Chapter 1: The Boy Named Jaune Arc
Jaune Arc was a tall boy. Long blonde hair fell down his neck swept back from his kind blue eyes that peered out at the world in front of him. His build was muscular showcased even more right now because he stood shirtless in the clearing, only wearing a pair of rugged jeans and boots. His right hand rested on Crocea Mors, the weapon of his ancestors, or so his Grandfather told him, the bright white sheath of the weapon resting at his side with its two golden arcs.
Jaune sensed the Grimm before he saw them. He heard their footfalls; he smelled their acrid scent. Everything he had been taught to be aware of since he was six.
The Beowulf barreled out of trees snapping teeth aimed for his neck. Jaune's soul flared gold, fading to white around him, blazing to life in a way no other Hunter's soul could.
Amplification on the surface seemed like a simple semblance. Jaune was even disappointed when he discovered that was what his semblance was.
He hadn't understood its value. Semblances didn't expend Aura; whatever they used was unclear to those who researched it, but it wasn't Aura. With Amplification, he could restore his already massive Aura reserves within minutes. Furthermore, this meant that the Aura techniques his Grandfather had taught him were even more valuable. This was not to mention that Amplification touched on more than just refilling Aura; it amplified its effects on him. With Amplification, he was stronger, faster, and more durable than other Hunters could expect to be.
Jaune flicked Crocea Mors free from its sheath and slashed a burning white line of aura across the field, carving through Beowulf in an instant, splitting it in half, before carving a blazing line through a couple of trees.
He frowned down at the dissolving body. He was still far too slow. He hadn't been able to sheath his sword before the Beowulf had hit the ground.
He was grateful to his Grandfather for teaching someone as untalented as him. After eleven years, he'd thought he would be better Huntsman, but he had never found he had made much progress. Even when he amplified himself to the max, he couldn't beat his Grandfather.
Sure, his hits could obliterate trees and rocks with the barest of efforts, but all his strength meant nothing in the face of the old man.
To make matters worse, he felt stuck, unable to get better. The Grimm he fought were too weak to challenge him. His grandfather only took him on A-rank hunts, so the worst he might face would be a herd of Goliaths or that time with the two Nuckelavees. He had begged his grandfather to take him on an S rank hunt, but the old man refused.
"So weak," Jaune sighed to himself, "At this rate, will I even be able to pass the Beacon exam?"
His Grandfather had assured him he would be fine, but Jaune was doubtful. When his grandfather assigned him training missions with the Vale Foreign Legion, he found himself constantly being assigned solo missions for 'safety reasons.'
He figured his Grandfather must have interfered or why else would he be sent on simple missions like diverting a Grimm Horde away from a settlement? He had done similar with his Grandfather since he was twelve and it had been even less dangerous at fifteen.
Still, Jaune was never one to give up. Even if he were the weakest of his class, he would still strive to fulfill his dream and become a Hunter.
Jaune hopped to a tree branch, easily jumping thirty feet before running casually across the trees back to his Grandfather's home.
It was a compound on the outskirts of Vale with high walls and automated turrets; not that many Grimm ever approached due to its proximity to the main city, Jaune's grandfather's prowess, and the fact that at any given time, several squads of the Vale Foreign Legion were stationed there.
Jaune arrived at the high metal gate and slipped through, walking up the long path to the compound.
Soldiers and Hunter teams walked about the courtyard, moving between buildings with precision and dedication. Squads of them jogged through the compound, and Sergeants called out loud sharp orders. These were the people his Grandfather commanded; they were stationed at his home as the compound made a decent outpost to keep watch for Grimm.
As he moved through the courtyard, soldiers stopped and saluted Jaune, to which he nodded seriously at them. He didn't like it, but he was Lieutenant in the Vale Foreign Legion, though he hadn't really earned it. It had basically been given to him after a scuffle in Vacuo where he had stopped a Grimm Incursion. Anyone who was actually capable could have done the same, probably better. His Grandfather could have done it in half the time.
He stepped in through the massive mahogany doorway and walked up the stairs to his Grandfather's office, where he knocked politely.
"Come in," said a firm voice.
Jaune walked inside to see the familiar dark brown room with multiple bookshelves and a large desk that his Grandfather sat behind. The burly man with silver-blonde hair and piercing blue eyes looked up from his most recent piece of correspondence.
"Grandfather," Jaune asked, "What's that letter?"
"Nothing important right now, Jaune. Are you done with your training?"
"Yes sir," Jaune nodded, biting his lip hesitantly, "Grandfather, you've received a lot of letters lately. Are you sure everything's all right?"
Aurelius Arc sighed looking at his grandson. For a moment, he saw the young six-year-old boy looking up at him with a happy smile.
Then it was gone.
Aurelius shook himself. Jaune was a good boy. From the moment he had taken him in Jaune had always done what he asked without complaint. No matter how hard the training, no matter how painful. The boy always did as asked.
Still, he had his flaws. The boy seemed convinced that he was a failure and had low self-confidence. This despite the fact that as a fifteen-year-old qualified he was a Lieutenant for the Vale Foreign Legion. They were the best of the best and could hold their weight with Atlas Specialists! Yet Jaune had instantly been found to be overqualified and, due to the danger of the missions he undertook, had never operated with other members of the Legion.
