Chapter 6 – First Comes, First Serves

Qrow and Jaune finally reached the club in the poorest part of the city and observed the surroundings before making a move.

"Alright kid, you're gonna stay out here and stay low. You aren't old enough to enter the club so I'm gonna need you to keep watch." Qrow said silently as the two approached the club's entrance.

"There has to be something I can do. How about you sneak me in?" Jaune said.

"The only thing I need you to do for now is to wait outside. The time will come when I will need your help, but for the time being just stand over there against the wall." Qrow pointed to the wall facing the club that was covered in graffiti and had other shady people standing around.

"If something happens out here and you need my help don't hesitate to call me." Qrow said.

"Yea… okay." Jaune looked down in shame. He really wanted to help him gather information and be useful for once in his life. He was always the person who no one would ask for help. Jaune really wanted to be helpful in combat, but it seems whatever he does, makes things worse. Qrow entered the club and disappeared inside the crowd, whereas Jaune walked over the graffiti covered wall and simply put on his hoodie and leaned against the wall.

"So did you hear about the incident in Vale?" said one of the guys who were standing next to Jaune.

"You mean the attack by a whole mess of Grimm and White Fang soldiers?" another said. The group of people that were talking caught Jaune's attention and paid close attention to their conversation, hoping to pick up some useful information that he can tell Qrow.

"Yea, that's the one. I heard a rumor that a…" Jaune was distracted by a man who approached him.

"Got any money to spare man?" A man who seemed high off of something was asking the boy for money.

"Sorry I don't." Replied Jaune, he kept his head low to avoid his face from being seen.

"Come on man, I just need a few bucks."

"Like I said, I don't have any money on me."

"Don't be like that! I know you have money." The man started to get aggressive.

"AH! I said I don't! Leave me alone!" Jaune yelled, frustrated at the man for distracting him.

The man quickly pulled out a knife and attacked Jaune.

"Jaune saw the knife coming and managed to avoid the strike and instinctively pulled out Crocea Mors and swung at the man's hand that wielded the knife, slicing it in two.

"AHH! YOU SON OF A BITCH! MY HAND!" yelled the drugged man who held his bleeding wrist.

Everyone looked at the commotion and took notice at the man who held his arm.

No one bothered doing anything and went about their business as if this were something that commonly happened in the area. The man ran and disappeared in the dark alley. Jaune put away Crocea Mors and leaned back against the wall.

Dammit! The people who were talking about Beacon left, why the hell would that stupid druggy do something like that. I'm amazed that no one called the police or did something to me after what I did. I didn't even want to attack him. It was like a natural instinct or something that made me attack. Is it a side effect of having this Dark presence in me? Jaune thought to himself, trying to keep a calm mind. Qrow walked out of the front entrance and approached the blonde knight.

It would be best if I keep what happened moments ago a secret. The last thing I want to do is get Qrow upset and let him find out that I made a big commotion. Jaune thought to himself.

"So did you find any useful information?" Jaune asked.

"Yup. I'll tell you what I found out back in the hotel where we will be staying for the night." Qrow said.

*RING RING RING* Jaune's phone went off and looked to see who was calling. It was Ruby and Qrow immediately noticed the face on the phone and quickly pulled the phone out of Jaune's hand.

"HEY!" Jaune yelled.

"Hello? Jaune?" Ruby asked.

"Sorry Jaune can't get to you right now. To leave a call back number press 5, to leave a"

"UNCLE QROW! WHY DO YOU HAVE JAUNE'S PHONE!"

"He had to do something so he told me to hold his phone while he was gone."

"That's not true!" Jaune said loudly.

"I just heard Jaune in the background uncle Qrow."

"What do you need Ruby?"

"I just want to know if he was safe before I head off to bed."

"It's 2 am, you should have been in bed 4 hours ago."

"Yea but I can't sleep unless I know my teammate is safe."

"Ugh fine. I'll pass you to him." Qrow gave back Jaune's phone and continued walking towards the direction of the hotel they will be staying.

"Hey Ruby, how are you?"

"I'm doing fine, how about you? Find anything interesting on your trip?

"I'm doing fine considering I nearly died only once."

"What happened!?"

