The Lost Son

by OculiImperator

Jaune Arc wished to live his own life, a life not in the shadow of the Arc Family but a life where he could make his own choices. In order to escape that shadow, he decided to become a Huntsman. What he did not realize was that while Duty and Desire may not always share the same road they often share the same destination.

11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Jaune woke up when the convoy began to slow down. His neck felt stiff as even when the interior of the Tauros was modified to hold people it still didn't allow for free range of movement.

"Huh? What? Are we there?" Ruby asked bleary eyed as she looked at Jaune in a slightly dazed confusion that accompanied those still half asleep.

"I don't think so." Jaune said as the back hatch of the armored transport opened revealing a man with green reptile scales around his neck and cheek.

"We're taking a small break to refuel and rest, so now would be a good time to stretch your legs." The man said and the four of them climbed out. The skies were grey overhead but Jaune could see that they were at the foot of another mountain.

To their south was the mountain that they had come through, it looked far smaller then what it appeared when he had first seen it. However he did take notice of the fog that was creeping up on them from the west, it looked thick and almost foreboding in its slow advancement.

Looking at his immediate vicinity Jaune could see that they were in some sort of outpost. There were wooden palisades and towers with soldiers in them guarding the perimeter.

In the center was a small cluster of building, there was one that looked like a small motel complete with a vacancy sign. Then there were a couple of buildings that looked a lot like the ones that he had seen in the mountain pass fortress. A third building looked to be part garage part hanger as he could see several people working on a pair Tauroses.

Some of the local soldiers came over and started to talk with the ones that came with them. Jaune walked over to where he could see Pyrrha, Ren and Nora. Alas only two members of team RWBY had joined them, he sighed at that as it must have meant that Blake was still in a foul mood.

It was either that or she went to go find the bathroom.

"You look a bit worn out there." Nora was the first to say when he joined them.

"Well Jaune did have to defend himself from Ms. Aster and Mr. Nauo." Ruby explained.

"Ah, so I take it they weren't happy about your little announcement." Ren said and Jaune snorted.

"That's putting it mildly but I can say for sure that once my old man finds out he'll probably hire more thugs to beat me up or something." Jaune said and realized everyone was looking at him.

"Oh right, I don't think I ever told you about that."

"Well there are a lot of things you've probably never told us about." Weiss said.

"Like those scars." Pyrrha said and Jaune shrugged.

"What scars?" Yang asked.

"Our Fearless Leader has scars on his left shoulder and leg." Nora explained.

"I wouldn't say fearless, I was pretty scared when I got them cause I thought they would rip me apart." Jaune said as he folded his arms.

"When you put it like that I guess that would be pretty normal to feel." Weiss said and Jaune couldn't help but notice that the white hair girl was touching her own scar. However she masked it by rubbing her nose with a finger.

"So where's Blake?" Ruby asked.

"Bathroom." Yang explained.

"Yea I think we should take care of our own business as well. We don't know how much more we have to go before we get to Nodens." Jaune said.

"Astute observations Mr. Arc please make sure your team is ready to travel once again in ten minutes." Gideon said from behind him and Jaune turned to nod silently at him.

"Well you heard the man, you three go on and I'll see about getting us some lunch for the road." He said before the four of them broke off leaving Gideon and the three members of team RWBY standing alone.

"I guess we should follow Blake's example." Yang said but Gideon cleared his throat.

"Is there something you need from us Mr. Nauo?" Weiss asked.

"I was wondering what was your take on the situation with Mr. Arc?" He asked and the three girls looked between each other.

"I like him; he seems like a pretty cool guy." Yang said.

"He's my friend and fellow team leader." Ruby pointed out.

"I think he's a capable leader and swordsman and now if I consider what his upbringing must have been like then it's to be expected." Weiss said evenly.

"Well he did say that he lived in an Outland village." Ruby mused.

"Do you think he's lying about that? Like a cover story where he came from?" Yang asked.

"I mean it does make sense, why would an heir to a Kingdom live in some Outland village?"

"Well the Hurin Valleys have ties to Arcadia, would it really be farfetched that other Outland places have ties with them as well. The Four Kingdoms are like that with towns and villages close to their own borders." Weiss pointed out then looked at Gideon.

"I'm sorry sir, we got carried away."

"Yea, is there anything in particular that you wanted to discuss about Jaune?" Ruby asked and Gideon nodded.

"I was thinking that due to his own ties that it might be best to limit his and his team's role once we're in Nodens." He said and Ruby frowned.

"I don't see why that's necessary; he's on our side so he would probably be invaluable to you in your mission." The younger girl said but Gideon shook his head.

"In fact having him with us may in fact prevent any form of success from happening." The Envoy said and the three girls exchanged looks.

"Do you really not trust him?" Weiss asked.

"Until I can be certain of where his loyalty lies, I can never trust him." Gideon said gravely.

"And I believe you should all keep a wary eye on him as well." The older man said but Ruby shook her head.

"He's our friend." Gideon looked upon her in pity.

"That's the thing Ms. Rose, betrayal never comes from your enemies."

---

Meanwhile…

Jaune was following his nose, he could smell something delicious which made his stomach growl. Turning a corner he wasn't surprised to see a small area with a number of tables that had people sitting at them and eating.

"Hey kid, this is for soldiers only." Someone called out to him and Jaune turned to see a pair of soldiers walking up to him.

One was a tall thick man with a shaved head, with a scar on his chin. The other was a short tanned woman with short black hair. Both of them were stripped down to grey shirts but still had their leg armor and boots on. He also took note that they had thigh holsters on as well.

"I'm sorry; I was just following the smell." Jaune said and the tall man nodded.

"That's all well and good kid but again this is meant for soldiers. So get on out of here."

"Actually, where are you from?" The shorter woman asked.

"I'm with the convoy that just arrived."

"What convoy?" The man asked.

"Come on Brackston you didn't know? A convoy with a Valean Envoy is refueling here; they're being escorted by a Huntress and some Beacon students." The woman explained then looked at Jaune.

"Say kid, judging from that armor you must be one of those Beacon students, right?" He nodded.

"Is it true that the High Lord's son is with you guys?" Jaune smiled at that.

"You mean Jaune Arc?" The woman smiled.

"Fucking knew it, this kid knows the High Lord's son." She said looking at her compatriot, Brackston, he seemed to size Jaune up.

"Well shit, do you think you can point him out to us?" He asked and Jaune tilted his head a little.

"Why?"

"Why? What do you mean why? He's fucking Alexander Arc's only son, the biggest, strongest fucker ever to live. A man so fucking manly I doubt I'd ever see someone like him for a hundred lifetimes. Fuck I've even fought on the same field of battle with him once and trust me when I say that I could hardly believe my eyes when he ripped an Ursa Major in two with his bare hands." Brackston said then began to go on and on about some battle.

"Don't mind him kid but seriously I doubt there's anyone in Arcadia that wouldn't want to meet the High Lord's son. I mean it's not every day you get to meet a member of the royal family." The woman said.

Jaune found that surprisingly comforting to hear but at the same time it made him feel guilty on the inside. These people, these soldiers who would give their lives in the name of their Kingdom and his family seemed to have the utmost respect or love for both.

Whereas he wanted to leave it all behind him, to pursue his own goals and not have any ties with the Kingdom or really his family anymore. It was something he never really told his mentor, Areto, or his family as a whole.

Yet the impression he got was while they were reluctantly agreed to him becoming a Huntsman they'd figure that he would sooner or later return to his position within the Kingdom. He hated himself for not telling them but with them all now gone to live back in Arcadia it just ate at him a little more as there was no way he would return there on his own volition.

"Jaune?" Someone called out and he snapped his head up. The two soldiers he had been talking to looked confused at him and he realized that he must have spaced out when they were talking to him.

"There you are!" A familiar voice called out, he turned to see Nora and Ren walking towards him.

"What did she just say?" Brackston asked his companion.

"Shut up." She whispered.

"What are you doing over here? You were supposed to get some food." Nora said then sniffed the air before slapping a hand across Ren's chest.

"Ow."

"Shush Ren; I smell meat, fried meat." The girl said then looked at Jaune.

"Good thinking Jaune Jaune, nothing like some delicious meat before a trip."

"I'm sorry but who are all of you?" The female soldier asked and Nora just tsked.

"I'm Nora Valkyrie, Leg Breaker Extraordinaire and this is my partner Lie Ren, Pancake connoisseur. We've come looking for our team leader, Jaune." Nora explained and Jaune felt like sitting down at the two soldiers seemed to grow pale.

"Jaune? As in Jaune Arc?" Brackston asked.

"Uh, duh." Nora said and Jaune turned to walk away but Brackston grabbed his arms.

"You're Jaune Arc!?" He shouted and Jaune nodded.

"Uh, hi?"

"Noelle, I think I'm having a heart attack." Brackston said as he looked over at her who just opened and closed her mouth a few times.

