Whoopee. Don't worry, this isn't meandering arc 2 electric boogaloo. Well, not entirely. Kind of. Eh idk.

It has been five days since Jaune made the worst decision in his life.

Jaune wondered if it was possible to dye his hair with dirt. Or maybe grass? He didn't hate the color green. The back of his head had been pressed to the ground for so long that he had been scared it'd happen.

Then again, having the back of his head be colored green or brown was the least of his worries. At least, they were the least in comparison to starvation and never finding civilization again.

"Olive would love this." She'd probably relish the adventure in the wilderness, the brushes with danger, the freedom from the stuffy civilized world.

Jaune wasn't lost, he had a map and was no fool. It was just that the map was faultily made. Plus, there was a Beowolf that he had to run away from that pushed him off the trail. Plus, the map was cheap. He got it for, like, 20 Lien at a gift shop. Ok, fine, it was 8 Lien. But the cashier said that he couldn't break for change and there wasn't anyone around to get change from, so he gave the extra 12 Lien as a tip.

He only had twenty Lien, after all.

So he'd been wandering, trying to use the map of Vale to try and get back home. The only problem was that 'home' wasn't really a well known or famous place like Valea or Patch. But he had a general idea of where he was going, so he followed the roads.

Until he realized he wasn't on the road anymore.

"Ok, fine, I'm lost." Jaune gave up trying to convince himself he was anything but lost. Lost in Grimm infested lands deep in the countryside. Lost alone, with nobody knowing he was there. Lost without a weapon. Lost without a single Lien. Lost without even a piece of paper or scroll to write a eulogy on. "Where do I go to not die?"

The forest answered his question with silence.

"Well, let's just hope lady luck throws me a bone." Without much drive, direction, or much of anything besides a lack of any other options, Jaune walked on.

Feet and legs not made or trained for hours upon hours of walking through the wilderness, interspersed with occasional sprints from Grimm, began complaining loudly to the neural center. The neural center told the legs to shut up and continue walking because staying in one place for too long was a death sentence in the wild.

Thirst sucked, it was a sensation akin to being suffocated while his throat turned into sandpaper. Hunger sucked, it was like a fistful of razor blades had been tossed into his stomach and began jumping about. Absolute spite and threadbare determination were the only things that let him pull through. In the end, when he saw farmland as he moved forward, he couldn't help but jump in giddy relief before remembering how much doing anything hurt.

He trudged along, only stealing a single apple out of fear that, if he didn't, he would die. He consumed it without hesitation, eating the flesh, the core, and even the stem without a care in the world for its taste or health. It was moderately filling and somewhat hydrating and that was enough for him.

He didn't eat anymore as he continued to walk, just that one apple being enough to sustain him. He'd hopefully get something hot to eat and maybe a bed to sleep on over there. So, he continued to walk and walk and walk. He passed by farmhouses and the occasional farmhand, who'd take mercy upon a clearly suffering soul and pass a fruit or two to help him get by.

He eventually made it to the village center, where there were a few farmers selling produce and a butcher their meat. He even saw a tavern for the villagers, though it wasn't open in the middle of the day. His stomach rumbled seeing so much food, but when he rifled through his wallet he found absolutely nothing.

Oh yeah, he was broke.

"Mommy, who is that strange man?" Great, a child was pointing at him. Was he really that stranger? Well, yeah, he was wearing some cheap armor on top of his hoodie, but that was only because he didn't really feel like taking it off. Then again, it could've been all the dirt and grime in his hair or the sweat on his skin.

"I don't know."

Where did people go to get jobs in places like this? He didn't really fancy his chances, what with how he smelled and looked, getting a shift in any of the stores. He'd also starve if he did something like farming. Maybe he could ask in town hall if anyone had problems they needed to get fixed? Jaune had some talents that he could probably leverage for some lien.

He found himself gravitating towards the building with a sign saying 'MAYOR.' It wasn't a grand building. Half of the thing was taken up by the lobby, where a secretary was looking through papers while squinting at an old and janky computer. Her eyes lit up as she laid eyes upon Jaune, as if recognizing him from somewhere.

