Everyone agrees Jaune and Ruby need a break, but where's the fun in that? They finally get to go on their own adventure without adult supervision. Why would we want that to end already? They have some time before Qrow would be able to find them. Raven sent him in the wrong direction after all. Also, while it was obvious, everyone recognized the mysterious Tiger Faunus lady. She's probably not important though and won't have any major plot points in this story. I just needed someone to help them after shooting Jaune a couple times. Go ahead and enjoy the chapter because it toom some time to finish it.
Thanks to Maverick for Betaing.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.
"Don't make any sudden moves!" The woman ordered, raising her chain whip and spinning it to her side. "Unless you want to taste our Dust rifles firsthand."
"Hang on!" Jaune cried out, his shield raised to protect himself. After spending days with Vernal, there was no way he was ever going to let his guard down. There was a good chance they would be shot at at least once by someone with a twitchy trigger finger.
"We're on your side!" Ruby's high-pitched cry added to his own.
"What part of don't move do you not understand!" One of the men next to the woman yelled at them.
"There's a misunderstanding!" Jaune tried to keep his voice calm, but he didn't want to be at the end of those Dust rifles. They were designed to take out Grimm and even with his Aura, those things hurt. "We aren't bandits!"
"A likely story." The woman scoffed, chain rattling in her hand. "Like there would be a couple human kids running around out here. What's the plan? Get us to trust you, let you into the city, so you can open the gate to let your tribe rob us in the middle of the night?"
"Hey, we're Huntsmen, not criminals!" Ruby countered angrily. "We actually just escaped the Branwen tribe and were trying to get back to civilization after being kidnapped!"
There was no immediate response as a brief jolt of confusion appeared on the tiger Faunus' face. Jaune could just imagine her thought process. What idiots just announce a tribe they are part of? The fact both of them had Aura and weren't hiding their combat skills probably gave a little credibility to their story. A spy would want to keep a low profile and act like a common civilian in trouble. Not stand out and help people in a time of need. In fact, it would probably have been better to let the Grimm slaughter the caravan and just steal the supplies.
That's what Vernal would have ordered.
"Prove it." Came the obvious response.
"We were kidnapped," Jaune answered, seeing that coming. "We literally have our clothes, a few random supplies, and our weapons we swiped. We don't have our wallets, Scrolls, or anything. Couldn't you call someone to verify our identity? We were recently at the Atlas Lumber Yard. They could vouch for us."
What the boy didn't expect was for the woman and all the nearby Faunus to burst out laughing.
"H-Hey!" Ruby protested, under the impression they were laughing at them. "We're serious!"
"Did… Did I say something funny?" Jaune asked, uncertainly.
"No… Well, yes." The woman sheathed her weapon and looked at the others. Several of them lowered their guns, but still looked wary. "Let's just say, we don't fully trust Atlas and they don't trust us."
"Ah…" Ruby shifted uncomfortably from side to side. "We heard a bit about the history of Atlas and Faunus. But really, the people at the lumber yard could identify us and get my Uncle… er… our mentor to come pick us up."
The woman waved her hand and the rest of the guards finally fully put away their weapons.
"Phew," Jaune let out a sigh of relief. "So you believe us?"
"Not really, your story sounds made up, but you did help us out of a bind and your reactions seem genuine," The woman rubbed her chin as she eyed him. "You two are either telling the truth, the world's greater actors, or idiots."
"Sounds like the latter." The man with the axes chuckled.
"Hey!" Ruby cried.
"Well, let's get all the awkward introductions out of the way then," Jaune suggested, all too used to this kind of treatment. "I'm Jaune Arc, that's Ruby Rose. We're Huntsmen-in-training and, as we said, got separated from our mentor after being kidnapped by the Branwen tribe. We're trying to get to this town and call for help." He showed them the map and the woman took it.
"That's actually where we are heading." The tiger lady mused. "I suppose you can come with us, but we'll be watching you. There's still a chance you're up to something."
"Wait…": The man with the greatsword frowned and his dog ears perked up at their names. "Jaune Arc, Ruby Rose. Where have I heard those names before?"
"We aren't from Mistral," Ruby informed him. "We only arrived recently as part of our training. We're from Vale."
"That's it!" The dog Faunus snapped his finger. "Blonde boy with a shield and sword, with a small girl who carries a large scythe. They were traveling with a drunk Huntsman."
"Huh, you know us?" Ruby and Jaune asked in unison.
"You know them?" The woman asked simultaneously, eyes darting toward the man.
"They are the ones who dealt with the slave ring in Vale a few weeks back," The man explained. "My sister told me about them, how they saved my niece."
"Your sister?" Ruby asked and then noticed his ears. "OH!" Jaune was equally surprised to meet a family member of that girl they saved back in Vale.
"Yeah, my niece speaks highly of you." The man laughed, sheathing his sword and turning to the tiger woman. "I can vouch for them. This boy here risked his life to save her for no reason but because she was in trouble."
"Really?" The woman blinked. "Jaune… Arc was it? I've heard of the Arcs. They fought on the side of Faunus during the Faunus Rights Revolution."
"Oh yeah, my dad mentioned that to me before." Jaune rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "We always help those that need it. She was in trouble and we were there. Anyone would have done what we did."
"Would they?" The woman raised an eyebrow. "If Laz is vouching for you, I guess we don't have any reason not to let you come with us. We'll let you call your master."
"Thanks a lot!" Ruby beamed at her. "Oh, what's your name?"
There was a brief moment of hesitation before the woman answered.
"Kali."
"Nice to meet you, Kali!" Ruby held out a hand. "Thanks a lot for helping us. We've been traveling for days and I was afraid we were lost."
"You did assist us with the Grimm, I suppose it's the least I can do." Kali told them, shaking her hand briefly. "Go ahead and hitch your vehicle to the back of a truck. Just ride wherever there is room. We need to patch up the injured first before we head out."
