Ever since the start of his journey, he kind of had the slight… SLIGHT feeling that the universe was using him as a chew toy.

Learning that he had died, seeing his hometown in ruins, people becoming… humanoid Grimm for lack of better terms, Professor Port and Oobleck almost killing one of his new friends, Yang's death and being roped into becoming one of Raven's little servants were all pretty damning evidence.

But this… this was too much for him. He noticed having gained their auras earlier, but he couldn't bring himself to give a single hint of a fuck about it. They were gone… all of them.

Pyrrha was gone even before all of this madness, which is a small blessing in hindsight, Cinder hadn't left a body to transform, after all. Yang was also dead now, the rest of her team turned into monsters… and now this.

Ren and Nora. He was officially the last one standing now. Team JNPR was gone for good.

Jaune's tears flowed freely after all the effort that he went through to keep them in. He cried, sobbed and screamed for what felt like hours, before finally finding the strength to stand up again. Sure, he was wobbly on his feet, his legs felt like jelly, his eyes were on fire and his heart was threatening to collapse at any moment… but he was off the ground.

He honestly wished that he could just curl up and join the others. He could take Yang's fury for leaving, what else could she do, kill him? But…

He knew that he would just end up feeling like shit. Ren and Nora were dead, probably for good… but the rest of RWBY still had a chance. A small one, for sure, but you know what they say about underdogs. He couldn't allow himself to sink into his grief… especially when the suffering that he had to shoulder hadn't even reached the midway point. There was still much to do… and he was the only one who could do it.

Seeing his friends again… will have to wait.

With heavy, thundering steps, he walked out of the Brunswick Farm's basement, trying to make up his mind on where he should go. Follow the Reader on the next aura or go along with Raven's bullshit?

As he was half heartedly thinking about it, he heard a voice calling to him.

"Jaune? Helloooo? Over here!"

He looked in the voice direction, being greeted with the form of Ilia Amitola.

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you! You move pretty damn fast for being an armored knight! I've got news, if you want to hear them".

Oh yeah, right, he had asked for information. Not that he needed it anymore…

But still, might as well hear her out.

"First I wanted to tell you about your friends, but…"

She looked behind him with a sad expression on her face.

"... I don't think that's an issue any longer. I have gathered some informations about the target that the Branwen's Tribe sent you after".

What? How did she even know?!

She smiled and winked.

"I have my ways. But still, the person you'll have to fight is a male called Shay D. Mann. He looks like a weakling, and he is, but he's apparently sturdy enough to remain conscious even through some grave injuries. His gun, while damaged and tending to jam fairly often, packs quite a punch. So… I wouldn't take my chances, if I were you".

Jaune nodded, absorbing the info without issues. The more he knew, the more efficient he could be.

"As for the rest… I have been to Argus, before reaching you here. The town has been overrun by Turned members of the White Fang… at the head, there's a resurrected Adam. So, if you go there, be as careful as you can. One wrong move and your journey will be over".

He gulped, suddenly on edge. Adam Taurus, brought back to life by the infection, most likely. But wait… if he's in Argus then…!

"Don't worry too much. Your sister, her wife and their child are all still alive. They are holed somewhere, I don't know where, I'll have to take a better look. For now, I figured that you might want to know all of this first".

He breathed out, relieved. There was still some hope then. Not much… but some hope was better than none.

"Let's split up then. I'll go back to Argus to look for your family, while you go do Raven's dirty work. We can meet up outside the city… or inside, if I'm not there to wait for you. Deal?"

Of course! Just because he knew they were alive didn't mean he wasn't worried to death for them! He begged for Ilia to find them as quickly as she could.

"Leave it to me! I failed you once already with your teammates here… I won't do it again, I promise! Before I go though… here".

Obtained: Aura Pill

Obtained: Precious Stone X5

"While I won't say it was completely my fault, my delay in giving you the informations that you required were partly to blame for this. It won't make your friends come back… but I hope that these will help you in making sure that it won't happen again. I'll see you later Jaune, take care!"

She disappeared after that, just like earlier.

She blamed herself for Ren and Nora… he couldn't really fathom why. It's not like knowing early would have helped… doesn't matter now. What's done is done.