More than that, Aurelius was concerned that the soft half-smile on his grandson's face would never turn into a full, brilliant one. Nothing seemed to make the boy truly happy. Not training, no friends or girlfriends.
Jaune deserved that for everything that Aurelius had made the boy sacrifice, even if unknowingly.
Aurelius shook himself. He had received a number of strange letters recently.
Dear Aurelius,
My daughter came back home recently after an encounter with a young man who we both have the pleasure of knowing. I can't say I've ever seen her like this. She is happier than I've ever seen her. I think it would be good for both of them to perhaps talk to each other.
Ghira Belladonna
There were other letters,
Dear Aurelius,
My daughter Yang said she met a young man named Jaune Arc recently. She talked rather fast, but apparently, she and him got into a bit of scuffle, and well, she's rather star-struck. I'm honestly at my wit's end with Yang. I don't know what it is, but she seems to hate all her male peers, so the fact she's acting this way struck me a bit out of the blue; for some reason, this young man, who I believe is your grandson, made quite the impression on her.
If possible, she'd like to talk to him. At the very least I'd like to have the opportunity to thank the young man myself after my encounter with him all those years ago.
Summer Rose
Aurelius thumbed through the letters absentmindedly.
The names popped out at him: Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao-Long, and Pyrrha Nikos.
Dear Aurelius,
My sister has been quite upset recently about a certain Jaune Arc who served as her bodyguard. She seems quite upset about the fact he has not contacted her recently. If you would have the boy reach out to her that would be lovely.
Winter Schnee
Dear Aurelius,
My daughter apparently had the pleasure of fighting with your grandson some time ago. She won't say this, but I'm afraid she doesn't have many friends if your grandson could call or send a message I'm sure it would make her day.
Pandora Nikos
Aurelius was confused. Why were all these people contacting him?
"Jaune," Aurelius said, "What happened exactly on your most recent trip?"
Jaune blinked, confused, "Well, it's in my mission report, but I can elaborate in further detail."
"Please," Aurelius nodded.
Jaune walked up to the Schnee mansion and knocked lightly on the door. A man in a formal suit opened it who had sparse red hair and a mustache.
"What can I do for you, young man?" the man asked politely.
Jaune brought his arm across his chest, giving a salute to the other man, "My name is Lieutenant Jaune Arc; I was assigned to escort a Weiss Schnee as added security."
"Indeed? Well my name Klein, the Schnee family butler, may I see your identification?" the man asked.
Jaune nodded and offered his scroll, which Klein checked over, scanning with his own scroll.
"Well, you seem to be who you claim to be," Klein said before giving Jaune a warm smile, "It's nice to meet you, Lieutenant Arc."
"You as well, sir," Jaune nodded, giving the man a half smile.
"Please follow me," Klein said and brought Jaune into the mansion which Jaune observed with polite interest though he found that it seemed rather empty compared to his own home, lacking the other members of Vale Foreign Legion who were usually about.
They walked up the stairs and down a hallway before Klein knocked on a door.
"Come in," a soft feminine voice said, and Klein opened the door, allowing the pair to walk him.
The bedroom seemed rather empty to Jaune, but he kept his peace.
By a dresser sat a white-haired girl with a ponytail that dangled down her back in a pretty pale blue dress.
She turned and then blinked, seemingly confused, "Klein, who is this?" she asked, and Jaune noted her tone was rather imperious. More than that, she was incredibly pretty with pale smooth skin, pretty frosty blue eyes, and a lithe figure.
"This is Lieutenant Arc, Ms. Schnee, on assignment from the Vale Foreign Legion as security," Klein said calmly.
Weiss Schnee eyed the tall blond boy who wore a tan coat over his gleaming silver chest plate and had strangely warm blue eyes.
"You're my age," Weiss said bluntly looking at the boy confused as for the life of her she couldn't think why someone her own age would be hired as her security, especially a boy, boys were rarely trained as Hunters.
Klein seemed to wince, a sure indication she had been too blunt, but she didn't care; she was so close to never having to be in this mansion ever again, finally being free. She could be blunt if she wanted to.
Lieutenant Arc gave her a warm smile, "I know I may seem incapable, but I assure you, Ms. Schnee, I will protect you with my life."
Weiss contained a disdainful snort. A simpering fool, great.
Klein spoke up, "Lieutenant Arc will only be serving as protection for a month until there are more Atlesian troops available for protective detail.
Weiss sighed but nodded, she would just have to tolerate this fool for a bit.
The air rippled as the world exploded about her. Weiss was unsure what had happened. She had been standing on a stage about to sing. Then, the world had erupted into fire.
Yet she was fine.
She blinked as she realized she was being held by a firm arm around her waist, and her head was pressed against hard metal.
"Ms. Schnee, are you alright?"
She realized golden light was swirling around them, and with a start, she realized this must be Jaune's soul. Serious blue eyes looked down at her, far from the usual laughing oceans they used to be.
Something fluttered in her chest, and she didn't know what.
She looked about and saw the massive hole that had exploded where she used to be. As she looked further out, she saw a large number of what looked to be White Fang members splayed about on the ground. The rest of the audience, though, seemed entirely fine with no injuries as soldiers rushed in to protect the Atlesian elite.
