Disclaimer:

The works of Rooster-Teeth and their characters are their own and that of the mighty Oum. The only thing I own are the one-shot ideas that popped into my head and whatever OCs I would create for them. This is a work of pure fiction made solely for fun, constructive reviews will be welcomed, flames will be ignored. Any references to characters in real-life or fiction are purely coincidental. If I could make money out of my ideas, it would be nice...

Oum Damn It!

Date Published: 28th November 2018

Chapter Title: Lessons Part 1

~~ Scene 1 ~~

Jaune sighed as he looked at the scene of men in armor drinking and laughing around the fire with a few dancing drunkenly in the make-shift camp in the forest near what he thought was the capital city of Vale. He had been having these odd dreams for the past few days now and he was starting to question whether he needed to see a doctor for this. The only reason he did not do so yet was because they were quite informative in some way and he was also curious whether these were really dreams or visions. After all dreams would not be this realistic for anyone, and the fact that he had been having these all this time meant something was really odd.

A loud guffaw drew his attention to a group of people sitting around one of the fires that was roasting some meat. At a thought, Jaune found himself just outside the ring of people listening to a story.

"And so I broke the Griffin's spine with a well-aimed throw of my trusty spear before grabbing its head and giving it a good twist to break it off!" An old soldier with armor that had seen better days bellowed while spilling some mead from his jug. "It was not easy, I was struggling to find the herbs meant to heal my wounds but the beast would not let its bounty go so easily. It truly was a fight to the death!"

"Does he ever get tired of telling that story?" Jaune turned to find a young soldier with red hair and blue eyes groaning at the old soldier's story telling. "I am supposed to be learning how to fight, not be sleeping my ass out!"

"Now whatever do you mean?" Jaune smirked at the familiar voice of the warrior he had seen in these dreams for some time as the person in question came up in his usual attire of dark clothes and boots. The man offered a drink to the soldier who thanked him and took a big gulp of it.

"I mean come on, all he does is relieve his old days of being a soldier fighting Grimm. He is not imparting any knowledge whatsoever!"

"Oh, is that so?" The warrior gave a knowing smirk."What if I say that he is imparting knowledge in a different manner?"

"Really, how is that done?" The young soldier asked flatly.

"Think back to what he said two days ago about facing off against the five Beowolves. Before you think about that story, what are the common ways of taking them down?"

"If you are up against one, best way to do it is to take apart the limbs slowly before aiming for the head. If you are against a pack, you would need at least one other person with you to watch your back. Two or more Beowolves would mean you take out one before the other, ideally in an environment that does not have too much cover for them to ambush you." The soldier repeated his teachings while taking a sip from his drink.

"Okay, now think back to the story. What are the methods?"

"You mean the bit where the old man used a halibut to kill the Grimm by slapping it in the face?" The soldier raised an eyebrow at the warrior.

"Aside from that." The warrior rolled his eyes in good humor. "There was something else, what about the part where he led the Grimm into the valley?" The soldier paused as he took a slow sip of the drink, frowning as he thought back about the information.

"That might sound feasible, what with him using the terrain as a way to force the Beowolves into single file and letting him pick them off one by one."

"That is that, but he also told you about the usage of a certain herb." The warrior prompted him.

"You mean the sage used for burning to make them tipsy?" The soldier asked with a confused expression. "That can't be true."

"Actually it is." The warrior replied back. "I was in the area of his story and was curious enough to check, and low-behold there is a stash of those herbs and he was not talking bullshit on the effects. I only lit one up and a pack of Boarbatusks started acting like party night in Mistral."

"You have got to be kidding me!" The soldier exclaimed loudly, unwittingly drawing some attention to them. The warrior waved to them that nothing was wrong before trying to calm his friend down.

"Nope, it is the truth."

"..." The soldier gawked at him while alternating his glance at the old man who was now spinning a tale of him fighting against a Goliath while on top of a Nevermore. With a grimace, he drank the remainder of his drink in one gulp. "Then why…"

"Why he does not bother giving you straight facts and just keeps making the stories sound so outrageous?" The warrior completed his question, to which the soldier nodded. "Let me ask you, what do you know of his old vocation?"

"The old man belonged to the 22nd regiment of the Border Corps, and they were some of the toughest fighters of the group." The soldier started to repeat what information he had. "They were the key to winning the battle of Numere, the old border around the valleys that separated Vale from Vacuo."