He sighed, passing a hand through his hair. He still had so much to do… so he better get a move on, if he wanted to be done in a timely manner.


He was starting to reach the place where Shay was apparently hiding.

From what Ilia told him, the guy was a pushover, but he was resilient. Which meant that Raven's claim about her members being "too strong to defeat quickly" was complete Ursa crap. Just as he imagined.

He sighed, feeling more and more like a dog being sent after lost sheep. Only that, instead of bringing them back, he had to bite their neck and kill them. What a joyful occasion…

He readied his sword and shield, trying not to think about it too hard. He had better things to worry about, but his… "employer" wasn't going to tolerate further delays. And just as Ilia said…

There he was. His long, dirty blonde hair, the red eyes, pasty skin and black markings. Definitely Turned, not a single doubt about it.

The man spotted him, taking out his old looking, decrepit pistol. It wasn't even a mechashift weapon, the blade that made its handle was taped together with red strings! Why was everything related to the Branwen Tribe so damn… pathetic, for lack of a better word?! The guy was even missing a tooth!

Granted, he did eat a semblance powered punch from Yang without passing out, which was a feat all in itself, but honestly? He was getting depressed again, just like when in the camp, so he decided to stop wasting time.

He rushed on towards Shay, shield ready before him. His opponent squeezed the trigger…

And the weapon jammed immediately, causing the older blonde to eat a shield bash followed by a five hit chain. He was thrown onto the ground…

Only to get back on his feet right away, much to Jaune's shock. Okay, this was going to take a while…

Shay branded his pistol backwards, to use the knife function. He wasn't very good with it, the hits were slow and sloppy, lacking in both power and precision. This was honestly even worse than Vernal…

With a flick of the shield, he parried the last strike, allowing him to sink the blade through his opponent's gut and then throwing back on the ground. There, that should…

Seriously?

He was getting back up… AGAIN!

What was that guy made of?! He wasn't human, he couldn't be!

Shay was once again upright, aiming with the pistol once more. Jaune was sorely tempted to just allow the gun to jam itself once again, just for the fun of it.

His eyes widened and he just had the time to raise up the shield before Shay's gun barked powerfully, causing him to slide backwards a good ten meters.

Holy fuck, Ilia was not kidding when she said that thing packed a punch. It could easily be compared to one of Yang's punches, enhanced by Ember Celica's shotgun function. All right then, serious mode it is.

He turned his weapon into his greatsword form, rushing Shay once more while he was busy reloading. With a shout, he slashed his hand, making his opponent drop the gun, before absolutely going to town on him, hitting with everything he had, just so he would stay THE FUCK DOWN ALREADY!

Finally, the older man met the cold, hard earth once again… and didn't get back up, disappearing into smoke, like usual. Jaune sighed, feeling relieved that the chore was over. He walked over and picked up the gun.

Obtained: Damaged Pistol

Just one second later, a scarlet portal spawned from nowhere. One of Raven's little tricks.

He really didn't want to deal with that madwoman again so soon… but he had no choice. So, with a thundering sigh, he walked through, cursing to himself for not paying close enough attention back in the camp. While he went, he also idly noted that he had not been given Shay's aura. What a massive waste of time…

Emerging from the portal, Raven's smile was the first thing he saw. The bitch really had no reason to grin like that, holy balls.

"There's my cute little huntsman! You had me worried for a second, I thought you wouldn't come back! Silly me for worrying over nothing, you wouldn't have dipped like that…"

Her expression morphed into a bloodthirsty scowl.

"... would you?"

He gulped, quickly shaking his head side to side. This woman was certified insane at this point, he could tell. She was off her rockers completely.

"Now then…! Show me the goods Arc!"

Ah, right. He searched around, finding and handing Raven the pistol that he had taken from Shay.

"... really? That's all you have for me? That broken little thing?"

Ohi, that's all her former Tribe member had on his person! If she had to blame anyone, then she should blame herself for not giving her men any of the good equipment!

… not that he was going to say THAT to her face.

