Always glad to see people enjoying the story and eager for more. I'm having a lot of fun writing this story and coming up with very cool and interesting scenes for down the road.
Some people have been asking if this version of Jaune and the story are all inspired by stuff like Venom and Prototype and I can say that they are some of the inspirations yes.
There is one more inspiration that some might understand later and perhaps not but I can always reveal that later if needed.
For now, let's get back to the hunt.
I do not own RWBY or any of its characters. All characters and usage belong to the respective companies.
Chapter 4: Alpha, Beta, Omega
Jaune remembered many things from his childhood and the things specifically that led him to where he was in his life.
He remembered watching his father train and stay active to take on whatever hunting jobs came up. He also remembered the way his mother would talk and discuss certain aspects of hunting from gear and dust to overall understanding of combat.
His family was destined to fight against the forces of Grimm and many of his sisters would go on to become huntresses leaving Jaune to find his path.
But what truly started it all was a memory Jaune had of a late night in his family home as a younger boy. His mother had gathered everyone and was reading a story to him and his siblings.
He always loved those stories and hearing his mother tell them was always a treat. This story however has no issues describing and using Grimm. Jaune remembered his sisters getting scared and how a younger version of himself stood there on the family carpet waving a toy sword saying how he would keep the monsters away...
The cold feeling that raced through his body when he thought about how his family would feel seeing him now made such memories quickly turn to horrible realities.
Even now Jaune could feel his mind fighting between blind instinct and his sanity. The speed he moved and how he moved all drew from instincts and knowledge he had never known.
It reminded him of the fight against Yatsu and how his body just knew what to do yet now all of these movements were fueled by a deep hunger drawing this movement out of Jaune fiercely.
He couldn't hear his other passenger in his mind yet the pain from before served as motivation enough as he stopped just shy of a large field where the trees thinner.
He set a clawed hand against a tree feeling the wood creak from such slight pressure as his feet dug into the ground a bit. Jaune swallowed as he turned looking back in the direction of Beacon only to feel a sharp tug at his mind.
"Don't even think about it we have a hunt to complete or else you will serve as my substance" Void said in a deeper more primal tone.
"If you are hungry why not just let me get us some snacks or something then?", Jaune said semi-serious as he scanned the area and began to walk into the field.
"Your food does nothing for me I do not possess a stomach...my very existence comes from the essence of a living being. Whether it comes from you or a Grimm doesn't matter to me" Void said as Jaune could only shake his head before feeling a sharp pain again taking him to his knees.
This time it was more intense as Jaune felt something fading a bit. It was like his aura was being seeped away and with it his strength. Jaune worries what would happen if he ran out of aura if Void was like this.
Sweat began to drip down his face and chin as it dropped onto the moonlit grass.
"I do not wish to hurt you Jaune but if we are to survive and continue this partnership you will have to give me what I need or else I will start taking it from you," Void said as Jaune felt the pain subsiding as he carefully got his feet back under him and stood up.
"The only reason I am even coherent enough to speak to you like this was from the chunk of your aura I just consumed to keep my hunger at bay but I will not keep the instinct for long," Void said as Jaune could only swallow dryly as he took a moment to take in the fact that his body was currently different in both shape and form.
The muscles that connected him to these massive claws felt organic and real as he moved a finger and the entire structure followed suit as normal as if he was doing it with his hands. The formation of his legs was different as well and he looked down to see how animalistic the shape was they were carbon copies of Beowulf's Grimm legs. Jaune immediately thought he moved on instinct which was why he could do this but now after his mind had calmed down he tried to move a bit but found the sensation extremely foreign.
He took a breath as he remembered what Void said about manifesting things he soon felt the change happening and in a few moments his normal legs were back as he wiggled his foot and relaxed a bit.
However, as he was doing this he soon felt a quick shiver run along his skin as all of the hairs on his body seemed to stand on end. His ears twitched at different sounds from various places around him within the tree line. An almost feral sensation drove his eyes to meet another set that glowed an eerie red.
"Looks like it is time to prove yourself Jaune " Void said as Jaune began to feel that sharp pain in his mind like a floodgate opening up as he watched the Grimm begin to emerge from the forest.
One by one they clawed and slunk ever closer as the open field was taken up by the nightmarish creatures all snarling and snapping their teeth as Jaune posed an invader to their area.
However, as they all began to move their bodies seemed stiff as a low growl began to ripple through the air. Heavy stomps filled the air as a taller figure exited the shadows. White spines and thick white plates made up its body as it stood taller than all of them and had no issues standing upright as the leader of this pack had finally emerged.
