Hey everyone! I'm back, and with a new story! This chapter's been sitting on my drive since at least last year, so it might be a little rough around the edges.
Fair warning for this one, though, there's going to be some major changes to lore and worldbuilding, and character aspects, so anything not explicitly stated will probably not apply here. As usual, characters who aren't described visually are free to interpret within reason.
With that said and done, enjoy!
Team RWBY stood cautiously on the street, watching a supermarket on the street across from them with vigilant eyes. They were just walking back from their weekly Dust shopping when they came across this scene.
Bodies of White Fang members lay passed out in front of the supermarket, along with a motorcycle being parked in front of said supermarket. Doing a quick headcount, Ruby noted that there were at least 40 White Fang members with various injuries passed out on the street.
They could still hear the sounds of a fight coming from the supermarket. From what Weiss could see, racks and shopping items were being thrown around everywhere. It seems the inside of the entire store was hectic, so much so that team RWBY couldn't see who was fighting who clearly. All they could do was stay ready from the outside, no matter how many times Yang told them that she wanted to just get it over with and go in herself.
And then, the battle stopped. Gunshots and screams couldn't be heard from the store anymore. Things that were thrown around now remained stationary.
"That's it. I'm going in." Yang marched across the street but was held back by Ruby.
"Wait! Just a few more seconds, Yang." Ruby told her, "We can't just rush it. There might be civilians."
"Ugh, fine." She stepped back and stood beside her little sister. Team RWBY was tense, waiting for something, anything.
And then the supermarket's door opened. A man walked out drinking an energy drink with his head held high. He was wearing a white two-piece suit, a blue dress shirt with a popped collar, and some jeans. However, the attire's entire part for the right arm looked like it had been torn off. In its place, a robotic arm flashed in the sunlight, with white paint coating it.
The man finished his drink and lowered his head. With this, team RWBY could look at the man's face better.
None of them could believe it.
Sure, he had scars now, sported a light goatee, and his hair was tied back, but it was still him. Jaune Arc was alive.
"Ah, that hits the spot." His voice confirmed it even further. He crushed the can with his right arm and flung it behind him, hitting a White Fang's head. He didn't seem to care that Team RWBY was watching him. Instead, he walked over to his motorcycle and turned it on. Giving it a few revs, he grinned to himself and set off, leaving team RWBY behind.
"Uhh…" Yang was the first to break the silence. "You guys just saw what I did, right? Vomit Boy?"
"You're right." Weiss confirmed. She could hardly believe it herself. "That was definitely the dunce."
Alpha'sThrowawayAccount Presents
Jetstream Jaune : Revengance
Two and A Half Years Ago…
Jaune woke up to sunlight entering his room. They pierced through the gaps in between his curtains, shining on his eyes. He rubbed his eyes and slowly got up. To his left, Crocea leaned against the wall. Its sheath reflects the sunlight. On his right was his nightstand, where his scroll lay turned off as well as his lamp. A gaming console sat turned off on the floor, along with two controllers and A TV connected to it.
Slipping on his favourite sandals, he opened the door and went downstairs. There, he saw his mother cooking breakfast, his father drinking coffee, and his third youngest sister, Scarlet, already eating some cereal. Aged 13, she had a height of 145 cm. "Hi big bro!" she said excitedly.
"Heya squirt." Jaune ruffled his sister's hair.
"We're going to go and train today, right? You promised!" Scarlet said.
Jaune let out a chuckle. "Sure, Scar. After breakfast, OK?"
She nodded her head, milk spilling out of her mouth "Oksh! Thnks Jwne!"
"Here's your egg, Jaune." His mother, Azure, turned from the stove and laid his breakfast, an omlette paired with some beef bacon and bread, on the table.
"Thanks, mom." Jaune pulled back the chair and sat down.
"Don't forget your sword. Be ready for anything" His father said. Jaune let out a hum of agreement.
Jaune's mother spoke again, concern lacing her voice. "Be careful, okay? Mark your path, bring a compass, pack some foo-"
"We'll be fine, mom, It's just the forest backdoor. I doubt there's any Grimm there since Dad cleared them out before building the house a few years ago."
His mom had a small smile on her face "I know, I know, I just can't help it, you're my little baby boy after all."
