They were seen off by Team RWBY, all of whom seemed cheerier than they had the previous evening, though still a little subdued.
"Take care of each other okay?" Ruby said, with a look of genuine concern for her friends.
"Don't worry" Pyrrha said, "Jaune promised we'd all come back alive, and an Arc never goes back on his word." She looked at him, and despite her smile, she hoped he understood that she was determined to see that promise fulfilled.
The teams parted, and JNPR boarded the bullhead. Jaune spent most of the flight with his head between his legs, while Pyrrha rubbed his back.
She turned to Ren. "So what's so special about this particular sheriff?"
"Sherriff Tong and I were trained by the same sensei. She was his best student. I thought it would be nice to meet her."
"I didn't realize you were privately trained" Jaune called from between his legs.
"Ren and I were born in a small village." Nora said, "There weren't many combat schools around, so he was trained by a local sensei, and I was mostly self-taught. What about you Jaune? Where did you get you're training?"
It was an innocent question, but Pyrrha felt Jaune stiffen a little at the question. She suddenly remembered that Ren and Nora still weren't aware of Jaune's fake transcripts.
"I got most of my training from my dad and sisters, and Pyrrha" Jaune said simply.
Pyrrha quickly changed the subject "So what's the story with this village we're heading to?
"It's positioned in a fairly mountainous region" Ren replied "it's small enough and the mountains are rocky enough that the Grimm don't consider it worth the trouble. But with the breach in Vale-"
As if to complete that statement they reached a mountain checkered with what must have been thousands of Grimm. The steepness of the mountain and rocky terrain seemed to be keeping the Grimm at bay, but with so many gathering, it was clear that several would likely trickle through to reach the village.
"Nobody feels safe. Everyone's afraid, and everywhere is vulnerable to the Grimm" Jaune concluded, his motion sickness seemingly forgotten.
After a couple seconds he began to laugh, "I can just hear the 'grim' puns Yang would've made if she'd heard that statement."
The rest of his team began to laugh, which took their minds off the army of Grimm below them, and to the village they were on their way to help.
The bullhead was greeted by a tall blonde woman in a sheriff's uniform, and a well-muscled man with black hair and sideburns past his ears.
"Welcome to Melas, Team JNPR" the woman greeted with a cool manner, "I'm sheriff Tong. I hope your team got plenty of rest last night, because I'm going to put you to work."
"Whatever you need Sheriff." Jaune replied "We're here to work and to learn."
"That's what I like to hear" She smiled. Follow me; I'll brief you on what I need on the way."
As they moved through the town, they noticed that the streets seemed mostly deserted, and most homes had the windows shut. However, as they continued their journey, they noticed a number of people looking through curtains at them, and men exiting their homes to inspect Team JNPR, sizing them up. Pyrrha noticed several skeptical looks directed at Jaune in particular.
"They expected more" she thought to herself. "They were hoping for full-fledged huntsmen, but they got a group of teenagers."
"As I'm sure you all know, with the attack on Vale yesterday, people are growing more nervous about their safety, which has drawn more Grimm to our outskirts. Normally when this happens I'll take anyone in the village who wants to kill Grimm, and lead a raid on the population."
Jaune nodded in understanding, "Thins the herds and raises moral among the citizens."
"As long as everyone comes back alive, yes. Usually I'll arm them all with guns so they can kill Grimm at a distance. Make them feel even safer. Unfortunately, with the dust shortage, and with so many Grimm out there, we need to save what dust we have for emergencies. This means this time around, I need to arm them with swords, spears, and shields."
"I'm guessing they haven't had much training with those weapons" Ren pointed out.
"That's where you come in. I want your team to train our volunteers on the basics of using those weapons."
Pyrrha saw Jaune grow pale at this tall order. Ren and Nora's unique fighting styles would make it difficult for training men armed with swords and spears, and Jaune had only just mastered the basics of sword play himself.
As if sensing their concern Tong added, "I don't need them to be qualified for the Vytal tournament. I don't plan on them fighting anything worse than your average ursa. Just give them a crash course on the basics, and teach them how to stay alive in a normal battle. That's the most important part of this, doing everything we can to make sure everyone gets back from the hunt alive."
Jaune gulped with the immense weight on his shoulder. Not only did he have the weight of his entire team on his shoulders, but now the lives of whoever had chosen to volunteer for this hunt.
Pyrrha placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. He returned the smile and turned back to the sheriff.
"We'll do everything we can."
As they entered the courtyard they found twenty nervous men and women lounging about, each carrying a shield, and either a sword or a spear. Some looked younger than Ruby, while others looked older than professor Ozpin. As they entered, Jaune saw all eyes turn to him and his team. He could practically hear the skepticism going through their minds right now.
"They're going to train us?
"They're just a bunch of kids."
"This is the best Beacon has to offer."
Sheriff Tong stood forward. "This is team JNPR, one of the finest teams at Beacon academy. They are going to teach you all the basics of melee weapons. Listen to them, and learn."
Jaune took a deep breath and stepped forward. "My name is Jaune Arc, team leader. These are my teammates, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren. Everyone line up and take your stances, wide, and low to the ground. "
Pyrrha was surprised at the strength and authority in his voice. Any skepticism with his age was forgotten as everyone lined up, and took their best stances.
"Pyrrha, will you help me inspect their stances?" He strode to one end of the line and gave the man there a strong, one handed shove, testing his stance, and giving pointers. Pyrrha grinned, and followed suit.
The next two hours flew by, as Jaune showed the swordsmen the different stances and positions of sword play, while Pyrrha taught the spearmen how to thrust with spears. Ren and Nora quickly picked up on the basics being taught, and gave their own pointers here and there, Ren helping with footwork, while Nora tested shield strength and reflexes by randomly swinging Magnhild at random people in line, making sure their shields were up, and ready to defend. Sheriff Tong looked on with a smile. These teens had fallen right into the role of instructors, and the villagers were already picking up the basics. After two hours Sheriff Tong pulled Jaune aside.
"How are they doing?"
"They're fast learners. They seem to have the basics down at least."
"I think they're ready for another teacher" she smiled, "experience."