That week proved to be busy for Jaune Arc.
Everyone was helping in fixing and preparing the Round Table for its great opening party on Friday. Weiss used her resources and contacts and got for them almost everything they wished for, and Blake was able to get several books and comics for their library. Pyrrha contacted a Mistrali glass worker that fixed several glass mosaic windows for them. Everyone else garnered as much fun stuff as they could, though Nora was forbidden into bringing every stray cat and dog she found.
Despite that they still attended classes, did assignments and trained for the upcoming tournament. And Jaune added to that his training with Pyrrha and Saber. The two girls struck a quick friendship, both sharing the same warrior pride, good nature and a liking to the blonde knight boy, though Pyrrha's feelings were clearly to anyone but Jaune stronger than simple liking him.
Jaune was doubling his effort now that he had doubled the trainers, and clearly that showed in his improvement. Saber clearly knew the sword and shield techniques and was eager to share, while the Amazon's patience and caring nature helped Jaune to not give up. The boy himself felt grateful for both girls by his side.
Sparring that night with Pyrrha, they all noticed how better he was when compared to their first duels. No more wasted energy, no more bad posture. All he needed now was more techniques and experience. During the spar he almost hit Pyrrha several times, and in one close maneuver she was forced to use her polarity control to avoid his sword. She felt very proud of it, despite once again winning the match.
"You did very well tonight, Jaune." She stated as they finished. Jaune just smile and breathed hard.
"If you can do this all with a few months of training, I can see thy becoming a fierce knight by a year's time." Saber added, coming closer and holding Jaune's sword arm, looking at Crocea Mors. "Master, this sword wasn't forged for you, was it?"
"Nah, an old hands me down. It was from my great-great-grandfather, but some believe it might be older than that." Jaune said, handing the sword to Saber. She took it and made some maneuvers with it.
"I see. This sword's blade is a superb job, so light yet so strong and sharp. But the first owner probably was not as tall as thy." She stated as she handed the sword back to Jaune. "Do thou have a blacksmith in this academy?"
"Yes we do. But the blade is made of an unknown metal, and it is near indestructible. No one knows how to reforge it." Jaune explained as he sheathed the sword. Saber smiled at him.
"The blade is not the only part of thy sword, master."
…
The party day couldn't arrive soon enough.
When Friday hit, there was a clear unrest between the members of the Round Table. All of them had a class with Oobleck, and the energetic professor, despite his fast speech and movements, seemed as slow as prof. Port at that particular day. Even Saber, usually eager to learn as much as she could, seemed too excited and restless in her chair beside Jaune. Her presence was already accepted by most students, especially the girls, and unbeknownst to her she had a secret fanclub already.
Otherwise she was mostly just like any other student. Pyrrha and Jaune were both her best friends, or so she felt. She also became good friends with Ruby, Blake and Velvet. The only ones giving her some grief was team CRDL, but none had the courage (and the skills) to confront her, so her school life, something she never experienced before, was mostly pleasant.
When the bell rang, Oobleck had no chance to say any other word as half his class simple disappeared from the stands, leaving just dust and rose petals in their places. Oobleck smiled and sipped from his thermos-weapon. He envied their youth, and lamented that wouldn't last longer.
The group arrived and smiled at their clubhouse, now finished. A new roof made of black stone slabs was put, and the new doors were made of dark wood and iron. The colorful mosaic windows gave it a church appearance, but that was all outside. Jaune grabbed his key and opened the door, revealing the new interior. The floor now had beautiful red and golden carpets, and the walls were decorated with many paintings his family sent him on his request. He turned on the electric lights, revealing the new furniture, courtesy of Weiss. On the right side a mini-arena was installed, equipped with hard light barriers, meaning they could go all out in their training if needed. Some gym equipment was installed there too. The bathrooms were installed in that side too, the only new addition to the building itself. The left side had the biggest holo-screen Weiss could fit in the room, a complete central kitchen, a big fridge, chairs, beanbags, game consoles and a shelf full with movies, videogames and board games, provided mostly by Sun and Neptune. There were several pieces of decoration that Coco and Velvet got, and the place had this castle/summer house by the lake feeling.
