Hope y'all enjoy. Still working on getting better at 3rd person so bare with me. Please review and tell me how it worked out. REVIEW.

POV: 3rd Person

"One step, two steps, three steps, all the steps," Jaune spoke to himself as he kept walking. His pack half full with supplies and his water canteen completely full. Courtesy of raiding a dead raiders belongings. A wetstone in his hand as he absentmindedly ran it over his knife. Eyes sharp and focused as he surveyed his surroundings as he walked.

It had been a long time since he had been in a true forest. The plains where he had been not providing much in that since besides a few clumpings of trees. Nothing that could be considered a true forest. He had grown accustomed to the plains though and with so few sightlines within the forest it made him unsettled. The forest was no longer a sanctuary to the boy. It was familiar and everything he had learned about the forest was still there, just muted from too long spent in the plains.

He steeled his nerves as he walked through the forest however. Negative emotions attracted the Grimm and he could take a couple solo now but anything resembling a true pack he would die without preparation. He knew this so he kept his emotions in check. What he couldn't predict was that someone would be waiting for him.

The boy walked through a clearing of trees and back into the true forest. Immediately finding himself surrounded by four people. Two men and two women all with advanced gear that wouldn't be out of place in Atlas. However, each person was unique and not uniform like Atlas. These people weren't just Hunters but they were good hunters to have the gear that they did.

They also didn't have the vibrant colors that he had come to associate with Hunters. These people had camouflage on, true camouflage. Almost seamlessly blending into the surroundings even as they surrounded him. Helmets on each of them and multiple weapons that wouldn't be seen on many hunters either. There wasn't anything fancy about their gear. Regular guns, swords, knives, grenades and the like. No mechashift weapons that required plenty of maintenance.

These people were like him in a sense he noticed. They worked in the wilderness and did so with plenty of experience and held themselves different from all the other hunters he had met. There was no cockiness in them even as they had him surrounded. They took each situation seriously and he found himself appreciative of that.

"Young man," a voice spoke to Jaune and he looked around for the voice, not finding it among the four who surrounded him. Instead he heard it almost right behind him.

Reacting on instinct he twisted with his knife in hand and made to stab the voice in the side. He never made it even halfway through his spin before he found himself on the ground. Knee in his back and his knife holding arm outstretched to an almost painful degree. It wasn't quite that but it was uncomfortable.

"Good instincts and reactions kid," the weight on his back lessoned as the man got up. Pulling Jaune up in the same instance. "We're going to teach you some things. You good with that?"

Jaune could tell it wasn't really a question to him and more of a finality. That being said he took another look around at the group of five people and agreed. They seemed like people who could actually teach him things beyond just being flashy. Too many hunters were just flashy and he had found enough dead bodies of them to know it often got them killed. Being flashy is stupid when you don't have to be and these people seemed to follow that logic.

"Yes," was his one word answer to the man's question. The man, face hidden behind a mask, nodded and then motioned for him to follow. Walking off with three of the other four walking with him. The last one staying behind Jaune and taking up the rear, another thing Jaune liked about them. They didn't just blaze a path, they took the time to actually make it seem like they would protect him. Whether they actually would was yet to be seen but he felt better about them than the rest of the hunters he had met.

One step, two steps, three steps, all the steps. He walked with them for a few hours, the position of the sun telling him that. The exact time was lost to him without a watch but didn't much care for that. There were still a few hours of light left when they stopped.

The four who had surrounded him beginning to set up the camp while the one that had put him on his back rested a hand on Jaune's shoulder. Looking up to the man he gestured with his head for Jaune to follow him. Doing so they left the camp going around the outer edge by about five paces.

Stopping there the man turned around and looked at Jaune expectantly. This confused Jaune for a moment before the unsaid order registered and he got to work. Setting up traps all over the outer area of the camp a decent distance away to give everyone fair warning. Going farther than the man had stopped getting about 10 paces from the camp.

Close to an hour later Jaune was done and when he was he turned around to look at the man. The man didn't say a word but gestured for Jaune to follow him. Jaune did so without complaint and followed the man. As he did the man silently began pointing out flaws in his traps. Not just in the traps themselves but also their placement. More than a few of the corrections confusing Jaune as they had always worked before but rationalized that it might be because of his long absence from forests.