"They were also wiped out when the Grimm Horde took them by surprise." the warrior nodded at the soldier's expression. "The regiment had finished their fight with the enemy at that time, but they had lost a few men, were exhausted and running low on supplies. You can imagine how low morale was at that time, it did not take much for the Grimm to finish the job." the warrior nodded his head at the old soldier. "He is the only survivor of the regiment, word was he was trapped in the cracks of the hills for three days straight with only water and broken weaponry to keep him alive. By the time reinforcements arrived, they found him surrounded with the corpses of his fellow soldiers and the Grimm."

"Shit." The soldier looked to the old man with renewed eyes of respect and pity.

"He was not the same since. He had to be partially discharged due to the nervous breakdown he had." The warrior continued to answer. "It was after seeing one of the doctors dealing with PTSD that he decided to teach in a manner that would be both instructive and at the same time less depressing."

"Hence the outrageous story telling." The soldier remarked. Jaune was listening too deeply to note that his surroundings were blurring and fading away, only the sight of the fire disappearing and the soldier's figure starting to turn to dust keyed him into the bit that the dream / vision was ending.

"That is correct. People need different ways to handle stress in times of war, his is just story-telling with a side dose of teaching to ensure the next generation don't make his mistakes while not getting them depressed and uncertain of fighting in the front lines." The warrior shut his eyes just as the soldier disappeared along with the scene, leaving Jaune alone with him. "The lesson in this..." the warrior looked up and straight at Jaune.

"Sometimes, you just need to read between the lines to get the information."

~~ Scene 2 ~~

"WAKE UP SLEEPYHEAD!"

Jaune groaned as he took the blanket and covered his head under it, resisting the calls to wake up and wanting to go back into Morpheus's embrace. But the owner of the voice was not to be denied and made her presence known by jumping right into his bed.

"GARH!" Jaune almost felt his eyes bulging out of his eye sockets when Nora's legs impacted against his stomach with full weight of her body, and he was sure that the bed frame actually bent under the strain.

"Nora!" Ren came forward to grab Nora away, leaving Jaune to roll off the bed and hit the floor hard, groaning as he clutched his stomach in a fetal position. "What did I say about this?"

"Never jump on someone in bed?" Nora scratched the back of her head while she was still held in the air.

"Yes." Ren nodded with the flattest tone possible.

"Erm~ Oops?" Nora let out a nervous laugh while tilting her head. "Sorry Jaune." The leader in question could only groan more in return as his aura set out to repair the damage.

"Jaune, do you need to see the doctor?" Pyrrha sked with deep concern on her face.

"Nope, I'm good." Jaune raised a shaking thumbs-up. "Just need a moment to breathe."

"Hopefully not too long Jaune. Today is the start of our real lessons." Ren let Nora down and directed a look at her that caused an automatic reaction in the form of a salute. He nodded before looking to Jaune. "At least we still have some time, if we leave in five minutes we can have a nice long breakfast before Grimm Studies."

"Sounds good. Be there in a minute… or five." Jaune wheezed as he got up from the floor and made his way to the bathroom to wash up. He waved away Pyrrha's request to stay behind to check up on him, stating he was fine before he locked the door.

'Damn, Nora is heavy~'

Thank goodness he only thought of that after they left, because women seemed to have that sixth sense to know when they were being talked about, especially when one mentions their weight. His sisters were extremely sensitive on that bit. Jaune shuddered as he started to brush his teeth, letting his mind wander back to the dream he had.

In a sense, Jaune was getting a little worried about these dreams he had for the past few days, they felt a little too real for him and there have been occasions he had to question his health and at times his own sanity. It also does not help with his situation when he started having odd visions during his fights or training, when it felt that he was experiencing the life of another person instead of his own. Without meaning to, he had started to take notes about his dreams to see if there were patterns that would help him identify the issue and the occasional bits that talked of fighting or training. Those at least helped him with his own weapons.

'I wonder if this has to do with my unlocking of the Aura?' Jaune thought as he spat out the toothpaste and rinsed his mouth. For the few days they had it easy while Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck were out in the forest dealing with the catacombs and Grimm Pyrrha and him had found, so they ended up having a few more lectures by other professors. Miss Goodwitch also planned some lessons of her own involving how huntsmen should conduct themselves in the kingdoms, something she admitted to them she did not have much chances to try out over the years. Privately she had also approached Jaune to offer the private lessons, stating that his irregular training was too risky and she was going to ensure that he does not slack off on his training.