"Oh, you're here?"

"Uh, yes?" Jaune didn't know what to say to that. It'd be rude to begin questioning her, so he just went along with things.

"Well go on then! The Mr. Himdale was worried sick about you, go on now!" She got up and pushed Jaune into the next room over, which looked more like an archive than an office. It was also unbearably hot, with Jaune feeling the urge to take off his armor and hoodie. Past a few rows of shelves with analog records, there was a small metal desk by a window with a fan propped up on it.

Sitting at the desk was a middle aged man, only just beginning to bald, trying to hastily write a letter before giving up. There was a small, sloppily made wooden block with "Mr Himdal" written on it.

"Sir, he's arrived." The secretary walked out without saying much more, closing the door behind her.

"... Wait, what?" My. Himdale's eyes widened and he looked up. "Well I'll be, you're alive?"

"Y-yeah?"

"At least I'll save a penny on the postage." He shrugged before crumpling up the letter he was writing and tossing it to the side. When it didn't land in the trash can, he only rolled his eyes and grumbled about it never working before swerving to look Jaune in the eye. "Well, what are you waiting for? Sit down, you look like you've been through hell."

"W-well, I guess you're right." More than he knew. "I'm here about a job-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." How? Was he psychic? Was he an Animist sorcerer? He'd heard they could do some crazy stuff. Or maybe he was born with some Old Tech in their body that let them read minds? Or predict the future? That sounded cool. "My name is Mr. Himdale, I'm the mayor of this little town. Welcome to Newbury, by the way. I'll be straight up with you, I'm glad you came right now. Let me just say, we need you."

"O-oh." Jaune blushed, kind of embarrassed. He wasn't really used to being 'needed'. It felt kind of nice, honestly. "Well, yeah I'm always glad to help. And about my pay-"

"Y-yeah?" The mayor gulped and stared expectantly at Jaune.

"I've had a long trip, alright? I just want some of my pay upfront so I can get some food and something to drink." Jaune didn't want to demand much more. Sure, he was needed, but he wasn't about to extort a town for their cash.

"Oh." Upon hearing that, the mayor slackened. "That's it?"

"Yeah?" What more did he expect? Jaune was here to act as a handyman. A plumber or carpenter or anything that was needed.

"Well alright then, that's only fair. You look like you've been in some mighty big trouble." The mayor opened their wallet and gave Jaune 100 Lien, which was a mind-boggling amount. How badly was he needed? Was an entire sewage system busted? Did Newbury even have a sewage system?

"Thanks." Jaune clung to the cash like it was his last lifeline, which it probably was. "So uh, should I start doing something, or?"

"No, no, we're probably fine for now. Just go get some food and drink. When you need to, ask my secretary where you'll be staying. It's not that great, but understand that we're falling on some tough times. Oh, yes, I forgot. What's your name, boy?"

"Jaune Arc, short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it." Jaune gave a smile a bit too cocky for a starving man and walked out. He wasn't about to argue with not starving to death or dying of thirst. Plus, a free place to sleep? How could he ask for more? It was all already so much.

He walked out of the mayor's office suddenly feeling a burst of energy surging in his entire body. It was like a second wind that came from touching a moderately high amount of money. He practically whistled as he stepped out into the market and spent all of his newfound cash on food and drink to fill his empty and self-cannibalizing stomach.

"Eh?" Jaune only realized a moment after that a kid was looking at him. They weren't interested in the absolutely divine ham sandwich he was eating, no, they were looking at him. His face, his armor, and for some reason his hip. He was too focused on the food to care about what the kid was looking at, though. "Want some?" He did offer some food, just to be polite. He did buy a bit too much.

So sue him, he was hungry.

"Thanks mister!" The kid took the bread he offered, nibbling on it while still staring up at him. "Are you here to help us?"

