.

Their worries were well founded, as the man that had captured them and advocated for the removal of their heads stepped up, face red with anger.

"You have no right to take away these criminals! They killed one of our own! We demand justice!" He roared, waving a literal pitchfork in the air. The villagers clamored around him, emboldened by his show.

"Yeah, burn the Hunters!"

"Tear 'em to pieces!"

"I spent the whole day making those pyres, and I ain't lettin' them go to waste now!"

With every villager that spoke up, the mass got closer and closer, their tools raised into the air. The group of Hunters took a few steps back, except for Professor Port, who actually took a few steps forward, hands open in a gesture of reassurance.

"Now now everyone, let's not make a big deal out of this."

"Not make a big deal?" The man who seemed to be in charge looked incredulous. "They murdered someone! A girl that was barely their age! Why wouldn't we make a big deal out of this!" The professor paused, not sure what to say.

"Now, I'm sure this was all a big misunderstanding." He forced out.

"We saw them standing around half a body!"

"I'm sure it's a very big misunderstanding." The professor amended.

"Well, they're going to need to pay for the misunderstanding!" The man roared, causing the others to roar with him.

"Well, actually, I do have something that might help!" Professor Port said, raising a lone finger. The villagers quieted down, eyes squinting in wariness, wondering what the man could actually offer them.

Professor Port paused, making sure everyone's eyes were on him before he shouted "Run!" and sprinted in the direction of the Bullhead, team JNPR and Professor Goodwitch only taking a second to process the command before sprinting in that direction as well.

The villagers stood there a little while longer, stunned at the gall of the man before roaring and rushing forward, intent on capturing their prey.

The chase didn't last very long, as the Hunters had aura to help them go faster and longer than the large group of civilians, arriving in the Bullhead with enough time to scream at the pilot to liftoff.

The mob only arrived to the edge of the clearing where the Bullhead was parked as the ship was meters up in the air, powering up to leave.

Jaune and company collapsed onto the floor, happy that they got out of this alive. For the first time, Jaune was actually thankful that he was on a vehicle, too tired to even care about his motion sickness.

"Well, now that we're all safe, maybe I can go back to my previous point, as to demonstate how to survive in a perilous prison fraught with guys who seemed to really enjoy putting their—"

"Actually, I was wondering what might be happening at Beacon right now." Team JNPR quietly thanked their blonde professor for stopping the man before he got on a roll. Professor Port deflated a little, once again stopped in the middle of a grand tale that would unfold.

"Very well. I will have you know that Beacon and Vale was attacked a little over twenty-four hours ago."

"What?" Everyone propped themselves up, eyes wide at the man who grinned at them, preening now that he knew he had their attention.

"Oh yes. We have Team RWBY to thank for discovering the attack soon enough for there to be minimal damage of course, but the battle was almost as glorious as a battle from my old days, back in my prime, when I had to wrestle a whole pack of Ursai barehanded and bare-chested! Let me tell you, do not attempt to try this yourselves, as you will all surely be killed!"

"Don't worry Peter," Professor Goodwitch said, before muttering, "I'm sure no one's crazy enough to do that anyways."

"Yes well, Apparently, Roman Torchwick and the White Fang had opened up a passage from Mountain Glenn to the heart of Vale, and we had a furious fight that ended in the capture of the rouge! Team RWBY was the one who captured him of course, as much as I would have liked to. Alas, I was too busy saving the townspeople from certain death, taking on hundreds of Grimm, sometimes with my bare hands!"

The rest of the trip was carried by Professor Port talking constantly, but barely anyone listened, everyone else in a world of their own.

Jaune tried to set aside his motion sickness to think briefly on what had happened, and what was going to happen. The invasion of Grimm certainly seemed dangerous, but he was sure that Team RWBY got through it just fine, or at least that's what he told himself as reassurance. His thoughts briefly turned to Blake, but he shook his head, having more important, more dangerous things to contemplate.

Putting his hand into his jeans pocket, he pulled out a stone that was blood red, glistening, yet still dark to the light. A Philosopher's Stone, a solution to what he had been searching for years to find. His eyes glanced down at his metal arm, which rested on his lap, given to him hurriedly by Professor Port when they all got on the Bullhead.

He could have his real arm back.

Or at least a real arm back, Jaune amended, turning the stone around in his hand. Pyrrha slid in next to him, eyes attracted to what Jaune had been doing.

"Is that…?" Jaune nodded before Pyrrha could even finish the question.

"This was inside of Mirisu. A Philosopher's Stone." Jaune tried to keep his promise, reminding himself that he didn't need to keep things like this a secret from his own team. Professor Goodwitch had glanced over as well, eyes sharpening as she saw the stone, but electing to keep silent for the time being.

"What can the Stone do?" Pyrrha asked, eyes drawn to the color. Jaune snorted at the question.

"Besides make someone into a homunculus apparently? Everything." Jaune said quietly, the stone hidden when Jaune clenched it tight in his fist. "It makes the all important rule of Alchemy a guideline. Something to only loosely follow, and only when you feel like it." Jaune held it up to the artificial light of the Bullhead, letting a bulb shine through the stone.

"Nothing can be created or destroyed, only changed." Jaune said softly, translating the all important law of Alchemy and the world. "The stone bypasses all of that."

"It sounds dangerous."

Jaune's head rose, looking at Professor Goodwitch, who was looking at him intently. It wasn't a secret or not if it was. In fact, she wasn't even asking if it was, simply stating the fact. Jaune nodded.

"It's very dangerous, and for some reason, for something so powerful… there's not much information about it." Jaune confessed, shrugged as he pocketed the stone. "I don't plan to do anything with it until I know everything about it, and the unintended effects it could cause."

The blonde witch's gaze continued to stare him down, her mind turning furiously over a matter that seemed beyond him. Finally she nodded, relenting to something.

"Very well. As you are the foremost expert in all things Alchemy related, I will entrust its safekeeping to you. Please be careful with it."

Jaune blinked, aware that one of the most controlling professors had decided to let him keep something that could potentially warp reality itself.

"I- don't worry. I'm not letting it out of my sight. And I'm going to make sure it won't do anything except what I want it to do." Jaune promised Professor Goodwitch, promising the same to himself as well. The woman nodded, turning her attention away from him at last.

"I hope your wants will coincide with the safety of others, Mr. Arc." She said softly.

Jaune had no words to offer against that.