Yo sorry about how long this chapter took. I talk more in detail at the bottom. No lie I don't hate this chapter but the school bits I'm gonna try to write better. I am planning on adding someone to the school bits who may make it better. But still hope you enjoy this chapter

Jaune hated school. For the most part, school isn't difficult but it was much harder when you were Jaune.

One of the lessons Master had taught him was the lesson of being a mob.

"Jaune. In this world, there are two kinds of people. Mobs and named characters. Mobs are those who blend into the world easily and are never shown as special. Named characters are people who are clearly special and have a special aura that gives them named character status. Their skills, popularity, friendships, and even vocal tone can tell who's a named character!"

Jaune didn't get all of it but he knew that Shadow was supposed to be a mysterious named character and for Jaune to take any suspicious actions that could potentially reveal he was Shadow was a bad move. So Jaune's duty was to blend in as best as possible. Should be easy for a guy like Jaune right? NOT. Because he decided to take it to the extreme. To be a perfect mob was to be completely hidden.

So in order to do this Jaune became a perfect C student. The way to do this was difficult. How so? In order to remain at that level of student he had to actually study far more than the average student.

For Jaune to consistently hit around a C he had to always pick the answers that would give him that kind of score so he had to count each question and perfectly get the answers that would give him a C grade. This meant he had to know every answer to know which ones to get correct and which to get wrong.

Getting them wrong wasn't enough; he also had to make sure he got the right answers wrong. Getting all the easy ones correct and the hard ones wrong didn't make for a C student. So he had to get a relatively equal amount right and wrong. He found that getting some decently hard ones right and missing a few harder easy ones was probably the least suspicious…

Mob Technique #4! The beyond-average student!

This… was so much more extra than just not studying.

Jaune stood up as the bell rang and put his hands in his pockets as he exited the lecture. He yawned into his palm before he heard someone calling him. He turned to see a red-haired boy running up to him. "What's up Jaune!" Lain asked as Jaune nodded at him. "The sky." He replied simply as Lain's eye twitched. "That was beyond corny." He spoke.

Jaune shrugged before the boys walked off. "So we got a physics exam next week. Wondered if you could help me out?" Lain said with a grin. "Sure man. Uhh, your dorm tomorrow after class?" Asked Jaune. Lain looked up at him and shrugged. "Sure. Dunno why we can't visit your pad…" He grumbled as Jaune sighed. "Because you'd freak out… and I'd look hella suspicious." Jaune thought.

"Well, my place is an apartment after all," Jaune spoke. He could easily help Lain with his schoolwork. Jaune did have to pretty much know everything in physics to keep up his dumbass pla- err calculated shadow moves.

But man… he wished dumb and dumber would just actually listen to any tutoring instead of- "YOOOO BOYS!" A voice called as the duo turned to him. Speaking of dumber…

"Nate what's up?" Lain said as he dapped the boy up. "Nothing much just been chilling out in Miss You-reeka's class." Nathan said as Jaune walked up. "Wow, surprised she didn't grill you more. She's pretty… well…" Jaune didn't need to finish. All the boys knew how mean their Chemistry teacher could be.

"So… you boys wanna go prowling for pink?" Nathan said with a grin as Jaune sighed. "Seriously dude? Does everything we do have to involve picking up chi-" Jaune was cut off by Lain slapping his shoulder. "Uh yeah! Dude we are in college! The land of the easy hoes! We gotta lose our virginities at some point!" Nathan nodded along with Lain's words. "Really? When did uni become "Land of the easy hoes"? Last I checked it was to better our futures and live the best lives we can while hoping we don't get devoured by grimm." Jaune said as the other boys cringed.

"Okay okay I see where you're coming from… but c'mon man don't tell me you aren't the tiniest bit interested in finding somebody!" Nathan said and Jaune went into thought. He definitely had dreams and ideas before of a beautiful wife and raising kids together but… now that he was on the path to become the Eminence in Shadow such ideas felt unrealistic. If he got too close to someone uninvolved with Shadow then he might risk them… that just wasn't something he could do.

"Ah, there we go! See what I mean?" Nathan said with a wink and a grin. Jaune turned back to him and smiled. "Yeah I see. I'll put off any relationship stuff until after I've graduated." He said.

"Liar." Nathan and Lain said in unison.

"It's not a lie guys!" Jaune cried as the two shook their heads. "When a guy says something like that he's usually a horndog in denial." Lain said as Jaune went agape. "... I guess that does sound like a horndog in denial comment huh?" Jaune said as the two nodded. He groaned at that.

"But I get it man. Wait until after the stresses of college to finally settle down." Lain said as Nathan rubbed the back of his neck. "Eh, I still want to hit it at least once before I graduate."

"Speaking of which. I got places to be but tomorrow me and Lain are gonna have a study session. Wanna join Nate?" Jaune asked as Nathan looked up. "Nah dude. I may not be the smartest out there but I'm no dumbass-" "Your GPA says otherwise'' Jaune thought before Nathan continued. "-I can easily get through any classes." Nathan said as Jaune sighed. "Alright man. But remember I'll be at Lain's dorm after classes tomorrow so if you wanna join offer will be there until I'm gone." Jaune said as he turned and walked away.

Nathan and Lain weren't the smartest or even coolest guys around but they were someone Jaune didn't mind hanging around. Nathan's obsession with getting laid aside they were fine dudes. He had met them by complete chance on his first day and they were surprisingly good friends for someone hoping to never stand out.

Jaune walked out of school and to the nearest comic book store. A new issue of a series he'd been following for a while should've received a release today so it would be best to get there before it got sold out or something. Chances were low but never zero. Jaune couldn't help but wonder if the cult would pop up. He had sent Shadow Garden and more specifically the Seven Shades to look for any sign of the cult around. He had to stop them before they revived a demon that could potentially put countless people in danger. What kind of hero would he be?! He gave Master his word he would snuff out that cult…

Jaune's eyes turned golden for a blink as purple magic seeped from them for half a second.

