"So this is what it's like to be Ren."
"Hm? What do you mean," Argent asked.
"I can see the same thing Grimm sees. Negative emotions. I can actually TASTE them. Fear, anger, hatred, sadistic ple- ew."
"Sadistic what," Argent asked, genuinely confused.
"You don't need to know," Jaune and Nimueh said at the same time.
"You two have been saying that a lot lately," Argent complained.
"Listen to your parents, honey," Nimueh said.
"Speaking of, 7 o'clock. 4 o'clock. 11 o'clock. They're pretty high up so they're bound to have snipers. Inside, I see a few walking around, and there are two to three scared civilians around them. I don't want to give those pricks a chance to hurt anyone. Arie, you remember those stealth lessons Blake gave you?"
"They're a bit hard, but I can at least sneak around."
"Did Yang teach you any choke holds?"
"Oh, yeah," Argent chuckled as he rubbed his neck.
"I'm going to have a talk with your aunt later," Nimueh went with cold eyes.
Meanwhile.
"Eeck!"
"Yang? What's wrong," Ruby asked.
"I just had a seriously cold shiver run down my spine."
"Worried about Arie," Verde asked.
"No, worried about me. I think I'm actually afraid for my own life."
"You?! Afraid," Lyra asked in amazement.
"Who could possibly scare you," Silber asked.
"Nimueh," Ruby answered for her.
"Oh, Nimueh," Silber said.
"Yeah, Nimueh makes sense. There aren't a lot of people scarier than Arie's mom," Lyra said. She then felt a shiver as she looked towards Ruby. The beauty was giving her a cold look, her silver eye shining menacingly. "Um... sorry. I... I didn't mean that, Mrs. Arie's Mom." Lyra laughed nervously.
"Hmmm. Well, we're almost at Haven, so you're off the hook."
"Phew," Lyra went softly.
"FOR NOW," Ruby went calmly and softly, but loud enough for Lyra to hear.
"EEEEEP," Lyra went.
"We're going to use stealth," Jaune said.
"You can do that, dad," Argent asked.
"Done it before. Admittedly, I absolutely sucked at it. I actually failed my first covert mission so badly that Ren actually forced me to train with him for a year. I'm nowhere near his level, but I'm practically a ninja."
"Hopefully, practically will be enough. I'm not stealthy, so," Nimueh began. She then turned back into a sword and was caught by Jaune, who sheathed her.
"So, it's just you, me, and a pack of Beowolves. Ready, kiddo?"
"Yeah! Oh, but way, can you tell what tribe these guys are from?"
"Honestly, I can't. To me, everyone behind those walls looks like blobs of dark colors. Though, I can safely say that it's not the Branwen Tribe."
"How?"
"Taking over villages isn't Raven's style. She prefers smaller or more efficient targets. If it's low risk but highly rewarding, she would definitely do it. But this is way too risky with too little reward. It's like these lunatics are actually trying to summon the Gr-" Jaune's eyes then widened. "No."
"Dad?"
"It couldn't be them."
"Who?"
"A while back, long before you were born, there was a bandit tribe that actually worshipped the Grimm. They were among the few lunatics that believed the Grimm were animal spirits seeking vengeance. But I took down their leader, disbanding them. The only way they'd regroup would be if... Arie, if you hear drums, cover your ears and escape immediately. Don't even think of worrying about me or saving anyone. Just run."
"What? Dad, what's going-"
"Do you understand, Argent 'Vale Paladin' Arc?"
Argent's eyes widened. For his dad to call him by his full name, including the nickname he hopes to earn one day, meant this was serious. The boy then nodded in understanding, beginning the father and son's mission.
They found the hole and squeezed through, hiding in the tall grass. Jaune then performed various hand signals, all of which Argent understood the meaning of. The two nodded before going their separate ways, Jaune trying to see if he could order the Beowolves that followed him and his son via concentration.
Turned out he could, all the Beowolves moving to their positions.
It didn't take long for Jaune and Argent to take out the guards.
Yang and Blake taught the boy well. Argent was able to sneak around and climb as quietly as a ghost thanks to Blake's training. Yang's choke hold training was just as useful. He would land on the bandit's back and put them in sleeper holds, strike their necks with enough force to knock them out without breaking their spinal cord, or sometimes land in front of them and strike their chin.
