Chapter 3: Leader's Badge, Leader's Burden

The bar known as 1/7th Heaven was located on the outskirts of the city of Vale. Which made it the perfect location for discreet illegal business. As long as you didn't bring the Grimm down on everyone's heads, the owner didn't much care what business you conducted, as long as it wasn't human trafficking. Someone had tried that. Once. Their life ended with a tragic case of rapid onset acute lead poisoning.

It was this environment that also made it perfect for a clandestine meeting between two siblings allied with the Infinite Man in the Forever War. Okay, that wasn't accurate. While Raven was not working for Ozpin, she was still fighting against Salem. It was complicated, but then again, Raven was complicated, so it fit.

Qrow Branwen sauntered into the bar -which was designed to look like some saloon from a spaghetti Vacuoan Western flick- and nodded to the bouncer, who returned his nod. The staff here were mostly retired Hunters who all had an appreciation for the more old-school weapons, of which Harbinger barely was.

The bartender waved him over. "Your contact is at your usual spot. Want your usual?"

Qrow scratched his nose, "Just give me the bottle and two glasses, Storm."

The bearded man folded his arms and glowered at the veteran Huntsman. "Mantlean Whiskey ain't cheap, Qrow. Especially the kind you drink."

Qrow took out a hundred Lien and threw it on the bar, "It's a special occasion. My nieces just started at Beacon."

Storm reached under the bar for the glasses, "Really? Thought Ruby still had a couple years of Combat School before then." He reached above and behind him for the whiskey, and placed them on the bar in front of Qrow, "But who am I to judge? She probably takes after her mother when someone tells her no."

Qrow chuckled as he took the whiskey, "Yeah, Rubes is a brat, alright. Lucky for her, I like brats." It was relatively common knowledge in the Huntsman circles that Qrow frequented that he had stepped in to train her when she refused to give up on Crescent Rose despite her initial lack of ability to... do anything with it.

Qrow made his way to the bar's upper level, and made his way towards the corner booth, with a good view of the road leading away from Vale. His booth. Had to pay a few years worth of "normal" Huntsman pay to get old Storm to let him permanently reserve it, but having a guaranteed meeting place that Raven wouldn't turn her nose up at was essential.

Even with Raven dragging the Branwen tribe out of banditry, she still had an affinity for less reputable establishments and associates. She was sitting in the booth, dressed in olive green military fatigues with a patch depicting a pitch black wing of a corvid -the insignia of Blackwing Security Solutions, the PMC she had created from the ashes of the Branwen tribe- on her right sleeve. Qrow slid into the booth and expertly poured out two shots of whiskey. "So, how's business?" He said nonchalantly.

Raven rolled her eyes, "Why? You tired of working for the man in the ivory tower?" She downed her whiskey in one shot, "We're swimming in protection details for the outlying villages all over Anima. Something's got Leo spooked, he's doing his damnedest to keep all the Huntsmen in Mistral guarding the city, and somehow he's convinced the Guildmaster of that too."

Qrow frowned. His old pal Shiro had become Guildmaster of Mistral's Huntsman Guild a couple of years ago. If there was something big on the horizon that he had spotted, why hadn't he warned him? What if he couldn't? "Do you think her agents got to them?" He said as he examined the rim of his glass.

Raven poured herself another shot and pounded it back. "It's possible. The Council's in the middle of talks to give BSS an exclusive contract to protect the outlying villages."

Qrow's glass halted just before he knocked it back. "So, if something big happens, and the Grimm everywhere go nuts..."

"We're screwed." Raven affirmed, "Or we would be, if I wasn't already taking steps to prevent that."

Qrow's eyes narrowed as he finally drank his whiskey, "What kind of steps?"

Raven shrugged, "Mostly just redoubling training in survival skills for new hires, and headhunting any Faunus that wash out of Atlas Academy before Adam can scoop them up."

"Why the focus on Faunus recruits?" Qrow asked. It wasn't like Raven to focus on something like that, she hated everyone equally. Unless you were family. Then she just ran out on you.

Even after all this time, Qrow was still a little bitter. He understood the reasons she had given him years after the fact, but that didn't make it right.

"Two reasons. The first is because I don't have to waste time teaching them how to shoot. They just have to get used to using boring old Fire and Lightning Dust instead of fancy Hard Light Dust. The second... well, I think that should be obvious."

Qrow let out a laugh. Yeah, it was obvious. The second reason was to deprive Adam Taurus's splinter faction of the White Fang of skilled combatants. Some would slip through the net, sure. But... yeah, it was a good plan. "If you get enough Faunus, maybe you should open up a satellite base on Menagerie."

Raven waved him off dismissively, "Way ahead of you. Me and Vernal are headed there next month to negotiate terms with Ghira Belladonna. We've got someone in mind to head it up too. Dog Faunus by the name of Ranger. One hell of a gunslinger."

"Any doors you need me to stick my foot in for you?"

Usually Raven would flip him off after that. Not this time. "Actually, yeah. I need a back channel into the Atlesian military. Requisitions, to be specific."

