Chapter 2. The One meets the Four
It was Ruby Rose that Jaune first met upon boarding the airship. He thought little of her until he noted her youth compared to everyone around her, she was at least two years younger than anyone here. Jaune closed his eyes and stretched his mind outward. The horsemen are all able to sense those around them, and Jaune used this to get a better impression of the young girl.
He immediately reeled from the sheer innocence of this individual. There was a touch of darkness, but it seemed that was just the calm awareness, to a degree, of the brutality the job of huntsman or huntress implied. Likewise, as the entity of War itself, he could sense the weapons of all who surrounded him. Focusing on the small mass of metal on the girl's lower back Jaune saw the weapon in his mind unfold to reveal its true form. A sniper rifle scythe, very creative.
The next was a blond girl, who Jaune realized was the young girl's sibling. Yang, Jaune heard from the headlocked young reaper. There was an undeniable life to this Yang, a passion and barely contained fury. Her weapons, a pair of shotgun gauntlets, were just as creative.
Jaune noticed how Ruby had both noticed him and approached. He figured it was his armor, it had attracted attention before. Especially considering his size and figure. As he was leaning on the railing of the airship neither had seen his face. When he felt both her and Yang rove eyes over him he turned to face them. Both recoiled from his facial marking, even under shadow it was visible.
Ruby was the first to recover. "Hi. I'm Ruby, I just wanted to see that weapon of yours." She said, pointing to his crossblade.
"That is only a side weapon, my sword is not something that I carry unless I need to do so." Jaune said, noting how the reaper came just to his lower chest.
"And why is that handsome?" Yang asked flirtatiously. She couldn't help but notice that when Jaune turned to face her he gazed only at her eyes, never dipping to view her cleavage.
"It's a weapon best left alone unless needed." Jaune said cryptically.
"Will you move you oaf?" An irritated female voice asked from behind Jaune.
Jaune turned to view the source of the noise. There was a diminutive white haired girl with a scar over her left eye. She was followed by a number of men moving large suitcases.
"I said move." She repeated.
"Who the hell are you?" Jaune asked callously.
"How dare you. I am Weiss Schnee, Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company." Weiss said, expecting a look of shock and apology.
"Good for you. Piss off." Jaune said, turning back around. He then felt a small hand grab his left elbow and attempt to turn him back around. She wasn't strong enough, so Jaune turned on his own violation.
"You obviously don't know who I am you lowbred bafoon." Weiss snarled at him.
Jaune only flexed his power for all to feel. Most felt themselves overcome with a sense of dread, Ruby and Yang saw a fiery demon creature with a massive sword take shape in their minds, Weiss saw Jaune with the demon behind him. She saw him cast in shadow, only his icy blue eyes glowing in the darkness, before the human figure disappeared and left her with only the towering demonic form looming at her. Then the images started, images of Jaune standing among masses of grim. A massive sword rested on his shoulder, crudely shaped and obviously old. But the sounds haunted her. From Jaune a near deranged laughter of utter joy, from the sword the sounds of anguished screaming.
As suddenly as it began it ended. Jaune stood their silently, Ruby and Yang both clutched their chests as if trying to calm their hearts. But Weiss was almost trembling in terror.
"My name, is Jaune Arc." Jaune said, noting how the Academy was now just below them. He took his leave by simply hopping over the railing towards the ground far below. The stone exploded in response to Jaune's impact with it. He strode off without a care, knowing that those who had seen his descent and landing would be speaking of it.
Weiss was silent. She knew of the Arc family well enough. The Schnee were known for their place in the realm of finance, but the Arcs were known for their places in conflicts. Dozens of generals, officers, and other masters of warfare graced that family in the last century alone.
Jaune however took note of an individual already on the ground, and this one felt like a polar opposite of Ruby. A darkness wrought from a history of violence and questionable acts but with a light of hope for the future. He felt her weapon as well, a pair of swords. One larger that served as a sheath as well and a smaller one on a ribbon that functioned as a submachine gun.
Blake Belladona as well was examining the stranger. Even from here she could smell him, and it frightened her. He smelled like ash and smoke, and under it all was a faint scent of blood. She didn't like this feeling, the feeling of a primal fear towards Jaune.
No words were exchanged, neither felt the need to make an effort of communication. But there was a shift in the air, one that every senior student and faculty member felt. Up in his office Headmaster Ozpin could feel Jaune's arrival, and frowned at thin air. Glynda Goodwitch also felt the young man's arrival and suppressed a shudder. Given her abilities it was no surprise that she was even more sensitive to the currents of the world than most, and she had felt something off the moment she laid eyes on Jaune. He felt…wrong. Like he belonged to the past, present and future. But more than that she felt like she was looking at a receptacle. A vessel for something far beyond a mere physical form.
