Oh, hello.

XxXxX

He was relieved when he saw the open clearing. He was ecstatic when he saw that there were people there that he knew. He was over the shattered moon when he saw them and they realized they needed help.

He was terrified for his life when he saw the giant scorpion Grimm barrel past 3 of them in order to get at him.

He ducked just as a stinger surged forward towards him. The tail had burrowed into the earth and caused a small tremor, before he had to backpedal as a claw swiped straight at him.

"Why is it after me?!" He shouted as its stinger unburrowed itself and lunged at him again. Ducking underneath that attack, the Deathstalker poised to try and hit him again before a yellow blur hit its side and sent it flying into the treeline.

The blonde that he had seen during initiation gave him a two-finger salute, before she launched herself towards where she had barreled at the Deathstalker.

Finally having time to breathe, he took deep breaths as he tried to keep himself calm, even as the sound of battle was heard from the side.

"A brawler?" Caesar's voice spoke up again, "Or perhaps someone with a penchant for explosive force. Either way, Jaune, take deep breaths, that Grimm is targeting you."

Just as Caesar's words registered, he felt the looming presence of the Deathstalker as it had broken away from the other blonde and had beelined towards him.

"The fuc-" He barely had time to say before he was ducking as it took another swipe at him. He heard shouts from others and he barely registered what they were shouting about (something about targeting?) before he had to roll away as its claws rapidly swiped at him.

'This doesn't make sense!' He thought frantically as he kept backpedaling, keeping himself out of its range. It should have turned on the others! Any other Grimm would have!

"Jaune!" A familiar voice spoke up and he caught a flash of red from his peripheral before he had to dodge again. "Get some distance! It's targeting you!"

'If only it was that easy!' He grit his teeth as he tried to backpedal, but he had to raise Crocea Mors in order to parry a claw that had honed into him.

He grunted as the claw met with metal and he had to fight from screaming as it had put in considerable force into that swipe. He ducked, allowing the claw to glance off his blade before he staggered back, breath hitching.

Each time he stepped back, the claws followed, relentless. He dodged when he could, parried when he couldn't. He saw blurs from his peripherals, each one taking a stab, punch, or gunshot at the Deathstalker, but each one the thing didn't seem to register as it kept swiping at him again and again.

It was relentless in its single minded pursuit and he felt fatigue hitting him as he had to deflect another swipe with its claws.

"Jaune," Caesar's voice echoed in his mind even as he parried another swipe, his breath getting shallow even as the sound of gunshots and swords clashing against its armor growing weaker for his ears. "Steady yourself, endure. This Grimm means to end you. This Deathstalker intends to kill you. This adversary means to conquer you."

'Those all mean the same thing!' He yelped as he parried another blow. He was getting tired, and he couldn't dodge as often and he had resorted to parrying now. "A shield would have been useful here.' He thought lamely as he brushed another strike away from his body.

"Yet a shield you do not have," Caesar pointed out. "If you mean to survive, you need to do more than dodge and parry. This Grimm is singular in its hate. It senses something that it should be afraid of."

'What the hell do you mean by that?!' He berated, ducking another blow meant to take his head. He felt something yank him by the back of his clothes and soon he was flying through the air and away from the Deathstalker. In his place was Pyrrha, her shield up and spear striking at the Grimm as the yellow brawler from before charged past him and towards the Grimm.

He landed on his back, skidding to halt just in front of a tree and he sat up, breathing steadying as he watched the Deathstalker try and get to him, only to be rushed at and steered away by others.

He was amazed he had gotten out. He felt his arm was sore from the parrying and his own breathing was only now catching up with him. Still, watching Pyrrha stab at and distract the Deathstalker, watching the blonde brawler taking and giving back as much as she could, made him pause.

Pyrrha ducked under the stinger and lashed out with her spear straight at its face, it bounced off its carapace with a spark, but it was enough to stagger it and for the brawler to get up to its face and deliver haymakers.

He watched as the stinger flew forward, only to have it be wrapped in a chain and pulled back. A woman in black was holding onto the stinger, preventing it from moving as she used a tree as an anchor to pull it back.

A glowing rune appeared on the bottom of the Grimm as ice spiked up and trapped it, preventing its legs from gaining grip as it tried to scuttle. Weiss right next to it with her rapier powering the glyph.

A roar made him look up, as he saw Ruby with her scythe and an orange-haired woman with her hammer poised to strike overhead. With a swing, the blade of Ruby's scythe struck and lodged itself on its body, before the hammer came next on top of the scythe, driving it deep and impaling the entire Grimm through.

He bit his lip in frustration. He had just been saved before he could do anything. Even with Crocea Mors, he needed to be saved in order to not get in the way of the others that could take care of it.

