#i saw something about aura slashes for Jaune.

[spahhzy]

CCJaune: Aww, what's wrong? Frustrated that I could get Jaune to open up more to me than YOU ever could?

Neo strikes at the knight with a flurry of quick hits before one of her clones lands a heavy strike to Jaune face.

Smirking, Jaune just rubs the bruised spot before it began to heal.

CCJaune: Neat little trick however...my turn.

The possessed knight lunges forward with the sword, Neo blocks the oncoming hit with hush and was prepared to retaliate, but the Knight smiled as Crocea Mors and Jaune glowed ominously.

CCJaune: Die.

[howlingday]

I am a man of my word.

Dark knight soul stone Au

The bridge between realms, how quickly it changed for people's hope to escape to a trap. Ruby, Yang, and Blake got launched off. Even Neo fell, and Jaune almost lost himself when he saw her first. However, it was the request of Penny that sent him over the edge. Cinder had ambushed them, and Weiss was holding her back but failing. He didn't want to, he swore, but her request....with a heavy heart fulfilled her last request and let out a blood curdling yell as dark energy explodes from him.

Hearing the yell Cinder would knock Weiss away and try to reach Penny's body only to be met by a slash of energy and a distorted voice: "We meet again, false maiden....and this time I promise you won't survive" said 'Jaune' (Fray) giving her a deep cold look that promised unending pain.

First / Previously

---------------------------------------------

The battle grew silent, if only for an instant, as a cry of anguish erupted in the center of the battlefield. Eyes fell to the young paladin holding a blade coated in blood over a very still Winter Maiden. Jaune had killed Penny, and it was in this act that he shut himself out. If it were anyone else, this would have been a resignation of his life that would only end in, well, his end.

"How sad." A dark voice said through the lips of a kind man. "Guess it was too much for him. But don't you worry, Cinder," red eyes burned with dark glee at the Fall Maiden, "I'll be more than happy to fill in." He broke into a sprint towards her, blade and shield at the ready. "And there's no way in hell I'm going to let Jaune stop me this time!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Winter was still reeling from her interaction with Penny in her mind before coming to. Thankfully, Cinder was just a woman show and she was already engaged with Jaune Arc, leader of the technically fugitive team. Still, there was something different about him, like the man fighting the enemy Maiden wasn't the same man she fought with before. Swooping in, she provided backup to the huntsman already involved. However, she was met with a sword clashing with hers.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Jaune asked with fury in his voice and indignation in his eyes. "This is MY fight! MINE! Stick to your damn job if you wanna keep your life!"

Rather than argue, Winter swallowed her pride and continued with the evacuation. Landing next to Weiss, who was kneeling next to Penny, she places a hand on her shoulder.

"She's gone, Weiss."

"I know." Weiss murmured. "And I shouldn't be distracted. Not when someone so dangerous in still active."

"It seems Cinder is distracted, however." Winter nodded. "But I don't think we can get to the relic without angering Jaune."

"I'm not worried about Cinder." Weiss stood, turning from Penny's lifeless form to the fight above them. "As of right now, she isn't the most dangerous opponent."

"No?" Winter followed Weiss' gaze to Jaune, whose sword had been shattered. However, this did nothing to deter the dark paladin. She gulped. "What should we do?"

Weiss gave a chuckle. "I never thought I'd hear you ask me that."

"I've never been in this scenario. Have you?"

"This will be the third time." Weiss admitted. "And I still don't know how to bring Jaune back."

At this, Jaune rocketed down to their level, knocking the two aside and causing Penny to roll off the edge. Smoke hissing from his body, but his aura still shimmering, he pushed himself to his knees with a feral growl. Cinder readied a huge fireball above and was ready to launch it.

"Even like this, you're still no match for me!" Suddenly the fireball died as her Grimm arm twitched violently. She let out a scream, unaware that Winter was now closing the distance. Jaune was about to join her when he felt something hold him down.

"Get the hell off of me!" He roared.

"Jaune, snap out of it! This isn't you!" Weiss pleaded.

"Of course not!" He tried to break free. "I'm not Jaune! I'm BETTER than Jaune! I'm the reason Jaune is still alive!"

"But you're not Jaune!" She argued. "And throwing yourself at Cinder isn't going to help you win this! You need to stop and think!"

"STOPPING AND THINKING GOT YOUR FRIENDS KILLED!" He finally broke free, horrible red eyes wide and directed on her prone form. "And I'M not going to stand around and get beaten by that-"

"LOOK OUT!"

In a blink, everything went white. In an instant, everything changed. Taking the full brunt of the attack to his side, Jaune fell unconscious on the floor and the last thing he saw was Weiss flying over the edge and a voice screaming her name.

And then everything fell to black.

[rachetmath]

Aura

 I’m sorry but I feel this needs to be said. Aura is by far the most under-used source in RWBY beside dust. Look I get it aura is used to make barriers and fuel semblances but that's it. I mean the semblances are sometimes horrible at best. Especially when they’re passive. Oh my, the worst semblance to me is sadly Qrow’s because anything could happen. You could be enjoying your day and something bad happens because you're there. But that’s minor.

Now some semblances are good. We got semblances that can stop time. We got some that can erase memories. We even got some that can create clones and summon creatures. Too bad summoning things is only in the Schnee department but still. However some of them can be both imitated and surpassed by other characters. For example, Adam, Yang and Tock. Adam creates a wave projectile to slice his enemies. Yang can build and store energy every time she takes damage from enemies and dish it back ten fold. Tock can literally take no damage until her timer goes off. Guess who can copy these abilities? Five characters; Ren, Blake, Fox, Qrow and yes, even Jaune can do it.

