RWBY: The Verdant Star of Remnant
Chapter 11: Jaundice
Author's Notes: 2+ weeks, 2 plus weeks & only recently have i gotten writing C12, although it's actually for good reason this time... For starters, i was hired as an editor for RWBY Comic dubs! Yeah, i'm a video editor on Adobe Premiere & i usually edit videos for my mom from time to time & after hearing that a Comic Dub channel was looking for an editor, i wanted to land a hand & it worked out! As well as the fact that i'm slowly getting back at Digital Art... despite many... MANY missteps... god, i hate drawing hands so much! Well ther's all of THAT & the fact that writing THIS chapter in particular was a NIGHTMARE! not as bad as Weiss' personal chapter, but still pretty difficult... & It'll unfortunately get worse since C12 will be even HARDER! You'll see what i mean when ionce C12 out in 1-2 weeks time.
Anyways, i was thinking of maybe doing Fanfic & Art commissions later in the future cause now that i'm essentially a freelance editor, i'm gonna get a bank account (focking finally!) & i was wondering if you guys were interested, for those who follow me on Tumblr, Discord or even DeviantArt who are interested on this idea, leave your thoughts down below.
Alright, i've left this chapter wait for its release for long enough, let's finally get this started & never forget!
The following is a non-profit Alternate Universe fanfiction.
RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, Warner Bros. & the late Monty Oum. While Fire Emblem: Three Houses is owned by Nintendo, Intelligent Systems & Koei Tecmo. Please support the original release.
Also, major spoilers for both RWBY & Fire Emblem: Three Houses, specifically the Verdant Wind Route. If you haven't caught up with either of them, it's recommended that you catch up with both of them before reading this story.
& On that note, enjoy this chapter.
The Month of April was going so far for The Garnet Papillons, their classes have been going very well for the most part & they've been training consistently well… With many different degrees of results depending on the person, like Jaune Arc who has been in quite the struggle, hardly getting results. The following trials he has to face will decide his worth of becoming a Huntsman once he grows up, whether or not he'll succeed it's up to him & him alone, lord knows what fate has in-store for him.
But~ before we get to that, let's focus on something else for the moment! As it was made evident from The Mock Battle last month that Blake Belladonna & Pyrrha Nikos have a little bit of history with one another & before the day Yang had her nice Sunday fun-time, the 2 girls were having a private tea time far away from the dorms to have a little chat. They're at the yard of Campus, laying down on a picnic blanket as they're drinking some Green Tea & eating some sweets, Blake's homebrewed tea was always the best; Pyrrha's pouring her next cup as Blake is taking a sip of her own tea cup before she speaks.
Blake: So, care to explain what do you want from me?
Pyrrha: Well, I wanted to catch things up a little better. We've never got to know one another since we were fighting back then, not to mention the fact that you've managed to keep your cover pretty well so far. But the moment we fought; I knew that it was you.
Pyrrha takes a sip of her tea before Blake replies.
Blake: You never cease to surprise me, kid… Although, calling you a kid might be overkill since you're actually older than me by a couple of months; so where do you wanna start?
Pyrrha puts her tea cup down for a moment as she suddenly gets a little more serious.
Pyrrha: For starters, what happened? You were one of the highest-ranking members of the Fang, one of "The Four White Sabers" at that! If it's alright for me to ask, why did you leave them & why is The Manslayer considered "dead" by the public eye?
Blake: *Sighs* Let's just say that a lot of personal stuff happened not long after we've fought & I mean a lot of personal stuff, I don't wanna talk about it, especially to someone who's technically still a complete stranger in my eyes.
Pyrrha got a little offended by that comment, sure! It was hard to tell whether or not Blake truly considers The Garnet Papillons her friends (apart from maybe Ruby & Yang who she has grown quite fond off) But to hear that Blake considers her a complete stranger hurt Pyrrha a little, despite being the strong type of the House.
Pyrrha: "A Complete Stranger"? Isn't that a little harsh? I know you might've not seen me as your friend, but a stranger?
Blake: This is technically the first time we get to sit down & talk, the other 2 times we saw each other, we beat each other up! Besides, you can tell that why I'd have issues…
Pyrrha lowers her head a little, having a grasp of what Blake means, mainly about her being a Faunus & a professional assassin with a massive body count; that's when Pyrrha decided to speak her mind a little more.
Pyrrha: Say Blake, I know why you wouldn't reveal your true identity to the others; god knows how Weiss would react if she learned that you're the Manslayer… But- shouldn't they at least know of your Faunus heritage?
Blake scratches her cat ears a little bit, since they were out of the open that night. There was no one spying on them, so she didn't mind letting them have some fresh air.
Blake: Because they'd instantly know that I'm the Manslayer if I had cat ears, especially since I share an uncanny resemblance to her as it is… But- I know that I can't keep this cover forever, they'll figure it out someday… Only you, Oz & Glynda know the truth at the moment, Weiss is getting suspicious of me… I'm a little afraid of it, honestly…
Blake lowers her head slightly as her cat ears are lowered as well, clearly not liking what's going to happen in the very near future, but Pyrrha tries her best to comfort them.
Pyrrha: About that, may I ask you what you think about your teammates? At least the ones you might consider your friends?
Blake looks back at Pyrrha & actually gives her a weak smile before she replies.
Blake: Ruby is a good kid, she has a lot of high aspiration & ambition for someone of her age, I find that really endearing. Despite being a child, she's not very naïve, I can tell that the girl went through her own personal hell & came back stronger because of it. As for Yang, she-… She reminds me of an old friend of mine, that caring & soft side combined with an attitude that can piss people off in the best ways possible, those Sisters are nice.
Pyrrha smiles at Blake finally being a little more positive for one & she could tell that she wasn't lying, given how she occasionally shoots Ruby a reassuring smile or 2 at her, showing that she believes in the young reaper to a certain degree & somehow being the only one who doesn't completely cringe at Yang's jokes. Pyrrha would ask Blake about Weiss, but their relationship speaks for itself, that's when Blake remembers something.
Blake: Oh & Ren's good company as well, we've made some tea together a few times, meditated on occasion, traded some tricks & gadgets from time to time & even cooked sometimes as well, it's nice not to be the only quiet one of the House. Then again, he is a little too talkative whenever he does open his mouth, so that's a little weird…
Pyrrha: *Smirks* Careful not to get Nora jealous.
Blake: What do you mean?
Blake looks at Pyrrha confusingly at her question, not understanding what she means. Pyrrha just waves her hand as a sign to just brush it off, which thankfully worked. They drank some more tea & kept chatting a little bit, mainly about their opposing ideals.
Blake: Well, at least it's nice to see that you can actually back up the superhero crap that comes out of your mouth if our most recent bout was any indication of it. You've clearly gotten stronger in this last year, I'm impressed.
Pyrrha: Thanks, you too. Despite the fact that you were technically using weapons that weren't made to kill other people, is that your way of distancing yourself from your past?
Blake draws out both katanas of Gambol Shroud before answering Pyrrha's question.
Blake: The answer is yes & no; while it is a way to keep my true nature at bay, I'm fully aware that I cannot run away from it forever… You can never truly escape your past…
Pyrrha shifts her focus to Blake's Gambol Shroud, all with a soft & empathetic expression on her face, as if she sympathizes with Blake's struggles to a certain extent.
Pyrrha: I know the feeling, I'm no stranger to bloodshed & hate… Hopefully we can make the world a better place in the future, all of us!...
Blake cannot help but smile & agree with Pyrrha at that moment, even if they have completely different views in the world, they technically want the same thing: a world where the people can live in peace & prosperity, hopefully they can make it to their final destination. Seeing that it's late, Blake puts back her bandana & hat before packing her stuff to go back to the dorms, both girls kept chatting on their way back until they went back to their respective dormrooms.