This turned out to be false as once the man pointed out every mistake Jaune had made he started over at the beginning. Starting with the ones that had flaws for either be too loose or not good enough. Most of which the man waved Jaune off for silently stating that they came down more to the equipment that Jaune had to use. For the ones about positioning though the man finally spoke.

"This placement would work for Grimm."

"Then why is it wrong?" Jaune interrupted the man but as he did so the reason came easily to him. Seeing the realization on the boys face the man smiled beneath his helmet.

"Why is it wrong?" he gently asked the young boy.

"It's too obvious for humans and faunus," the man nodded.

"Now, where do you think you should put the trap that would work for both?"

Looking around the area Jaune thought for a few minutes before pointing to a particular spot about a foot away from the trap. The man followed Jaune's finger before shaking his head at him. Jaune's eyebrows knit together as he thought harder for where a spot would work for all three groups before he spotted another spot a few minutes later and again pointed. The man, once again, followed the young man's finger and nodded his head before gesturing to the trap. Understanding the silent order he moved the trap.

They did this with the rest of the traps out of possession until there was only about an hour left of sunlight according to the sun. When they finished they made their way back to camp and ate a cold meal before going to sleep.

One step, two steps, three steps, all the steps. Jaune didn't know how long he had been in the company of the five people. Their names were still unknown to him as they never spoke them and the only form of communication they could possibly had was through their helmets. Which they rarely if ever took off.

The one who was the leader had never taken it off in front of Jaune. Eating when the boy was asleep or away to as to not show his face. Jaune didn't know why they did this but Jaune didn't care. They were teaching him everything that he could hope for. How to fight, how to survive, kill grimm, humans and faunus alike. Spotting weakness and exploiting them, making weaknesses and exploiting them. The most important lesson of all in Jaune's mind that they taught him was how to read people.

How to look at someone and recognize their fears, likes, dislikes, what mood they were in, what they wanted you to do or what they wanted in general. A lesson that he learned by just being around them and the few times that they took him into frontier towns. Often with the leader silently quizzing him on what he saw and found in those places. With either a nod of affirnment or a shake of the head in answer. Very few words were spoken aloud around Jaune.

It was with them they found a small group of bandits sometime during his time with them. They killed the bandits easily leaving two of them alive and still able to fight before they backed off. Two of the five sent questioning looks towards their leader, or looks that Jaune assumed were questioning judging by their body language, as he brought Jaune forward against the two bandits.

The pair of them full grown men with a worn sword each. They looked incredulous at the sight of Jaune before charging at him. Hoping that this was some sick test that if they survived they would be allowed to live. Jaune answered their charge with one of his own with the pistol firing one bullet that went clean through ones neck dropping them immediately.

Jaune didn't stop though and mechashifted his weapon to it's knife form parrying the remaining bandit's desperate thrust. Instantly in the man's guard he put the knife through the man's gut right above his bellybutton and ripped to the side. The man dropped his sword and desperately tried to stem the blood loss and keep his guts from spilling out. Nothing he did mattered as he died a few seconds later.

Jaune stared at the bodies when the fight had ended in both shock and confusion. He had never expected killing to be that easy or for the act to feel weird. Not in the sense that he liked the feeling or hated, just that there was… regret. He knew he did not need to kill these people but he also knew that if he didn't either the others would or the bandits would move on and kill others. A lesson that the leader of the group seemed to want to teach him as he knelt down next to Jaune. Gently grabbing Jaune's shaking hand before turning the boy to look at him.

"Do you understand?"

"It's not pretty, no glory, no acceptance, just something that needs to be done to those who deserve it?" he stated as more of a question than a statement with the leader nodding.

"What else?"

"I… I don't know," the man nodded.

"That is okay, you will learn eventually," the man stated before standing up and gesturing for everyone to follow. No one in their group argued as they left. That night was the first time he saw any of their faces.