Four of these characters have managed to replicate Adam and Yang’s semblances. Blake and Qrow manage to create slashes in the air to launch at their opponents before. Though theirs are not strong as Adam’s they still performed the same function. Fox and Ren can do the same like Yang. I mean, in volume one and two, Ren and Fox made Grimm’s bodies explode. And the sad part about it is Jaune can do all this because of his aura reserves and his semblances. And this is why aura control is needed.

We need characters who are better skilled in aura. I understand semblances are supposed to be unique and tied more to the user but if you were a hunter and you never unlocked your semblance or if you did but it’s not as helpful as you hope, what would be your best source to fight with? Your aura, because so far semblances have been more of let down due to being similar to others. Examples are Harriet and Neon, both being fast characters. Or where it's just in their names. Like Vine with extended limbs; Elm being rooted to the ground; or Clover having good luck. But if you understand the basics and learn more ways to use your aura you can basically do anything. The prime demonstration is Hazel. Nora said herself, Hazel can recharge faster than most people. This means no matter how much damage they dish out Hazel will recover and still keep going.

(Bro I need to say this. Man I’m sorry but in my opinion Hazel is the strongest male character in the RWBY series. Bro, think about it, James was scared of Hazel more than he was of Cinder. And when we saw him fight Salem,… oh my god, these kids were lucky he didn’t really want to fight them because if he did they would all be dead. Like Hazel is the best example of both aura and dust users. He should have stayed alive. Maybe then the kids can finally have a functioning adult in their lives. Hazel solos.)

Okay, after explaining all this, how else can aura be used? Well other than being barriers, slash waving projectiles and a healing factor, it can also be used like haki, chakra or for this show like it was before Salem screwed the world over, magic. But only maidens have magic right? Well let me tell you why I disagree with that statement. But first let's talk about dust.

Dust is the second most under-used source in RWBY. The reason I say secondary is because at least it’s visible in the world. Not only that it is used in weapons, machines, and as ammunition. It is really a natural resource but no one ever uses it in its rawest form. No one except Hazel and maybe Weiss. And what makes it better is they are Remnants of magical elements. Dust in rawest form is more powerful than a gun. And if used properly you can rival maidens.

Maidens are supposed to be special due to them being able to control the elements without the need of dust. However, their power might as well be that of a semblance considering it requires aura to even use. I mean think about it Cinder and Raven. They have used the maiden powers which not only exhausted them as well decreased their aura to the point they break. Not only that they were able to be defeated or in Cinder’s case almost die multiple times. And to prove my case further, Salem is a magic user yet Hazel still killed her multiple times. Hell, Penny was able to beat Cinder even without maiden powers. Basically, the sad truth is the maidens are just keys. If Cinder crossed the wrong person she would be dead. Never mind that if Hazel, Watts and Tyrian wanted to, they actually would have killed her themselves. Especially if she keeps messing up they're plans.

So how does dust increase the use of aura? Well dust is part of the world. And so is the aura. So wouldn’t having more of a connection with the world increase aura and dust efficiency. I mean Vine said aura can be extended. So using the environment itself is good. Just like chakra, if you extend the aura enough to spread across an area enough while using gravity dust you can increase the pressure to keep opponents down. With plant dust trapping your enemies to a certain extent. Heck if you learn to control your aura and merge it with the element you can throw projectiles, create weapons, increase your speed and/or damage output. Effectively uses your whole body as a weapon.

Aura can even be used even without the need of dust. Like with haki it can harden your body against attacks. Extended to where you can locate upcoming enemies. Or when released all at once ,can be used to knock out enemies without engaging in combat.

Look, I am sorry. Please, forgive me but after thinking about this it made me ask this question, “What is a hunter?” Like really what is a hunter because so far this show has disappointed me on the term. We have seen hunters die whether be by non-hunter groups or Grimm who are arguably not that much of a threat. If anything, ordinary people can fight and kill them. Even semblances are starting to become nothing but excuses to why characters act the way they do, like with James who was determined to blow up Mantle because of his ability. Or having basic abilities that other characters should possess like Tyrian’s aura breaking ability. It’s sad really, aura is supposed to be this source of power but it's not as weaponized as I hoped it would be. But that’s my opinion.  

[rwbyvein]

Firen Lhain:  Chapter 810:  Taste of Freedom:  Part III/III

There was a knock on Neo's door and she jumped over, standing in front of it, unsure of what to do. There was another knock, louder than before. "Uh, Neo?" Jaune shouted. "Dinner time. I guess you're still getting used to everything, so, did you want me to bring it up to you?" Neo knocked on the door.

* * *

There was another knock on the door, and Neo moved over to the door without openening it. "Uh, Neo?" Jaune asked, "I got your food." A pregnant pause followed, "I guess I'll just leave it here." he said, and Neo nodded. "Just put your dishes outside when you're done." Neo once again nodded, not that he could see it.

* * *

Neo ate her food. Sure, it was the same food as before, but now that she was free, it seemed to taste better. Much better. She developed a wide smile.

* * *

Neo nervously opened the door. She looked through the crack and did not see anything. She opened the door enough to put the tray on the outside, and then quickly closed and locked it.

* * *

RWBY sat around the lounge. Blake laying on her front on a couch. Ruby sitting on the carpet. Weiss laying with her head in Yang's lap, trying and failing to not stare at the colossal bossom above her as Yang gently ran her fingers through her hair.

"We should do something for Neo!" Ruby exclaimed.

"We should let her settle in." Blake added.

"She's in pain." Yang said, "We should do something about it."

"Mayhap she does not wish for our aid." Weiss replied, reaching up to craddle Yang's face.