Ok, now we cut back to present day, around mid-April where Team JNPR is having their early morning routine. Ren is back at the kitchen downstairs making some breakfast for the team, Nora is reading a Manga & Pyrrha is tending to Miló & Akoúo to make sure they're as sharp & durable as ever; Jaune however isn't as cheerful as he usually is. He knew he was weaker than the rest of his class, but to be taken out with such ease & in such a pathetic manner by Blake in the Mock Battle last month felt really embarrassing, how could he be taken out like that?! Pyrrha takes notice of Jaune's bumped out attitude & tries to talk to him about it.
Pyrrha: Jaune? Are you okay? You look a little- off today…
Jaune didn't pay much attention to what his partner said due to being too focused on looking at his sword: Crocea Mors, before Pyrrha could speak again, Nora takes notice of Jaune's glooming attitude as well & decides to help out… By throwing one of her pillows at his face, which finally catches his attention.
Jaune: OW! Nora, what the hell was that for?!
Nora: You were zoning out as you were getting gloomy, so I gave you a wake-up call.
Jaune rubs his face from getting a hard pillow to the face by Nora, what a way to fully wake somebody up, huh? Jaune then looks at Pyrrha who gives him a concerned look.
Jaune: Anyways, did you say something Pyrrha? I was daydreaming, sorry.
Pyrrha: No, it's quite alright. But- you look unwell, is this about the Mock Battle?
Jaune sighs as he looks back at Crocea Mors before replying.
Jaune: Yeah, it is… I still can't believe I was taken out like that!...
Pyrrha goes to sit next to Jaune & place a comforting hand on his back.
Pyrrha: Jaune, don't beat yourself up. You were just caught off guard & Blake was a very powerful opponent, it's nothing to be ashamed-
Jaune: Look, Pyrrha-… I know you're trying to help & I appreciate it… But I don't want any pity right now, I'm gonna get some fresh air…
Jaune gets up & leaves the room, just in time for Ren to bring back breakfast. He sits the food down to the table before looking back at the open door of the room.
Ren: What's wrong with him? Did something happen?
Nora shrugs it off as she goes to grab a plate of pancakes, already eating her share like there's no tomorrow; but Pyrrha just looks at the door Jaune went through with worry, not liking what might come in the future.
Cut to Byleth having some tea at Beacon's Gazebo outside of the campus, where people usually have teas & snacks from time to time. Sothis is there as well, but she's stuffing herself with sweets; good thing this is fiction, otherwise she'd be sick & fat right now. Byleth puts her mug down, cleans her mouth with a handkerchief & speaks to Sothis.
Byleth: Well, looks like someone developed quite the sweet tooth. I swear, you're acting just like Lysithea right now.
Sothis stops eating for a moment as she looks at Byleth, all the while looking very adorable with her mouth being stuffed with small slices of strawberry cake; she swallows the cake slices before she replies.
Sothis: What? These cakes & pastries are delicious, don't tell me you don't like them!
Byleth just giggles at the goofy & pouting face Sothis is making right now & the fact that her entire face is all covered in cake cream & other sweets makes it even better.
Byleth: Oh no, I do like sweets. But unlike you or Lys, I don't have a sweet tooth. I guess I share Raphael's taste in big chunks of meat, cause the meats of Remnant are delicious!
Sothis: Then why are you making that face? What's so funny, huh?
Sothis gets flustered a little bit as Byleth can't help but contain her joy, but she puts it to the side as she cleans her mouth after eating enough sweets.
Sothis: Urgh, whatever… I'm already full & besides, I don't wanna gain any weight…
Sothis then gets deep in thought, mainly about the vision she had a few days ago. What the hell was that? Why was Blake fighting someone & why did she appear to have cat ears? No way, could she have been?... Before Byleth could ask her "Little Sister" about this issue, they hear some commotion coming somewhere around campus.
Unknown Voice: ARGH!
Byleth: What the-?!
Byleth quickly gets up from the chair & looks at the direction the scream came from, cut to around the backyard of campus where Cardin & his teammates are ganging up at a couple of Faunus, mainly a short guy with large buffalo horns & a girl with a fox tail, pulling them hard & causing pain to these 2. Cardin & his team are a group of bullies who are very ruthless & extremely racist, harassing any "Sub-human" that are in their line of sight, not showing any mercy & sometimes even going too violent. Cardin has his foot placed on the top of the Buffalo Faunus' back & pressing it down hard as he speaks.
Cardin: Hah! Look at these guys, how can anyone consider you people?! Arrogant scum like you makes me sick, walking around & living amongst us humans like you're the same as us… But you're nothing but filthy Sub-humans who don't deserve such privileges!
The Buffalo Faunus Boy starts groaning in pain as he's having a hard foot being pressed down onto him, as Cardin is "teaching them their place" as he puts it, one of the members of Team CRDL looks at the wallets of these 2 Faunus & they're actually kinda loaded with cash. It's not much, but it's more than the average student usually has. Russel (The guy with a green mohawk) talks to Cardin about it & shows him the cash he got from the 2 Faunus they're harassing.
Russel: Hey boss, check this out! These guys have some good cash, don't you think?
Cardin's attention is shifted to his partner Russel as he looks at the wallets on his hand, he takes a look at the nice amount of Lien they got & smirks before looking back at the 2 Faunus literally licking his boot right now.
Cardin: Well, what do you know? We managed to raid some nice loot, good work Russel!
Byleth: HEY! What the hell is going on over here?!
Team CDRL's attention is suddenly taken away for a moment as Byleth calls them out, they turn around & see Sothis who's just a small child in their eyes, but then they see Byleth & holy shit, is she a hottie! Those great curves of her & her professor skirt slightly exposing her thighs, that's not even mentioning her enormous knockers; Cardin stops bullying the 2 Faunus students for a moment as he turns around to face Byleth.
Cardin: Woah, what do we have here? So that's the new teacher, she's really sexy!
Russel: She's a hottie alright, especially in person!
Byleth & Sothis just exchange looks, both of which look very deadpanned. Byleth is used for people trying to hit on her & it actually got worse in Remnant, this place is full of Skirt-chasers & pervs; they both look back at the bullies to continue what they wanted to say.
Sothis: Save the "Hot Stuff" for later, what are you assholes doing over there?
Cardin then approaches the 2 Eisner Sisters to answer Sothis' question.
Cardin: Well, what's going on here is that those Sub-humans over there had the gull to live among us, despite the fact that their entire existence is a sin against nature! I hate arrogant pieces of shit who don't know their place, that's simple.
Sothis growled in anger, clearly expressing her disgust from Cardin's racist view on the world & the fact that he's not even the only one makes things even worse! Prejudice & racism themselves are just dumb & nobody should be treated like shit for looking slightly different from the commonfolk… It's basically Fódlan's nobility structure with Crests & nobles & the conflicts between Almyra & Fódlan, except somehow even worse!
While Byleth kept a cool, serious exterior, she was quite literally fuming on the inside. She wanted nothing more to teach these racist assholes a lesson & land a hand to the harassed Faunus that even look like they're bleeding a little bit, then Cardin got pretty close to Byleth by even wrapping an arm around her shoulders & pulling her close.
Cardin: Ya'know, despite being a teacher, you're not that much older than us… You're apparently 20-21 years old, correct?
Byleth: Correct, what of it?!
Cardin: Well, instead of wasting your time with filthy Half-breeds like those 2, why don't you hang out with us & ditch those Butterfly brats of yours while you're at it?
Byleth: You want me to go out with you?
Cardin nods while having a confident smirk on his face, it's just a shame that the one he's hitting on is Byleth; who's 1: most likely has her eyes set on someone else (Claude), but also someone who's 2: not someone who ditches her students & friends, especially in exchange for racist scumbags like Cardin. She gives Cardin the death glare & says the following as she enhances her right forearm & hand with her Semblance.
Byleth: IN THAT CASE, YOU CAN GO FUCK YOURSELF & SHOVE THAT RIDICULOUS MACE OF YOURS RIGHT UP YOUR MOTHERFUCKING ASS!
Cardin is taken a back, but doesn't have time to react from what Byleth just shouted at him due to the incoming Dragon Fist in the face that breaks his nose, knocks out a tooth or 2 & sends him flying, crashing it to some trees to where he was flung to. That attack also cause Cardin to drop the money they got from the Faunus they were harassing, Byleth gets down to get the money they stole from them.