And an Arc never goes back on his word

Jaune entered the store before poking around. He quickly found what he was looking for and picked it up. Beyond Ordinary. Pretty great series. He couldn't wait to see how the protagonist would survive the school with his best friend suspended. Or even how his best friend would deal with her awful mother. Jaune turned and accidentally bumped into someone. "Ah, my bad." Jaune said as a feminine voice said it's okay.

He looked to see pointed ears. "Ah, so she's an elf. Not too shocking for me. Considering Olivier most of Shadow Garden are elves." Jaune thought before noticing her black hair with red tips… wait a second…

The girl looked up at him and his eyes widened as he noticed her silver eyes. He thought back to the day he first fought a grimm. The day he called himself the Dark Flame Master.

There was no mistaking it… this girl was one of the two he saved that day!

"Are you alright?" Jaune asked as the girl looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah. Sorry about bumping into you." She said as Jaune shook his head. "Nah it's whatever… WAIT IS THAT KUKU'S CRAZY AND DESTRUCTIVE ADVENTURE?!" Jaune cried as the girl flinched back before looking at her book. "Yeah it is." She said, She looked up at him. "Do you read it too?" She asked and Jaune smirked.

"Kekekekek I haven't just read it… I'm reading the most recent part and watched all of the animation!" Spoke Jaune triumphantly

"Ah, same! I just finished the recent part in animation so I wanted to start reading too!" The girl said and Jaune nodded. "Nice! Starting at the beginning too! I understand why people want to jump into what was left of in the animation but… it's a whole different feeling seeing the story the way its original creator wrote it." The girl nodded in understanding.

"I totally get that. I always try to read from the beginning no matter what just to get the feeling of the original!" She said,

Both then realized how nerdy they were being and blushed before laughing. "It's been a while since I've been able to talk to someone about my love of reading. My name's Ruby." She said as she held a hand out. Jaune then went wide eyed as he had the opportunity to make his master proud.

He shook her head as he looked at her. "Name's Jaune Arc. Short, Sweet, rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it."

PERFECT MOB INTRODUCTION

"Do they though?" Ruby asked with a slight smile. "Well I hope they will." Jaune said. "Master, I'm sure I've made you proud!" Jaune thought.

"Hey Jaune… Do you wanna head over to the cafe? I want to keep talking about books for a bit." Ruby said as she rubbed the back of her neck.

Jaune's eyes went wide again… Did a cute girl just ask him on a cafe date?! "Master above I have seen your wisdom and my faith is renewed!" …Not that he had stopped believing in his master

Jaune then used magic to control his emotions. No dating. Can't get other people involved in the Diablos cult. What the hell kind of hero would he be if he did?

Jaune smiled at Ruby before nodding. "You bet. I'd love to. Been a while since I had anyone who loved the same media and had my good tastes!" He said as Ruby giggled.

"Alright let's head over." She said before walking off with Jaune in tow.

"Part 4 is easily the best! The setting feels so real!" Ruby said as Jaune nodded. "True true it's amazing but you haven't gotten to the peak that is part 7. Just wait when you read it. Whole world will be changed!" He said as Ruby shrugged. "Alright. If you say it's that good then I'll believe it."

The two continued to talk about books and even hobbies as they fell into a comfortable conversation that never seemed to end. They had far too much in common and found themselves laughing about everything.

"So Ruby… What are you doing in vale. Going to high school here?" Jaune asked and Ruby rubbed the back of her neck. "Well actually I'm at Beacon…" Ruby said sheepishly.

Jaune's mouth fell open.

"What?!" He said a little too loudly as Ruby blushed and looked around and Jaune followed her to see multiple people looking at him.

He quickly sat down and sipped more of his drink.

"What?" He said more quietly.

"Yeah… I got into Beacon early…" Ruby said. "I'll say. You said you were 15 earlier. That's so cool." Jaune said as Ruby perked up. "You think so?" Ruby asked.

"Hell yeah I do! Getting into a big name huntsman academy so young is a crazy achievement! I wish I could have that kind of title"! Jaune praised.

Though Master had commented multiple times Jaune was at huntsman academy level when he was only 9.

"Thanks!" Ruby said, beaming and Jaune smiled back. "Gotta say… I admire you huntsman. You are practically superheroes." Jaune said as Ruby's smile somehow got wider.

"I know right?! Being able to protect everyone around me and be someone that people can look to for protection is amazing!" She giggled and Jaune slipped his drink more before placing it down.

"Yeah. You guys protect so many people. As a kid I always wanted to be like you. I'm glad I got to meet a future huntress." Jaune said with a smile as Ruby smiled back. "I'm glad I got to meet you too Jaune!" Ruby said as she looked down. "Most people don't take a kid like me seriously." She said as Jaune leaned over.

"That's some bullshit." He said as the girl flinched. Whoops. He learned quickly in their conversation this girl wasn't the biggest fan of cursing.

"If anything I think they'd praise you. Moving up that fast shows potential. A two year skip is no joke." Jaune said and Ruby looked up at him. "Okay okay enough about me. How about you? What are you here for?" The younger girl inquired.

Jaune leaned back. "I'm at Vale University." He spoke as Ruby nodded. "Nice. What's your major?" She asked.

"Computer Science." He said as Ruby's face slightly fell. "Pretty generic… No offense!" Ruby hurriedly added the last part as Jaune laughed. "None taken." In Fact that was exactly why he took it. It was a rapidly rising major after all.

"If I felt like I could do it I'd probably go to med school." Jaune said. That was true for him. Even though with magic plus his Semblance he could heal anyone and everyone it was still a small way that even Jaune Arc could save people in ways Shadow couldn't.