"She needs time to warm up to us." Blake stated, and then looked at Yang. "I know you love how we reached out to help you, but that's because you knew us. Neo doesn't."

"So!" Ruby exclaimed, and everyone looked at her as she stood up, "She needs to get to know us."

* * *

There was a knock on the door and Neo moved up to it. "Neo, it's me, Ruby! I just want to talk!" Neo stared at the door for who knows how long as she thought over how stupid that statement was. Neo opened the door and gave Ruby a death glare. "What did you want to talk about?" Neo stared at her for a solid minute before closing and locking the door again. "What did I say?" Ruby asked herself.

* * *

Neo layed on her bed staring at the ceiling. She had never had this much free time. She always had something she was trying to do, either survive, thrive, or plot her revenge. And here she was for the first time in her life without something to do. Her food was provided, her walls secure, her revenge deterred. The only thing she had to live for was herself, and this thought disturbed her.

* * *

Neo paced about her room, completely unsure of what to do.

* * *

Neo looked at her washroom, pondering a shower. How long had it been since she had been able to simply relax and enjoy a shower?

Back when she shared it, but even then there was always a chance that someone would barge in and need stabbing. She had both a secure door and a lack of her means of stabbing people. To be fair, taking away her way of stabbing people was probably a good idea.

Neo stepped up to her shower. She opened up the door and reached in to the tap. She turned it on and stepped back, nervously looking at the room behind her. She tested the water, and it had warmed up in seconds. Neo stepped back to the room, looking at the door. She reached for the key in her pocket, her fingers wrapping around it. She was safe here. She was secure here. Or at the least she had nothing left to lose. The only two things she cared about were hidden from her.

* * *

Neo nervously stripped in the bathroom, folding her clothes and putting them on the floor. She felt a nervous tinge in the back of her neck and quickly grabbed a towel, wrapping it around herself. She then stepped out of the bathroom, looking around the room and then the door. She then stepped back into the bathroom, pulling the towel off and stepping into the water.

* * *

Neo quickly wrapped the towel around her dripping body and stepped out of the bathroom, once again looking at the door. She stepped back into the bathroom and then shower, drying herself off properly, this time.

* * *

There was a knock on her door. "I'm sorry!" Ruby shouted through it. "I have a couple questions, if you could?" Neo just stared at the door, "I mean, we want to make sure you have everything in there."

Neo unlocked the door and slowly opened it up, glaring at Ruby.

"Okay, yes, sorry, but like we said, we just moved in, and we wanted to make sure you have towels?" she asked. Neo looked at her a moment before nodding. "How about toilet paper?" Ruby asked. Neo glared at her before closing and locking the door. A few moments later the door opened. Neo nodded at her, before closing and locking the door again.

* * *

Ruby walked into the library and up to Weiss. "How did it go?" Weiss asked.

"She had toilet paper and towels!" Ruby exclaimed.

"I could have told you that." Aurora said, as she collected the cup from beside Weiss, and Ruby looked around nervously.

"She is not the most practically minded, but it is done from a perspective of caring, and as such should not be admonished."

"Uh, yeah?" Ruby asked

"I was not admonishing." Aurora stated, "Just wishing to be of service."

"We all know how she can be of service." Blake added without looking up from her book.

"Quiet, you." Weiss admonished her.

"Oh, don't worry." Ruby warmly said to Aurora, "You are REALLY helpful. Like, REALLY helpful. We wouldn't know what to do without you."

"Weiss might have to learn to cook." Blake said with a wide smile, causing Weiss to stand up. "Uh-oh, what's the Snow Angel going to do?!"

Weiss took a couple steps towards her, "I'll have you know that I'm HIS Snow Angel."

Blake put a bookmark in her book, "Then what you to me?"

Weiss paused, unsure of what to say.

"Oh, I got one!" Ruby exclaimed, and everyone looked at her. "She's a canary?"

"Perhaps you could elaborate?" Weiss asked.

"Because Blake ate the canary."

"I feel as if I'm missing something." Weiss curiously voiced.

"The cat who ate the canary." Blake stated. "I like it. From now on it's my nickname for you."

"Does linnet not cover this?" Weiss asked.

"No." Blake said with glee. "You're a canary."

"You certainly sing like a canary." Ruby added. "And you do get to call her sweetie."

"I do..." Weiss voiced.

"I need nicknames." Ruby stated.

"It's not like we were trying to exclude you." Weiss said to her.

"I know." Ruby pouted.

"Darling." Weiss said as she stepped up.

"Sweet words." Ruby replied, "Naught but sweet words. Did I use that right?"

Weiss developed a blush and stepped up towards her, kissing her on the cheek.

"When you look at Weiss?" Blake asked, and Ruby looked at Blake, before looking back at Weiss, "What you do think about?"

"Hmm." Ruby said, as she thought it over, "Weissy." This caused Weiss to let out a huff. "What, it does."

"It sounds warm when she says it." Blake said, "Weissy." she added.

"I still reserve the right to be gently perturbed." Weiss stated.

"Of course you do." Blake said with a cheshire grin.

"And Blake?" Aurora asked, and when they looked over they saw her looking at Ruby.

Ruby looked at Blake, concentrating for a moment, "Blakey."

Blake looked around nervously.

"The shoe is on the other paw." Weiss said to her with a smile, causing Blake to pout. Weiss then stepped forward to kiss Blake on the cheek.

"What's Yang up to?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, fighting with her mother." Weiss replied.

* * *

Yang's hair and eyes glew as she screamed, "You're a fucking bitch, you're going to..."