Given his mischievous nature, the last style was his favorite. He knocked out his enemies with palm strikes, crosses to the chin, or what he thought was the most fun, a wheel kick to the chin. He was so tempted to make Kung Fu noises but remembered how Yang would lecture him about not doing something like that, no matter how cute it made him. Then again, the kid HATES being called cute, so Yang pretty much convinced him to stop just by doing that.
Jaune was actually doing a better job than Argent... because he was using the power of Apathy.
When he was close enough, he would use a low frequency scream. Quiet as it was, it was still effective enough to make the guards lethargic, some of them even falling unconscious. The more stubborn ones, Jaune casually walked up to and merely flicked the side of their head. Of course, he buffed himself up using Beringel strength, but that's beside the point.
Freeing the prisoners was a bit tougher, mostly for Argent. Though some people were happy to see the Regional Vale Champion, others were chastising the boy for being... well, ten, and doing the work of a Huntsman. That got an eyeroll from the boy. It was also awkward for him to try and explain that the Beowolves he brought them to were good guys and that they could trust them to keep them safe. Some were more willing than others, getting on more easily when they watched a Beowolf, carry a prisoner over the wall and come back. The more stubborn ones, ones who were too terrified of Grimm, still chastising Argent, or who didn't want the humiliation of being saved by a kid; got on Argent's last nerve. So, with a popped vein, he just knocked them out with an Enhanced Flick to the chin, put them over the Beowolf, and let the creature carry them out.
Since Jaune was, well, Jaune, people trusted him immediately. Though some were still terrified of him do to his new look. Though he understood where they were coming from, he didn't have the time to deal with this, so he calmed them down using his Apathy powers, which worked wonders.
Having them trust the Beowolves was just as much as a challenge, especially on the children. He was going to use Apathy on them until he got an idea. He knelt down, gently asking the kids to get close, and carefully held out the Beowolf's paw, making sure the claws were nowhere near the children. The kids were astonished by how soft the Beowolf was, trusting it to let them save their lives.
Later, Jaune and Argent met at one point, signing that they both saved the prisoners along the wall.
Jaune signed that it might be harder to save the other prisoners, since they were closer to the center, with more bandits and less hiding spots. Jaune then realized that many of the prisoners were collected in the center of the village.
He signed to Argent to scope the area.
Argent Enhanced his eyesight and signed to his dad: ALMOST ALL OF THE BANDITS ARE ARMED WITH MACHINE GUNS. I SEE A FEW SHOTGUNS AND PISTOLS. THOUGH, I SEE WHAT LOOKS LIKE... TORTURE WEAPONS.
TORTURE, Jaune signed.
THEY LOOK KINDA SCARY.
'Scary,' Jaune thought. It couldn't be... could it? I haven't heard anything about his escape.'
WAIT, SOMEONE'S COMING.
WHAT DOES HE LOOK LIKE?
TALL. DARK SKIN. HAS A CUTLASS ON HIS HIP. THE BLADE LOOKS GREEN. OH, AND HE HAS REALLY LONG DREADLOCKS.
Jaune clenched his fist. 'Canna. He did get out.'
The bandit leader then walked out, a joint in his mouth. The man had crow's feet, his long dreadlocks beginning to grey, his goatee a bit shaggy but still lacking in gray hairs.
"Dis shud bi enuff. Wi ave extra," Canna said. "Now den," he said before taking a puff and blowing it in the face of an elderly man. "A yuh ready?"
"Why are you doing this," the elder asked.
"Why? tuh calm di Spirits Ah course ."
"Spirits? What are you talking about," a woman asked.
Canna looked at her with a smirk. "Di spirits addi animals yuh tortured A mek dem inna wah dem a now."
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me." Canna looked at younger man. "You're one of those idiots that believe Grimm are reincarnated tortured animals?! They're just monsters, you lunatic! If you call them, they'll tear you apart, too!"
"Maybe dem will," he said with a smile. "Maybe dem nah guh. Eeda way Eh wah all wi deserve."
"Wait, I know you." He looked at a woman. "Your Canna Vèt."
"Oh? Am mi still star bwoy.?"