Qrow groaned. Jimmy was going to love this. "Raven, what are you after?"

Raven motioned with her Scroll, and Qrow's own Scroll beeped as it received a message. He opened it up and whistled. Anti-air turrets, Armored Assault Vehicles, and more than a few of the new Smart Mortars. "Raven, this makes it sound like you're preparing for war."

"I am." She took a folded piece of paper out of her jacket pocket and slid it across the table.

Qrow opened it.

I have the Spring Maiden.

Well, that explained why Raven wanted to turn BSS's main base into a fortress. Because if Salem or her agents came knocking... "I'll get you what you need." Qrow shredded the paper, erasing the information it contained, "Is she combat capable?"

Raven scowled, "No. bandits killed her family and her predecessor. My men killed the bandits. Because of all that, she doesn't want a damn thing to do with learning how to fight. I've got her working a desk job."

Qrow's blood ran cold. He knew that look. It was the look Raven had when she was thinking about doing something that required her unique moral flexibility. "Alright, just don't force her into anything."

Raven ignored him and took a drink straight from the bottle. "How the hell am I drinking more than you? Usually you show up half drunk."

Qrow shrugged in that way that only he could, "Been working most of the day." Qrow had a strict rule about not drinking when he was on the job, so to speak. He knew he was a drunk, but that didn't give him an excuse to endanger bystanders. "Ruby and Yang passed initiation, if you care."

Raven flinched. "How... did Yang do?"

"She did fine, takes after her only living parent."

"That's not fair." Raven protested, "You know why I-"

Well. They were getting into this today. Alright then. "Not fair? You're going to sit there and preach about what's not fair after you bailed on all of us? Summer went off on her damned suicide mission because she got it in her head that if she ended the threat, you'd come back!"

Raven got up and began to leave. She had learned long ago that it was useless to try to convince Qrow of her reasoning. "I did it to protect Yang. You know full well that our enemy would find some way to use her against us."

Qrow poured himself another shot of whiskey, "Yeah, well it ain't gonna be long until Ozpin pulls Ruby into our orbit, and you know Yang will come with her!"

Raven whirled around, one hand straying to the pistol she had elected to bring in place of Omen out of reflex. "You can't be serious. At least wait until they've graduated! Why the hell is there such a time crunch, anyways?" Raven hissed, "What do you know that I don't?"

Qrow took a piece of paper out and slid it over to Raven. She took it.

Fall Maiden attacked. Half her soul sucked out. On life support.

Raven ground her teeth. "So, how does Ozpin plan to manipulate them into being his little chess pieces?"

Qrow let that slide. He knew that was how Ozpin operated. The alternative was allowing Salem free reign to do whatever she wanted. "First chance we get, Ruby and her team will be moved to the Academy Agent track. One of the other teams too, JNPR, I think?"

Raven folded her arms. "Why the extra baggage?"

"Pyrrha Nikos."

"Why not just force her on to Ruby's team then? Seems better than dragging more people into this crap." Raven said.

"I think Ozpin learned from us to not put all his eggs in one basket." Qrow said with a rueful smile.

Raven tried in vain to hide her own smile. "That, little brother, is something that we will never disagree on."

Ruby Rose's first decision as leader of team RWBY had been made unilaterally, without any sort of consultation with the rest of the team. That being said, Weiss didn't necessarily disagree with it. She just felt that there should've been some discussion.

She couldn't complain much, though. She had always wanted bunk beds as a kid. Al least she had managed to convince Ruby to just ask Professor Goodwitch to give them proper bunk beds instead of the precarious notion of suspending a bed from the ceiling with rope and balancing the other on books.

Breakfast had been a trial. Weiss had quickly discovered that she was the only one of their group that understood what a balanced breakfast was. The nutritionist that had drawn up her meal plan probably would've shaken their head at what some of her classmates were wolfing down! Nora in particular had a tray with an obscene amount of pancakes and maple syrup, while Ruby had an unholy amount of fried potatoes alongside approximately twenty or so sausage links. To make matters worse, Pyrrha was acting like all of this was normal! As she devoured... what looked to be Argean waffles drowning in gravy with a side of chicken strips.

Also, Ruby had committed the cardinal sin of being much too loud right in her ear before Weiss had her coffee. Not to mention the wake-up whistle. She could not understand for the life of her why Ozpin had named Ruby leader. Was she a skilled fighter? Yes. Was she immature, and did she not consider the consequences of her actions? Yes.

Any hope of class being a solace from this nightmare that Weiss was apparently living was dashed the moment Professor Peter Port opened his mouth. She had expected detailed breakdowns of Grimm anatomy, such as it was. Instead, it was just an old man waxing eloquent about his heyday. And his weapon was even more nonsensical! A shotgun axe with a double blade where the blades functioned as the stock? This made no sense!

She turned to make sure that Ruby was taking notes, and found the younger girl asleep, drooling on her notebook.

"And that's how I defeated an Elder Boarbatusk with naught but a toothpick!" Port said. He turned to the class and pressed a button on his Scroll. A hatch in the floor opened up and revealed a Boarbatusk in a cage. "Now, who would like to try their luck?"