"The White Fang?" she hissed, horrified; they had attacked her, just tried to kill her.
She should be dead.
"Hey, easy, it's alright, nothing's going to hurt you while I'm here," Lieutenant Arc's voice vibrated through her, his chest rumbling against her, and what had been breathing that was becoming panicked eased.
Despite herself, she leaned further into the chest. Here, for some reason, she felt safe.
Jaune sat in an open-air stand that was uncommon here in Atlas. He noted a black-haired girl with a bow on her head sitting next to him, staring, seeming morose, at her food. Jaune was struck by her gorgeous face and figure but more than that the expression on her face tugged at his heart. He was just about to leave Atlas, but a part of him felt sad looking at her,
"Are you alright?" he asked.
The girl looked up, seemingly surprised, "You're talking to me?" she asked softly.
Jaune blinked and then looked around the basically deserted stand, "Yeah."
A small tinge of red appeared on the girl's cheeks before she looked down again, "I wouldn't ask me that. I don't deserve it."
Jaune frowned, "Of course you do, why wouldn't you?"
The girl shook her head. "I did something bad. At the time, it felt right, but now I know it was definitely wrong. I just… I want to go home, I want to go back to my family, and make things right with everyone, but I don't deserve that."
Jaune looked at her; something bad? He didn't see it.
"I think you should then," the girl looked up at him, her mouth opening and closing before she finally said, "Why?"
Blake was lost. Adam had just tried to assassinate someone. She hadn't even known until she had heard he had been arrested in the aftermath. Sure, she didn't like the Schnee, but to kill people…
She didn't know what to do, and this young man with a warm smile looked at her more gently than anyone she had ever seen. He was a human, yet she saw a gentle warmth in him as he looked at her.
He smiled at her and she felt her heart thump hard in her chest, "You deserve to be happy."
"Happy?" Blake cocked her head at him, "You don't even know me, I could be a really terrible person!"
She was startled as she realized she had yelled at him.
The boy shook his head, "I don't think you are, or you wouldn't want to go back to your family and make things right. My Grandfather would say it's only too late to make things right when you're dead."
Blake looked down, "I can't anyways. I don't have any money," she said softly. Now that the White Fang cell had been busted she was without resources and stuck in a foreign unfamiliar city.
Then she felt something pressed into her hands and found a wallet bursting at the seams with a lien held out to her by the boy.
"Take it," he said firmly, "Go back to your family."
Then he glanced down at his scroll, and his eyes widened, "Oh, right!"
He spun on his heel and began to sprint away, "See ya!" he called back to her.
Blake blinked, confused, as she watched the strange boy run away. She glanced down to see a stitched name on the wallet.
'Jaune Arc.'
Jaune twirled his blade as he stood relaxed across from some redheaded girl named Pyrrha Nikos. She was gorgeous, just like the two other girls he had met recently, and had fierce red hair, and her armor pushed her chest up in a way that made him feel embarrassed.
He had been minding his own business, taking a quick day Argus on his way back to Vale. He wasn't really sure how this had occurred. He had been enjoying a relaxed bout with some training robots at a local gym before this man had approached him about entering as a freelance opponent in something called the Mistral Regional tournament.
The man had been insistent, saying they were short on competitors due to a number dropping out rather than face some person called 'The Invincible Girl,' and Jaune had felt bad and decided to help him out.
Jaune noted that the crowd was really going wild. He had fought a number of Huntsman already, though he figured that this must be a small local thing as none of them seemed terribly competent.
The girl's expression, he noted, seemed rather plastic, and the smile was not quite real.
"Hey," he called out, and the girl looked up, "Let's have a good fight, okay?" he smiled warmly at her.
Pyrrha Nikos nodded. A small, fragile smile appeared on her face before she leaped at him.
This Pyrrha Nikos girl had some talent Jaune thought. They spun across the dusty ground, clashing in a flurry of sparks.
It was almost like sparring with his Grandfather, Jaune thought. Though not really, she was good, very good, but she didn't compare to his Grandfather which probably meant she was still a distance away from being a true hunter.
Though the way she fought at first, it didn't seem like her heart was really in it. That had changed, though, after he had landed the first blow, knocking a chunk off her aura and, for some reason, causing the crowd to go into complete silence.
He caught her blade with a quick parry, and then their shields clashed in a mirrored bash. They locked for a moment.
Here, Jaune could see Pyrrha's eyes wide as she looked at him, a flaming emerald alight in a way they certainly hadn't been before. She was grinning fiercely a far cry from her fragile smile before.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" Jaune asked happily, giving Pyrrha a warm smile.
Pyrrha smiled back at him, looking somehow free, "More than you could imagine."
Jaune nodded before he noted a clock on the far wall and realized that his flight back home left soon.
"I've enjoyed this," he said sincerely, then flared his semblance and batted the girl across the arena, embedding her in a wall.
Her Aura hit red, and the entire arena was dead silent before cheers erupted, hooting and hollering unlike any of his other fights.
He still wanted to fight the 'Invincible Girl', whoever that was, but he couldn't miss his flight, or his Grandfather would kill him.
He turned and walked out of the arena.