To say that everyone who witnessed the wrath of the Ashen Demon just now is metaphorically shitting themselves in fear would be a massive understatement & surprisingly, Sothis is the one who's shocked from Byleth's outburst the most! Sure, she saw her "Big Sis" angry before multiple times, the biggest example being against Kronya of TWSITD, but this is on a whole other level, especially since Byleth cursed & so vulgarly at that! The other members of Team CRDL look back at Byleth who's glaring at them, cracking her Dragon knuckles.
Byleth: So, are you guys going to get out of here & leave those 2 alone?... Or do any of you want to end up like your leader? Personally, I'm fine with either choice!
The 3 CRDL team members all looked at one another after hearing Byleth's ultimatum… & Ran away as fast as possible, while also making sure to get the unconscious Cardin with them as well. Byleth has gotten some use to her new Semblance, so she can now activate her Dragonscale at will. After taking a deep breath, she deactivates it & goes to the 2 frightened Faunus students, extending their wallets to them while giving them a look that a concerned, yet relieved Mother would give to their child when they're alright.
Byleth: I'm sorry for not noticing the disturbance earlier, are you both alright?
The Buffalo Faunus Boy then snaps back to reality as he slowly takes the 2 wallets back, giving one of them back to The Fox Faunus Girl. Byleth smiles as she offers them a hand to get back up, which they take said hand & stand back up to their feet.
Buffalo Faunus Boy: Uh, t- thank you Prof. Eisner!… But why did you suddenly help us like that? We're Faunus & well- ya'know how the Human Faunus relationship is, especially after The White Fang got violent 5 years ago.
Sothis: & That should stop us from helping you why exactly?
The 2 Faunus Students look at Sothis confusingly before she continues.
Sothis: It doesn't matter if you guys are Human or Faunus, Rich or Poor, when we see a person having trouble, we help them out. It's not rocket science; this is just how we roll.
Byleth: My Little Sister's right, we don't play favorites when helping someone getting harassed by someone else. Especially if that certain someone is a racist prick, I find what he said rather ironic honestly… Anyways, you kids aren't too hurt, are you?
The Fox Faunus Girl just shakes her head before reassuring the Professor.
Fox Faunus Girl: Oh, it's nothing serious. Just some bruises & a bleeding lip on my friend's side, nothing the infirmary can't fix.
Wait, Infirmary?! But these are clearly Beacon Students, Beacon Academy is an Academy for Huntsmen & Huntresses, so these guys should have Aura & should in theory be able to defend themselves, right? Well, that's what Sothis thought to herself since Byleth is aware that just because a school like Beacon is mainly for training child soldiers, it's still a school, so it's not just for raising child soldiers. The Officer's Academy has something similar to that, not everyone comes here to become a fighter of any kind.
Sothis: Wait, "Infirmary"?! but you guys have Auras, can't you heal yourselves?
Byleth: Not quite, Sothis. Not every student in these academies come to learn how to fight, this is still a school where people learn many different things.
Sothis looks down while thinks to herself at this revelation & how odd it is to her.
Sothis: (Seriously?! But it's a school for training kids into becoming killers, not boring members of society! Goddess above, it really is just like The Officer's Academy…)
Byleth turns her attention back to the students & wipes out their blood a little bit to stop the bleeding, making both Faunus confused, yet also grateful for her generosity.
Byleth: If something like this ever happens again & I'm around, I'll come back to land you kids a hand. But do make sure to still stay safe, alright?
Buffalo Faunus Boy: Uh~, yes! Of course, thanks Prof. Eisner.
Fox Faunus Girl: We'll be more careful next time, take care.
Byleth smiles as she heads off while waving off to the 2 Faunus students, with Sothis following suit. But as they're leaving, Sothis gets another vision. This time, it appears to be Byleth being tied down in a locked room of sorts, almost as if she was kidnapped. Sothis shakes her head & places a hand on her forehead due to the small headache from that vision. Byleth takes notice of her Sister's sudden change & asks her about it.
Byleth: Hey, Sothis. Are you okay there?
Sothis: I- I don't know, I'm having brief mild headaches for some reason, but I'm alright… Well, for the moment I'm alright! Come on, let's go.
Sothis continues heading back to Beacon alongside Byleth, not knowing why the hell is she getting these odd visions out of nowhere. Back with Team CRDL, Cardin regained some of his consciousness back & well- he's pretty pissed off. not only was he rejected, he was also humiliated by a Furry Lover, he'll remember this in the future.
We then cut to Glynda Goodwitch's class where a sparring match between Ruby Rose from Team RWBY & Fox Alistair from Team CFVY is taking place. Due to the higher Power Level the Garnet Papillons have compared to pretty much all other Freshmen of the year, they have Glynda's permission to spar with second year students to better hone their skills in battle since fighting someone much weaker than them can only get them so far.
Fox is a close-range fighter who uses a pair of blades with blades on them, kinda like hand sickles & despite being blind in a physical sense, he can see the world around him thanks to his incredible mastery of Aura. But that's not all; just like Ruby, Yang, Ren, Blake & Pyrrha, he can enhance his hands with Aura to send off powerful shockwaves. Despite being the least impressive of Team CFVY in-terms of power, he's still a member of Team CFVY which is full of pretty powerful Huntsmen-in-Training to begin with & the fact that he's a close-range doesn't help since Ruby struggles in hand-to-hand combat.
Ruby is mostly dodging Fox's attacks by either moving away really fast or turning her body into petals, thus giving her a brief moment of invincibility since you can't really hurt rose petals. But despite being a very powerful opponent, Ruby is always one step ahead. Fox's next attack is spinning around like a spinning top while enhancing his blades with Aura, making them stronger & faster. Ruby is just barely able to avoid the incoming attack by turning her body into a burst of petals & send an Aura enhanced kick to Fox's abdominal since le left it open for attacks. That pushes the blind Vacuan just enough for Ruby to backflip away & charge right back at Fox, spinning Crescent Rose like a spinning flying blade to finish him off. Once Fox falls to his knees, the buzzer goes off & closes off the match due to Fox's Aura being in red.
Glynda: & That's a match! Due to Mr. Alistair's Aura now reaching red, that makes Ms. Rose the winner of this battle. Now you're now aware of what usually happens when 2 very fast fighters fight against one another, the one with the greater reaction time usually comes on top. Yet the both of you did spectacularly well, be proud.
& Glynda was right, the fight was actually pretty close. You have to get your opponent's Aura to red to win a match in a traditional tournament setting, the red color of the Aura bar being 25%; yet the both of them were below the 33% range before the final blow was dealt. Ruby goes to Fox & gives him a hand to help him up, as well as a friendly smile. He smiles back as he takes her hand & gets back up to his feet.
Fox: For a second, I thought I had the win, but you're truly a powerful adversary.
Ruby: Heheh, let's fight again after we become stronger!
Fox gives the young reaper a thumbs up before heading back to his seat, same with Ruby. Coco gives her partner a pat on the back for a great bout, with Yang usually doing what she usually does whenever she's proud of her Baby Sister… her ribs & arms have seen better days, that's for sure. Glynda looks at the time on her scroll & decides to have one more match before her class ends, hopefully it won't take as long as this last one.
Glynda: Now then, I believe we can make time for one more match. Do any of you like to volunteer?... *No response* No?... *Shrugs* Alright then!
Glynda dials down on her scroll to activate the randomizer for the final match, as Ruby finally breaks free of her Sister's bone-crushing hug, she notices how Jaune feels a little down. Pyrrha is looking at her partner with a hint of worry, she tries to talk to them about it since the randomizer takes a while to generate a match.
Ruby: Hey Jaune, are you okay over there?
Jaune snaps out of his little world before looking at Ruby & just like with Pyrrha earlier this morning, he tries to fake his issues & hide it from his new friends.
Jaune: Oh, I'm alright… I'm just a little tired, didn't had a good sleep last night.
Ruby: Oh, I see… I'm sorry about that, try to take it easy then.