"You're the bandit leader the Vale Knight defeated five years ago! A lunatic that butchered countless people by terrifying them with some insane drug that scared the life out of them, calling Grimm that tore them to shreds! How are you out?! You were sentenced to life!"
"Mm. Yah Ih seems dat di very gods themselves wished fah mi tuh bi free. Nuh evah day ah Centinel yai waata tru yuh cell an burrows ah way tuh freedom Nuh even a try tuh kill yuh."
THAT CAN'T BE RIGHT, Argent signed. IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT GRIMM ACTUALLY RESCUED THAT GUY.
BUT WHY, Jaune signed. NOTHING ABOUT CANNA IS WORTH SAVING TO THE GRIMM
WHAT IS THIS GUY LIKE, ANYWAY?
LIKE THAT VILLAGER SAID, HE'S CRAZY. HE ACTUALLY LOVES THE GRIMM, SEES THEM AS HOLY. GUESS IT DOESN'T HELP THAT HE ACTUALLY WORSHIPS THE GOD OF DA- Jaune then realized it. 'He worships the God of Darkness. Is that... Is that a coincidence or a major clue,' he thought.
Argent tapped his father's shoulder. DAD? WHAT IS IT?
"Oh Buh ih seems fi mi reputation hav bin skewed by ah bit. Eh did nebba ah drug dat mi used." Everyone looked at Canna. "Bring eh ova."
One of his bandits then brought...
'A drum,' Argent whispered.
'Oh, no,' Jaune whispered, getting his son's attention.
ARIE, WHEN YOU SEE A CHANCE, TAKE THE HOSTIGAES AS FAR FROM HERE AS YOU CAN, Jaune signed.
"Huh?" Before Argent could ask anything, Jaune vanished.
As one of the bandits placed the drum in front of Canna, the chief rubbed his hands together, preparing to play. Then, he heard his men yell in pain before they rained in front of him. "Hm? Wah deh dis?"
"CANNA!"
The bandit leader perked up. "Mi kno dat voice. Mi wud recognize ih anyweh." He then smiled in excitement before turning to see a hooded Jaune. Though, Canna didn't know it was Jaune's wings covering his head. "JAUNE ARC! Eh bin too lang Hul fren."
"T-The Vale Knight."
"He's here to save us."
"But... isn't he... you know."
"Who cares? If he was like that, he wouldn't be going after that bandit."
"Yeah, my dad's on your side."
The hostages looked to see Argent sneak into the crowd, using his strength to snap the ropes off as quietly as he could.
"Regional Champ," one captive whispered in joy.
"Shh! My dad is going to keep that guy busy. When we have the chance, we're getting out of here."
"Alright. We'll trust the Arc family."
"Suh Weh yuh luk gud friend?"
Jaune drew Nimueh. "Right here, you bastard."
"Nah. Nah unnu sword. Enuh ahuu mi mean. Weh Raven Branwen? mi owe har as much as mi owe yuh hero."
"Honestly, I want to know where she is, too."
Cabba laughed. "Finally afta har bounty? bout time Huntsman. Wah mek wud'n yuh guh afta di Bandit Queen? yow how bout wi wuk togedda dis time? Shi a wut much more alive. Yuh can hab one laas steamy nite togedda wid har before wi cash har eena. Yuh two a sweethearts aren't you?"
Jaune blushed within the darkness of his wings. "My past relationship with Raven is no concern of yours."
'Past relationship,' Argent thought in confusion.
"Besides, I'm looking for Raven as a friend, not as a Huntsman."
"Ah A dat so? wah ah shame," Canna said as he shook his head.
"You, however, I'm after as a Huntsman." Jaune took out his license. "Canna Vèt, on my authority as an International 1st Class Huntsman, I hereby place you under arrest for the Crimes against the people, including kidnapping, assault, and attempted ritualistic murder."
Canna laughed. "Yuh waan tuh fight me? eff mi memba correctly Dat ended horribly fi yuh laas time. Yuh luk gud partner Branwen Did hav tuh save yuh fram mi didn't she?" Canna then took out his cutlass, spun it expertly, threw it in the air, caught it, and aimed the pistol end of it at Jaune. "Mi nuh gotten weaker ar slower wid fi mi Mary Jane yah Bwoy."