Raven turned into a raven to avoid her punch. The punch created a great shockwave that passed by, damaging the rocks beyond where Raven was standing. Raven reverted, hand on her hilt, looking at Yang. "And that's why you let Adam take your arm. It might not look like it, but Aura slashes only affected a very small area. You have to concentrate your Aura along the length, but in doing so, make yourself extremely vulnerable. You're counting that your target doesn't know that."

"What about blocking?" Jaune asked.

"It really depends on your Aura." Raven replied, "I wouldn't want to trust it. Any part of the Aura slash gets passed it, and your arm still gets cut off."

"I don't think I have much of a choice." Jaune stated.

"And he's got like a LOT of Aura." Yang added.

"Your Semblance is basically the same thing." Raven stated.

Taiyang appeared on a nearby rock. "I tried telling you as much."

Yang looked around nervously, but Jaune looked at him, "You tried to tell her that everything is wrong with her Semblance and fighting style."

A crow appeared on a nearby rock, reverting into Qrow, "That does sound like something you would say. And for the record, I can, I just choose not to."

"Care to tell us why?" Yang asked.

"It's too out of control." Qrow stated, "You put too much into a single attack. And this is from someone who's entire fighting style is putting too much into a single attack."

"It's not like I have a choice." Yang stated.

"No, you don't." Qrow stated and jumped down, "But you do get to choose WHEN you use it. Wear them down, and don't give them the knockout punch until you know it's going to hit. That's something we can practice."

Jaune drew his sword. "I kind of want to fight my... mother?.. in-law?" he asked.

"Yeah... yeah..." Yang grumbled. "You can fight Raven. I'll take Qrow. And dad can sit there thinking up more dad puns."

"Don't encourage him." Qrow stated.

"I don't know about you, but I find them charming." Raven stated.

"Mom?" Yang asked.

"I've heard from your father how you've taken after him with puns." Raven stated.

"Yeah-yeah." Yang replied.

[jauneda1]

RWBY

The New War AU part 2

Classes and combat training

(Jaune's mind)

"Professor Port's classes where one of the best classes to attend, you get to kill Grimm of a low level and show off new skills. The only down side is he talks entirely to fucking much."

Professor Port: Blah blah blah blah

(Jaune's mind)

"Fucking hell this is boring. When the hell our we gonna get to kill some Grimm. He didn't even ask us to take notes he's just talking and gloating about how he done this and that. Not to mention he keeps gawking at Yang. Oh and I swear to God if he winks at her again I'm gonna shove that mustache up his ass. Haa calm down Jaune... Yang... Why did you say no?

Two days ago on the Rooftop

Yang: Jaune... I love you, You know that right?

Jaune: Yes and I love you two that's why I want to make this permanent. We've been off and on for so much but really I don't think I'm complete without you.

Yang: Jaune you are absolutely fine without me. I know remembering Ricky is hard for you but I'll always be there for you.

Back In Ports Class

Jaune is just sitting there unaware that Port chose him for today's bout.

(Jaune's mind)

" Why are women so confusing, this is why we keep breaking up I don't understand her and maybe I should work more on that or..."

Professor Port: Mr.Arc first please remove your hood. Second I have chosen you for today's unarmed Grimm battle training.

Jaune Arc: Okay sir... Wait did you say unarmed?

On The Combat Floor

Jaune Arc: Why do I have to be unarmed again?

Professor Port: As a Huntsman Mr.Arc you must always be ready for any situation. Like if an Ursa major where to knock your sword away-

Jaune Arc: I would have my shield.

Professor Port: But you have nothing, besides in my days I could take on 10 Ursa with my bare hands.

Professor Port winked in Yang's direction which resorted in Yang feeling embarrassed and disgusted.

(Jaune Arc)

That bastard did it again I don't care what he sends at me I'm gonna beat it into the fucking ground.

Professor Port: Now Mr.Arc your opponent will be a Ursa Major.

Jaune Arc: 😂😂😂

Jaune rushed forward with aura infused in his legs. A few people where surprised and thrown of when they heard him laugh. But Jaune cared not as he slid past the Ursa and with his momentum spun around. Putting his hands on the ground and putting aura into his hands and grip latching onto the floor and gaining a good base. He then kicked the Ursa in the leg shattering the bone and destroying everything beneath the skin. Jaune then backflipped out of the overhead swipe the Ursa threw out of pain. Jaune saw his opening again rushing forward and tackled it but the Ursa stood strong until. Jaune with his hands still wrapped around the Ursa spinning around now behind the Ursa Jaune lifted with his back and legs aura coursing throughout his body giving off a blue highlight. All the while Jaune is building up his to release his semblance.

With a loud smash and to the amazement of the entire class with the exception of Yang and Ruby Jaune German suplexed the Ursa Rolling over with the momentum of the suplex and lifting the Ursa up. With the same strength now doubled he shifts his weight to now Jaune is lifting up and about to slam the Ursa into the ground with his one arm. This feat of strength from this tall and scraggly looking man. Shook everyone in the room even Professor Port. Jaune standing only 5 feet from the Ursa began to speak since he's been silent since the beginning of the battle.

Jaune Arc: 😂😂😂 An Ursa Major 😂😂😂 it's like throwing around a bag of potatoes. GET UP AND ACT LIKE THC KILLING MACHINE YOUR SUPPOSED TO BE! I've seen the battle scar's on you. You've been through a lot now come at me everything you've got Beasty.

The room was quite till the Ursa rushed at Jaune with a mighty roar even without one of it's legs and with one slash Jaune was sent back like 2 or 3 feet. The Ursa if it could look it would. Now Jaune's 2nd favorite hoodie was slashed through but that wasn't nothing compared to what everyone was paying attention to even Yang and Ruby where surprised by the secret semblance he had been hiding from everyone. Jaune's body was surrounded with auric blue Flame and there are blue lines spider webbing out from a bright blue light where his heart should be and Jaune's eyes are bright blue.