"Sounds nice." Ruby said as Jaune nodded. "You guys may be the main protectors but us background characters have ways to save people too!" Jaune said with a smile as Ruby giggled. "Background characters. That's a new one." She said,

Ruby's scrolled then buzzed and she picked it up before a panicked expression went across her face. "Crap! I was out way longer than expected." She turned to Jaune. "Sorry I gotta run. My team is wondering where I am. We have some team business." She said apologetically as Jaune waved her down. "No problem. Hey wanna trade scroll numbers?" He asked as Ruby nodded and they exchanged numbers. "Alright. Thanks Jaune. It was nice meeting you!" Ruby called as she ran out.

Jaune waved back before a woman walked behind him. "Are you ready to pay?" She asked as Jaune turned to her. "Oh yeah. Here you go." Jaune said as he left money for his and Ruby's drinks that she had long finished and a nice sizable tip.

Jaune left the cafe before arriving at a tall building and pressed his thumb against a finger sensor and walked inside the building. He greeted the receptionist and entered the elevator before pressing the button for the highest floor.

Jaune entered his apartment before sighing. He laid his bag down before walking towards the window… and looking at the pool and garden in the back.

He turned and saw from the other windows an amazing view of Vale.

Yep… Jaune lived in a high-rise apartment in vale. He may have been a mob but that didn't mean he didn't want to at least live somewhat lavishly.

He walked into his room and took off his uniform before putting on a comfortable black t-shirt and shorts.

He entered the main living room and sat down on his sofa before lazing into it. "School can really be hell man. I almost want the cult to show up so I can kick their asses." Jaune spoke as he looked at the ceiling.

He pulled out his comic and began reading. It wasn't long before he was absorbed into the story. "WOW THAT GUY WAS AN ASSHOLE! Glad the protagonist humbled him. Man seeing how traumatized he was from that girl betraying him hurt." Jaune said aloud as he closed the book.

He checked the time and noticed it was pretty late. "Man, I should eat something." His stomach growled to agree with him.

Jaune walked into the kitchen and started to fix himself a meal before his scroll went off. He pulled it out of his pocket before glancing at the screen and smiling before pressing buttons on the device.

Ruby: Hey Jaune! Team business done at last!

Jaune: Heh nice. What happened?
Jaune: If you don't mind me asking

Ruby: No big deal

Ruby: My partner wanted us to have group study

Ruby: I may have been able to skip forward but I still need to catch up on material LOL

Jaune:😭damn

Ruby: It's not too hard tbh

Jaune: ok genius lmfao

Jaune and Ruby texted back and forth for a bit. From there Jaune found out Ruby was a bit loose-lipped and tended to talk a lot about her interests and her team. He found out her partner was Weiss Schnee and that surprised Jaune. He knew OF her. He'd be an idiot not to after Shadow Garden basically became the SDC's number one rival. He couldn't help but be surprised that she left Atlas which had a perfectly fine academy of its own to come to Beacon. Ruby also had a sister who went to the school with him and Jaune was shocked at that too. Siblings going together wasn't impossible but it had to be rare right?

She gave little details about her sister's partner as they hadn't gotten to know her very well. She did have choice words to describe Weiss's attitude though. Apparently there was another team next to hers that had only 3 members. One was a famous fighter named Pyrrha Nikos who was leading them. Apparently it was a bit of a scandal involving the situation and Ruby distanced herself from it.

Jaune couldn't help but enjoy his mob status from THAT one. Being out of the public eye was for the best anything else would've been hell.

Jaune and Ruby texted for a bit before both realized it was late and bid each other goodbye like it was a genuine call and went to bed.

Jaune walked out of Lain's dorm as two boys behind him lagged behind. "C'mon guys it wasn't that bad right?" Jaune laughed as Nathan turned to him with a harsh glare. "Dude, that was HELL. Why is uni so hard, man?!" He whined as Lain nodded. "Seriously. So much material to go over all at once. Wish I never slacked off." He said as Jaune nodded at him. "That's what's up! The more you work to keep up the less you'll have to do and in return the less you'll have to work to keep up. Trust me on this. If you try hard and get down all the information now it'll be easier with time. Plus you got me helping you out." The two boys sighed before looking at Jaune. "We get it man but could you pace us a little better?" Lian said as Jaune blushed. "Yeah my b." Jaune said.

The three walked out of the dorms to see a small crowd at the front of the school. "What the hell?" Jaune wondered aloud as he picked up something from someone talking. "Apparently there's an elf waiting for someone important in the front of the school." They said as Jaune's eyes narrowed.

An elf? Elves didn't come out of their territories very often. His master had told him something about elves he was never prepared for.

"Master, have you ever seen an elf?" A 11 year old Jaune asked as his master sighed. "Yes… quite often. They've always been a secluded race but now they are a lot more. Back in Old Remnant it wasn't rare to see them. He said.

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Old Remnant?" He asked as His master chuckled. "Well this will sound crazy but once upon a time Remnant was filled with magic. Everyone possessed the ability and it was widespread knowledge. But one day the world was purged. Only due to my nuclear magic I was able to erect a barrier that protected me. The only ones who survived the purge were The Shadow, The Wizard, The Queen, and the heroes. The elven hero Oliver did the same as me and protected a large elven territory with her powerful magic. Because of her the Elves survived and are not only the only race that can use magic… but are the most magically attuned." Master said.

Jaune always thought back to that when thinking of when he trained the Seven Shades. Outside of Zeta and Delta they were mostly Elves and they picked up magic almost insanely easily. Hell Beta and Epsilon already were well versed in magic when he met them after saving them. Elves had secluded themselves but there were sightings before of elves that humans had seen.

The problem was no one could ever figure out where Elves came from so they were written off as either myths or humans that just looked different at a glance. Until one man saw one and followed her to her territory. As a result he found a large elven territory and was welcomed. He brought back multiple things of proof and showed them off. He was told to keep the location secret but… the money he was offered made sure he didn't keep that promise.