The biggest addition though was the literal round table in the middle of the place. The beautifully crafted wood table had the Remnant map masterly etched in its surface, and twenty chairs covered in blue velvet surrounded it. Saber got closer to it and smiled at the table, her eyes a mix of longing and melancholy. Everyone else had big smiles in their faces as Jaune prompted everyone to seat. It was time for the first meeting of the Round Table.
They sat with Jaune in the opposite side of the door, Pyrrha by his right side, followed by Nora and Ren. Then there was team RWBY, in this order, Team CFVY, with Coco, Velvet, Yatsu and Fox and finally Sun and Neptune. Saber sat by Jaune's left side.
"So, I think the first order of the day is defining the rules for our club." Jaune started, and everyone agreed with it.
"So, who will be the club president?" Coco questioned, relaxing in the comfortable chair.
"I suggest Jaune, since it was all his idea after all." Velvet said, and Jaune scratched his head. He didn't felt confident enough to assume that responsibility.
"I think that is grand." Pyrrha supported it, and aside a bit of complaints by Weiss, they ended up unanimously electing Jaune as the club's leader.
"But I will keep an eye on you, Arc." Weiss added, making him chuckle nervously. He them provided everyone with paper and pen.
"Everyone, the first and unchangeable rule of this table is that all members have a voice. So I want all of you to suggest rules for our club." He said, and soon everyone was talking and writing. After an hour or so they finally agreed with a set of ten basic rules, which Blake wrote in parchment, with a beautiful calligraphy. Yatsu then decorated it with some drawings in old medieval style, and they proudly fixed the rules in the wall close to the door, by its left side.
The Round Table 10 Laws of Fun
To become a member, you need to be appointed by half of the current members.
Every member has a voice in the Round Table and a key for the door. Don't lose it or lend it to non-members.
Don't be a jerk to others; if you do we will kick your sorry ass out of here. That's if Nora don't break your legs first. We are NOT joking, she will.
Respect everyone's space. We have plenty of room here, no need to get into others personal space.
Don't touch other people's food. You WILL be killed if you do.
Do not disturb the silence of the library. You WILL be killed if you do.
This place is for everyone, so clean up your mess before leaving.
Seasonal cleaning is mandatory. Unless you are sick and it is contagious. Your germs are not welcome.
Do not flirt inside, nobody wants to see it, except Yang, and she WILL tease you till you want to die. Seriously.
We help each other, so don't shy away from talking about your problems. We will help you to solve them even if it kills you. We will try not to, though.
They smiled at it and patted each other in the shoulders when the door opened suddenly. Cardin Winchester and his team entered without ceremony and received the death stares of everyone present.
"You guys really made this place comfy. I thank you in name of my boys." He said.
"Yeah, no. You are not invited. This is a private club." Weiss said, as everyone positioned to not let team CRDL go further inside the club.
"This is school ground; you can't forbid me or my team here." Cardin growled back.
"We can and we will. This place was trusted on us by prof. Ozpin to do as we please as long as we don't break any school rules. So I suggest you to leave." Pyrrha stated, clearly angered over the bully's presence, ruining the mood.
"Make me, cereal girl." He challenged, ignoring he was outnumbered and that Pyrrha alone could beat his whole team. Jaune sighed, knowing his only intention was to ruin the mood, since there was no way he could win a fight against everyone there.
"Miss Nikos will not do anything, Mr. Winchester. Me, on the other hand…" They turned to the door and saw Ms. Goodwitch there. Her face clearly showed she was not pleased. "Beacon lent this space to Mr. Arc, and it is his responsibility to preserve it, as it is his prerogative to decide who can and who can't use this space. Besides, it was he and his friends that fixed this otherwise abandoned building. If you find a similar space, we can negotiate your use of it, otherwise, I suggest you and your team leave here."
Cardin's face contorted in rage, but he and his friends stormed out of the place, knowing very well that with the teacher there, they could not create the havoc they wanted, and he learned that Goodwitch would follow any threat she threw at him. Everyone breathed easier as soon as he left.
"Good grief, I really should fix that boy's awful attitude while I can." She said to the group.