"Oh, yeah. What about it?" Jaune wasn't exactly sure what the issue was, but if they were expecting him he could probably handle it. Maybe the irrigation system was having problems? He wasn't exactly an expert in farming, but he knew enough about it and waterworks to maybe slap together a solution.

"Yay!" The kid jumped up and down excitedly. "I always wanted to meet you! The last mister here was kind of scary, but you aren't!

"Really?" Jaune smiled as he ruffled the little kid's hair. "Well don't worry, I'll do my job well, probably better than that last guy."

"Cool!"

"Sweetie, don't bother strangers." A new voice entered the conversation, one soft out of fatigue. An older woman who was eye level with a sitting Jaune walked by.

"But mom, he's not a stranger! He's the hunter!" Wait, what?

"Oh." The mom looked shocked, probably at the kid's misconception and about to correct him- "I apologize, I should've known from the armor and sword. So you're the hunter they sent to protect us? Thank you for your service." The word spread quickly around the marketplace and people began to stare at him. There were excited whispers and smiles as people learned that he was the hunters.

"Y-yeah, no problem." Jaune was not a hunter. He'd never wanted to be a hunter. He only wore the armor because it made him feel moderately safer, not because he wanted to stand out. He didn't even have a weapon for-what was that sword doing on his hip? "..." Jaune's eyes could've burnt a hole through the odd metal and gold sword that was attached to his belt. In fact, he wished it did.

He thought he got rid of that fucking thing!

"Can you tell us a story? The last mister was all grumpy and stuff. Please?" The kid was joined by other kids, bored of their mundane everyday farming life and interested in the new person in town. The new hunter in town. The new hunter in town who definitely had interesting stories of heroism and Grimm to tell.

"Why of course!" Jaune saw those pleading eyes and gave in. "I've been doing this for a while, so please, ask anything!" Translation: Please do not ask me anything, I really don't know what I'm talking about.

"Do you have any cool powers?" One kid yelled out of the small gaggle of nine or so of them. They were like a classroom and he was the cool teacher, except he was a total fraud who got in with a resume written in crayon.

"Yup! See this sword?" He hadn't even had the stupid thing for a week and owning it had been nothing more than a constant exercise in misery and torment. "It's Old Tech, I got it myself straight from the Labyrinths-" That was the only fact. "-after I was sent on a quest to retrieve it. You see, it's actually an ancient weapon used to protect Vytal, only for it to be lost and for the old empire to fall. It was so powerful that, with a single swing, it could destroy a Calamity Grimm!" Jaune made sure to pump as much false confidence into his lies as possible, earning "oohs" and "aahs" from the kids. The adults were also happy, seeing their 'hunter' interacting with the children as he did.

"Are you also a sorcerer?" One asked.

"No, no." Jaune knew he couldn't fake that. Sure, the piece of junk on his hip was basically good for nothing, but it was plain as day that it was Old Tech. An Old Tech weapon, on top of that. So it was easy to buy that it was some super powerful superweapon rather than some inert piece of shit.

"What's the biggest Grimm you've killed?"

"Ah, yeah, that's a tough one." He scratched his chin and closed his eyes, making them think he was digging through his memory to find something memorable. He wasn't, obviously. "I think it was this one big pack of Boarbatusks, each one the size of a house! They were charging at me like race cars, but I managed to get them all lined up for this thing to take care of." He patted the sword on his hip like an old friend.

"Cool!" The other kids had similar sentiments. "How did you become a hunter?"

"Well, it's a pretty long story. You see, my family has a long line of hunters, dating back to when the Grimm first popped up. My father was a hunter, his father was a hunter, and it goes on and on and on until the very beginning. We've been doing it for a while and I had to go through rigorous training to live up to the legacy."

While Jaune entertained the kids with various stories of adventure and heroism, the rest of the adults moved on with their lives. Though, they all felt a new sense of relief at the fact that there was finally a hunter in Newbury.

Well, most of them. Sitting on an old wooden bench, sharpening a spear head with frail and shaking hands, was a grumbling old man.