Jaune wandered around downtown Vale, feeling lost. He has just come back and been put on mandatory rest and recovery. He would always follow his grandfather's orders in the letter, but he didn't really know what to do to relax in Vale.
He was dressed in a loose black button up shirt his sleeves rolled up to bare his arms that had a couple scars across them. The back of the shirt had two golden arcs that indicated his heritage. He wore faded black jeans from too many washes and worn but comfortable black boots.
All of this was unimportant compared to Crocea Mors, which still rested on his hip, its comforting weight giving him some familiarity in this strange environment, it's white sheen standing out against his clothes.
Jaune surveyed the bars and his eyes landed on one 'Juniors Club,' normal teenagers went to bars right?
He walked up to the bouncers, who looked at him and then glanced down to his waist before they stepped aside.
Jaune walked into the club and winced at the thumping music that pounded in his ears but nevertheless walked up to the bar where he took a seat.
The bartender glanced at him balefully, "What do you want, kid?"
Jaune shrugged, "Just a double margarita," he said. Alcohol wasn't all that entertaining to him, but it was only polite to get something; maybe he could drink a bit and then get back to training.
The bartender shrugged and poured one for him, passing the acidic drink to him. Jaune took a sip, casually drinking the liquid and licking the salt.
This was incredibly boring. Why did Grandfather send him into Vale? He could have been spending time getting good enough to get into Beacon.
A bouncy blonde wearing a stunning brown jacket hopped up to the bar. He met her violet eyes, and she cocked her head at him. She looked familiar, he thought, like a woman he had met once, but right now, he couldn't recall who.
Black hair and crimson eyes floated in his mind, looking at him in shock.
A man in a suit walked up to them, and the blonde turned to him.
"They say you're called Junior?" the blonde said leadingly.
"That's me," the man replied gruffly.
"I need to know something," the girl said, "Perhaps you can help me."
Junior shrugged, "Maybe."
The girl held out a picture on her scroll, and the man looked down at it; instinctively, Jaune applied his grandfather's lessons as he examined the man's expression. There was genuinely no recognition on his face.
"I might know her," Junior said, "For a price."
Jaune saw the girl's eyes brighten up in desperate hope, and he frowned. Preying on this girl's hopes wasn't right.
"He's lying," Jaune said, sipping his drink slowly, savoring the acidity of the lime.
The both of them spun to look at him, Junior glaring at him, the girl looking at him in somewhat surprise.
"Stay out of this kid," Junior growled.
Jaune found it hard to be intimidated by someone with such a weak stance; if even he could see that, this guy must be completely incapable.
Jaune eyed the man balefully, "Then don't lie. It's not polite."
His Grandfather had been clear: an Arc should always be a man of their word. It was something Jaune strove for.
Junior growled, and the girl glared at Junior, "I guess I'll have to teach you a lesson," she said softly in a deadly tone.
Jaune noted that the men Junior worked with must be even more incapable than Junior was as he picked them out from around the room as they looked at their boss on what to do.
"Get them," Junior ordered shortly, and he backed away.
Men in black suits cascaded towards them, and Jaune contemplated pulling out Crocea Mors before he decided that it was an unacceptable escalation.
The bartender tried to reach across the table to grab him, but his movements were slow and jerky.
Smoothly, Jaune grabbed the man's head, embedding it into the counter with a flex of his arm, shattering the man's aura in a second and causing the counter to shatter in an explosion of wood.
The girl was already beginning to plow through the men in black suits with yellow shotgun gauntlets, and Jaune admired the fluidity of her movements. She must be at the beginning of Hunter training, he decided.
Jaune stepped forward into the midst of the men in black suits and flexed his semblance around his hands, causing them to shine a bright white.
He lashed out into the crowd, sending men flying and slipping around their disjointed attacks.
He continued punching, if nothing else, enjoying the sensation of flexing his aura around him as men came at him. He spotted the DJ for some reason, going for a gun, and turned two of the men into impromptu missiles, slamming the man into the wall.
Two girls, one in white and one in red, stepped forward, both rather pretty with long black hair.
Jaune immediately eyed their shoes, noting the sharpness of their heels. An interesting weapon.
The girl in white launched herself at Jaune, and the one in red launched herself at the girl with blonde hair.
Utilizing pure footwork, Jaune stepped through the barrage of dagger heels aimed at his face despite himself, his lips quirking up in a small smile, "You're kicks have excellent direction and power," he complimented.
"Less talking blondie, more fighting," the blonde girl he was fighting with called out as she fought her own opponent.
The girl in the white dress furrowed her brow and tried to kick Jaune's feet out from under him.
Jaune jumped over it rotating his own body through the air to launch and amplified kick to the girls chest.
The girl's eyes widened, and she choked as his foot made contact. Her aura flared before she was blasted through one of the club walls.
Jaune looked after her, surprised. He was sure she would have been able to withstand a kick like that. He'd barely put any effort into it.
"Damn," he cursed, "I hope she's okay."
The girl with the blonde hair was engaging in a furious display of martial arts with the girl in red before, with a blast of her shotgun gauntlets, the girl in red was embedded into the ground.
Junior shot up from behind the bar with a rocket launcher and emptied the entire case towards them.