This was something that Jaune was very happy and unwittingly admitted that he wished he had proper training and encouragement from his parents, a fact that made Glynda looked at him with slight pity. She was very helpful in pointing out his mistakes when he was using Crocea Mors, though had expressed some confusion regarding his usage of Crimson Blitz as he seemed to have some better handling with it than his original weapons.

He was honestly not sure how to feel about that.

But thanks to her and Pyrrha once she was brought in to assist, Jaune started learning a lot more on Aura, and the other ability called Semblances, something that was unique to everyone in the academy. Normally one would only access that feature after a few years, but Pyrrha had said that he had a lot of Aura, a lot more than most of their cohorts. Even Glynda had remarked that his reserves were unusual for someone who just had his aura unlocked recently, so perhaps there could be something to it?

Jaune merely shrugged as he changed into his uniform, grabbed his bag and went out of the dormitory to meet the others for breakfast. He would think about that later, right now he needed food for the day. Given what he had heard about the professor of Grimm Studies, he needed something in case he called for volunteers, but evidently he was a windbag when doing his lectures?

It can't be that bad, can it?

~~ Scene 3 ~~

Scratch that idea, he was so wrong.

The moment Professor Peter Port opened his mouth, the class began their journey back into the land of Morpheus, a few of them already snoring lightly in the classroom. On his side, Yang and Nora had succumbed to the melody of Port's long-winded lecture, Blake was reading some book with the textbook blocking it from the professor's view, Ruby was doodling on her notebook, Ren seemed to have mastered the art of sleeping with his eyes open, while Pyrrha and Weiss appeared to be the only ones barely trying to be coherent and write down notes, key words being 'barely trying' as Weiss seemed more frustrated as Port droned on and unless he was imagining it, Jaune could see a hint of drool threatening to flow from Pyrrha's mouth while she gazed at the board with glassy eyes.

He should take a picture of that just for the fun of it.

As for Jaune himself, he was contemplating using his bag as his pillow and go back to sleep. Honestly the man was supposed to be the leading expert in Grimm extermination, yet he was just relieving his old life stories. What was the point of him trying to tell them about fighting a Boarbatusk with a shoe and a stick? Was there any real information in there to actually kill a Grimm? This was just bull...

'Sometimes, you just need to read between the lines to get the information.'

Jaune narrowed his eyes at that mental reminder, his drowsiness now gone and replaced with cautious consideration. If he looked at the professor in some manner, he did resemble the old soldier from his dream, and he does enjoy being oddly bombastic in his descriptions, and now that he was listening in to it, Jaune noted that the professor was emphasizing on some portions of the story when dealing with the Grimm and he looked somewhat disappointed when he noted them not paying attention.

Maybe…

Jaune pushed himself off the bag, grabbed his notebook and a pen, and started to pen down random bits of his story alongside possible interpretations of those words. He did not notice Weiss and Pyrrha turning to look at him with surprise or Port to gain a smile at his actions.

"… Grabbed the tusks and gave the beast a great throw..."

'Grabbing the tusks of a Boarbatusk just before it could spin stalls it enough to throw, has a hard time to get back up so take the chance to stab it.'

"… Finding the dandelions of Cornelia wasn't easy, it took a long and perilous journey to climb the hills and search within the caves of Atlas to get them..."

'Cornelia dandelions grow in the outskirts of Atlas, found in caves and only in certain seasons when the snow fall is low. But it could be worth it if you want to treat some wounds infected by some of the Grimm species out there.'

".. The pack could only cower in fear as I took out the Alpha's hind legs with my trusty weapon..."

'Taking out the hind legs of the Beowolf by aiming for the joints will slow it down, but risky due to the speed. Consider Nora's grenades for softening?'

"… The creature was no match for the punching technique passed down the Port Family Line for many generations!"

'I have no idea what the fuck does that mean!'

After some rather distracting and confusing minutes, Jaune paused in his writing to look at the text he had written. Now that he had written them out and considered his thoughts, there was actually some decent information hidden. Granted he was still not sure if any of it was true, but if one did looked between the lines, there might actually be something. Jaune nodded as he checked his interpretations before raising his head to get the next bit of possible information only to find one Peter Port next to him.

"RARG!" Jaune's startled yell and subsequent falling from his chair woke some of the class from their stupor, a few looking around with dumb expressions. Peter only chuckled as he looked down and nodded in approval at the notes taken.