"The Alpha..." Jaune said remembering it from the chase that led him to wind up in this position with these powers and Void in his head. Its eyes scanned Jaune as the two stood at differing sides of the vast field.
"I can feel so much of their essence even from here...we need it Jaune we need the power they have to survive," Void said as Jaune narrowed his eyes. There was no we in this as Jaune would have never even been here at this hour but he knew he didn't have a choice he didn't want to fall victim to whatever this consumption was that Void seemed to need and already he knew that he had done more in a day with this power than he had in the months he had spent training.
The night air was still as a cool breeze blew through the air yet it didn't matter, no relaxing feeling came from them as growls and the sound of salivating teeth clashed together ready for the hunt ahead. If one thing had truly come from consuming the beowolf it was the knowledge that Grimm were truly not as dumb as Jaune had thought.
He at first merely thought they were more aggressive forms of animals but after the sensation and memories that flooded his mind, he realized they were far more intelligent, and in the case of these packs they were smart enough to follow orders.
As he focused on this for a moment he remembered some different feelings when he was using the memories and instincts to fight. It was like a tether to something that went beyond the mind of the Grimm. It felt dark and old and for a moment he felt as though he was connected to something much larger.
He didn't have time to dwell on this as a piercing howling filled the air breaking the silence the Alpha lurched his mouth forward in an aggressive chomp as the Grimm to its left and right began to dash forward as their claws ripped up grass and dirt showing how eager they were to attack.
Jaune felt his nerves trying to crawl up his neck and shoulders only for them to feel immediately washed away as the Grimm began to cross the field quickly.
Those feelings were quickly replaced with images in his mind of his friends and family and the decision he made to engage in this life he chose despite the danger and lack of training.
"I cheated to get here...I lied..." Jaune said from a memory that echoed in his mind making his brow furrow as the Grimm began to close in.
"You walked a lie to get here and now want redemption...Paint a new truth then Jaune...Paint it with their blood!" Void all but screamed in his mind as Jaune felt his body tighten up.
His eyes returned to a familiar state where the white was replaced with black and his blue eyes seemed to glow. His muscles swelled and his teeth felt sharper as he kicked off from the dirt and let out a primal roar of something mixed between a human and Beowolf's growl.
The two Grimm that rushed to meet him seemed to falter at the sound as Jaune soon met them in the middle. Jaune's mind quickly flooded with the techniques and moves he used with Yatsu however instead of actively using them his tactical mind began to use this information differently.
The closest Grimm pulled back its paw with a wide arc as it was ready to swing down with a hard slash however Jaune immediately jumped into the Grimm as its arm was in mid-swing and slashed with his claws.
Within that moment a heavy thud hit the grass as time slowed.
The attacking Grimm stopped as it looked down and saw its arm now lying there before growling and looking at Jaune but it was already too late as he had pounced up and dug his claws into its chest earning a pained cry as he immediately moved up before standing up on its shoulders as he slashed in a X formation decapitating the Grimm as it fell to the ground.
Jaune took a deep breath but soon felt an itch at the back of his neck he quickly turned as he saw the other Grimm in mid-pounce only to feel his back erupt in tendrils as they rose to meet the Grimm and proceeded to pierce it in the chest making its form falter as crashed into the ground.
Jaune felt confused before Void screamed in his mind.
"Finish it!" Void yelled as Jaune immediately drew his arm back and pierced the Grimm in its chest earning a faded cry of pain immediately turned and faced the rest of the pack.
The Alpha snarled at this before raising its hand and pointing as it howled aggressively as soon the rest of the pack engaged across the field.
"Shit that is a lot of Grimm," Jaune said between gasps of breath only to feel a sudden feeling of regeneration as he turned and saw the tendrils actively feeding on the remains of the Grimm. It was as if he just woke up from a long nap as his body felt refreshed. The pain from before that drove him out here quickly faded away as he even felt more control over his body and powers now.
"More fuel..." Void said as the Grimm began to run and circle Jaune at high speeds the Alpha began to slowly creep across the field as its pack began the work of taking Jaune down.
"I still don't understand how I can move like this...fight like this either," Jaune said soon taking a combat stance that felt normal and natural with his current weapons at hand.
"Most of that is my doing but you are starting to get the hang of it now focus!" Void yelled as Jaune grew serious one of the beowolfs emerged from the pack and tried to flank Jaune only for more tendrils to shoot into the dirt from behind and pull him to safety Jaune immediately took the opening and slashed through its side a sizeable chunk of flesh and muscle now gone as it slows down holding its side whimper before crumbling to the ground.