"Hey, I thought that Grimm died in captivity instantly, or something." Nora said.

Pyrrha shook her head, "It depends. The more isolated from negative emotions they are, the quicker they die. So, since Beacon is technically a high school..."

"Oh, that makes a lot more sense."

Weiss slammed her hands on the desk in front of her, unceremoniously waking Ruby up. "I'll fight it, Professor."

"Excellent! Go retrieve your weapon from the locker room, and we can begin!"

Weiss turned to Ruby, "At least try to stay awake."

Yang snorted. Due to their father's friendship with Port and Oobleck, both her and Ruby knew that no one ever learned anything from Port's lectures, but rather from the in class demonstrations and the reading he assigned. Now, she could tell Weiss that, but decided to refrain. It would be fun to see how long to took Weiss to go insane from trying to figure out how Yang had a perfect grade.

"Alright, team RWBY!" Ruby said, "As Weiss's teammates, it's our job to cheer her on! She might be fighting alone, but she's not alone!"

"Got it, Rubes!" Yang said, flashing her sister a thumbs up.

Blake nodded, and produced a team RWBY pennant. "Absolutely."

Yang raised an eyebrow, "When did you have time to make that?"

Blake stared at her partner, "Yes." She deadpanned.

"Fine then, keep your secrets."

"Ready, Miss Schnee?" Port asked.

Weiss walked out with weapon in hand and took her ready stance. "Ready."

"You've got this, Weiss!" Ruby yelled.

Weiss shot an annoyed glance at the stands. If she had been paying better attention, she would have noticed that Port had been waiting for her to be distracted. The Boarbatusk charged out of the cage towards her.

She caught the tusks of the Boarbatusk with her blade in the nick of time. Blast! If it hadn't been for that dunce distracting me, I would've ended this already! She shoved the Grimm off of her, only for it to charge at her again.

"Weiss, aim for the belly! There's no armor there!" Ruby cried out.

"I don't need your help!" Weiss snapped. The Boarbatusk began its signature rolling charge, only to blunder into the Gravity Glyph that Weiss had already set up. The Grimm was launched into the air, only to land on its back. Before it could get up, Weiss leapt from a Glyph and impaled it. With a final push, it finally dissolved.

"Great job, Weiss!"

Weiss shot Ruby a glare that finally shut her up. She didn't need help with this, she knew how to defeat a Boarbatusk! Everyone in the room except Jaune knew!

"Well done." Port said, "When it comes to your martial abilities, you were able to take down your target with a minimum of personal risk. However, your actions towards your partner cause me concern."

Weiss blinked. What?

"Miss Rose is your team's leader. Among other things, it is her responsibility to make sure that she has done her due diligence-"

"Due diligence?" Weiss interjected, "She was asleep during the entire lecture!"

"Along with half of the class." Port pointed out, "If i graded on attentiveness during my lectures, no one would ever pass my class. I grade on two things. Your ability to kill Grimm, and your ability to apply what you learn from the readings I assign to kill Grimm better and faster."

"Aw, come on!" Yang said, despondent that her attempt to test Weiss's sanity had been foiled.

"I recommend that you work this problem out with Miss Rose. That will be all."

Weiss returned to her seat in a daze. What had she done wrong? She didn't need a reminder on how to kill a Boarbatusk! As leader, shouldn't Ruby have faith in her abilities? "Ruby. I believe we need to have a discussion. Why did you think I needed help?"

"Because, as leader, it's my responsibility to make sure my teammates can excel in any situation."

Weiss frowned. That sounded recited. Or rehearsed. "Do you not think I have enough ability to handle a single Grimm on my own?"

Ruby shook her head, "Weiss, I've seen you kill a Beowolf with a single thrust. That's ridiculous. What's this really about?"

You must be perfect, Weiss.

You carry a heavy responsibility, Weiss.

I've always watched you from afar, my foolish, fearless sister.

"You wouldn't understand." Weiss said, "The pressure I have to deal with as heiress of the SDC, the responsibility..."

"I have to deal with an entire religion of people who believe that I'm the reincarnation of the first Silver-Eyed Warrior." Ruby said bluntly, "I think I know a little bit about having to deal with too much pressure. I just want to be a normal kid, but I walk down the wrong street, and suddenly I've got people dropping to their knees and praying to me."

"Well, it seems that I was correct when I told you that we were going to be perfect partners, Ruby." Weiss said, "I believe that I can help you acclimate to dealing with-"

"Okay, stop!" Ruby said, "You have got to stop talking like you're always standing on ceremony or whatever!"

"Alright, Ruby. I'll make you a deal." Weiss said, "I'll help you learn how to deal with the pressure that you're under as a Silver-Eyed Warrior, and in exchange, I'll... try to loosen up." She extended her hand for Ruby to shake.

"Deal!" Ruby shook Weiss's hand and grinned, "First things first, we've got to get some actual food in you."