Jaune felt the attention of all in the area, from the airship he departed from to the students inside the buildings. And he simply smiled, knowing that this was going to be interesting.
Less than an hour later found Jaune and all newcomers in the auditorium before Professor Ozpin. Whatever speech he gave was only partially absorbed by Jaune, he was more focused on the notable individuals. A hammer wielding girl hyped up on sugar, her melancholy friend, and a redheaded Spartan all had Jaune's attention. He, as War, could sense past, present, and future. He wasn't omniscient by any degree, but he was able to catch glimpses of events if they should influence him. He saw a brief image of him and the other three standing on a stage together, he also saw Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang on stage. He expected that these were teams that would form in the next few days.
When the gathered mass was finished being spoken to they all headed off to the cafeteria for the night. While other males were flexing shirtless Jaune simply removed his armor to reveal a white sleeveless muscle shirt. His pale blond hair was free to fall where it may, his face was finally unobscured by the shadow cast by his hood, and the areas of him once hidden by armor now stood proudly on display.
He felt the eyes of several people locked onto him, but he felt only the need to rest. Rather than take a bedroll as his peers had done he took to a wall. Leaning up against it he closed his eyes and began to drift. He had barely started when he felt himself nudged by someone. He opened his eyes to spot Yang Xiao Long roving her eyes over his form, while Ruby peered closely at some of the scars that dotted Jaune's arms.
"Hey there hot stuff, you never did properly introduce yourself." Yang said, again marveling at Jaune's refusal to break eye contact.
"It's Jaune Arc. And you?" Jaune asked politely.
"Name's Yang, and this little bundle of cute is my little sister Ruby." Yang said, ignoring the glare Ruby sent her way.
"A pleasure." Jaune said, wondering if he would be allowed to sleep yet.
"There you are." A familiar irritated voice said.
"Oum fucking dammit. What do you want?" Jaune said, glaring at Weiss with a fire in his eyes. Ruby noted how his already pale blond hair became somewhat paler.
Weiss stopped, remembering what happened on the airship. She had also noted the paling of Jaune's hair, but until she saw Ruby respond to it as well she had played it off as a trick with the light. She cleared her throat and steadied herself.
"I wish to apologize for my actions earlier, I had forgotten my manners." Weiss said, extending the courtesy that a member of the Arc family was due.
Jaune softened his expression. "Accepted. Do not worry, it is not by way to hold grudges. I pride myself a passive observer unless needed."
Weiss nodded, noting that Jaune, while not being as respectful as she was used to, had not made any attempt to approach her. Most people of Jaune's age from notable families had attempted to gain favor by allying themselves with her family. Jaune honestly didn't seem to care.
"I look forward to seeing how genuine that is." Weiss thought.
"So you're Weiss Schnee." A darker voice said, joining in on the conversation.
Jaune turned to look at the newcomer, recognizing her has the girl he had first seen upon landing.
"Hi, who're you?" Ruby piped up, looking forward to making some new friends.
"Blake, Blake Belladonna." Blake answered, glancing at the young reaper.
Jaune felt the simmering hostility, while he could use it to cause violence on their parts he wasn't as adept at reducing it. In light of this he decided to tune out the conversation and go to sleep while the girls were distracted.
Morning came almost immediately for Jaune, it was still a few hours before the initiation so he decided to go for a walk. Retrieving his gear he stepped outside and shook loose the remaining drowsiness from his muscles. Extending his hand out, he made the mental call. With a loud whinny Ruin emerged from the ground, as if it had just burned his way through the soil. The spectral steed gave his rider a gentle head-butt, Jaune in response patted the side of Ruin's face. The two stayed out for about an hour, just enjoying each other's presence. But there came the time Jaune needed to head to the cliffs for initiation.
Dismissing Ruin Jaune focused on the cliffs. He had learned how to use a teleportation ability similar to the Serpent Holes, but he didn't need pre-existing paths to travel. The other initiates all started when he appeared out of thin air, but it was his calm demeanor following the stunt that unnerved them.
Ozpin stared at him for a moment, trying in vain to gauge the boy. He went on to explain that partners and teams would be decided today, and then proceeded to start launching the initiates with the launch pads. Jaune's pad had to work hard to launch his form, but it managed. He sailed through the air without a care in the world, until a spear came his way. He twisted to dodge it and activated his Shadow glide ability. He noted the Spartan bare a sheepish look, and how Ruby down below looked up at the descending form in awe.
