Starting off this revamp with a super-long chapter because there was a lot I wanted to get across that I honestly didn't want to split between two chapters. Enjoy!
Vale – Mountain Glenn
Merlot sat at his workstation, watching the monitor before him that was split between several screens. Each one was tied to a small aerial drone that was currently combing the expanse of Forever Fall, searching for the location of an escaped specimen. The drones themselves, Atlas make and relatively new, had been a small gift from an old friend of his. They were lightweight, easily repairable, or replaceable in the case of destruction. They'd also come standard with a special program that allowed them to connect to his base of operations through the CCT without being able to be tracked or monitored from an outside source. This was incredibly useful to him due to the fact that the kingdom of Vale's council assumed he was dead and that worked just fine for him. The less he had them and their people pocking their noses into his affairs the better.
The main reason people assumed he was deceased was due to a Grimm incursion that had occurred a little over a decade ago. Mountain Glenn had been intended as an answer to the Kingdom's ever-increasing overpopulation problem. With this offshoot of their capital they had hoped to stem the tide and had even connected them through a network of tunnels, trams, and trains that allowed easy and safe access between the two. Unfortunately, those same tunnels had later acted as a tomb for thousands who had tried to escape the Grimm for the safety of Vale. Blame had been thrown around in regards to who had been responsible for setting off the explosives early that had left so many trapped without aid. Civilians, Huntsmen, and Civil workers had all found themselves making a last stand against the tide of darkness. It had been a dark chapter in the Kingdom's history that the council had been quick to gloss over with a memorial, parade, and moment of silence. Amongst the deceased had been Merlot and, considering the nature of his work, he wasn't at all eager to have that status to be updated any time soon.
Thankfully, he'd planned for such an occurrence and had relocated his operations to a previously abandoned facility further into the ruins of the city. With sufficient funds, resources, and equipment at his disposal, he'd picked up right where he'd left off. He even made use of some of his old aliases when he began expanding his projects, branching out into different areas of study. This hadn't gone unnoticed and he was soon contacted by an old associate of his who, ironically enough, was also considered deceased by his home Kingdom. He'd come to him with an offer from his benefactor, one which Merlot found himself quite intrigued by and by Her as well. It hadn't taken much encouragement on her part to see him swearing his loyalty to her and her cause, ensuring he would have access to a greater pool of resources with which he could take his research to new heights.
He'd made staggering progress, noticing immediate changes to the level of strength and intelligence exhibited by his pets. Unfortunately, this had quickly resulted in one of his specimens finding a means to escape its confines and breaking out into the wider world. While he was excited for the plethora of new data that would come from its release into the world, he was also concerned about the creature being discovered before he was ready to showcase his progress. Given the vicinity of Vale as well as Beacon, any sighting of his wayward pet could result in Huntsmen sniffing around his territory and seeking him out as a result. It would push his progress back by months.
Before long the proximity alarms from two of his drones began sounding. This was an interesting development and he quickly punched in some commands to the drones. Two screens overtook the others as they showcased what they had discovered. The first had discovered his wayward pet. It had carved out a sizable path of destruction through Forever Fall and was showing no signs of stopping. Merlot expelled a sigh of relief. He was glad that it had been safely found. Now all he needed to worry about was how to get it back to his lab undiscovered. The second drone brought up an image of eight young individuals. From their appearance and weapons it was easy for him to assume they were students from Beacon, at least two teams by the looks of it. What's more, they had some notable members in their ranks as he recognized the white hair of the Schnee's of Atlas as well as Mistrals' own Pyrrha Nikos. After comparing their locations to that of his pet, he quickly punched in a few more commands, instructing his drones to determine the path of destruction it was currently on. Just as he had assumed, it was currently on a collision course with the students.
"Hmm," he hummed softly to himself. "This should prove to be quite interesting."
With that he set his drones to record all the information they could and relay it back to him.
/-/
Teams RWBY and JNPR walked through Forever Fall, their pace relaxed but all the while they remained attentive and observant of the forest around them. They were spending their weekend out here clearing Grimm in preparation for the upcoming Vytal Festival. While this was typically a job given to one of the staff members to accomplish, such as in the case of Professor Port and Dr. Oobleck reducing the population of the Emerald forest in preparation for new initiates, a special case had been made for their team. Not too long ago an incident at the Vale docks had resulted in several containers of Dust exploding, sending an uproar throughout the Kingdom as Dust prices had already been steadily increasing in the last few weeks. It was made all the worse when it was discovered that Roman Torchwick, along with the White Fang, had been responsible for the explosion and would have made off with all that Dust had several students from Beacon not been there to interfere.
That was the official story, anyway. In reality, the explosion had been caused by Blake when she'd attempted to interfere and was subsequently humbled by Roman Torchwick as a result. She would have died had her team not been nearby and came to her aid. From there the battle had turned to chaos when the explosions and fire took over. Once they'd been transported back to Beacon they'd been subjected to an intense lecture from Professor Goodwitch. While Professor Ozpin had been more than capable of placating the Council on his students' behalf, Glynda had been less willing to allow them to avoid punishment and had assigned them to a task that would see their destructive tendencies put to good use. After hearing that they would be spending their weekend out in Forever Fall clearing Grimm, Jaune Arc, team JNPR's leader, had offered to join them. He presented it as a special training exercise, one which was easily accepted by Professor Ozpin, and the rest of his team soon volunteered as well. As a result, both teams were spending their weekend hunting down Grimm as either a punishment or voluntarily.
"You'd think we'd have seen more Grimm out here," Jaune remarked. "Last time we were here there were about a handful of Ursa with a major in their group."
"It's not very surprising. Professor Port can be rather overzealous when it comes to killing Grimm. I'd be surprised if we see any at all while we're out here," Pyrrha replied.
"I can't believe I'm saying this but I honestly wish he wasn't. I'm bored out of my skull. I need something to smash," Yang whined.
"How unsurprising that you'd be thinking with your fist rather than your head," her teammate Weiss chided her.
"Says the person whose mouth started the fight which led to this," Yang shot back.
"Excuse me?"
"Guys, don't fight," Ruby said tiredly. "Let's just focus on finding some Grimm."
"Maybe we should let them fight," Blake said. "The negativity they'd give off from their argument would certainly attract some Grimm to our location."
"Just as long as I get to punch something. Any longer of this walking around looking at nothing but trees is going to result in me dying of boredom."
"I wonder what the downside to that could be," Weiss mussed none too softly.
Their arguing continued for a while before it turned into familiar banter. After a while Ren stopped, looking towards a far-off portion of the trees where a flock of birds had taken off as if they were all spooked by something. Having spent much of his childhood in the Mistral wilds, he knew that something was up and knelt to the ground. He placed a hand on the dirt, feeling the vibrations emanating from it. For a while he sensed nothing and then he felt it. It was distant but getting closer and heading straight for them.
"Ren, what's going on?" Jaune asked.
"Something's coming this way, something big," he replied.
