King: Guess who's back!

Knox: Back again?

King: Yep! Stereotypes are coming, but it's taking longer than I anticipated what with coming up with everything and a stereotype to go with them. So, here's something to tide you over a bit.

Knox: I kind of want to play Gwent now.

King: You and me both.

Inspiration: The Witcher series

/\

Coming back around eh~

The scene opened to a set of crumbling ruins. Within, a man ran through in a panic, as if to escape something.

Tai sighed and shook his head, "This is going to be a crazy one again, isn't it?"

Yang mimicked her father's actions, "Looks like it."

The camera stalled to show the ruins as the section was covered by a massive shadow.

Ruby was at attention pretty quickly, "A Grimm?"

The camera returned to the man as he scrambled to escape, only to be caught by a massive beast. Its beak snapped the man from the ground and tossed him into the air, blood from the man's now snapped legs splattered onto the stone brick walls. The camera now showed it wasn't a Grimm, but an actual monster. Its body was like a cross between a lion and a falcon. In place of arms, it had a pair of massive wings and its legs were adorned with giant talons. Its head was surrounded by feathers before the body faded into a fur coat. The beast swung its prey around before tossing its head up and swallowing the man whole.

Everyone was stunned. They weren't used to seeing monsters other than the Grimm. The fact that this being resembled a griffon Grimm didn't help matters since they had reference for what the creature could do. But, it also scared them since it wasn't actually a Grimm, but more of an animal.

The griffon, perched atop the wall of the ruins, roared out over the area. It was like a mixture of a lion's roar and an eagle's screech.

The sounds weren't foreign to them, some Grimm having similar cries. But this still chilled them to the bone. Now that they could really see the scale, it dwarfed any griffon they'd ever seen. The closest reference they had were the giant Nevermores.

The camera pulled back to show the ruins from a slight distance. On a dirt road nearby, a horse trotted passed with its rider pulling it to a stop. The man was dressed in black leather armor, with a pair of longswords (one with a parallel cross guard and the other's guard being angled toward the blade) and a crossbow on his back. His pale blonde hair was loose and hung down to his shoulders. The camera conspired to keep the man's face hidden from the viewers. The man watched the scene as he heard the roar. "Griffon's nest. Could be a problem."

Coco felt a little flush hearing his voice. Okay, this is not fair. First that one with the Stand powers and now this? It's obviously Arc, but… damn.

"I'll have to deal with that on the way back," Jaune reared the horse back to its path, passing the monster's nest. After a while, he entered a small town along the dirt road. It was a small rural town, small enough that it didn't have a dedicated guard post nearby. Instead it was defended by a local militia made up of the residents. Jaune saw plenty of towns like these. He hitched his horse to a post and started to walk to the local inn.

We walked into the inn to a rowdy scene. Men were laughing, drunk on the local liquor, and others were reminiscing on their lives. But, as Jaune walked passed them, they fell silent.

Sienna's face fell in a sense of anger. She recognized the looks he was getting in this reality. They were the same she would receive before she was willing to fight back. It was anger born of prejudice, hate for what someone was rather than who. She really wanted to punch every single one of them, but she's been recognizing that wouldn't help the big picture.

Jaune knew the looks they were giving him, but he didn't care. He had a job to do. He approached the innkeeper, a muscular old man that likely doubled as a bouncer. Jaune tapped the table to get his attention, "Looking for a man by the name of Gallar Meyl. Tall man, shaved head, dark beard."

The innkeeper was apprehensive, but cooperative. He thought it over for a moment, "Can't say he sounds familiar… Sorry."

Jaune shook his head, "It's fine." He reached into his pocket and placed a few coins on the counter. "Can I get a meal for the road? Bread, cheese, and water if you have it."

A voice shouted from behind him, "Ain't you forgett'n something, mutant?"

Ilia groaned at the man's tone, "Asshole…"

Jaune turned and the camera finally showed his face. He was aged, a face that's seen so many wonders and horrors, but it was his eyes that drew the attention. They were like those of a cat rather than the rounded pupils of humans.