Jaune Arc waved and smiled as he excused himself to his nice and small cabin, free lodging for the new hunter in town. It wasn't luxurious, but he'd take a stack of hay since at least that was better than the ground and grass. He immediately jumped into bed, forgoing taking off anything besides his armor, and began to groan into his pillow.

"Whyyyyyyyyy~?" How the hell did he get into this stupid situation? Why the hell did he get into this stupid situation? Getting the freaking sword was unlucky enough, but now he was here, in a town, a town that thought he was a hunter. A town where he said that he was a hunter. A town where he accidentally repeatedly lied that he was a hunter. A town which gave him 100 Lien and a lot of food because he was a hunter. A town where the actual fucking hunter could show up at any moment in order to out him as a fraud! "What would Cherry say in this situation?" His eldest sister was usually the go-to. "Actually, nevermind." In this situation, Cherry would yell at him for being stupid before apologizing for her reckless brother. "Saphron?" She would probably tease him a bit before doing the same thing. "Jeanne? Lapis?" They'd probably make it worse, somehow. "Olive?" Probably train him to be a real hunter. At least, try to. "Aqua?" Pick up a law book and insist she'll defend him in court. "Mauve?" She'd probably tell him to deal with it by himself.

So his options were admitting what he did wrong, doubling down, trying to fake it until he made it, or getting a lawyer.

He was tempted to do the former, admitting that it was just a misunderstanding and that he got swept up in things. He could probably pawn off his armor or even his sword (if it'd just leave his belt) in order to pay the mayor back before doing some actual work in the town, work he actually had qualifications for.

Ok, moderate amounts of skill in.

But as he felt the admittedly not very good mattress groan under his weight, his face finally feeling the comfort of the cushioned springs, he kind of couldn't.

One night of rest couldn't hurt, right? After that, he'd clean up his act and get to living an honest life!

He'd do what he always wanted to do when he left home. He'd spread his wings and finally make his place somewhere on his own.

Hunters were trained to be light sleepers. Who knew what could come in the middle of the night. Many active out in the wild often had even lighter triggers, as Grimm were deceptively quiet when they wanted to be. Jaune Arc was no hunter and it took half a minute of his door being knocked on for him to finally wake up.

"Alright, alright, I'll get up." Jaune yawned, put on his armor, and lazily walked to the door. For a moment, he kind of forgot what happened the day before, a small part of him hoping it was just a nightmare.

"Jaune! Jaune!" It was the mayor. "There's been Grimm spotted in the west, where the Red Bushes are. We need you to check it out."

"..." Jaune took a second for his mind to reboot. "Ok then." He kept a facade of calmness while inside he resigned himself to a painful death.

Ok, fine, he wasn't that dignified. He was screaming and crying and yelling. He really really wanted to tell the mayor that he wasn't qualified in the slightest and that a convoluted series of misunderstandings and miscommunications have resulted in Jaune being accidentally identified as a hunter. He really wanted to say that. He could've. Except the mayor looked incredibly desperate and Jaune was a sucker under pressure. Plus, maybe this wouldn't be so bad? Maybe he could check it out, find that there were no Grimm there, and then admit that he was lying? Then, since there was no crisis, nobody would panic or freak out and everything would be fine?

"I'll go do that." Jaune gave a thumbs up, with the mayor seeming incredibly grateful that he was proving a cool head, somehow assured by the lack of panic.

"Thank you, come back to me when you're finished."

The Red Bushes was an area west of Newbury that was exactly as the name suggested: A place abundant with bushes bearing red berries. He wanted to just take a look at the forest west of the village, but the farmer insisted that he go in and check. The man had thought he'd seen a Grimm within the woods and was frightened.

Jaune, of course, couldn't just deny the man his request. So, despite how unsafe he felt, he began walking into the forest. He tried to pull out his sword from its sheath, only to realize that the two were seemingly welded together. It was Old Tech, he was only half sure there was even a sheath at all. The 'blade' could've just been that blocky, after all.