Weiss blanched in protest, "Excuse you? My meal plan was devised by some of the foremost nutritionists in Atlas! Your breakfast was less a breakfast than let's see how close I get to a heart attack today!"

This would've been more effective of an argument if Weiss's stomach hadn't chosen that moment to growl. Loudly. "Yeah, that's a point against you."

Weiss's nose scrunched up in confusion. "What are you talking about? That's normal for this time of day."

Ruby stared at her. "Are you telling me that those crackerjack nutritionists you were going on about designed your diet to starve you?"

Weiss opened her mouth to protest but it died in her throat when she realized that was something that her father would do, especially if it meant she was sent back to Atlas and back under his thumb. "I..."

"Nope!" Ruby said, "You're eating a hamburger and fries for lunch, and there's nothing you can do to stop it!"

"What's a hamburger?" Weiss asked.

While the bulk of the Dust mines owned by the SDC were located on the perpetually frozen continent of Solitas, they also had some in the mountains that comprised the Vale-Vacuo border. To facilitate the movement of the refined Dust to Vale for sale, the SDC had built a railroad that passed through the Forever Fall forest. The trains had defenses, what form of transportation in Remnant didn't?

But the defenses were tailored to Grimm. Automated defenses that would target both people and Grimm were considered "too dangerous". The workers on board the trains were assured that the Atlesian Knights onboard would be more than enough to protect them from any White Fang attacks.

Adam Taurus had other ideas.

The opportunity for this raid had taken months to organize. First, they had needed to obtain the schematics for the trains. Thanks to her upbringing in Atlas, Ilia Amitola had been instrumental in infiltrating a CCTS hub and extracting the data. That had earned.her a place as his right hand. Then a sympathetic Faunus who happened to be a member of the Atlas Military's Quartermaster Corps had not only leaked the train's schedule to them, but also gave them the access codes for a nearby supply depot, so they could procure the components for the explosive device they would use to destroy the train after they were done.

It was a shame that the Faunus that helped them had been caught in the crossfire between Adam's strike team and the Atlesian Knights guarding the depot. It was better that way. No loose ends.

"Train should be here in five minutes." Adam said to his companions, "Final gear check." He drew Wilt and transformed Blush to shotgun mode. Satisfied with both, he returned both to their place on his waist. He glanced over at Ilia. She was checking the Lightning Dust in her new weapon, a pair of sais. She had run into difficulty during the battle at the supply depot because of the enclosed spaces, which had led her to abandon Lightning Lash. The third member of their party was a washout from the Atlesian Military by the name of Marrow. He had been training to specialize in explosive ordinance removal or EOD. Now he was happy to make Atlesian assets and personnel blow up.

"The charges are ready." Marrow said, "As soon as we secure the cargo, we can blow what's left of the train sky high. Uh... boss, about the thing we discussed..."

Adam knelt by the cliff. Marrow had wanted to load a Gravity Dust charge in the bomb to not only destroy the crew compartment, but the tracks as well. In theory this would force the SDC to move their Dust shipments by sea temporarily. This had the benefit of being much less secure and easier to plan a raid for. "Do you have time to add the Dust charge?"

"Already did it."

Adam allowed himself a chuckle. "And what would you have done if I said no?"

Marrow snorted, his husky tail swishing back and forth, "Please, we all hate Atlas here." He drew his hatchet, and took a moment to inspect its sharpness, then returned it to his belt and checked his pistol and Dust grenades. "Ready."

"Ready." Ilia confirmed, kneeing beside Adam at the cliffside.

Adam raised a hand to his ear and activated his comm, "Mother Bird, mission is go. Launch in T minus five."

There was a brief pause before he got a reply. "Copy that, High Leader, we'll start spinning up."

They heard the train long before they saw it, its horn blaring as it chugged along. "Good." Ilia said, "That's standard procedure." Normally as the SDC trains traveled, they would lay into the horn to flush out any Grimm in the vicinity of the tracks and funnel them into the automated defenses.

As the train thundered by, Adam stood and said a single word. "Go." Without waiting for a confirmation from the others, he leapt from the cliff and drew Wilt. For a moment the only noise was the rushing of the wind as he fell towards the train. As he landed on the car that they knew to be the troop compartment, he stabbed his sword into the roof to anchor himself. Then he reached down and activated the Gravity Dust inserts in his boots. Perfect. Now he could move normally on the top of the train without getting blown away. "Let's move." He growled.

"Right behind you, boss." Marrow said into his comm, "These Grav soles saved our butts."

"I know." Adam said as he looked for the hatch, "It was a good thing I found them during the raid on the supply depot." Ilia did a double take, it had been her who had found them, not him. Why was he taking credit for her find?

She shoved it down. That didn't matter. Only the mission mattered right now. Just like Adam had taught her.

Adam found the hatch, and finessed the lock with a swipe of his sword. The trio dropped in and found themselves face to face with the train's contingent of AK-130s. Combat drones that could switch between sword arms and machine guns, and costed approximately two thousand Lien a pop.

They might actually make a dent in the SDC's drone budget today.