"Do you guys want some food?" She asked her voice cracking and Jaune sighed.

"Its fine, we've got to get going anyways." He said but the female soldier, Noelle, grabbed his arm.

"You don't have to go sir; you and your friends can come in." She said but Jaune shook his head.

"No it's fine; this is meant for you all I can't just jump in on your area and take what's meant for you."

"Please, just a quick bite and you can take some with you. You're all heading to Nodens right? Take some for the road at least." Brackston said Jaune looked at Ren and Nora who shrugged.

"It's your call Jaune." Ren said and he sighed as he looked back at the soldiers.

"Fine, we'll grab something for the road."

"Awesome, you won't regret it sir." Noelle said and he waved his hand dismissively.

"You don't have to call me that, you can just call me Jaune." He said and the two of them beamed at him before Brackston wrapped an arm around him guiding him. Jaune could hear Ren and Nora snickering behind him as they followed.

All around them he could see other soldiers glancing up from their meals or conversations to look at them in confusion. A well-built but slim woman walked up to them with an obvious scowl on her face.

"Brackston, Noelle, what the fuck are you two doing? You know damn well civvies aren't allowed back here without permission." She barked but now that she was closer Jaune could see that she walking oddly and realized that her right leg wasn't real but a prosthetic as he could hear the servos in the leg.

"Sarge, we've got a good reason. You know how that convoy that just arrived was rumored to be carrying the High Lord's son?" Noelle said and the three Beacons students could see her eyes widen before she dropped to one knee.

"My Lord." She said the other soldiers around them stood up to see what was going on.

"It's an honor to meet you Lord Jaune." She said and Jaune could hear the crowd of soldier murmuring amongst themselves. Before the thirty odd other soldiers that were in the area began to kneel as well. Behind him he could hear Ren and Nora say something in what sounded like awe.

For him however, he only felt nauseous.

---

Elsewhere…

Alexander Arc stood on the balcony of his inner solar, the chill mountain air wrapped around him like a coat. Yet he didn't really notice it beyond its presence while most would require a jacket or sweater he was fine with a simple shirt.

Below him he could see the stone and wood rooftops of the High Citadel. Occasionally he could pick out the gold forms of the Aegis Praetorians as they patrolled the streets among the mass of other soldiers, aides, and beaurcraut.

Looking up he could see a smaller, darker tower to the north of him. It was the Tower of Bones, the resting place for the Praetorians that had fallen in the line of duty. If he looked to the east was the Sanctificetur Domus, the great Abbey home of the Sisterhood.

"Alex?" A voice called from inside, it was Arabella.

"Yes?" He called out as he turned around.

"What are you doing out there?" Arabella asked as she appeared at the balcony door.

"Ah, just thinking."

"Is it about Irkalla?" She asked but he shook his head.

"No, I reckon General Litvinovich, Sanian and Aeyr can handle it by themselves." He said as Arabella stepped towards him, shivering a little in the open but smiled nonetheless.

"My, what's this? The great Alexander Arc is letting those that serve under him handle a situation on their own for once? I never thought I'd see the day."

"The training wheels have to come off at some point."

"True but something tells me dear husband you wish it was someone else that was leading the defense."

"Bah, Jaune is far too inexperienced to have done something like that." He said and could see Arabella smiling even wider at that.

"While I find it interesting you first thought of Jaune, I was really referring to you."

"I'm pretty sure you were asking about him."

"Well I wasn't."

"I'm not sure if I believe you on that." He said and watched as Arabella sauntered up to him before putting a hand on his chest. For her it really just meant raising her hand above her head.

"I think I can think of a couple of things to convince you."

"Woman, unless you don't want our kids to see us for the next day and a half you better stop." Alexander said as a second hand drifted out of sight.

"I mean, I can clear my schedule if you want." Arabella said

"As much as I'm tempted by that I do have something that I need to tell you." He said and his wife nodded.

"Oh right, that's why I came here. So what is it?" Arabella asked as he walked back inside. His solar was furnished with dark wood, a large desk at the far end of the room with a fireplace behind it with a door on its right. A painting of his family hung above it. To either side of the room were rows upon rows of filled bookshelves.

However across from his desk was a large set of steel grey plate armor, while not the original set, he had remade his armor that he wore back when he wasn't the High Lord. Resting in its empty gauntlets was his old sword; he looked at it fondly before heading towards his desk.

Missives and reports were stacked on his desk but he had kept the last one he had read open in the center. Picking it up he turned to hand it to his wife who immediately began to read it silently, as she did so he walked around to sit in his chair which creaked under his weight.

"So does this mean Ozpin knows who Jaune is?" Arabella asked.

"Possibly, I wouldn't put it past him to have figured it out at this point."

"So he sent him to Nodens along with a Vale Envoy, what's his game? Surely he wouldn't do something without reason especially for how on the nose this is even for him."

"I think Ozpin's trying to play a game using our son as a piece. It's one of the reasons if not the biggest in why I didn't actually want Jaune to go to Beacon."

"Game? Is he trying to drop us a hint that he's got control over Jaune as long as he attends Beacon?"

"Maybe but I also think he's also trying to flush Lilith out from continuing her Operations in Vale, with the interference by some Beacon students she was forced to go to ground after not only getting exposed to Roman but nearly getting caught red handed by Vale Law Enforcement. She said that continuing for the time being within Vale would just bring down Huntsmen and Huntresses on Government contracts against her."

"So are you going to pull her out?" Arabella asked as she moved around then plopped herself down in his lap.

"No, she says she's got one last lead to look into. Something about the White Fang trying to recruit disenfranchised Faunus within the city and I trust her to do her job to the best of her ability."

"Well that's good to hear; normally you tend to chastise Lilith."

"That's mostly outside of work, once she has her head on straight she does fine in my book." Alexander explained.

"So what are you going to do about Jaune? If he's at Nodens then he's probably going to be exposed the moment he gets there."

"There's nothing I should do about that at the moment but if I had to do something then I have two options. The first option would be that I force him to leave Beacon but doing so would engrain a resentment that he might never be able to get over. The second more viable but riskier option would be to let him stay at Beacon even after it's discovered that he's our son."

"And what would be the point of that?" She asked but before Alexander could explain there was a knock at his door.

"Come in!" He called out; the door opened revealing a Praetorian in the gold and white surcoat armor of his Housecarls with his helm in hand.

"Ah, Tillenus, what is it?"

"Pardon the intrusion my Lord and Lady but Palatine Corra has sent me to inform you that Magister Dianann requests an audience." The man said.

"Did she say why?" Arabella asked as Palatine Corra was the commander of the retinue that she had placed to watch over the Magister. Who also happened to be a Mystic, something that she had to explain to Alexander then convince him to not kill immediately.

"The gates are unfurling." Alexander whispered as he knew the only reason why she'd call for them, he lifted his wife off him to stand up.

"Send word to Sedatus to form his Centuria at the Vargus Airfield." Alexander said before walking up to the door next to the fire place and opened it. On the inside of the door was a relatively thin black armored bodysuit, Arabella watched in pleasure however as he stripped himself naked before slipping the bodysuit on.

"I kind of wished you'd let me do that for you." She said and Alexander rolled his eyes.

"Well if it makes you feel any better you can help me take it off later."

"Promise?" She asked and Alexander just smiled as he folded his clothes than set them on his chair.

Turning back to the doorway he stepped inside with Arabella following him. There was a small walkway that led to a single platform which he stepped onto. She stayed back as she watched him hold his arms out to either side.

As always, she found it fascinating to watch as mechadendrite arms appeared from the ceiling to begin placing the skeleton frame of his armor over him quickly followed by the thick armor plates then fusion pack. Once everything was in its proper place, two mechadendrite arms came down.

One carrying his Corinthian helmet and the other was what most normal people would consider an almost unreasonably large greatsword.

The black blade was easily six inches wide with a crossguard that was wider towards the blade while curving slightly towards it with a black leather grip ending in a white round pommel with a sapphire looking jewel embedded into it.

The sword had an overall length of six feet but in Alexander's hand, it looked more akin to just a slightly larger than normal longsword.

"Are you coming along?" Alexander asked as he slid his helmet on, a small hiss issued out as it sealed around his head.

"I'm afraid not, Narin and Azariah wish to have me sit in on a talk about the conditions in towns in the western provinces."

"Ah, that's unfortunate." Alexander said his voice slightly distorted by the inbuilt vox system.

"You know how it goes anyways don't do anything stupid when you're out there or else I'll kill you." Arabella said sweetly before leaving him alone in the solar.

---

2 Hours South of the Arcadian Border…

The Valkyries began to descend among a cluster of trees in the forest below as the three escort Vultures remained above. The sky was cloudy but their visibility was still mostly unimpaired.

As the back ramp of the Valkyrie opened Alexander stepped onto it before jumping off it; he fell ten feet before landing on the soft grass of the field.

