Chapter 13 – Challenges Await

"You'll never get that box open unless you have the key." A familiar voice was heard near the door. It was none other than Jay who was leaning against the door.

"James! How did you get here?" Yang quickly got off her bed and was ready to fight him if he made any moves.

"Relax there sunflower, I'm here for that box you're holding." Jay said as he got closer to her.

"Don't move! Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with Torchwick and Neo wreaking havoc in the kingdoms?"

"What? No why would I do that? I'm the good guy here. Where did you hear that from?"

"Qrow. He saw you and Neo teleport away."

"Qrow? Oh I see he told you what happened after he nearly choked me to death."

"Nearly choked you to death?"
Yeah! That crazy lunatic was going to kill me if Neo hadn't shown up to save me. Tell your uncle that I haven't forgiven him for that. If I ever see him again, I will be sure to return the favor."

"That's not going to happen. Why did you save Torchwick and Neo? Weiss told me that you revived Neo and allowed them to escape."

"You wouldn't understand. No one would ever understand what I'm trying to do. I have no intentions of fighting you or anyone else in your team. All I'm here is for that box and I will be on my merry way."

"What's in the box? What exactly are you hiding?"

"What I'm hiding? I'm hiding things that if the wrong people get their hands on it, they would make it more difficult for me or anyone in that matter to fight them."

"What are you talking about?"

"Stories and legends need to come from somewhere right? Most of these are true and inside that box holds relics from myths all around the world that have the power to turn the tide in any battle. My parents did a lot of traveling when I was young and they were really fascinated by these historical things and believe that some of these stories behind these relics are true. After witnessing what some of these things can do, there is no doubt that there are more things in this world that have unique abilities behind them. Just like this ring that Jaune gave me which belonged to one of my ancestors long ago." Jay raised his hand, showing her the ring he was wearing in his finger.

"So you're telling me that something in here has something that can make someone stronger? Interesting…" Jay walked towards her and she quickly picked up the box in one hand and held it away from him near the window.

"What are you doing Yang?" Jay asked.

"How about you simply give me some of the things in here and only then will I give the box back to you."

"What are you crazy? The only reason why I would even consider giving someone anything is only because I trust them enough to know that they want to bring good in this world. Yang… give it to me." Jay walked even closer which made Yang upset.

"You don't trust me? Why should I trust you? You won't even tell me why you helped Torchwick and Neo to escape which by the way nearly killed me!" Jay stopped and looked at Yang's eyes that were filled with anger.

"You took my scroll as well didn't you? Did you listen to the last recording in it?"

"No… I was about to."

"Go ahead listen to it and then I will explain everything." Yang placed the box next to her and pulled out the scroll to listen to last recording. As she listened to the recording, screams and growls from Grimm can be heard throughout the recording.

*RECORDING START…*

"November… 2… I… just came back from my mission in Haven… I had… to be a bodyguard for an important individual. On my way over here, my airship was attacked by Grimm and came crashing down into the forest. The fire and smoke from the school can be seen from miles away. I knew I had to get there as soon as possible, but on my way over there, I heard the sounds of someone fighting in the forest, but I didn't want to waste time so I continued to run over here. As I arrived to the school, I saw… death… death everywhere. I thought I was in the middle of a war… inside of a slaughter house. The creatures of Grimm were and still are attacking people, as well as White Fang soldiers. This wasn't an accident… it was intentional with the idea of taking down the tower. I fought a few of them on my way here… but I had the chance to save many more lives if I were to stay there and fight, but… the only thought that was crossing my mind at the time was Ash and my team. I chose them over the countless lives that were about to get slaughtered! I tried calling them but none of them answered. I tracked down them down by their scrolls location and they were all gathered in a storage unit near the school. When I got there I saw…I saw… I saw something horrifying… They're all dead… they're all dead. Ash, Dustin, Ecru…they're all dead! Today was supposed to be a special day for us… for Ash! Whatever person… no… whatever monster did this to them… to Ash… I will make sure that he suffers the same fate. I will hunt him down wherever he's hiding and I will eliminate him. HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME! PLEASE!" Someone can be heard slamming their hands repeatedly on the door. "Until that day comes, I will make sure that I will not do the same mistake again."

*RECORDING END…*

"Jay I didn't kno.."

"Stop… its' fine. Sooner or later someone was bound to find out what happened to them. My only goal now is to capture the monster that killed my team and after days of searching I found myself working with Torchwick and his gang. He offered me a deal that I couldn't refuse and that deal was that if I work under him and get the things he wanted and be his personal bodyguard, he would tell me who was the person who killed my team and where I could possibly find him. He said that he knew someone who would do something like that and sure I could have tortured him to get the answers I wanted, but I'm not that type of person to do so… so I agreed and here I am now still working for him under the condition that he doesn't kill anyone as long as I'm working with him." Jay said.

"But why, why are you so fixated on getting revenge and continuing to help the same people who brought this tragedy to the school? Why are you…" Yang was cut off by Jay who couldn't hold his anger in any longer.