"I can help heal anyone who's injured," Jaune offered. "Though… only those with Aura." Sometimes it was easy to forget he couldn't heal normal people as his Semblance was Amplification, not straight healing.
"You can heal?" Kali looked surprised. "Now that's a rare ability."
"Yep, Jaune's awesome and he's super good at it." Ruby grinned. "You can trust him."
"Here." the dog Faunus Laz stepped forward and pulled up his arm. There was a significant bruise there from what was probably a Grimm attack. His Aura absorbed most of the blow, but some damage had gotten through. Aura wasn't an indestructible shield forever. Jaune stepped up and put his hand over the wound before concentrating. His hand glowed white and the light began to flow into the man. The bluish-purple colors began to fade and a few moments later, were gone. The man stretched his arm in amazement. "Wow, it's completely healed, and I even feel stronger."
"I amplify Aura, so you tend to feel energized afterwards." Jaune assured him. "It eventually disperses without any side effects."
"Surprised you're willing to heal people so freely," Kali commented, crossing her arm as she gestured her head to the others to get them to start working. "Most would charge for that service if they could. Especially toward Faunus."
"Why would I do that?" Jaune asked incredulously. "I'm trying to be a Huntsman who protects people. Letting people suffer when I can help them goes against that." Ruby smacked him on the back with a grin.
"I have a lot of respect for Huntsman," Kali admitted. "I'm pleased to see that respect isn't misplaced. What I dislike are those in charge who are oblivious to the plight of those beneath them."
Jaune felt a little uncomfortable and even Ruby felt something was off. The two kids shared a quick look, but avoided saying anything. Truth was, they weren't sure what to say about that. It wasn't the first time they heard things like that from Faunus. Arguing would be childish just because they hadn't been on the receiving end of that discrimination. The slave traders in Vale showed them just how bad it was. Hopefully, Ironwood and Ozpin did what they could to make sure the people in charge of this were punished.
"We're still one to two days away from the town," Kali continued. "Can we expect your assistance if anymore Grimm show up?"
"Yep!" Ruby nodded, glad to be back on a topic she was used to. "Don't worry. We'll take down any Grimm that comes close."
"Though, with how many showed up here and the lack of ones we've seen lately, there probably aren't many left." Jaune considered, thinking of patterns they had encountered while traveling.
"Right, they tend to converge, so at most we'll see is a single one wandering around." Ruby realized from his words. "Mistral Grimm still act like Vale Grimm, just different types. Like insects and spiders." She shivered at the memory. "I never want to face an Arachna again."
"The Queen's dead," Jaune assured her, patting her shoulder. "We'll probably not see any more Arachnas for a long time."
"Wait… you two killed a Queen Arachna?" The Faunus with the axes asked in surprise. His lizard tail flicked behind him. "You mean your Huntsman mentor killed it, right?"
"No, Jaune did." Ruby shook her head and pointed. "He snuck inside the nest and blew it up."
"It was a lot more complicated than that, Ruby." Jaune rubbed the back of his neck as his ears turned red. "Mostly dumb luck." Qrow had told them not to discuss Vernal and Raven's involvement with other people. In this case, it was even more important. The last thing Jaune and Ruby needed was for these Faunus to reconsider they were in league with Raven's group.
"Please, you need to stop being so modest." Ruby giggled. "You survived in that nest and managed to kill the Queen. Not many people could do that."
"Interesting, I had heard of a large Arachna Nest in the Northwest," Kali mused. "You're a long way from there though."
"Because we were captured by a mean woman who can make portals!" Ruby fumed angrily and then shook her head. "Nope, we're free now. I'm not going to think about that jerk.'
"Thanks for letting us come with you," Jaune told Kali and the others gratefully again. "We really appreciate it." He went to push the four wheeler toward the back of one of the supply trucks to hitch it up, with Ruby zipping over to help him a moment after. Kali was watching them cooly, lost in thought.
"High Leader," Laz muttered. "Do you really believe those two are bandits or spies? We can verify their story easily enough."
"No, I'm positive those two are telling the truth," Kali confirmed, looking over at the dog Faunus. "They are literally open books and then there's the fact they mentioned portals. That showed they really dealt with the Branwen tribe. If they were part of her group, they wouldn't have mentioned that. She's too careful. It took us ages to discover her Semblance."
"Then why didn't you give them your real name, High Leader." Laz asked.
"They might mention me to others when they get back," 'Kali' answered. "I'd rather those kids not know my real name if possible. It would cause more problems if Atlas discovered where we are currently operating. Besides, it's not like she'll mind if I use her name."
"As you say." The man nodded and looked relieved. "But thank you for allowing them safe passage. I owe them for saving my sister and her daughter."
"Violence is only used when needed," Kali huffed, shaking her head. "If we want humans to accept that, we can't jeopardize our relationship with those that support our cause. I wasn't lying when I said I respected Huntsmen. Those two are prime examples of the types of students we want at those academies. Of course, if they are lying… we'll take care of them."
"I doubt things will come to that," The lizard Faunus muttered, his eyes falling on Jaune's back. "They seem like honest kids… but if that boy really took out that Arachna Nest by himself… we probably shouldn't get on his bad side."
"No, no we shouldn't." Kali agreed, her eyes flickering over to Ruby. "That girl is no slouch either. I'll see if I can find anything else out when we arrive at our destination. Make sure no one mentions our organization around them either. It's best if they think we're just normal supply runners."
There were positives and negatives to being part of a convoy. The negative was they moved a lot slower than Jaune and Ruby could on their own. Larger vehicles meant they had to take certain paths that weren't necessarily a straight shot from town to town. Being on foot or on small off-road vehicles, they could slip through dense trees or narrow mountain paths. Qrow had mentioned once that the benefit of Huntsmen over military troops was the speed at which they could deploy.