The farmer had always thought that the Red Bushes had at least one Grimm in it. A caravan that was supposed to be delivering fertilizer went missing. They kept on rambling something about Grimm dragging off barely-alive people to torture in order to eat their pain or something. Jaune had not a clue what the man was talking about and honestly preferred it that way, what with what he had been talking about.

"Well, here I am." Jaune gulped, visibly shaking as he walked further and further into the woods. He frequently turned around, partially to make sure a Grimm wasn't sneaking up on him and also to see where Newbury was. When it got too hard to properly see it, he'd start heading back. "Looks like nothing." He looked at the red bushes and noticed how there were three different types, all slightly different. One red berry bush was beneficial to the health and pretty tasty. The second was sour and caused mild diarrhea, but it had been used in medicine to clear up constipation. The third was a bitter straight up poison that could kill without medicine. Despite that, if extracted it could be used in a few medicines. He'd learned the differences between the three quickly, having to gather and sort them. The first for eating, the second for stockpiling just in case, and the third to sell to the local apothecary for them to work it.

Old habits die hard and he'd pocketed quite a few handfuls before he knew what he was doing. He put the tasty berries in his hoodie pocket, the sour berries into his left jean pocket, and the bitter ones in his right jean pocket.

"Oh. Well, I could probably sell them or something." Jaune shrugged, might as well. He had to pay back the mayor anyways. "Well, let's-" Jaune Arc stopped dead in his tracks as he came face to face with an Ursa.

Jaune Arc vaguely knew what Ursai were. They were a type of Grimm. He knew that they were kind of like bears. What he didn't know was how terrifying seeing one up close was. A bear was a 600 pound animal that could kill humans with ease, but Jaune didn't feel in danger with them. No, bears weren't hostile towards humans, they merely attacked to protect, and as long as Jaune respected them he would be fine.

Ursai did not attack to protect. No, they attacked with full malicious intent to kill and maim. It smelled faintly of gore and death, small bits of bone shard stabbed into the fur of its belly. The one in front of him was standing on its hind legs, ready to maul him.

"Please go easy on me." Jaune whimpered before instinctively stepping to the side and stumbling before hitting a sprint, trying to gain as much distance as possible. The Ursa, which before had remained frighteningly quiet, let out a very loud roar that made shivers run down Jaune's spine. That was not the roar of something that just wanted hugs, that was the roar of something that wanted to kill him.

He ran as far as his legs could take him, but normal bears could run up to speeds of 35 miles per hour, which was something that humans couldn't even touch without the assistance of Animistic Sorceries or Old Tech. Jaune Arc was not a sorcerer and the piece of Old Tech on his hip did nothing but cause him pain and misery. Still, he ran despite the fact that he could not outrun the 1000 pound (it was larger than bears and it was heavier as well) hulking machine of pure death that promised to crush him into a billion gory pieces.

"OW! FUCK!" Jaune's voice echoed out as his armor and hoodie was shredded with a single slash. Luckily, the claws of the ursa made only shallow cuts, though blood began to flow. Jaune winced as he felt the air sting against the wound but couldn't stop, using the momentum the Ursa lost in the attack to get more of a lead on it. "Shit, shit, SHIT!" Jaune knew it was coming closer and closer and tried to use the trees to throw it off, betting on its inability to turn mid-run.

It tore through the tree he tried using in an instant, causing chips of wood to go flying like shrapnel, one even stabbing into his wound and causing him to yell out in pain. His misery seemed to make the bear-like monster slobber like a voracious beast ready to tear apart its newest prey.

Jaune's lungs were on fire as he continued running. Every tree he tried to use was just a minor inconvenience, but it was enough for him to not be instantly caught up to and eviscerated. But he knew it couldn't go on.

"Alright, let's try THIS!" Jaune gripped onto his sword and tried to bet on hysteric strength as he slashed at the Ursa with it. It bounced off of its hide and Jaune blanched as it made to swipe at him again, its next attack basically guaranteed to rip him in two. On instinct, he held up the Old Tech sword which caused him so much pain to try and use it as a shield.