Adam glanced at the AK-130s with a grin on his face. "Looks like we'll be doing things the hard way." He deadpanned.

Ilia rolled her eyes as she drew her twin sais. "Don't be so dramatic."

Marrow opted to ignore banter entirely and tossed a Lightning Dust grenade behind him. The grenade discharged a short range burst of electricity, short circuiting several of the AK-130s. Then he drew his hatchet -the blade of which glowed an angry red, being superheated by Fire Dust- and buried it in the faceplate of the nearest AK.

The rest of the AKs activated, bringing their gun arms to bear. Adam pulled the trigger on Blush, causing it to shoot Wilt at one of the drones. It staggered back from the impact. He dashed forward, plucked the sword from midair, and cut the reeling murderbot in two, along with the three behind it for good measure.

Unlike her comrades, Ilia stayed completely still, calling on her abilities as a chameleon Faunus to blend into her surroundings. The AK-130s that had been tracking her ambled forward in an attempt to find her. She darted forward and stabbed one through a gap in its armor, neatly severing the cables that provided power to the drone. Really, after all this time, you'd think that Atlas would make upgrades. One of them slashed at her with its sword arms, but she backstepped out of the way. She flipped her sais around so that the pommels were facing outward and as she moved back in, punched it in the chest. It stumbled backwards and fell over, taking another one with it. Ilia stabbed both in the neck and twisted her sais around, causing both of their heads to pop off in a shower of sparks.

Adam surveyed the wreckage. All of the AK-130s had been reduced to scrap metal. He didn't bother asking if Ilia or Marrow were injured. If they fell behind, it was their own fault for being too weak to keep up. "Let's go."

They moved into the next car to find three guards who were not expecting Adam Taurus to walk through the door. These three were most certainly not the SDC's finest, sitting around a table gambling away their meager salaries when they should have been doing their rounds.

Adam was more than happy to show these hapless buffoons the fatality of their error.

To their credit, two of their number made an attempt to defend themselves. One sprang to his feet and went for his gun. However, it was clear that he was not well practiced with his firearm, as he looked down at his holster as he drew it. That fraction of a second was all it took for Adam to close the distance and relieve the guard of his gun hand, then ended his life with a thrust through the heart.

The second guard made a dash for a control panel, undoubtedly to raise an alarm. That would be less than ideal. Ilia threw one of her sai, and it hit the wall between the guard and the panel. The guard yelped and drew a stun baton. He backed up against the wall and held out the baton as if it would protect him of its own volition. "Stay away from me, you freaks!"

And just like that, the mercy that Ilia had been planning to show him vanished like footprints in a snowstorm. The guard took a hand off of his baton and tried to activate something on the panel. Ilia responded by throwing her other sai and pinning the man's hand to the wall just out of reach of the button he was trying to push.

His screams were abruptly cut off by Ilia punching him in the throat. Ilia knew that it was probably not good that seeing the guard struggle to breath made her feel satisfied. But she didn't much care at the moment. "And now you know what it feels like for every Faunus that dies by asphyxiation in the Dust mines," Ilia said, "Begging for help that will never come, because your boss only sees you as a exploitable resource."

The man wheezed out something that vaguely resembled 'please'. "Please what?" Ilia taunted, "End it? No. Suffer. Just like every Faunus that the SDC chews up and spits out every day." She retrieved her sais and checked the control panel the dying guard had been trying to access. First her eyes went wide, then a grin split her face.

He had been trying to activate an AK-195, more commonly known as the Spider Mech. And after the mission was complete, it would belong to the White Fang.

Marrow pulled his pistol on the man who remained at the table. The guard put his hands up. "I surrender! Don't kill me, please! I have a family!"

Marrow hesitated. Was this justified? Shooting a man in cold blood? Was this the kind of shit he'd have to do on this mission? How many more people were going to die because they had the misfortune of crossing his path at the wrong time? All to maintain his-

"We don't take prisoners." Adam said coldly.

Well. Only one option left then. For the mission.

He fired.

If there was any class that Jaune Arc was looking forward to, it was Military Tactics, or maybe the Leadership classes all the team leaders had to attend on Saturday. One thing he knew for sure was that he absolutely was not looking forward to Combat. In the short two months that his father had to train him, he had focused the combat lessons on how to fight Grimm.

This shortcoming was only made more glaringly apparent as class continued. The first fight was Pyrrha versus Weiss. They had fought to a near standstill until Weiss had created an ice wall, then knelt down and created a Glyph, only to stay like that until Pyrrha burst through the barricade and knock Weiss's Aura low enough to stop the match with a flying knee. Professor Goodwitch was currently piling on the criticism. "Miss Schnee, in what world do you feel that it is acceptable to kneel before your opponent and wait for them to defeat you?"

"One aspect of my Semblance allows me to summon Grimm that I have played a part in defeating." Weiss explained, "I was attempting to summon the Nevermore we defeated in the Emerald Forest."

Glynda raised an eyebrow, "And how many times have you successfully done this?"