"Moooooom," Jaune let out a groan. "I'm not a kid anymore, Mom! I've been to Beacon already!" His mother laughed softly and cracked another egg, getting back to cooking.
Finishing his breakfast, Jaune washed his dishes and went back up to his room. On the way, he met his oldest sister, Indigo, leaning against his door. She was a top Huntress and stood at a tall 190 cm.
"Going training?" She asked.
"Yeah, Me and Scar are going to the forest in the back." Jaune answered.
The top Huntress squinted and looked down on Jaune "If anything happens to her, it's all your fault."
"Y-yeah, sis. Sure." Jaune stuttered.
Indigo looked at her brother intensely. Then, finding whatever she had to find on him, she nodded and went down. Jaune wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead.
'Man, why's she always so serious?!'.
Entering his room, he took a quick shower, put on his hoodie, and picked up his sword. Grabbing his Scroll and wallet (Just in case!) he went down and found Scarlet already waiting. She already had her training sword on her hip and a pouch full of useful items (packed by Mom no doubt.).
His sister jumped up and down in excitement. "Come on big bro, let's go!" She took his hand and dragged him out of the door. Jaune laughed and waved back at his parents.
"Bye Mom, Dad!"
'Okay', Jaune thought. First, he needed to know how good his sister was. It's been 6 months since he last saw her what with going to Beacon and all. "Alright, so I want you to come at me with everything you got." Jaune told her.
'Besides, there's no way I'd lose to her, right?' He thought to himself. 'I mean, she's still 3 years younger…. and I trained at Beacon…..' Jaune held back a wince. Well, he did cheat to get in, so that point was kind of moot. He shook off his thoughts. 'You've got this Jaune!'
Scarlet had excitement shining in her eyes. "All I've got?"
Jaune nodded his head. "Yeah, go for it squirt."
Scarlet grinned. "Okay! Here I come~!" She lunged at him. Jaune stepped to his left, letting her fly past him. Jaune flying past her, she hit the ground and went into a roll.
Crouching, she unsheathed her sword swung it towards him horizontally. Jaune blocked with his left arm, Aura glowing, and punched down. Scarlet turned her head, letting the punch fly past her. She jumped, getting equal to his brother's height, and swung her sword again. Jaune caught it and ripped it from her hands. He brought out his right arm and punched her, sending her back. She dropped to the ground with a dull thud. Jaune threw her sword in front of her.
"Is that all you've got, Scar?"
With renewed vigour, she grabbed her sword and launched herself again at her brother. Feinting a left swing, she tricked Jaune into blocking early and morphed her swing into a stab. Jaune, caught off guard by the feint, took the attack head-on. Stepping back from the hit, he blocked a strike from his left, and then to his right. Scarlet pushed forward, keeping up the pressure, forcing Jaune to keep blocking and going backwards. 'She's better than I thought!'. His back hit a tree. 'Jump!' he jumped, avoiding his sister's low swing. Jaune put his feet up on the tree and pushed himself forward, flying past Scarlet.
Going into a roll, Jaune turned and faced his sister. "You're cornered, sis. What to do now?"
His sister smiled. "This!"
She charged at him, and Jaune took his stance. When she came close, he went for a punch, but to his surprise, it phased right through her. Or rather, she phased through him. "What?" Jaune muttered out and was sent flying into the tree face first with a kick to the back of his head. He fell to the ground with a loud smack.
Jaune rubbed his head in his hands. "Ow ow ow ow! That hurt, y'know!" he turned back to his sister, who was grinning proudly with her hands on her hips.
"You didn't tell me you've already gotten your Aura unlocked, Scar! That was your semblance, wasn't it?"
"Yup!" She answered proudly. "Dad says it lets me phase through any object in my way!"
"Wow, that's great, Scar!" Jaune ruffled her hair fondly. "Maybe now you'll be able to actually beat me!"
Scarlet graoned. "I beat you just now, didn't I?"
Jaune held back a wince. "I held back. I didn't know you had your Aura unlocked. I didn't want to hurt you." 'Or else Indigo'll have my head.' He added in his head.
"So, since I have my Aura unlocked, can you fight me with Crocea now?"
"I suppose…." Jaune trailed off. 'Well, if she already has her Aura unlocked, she'll be able to block my strikes, right?… Well, I guess I'll still need to hold back a little. Wouldn't want her to bleed, after all.'