"How can you know that?" Weiss asked, looking between him and the trees in disbelief.
"Trust me, Renny knows what he's talking about," Nora said, getting her hammer out in preparation for what was to come.
"Looks like you're going to get your wish Yang," Ruby said.
"Well, I was asking for it," yang replied.
It didn't take long for their target to draw close enough to notice. While they had been unsure before, they could distantly see trees beginning to disappear in the distance. That was soon followed by more birds taking off from their perches and the accompanying sound of snapping wood and lumber thundering to the ground. Soon they could feel the vibrations in the ground, a mixture of felling timber and the massive footfalls of the Grimm, as it drew closer. Taking positions they waited for their prey to emerge and they found they didn't have to wait long.
The Grimm exploded into the clearing, sending dirt and lumber flying in all directions. Had this been a videogame it would have been the opening cinematic to an epic boss battle. Unfortunately for them this was real life and the Grimm before them was a real threat. One look was all any of them needed to identify the Grimm as a Death Stalker. In layman's terms, it was an overgrown scorpion except its pincers could snap you in half and its stinger was more likely to impale you than inject poison into you. This particular Death Stalker looked drastically different from the ones they'd fought before. Jaune looked at the creature, unsure of whether it was a Death Stalker or perhaps some other Grimm that looked similar. He and his team had fought one during their initiation, after all. If anyone could identify it by sight it was them. This one just seemed to be different.
It had the same frame and build as most Death Stalkers. Aside from its massive size it also had the bone armor plating that typically denoted a Grimm and in the case of a Death Stalker covered their back, pincers, and tail, making the only viable areas of weakness their undercarriage as well as their eyes and joints. This one, though, was quite different. The usual red eyes and veins that tended to flow through the creature's body were instead a sickly green color, giving it a more intimidating and dangerous appearance. It also had several large green crystal-like protrusions jutting out of its back, almost like spikes, that gave Jaune an uneasy feeling. In a way, it looked to be the most badass Death Stalker they'd seen, one that had even Pyrrha hesitant to engage.
The Grimm, on the other hand, did not feel the same.
Without hesitating it lashed out, attempting to snap the whole group in two with its massive pincers. Instinct kicked in and everyone scattered. Between dodging the attack and attempting to block it with their shields or weapons, the former came across as the more intelligent option. Once the long-range specialists gained some distance, they opened fire from all sides. Bullets, shotgun blasts, and grenade explosions littered the area. In the first few moments they were causing significant enough chaos to ensure the Death Stalker didn't know which of them to start attacking first and instead stood there, tanking the hits. After a while though it grew frustrated, or maybe even bored, with their attacks and retaliated. In a move that showed how surprisingly agile the creature was, it spun around in place, extending out its tail and pincers in an act that ensured it would all of them in a single motion.
The teams had mere moments to react. Those who could quickly dodge out of the way. Yang simply tanked the attack, using the abuse to fuel her semblance. Jaune and Pyrrha used their shields to block the worst of it and, from the looks on their faces, it was obvious they'd felt it through their arms. Weiss used her mastery of glyphs to both protect herself and move out of range. Having gained a breather, they reassessed their current situation.
"When did Death Stalkers start pulling moves like that?" Yang growled.
"They don't. They're highly aggressive and territorial. They usually go after the closest prey and keep going until either of them is dead."
"If that's the case, why do I get the feeling it's learning from this?" Blake asked.
In truth it all seemed fairly odd. Rather than attack immediately after forcing them all back, the Death Stalker had instead paused in its assault. While no one wanted to say it, the atmosphere gave them the feeling that the Grimm was thinking, studying the situation. It soon made a decision, however, as it quickly turned and made a beeline for Weiss. This surprised everyone, the heiress especially, and it nearly cost her. At the last moment she managed to erect a large wall of ice, putting a protective barrier between herself and the Grimm. It proved to be of little use, however, as it bulldozed on through, sending chunks of ice flying out in all directions as it launched a pincher in an attempt to snap her in twain. Too slow to react, Weiss tripped on her heels and fell backward, watching as death came barreling towards her.
"Weiss!"
Reacting faster than anyone had expected, Jaune Arc closed the distance between them and tanked the hit. With his shield in one arm and his sword in the other, he managed to stop the Death Stalker from claiming its prey. He groaned under the effort, his shield arm beginning to buckle under the strain while his sword lay imbedded into the pincher, the force behind it slowly but surely slipping as the blade began to protrude more and more from the other side.
"Run!" he ordered.
Rather than shout back a snippy comment, Weiss did just as he instructed, quickly moving out of the way before the Death Stalker could overtake him. Seeing its initial prey escape, the Grimm lashing out with its pincers, attempting to throw Jaune out of its way. It succeeded, tossing him across the ground and dislodging Crocea Mors from its pincer all in the same act. Now, however, it was pissed. Looking eyes with both Jaune and Weiss, it started barreling towards them at a ridiculous speed.
"Not so fast bug boy!" Yang yelled.
With a semblance enhanced punch cocked and ready, she slammed her fist into its side. The Grimm tanked the attack, her actions shoving it to the side and even denting its bone armor but doing little else. Not even the supporting fire from her teammates was having any effect and it was beginning to show in their expressions. With a dismissive swipe of its pincher, the Death Stalker once more batted Yang away and charged into the forest after the two Huntsmen. The remainder of Teams RWBY and JNPR followed in pursuit, eager to catch up with their teammates and hopefully come up with a new plan of attack.
All the while no one noticed the small drone hovering overhead that was following them every step of the way.
/-/
Jaune could feel his lungs burning and his legs aching madly as he sprinted after Weiss into the forest. His body protested, demanding that he stop and let it rest but he knew that would be a fatal mistake. For whatever reason the Grimm had grown a particular fondness for Weiss and a great irritation for him. The latter was no doubt due to his intervention on Weiss' behalf. He'd never been stabbed before but he imagined that the feeling of his family's ancestral sword protruding from its pincher wasn't a very pleasant one for the creature. Regardless, they needed to find a way to evade it or at least outrun it, giving themselves enough time to come up with a plan of attack and possibly regroup with their friends.
"Is it still behind us?" he managed to ask between breaths.
"If you want to stop and check, you're more than welcome to," Weiss replied.
"Why do you think it's after you?"
"How should I know? It's a Grimm. White Fang and Faunus I can understand. I'd even understand why some of my own people would dislike me but a Grimm?"
"Maybe it's the color of your hair? You know, like how bulls go after the color red?" he suggested.
"That's a myth and regardless I highly doubt that's the reason otherwise your breastplate and shield would have done the same thing."
She had a point there. Nothing about this seemed to make sense in his mind. Death Stalkers were aggressive, sure, but this seemed incredibly odd behavior for them. He was sure it would have gone after all of them for the simple fact that they were attacking it. The fact that it picked two of them out of the rest was bizarre. He didn't have a great deal of time to reflect on this though. With his mind preoccupied, Jaune almost didn't notice the ravine that was closing in until he'd nearly gone over the ledge.