He felt the pain of a sudden force slamming into him, but not that of his insides being exposed to the air. No, when he opened his eyes, he realized that the Old Tech sword hadn't shattered. His arms were shaking under the weight, slowly buckling as seconds ticked by, but it wasn't instant.

He pushed back with enough desperate force to make the Ursa, who had put far too much weight into its blow, stumble backwards. His arms felt like jelly, his fingers felt like straw, but he had given himself a moment's break and took that moment to run the hell away.

He had lost his sense of direction, but anywhere was fine as long as it was as far as possible from the Ursa.

"Oh." Jaune Arc may have found the Ursa's den. Luckily, it didn't have any children. Unfortunately, inside of the hole in the ground Jaune could see glints of and smell numerous crushed rotting corpses inside. He didn't even know when he began vomiting, he only registered when he stopped as he had nothing left to spew out.

Besides the hole in the earth was a destroyed vehicle, not charred, but torn apart by the Ursa's claws. Jaune knew that the Ox truck, which usually carried some non-powered carts carrying cargo, had armor capable of enduring up to Caliber 12 rounds. Most civilian transport couldn't even stop Caliber 3.

That armor looked like torn up paper mache.

Jaune Arc turned around when he heard a branch snap to see that the Ursa had caught up to him.

"AH!" Jaune tried to deflect the next blow, only for his arms to be too weak and for his sword to be batted aside. He was knocked to the floor and scrambled to avoid another strike, wincing at how much earth was torn up. He backed up as the Ursa kept on striking, only kept from pissing his pants because he had nothing to let out.

His back met the truck and so he instead rolled to the side, letting the Ursa get its claws momentarily stuck in the metal. It would be ripped apart easily in seconds, but that was enough time for Jaune to get up and try running. He only stopped when he spotted a barrel sticking out from under the wreckage. With shaking hands he got on the ground and began pulling the barrel, grunting each time as he felt the earth slowly part. His tugs and cries became more desperate as the Ursa tore its claws out of the truck and began moving towards him.

Seconds before he would've died, he pulled out a 0.25 Gauge Conquering Arms mounted automatic shotgun, fully loaded with ammunition meant for Grimm, from under the wreckage. Despite being put through the wringer, the Conquering Arms mounted shotgun, nicknamed the Caravan Guardian, was meant to be used in many situations. From rain, to snow, to even dust storms, it was useful for it all.

Jaune Arc knew none of it and simply pulled the trigger on the ridiculously sized gun. The first shot punched Jaune in the gut, knocking the air from his lungs. It probably dislocated a spine and definitely bruised his entire chest. The ammunition shot out of the barrel and immediately ripped through the Ursa's flesh, though it didn't kill. Still, a shower of blood shot out from it, spraying all over Jaune.

If it hadn't on the first, the second shot definitely injured an organ. He didn't even mean to fire another time, but he panicked and pulled it despite the fact that the recoil was at risk of killing him.

The second shot tore another crater, exposing more flesh and creating another shower of blood that almost blinded Jaune. The third shot exposed its heart, but the recoil screwed with his aim. Fortunately, it was so powerful that the barrel was aiming upwards, right where the head was.

The fourth shot ripped it apart with ease. It was also when the shotgun literally flew out of his hands due to him being unable to control it. He was silent, the only sound being his breathing and the ringing in his ears from the absurdly powerful firearm.

The Ursa fell to the ground, making a loud thud and kicking up some dirt. Its body began to rot instantly, turning into black dust that would be spread by the wind.

"..." Jaune Arc couldn't speak. He felt sore in so many places. His back was bleeding, his armor was mangled. He had just come face to face with death once more and he was scared. He thought he'd seen it all, he thought he'd been through hell and back, but all that did was make every subsequent jump into life-or-death scenarios the more terrifying.

He no longer felt like the independent adult he wanted to be. He felt like a child as he sat there, staring stupidly at the rotting corpse of the Ursa. He felt like throwing up, what with the four punches that the shotgun gave him.