Jaune stared at Canna before using Nimueh to block some gun shots from Canna's tribe aiming at what they thought were Jaune's blind spots. Jaune then sent them flying with Wind Blades, the bandits slamming hard onto the ground, bones breaking due to them never learning to unlock Aura, unlike their boss.
Canna whistled, genuinely impressed. He even clapped for him.
"It's true. Raven had to save me from you last time. She was the one who knocked you out, after all."
"Still ave nuh idea how shi did ih Buh dat nuh change di fact mi need payback gainst har."
Jaune couldn't help but smile at the memory of Raven lighting up Canna like a flood light with her lightning, knocking him out when his Aura ran out. "I have gotten much stronger since then, Canna. You have no idea how powerful I am now," he said as he pointed Nimueh at him.
"Suh yuh brave enuff tuh kill now? dat a wah mek yuh cud'n beat mi laas time. Yuh didn't waan tuh use unnu sword's full powa bikaaz yuh didn't waan tuh tek fi mi life. Mi grateful Ah course."
Jaune chuckled. "Don't worry. I've popped that cherry a long time ago. About a few months after I arrested you, to be honest. Still... I don't need Nimueh's power to beat you. I'm more than strong enough to take you on without having to use even a fraction of her power," Jaune said as he took his stance.
"A dat so? Well den..." Canna spun Mary Jane expertly, doing acrobatic jumps to show off that despite his now advanced age, he was still spry, flexible, and fast as ever. He finished his little showboating dance by taking his stance. "Show mi."
Moments passed between the two, everyone watching them, the wind blowing being the only thing that could be heard.
Then, the two charged at each other, their swords clashing, their duel now beginning.
Meanwhile, at Haven Academy.
Headmistress Arslan watched as the ship landed safely in her courtyard. When the hatch opened, Weiss and Ruby were the first ones off.
"Why, if it isn't the Schnee-Roses. It's been a long time."
Ruby ran up and hugged the beautiful woman. "That is has, Arslan."
Though she was surprised by the sudden hug, Arslan still returned the gesture with a smile.
"So, is being the Headmistress of Haven Academy treating you well," Weiss asked.
"It is. It's a stressful job, admittedly, but I am resolute in my duty of cleaning up the shameful mess my predecessor left behind."
"We'll, you're definitely doing a better job than ol' Chicken-heart," Yang went.
Arslan giggled at the compliment, not so much at Yang's retort against Lionheart. "So, to what do I owe this surprise visit? You didn't even call."
"Yeah, sorry about that," Ruby went nervously. "We'll cut to the chase, where's Jaune?"
"Jaune?"
"Hm? Yeah. Jaune. He's here in Haven, isn't he?"
"What? No. Why would he be?"
The girls looked confused, with a hint of concern in their eyes.
"You mean... you haven't seen Jaune at all," Silber asked.
"The last time I saw him was the last time I saw your mother, when I was being sworn in as Haven's new Headmistress."
Now they looked really worried.
"Is something wrong?" She was surprised when Ruby grabbed her shoulders.
"Arslan, please tell me you've seen Argent around here."
"Was... was I supposed to?"
Ruby's eyes were wide with shock and horror. "H-He's not here?"
"No. Did something happen?"
"He's not here. He's not here. Why isn't he here? He was supposed to come to Haven for the lamp!"
"The lamp?" She looked up at Arslan, who looked worried. "Do you... do you mean the Lamp of Knowledge," she asked nervously.
Weiss noticed this. "Arslan, what's wrong?"
She looked down in shame. "The lamp... was stolen years ago."
"WHAT," everyone went.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING," Yang yelled, eyes red.
Arslan flinched. "I... didn't want to cause a panic."
"One of the four relics was stolen, and you were afraid to cause a panic," Weiss chastised. She then sighed. "Do you at least have a clue of who might have stolen it?"
She sighed. "Better than a clue." She then took out her scroll. "I have video evidence."
The group looked at the scroll to see a huge, cloaked man walk towards the statue, holding the watch in his hand. They watched as he put it into the statue, the elevator appearing, before the man turned and gestured someone to follow. Then, someone very familiar walked into the shot.
Yang growled. "Raven."
Raven, wearing her helmet, looked up at the camera and shot it.
"Raven has the lamp," Silber asked.