"Whoa!" he yelped, balancing on the edge as he looked down into the abyss.
"Arc!" Weiss yelled, grabbing the back of his hoodie and yanking him backward.
He fell flat on his ass, thankfully a good distance from the edge, but he instinctively backed away all the same. The more distance the better in his opinion.
"T-thanks," he replied shakily.
"Thank me later and just focus on helping me find a way to escape," She said.
He nodded, dusting the dirt off his jeans before taking a survey of the area around them. Despite its namesake Forever Fall did not, in fact, go on forever. They'd somehow managed to find an edge where a large fissure had opened up, separating them from the other side of the valley by a hefty margin. Down below he could hear the distinct sound of running water echoing up from the abyss. Jaune figured that there must be a river somewhere down there, one that possibly emptied into a lake or pond further down. Gazing over the edge he began to have unwanted flashbacks to their initiation and the unfortunate trip he'd been sent on curtsey of the launch pads. Having no desire to relive that experience he stepped away.
"Any ideas?" Weiss asked.
"Not if you want to jump and hope for the best?" he said, motioning to the ravine. When she returned an irritated glare he cleared his throat and quickly thought of another solution. "Are your glyphs able to launch us to the other side of the ravine?"
"Doubtful. I might have enough Dust to get us across but not enough to get us back."
"What about during initiation? You managed to launch Ruby at the Nevermore," he pointed out.
"That was by using Blake's ribbon in tandem with my glyphs to slingshot her. Besides, it'll take some concentration on my part and we don't seem to have a whole lot of time for that."
Before Jaune could ask, the distinct sound of felling trees drew his attention back to the forest. A small cloud of dust and dirt could be seen not too far off, one that was growing closer by the minute.
"We need to run," he said immediately.
"Where? We have nowhere to go and I doubt either of us has the energy to run anymore," she pointed out.
"Then we'll have to stand fight, at least until our teams get here."
"Are you crazy," she snapped.
"Do you have a better plan?" he shot back.
His sharp retort surprised her enough to give her pause. Seeing him draw his sword and shield, she reluctantly prepared herself to fight. As the Grimm came into view, the creature screeched, barring its pincers threateningly. Taking a breath to steady herself, Weiss prepared to summon a glyph, only to have the wind knocked out of her in the next moment. To her surprise Jaune had grabbed her around the waist, tugging her along as he bolted for the edge of the ravine.
"Arc are you crazy?" she screeched.
Jaune didn't say anything. Instead, he dropped to the ground, sliding along the dirt as momentum carried them to the edge, one arm clasping Weiss tightly and the other digging his sword into the dirt. The Grimm followed after, paying little mind to the ravine until they'd disappeared over the lip and it along with them. With a final screech of protest, the Death Stalker plummeted into the darkness below, its shriek echoing and growing more distant as it fell.
"Weiss, you alright?" Jaune asked.
"Don't you dare drop me!" she snapped.
Jaune groaned, one hand clasping onto hers tightly while the other held firm onto the hilt of his sword, the blade dug deep into the earth and acting as a makeshift ledge.
"Weiss, I'm going to swing you up and onto the ledge. Think you can get up there by yourself?"
"It might have been easier had you told me what you were planning. I might have been able to use Myrtenaster to project a pair of gravity glyphs for us," she complained.
"You can do that when you're up there. Are you ready?"
Weiss didn't say anything and instead nodded her agreement. Slowly, and with some effort on his part, he began swinging her back and forth, putting greater effort into her momentum with each swing. On the third attempt, he put all his effort into his throw and tossed her onto the ledge. Weiss landed half-on, half-off, placing her precariously on the cliff's edge. With a grunt she hauled herself the rest of the way up, taking a moment to catch her breath.
"I'm up," he declared, brushing some dirt from her combat skirt.
"Great, I'll just hang out here," Jaune replied with a nervous chuckle.
Weiss rolled her eyes, wondering if Yang's terrible sense of humor had somehow infected the boy or if it was just a trait that all blondes shared. She didn't have much of a chance to think on it though as she noticed the sword beginning to give way. Realizing what was about to happen, she lunged on instinct, her chest hitting the ground as she slid to the edge just as the sword slipped loose from the dirt.
"Weiss- ahh!" Jaune screamed, his free hand clasping tightly onto Weiss' as his hand other dangled at his side, Crocea Mors having followed the Death Stalker into the ravine.
"Hold…on," she grunted, struggling to hold onto him despite her diminishing strength.
"Weiss…I'm slipping," he said, trying to hold on with both hands but finding his sword arm had lost all of its strength from holding them both using Crocea Mors.
"Just…hold…on…a bit…longer," she grunted, trying and failing to haul him up herself.
"Weiss? Jaune?" a familiar voice called out to them.
"Ruby! Over here! Hurry!" Weiss called out, struggling to keep her hold on Jaune.
"Weiss…I'm slipping," he said, fear evident in his voice as he felt his gloved hand shift in her grip.
"I've…got you," she said, doing her best to keep hold of him.
"Weiss, you need to let go," he said.
"No!" she snapped.
"I'll be fine. I'll grab hold of the ledge and you can grab Myrtenaster and use your glyphs to bring me back up," he said.
"I'm not letting go. I'm not going to take a chance."
"If you don't we'll both go over the edge," he replied.
"I don't care. I'm not letting you go," she shot back stubbornly.
Knowing that arguing with her further was futile, Jaune instead turned his gaze to the nearby ledge. Pressing his feet against the cliff face, he attempted to swing himself over to it. His first attempt missed, causing his hand to slip further out of her hands. Weiss groaned, obviously hurting as her strength began to seep from her. Knowing her wouldn't have another shot at this, Jaune attempted one last time. His fingers stretched, grasping onto the edge as they entangled themselves with dirt and grass. Shifting his grip, he managed to get a firm grasp on it, hauling himself somewhat higher.
"Weiss, I got it," he announced proudly.
She smirked, allowing a sigh of relief to escape her lips. From behind she could hear hurried footsteps as her partner made her way towards them using her semblance. With Ruby here they'd have a better chance of hauling him back up and returning to Beacon with their teams fully intact. As he pulled himself up, though, Jaune felt the ground shift. The ledge he was holding onto gave way as dirt fell away. All at once his weight fell back onto Weiss, the young woman unprepared for it and found herself sliding over the edge along with Jaune.
"Weiss!"
Ruby sprang up from behind, grabbing onto her partner's waist. Half over the ledge, Weiss dangled there as Ruby held them both aloft but only them.
"JAUNE!"
The blood-curdling scream that issued from her was all anyone heard. Horrified and unable to do anything to save him, she watched as the blond fell from her grip and into the Ravine below. The last thing she saw was his face and the look of surprise etched on it before he disappeared into the darkness below.