Jaune unsheathed Crocea, and expanded its sheath into a shield. "Let's go, Scar!"
Scarlet was happy beyond belief. Finally, after all of her hard work, Jaune would fight her seriously! After she heard the news that her brother was going to Beacon, she demanded her father to train her so she could come to Beacon one day too. Her father didn't want to at first, but after some motivation from Mom, he started to teach her the basics.
Sometimes, she thought she saw disappointment and guilt on her father's face every time they started training, but she shook it off. Besides, that look faded when they heard of Jaune's first successful mission.
Seeing Jaune enter his stance, Scarlet entered her own and began analysing. 'Okay, so if I go in for a normal attack, he's going to block it with his shield. Phasing through him won't work again I bet, because I've already done that before so he'll watch out for me. I know! I'll-' She was cut off as a loud boom shook the forest.
She saw her brother's face turn to surprise and then to one of horror as he looked to his left. Smoke was rising, and it was the direction their house was located. Her brother's voice shook her out of her stupor. "Scarlet, we need to go back and help the others!"
"R-Right, Yeah! Let's go, big bro!"
Jaune ran towards the direction of the smoke, and she followed closely behind.
Just as they were going to leave, an Ursa jumped from the trees and attacked Jaune. Blocking with his shield, he responded with a slash on its stomach. The Ursa blocked it with its hand and moved to slam his hand into the ground. Jaune, seeing this, dodged back before it hit and then lunged towards the Ursa. With a cry, he slashed his sword on the Ursa's head, killing it instantly.
Scarlet stared in awe. Her brother was amazing! But then, she saw a pair of red eyes staring at him from the bushes. "Uhh, Jaune? I think we've got more…." She saw him look around, and she did the same. Around them, the eyes of the Grimm stared from the dark of the forest.
"Run!"
Indigo was not having a good morning, thank you very much. First, her little brother took Scarlet to the forest for some training alone. She stopped trusting him ever since he, well, faked his transcripts to get into Beacon (Really, it's not that hard to tell). Who knows what he's teaching to Scarlet out there? He never even went to a combat school before!
Secondly, these White Fang grunts were really getting on her nerves. Granted, they were just a nuisance to her, but with their large numbers, they were quite the pain to deal with. Thankfully, Mom, Jade (her youngest sister, aged 7), Amber (second youngest, aged 10) and Chrome (third youngest, aged 11) had already gotten into their emergency Bullhead and left. Now, it was just her, Cyan (the oldest) and Jasmine (the second oldest), as well as their father. Together, they were currently holding back the army of White Fang grunts swarming the house.
Swinging her Zweihander, she activated her semblance and dragged it across the ground, sending a wave of electricity towards her opponents. Her semblance, Arc Wave, lets her create waves of electricity by swinging her weapon, specifically on the parts made with metal. As such, she can't create electricity without her weapon. That's why she chose her weapon, as it has one of the longest parts of metal a melee weapon can have.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the grunts take aim with an RPG. "Look out!" She warned, and jumped out of the way, her family doing the same.
The rocket went straight past them and hit the house, creating a massive explosion and sending smoke up into the air. Indigo growled. She was getting really angry now. Pressing the switch on her weapon, it transformed into a rifle and shot the man, killing him.
"Reinforcements! Not the good kind, either!" she heard Cyan yell. Looking up, she saw Bullheads approach, the White Fang emblem proudly sprayed on their chassis. They launched missiles at the house, destroying it even more.
"We've got nothing left here!" Her father shouted. "We'll need to hijack one of those Bullheads and get out of here!"
"What about Scarlet and Jaune?!" Jasmine shouted.
"You go after them! Be quick, we don't have much time!"
"On it!" With a leap, Jasmine went the direction Jaune went to go training with Scarlet, deeper into the forest.
Jaune parried a strike from a Beowolf and staggered slightly. He stabbed the Beowolf with his sword, and pulled the it off of its body once it was dead. Swinging Crocea while turning to his right, he cut the Beowolf behind him.
Jaune turned to check on his sister, who phased left and right from Grimm attacks. He could tell she was getting tired. Her movements were getting more and more sloppy and her reaction times were getting slower and slower by the second. With no way to fight back against the Grimm (since a training sword was pretty much useless), he doubted she'll last much longer.