One of the women had taken off her helmet. Showing a woman maybe in her early 30's to Jaune but with Hunters it was always hard to tell. She had ethereal green eyes that sparkled in a way that shouldn't have been possible. Bright red hair cut short around her head in what Jaune would later learn was a pixie cut. No blemishes on her skin at all and for the most part just looked like a beautiful woman to Jaune. That is until she opened her mouth to speak.

"Let me check you over kid," she spoke in a soft voice giving him a small smile before she began a quick medical check up on Jaune. He barely noticed her voice or her actions though and instead focused on her mouth. When she had spoken and smiled she had shown her teeth. All of them razor sharp, pointed and serrated. He had no idea what type of Faunus she was but it was slightly unnerving to Jaune knowing that she could easily rend the flesh of anyone with her teeth.

Still, she was professional for the few minutes that she checked him over. When she was done she gave him one last smile before putting her helmet on and began to walk away.

"Wh-" he barely started speaking before the woman answered.

"Shark," and that was that.

One step, two steps, three steps, all the steps. Jaune still didn't know how long he had been with the group but he guessed years at this point. He had forced to scavenge clothes from raiders and destroyed villages as he kept growing but he still didn't know. What he did know was that over time the group did not always stay whole.

The Shark Faunus woman was the first to leave after a conversation with the leader. She would return four or so moon cycles later but she did return. While she was gone one of the men left and he too came back. Gone for eight or so moon cycles. The other two of the four left periodically usually staying away for anywhere between three and 11 moon cycles. The one that never left Jaune was Leader, who Jaune had named Leader as he didn't know the mans name.

The long absence of the other woman who was the only one gone for over nine moon cycles was curious to Jaune. He didn't understand why they would be gone for so long but Leader apparently knew. A reason that apparently made the man happy but also practically enraged when she showed back up.

Jaune had no idea what had happened but Leader had sent her away the day after she had returned. She wouldn't show back up for another nine moon cycles after that and would only stay for two or so moon cycles before leaving consistently. Jaune figured out the reason after her third time coming back after being turned away by Leader. She showed a photo of a picture a small child playing with little colored boxes to the group. She had gotten pregnant on her long time away.

When she pulled out the picture one of the men showed a picture of what must've been him holding a child. He had just gotten back to the group only a few days before the woman. The picture showed a man with a clean shaven dark red hair and bald head. The baby having a flop of vibrant purple hair. Studying the man's face to put a picture to the helmet he seemed handsom to Jaune and young, very young. Maybe barely into his twenties, but again telling the age of hunters is hard because of Aura.

That was all Jaune would find about them though. The other two in the group never showed their faces including the woman who had gotten pregnant. Plus Leader but to Jaune the helmet was practically Leaders face. The only thing besides his mask that Jaune would always look to on Leader was the scabbard on the mans back. Jaune didn't know why but there were times that he felt the scabbard calling to him.

As for when all the group had been gone leaving only Leader and Jaune the man put the young man through his paces. Leader couldn't pin down Jaune's exact age but from how the boy had grown into a young man with their time together he guessed at the moment it was just the two of them the boy was around 14, maybe 15. In Leaders eyes Jaune was progressing fantastically but the time for their separation was coming soon.

Leader had taught the boy many things and what the boy needed to learn now was only things he would be able to discover on his own. Either that way or through his own team. Something that won't happen unless Leader and his team left the boy. He knew very well his reputation among a select few in Remnant. One that would have them hunting the boy out of principle. If only because he had spent enough time to allow Jaune to be considered his apprentice.

And what an apprentice Leader thought. The boy had an incredible grasp of almost everything that Leader had taught him driven by a singular drive. The reason for that drive was still unknown to Leader but he knew it had something to do with the boy being all alone. He never asked though and never will. What the boy does once Leader leaves will be his prerogative. Whatever his decision though Leader had faith the Jaune would survive.

The boy's aura reserves alone made him a force to be reckoned with and that didn't even touch on the kids mind. It had been some time since he had met someone with a mind like the kids and almost every time they were ones that sat back and watched the fighting. Planning and scheming behind the backs of everyone in the shadows. The thoughts of those people brought anger to Leaders mind with the Parasite and Witch coming to the forefront.