He and a team were sent to hunt down the settlement and… never returned. The elves made it clear. They wouldn't take kindly to any form of humans interfering with them or trying to attack them. Some Elves however would occasionally leave their homes and humans would meet them and something was quickly found out. Elves were damn beautiful. Humans and Faunus couldn't even compare to the raw beauty of Elves. The race was so gorgeous and since they never left their homes they became a rarity and a desire amongst humans. With all that in mind Jaune's mind went to one thing.

Someone from Shadow Garden was here.

"Hey guys…" Jaune turned to see Nathan and Lain were gone. He turned and saw them sprinting towards the front of the school. "Elf elf elf elf!" Lain chanted. "We're gonna score with an elf!" Nathan said as Jaune sighed before running after them.

Depending on who it was they boys would either be ignored, harshly rejected… or have their balls ripped off. For the sake of his friend's future children he raced after them.

Nathan and Lain pushed past the crowd rudely before arriving at the front where their jaws hit the floor.

The girl in front of them was breathtaking. Beyond gorgeous. She had fair unblemished skin with blue eyes that held an aura of importance and authority. She had golden-blond hair that cascaded down and reached her knees. She wore a black t-shirt that showed a bit of cleavage from her ample bosom with a golden heart shaped locket around her neck. She wore a pitch black skirt with golden trim that allowed her to show off her long shapely legs and wore black block heels on her feet. She wore gold bands on her wrists as she looked at her scroll with boredom.

"VENUS!" The boys chanted in their mind at the girl in front of them. They just watched like quite a few others around them were doing. All the boys and girls were staring in awe at the being sculpted from the gods in front of them.

Finally she looked up and stared right at Nathan and Lain before smiling brightly. Both boys gulped as they stared at her back. "She's staring at me…" Lain thought. "She's staring at me…" Nathan thought.

"She's staring at us!" They thought in tandem as they looked at each other and nodded. It was their time. Their popular era was here!

They walked forwards towards the girl as she turned towards them. They smirked at their future of being the coolest guys of all time as she started running towards them.

"OUR TIME IS NOW!" They shouted in their minds as they opened their arms for a hug… and she ran right past them. The two stood there in shock as they turned.

"No way!"

"They really thought they were gonna get a hug?"

"How embarrassing!"

The two could barely even hear the words as they saw Jaune push through the crowd with "excuse me"' and "sorry"

The girl ran at him with a smile on her face. "Sha- Jaune!" She cried as she latched onto his arm. "Alpha?!" He yelped as she pushed her chest against his arm and Jaune blushed from the contact as Alpha gave a smile. Jaune used magic to control his emotions before asking her. "Alpha what are you doing here?" The girl pouted before speaking. "What? Can't a girl come pick up her boyfriend?"

Boyfriend

That simple word broke Nathan and Lain. They both stood up with dead eyes trained on Jaune. "Boyfriend?!" They both shouted as Jaune turned to them. "What happened to that bullshit about waiting until after we graduate?!" Lain cried with tears streaming down his face. "Yeah, how dare you betray us like this, Jaune! I thought we were homies!?" Nathan cried as Jaune stared at them. "Wait hold on…" He started.

The two weren't having it and rushed to Jaune. "You betrayed us!" They shouted cartoonishly as they raced at him. But Alpha turned to them and her sharp glare rooted them in place. They felt like something had pressed down on them and forced them to stay in place.

This wasn't Alpha using magic. Her glare just naturally carried an aura of intimidation and authority that made people stop in their tracks.

Alpha then turned to Jaune, smiling. "Darling! Let's go already!" She said before pulling Jaune along. "H-hey Alpha!" Jaune cried as she was dragged off by the girl. Despite remaining rooted to the floor Nate and Lain were still crying. "IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME! NOT HIM! IT'S NOT FAIR!" The two screamed in their thoughts.

Alpha dragged Jaune into a nearby alley before letting go of his arm. "Alpha what was up with that?" He asked as Alpha turned to him. "I needed to drag you away." She said simply. "Was the boyfriend thing necessary for that?" Jaune said as he turned away.

Alpha turned away as well. "Yes Master. It was very necessary!" She said quickly while nodding. Jaune sighed. "Anyways, cult activity has been seen." Alpha said as Jaune perked up. "Where?" He asked and Alpha turned to him. "Underground. The sewer system is crawling with cult scum." She said harshly as Jaune nodded.

"Okay do you have anything specific?" He asked as Alpha nodded. "There are three specific places where there seems to be tiny labs for experiments." She spoke. Jaune took in that information before exhaling. "Okay. So we'll go and hunt down these labs later tonight." Jaune said.

"Yes, Shadow." Alpha said and Jaune looked down. "So anybody else in Vale to help?" Jaune asked. "Yes Shadow. Beta is also here." Alpha said.

"Good. Tell her to meet up at the building behind my high-rise and we'll take them all down at once. I'll go to one. You'll go to another. Beta will handle the third." Jaune ordered and Alpha nodded.

"Yes my Lord. We will wipe out the cult scum tonight." She said with a grin and Jaune nodded at her. "Alright. Be ready then Alpha. See ya." He said as he turned to walk away.

Alpha then crouched down before leaping away so fast she looked like she teleported.

Jaune sighed before putting his hands in his pockets and leaving the alley. Cult activity finally showed…

"Well… it's showtime!" Jaune said with a grin as he walked into another alley.

A tall man in pitch black stood on top of a building with his arms crossed as his black cloak flowed in the wind. His golden eyes scanned the world around him.

"Beta. Alpha." Shadow said as two girls stood behind him. Alpha stood in her black slime bodysuit with golden accents that had a middle chest cutout. Her thighs adorned with belts and she wore block high-heels similar to what she was wearing earlier. Next to her was a gorgeous elf with blue eyes and neck-length silver hair. She wore the same bodysuit but had two black capes flowing behind her with a cleavage cutout. Her's contained golden shoulder guards and two golden lines from her chest that went to a belt.