A hand on his shoulder made him look up, and he saw another man giving him a patience smile, the pink fringe in his hair a stark contrast to his mostly green get up.

"Are you alright?" he asked him as he offered a hand.

He took it with a sigh, placing Crocea Mors by his side and pushing down his own disappointment with himself. "Just fine." He said with a more biting tone than he intended.

Almost as if sensing his frustration, the man that helped him up patted his shoulder. "It was after you. They couldn't get a clear shot with you there."

He gave a sardonic smile as he shook his head. "So I was in the way then?"

The man blinked and it almost seemed like he looked panicked on what to say next, so he just shook his head. "Sorry, just a stray thought." He said and held out his hand. "Jaune Arc."

"Lie Ren." The man — Ren — sensed the out and took it, taking his hand and shaking it. "I apologize, I didn't mean to imply-"

"It's fine," he brushed off his explanation. It wasn't something he didn't acknowledge after all. "I'm thankful, for pulling me out of there I mean." He paused as he took a deep breath. "I honestly don't know how long I would have lasted. It felt like it wanted me dead or something."

Ren shrugged. "All Grimm want us dead. That one just… wanted you dead first."

"Yeah, well, now it can't do that thanks to-" A rumble, and the shouts of others made him look up and towards where the Deathstalker was and he saw the gleaming red eyes right in front of him, stinger raised even as it began to emit black smoke that was evidence of it fading.
"Dodge now!" Caesar's voice echoed in his head and he felt his body move before he could think, following the directive.

The stinger passed his head by a few inches, and only then did he realize — it should have been dead.

He saw a black blur coming at him and he barely had enough time to raise his arms as a blackened claw struck at him and the air was forcibly drawn from his lungs and he was once again flying backwards as pain exploded through his forearms and he saw and heard his Aura breaking off his body, flecks of golden light shattering in the wind.

He landed with a roll and he barely had enough time to draw Crocea Mors as the claws moved to crush him once again. With a loud clang! The sword met with the claws and he was forced on his knees as it bore its entire weight on top of him.

He heard more shouts, more sounds of gunfire and metal meeting flesh, but the thing won't. Go. Down!

"Jaune, listen carefully." Caesar's voice echoed in the din of all the sounds and the ringing in his ears. "This beast knows. It is ancient, smart. It has seen your blade and marked you as its greatest foe. It seeks to end you with all the fury of an empire at war."

He would have a biting response but he felt the weight of the claw lessen as a chain wrapped around both and began to pull it backwards. The same chain that held the stinger before was now wrapped around its claws and began to pull them back.

More people were shouting at him, but he grit his teeth as the stinger moved to strike him, only to have it be deflected by a yellow and red blur. He didn't know who the second one was, whether it was Pyrrha or Ruby.

It couldn't get him with its claws, or its stinger, so it roared and the fangs on its face snapped forward to bisect him.

The shouts grew louder, but he couldn't hear them. He couldn't move, and he was still catching his breath.. The Deathstalker's fangs snapped forward, his sword wavered in his hands.

And then—

"RAISE YOUR SWORD!" The command was like a war drum—instinct took over and he raised his sword.

With a clang! He found himself in between its pincer fangs, holding off from getting bisected by the fact that he had shifted his body forward and lodged Crocea Mors between himself and the fangs. He struggled as it tried to fully close it, but he held strong, even as his body shouldn't have the strength to do so.

"Death will not have you before it has earned the right, Jaune Arc." Caesar's voice was commanding and he felt a surge of energy come from somewhere. "This once, I will lend you the strength of a Servant. Take my Noble Phantasm Jaune, and lead by example."

With a roar, he locked both hands onto the hilt of Crocea Mors and pulled.

Crocea Mors' blade sliced right through the fang and this caused the Deathstalker to stagger back.

"It challenges you! And now it staggers back!" He grit his teeth and plunged the sword in the ground, huffing as he did so, watching as the Deathstalker recovered and roared at him in challenge. "Cry out your name, it should know the one that would sentence it!"

He gripped the hilt of the sword tighter and looked up. He felt his Aura flare, seemingly recovering as a golden sheen surged over his body. More than that, he felt something pulling at him, some force telling him to meet this challenge as Crocea Mors sung in his hands.

"My name is Jaune Arc!" He shouted, his voice carrying through the forest and he noted how similar it sounded to the tone Caesar was using. The Deathstalker paused, the first time it had done so after it had started going at him again. He felt wind whip around him as Crocea Mors seemed to hum with an energy not unlike Aura, but more.

"Weiss! Freeze its legs!" He shouted, his voice rumbling with authority as he deflected another strike at him.

The next second, ice sprung up and trapped the legs. Weiss was behind the Deathstalker, her face scrunched in both surprise and concentration.