Squashing those thoughts away he looked at the smallish bandit camp in the distance. Maybe only a mile or less away but with the binoculars in his helmet and the ones in Jaune's hand they were easy to spot. Looking to the boy he spoke.

"Plan," he ordered/demanded of the young man. He had been doing this for some time to test the boy's mind and it had worked wonders. Especially the first time that it had just been them two. This was only the third time with them being alone and would be the last. The others in his group stating that they would like to take a break from the plains and forests of Remnant for a decent amount of time. Something Leader understood as they all had children now, or on the way.

Besides, it let him take Jaune into the Grimmlands a few times when they had all been away including this time. They had spent a month there tracking a horde of Goliaths and had even been to take a few of them out. Not something spectacular like an epic fight with just the two of them. Just guiding them subtly through burning the plains and some of the forests that still resided in the Grimmlands forcing them into kill boxes. Most notably a cavern with high rock walls on either side.

The pair of them had set shaped dust charges along the wall of the cavern and on top of it. Having to rappel down to do most of the planting and in a bit of hurry so that the Goliaths didn't spot them as they set everything up. When the Goliaths entered the cavern and got to the designated point they blew the charges. Almost caving in the rock walls completely slamming down on the Goliaths. Of the 30 or so Mega Grimm only about 10 survived, a great plan put together by the kid. Whose voice broke Leader out of his thoughts.

"I don't see any prisoners or slaves so we don't need to prioritize that. I'd like a closer look before deciding anything there but if that stays the case no point in being subtle about this. Kill the sentries and light a couple tents on fire. Send them into a panic and then start killing them. If they had anyone with aura we'd need to take a different approach than just that but tracking and watching them for a week has proven that they don't."

"We could always wait a couple days too. They're gearing up for a raid but with there's no towns or villages in the immediate area so I'd guess a caravan but I don't the area's schedule to say that reliably. Could get some thankful people for our intervention, get some supplies out of it as well," this was something Leader had done on occasions as well. Playing the devil to see what the boy would say and how he would react. Plus providing false information to him to see what he would say. The boy simply shook his head.

"No point in that. Caravan out here with the Grimmlands not that far off there… wouldn't be a point. There's not a caravan out here, or a civilian one at least… they wouldn't give us anything… Hunters or SDC?" he asked pointedly looked at Leader but cut him off before he could.

"Don't answer that. It's both isn't it, a survey team for the SDC with what, two maybe three hunters. Getting this close though would be a hefty payment or either group with only the best. Grimmlands is barely 10 day journey from here and we both know the Grimm in the area aren't anything to scoff at."

"Why come out this far then?" Leader questioned.

"Maybe most of the mines are drying up, its a deposit so large they just can't ignore it, or someone is desperate for a win."

"And what do you think it is?" Jaune bounced his head side to side for a few moments. A habit he picked up when judging several ideas at the same time.

"Someone's desperate to out this far. Only way a bandit group would even think about attacking them. Must not have a large group and probably not associated with the SDC then."

"But how do we know any of this. We've been following them from a good distance the last week. What's to say they aren't just retreating away from other bandit tribes?" Leader questioned Jaune causing the young man to bounce his head side to side again.

"We don't… That was the whole point of this wasn't it. To make me think," Leader nodded at Jaune.

"All I told you was just conjecture with possibilities. I am a good source of information and you will meet others in the future who can get you useful intel. However, never let that information cloud your judgement unless you know for sure that what they told you is indeed fact," Jaune nodded along understanding why Leader had done what he did and the words he had spoken.

"Then I want to get closer. Our gear lets us see them and where they are but we don't know enough about them to make a decision… The last village we stayed in said the Branwen Tribe has been more active recently. Maybe they are on the run," he shrugged before standing up and making his way forward. There was a ridge in the distance only a few hundred meters from the bandit camp. From there they'd be able to truly decide what to do.

The pair walked until about the halfway point to the ridge before getting down on their stomachs and crawling. As the saying went for the group as they taught Jaune: if you can see them, they can see you. So they crawled to stay out sight as best as possible and it worked as they got to the ridge with none the wiser to their approach.

