JNPR's Room
Ren, Yang, and Nora were dressed while their leader was still seemingly sleeping.
"Jaune, it's time for class." Ren walked over and shook him. "Wake up."
"Did he catch a cold or something?" Nora asked.
"He really is a stubborn one." Yang, still frustrated over what happened last night, approached. "Hold on, my dad showed me how to check someone's Aura." She grasped his hand in hers. "It can tell…" In this moment, her frustration evaporated. "Something is seriously wrong here."
Hearing that drew concern from Ren and Nora, the former moving down the top of Jaune's onesie to reveal the Nightmare's roots all over his back.
Link's Room
Link had finished putting his uniform on when his eyes were drawn to the letter, which he'd set beside his bed. "Wild told me about another Link who had to deal with something called a Wind Fish. Apparently after waking he managed to pull all the items he'd received out with him."
Link very well couldn't deny what he was told, given the things he'd already seen. Still, it was one thing to hear about it and another to pull off the same feat. Granted, it was just the one letter, and he didn't think it'd work again without extraneous circumstances.
Link smiled as he turned his gaze to the window. "Regardless, I'm glad it happened." Suddenly, there was a pounding on his door, so he moved to answer it. "Ren, what's going on?"
"We have a problem." Ren's usual, stoic expression had faltered. "Something's wrong with Jaune."
If Ren weren't in the state he was, Link might have assumed there wasn't a real issue. Given the guy's present state, he tossed aside what happened between him and Jaune last night.
"Right, let's go." Link voiced.
JNPR's Room
Link followed Ren back to the room, entering it after Team RNBW lead by Yang. Inside, they found Jaune still on his bed, unconscious with the vine marks all over his body.
"What happened to him?" Ruby asked.
"We don't know." Ren shook his head. "We tried to wake him, but it didn't work."
"Then, I checked his Aura and found it far too low." Yang added. "That's when we noticed the marks."
"While these two went to get you guys, I call Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch." Nora informed. "They said they'll be here shortly."
Just then, they arrived with a woman wearing a purple shirt that exposes her shoulders, white pants over black boots, and a large witch-themed hat matching her shirt.
"Who's this?" Link asked.
"This is Shion Zaiden." Ozpin replied. "She's a Huntress who specializes in combatting the Grimm known as a Nightmare."
Shion walked over and checked Jaune, running her hand along his chest and neck. "It's here. We need to start now."
Empty Room
The group relocated to a large, empty room. Shion brought out a large suitcase which opened to reveal a typewriter, jar, hourglass with flowers inside, an older-styled phone, and a few other tools. She pulled out a wand with a circular head, light purple string forming a symbol inside, and four crystals hanging off it. She moved her wand around, a trail of string following.
"What exactly is a Nightmare?" Yang inquired.
"A type of Grimm that possess humans and grows by draining their Aura." Shion informed. "The victim is trapped in a perpetual dream as their body becomes a breeding ground."
Shion's string flowed around, forming a web upon which Jaune came to rest while some covered his eyes.
"So, we just kill this Grimm?" Nora asked.
"Yes, inside his dream." Shion replied.
"Inside his dream?" Ren asked.
"A task for only his closest friends." Shion stated. "If a stranger were to try, his heart would reject them. Are any of you willing?"
"Absolutely." Link declared firmly. "The rest of JLYN and I will rescue Jaune."
String dolls, which resembled the four of them, appeared above the four going in as they laid upon the web and entered the same position as Jaune. Thus, Link and LYN entered the dream of the afflicted while the rest would await their return.
Jaune's Mindscape
Jaune sat alone as his doubts assaulted him in the form of his weapons and armor.
"For generations, males of the Arc Clan have been fated to become glorious warriors." The shield stated. "You are the farthest thing from one."
"Here you are refusing to put in the work." The sword continued. "You've been lazy, a real disappointment."
"You're so determined to be the hero you'll drive away the people who want to help you." The armor laughed. "Then, you'll let someone blackmail you. You truly are an incompetent, miserable coward."
All three laughed together before disappearing.
"No…I know I can do it." Jaune muttered.
The Nightmare began to manifest around Jaune's mindscape as he turned into a small rabbit Faunus, how he perceived himself.
"Saffron, I'm scared." Rabbit Jaune cried. "Help me."