He didn't, he had nothing left to give. He silently got up and moved to retrieve his sword before walking away. He was stained red, not only from the scar on his back, but from the berries that had been crushed in the struggle.

At the very least, Newbury wouldn't have to deal with the Ursa anymore.

Clutching to the sword, he curled up and began weeping.

"Cheers to our hunter, Jaune Arc!" The mayor had eventually found him, leading a small search party himself when he didn't return in an hour. He found Jaune next to a still decaying Ursa corpse and brought him back. The mayor spread word of what had happened swiftly and he was being cheered on by the townsfolk for his bravery.

"Hey, good on ya for helping out!" A carpenter, Jaune could tell by the scars on his hands, clapped him on the back as he handed the boy a drink from the bartender.

"T-thanks." Jaune muttered and stumbled. He'd been given a moment to himself. He cleaned himself up and moved like clockwork as he dried after getting the needle, thread, and spare pieces of cloth he requested. He'd been a generalist of sorts back at home, kind of like Cherry. Except Cherry was often too busy working, leaving him to do the brunt of the work.

One generalist talent he'd picked up was sewing. Specifically, he was pretty damn good at patching up his own clothes. His jeans were an example, as they had been sewn back and patched up so many times that he was amazed they even looked like jeans.

But it was the first time he'd let the hoodie get damaged. It was a birthday gift from his sisters from a few years back. At the time, it'd been far too large for him, but it was still incredibly warm. The hoodie was so comfortable that he wore it constantly. It was a bit worn, yes, but it was incredibly durable. It'd never been torn like it had been in the battle.

He let all those thoughts be washed away as he took a sip of his drink. He didn't have the guts to order alcohol, just sticking to root beer. The bartender called him a kid for the choice, but didn't begrudge him it, even adding a scoop of ice cream in appreciation. Jaune smiled as he felt the first pleasant sensation he'd had in the past few hours.

"Hey." Jaune hadn't noticed he had stumbled over to the bar. He was brought back to reality by the firm grip of the bartender's hand. She was a bulky woman, with hands rough from work. Her gaze was iron, but undeniably warm. "Don't worry, they were good folks, and you avenged them."

"Y-yeah." Jaune nodded and didn't correct her. It wasn't hard to see that he was still a bit shocked. Hell, some of the guards were as well after seeing what the Ursa did to the people who had been guarding and driving the caravan.

But Jaune's lingering shock was a selfish shock, it was the deafening ringing of death. His breathing went shallow and threatened to become full-on hyperventilation if it weren't for the sips.

"Want one?" The bartender noticed and offered a beer. "I won't give you more. Just one, to help take off the edge."

"Alright." Jaune took a swig and felt the alcohol hit his system. Hunters and people on the frontier generally drank more. Whether that be because life on the frontier was more stressful, some places just not having safe water, or even because it was so deadly that drinking wasn't that detrimental in the long run. Jaune hadn't really lived in one of those places.

As he looked at the townsfolk, all he could think was that they deserved better than him, some fraud who only barely managed to save his own skin when he accidentally stumbled upon a gun. He could see how they were all hard working people who made sure to work to ensure the town's survival. It was a small place and a tight knit community. Sure, discord existed, but it was the sort that could only exist in a tight community.

And here he was, the outsider coming in. He was the hunter meant to protect them, assigned as their guardian. To mingle, to embed himself in their community as a helping hand and force of good. A person who would lead the charge when crisis came and defend it from any perils.

And when those perils would come, he knew what he would do. He'd run or die in seconds, dooming the entire town.

He felt the wounds on his back ache. He could barely even call it a wound. It was just a few scratches. Whatever the town would incur if he continued his charade would've been a thousand times worse.

Jaune took a deep breath, another long sip of beer, and then asked the bartender, "Hey, does anyone here need some handywork done?"