"Zero." Weiss admitted, "I was hoping that the additional pressure of a sparring match would-"

Glynda shook her head, "Save that for training, Miss Schnee. During this class, only use techniques and abilities that you know will work. Would bandits allow you to try out an untested ability and hand down no consequence when it fails?"

Weiss visibly deflated. "No, ma'am."

"Good, you're learning. Both of you are dismissed."

As Pyrrha and Weiss returned to their seats, Ren piped up. "Weiss, I couldn't help but notice that when you tried to Summon, it used a lot of Aura."

"Get to the point, Ren." Weiss bristled, she was in no mood to receive any more criticism.

"Some of my own techniques require a great deal of Aura. I've been able to hone my Aura Control through meditation. I could show you the technique if you're interested."

Jaune bit the inside of his cheek. To be honest, he had been crushing on Weiss since he had met her. He also knew that he was so far out of her league the thought of him asking her out was absurd. Sure, Dad had said that 'all you need is confidence', but he was fairly certain there was more to it. 'Insincerity will doom you to failure' or some other ominous warning. And uh... seeing the fight between Pyrrha and Weiss had not done anything positive to his self-confidence. Caught up in his introspection as he was, he was vaguely aware of Pyrrha taking her seat next to him. "Um... good job, Pyrrha."

"Thank you, Jaune." She said brightly, You know, if you need hel-"

Glynda cut her off by announcing the next match. "The final match of the day will be Jaune Arc versus Cardin Winchester."

Jaune froze. Oh, crapbaskets. He turned to Pyrrha, and her million Lien smile was marred by concern, no doubt due to the dread that was making his stomach tie itself in a knot. "Pyrrha, what the hell do I do? All by combat training was focused around not dying to the Grimm, I don't know how to fight other people!"

Pyrrha's gaze sharpened. "Stay calm. Don't overthink. Don't forget to employ your entire arsenal."

"I have a sword and shield!" Jaune hissed. "That's a little less than an arsenal!"

Pyrrha shook her head. "You have fists, feet, elbows, and knees. With Aura, these are all weapons just as deadly as your blade. And don't forget the most important weapon of all."

Jaune frowned. "What's that?"

Pyrrha reached up and tapped him on the forehead. "Your mind."

As he got up to leave, Blake stopped him. "Jaune, sometimes it's not about winning. Sometimes it's about sending a message."

"I'll keep that in mind."

It felt like the walk down to the arena took an eternity. Was this going to be it? Was he going to do so poorly that he would be kicked out on the spot? He clenched his fists and swallowed the bile that had been rising in his throat. No, he couldn't let this be the end. He had finally convinced Dad to train him, he had made it to Beacon! He could do this.

He glanced at his opponent as he entered the arena. He knew Cardin by reputation. Ruby and Yang had told him about Cardin's antics at Signal, and his father did not have a high opinion of the Winchesters as a whole. In fact, many a discussion of Valean politics at the Arc dinner table started with 'if Winchester could just pull his head out of his ass'.

"Wait a second, Arc?" Cardin asked, brandishing a nasty looking flanged mace with a Fire Dust crystal at the center, "You're Reign-Beau's kid? Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this."

Jaune gritted his teeth as he drew his sword and deployed his shield. One of the few things that his father had taught him about fighting other people was to not get drawn into banter unless you thought that you could win the exchange. Without further ado, he took his stance. Shield held out to the side to block attacks from above and the left, and the hilt of his sword held close to his body with the tip facing downwards.

"Uh, why's he holding his sword like that?" Nora asked, "Kinda pointless to point it at something other than your opponent, right?"

Blake nodded, "I'm not that well-versed in Valean sword fighting styles, but I'm fairly certain that this isn't normal."

"It's the Fool's Guard." Weiss said, "Rather appropriate for the situation, too. I'm surprised."

Yang scratched her head. She was no stranger to swords, having trained with Uncle Qrow for most of her life, but this was a new one. "So... are you calling him a fool, or..."

"Not in the least. This time." Weiss said with a small smile, "He's effectively goading Cardin into attacking him, see how his entire right side is open? The Fool's Guard isn't a condemnation of the wielder's skill. It's an insult to the opposition. While Cardin blusters about, Jaune has broadcasted his opinion of him for all who have eyes to see."

"In layman's terms?" Ren asked.

Pyrrha grinned, "Jaune has effectively declared to one and all that he thinks that Cardin is stupid enough to fall for an obvious trap."

"The rules are simple." Glynda said, as it was the first meeting of the class, she was repeating the rules for every fight to make sure it sank in. "Fight until Aura depletion, one of you surrenders, or I call the fight. Within reason, you may fight as dirty or clean as you want. Begin."

Cardin immediately charged, leading into a incredibly telegraphed overhand blow. Jaune reacted exactly as his training dictated, his blade coming up into a thrust. He was so focused on responding appropriately that he hadn't noticed that Cardin's mace had started glowing. Jaune's blow hit his target but Cardin shifted away, causing it to only be a glancing hit. Likewise, the overhead attack became one from the side.

The instant the mace made contact with Jaune's unprotected right side, it exploded. He was sent flying until he hit the arena wall and slid down to the ground.