"Then... that would mean... Uncle Jaune and Argent," Lyra began.
"Went to look for my grandmother," Verde finished.
"Great. Perfect," Yang began as she paced around. "Just... PERFECT! THAT IDIOT IS TRAVELING AROUND MISTRAL TO FIND MY BITCH OF A MOM, DRAGGING MY NEPHEW WITH HIM!"
"Nephew," Arslan asked with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, Argent. I sometimes forget how close your teams are." Ruby looked at Arslan nervously before thinking back at the problem at hand.
"AND WE HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO FIND HER! THE ONLY REASON I FOUND RAVEN THE FIRST TIME WAS BECAUSE I RAN INTO ONE OF HER IDIOTS!"
"I found her because she kidnapped me," Weiss deadpanned.
"My grandmother did what?"
"We'll tell you the story another time, Verde," Weiss said.
"AND OH, JOY! WE HAVE NO WAY TO EVEN FIGURE OUT WHERE JAUNE WENT! HE COULD BE ANYWHERE IN ANIMA!" She then sighed. "We have no damn clue as to where to even begin to look."
"Clue? Wait, we DO have a clue," Lyra went excitedly as she took out her scroll.
"What are you talking about, Ly," Verde asked.
"Think about it, who has been following my uncle from the beginning? Who filmed him taking on a cult, a literal army of bandits, and ride a freakin' Nevermore with him?"
Everyone's eyes widened.
"If anyone has even an idea of where he is, she's bound to have filmed and uploaded the video by now!" Lyra then found the page. "Uploaded Two Hours Ago!"
"TWO HOURS?! WE WERE HALFWAY TOWARDS MISTRAL BY THEN," Yang yelled.
"What's on the video," Weiss asked as everyone crowded around Lyra, except for Arslan, who just searched the video herself.
'This is incredible. Remnant, I assure you, this isn't a doctored video. That is indeed Jaune Arc using pure brute strength to overpower an Alpha Beowolf. The Grimm are actually BOWING to him! He really is the new Salem, no doubt about it! He's their King!'
"So the rumors were true," Arslan said. "I didn't want to believe it, but I can't deny what I'm seeing," she sighed.
'Wait, is he... he's assigning a Beowolf to protect that family.'
"He's WHAT," Weiss went. "That dolt! He has no idea how his powers work! He's been saying so! How can he trust that beast to protect a family without him nearby!?"
'And there they go. I can't follow that family, but we do have a drone. Don't worry, viewers. Our state-of-the-art Vale News Drone will follow the family, see just how these 'tamed' Beowolf fair in protecting this family. If all goes well, then this just might be the beginning of an age of peace between man and monster. The Grimm nightmare might be over thanks to Jaune, but we can't be certain. However, we can be certain that Jaune Arc isn't done in this area. Let's try to see if we can catch what he's saying to his wife and their son.'
"He's not Nimueh's son," Ruby growled out through her teeth.
'WE'RE RIDING THE SHADOW SQUAD?!'
'Yup.'
"HE'S LETTING ARGENT RIDE A BEOWOLF," Weiss yelled out.
"Lucky. I wanna ride a Beowolf," Lyra went.
"Didn't your mom ride an Ursa," Verde asked.
"Yeah, but she broke it."
'ALRIGHT! DIBS ON BONE MASKER!'
'Did you name ALL of the Beowolves?'
'No. Just the ones we're riding. Like how mom is going to ride the Wolf Queen.'
'Speaking of your mom-'
Ruby tapped the scroll to make it skip ahead. Lyra was about to complain before she saw the no-nonsense look on Ruby's face. For safety reasons, she kept her mouth shut.
'You were messing with me, weren't you.'
'Naturally.'
'I hate you.'
'You love me, and you know it.'
Jaune sighing was heard. 'Yeah. I do.'
A vein was throbbing on Ruby's head, something Lyra also noticed but kept her mouth shut about.
'Incredible. We're so used to running away from Beowolves that we never watch THEM run. This wouldn't be possible without Jaune. Wait- OH, NO! I'm sorry, viewers! We were too distracted! The Arc Family is already out of view!'
"THEN GET THEM BACK INTO VIEW, YOU IDIOT," Yang yelled.