"Lord Shadow, I've heard the plan. I have found the best places for each of us to attack." Beta said as Shadow nodded. "Good job Beta. Where are the best places in your eyes?" Shadow said as Beta preened at the praise from her master. "Yes my lord! I believe that my semblance would be best used at this location." She said pointing at a circled place in the south of the city on her scroll. "It's the place with the largest amount of water. My semblance will be useful there." Beta looked at Shadow who nodded at her again.

"Lady Alpha should attack this location to the northeast. It's small but Lady Alpha should be able to get through and defeat any opponent." Beta continued. "Lord Shadow should be here in the west. This place is very spacious and would allow Lord Shadow to use all his power!" She said excitedly before blushing and looking down. Alpha gave her subordinate a smile. "A-also Lord Shadow may be necessary as the largest base probably hosts the strongest." Beta finished before putting away her scroll.

"Very good. Excellent work as always Beta." Shadow praised as Beta beamed. "We will attack these locations and crush parts of the cult tonight. Everytime we stop the cult we get closer to saving girls from demon's possession that the cult's demon caused!" Shadow said as the girls grinned and nodded at him

The three then disappeared.

Beta landed at her location and looked around before looking down at the manhole cover before sighing. "Of course slimeballs like the cult would be in the sewers…" Beta said before she stomped and flipped the cover over before jumping down and landing in the waters.

She quickly merged into the water using her semblance and flowed through in her water form.

"Can't believe the research is going this well." A male voice called around the corner as she moved around to it where she saw two men in black shirts and pants with black combat boots on.

"You'd think something like this would take centuries. Guess that's the benefit of working with these creeps." The other man said. Beta stayed in water form to overhear their conversation more but it soon devolved into a conversation about the women they fumbled.

"Sometimes I sit there in my thoughts thinking… Was she flirting with me back then?" He said before the water beneath bubbled and burst as Beta delivered a sharp uppercut to the man's jaw.

He flew through the air before landish harshly on his back, knocked out. The other man fumbled to pull out his scroll and pressed it repeatedly before pulling out his rifle. Beta gave him a glance as he pulled the trigger and sent rapid-fire shots at her.

Beta formed her slime sword and slashed through the bullets with terrifying precision as she advanced on him.

His eyes widened before he chucked his gun at Beta who caught it before training it on him. "S-shit!" He cried as he tried to duck down but a small burst caught his leg and he stumbled.

Beta walked up and pressed her gun against his head. "Who are you working for? Is it the Cult of Diablos?" She demanded as he glared. "You ain't getting nothing outta me!" He spat.

Beta sighed. Why would he make this so difficult? "If you won't give me knowledge on the research then I'll have to force it out of you!" She said as she raised her sword and stabbed him in the shoulder. The man cried out in pain before glaring at her. "The research." She said with her own sharp glare.

"Over my dead body! You aren't getting anything!" He said. Beta sighed. He knew she could kill him at any point. Why was he so loyal?! He wouldn't get anything if he was dead.

Beta's ears then perked up as she heard splashing behind her. 6? No 9. No, 12 pairs of feet were coming.

She glared at him with gritted teeth. So that was it. He called for backup earlier. She turned to see the 12 men run up to her. "That's right I was just stalling. My guys were already on the way. You got nothing on us!" The man on the ground cried as Beta turned to him.

She reached down and grabbed his arm. "If you don't give me that information on the research or your friends don't either. I'll break the other one." She threatened as the man looked at her confused. "What do you mean the other on- ARHGG!" He cried out as Beta broke the same arm that she stabbed before turning to the 12 men.

She quickly liquified and merged into the water as the men's eyes went wide. They fired their guns at the water thinking she had simply dove into the water but they saw nothing to imply she had been shot. "Where the hell is that bitch?!" One man called as the others shrugged. Something splattered against their backs as they turned. The smell got to them first though.

"Is this… blood?!" One cried as they fully turned and saw a headless man fall forward, his blood spurting. " "WHAT THE HELL?!" They cried.

"He was in the back, how?!" One cried.

Another splatter hit the walls as they turned and saw another body fall. Then another.

"Sh-shit she's picking us off one at a time! Watch your backs!" One called as the men started to stand back-to-back with each other.

"If you think that'll work then you've got another thing coming." Beta thought as she shot out of the water and decapitated two more guys at once.

Two of the men quickly trained their guns on her and opened fire. "So I see…" Beta thought as she sliced through the bullets and merged into the water again. "The back-to-back thing wasn't just to keep watch but to also be ready for when I pop out. They're a lot smarter than I thought." She finished her thought and jumped out again before slicing another guy.

"Wait he wasn't back to back?!" She thought before she saw another man rushing at her with a knife. She gave a deadpan stare as she caught his wrist before running her sword through his chest. "This grows tiring." Beta said as she turned her sword into a bow and created three slime arrows and fired them.

"SCATTER!" The men said as they tried to move in random directions. All three arrows still hit someone. One arrow went into a man's neck, the other went into another's shoulder and the last into an eye.

The first and last men fall down as Beta fired an arrow into the chest of the second. The last two men had no time to react before Beta grabbed them by their necks and slammed them into a wall.

"I've heard of your research and I want answers." Beta demanded as she squeezed their necks hard enough to hurt but not enough to but incapable of breathing. "We… aren't… gonna-" The man on the left started but the guy next to him spoke up. "Okay okay! We don't know much but there's this scientist, they call him Pale. He's working on artificial aura!" He said as Beta's grip loosened a bit. Artificial aura?! How was that even possible?!

The man on the left saw an opportunity and attempted to punch her but she tightened her grip on his neck, halting him. He stopped immediately and reached for her hand around his neck. Beta let the other one go. "Thank you for your cooperation." She said before she drew her sword and slashed the man she was holding.