Yang shook a little with her arms crossed, "Yikes… Are there faunas where their trait is just the eyes?"

Blake thought for a moment, but didn't really have an answer, "I'm… not sure. I haven't seen one, but that doesn't mean that much."

Sienna shook her head, "It's usually ears, tails, claws, maybe stripes…"

Jaune's eyes narrowed toward the men gathering around him, "Something wrong?"

All of the men were dressed in crude uniforms. "I'd think there is."

Jaune sighed lightly to himself. Likely the militia. "And that is?"

"Ya didn' pay the toll."

"Toll? Wasn't aware there was one."

Roman scoffed at the scene, "An extortion game. And a poor one. But I guess it's to be expected. I doubt they have much need to get creative without any guards to stop them."

One of them pushed toward Jaune, "You callin' us liars, mutant?"

"Nah!" Another moved around to Jaune's side, "I'm sure 'e's just misinformed. Bet he'll pay now that he knows better. Right?"

Jaune looked between the men, "This is obviously extortion. There's no toll, is there?"

The group's leader had a malicious grin on his face, "Makin' me pretty mad, you know. What's ya name, mutant?"

"Jaune… Jaune of Arcadia."

One of the lesser militiamen paled, "Jaune of… Uh, boss, it might be best to…"

The boss wasn't listening to his subordinate, getting into Jaune's personal space, "Well then, Jaune, I can overlook your insult this time, but you need to pay us what we're owed."

The moment hung on Jaune's unimpressed face. Too easy…

The camera was suddenly outside as the boss flew through the door and into the street.

Yang jumped up and pumped her fist, "Yeah! Show 'em who's boss!"

As the boss tried to get back up, an armored boot slammed onto his hand, making him cry in pain. "Fuck! What the hell?!"

Qrow recoiled at the scene, "Damn, that's got to hurt without aura."

He looked up to find Jaune was the one grinding his boot into the boss's hand. Jaune crouched down to address the man under his foot, "Gallar Meyl. Know anything?"

"Gah! Get the fuck off me you…"

Jaune lifted his foot slightly before slamming it back down on his hand, "Answer the question."

Mercury chuckled to himself, "I like this version so far."

Emerald shook her head but had to admit to herself that she agreed. A proactive realist that gets the job done was a rare sight to her at times. There was the jaded adult or the bright-eyed child. No in between, it seemed.

The boss cried in pain, "Ah! I! I've never 'eard of 'im! Okay?! Never been round 'ere!"

Jaune nodded and removed his foot from the boss's hand. "Thanks for cooperating."

The boss growled in anger. He slowly stood again, his body shaking in rage. He drew his sword from his side and tried to charge Jaune as he walked away. Jaune spun back around, drawing one of his own swords, and parried the attempted sneak attack. With a fluid movement, he chopped off the boss's hand and sent it flying up into the air. As the boss cried out in pain, Jaune just returned his sword to his back and continued walking.

Yang chuckled nervously, "I can't tell if that was awesome or disturbing…"

Ruby distracted from the bloody action on screen by focusing on the weapons, "But why does he need two swords? The one he used seems perfectly balanced and sturdy."

Weiss shrugged, "In case the first one breaks?" That made sense, best to be prepared.

Ruby shook her head, "That's just it. It's obvious he uses one sword for fighting, they're too large for duel wielding, but keeping both on you doesn't make sense. It would just get in his way unless he needed it, then the sheath of the broken one would."

A woman who saw the fight rom nearby ran up to Jaune, "Pardon me! You… You're a Witcher, right?"

Glynda raised a brow, "Witcher? Is that their version of a witch?"

Oobleck adjusted his glasses a moment, "It could mean a male variation of a witch. Though that would question the need for a sword."

Ironwood turned to the historian, "Why? Wouldn't they need to defend themselves, magic or not?"

Glynda shook her head, "According to Justinian…"

"Who?"

"The Dust Applications Professor at Beacon. He also teaches Myths and Legends. Apparently, witches wouldn't use swords, focusing more on magic."

Ironwood deadpanned toward Glynda, "You don't say."