Jaune then looks down at his notes on his table below, just as Ruby is having some inner thoughts about the situation & how she can tell Jaune is faking it.
Ruby: (No, it's not just that! I know there's more into it, but I don't think that asking this in Prof. Goodwitch's class is a good idea. I hate to say it, but I'm gonna have to wait!)
Just as Ruby was thinking that to herself, the generator already finished randomizing the final match for the day: Jaune Arc Vs Cardin Winchester! Jaune takes notice of this & shivers as Cardin gets up, glaring at him while giving him a cruel grin. Those 2 have quite the "dynamic" & by "dynamic", I actually mean Cardin being a bully to Jaune & being one of his favorite "preys" at that. Cardin likes picking on those who's overall weaker than him & given how underwhelming Jaune is in terms of power… yeah, he's a very easy punching bag for Cardin. Needless to say, this will not end well for Jaune.
Glynda: The final match for today's class will be Jaune Arc of Team JNPR against Cardin Winchester of Team CRDL, will both combatants please get themselves ready in the lockers & set foot in the stage?
Both competitors nod before standing up & going downstairs to get their weapons in the lockers, Ruby takes this chance to sit next to Pyrrha & ask her what's wrong.
Ruby: Hey Pyrrha, I'm sorry for butting into something that could be really personal, but- what's been going on with Jaune as of late? He's been acting all moody all of the sudden, did something happen earlier this morning?
Pyrrha sighs in frustration & exhaustion before answering her House Leader's question.
Pyrrha: I'm sorry, Ruby. I wish I could fully answer your question, but I cannot… By the looks of it, he seems to be bumped out by the fact that he was taken out so easily in the Mock Battle last month. I tried reassuring him earlier this morning, but I'm afraid that my words haven't quite reached him…
Pyrrha's "I'm sorry" counter: 11
Pyrrha looks down at the table sadly, hating the fact that she can't help her partner. Ruby lays a comforting hand on her back to reassure her, the gladiator appreciates her House Leader's emotional support.
A few minutes later, when the fight is reaching its climax, Jaune is already on his knees & struggling to land a good hit on the violent bully. He gets back up & kinda amateurishly swings his sword at him, which Cardin easily dodges & slams his mace: Executioner right at his abdominal, taking a good chunk of his Aura & knocking him down. Jaune loses grip of his sword when he fell down, allowing Cardin to slam his mace down right at him. Jaune is able to block it with his shield, but is greatly pushed back by the impact & is pushed away by quite a bit. By the time Jaune tries to get up again to keep fighting, the battle was already called off due to Jaune's Aura now hitting at red.
Glynda: & That's the match! Cardin Winchester of Team CRDL is declared the winner!
Cardin just smirks as he flexes a little bit, much to the dismay of both Jaune & his friends who are watching from the stands with worried expressions. Glynda is unsurprisingly disappointed at Jaune's very poor performance, it's been almost a full month & he's still shown nothing but poor fighting performances.
Glynda: Mr. Arc, it has been weeks since the semester started & you've done nothing but demonstrate how inexperienced you are. You'd be wise to fix that issue as soon as possible, you wouldn't want to be eaten by a Beowolf, would do?
Glynda shoots a cocky & smug smirk at Jaune, who takes his sword after getting back up.
Jaune: N- no ma'am!
To say that Jaune is upset at his lack of strength in battle would be an understatement, he can't believe that he's this pathetically weak! Pyrrha & his teammates watch him look at his sword somberly as they have worried expressions on their faces.
Cut to the cafeteria where The Garnet Papillons are having lunch, with Nora telling the group a very exaggerated story of when her & Ren were traveling & encountered some Grimm on their way to the next town, much to Ren's dismay.
Nora: It was a dark, rainy night!
Ren: It was early noon.
Nora: There were Ursai!
Ren: They were Beowolves.
Nora: THERE WERE DOZENS OF THEM!
Ren: There were 2 of them.
Nora finally gets fed up with Ren ruining her fun, she gets up & glares at him.
Nora: Hey, what's your deal?! Can't you see I'm trying to tell them a cool story from our travels? Why do you have to be so stingy about it?!
Ren just turns away, not wanting to deal with his Partner's antics right now. Nora just huffs as she sits back down & eats her food. Pyrrha looks at Jaune with worry, he's barely even eating his food at the moment.
Pyrrha: Jaune, are you okay? Are you still bumped out about losing to Cardin earlier?
Jaune: A little bit, yeah. But I'll get over it, see? I'm already feeling better!
Jaune tries to smile & show off, but it backfired since no one bought his bullshit seriously. But before any of them could continue, their attention is taken away for a moment to see Cardin & his teammates harassing Velvet of Team CFVY. With Cardin in particular pulling her Rabbit ears pretty hard, The Garnet Papillon clearly didn't like seeing that.
Pyrrha: Jaune, Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school.
Jaune: Oh, I'm used to it. It's not so different from back home, being treated as weak is just a normal routine for me nowadays…
The others are taken aback by this very apathetic way that Jaune sees the situation, with Ruby in particular being very vocal about it.
Ruby: Still, he's a bully & a racist jerk at that!
Jaune: Guys, I'm serious! It's not so bad, trust me.
That's when his teammates were about to fire back at Jaune & just how bad his situation with Cardin really is on the surface… Mainly Ren since he's a bit of a smartass.
Ren: Oh really? Then explain the times he knocked out your notes & books out of your hands? Or used your shield to get you stuck in a doorway many times? Or my personal favorite, shoving you into one of the rocket lockers & send you flying to Emerald Valley?
Jaune just groans at Ren's comment, why do the quiet ones always have to be correct? Not to mention being smartasses, that's when Jaune submits a little bit.
Jaune: ALRIGHT, I GET IT! He's a big jerk, even compared to some of the people back in my place… You didn't have to be so stingy about it, though…
Ruby: Jaune, we're friends! If you want our help, just ask us.
Nora excitingly jumps up & flexes a bit as she thinks of an idea to deal with this issue.
Nora: Oh, I know! Let's break his legs!
The reaction of her friends at this declaration are either out of shock or just groaning in both annoyance & embarrassment… Except for Yang who joins in pumping her fists high in the air, also wanting to beat the crap out of Team CRDL.
Yang: If you need me to break someone's bones, all you gotta do is ask!
Weiss: WHAT IS IT WITH YOU BOTH & PICKING FIGHTS WITH OTHER STUDENTS?!
The girls just ignore Weiss very reasonable question & fist pump each other, that's when Ruby finally decides that enough is enough & goes straight to Cardin.
Ruby: Okay, I've tolerated all I can… Those guys are going down, I'll be right back!
As Ruby was about to get up & deal with the bullies, Blake puts a hand on her shoulder & stops her for a moment.
Blake: Wait!... Let me take care of this, you're still catching your breath after fighting Fox in your sparring match just a while ago.
Ruby: Huh? Blake, what are you talking about? Those guys are pathetically weak, I'm gonna be just fine.
Ruby gives off her usual confident & cheerful attitude, but for reasons Blake can't fully tell her Leader, she just pushes her back down to sit as she goes to deal with this herself.
Blake: Just shut up & wait here! I've been wanting to kick their asses for weeks now...
Ruby just crosses her arms & pouts for having her chance taken away from her, with her Sister patting her on the back to make her feel better. As Cardin is pulling Velvet's ears a little more, he feels a very tense grip on his left arm. He turns around & sees Blake, who glares at him with her fierce Golden Eyes that could metaphorically kill someone.
Cardin: Huh? Oh, it's you… What the hell are you doing here? Can't you see that we're having fun over here?
Blake: If you consider "harassment" a form of entertainment, I would be more worried about your mental health than what's going to happen if you don't let her go this instant! I'm not exactly one to be very kind towards racist scumbags like you…
Cardin: Oh? So what? As if you can stop me from keep doing this!
Cardin just scoffs at the idea & only pulls Velvet's Rabbit ears harder just to piss her off even more… Giant mistake! She uses her free hand to easily, but gently free Velvet from Cardin's grip & follows up by twisting the arm she was holding it around & down, Blake just broke Cardin's left arm like it's nothing & needless to say, it hurt like a bitch!