"Pyrrha, Blonde! Stun it!" The Deathstalker roared as it tried to fight against the ice, swinging its pincers around to try and break through the ice that was encasing its legs. The thing kept thrashing until a fist came flying straight at its head and Pyrrha landed next to him, her shield flying forward into its face.

It tried to stagger back, but a roar from behind and a swift 'thump!' Caused it to lurch forward, he briefly saw a white hammer and pink before a red streak landed on top of the Deathstalker and took hold of the still lodged scythe.

Ruby looked at him and she smiled before she pulled the scythe from its body and shifted it to its rifle form. Two shots rang out, piercing the shadowy body of the Deathstalker and that was the opening he needed.

"I came!" His voice echoed with the brass authority of a general as he lifted the sword and took a step forward. Golden energy swirled around the blade of Crocea Mors, before it coalesced into a solid light around the blade.

The stinger was upon him again, but he didn't flinch. It was slower now, predictable after all the wounds that were inflicted upon it. A last desperate strike at him. "I saw!" He let it harmlessly sail past him after a brief sidestep, the thrumming of Crocea Mors reaching a fever pitch in his hand as he aimed to strike.

"And I will conquer! Crocea Mors!" One strike met the stinger and cut it from the body. Another strike came, and cut down both claws. A third, a fourth, and then a fifth strike came, and the Deathstalker was riddled with slashes as otherworldly energy surged through him and guided his strikes.

Each strike was a masterstroke. Meant to debilitate and wound and ultimately destroy the opponent. The seventh, eighth and the ninth strokes cut off its legs, gouged out its eyes, and slashed off its fangs.

With a final roar, he slashed straight down and the energy that had built up suddenly dissipated and he felt extreme fatigue envelop him. His breathing was ragged as the silence was only broken by the Deathstalker falling, one half falling one way and the other half another.

As he stared at the bisected Grimm corpse dissipating into black motes, he glanced at Crocea Mors still gripped in his hands. It gave off one final pulse and it was only then he realized it was glowing gold the entire time he was attacking.

The glow faded, and finally he took a deep, much needed breath as he staggered on his feet, whatever energy he had now gone. He felt ringing in his ears, and the grip he had on Crocea Mors slackened a bit as he planted Crocea Mors into the ground for support.

'Caesar?' He called out in his mind, expecting the familiar voice in his mind, maybe laughing at his victory.

Instead, there was silence.

No commentary, no grand proclamation — just silence.

He felt an arm place itself around his shoulders and steadied him, thoughts of Caesar were pushed to the back of his mind. He looked up and met the grinning face of the blonde in tan.

"Gotta say, anyone else shouting those things would have sounded corny, but you pulled it off real well Goldie." The blonde said with a smirk.

He took a breath, before he raised an eyebrow at her. "Goldie?"

She laughed as she gave him a punch on the shoulder. "That Aura of yours doesn't leave much doubt what color it should be." She said and smirked at him, her arm tightening its hold on his shoulders. "Name's Yang Xiao Long.I'm Ruby's sister."

Ah yes. Ruby's sister… that didn't look anything like her at all. "Half-sisters?" He hazard a guess and Yang laughed.

"Most people would have started with adopted." She laughed before she let go of his shoulder and pushed him forward. He stumbled before he stopped right in front of someone and Pyrrha was in front of him before he even noticed.

"Jaune are you okay?" She asked as she looked him over, her voice filled with concern. "I'm so sorry! I thought it was done after we took care of it!"

He blinked at her apology, and was even more confused at how genuine she sounded. "Uh, yeah? Why wouldn't I be?"

"I-" She bit her lip as her eyes darted to the fading Grimm remains. "I should have been more alert. I allowed it to get the drop on us and nearly—"

"Pyrrha, relax!" He cut in as he held up his hand to calm her. "I'm fine, you're fine. Everyone's fine."

Pyrrha locked eyes with him, and for a few seconds, he thought she'd go back to fretting, but then she nodded her head with a small smile. "Right, yeah. Of course." She let out a breath as she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I just thought-"

A hand on Pyrrha's shoulder stopped her rambling. Pyrrha turned and saw Weiss smiling at her, before Weiss nodded and took a step forward. Weiss let out a breath as she sheathed Myrtenaster and eyed the fading corpse of the Deathstalker.

"It shouldn't have kept moving after that." she muttered, shaking her head. "What was that?"

He blinked, and shook his head. "I… I'm honestly just as surprised as you" He said, his mind catching up.

'Caesar? This is a bad time to suddenly grow quiet' He tried again, but like last time, there was only silence. He didn't know if the sudden silence in his head was welcome after having Caesar constantly commenting the last 2 days.