"Very good, Mr Arc. You are able to get some of the points in." Peter pointed to one of the interpretations he made regarding a Beowolf. "You are correct in your interpretations regarding taking out the Alpha, and you have the novel idea of using one of your team's assets to take the Grimm out efficiently. Hmm~ curious..." The professor turned to regard Jaune with a cursory eye as the teen got back on to his chair. "Let me ask you this. How would you determine an Alpha from the pack, especially if they are closer in age?"

"Erm..." Jaune fumbled slightly while noting some of the class were now paying attention to their conversation, and rather irritatingly some were snickering about him getting humiliated. Well then, time to bust out some bubbles.

"Based on behavioral patterns, if one is more dominant in the group, they tend to exert more pressure on the weaker members. There are also small features on its body and armor that would show the creature's position in the group." Jaune answered that while thanking his dreams for the answer.

"True, but hypothetically speaking, if everyone of them looks the same – meaning no size difference or markings – and mostly behaves the same, how can you tell the Alpha from the rest?" Peter asked with a wiggle of his mustache.

"Well, this is just a theory, but the Grimm take after animals more than just their features, they also take after their behavior. So in that line of thinking, you could try to challenge the Alpha Beowolf as there is a chance they follow the animal kingdom's method of thinking where the Alpha must accept the challenge or risk the loss of its pack from inaction. With that, the other creatures should not interfere and if you can defeat the Alpha, they would basically tear each other apart to gain control, giving me a chance to fight them with fewer numbers." Jaune gave that answer while trying to recall his lessons from his uncle and from the dreams.

Everyone in the classroom at this point was awake and listening to his explanation, a few looking at him as though he was mad to think that way. A loud guffaw drew their attention to Professor Port who was clutching his round belly and letting out a joyous laugh.

"Yes! That is the correct answer, Mr Arc. Very good indeed!" The man complimented the teen while looking at him with a curious light in his eyes. "I must say that it is the first time anyone got that question right, and a first year at that as well!"

"Wait, how is that possible?" Weiss asked while looking dumbfounded. "Grimm should not be acting in that manner, they are mindless. Furthermore, you still need to deal with the Alpha and the rest of the pack, that alone carries a lot of risk!"

"Indeed you are correct, Miss Schnee." Professor Port answered as he turned to her. "It would be risky, but as Mr Arc has stated, the creatures do follow other characteristics aside from their appearance. Grimm when one looks at it after some time are merely beings of instincts and evil that are quite predictable, with only the Alpha as the main challenge since they have lived long enough to start making decisions. You just need to consider what are the likely attributes they would have before you fight them, they may not seem like much to you at first glance but every little counts." He paused as he looked at everyone in the eye. "Remember this, you are huntsmen representing the people in and out of the kingdoms, your strength is more than just to take out a few Grimm, it is seen as a badge to rally your own troops. The older Grimm understand this to a degree, so if you are facing them with a pack, you can try to challenge them, but note that you must be able to back it up so that the leader will order his group to not interfere."

Weiss slumped on her chair, clearly trying to process the idea that machoism applied to the Grimm of all things while others started to scribble down on their notebooks frantically, trying to make the most of this rare moment that the teacher was not bragging and actually giving facts.

"Seeing as we have a fair amount of time, I like to do something a little different today." Professor Port proclaimed as he looked at Jaune and Weiss. "I believe everyone here has mixed opinions regarding what was being discussed here, so let's put that to the test shall we? Can I ask Miss Schnee and Mister Arc for a demonstration?" The two students looked at each other with raised eyebrows before giving a nod to the professor. "Excellent! I will go and prepare the stage, so you two go and grab your equipment."

Jaune and Weiss nodded and started making their way to the locker room while the other students started to chatter, their earlier lethargicness now forgotten in favor for the upcoming performance. There were a few however who were being rude by betting who would get 'creamed' by the Grimm, and it did not help Jaune's confidence.

"Good luck Weiss." Jaune waved to Weiss before they entered their respective locker rooms. The white-themed girl turned to look at him with an odd expression before nodding with a light smile and going into the room. Jaune moved on to his locker where he quickly changed into his huntsman clothes and armor.

'Hmm~ maybe I should consider getting a new set of armor in the future?' Jaune thought as he tightened the straps before grabbing Crocea Mors and clipping it to his belt. As he grabbed the locker door he looked at the other weapon that was currently inside, now cleaned up, fixed and given a new shine and sheath.

'Should I take this along? Why not, with my luck Crocea Mors could be knocked out of my hands?'