The fight had begun with roughly 10 beowolfs not counting the Alpha yet now already 3 had been dispatched Jaune immediately was set straight up again as he dug his feet in as Void fed on the chunk of Grimm still on his claws making him tense before he slammed his foot down leaving a sizable imprint into the ground as he whipped his head up and let out another growl.
A few of the pack began to slow down as they witnessed their kin being mauled and killed as well as their enemy doing so with ease.
The Alpha saw this as it immediately moved and grabbed one of the pack roaring in its face and made a point of picking it up as it flung the entire Grimm at Jaune.
Everything seemed to stop as the Grimm flailed in the air as it headed for Jaune.
Void was about to shoot its tendrils only for Jaune to beat it to the punch Jaune lept up with his claws and he caught the beowolf right in the stomach with both claws as Jaune felt the weight of it pressing down on him as he felt his muscles well and with a primal roar pulled his arms in separate directions as the Grimm was ripped in half before flinging the body to the ground.
"Hmm, Impressive where did that come from?" Void asked as Jaune quickly spoke.
"Video games", Jaune said before regaining his composure as the Alpha witnessed this and finally had enough as it let out a loud roar signaling the pack to stop as it shot forward between the gap.
Jaune grits his teeth and runs to meet it the movements feel familiar as the Alpha falls to all fours and runs hard.
In that moment Jaune felt as though he knew what it would do as he immediately leaped up from the grand planning to slash at its backside when he went over.
However, the difference between a normal beowolf and an Alpha was far more than just the size and strength of its body. Their mental capacity was also far different.
The moment Jaune was over the back of the Alpha he went to slash only to watch as the body of his enemy twisted and dodged his attack.
In all but a second, it grabbed Jaune's leg as he felt a harsh pull down as he was slammed into the ground so hard he bounced.
Even then it wasn't done with him as it used the moment from the slam to spin its body and drive its clawed hand into Jaune's chest as the claws pierced at his Aura and dug into his flesh.
Blood erupted from Jaune's mouth as he was slammed back down only to be dragged through the grass and dirt as the Alpha carried the momentum and dragged him until a point came where the Alpha drug him up into an uppercut and slung Jaune away.
His body skipped across the ground harshly until it slammed into an old tree the wood cracked and splintered.
Jaune was dazed as Void dried to dull the pain and his aura raced to heal but he felt a harsh burning sensation in his stomach not going away as his vision became clear.
The ruts and impacts from his body were deep like he was a skipping stone and as he went to get up more pain rushed over him as he looked down seeing a broken section of a branch impaling him.
A ringing erupted in his ears as Jaune looked at it, his chest heaving and his mouth dry as panic began to set in. He looked up as he saw the Alpha almost analyzing the situation as it growled at the other Grimm making them soon follow as it began to move towards him quickly.
"V..Void you gotta help me here" Jaune stumbled out as he felt blood trickle out of his mouth and fear starting to move in.
"I am preoccupied with keeping your intestines together I can not split my attention," Void said annoyed that this was happening Jaune felt movement within his stomach as the situation began to dawn on Jaune.
He had a lot of power here but he wasn't invincible as the Alpha led the pack now running in full force Jaune braced his claw against the sides of the tree and began to push.
The pain was excruciating as Jaune felt warm tears trying to run down his face only to get caught in the blood spilling from the sides of his mouth.
The growls and pounding of paws began to close in as Jaune shut his eyes and grit his teeth.
"I was given a second chance to become someone...I will not lose it!" Jaune screamed in his mind as he pushed with all his might soon ripping off from the branch as he landed on the ground just as the Alpha pounced at him.
Jaune in a primal roar turned and dug his claws into the broken tree as he felt his muscles swell to the point he thought they would burst he swung soon ripping the roots and tree free as he caught the Alpha in mid-air and knocked it away.
The action was familiar as it seemed to skip across the ground before stopping.
Jaune let out another Grimm human roar as the other Grimm stopped and lowered their heads before watching him turn still carrying the tree as he watched the Alpha starting to get up.
Jaune immediately felt the energy in his legs from before as he sped up and soon met his opponent head-on he drove the broken and sharp tree trunk into the Alpha's chest and he pinned it to the ground.
In a moment the wood shattered as the Alpha tried to break through only to immediately meet a slash across its face as its bone-like mask cracked from the attack.
In the dazed state, Jaune grabbed thick shards of wood and drove them deep into the muscles of the Alpha as he pinned the creature even more to the ground and he kept it from moving.
One after the other screams of pain filled the air as the other beowolfs did not move watching what felt to them like two Grimm clashing for control.