Cardin: AAAAAAAAAAAARGH! MY ARM! MY FUCKING ARM! AAAAAAAARGH!
Everyone in the cafeteria immediately stop what they were doing to see Blake completely humiliate Cardin by literally breaking his arm off like it's nothing! Yang & Nora are very proud of Blake for stepping up & brutally teaching Cardin a lesson, while the others of the House are either shocked out groaning in frustration now that they're most likely going to get in trouble with Glynda for causing such a scene. Cardin glares at Blake, who's just casually looking down on him without any sense of pity or remorse towards him.
Cardin: Y- you psychopathic fucking bitch! How in the hell could you do this to me, suddenly coming here & breaking my fucking arm like it was your damn plaything?!
Blake doesn't say anything as she just holds one of her hand out at Cardin, mainly placing her oddly sharp & curved fingernails at his forehead.
Blake: Me? A "psychopath"? Far from it… I was being far too generous with you, so be grateful that I didn't just ripped out your entire arm off instead!
Cardin groans in anger as he tries to get up & attack Blake back, only for Blake to jab her fingers at Cardin's collarbone, hitting some of his nervous system points & knocking him out cold. She turns her attention to Cardin's teammates who are very close to literally shitting their pants in fear from what they've just witnessed.
Blake: Grab your shitstain of a Leader & leave this place right now! Goddess help me if I ever see you disgusting assholes harassing The Faunus ever again!
They clearly get the message quickly as they grab the unconscious Cardin & get the hell out of here, not wanting to deal with Blake's quiet wrath in any way. Weiss watches the full scene occur in front of her eyes & let's just say that she may hold back her personal grudges against the Faunus around Blake, she's really horrified at her brutal display. Blake turns her attention to Velvet & helps her get back up, while also seeing if her Rabbit ears are alright & sure enough, nothing that her Aura can't deal with.
Blake: Sorry for causing such a mess, are you alright?
Velvet: Y- yes, I am! Thank you for the help, I think they got the message this time…
Blake just fixes up her headband before going back to the group.
Blake: They better, because there'll be rolling heads on the ground if this happens again!
Velvet flinches at the thought as Blake casually goes back to her table & sits back down, being loudly congratulated by both Yang & Nora, much to Blake's dismay.
Yang: Fuck yeah! That's my partner!
Nora: Save some for me next time, will ya?!
Blake quickly gave them the "Don't touch me" glare to make them back away from her, she doesn't like when people invade her personal space. Not wanting to be her next prey, both girls put their arms up in surrender & back off. Most of the group just goes back to eating their lunches, preparing themselves for their next class.
The scene then cuts later on to one of their later classes, this time being History Class which is run by Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck: The High Caffeine Doctor & another member of the Four Generals of Vale alongside Glynda: The Mage General & Port: The Warrior General. In the case of Oobleck, he's the Tactician General; due to his high intelligence & experience on the field of tactics & overall knowledge about The World of Remnant.
He originated from Atlas, but moved to Vale to enroll at Beacon due to not approving of Atlas' policies & "morals"; he's been at Ozpin's side ever since. Oobleck has messy light green hair, a messy white button shirt with a green tie & said shirt probably looking like it was even passed with iron in days! As well as a pair of black pants with suspenders, with nice green shoes to go with his hair. He also wears a pair of large circular glasses that hide both of his eyes, making him look like a mad scientist… & To be fair, nobody would be completely wrong in thinking of Oobleck like that.
None of the students can keep up with the guy zipping around the class like Ruby, but somehow even worse since at least Ruby leaves a trail of Rose Petals whenever she moves from one place to another at high speeds, Oobleck doesn't have something like that. The topic of today's class is about the conflict between Humans & Faunus, one of these battles occurring during The Great War of Remnant from Valean Year 1090 to Valean Year 1100 between a high-ranking Official from Mantle against a Tribe of Faunus who were fighting alongside Vale due to The King of Vale of that era promising them the right to international citizenship & vote should they become victorious.
Oobleck: Yes, yes. Around the era of The Great War of Remnant, Humankind was quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in an area where they could control them & continue their slave trades, harbors, ETC. & Even many years after that hellish war has ended, the people wanted to keep the Faunus exclusively to their land, The Menagerie Archipelago! Now while it is true that the conflict between Humans & Faunus are old as time, it is important to remember that it's still going strong even at this day & age! It's also important to remember that The Great War od Remnant didn't even occur a mere century ago, it's a very recent event compared to most conflicts in Remnant's history.
He was right, even nowadays, Humans harass, torture & enslave The Faunus; regardless if the R.U.N. allows it or not since most of them consists of humans (selfish & horrible humans at that) who are unwilling to lift a finger to their own people. The Great War of Remnant is where the conflict was arguably at its worse due to Mantle starting their quest of unifying Remnant under a totalitarian & tyrannical rule by attacking The Menagerie Archipelago & its people, The Great War's total casualties were 40% of all Humans & 70% of all Faunus, the Faunus would never have rebuilt itself & would've been extinct if the King of Vale of that era wasn't a benevolent, kind & selfless ruler who only wanted what's best for everyone & one of the War Heroes of that era: Nicholas Schnee I, who directly opposed The Mantlean Emperor in his cause & joined Vale to both stop his tyranny & save The Faunus from extinction. Oobleck then stops moving like a lunatic for a moment to look at his students, mainly the Faunus that attended his class today.
Oobleck: Now then, who among you has suffered prejudice because of your Faunus heritage? Be it verbal, mental or even physical harassment?
As Oobleck asked the question, all Faunus attending the class raised their hands, even Velvet. Although Blake wanted to raise her hand as well, she can't blow her cover by admitting that she's actually a Faunus.
Oobleck: Dreadful! Simply dreadful! Remember my dear students, it's precisely that kind of ignorance that breeds senseless violence; or as the old saying goes: "People fear what they do not understand, so they want to either control it or destroy it to feel safe." I still remember almost 20 years ago when The White Fang was first founded & was slowly, but surely doing genuine progress, I was actually one of their top supporters back in the day… Unfortunately, due to a tragic incident that occurred 5 years ago that's nowadays known as The Betrayal of Argus of that made the Fang decide that violence it's the only answer, no one knows the full story behind that incident outside of a group of Faunus being executed out in public out of nowhere... Nowadays, the High Leader of the White Fang is Sienna Khan & needless to say, her way of achieving her goals for Faunus rights & equality is very controversial to say the least.
Blake listened to the full story & as she did, she can feel her blood boiling at how much suffering she had to endure in the last 5 years, all because those disgusting Atlesian scum tricked the Faunus & killed them without a second thought! Weiss said that Nicholas II has nothing to do with is, but Blake doesn't believe a word she said! It was him who sent her father a request to meet at Atlas in person, he was the one who send the order to kill-… to kill him!... Yang doesn't say anything, but she can feel the growing atomicity that's coming from her partner & gets worried. Oobleck then changes the subject a little to move on from any depressing memories & ask Ruby class a question.
Oobleck: Now Ms. Rose, could you tell us when did the turning point of the war during The Faunus' end happen & when exactly did it happen?
Ruby gets taken aback from getting asked that question, but she rolls with it.
Ruby: Me? Okay. It was Mid Valean Year 1095, specifically around Central Anima. It was a battle that took over a week due to both forces being on a stalemate, until Lieutenant Captain Lagune of The Mantlean Empire suddenly got too arrogant & tried to make an attack on Fort Galle, which was where the Faunus stationed their camp for that battle.
Editor's Note: The Galle Fort is an existing place in the real world in Sri Lanka, Anima is greatly based on Asia, so I thought that having an Asian Fort makes a lot of sense.
The other students look at Ruby greatly shocked, yet impressed; she's clearly done her homework since History is actually the normal school topic that she's the best at. Oobleck nods at Ruby with a smile, being very proud of one of his best students.
Oobleck: Excellent work, Ms. Rose! I can see that you have the makings of a wonderful Huntress. Now then, could you also tell-
Jaune: Hey!
