Cuts of RWBY

A RWBY Fic Collection by AndrewJTalon

DISCLAIMER: This is a fan based work of prose. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth and ViZ. Please support the official release.

It took a few days but the Wolf family (ironic that it was the husband's name) got Jaune back on the road and even gave him some provisions as thanks! Thanks for what, they didn't say. Maybe they were just nice people.

He was now on a mountain trail, carefully studying the map. He checked his compass and nodded.

"Okay... Hopefully I'll get in range of a CCT repeater tower this way," he murmured to himself. It looked like it would take a few days, but he had more than enough food for it. And a nice warm coat to boot!

Back at the White Fang HQ, Adam was sitting in his office under the attentions of a nurse. On the other side of the room, bowing in supplication, was his squad of assassins. He'd selected the very best for this operation. That human might have gotten lucky, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"You understand your orders?" Adam asked. The leader, a lizard Faunus, held her bright red head of hair with golden scales across her face up and hissed.

"Yes, My Lord." She blew a spout of flame thanks to her Semblance. "The human will not be a problem."

"Bring him to me alive, Salamander," Adam growled, "I will deal with him myself."

"Of course, My Lord," she said with another bow, "His torment is only beginning!"

The assassins rose, turn, and ran out the door into the night. Adam smirked.

He would teach this human the price for his arrogance. Leaving him alive was a foolish decision. One he would regret...

Jaune sighed as he sat down in the bright sunshine. He was atop another cliff in the great Albus Mountain Range that dominated Vale, and every turn around a corner offered spectacular views. This one with a cloudless blue sky intersected by snow capped peaks was absolutely breathtaking.

"Man, I gotta take a photo of this," Jaune said with a smile. He dug into his pack, frowning a bit.

"Crap, I gotta organize this stuff better," he muttered, moving aside a stainless steel cup, a spatula, a pack of dynamite, a spoon-Wait, hold up.

"Huh?!" Jaune gasped as he looked at the dynamite sticks, "How the hell did this get in here?!"

Back at the homestead of the Wolf family...

"Why did you give him a pack of dynamite?!" Mrs. Wolf demanded her husband. Her husband shrugged.

"With his luck, he'll either blow himself up or blow up a whole lot of bad guys."

"There's no one that lucky! Or stupid!" Mrs. Wolf insisted.

"Geez, I guess they just packed it in by mistake?" Jaune tried, though honestly, even that was a stretch. He hummed as he looked it over.

"Well, how do I safely dispose of this?" He wondered. Having grown up in a farming town with a few old mines nearby, he was aware of how dangerous TNT could be over time. That's why Dust explosives were generally preferred for their greater stability, though dynamite was still used because of how cheap it was. Still... This was really dangerous and Jaune wasn't about to just leave it lying around.

"Maybe I can find someone to dispose of it safely when I get down," Jaune thought aloud. He sighed and stood up. He walked up to the edge of the cliff and scowled down the mountain. "It's gonna be a long trip... Gotta make sure you don't go off by accident on the way there."

He thought that maybe cutting the dynamite apart would make it easier to pack? He pulled out Crocea Mors to do just that... Then stopped.

"Wait, what am I thinking?" Jaune groaned. "Do I want to risk igniting this? What am I, an idiot?"

He sighed, looked back down the mountain...

"HUMAN! NOW YOU DIE!" A voice from below roared. Jaune yelped... And dropped the dynamite. His eyes went wide as he saw a burst of flames from below!

"Oh shit-!"

He turned, ran, and dove for cover!

They'd tracked the blond idiot into the mountains, and gone around. Going up the cliff face was child's play for Salamander, with her strong claws. Her fellow White Fang members climbed with her. She caught sight of the idiot and grinned as he looked down over the side at them.

"Fool," she hissed. She powered up her Semblance and flames erupted from her mouth.

"HUMAN! NOW YOU DIE!" She shrieked, unleashing a blast of flames right up at him!

She ceased her blast... Just as a small flaming package fell for her face. Out of reflex, she caught it. She frowned-What had the human thrown?

What was that sizzling noise-?

KABOOOOOOOOOOM!

Jaune panted for breath. He looked back at the huge pile of rocks and rubble that HAD been a scenic view mere minutes ago. The dynamite had gone off and caused an avalanche. He carefully walked back, and looked down. He tried to see if anyone had survived... Or if anyone had been down there.

Nothing but rubble as far as the eye could see. Jaune sighed, and scratched the back of his head, Crocea Mors held tightly in his other hand.

"Geez... I hope I was just hearing things," he said. He didn't wish that kind of death on anyone!

Salamander groaned. She felt the very heavy rocks all over her slowly being lifted away. Light shone down on her. She felt the medics carrying her off to a Bullhead.

She drifted in and out of consciousness, before she found herself in the White Fang hideout. Medical equipment beeped nearby as she lay in bed. Her entire body was wrapped in gauze and casts as her Aura slowly rebuilt itself.

Adam walked up, now using a cane.

"My Lord," Salamander moaned, "We... We failed you..."

"How? What happened?" Adam demanded. Salamander tried to think, but it was hard. Her Aura was powerful but whatever had hit her had done a number on everything.

She... She thought she'd seen... Something shiny... The boy was a swordsman... He had a sword... Then there was just bright light...

Her eyes widened.

"A... An Aura Slash," she whispered, "Had to be... He saw us, and unleashed it on us! Powerful enough to bring the mountain down upon us!"

Adam stared at her... Then slowly nodded.

"So... He was holding back in our first fight," he said, satisfied, "That makes sense. He sought to mock me... And now he has shown his true power... No doubt he felt me sending assassins was an insult to his pride."

He turned away, still musing.

"Humiliate me, challenge me... And then when I do not strike back myself, destroy my subordinates for the insult. This human... Yes... " Salamander saw Adam smirk.

"I might almost like him."

He turned back to Salamander.

"When you are healed? You will take your team and find out everything you can about this human. We must know our enemy to defeat him."

"Y-yes My Lord," Salamander moaned, her spirit sinking at the prospect of facing that monster again.

The provincial border guard gave Jaune a wry look as he stood in front of the guard station.

"Carrying any illegal substances, weapons, or explosives?"

"Not anymore," Jaune muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"