'But don't worry. This reporter isn't about to let the Grimm King get away. Tune in next time to witness the exciting adventure of the Arc Family with your host, Amanda Lavender, serving the people of Remnant with the best news in the world.' The video then ended.
"Hey, the comments are in the thousands," Lyra said. "Oh, they're already going #GrimmKing. 'She should make that last line her tagline'. 'Does this mean we'll be able to RIDE Beowolves one day?' 'I wonder if Jaune can MAKE Grimm like Salem could.' 'I think Argent should have named the Beowolves something cooler. 'No way. His names for them were adorable'. 'Jaune looks seriously hot as the Grimm King'."
"Okay, that's enough," Ruby said as she took Lyra's scroll.
"So... any idea where she FILMED that," Silber asked.
The group went quiet.
"Ooooh. Right," Lyra went.
Jaune and Canna clashed, the two face to face with the other.
"Wah deh di matta boy? wah mek nuh show wi dem luk gud blue yeye dem ah fi yuh ar dat gold yuh call ier. Yuh nuh hiding sinting a you?"
"Nothing that concerns you, Canna."
They then proceeded to duel. Their blades blur due to their speed. However, since Jaune wasn't using any of his powers, Canna was faster, able to jump around Jaune, not landing any slashes, but landed quite a few kicks. He was even able to slam his heel down on Jaune's head, making the hero stumble before backflip kicking Jaune's chin. Canna then performed a 540-kick aimed at Jaune's exposed neck.
However, the hero caught Canna by his ankle and started to slam him onto the ground repeatedly. When Jaune slammed him into the ground, back first, he prepared to stab Canna. The bandit leader jumped out of the way of the stab and was about to charge. Instead, he got a surprise.
Jaune punched him in the face.
He groaned as he looked up, only to get punched with a hook that made him stumble before receiving an uppercut. When he looked up, he saw the "hooded" Jaune standing in front of him before receiving a kick that sent him skidding further from his drum.
He jumped to his feet and laughed. "Wud yuh luk at dat. Yuh hav gotten betta. Laas time wi danced Yuh did suh reliant pan dat shiny sword ah fi yuh."
"Like I've been saying, Canna, I am far more powerful now than when we first met."
"Suh nuh luk gud Raven tuh save yuh dis time?"
"Not this time."
Canna chuckled. "Criss."
The two charged at each other, swords clashing, fists thrown, and kicks flying. Canna even jumped behind Jaune, ready to attack him from behind, only to get the back of Jaune's fist to the face. Before he could recover, Jaune grabbed the back of the bandit's head and slammed his face into Jaune's knee. Jaune then landed a roundhouse that made Canna spin midair before he slammed into the ground with a groan.
"Dat hat."
"It seems you can't beat me as I am now, Canna. Make this easy and surrender. I might be able to get you a nicer cell this time."
Canna chuckled. "Tempting." He looked towards Jaune with a smile. "Buh mi prefer a bi unda di lite addi moon."
Jaune raised an eyebrow before he heard a gun cock. He held up Nimueh just in time to block a bullet, but that bullet then exploded into light. "A LIGHT DUST BULLET?!"
Jaune was dazed, getting his vision back in order, when he heard the last thing he wanted to hear. The beating of a drum. "Oh, no." He looked towards the sound, his vision back to normal, seeing Canna there, smacking his drum. "SHIT!" Jaune tried to run, only to fall to his knees.
"Cum pan Jauney-boy. Fulljoy di muzik. Let fi mi Hypnotic Beats fill yuh mind an soul."
The hostages began to groan.
"What is this?"
"It... hurts."
"Mom... I'm scared."
"Yuh feel ih Nuh yuh people? di powa addi spirits. Let eh fill yuh up fill yuh wid di dark addi wurl. Summon dem. Summon di spirits yuh tormented. Call upon di Grimm."
"Dad... what is this," Argent went weakly. "Dad... I'm scared."
"Canna... stop this."
"Did mi hear dat bwoy call yuh dad?"
"Enough."
"Suh yuh ah pupa now! mi prouda yuh Jauney-boy. A fi wi lovely Bandit Queen feem mama?"
"Stop." Jaune could sense them. Grimm approaching, being attracted to the negativity Canna's Semblance was forcing out of the people.