With that thought, he grabbed Crimson Blitz from its holder and secured it to his back before closing the locker door and making his way to the arena where the professor was waiting for them both.

Perhaps it was his nerves, but he could have sworn the new weapon vibrated lightly as he walked out into the classroom.

~~ Scene 4 ~~

~~ Act 1 ~~

"Well at least we get some action for the day." Yang leaned forward in eager anticipation at the stage that was now being divided down the middle to cater to two fighters at the same time, though judging from the lone cage and likely for the safety of the students the professor would make them fight one at a time.

"Yeah, and what's more it is both of our teams kicking ass today!" Nora cheered before digging into her bag and bringing out foam fingers and banners. "We should cheer them on!"

"How?" Blake blinked before looking to Ren who merely shook his head while shrugging.

"Don't ask, you can save your sanity." Ren spoke with a tone that hinted at long suffering under Nora's madness. The others looked to each other with slightly fearful expressions before taking the items from Nora.

"Oh here comes Weiss!" Ruby pointed at the door where Weiss just walked out, her white clothing light swaying as she seemed to strut like she was on a catwalk with her weapon held in her hand like a fencer, her eyes set on the cage. "Oh and I think Jaune is here as well!" Pyrrha turned to look at the door again only to blink as a shadowy figure appeared at the entrance with glowing eyes. It reminded her of the same apparition that appeared around Jaune a few times, but this one was more defined than before. While she could not see the face, she could tell the figure had spiky hair that seemed unnatural spiked. He wore a high collar indigo shirt, black pants and dark boots that appeared to be steel-tipped, over which he had some type of dark robe covering his left leg that extended to his ankles. On his left side, one sole pauldron sat on his shoulder which held the dark cloth covering his entire left arm.

Another blink revealed Jaune coming out with Crocea Mors attached to his hip and Crimson Blitz stuck to his back.

What was that earlier?

"Oh he got Crimson Blitz out as well. Maybe he can use it later!" Ruby was bouncing in her seat as she alternated her sights on her two friends.

"Yeah..." Pyrrha softly replied as she looked at Jaune once more before noting how Blake who was seated in front was getting oddly tensed when looking down at the stage. Taking a glance around her, Pyrrha noted other students were also getting oddly agitated for some reason and were looking at Jaune with nervous eyes.

"You noticed it too?" A soft voice prompted her to turn to Ren who was looking at the stage steadily while whispering. "Something is getting them a little riled up, and it seems that the cause may come from Jaune's weapons."

"Why do you say that?" Pyrrha frowned as she looked at Jaune who was giving a practice swing with Crocea Mors.

"I have noted the odd behavior for the past few days and it only ever comes out when Jaune has Crimson Blitz equipped." Ren answered as he took a cursory glance at the students. "At first I had thought it was due to the footage where Jaune took out the Death Stalker with one slash, but he does not get such an adverse reaction with Crocea Mors. Furthermore there is something inherently wrong with it." He looked to Pyrrha with a side glance. "Got any cuts from it so far?"

"So I am not the only one who thought it was weird." Pyrrha stated as a matter of fact.

"Nope, for now it seems you, me and recently Ruby are the only ones that don't get hurt handling it aside from Jaune. The only pattern I see with those who do get cuts is along the lines of people who seemed to pick on him or any of us. It is as if it attacks anyone who has issues with him and wants to hurt him." Ren answered.

"Including Nora?" The red-haired spartan raised an eyebrow.

"Well perhaps it is a case of rough-housing or bad attitude, but that is how I imagine it." Ren shrugged. "Since we are talking on this, notice another pattern?"

"The ones getting affected the most are Faunus?" Pyrrha mentioned while taking another glance.

"Yup, there are a couple of humans but majority are Faunus who always tensed up each time he has that weapon out. It is like some instinct is telling them there is something wrong." Ren paused before subtly pointing a finger at Blake who was still looking at Jaune with narrowed eyes and tensed back. Pyrrha gave a light nod in agreement.

Looks like there was something more to Miss Belladonna than it meets the eye.

~~ Act 2 ~~

Jaune lightly tapped his foot on the ground as he awaited his turn to face a Grimm. He would admit that he was quite nervous for his turn, after all his first fight with a Grimm was at initiation, and that was an anomaly in itself since he had to face off against a supposedly extinct species that was not native to Vale and an Elder Death Stalker that wanted a taste of his skinny behind. He had watched videos of his sister taking out Grimm before, but that was still not a good manner of learning, so this would be his first hands-on experience of sorts. He could only adjust himself and looked at Weiss dealing with her Boarbatusk in hopes of getting some tips.