"Ah well, I guess it can't be helped. Tell you what, as a reward for being so quick and efficient to fulfill your duty towards your brothers and sisters, you may keep that pistol as spoils! And don't you dare go around saying that I never give anything!"

Wow… a worthless, barely held together pistol, with no ammo to boot. Really feeling the love and appreciation here…

He bit back his remarks, smiled and said thank you. Maybe Gunmetal could do something about this… travesty of a weapon. Provided that the blacksmith didn't outright murder him for even daring to ask him to work on that thing.

He was really living on the edge, truly.

"Well, that was a bust. But don't worry, I'm sure that your next target will be better… if only I knew where they are!"

She sounded way too proud of that. She grinned, turned him around and smacked his back.

"You can go now! I will call you when I have more informations on their whereabouts! Hold on tight until then! Buh-bye!"

And he was unceremoniously kicked out of the camp. Again. He had to resist the urge to smack his face against a tree. She was definitely, completely, 100% insane.

And at this rate, she was going to drain him of his own sanity as well!

With an explosive sigh, he held up the Aura Reader to check on his next destination. If Ilia was right, it should be…

Argus. Obviously. He didn't even know why he was surprised. But before that, he might as well go back for a moment. He had to hear what Roman had to say in regards to his favor and check on Gunmetal, to see if he could do something about this stupid piece of metal he was saddled with.

He could use his Proof of Passage, but he'd rather walk this time around. He had much to think about…


Just like before, the way back to Haven Academy was devoid of Grimm. It seems that Ilia really did a number on them, while she was around…

He reached the entrance of the school, being greeted by Roman's cheerful smile. People were way too happy lately for being in the middle of an apocalypse…

"Knight boy, my man! I knew that you would come through for me! You have absolutely no idea how much I appreciate you and everything that you do around these parts! Come come, I have your reward here, waiting for you!"

As Jaune got closer, Roman's grin did nothing but grow.

"So, I heard from a little bird that you got your hands on a gun, correct?"

How did he…

Nevermind, he didn't want to know.

"But damn, how unlucky of you, it's out of ammunition! But this, Knight boy, is where your dear old uncle Roman comes in! Take these, you've earned them!"

Obtained: Dust Bullets X20

That's… actually pretty damn useful! Now, the only question was if Gunmetal COULD fix the damn weapon.

"Oh, don't worry about it, our mutual blacksmith friend is more than good enough to repair that pistol. Sure, he might grumble and complain about 'treating your equipment better', but it's not like that one is your fault! Unlike… you know, the chest piece that he barely managed to salvage and the gauntlet that you had to throw away!"

He really didn't need to be reminded of THAT! But still, talking about Gunmetal…

"What did I have to ask him? Ah, well…"

Roman's expression fell for the first time ever since he knew him.

"That's… something very personal, Jaune. Extremely personal in fact. But, keep going on your journey and you will know, I promise. For now… let me just dwell on it a bit more, okay?"

Okay, he was starting to get concerned now. But before he could speak, the thief went right back to smiling.

"And there's that! You can run along back your adventure now. Unless you want to buy something, that is".

He didn't. So he waved the older man away and entered Haven Academy, taking the elevator back and passing through the portal to go back to Beacon.

On the other side it was quiet, except for the noises coming from the forge. Taiyang was also out, probably to deal with more Grimm and Turned. He hoped that his friend was okay…

He descended the stairs back to the blacksmith, who grunted at him.

"Hm, so you're back. What can this old blacksmith do for you?"

He showed the gun that he had obtained earlier, quickly explaining the story behind it.

"Working for Raven Branwen now, eh? You are playing a very dangerous game here, huntsman. That woman is far more deranged then she used to be… but you knew that already, didn't you? Very well then, hand that thing over. I'll get it back into working order for you".

The process took a decent amount of time, during which he finally caved in and summoned Ren and Nora's auras. The first was a dull, relaxing shade of green, while the latter was a bright, lively pink. Complete opposites, even in their own souls...

Graceful Lotus Aura

Aura once belonging to Lie Ren, Member of Team JNPR and Hero of Beacon. He was out in Mistral with his partner, Nora Valkyrie, in search of their leader, when the infection took over him. The reasons for the sudden transformation are still unknown, but he strongly believed their search to be pointless.