Jaune Arc: Okay my turn

Jaune then tore off the shredded hoodie revealing that he is a hell of lot more ripped and muscular then he may seem. With one burst of speed and Jaune was now holding the Ursa in a bear hug and with a mighty roar Jaune's eyes mouth expunging blue flames.

Jaune Arc: BAHAMET DETONATION

With that Jaune Arc let out a self detonation the explosion was controlled. To the eyes of everyone there they saw a orb of pure blue flame and the feeling of an explosive going off in front of them. All that was left was a decent size crater and Jaune Arc standing there with obvious exhaustion.

Jaune Arc: Cough... Did I past?

Lunch Room

Yang:😭😭😭 Then he yelled out this phrase like he was a super hero

Ruby:😭😭😭 He did something similar back in Signal right lol.

Jaune: Yeah yeah laugh it up. Ow my body really hurts, that's the first time I've tried releasing full power.

Weiss: Wait you've never used it before?

Jaune: Nope I still have some of it built up inside me. I'm going to probably have to go burn it off. I felt the size of the explosion it would of wiped out the entire classroom so I pulled more then half of it back into my body.

Nora: The was so cool though, I almost couldn't help but jump from excitement the way you moved so fast.

Ren: You where extremely focused in that fight it was like you where in the zone.

Nora: That is the power of a high grade. I didn't think much about power difference but you even said you got some energy stored up. Btw you need to let me see the explosion at full power and when you burn off the rest later.

Jaune: Sure

Nora: So your basically your in beatable you use a sword and shield and your semblance is basically a walking explosion with a smoking hot btw.

Jaune: Thank you

Ren: Nora.

Nora: Sorry sorry. So how does it work?

Jaune: Well... It's like a strength storing semblance. I store up kinetic energy from successful attack my targets or receiving damage. I can't do anything with it till I've hit critical mass which is when my heart starts to burn bright through my chest. Then I can use that explosion.

Yang: Bahamet Detonation😂😂😂

Jaune: Yes Yang Bahamet Detonation. I can control the output and size of the explosion. But if I wanted I'm pretty sure I can store even more. But that cause great harm to me I actually had a burn scar over my heart on my chest due to me trying to store copious amounts of energy... I guess it's really good for groups of enemies.

(Jaune's Mind)

"Fuck my body is hurting I should of condensed the size of the explosion and let it all out. But I've never done that I have a lot of aura but I don't think I would survive that it already hurt to do what I did in class."

Jaune: Hey guys I would love to stay and chat but I need to go burn off the energy left. If anyone wants to see the explosion follow me.

Nora: Oh definitely me.

Blake: Should be fun

Ruby: yay

That's a wrap for part 2

Character analysis

Jaune Arc: Age 18, Huntsman classification, High Grade, Battle classification, Vanguard, the vanguard classification is a hybrid between oppressor and tank with they're oppressing attacks keeping they're targets at bay an they're tank like strength they can keep multiple targets on edge and defeat them single handedly.

Semblance: Kinetic energy store and dispersal, Jaune stores up kinetic energy from combat and can release it with enough output to cause a devastating explosion that can reduce anything in the blast radius except Jaune to atoms.

[heliosthegriffin]

The Tarasque

On the night before the finals of the Vytal Festival, we find Jaune Arc. He leaned over the railing of the roof where he trained with Pyrrha, they hadn’t trained tonight, she needed to be in top shape for tomorrow.

Jaune didn’t though, and Jaune had come up to think dressed in his baby blue onesie. Smoking a cigarette in hand and breathing out the smoke into the clear night sky.

Taking a long drag of his cigarette, letting the warm smoke fill his longs, holding it till it lost it’s warmth and expelled it. He spoke out into the night sky, “I’m really going to miss this place again, aren’t I?” There was no one to hear him question.

In his unoccupied hand was his scroll, a message ready to be sent to a group chat. Jaune looked at the scroll his expression mixed, his finger hovering over the send button. One press would be what it takes to summon his friends, they’d deserve an explanation at the very least before he left. He still hesitated before pressing the button, then he signed. “It’s never going to be any easier, is it?” Silence was his answer.

Several minutes passed before Pyrrha showed up, her normal, fake, smile still up, something was bothering the girl. He knew what Orville the poor child to due, and it only added to the list of grievance he had with the man.

“Jaune? Why are you calling everybody?” Pyrrha asked, her face full of worry. 

Her mind obviously wondering he could no longer take the guilt anymore, he’d nip that in the bud now.

“I’ll tell you when the rest get here. It’s more than what you think it is.”

The tone of his voice got her attention, but she nodded.

She had yet to notice the cigarette in his hand.

The rest came in the pair of Ren and Nora, and then the Team RWBY who came out in a dogpile on the roof. He snickered, he would indeed miss their antics.

The seven of them formed a semi-circle around him seeming to wonder what Jaune had to say. Jaune said nothing for a long second, taking one last long drag of the cigarette before exhaling.

That got Weiss’s attention, “Since when did you start such a repugnant habit, Arc?“ She asked with disgust.

Nora before Jaune could answer, “Oh, oh, oh, can you blow smoke rings Jauney, and hey wait, when you start smoking? I never smelled any  on you before?”

That got a small murmur going through the group of teens, bring a smile to his face.

Yang broke the silence, “So, what’s up VB? Come to have us look at you model your onesie?” She said with a snicker.

A sad looking smile came to Jaune’s face, he let the bud drop to the roof where he ground it under his slippers.

“I’m leaving Beacon, tonight.”

Any words that were about to come out froze in the seven teens mouths, not one had been expecting him to say that.