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The broken moon of Remnant shone brightly in the cloudless sky. It was enough to illuminate the pebbled beach of the large lake that sat deep within the confines of Grimm territory in Mountain Glenn. Long ago this had been a popular spot for families to come to either to swim or fish while they camped out in the woods nearby. Now, though, it was deserted aside from the various animals that either hunted in the waters or the Grimm who'd claimed territory nearby. No one, civilian or Huntsman alike, would have been foolish enough to venture out this far which made it even more peculiar to see a lone figure walking along the beach, glancing around as if he expected to find something.
He was dressed all in black. A thick combat vest, dotted with large pockets on the front and sides that was worn over a thick shirt to protect him. His pants were loose-fitting, thick, and durable to ensure they lasted long and could take a beating from the elements or Grimm, along with a pair of combat boots that crunched on the pebbles underfoot. He had short brown hair, shaved down so close to his scalp that it was almost impossible to see along with hazel eyes that scanned his surroundings like a hawk searching for fresh prey. After a moment he extracted something from one of his pockets, a rifle sight that could be mounted on a weapon or worn on a helmet to provide night vision, and used it to survey his surroundings once more. When nothing caught his eyes he grunted, stowing the sight away before retrieving a scroll and hitting the call button. It was a few moments before the recipient answered.
"Calcipher, I hadn't expected to hear from you so soon. Did you find what we're looking for?"
"That's just it, I haven't found shit," the man answered gruffly. "Are you sure this is where it should be Lazarus?"
"The reports being sent out from Beacon state that the Death Stalker went over a ravine not far from your position. The river that runs along its base empties into the nearby lake. The fact you haven't seen it would suggest the creature perished, most likely having drowned in the river."
"And washed away any evidence that might have led us to Merlot," he surmised. "Fuck, we're back to square one. Again."
"I'm afraid so," Lazarus confirmed. "On another note, Beacon has also reported that one of their students went missing during an encounter with the Grimm."
"Beacon sent students out against it?" Calcipher questioned.
"Two teams to be specific, RWBY and JNPR. No doubt they thought it was an older Death Stalker that had become more aggressive as of late. Unfortunately, Jaune Arc, team JNPR's leader, fell into the ravine along with the Death Stalker. They've organized search parties to find and recover him but none have been able to penetrate as far out of you. They're hoping to find him alive."
"Most likely we'll find his remains," Calcipher concluded. "Best we can hope for is finding the body so we can at least give their family closure."
"I'm sure they'd appreciate that coming from you," Lazarus commented.
Calcipher said nothing, instead choosing to keep his eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. He was about to move on when something caught his eye. A glint amongst the rocks and pebbles on the shore, refracting the moon's rays from overhead. Curious but cautious, he strode forward, watching the small glint grow brighter as the object itself became more discernable. Crouching down, he withdrew a long sword, worn and dented from decades of use and fresh blood that had almost been washed clean from the blade except for a few spots. It was Crocea Mors, the Arc family sword and if it was here then there was a good chance that its wielder was as well. Sure enough, after searching the area for a few minutes, he found Jaune Arc half-buried in the shoreline. Pressing two fingers to his neck he was surprised to find the boy had a pulse, but it was weak and fading.
"Lazarus, I found the Arc boy and he's alive."
"A miracle if I've ever heard one," Lazarus replied. "I'm currently en route to your location."
"Have a medical team ready to extract him as well. He's got a shallow pulse and I'm not sure how much longer he'll be able to last."
"Right, we'll be moving quickly. A few minutes tops."
"Good, I'll try to keep him stable until you arrive," Calcipher said, ending the call a moment later. "Well kid, you must have the devil's luck to have survived a shitty situation like that. Not too many people can claim to have walked away in one piece," he said, eyeing the boy up and down. "Well, mostly one piece."
/-/
Darkness. That's all Jaune could see. Murky, suffocating, impenetrable darkness. He could feel it, dragging him down to the deepest depths as he struggled to pull himself to the surface. Once or twice, he managed it. He broke the surface, coughing up water and gasping for air only to have water rush in to fill the space and drag him back down beneath the waves. His armor made it worse, the heavy metal pulling him down like a rock tied to his waist. If he had the strength, he would have forced it off and let it sink to the bottom of the river. Unfortunately, all of his strength was currently being used to keep himself alive. He had to. He couldn't go out like this, couldn't allow himself to die so soon. He had so much left to accomplish, to prove not only to himself but to his family. He wouldn't die here. He would survive somehow. He would struggle to stay alive, no matter how hard life tried to drag him down. Then, something else took hold and drug him down beneath the waves.
Green eyes stared at him from the depths of the water below. Unable to make out his captor, Jaune struggled against its iron-clad grip, hoping to wiggle himself free. His struggling was in vain as the creature, whatever it was, had a firm grip on his leg and was unwilling to release him. With his lungs burning for air, he started to wonder if this was how he would die. Alone, beneath the murky depths of the river, with no way to know if anyone would find his remains. He would be assumed dead, his friends and family notified of his passing. To think this was how the Arc legacy was to end. He hadn't even had a chance to show he was capable of living up to his family's legacy.
Legacy? His shield!
Scrambling for his belt, he quickly loosed it and tore off the hilt that was strapped to his hip. Wedging it between the claws that had grasped his thigh, he pushed the release button. He felt it spring open and in the next moment, his leg was loose. Not wanting to waste any more time, he quickly kicked his way back to the surface, knowing his shield was a small sacrifice compared to his survivability. Breaching the surface, his desperate gasps for air were met with the unrelenting force of the waves as they shoved water down his throat. His lungs burned and as he coughed and sputtered for air, he looked around frantically for something, anything that might be used as a lifeline. He wasn't given much of a chance, though, as he was pulled back underneath the waves by a force far stronger than the current itself. The Grimm was back with a vengeance, this time unwilling to let go of its prize judging by the force of its grip on his right arm.
Jaune cried out in pain, his lungs quickly filling with water as he struggled desperately to release himself. Despite it all, he could do nothing to free himself. The Death Stalker's grip was ironclad and, without his friends to aid him it was a guarantee that he would die here, drowning alongside this abomination. It wasn't long before he could feel his consciousness beginning to slip. With no air to fuel his brain, he was slowly losing his grip on reality. After a few moments, he could see a glint of light and realized that by now Death had come to claim him. It was only when that glint smacked him in the face that he realized it was something long and metal. With his head still foggy he almost didn't recognize his family sword. How it had managed to float its way to him at this crucial moment he couldn't quite fathom. Forcing himself to focus, he reached out and fumbled to grab hold of Crocea Mors. It was his last hope to make it out of this alive.
Gripping it as firmly as he could manage, he once more wedged it between the Death Stalker's pinchers. Unlike last time where the mechanics of the shield had performed the work for him, Jaune was forced to rely on his own strength, something that was already spent. With each futile effort he could feel himself slipping away. He didn't have much time before he lost consciousness and drowned. It honestly seemed hopeless. The Grimm had such a firm grip on his arm that his only chance to survive would be to saw it off.