The Nightmare looked at him from the tops of the rabbit statues around him.
"Jaune!" Yang called out.
"Who's there?" Jaune asked, looking around.
A portion of the mindscape opened, allowing Link, Yang, Ren and Nora inside.
"We've come to wake you." Link declared.
Real World: Empty Room
The phone within Shion's suitcase rang, prompting the Huntress to pick it up. "Shion here, did you find him…? Good job, now you must fight to set him free." She then hung up. "They were able to find Jaune."
"They managed to do it quickly." Ozpin gave a small smiled. "Excellent."
"They're a good team who care about one another." Shion noted.
Jaune's Mindscape
The rabbit statues were toppled one after another as Link, Yang, Ren, and Nora fought to free their friend. Link soon reared back his blade, it glowing with his green Aura, before slashing it out to send an Aura Sword Beam at the vines surrounding Jaune.
Jaune stood, returning to his prior appearance as the vines vanished, and looked up to see them coming for him. "Guys…"
Real World: Empty Room
The vine marks around Jaune's body faded before the Nightmare popped out from Jaune's chest and tried to fly away. Shion swung her wand, sending strings out that bound he Grimm. She then administered an electrical shock, forcing the Grimm into a jar and locking it inside.
"Now you get to see what it's like to be captive, Nightmare." Shion muttered. "Stay put and become a seed once more."
The Grimm tried and failed to break free. With the danger over, Team RNBW took it in turns to peek into the jar which now contained a mere seed.
"So, it's some kind of plant?" Pyrrha asked.
"Usually, Grimm resemble beasts; however, there are Grimm unique in their form and abilities." Goodwitch explained. "Rember that, students."
"I overslept!" They all looked to Jaune, who suddenly bolted upright. "Oh no!" He looked around. "What's going on?"
"I'm glad we caught it before it grew to large." Shion rubbed her jar. "Fortunately, his
Aura is underdeveloped."
"His Semblance hasn't manifested yet either." Goodwitch stated as most of the group checked up on Jaune. "That actually worked out in his favor."
"So, it was his weakness that helped him in the end." Blake muttered.
"You should all be aware I sensed other Nightmares within the forest." Shion informed everyone. "The more conflict and turmoil within, the more they will prey on you." She then looked to Ozpin. "Please, instruct all students to be on their guard."
Fountain: Evening…
Jaune messaged Link and Yang to meet him here. When they arrived, the blond leader turned his full attention to them.
"Yang, Link, what happened today made me realize I was a stubborn, idiotic jerk." Jaune voiced sincerely. "You guys were just trying to help me, so I'm sorry for everything."
Yang smiled as she walked on over to Jaune and threw an arm around him. "I guess I can forgive you, partner."
Link crossed his arms. "My forgiveness depends on what you will do now."
"I haven't been acting as the best leader or even student." Jaune shook his head. "I want to change that. I will give my all to be the best leader for my team, and I want to grow stronger. I know I'll be a lot of work, but I'm still hoping your prior offer is on the table to train me."
"I can say from here on out you won't be sleeping in class on my watch." Yang declared.
"As for me, you do have my forgiveness." Link gave a small smile. "Of course, you should know what you're signing up for. Unlike Yang, you don't have a solid base. I'll be expecting you to work three times as hard under me."
"I will do whatever you require of me because I don't want to let my team down." Jaune declared firmly. "You guys were there for me in every way it counted, so I got to do the same." He looked pointedly at Link. "After all, if one does not lead properly, how can he expect others to follow?"
That last line were the very words Link had told Jaune back when they had some cold drinks in Vale.
"Alright then." Link nodded. "First things first, you're no longer going to let that strategic mind of yours go to waste. I expect you to look into and start reading any books you can get on battle strategy. Secondly, your Aura reserves are large like Yang and me.
That means you can train for hours longer than quite a few people I've met in my time; trust me I'd known since I've done it myself. I'll figure out a solid place to train and get you the perfect sparring partners. While Pyrrha and I will be a good start, Blake and Weiss are just as valid."
"That sounds like a lot of sparring…" Jaune voiced, suddenly worried.
He wasn't going to go back on his word; however, he hadn't been expecting this.