Use this Aura for a superior purpose and save Remnant.

Storm Queen's Aura

Aura once belonging to Nora Valkyrie, Member of Team JNPR and Heroine of Beacon. She was out in Mistral in search for her leader, when the infection took over her partner, Lie Ren. Unable to even bear the thought of hurting him, she allowed him to strike her down, but not before noting the way her friend seemed to have lost hope.

Use this Aura to become stronger… or for an unknown purpose.

Ren… had lost hope when he Turned. It was still way too early to make assumptions, but this… this could be a hint. But still… Nora hadn't even tried to fight back. She just… let go, because she couldn't hurt him. Her friend… her partner…

The man that she loved.

He dismissed both auras, suddenly overcome with sorrow. He didn't cry, for he had run out of tears already… but the temptation was there. And it was strong…

Just one tragedy after the other.

He was distracted when Gunmetal called for him, showing him the new and improved gun.

The shape was the same, but now the knife was actually properly fused with the handle, the red strings were gone and it had been polished. No more scratches or even a small hint of damage. Good as new.

"Well then… what are you going to call it? It is yours now, after all".

Right… just like with Mors Celeri, now he had to think about a new name for this one. The gun was old… but now it had been reborn once again, to be used for more… righteous goals.

He made his decision.

Obtained: Mors Renata

Death Reborn. He had a pattern going on, might as well stick to it at this point. He was never the most imaginative person when I'm regards to names, after all.

Maybe this detour hadn't been a waste of time after all...

He thanked Gunmetal and used the Rite of Passage to go back to Brunswick Farm. His next objectives were Argus, his sister with her family and then Adam Taurus.

In that order.

Hello?! Is this thing on?! It is?! Noice.

Welcome back, dudes and gentleladies to another episode of Auraborne, the show where feels and heartbreak are a lot more prevalent than they have any right to be!

We have reached the double digits on the chapters, and it took only an entire year! I am an idiot! :D

So, we can finally say hello and welcome to the newest addition to Jaune's arsenal, thanks to which we can finally complete the Bloodborne comparison. The deadly gun once belonging to Shay D. Mann…

Mors Renata, or Death Reborn.

Disclaimer, I am using Google Translate for the name of the pistol, because while I did study Latin in high school, I refuse to even try and remember anything about it. I hated it THAT much. So, if anyone of you knows Latin and sees that the translation is incorrect… please blame Google Translate first, and then let me know so I can correct it. And then blame Google Translate again, just for good luck.

And yes, I know. Shay D. Mann? That's it? Yes, unfortunately. For you see, my little ducklings, the Branwen Tribe has currently only four named members: Raven (who is the "quest giver"), Qrow (who is not a part of the Tribe anymore. And even if he was, he has another role to play later on), Vernal (who's dead af) and Shay here. So… yeah, for the next members I'm gonna have to… yuck, create OCs. Which wouldn't be a problem, but I hate making characters who have no true impact on the story… or even a personality in this case. But I dug myself this grave, and now I have to deal with it. At least we can continue to point and laugh at the Tribe members being shitty and pathetic, but Jaune has to go through the quest anyway because Raven is just that overpowered.

Review Responses!

Essiter1987: I also love crazy Raven. And as the story goes on, she's just going to go more and more insane. It wasn't the Waterfowl Dance… not initially at least, but now that you said it, that sounds better. So yeah, it was definitely the Waterfowl Dance, just trust me bro. And yes, Renora is omega dead. I wanted to make Jaune the "sole survivor" type, that has to carry on everyone's will and pain. It was written in the intro, after all (I love Lancaster too, even if I am more of a Dragonslayer guy myself. Not for big reasons, but simply because I adored pre-Atlas Yang, she was my favorite character alongside Jaune. And now… yeah, I'd rather not talk about it). I don't think this story will ever see a sequel tbh. While it would be possible, because magic in RWBY is extremely inconsistent, I wouldn't want the story to overstay its welcome. We'll see at the end, but the chances are very slim.

That's all folks! Ta-ta for now!