Jaune flicked his sword free and slashed through the air, cleaving through the metal and targeting the explosive dust within, rending the triggering mechanisms for the explosives inert.
The rockets dropped to the ground suddenly depowered and there was a single second where both the blonde girl and Junior looked at him incredulously.
Junior looked at him, his eyes seemingly searching his face before they widened, "Wait, you're-"
He didn't get to finish the sentence before the blonde girl blasted forward, punching him straight through the wall with a massive explosion.
And then it was just him and a blonde girl in a wrecked club.
Jaune suddenly felt rather awkward, and his mouth was rather dry as he realized how incredibly pretty the blonde girl was, how her chest pushed against her yellow shirt and how she bounced across the floor as she walked up to him.
"Well, lady killer," the girl said, "I didn't expect this night to end with such a Yang, but I'm glad to see someone else knows how to have some fun."
Jaune looked at the girl, nonplussed, "Don't you mean 'bang?'" he asked, confused.
The girl blinked, looking at him confused, before something seemed to occur to her, "No! I mean, my name is Yang, right? So I ended the night with a Yang! See?"
Jaune cocked his head at her before he realized that this was a pun, something his Grandfather enjoyed on occasion.
"Oh, I get it, that's good," he smiled at Yang.
Yang looked at him somewhat nonplussed before she shook her head, seemingly bemused, "It's a good thing you're cute. That sense of humor isn't likely to be winning any girls over."
Jaune sighed, looking down, "Ah, sorry, I'm not very good at this kind of thing," he admitted, before looking down at Yang again, "I promise to do better next time."
He knew he was socially awkward. How could he not be considering how little interaction he had with the average person?
Yang blinked, looking somewhat taken aback, "Uh, sure," before a small smile grew on her face, "Let's get out of here."
They walked out of the wrecked bar, and Jaune watched as Yang walked over to a parked yellow bike.
"Need a ride home?" she asked him.
"Nah," Jaune shook his head, "I'd rather not go home yet."
"Me neither," Yang shook her head before she bit her lip looking down, "Uh would you like to hang out or something?"
Jaune shrugged, "Sure," he replied.
Yang got on her bike before she looked at him, "You're riding on the back," she said a carefree smile on her face but Jaune noted the smile didn't look full as if it was missing a spark.
They had hit a late-night diner deeper in the city. Yang had driven at frankly dangerous speeds but Jaune hadn't been worried as the girl seemed in control the whole time.
They sat down across from each other at the diner and ordered and now were left staring at each other awkwardly.
"So what's the mysterious Hunter all about?" Yang put a hand on her hip, smiling at him cockily.
Jaune shrugged, "I wouldn't say I'm all that mysterious."
Yang rolled her eyes, "Well, ladykiller, you could at least give me a name," she looked pointedly at him.
"Oh right," Jaune nodded, "My name is Jaune," he said.
"Going to be a Hunter Jaune?" Yang asked.
"Hopefully," Jaune said, "You?"
"You know it," Yang grinned at him, pumping her arm, though Jaune noted that the smile didn't feel right.
"Are you upset that you weren't able to find information about the woman on your scroll?" Jaune asked bluntly.
Yang blinked, and her eyes flashed red for a moment before she looked down, "It's not really your business ladykiller," she said softly.
Jaune nodded, "That's fair, I just wanted to know if you wanted me to look at it and see if I recognized them."
Yang blinked, and uncharacteristic unsureness appeared on her face before she reached into her shorts, pulled out her scroll, and showed the picture to Jaune.
It was a black-haired woman with red eyes whose facial structure resembled that of Yang quite a bit.
Jaune frowned thoughtfully, cross-referencing the face with those he had seen on the travels his grandfather had taken him on.
Something pinged in his memory. A mission some years ago.
Seven Years Ago
The mission was FUBAR as his grandfather had said. A distress signal deep in the wilds and Aurelius had brought a whole squad of Legionaries.
It wasn't enough.
Grimm positively swarmed the area in a black mass. Aurelius had directed for Jaune to punch through and head for the source of the signal.
Whoever they were, they were lucky Aurelius had already been running training exercises some tens of miles away.
Jaune sprinted through the forest cleaving through Grimm as he went piercing through a mass of them to arrive in a clearing where the source of the signal was strongest.
It was two women Jaune realized one with a white cloak with black hair with red highlights with silver eyes. The other wearing a dark dress, black hair and crimson eyes, she was collapsed on her side holding her stomach.
They were surrounded, but that wasn't the worst part of it. There was a monstrous humanoid-looking grimm with massive flexing arms that bulged with black mass. The woman with the white cloak had stepped forward in front of her injured companion, but Jaune could tell she was on her last legs.
The monstrous humanoid grimm flexed arms bulging with black mass an arm slamming forward, aiming to spear the woman with the white cloak.
Jaune blurred across the ground, his shield interposing between the woman, and the air rippled and exploded as the arm made contact with his shield.
Jaune didn't focus on the Grimm, looking back at the two women who were both looking at him in astonishment.
"A child?" the one on the ground said derisively, "This really is a cruel joke."
The one with the white cloak looked panicked, "You can't be here! You need to run!"