Both opponents were at their limits as Jaune drove the final shard into the paw of the beast having kept it down fully as he went to slash at it only to notice his claws had disappeared.
"You burned through too much essence I can't maintain our weapons" Void announced having kept silent as they merely watched Jaune face off with such primal fury and aggression.
Within this lapse of action, Jaune felt a sharp sensation across his shoulder and torso as the Alpha rose up and clamped its jaws over Jaune.
The blood seeping from the wounds only added to what he already had as Jaune winced in pain before taking a deep breath.
"I don't need weapons..." Jaune proclaimed as he reached up and his fingers snaked into the top and bottom jaw of the Alpha.
It was a show of strength as the Alpha growled and flexed its jaw muscles trying to lock down onto Jaune yet as it did this it felt its mouth starting to open.
Jaune began to pull both jaws apart as he pushed with all the strength he could muster. He felt his forearms screaming, his fingers starting to bleed from the fangs digging into his flesh.
The two opponents were locked in as Jaune grunted and pushed while the Alpha growled and tried to rip its hands free only to feel no release from how hard Jaune drove them in.
In that moment of lapsed attention, Jaune made his move as he pushed forward digging his feet into the ribs and flesh of the Alpha getting its head back and getting the mouth straight up.
With this new position Jaune was able to get his grip better as he started to pull both jaws apart the Alpha began to thrash violently the movement not deterring Jaune as he quickly moved his foot and slammed it down on the Alpha's neck keeping it still as it looked up at him.
At that moment the Alpha was witnessing a truly terrifying sight as Jaune was over it covered in blood and cuts, his teeth grit together and his eyes consumed by darkness with only glowing blue eyes left to show the light left in them.
It was only a second more before Jaune in one movement ended it all.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he screamed as he ripped the Alpha's jaws right down the middle separating the bottom jaw it let out a small whimper before its life faded.
The air was still except for the occasional growl as Jaune stood over the dead and fading body. His attention turned as he saw the remaining members of the pack all moving and pacing in confusion now not knowing what to do.
Before Jaune could even think tendrils erupted in a parade from every inch of his body before stabbing the Alpha. Jaune stumbled and grabbed some of the tendrils as he felt Void drinking everything it could from this creature.
Jaune's head shot back as his mind was flooded with new information and feelings, so much raw strength and power as well as something else as his eyes were fully consumed by darkness with his body slightly off the ground from the pressing of the tendrils.
At that moment Jaune saw something else in the memories, dark pits that clawed hands climbed out of and hellish-looking areas all before looking up at someone with skin so pale and dark veins.
The memory ceased as Void finished soon ripping the tendrils out and sinking back into Jaune as he fell to his knees in front of the other Grimm.
His breathing was hard and heavy his veins were still black from the Grimm essence running through them.
The change came immediately as Jaune felt a new level of pain now as his body cracked and twisted up to his face and neck as pitch-black flesh began to consume him. The dark liquid that made his clothes and claws overtook his face now as he screamed only for it to become muffled as he thrashed and clawed at only to go still as his hands slammed into the ground.
The beowolfs watched in horror as familiar bone plates began to erupt at various points on his body making up an almost organic armor as another set erupted around his neck before consuming his head leaving a clean white helmet.
However, as Jaune reached up his eyes and mouth were covered as he began to claw at it with bone plate-covered fingers only for the cracks to form as two sharpened eye holes formed with blue glowing eyes.
Now that he could see the Grimm began to advance on him a bit seeing him still as an enemy as he felt that new sensation from the Alpha overtake him.
A large crack happened at the mouth area of the helmet as Jaune reached up and began to force it more the jagged cracks began to open more looking like a set of teeth until they fully separated leaving a section connected to Jaune's lower jaw.
Jaune soon stood up planted his feet and pulled his hands and arms in on himself as he felt something swelling in his chest and lungs.
At that moment a roar more primal and stronger than any before pierced the night air as the trees seemed to shake and the wind grew silent.
The Grimm all but immediately cowered their heads at this as Jaune stood taller while roaring out to the point they didn't move until he soon finished as they all looked at him. With that, the pack turned quickly running into the treeline as one stopped only to look back at Jaune before following what was left of the back as Jaune quickly fell to his knees.
His mind was in a daze as he blinked away the darkness that clouded his vision only to be presented with the sight of his plate-covered arms and fingers his eyes widened only to look down as he saw the rest of his body was encased in the organic armor.
"W...What happened to me...what is this..." Jaune said in a tired and fearful tone.
"This is your new reality Jaune Arc..." Void said as Jaune could only clench his hands together as he began to wonder.
Was this a blessing? or a Curse?