"Relax, some druggy wanted money and pulled a knife on me. Let's just say, I HANDled the situation." Jaune laughed at the last part.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing, just an inside joke that's all. Anyways, was there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Um… nooo. Why you ask?

"Well you called me so I thought there was something you needed."

"Oh uhhh no. I just wanted to know if you were doing fine on your small trip."

"Don't worry about me Ruby. I'm fine. You sound just like my mother you know that?"

"Oh shut up. Anyways come home soon, everyone misses you, especially me." Ruby said, blushing from the other side of the phone.

"Once I'm done over here I will get back to beacon as soon as possible. I'll even bring you back a souvenir if you want."

"Ooooh! I'm looking forward to seeing my gift!"

"Alright Ruby, I'll see you soon. Bye." Jaune hanged up and proceed to follow Qrow to the hotel.

The Victor Hotel

"So why did Ruby call you?" Qrow was in the bathroom brushing his teeth getting ready for bed.

"She wanted to know if I was doing fine." Jaune said. He was already in bed and was reading the local newspaper.

"Is she always worried about you blondie?"

"She became more concerned about me after Pyrrha's passing. That's one of the many things I came to like about her. You don't see someone with a personality like that anywhere these days."

"That's just the kind of person Ruby has always been. She sees the good in people and that is one of the many reasons why I didn't want her to become a huntress."

"What do you mean?" Jaune put down the newspaper and looked at Qrow who was came out of the bathroom and got on his bed.

"She is nice, too nice. I don't like to think about it, but one of these days her kindness could possibly get her killed."

"That's not going to happen. I will make sure nothing happens to her Qrow, you can trust me on that."
"You need to learn to protect yourself first. Tomorrow morning will be your first day of training and I am not gonna go easy on you."

"I know that. I'm ready for anything."

"Well are you ready enough to take on a 30 White Fang soldiers?"

"30? Was that what you found out in the club?"

"Yea and apparently there is going to be a very important meeting involving some high ranking officials of the White Fang back at Vale. This could possibly be a trap, but I am 85 percent sure that at least one of the officials that knows about the attack will be there."

"So we're attending this wonderful rally?"

"I am, but you aren't."

"I can help you if things go south!" Jaune said getting out of bed.

"If you can improve your combat skills before the gathering, I will consider you helping me."

"Ugh, fine." Both Qrow and Jaune fell asleep and slept through the night.

Discovery

"You seem to know how to strategically get to your objective during a fight. You also know how to dodge efficiently, but your sword play still needs work. Lucky for you, I am considered one of the deadliest swordsmen in Remnant."

"Are you?"

"Well I like to think so. I'm not the type of person who enjoys having a spotlight on them every day. In any case, come at me with your sword and only your sword."

"Okay, if you say so." Jaune pulled out his sword and took his stance. Qrow pulled out his Greatsword and immediately attacked Jaune. Jaune saw the attack coming and rolled to the right.

"Nice dodge there." Qrow quickly went for another swing which Jaune continued to avoid every hit.

"Avoiding my attacks will not help you out all the time kid." Qrow increased his swinging speed which made it more difficult for Jaune to avoid.

"START ATTACKING!" Qrow yelled.

Jaune swung his sword and aimed for Qrow's ribs but was stopped by his greatsword and Jaune was now trying to overpower Qrow.

"If you can't overpower your opponent, it is best to think of a way to get him open to an attack!" Qrow overpowered the boy and hit Jaune's chest which sent him a few feet back. Jaune ran back to the dusty old man then went for a jump attack. Qrow had no problem blocking Jaune's attack and used a large amount of force to push him back.

"If you continue to rely on strength alone, you will surely fail!" Jaune took a deep breath and analyzed Qrow.

He's right. Brute strength alone won't help me at all in this battle. His weapon weights a lot more than my sword, so it must be somewhat difficult for him to perform these types of swings repeatedly. My best bet is to go for a counter attack in the last second. Jaune ran back to Qrow and thrusted his sword straight towards Qrow's stomach.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Qrow used his strength and his greatsword's weight to slash at the incoming attack hoping to stop the attack and sent his opponent flying. Jaune expected this from Qrow and moved to the side in the last moment, nearly missing Qrow's greatsword and making his mark. Qrow was sent back a step, but the attack didn't faze him. He quickly went for charged up attack and struck down on the surprised knight. Jaune quickly used Crocea Mors to block the impending attack. The amount of force that Qrow put into the swing caused the ground to shatter, but Jaune was still on his feet.