"Jaune! It's good to see you, the town's really glad you took care of that Grimm." The mayor wiped off the sweat from his brow as he continued doing paperwork. From what Jaune knew of the man, he was a good person. He spent most of his time doing paperwork for the town, managing the budget and sorting disputes. He didn't even need a secretary, but he gave her the job after her husband died and she was maimed so she could continue supporting herself. That was why his genuinely glad smile hurt Jaune with guilt.

"Hey, yeah. I'm just here to pay you back for the lien you gave me." Jaune had spent the day before and a good chunk of morning just doing general work. He fixed some pipes, a few machines (mostly just misaligned parts and junk, with all the Old Tech parts being intact.), and even got to feed some farm animals. His reputation got him some extra pay, which all added up to a bit over 100 lien, all of which was on the desk of Mr. Himdale.

"Huh? Oh, don't worry about it, keep it! Consider that just a gift for coming to our little town. The folks of the VHA think that two hunters per prefecture is good enough considering Grimm density around these parts, but I'll tell ya that that's a load of crap." Mr. Himdale sighed. "It took five letters for them to finally send someone over. Can you believe that?"

"Y-yeah, it's real tough." Jaune scratched the back of his head and mumbled a bit before saying. "I'm sorry, Mr. Himdale. I'm going to have to leave."

"What?" The mayor was not expecting that.

"I-I just can't stay here, I have to go."

"..." The mayor was in shock. His pencil dropped onto the floor with his jaw and he stared at Jaune blankly, as if unable to register his words. Jaune, assured that he had given his resignation and paid back his debt, walked off. He'd taken advantage of the village's kindness enough. They deserved someone who could actually protect them, not his fraudster ass.

He walked out and sighed, wondering where he'd go next. He really wanted to go home, but who knew how long that'd take.

Not even five seconds after he walked out of the town hall, the mayor came rushing out from the building and fell to his knees. "Please, don't leave! What do you want? I can give it! A better house, food, anything! We need a hunter here!"

"N-no." Jaune's eyes widened as he saw the scene they were attracting. People were whispering and staring at him. "I don't want anything. Keep it. I-it's just a problem with me, alright? I can't stay here any longer. It's for your own good."

He heard the villagers' whispers growing. Suddenly, someone asked, "What's with this? Why are ya leaving!?" The cries grew louder and louder, the questions more numerous. Jaune closed his eyes before beginning to run away from it all. He ran the opposite direction from whence he came, heading somewhere new. The villagers stared at him as he ran past the homes and into the distance, slowly becoming smaller and smaller.

And then a horde of Grimm emerged from the forest. One adult Beowolf was enough to panic a village. About 50 various fully grown Grimm had run out of the forest and, rather than attacking the town, began running towards Jaune. Jaune blanched and began running faster and faster, the horde of animalistic abominations following.

"..." The villagers assembled were silent, at least until Mr. Himdale spoke. He shed a tear as he said, "He's a brave young man. He knew what would come and wanted to spare us the fate. He even paid me back when he didn't need to"

"Ah, so that's why he wanted cash." The bartender's eyes widened as well. "He's a good man. Let's hope he lives."

The town would remember their brief protector. He came from nowhere, slayed an Ursa that had been plaguing them, and left before his horde of hunters could make the town a slaughterhouse in their chase of him.

At least, that was how they told it.

So in this one, I promise I will try to not make Jaune competent. Since aura-ok fine aura does exist in this verse but its rarer, so yeah Jaune doesn't have it. Nor does he have super-human strength. Nor does he have any special combat talent. His sword can't even cut shit. But he does have basic self preservation and a wide array of general utility skills.

Whose chapter do you want next?

1: Ruby Rose, a genius inexperienced smith

2: Velvet Scarlatina, a bunny eared lawyer on her first case as a public defender

3: Yang Xiao Long, a boxer using animist techniques on her quest for revenge

4: Team STRQ, how the four came to meet and became close friends

5: Adam Taurus, a roadside ronin who will stop at nothing to get his revenge

6: Pyrrha Nikos, Argus' perfect warrior

7: Weiss Schnee, the inquisitor princess of Atlas

8: Cinder Fall, the future Tsarina of Potemkin