That said, Jaune frowned at the hostility Weiss was displaying towards Ruby. Granted Ruby could be quieter with her shouts and perhaps better timed when the Grimm was not attacking Weiss, but the advice given was sound and would help to end the fight faster. Yet it seemed that Ruby giving the advice kept making Weiss more angry and distracted, and in the process made the Grimm stronger and faster from all the negative emotions being generated.

'Pride...'

When he was younger, Jaune would have thought of rejecting any forms of help to hang on to his pride, but his grandfather and uncle had taken him aside to warn him of the dangers of pride. That part he was most thankful sine it helped him realize he needed proper training.

"Well done, Miss Schnee! Looks like we have a huntress in the making!" Professor Port's boisterous voice broke his thoughts and drew his attention to the stage where Weiss stood victorious over the decaying Grimm, her expression being a mix of pride and irritation. "Now that round is done, time for the next act!" Peter Port turned to Jaune with a wriggle of his mustache. "Let's see you test the theory out shall we!" With that, the professor turned to the cage that was on his side of the stage and removed the lock with a hard hit from his battle axe. Jaune readied himself as he waited for the Grimm to come out.

Oh boy~

Out of the cage came three Beowolves, all looking identical and giving the same hungry look at everyone. At least until one turned to look at him, that was when it stilled and narrowed its eyes before letting out a bark to alert the other two that he was in front of them.

Okay, he had found the Alpha.

Jaune decided he needed the advantage so he backed himself into a corner where he still had room to dodge two or more if one decided to lunge while keeping his back protected from attacks. It was a good decision as it stopped the Grimm from trying to make a circle around him, made clear with one of the Beowolf growling in irritation. That one took a leap at him with its jaws open wide, but Jaune could tell that one was just the distraction and the real attacker was coming at the other side so he held his shield tight and angled his body such that when the Grimm in front of him was close enough he ran forward to push the Grimm off and sent crashing into the other Grimm that was coming from behind. That gave Jaune enough time to look at the Alpha which was on the outer rim of the ring, just looking at him with steady eyes and not doing any action.

Just like the Death Stalker from before.

Jaune did not think much after as the two behind him got untangled and were now gunning for him. Jaune dodged to the side while angling his blade just right so that the Grimm that leaped above him got cut, resulting in the Grimm roaring in pain as it hit the ground hard. With the other distracted, Jaune faced the Alpha and tried the only idea he had to issue a challenge. He raised his shield and banged his blade at it, glaring at it with as much intensity as he could.

It seemed to have worked as the Alpha perked up and its eyes glowed for a moment before letting out a growl, stopping the other two from exacting their revenge. The Grimm got up and started to circle around Jaune who did the same but ensuring the other Beowolves were in his sights in case they did not follow his idea of the pack mentality. There was no need for that as the two were away from them a fair distance although the injured one was practically snarling at him.

Oops~

He did not have to wait too long as the Alpha shifted and leaped forward in a great burst of energy, forcing him to bear the weight of the blow on his shield as it slammed into him and pushed him back a few feet. He grunted heavily and shifted his weight to dodge the paw aimed for his side, using the sword to nick the body through the gaps of its bone armor. He did not get much chance to do another as the Alpha twisted and punched him in the chest, sending him off his feet and slamming into the ground.

"Oh dear, that would be a hard blow Mr Arc, best to get back up quickly!" Professor Port yelled over the cheering done by his team and the course-mates, although there were a couple of jeers from the more unsavory types. Jaune ignored them as he got back to his feet and steadied himself in time to block another salvo, only this time Jaune had plunged his blade into the ground so that he would not be pushed back. In this case it was a good thing as he had underestimated the strength of his sword and the Grimm had its momentum stopped almost instantaneous. The confusion was evident enough in its eyes and that gave Jaune a chance to bash it in the face before pulling out the sword and slashing across, removing the bottom jaw in the process.

"RRRRROOOORRGGG!" The Alpha let out a pained roar as it leaped away from Jaune, the mouth bleeding a fair amount of black blood while the piece of jaw on the ground started to turn to ash. The Alpha glared at Jaune with the promise of pain to be inflicted on him before it disappeared from his sight. It was only thanks to Ruby's shouting of it coming from the side that saved Jaune from becoming a smear on the wall as he managed to pick up his shield in time to block the blow aimed for his head, but it did throw him off his feet and against the wall again, this time making him lose his grip on his sword.