A series of ‘Whats?!” ‘Why’ ‘Are you for real?’ and so on and so forth, it all blended together to white noise.

It hurt him see his friends look so pained and shocked, but he needed to do what he needed to do. They were weights.

He clapped his hands, infusing his hands and arms to strength them, and then further empowered the shockwave as it left the hands causing a explosion of noise.

They all jumped up in shock, but Ren’s eyes narrowed at him, clearly noticing the aura trick he did.

He smiled softly at him, then at all of them. “I just want to say, thank you, thank you all, you’ve made the last hellish nine months in this place actually pleasant.”

Blakes eyes narrowed at his choice of words.

“I have had more fun here in my time with you seven, than I have had in the last couple centuries.”

NPR and RWBY’s eyes shot open, and before their eyes Jaune disappeared.

“I suppose you’re all curious what that means, but, I don’t have time to explain it all to you, I’m on a schedule you see, and you’re better off not knowing too. You seven have too bright future together, to change the world, to be dragged down into a shadowy conflict. Focus on your life and goals, not the mysterys in the dark. It’s been a pleasure, Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Blake, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren.”

Crocea Mors in hand, Jaune grabbed it by the sheath and handle pulling it with speed that not even the eyes of hunters in training could follow hitting Ruby in the back of the head before her aura went up.

Ruby hit the floor with a nary a sound, looking for the world like she just fainted.

Weiss and Yang stood to either side of Ruby, with Blake at the end of the semi circle next to Yang. Ren stood to Weiss’s side, Nora to Ren’s side, and Pyrrha at the other end of the circle.

Crocea Mors sheath didn’t stop moving after Ruby went down, Jaune turned the strike so the flat of the blade hit Weiss’s temple, eyes went wide and then rolled up into her skull, her aura failing to come up at speed to block the strike.

In all under a second Jaune had incapacitated Ruby and Weiss, in the next ten second the other fives fell to the ground knocked out, not a scratch on the boy, and in the next second Jaune let his expression fall, and suddenly Jaune didn’t look so young and weak anymore, his face going from soft to sharp looking, still young but closer to his mid-twenties than his late teens, but his eye’s held a weight and age to them that could not be measured. It was like looking at the difference between a puppy and a alpha beowolf.

Jaune looked tiredly at his former friends, and took out his scroll and hit another message to each of his former friends, a video personalized for each one, on how to improve their fighting style, semblance, and training, along with a personalized apology.

Then Jaune hit a app on his scroll, then any trace of Jaune Arc ever existing on paper was deleted, being replaced by John Ark who tragically died in a bullhead flight tonight.

The scroll was then broken like cheap plastic and tossed away. Jaune brought up a burner scroll, and called. “I’m ready, are the pieces in place?”

Ozpin’s voice could be heard on the other end. “Yes. Are you in position?”

“No, but I will be within five minutes, tell them to be ready sooner, if all goes as planned the infiltrators will be captured and brought to the vault in less than a half hour, if not, be ready to send them in to capture or kill them.”

“Roger, message sent, I will be waiting below.”

In a blur of speed the onesie was gone revealing briefly too things, a body that was covered in scars of all kinds, burns, pock marks, slashes, bruises, acid burns, a catalogue of wounds that if saw on a normal man would cause a doctor to question how they were alive.

The second was on Jaune’s back, a large Tattoo, one of a fearsome monster that stared off of Jaunes back.

In another Blur of speed Jaune was dressed in dark blues, and blacks, Crocea Mors at his side.

“Tonight the Tarasque hunts again.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jaune stood outside of the dark hall way following the aura signature to a visiting students dorm, he could feel the Fall Maiden’s power inside. He was right on the money that it was the transfer student. She was far too old to be playing pretend... Or not old enough.

He sensed the Ace Ops patrols the outside and roof, Goodwitch down the hall, The Branwan skin-changed and waiting outside the window.

Jaune focused on the aura signatures in the room, four, all sleeping.

He took out a key and opened the door, and slipped in.

They never even noticed him stalking up to the fall maiden, and grabbing her by the throat, to her credit her eyes shot open immediately, but Jaune took the handle of Crocea Mors to her head.

Her aura blocked it, but she was clearly dazed, and could barely choke out a “H-help.” In a blur of speed and force he brought the handle to her temple again and again till her aura broke and her eyes rolled up, a dark bruise forming with a blood dripping down the side of her head.

He felt the movement behind him, and the attempt of an illusion to cloud his mind. He feigned falling for it, and let her sneak up with the blades. Just as the girl swung he backhanded her in the throat, she wasn’t expecting it and her aura wasn’t up, so she went out like light.

That’s two.

The half-legs and the woman-girl stirred. He took Crocea Mor’s to their heads, a trickle of blood all the proof he needed.

He went over to the window and opened it, letting the Branwen in.

He pointed at the half-legs and woman-girl, “Grab em’���

The Branwan knew better to argue with him.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The elevator opened with a ding, showing Jaune and Qrow with two unconcious bodies over their shoulders.

“Is that the culprit?” Ozpin asked with a thin frown.

Jaune nodded.

“Good, put her in the machine.” “No, Orville. I got a better way to do this.” Jaune said.

Ozpin raised a eyebrow, and Qrow looked intrigued. “What’s that Jaune?”

“This,” Jaune said raising his hand, it briefly lighting up the room before dimming revealing a pearlesque white hand.

Ozpin took step back in fear and surprise. “You completed it?!”

Qrow looked nonplussed, and raised his eyebrows. “What exactly is this ‘it’?” He asked with air quote.

“The highest form of aura manipulation I’ve achieve,” He shot a look at Ozpin. “When you have centuries of time on your hands, you either get good at what you do, or make plans for the future... I know what I’ve chosen.”