The positives were not only did the two kids have company and people to talk to, but they were a little better protected. That meant they could actually get a good night's sleep without one of them having to be awake all night. After everything they had been through, that was the greatest reward they could receive. Even at the bandit camp, they couldn't fully relax. Part of them was worried they would be stabbed in the middle of the night as some kind of test.
With Raven, that was a reasonable assumption.
"Is it just me, or does it seem like they don't like us?" Ruby asked softly, as she and Jaune sat in the back of one of the trucks.
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked, confused. "They've been treating us really well."
"I mean… they talk to us, sure, and answer questions, but it's like they only talk to us about the weather." Ruby pointed out. "No funny stories, interesting events, even some issues relating to bad people discriminating against them." Their previous interactions with groups of Faunus usually had some stories about that. "It's like… we're just here."
"We sort of are?" Jaune was impressed with his friend's power of observation. Things had seemed a little awkward and Ruby made him realize why. "We're basically hitchhiking strangers with a dubious background. Would you trust random people knowing Mistral is full of criminals running around?"
"Ah, that makes sense." Ruby agreed, thinking it over. "We'll make them see soon enough that we're normal people who just like to help others."
A Faunus boy who couldn't have been more than a year older than Ruby snorted.
"Hey, what's so funny!" Ruby demanded.
"You're humans, you'll be blinded soon enough." The boy told them. "I bet you think you're better than us because you're Huntsmen."
"Enough." The woman next to him scolded the boy and he went silent. "Sorry about that. He's had some… problems in the past." She glared at him. "Remember what you were told when traveling?"
"Don't draw attention." The boy grumbled. "I know, I know."
"You mean from the Grimm?" Ruby tilted her head in confusion.
"Sure, the Grimm." The boy looked away.
'Weird.' Jaune thought to himself. 'Even kids have a lot of resentment against humans. What could have happened to him? I hope it wasn't as bad as the other stories we heard.' A kid shouldn't have to go through having their Faunus trait cut off or treated like a slave. Seriously, if Jaune ever saw someone trying that, he would beat them to within an inch of their lives.
Nearly two days later, at last, a city wall came into view.
If negative emotions attracted Grimm, the happiness and relief gushing out of Ruby and Jaune were sure to repel them. They were finally back to civilization. True, it was only a small town at the outskirts of Mistral and the Wilds, but it was still a town. They would have actual buildings, laws, and hopefully, no bandit problems. Jaune looked over at Ruby hanging on the edge of the truck and suddenly imagined a dog looking out a window happily. He didn't say it out loud though, as it might be offensive to some of their travel companions.
When they arrived, Jaune offered to help unload, but he was pushed aside as the others began to do it themselves. All he and Ruby had to do was unhook their vehicle and push it out of the way. Since they didn't have to drive it all the way here, their Dust Cell still had a fair amount of fuel left. They still planned to try to contact Qrow but if they couldn't, they could start heading back to Argus or the Lumber Yard. It gave them options.
"Welcome!" The chief of the village came out to greet Kali and her guards. She was an old woman using a cane, with a long raccoon-like tail that seemed to be graying slightly. "Thank you for bringing us these supplies. They are desperately needed."
"Sorry for the delay," Kali told her, smiling at the old woman. "We ran into some trouble procuring the shipment and then encountered quite a few Grimm along the way."
"Ah, the Grimm." The chief sighed. "We've been having some problems and think it might be because of them." She stopped when a large man approached her and bent down to whisper in her ears. Her eyes instantly darted over to Jaune and Ruby, who were looking around the town and what amenities were available. "Humans, Sienna? You're working with humans?"
"Shhh," Sienna whispered. "While they are nearby, you need to refer to me as Kali."
"So those humans aren't to be trusted?"
"No, they are harmless to us, it's more I don't want my name to slip out when they head back to areas controlled by Atlas," Sienna remarked. "It could cause you problems if they come to investigate my location. We use this town as a hideaway too often and Atlas hasn't caught on yet. Besides you, everyone else under my command who knows my identity is sworn to secrecy. As for those two kids, they helped protect our caravan from a rather large Grimm attack. Let them stay as guests until they can contact their teacher. They got separated from him."
"We can't reach other continents from here, but if he's in Mistral, they should be able to contact him with our communication hub," The elder confirmed and tilted her head. "It's unusual for you to assist humans like this."
"Out here, we need all the friends we can get. Who knows, they might even be able to help you with your Grimm problem." Sienna shrugged. "Have them pay us back for our generosity."
"That's the High Leader I know."
Jaune and Ruby meanwhile, were still exploring the town, though the term was used loosely. It wasn't very large and there were only a couple dozen or so houses in an organized line, closely packed to save room. Other buildings that appeared to be the town hall, medical building, and a small shop were nestled in the center of town. They did have a comm tower that was probably used to keep in contact with their suppliers.
"I hope they finish unpacking soon," Ruby whispered. "I really want to call Uncle Qrow and let him know we're okay."
"Patience," Jaune smiled at her. "They probably don't get supply drop offs way out here very often. Let them unpack and then we'll ask. Besides, remember what Qrow told us when arriving at a new location? Get a lay of the land. Just in case."
"I know, I know." Ruby huffed. "Doesn't mean I can't be anxious. We finally can call him. Our teams are probably worried sick. We haven't called them in like two weeks."
"Yeah, we really should contact them after we call Qrow." Jaune agreed quickly. "For now, we can finally relax a little bit. Take a few deep breaths."
"When did you become the calm one?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow.
"After nearly falling down a waterfall and facing a giant spider nightmare, most things just seem less important." Jaune explained simply.
"Oh… You have a point." Ruby smiled. "Escaping a bunch of bandits on the back of a four-wheeler was a bit of a rush. Maybe you're right. We can relax, calm down, and avoid attracting any Grimm."
"That's the spirit." Jaune paused when something drew his attention. "Hang on."