Just as another Beowolf was about to lunge at his sister, he threw his sword over her shoulder. The sword hit its mark, killing it instantly. He went to pick up his sword but was tackled by another Beowolf. It forced him into the ground and put its hands over his arms, preventing him from using them.
He heard his sister shout for him. "I've got you bro!" Not long after, Crocea pierced through the Beowolf. Letting out a small huff, the Beowolf slid off its blade and fell on Jaune.
Jaune pushed the Beowolf's body off of his. Letting out a breath of exhaustion, he took the sword from his sister's hands and stood back up. Looking around, he was relieved to see that most of the Grimm had been killed or had already run away. "Alright, now we can get-"
"Look out!"
Jaune turned around and saw a Deathstalker moving its tail towards him. Jumping back, Jaune screamed at sister. He needed her to leave, now.
"Go! I'll try my best to hold it back!"
Her sister shook her head vigorously. "I'm not leaving you behind bro!" He stared at her in frustration.
'Dammit! Now's not a good time for her to be stubborn!'
"You've got no choice! GO, NOW!" He was sent flying back by another strike of the Deathstalker's tail, sending him through multiple trees. The Deathstalker went after him, leaving Scarlet behind with a useless training sword and her own fears. Realizing that negative emotions attract Grimm, she steeled herself. Her brother gave her an order, and she'd do it to the best of her capabilities. She ran away from him and the Deathstalker, leaving them behind.
Because, she recognized in the back of her mind, this might be the last one he will ever give to her.
After a few minutes of running, Jasmine finally found one of her siblings. Scarlet was holding back tears when she saw her and hugged her older sister tightly as soon as she saw her.
Jasmine rubbed circles around her sister's back. "It's okay now, Scarlet. Big sis is here now." She could feel her clothes getting wet from her little sister's tears, but it didn't matter. She found one of them, she only needed to find Jaune now.
"Now, do you know where Jaune is?" Scarlet asked.
Her sister sniffled. "H-he's that way, sis. He's fighting a D-deaths-stalker a-alone." Jasmine sent her an incredulous look. "
A Deathstalker?!" Jasmine shouted. Scarlet nodded numbly.
"Then we've gotta go and help him!"
"B-but big bro told me to run away…." Scarlet stuttered.
"I can fight a Deathstalker, Scar. Jaune, though…" She trailed off. No, she wouldn't go there. She'd get them all to safety, that she promised.
Jaune blocked another strike from the Deathstalker. He was in big trouble and he knew it. His aura was entering the red, and he knew that if it keeps going like this, he'll run out in no time. Seeing another attack coming at his way, Jaune leaned back, narrowly dodging a strike from its pincer.
'I need to get out of here, but how?' Jaune examined his surroundings as well as the Grimm in front of him. 'It's eyes! They aren't armoured!'
He dodged another strike. 'As soon as it's blinded, I'll make a run for it!' With newfound hope, Jaune jumped and landed on the Deathstalker's head. It moved its pincers towards him, attacking him. Jaune blocked the attacks with his shield, momentarily losing balance. Regaining his footing, he let out a scream and thrust his sword downward, piercing one of the Deathstalker's eyes. It howled in pain, its pincers moving faster to knock him off its head. He blocked each attack, his aura draining with each block.
'I need to finish this quickly!' Gripping Crocea tighter, he quickly stabbed the Deathstalker's other eyes until only one was left. But, before he could stab the last one, the Deathstalker finally managed to hit him with its pincer, knocking him off of its head and into a tree. Jaune slid down said tree with a dull thud.
Jaune held his head in pain. 'It's times like these I really wish I had a Semblance. I don't know, maybe something that would bring me to safety?!'. He could hear intense ringing in his ears, and his eyes were starting to blur. He shook his head and looked at his scroll. 'I only have a single strip of Aura left.' The Deathstalker raised its tail high, ready to deal the final blow. Jaune dodged to the left, the tail landing right beside him. It kicked dust into the air and was stuck firmly in place.
Grinning, Jaune ran towards the Deathstalker head on, eager to finish his plan. 'Good! Now it's stuck in place!' He jumped over its left pincer and slid under its right one, the bone armour brushing his hair. Jumping, Jaune landed once again on the Deathstalker's head and prepared to stab its last functioning eye.