In the distance thunder rumbled and he could see the flash of purple lightning over a cluster of trees. Even with the nine aircraft overhead Alexander could hear the sounds of fighting in the distance.

"Sedatus, once your Centuria is formed have them push south with the contuberniums in a ten meter pacing. I'll go on ahead and see what it is we're dealing with here." Alexander said, ignoring the protest of the Centurion.

It was about three hundred meters to the tree line and even in almost half a ton of armor Alexander was able to reach it in less than twenty seconds.

As he ran through the trees, he ignored branches and bushes that got in his way as they didn't even pose a threat of slowing him down. When he reached the next clearing he was almost thrilled to see who was fighting around a small pond.

Ahead of him were three dozen women in bronze armor with purple cloaks and waist cloths. Their enemies however were ones he was all too familiar with.

The three dozen women fought against a force nearly three times their own numbers of red armored warriors, Chaos Warriors. Even thinking of the word made his head hurt as if he had taken a direct blow from a gauntlet.

"Sedatus, friendlies are the women in bronze armor and the top knots. I'll be pushing ahead."

"Acknowledge." The man said and Alexander began moving towards the enemy.

A large warrior in plate armor that was red both from rust and dried blood turned to meet him. Twin war axes rising up to intercept Alexander's blade as it came arcing down at him.

The energized blade however clanged loudly against the haft of the weapons sending a spray of sparks into the air before cutting through them. The warrior however moved back in time only to get the tip of Alexander's sword carving a large furrow in his chest plate.

Twisting his own wrists Alexander quickly brought the sword up this time the blade carved deeply into the warrior's chest sending sparks and a splash of boiling blood into the air.

Another two warriors were already turning to face Alexander, one carrying a sword and shield while the other had a long hafted axe.

He jumped to the side as the one with the shield tried to run into him, he could feel something scoring his right rerebrace. He didn't have time to strike the shield warrior from behind as the axe wielder came at him with a wide horizontal swing.

Ducking underneath it he came up under the warrior's guard plunging his blade into the plated torso. Without pausing he quickly kicked the body away and turned aside the thrust of the shield warrior's short sword as it came at him from behind.

He quickly snapped his left elbow up crushing the front of the helm inward with a loud crack of broken metal and bone. He turned around at the sound of clanking metal and raised his sword up just in time to intercept an overhead blow from another warrior.

Behind him he could hear the sound of the Praetorians coming out of the tree line. Locking the warrior's sword with his own crossguard, he jabbed forward with his left hand putting a dent into the other warrior's chest.

He began coughing very loudly though it was muffled by his helmet, as he stumbled back Alexander quickly spun his blade around taking his head off.

Leaping forward he jabbed his blade to the side catching another warrior off guard, the tip of his sword cutting clean through his helmet leaving a vertical slit in his head.

Then he quickly spun around to knock aside another warrior's blade before sweeping down taking his right arm off at the elbow as he stepped to the side stabbing into his chest from. His sword tip emerged from the other side of the torso.

The Praetorians entered the melee at this point and as Alexander cut down two more warriors he noted with some satisfaction how well they dispatched their own foes. The red cladded warriors of the Blood God fell beneath his power weapon and armored enhanced warriors.

Alas he still knew that it didn't mean they were the best warriors. A skilled mage or warrior, a fallen Legionnaire, and the Neverborn could match or defeat his Praetorians. Elder or Alpha Grimm are also troublesome as their carapace have been known to rebuff power weapons.

Then the Ancients Creatures of the Old World that lurk in the dark corners of the world are easily more than a match than even his more skilled warriors like Forianus and Zophiel. He ducked under a mace and came under the warrior's guard taking his right arm off at the shoulder before spinning around take his head off next.

Soon enough the last of the Praetorians surrounded and cut down the red warriors. Alexander turned towards the group of women, he felt strangely relieved to see two of them walked towards him.

One was cladded in the same armor as the others; he could see several marks on the armor while residual blood dripped down the haft of her own axe.

The other looked much different; she had shoulder length red hair and was dressed in what looked to be some sort of carapace armor and armed with a bolter. Alexander watched in amusement as the Silent Sister made several signs with her hands.

"The Sister Superior wishes to thank you for coming to our aid warrior." The red head said and Alexander inclined his head.

"It's a pleasure to see and your sisters Acolyte. Tell the Sister Superior I'm here to help you all." He said and the Acolyte looked surprised at him calling her that then signed to the Sister who began to sign back rapidly.

"She wants to know which Legion are you from."

"I'm not from any of the Astarte Legions." Alexander said and could see the confusion on the Acolyte's face. So he set his blade down into the ground, the disrupter field shutting off then took off his helmet.

"My name is Alexander Arc formerly of the Legio Custodes." He said watched the Acolytes eyes widen before signing to the Sister who bowed her head which he did in return. The Sister began to sign again and the Acolyte looked up at him.

"The Sister requests to know what planet this is." Alexander smiled at that.

"My, I have a great deal of things to tell you." He said but someone shouted a warning and he spun around already sliding his helmet back onto his head.

"Custodian, what's going on?" The Acolyte asked as she appeared on his left while the Sister Superior appeared on his right with her axe ready. The Praetorians started forming up on him as well; all one hundred Praetorians were still up and active.

"What is it Sedatus?" Alexander called over the vox.

"One of the Valkyries spotted the Dozorca." He said and Alexander cursed softly. Looking around he could see that there were trees surrounding them, nowhere to run.

As if reacting to his thoughts, a fog that seemed to sprout up from the ground emerged. The filters in his helmet began to react violently unable to penetrate far in the fog.

However he noticed that while the fog was making visibility difficult, the nullification that the Sisters emitted seemed to act like a barrier around them keeping the fog from descending on them.

"Casket, this is Overlord. Have any eyes on us?" Alexander asked after switching to the vox channel of the lead Vulture that escorted them.

"What was that? We read you one by five, repeat, one by five." The voice responded.

"They're here!" Someone yelled aloud and Alexander looked up in surprise.

As coming straight at him was a four meter tall humanoid creature with a large treelike body that had a bleached animal's skull with massive antlers for a head. In its hand was a deep black obsidian rock sword that was already coming down for his head.

---

Elsewhere…

Jaune opened his eyes when he heard the sound of people outside. Looking around he could see his team waking up as well. Looking to his left he was surprised to see Pyrrha leaning on him, she was still asleep though it didn't last for long as the Tauros hit something.

The bounce of the vehicle woke the sleeping red head up and she looked up at him with her green eyes. Jaune for a second felt a little memorized by them before clearing his throat as he looked away.

"I guess we're about to arrive." Jaune said out loud as Pyrrha sat up as well. Nora and Ren however were just looking rather amused at them.

"I can't wait to see what it's like here." Pyrrha said.

"I'd imagine that they will drop us off at the Governor's building." Ren noted.

"True, it seems like the sort of place that they would house a foreign diplomat." Jaune said.

"I wonder if we'll be allowed to move about the city." Nora said.

"I don't see why not as long as it's in our free time. Surely what business that Mr. Nauo has here it won't require our presence so much outside of ceremonial events." Pyrrha said.

"Sweet." Nora said and Jaune smiled as his team talked idly amongst themselves. He would have thought being put into a group with strangers would take a while to get used to. Now though it felt almost natural to him to be around the three of them all the time.

As the vehicle began to slow down Jaune realized that they must be almost there. The noise outside also seemed to be growing louder to the point that occurred to him that there really was a high chance of a ceremony for their arrival.

For him this wasn't a good thing as he remembered that by the time they had reached that outpost word of his arrival had already gotten there.

"It sounds like a crowd is outside." Pyrrha said.

"You think we just came in time for a festival or something?" Ren asked but she shook her head a rueful smile on her face.

"No I'm almost certain that this crowd is meant for us." She said.

"Oh right, you're pretty famous as well." Nora said and Pyrrha laughed.

"In the Four Kingdoms maybe but I think we all know who this crowd is probably for." The red head said as she and the others looked at Jaune.

"Well I guess this will be a new experience for all of us." Jaune said as the Tauros came to a slow stop. The noise outside was much clearer now that it easy to tell that it was cheering and the back hatch opened revealing a soldier in full kit holding it open for them.

Jaune allowed for the others to go first before picking up his own stuff then following them. The faceless helmed soldier threw him a crisp salute which Jaune returned.

The noise was crystal clear outside and Pyrrha could hear a great deal of voices calling for Jaune either with his last name or what she assumed his title was. Looking down she could see that they were on a paved concrete road and a grey sidewalk was nearby.

She stepped onto it with Ren and Nora to her left while Jaune came up on her right. Past him she could see team RWBY with Ms. Aster and Mr. Nauo to their right as well.