Looking over the ridge with a much clearer view than before. One that gifted the both of them with the reason the bandits were so far out. They had definitely been running from someone or something but there wasn't any Grimm for a couple of miles so it must've been someone. Plenty of the bandits were wearing bandages or were hobbling around.

They had run here to rest and recover before setting out again. The fact of this did not leave either Leader or Jaune with a happy taste in their mouth. There was nothing to be proud when finishing off a wounded group or person. However, they both knew if they let the Bandits recover then they would go right back to doing what they were before. Killing, raping, pillaging and attracting Grimm to the survivors of their acts. Spreading death that didn't need to happen. Which left killing them as the only real option.

So, they waited until the dark of night. There wasn't much in the way of sentries and all of them were comprised of the few that were still able to stand or didn't have injuries. They all died quietly with either slit throats or blades to their spine from either Jaune or Leader. When the sentries were dead they waded into the camp silently killing those asleep leaving only a handful left alive.

Of those left alive Jaune and Leader killed them quickly. All of them going in their sleep to the blade of either. When everything was done they found the one that looked the most important who had been in one of bigger tents and cut his head off. Only way to prove that they in fact had killed who they said they did and get a possible reward. Always best to do that in order to get some type of pay when they hadn't taken an official mission.

With everything done they left the bandit camp and slowly made their way to the nearest village. A four day journey by foot but neither complained along the way. Reaching the town the head they had on them had begun to decompose but was still recognizable enough to get the bounty on the mans head. Wasn't much but that was better than nothing for a frontier town. Plus, it got them a free night and meal at the local inn.

Taking the reward without complaint they each went to the room and for the first time since Jaune started working with Leader and his people he got to see Leaders face. The man was old in a weird way. He didn't look a day over 35 to Jaune but the mans eyes told a different story. This man could not in any way be described as young. He had been through hell and the facial scars proved it.

One ripping through the man's brown bearded cheek to his mouth leaving a half glasgow smile. Above is eye that curved around his eye and like the other cut straight through the man's lip. With a final one starting between his eyes crossing over his nose and ending at his jawling on the left side of his face.

Beyond that the man had a brown beard, a mop of black hair and deep blue green eyes that seemed to pierce into Jaune's soul. Jaune stared at the man for the longest time in silence memorizing the face. When he had his fill he stood up and held out his hand to the man.

Leader gave a small smile to Jaune and stood up to his full height shaking Jaune's hand. Leader stood a good few inches above Jaune at 6'4" to Jaune's 5'9". Leader knew the boy still had time to grow and would no doubt reach six feet in height and then some. If he grew to Leaders height that depended on a multitude of things but none of that mattered at the moment.

"This is it then?" Jaune asked Leader.

"Yes. I've taught you everything that could be of importance to help you survive, thrive and kill. Everything else that you could learn are things that you must do through experience," Jaune nodded his head at the words.

"What's your name then sir. Since I know your face I'd rather not call you Leader anymore," the man smiled.

"My name is Aedon Wynne. I have one last question for you though," Jaune raised an eyebrow in response. "Have you finally understood what I tried to teach you the first time you killed?" Jaune's eyes widened for a moment before thinking long and hard for a few minutes before nodding his head.

"Mercy can be given but only to those who have a chance," Aedon nodded to him before reaching behind himself and grabbing the scabbard he always had there.

"Found this a while back before I met you in a destroyed town. Don't know where the blade is but I feel like you should have this," Aedon handed Jaune the scabbard. The scabbard felt at home in Jaune's hands as he held it before, instinctually, grabbing the strap feeling something protruding from the top of said strap and pressing it. The scabbard expanded into a a white shield with two golden arcs. Earning wide eyes from both occupants of the room.

"How'd you do that?" Aedon asked with fear starting to creep into him but he did not voice it.

"I… I don't know. Just felt right," Jaune answered.

So Jaune is Jaune Arc thought Aedon as the fear stayed with him but also hope. An Arc, a true bonafide Arc as the boy who was his apprentice. The thoughts running through Aedons mind were tumultuous but also extremely satisfied. Arcs were revered warriors and only Nicholas and two other daughters remained of them. One daughter was currently in Argus and other was studying at Beacon.