Alighting upon a branch Jaune held out a hand. Like the legendary Mjolnir of Thor the spear came zooming into his palm, obeying its highest master. He could hear Ruby and Weiss meet up, and concluded that it would be best to leave them be. He opted to go and find the artifacts. Dropping to the ground he became aware of a multitude of Beowolves and Ursa that surrounded him. What he missed was the number of other initiates also near him. They would have intervened when the Grimm struck, but Jaune's actions stopped them. A flick of his wrist had the Crossblade flying, it hacked apart anything near it. It seemed to have a mind of its own as it darted from one target to another. An Ursa died from the tip of Jaune's Abyssal chain impaling its skull. Mercy was obliterating Ursa with only one shot each. Finally when the Grimm had all backed away to regather themselves Jaune pointed his Void Walker up and opened a portal dozens of meters up, then pointed it to the ground to open another. He jumped into the lower portal and emerged from the one in the sky. In an instant he closed both portals and reared his Tremor Gauntlet back. When he hit the ground he caused a massive shockwave that tore apart anything within twenty meters.
Yang was almost salivating, Blake and Weiss were stunned, and Ruby had stars in her eyes when looking at the weapons. Jaune hadn't noticed them, his focus was on pinpointing any Grimm in the area. Sensing none he summoned Ruin, shocking his spectators again, and mounted his steed. The last thing the girls saw of Jaune in that clearing was his back as he raced off northward.
It wasn't long before Jaune had reached the temple with the various chess pieces. Some were already missing, but Jaune didn't concern himself with that. His concern was the acquisition of a teammate. He didn't have to wait long, Ruby and Weiss with Yang and Blake all came into the clearing. Behind them were Nora and Ren with Pyrrah. Jaune threw Pyrrah's weapon back to her and snatched up a white rook piece, an action quickly mirrored by Nora. The rest of the girls chose white knight pieces, which left the question of what to do now. The answer came from a loud crashing sound in the trees. It seemed that when Nora was looking for Ren she found a Deathstalker, and now it had found her. Jaune looked at the massive scorpion with a smile.
"Hey Ruby, do you remember when I talked about my sword?" Ruby nodded in response. "I think I just found a good enemy to use it on."
Jaune once again held his hand out. But rather than summon Ruin something much more sinister occurred. The grass directly beneath Jaune's had burned and died, and the ground beneath started to bubble and melt into lava. Then, like some small monument, a mass rose out of the lava. When the lingering molten rock cleared enough for the object to be seen it was revealed to be a sword. A foot wide in places and at least five feet long the blade had a number of curves to the edge and the depictions of agonized faces on the flat.
Jaune gripped the handle and pulled it from the molten ground. "Chaoseater, it's time to feast." The blade seemed to thrum in happiness at this. The Deathstalker paused for a moment, sensing something ancient and powerful about the weapon it was now faced with. But it brushed this off and opted to charge, it would be the last mistake of its life.
Jaune let it approach, Chaoseater resting casually on his shoulder. When it was close enough to try attacking with one of its claws Jaune moved. He casually slapped the incoming claw away and in the resulting opening brought Chaoseater down on its head. The carapace, strong enough to take high penetration rounds, massive blunt force, and anything short of a volcano's heat, was sheered through with such force that the shockwave, much like earlier with the Tremor Gauntlet, obliterated everything near Jaune. His audience was now utterly shocked, and most for a similar reason. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang were all thinking of how it would have been to have Jaune as a partner, Pyrrah was stunned by the sheer power of the strike, Nora and Ren were glad that Jaune was on their side.
Other Grimm started to approach, hordes of Beowolves with a number of Ursa burst from the trees. Jaune leapt towards the fray and began to fight, once again stunning the others with his ability. Each sword swing cleaved entire groups apart, and with a swing happening every second it reduced the Grimm numbers rapidly.
It was over as soon as it had begun, of the close to two hundred Grimm that had come only a handful had survived and elected to flee. The other initiates could only watch in stunned silence, Weiss was now regretting not teaming with Jaune earlier, Yang was more interested than ever, Blake, as a being with greater senses than a human, felt the same sensation she had felt when she had first met Jaune return stronger than ever, Ruby wanted to examine the sword, Pyrrah sought to learn more about her partner, Ren was very intimidated, and Nora was…Nora.