"What the hell!?" Qrow yelled. He took a few steps back and tried to figure out why didn't his attack work. Jaune's sword began to glow and the power behind Qrow's attack was absorbed and coursed through Jaune's body enhancing his speed and his strength. Jaune noticed this sudden surge and decided to use it to his advantage. Jaune's speed allowed him to surprised Qrow and didn't allow him time to block or evade the attack. Jaune's attack hit and the impact sent Qrow sliding back several feet away.

"Whoa!" Jaune said. He walked over to his teacher that was in Awe.

"Oh man, what the hell was that attack." Qrow looked at the blonde's weapon.

"I don't know, maybe the Dark power?"

"No that can't be it. Hey kid, let me see your sword." Jaune proceeded to give him his sword and looked at the dusty old crow as he analyzed it.

"Where did you get this sword from kid?"

"It's a hand-me-down from my great great grandfather."

"Interesting, it seems your weapon absorbed my strong attack and was used to enhance your speed and strength." Qrow gave back Jaune's weapon and went to take his stance to continue the training.

"That's awesome!" Jaune yelled as he lifted up his sword with pride.

"Let's try that again, this time I will be holding back on my attack so that I can test the theory out." The two took their stance and Qrow swung his sword and landed against Jaune's weapon.

"Now attack me." Qrow said as he was ready to block the incoming attack. Jaune ran and attacked the drunk man. Jaune's speed and strength wasn't equal to that of his previous attack. "Each time your sword makes contact with the enemies attack, it will immediately be transferred to you. If your sword gets hit with tremendous force, it would be best to use the energy behind it cautiously. It will not last long so it would be best to use it to its fullest."

"I get it now. Man, grandpa really had powerful weapons in his arsenal."

"Let's see what other tricks your stuff can do."

The Gift

Nearly a week passed since his departure and Jaune began to be efficient in his sword play and increased his strength, speed, and balance. Although he did become a better swordsman, there were still some aspects in his fighting that he needed to work on that Qrow wasn't efficient in, in order to become a threatening huntsman. The two went back to Vale hours before the anticipated meeting occurred and Jaune had the enough time to get back to the school and talk with his friends about his short adventure with Qrow.

"So then Qrow managed to get us a V.I.P room that came with free food and drinks with an amazing view of the movie for FREE!" Jaune said with a smile on his face.

"WHY DIDN"T HE TAKE ME?!" Yang demanded to know.

"That's because me and Qrow are now best buds." Jaune said with a grin on his face.

"Oh shut up!" Yang said loudly. She was jealous of the stories Jaune has been telling them about their trip in Victorville.

"Did you guys do anything else besides party all night?" Ren asked.

"Actually we did. We manage to gather intel about a meeting that's going to happen in a warehouse in Vale that involves high ranking White Fang officers." Jaune said with a serious tone.

"What is the exact location that the meeting will be and what time will it start?" Blake asked.

"Sorry but Qrow said that none of you can go along."

"That's not fair! We've stopped Torchwick and his gang once before. We can handle ourselves fine! Blake said angrily

"She's right Jaune and besides, we know you can't stand a chance against a White Fang member that is considered a high ranking official. He can probably kill you in seconds if you don't have any sort of back up." Weiss added.

"Sorry but no matter what you say, it will not change my mind." Jaune said as he leaned back in his chair.

"How about we beat the information out of him guys." Yang said as she cracked her knuckles.

"Wait! Hold on just a second! I can't go either so if you are going to beat anyone up, it should be Qrow."

"Yea but why would we do that if you're right here and already got the info we need." said the feisty yellow haired woman as she grabbed Jaune by the shoulders.

I hope Qrow doesn't get mad at me for this. Why does this always have to happen to me! Jaune thought to himself.

"OKAY FINE! I'll take you where it's going to be, but you need to get my back if Qrow gets upset at me."

"DEAL!" Yang said, letting Jaune go.

"We still have hours before the meeting happens, let's just take it easy and get ready before it starts."