A red blur suddenly crashed into him, and he had to steady himself from getting knocked over.

"That was SO COOL!" He looked down and saw Ruby practically vibrating against him as she latched onto his arm, her silver eyes sparkling with excitement. "Was that your Semblance?! Did you use Dust?! How'd you get your sword to glow like that?! Can you teach me?!"

Each question was spoken so quickly that he couldn't answer them. A hand suddenly found itself on Ruby's cloak and she was pulled back and Yang locked her sister in her arms. "Whoa there Rubes. Keep it chill. Goldie needs time to actually process your word vomit."

Ruby tried to get her sister off her, and he couldn't help but smile at the sight. He'd done it, he was safe and had survived the Deathstalker and now he was part of this group. A group of people that were training to be heroes.

Still… he looked to the sword in his hand, and he quietly felt the thrum of power as he stared at it. He still needed answers. Caesar was quiet, he wasn't making any noise in his head ever since taking care of that Deathstalker.

'Hey, Caesar?' He tried to call out to him again, but again he didn't answer. He frowned, before he shook his head and placed the sword back on his hip. He could get answers later.

A hand on his shoulder and he looked to see Pyrrha giving him a small nervous smile. He nodded at her, and he focused back as Ruby finally got out of Yang's armlock and the others had gathered around, laughing at the scene.

For now, he could enjoy this with his new friends.

Crocea Generalis

XxXxX

He turned off the video feed as the group of students turned away from the fading Deathstalker and began to walk back to the direction where Beacon was.

He raised the mug he had in his hands to his lips, and he took a steady sip of the lukewarm coffee. Watching this year's group of prospective students was proving to be an enlightening experience.

"Did you notice as well?" Glynda spoke up from next to him. He wasn't the only one that noticed, he supposed. Then again, Glynda was always observant, perhaps much more than he was.

"Hmm," he hummed as he placed the mug down on the table. He reached for the stack of papers he had yet to go through, and quickly sifted through them until he found what he was looking for.

He pulled it out, and read through it. He noted how the transcripts weren't anything amazing, nor was it anything damning. If anything, they were extremely pedestrian in their achievements and scores. As if it was trying too hard to be nominal.

He handed the papers to Glynda and took his mug again, taking another sip of his coffee as he tapped a finger on his desk.

He watched as she read through the document for a minute. She sighed, placing the papers face down on his desk. After a brief silence, she rubbed the bridge of her nose and said "It's forged."

"Indeed." he agreed as he placed the mug down on his desk. "To what end? Well, with what we just saw, perhaps it's to hide what was obvious to both of us when we watched him bisect that Deathstalker."

"You suspect this is purposeful?" Glynda asked, crossing her arms as she hummed in thought. "Could this be a ploy involving one of those Artifacts?"

He shook his head. "If it was, it would either be far more subtle or blatantly obvious. I suspect Jaune Arc simply found one by chance. Whether that was before or after he sent his transcripts, I've no idea."

"Crocea Mors…" Glynda spoke up in the silence that followed, before she shook her head. "To think that the Arcs had an Artifact in their possession for such a long time."

He turned towards her and smiled, before shaking his head. "No, I do not believe that is the same Crocea Mors as the one that the Arcs use." he said as he hummed in thought. "It's merely a coincidence that an Artifact has the same name as the family sword. If anything, I believe the Artifact that is currently in Jaune Arc's possession might be what inspired the name of the heirloom sword."

At this, Glynda raised an eyebrow. "The Arcs took inspiration… by using the same name?"

He chuckled at her tone. "Of course, that doesn't mean that the Arcs were creative in their names. If anything, the Arcs have always had issues with creativity." he said with a smile, staring at Glynda. "Remember Rolands' 'songs'?"

Glynda frowned and sighed, her face morphed as if she was thinking of something she would rather forget. "Don't remind me." She turned back towards him. "So what do we do? Artifacts like the one Mr. Arc uses rarely appear alone. With Amber-"

"For now, we shall wait and observe." He interrupted her as he shook his head. "This Crocea Mors doesn't just affect Mr. Arc—it influences those around him. And, of course, we both know how these Artifacts can alter Grimm behavior."

He stood up and walked behind his desk and towards the window overlooking the Emerald Forest. He stared at it for a few seconds, before he turned around and began walking towards the elevator. "Now, I believe we have the dubious honor of meeting our students on the overlook and coming up with names. I do hope you have your list of names ready Glynda. Mine are, as always, terrible."

Jaune Arc was a mystery. Unlike Ruby Rose, his power was shrouded in an item seen rarely in time, even to one such as himself. Still, that didn't mean they needed to plan around him.

For now, they would watch. And when the time came, perhaps Jaune Arc's Artifact would prove useful after all

XxXxX

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