"The irony is not lost on me, James…" Back in her years as a student of Beacon, she attempted to use more traditional weaponry, but found she didn't have the aptitude for it. In the end, she focused solely on her semblance instead. Likely for the best.

Jaune turned back to the woman, "I am. Did you need something?"

"Please, Master Witcher… Our village has been plagued by the griffon perched in the ruins of the old castle. We have the coin to pay for your service! Please!"

Jaune sighed and looked up to the ruins in the distance. He could see the griffon in the distance with his enhanced eyesight. The beast was small by griffon standards.

Winter stuttered to herself for a moment in shock, "That's small?"

Yang smiled very nervously, "I'd hate to see a big one."

Jaune nodded, "I'll take care of it, but I need to prepare. Is there a smithy here?"

"Down the road to the left, yes."

Jaune walked to the small-town smithy and purchased a few items: small glass bottles, silver powder, and blast fuses. He had everything else in hand already, and now he could finish his work. He felt town on his horse and rode up to the area at the base of the hill. After a bit of work on something, he started up the hill and to the ruins proper.

No griffon would just sit back and let an intruder walk into its nest. But, when no monster took the sky, Jaune looked up at the sky in thought. "Strange… They're usually in the air by now." Jaune reached the stone, looked around, and remained silent to listen to the area. He heard the sounds of cracking stone and soft movements.

Yang let out an impressed whistle, "Damn. He's got some pretty good ears."

Blake huffed, slightly jealous of his hearing. She had better than average hearing, but the minute details he could experience would have come in handy in her stealthier days. Might actually help now, as well, with information gathering and scouting in the field. Definitely would have been useful back in Mountain Glenn…

Jaune stood still and listened, speaking softly to himself, "Stone and motions but no wing beats. Wing must be damaged."

Port let out a good-natured laugh, "Impressive. Truly a skilled huntsman to tell something so important with so little."

This was a double-edged sword. In an open field, an injured griffon would be an easy kill. But, if it's moving around above him in an enclosed area, that will be more difficult. But that also means one other important fact. "This isn't a nest. It's a crash site. Question is, why is it here?"

The camera pulled back to show the tattered wing of the griffon slamming onto the stone. Jaune looked up to the griffon above him and drew the sword he'd yet to. The metal shone in the light of the day, reflecting not a bloodied steel but a shimmering blade of precious metal. For it is not the Witcher's steel that monsters fear, but his silver.

Ruby was stunned at the craftsmanship of the sword but started to slowly nod. "That explains why he has two swords now…"

Jaune thought for a moment, "Would silver help in our reality? Like, when fighting Grimm?"

Pyrrha shrugged, "I'm not sure. I don't remember anyone trying."

Tai had a similar state of mind, but remembered something in a previous world, "I remember in one of the worlds like ours Ruby used Type-S, a silver alloy, in her weapon. But I also remember that had to do with her also having silver eyes."

Ruby perked up and spun around toward the group, "Oh yeah! What's that about anyway? Are my eyes really super powers or something?"

Oobleck thought back to his readings, "I recall silver eyes being a common trait in skilled warriors against the Grimm, but I've never read anything about any powers pertaining to the metal."

Jaune rolled to the side as the griffon tried to dive down at him for an attack. Jaune ran around the now open-roofed hall of the ruins and his open hand moved in a set pattern. He slammed his hand on the side of the wall as the griffon turned and started to chase him from above. As it reached the wall, and tried to attack the Witcher beneath it, a purple symbol appeared on the wall and a matching energy shot out around from it. The griffon didn't recoil, instead it seemed to move slower than it had before.

Nora's eyes filled with stars, "He can use magic, too!"

Jaune's blade was a flurry of shimmering death. The griffon recoiled slowly, but the effect fell away and it fell between the stone walls. As it wriggled in place, Jaune ran over, unleashing a wave of smoldering sparks into the beast's face, and jumped into the air as he slammed the point of his blade into the griffon's eye.

This got everyone to recoil in empathetic pain. They didn't feel sorry for the creature, but the action at hand was always hard to watch. They used similar actions against Grimm, but Grimm didn't bleed.