In front of her was a white marble step which led up to a wide three story brick building with a marble column front. On every fifth step was where the same armored warriors, Praetorians if she remembered what Jaune said in the Tauros. They still looked awe inspiring in their white armor with gold trims and black surcoats.

Between each of them however were four soldiers wearing black coats with grey low waist trousers that had red stripes going down the sides. With what she assumed were medals or other military insignias on their coats while wearing white gloves and peaked hats. At their waists she could also see swords in red cloth scabbards.

Coming down the stairs however three people, on the left there was a woman in a sharp black suit with a white blouse underneath.

To the left of the woman was a middle age man with greying hair that wore a simple but finely made black suit and black tie.

Behind them was a tall Praetorian with armor constructed in the same fashion as the other Comitatus Praetorians but this one had an identifying mark, a red transverse crest on the helmet.

Looking to her left and right Pyrrha could see people dressed in what she was able to recognize as black protective vests over blue jumpsuits that were holding the crowd back. She could see that they were using clear looking shields with batons in their other hand.

"Welcome honored guests!" The man bellowed as the trio got close to them. Pyrrha could see the man shake Gibeon's hand before shaking Fusia's hand next.

"It's an honor to meet you Governor Kagiris." Gibeon replied and the man smiled.

"It's always a pleasure to meet someone from the Four Kingdoms."

"I can say the same but I can scarcely imagine that it would be such an event for all these other people to come like this." Gibeon said and Kagiris smiled.

"I'm afraid that they're not here for you Mr. Nauo but there's the rumor that you've got the High Lord's son amongst your retinue." If Kagiris noticed the twitch in the envoy's face he paid no heed to it.

"That's understandable I suppose." And the Governor nodded before looking down the line of people then back at Gideon.

"You must all be tired from your trip, let's head inside." He said then the two men proceed up the stairs which prompted the soldiers and Praetorians to draw their swords as they held them up at an angle. The sudden crackle of the strange energy that emitted from the swords of the Praetorians was loud enough for Pyrrha to hear.

Fusia stepped forward with the other woman matching her step as they followed them. The Praetorian however looked at Ruby.

"You may come." A distorted voice female voice said making the younger girl flinch at first but she nodded as the white armored Praetorian moved up the stairs.

Ruby looked at her team then at Jaune who looked at her, she nodded. The eight of them proceeded up the white marble steps. As they climbed higher Pyrrha could see that the other buildings nearby were made from what looked to be a combination of concrete and brick with brownish red roof shingles.

Every direction she looked all the buildings seemed to be well made and maintained with clean looking streets. To the west she could see what looked to a large stone castle that was erected on a hill slightly above most of the rooftops of the buildings.

Past them she caught a quick glimpse of mountains. It was also at that point she noticed that the white armored Praetorians had sheathed their sword and were forming up behind them on the steps while the soldiers continued up the sides.

"You have to admit, they do look intimidating." Weiss said.

"Makes you wonder what they're like in a fight." Yang said and Blake snorted.

"I don't think you'd want to fight them."

"Ah come on, I bet me and Pyrrha could take them."

"Pyrrha sure but I think you'd have a hard time." Jaune said and Yang laughed.

"That's funny Jaune, for a second there it sounded like you'd say I'd lose."

"Not necessarily but I just think you might be overestimating yourself while you underestimate them."

"Hey there's nothing wrong with having some self-confidence." Yang said.

"I don't know Yang you kind of dance on the line of self-confidence and over confidence sometimes." Ruby said as they reached the top of the stairs.

There two glass doors opened up by a man and woman in the same uniform as the other soldiers. The group walked through them into the building.

The lobby had white marble floor with brown walls, in the center Pyrrha could see a red carpeted set of stairs that went up two landings which she assumed were also the other floors. Looking straight up she could see a crystal chandelier that emitted a soft glow. Behind them on the wall above the doorway there was another red flag with the Arc crest on it.

"Aina here is my personal secretary; I have something I need to look into as such she will lead you all on a tour of the building then show you to your rooms where you can unpack after which dinner will be served." Kagiris said gesturing to the woman next to him before turning to walk up the stairs leaving her and the Praetorian there.

"Well then, if you all will follow me please."

---

Later…

They all sat at a long table covered in white linen, in front of them were platters of food for the taking. Various slices of meat, potatoes mashed or diced along with bowls of salad, crisp fresh bread, fruit, and pitchers of beverages such as water or juice.

Fusia, Gibeon and Kagiris however were all drinking some liquor which Fusia seemed to be enjoying quite well.

"So tell me Mr. Nauo what has prompted the Kingdom of Vale to sending a Diplomatic Envoy to the Hurin Valleys."

"Why Governor it's merely to establish a mutual benefiting relationship for our prosperity." Gibeon said as Kagiris swirled the contents of his cup.

"Interesting as last I checked the Hurin Valleys did in fact trade lumber, fur and produce with the Four Kingdoms via the Outland towns already. Though let's be fair it only benefited one group which is the Four Kingdoms." The Governor said and Gideon tilted his head a little at that but Kagiris continued talking.

"The reason I say that is because of the import tariffs that you have on our biggest product, lumber, which makes me lose a lot of money since I have to keep the bulk of the industry up by giving tax subsidies and payouts. This just leads to a deeper hole for them as the Hurin Valleys can't compete with the other Outland towns that have free trade agreements with the Four Kingdoms."

"But wait; can't you just impose an export subsidy for your lumber then? Then you can offload more lumber to the Outland towns even with a diminished price." Weiss surprisingly asked from down the table.

"We've done that before but we can only sustain it for a short time as the Outland towns don't want to flood their own markets with our lumber. Do you know how much lumber we produce?" She shook her head.

"Nearly five million cubic meters of lumber were produced in the last 2 years and only 3 million were sold off even then at half price."

"If you're selling that much lumber at what you say is half price, how have you been managing this far with the costs? It sounds like the lumber industry is in serious debt."

"Aye, it has been losing me money but Arcadia tends to send financial aid every two years which helps me stop the bleeding for a while along with easing the debt enough that it doesn't just collapse the industry. Plus with the increase of Grimm activity to the south east which is preventing a lot of Outland towns from getting their own lumber we've been able to sell more for a better price which is keeping us above water this year."

"So then this is the chance for you to make some real money if the competition is out of the way."

"Not really, as I've said before trading directly with the Four Kingdoms isn't doing us a big favor. For instance Atlas has a large need for lumber but they've has a fixed tariff that imposes an additional thirty percent tax based on the price we plan to sell it at. Then Vale and Mistral have no need to buy lumber from us as they've got enough Outland towns and villages to buy from for cheaper prices due to close vicinity. Vacuo surprisingly has no tariff on us however the cost to ship it across the Sanus Sea means only those with the biggest capital can ship it to them or get them to collect it from us directly." Kagiris said as he downed his drink.

"Do you know how much the Hurin Valleys lumber industry is in debt?" He asked but no one answered.

"In the last five years the industry should have brought in about eighteen million Liens however the cost from equipment, wages, medical or paid leave, treatment of wood, transportation, fuel, parts, trucks, the wages for soldiers sent to protect them and forest restoration is nearly seven million Liens which they have to pay before and during. So it's written off the total revenue, then add in all the economical bullshit that I've already mentioned the actual profit for the lumber industry as a whole comes out to less than two million Liens. That two million then goes back into the industry for the next year's cost, so they're start off down almost five million Liens before they even start cutting down trees for lumber." Kagiris said.

"Which is why I'm here, the Kingdom of Vale has changed. We no longer wish to alienate the Hurin Valleys but help them."

"Help us in order to help you." Kagiris said and Gideon shrugged.

"Isn't that what it's always about, to prop each other up so that we both may survive and even profit."

"The question is, though what happens when someone steps away from that arrangement."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ruby asked looking at Weiss who leaned in.

"He's asking what happens if he gets hung out to dry." She clarified then looked up to continue listening in on the conversation.

"I'm starting actually to question why it is that I accepted you and your offer to come here. A part of me doesn't trust a diplomat that has nine Aura enhanced individuals, all of whom are trained to fight. I can scarcely imagine what it is he thinks he may need them for." Kagiris said.

"To be fair, Ms. Aster is the only full fledge Huntress. The other eight are merely students from Beacon that need to shadow a professional in the field for their curriculum." Gideon said.

"So these eight students, one of whom also happens to be the Prince of Arcadia, are all sent here to shadow Ms. Aster as she protects a diplomat that's come on the behalf of the Vale Kingdom?" Kagiris asked.

"Governor Kagiris, it sounds to me that you're about to accuse me and by extension my Kingdom."

"Maybe I am." The Governor said coldly.

"I think that's enough for today." Aina broke in, Kagiris glanced at her and even Jaune could see the fury in his eyes. Yet the older man merely took a deep breath in before exhaled slowly then smiled at Gibeon.

"My apologies Mr. Nauo I guess my mother's choleric nature got the better of me there." Kagiris said as he wiped his mouth with a napkin before folding it then setting it on the table.