Jaune gave them a warm smile, "Don't worry. The Valean Foreign Legion is here."
He spun to glare at the grimm who had attacked him.
It was strong. Perhaps one of the strongest Grimm he had ever faced.
His soul burned.
Jaune frowned, looking at the picture; it was definitely that woman. What had she said her name was again?
"Raven Branwen, right?" he asked, looking up at Yang.
Yang blinked, and then her eyes flared red, and her hands shot across the table, grabbing his shirt and pulling him in until their noses were inches apart.
"What do you know?" she growled.
Jaune looked at the girl, confused, but he answered, "I encountered her once out in the wilds. She was with another woman named Summer. Last I saw them, they were boarding a bullhead back to Vale around seven years ago."
Yang paused and seemingly took a deep breath, "You… I… I'm sorry," she gave him a soft but sad smile, "Thanks for telling me. It's just… well, she's my mom. No one's ever been willing to tell me where she went after her mission with my other mom."
"Ah, I understand," Jaune nodded sympathetically, his heart going out to the girl who looked at him confused, her eyes flaring red slightly.
"What do you mean?" His words sounded harsh, and she seemed to be glaring at him slightly.
Jaune gave the girl a soft smile, "I don't know my mom. Or my dad, for that matter. My Grandfather said that my dad died when I was younger, and he doesn't talk about my mom much. I guess I just understand wanting to know more about them."
"Oh," Yang blinked, and her eyes were violet again, "I see," she said softly.
Dinner calmed from there, and Jaune learned Yang had a sister named Ruby, a father named Taiyang, and another mom named Summer who he figured must have been the other woman he encountered. Jaune was unsure of the relationship of Summer with Yang, as Yang also called mom, but he left it alone for now. They seemed to be the girl's whole world, as the only other thing she talked about was her bike, Bumblebee.
The girl was actually surprisingly chatty, talking about anything and everything with a soft smile on her face.
"So Ruby is trying to take these cookies from me, and I have her in a headlock, right?" Yang was giggling as she smiled at him.
Jaune was about to respond before his scroll went off, and he pulled it from his pocket.
Priority Alert: Grimm Surge to the Northeast of Vale
Mission Rank: A
Well, it looked like the rest of the night had been decided for him.
Jaune frowned, irritated for once that he had been interrupted by a Grimm alert.
"What's wrong?" Yang asked, her own smile turning into a frown.
"I'm sorry something's come up," Jaune said, and he was.
Yang nodded and gave him a smile that looked painfully sad, looking at him like he was abandoning her. Yet like she had expected it anyways.
"Right," she said, "Well, I guess it was good to meet you," she looked down.
Jaune's heart clenched. She seemed genuinely upset, though he didn't know why. He fiddled with his scroll for a moment before he looked at Yang, "If you want, we can talk again sometime."
Yang blinked before a small smile emerged on her face, "Easy there, ladykiller. I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of commitment."
"Oh, okay," Jaune nodded, standing up, "Well, it was nice meeting you; the fight was fun."
Yang blinked before startling after him, "Wait! That was a joke!" she cried out.
"Oh," Jaune shrugged and held out his scroll, "Can I get your number then?"
Yang's face flushed a bright red, but she nodded and tapped her scroll against his exchanging numbers.
Jaune shrugged, "And that was pretty much it. Nothing really out of the ordinary. I need to get back to training."
Aurelius sighed, "Don't you think you've trained enough, Jaune?"
Jaune groaned, looking at his grandfather's askance, "Grandfather, you know that I have to give everything to becoming a Hunter. I'm already going to likely be behind my classmates who were able to attend combat school."
Ah yes, Aurelius rubbed his head; his grandson had been denied entry into Vales's premier combat school for being too qualified. It turned out that beating your examiner into the ground without even drawing your weapon could do that. He had traumatized his evaluator so much he had simply given the confirmation that Jaune was ready for an Academy.
Teaching Jaune restraint was a task he still hadn't quite managed.
Aurelius gave his grandson his best grandfatherly smile, "Jaune, you are quite capable. You shouldn't be so down on yourself."
His grandson looked at him with a disbelieving eyebrow raised at him, "It's okay, grandfather; I know I'll have to work ten times as hard, but it's my dream to be a Hunter."
Honestly, his grandson could do it with a bit less work. Aurelius knew for a fact he had terrified pretty much every person who had seen him fight. His grandson was so overwhelming that for the longest time now, Aurelius was the only person he could have his Grandson all out spar with.
"Why don't you go relax for a bit?" Aurelius asked his grandson, "You should at least take a small break. You've been hunting Grimm nonstop since your last mission."
Jaune grimaced, looking at him discontentedly, "Is that an order, sir?"
Aurelius sighed, his grandson was really going to make him do it, "It is Lieutenant, you have a mandatory rest and recovery period for the rest of the evening."
Jaune nodded, crossing his arm across his bare chest, "Yes sir," he said, and Aurelius had to restrain a wince as his grandson looked at him sadly.
Jaune turned and marched out of his office.
Aurelius sighed, rubbing his forehead, really that boy was just too much.
Still, he wouldn't trade his grandson for the world.
Eleven Years Ago
Jaune frowned as he glared at his older sister, her long blonde hair swaying in the breeze as she looked down at him.