Cardin was in the class as well, having his broken left arm which was in a cast. But he still managed to flick a folded piece of paper at Jaune, who was snoozing during the class due to lack of proper sleep. Oobleck then goes to Jaune, asking him the question.
Oobleck: Mr. Arc, great to see that you finally decided to contribute to class, truly an excellent thing indeed! I was going to let Ms. Rose answer my next question, but I believe that asking this to you will make things more interesting. *Looks at Ruby* My apologies, Ms. Rose. But you won't mind this sudden change of events, will you?
Ruby just smiles as she shakes her head, not being bothered by being interrupted. Besides, she doesn't want to have all of the spotlight… Yet!
Ruby: It's all yours, Doctor.
Oobleck: EXCELLENT NEWS! *Looks back at Jaune* Now then, Mr. Arc… Why was Lt. Cap. Lagune's plan to ambush the Faunus at night a bad idea? Do you have the answer?
Jaune: The answer?... The answer is… The advantage the Faunus had over Lagune is…
Jaune begins looking at Pyrrha, who was sitting not too far behind Oobleck & looking at her to see if she can help him out. She mainly points in her eyes, forming circles around them with her hands; signaling that what the Faunus' advantage was their night vision. Unfortunately, Jaune doesn't get the message right & gives Oobleck the wrong answer.
Jaune: It's their binoculars!
He answers it, thinking that he got it right… He did not. Most of the class either laugh or groan in frustration. With Pyrrha facepalming & Jaune getting a disappointing look from Ruby which makes him pull back, Oobleck shakes his head at this "joke".
Jaune: Very funny, Mr. Arc… *Looks at Cardin* Mr. Winchester, perhaps you would care to share your own thoughts on the subject matter at hand?
Cardin just mockingly & disrespectfully adjusts his position to lay his legs on the table before he answered Oobleck's question & needless to say, he shows his racist side again.
Cardin: Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a solider!
Oobleck just shakes his head from Cardin's very racist remark & Pyrrha follows suit by standing up & calling Cardin out on his bullshit.
Pyrrha: Heavens above, you're really are a very closed-minded fool, Cardin Winchester!
This gets on Cardin's nerves as he gets up, clearly wanting to beat down Pyrrha for that.
Cardin: What's wrong, Red Tornado? If you got a problem, then say it to my face!
Pyrrha: Gods, do I have many problems with you… But I won't waste time on someone as pitiful as yourself, especially in the pathetic state that you found yourself in earlier.
The class pretty much goes "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH~!" from Pyrrha's very sweet burn at Cardin, the bully just growls as Pyrrha turns her attention to Dr. Oobleck.
Pyrrha: But I also have the answer: it's night vision. Faunus are infamous for having very powerful night vision, as well as being masters at fighting at very lush environments. It's true that Lagune was an experience fighter, but due to The Mantlean being a very racist & toxic nation, he was a very arrogant & poorly educated man.
Blake then gets up as well, following suit by throwing her own bit of knowledge.
Blake: Humans have a tendency for being very arrogant & that was Lt. Cap. Lagune's death sentence when he made such an idiotic tactical move. By thinking that the enemy would've been sleeping & vulnerable in the night, he attacked them very late at night after being stuck in a struggle for over a week at that point. Unfortunately for him, the remains of his army which originally consisted of over 20,000 men was completely wiped out like it was nothing, in just a single night. Ever since that battle, The Faunus were able to claim victory after victory, especially with the future assistance of both King of Vale: Ocelot Pendragon & Foreign Hero: Nicholas Schnee I.
The class is very shocked by both of their answers, due to how accurate it really is. Cardin just growls as he's being making a fool of by Blake again, only for Blake to bite back at him with a burn of her own as she gives him the death glare.
Blake: Due to him being a foolish & arrogant scumbag like the rest of his wretched kind, he didn't even bother to do any actual research about the enemy he was facing & thus was completely humiliated & crushed in battle, just like a certain brainless dumbass we all have the displeasure of sharing classes with at the moment.
The students all fell into a deep, scared silence from Blake's last sentence. She's clearly very vocal & brutal about Humans & especially Atlesians, which to them doesn't make sense since she's supposably a human. It's a good thing that most of them are idiots & that Blake is good at keeping her cover. Cardin tries to get out of his seat & pick a fight with both of those girls, but Oobleck stops him from even trying whatever stunt he'd pull.
Cardin: Oh, you fucking b-
Oobleck: Mr. Winchester! Please take your seat, now!
Cardin reluctantly obeys the Dr. as Jaune is laughing at seeing him get brutally burned by his friends, only for Oobleck to suddenly appear in front of Jaune.
Oobleck: The both of you can see me after class for additional readings, understood?!
Jaune flinches at remembering that Oobleck clearly didn't forget his little "Joke" from earlier & was fated to spend more time here after class soon enough, the class after that point was pretty uneventful. When the bell rang & it was time for the students to leave, Pyrrha told the others to go on ahead & tell Byleth that they'd catch up soon enough & that Pyrrha would stay behind & wait for Jaune, who's currently being greatly scolded by Oobleck alongside Cardin for causing scenes in his class. He's still zipping around one place to another during his lecture, while also keeping himself high in caffeine.
Oobleck: You two have been struggling in my class since day one! Now, I don't know if it's a lack of interest, personal issues holding you back or just your stubborn nature. But whatever it is, it stops now! You've worked hard to gain entrance to Beacon Academy, and we only accept the best of the best in this great academy of ours, so I expect you to act like it! History is extremely important, gentlemen! If you can't learn from it... you're destined to repeat it. Pages 51 to 91, I want an essay on my desk by next class from the both of you, understood? Good! You 2 may leave now, just stay out of any more trouble.
The 2 of them finally pack their things & leave, but Cardin still pushes to the ground as they were leaving the doorway, emitting an "Ow" from Jaune & a laugh from Cardin. Pyrrha helps Jaune stand back up to his feet while also death-glaring Cardin as he was leaving, clearly fed up with his bullshit just like everyone else.
Pyrrha: Ya'know, I really will break his legs!
Jaune shakes his head as he looks at his schedule through his scroll, seeing that their final class is Warfare Class with Byleth. He sighs as he heads off without saying another word, with Pyrrha following suit to make sure Jaune doesn't get lost on his way to class.
We then cut to the final class for the day with The Garnet Papillons taking a match of a popular Tabletop Strategy Game in Remnant between the 2 teams to see how much their skills in strategy have improved overtime, the game itself is called: DnD: Sacred Radiance. The game is basically Team Based PvP DnD where 2 teams fight on a board with a set team, the game is up to 16 players, 4 for each team & each player gets to use 3 custom made characters, which gives each team a total of 12 Custom Characters to work with. In Fódlan, the usual number of commanders or strong soldiers you bring in battle are 12 to 16 units in total, so this works in the same way. However, the mechanics & battle system is heavily based on Fire Emblem, so things like weapon & magic triangle, weapon & magic durability, many different options for classes, terrain bonuses, Skills & Combat Artes to use in battle & other key rules like "Permadeath" are at play here, so any big mistake will be punished severely. The win conditions depend on the setting, map & rules the GM established & in this case, it's to take the enemy fort. Team RWBY's fort resides on the North, while Team JNPR's fort resides on the South.
Team RWBY planning an attack from the high mountains on one side of the classroom, while we have Team JNPR planning a strategy on an open field to the south on the other side of the classroom; both with a 30-minute time limit to decide on their strategy before Byleth calls them over to play the actual game. Jaune wants to just defeat the enemy lord & their fort without causing a scene, due to RWBY having the high ground… Literally. Unfortunately for Team JNPR, Team RWBY has The Rose Xiao-Long Sisters, who are basically experts in this game & are a nearly undefeated duo. Although making Weiss & Blake catch up to speed on how the character creation & unit system works was a pain. There's also the fact that they can't all use Master classes either, they have to mix things up a little bit; these are their following teams for Team RWBY.