Nicholas had never been able to recover from loosing his wife and six… well five kids. He spent most of his days a broken man just trying to teach what he could to the future generations but there wasn't much life left in the man. Aedon thought long and hard about his decision in that moment and decided that Nicholas deserved to know his son still lived. The man had been a great ally while he had been an active hunter. One of the few to see through the bullshit of the parasite.

One step, two steps, three steps, all the steps. Aedon and Jaune spent the night in the same room before departing and heading their separate ways. Jaune heading towards the city of Mistral intent on seeing what the city could offer as he had never been there and was curious. Aedon on the other hand headed into the forest and made his way towards Vale. Towards Nicholas at Anima, outside of Vale a little ways from Patch.

Aedon travelled for months on foot scavenging when he needed and killing bandits to get bounties. Taking out a few grimm along the way that either attacked him or he took a contract on them. Didn't truly matter to him as long as he had enough money to get by. It had been years since he travelled alone and against his own thoughts he did miss the company. Before this most recent group had come along with Jaune added to it he had spent a century wondering alone.

Killing those that needed to from the most dangerous Grimm and criminals to Maiden's themselves. Power corrupted and power like the Maiden's very few could resist the call. Those that did he left alone but those that didn't or couldn't… He killed. The parasite and witch didn't call him The Maiden Killer for nothing. Still, he preferred his original nickname. Vacuo's Vampire.

Gave him the name after he just wouldn't die. They never figured out why that was or how he was able to kill Maidens but that didn't matter to him. Live as long as he had, the witch and parasite probably being the only ones older, and you start to shrug off certain things. The opinions of an idiot and someone who gave up on life are lowest possible things Aedon worried about.

As he walked out of another Grimm den as he finished killing the alpha for a contract in one of the nearby towns he saw a crow perched on a tree branch. They stared at each other for a few minutes before Aedon raised his hand and shooed the bird away. Said crow didn't need to be told twice and took off flying off into the distance.

Aedon assumed it would be headed back to the parasite. Again, he didn't care. If the parasite wanted to send more to their death that was his choice. He wouldn't go looking for a fight.

While this was happening Jaune had just managed to make it to Mistral. The gates outside the city itself were rather stringent on letting people in at the moment and Jaune didn't know why. However, showing the clip of dozens of completed contracts to be paid they let him through without another look.

Considering that he was dressed in well worn and somewhat expensive looking leather armor along with his weapons they assumed him to be a freelance Hunter. Something that he wasn't going to correct them on as at this point they weren't far off. His armor had been scavenged from several bandit leaders and combined by a leather worker in a village near where he and Aedon parted ways.

The right shoulder and upper chest covered by a guard and the left with the same only the guard went all the way down to his hand. His chest covered with simplistic leather armor by layered in such a way that it could take several shots from an AR even after his aura broke. Small pointed studs all over his chest and stomach. No more than a centimeter large but hard and meant to break weapons and teeth of grimm if he ever got caught in the jaws of one. The leather armor on his legs having the same makeup as his chest.

As for weapons he still had his pistol that could mechashift into a knife strapped to his right leg. On his left was a hand ax treated with dust sharpening on the blade. Allowed for different types of dust to be applied to blade and used in attacks but he rarely used the dust with its rarity in the wilds. A collapsable and dependable AK strapped to his back with three extra mags around the left of his waist. Next to his AK was the second half of Crocea Mors but at the moment Jaune only called it shield. The rest of his weapons receiving similar mundane names from Jaune.

Hey y'all. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter will feature some canon characters and so on. As for those wondering this will not be an overpowered Jaune going to Beacon story and there will be plenty of fights where he will be outmatched. There will be canon characters and moments though and the eventual pairing will be with a canon character. Not an OC.

As for how everything will go I'm partial to the approach that characters must win through their brain instead of just power. Of course they can earn that power but with every bit of earning there must be a consequence or something that will be sacrificed. If you've read or want to read my other story Mass Effect: Into the Breach you'll understand.

Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and for those curious Aedon will not be a central character at all. He'll appear every now and again but he really won't be around.