"Okay, now what would you do without a sword?" Professor Port called out to him, notably with a hint of caution in his tone, likely preparing to step in if he needed to. Jaune gritted his teeth as he got up and readied his shield as he pondered his options. He was not going to lose this fight, he got in to Beacon on his own strength and with the help of others, he would not let them down!

With that, he reached behind his back, grabbed Crimson Blitz tightly and pulled it out hard, the blade singing with the promise of taking down its enemies.

That definitely got the attention of the Alpha and the other two Beowolves waiting on the sides, making them oddly more agitated, with the Alpha getting into a crouch and crushing the ground with its claws. The blonde knight got into a stance that he normally would with his usual blade with a modification suggested by Pyrrha for using Crimson Blitz with the shield portion of Crocea Mors. In that moment, Jaune experienced yet another odd vision, this time though was a case of the Alpha blurring and having crimson lines that ran along its body with a red circle around the chest where the heart would probably be, just like that time with the Centipods.

Then the Beowolf Alpha leaped forward with its arms wide to take a swipe at him, making him react faster than he expected and swung Crimson Blitz hard, cutting through the lines around the limbs and partially on the chest. The blood that splattered onto his shield and part of his face broke the vision and Jaune found himself looking at an Alpha that had its front legs removed and a good portion of its chest cut to reveal some of the organs beneath it in a gruesome manner that caused some of the audience to puke their breakfast.

Jaune did not have much time to appreciate as the other two decided that the fight was over and joined in on the hunt, forcing him to take cover behind his shield and taking a couple of pot-shots at them. He was marginally successful until the point where the two decided to take a swipe at him at the same time, forcing him back and making him lose his shield this time.

'Damn it!' Jaune cursed as he lost his balance and crouched down on the ground to steady himself before turning around. As he did, his sight changed again and he found himself in a barren forest facing off with a group of Beowolves around him.

'Not again! Come on, not now!' Jaune thought to himself as he noted the Grimm surrounding him. Jaune was getting a little tired at this point and it did not help that the vision was too realistic for him to ignore. Movement at the corner drew his attention to two Beowolves who leaped forward with mouths wide open, and for a brief movement he could have sworn he saw the warrior from his dreams in front of him in a similar position and went about swinging a blade in his hand. His body moved automatically in a circle and Crimson Blitz sliced through the air and through the Beowolves with an audible sound. Without stopping his motion, Jaune raised his weapon with both hands and brought it down on the Beowolf that took the chance to try and attack him, creating a thin beam of crimson light that fired off from his weapon and sliced through the Beowolf right down the middle, causing both halves to fly past Jaune and getting some blood split on his face.

"Well done Mr Arc!" The voice of Professor Port seemed to be the trigger for the vision to end and Jaune found himself back in the classroom where the round professor made his way to him in excitement while his fellow hunters cheered loudly at his work. "I have never seen such skill in handling Grimm, and that technique to split the Grimm in half is most certainly impressive!"

"Huh?" Jaune blinked before turning to find the two Beowolf Betas cut horizontally with at least one of their limbs removed in similar fashion, while the Beowolf Alpha was most certainly dead being cut in half down the middle. That reminded Jaune of the blood on his face and it made him feel a little queasy.

"Whoa, easy there my lad." Port lightly placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "I would guess that the adrenaline is now wearing out, so you might need to take a breather before you do anymore fighting." Jaune could only nod as he took deep breaths to calm himself and not look at the corpses in front of him. He would have to tackle that issue with visions sooner or later.

"So my fair students, you have just witnessed two different examples of dealing with Grimm!" Professor Port turned to the students still seated. "Miss Schnee has demonstrated how one would deal with a speed type Grimm, and what could happen if one is not careful in the field at times." Weiss growled under her breath while glaring at Ruby. "Mister Arc had demonstrated the theory about the behavior of the Grimm and how targeting the Alpha could help in some cases, but worth noting that the younger an Alpha, the less control it has on its pack as shown earlier when the others decided to gang up on Mister Arc after the Alpha got its jaw removed. Also worth mentioning is that currently these are technically young Beowolves to showcase the pack mentality, in the outskirts and Grimmlands you will be facing older Grimm in larger numbers and there are Grimm that don't necessarily conform to the pack mentality like the King Taijitu, so it is important for you to know what Grimm you are tackling and plan carefully with your team." The bell rang signifying the end of the lesson. "And that is it for the day. Please read up on chapter 2 of your textbook, there will be something about the topic next lesson." He called out as the students packed their stuff and started making their way out of the classroom, each one talking quite amicably and comparing notes on the earlier

"Erm Professor?" Jaune turned to Peter Port who looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He glanced briefly at Weiss who was about to leave and at Ruby who was looking a little down-casted. "This is an odd request, but..."