Ruby glanced over where her friend was looking and saw a couple of kids staring up at a tree. One of the boys was trying to climb up and failing as the lowest branch was a little too high. Up in the leaves was a ball. It wasn't hard to ascertain what happened. When they drew close, the kids noticed them and began to back up. Stranger danger was probably taught to them out here, as police were a rare commodity.
"Do you need any help?" Jaune asked them. They nodded and Jaune reached up to grab the branch and hoist himself up. "Haven't climbed a tree since I wasn't much older than you. Just like I remember." He pulled the ball free and jumped down, before tossing the ball to the nearest kid. "There you go. Try to be careful so it doesn't happen again."
"Okay." The boy who caught the ball agreed.
"Do you want to play with us?" A girl asked.
"Shh, they're obviously busy." Another girl hushed.
"We have some time to kill." Ruby laughed. "We're just waiting for some people to finish unpacking. We can join you for a bit. What game?"
It wasn't so much a game, just kids kicking a ball around. The kids were all Faunus, with Jaune not able to identify a single human. While he heard it wasn't unusual for Faunus to leave discrimination in the major cities to form outskirt towns, there were usually some humans who joined them. The boy felt bad seeing all these kids stuck out here in dangerous lands. Maybe while they were here, he and Ruby could help out somehow? They killed a lot of Grimm on the way, but if they could deal with any other threats, these kids would be safer.
But what could a couple students do without an active Grimm attack?
His question was answered in the form of a question.
"Are you two Huntsman?" A boy asked, when they stopped to take a break.
"We are… well, Huntsmen-in-training," Jaune amended. "We're still students ourselves."
"But we're super strong," Ruby bragged. "I even got into Beacon early!"
"Wow, really!" A girl gasped, looking up at her with admiration. Jaune had to resist laughing. It had been some time since anyone was shorter than Ruby to actually physically look up at her. "You're amazing!"
"Hehe, this is my pride and joy too," Ruby was relishing in the attention and the chance to show off her favorite weapon. "You'll need to stand back though." The girls followed her suggestion and Ruby raised Crescent Rose, currently in its rifle form.
"Wait!" Jaune raised a hand. "Should you really bring out your scythe here? Won't parents get mad at us?"
"Oh, right." Ruby lowered her weapon, looking disappointed. She wasn't the only one. Most of the kids did. Until one spoke up.
"It's okay!" A boy assured them. "We see people with weapons all the time out here. They even show us them."
"In that case…" With a grin, Ruby flicked the switch and gears began to turn as her rifle stretched out, metal shifting. Jaune didn't even get a chance to point out the boy might have been lying. The kids' mouths fell open, both boys and girls, as they watched the large red and black scythe appear. "Ta dah!"
"WOW!"
"So cool!"
"It's awesome!"
"I made it myself!" Jaune could just imagine Ruby's nose growing like in cartoons as she bragged about her weapon. "Isn't she amazing!"
"Excuse me?" A shy boy tugged on his arm, causing Jaune to look down. "Do you have a cool Huntsman weapon?"
"I have this sword and shield passed down through my family for generations," Jaune answered, smiling as he drew his sword and switched his sheath to its shield form. "It has served us well for years."
"Hah!" One girl near Ruby laughed. "Her weapon is better!"
"Tanks are the most important person on any team after the healer!" The boy shot back.
Ruby and Jaune shared a look. It was normal for kids to have rivalries, especially boys versus girls at a young age. Both of them had been there. However, they were now on the outside looking in and finding this hilarious. Jaune knew Ruby was stronger than him, being an amazing and talented Huntress. Ruby on the other hand knew Jaune was a tank and healer. If this was an RPG game, Jaune's character would be pretty important. They didn't want to stir the pot anymore though and avoided mentioning Jaune's Semblance.
"I bet Ruby could beat him up!" The girl shouted.
"Nuh uh!" The boy countered. "Look how big he is. He could crush her!"
"Size isn't everything!" Another girl retorted.
"Says the midget!" One more boy backed up the first one.
"This is getting out of hand," Ruby whispered to Jaune. "Should we do something?'
"We probably should…" Jaune considered it. Remembering the arguments some of his younger sisters had, the boy had some experience diffusing these kinds of situations. "Follow my lead." Jaune stepped forward. "Hey, now, Ruby and I are friends, and we aren't going to try to hurt each other, but I have an idea. How about Ruby and I show off some of our skills with a light demonstration for you all. For fun."
"Really!?"
Instantly, all animosity between the children ceased as they turned towards Jaune. Excitement and eagerness were evident in all their expressions, as many were staring at them hopefully. Ruby realized what Jaune was doing and smiled to herself. It was pretty smart of him, but of course, her best friend was really smart. Both her male best friend and female bestie. Maybe she just attracted intelligent people around her? Not only would sparing appease the kids and stop the arguing, it would also provide entertainment, improving their mood. That meant they wouldn't attract more Grimm to the town.
It was a win-win for everyone.
The rumor spread quickly as Jaune and Ruby found an open area to spar. First, they had to emphasize to the kids to stay back behind a fence. While they weren't going to use any live ammo, they were still swinging weapons with sharp blades. If someone ran between them, accidents could happen. Especially with children who didn't have their Aura unlocked. While explaining the safety reasons, a few parents showed up to see what the commotion was. When they found out two Beacon students were going to put on a show, the information spread even more, attracting more people. Jaune was glad the parents verified the kids' story and were okay with them putting on a show.
Soon, they had a rather sizable audience.
That caused Ruby to grow slightly pale. She wasn't used to having a large crowd watch her. The most people who observed her were in combat class back at school, but those were other students and teachers. Not random strangers. Swallowing her stage fright, Ruby began to walk with shaking knees toward her starting spot. If she was going to compete in the Vytal festival in front of countless people around Remnant, she would have to get used to this. As Yang taught her, you sometimes just have to focus on the person you're facing, blocking out the unneeded distractions. In front of her, Jaune was grinning at her as he took his position.