This made the griffon more desperate and pushed it enough to rip the wall apart on one side. As it rolled to safety from the Witcher, it sealed its demise. Its wing was torn, it was blind on one side, and Jaune was uninjured. Jaune formed another sign with his hand and swung his arm to the side, his body being surrounded by a golden aura. The griffon stormed toward him to try to bite him in half, only to find its beak breaking on the aura shield around his body. Jaune swung another swipe across the other side of the griffon before lunging forward and impaling his sword through its head.

Yang jumped up in a cheer, "Booyah! This version is a total badass!"

Jaune pulled his weapon out and wiped the blood off the silver. After this, he drew a knife and started to cut the head off the creature as his trophy/proof the beast was dead. Once he was done, he looked over the body. Something still didn't add up. He looked over the ragged wing. "This is a recent injury. Still pretty bloody. Hasn't even started to really heal. This thing couldn't plague a village if it tried. Something's wrong here." Jaune turned back to the ruins and walked back inside the walls. He placed his hand on the left wall and followed it for a while. Along the way, he found a section that didn't feel like the rest. With a wave of a small talisman from his pouch, the wall faded away to reveal a cellar entryway.

As he walked down below, he found a small laboratory with various items around the scene. Various instruments to measure and etch magical items, some gemstones, a few books on a small desk, and a pair of long dresses on the back wall. Jaune recognized the style and sighed with a nod, "That explains a lot."

The camera pulled back to show Jaune and room from the entrance. A hand came into frame with a small fireball hovering in front of it. "And just what do you think you're doing here?"

The voice was familiar and eyes turned Velvet.

Jaune turned to see Velvet Scarlatina behind him. "How did I know it was you?"

"Jaune?" Velvet lowered her hand, crossing her arms instead in disappointment, "Since when did you skulk around like a common thief?"

"Had a job to kill the griffon in the ruins. Had to investigate when things didn't add up."

"Guess that means I need to move my work. Think you can hold off on going in for your reward for an hour or so? Give me time to pack up?"

"Be glad to. But our visitors won't be so kind." Jaune walked up next to Velvet and drew her attention to the sound of armored footsteps.

Yang nodded, "Guess it would be hard to miss seeing something as big as that griffon getting killed."

"But why would they be after Velvet?" Coco questioned. The Velvet on screen wasn't a faunas and didn't seem to be anything other than human. She wasn't a criminal or something, right?

Men in the militia uniforms approached with a new man among them. It was obviously Cardin, though his beard obscured him slightly. He dressed in a long grey coat of a witch hunter. It was his duty to punish all those that would practice the quote-unquote 'unholy' powers of sorcery and magic. Cardin grinned at the duo before him. "Well, well. What have we here? A witch and a mutant. Must be my lucky day. We'll be having double the pyres tonight."

Jaune shook his hand and stepped forward, body tense for the fight. "I suggest you leave. The griffon is dead. The ruins are secure again."

"They'll be secure when you're both ashes." Cardin drew a spiked mace from his side.

Jaune sighed, "Can't say I didn't try." He stepped aside, "Velvet?"

Velvet's hand was raised forward and toward Cardin. She unleashed a bolt of electricity that hit the hunter square in the chest, super charging his body. After a moment, lightning crashed on top of him and reduced the area to smoldering ash.

Cinder could certainly appreciate the brutality of the scene.

Coco recoiled a bit, "Damn, Vel. That's brutal, maybe a bit overboard. Though he was threatening to kill you by burning you alive…"

The militiamen shook in fear.

Jaune addressed them rather calmly, "Velvet uses these ruins. Let her stay and I'm sure she'll help you with anything magic remedies you may need. Or, you can leave her alone and never see her directly. Threaten her, and…" He gestured toward the smoldering body that was Cardin.

The men all scrambled away in a panic.

Velvet walked up next to him, a skeptical look on her face, "You really think they'll give me any space?"

Jaune shrugged, "If nothing else, I doubt they want to get on your bad side." Jaune walked back out from the ruins and called for his horse. "See you around." With that, he moved off to collect his reward.

All in the day for a Witcher, Jaune of Arcadia.