"I do not understand why that jerk was allowed here in Beacon to begin with." Sun added, receiving a disapproving glare from the professor over his choice of words.
"Because of the Grimm." They turned to see Yang speaking. "He is a good fighter, and he wants to fight damn deadly monsters. So, beggars can't be choosers."
"While the choice of words isn't exactly what I would use, Miss Xiao Long is right. We do need all people with the skill and disposition to fight the Grimm." She said, and noticed the gloomy atmosphere around, so she smiled. "But tonight isn't supposed to be a celebration? I come here to inform some good news for you."
"Really?" some of them spoke at the same time.
"First I was chosen to be your club's advisor. Don't worry; I am not here to enforce rules, since this club is for you children to relax. As long as you don't do anything illegal or dangerous, all I will do is observe." They all smiled back to her. "Second, Jaune and Saber will be allowed to participate in the Tournament qualifiers. The bad news of this is that the other schools will observe you two before defining if you could fight at the tournament itself."
"That is not very nice. Letting Jaune and Saber fight and if they qualify, saying they can't participate in the tournament anyway." Ruby complained, almost everyone supporting her.
"It does not matter. We will do our best there and walk proudly over our victories." Saber said, and Jaune agreed.
"I probably would not even consider participating in the Tournament before. So might as well take the chance to see it as a training match." He said, and Pyrrha gently hold his arm, reassuring him.
"You do well doing that, Mr. Arc. Your progress in the last months is undeniable, so I expect a good show from you." She said, and Jaune actually blushed over her reassurance. "That said, the blacksmith asked me to deliver something to you."
Ms. Goodwitch gave him Crocea Mors back. The handle and hilt were changed, for a longer handle and a more complex hilt. Between the hilt and the blade there was a half foot long beautiful extension, white and golden with the two crescents that made the Arc family crest. The blade itself was unchanged, but the extension increased the sword's reach. The shield itself received no changes.
"Woah, they made a good job." He said going to the arena and testing the sword. "The weight and balance barely changed."
"Thou still need to practice with it, Master." Saber said, with a proud smile in her face. "Now thou can use thy height as an advantage"
"Well, so why not a spar practice?" Weiss said, grabbing her rapier and getting up on the arena. "To be fair, you can't have Saber's help, and I won't use my glyphs."
"Why not? Thanks for the help, Weiss. Ms. Goodwitch, do you mind being the judge?" Jaune asked as he prepared himself.
"Certainly. I want to see how much progress your tutelage under Miss Nikos and Miss Saber gave you." She said as they activated the hard light barrier. Weiss rolled the rapier's barrel and smiled at Jaune.
"I promise to not hurt you… much." She said as she got in position and fixed her stance.
"Thanks, Weiss. Just remember to give me some pointers after." He said, and Weiss smiled surprised. He really got over her.
The battle, on the other hand, was not what Weiss supposed it would be. Jaune's shield showed to be harder to deal with than she expected. His weight and strength made harder for her to break his defenses with her weapon. Meanwhile, his counters were proving to be quiet dangerous, as the extended reach of his new Crocea Mors proved to give him a serious advantage. He could get in attack reach and keep her at bay.
Her main advantage though was her Dust rounds, and she didn't hesitate to use it. First she used her ice Dust to create obstacles around Jaune, and used her most acrobatic capacity to attack, forcing him to get mostly on defense. Then she used fire Dust to attack him, making the shield irrelevant. But Jaune's huge reserves of Aura showed to be a great counterpoint to her Dust. Even giving a bit of it to Saber, he still had way more than Weiss, and she needed to use her own Aura to power her Dust.
So when she checked her scroll, she wasn't happy to see Jaune in the green while she was going in the yellow. A war of attrition would cost her the battle. So she armed her weapon with thunder Dust and attacked Jaune, the lightning making him dizzy. She attacked at that moment, draining him of a good chunk of his Aura. She smiled and prepared to repeat the same attack again, confident the battle was hers.
Everyone already expected her to win, despite the good show Jaune put for them. Weiss simple had the advantage of proper training and her Dust. Only Pyrrha and Saber still held in their hearts hope Jaune could turn the tables around. Jaune decided to use the only skill he knew he had that Weiss lacked. Strategic thinking.