All of Ruby's fear melted away.
This was just a training exercise. She was alone with Jaune and the two of them were going to improve their skills together. Any onlookers didn't matter anymore. It was just her and her best friend. They had sparred with each other countless times, seriously and lightly. All for the purpose of growing stronger together. This was just another test for them. Meeting Jaune's gaze, no words were shared, but both of them knew they weren't going to go all out. This was a show for kids.
That didn't mean they wouldn't make it look good.
Jaune spun to the side and raised his shield the moment Ruby disappeared in a flurry of petals. Kids gasped and cheered in excitement at the display. When Ruby's blade met metal, sending out sparks, the sounds around them intensified. To them, Ruby had moved at inhuman speeds but Jaune had been able to see her and react. The truth was that Jaune was simply used to Ruby's attack patterns, even as she tried to change them up. They simply knew each other too well.
As the boy counter-attacked, Ruby spun around, using her scythe edge to push off his shield to avoid the attack in midair. A second striked followed up in a perfect circular motion as the girl kept attacking. Jaune was forced to jump back to dodge the sharp blade. He swung his sword horizontally, causing Ruby to block with the shaft of her own weapon. The force of the blow sent her reeling backwards, though she landed daintily on her feet by contorting her body in midair. Ruby's eyes sparkled as she continued to witness how far Jaune had come. This wasn't a serious fight but the old Jaune wouldn't have been able to keep up at all.
Now he was truly showing off what he got.
'What are you doing, Ruby?' Jaune thought in alarm as his friend seemed to be striking him faster and faster with each passing second. Her scythe was spinning around in a circular blender form as she pressed forward. This was way beyond a light spar. She was fighting like Qrow was watching and monitoring their progress. When a blow grazed his head, the boy was forced to really focus on defending or risk being hurt. 'Did she get swept up by the crowd?'
It wouldn't be unheard of for that to happen. Ruby could get swept away in a crowd and forget what they were originally trying to do, along with this being their first demonstration of their abilities in a long time. Jaune raised his sword and stepped forward, swinging downwards, but trying to fake the strike and actually go for a jab. Ruby easily saw it coming and parried the blow, sliding her scythe down his blade and bringing her own attack down on his shoulder. Jaune instantly called his Aura to shield himself. Crescent Rose collided against a burst of white light and flew back, causing Ruby to jolt in surprise and stumbled away from him.
That seemed to jolt her back to her senses as she looked around to the cheering and clapping. One person took advantage of the momentary lapse of combat to speak up.
"I hate to break up this lovely demonstration," Sienna stepped forward and out of the crowd, drawing attention. "But we need to talk to these two. I hope you all understand."
While the kids may not have known who she was, most of the adults knew she was the leader of the group supplying the town with necessities. That woman also had an air of authority she projected. So with only a little more urging, the parents dispersed with their children and left her alone with Jaune and Ruby. Well, not fully alone, she had her two guards with her. The woman waited until all weapons were put away now that the spar was over.
"Hey, Kali!" Ruby waved sheepishly. "We were just playing with some kids and one thing led to another…" The girl rubbed the back of her head and looked away.
"I don't care about that," Sienna brushed off Ruby's worry with her hand. "If anything, you were keeping the kids entertained. That's why no one bothered to try to stop you."
"That was our original idea just playing ball with them," Jaune chuckled. "Then they talked about our weapons, argued about stuff, and we agreed to give them a small display. Nothing too difficult. It's not like we were trying to hurt each other."
"Nope!" Ruby blushed and couldn't meet his eyes. She had gotten drawn into the duel and went a little harder than she should have.
"Hmm, you seemed to have the fundamentals down," Sienna mused. "Beacon lives up to their reputation."
"Our teacher is very thorough on the fundamentals too." Jaune shivered as he remembered the blows he received as Qrow beat them into him. "I still have the bruises."
"He sounds like he knows what he's doing." An amused smirk formed on the tiger Faunus' lips.
"Oh!" Ruby realized they were getting sidetracked. "You wanted to tell us something?"
"Right," Sienna's smirk faded away, almost like she couldn't believe she got wrapped up in the entertainment. "We finished unloading the supplies and the chief is preparing the communication hub to send out long range communication. I trust you know your mentor's number?"
Jaune instantly turned toward Ruby, as he was so used to speed dial, he couldn't remember Qrow's number. He'll have to memorize that later so Qrow didn't get upset with him.
"I know it," Ruby nodded quickly. "He's my uncle, so there's no way I wouldn't."
"It shouldn't be long, but they need to make sure transmissions are secure," Sienna told them and then looked at their weapons on their hips. "Hmm… since you two are warmed up, how about a friendly spar with me? Without an audience, we don't have to hold back as much."
"A spar… with you?" Jaune was hesitant. "Like one on one?"
"You both can face me," Sienna's smile didn't comfort him. "I've been training for years. If I can't stand against two students, then I've gotten rusty."
"We would love to, Kali!" Ruby bounced up and down eagerly. "We're supposed to learn to fight against all kinds of opponents, so this will be awesome. Your chain weapon is so cool. There's a guy back in Atlas with a fishing rod who fights like you did. A really versatile weapon. I saw a bit what you could do versus Grimm, and I bet you can do a lot more! We should take her up on her offer, Jaune."
"Breathe, Ruby." Jaune told her and Ruby gasped for air. The boy turned back to Sienna. "Since she wants to, Kali. I don't have a problem with it. Do you need to warm up?"
"No, I should be fine." Sienna assured him. "I'm just curious about the level of academy students is all."
"Just to let you know, we're strong!" Ruby puffed out her chest. "We won't be an easy match." The two men next to Sienna laughed. "What's so funny?!"