"Its fine Governor, politics can be a stressful matter." Gibeon said standing up to shake the other man's hand as he stood up.

"It's a pleasure meeting you all; please by all means continue with your meals. The cooks put a lot of effort into their dishes to make you all happy. Then when you're ready call for Aina and she'll take you back to your rooms." Kagiris said before exiting with Aina, who bowed to them, in tow.

"Well, that was a thing." Nora said after a few moments of silence with the occasional clinking sound of utensil on plate.

"The food is good at least." Yang called out to which Nora cheered as the two began to have an eating contest much to the disgust of Weiss who complained as loose bits of food arriving on her plate.

"Stop acting like fools, can't you see the waiters laughing at us?" The white hair girl hissed them but Yang and Nora just looked at her perplexed with cheeks filled with food.

"You think Kagiris hates us?" Ruby asked as she looked across the table towards Jaune and Pyrrha who sat together.

"I can't really guess what's on the man's mind but I do think he is a little frustrated with the Four Kingdoms."

"True, I know my father would be pissed if the Kingdoms acted against him like that." Weiss said.

"I don't get it, why do we have these, tariffs, in the first place?" Ruby asked.

"Politics Ms. Rose, it's always come down to politics." Gibeon said from the front of the table.

"I think we should change topics, is there anything you need from us Mr. Nauo?" Pyrrha said looking at the Envoy.

"I don't believe so; Ms. Aster is there anything you want to say?" The woman leaned forward, a cup still in her hand.

"Look for the duration of this mission you are in fact free to do whatever you want within the town unless me or Mr. Nauo say otherwise, we're guests here so do not under any circumstances make trouble for the people of this town or break any laws, lastly be back here before ten at night." The Huntress said and the eight of them nodded.

---

Later That Night…

It was starting to get dark outside when Jaune stepped onto the west balcony. The hustle and buzz of the town could still be heard but in the darkness of night it still felt subdued.

Behind him, the others were settling into their new place. There was a massive lounge with conjoining bedrooms and bathrooms for everyone. Jaune finally decided to go back inside as the cool night air was much colder than he had expected.

"I'm stuffed." Nora said just as he entered back in.

"That's because you ate four plates of meat." Ren pointed out.

"Yea but I still think I could have won." The shorter girl said and Ren just shook his head.

"The food was good though, wasn't it?" Pyrrha asked looking at the two of them. Jaune looked around and couldn't see anyone else.

"Yea, they make some pretty good steaks." Nora said as she rubbed her belly.

"Where are the others?" Jaune asked finally speaking up.

"I think Ruby and Weiss still want to get settled in first and Yang said something about a food coma." Pyrrha said.

"And Blake's in her room." Nora said then looked at Jaune.

"Do you think she hates you now?" Jaune sighed.

"I don't think she hates me."

"You say that but she all but glared at you and Governor Kagiris during the dinner."

"Well let's be fair, there was a lot of glaring going on during that dinner." Pyrrha said.

"Yea let's just forgot about that, what about Fusia and Gideon?" Jaune asked.

"Well Fusia apparently took a bottle into her room with her so I think she's going to be busy." Ren said.

"Oh and Mr. Nauo went out as well."

"Did he say where he was going?" Jaune asked but Ren shook his head so Jaune just sat down on one of the grey couches next to Pyrrha.

"So what did you guys think about today?" Jaune asked.

"Well Nodens seems to be just like how I remembered it." Ren said first and Nora nodded before clapping her hands.

"Oh! We should go see if the Sulias is still there." The bubbly girl said.

"Sully what?" Pyrrha asked.

"Sulias, it's the name of the orphanage we grew up in." Ren explained.

"Ah, well then if you don't mind me asking. What was it like?" She asked.

"Living in an orphanage?" Ren asked and she nodded.

"It was an interesting experience. There were some bad memories but there were some good ones as well."

"I loved Sister Resael; she was always so nice to me." Nora said.

"That's because whenever Sister Hildiro got mad at you and put you on time out but Sister Resael would let you go early." Ren said and Nora just smiled as she lightly elbowed him before her smile disappeared.

"It's a shame she never came back." Nora said.

"Never came back?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yea one day she had a bag packed and so did most of the other Sisters. She said that they had to go do something and would return in a week. Which they did but Sister Resael, Celia, Letana, and Rienno never came back." Nora said as she stared off into the distance. Jaune however realized that Ren and Nora had been in an orphanage run by the Sisterhood.

While a great deal of the Sisters were healers, teachers, and aides. Their primary function was to fight, so that must have meant that these Sisters were called away to face the Grimm at some point and died.

"Do you know what happened to them?" Pyrrha asked suddenly looking at Jaune, he blinked.

"What?"

"Well you are royalty aren't you?"

"I don't see how that means I would know what exactly happened."

"He's got a point Pyrrha besides we both figured out a long time ago that they died." Ren said.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Its fine Pyrrha but I've got a question for Jaune now." He said looking at the blond teen.

"Go for it."

"What's the story with those, Praetorians?"

"I'm not sure what you mean?"

"Well, who are they? I've never actually seen anyone wear armor like that before." Ren said and Pyrrha nodded in agreement.

"Even when I was in the Mistral Tournaments, I don't think I've ever seen anyone wear armor quite extensively as they do. Even you don't wear armor that covers you as thoroughly as theirs does."

"I mean is that really strange?" Jaune asked.

"Kind of? We have Aura, what would we need armor for?"

"Why would you not have armor? It's not like Aura is infinite."

"True but it weights nothing whereas armor does." Ren said.

"Look I don't know why exactly they use armor but I know it's been working for them."

"What I want to know is what's with their swords. When they unsheathe them, there's some strange electricity or something that emits from them." Pyrrha said.

"They're power weapons." Jaune said and the three of them just looked at him oddly.

"Look, all I know is that it's something that was created that makes the weapons dangerous even against those with Aura and before you ask me how or what I mean. I honestly can't tell you because I've never actually seen them used before and definitely don't know how they work."

"Can I ask a question?" A new voice asked the four of them turned to see Ruby and Weiss coming into the room.

"I guess." Jaune said.

"Well it's actually has to do with you, ever since we found out that you're from Arcadia. I've been wondering why you decided to come to Beacon in the first place. I mean those Praetorians seem to be professionals in their own way, surely you could have become one of them."

"Wait, are you asking why I'm becoming a Huntsman?"

"Maybe? I don't know I was thinking that they were just what you called your Huntsmen and Huntresses." The younger girl asked and Jaune just smiled.

"The Praetorians aren't Huntsmen or Huntresses."

"They're not?" She asked.

"Not really, they're more like a branch of the Military."

"So do you have any Huntsmen and Huntresses?" Weiss asked.

"Nope." He said and could see the looks of surprise on their faces.

"Then who fights the Grimm?" Ruby asked and she flushed when Jaune just looked at her with a blank stare.

"Obviously the military Ruby, the Four Kingdoms have their own militaries as well don't they?" Jaune said.

"Yea but after the Great War and Faunus Rights Revolution, armies are really just used to help Huntsmen and Huntresses." Weiss said.

"But wait, doesn't Atlas claim to be the most powerful military? With its Academy tied deeply with its military so in a sense most of the graduates there just become soldiers instead so I don't really see how this is a problem or really complicated." Jaune said.

"Fair enough but back to my original point, why didn't you just become a Praetorian?" Ruby asked and Jaune shrugged.

"I didn't have that option open to me and even if I wanted to become one now it's too late."

"Too late?" She asked and Jaune hesitated.

"It's complicated, I don't know much and what I do know I can't say." Jaune said.

"As for why I wanted to become a Huntsman, I just, well, I guess in a sense I didn't want to get stuck in what my family is doing." Jaune said.

"I mean, my family rules a Kingdom and has this powerful army at their beck and call yet they don't really do anything with it aside from defending the borders. Sure there was the Great War and Faunus Rights Revolution but other than that they have done nothing."

"I'm sure there's more to it Jaune." Pyrrha said but he just laughed bitterly as he finally began to unload his feelings.

"My family blames for the Four Kingdoms for pushing them away in the first place but I don't ever remember hearing or see them trying to actually make amends for the past and try to work with the Four Kingdoms. Even now it's Vale that's trying to open the channels of diplomacy yet Kagiris was nothing but spiteful to Mr. Nauo, I just couldn't live with it. So I convinced my parents to send me to Beacon though they think I just want to expand my horizon before coming back to take my place within the Kingdom and be some high ranking officer in the military or something. In truth the moment I graduate from Beacon I'm planning on disappearing. I'm gonna go to ground until I'm sure that they would no longer look for me. Then and only then can I do what I like and help people." Jaune said and realized what he said when he looked up to see their shocked faces.

"Jaune you have no idea how much I can relate with that but don't you think you're taking that a little far?" Weiss asked.