"This is only the beginning." Link gave a small smile. "Once I feel you've learned enough with your sword and shield, I'll get everyone else involved in your training. I mean, learning to use your weapons is good, but you got to know how to fight others who don't use them."
Again, Jaune wouldn't go back on his word; however, that didn't mean he wasn't paling at the thought of just how much he'd signed himself up for. Even though one could say this would slow Link down, going back to the fundamentals always held value to anyone.
"That aside, there is one problem." Jaune cleared his throat. "Cardin ended up hearing our conversation last night, and he's holding it over my head." He showed his scroll. "In fact, he's been messaging me all day."
"That guy thinks he can blackmail my leader." Yang punched her fist together with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he gets the message that he's made a mistake."
"Wait." Link stated, drawing their attention. "I can imagine your about to kick Team CRDL's door in and raise a ruckus; however, this can be handled tactfully." He started walking. "Jaune, wait 5 minutes before telling Cardin to meet you on that roof but steer clear of it yourself."
Dorm Roof: Later…
Cardin climbed onto the roof, calling out to the blond he expected to be here. "You better have a good reason why I haven't seen you all day, Jauney-boy."
"Jaune has a good reason, though it's one that doesn't concern you." Link voiced firmly, stepping out of the shadows.
"Oh, I get it." Cardin sneered. "It seems someone just can't help themselves from sticking their nose in my business." He scoffed. "What? Did you hear what I wanted to do with Jaune using those big ears of yours?"
"It doesn't matter how I learned of this." Link crossed his arms. "All that matters is I want to know if you'd be willing to put a wager on the information you know?"
"What kind of wager?" Cardin asked.
"Tomorrow, we spar in Sparring and Team Building." Link declared. "If you defeat me, I drop out of Beacon. That's one less Faunus you have to look at, and you'll have beaten the guy who gave our instructor a better fight. If I defeat you, you forget hearing about Jaune's transcripts."
"Well, you know how to make a deal." Cardin stuck out his hand. "I accept."
"Just know, I don't trust you." Link grasped the hand firmly. "That's why you should remember I have that video on my scroll of what you did to Velvet." He let go and started walking. "If I win tomorrow, yet you go back on your word, I will show that video to Ozpin. Then, I'm telling him how you attempted to blackmail a student."
Link knew he should really just reveal these things to Ozpin anyways; however, two factors had him stay his hand. First, he couldn't ignore Velvet's determination in what she wanted to accomplish with Cardin.
Secondly, despite what he told Jaune, Link couldn't be certain how the forged transcripts would go over with anyone in power. If Cardin ended up going back on his word, should Link win tomorrow, all bets would be off.
Sparring & Team Building: Next Day…
Professor Goodwitch strolled into the middle of the arena and addressed the gathered students. "Before class today, Mr. Sherwood approached me to arrange a spar with Mr. Winchester."
That caught people's attention with RNBW, JLYN, and RDL taking particular note. Among them, Jaune and Yang could assume what happened last night.
"I would like to say settling differences between students in here is acceptable." Glynda declared. "Though minor disagreements should be worked out without the need for a spar. While I did not ask their reason today, I will ask for one from those who come to me in the future. Now, will Mr. Winchester and Mr. Sherwood make their way down to the arena?"
Cardin looked Link's way, flashing him a smug smirk before proceeding down. Conversely, the blond simply stood.
"Link, what's this about?" Ruby asked.
"Personal business between Cardin and I, though you shouldn't think of it as anything having to do with Jaune's fight with him two days ago." Link started walking. "If I win, whatever this is will remain between us."
Even though Link didn't think Cardin was a threat to him, there was just a stark difference between himself and Jaune after all, he still refused to let himself be overconfident. Once the two students faced off, they had their Aura's projected for all to see.
Glynda nodded as everything was in order. "Begin in three, two, one…"
Link vs Cardin
Link rushed Cardin, who smirked as he planted his feet and gripped his mace. If his opponent were going to come at him, he'd punish them. Just as the larger student swung, Link lept and flipped over Cardin's. Without the initial shield bash, this was essentially an altered helm splitter.
He got in that slash before landing and whirling around to swing his sword down, nailing Cardin in the back. The larger leader was knocked flat on his stomach. He growled as he began to rise, only for Link to move around him and kick Cardin under the chin.