"Nothing." The first one shook his head, but Laz spoke up.
"Don't worry. S…Kali's quite strong, you should worry about yourself."
"You look strong," Jaune agreed. "I fought with you when we first met. There's no way I'm going to underestimate you."
"That's good, I'm used to many guys underestimating me because of how I was born." There was a satisfied gleam in her eyes. "I ensure they don't do it again."
"Most girls at Beacon can kick my butt up and down the street without breaking a sweat," Jaune laughed. "Ruby here is way stronger than I am too. I'll never look down at someone being a girl."
Sienna and the other two stared at him in disbelief. It wasn't her gender she was referring to, but her race. Yet it went right over the boy's head. Examining him closely, it was obvious he wasn't being stupid on purpose. He honestly didn't see her being a Faunus to have anything to do with it. Ruby seemed to have missed Sienna's meaning too. She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. The kids not seeing race and treating humans and Faunus the same is something she wants. At the same time, not being able to recognize Faunus struggles is a detriment to getting things changed.
"No live ammo, obviously." Sienna decided to ignore their denseness for now. Her purpose was to see if those two could actually handle themselves for a little task she needed done. "That work for you?"
"It's how we normally spar when in town." Jaune told her, as he and Ruby took a side of the clearing.
"Good, try not to go too easy on me," Sienna's amused expression still made Jaune feel a little wary for some reason. "Laz will start us off."
"On three," Laz looked between them. "One… two… THREE!"
Ruby naturally took off immediately. She wasn't the type to wait, no matter how much Qrow drilled patience into her. A flurry of rose petals was all that was left as Ruby darted forward, slipping right behind Sienna to strike at her from her blind spot. This attack strategy was one of her favorite openers to test the speed and strength of her opponent. Even if someone could react, spinning around to dodge or counter took time. Time in which Ruby would either land her strike or be able to retreat. The only reason Jaune could react to this was he was used to her doing it, which gave him a split second advantage.
Chains rattled as Sienna flicked her wrist. The bladed tip flew over the woman's shoulder before she even had a chance to turn, right toward Ruby's face. Ruby barely managed to dodge to the side, causing her swing to go wide as Sienna spun around and delivered a kick toward Ruby's legs. The girl had her ankles swept out from under her and rolled along the ground. This was the first time anyone had reacted in such a way who fought her for the first time.
Jaune had charged forward the moment he noticed that chain moving. Ruby might have heard it rattling, but the way it was striking at her, there was no way she would realize the direction it came from in time. Sienna's weapon was a lot like Clovers, flexible and versatile. It could attack in ways swords and scythes could not. The chain was also more durable than Clover's rod, so it would be hard to break. Jaune found that out personally, as Sienna used it to catch his blade as the tip hadn't returned yet.
"Not bad, but a little slow." Sienna teased, as the tip of her chain came back and slapped Jaune along the side of the face. It stung like hell and he stumbled backwards. "You might have caught me off guard with that attack, Ruby, if I hadn't seen you use it on Jaune here."
"Hey, no fair!" Ruby shouted, jumping to her feet and pointing at Sienna. "You were spying!"
"And?" Sienna spun the chain around in her hand like a windmill to her side.
"Kali has a point." Jaune grimaced. "It's no different than watching anyone else fight. We're the ones who showed our fighting styles in public."
"See, he gets it." Sienna laughed, still spinning her chain around like a toy. "Glad to see someone's not being a poor sport."
Before coming on this journey, Jaune knew Ruby would deny that accusation, and then call Sienna a cheater. Deep down, Ruby knew this wasn't cheating. Jaune did too. It was just now after everything they've seen in their travels, little things like this weren't important in the grand scheme of things. People like Tyrian who wanted to hurt them would research their movements and fighting styles. Champions like Pyrrha had people studying her every move. The more well known someone was, the harder it would be to keep things secret.
Instead of arguing, Jaune charged forward, shied raised, intending to keep the battle going on. That chain whip of Sienna's, though he still only knew her as Kali, was versatile and could slip around his defenses. Predicting where it was going to hit was difficult. If he could, amplifying his Aura on the moment of impact would prevent any damage, while at the same time surprising the woman to get an attack in. Also, during that moment of distraction, Ruby would be able to slip in the moment the opportunity presented itself.
The boy swung his sword as Sienna wacked back with her chain. For a moment, it almost looked like it was solid as metal collided. All the force in Jaune's attack disappeared as Sienna's chain slackened and wrapped around the blade. The tiger Faunus grinned evilly at him as she tugged back, preparing to disarm him. A smirk formed on Jaune's face as his foot moved forward to brace himself and his fingers refused to let go. Sienna's eyes widened in surprise at his sudden counter. She had assumed he would have fallen for her trick, but little did she know he had experience with people trying to steal his sword.
Clover back in Atlas had tried the exact same thing, and Qrow would constantly try to knock his weapon out of his hand.
"Got you!" Ruby called out triumphantly, swinging her scythe blade at Sienna's back. With the chain tangled up with Jaune's sword, Sienna was wide open and that girl wouldn't miss the opportunity.
"Think so?"
Jaune couldn't react in time as Sienna crouched and spun around near the ground, her leg outstretched. In an instant, Jaune's foot was swept out from under him, throwing him off balance. That was enough for Sienna. That woman had obviously been through a number of battles and seemed to be used to fighting multiple opponents. The moment Jaune's balance was broken, she pulled the chain back, causing Jaune to fly forward. Ruby's eyes widened as she was forced to divert her strike to the side to avoid hitting her friend. A chunk of dirt was torn up the scythe blade slashed into the earth. A lot of skilled people seemed to be able to use one of them to interfere with the other.
So Jaune and Ruby had already devised a plan for this.