"Hah, who's the fool now, Jauney-boy?" Cardin taunted.

Ruby was immediately on her feet, "Come on, Jaune! Get up!"

"Don't let this asshole kick you around!" Yang yelled.

"Come on, Fearless Leader!" Nora crowed, "Get the lead out!"

Jaune shook his head violently to get rid of the ringing from the explosion and grabbed his sword. Stay calm. Don't overthink. Defensive didn't work, probably cause Cardin saw right through me. Better turn this into a slugging match then. He staggered to his feet, then resumed his stance, his blade coming to rest on his right shoulder. "Don't call me Jauney-boy, Cardin. My sisters call me Jauney-boy." He muttered.

Cardin raised his hand to his ear, "What was that? Couldn't hear you over you thinking I'm as stupid as you!"

Jaune moved in and Cardin met him halfway, swinging at him with a blow that could only be called lazy. Since his shield was strapped to his arm, Jaune's left hand was relatively free. He lashed out and grabbed Cardin's arm before the blow could land, and Cardin returned the favor with his own sword arm.

"What're you gonna do now, you worthless little shit?" Cardin asked. He activated the trigger on his mace, causing the Fire Dust crystal to glow again. This time he inhaled deeply, and fire began to flow from the crystal into his mouth.

"Uh, what the hell?" Nora asked.

"It's his Semblance." Yang explained, "He calls it Dragonflame. There's two components, a passive part and an active part. He basically gets a discount on the cost of activating Fire Dust with his Aura. The active part is that he can breathe in fire and then... well..."

While Jaune had no idea what was coming, he could only assume that it was somewhere in the realm of not good. His only option seemed to be a self-defense tactic that Mama Arc had made sure that all of his sisters had known before they had started dating, to be applied judiciously if the situation called for it. And this situation called for it.

Jaune Arc kicked Cardin Winchester in the balls.

Now, normally Aura muted pain from attacks. It didn't completely remove it, of course. However, Cardin had been underestimating Jaune after the first exchange, and had let his guard down outside of his vital areas. His eyes bugged out, and he demonstrated a new ability to hit notes that would've put Weiss to shame. The rest of the class -save for Cardin's teammates- broke out into uproarious laughter. That is, except for Pyrrha. "All force..." She whispered to herself.

Jaune didn't get swept up by the mirth of the situation. He had used a tool from his arsenal, and proceeded to bring others to bear on his opponent. He brought his shield down on Cardin's head with a wicked left cross, then followed up with a pommel strike that sent Cardin reeling as his mace fell from his fingers.

"Finish it, Jaune! Now!" Pyrrha yelled.

"Uh, Pyrrha..." Nora said, pointing at where their Aura meters were displayed.

Jaune had approximately two-thirds of his Aura left, while Cardin... still had over three-quarters? How? That was impossible, right? She let out a gasp as she remembered initiation. Jaune had trouble with applying his Aura offensively.

A jet of flame emanated from Cardin's mouth, forcing Jaune back. Cardin pressed the attack with relentless strikes from his mace after he retrieved it. Blow after blow rained down on Jaune, who could do nothing but give ground and defend as best he could.

"Crapbaskets, Cardin's mad." Ruby said.

Yang glanced at the Aura meters, "Yeah, but all this is barely making a dent in Vomit Boy's Aura... somehow... Wait, just how much Aura is he packing?"

Under Cardin's brutal assault, Jaune's Aura was only down to about 30 percent or so, and still dropping.

Cardin struck once more with an explosive swing, smashing Jaune into the arena wall once more. He fell to his hands and knees, sword clattering from his grip.

"Forfeit to me, you weakling." Cardin ordered.

"Forfeit?" Jaune asked, as he rose to his feet, sword in hand once more, "Why? You getting tired? I can do this all day."

Cardin interrupted his rise with a hammer blow that sent spiderweb cracks out from where Jaune hit the ground. "Well, if you won't forfeit, then I'll just have to beat you until you can't feel feelings." He wound up for another attack, only for his weapon to freeze in midair. "What the hell?"

"The match is over." Glynda stated, "You are the winner, Mr. Winchester."

He shouldered his mace and began to walk off, "Ha, damn straight."

"I did not dismiss you, Mr. Winchester." Glynda said, her voice frigid. "I expect a five thousand word essay from you on why Huntsmen only use as much force as required to subdue a foe on my desk before your next Combat class starts."

"What?" Cardin spluttered, "His Aura-"

"Mr. Arc's seemingly endless Aura supply and indomitable will notwithstanding, you would have crossed a line had I not stopped you. We are supposed to be better than this. You will not participate in another fight in my classroom until you have completed your assigned essay to my satisfaction. Am I clear?"

"Whatever." Cardin shot Jaune a glare as he skulked off.

"Class is dismissed. Miss Nikos, Ren, could you hold back a moment?" Glynda turned to Jaune, "Mr. Arc, do you need medical attention?"

He shook his head, "Uh, no. I think I'm fine."