Ruby: A High Lord who's skilled in Light Reason Magic & Lances, a Marksman who's skilled in Bows & Guns & a Cleric who's skilled in Faith Magic.
Weiss: A Paladin who has high mobility & is skilled with both Swords & Lances, a Dust Intellect who specializes in Ice, Lightning & Gravity Dust & a Pegasus Knight who has good mobility & is skilled in Lances.
Blake: An Assassin who's skilled with Daggers, Whips & Bows, a Swordmaster who's skilled in Swords & a Witch who's skilled in Dark Reason Magic.
Yang: A Grappler who's skilled in Brawling, an Armored Knight who's very tanky & is skilled in Lances & a Wyvern Rider who has good mobility & is skilled in Axes.
Team RWBY has a very balanced team, mainly focused on high attack & mobility. Blake having Assassin as her main class works due to the middle of the map being in the woods & assassins having mobility advantage in the woods; Ruby also brings nice Magic power. Team JNPR is a bit more defensive, but also high in attack. This is how they set up their battalion, especially after a few good minutes of Jaune explaining the rules to his team.
Jaune: A Great Lord who's skilled in Swords & is equipped with a Shield, a Cavalier who has good mobility & is skilled in Lances & a Mage who's skilled in both Light Reason Magic & Faith Magic.
Nora: A very fast Warrior who's skilled in Hammers, a Brawler who's skilled in Brawling & a Wyvern Rider who has good mobility & is skilled in Axes.
Pyrrha: A Hero who's skilled in Swords & Axes, a Pegasus Knight who has good mobility & is skilled in Lances & a Halberdier who's skilled in Lances.
Ren: A Rogue who's skilled in Daggers & Whips, a Sniper who's skilled in Bows & Guns & a Wizard who's skilled in Dark Reason Magic & Faith Magic.
Aside from Ren, Team JNPR mainly focused on high defense or high attack, due to Jaune thinking that having good enough attack to OHKO the enemy & survive more hits will work in the end. It's important to mention that teams are also using Battalions, which work in a similar way to how Battalions worked back at Fódlan. Each player gets one Battalion & since there's 4 players per team, that basically gives you 4 Battalions per team. With both teams ready, Byleth calls them to the ring.
Byleth: Alright kids, listen up! This is how you will test your skills in strategy today. The objective is to take the enemy fort, you will send your units around this large map that's also filled with Grimm units that'll attack whatever unit is in their range. If any of you ever played chess, you have an idea how movement works here. Are both teams ready?
Ruby: Yes ma'am! we're ready to go!
Byleth looks at RWBY, who nods at her confidence. Byleth noticed that Jaune didn't say anything, he just gave her a silent nod. Ruby told Byleth about Jaune earlier & plans to deal with this issue & help him after class, but she leaves it to the side for the moment as she's about to take a coin from her pocket to decide who will get the first turn.
Byleth: Very well, Team RWBY will be Heads & Team JNPR will be Tails. Any objections?
Both leaders shake their heads & give her the go-ahead to flip the coin, she flips the coin & it lands on Tails. Meaning that Team JNPR will have the first turn, which might give them an advantage depending on how well this goes. Byleth then steps back & allows this match of Sacred Radiance to begin.
Byleth: OKAY, OPEN THE GAME!
Both teams begin their match at Sacred Radiance, with Team JNPR having the head start as they begin traversing through the map. Ren sends his units through the woods, Nora & Pyrrha send their respective fliers to fly around the south to keep the are guarded, while Jaune supports the girls by sending his Mage & Lord with them.
While Team JNPR is playing defensively to lure Team RWBY in, Team RWBY themselves are going straight for the offensive as they send their Fliers & Mages straight to the frontlines, with Blake doing the same thing Ren did & traverse her units through the mountains & woods. Ruby's tactics always involved surprise attacks & maneuvering, so having a battalion built around good mobility & speed was essential to her.
The fliers of both teams engage & since this is DnD, the chance to attack, dodge or land a crit is decided on the dice roll. Unfortunately for JNPR, Team RWBY got the first lucky dice rolls due to having higher hit chances & by extension, a higher chance to get a hit if the dice hit the correct numbers. The match has just begun & Team JNPR is already losing ground, something that actually takes a reaction out of Jaune due to him being pretty good at strategy games like this. The next turn goes to Team JNPR, Ren already made sure to lay down a few traps around once Team RWBY's units pass through the woods; as well as using his Sniper & Wizard to take down Team RWBY's fliers, which worked well.
While they lost some units, Ruby isn't too fazed by that. Although losing their fliers suck, this wasn't part of RWBY's main plan, that'd come next. Ruby put her Sniper & Lord in a Ballista & a Magic Cannon respectively; Ballistas are large bow-like weapons that fire giant arrows from very far distances & with a high chance to crit. Magic Cannons are basically the same for Magic based units, where they can cast stronger long-range spells like Meteor or Bolting without the usual drawbacks they have. With this, Ruby fired a Ballista shot to where Jaune's cavalry was going through, stopping at their tracks & with the Magic Cannon, she fires at the middle of the forest, essentially creating a giant open space in the middle of the terrain & allowing Weiss' Cavalry to move forward.
Byleth looks at the simple, yet effective tactics from Ruby's end. If it was anywhere else, a tactic like that would've spelled trouble; good thing that she didn't put any villages at the map & the only living beings there were The Grimm. But what's more impressive is despite being a dangerous gambit, Ruby made sure none of her forces was around the crossfire. This tactic also burned down most of Ren's traps, which is great for them.
This is bad, JNPR's forces won't be able to move around like they wanted & now they're going to have to play more defensive than they already have. As they finished creating a wall with Jaune's, Nora's & Pyrrha's main forces, Weiss' Cavalry & Yang's warriors are with them as well, alongside Ruby's Cleric to keep them healthy. Another dice roll & JNPR takes the win this time, they were able to hold off the enemy forces, but not enough to completely push them away & because of Ruby's Cleric, they won't stay down. Ruby rolls the next dice to inflict some nerfs to the enemy forces with her Cleric, fortunately for Team RWBY & unfortunately for Team JNPR, it worked!
The Cleric casts the "Defense/Resistance Ruse" spell, which both nerfs the enemy's defenses by 50% & inflicts "Guard" on them as well, making them unable to use Combat Artes or land Critical Hits for the next turn; that turn never came as they were next to all wiped out by the combined forces of Weiss' & Yang's troops. As for Ren's forces, Blake easily dispatched of them just in time for the others to take the fort. The match is drawn to a close as Team RWBY sweeps through Team JNPR & very easily in fact; while it felt like this match took a good 2 hours for both sides, it actually didn't even take 20 minutes.
Byleth: & That's the match, Team RWBY is the winner of today's match! Congratulations girls, you've played well.
Ruby: Yosha!
The girls have a brief celebration for their victory, while Byleth notices how Team JNPR is handling their loss. Nora is quietly pouting; Ren holds his head thinking that he was a fool for not considering Ruby's strategy of using Meteors to create more open field & Pyrrha is trying to comfort Jaune who looks pretty tired.
Pyrrha: Hey Jaune, it's okay. We were just outplayed & we're not as experienced in this as Ruby & Yang are, don't let this get to you.
Jaune just sighs from how exhausted he is as he doesn't respond to Pyrrha, Ruby takes notice of it & finally has enough of Jaune's neglectful attitude as of late. She stops him & confronts her fellow leader.
Ruby: Hold it right there! I think we need to have a little talk.
Jaune turns around rather surprised that Ruby stopped him in his tracks, but he doesn't want to deal with this, so he makes it quick.
Jaune: Talk about what? I'm perfectly fine, I'm just a little tired.
Ruby: I'm sorry, but I don't believe you. you've been acting that way ever since The Mock Battle last month & it slowly got worse throughout the month. We're your friends, right?
Jaune gets a little surprised by the question & finally faces Ruby.
Jaune: Of course you're my friends! But this is nothing you should waste your time on, I'm-… I'm not worth the effort…
Pyrrha gets up as well & sticks with Ruby, wanting to help her Team Leader as well.