Ruby kicked off the ground into the air, jumping over Jaune's head, only to land one foot on his back. There was a white light where she made contact as Aura was amplified. The girl then pushed off her friends back into the air like a launch pad. Her scythe began to spin around her in a centripetal hurricane of blows as she descended toward Sienna.
"Seriously?" Sienna raised her chain as it had unwrapped from Jaune's blade. Metal clanged and rattled as she was forced backwards step by step. Even when Ruby landed, she didn't stop attacking. Qrow having mastered the scythe and teaching her from a young age, that girl knew how to constantly spin the weapon in her hands, causing the blade to continuously attack. Unlike with a sword, spear, or fist, she didn't have to draw her weapon back. Anyone facing her for the first time usually received an unpleasant surprise.
Watching did not compete with first hand experience.
Sienna wasn't going to let a kid show her up though. Somersaulting backwards, the chain wrapping around her arm, Sienna put some distance between them. Or tried too, as running away from Ruby was a pretty difficult thing to do. Petals flickered around them as Ruby bolted to her side, simultaneously swinging her scythe. Sienna was forced to use her arm wrapped in the chain as a makeshift shield. While not fully negating the impact, the metal along with her Aura absorbed Ruby's blow. Sienna then kicked Ruby in the side the moment the scythe blade had halted. Ruby gasped but didn't get a chance to regain her footing. Sienna already reached forward and grabbed her stolen purple cloak.
A twirl of her free hand caused the chain to come off and Sienna wrapped it around Ruby's neck.
"Surrender, kid." Sienna ordered, twisting around the girl and holding her from behind. "You're caught."
"N-Never!" Ruby croaked, as she managed to slip her left hand up next to her neck, preventing the chain from completely choking her.
"You're stubborn, you know that?"
Jaune meanwhile, had pushed himself off the ground and turned around. When he saw Sienna choking Ruby, his vision went red. For a brief moment, seeing his best friend being strangled, he forgot this was just a spar. A furious yell escaped him as he charged, shield laying on the ground and forgotten. Only his sword clutched in his hand. The yell alerted Sienna, who turned around and saw the blonde charging her. Loosening the chain, Sienna kicked Ruby in the back, sending the girl sprawling to the ground as she turned and lashed out with her weapon. The metal head bypassed Jaune's sword and smacked him against the side of his face.
But the chain only bounced off a white light of intensified Aura.
"What the…?" Sienna didn't have time to fully process it as she still had to contend with Jaune's blade. Flicking the chain, it smacked against his wrist and fingers. Jaune still didn't drop his sword, but the strike caused him to lower his weapon, unable to swing at his opponent. That left Jaune with one option left. One even a trained fighter like Sienna didn't expect.
He tackled her.
"Oomph!" The woman gasped as the large boy collided with her. Falling backwards, the two of them crashed down onto the ground, Sienna on her back and Jaune on top of her.
"Go, Jaune!" Ruby cheered as she scrambled to her feet. When she saw their current position, her mouth fell open and her next word was no longer congratulatory and mostly just angry. "JAUNE!"
When Jaune had fallen on top of Sienna, his face crashed down on hers, leading them to share a very intimate kiss as he laid on her. Sienna's face was frozen in shock too, and it took Jaune a moment before he could process what had happened. When he realized what the softness touching his lips really was, the shocked boy sat up, looking horrified.
"K-Kali!" Jaune gasped. "It was an acc-...ACK!"
Sienna's knee came right up and planted itself right in between the boy's legs before he could apologize. Because Jaune had let his guard down, his Aura wasn't up and the surprised attack hit his most important part with no protection. If Qrow had been there, he would have been laughing. Jaune, on the other hand, couldn't ever dream of laughing as his world exploded. There was a brief second where his brain realized what happened but the pain hadn't registered yet. Then like a firework going off, agony shot through his body as his brain shut down to protect itself.
Jaune fell off Sienna and curled up in the fetal position.
"Why did you do that?!" Ruby demanded, zipping over to her friend and trying to see if he was okay. He wasn't budging.
"Reflex." Sienna answered, standing up and dusting herself off before wiping her mouth on her sleeve. "He surprised me with that last attack." The woman glared at Jaune for a moment. "Let's call it a draw. Take care of him. It might be a little bit before he can walk." She turned and walked away, leaving with her two guards.
"You let your guard down, High Leader." Laz pointed out once they were out of earshot. "That's unusual for you, even if they were children."
"I found myself actually enjoying the fight," Sienna shrugged. "It brought me back to… happier times. Those two didn't see me as a Faunus, just a strong opponent to train against. Beacon really is growing and maybe we should investigate Ozpin's intentions again. Adam is hardly going to earn us goodwill in Vale."
"Heh, maybe you care about that kid," The man with the lizard tale commented. "What, did he steal your first kiss?"
There was a second of silence before metal clanged. The next moment, he was on the ground, hands between his legs as Sienna wrapped up her chain. The tiger kicked the idiot once in the side and then continued on, wiping her mouth again. Laz stopped, shook his head, and crouched down next to his companion.
"Play stupid games, win stupid prizes."
Pyrrha was walking out of class, a little confused and hurt, but she tried not to let it show on her face. Ren and Nora were with her, even if Ren was between them. Things had taken a strange turn ever since her Semblance had been revealed. After that class, there had been a lot more whispers whenever she passed a group of students. Many of them glared at her, while others would occasionally taunt her, asking how it was to have everything handed to her. It hurt if she was to be honest. Pyrrha worked really hard to get where she was. It wasn't like she chose what her Semblance was. Then another issue occurred ever since Yang sat out a fight.
People started to refuse to spar with her.
When Goodwitch called out a student to face Pyrrha, they would immediately forfeit.
"I use a metal weapon, I can't win no matter what I do."
"I have armor, she can just throw me out of the ring."
"We're being graded on our fight, and she can control my weapon with her Semblance, it's not fair for me to face her. She can make me fail just by thinking about it."