"Maybe? I don't know Weiss, I really don't. I mean deciding what to do with my own life seems easy but if ever get on the throne then I'll be responsible for millions of lives. Not just within the Kingdom but I'm partially responsible for the Four Kingdoms and the Outlands in how I might deal with them." Jaune said.

"What do your parents think about ruling?" Ren asked.

"I don't know exactly how they feel about it, I know my mother loved staying in Avalon but was more than willing to go and deal with a situation in Arcadia when they called for her. As for my father I can never tell what he thinks, a part of me feels like he enjoys isolation but on the flip side he might actually miss being in the action more often than not." Jaune gave out a choked laugh.

"Speaking of my, father, the more I think about it, the more it feels like he's not even human. More like something with an iron strong will, like a machine. He wouldn't hesitate about sending men and women to die. Or maybe even waging wars that would leave the world devastated if he thought he was justified in doing so. On the other hand when I think that one day I could be dealing with all those people, those lives, their children and their futures its terrifies me to my core." Jaune said softly oblivious to the looks of concern on the faces of everyone there. Though before anyone could say anything there was a knock at the door, Ruby was the first to react and went to go open it.

"Uh, Jaune." Ruby called out and the blond team leader looked up to see the armored bulk of a Praetorian filling the doorway.

"Lord Arc, the Governor has requested your presence." The Praetorian said with a feminine voice that was slightly distorted by the helmet. Jaune said nothing as he stood up and walked after the Praetorian who had already disappeared from the doorway. When the door closed with a soft click, no one in the room said anything for a few moments.

"I, I didn't realize that was what he was thinking." Ruby was the first to say.

"I guess we can see that as another reason why he was so nervous to come here." Ren said.

"It must be hard to do something that would be tantamount to betraying your family; I could never imagine doing that." Ruby said.

"I can." A new voice said and the group looked up to see Blake standing at the door to her room.

"When your ideals become so important to you there comes a point where you must chose. Are your ideals more important to you or are the people around you more important. I faced that choice not once but twice. The first time led me down a dark path that I doubt that I can ever forget but the second time I turned to step into the light once more. That light led me here to you all and despite how I can be bitchy sometimes, I would never regret meeting you all and calling you my friends." The dark hair girl said and before she knew it Ruby had her arms around her.

"Aww we love you too Blake." Her team leader said and Blake looked up to see Weiss come in for a hug as well. Pyrrha, Ren and Nora however just looked at each other.

"What do you two think about Jaune's predicament?" Pyrrha asked.

"Honestly, I think he's deluding himself." Ren surprisingly said.

"He's deluding himself? What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked.

"I think he's letting his feelings influence his actions, I can understand the fear of the heavy responsibility that ruling a Kingdom might have but hiding himself from his family? That's ludicrous, to think he is thinking of taking such a selfish action of hiding from them until they stopped looking for him, it kind of makes me mad." Ren said.

"Don't you think that's a little harsh, we don't know what his family is like." Pyrrha said.

"True I don't know but as such I can only make a judgment on what I do know Pyrrha and only until then can I make a different judgment."

---

Meanwhile…

Jaune stood in front of a set of doors; the Arc crest was carved in the center. Behind him he could hear the soft whirr of servos in the Praetorians armor as she moved past him. She raised her shield then set it on her back with a soft click before pushing the doors inward.

"Governor Kagiris, Lord Arc is here." The Praetorian said before stepping aside, allowing Jaune to walk into the room.

In the center of the room was a long dark wood conference table. At the head of it was Governor Kagiris, at his shoulder was Aina. Seated to his right were eight men and women in army uniforms.

To his left was a female Deer Faunus then a red robed man, which Jaune reckoned from a Mechanicus as he had two mechanical arms sprouting from the back of his red robe. However other than that though much of his face and body were covered in his robes. Finally there was a tired looking man with thin grey hair in the soft body armor of the Arbites.

"Lord Arc." Kagiris said as he stood up, the others at the table doing so as well before they bowed at the waist to him. Jaune wanted to scream at them to stop but he knew that he needed to keep his feelings his check.

"Please, no need to bow to me." He managed to say evenly as he reached out to take the chair closest to him which put him facing across from Kagiris.

"So now that Lord Arc is here we may proceed." Kagiris said and Jaune cleared his throat drawing the older man's attention.

"Yes Lord Arc?"

"Uh, proceed with what?"

"Why, the meeting of course."

"Okay, uh, but why am I here?" Kagiris tapped his forehead with his hand.

"Of course, I forgot that you're new to this Lord Arc. You see there are a number of reasons why I brought you here, the first being of course who you are. It's customary to have any of the Arcs present in the Hurin Valleys to be invited to sit in on these meetings. The second reason is because we do have to touch upon the fact you arrived here with the Valean Envoy which we will get to. The third reason is because of what you're doing. We all know that the High Lord had taken his family out of the limelight and the Kingdom in order to have you all experience a more normal life, however with your family returning back to Arcadia and you being allowed to attend Beacon we reckoned that the High Lord did so that you can experience life on your own in the Four Kingdoms, in short a learning experience. So I figured what better lesson would there be to allow the young Lord to have a part in the activities of the Hurin Valleys for his stay." Kagiris explained but Jaune just left like slamming his head down on the table.

"I'm, uh, flattered?" Jaune said slowly and Kagiris just laughed.

"Don't worry Lord Arc; you don't have to stay here for the entire meeting. Aina or I will give you the signal when you can leave." Kagiris said.

"Oh before we begin, I think everyone here should introduce themselves." Kagiris said nodding to an older woman in an army uniform

"I'm Brigadier General Alrun Meidner, commander of the 13rd Brigade, these are my Battalion Officers." Meidner said gesturing to the others.

"I'm Administrator Clare Verdot." The Faunus woman said.

"And I'm Magos Etruscus Mir, at your service." The man in the red robe said.

"Name's High Marshal Galleren Lore of the Arbites." The last man said.

"Oh and before I forget let me also formally introduce our Centurion Tava." Kagiris said and the Centurion emerged from the shadows near him.

"It's an honor to meet you Lord Arc." She said and Jaune stood up holding his hands up.

"You don't have to bow to me Centurion Tava as it's my pleasure to be meeting you." Jaune said and the Centurion looked up at him. Though he didn't really have a clue at what she was thinking inside her helmet before she stood up.

"Well then! Now that introductions are all out of the way then let us begin." Kagiris called out as Jaune took a seat again.

"First I believe I should say that news has arrived from Arcadia in regards to the fighting in Irkalla. The Enemy has been beaten back; General Litvinovich has her Field Army within the Province along with a sizeable force of the Sisterhood and a couple of Praetorian Cohorts that are being led by Canoness Superior Sanian and Champion Forianus." Kagiris said and one of Meidner's officers made a small motion.

"Yes Major Rappiot?"

"Has the High Lord taken the field?"

"No the Canoness and the Champion petitioned to lead the reinforcements while Litvinovich has overall operational command." The Governor said and Jaune was surprised to see a look of relief emerge on the officer's face.

"Have any of the other Northern Provinces come under attack?" Another officer asked and the Kagiris nodded.

"Most of them have had skirmishes erupt on their borders as the fighting as riled the Grimm near them." The officer nodded and Kagiris looked around the table.

"Any questions?" He asked but no one said anything, as he was focusing on keeping his interest distant from the issue.

"Well then let's move on, the next thing is in regards to Vale."

"You mean the Envoy?" Verdot asked and the Governor shrugged.

"Yes and no but let's first talk about this Envoy. Lord Arc?" He asked and Jaune snapped his head up.

"Yes Governor?"

"What's your assessment? Is this some ploy by the Valean to get a foothold within the Hurin Valleys and do more economic damage from the inside?" He asked and Jaune felt annoyed at how distrustful the man was but kept mouth long enough to focus his thoughts.

"I don't believe that there is anything malicious on Mr. Nauo's part though he has yet to let me know of what sort of dealing he's trying to offer. Overall I would encourage understanding and cooperation." Jaune said hoping his words might plant a seed of trust in the man's mind.

"I see, so they're playing it close to their chest. I wouldn't be surprised that's the case since he found out who you were Lord Arc. I would like to apologize on behalf of my men for breaking your cover." He said and Jaune wasn't sure what just happened so he just nodded.

"It's fine Governor, no need to apologize."

"Anyways Director Lilith Arc has also requested military support in a mission." Kagiris said and this got Jaune's attention as he knew his aunt was in Vale.

"What is it that she needs? I thought she had an infantry company and an Umbra Contubernium attached to her." Meidner asked.

"She says that she's found evidence that her target has gathered a large force of the White Fang at Mountain Glenn. However she believes that the force at her disposal isn't going to be enough and requests at least two additional platoons." Aina clarified.

"I see, Alfhild, who's off rotation right now?"