"I believe I know what you wish to inquire." Peter raised one finger as he turned. "May Team RWBY stay behind for a brief moment? I wish to clarify something." The group in question looked at each other puzzled except for Weiss who looked ready to throw a tantrum as she continued to the locker room to change her clothes. "Does that satisfy you, Mr Arc?" The old hunter whispered softly to the teen.

"Yes, thank you for that." Jaune paused before asking another question. "There is also something I wanted to ask about your lecture. Forgive me if I am being rude or insensitive, but per chance you are embellishing the story to test us?" The old man chuckled before opening his eyes, and it just hit Jaune that the old man did not open his eyes once for the whole lesson.

"Looks like I was right on the money about you, you seemed to have realized the method I did it, can you guess why?"

"Well as stated you did it to test us, but at the same time..." Jaune shuffled awkwardly as he tried to phrase his words without insulting the huntsman. "I get the feeling you have experienced some hardships in the past that could be traumatic for those who have not experienced it before, so you wish to help us get through, but the only way to do it is through story-telling?"

"Indeed young man, indeed." Peter nodded gravely. "I will not lie to you, the life of a huntsman is not an easy road. Most seem to buy the propaganda that being a huntsman is a way of getting fame, status and fortune, and that we are at peace." The old man snorted rather loudly at that statement. "They fail to realize that the dangers don't lurk in the arena or the typical forest, but it shows up outside of the kingdom where a single mistake could bring about the horde after you and anyone around you. As odd as it sounds, you need more than courage. It is ludicrous to believe that you could face the Grimm without fear, what you need is to face your fears and work alongside it if not accept it as opposed to just bashing it. We may have Aura, but we are not invincible." The old man chuckled at this point. "I believe Professor Goodwitch would be teaching you that on her first lesson of Combat."

"I see, thank you for answering my question." Jaune bowed and was about to leave when Peter stopped him for a moment.

"I suppose I should be thanking your grandfather about that insight?" The old man queried Jaune with an air of something cautious that made Jaune a little uneasy.

"Well, my grandfather mostly, but also my uncle and my eldest sister helped to warn me." Jaune paused before adding "There was another person who helped me but he has passed away quite a few years ago. He was the one who taught me about not taking things at face value and try to read between the lines."

"And that man was very wise it would seem." Peter hummed in agreement. "A pity he has passed away else I would have enjoyed talking to him."

"I believe he would have liked that." Jaune smiled.

"Well best to get moving." Peter wrote a quick note on a piece of paper and handed it to Jaune. "I have held you back for a lot longer than expected, hang on to this in case you are late for your next lesson."

"Thank you professor." Jaune accepted the paper graciously. He really did not need to be late for his first day of lessons.

"Off you go, time for me to deal with another student." Peter said as Team RWBY came with Weiss. Jaune nodded and quickly left the classroom, giving an encouraging smile at them before meeting his team outside to go the next class. But as they walked while Nora was running her mouth at a ten miles per second about his fight with the Grimm, one thing still hung at the back of his mind.

The vision he had during that fight was more detailed and a little too realistic for his liking, and Jaune got the bad feeling that if he could not get a handle on this, something could happen that might endanger his team.

He might consider seeing the doctor later in the afternoon...

0-0-0-0

Hello there, here's the latest chapter for this story. Apologies for the lateness, I had to edit this chapter ten times to get it to where I wanted and even now I am not sure if it is 'up there' so to say.

I wanted to show how Jaune is getting affected without the whole 'possession of the soul/body' that we get from other fanfics that feature weapons or Ozpin. Especially the latter based on the latest volume of the series, I am getting 'What the fuck?!' vibes from it with all the info coming in. So I am showing my version, and for now I don't plan on any actual possession, maybe some influence but still Jaune.

Side note, I am planning to bring forth one of my melting pot ideas, still deciding on the one so look out for it. And as always, please R-&-R and let me know how this goes, and hopefully you stick around for me to bring out another chapter, hopefully before the end of the year.

And I put my pen down for now.