Glynda had started to give several students detention for their attitude before she gave up. There were just too many students refusing to face Pyrrha and all her punishments were doing was adding more animosity. There were still a few people willing to face Pyrrha. Her team, Mercury's team, and the rest of Team RWBY. Yang had acquired some gauntlets without metal that she was able to use a Dust crystal to shoot a blast of fire. It was only a one-time use, but it let Yang face her without the threat of Pyrrha's Polarity. Yang actually got in a couple of solid blows against Pyrrha after switching.
Which only reinforced the belief people had that she relied on her Semblance.
'Did I do something wrong?' Pyrrha thought to herself, as she noticed two girls and a guy looking at her as they talked in low tones. 'If so many people believe the same thing… Maybe I should have been honest about my Semblance. They had some good points. You can't get a new Semblance, no matter how hard you train. If you're born with a powerful one, you'll always have the advantage.'
"Do you have something to say!?" Nora snapped at them, and the three students dispersed. "Seriously, I'm getting tired of all the bad mouthing."
Pyrrha's heart skipped a beat as Nora actually defended her. She did manage to calm down and remain neutral as she reminded herself about the truth. Nora didn't like bullies or people being mean to each other. That included saying bad things about people behind their back. Unless it was true, like Cardin being a jerk. Though Nora had said that to his face once or twice. If Nora didn't like someone, she just didn't talk with them if she didn't have to. She rarely said bad things about them. Right now, Nora mostly ignored her outside of team training and school related topics.
"I need to stop at the library and pick up a book." Pyrrha said to Ren, after reaching their dorm to drop off their bags. "I shouldn't be gone long."
"Okay." Ren answered plainly, as he didn't usually say much. Pyrrha was still glad Ren treated her normally, though he was hardly a deep conversationalist. She still missed her talks with Jaune about all sorts of topics, even silly ones. Yet their fights would probably make those impossible now.
Pyrrha had just left the room when she remembered she left her library card in her bag. Before she could open the door more than a crack, she heard Ren and Nora start talking. Her hand froze on the doorknob.
"Nora… can you please talk…"
"I already told you, Ren." Nora interrupted. "Until Jaune comes back and forgives her, I won't. We've talked about this many times and my answer hasn't changed."
"He has forgiven her," Ren sighed. "It's just… complicated to express his feelings. He wants to talk to her face to face."
"And when that happens and they forgive each other, I'll forgive her," Nora huffed. "I want to Ren, but… you know…"
"We can only have this conversation because things turned out alright," Ren sounded tired to Pyrrha. "This is a conversation I've had before. With you and Jaune. But can't you try to let go since things did work out?"
"Ren… I tried, really." Nora actually sniffed at that. " I can even help stop other people trying to bully her because I want things to go back to normal. I want us to be a team again. But every time I try to forgive her… I think about what could have happened. Jaune could have left us forever."
"I know, I think about that too," Ren sighed. "I also sometimes think about what could have happened at initiation…"
"Do you think things will ever go back to normal?"
There was a long pause and it sounded to Pyrrha as if this was a question Nora had asked many times and one that Ren had answered just as often.
"I don't know, but we can hope."
Pyrrha decided to leave at that. It was rude to eavesdrop on a private conversation. Most rooms were soundproof, but the door had been slightly open. They really needed to make sure they checked their surroundings before having private conversations. It got them all in trouble. Jaune's transcripts with Cardin, Nora and Yang talking about her Semblance, and then this. Though, it seemed Nora felt bad she was treating Pyrrha like that.
'And she should.'
For a moment, the champion paused, wondering where that thought came from. It was so unlike her. As Pyrrha questioned herself, the small voice in the back of her mind grew stronger.
'I didn't deserve this, did I? I was trying to protect Jaune. He even got to go and train under a Huntsman because of me. What right does Nora have to be upset? She's not an outcast. I'm the one everyone's taking out their frustration on. Just because I happen to be skilled in combat. I didn't choose my Semblance, and I worked hard to master it.'
It just felt so unfair she was suffering for doing the right thing. Trying to protect Jaune, stopping the train, working hard on her skills. Why did everyone hate her so much? Well, almost everyone seemed to.
"I should see if Mercury wants to hang out a bit. He treats me like a person."
Little did Pyrrha know that everything that was happening, mainly the student body turning against her, was being orchestrated by a single group of people. In a dorm room, Emerald was currently telling Cinder about the situation. Every word seemed to amuse the intimidating, dark haired woman. Mercury was laying on his bed, somewhat listening, as he browsed his Scroll.
"Very good, Emerald." Cinder congratulated. "You've done well in manipulating those fools."
'"It was so easy to just tweak a few things people heard and saw, and they turned against her," Emerald laughed. "Everyone wants to blame others for their own shortcomings. The moment they thought they heard other people talking about her, they wanted to join in."
"Those that rather blame others over improving themselves will always remain weak," Cinder agreed. "Which limits the choices for Ozpin. Still, Pyrrha is the number one contender, so it's important we isolate her from everyone else. Soon, she will only be able to turn to us."
"You mean me!" Mercury grinned as he looked up. "My rugged good looks and charm drew her in."
"More like your immaturity." Emerald spat at him.
"Keep doing what you're doing," Cinder told him. "Thanks to you, we were presented with a golden opportunity." She turned back to Emerald. "Keep stirring the pot and turning the student body against her. Be discreet and do not get caught."
"What about Team RWBY?" Emerald asked. "Weiss still seems to be friendly with Pyrrha."
"I've been observing them and there is a chance Ozpin might choose one of them for the maiden power, so try to get closer to them. Yang is probably the weakest link in the group. It's just… Weiss doesn't have the personality to get into Pyrrha's heart. She's not the type our Invincible Champion is looking for."
Cinder held out her hand and slowly closed her fingers tightly.
"Her strength is now her weakness, and we shall use that to get what we came for."
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.