"That would be 2nd Battalion; they're billeted in Rotona at the moment."

"Alright contact Lailer and see if he can get a couple of platoons to volunteer." Meidner said before looking at the Governor.

"Did the Director give rally coordinates?"

"Yes, Aina give them to the Brigadier. Tava, remind me again how many Praetorians do you have with you?"

"Two contuberniums besides which Governor their duty is here." Tava responded.

"Right, right, anyways if that's settled with there's another matter that's come to my attention in regards to the Grimm activity as of late." Jaune noticed the shift in tone at that and leaned forward a little.

"Reports have come in indicating that there's a buildup both to our southeast and as usual the west. The question I'm asking is where should our attentions be? The southeast has already had several skirmishes with the two Outland towns taking heavy hits and were nearly overrun before our leading elements got there. Even then a number of people have fled northwards towards us. Lore? Do you have a grasp on the situation?" Kagiris asked and the tired looking man nodded.

"I already shifted four hundred Judges towards Iouga, so with the eleven hundred I've already got on the ground there they should be able to maintain peace for now. However my captains are already telling me that there's about another two thousand on route with more on the way as the Grimm are hitting more and more Outland villages and towns. By the time they reach there however I should have another batch of Judges ready to move out to help but after that the Army is going to have to take over as there's not enough Judges in that valley to spare unless we want to transport them to the villages but they're even less equipped to handle that."

"Let me know if or when you want me to issue a limited Martial Law within the valley that way I can drum up some Auxiliaries for you to use." Kagiris said.

"Now then as for the West, Major Wiscard's your 5th Battalion is stationed to the west. What do you have for us?" Kagiris asked.

"As usual I've got two companies scouting the western Turin River and its many tributaries. It was two squads that were a few days march from the Turin River that saw the Grimm on the south side of Aericura Fields. They said that they estimated that were at least twenty maybe thirty thousand. If that's true then that is on the large size of previous attacks over the last decade. The problem is they were unable to ascertain whether or not the Creatures of Grimm were actually coming towards us." Wiscard explained.

"Even if we don't know if they're coming I believe it would be imperative to strengthen our western line." Kagiris said.

"Governor, do you really think that's a wise idea? If we start shifting assets west then word will spread and that will only serve to put the people on edge which in turn will definitely bring the Grimm down on us." Verdot said.

"That's a good point but we should do something, surely Meidner could shift a company from each of the other Battalions to head west or something." Kagiris said and as the Brigadier General began to talk Jaune notice Aina walking around to him.

"You can go now Lord Arc, I'll write down notes of the meeting for you to look over later." She whispered and he nodded then stood up. He didn't say anything as he just left the room, the Praetorian that had guided him there followed him out as he made his way back.

He knew that he would have to tell the others what he heard; a part of him realized that it might be a breach of trust to tell them the contents of a meeting that they obviously had no place in as they were outsiders. Yet he himself wanted to be one of those outsiders.

Deep inside Jaune a part of him realized that his desire to be free was doing more damage to him than it was good.

What point was freedom if it meant having to sacrifice everything he loved and knew?

As his desire to break free from what he saw as the hypocrisy of his parents was in fact hypocritical in itself as he could be the change that he thought was best.

Instead of facing the problem though he was instead running away from it while lying at the same time. What was the point in asking his father to be more open in regards outside when he couldn't even do the same?

He shook his head; it wasn't his fault that he was doing this. No, he was merely going to show his family why their method was wrong but doing exactly what they are doing.

As Kagiris said, it was all just a learning experience.

---

Earlier that Day…

Alexander angled his sword down in its high guard allowing the obsidian blade to slide off it, which showered the ground in sparks at their contact. Yet the Dozorca's weapon was unscathed from the disruptor field on his power weapon, which wasn't surprising.

Although he had been hoping the presence of the Silent Sisters and their null field would interfere with them physically, such as their weapons, but it seemed that was not the case.

The Acolyte was nearby with her bolter and fired twice. The bolt rounds struck with a mighty crack, the first hit the Dozorca in the arm sending an explosion of wood fragments while the second hit the side of its chest.

The bolt round exploded inside the Dozorca sending wood fragments and green ichor out in a spray at the Acolyte making her look away.

Alas the Dozorca was not defeated that easily as it turned in a flash far faster than what one would think something that big would be capable of doing.

The Dozorca's obsidian sword came for the Acolyte but Alexander was able to get between the blade and the younger lady. He caught the sword with his crossguard and grunted as he pushed up sending it overhead then slashed downward as soon as it cleared his helmet.

His sword hit with a thump as the energized blade dug deeply into its torso, smoke curling up from either side of the sword wound. In the corner of his version he saw a treelike fist sailing towards him and only had enough time to pull his sword out as it struck his stomach launching him several feet back.

The Sister Superior and Acolyte were not cowed by this as they joined in fighting it. The two of them worked well together, the Sister Superior would duck in for quick strikes with her axe while the Acolyte danced in and out of the Dozorca's reach as she fired her bolter.

But the battle overall was not just limited to them, as two more Dozorca's appeared from the encircling fog. Alexander moved to intercept them, turning aside a sword thrust from the second one and ducking under the axe swing of the third.

He came up slicing the wrist of the axe wielder; the axe fell to the ground with the Dozorca's fist still around it. The stump of its arm was black and smoke curled off it but it didn't even register the loss of its hand as it swung its other arm at Alexander.

Ducking under it he quickly launched himself forward slamming his blade into its chest before pulling bringing the blade out of its shoulder. Behind him Alexander could hearing a choking cry of pain and looked over his shoulder to see the second Dozorca's sword embedded in the chest of the Acolyte.

The young lady was crying out in pain as she was lifted off the ground with the sword sticking out of her chest.

She gripped the sword either trying to keep it from moving or to push it out. Either way it was too late for her. The Dozorca gripped her head with its other hand then pushed down with the sword splitting her open a spray of blood and entrails on the grass.

Two more Silent Sisters and three of his Praetorians moved towards them now as Alexander backed away from the edge of the fog. More and more of the Dozorca were coming now.

"Overlord, this is Casket. We're going to open fire around your last known position, if you're still there make sure you don't wonder into our fire." The voice of the Vulture's pilot crackled through his helmet.

"Sedatus close up and keep the Sisters and their Acolytes close to you." Alexander called out.

"Acknowledge." Came the reply of his Centurion, he could see the Praetorians closing up around the Sisters. Heavy caliber gunfire began to thunder out but the fog's unnatural properties were dulling the sound.

The sound of heavy footsteps behind him however made Alexander turned around to see another Dozorca with something that resembled a hammer in one hand while it dragged a Praetorian on the ground. The red surcoat was in tatters with the chest plate having been caved inward.

Alexander leapt to the side as the Dozorca's hammer arced down at him. It quickly brought the hammer around in a backhanded swing which Alexander ducked under as well. What he wasn't expecting however was the Dozorca to use the limp body of the Praetorian as a weapon as well.

The limp armored form of the Praetorian slammed hard into Alexander spending sparks into the air as the two of them flew backwards together.

He shook his head he pushed the lifeless body off him and looked up to see the foot of the Dozorca above him. As it came down Alexander raised his left hand and caught the foot stopping it from coming down on him.

He reached out for his sword that he had lost his grip on then raised it up to stab into the knee of the other leg. The blade passed cleanly through the knee and Alexander pushed to the right ripping it out of the side of the leg the Dozorca fell to its knees.

Alexander could see the green glow within its animal skull head just before he shoved the point of his shoved into its face. The glow within the skull died out just as several thumps echoed nearby which must indicated that the Vultures were using their rockets as well.

Pushing the dead Dozorca off him he stood up to see that the Dozorca were disappearing into the fog once more. Bolters cracked after them but none of the shots landed any killing blows.

Looking back at the first Dozorca he fought he could see four of the Silent Sisters lifting up the mangled bodies of the two that had fought within him.

Alexander had missed the Sister Superior getting her head crushed by the Dozorca when she turned to confront the one that killed the Acolyte.

When the last of the Dozorca left from their sight, the fog slowly began to lift. As it did the vox channels were restored and Sedatus called the Valkyries and Vultures down on their position to pick them up.

---

2 Hours later …

Alexander now stood in a hanger on the Magstein Air Base in the Alyzeia Province. It was from here that he and Centurion Sedatus had originally launched from out of Arcadia towards the source of the disturbance.

Now though he was here to see the bodies that died in service to him and the Kingdom. Along with those that died on a world that they did not know yet still fought valiantly.

In front of him were three rows with a dozen bodies each that lay under white sheets on tables that had been set out in the hanger. Almost all of them were stained red by the occupants underneath them.

Most of them belonged to the Silent Sisters, a few of their Acolytes with nine of them belonging to his Praetorians.

However he had twice that many that had been wounded from the Dozorca. These Beings created seemingly by Nature all seemed to be strong counteracting agents to the Creatures of Grimm.