"Oh Ruby, I got you a souvenir that you wanted back in my room. Let's go and get it so that you can take it back to your room." Jaune said walking towards his dorm room.

"SWEET!" Ruby yelled.

"Did you bring anything for us!?" Yang demanded to know.

"You guys didn't call me to bring you something so I thought you guys didn't want anything from my trip." Jaune said.

Yang got upset and simply turned her back to him.

The two students went towards JNR's dorm room and walked towards the knight's bed.

"Here's your gift." The gift was a gold ring that held a small light green gem that glowed.

"Oooh it's beautiful!" Ruby told the blonde knight.

"I got it from an old shop at Victorville. The man behind the desk told me that this ring was created centuries ago by a woman who gave it to her husband to heal him during any battles he confronted during the war. He told me this ring was special so I thought this would make the perfect gift."

"I love it Jaune." Ruby place the ring through her ring finger and hugged the boy.

"You always seem to like old stuff huh Jaune." Ruby said, smiling at him.

"Yup and usually they become really reliable."

"Did you get anything else from that shop?"

"As a matter of fact, yes I did." Jaune pulled out another ring that seemed a little damaged but the engravings it had still remained.

"Oooh what is it." Ruby looked at it with interest.

"The shopkeeper told me that this ring was also created during the war by a man named Victor von Vanquisher. The family was said to rule a small kingdom which is now called Victorville. The family was said to be physically strong and apparently the family dispersed and the only thing remained that was made from Victor was this ring" The ring was silver and dark. It had a carved image of a hill that had markings that made it seem like the top of the hill was shining.

"He told me that this ring made the wearer physically stronger. It's probably fake, but I like the look of it." Jaune said putting on the ring.

"Well I think it looks great and who knows, it probably will." Ruby looked at Jaune with a smile on her face.

I hope yours works too…Ruby. The blonde stared at the smiling rose and smiled himself. The two went back down to the others and began getting ready.

The group got their stuff ready and did a little bit of training before the meeting started. They left right when everyone was asleep and were a bit late reaching their destination.

First In Line

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby yelled. The group saw Qrow outside the warehouse looking around.

"SHHH!" The rest of the group shushed Ruby hoping that the White Fang members did not hear that. Qrow walked over to the group with an upset look on his face.

"What are you guys doing here!? I thought I told you Jaune that I didn't want you especially the rest of your friends here."

"I was threatened. I didn't want to get beat upped by Yang."

"Whatever. I need you guys to stay out here and keep watch. Jaune, you are coming with me inside. Apparently someone knew about the meeting and already took out the officials, all but one."

"Someone was already here? Is someone else after the same people that we are after? Could it be General Ironwood?" Jaune asked Qrow.

"No. General Ironwood would have arrested them and not killed any of them and pulled all their bodies in a ditch, especially leaving one alive and tied to a chair."

"Tied to a chair? So are we dealing with a Vigilante or what?" Ruby asked her uncle.

"I don't know what we are dealing with. Whoever it is, he must be really sneaky because he or she managed to catch almost every Faunus off guard. In any case let's go Jaune. We're going to ask a few questions to the person tied to the chair."

"I'm going with you." Blake said.

"Sorry but this is our case, not yours." Qrow told the Faunus.

"I know for a fact that a man named Adam Taurus was behind the attack. I'm not sure if he was working alone and if he wasn't he could lead you to his partners. I know him better than any of you and if you could let me help you with the investigation, I will be able to track him down easily. I know how he works, what he thinks, and what moves he would do next." Blake told Qrow.

"Well since all of you already know what we're doing, you might as well join us inside. However, I'm going to need the rest of you to keep watch."

The three walked into the warehouse while the others stayed back and kept watch for anything or anyone suspicious that might come out or walk in. Once the three were inside they were met with what seemed to be eight dead White Fang soldiers. The one left alive was tied to a chair in the middle of the room, gagged.

Jaune and Blake went to observe the dead bodies and noticed that some of them had their throats slit.

"Whoever the person was, he is definitely skilled. I'm kinda a little frightened to be honest."Jaune said.

"Agreed" Blake said.

Qrow walked over to the Faunus who was gagged and frightened of him. Qrow ungagged him and he began to talk.