The other man looked up at her as she turned away from him. "I have no clue what the cult is doing with artificial aura… or how they managed to use such a thing but I will find out… where's this research being conducted?" Beta said as the man perked up. "It's at one of our underground locations! A large one!" He said hurriedly as Beta put a hand on her chin. "That's where Lord Shadow is… If there's anyone who could figure it out and find out how the cult got their hands on such ideas then it'll be him!" Beta thought with a smile before turning to the man.

"So… Can I leave…?" He said cautiously. Beta gazed at him and he gulped. "I guess…" His eyes were filled with hope. "You could leave this world." She said while moving her arm.

His head rolled on the floor with the hope not even having time to leave his eyes. "As Lady Alpha said… those in affiliation with the cult don't deserve life. As long as Lord Shadow wishes it… I will exterminate all cultists and those affiliated with them." Beta said. "Speaking of Lady Alpha… I wonder how she's doing." Beta thought before noticing the man from earlier was gone. She sighed before shooting off.

Alpha landed at her location. She stood in a tight sewer and looked around. "So this is where they're hiding… I doubt many are here but it might be useful to see what information they may have." With that thought Alpha walked through the sewers and despite wearing heels her feet were completely silent.

She came across two men talking and crouched down before launching herself at the two.

The first man didn't have time to scream as Alpha's katana ran through his heart. Her cold gaze turned to the second and he fell down as he shuffled away from her in panic. "W-who are you?!" He cried as Alpha simply stared at him before raising her blade.

She slammed it into the wall next to him and bent down, her icy glare staring deep into his soul. "Are you with the cult of diablos?" She demanded as the man shook in fear. "W-what's it to you?" He asked as Alpha planted her fist into his chest. "I'm asking the questions here!" She said as the man coughed. "Okay okay! I dunno! I just know these random guys came to me and some guys of mine and told us we could have power beyond anything." The man hurriedly explained as Alpha lifted her body. "Was this power specified?" She asked the man.

He looked around nervously. "Well… yes. It's aura… getting aura ain't so easy for us regular guys so this deal was too sweet to miss out on." He explained. "Who else is aware?" She demanded as the man froze. "Well I don't know anything about that. But I have heard they're planning on spreading the aura to the criminal underworld. Everyone's gonna get aura by the end of it." He said.

Alpha went into thought. "If the cult really is working with them, why give out aura? This links nothing to true ultimate power. My aura alone would still trump anything they could have. This deal exclusively benefits the weaklings and none of the cult's main goals…" She turned to the man and smiled. "Thank you. Your help has been most useful." She said and the man looked up just in time for her heel to connect with his face.

Alpha walked further into the sewer after dealing with the two men and turned to see three more staring at her. The first was a skinny man with two tommy guns, wild white hair and green shades around his eyes. The second was a muscular tall man with two whips in his hands with sunglasses with red lenses. The final was a short and stocky man with two large gauntlets on his hands.

"Yo there dollface. Been hearing about you! Some chicks running around tryna stop our associates' operations!" The white-haired man said as Alpha glared at him. "We ain't exactly happy about that so we're gonna have to put an end to it." He then pointed to himself. "Name's Spike. This big lug next to me don't got no name but we call him Bulldozer. Little guy? That's old Jim!" He said as Alpha smirked. "How careless of you to give your names so quickly. But…" Her sharp eyes bore into their souls. "Dead men don't need their names remembered." She finished as she brandished her sword.

"Bitch got quite the fuckin mouth on her don't she?" Spike said, frowning. His face then twisted into a smirk. "You know what to do boys! Waste her!" He ordered as he pointed his guns at her and began firing.

Alpha rushed past his bullets while slicing through any that got near her before a whip came at her face as she crouched low to avoid it.

"What's the matter doll face?! I thought we were dead men?!" Spike cried with laughter watching Alpha dodge. She was nearly dancing as she avoided whips and bullets with ease.

Her dance continued beautifully as none of the onslaught reached her. Spike started getting frustrated before turning to Jim. "Oi Jim! Wanna do something?!" He growled as the stocky man continued to stand in place.

Spike clicked his tongue with frustration and continued to try to waste the girl. Alpha's dodging continued and right as she twisted her body Jim rushed forward and got ready to punch her when her back was turned.

A wickedly larged grin split across Spike's face. "I get it now. Jim you crazy bastard. Waiting for when she was least likely to be able to dodge to strike. Good job man!" He thought.

Jim's gauntlet-covered fist was mere inches from Alpha's back and he pressed forward to slam his fist into her and send her flying back as she rapidly turned around.

His arm landed in the water behind Alpha. Jim looked at his stump of an arm spewing blood before letting out a scream as he fell back.

"What… the… hell?!" Spike cried as he saw the blood spewing. Bulldozer whipped at Alpha as she took advantage of their shock and rushed him. She grabbed his whip and yanked him at her before driving her sword through his neck.

She slashed to the left and removed her blade as Bulldozer fell over. She slashed her sword at a wall and the blood splattered over it in an arc. She jumped and flipped before she slammed her heel into the still screaming Jim, silencing the screams.

Spike looked at her with fear as she walked over to him. "S-stay away you crazy bitch!" He screamed before firing bullets wildly at her. Most of his shots missed as Alpha simply walked forward. To add insult to injury the bullets that did connect simply bounced off her slime suit. His bullets would've never affected her…

When he ran out of ammo he threw his guns at her and ran off. He sprinted at full speed just hoping to survive the girl but fate was not on his side as he felt her foot slam into his ankle and send him sprawling.

"AH FUCK!" He screeched as he hit the ground and looked up as Alpha's sword was pointed at his neck. "Your buddy moved very fast there. No ordinary human can move like that. Wanna explain?" She demanded. "Some… pills we were given.. They give us extra strength and shit…" Spike said.