"Why!? You want to know why I am so fixated on revenge? You want to know why I'm so fixated on hunting this monster down? I lost my team! I lost the girl I loved! I lost everything! And the things that the evil devil worshipping monster did to my team… is unforgivable. The only person who can really understand how I feel is Jaune and he understands why I'm doing this." Jay had begun to break down and sat on a chair with both hands on his face.

"This isn't the life I chose, this isn't the life I wanted. Tell me, what am I supposed to do?" Yang walked towards the student and wrapped her arms around him as he stared emptily in the floor. She hugged him tightly, making sure he knew that he wasn't alone in this world.

"I have an idea of how it feels to lose someone close to you. My mother left me when I was a little girl and I haven't seen her since. I want you to know that you aren't alone in this world and I will always be here for you."

"What in the world is this?" Amber asked. They both entered the room in which the body was believed to be at. The room was actually a torture room by the looks of things. Saw blades, knives, a bloody baton, and a TV in the end of the room. There was dry blood on the floor and around the chair that was in the center of the room.

"I don't understand… why would someone do such a thing? For what purpose would they do this?" Amber kept asking Jaune that to which he replied with no words and was simply stunned by the view. It reminded him of what he did back in the forest when Beacon was attacked.

"Jaune are you listening to me?"

"Yeah… I am. I don't know what kind of person would do this. Maybe he or she was looking for answers? I'll check on the other rooms to see if there is anything that could possibly help us in the investigation." Jaune went ahead to look at the other rooms in the building to find anything they can use to trace back to Rhett, but alas there was nothing in the rooms except the security room that was located in the back of the building. Jaune quickly called Amber to his side and they both entered the room to which they found equipment destroyed which prevented them from looking through the surveillance videos.

"Dammit. They destroyed everything that could reveal their identities. What are we supposed to do now?" Jaune asked. Upset by the situation, he fell on his butt against the wall in dissatisfaction.

"You give up to easily Jaune, I'm sure they forgot to destroy something around here." She continued to search in hopes of finding something, but there was nothing that could have been salvaged.

"Why would this place still have cameras setup around this abandoned building anyways?" Jaune asked as he watched Amber continue searching.

"This building makes a great place to sell and distribute drugs so this would be an easy way for law enforcement to arrest these criminals."

"Oh that's a pretty good idea."

"Alright it seems there is absolutely nothing here after all. Let's get out of here and head back to school to tell Ozpin what we found." They both headed back to school to tell Ozpin of what they found in their investigation.

"I see… well that's all I'm going to need you to do for now. You can return to your studies Mr. Arc, you have done enough."

"Wait… what about Rhett? There's still much to do."

"Do you know where to start looking?"

"Well… no I don't. That's why I need you to allow me to continue to search in this investigation."

"Mr. Arc you've already taken down Cinder who I may add was the mastermind behind this. The information Qrow provided was sufficient enough for me to deduce that Cinder forced these other criminals to do this atrocious act. Why else would they want to fight together against her? You only wanted the person behind the attack. These other criminals aren't the ones who you were after. As the headmaster of Beacon, I'm commanding you to stop searching. You're already completed your mission and I thank you for it."

"But…"

"You are dismissed Mr. Arc." Jaune was upset by the decision of the headmaster and had no choice but do what he said.

"I understand Professor Ozpin." He walked away towards the elevator and returned back to his room as night approached.

"Are you sure about this Ozpin? We need his help if we're ever going to stop the others." Amber asked.

"I'm sure. If Jaune continues this path, sooner or later he will become the very thing he fears. It has happened to countless of Huntsmen and Huntresses over the years… that's why I can't allow him to become like Cinder… or worse.

Growth

Jaune headed towards the forest to continue to practice his new ability he had received from Cinder. He was able to create black flames like Cinder did during the battle. Unlike Cinder, Jaune was still a novice in creating a flame big enough to do any damage to a person, let alone a creature of Grimm. Not only did he practice creating the black flames, but he also trained on imbuing his sword with the black flame in order for his weapon to do more damage against his enemies. He went further into the woods where Grimm still roamed even after the attack on the school. He practiced on the creatures which allowed him to be more proficient over the months to come. A month passed and he was now able to imbue his weapon with the black flame and create large fireballs that could take down a big Ursa. However, he knew that wasn't enough and needed to continue to practice using the black flames. While he continued to train, the other teams were also training hard in order to become a threatening team. Weiss was able to complete her summoning and was more proficient with her glyphs and her time dilation. Yang continued to practice with Jay whenever he wasn't on a mission and helped her become a better fighter. He helped her coordinate her attacks more accurately and taught her his fighting style in order for her to have a more variety of moves. He also trained her to remain calm whatever situation arises. She was able to use her semblance to its fullest when she is in battle without having to prolong the fight. Blake and Ruby also had become more precise with their weapons. Ruby had become a very accurate sniper with Crescent Rose and had become more deadly with the scythe under the training of Qrow. She also had the ability to use her semblance at any given moment without using up all of her aura in just a few moves. This allowed her to not only attack very quickly, but to escape any battle without having to use up an immense amount of aura. Blake already proficient in her style of battle had become more strategic when working together in her team which allowed them to complete every mission they were assigned with ease. Ren became even more proficient with his martial arts skills and was able to reduce getting tired during battles. He was able to use small amounts of aura in order to perform strong attacks and he was able to endure more hits than usual. Nora already the powerhouse of the team only focused on her precision of her attacks. Although not much has changed, her attacks were still powerful enough to take down a Nevermore. Team JNR was asked if they were willing to add a different person in their team, but declined and preferred that their team stay the way it was. They didn't want a replacement for Pyrrha and it served as a reminder for Jaune to know what he is fighting for. These two teams had become the most reputable teams in the school which spread to other schools about their significance. Not a day went by when they weren't praised by their skills by the students to which even Cardin and his team respected them. Jay had already explained to the teams why he did what he did in the forest during Jaune's rampage. They understood the reason behind this and decided to leave it alone for now.