"Well then. First, credit where credit is due. Improvisation in battle appears to be your strong suit." Glynda began, "However, you have flaws that need to be addressed sooner rather than later. Namely, your Aura Control, and your overall skill in battle."

"As for your Aura, the first step is to rule out if there's something actually wrong with your Aura or not." Ren explained, "With my Aura Sensing abilities, I should be able to read your Aura, and trace the leylines that distribute Aura through the body."

"Is this safe?" Pyrrha asked.

"Completely." Ren said.

"What do you need me to do?" Jaune said.

"Close your eyes and concentrate on your Aura, do have your weapon out, that way we can see if the problem lies with your relationship to your weapon."

Jaune frowned as he drew his sword, "But it's just a sword?"

Pyrrha and Ren shared a look. Jaune had just told them the problem without meaning to, but it wouldn't hurt to double check. "Eyes. Concentrate."

"Right! Sorry!" Jaune screwed his eyes shut and pulled out his sword. "Ready."

Ren reached out and put one hand on Jaune's shoulder and the other on his chest. He closed his eyes and pushed his Aura into Jaune's. He could dimly sense Pyrrha's Aura, a crimson flame that burned for victory in all things. Then there was Professor Goodwitch. Her Aura... was difficult to read. It was like a stone monument, a guide to the next generation. But there was also.. something of the other, something that didn't belong? Ren gritted his teeth and refocused on Jaune. He could puzzle out the reading he got from Professor Goodwitch later.

Then he saw the golden flame of Jaune's Aura. It was not a flame that burned like Pyrrha's did, but one that glowed softly and persistently. Even depleted after the fight with Cardin, there was just... so much of it. He wasted no time, and began to trace the leylines, down Jaune's right arm and-

Ah. That explained everything.

Ren returned his awareness to himself and opened his eyes. "So, I believe I have pinpointed the problem."

"Well, let's hear it!" Jaune said, "What do I need to do?"

"He needs a new weapon, doesn't he?" Pyrrha asked.

"Exactly my thoughts as well." Glynda said, "I've seen it before. Sons and daughters of famous Huntsmen trying to use their parents' weapons, only to find that it doesn't work."

"What do you mean? Crocea Mors has been in my family for generations! Amadeus Arc used it in the Great War!" Jaune protested, "It's my responsibility to-"

"But you don't see it as your weapon, Jaune! You see it as Amadeus's weapon!" Pyrrha explained, "That's why you can't focus your Aura through it properly!"

"So... I need a new weapon. Oh, Dad's gonna love this..." Jaune grumbled. "That's gonna cost... I don't even know how much. I wouldn't even know where to-"

Glynda raised her hand. "That brings us to my next point. "Mr. Arc, I'm making an appointment for you with Professor Mulberry, our Weapon Crafting Professor, at eight AM on Saturday, before your Leadership class. He should be able to point you in the right direction. In the meantime, Miss Nikos, I have a request. Here at Beacon there is no greater enemy than wasted potential. Do you understand?"

Pyrrha nodded. It was crystal clear. Professor Goodwitch wanted her to train Jaune.

"Uh, I'm lost." Jaune said lamely.

Pyrrha giggled. "She wants me to train you."

"Oh." Jaune said, "Alright, when do we start?"

"No struggles with the male ego?" Glynda asked, "I'm impressed, Mr. Arc."

Jaune shrugged, "Ain't got the time for that. With how far behind I am, I've got to hurry and catch up as soon as I can."

Pyrrha's eyes took on a dangerous glint, "Jaune, the only way I know how to train is how I was trained. Everything we do will be to elevate your mind, body, and soul to their highest possible peaks. I will not coddle you. I will not let you rest except for what you need to stay healthy. You will want to give up. You will wish you were dead. But that is not allowed. Failure is not allowed. You will succeed. Am I understood?"

Jaune met her eyes with just as much fire. "Yes, ma'am. Let's get to work."

A/N: No, I do not regret that Final Fantasy reference.

We meet Raven and Qrow, and learn a few things. The Branwen tribe is effectively extinct. Maiden shenanigans everywhere. Atlas has some fancy new tech. Raven's still fighting, in her own way. Even if she can't bring herself to admit that she's a coward. Also... Ozpin is already planning on bringing both RWBY and JNPR into the fold. It's all a matter of when and how.

Not much to say about Ruby and Weiss, except unlike in canon, Ruby better understands the kind of pressure Weiss has to deal with.

And there's Adam doing Adam things. Without Blake's expertise as a saboteur, the train raid took longer to organize. Which is also why Ilia took Blake's place as Adam's right hand. Speaking of Ilia, yes, I know that Sais are traditionally a blunted weapon, however, Aura is at play here.

And as for the third member of their party, I'll let y'all figure out what's going on there. Just know that there is a method to my madness.

Sometimes it's about sending a message. Jaune delivered that message straight to Cardin's balls. But there's no way in hell that Cardin's gonna let this go. To put it simply, this is the start of Jaundice for this fic. It'll be playing out differently than in canon, but should still be true to all characters involved.

Until next time.