Somehow that thought didn't disturb him quite as much as he thought it should. Maybe it had something to do with his dire situation? Maybe he had simply accepted his fate already and the loss of a limb was minuscule in comparison? Whatever the case, Jaune tightened his grip around Crocea Mors and struck true.
/-/
The first thing that came to him was his sense of feeling. He could something cold and hard beneath him, uncomfortable and rigid against his back. The next thing he noticed was his body, how sore it felt. It was as if he'd been working out for hours on end and now, a day after, he was being made to pay the price. From the top of his head to the tips of his toes, everything was sore and ached terribly. He noticed something felt off on the right side of his body but he was too tired to really care to investigate. He only wanted to rest, to sleep, and hopefully regain some of his energy. The next thing he noticed were the voices. They were close by but hushed by how soft and low they sounded. Either that or his sense of hearing had been greatly reduced. Honestly, it sounded like everything was coming to him through a filter. Hopefully, that would pass but for now, he couldn't care less. Instead, he took the opportunity to listen in on what was being said.
"- have an obligation to inform them that he's still alive."
"They already think he's dead. Letting them know he's alive won't make much of a difference."
"It'll make a difference to his family. Knowing their son isn't dead would mean the world to them."
"And what of his life? You honestly think he'll be allowed to continue his career after everything he's been through?"
"Of course he will. Granted, he'll need time to heal and recover but that's the life of a Huntsman. The fact that he can walk away from such an experience is more than others could have hoped for."
"Nicholas won't let him. I know the man. He'll use this as an excuse to drag him back home and keep him there. He'll end up being a prisoner due to his own father's fear of losing him again."
"And that's better than having us use him like you would have us do?"
"At least he'll have a choice in the matter. Agency. Better he have that than to be a prisoner in his own home."
"This isn't right Calcipher. There must be a better way."
"If there was, I would have taken it already. However, I am willing to leave it up to the boy. I won't make the mistake of forcing this life on him. Not like how it was forced on me."
Jaune groaned, interrupting the two men's conversation as they were alerted to him.
"He's awake," one of the men said.
"Obviously," his companion, Calcipher if he'd heard correctly, replied sarcastically.
He heard hurried footsteps and soon enough sensed another's presence nearby. In the next moment, he found his rightmost eye forced open before a bright light was shone down into it. He tried to bat it away, but he could not find the strength nor energy to do so and instead endured it as best he could.
"Pupil dilation is normal. He has a strong pulse too. You're rather lucky to be alive, Mr. Arc. Not many Huntsmen could have gone through what you've endured and come out the other end relatively unscathed."
"What… happened?" he asked, his voice sounding raspy as his throat burned for water.
"A lot. I'm going to give you a sedative. Right now, your body needs to heal and, while aura is capable of many things, it can't always be relied upon to heal injuries as extensive as your own."
"W-wait," Jaune said.
His plea went ignored as a small pinch on the side of his arm was soon followed by the feeling of drowsiness overtaking him. Within the next moment, his mind became cloudy, and he fell back into unconsciousness.
/-/
Calcipher never really cared for funerals. Then again, he hadn't attended many. He'd only been present for one and that had been enough for him. The depressing atmosphere, the sounds of muffled crying, and Gods if it didn't always take place on a day that was either overcast or pissing rain. The Arc boy's memorial was no different. While they'd had his Wake inside the auditorium, the Headmaster had invited anyone who wanted to attend outside where a tasteful memorial had been set up for him. He honestly didn't know that it was tasteful. All he knew was that the Headmaster had prioritized money when purchasing the flowers and other items used to decorate and memorialize the young man's memory.
Unsurprisingly several people came out to attend and pay their respects. The first and most prominent were his family members. Eleven people, seven of them his sisters, with Saphron's wife Terra and their son Adrian, along with his parents. Nicholas, the Arc patriarch, standing at their head. He was a mountain of a man, tall with well-toned muscle from years spent fighting Grimm. An imposing figure at the best of times but not at this moment. Now he looked like a broken man, cradling his family sword and shield while he stared emptily at his son's picture. His wife Juniper clutched his arm, tear tracts running down her face while she gently stroked her husband's arm in an act that must have been meant to offer comfort.
Behind them stood a group of eight children. In truth they were young adults, all of them on the cusp of being true Huntsmen and Huntresses but, from where he stood, they were still children to him. He recognized a few of them at first glance. Pyrrha Nikos for sure who had also been the boy's partner. Weiss Schnee was hard to miss, the girl looking so much like her mother Willow did at that age. Seeing her caused long forgotten and buried memories to begin resurfacing but he quickly shoved them aside as he turned his attention to the others. Despite her attempts to hide her heritage, Blake Belladonna was someone he could pick out of a crowd easily. The girl was a near-identical clone of her mother, something which made him wonder why she hadn't put more effort into hiding her identity when she defected from the White Fang nor why Ozpin hadn't made any suggestions either. He also recognized the Xio Long girl and her sister Ruby. While the former had her mother's hair the latter looked a great deal like Summer did. She also looked a bit too young to be attending Beacon but such wasn't his business anyway.
Seeing them standing together, he knew it was only a matter of time before someone broke down in tears. He turned away, not wanting to be around when that happened. He wasn't used to emotional scenes and being here for this one was something he didn't quite feel comfortable with. Unfortunately, he hadn't anticipated anyone noticing his presence as he soon found his departure bared by Professor Ozpin. How the man had managed to sneak up on him he wasn't sure but, given that he'd been distracted, he might have seen an opportunity to corner him.
"Leaving so soon?" Ozpin asked.
"I only came to pay my respects, nothing more," Calcipher growled.
"That may be so but I'm sure Mr. Arc's family and friends would appreciate speaking with the man who recovered his remains and brought them back home."
"I really think that's the last thing they want. What I'm sure they want is their son back and not to talk with the man who only managed to bring back a family heirloom in his place. Besides, you know as well as I do that Nicholas doesn't want to see me, let alone speak with me."
"What happened between you two is nearly two decades past, Calcipher. I'm sure Nicholas has had time to heal from that tragedy," Ozpin assured him.
"And you don't think this hasn't reopened an old wound?" Calcipher shot back.
"Perhaps but I still think you two should talk. It may mean more to them than you realize to have your support in this time of loss."
"They've had my support, Oz. They just don't want me present when I give it. It's something both Nicholas and I came to terms with a long time ago," he replied as he moved past the Headmaster.
"One last question before you go," Ozpin said, causing Calcipher to stop momentarily. "Are you certain that was all you found of Mr. Arc's remains?"
He turned to give the man an indignant glare before he responded. "What I brought back is everything I found. I would have brought back the arm as well but, considering that his family would undoubtedly prefer to have the body it was previously attached to more, I didn't think it mattered much."
"My apologies, I didn't mean to insinuate- "
"Then you should probably work on crafting how you speak to people," Calcipher interrupted. "The way you come off almost makes it seem like you suspect I killed the boy."
"Of course not. I was merely holding out hope that we might yet find and recover the rest of his remains."