Alpha's widened. "That sounds similar to aura… maybe the prototype?" She thought. "So they've already come this far… I wonder what the cult wants with this. No way they're just doing all this for criminal scum…" Alpha wondered aloud. "Hey what do you mean by scum bitch?! We-" Spike was cut off by Alpha beheading him with her sword. "Shadow's at the last location. Hopefully he finds something that helps out with these aura pills and the cult's direction for them." Alpha thought.

Shadow walked through the sewers with a bored expression on his face. Multiple men were all knocked out behind him with most just having been punched once.

"Good grief… so many useless guys around here. Where's the main villains? Someone from the cult has to be around here…" Shadow said aloud as he continued to look around before turning down another part of the sewer.

He walked forward and heard clicking away at a computer. "Ah, that sounds like something interesting." Shadow said with a grin before he walked to the location.

A short skinny man with green hair in a bowl cut was typing away at a computer. As Shadow walked forward the man stopped typing. "So you've arrived… I've been hearing things about people wanting to disrupt our operations." He said as he turned to Shadow who's gold eyes showed no emotion towards him.

"You can call me Pale. That's what I go buy around here. I'm guessing you want info on what my research is." Pale said.

Shadow continued to just stare at him. "The cold shoulder huh? Well… you'll get a taste of the finished product right now!" He cried as a large man burst into the room through a wall. He was tall with an extremely muscular physique with shaggy brown hair and soulless white eyes. His skin deathly pale as he seemed to just stand there huffing and puffing. He wore no shirt and tight shorts that barely fit his muscular legs.

"Meet Gigas! Our… test subject for the product. Now Gigas… take him out!" Pale cried and the large man ran at Shadow. Shadow grabbed his arm and moved it back before slamming his fist into the large man, sending him flying into the wall.

Shadow turned to Pale. "Is that the best you can do?" He asked in his deep voice as Pale smirked. "If you think that was enough to take down Gigas you aren't very bright."

Just as he said that the large man let out an inhuman moan before jumping at Shadow with impressive speed.

He slammed into the area Shadow stood at and grinded against the ground before standing up and looking down… only for Shadow to be behind him.

Shadow raised his foot before slamming it down into Gigas' back, sending the man into the ground.

He then grabbed him and threw him into the wall. Gigas slumped down and landed harshly on the ground.

The man once again shot up as Shadow's eyes widened. The man jumped and tried to slam into Shadow once again but Shadow pointed his finger at him like a gun. "Bang." Shadow said and a blast of magic shot into the man and sent him flying. It wasn't too powerful but it would probably shatter the average huntsman's aura.

The man slammed into the wall once again and slumped… before getting back up again.

"What the hell is this?" Shadow thought as he turned to Pale as he heard him laughing. "Still haven't figured it out yet?!" He laughed. Shadow then looked at the man who once again rushed him. He grabbed the man's face before slamming his fist into it and finally noticed it. A small flash around his body.

Aura

Shadow finally got it. He had an aura… but that couldn't be it. Shadow should've long destroyed his aura yet he was going perfectly fine? It was like his aura supply was unnaturally large. Potentially even larger than Shadow's own.

Shadow dodged a punch before slamming his foot into the man to send him away. "So he has an aura but… it's not natural. The amount… the potency… nothing is natural about this. He also seems to be nearly inhuman and braindead. Could this be the product?" Shadow thought as he saw the man rush at him again.

Shadow dodged before flipping Gigas behind him. He then drew his slime sword. "It's time for that technique!" He announced as Pale glanced at him. "Try what you wish, it doesn't matter. You can't defeat Gigas!"

Shadow smirked. "Through years of aura training I discovered something no one else, not even my master, had ever. Through my Semblance I discovered a hole." Shadow explained and Pale tilted his head. "A… a hole?" He asked. Shadow's grin grew even wider. "YES! A hole! A small hole in aura. While small with the right tool you can pierce it and unravel someone's aura, shattering it in a mere strike!" Pale looked shocked at what he had just heard. Shattering someone's aura with a single strike wasn't completely unheard of. It required a ridiculous feat of strength but it was possible. But the way Shadow explained it… it sounded easy.

Shadow glanced at him. "Allow me to show you one of my divine techniques." Gigas then got up and roared before rushing at Shadow. Shadow then moved his arm back before driving his sword forward.

"HEAVEN'S PIERCE!"

Shadow stabbed right above Gigas' left pec near his armpit. Gigas' aura shattered off him instantly and blood spewed from his mouth as he was sent flying into a wall.

He gargled and choked on his own blood before slumping, having died from his aura being shattered.

Pale walked over in disbelief. "No…no… this just can't be…" Shadow perked up at that. "Ah, so he does care about him. I kinda feel bad." Shadow said. "MY MASTERPIECE! YOU RUINED MY GREATEST WORK! HOW DARE YOU?! MY GREATEST EXPERIMENT! MY MOST SUCCESSFUL PROJECT!" Pale wailed.

All compassion Shadow had for him for those few seconds disappeared instantly.

Shadow walked up to the man, grabbed him by his collar and slammed him against a wall. "So about this greatest project of yours." Shadow said with a sharp glare as Pale shuddered. "Th-that doesn't matte-" He was cut off by a fist in his stomach. "It's for the Cult of Diablos! They wanted me to make artificial aura!" He cried.

Shadow dropped him. "So you managed to create artificial aura? That's quite the feat." Shadow complimented. Pale perked up and smirked. "You got it! I managed to recreate what aura is capable of! First it was small short term bursts of strength. Then I created something more permanent that mimicked the property of aura but didn't have the extra shielding aspect. So after days… weeks of trial and error I succeeded in what you saw! A shield that mimicked aura perfectly. While not true aura you've seen, it's much more powerful!"

Shadow turned to look at the dead man on the floor. He couldn't deny he was powerful but… the average huntsman would've defeated him… or would they? He hit him enough times to take out his aura over and over. Yet he stood tall. This artificial aura was no joke.