H put enough strength behind it to flip the larger leader one hundred and eight degrees onto his back, and he ended up letting go of his mace. Link sheathed his blade and picked up the weapon. As Cardin rose to his feet, he saw his opponent toss the weapon out of bounds.
Cardin's frustration turned to rage, and Link recognized this as the same problem Yang had. The larger leader was too quick to anger, and he was too straightforward. Of course, Yang absolutely trumped him in speed and was better trained.
Cardin now rushed Link, who drew his hand rifle. He began shooting Cardin while effortlessly avoiding his attempts to swing his fist. While the larger leader knew how to throw a punch, he clearly wasn't trained to fight this way as it was worse than he'd done with the mace.
Link soon ran out of ammo in his gun, seeing a panting Cardin grin. The blond swordsman gave no expression in return as he threw his gun with all his might at the now charging leader's head. As that disoriented him, Link moved in and upper uttered Cardin with the edge of his shield.
Sparring & Team Building
Cardin was knocked off his feet, hitting the ground with a resounding thud as the buzzer blared.
"That's the end of this match." Professor Goodwitch voiced.
The screen showed Link hadn't lost even one percent of his Aura while Cardin was in the red.
Link collected his gun before sheathing it and his shield. "Remember our agreement, Winchester."
Cardin said nothing, though he grunted in acknowledgement. Link would take it, hoping his opponent would remember just what was stacked against him if he broke his word.
"Mr. Winchester, it would be wise of you to get your anger under control." Glynda informed. "That is something which any criminal you face can take advantage of. Unlike your fellow students, you will be punished far more severely than by simply losing a match."
Cardin had stood by now, but he looked away upon the professor talking to him like that before making his way to his team.
After Class…
Link asked both teams to wait for him as he had to speak with their professor for a moment. "Miss Goodwitch, thank you for allowing me to have that spar with Cardin."
"Just to be certain, nothing I should know about is going to come from that?" Goodwitch asked.
"It was a spar to determine the sharing of certain information." Link stated. "As I won, provided Cardin holds true to his word, you shouldn't hear a thing more about this."
"Very well." Goodwitch accepted.
"Now, I know you just granted a request today; however, I'm hoping you wouldn't mind granting one more. I'd like Ruby, Jaune, and I to have access to one of the unused combat rooms, for ourselves and our teams."
"What do you hope to use it for exactly?" Glynda inquired.
"It'd be convenient to have place where we could all get together and train." Link voiced. "Additionally, I've recently taken a vested interest in Jaune's training. He needs a great deal of work, more than he can receive in your class alone."
"I see." Glynda brought out her scroll. "There are combat rooms available, though it's uncommon to allocate one to a first year. Then again, your circumstance and Mr. Arc's training do present a need. I can let you have the third-floor combat room on the west side."
"I'll take whatever you're willing to give." Link agreed.
"I'll send you, Ruby, and Jaune an uplink to your scrolls which will allow you to unlock the room at your convenience." Glynda confirmed.
Link gave a small smile. "Thank you, professor."
Beacon
"What were you asking the professor?" Blake asked.
"I asked to secure a combat room and was granted it." Link replied. "Ruby, Jaune, you two should have received an uplink, like I did, which will allow us access to it at any time." Both leaders pulled out there scrolls to see they had received such an uplink.
"It's now been one month since we arrived, so it's high time we got on with the very reason Ozpin made my role by training together. While Professor Goodwitch is a great teacher, having a private place to train is almost a necessity for our situation."
"Extra training." Weiss smiled. "I can certainly get behind that."
"While we're all going to train together and get stronger, I will say right now Jaune needs a great deal of work." Link voiced. "He has potential, but he needs help realizing it."
"I don't know about that last bit, but yeah I do need training regardless." Jaune voiced.
"We'll arrange all the training later, though I do want to establish now I'm going to need anyone with a sword to help me with Jaune." Link stated. "Pyrrha, Blake, and Weiss, would you three be willing to assist?"
Pyrrha beamed. "I would be honored."
"I suppose I can help, from time to time, though I will be harsher if he insist on flirting with me as he's been prone to do." Weiss noted.
"Good point." Link looked at Jaune. "Keep it professional during training; otherwise, Weiss has full reign to push you that much harder. I mean, I won't let anyone seriously hurt you, but you'd be surprised how far the human body can go,"
"Noted." Jaune gulped.