Hypnotic Beats was just what it sounded like, hypnotism using the rhythm of music. He can bring out joy, anger, sadness, fear, disgust, pleasure, any emotion. If it weren't for his faith in the God of Darkness, he may not have been tormenting people in such a cruel way.
"Hm now dat mi luk at him he luk exactly lakka yuh Jauney. Cyaan tell ahuu feem madda a by a luk at him. How bai beauties shared ah bed wid yuh hero eh?"
"Enough!"
"Cum pan. Tell di class di truut. Ahuu a di lickkle boy's cute lickkle mama? nuh yuh tink shi shud bi yah enjoying di show wid us?"
"ENOUGH," Jaune roared, extending his wings, sending out a shock wave that shocked Canna and his crew and broke everyone out of Canna's trance.
The Grimm approaching the town stopped dead in their tracks. Some of them roared along with Jaune before leaving. Many of them ran in what seemed to be fear, others walk out with a stride of respect. A pack of Apathy even bowed before sinking into the darkness beneath them.
Canna stared at Jaune in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing. Then, as Jaune approached, Canna began to... cry. But they were not tears of fear. Not tears of despair. Not even tears of sorrow.
They were tears of joy as he fell to his knees. "Fi mi dream did chuu. Fi im return truly a upon wi. Fi mi big massa Mi si yuh vessel An mi await yuh glorious return," he whispered.
Jaune then stood before the kneeling man, towing above him like a god, looking down at him with glowing red eyes, an expressionless white face, his white hair flowing in the winds.
Canna chuckled. "Oh Jauney-boy. . . Yuh hav nebba luk more beautiful dan yuh duh now. . . Fi mi liege. ."
Jaune stared at Canna... before he punched him at such great speeds that no one, not even Argent, could follow the attack. "I'm no liege of yours," Jaune said at the smiling, unconscious man as his Aura shattered.
Jaune looked down at the man with cold eyes... before he sighed, calming down. He then dug into his pocket and took out his scroll, pointing it at the sleeping bandit. "Canna Vèt, by my authority as an International 1st Class Huntsman, I hereby place you under arrest."
Argent shook his head clear of the negative thoughts before he ran up to his dad, who was pocketing his scroll before taking out a pair of handcuffs.
"Huh? Dad, why do you have those?"
"Argent, there are many duties that come with being a Huntsman," Jaune said as he put the cuffs on the unconscious bandit leader. He then snapped his fingers, the sound of Beowolves howling and bandits screaming being heard. "There are three types of missions a Huntsman can partake in: Gathering, which can range from collecting material from a certain area or information; Grimm Hunts, which is self-explanatory and the most common of missions, and what I just did unofficially, Bounty Hunting."
"Bounty Hunting?"
"A Huntsman can go after criminals too dangerous or powerful for the police to handle and have authoritative power comparable to that of a detective when you get your license."
"What if a Huntsman is an International 1st Class like you?"
"Then they're above even the Chief of Police."
"Whoa!"
Jaune took out his scroll and typed in something.
"What are you doing?"
"Informing the nearest town of what happened." Jaune then looked up when he heard whimpering and moaning, seeing a bunch of beaten up, scratched, and even shaking bandits. "And telling them to prepare a LOT of transport vehicles," Jaune said as he put his scroll away.
"Sir Arc!" He looked to see a middle-aged woman walk up to him. "I thank you for your help here, sir."
"I take it you're the mayor of this town?"
"I am. I can't begin to express how grateful we are to you and your ward."
Jaune raise an eyebrow. "Ward? He's my biological son."
The mayor looked surprised. "So that wasn't just Vale humor?! You really are a father!? Oh, forgive my rudeness."
"It's alright. Many people still can't believe I have a ten-year-old son for some reason."
"Oh. I see. Then that other rumor. That beautiful woman who seems to be your partner. Is she truly the mother?"
"Yup. I am," Nimueh said as she appeared from behind Jaune with a wave, Jaune giving her physical form with his Aura to make this conversation less awkward for him.
"Oh! Madame Arc! Pardon me."
"It's no problem. You could drop the 'Madame', though. Mrs. is just fine."
'Like hell it is,' Ruby thought as she looked at her scroll.