"P-Please don't hurt me! I already told him everything I know! Please just let me live!" The Faunus yelled at the man.

"Settle down. I am not here to torture you or do anything to you… unless you don't tell me what I want to know."

"I-I already told the other guy everything. Just let me go please!"

"Relax. How about we start with this other guy who came for you and your friends here."

"That crazy psycho tortured me and killed my friends! He-he wanted information about the attack on Beacon."

"What kind of information did he want to know?" Jaune asked as he walked over to the Faunus.

"He wanted to know who was behind the attack! I told him that I only knew that Adam Taurus was leading the attack and that he was going to be meeting one of his associates outside of Atlas, in a village called Roland!"

"Did you tell him when the meeting will be?"

"Yea I did. I didn't want my throat slit like my friends. It was going to be 3 weeks from now."

"Interesting, do you know how the guy looks like?"

"He was about that kid's age." The Faunus looked at Jaune.

"He was wearing all black outfit, black boots, a black bulky looking vest, black tactical gloves, he also wore some sort of headband, and his hairstyle it was a uhh… a Faux hawk."

"I have no clue who that kid could possibly be, but whoever he is you kids should tread lightly from now on. Something tells me that this kid most likely attends Beacon."

"Do you really think so?" asked Blake

"It's a probability so just make sure you watch for any person who might fit the picture."

"Hey! You aren't going to leave me here are you!?" The Faunus yelled at the three who walked towards the exit.

"Don't worry pal, law enforcement should be arriving any minute now to pick you and your buddies up." Qrow said as he walked through the door with the other two.

"I'LL PAY YOU TO LET ME GO! PLEASE! COME BACK! PLEASE! PLEASE!" The three left the warehouse and joined back with the group to tell them what they found out.

The group then left and headed towards town, wondering who could this stranger be.

"Please... Please come back" The Faunus cried these words over and over. A phone was strapped to the Fuanus's chest.

"You've done your part... now it's time for me to do mine... for Ash."

"PLEASE DON'T! The warehouse blew up and sparks went flying to the air. The city could see the massive explosion from miles away and this startled the team that had just been there minutes ago.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Qrow yelled. He ran back to see what had happened and commanded the others to get back to the city.

"You guys keep going, I'm going back for Qrow!" yelled Jaune at the team.

"We're coming with you!" Ruby yelled.

"No you aren't! I need you and the rest of the team to be safe Ruby! You hear me! I can't afford to lose someone else close to me! I'm begging you please!"

"... Fine! But come back safe!"

"I will." Jaune then ran back towards the direction of the warehouse and upon reaching it was startled. What was once a warehouse, was now a giant blaze of fire. What is going on?

The night ended with a question left on their minds. Who is the mysterious guy who found out about the meeting being held in Vale? How did he manage to get there and get the information he was looking for so quickly? Was this guy the reason for the explosion? Whoever this stranger was, it seems that he is also after the people responsible for the attack. Whether he is on Jaune's side or not, they will take caution if they approach this mysterious fellow at Roland Village.

Sorry for the late chapter guys. There was a little bit of thinking because I was trying to think of a cool ability that Jaune's sword can have. The one that I made isn't as cool as many other ideas, but I want to avoid making him too overpowered. I also want to talk about this introduction to these rings. This might be a spoiler if you guys enjoy surprises for a future chapter that will bring these rings into play, but I'm pretty sure you guys have an idea of what these rings will do. Now I will not add a whole tons of rings. These 2 rings will probably be the only ones in the story... probably. If you want to know where the rings came into mind, you can search up Dark souls. The ring that was given to Ruby is called "Ring of Restoration" and Jaune's is "Vanquishers Seal". Now to avoid any spoiler warning, I suggest you just search up the image to avoid getting possibly spoiled of what these rings do.

Lastly, there was a PM sent to me with a Darker story with Jaune that kinda creeped me out. It was really good, pretty gruesome and pretty freaky. But what freaked me out the most, was that the username who had sent me the PM kind of had my real name, but it was misspelled. Some might not find this creepy, but I found it terrifying. To the person who sent me their gruesome fanfiction, you should upload it so that others can read it as well. That's all for now. I hope you enjoy the chapter.