"I would advise against it. Unless you want to spend weeks in Grimm-infested lands dragging the river and lake for what is undoubtedly a bloated corpse, you're better off accepting what I was able to provide."
"I see," Ozpin said with a tired look. "Thank you for bringing him home, what little of him you were able to recover. Safe journey to you my friend."
/-/
Jaune woke to the sound of machinery beeping and chiming. His body, while still sore, felt better than it had the last time he was awake. He could feel more energy and strength within himself, a sure sign that his aura and whatever the other guy had been doing was helping to heal his body. Glancing around he noticed he was laying on a medical bed inside of a large room. In the center was a metal table of sorts, the one he must have woken up in the beginning if his memory of something hard and cold was anything to go off of. He was covered by a white bedsheet, making it difficult to tell what was underneath, but he knew that he'd been stripped down to his underwear. While he knew it was standard procedure for the medical profession, he didn't care to be half-naked in a strange place.
It wasn't long before the same people he'd heard before entered the room. The door opened, admitting two men of drastically different descriptions inside. The first and presumably medically trained was a middle-aged man with dark brown and gray streaks hair slicked back and dull gray eyes. He wore a lab coat over a white pressed shirt from which he extracted a small handheld flashlight. He moved to Jaune's side swiftly, holding open his closest eye while he flashed the light back and forth over his pupil. While it was irritating, he remained still until the man was finished. Once he was through, he checked the nearby monitors, reading their screens before letting out a satisfied hum.
"You're quite the robust young man. You're recovering quicker than we'd anticipated. I must admit, even with how massive your aura pool is Mr. Arc I hadn't anticipated a recovery this swift."
"Thanks, but who are you and where am I?" Jaune asked.
"My apologies. I'm Dr. Lazarus White, a medical professional. Over there is my associate, Mr. Calcipher Mordan."
Glancing over Jaune took note of the man who stood in the doorway, barring any ideas he might have of leaving. He was tall, taller than himself, and had piercing hazel eyes that were easy to see given how short his dark brown hair was cut. His outfit gave him the appearance of a Huntsman. Everything from the combat boots to the thick pants and vest with its numerous pouches suggested he was trained by one of the four Academies. His eyes remained fixed on Jaune, almost as if he expected something of him. It honestly made him feel uncomfortable and, after a short moment, he averted them back to Dr. White.
"To answer your second question is a bit difficult as- "
"We're at a classified, off-station location. That's all you need to be concerned with," Mordan interrupted.
White shot the man an irritated look, but he simply ignored it. He was more interested in Jaune, something he was growing more and more concerned with.
"To reiterate my companion's gruff reproach, we're unable to disclose our current location for safety reasons."
"I promise not to tell anyone," Jaune replied weakly.
"It has less to do with you blabbing about it to other people and more so to do with the possibility of whom it was that attacked you in the first place coming back to finish the job."
"Or worse yet, him sending something else to finish what his other creation failed to accomplish," White finished.
Jaune gave him a puzzled look, uncertain about what they were getting at.
"Tell me, Mr. Arc, what do you remember before you woke up in our care?" Lazarus asked.
Despite the odd series of questions and the vague answers he'd been given, Jaune took a moment to recall what had happened just before he woke up here. It took him a few moments. His head still felt groggy and his memories weren't all that forthcoming. With some considerable effort on his part, he did manage to recall and recite to them what he remembered right up to his fall into the ravine along with the Death Stalker. From that point it became difficult to remember just how he'd managed to survive.
"You can't recall anything after that?" Lazarus asked.
"It's a little difficult to recall, yes," Jaune said.
"I see. Well, given your experience it only makes sense that your mind would have suppressed those recent memories, especially with what you had to endure."
"What do you mean?"
"You nearly drowned kid, not to mention you cut off- "
"Calcipher!" he snapped. "Now is not the time."
"The kid's going to find out sooner rather than later. Better he face it now so he can start to digest the situation than hold it off any longer than necessary."
Lazarus glared at the man but he held firm under his gaze. After a few moments, he expelled a tired sigh before turning back to Jaune.
"We feel there's more to your story than you recall. As far as we've been able to speculate you either encountered a water-based Grimm while in the river or became trapped at some point and were forced to make a sacrifice."
"A sacrifice? What do you mean?" Jaune asked, feeling his heart rate beginning to rise and hearing the heart rate monitor recording the same thing as it beeped loudly.
"Just… just do your best to remain calm," he said.
Tentatively, the man reached out and pulled back the bedsheets covering Jaune's right side until it was completely exposed. At first he didn't understand what the man was so nervous about. Most of the right side of his body was bandaged up tight. It honestly didn't surprise him. Even with his aura, the fall had been pretty far. He was bound to take a few hits along the ravine walls and even while being swept away by the river. The fact that he couldn't feel anything was no doubt due to the heavy sedatives they had him on. They were so powerful he couldn't feel his arm at all.
It was a few moments more before he noticed what area the bandages were actually covering. Instantly he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Still, the more he tried to move his arm, his fingers, nothing felt like it was responding. Swallowing a wade of bile that had started rising up his throat, he tentatively reached out with his left hand and began feeling the area. The more he prodded the less he wanted to believe it was real. Unfortunately, his mind soon caught up with him, and with it came a mixture of disbelief and panic.
"What happened to my arm?" he managed to say.
"When we found you, it was severed just above the elbow," Lazarus explained. "Judging from the blood we found stained on your sword, we assumed it had been you're doing. Unfortunately, we were unable to save it. The bacteria in the water had already seeped into your system. It was safer to remove what was left completely in order to ensure your survival."
"You cut off my arm?" Jaune asked, shakily turning to look at them.
"Technically, you cut off your own arm," Calcipher clarified. "What we did was save your life."
"Not helping," Lazarus snipped.
"You cut off my arm," Jaune repeated, this time louder.
"Jaune," Lazarus said in a calming tone.
"Hit him with the sedatives, Doc, the kid's going to pop."
"I hardly think that's the best course of action."
"You got any better ide- "
"You cut off my FUCKING ARM!" Jaune yelled.
His outburst caused the doctor to jump in his seat and quickly fumble with one of the machines that had a surgical tube running to his remaining arm. A moment later a cold sensation filtered in through Jaune's body and he could feel himself beginning to lose consciousness. It wasn't long before his head hit the pillow and, just as he drifted off to sleep, he could hear Calcipher speaking to his companion.
"Told ya so."
/-/
When Jaune woke up it took him a moment to remember where he was. Glancing over, he saw that the Doctor from before had left while his companion remained. He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep. Minutes? Hours? It was all foggy, at least up until he'd been forced to pass out. Hoping it had all been some terrible dream brought on by stress, he reached out to feel his right arm only to find empty space where it had once been and felt his side bandaged up. It immediately brought tears to his eyes as the reality of his situation became too much to ignore. Try as he might, he couldn't suppress the feelings of helplessness that overwhelmed him, nor the sobs that ensued.