The Creatures of Grimm were a void in nature, destruction given form in this world originally created by a god that left many millennia ago. The Dozorca had come sometime later as those that fight physically and psychically to bring Nature into balance.

Alas as the fate of the Grimm is tied with Man and Faunus the Dozorca would kill them as well if it meant achieving balance.

---

Ah that angst.

And what's this? A new enemy has appeared, one that isn't from RWBY based or Warhammer Fantasy/40k? I wonder what it's supposed to be, though if you think you know what they are then go ahead and call it out in the Review section. Think of someone with 2 swords.

Anyways, I've got another information blob for ya'll to read after this. This time it will be in regards to the Praetorian Armor, which again, takes influences from a variety of things so feel free to call out what you believe they might be.

On a side note about A Dance of Death, the work on that is surprisingly slow for me but there is some progress on it.

Anyways that's it for now.

Till Next time!

---

Praetorian Armor and Weapons

The Praetorian Armor, formally known as Praetorian Mark VI, is in fact the second generation of Power Armor within Arcadia that's dedicated for the Praetorian Legion.

Before that the armor used was just simple if not well crafted plate armor of various designs. Each weighing in around 150 kilograms but even the Praetorians couldn't last more than half a day of heavy fighting in the armor as even at their peak physical form they weren't strong enough.

So Arcadia began research into the power armor of their most valued members which is when the Mark V was born.

The Mark V while the first large step in creating power armor, it would only make it into experimental production just prior to the Great War.

A frontline Praetorian Centuria would volunteer to test the armor out, when enough suits of armor were made though the Great War would have already broken out. When Arcadia finally got involved, Alexander would send four full Praetorian Cohorts as a vanguard to a Field Army that would make landfall in Northern Sanus.

There the armor would showcase in giving a great deal of strength to the user that they could overpower nearly any opponent even in a twenty to one ratio save for the gargantuan Grimm or natural Creatures.

It was also there that the problems of the armor would be disastrously seen after the near destruction of the Praetorian Centuria at the siege of Frostbay at the hands of a combine Mantle and Mistral assault.

The drawbacks of the armor were seen as while it gave tremendous strength it didn't fully protect the wearer while also being far heavier than what the unaugmented Praetorians at the time could handle plus having a short power supply that required charging every ten to twelve hours.

As such the armor was marked as a failure as the Praetorians resorted to their traditional heavy plate armor which handled fine during the Great War.

When the Great War ended, Alexander tasked the Mechanicus to start working on a new suit of power armor. The next mark wouldn't come to fruition until almost fifty years later in what would be seen as the current Mark VI.

This armor took inspiration from the Power Armor worn by Talbek, Zophiel and Forianus along with the plate armor that the Praetorians have long worn.

As such the Praetorian Mark VI has the appearance of an enlarged Plate Armor of the Old World from the sabatons to the visored Helmets.

The plates are structured with an outer layer of an inch of ceramic plating with an inch and a half of a new titanium alloy that's three times stronger for less than half the mass or weight of most titanium alloys.

In addition a layer from a recently created material called Diamene is sandwich between the two metals along with another layer on the inside of the plate. All of which are interconnected allowing for the user to be safely sealed once inside.

On the back of each suit is also a small half cylindrical housing unit which contains a small fusion reactor that powers the suit; while a Praetorian can move with it offline the weight of the armor would effectively slow them down to the point that they're highly vulnerable.

At the same time, the fusion reactor is in fact the most armored and advanced portion on the Praetorian. The fusion reactor has multiple built in programs that would react to a number of situations as it has sensors not only built into the housing unit but with the armor as well.

If the armor sustains too much damage for instance the complete destruction of a vital plate section like the torso then the inbuilt program will safely shut the reactor down rendering it inert.

In addition if the housing unit itself is sufficiently crack, senses outside tampering or forced removal of the housing unit it will shut the reactor down.

Once a forced shutdown happens the reactor would not be able to start up again on its own power as it would require the power equivalent of at least two other fully operational reactors to get it working again.

Not only that but it's difficult to access the reactor programs without the necessary authorization key of an Arcadian Magos. If it's somehow started without the key, the program within will being an immediate meltdown that would end in a blast the equivalent to three 800mm high explosive shells going off.

Underneath the thick plates is a multiply layered Nano-composite Graphene bodysuit which is a thick padded suit that provides a vital role to both the user and armor.

As not only does it protect the Praetorian by absorbing any kinetic energy or pressure that would come through the plate with an additional layer of Diamene on the front and back of it. Inside are electrically motivated fibre bundles that proved additional strength since it covers most of the body except for the neural sockets and head.

The electrically motivated fibres react to the motion of the user then amplifies the force used thus increasing the strength behind the initial force by at least a factor of three.

This however can pose a serious danger to unaugmented people as the amplifying force would easily be stronger than what they can do alone as such it would shred ligaments, muscle, pull limbs out of sockets and break bones. This would lead to a chain reaction as they spasm in pain which further breaks them apart within the armor.

Even Praetorians understand that it will take time to adjust to the enhancements of the armor.

As such new Praetorians are instructed to wear their armor every second of the day in order to do tasks such as picking up a glass cup as they eat to spending several hours doing armed and unarmed combat training. Just as they have trained their augmented bodies when they were younger they must grow accustomed to controlling this new power.

In addition the armor also takes a page out of their parent armor. It has internal systems that can be accessed which allow the user things such as Photo lenses, Auto-senses, a Respirator Vox and a Life Sign Monitor which can inject painkillers into the user. All of these can be seen or activated from inside the helmet.

None of this would be possible though without the surgical procedures involving sockets being melded into the Praetorians spine. These sockets allow for a neural connection to the armor thus allowing it to be truly worn as not just a suit of armor but almost like a second skin.

However there's a hidden problem that wasn't seen until after this process was done, over time

Thus the armor can keep its occupants alive in some of the harshest conditions from blistering heat to the piercing cold by being able to regulate monitor and regulate internal temperature of the sealed armor. While also being able to withstand a heavy barrage of heavy caliber infantry weaponry that could rip apart a light armored vehicle and to certain extent hits from vehicle mounted weaponry or indirect explosives.

As for the weapons of the Praetorians, they can be seen as rather old-fashioned.

The Praetorians mainly use bladed weapons, such as the iconic poleaxe which they have been using since their early days in the Old World before Alexander even became High Lord.

Along with that they're known to use longswords or arming swords that may be paired with heater shields. These weapons while available to any Praetorian but mostly are stuck to certain sections.

The Frontline Cohorts, Umbra and Aegis Cohorts all mainly use Poleaxes save for those feel more comfortable using other weapons. The Comitatus Cohort however tended to be armed with large heater shields in tandem with arming swords as they see it as a symbol of their duty in protecting.

At the same time certain individuals within the Praetorian Legion have completely different weapons. For instance Alexander is armed with what would be a greatsword for most people while the Legate is armed with a Glaive; the Senior Tribune is armed with a double headed battle-axe.

However no matter what weapon the Praetorians have, they are all power weapons. These weapons were first created just before the Great War and only now have reached a level of practical usage.

The first generation power weapons could only remain active for little more than three hours. As the encompassing energy fields destroyed the weapon they were fitted to by eroding them to nothing.

Afterwards the end of the Great War the next generation would be created to replace the volatile failures currently used. These new power weapons would decrease their volatile nature in destroying the weapon but were even less likely to last. As the power needed to sustain them could only last for about an hour in an idle state.

In about a decade the problem was fixed to a more acceptable state as the power lasted for a full day on idle or six hours with heavy usage but the eroding effect returned albeit at a much slower pace of about a week.

In the last twenty years the current breakthrough in constructing new power weapons was finally made. This generation of power weapons can last a full three weeks with the energy field on but with no usage. While lasting for a full week of heavy usage before having to replace the energy source.

While the eroding effect is essentially gone, veteran Praetorians still have the inclination of tending to their weapons whenever they get the chance.

As for where the power source is held, in swords the power source can be found within the handle. Whereas poleaxes their power is held close to the head of the weapon and can be accessed by the removal of the langets.

In the scenario of Aura versus a Power Weapon, it's been shown that Aura isn't that strong against Power Weapons.

In documented cases during the Great War and the Faunus Rights Revolution, a Power Weapon doesn't fully deplete the user of Aura; it instead simply breaks though the section of Aura at the point of contact.

In a few cases, Aura has been shown to slow down the weapon as some users describe the experience as if their weapon was submerged in a thick gooey substance. However it never last for long as the power weapon would eventually break the opponent's Aura.

In the case of firepower or lack of, this is something that Arcadia has been meaning to fix. So far the Mark VII is in the works, a suit of armor not necessarily meant for all of the Praetorians but certain contuberniums that are meant to have enough firepower at their disposal to make up the otherwise lacking thereof within the Centuria.