They were standing in the back garden training area behind the Arc Manor, a massive construction that managed to contain all the Arc children, in the Kingdom of Atlas. Up here in the sky, it was rather cold, but Jaune had always run warm, so he was merely dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts.
Violet was only two years older than him but Jaune looked up to her like no one else. She was training to become a Huntress! How cool was that! Still his emotions weren't very positive right now.
"Why not?" he asked, "Why won't you train me?"
Violet sighed, "You're too young, Jaune. Plus, you have all of us to protect you."
The words she repeated were by rote, yet they weren't the actual reasons. No, it came down to their Mother, who had forbidden any of the Arc children from training the youngest child. Violet knew why. All of them did. He was the only son of the Arc family, and with the recent death of their father, they couldn't bear to risk him.
It wasn't fair to the boy, but Violet knew her brother would grow out of it. He would grow up and become the head of the family and let his sisters keep him safe.
Still, it didn't make the glare from Jaune that pierced through her heart any easier.
He turned and ran away, and Violet found herself reaching out a hand to grab his shoulder but stopped herself. He would come back. Their baby brother always did.
"He didn't take that well," Indigo said and Violet turned as her sister appeared over her shoulder shaking her short blonde hair and piercing into Violet with her own blue eyes.
"We're doing the right thing," Violet said firmly, and Indigo shrugged.
"I suppose," she said blandly, and Violet glared at her sister.
"We're not losing him like we did, Dad. There's not enough men anyways to let them become Hunters."
It was true. Male Hunters were few and far between, given the amount of men that were born. One of every ten births was a boy.
Not that Jaune was thinking that as he ran away. He climbed up the side of the manor, scaling the building in a way that would have frightened any of his sisters or mother until he reached the top.
He sat down, glaring at the world.
He didn't know how long he sat there but was startled when a familiar, warm, masculine voice spoke, "What's my favorite grandson doing up here?"
He turned and, despite himself, smiled as he looked up to see Aurelius looking down on him. The man was wearing his typical armor that made him seem even more enormous than he was, and he had blonde hair coated in silver.
"Grandpa!" he cried out, grabbing his Grandfather in a bear hug.
Aurelius chuckled, patting his grandson. His blue eyes glowed for a moment, and suddenly, he was looking at two older versions of Jaune.
One Jaune wore bright silver armor, wearing a long tan coat over the chest plate, and held Crocea Mors in his hands his stance picture perfect. He was in the midst of a fight, his face set in a rictus of anger; behind him stood a city swarmed by Grimm but not overwhelmed yet.
The other Jaune was wearing cheap armor and a pair of jeans, lying on the ground sobbing as the city behind him burned; Crocea Mors shattered at his side, crimson leaking from underneath him, the city behind him smoking as Grimm rampaged.
Aurelius took a deep breath and closed his eyes and opened them again to see the vision gone. His Semblance was rarely so clear.
It activated without his will and showed him different futures in critical moments based on his actions. He had used it for a long time now, and the results were always inevitable. He had saved countless lives. He had ended countless more with the wrong decisions.
This was the third time it had activated around Jaune, and the vision was even more horribly clear.
If Jaune weren't trained, many would die. He had tried to tell Jaune's mother, but his daughter-in-law wouldn't hear it. While she still allowed him to visit his grandchildren, he knew the woman blamed him for Hadrian's death. He couldn't blame her; he had known what he had sent his son into.
Aurelius couldn't ignore the visions any longer.
"Jaune, how would you like to live with me?"
Forgive me, Juniper.
The bullhead rumbled underneath Jaune's as he looked out the window. They soared over the green lands below. It really had been fun hanging out with Yang, but he needed to focus now. Grimm always had to be taken seriously.
"Time to Drop is time minus two minutes," the pilot's voice came over the load speaker, "Opening bay doors now."
The back of the bullhead opened, exposing the green trees far below, racing past them as the Bullhead roared through the air. Jaune's eyes focused down on the swell of black between the trees, and he gave a low whistle.
"Maybe this won't be entirely boring," he murmured. Grimm positively covered the ground, and he saw some of the bigger ones cleaving through the trees as they tried to make a path to the base he had been called in to protect. The mission details said there was some research base between Vale and Atlas in the spirit of mutual cooperation.
Jaune tightened the straps on his gleaming white armor on his limbs, popping his tan coat against the ripping wind from the open door of the bullhead. On his chest plate were the golden arcs of his family, and he rubbed them subconsciously. He couldn't let these people down. Even if he weren't all that strong, he would do his best to make sure that the people under his protection saw the night through.
The bullhead screamed through the skies before its path curved as they reached the front of the Grimm Surge.
The roar of dust rounds was loud as Jaune saw the base firing into the front of the surge doing a decent job for now of keeping the Grimm back but he could see slowly but surely the Grimm were making headway not to mention the larger armored ones he knew were going to be more trouble for conventional dust rounds.
"Drop now, Lieutenant, give 'em hell," the pilot's voice echoed out.
Jaune leaped out of the dropship, putting his shield beneath his feet and swelling his aura into a gleaming curved mass that gleamed pale yellow before shining bright white as he dropped like a rock towards the center point of the Grimm formation.