Unfortunately, the Deathstalker managed to free its tail faster than Jaune expected. Pulling it free, the Deathstalker aimed it squarely at Jaune and thrusted. 'No!' Jaune, out of options, could only manage to block it with his shield. Bringing his shield up, he closed his eyes and braced for impact. The Deathstalker's tail shattered Crocea' plain white-painted shield, pierced his arm, and continued, stabbing him directly in the chest.
Jaune coughed blood. He could hear the soft clang of Crocea' shield falling to the ground, now only fragments of metal. He felt wind blow past his face, and before he knew it, he was thrown off of the Deathstalker's tail. Landing on the ground once more, he struggled to breathe. His left hand went towards the gaping wound on his chest. 'So, this is how I go out, huh?' He let out a dry chuckle. 'I guess I was never meant to be a hero after all. I never even got my Semblance.'
Suddenly, he felt a strange pull on his stomach. Not being able to resist, he could only close his eyes as white light shone around him. He could hear his ears ringing, and he wondered if this was how dying felt. As the light continue to grow, the pull also grew more intense. He closed his eyes, unable to keep them open any longer. Darkness consumed his vision, and before he knew it, his consciousness left him.
Jasmine arrived and saw the Deathstalker. With a cry, she fired rockets at its face. The explosions sent gusts of wind flying past her. The Deathstalker screeched in pain, its face armor cracked from the force of her attacks. Its single working eye glared at Jasmine, and it swung its tail at her. In response, she transformed her weapon, Zerstörung, into a giant war axe and parried the strike. She staggered slightly from the force of the attack.
The Deathstalker attacked with its tail again. Projecting where it would land, she stepped to the side, letting it hit the ground right next to her. With a loud cry, she swung her weapon and severed the tail from the Deathstalker. It flopped to the ground uselessly. As it fell next to her, she saw that its yellow tip was coated with red blood.
'What?! That means…' she looked around and saw the broken pieces of Crocea' shield, its fragments littering the forest floor.
'No….no no no NO! I refuse to believe that Jaune's dead!'
She dodged another strike from the massive Grimm in front of her, this time from its left pincer. Jasmine leapt forward and, with a loud cry, swung her weapon downwards. The Deathstalker tried to block it with its right pincer, yet the force was too great. The pincer's armor broke into pieces, sending bone fragments flying everywhere. Jasmine pushed her weapon deeper, sinking it in. Black goo burst from it, and the Deathstalker swung its pincer vigorously, throwing her and her weapon away.
Jasmine found herself flying towards a tree. Recovering, she angled herself so that her feet would land first. Landing against it, she pushed and leapt once again at the Deathstalker. It moved to block her attack again. Switching Zerstörung into a rocket launcher, she activated her semblance and fired again, her semblance negating the knockback that her weapon would have given her, instead storing it inside of her for later use. The Deathstalker's pincer flinched from the blow, allowing her to slip past.
Releasing her semblance, she willed the stored momentum to push her downwards. It pushed her downwards at incredible speeds and she transformed her weapon back into a war axe. With a yell, she struck the Deathstalker's face. Its bone armor shattered under the blow, its fragments flying everywhere. It let out a loud screech and struggled in pain. Jasmine held on, and after a few moments, it let out a final huff and went limp. Jasmine pulled her weapon away and jumped off.
Jasmine let out a breath of exhaustion. She glanced around and tried to find Jaune. She can't. She only saw the fragments of his shield.
"Jaune?! Where are you?! Jaune!" She turned to her right and saw a pool of blood. It looked fresh, the grass around it still bright red.
Slowly, she walked towards it and fell to her knees. No, this can't be real. 'Besides, there's no body, right? Jaune could still be alive.' But a voice at the back at her head, the logical one, already concluded one thing. If Jaune already leaked out this much blood, coupled with the fact that he was probably stabbed by the Deathstalker's tail, there was little chance that he would survive.
"Jaune, please! Answer me! Jaune! JAUNE!" She screamed. She looked left and right, searched the area far and wide, but Jaune didn't show.
She could feel her desperation turn to sadness. Jasmine felt tears beginning to fall down her face.
Her brother was dead, and nothing she could do could change that.
And that's a wrap! Lemme know what you thought in the reviews!
Edit, 15/10/2022 : tried to fix jumbled-up conversation texts, again.