Blake nodded as well. "For the record, I don't mind helping."
"Thanks Blake." Link noted. "I will say Jaune has a large reserve of Aura, like me and Yang. As such, he can practice longer and harder than you may think. That's why I'll expect you all to push him genuinely hard."
Jaune was starting to turn pale. "Yay for me?"
"This is no fair!" Nora called out. "You're leaving me out of what sounds like a fun time!"
"Don't worry Nora." Link nodded. "This is only the beginning for Jaune. Eventually, the rest of you will get to train with him. To make it clear, he needs to work three times as hard…I predict throughout the year. You'll get your chance, like anyone else not named initially."
Jaune rose a shaky hand. "Can I go back on asking you to train me?"
He wasn't serious…entirely.
"You've already committed Jaune." Link shook his head. "There is no going back."
"Chin up fearless leader." Yang threw an arm around him with a huge grin. "Link clearly knows what he's doing, so you'll come out of this great by the end of it."
Ozpin's Office: Evening…
Link sent a message to Ozpin asking if they could talk, referencing their deal made over a month ago now. When Ozpin said he was free now, the blond had made his way to the tower. He now walked out the elevator and came to stand before the headmaster's desk.
"Hello there, Link." Ozpin greeted.
"Headmaster." Link nodded. "I believe as someone once said, I'll keep this brief." He held out his hands as the pale blue light accompanied him summoning forth his paraglider from his inventory. "I have magic."
"I had assumed as much when I caught sight of you producing this glider for Mr. Arc back during initiation." Ozpin leaned back in his chair. "Though what exactly is this magic and can you do more?"
"It's my inventory." Link answered. "Like many a hero from the distant past, I can store items within a separate space only I can access. As for if I can do more…My understanding is prior heroes needed items or were granted abilities. This is all I can do, magic wise, at present."
Ozpin smiled. "This explains why I received a reimbursement request for such a large shipment of incoming weapons, along with a notice it'll be delivered here."
"Ruby knows how to forge weapons, though for an order this size she put me in touch with the best weaponsmith she knew." Link stated. "I also personally consulted this person on their Dust capabilities. Though, make no mistake, this is a secret I'd have always revealed first."
"Of that, I have no doubt." Ozpin nodded. "I do believe I owe you information of my own in return. What I'll say is your talk of magic does not surprise me, and it's not because I am well acquainted with the legends surrounding the golden triangles."
"You already knew magic exists?" Link asked.
"That I do, for I can utilize it to a minor extent." Ozpin replied. "I used to have more, though the story behind that is something more guarded. Potentially along the lines of what more you are not telling me, I'd wager."
"I understand." Link nodded. "I will say I would like to utilize my inventory, so any advice or help you could give would be appreciated."
"That is quite the simple matter." Ozpin smiled. "Firstly, I'll ensure your shipment is brought to my office and contact you when I have it. Then, you can come store everything. As for utilization, Semblances have been known to change and develop.
In a couple of weeks from now, Professor Peach will be sending you first years on an expedition to Forever Falls for the collection of sap. All you'll need to do it break off where no one can see you and eventually return with a story befitting an evolution in your 'Semblance'."
"Can Semblances grow and develop different capabilities?" Link inquired.
"It's a rare thing, one I haven't come across in decades now." Ozpin informed. "It's far more common for a Semblance to evolve in a way that would make sense. Still, the historical evidence would be there."
"Alright." Link nodded. "Thank you, professor."
"Of course." Ozpin returned.
With that settled, Link took his leave.
Nearly dying can have a huge impact on someone. With the Jaune Arc arc wrapping up here, it frees up Forever Falls to have this story's first instance of a dungeon. Just to let you all know, that will be next chapter.
Monster King: Thank you.
Wicker3: No problem and thank you.
hdzalex084: That last bit with Jaune comes from RWBY:Ice Queendom. It's a 12 episode series, the first 3 episodes mostly overview two of the trailers and the 16 episodes of Volume 1, with additional content. Those 9 episodes that follow are then a story centered around Weiss which takes place between the end of the docks to the end of Volume 2's 1st episode Best Day Ever. Link does have courage, but he is learning what each piece does just in case.