Team JNPR and Sheriff Tong led the small, nervous looking militia towards the outskirts of the village. Jaune had been a little apprehensive at first, though he had to admit it was safer than his first combat experience. At least these people got to walk to their first Grimm encounter.
As their journey continued, Sheriff Tong began to speak to Ren. "I understand you were taught by Sensei Hail?"
Ren smiled, "yes, he spoke very highly of you."
"Really?" Was the skeptical response
"He said you were less of a waste of space after he was done with you."
Sheriff Tong laughed at that, "I guess that's more of a compliment than he gave any other students. He wasn't exactly one for verbal praise. You had to watch for the nonverbal approval. A nod or approving grunt. I swear I once saw him crack a smile."
"I think he softened up on his canings beatings over time."
"He sounds pretty harsh" Jaune said, "I'm surprised your parents let you learn from him."
"I asked to learn from him. My mother had been one of his students, so she made sure I knew what I was getting into. My parents have always made sure I truly knew what I asked for, but they've never sheltered me."
"Of course not" the man who accompanied Sherriff Tong interjected, "I doubt any of your parents have sheltered you if they let you attend beacon."
Pyrrha couldn't help but notice an uncomfortable look flash on Jaune's face, but as soon as it was there, it was gone.
"I don't think I caught your name" Jaune said to the man.
"Cordon" the man responded, "I'm a temporary deputy to the sheriff."
"I don't see any weapons on you" Nora said curiously.
He grinned "I have my weapons right here." He held up his fingers, which extended into a deadly handful of claws.
"That's so cool!" Jaune exclaimed, "Are you a Faunus?"
"I am" he said a little taken aback, "puma based."
"By any chance" Pyrrha said "are you related to Tukson? He owned a book trade in Vale."
Cordon frowned "yes, he was my brother. Until someone decided to redecorate his store with his brains."
"I'm so sorry. I met him a couple times. He seemed very nice."
"Yes, he was."
"Did they ever find who killed him?"
"I'm afraid not. The police closed it as an anonymous hate-crime."
"Wait" Jaune said, "I remember you mentioning this, Pyrrha; this was the guy who was murdered in broad daylight right? How could they not have any witnesses?"
"Not many people going to book trades these days" Cordon mused bitterly. "I kept trying to tell my brother that his business would get no customers, but he loved books too much. Something about the smell."
"I know a few faunus like that" Pyrrha said, thinking of Blake and Velvet. "They pick up on the smell and sound of the pages better than we humans do. Guess scrolls will never be able to replace that."
"That's pretty much how Tukson used to explain it" Cordon smiled, fond memories of his brother playing in his mind's eye.
A few yards outside of the village Sheriff Tong led them to a path.
"This path is the only safe way to the village by foot" she explained. "Most Grimm try to climb the mountain, and the few that survive the climb get shot down by snipers in guard towers. However, with the collective fear of the villagers, an unfortunately high number have been using the path. Grimm aren't too bright, but they do learn. If too many find the path, we don't have the man-power to drive them back."
"So we go down the path, and let the militia kill any minor Grimm we find. If we kill enough we can convince the Grimm that the path is just as dangerous as the rest of the mountain" Jaune summarized.
"So far we've only seen beowolves coming up the path, and only in small groups, but those groups have been getting bigger, and more frequent."
"It would probably be best to have everyone work in teams for now, so they can watch each other's backs." Pyrrha interjected.
"Sounds good" Jaune said.
They had everyone team up in pairs, a swordsman, and a spearman, and then proceeded down the path. It wasn't long before they found their first Grimm. Jaune gave a sigh of relief when he saw it was a lone beowolf about ten yards down the path. He turned to the team nearest to the front.
"Remember what we taught you. Shields up, eyes open, wait for your openings. Go get 'em!"
The two determined villagers moved forward cautiously, shields raised stances wide, and low to the ground. Jaune observed their almost comically slow progression with growing trepidation. He held his breath, somehow feeling more nervous now, than when he was the one doing battle.
"Is this what it's been like training me?" He muttered to Pyrrha, who simply smiled, and aimed Milo's rifle form at the beowolf, ready to fire at the first sign of trouble.
The beowolf quickly noticed the pair approaching it, and charged forward, raising its claw for a strike that never found its mark. The First villager stepped forward; raising his shield to catch the blow, as the second villager behind him took the chance to move forward, thrusting his spear into the beast's belly. The Grimm gave a howl of pain, and gave a wild swipe at the offending youth, only to be met by his shield, villagers shield, as he yanked his spear out of the beast's belly, causing it to lurch forward, where the first villager took the opportunity to cleave the creatures head from its neck.
Jaune gave a sigh of relief as the militia sent up a cheer of triumph. As the two victorious villagers made their way back to the group, he noticed another lone beowolf approaching, drawn by the blood of its comrade.
"Alright" Jaune called out, "who's next?"
The rest of the day was mostly a success. Jaune had to reprimand a few people from time to time, and Pyrrha had to prevent a few villagers from having their heads bit off, but for the most part, the villagers were proving a cautious and disciplined group of amateurs.