"You can cry if you want," Calcipher said from his spot leaning against the wall. "I for one won't think less of you for it. Truth be told, we need to allow ourselves the right to grieve, even if society thinks we have to remain stalwart and strong all the time. Total bullshit if you ask me, though."
"Why?" Jaune asked in a shaky voice.
"To save your life. If we had left your arm as it was, even with treatment, necrosis would have eventually set in which isn't good- "
"Not that," Jaune interrupted. "Why did this have to happen to me? Why am I being made to suffer this?"
The boy's question caught Calcipher by surprise. Rather than answer him right away he moved over to his bedside, pulling up a metal chair that he set near the bed with its back to Jaune while he sat on it in reverse. He took a few moments to consider his question, mulling it around in his head while Jaune slowly brought his turbulent emotions under control.
"I don't know," he finally answered, deciding that honesty was the best policy this time around. "I understand how you feel, to be honest. I've lost a great deal that was precious to me and was made to suffer a great deal even before then. I wish I had a better answer than that but I'm afraid there isn't a concrete reason behind why you were the victim of this tragedy aside from being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"What do I do now?"
"That's entirely up to you. You wanted to be a Huntsman like your old man, right? He's Nicholas Arc."
"You know my father?"
"Knew would be the better way to put it," Calcipher corrected. "We were… close once but some things happened that caused a rift to form between us. Things never really healed as a result. Honestly, from what I remember of the man I'm surprised he allowed you to become a Huntsman."
"He didn't. Not really. He didn't train me or support me. I had to do everything on my own and, when I got accepted into Beacon, he was surprised."
"I take it he didn't know you faked your transcripts to get in," Calcipher pointed out.
"How did you know?" Jaune asked, his blood suddenly running cold at the realization.
"I'm a colleague of Headmaster Ozpin's and, due to the nature of my work, I have access to the databases of each Academy's student roosters. Honestly, when comparing your transcripts to your grades and overall subpar performance in Beacon, it makes me wonder how the old man hasn't put two and two together and realized that you're not whom you say you are. Though, knowing him, Ozpin knew from the moment he laid eyes on your transcripts that they were fake and let you in regardless."
"What?" Jaune asked in disbelief. "Why?"
"My best guess is because you're an Arc," he said, his answer seeming to offend the boy somewhat. "Your family has a reputation that's as old as their roots are deep. I wouldn't be surprised if that was one of the driving forces behind his reasoning for allowing you to attend. He saw that you were the next generation in a long line of great Huntsmen and saw an opportunity to cultivate that."
"That can't be the only reason," Jaune argued.
"Do you have something better to offer?" Calcipher asked in retort. "It certainly couldn't have been your combat prowess."
"I was improving thanks to Pyrrha."
"A flimsy excuse for someone who hasn't put in the same amount of work nor had the same dedication to earning their place in Beacon like the rest of their teammates," he shot back.
"You think I don't know that? You think I like knowing that, despite being made the leader of my team, I'm the weakest link? You have no idea what my life was like before I came to Beacon. My teammates are some of the first real friends I've had in years. I knew I was holding them back but that just made me work harder to ensure it wouldn't always be that way."
"I know," he said, a small smirk tracing its way across his face before it quickly disappeared. "That brings me to my next question. What do you plan to do now?"
"What do you mean? I want to become a Huntsman. It's why I joined Beacon."
"I'm aware of that. However, you should also be aware that due to your recent injury," he said, pointing to Jaune's absent arm, "your career has been effectively placed on hold."
Jaune glance down at the empty space on his bed. It was currently covered up by the bedsheet but this did nothing to hide his missing limb nor how useless Jaune felt with it gone.
"Will they kick me out?"
"Of course not," Calcipher reassured him. "The academies aren't that cruel. You aren't the first student to lose a limb while attending. You wouldn't be the first one to die either but that doesn't really apply."
"What?" Jaune asked, confused.
"Point is," he continued, ignoring the boy's query, "Beacon has a policy that revolves around students who are unable to continue their curriculum due to medical reasons. In your case, you would be required to return home until you've been discharged and cleared to continue your training after a period of recovery."
"How long would that be?" he asked.
"In your case, roughly a year."
"A year!" Jaune yelped.
"You lost an arm kid. You don't just shrug that shit off by rubbing some dirt on it and saying, 'I'm good.' There's a period of rehabilitation you must undergo either to prepare you to learn how to fight with only one arm or if you choose to get a prosthetic, get used to replacement and learn to fight with that. All in all, they won't let you continue for anything less than a year and even then, you have to retake the initiation exam."
"Wait, what!? Why?"
"You'd have been gone for a year. You can't expect that they'd just let you slip back into your old team like nothing happened. They will have spent that year studying and training while you were recovering. Not only that, you need to show that you're still able to perform despite the injuries you endured. If you can't, well, then they can't allow you to attend."
"But- but I- "Jaune said, having difficulty wrapping his head around what he was being told.
"Honestly, it's for your own good. While you may not like it, they're doing it with your best interests in mind."
"It's not fair," Jaune almost whispered.
"Come again?"
"I can't go back," he continued. "I can't go back home a failure. I can't go back there after coming this far. It's just not fair."
"Is it simply that you can't go back after failing to achieve your goal or that you can't face up to your efforts having been subpar and this being the end result of that?"
In response, Jaune glared at him though it lacked any heat it might have been meant to contain. He gave up on it after only a couple minutes. It was obvious he didn't like having the truth thrown back into his face but there wasn't much he could do about it.
"So that's it then? I go back and spend the rest of my life knowing I couldn't hack it as a Huntsman and live with the fact that my father was right all along."
"Well, sure, if that's what you want to take away from this. Of course, that's assuming you don't have any alternatives available."
"Alternatives? What do you mean?"
"Do you still want to be a Huntsman?" Calcipher asked.
"Of course I do!"
"How badly?"
Jaune paused, mulling the question around in his head for a moment. "What exactly are you asking me?"
"I'm offering to train you to be a Huntsman. One on one. You'd recover here, train with me, and still maintain the same level of combat prowess and educational requirements that would be expected from an Academy student. In turn, you would need to help me in investigating and possibly hunting the man responsible for taking your arm and nearly killing you."
"A Grimm took my arm, not a person," Jaune pointed out.
"Yes but was that Grimm you encountered just like the ones you've seen and killed before or was it different?" he asked.
Jaune thought for a moment, recalling his encounter with the Death Stalker. The creature had been very aggressive and strangely fixated on both him and Weiss. However, so had the one he'd fought and killed in initiation along with Pyrrha and the rest of their team. Unlike that one, though, he'd also noticed the large, green spikes protruding from its body and the strange green tint its eyes had been different from their usual crimson red. He recalled all of this to Calcipher who nodded along in agreement.
"That's because it wasn't natural if the Grimm can be considered natural at all."
"What was it then?"
"An experiment. The creation of a man long since thought dead. This is simply more proof that he's still alive and as dangerous as ever. Currently, Lazarus and I are looking for evidence that will point us to his location and possibly help us prove to the other Kingdom's that, not only is he alive but he needs to be dealt with immediately."