"Why would the cult need this?" Shadow asked as Pale looked away. "Well…" Shadow realized that the man responded better to praise. "Hmm? I'm sure a genius like yourself must be involved in the cult's plans. I figured they would trust you a great deal due to your intellect." Shadow said.

Pale once again perked up. "Yes indeed. They hand picked ME to work on the Tears of Diablos. Something that will enhance The Rounds beyond anythin…" The man quickly realized he had said too much but not quickly enough.

"What a dummy…" Shadow thought before closing his eyes. "So the cult needs to enhance themselves. This artificial aura is less for the criminal underworld and more for… The Rounds? I'm guessing those are the leaders of this whole thing. They need it to enhance themselves.. But for what? They want to gain power through the demon diablos, right?" Shadow went out of thought and turned to the computer. "So I'm guessing everything is on that computer." Shadow said before walking towards it.

"NO!" Pale cried as she grabbed Shadow's arm… and was dragged alongside Shadow who arrived at the computer and sat down with Pale still on his arm, begging him to stop.

Shadow turned to him. "I wiped out all of your defense. Please don't believe I won't do the same to you." Shadow said. "Plus it's embarrassing you're a grown man…" He thought.

Pale quickly got off and ran off. Shadow turned and started typing away at the computer. He didn't even pay attention to Pale's scream that lasted mere milliseconds before stopping.

He continued to type away and found some information that was useful to him. "Alpha. Beta. How did you two do?" He asked as he turned to the girls. "Yes Lord Shadow. I found that our enemy is supposedly creating artificial aura to sell to the criminal underworld." Beta said proudly as Shadow looked away. "I kind of already figured that out Beta…" He thought before turning to Alpha who looked proud of herself. "I managed to see the fruits of the beginning of that artificial aura. They used pills to make someone far stronger, faster, and durable than before. They've created aura without the forcefield effectively." Alpha said.

"I kind of knew most of that as well Alpha…" Shadow deadpanned. He looked at the girls who looked at him expecting praise. He coughed into his fist. "Excellent work Alpha, Beta. I can confirm both of your findings. This computer has data on the aura creation and what it means. The cult, more specifically the highest members known as The Rounds, are using this power to enhance themselves. But with their main scientist taken out… I wonder…." Shadow trailed off as Alpha and Beta looked up at him after enjoying their praise.'

"That might've not been their last scientist… The cult may have more to continue the research if things go south. I will continue to look into this." Shadow said and Alpha and Beta smiled and nodded at him.

The three exited the sewers before going their own paths.

Jaune stepped out of the shower in a t-shirt and pajamas while toweling off his hair. "Jeez, today was… a day." He walked into his bedroom and sat down as he looked up at the ceiling. "At least this was useful. I'm already onto a conspiracy! I'm pretty sure that makes me a full time superhero." Jaune said, smiling.

"Now I just need a place to get info on the criminal underworld. Once I can find a place like that then I'll be able to figure out where the cult operates next." Jaune then sat up. "That artificial aura is troubling. If not for Heaven's Pierce how long would I have taken to defeat him? If even I wasn't able to beat him in a few punches then how would a huntsman fair?" Jaune wasn't sure how to feel about that. The strength that man possessed was unnatural. Against a normal huntsman… maybe they wouldn't win… maybe they'd even… die.

Jaune sighed. "It's their duty to take care of the Grimm… and it's mine to take care of the cult. I shouldn't think about huntsmen facing guys like that when it's my job. After all… I'm the one in the shadows hunting the shadows."

"I should probably go to that club I've heard about. I hear there's a guy there that's a really good information broker. He probably has all kinds of knowledge. Looks like I'm gonna need a disguise and a fake I.D" Jaune thought.

His final thoughts before rest went to his family. "I wonder how they would feel." His father made it no secret that he would never allow Jaune to be a huntsman so Jaune was sure he'd flip if he knew Jaune was a shadow broker currently dealing with a shady cult that just might take over the world. Jaune knew that even if he never met Master he'd probably just find a new way to pursue being a huntsman. He'd blame the Arc DNA. Helping others in need was in his blood there's no way he wouldn't attempt. Plus staying in Ansel for the rest of his existence wasn't the most appealing thing.

He only managed to go to Vale after showing them proof of him entering university. His mother was proud. His sisters were also proud and wished him luck. His father was also happy but Jaune wasn't sure how much of that was him going to university or if his father would've been happy with anything. He had a thought of how he'd react to Jaune showing something to be a male stripper.

That idea died as it was birthed.

"I'm going crazy. Clearly sleep is necessary…" Jaune said as he laid down and closed his eyes.

After all… he had a cult to take down.

So… 3 months… yeah that was bad. I really would like to say I had a defined reason for why… but it was like 60% laziness, 30% lack of a desire to write, and 10% me being distracted with important things. Saddest part is I'm a literal hikikomori NEET lmfao. I have nothing to do but write. But I'm also the king of procrastination lmao.

But excuses aside, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I wanted to make Jaune feel like Jaune so I showed a bit of his school life and also his dorky side through a meeting with Ruby. I do want to preface that Jaune is NOT Cid. He's more aware of everything going on and isn't a massive chunni. He's fighting the cult out of a desire to protect everyone from them… not from a desire to fulfill chunni dreams. I also am doing build up for this arc with this chapter. Anyone familiar with Eminence in Shadow will be aware of the Tears of Diablos and what they do but since this is in Remnant I will add changes to them. I also gave lore for the Elves as a race from Old Remnant which predates even Faunus. Also 2 of the three heroes are also from Old Remnant.

I already have the skeleton for how I want this story to go and the ending all planned out. Now it's about getting there. Hope you enjoy. R/R I might not respond but I read all reviews so drop em. Tell me I cooked. Tell me I'm cooked and need to be banned from the kitchen. Peace. There was supposed to be an omake of Jaune learning swordplay but… nah I'm not writing that lmfao