It wasn't until the sun began to set, and the sheriff was about to call it a day that trouble began. A group of young adults came up the path on motorbikes, panic on all their faces.
"Sheriff Tong" one of them called out.
"What are you idiots doing outside of the village" The sheriff demanded?!
"We were off-roading when we saw a herd of Grimm! Headed this way!"
Jaune heard the militia begin to talk amongst themselves, panic in their voices. "How many" The sheriff demanded.
"At least thirty" one of the cyclists said, "mostly beowolves, but a few Ursai too."
Jaune turned to the sheriff. "You're call. My team can take them out ourselves, but if the militia gets involved, we can't guarantee their safety."
The sheriff thought for a moment, then smiled, "why not have them take up a defensive stance, while the five of us give them a show."
Jaune smiled back. "Sounds good to me, what do you three think" he said, turning to his team.
Ren nodded the affirmative and Nora was all too happy to have a fight of her own.
Pyrrha smiled, overjoyed to see Jaune's confidence. "I'll show the militia how to form a shield wall. That way, even if something gets past us, they can take it out."
She had just finished organizing the militia into two rows, (swordsmen in front, on their knees, shields facing forward, and spearmen standing behind, shields raised over their heads) when Ren's sharp eyes picked up the first few Grimm. She quickly rushed over, taking her stance next to Jaune. Cordon had also joined team JNPR and the sheriff at the front.
"Go back Cordon" Sheriff Tong commanded.
"I'm more than capable of killing a few Grimm, Sheriff." He whispered so Jaune only just heard him, "you and this town have been good to my family. Let me serve this community before I leave."
"No time to argue" Jaune said, "Nora, light them up."
Nora began firing Magnhild into the crowd of Grimm, filling the area with smoke. Any Grimm that emerged from the smoke was quickly gunned down by Ren and Pyrrha, or pierced by concealed knives, thrown by Sheriff Tong. Any Grimm fortunate enough to survive them were quickly cut down by Jaune, or had their throats torn out by Cordon.
After a few minutes enough Grimm had made it passed the line of fire, which necessitated the rest of Team JNPR switching to melee weapons, though this hardly decreased their effectiveness. Sheriff Tong was confident enough in their abilities that she stood back and observed the young hunters in training.
Lie Ren was definitely a student of Sensei Hail. StormFlower was an extension of his body, and he proved just as deadly with his hands and feet as with his weapon.
Pyrrha Nikos had clearly earned her celebrity status. She made the battle field look like a dancefloor, moving about fluidly and gracefully, totally untouchable by her foes.
Where Pyrrha made battle look like a dance, Nora Valkyrie made it look like a playground. She charged the creatures with a look of glee, her face showing her love of battle, while her skill demonstrated her awareness of the danger around her.
The real surprise to the sheriff was the team leader, Jaune Arc. While training the militia, he had shown a natural talent for leadership, despite obvious nervousness. It was clear that he was a skilled tactician, and that his team respected his authority. But in combat, he was clearly behind his team. He clearly had a firm grasp on the basics, a solid defense, and excellent battlefield awareness, but he lacked the grace, confidence, and experience of his team.
She decided to put this concern aside for now, and discuss it with his team later. For now, Team JNPR seemed to have a firm grasp on the situation. They were an excellent team, who clearly understood one another's strengths and weaknesses, and knew how to work together as a team. As a surrogate family of sorts.
Jaune was feeling good about this battle. The handful of Grimm that made it past his team and Cordon had been quickly slain by the well-formed militia. He hadn't observed any injuries, and most of the Grimm had retreated. At this point it was mostly mop-up. He took a moment to check on Cordon, who was yanking his claws out of an Ursa's massive throat.
"Everything okay Cordon?"
"Never better. Was the breach in vale anything like this?"
"No nothing like this…:
Jaune's mind suddenly started racing. This DID seem similar to the breach. A swarm of Grimm, suddenly finding a path that only a few had found up till now. As if someone had gotten the idea from the Breach.
At that moment, he glanced behind Cordon, and saw one of the cyclists, his wolf ears standing on end, aiming a gun at Cordons head.
Authors Notes!
I hope you guys are enjoying this so far! Thank you so much for your support. Please continue to leave reviews, I like to know what you guys enjoy, and I will gladly accept all constructive criticism.
Just so you guys know I'm not yanking this all out of my ass, here's a few plot points for followers of this story to look forward to.
1. We'll find out why Nora friend zoned Ren.
2. Ren and Nora will find out about Jaune's fake transcripts.
3. Jaune's semblance will be discovered, and it will put him on Cinder's radar.
4. Pyrrha will begin to channel a bit of her inner Agent Carolina.
5. There will be an encounter with Penny.
6. We will meet the families of Team JNPR.
7. There will be a falling out with Team RWBY (inspired by the Volume 3 opening theme.)
I'm actually planning on this being part of a series of stories surrounding Team JNPR. I really hope I can flesh out Ren and Nora, while staying true to the characters owned by Rooster Teeth.