"I still can't tell where they are," Weiss said.
"Any clues, Arslan," Yang asked.
"Sorry. I don't really spend enough time outside of Mistral to recognize other parts of Anima."
"I can't believe how strong uncle is," Silber said.
"Don't start drooling over him," Lyra teased.
"Lyra, I will cut you," Silber said in a monotone voice.
"You're even copying him," Verde teased.
"Alright, which of you wants to be frozen first," Silber asked with a sickeningly sweet smile with a glyph spinning on her palm, the two holding their hands up with nervous laughs.
"The police should be here soon, but I'd rather not leave this town unprotected. Are you able to trust my Grimm?"
"Y-Your Grimm," the mayor went nervously before looking at the Beowolves. 'They're bigger than the Beowolves we've seen reports on, and they were able to overpower these bandits so easily on their own. They're obviously strong, but can I really trust them to keep my citizens safe,' she thought.
"Oh, let me see if I can get even better proof." The mayor looked at Jaune as he put ins fingers in his mouth and whistled.
Moments passed before screams were heard... mixed with laughter.
The mayor looked towards a wall to see a Beowolf climb and jump over, a pair of screaming parents and a laughing little girl on its back. The beast landed and skidded to a halt in front of the mayor.
"Again! Again," the girl cheered.
"Please, no," the mother went.
"That was terrifying," the father went as he got off, looking ready to vomit. He then saw Jaune. "Mr. Arc!" He then noticed, "The mayor!" He looked around and saw the bandits were captured. "It's... it's over?"
"Yes. Was my Beowolf able to protect you?"
"Oh, yes! It didn't let anything happen to us! It kept us safe, sir! It was amazing. Riding on something that runs faster than my car, watching it protect my family from an Ursa-"
Jaune was caught off guard by that. 'It beat an Ursa? That shouldn't be possible,' he thought as he looked at the Beowolf. 'Are the Grimm... evolving?'
"It was a rush. A rush I would rather not go through again."
"Can we keep him?" The man looked at his daughter, who was hugging the Beowolf. The Grimm looked down at her... and licked her face. The girl laughed. "That tickles!" The Beowolf stopped as it looked back at Jaune and the man.
"D-Did you," the man began.
"I gave it the attitude of most dogs. It should basically be a giant guard dog now. All of them should be, actually."
"If that's the case, we would gladly accept the protection of the Arc Grimm," the mayor said.
"Hey, that's a cool name," Argent said.
"Mm. Mayor, besides the Vèt Tribe, are there any reports of other bandit tribes nearby?"
"Nearby? I can't say that there are."
"Not even hints or rumors about them, say the Branwen Tribe?"
The mayor's eyes lit up. "Are you finally going to face the Bandit Queen?!"
"Something like that."
"Oh, I would PAY to see that! That woman has caused so much trouble for this part of Anima!"
"So..."
The mayor shook her head. "Sadly, I can't help with that. If the Branwen is nothing else, it's cautious."
Jaune sighed. "That it is. Be safe, mayor. Argent."
"Coming dad." When Argent walked up to his dad, Nimueh at Jaune's other side, Jaune whistled towards the sky. He then lifted his son and "wife". "I truly hope you have better days ahead." Jaune then jumped.
The villagers looked in time to see the family in the sky, right before a Nevermore flew beneath them, soaring majestically away with a screech.
As this was going on, Amanda walked forward into the shot. 'That... was amazing. The Vale Knight could probably take on the Flame Goddess with those skills.'
"LIKE HELL, HE CAN," Yang roared into Ruby's scroll.
'It will certainly be difficult, but don't you worry, Remnant. Amanda Lavender will continue to bring you coverage of the Arc Family.'
'B-But ma'am! He's going after Raven Branwen! She's the strongest bandit in the world!'
'And we're about to get coverage of the Strongest Huntsman coming face to face with the Strongest Bandit! Don't miss it, folks! You'll only get this with me, Amanda Lavender, serving the people of Remnant with the best news in the world!' With that, the feed ended.
"I wanna punch that woman in the face," Yang said.
"Save it for Jaune," Ruby said.
"Deal."
"So... any idea how we're going to find Verde's grandma," Lyra asked.
Moments passed before everyone sighed in perfect unison.
"No," they answered.