As time continued to pass by, both teams had forgotten about the White Fang, Torchick, and Rhett, however, Qrow and Jay were still tracking each of them down individually. Qrow managed to find someone who knew where Adam was at and had told Ozpin about the information. At the moment, most of the Hunters and Huntresses under Ozpin were already dispatched to different missions and only had a few people in mind to send.

Five Tickets to Paradise

"Jaune Arc, Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna and Weiss Schnee report to the Headmaster's room"

"It looks like Professor Ozpin wants to see us." Jaune said. The four walked to the headmaster's office and walked out of the elevator to see that Amber was there as well.

"Why is she here?" Ruby asked as she crossed her arms.

"Amber… it's been a while. How's it been?" Jaune asked as he walked towards her to give her a hug.

"It's been great. I've been doing some missions here and there but I've been alright." Before Jaune could hug her, Ruby had used her semblance to get in between him and Amber and stop them from hugging.

"Let's get one thing straight, I don't want you to do anything that would make it seem you have feeling for him. Got it!?" Ruby was pointing at Amber's face so close that it made Amber a bit annoyed.

"Nice to see you too Ruby, It seems that you have become more jealous than you were months ago. You still haven't gotten passed the last rejection have you?"

"Weiss, Blake, a little help here?" Jaune asked as he tried to stop the two from tearing each other's clothes off. They helped pull both of them apart and Ozpin was now able to explain why they were brought to his office.

"I brought you all into my office to inform you that Qrow was able to locate someone who possibly has knowledge of the whereabouts of the leader of the White Fang."

"Adam!?" Blake yelled.

"Correct. The person of interest is located in Mistral kingdom. What part of the kingdom is he at? That's for you four to find out. Of course Mistral has some dangerous areas in it so I made sure I had everything prepared for your arrival when you make it to Haven Academy."

"Why Haven Academy?" Ruby asked.

"That's where your second team will be at."

"Second team?" Blake asked.

"Correct. You're airship will be arriving in a few hours so I suggest you get ready. Amber here will lead the team so I suggest you get comfortable with her being around. The information for this mission will be sent to your scrolls in a few minutes. You are all dismissed." Jaune, Ruby, Blake, and Weiss left Ozpin's office and headed back down and Amber stayed a little longer with the Professor.

"Jaune…" Jaune looked to his right and it was Jay leaning against the wall by the elevator. Jaune signaled the others to go on without him and they both chatted for a bit.

"What is it Jay?"

"You should know by now that Haven and Beacon students don't like getting along. You need to understand there are a few people who don't mind the presence of student's from other schools, but you shouldn't think that they will all be like that."

"With what happened to Beacon because of the atlesian knights I'm not surprised that they no longer trust us. I will be careful… don't worry about it."

"If you need help with anything over there be sure to call me or your team. We will be there at any given moment."

"Don't worry… I will." The two bro hugged and left to their rooms. Over the months, Jaune and Jay had developed a brother to brother relationship which made those two a threatening duo when challenged. Jaune and the others prepared their luggage and waited for the airship to arrive.

"Oh! Maybe we will get a chance to visit Sun and his team when we arrive!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Oh right. I almost forgot that Sun and his team attend Haven academy." Jaune said.

"Then maybe I will see Neptune!" Weiss said.

"Why would you want to see Neptune when you can see me?" Jaune said as he flexed his muscles towards the Ice queen.

"Oh shut up you dunce." Ruby proceeded to punch Jaune to which he rubbed his arm to relieve the pain. The time arrived when the airship came to pick them up. Ren, Nora, Yang, and even Qrow came by to wish them luck. Jay was looking from afar as they both said their goodbyes and left. The team doesn't know what will happen when they reach there, but there is one thing they do know. Whoever this person was that holds the information they seek, they will get answers.

Here is another Chapter like I promised. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter and I will see you all later. If you wish to have something added to the story, don't hesitate to ask. I might add it sooner or later to the story. Thanks for your time.