"We're so fucked," Lieutenant Rouge said next to Winter as he stared blankly forward as the mass of Grimm continued creeping forward toward their base.
"Steady Lieutenant," Winter Schnee said. She had come in not an hour ago with brilliant white hair and cold blue eyes dressed in her pale white suit.
She was Specialist and couldn't show her own fear but she knew the odds were… well grim., This was an A rank Grimm Surge. Multiple Huntsman teams were typically needed to dull the brunt of these.
Missions involving Grimm were ranked on a scale up from D, peaking basically at A because an S-sized Grimm Surge was supposed to be enough for a total Kingdom collapse.
So it was basically as bad as it could reasonably be, Winter Schnee thought. Yet this was her duty, she would see it through.
"General Ironwood has called in the Valean Foreign Legion," she said, "Commander Aurelius Arc said he had more than enough troops on hand to break a rank A surge."
Lieutenant Rouge's face brightened up. Winter was also cautiously hopeful. The Valean Foreign Legion was legendary. An offshoot of Vales's standing army during the Great War, they were made of the best soldiers on the continent, it was said. They weren't huntsman necessarily but had Huntsman in their ranks.
More than that, the man who led them, Aurelius Arc, was said to be more than a match for James Ironwood's strategic capabilities. Missions with the Valean Foreign Legion involved had a reputation for success.
She could see one of the incoming bullheads now screaming through the sky, painted white and yellow,
There was a ragged cheer from the defenses as they saw a bullhead, which died somewhat as they realized there was only one. Maybe the rest were coming soon, but just one bullhead's worth of soldiers wouldn't be enough.
Winter frowned, and despite her experience, her heart clenched. She couldn't leave her sister now.
Then there was a gasp as the nighttime sky illuminated, and what almost looked like a shooting star fell from the bullhead as it peeled away.
There was a moment of silence before it hit the ground, and the black mass of Grimm exploded away, tumbling over each other.
"What kind of weapon is that?" Lieutenant Rouge gasped,
Winter's face was set as she glared at the impact crater; she had seen through the light, if only just barely, "That wasn't a weapon; it was a man."
"We're so fucked," Lieutenant Rouge groaned.
The issue with fighting a lot of Grimm at most was that you needed to focus on clearing space as much as fighting them, Jaune had been told by Aurelius when he was younger. Jaune, of course, took that to heart.
He stomped, and the torn ground erupted in an explosion as he ripped through the oncoming Grimm.
His sword flickered out, cleaving through the writhing mass of black flesh in front of him.
They stormed toward him, roaring in the challenge; Jaune responded, leaping forward in a flash of golden white light as his Aura poured off him.
He had enhanced his Aura so much at this point it hovered about him like an exoskeleton shadowing his moves and making him seem larger than life.
Black limbs flew about him as he sliced Beowolves in half in gleaming arcs of aura. Larger Ursa tried to charge him, but he batted them away with his shield, triggering blasts of fire dust from the center of the shield as he did so, enhanced with his aura and semblance to create massive blasts of flame.
An Ursa leaped at him, and he slammed a foot into its gut, blasting it back, its body rolling like a boulder as it flattened other Grimm trying to make its approach.
More Grimm tried to dog pile Jaune, but he simply flared his Aura higher.
He slashed and tore through the Grimm, pushing his body harder and cleaving through their black flesh as he leaped about.
A paw glanced off his shield, but Jaune barely felt the impact. This was his element.
He may have been fairly weak for a Hunter, but he was still a Hunter. It was his job to make sure the Atlesian Base and its people survived. He imagined that the people inside must have been lacking in Hunters to deal with the Grimm Surge and been mostly reliant on the weapons he had seen firing into the mass.
A large elephantine Grimm tried to smash down its leg on Jaune, but he caught it on his shield before triggering a massive electric blast that scorched through the Grimm's body.
Jaune flicked his sword in a vertical slash, and his aura screamed through the air in a golden wave, bisecting the entire beast, taking a decent chunk of aura before Jaune completely replenished it in the next instant.
He tore through the Grimm blazing white. This was where Jaune Arc belonged.
Aurelius Arc looked down at the letters in front of him, and then, for some reason, his Semblance activated.
Jaune stood in front of an altar, and Aurelius Arc's heart was warmed by the smile on his grandson's face.
His grandson was dressed in a fine black suit, but it was surprising that a number of women crowded around him wearing white veils and white dresses as they looked at his son. One woman had raven black hair and cat ears and yellow eyes staring passionately at his grandson; one woman had silky crimson hair and emerald green eyes that positively glowed with happiness; another woman had beautiful blonde hair and violet eyes, her lips set in a soft smile, another woman had long white hair and cold eye blue eyes at odds with her soft smile, and there were still a couple of other women who he couldn't quite get a look at.
The thing that struck Aurelius the most was the brilliant smile on his grandson's face. He had never seen his grandson look so happy.
Aurelius tried to focus, but his semblance was already unraveling. He blinked, and the vision was gone.
He looked down at the letters he had received. It couldn't be. Yet instinct told Aurelius that these letters might be the start of his grandson's happiness.
After everything he had forced his grandson to sacrifice, he knew the boy deserved it.
Aurelius began writing.