"Let's go shall we?" Jaune said simply, ignoring the looks he was receiving.
Glynda had been watching on her scroll and was open mouthed in shock. Ozpin was still uneasy about Jaune being here. The Horsemen were, by the nature of their being, only manifested when the world needed them. If the Horseman War had manifested then there was good reason to be wary of events to unfold.
"Ruby Rose, Weiss Shcnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long. You recovered the White Knight pieces, as such, from here on, you will be Team RWBY. Led by, Ruby Rose." Ruby was glomped by her sister in pride, Weiss looked betrayed, and Blake didn't care.
"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren. You recovered the White Rook pieces, from here on you will be Team JNPR. Led by, Jaune Arc." Nora whooped in joy, Pyrrha and Ren gave small smiles, and Jaune simply shrugged.
The two teams were about to retire when the Headmaster approached them. "Hello you all." Ozpin said kindly.
Most of the hunters in training gave verbal replies, Ren nodded in respect, but Jaune simply stared into Ozpin's eyes.
"I wish for you eight to know that I will be having your teams work very closely with each other. Starting with your living arrangements. We at Beacon are about to start renovating the dorms, which includes a slight size upgrade, until these renovations are done we will have your teams lodged in some of the newer dorm rooms. I have already sent the location to your scrolls." Ozpin said nothing more as he took a sip of coffee and walked away.
The new dorms were quite nice. The room was more than big enough for everyone and their belongings. Jaune didn't need to do much unpacking, but his teammates did. They decorated their areas to their tastes. Jaune simply set his weapons down and took a seat. It didn't take long for Team RWBY to come in and take a look. Yang looked about but constantly stole glances at Jaune, Blake seemed to regard Jaune with great suspicion out of the corner of her eye, and Ruby had immediately been drawn to the weapons in Jaune's arsenal, while Weiss sneered at the tortured faces on the flat of Chaoseater.
"Wow Jaune, this sword is amazing. And heavy." Ruby said, trying to move the massive blade. She couldn't help but note that dim red lights appeared in the eyes of all of the blade's 'faces' when she touched the handle.
"It's an eyesore. Why do you have this thing?" Weiss asked in utter contempt.
"Careful frosty, that 'eyesore' is older than your family name and has killed better warriors than you." Jaune said, watching as Ruby picked up the Crossblade. "Careful with that."
"EEK!" Ruby's startled squeak drew the attention of the others in the room. The once folded and compact blade was now a massive curve bladed shuriken that was at least three feet across and was made distinct by the runes etched into the metal and the leather wrapped handle in the middle.
"Yang, if your sister ends up losing a limb like that then I take no responsibility for it." Jaune said, watching as Ruby had moved past her shock and was examining the weapon that could have seriously injured her. Ruby then, somehow figuring out how to do so, closed the Crossblade and set it back down.
"You shouldn't let her play with your equipment you dunce. What are you thinking?" Weiss snarled.
"I'm thinking that if you and I fight in combat class, that I'm going to shut you up." Jaune said simply, bringing out a touch of his power. His hair and eyes paled slightly, his facial marking seemed to deepen, and, if the lights had been dim enough, you would have seen a low red glow around his form.
"Ok, I think that's all the show and tell for today. We're going to turn in for the night, see you all tomorrow." Yang said, grabbing both Ruby and a still fuming Weiss, and returning to their room.
"I think we should do the same, we've got a big day tomorrow." Ren said, getting nods from the rest of the team.
As each head hit their pillow the thoughts of all the females returned to the male that had caught their attention. Pyrrha was decidedly interested, Jaune had not made any mention of her fame and seemed to not care when informed of it. Nora, who due to her long time alongside her childhood friend could not imagine him as a romantic partner, thought Jaune was awesome and mysterious. She wondered if he would want to challenge her to a pancake eating contest, or a debate on the merits of sloths.
Across the hall the same was happening to Team RWBY. Ruby though of Jaune as a cool, weapon loving, best friend. But she couldn't shake the warmth that she felt around him. Yang was remembering Jaune's physique and the fact that he never looked at her chest even if she gave him the opportunity to do so. Blake was still uneasy around Jaune, she had noticed the faint red glow around Jaune and it scared her. Weiss was an interesting case. While she snapped at anyone who challenged her, bullying them into submission, she noted how Jaune never backed down. While this irked her it also appealed to her. His blatant disregard for her title was interesting now that she had cooled enough to logically examine Jaune's behavior.
Jaune simply closed his eyes and submerged into unconsciousness, no thoughts or ponderings to hinder him.