"They don't know about him?"
"When he was believed to be alive, he was considered a threat and treated as such. Now that they think he's dead he's used that to his advantage to continue his experiments in secret. He's done well to hide his tracks but he hasn't been able to conceal everything. What happened with you was just a taste of what he has in store for the rest of Remnant. However, with your help we might have a chance of hunting him down and cornering him before he can do too much harm."
"All I have to do is agree to help you with this and you'll help me become a Huntsman?"
"You have my word."
"What about my family, my friends, and teammates? What do I tell them?"
"It might be best if they not know," Calcipher replied. "In fact, it would help us if people assumed you were dead. Doing so would make traveling and concealing your movements that much easier."
"Hold on, you want me to fake my own death?"
"Not so much fake it as to allow people to assume you still are," he replied.
"I don't understand."
Rather than answer him immediately, he instead reach into one of the pockets of his vest and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He handed it off to Jaune who, with some doing, managed to unfold it with his one good hand. Looking down at it he saw his picture, along with a description regarding his funeral and a memorial service that was to be held at Beacon.
"What is this?" he asked.
"It's exactly what it looks like. You've been dead for a little over a week. I attended your funeral."
Sure enough, the date printed on the front was, he assumed, nearly two weeks ago. Having been stuck in this room the whole time, he wasn't certain of whether the man was telling the truth or not and asked for his scroll. Calcipher didn't hesitate and tossed his scroll to him without question. Immediately he checked the calendar and was able to confirm that nearly two weeks had passed, a reality that had him feeling like he'd swallowed a stone with how heavy it felt. Knowing that his friends, his family, were all back home grieving for him wasn't something he felt comfortable thinking about. It did, however, give him an idea. Pretending to check the news, or at least hoping that's how it would appear, he checked the call functions just to be sure. He was surprised, and ever a bit excited, to find that they had full bars wherever they were. He could call them or even send a message, something that would tell them he was alive and well.
"You can call them if you want," Calcipher said, his comment causing the boy to jump in alarm.
"I, um," Jaune began.
"I gave you my scroll knowing full well you'd figure out you could call your family and tell them you're alive," he replied.
"Then why- "
"Because you're not a prisoner here. We're not holding you hostage or for ransom. Your decision to stay here and help us is exactly that, your decision. We're not going to force you to agree to anything you don't want to be a part of so if you want to contact your friends and family, go ahead. I'll even leave the room so you have some privacy. After that, we'll arrange transport for you back to Vale and see to it that you receive any further medical treatments you might require."
"Then why all this? Why keep my survival a secret from everyone? Why keep me here and offer to train me to become a Huntsman if you're just going to let me go the instant I ask?"
"Simple, it has to be your decision."
"I don't understand," Jaune replied.
"That's because you're not looking at the bigger picture," Calcipher said, turning his chair so he could lean back as he talked. "What we're asking you to do is incredibly dangerous. We're going up against a powerful man who is credited with being responsible for the incident at Mountain Glenn."
"The what?"
"Pay attention in History class, Dr. Oobleck should have covered that by now," Calcipher chided, earning a blush of embarrassment from Jaune. "Point is if this man is capable of causing a massacre on that scale and not only manages to convince the Kingdoms he's dead but is also capable of keeping his presence hidden while continuing the same experiments he'd been performing previously, experiments which led to the creation of the Death Stalker that nearly killed you and took your arm," he said, motioning to his bandages, "then how difficult would it be for him to track down your friends and family only to send more of those monstrosities after them as a way of forcing our hand."
"My father's a Huntsman," Jaune pointed out.
"He's one man and, as skilled as he is, he won't be capable of facing an army of Grimm on his own."
"Then warn Beacon. Tell all of this to Professor Ozpin."
"We have," he replied. "As well as the Council. While our reputations lend us their ear, none of them are willing to act without proof. That's partly why you're here and partly why I was able to find and recover you in the first place. Where you washed up was in the exact area I had been scouting for evidence of our quarry. Instead, I found a half-dead student who, if I hadn't come along, would have been a corpse by the time Beacon arrived. The fact of the matter is, had I not been in the right place at the right time, your family and friends would be grieving for you regardless."
His explanation caused the color to drain from Jaune's face. For the most part, he'd assumed the fact that he'd been found by Calcipher and Lazarus had all been coincidence. This was the first time he was hearing of just how severe his situation had truly been. He shuttered to think how much it would have destroyed his family to find him out there, cold and dead, having failed to achieve his dream regardless. He suddenly found his throat felt very dry and he swallowed in an attempt to alleviate it.
"If I agreed to help you, would I be able to see my family and friends again?" he asked.
"I'll make you a deal, Jaune. The moment we retrieve concrete evidence of our quarry's existence, I'll let you come with me to present it to Ozpin and the Council. From there we'll get them to agree to put your family into protective custody. Sound good to you?"
"Like I have a choice," Jaune said sarcastically.
"You do have a choice. The only difference between them is that one is shittier than the other," Calcipher replied, extending his hand before taking Jaune's and shaking it firmly.
"So, what's the name of our quarry?" he asked.
"Dr. Merlot. You can read his file on my scroll as well as the files regarding Mountain Glenn's collapse. It should give you something to do for the next few days before we start fitting you for a prosthetic."
"Shouldn't that be my decision?" Jaune asked.
"Did you intend to learn to fight one-handed?" Calcipher asked.
Jaune didn't say anything, choosing to look away instead.
"I figured as much. Read up. Rest up. And try to suppress the urge to call your friends and family while you're at it. I don't want to have to block any outgoing calls you might make but I will if I think you might blow our cover before it's even been established."
"I'll do my best," he promised.
"Good. See you in the morning kid. Tomorrow, the first day of the rest of your life begins."
Hello my faithful readers. I'm back and, as a present to start out the New Year, the first chapter of "Archangel Reforged" has now officially dropped.
Naturally, those of you familiar with the predecessor of this story will already note some changes. The first and most pressing is to the timeline. As I had centered it around the events of Beacon, albeit with a one year time skip that still had everything popping off exactly as it had happened before, I've gone and changed it to better fit with the established timeline. This, of course, will drastically change the storyline overall as certain details from the previous iteration will no longer be there. I've also started writing out the plot for each chapter or planned storyline to help me hash things out and make it more congruent to avoid the pitfalls I experienced last time.
Another notable change will be the addition as well as subtraction of certain characters. This is mostly to ensure certain plot points I had in the original will make more sense as there characters will have a more established background within the RWBY universe as a whole and thus will help to ensure that certain storylines make more sense.
In truth I'm rather proud that I not only finished this chapter for the rewrite but that I'm able to go through with it at all. Comparing this chapter to the first chapter of Archangel has shown me some considerable differences in my writing style, mainly in how much I've improved over the years. I hope this will come across to my readers both new and old and will make this a more enjoyable reading experience.
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