Ozpin let out a huff. “Well one of us has to make sure the world doesn’t explode.”

“Whatever,” Jaune said with a smirk, and then plunged his pearly white hand into Cinder’s chest.

Cinder awoke with a blood-chilling scream, her hands going to her chest, but then her body started thrashing like she was having a seizure.

“Yeah, I imagine having your soul invaded and having a piece ripped out isn’t very fun is it, yeah, well guess what?” Jaune said to a terrified Cinder. “Turn about is fair play, Amber was a good friend of mine, and you’re gonna pay.”

- Several bloody hours later. -

Ozpin looked mildly disturbed, while Qrow vomited in the corner.

“Dust, dust that was horrifying.” “Yeah, but I got the Maiden powers.”

“Are you going to do the same to Amber?”

Jaune nodded darkly. “Yes, but I’ll be much gentler with her.” “That does inspire much confidence.” “Well, excuse me if soul surgery isn’t exactly a very well explored field!” Jaune said to Qrow, then shot a look at Ozpin. “It would be much farther along if somebody gave me those prisoners, instead of sending me to kill super-heavy class grimm.”

“I find the survival of frontier villages and cities a more pressing matter.” Jaune shrugs. “Fair.” He then walks over to Amber’s stasis pod, a glowing orange ball in Jaune’s pearly hand.

It open and Jaune rams the orb into her, Amber’s eyes jumping open in pain.

It takes several screaming hour before Jaune is done.

“Well, she might be fine now.” “Might be?” “Very poorly explored field.”

Qrow looks over to the three accomplices, who woke during the soul surgeries, now looking very terrified.

“What about them?” “What about them? Their your problem now, as far as I’m concerned the only thing that’s my problem now is Amber, you two chucklefuck deal with the brats.”

Ozpin looked at the two children and Neo, “Soooo, anybody want some coffee.”

Edit: Forgot the Author’s note that would explain somethings, I kinda lost passion towards the end.

AN: This an AU where around a thousand years ago Ozma decided to do a mass aura awakening to see if it would bare fruit. Jaune seemed like he didn’t have semblance after couple years of training. But, come 80 years later, Ozma hears rumors of a lmmortal blonde... Jaune’s semblance is eternal youth.

[good-rwbyaus]

@little-voice-the-parasprite wrote:  ...now I want to hear Weiss’s tale on this. This is like a fanfiction idea in the making.

Like, one of thosw fanfiction ideas where the beginning was launched out of a cannon just a few degrees to the side as opposed to canon, and the differences greadually make themselves more and more blatant and glorious as the stories unfold.

// I got you! 8) - mod lilac

____

Perspective :: Weiss // Becoming  - [ main chapter ]

logo-comics asked: What about an AU where everyone had somehow been under the mistaken assumption that Ruby was a professor at Beacon? For a laugh, Ozpin rolls with it whenever he's asked about it.

Weiss remembered the brunette clad in red when she first arrived. At first, she thought the overly energetic girl was Ozpin’s kid. Free and expressive without any of the reverence a student should have for an esteemed Headmaster of a combat academy.

And then she heard the Headmaster say something very scary.

“Professor Rose.”

At first she couldn’t believe it. This Rose was younger than her and still had baby fat on her face, but as the Headmaster and Professor Rose spoke about the months prior to today, she became more and more astonished.

Cutting down a pack of Beowolves on her own.

Taking down a Boarbatusk with her bare hands.

Collaborating in a Hunters mission.

A normal student at a preparatory academy couldn’t do any of these things. Even students at combat academies didn’t start participating in missions until 2nd year, but this girl - probably not older than fourteen - did it.

But what really got her was the smile the girl wore when the Headmaster spoke of her exploits. Her demeanor wasn’t arrogant but shy and excited - as if she couldn’t wait to head out to fight even more.

It’s just that the girl needed a team to do so.

Heh. Pyrrha. Who’s Pyrrha? What champion of Mistral?

This was the person she needed to partner with.

-----

"And that’s not to mention all the connections you can make knowing the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company,” Weiss explained hastily to the pajama-wearing Ruby Rose who just gave her a blank, unmoved expression.

Argh. What did this girl want?!

Ruby didn’t care about the educational pension she offered nor did she care about sponsorship by the Schnee Dust Company after graduation. She didn’t blink an eye either about having her weaponry supplemented with all the recent Dust research the SCD could offer. And the only time she did react was when she offered free expert weapon maintenance during her stay at Beacon, and the girl gave her such a disdainful stare that she got flustered and stuttered through the rest of her recruitment speech.

By the time she finished, she was red in the face, embarrassed by this girl who didn’t seem to care for this valuable opportunity at all.

Was she just playing hard-to-get, trying to get more out of her? Or were all prodigies like this?

As though she noticed how awkward she was being, Ruby sheepishly rubbed her head with an apologetic look in her face.

“Uh...Weiss, right? That’s great and all, but I don’t think you’re what I’m looking for in a partner,” Ruby said hesitantly with a bow of her head.

Was this pipsqueak looking down on her? Professor be dam- whatever.

“What are you looking for in a partner then?” Weiss asked, unable to keep the frustration out of her voice.

Ruby’s friendly demeanor turned serious at the drop of a hat.

“Can you fight?” Ruby replied without missing a beat, “And can I trust you to have my back?”

Those two questions made her mouth gape her like a goldfish. 

It was clear that all the things she cared about - connections, money, power, opportunity - were worthless in front of this fourteen year old girl. And Ruby was being genuine, not trying to negotiate more out of her like businessmen were wont to do. She could feel the conviction in the other girl’s words as if nothing else truly mattered in that little world of hers. 