Weiss once again used her lightning and attacked, while already moving for a final attack. But then she got surprised. Jaune craved his sword in the floor, and crouched, the sword acting as a ground wire and absorbing the lightning. He used his shield to block her attack and pushed her back a few feet, before he grabbed his sword back and slammed her said, throwing her against one of the ice walls she made. Before she could get up again, prof. Goodwitch called the battle.
"The battle is over, Jaune Arc is the victor." She stated, and Weiss checked her scroll. She was in the red and Jaune was in the yellow, despite barely.
Their friends were shocked over that result, and only moved after Pyrrha let a happy squeal and rushed to give Jaune a tight hug. The boy was still processing what happened, but had a big smile in his face as he hugged her back. Soon all of their friends surrounded them and gave the boy congratulations, a proud Saber patted his back.
"I knew thou could win, Master." She said, but Jaune just pushed her into the hug, making her blush in surprised.
"I owe this to Pyrrha and you, Saber. Thank you. Thanks, Pyr." Both girls smiled and blushed before they let him go. Weiss approached and had a displeased face.
"You fought well, Arc." She said, making a big effort to hide her disappointment over her defeat.
"If you used your glyphs, you would have won this in two moves." He said with a smile. "But thanks for sparring with me."
"Well, this shows that you are ready to get a more rigorous training." She said, finally forming an honest smile in her face. "I.. I will provide help to you if I have the free time to spare."
"Thanks, I appreciate that." He side, extended his hand to her, to which she accepted with a smile.
"Just, don't hurt me too badly." He added, and everyone laughed.
…
The rest of the nigh was spent with all of them having fun. Jaune proved to be very skilled with the grill, and he cooked all types of meats to his friends. Saber in special couldn't get off his side as she ate more than anyone else. They were thankful they had plenty of food for everyone, as Nora and Jaune also ate a lot. They played lots of games (to everyone's surprise, Velvet was the best gamer of them all) and talked a lot. Even prof. Goodwitch was in a good mood, and proved to be a nice person to be around outside the school environment.
After a while, as the night was going on, Jaune found himself in the back room, now a proper library for Blake, who sat in a beanbag and was reading a book (not a perv one) and they gently exchanged greetings. Jaune looked at the now clean and beautiful mosaic glass at the room, which shone over the moon light. He wondered what the future reserved for him as Ms. Goodwitch entered the room.
"What is troubling you, Mr. Arc?" She asked softly.
"Just wondering that I might be really lucky. I got some great friends to help me, and now Saber. I just hope I can live to their expectations." He said, and Glynda smiled at it. He could be tall, but he was still a teenager.
"If you keep the good job, I am certain you will." She said, and Jaune let out a relieved sigh.
"Thanks, professor. I owe you a lot too. After all, you didn't gave up on me either."
Glynda knew already of Jaune's circumstances, about his fake transcripts. She would never understand why his parents, especially his mother, didn't give him the proper training. It was clear to her the boy was talented, just lacked guidance. She would ask them next time they met. It was then that Blake chimed in, changing the subject.
"So, it was here that you summoned Saber the first time?" She asked. There were no more signs of the magic circle when they arrived the day after meeting Saber.
"Yeah, despite what Saber says, I still have trouble just accepting it. Though I believe in her." He said as he looked at the now pristine stone ground.
"I just wonder if other people could summon their own Servants. And I fear what a powerful entity as them would cause in the wrong hands." She said, and both Jaune and Glynda wandered the same, and hoped to never be confronted with such.
…
"Ah, that boy could be useful." A tall man in black cloaks said as he saw Cardin walking around, fuming over the fact he was owned once again. "He will be the perfect test subject."
"Do you think it is wise to let such idiotic child to have a Servant?" a voice said from the shadows.
"For our purposes of assessing Saber's capacities, he is the ideal sacrifice." The man answered before vanishing in the shadows.
A.N. I am back from my vacation, and Ireland is a fabulous place. So I am resuming more frequent updates of my stories from now on. That goes to 'Tales of Beacon' too. Thanks for your support.