Pyrrha: Jaune, you're not making any sense! If you're struggling with your studies or in combat, then we can help you with that.
Jaune: No, you can't. I'm not good enough, I was never good enough…
Pyrrha: Of course you're good enough, you've made it into Beacon! You're just struggling a little bit, it happens.
Jaune then looks at his clutching hands after hearing those words, knowing that they're not true… That's when Jaune decides to finally tell them the truth to the Class.
Jaune: No, I didn't…
Ruby: Jaune, what are you-
Jaune: I DIDN'T MAKE INTO BEACON! I-… I faked my way in, I'm a fraud…
That outburst from Jaune suddenly made the mood quiet, too quiet. They did just hear that right? Jaune faked his way into Beacon? How & why? Why did he do this? How did he do such a thing? How did it even work to begin with?!
Jaune: Like I told Pyrrha back at The Trials of Emerald Valley, my Father got ill & couldn't fight like he used to anymore. I trained everyday since then, but it went nowhere!...So I forged some fake documents & sneaked my way in here…
Ruby: B- but why?... Why go this far to get into Beacon? To Become a H-
Jaune: BECAUSE I WAS TOO FUCKING TIRED OF BEING DEADWEIGHT, GODDAMNIT!
Jaune slammed his fist on the table, so hard that it actually dented it & left a good crack on the table. Without him noticing, Jaune just used an Aura Enhance Punch during his breakdown & confession. Still, that outburst from him shocked the group greatly.
Jaune: I was always the weak one, the useless deadweight that can't do anything right! I'm always the damsel in distress, the lost cause, but I couldn't accept that! I wanted to be like my ancestors, The Arc Bloodline goes way back to The Holy War 1000+ years ago & was very crucial to The Great War of Remnant almost 80 years ago as well… I always wanted to be strong like them, but I could never get there!...
Jaune even starts to tear up a little bit, but he manages to keep his cool as he wipes out whatever tears were forming in his eyes.
Jaune: Whenever I'm around you guys, it only enforces that truth… You people can all to these incredible things like it's nothing! Ruby can turn her entire body into scattering rose petals & is both super-fast, as well as a great fighter with a Scythe; Yang can become stronger by simply getting hit enough times & send enemies flying out of the planet with a single punch; Weiss can summon awesome spell-like abilities with her Glyphs, her Semblance is basically perfect! Both Ren & Blake are awesome fighters who can fight in the shadows & hidden in the environment around them like freaking ninjas & assassins, as well as being masters at laying traps & using whatever gadget or weapon they have at their disposal at that moment & do I even need to mention Pyrrha & Prof. Eisner?! All of you have something that make you strong, make you worth a damn!... But I don't! I don't have anything that's worth a damn, nor can I get anything despite all the sweat I break & whatever blood I may spit, it never works out for me!... & I hate that!...
To say that The Garnet Papillons had many reactions to this would be an understatement. Ruby, Yang, Nora & Pyrrha are greatly shocked; Weiss mostly sees this as very pathetic & pitiful; while Blake & Ren didn't react much other than having their eyes widen a bit, despite being very shocked from the inside. But then there's Byleth & Sothis reactions, Sothis' reaction is the same as the most facial expression wise, she even thinks that she might've heard something wrong; Byleth however looks at Jaune with a stoic, yet sad & somber expression on her face.
But not out of disappointment since deep down, she knew that Jaune didn't truly got into Beacon Academy legitimately & this current chain of events just confirmed her suspicions to be true. She fells sad for Jaune, those levels of expectations & wanting to prove himself despite the odds reminds her of her students; in particular Lysithea who always pushed herself to the limit due to her short lifespan, as well as Ignatz who felt pressured to become a Knight to make his parents proud, despite the fact that he didn't personally want to become a Knight, he wanted to become a full-time Painter.
Pyrrha tries to slowly walk towards Jaune & try to reassure him that it's alright, only for him to get his things & leave the classroom without saying another word. Pyrrha calls out for his name while trying to go after her, but Byleth stops her.
Byleth: Let him go, Pyrrha… He needs some space right now…
Pyrrha wants to object, but knows that Byleth is right. So she sits down on a chair & rests her head on the table, still trying to process about the bombshell Jaune just dropped. Byleth then gives her students a serious look before she says something.
Byleth: This information will be between us! I better not a hear a word from any of you about trying to tell someone about what events have transpired here, let alone Glynda & Headmaster Ozpin… So you better take this secret to your graves, Am I clear?
Normally they wouldn't listen to such an outlandish request, much less Weiss since she's always one to follow the laws & rules; but the intense air coming from Byleth as she said that made that difficult, she's one intimidating & powerful woman. They all nod together in agreement, not wanting to piss off Byleth.
Unfortunately, things only get worse for Jaune as someone overheard everything back there & that person finds Jaune as he's all by himself at the top of Beacon Academy, watching the scenery & sun setting now that it's past 6PM on their time-zone.
Cardin: Oh Jaune… I knew you were weak & pathetic, but that show you just put back there in that bitch's class takes the cake!
That comment made Jaune jump in fear as he turns around & sees Cardin, with his left arm still being in a cast, it'd stay like that for at least another day or 2 for his Aura to fully heal his broken arm. Jaune steps away in fear of being called out by Glynda should Cardin tell her about this to… Well- anyone!
Jaune: Wait- Cardin! Please, whatever you do, don't tell anybody!
Cardin just laughs as he pulls Jaune close, wraps his arm around his head & ruffles his hair like an Older Brother would do to his Little Brother… Only- bad…
Cardin: "Don't tell anyone"? Now why would I do that? I would never sell out a really good friend of mine like that, would I?
Jaune: F- "Friend"?!
Cardin: Of course & as long as you have my back, we're going to be friends for a very long time. Just do what I say & I'll keep your little secret safe, you have my word…
This is bad, Cardin is essentially blackmailing Jaune & there's no way he can back away from this or ask his friends for help, not after taking his anger on them, this is the worst-case scenario as Jaune just put himself into whatever hell Cardin will put him through.
Jaune's failures finally catch up to him as he finally tells his friends the truth, now facing a situation where he can't easily get away from thanks to Cardin's blackmailing. Is there any hope left for the young Arc? Can he truly prove his worth to his friends after taking his anger on them? Find out next time on RWBY, The Verdant Star of Remnant!
RWBY: The Verdant Star of Remnant - Chapter 11: Jaundice - End
Author's Notes: Wooh, that was a tough one, but i think it payed off well... Now let's get into a little fun fact about this chapter, mainly that little simulator DnD game the class played to test their skills as tactitians... Yeah, i actually wrote out an entire Fire Emblem DnD system when i was a 3rd year at high school, over 2 years ago (Brazil has 3 High School years as opposed to USA's 4 years of High School). So this little game i wrote there, that was basically me tying back to one of my earlier works! I wanted to do something to show how Ruby & the others can show off their skills in strategy, but doing it like FE3H does wouldn't work here since they can't just HANG OUT ON RAID MISSIONS every sunday like the game allows you to... Then as i was writing that scene, i remembered that i have a basis to use in it & a HUGE basis at that! & I would've LOVED to show some of this to the "beautiful" people of twitter if twitter ALLOWED ME to tweet whole word documents... it doesn't! Or maybe it does & i'm not aware of it yet, doesn't matter!
Now i know that some people might feel off about Jaune admitting that he's a fraud to the whole class, but since a core theme of this Xover AU (or even just canon FE3H & RWBY in general) is comradity in arms, friendship, ETC. I thought that this would make more sense, i personally struggled to write Jaune in this chapter due to how difficult it is to convey those words & emotions without any art, voice acting or animation to REALLY sell moments like these, so hopefully i managed to do SOMETHING right.
Now for NEXT chapter!... Get yourselves ready, cause shit goes down HARD! I'm only saying this ONCE... it will NOT go ANYTHING like in canon ForeverFall & things take a dark & intense tone FAST!... Why? BECAUSE I LIKE MY ANGST! Anyways, i think that's enough rambling from me for the moment. This has been Remnant Bardock & until next time, have a wonderful day, my friends!