It was such a shock to her own worldview that she just stood there, even after the young girl shook her head and walked away.

The girl was right.

In the end, weren’t those two things the only things that truly mattered when fighting the Grimm?

It was the first lesson she’d learn from Professor Ruby and certainly not the last.

------

Have to find Pyrrha. Have to find Pyrrha.

Dashing through the Emerald Forest at top speed, she charged towards the gold and red blur that she saw flying above earlier. Sure, maybe she wasn’t able to give her recruitment speech to the Invincible Girl, but after learning the rules of forming a team, she realized she didn’t need to.

If she had known about the absurd manner of how they’ll find partners, she wouldn’t have thoroughly embarrassed herself last night. 

Eye contact? Really?!

Well as long as she didn’t get the pretentiously suave blond guy Jaune as a partner she would count it as a win. Seriously, if she heard Snow Angel one more time, a name she couldn’t escape from when she was at Atlas or those stupid high-society parties her father favored, she was going to shove her heel into a place where the sun didn’t shine.

...Being around Ruby may or may not be worse. Sure, she’s a Professor-in-training, so she’s going to be experienced, but it would be weird having to listen to someone two years younger than her. Not to mention she thoroughly embarrassed herself in front of the gir-

As she burst through the treeline, her eyes widened as she caught a familiar crimson-cloaked figure. That figure turned its head towards her.

Silver eyes met hers, and Ruby wore a surprised expression for a moment before it quickly turned into a grimace.

“Oh.”

----

“Ah. Thank you for getting me down from that tree, Ruby,” the blond thanked, holding the spear-shotgun in his hands.

“Don’t mention it,” Ruby replied back, a genuine smile on her face. One that she never saw when the girl spoke to her. 

“I still don’t see why you got him down there,” Weiss said grumpily, “He should be able to figure out how to land himself, not need another Hunter’s help. Do you like him or something?”

“Huh?” The blond in question looked to her and then Ruby.

“I think I just like Crocea Mors.”

“Wha-?” Jaune said, glancing over at his blade and shield-scabbard.

“I thought about why I felt really good about Jaune when we met at orientation,” Ruby spoke, not really paying attention to the other two’s reactions. It seemed she was used to monologuing; Weiss couldn’t help but picture Ruby as a lonely girl despite all her outward bubbliness. “And it has to be the shield. People who use shields are either scared of death or have something to defend. And since Jaune’s here despite being unstealthy, walking in a manner that’ll easily catch him flatfooted, and not having unlocked his Aura, he’s clearly not scared of death.”

“Uhhh...” Jaune laughed nervously. Weiss could only gave him an incredulous look.

“Honestly, if I had the choice, I’d rather pick him than you, Weiss.”

That hurt in more ways than one; was Ruby’s opinion of her that low? Her gaze locked back onto Ruby.  

“Why?”

“Nothing personal. But Bart once said you can teach someone to fight, but you can’t teach loyalty,” Ruby quietly said, “And I don’t really know you well, and Jaune. Well, he has a shield.”

She was so annoyed that she wanted to laugh. Here she thought Ruby was thinking of her as completely unskilled and worthless, only for this reasoning to pop up. 

“Aren’t you being a bit arbitrary?” 

“Arbi-wha?” Ruby asked confusedly.

Weiss opened and closed her mouth before growling in frustration, “...Argh. How do I explain what that means? How can you be a prof-”

Ruby suddenly stopped and drew out her weapon. That alerted her and made her draw Myrtenaster right away. Jaune belatedly drew his blade and shield moments later. 

“Grimm are coming,” Ruby hopped upwards into the trees, “I’ll handle long-range fire. You two engage.”

------

She darted through the battlefield using her Glyphs as platforms. Her precise bladework aimed for necks, eyes, and hearts, each one efficiently dispatching the Grimm that surrounded them. Occasionally, Myrtenaster would glow with an icy or fiery light, her favored attack elements holding and destroying the Grimm that got into her range.

From above, she could hear the tinkle of fallen bullet casings as Ruby provided sniper fire. She had an eerie feeling that every bullet the girl fired lethally found its mark. 

“Hurggh!” the blond slashed down again and decapitated another Beowulf, probably the fourth or fifth compared to her dozen. Ruby was right. He was uncoordinated. Wrong foot out with his attack, sabotaging his gathered momentum. But against the young Beowolves, it was enough. And though his blade skills were poor, his body itself was pretty well-developed - if he ever started training for real, he had a really good foundation to start from. 

Weiss mused to herself. Loyal people tended to be grateful, right? Maybe she could attract that sort of loyalty to her if she were to train him, but alas she was smart enough to know she was far from qualified. She’s more likely to lead him down the wrong path and wouldn’t that generate resentment instead?

Still, it’d be interesting to see if he could gain the skills Ruby expected him to get in the futur-

Wha- wrong Glyph?

She stumbled and slid into the ground instead of onto the Glyph she wanted to create. Lifting her head up, she saw the Beowulf she landed in front of about to deliver a haymaker onto her frame. 

“Weiss!” 

She saw the blond’s back as he stood in front of her, shield protecting them both. Her heart fluttered for a moment. Despite her cruel words and rejections, Jaune still took up her defense. 

Loyalty.

The blond stumbled to the ground as he absorbed the blow, his hasty positioning too unstable to withstand it. Struck flat into the ground, Jaune groaned as his shield arm fell out of position with the Grimm about to strike down again.

“No!” she screamed.

Myrtenaster glowed white as she brought herself between the fist and Jaune, a White Glyph manifesting in front of her. 

But then a flash of white suddenly bisected the Grimm, and its figure dissipated into red petals. Ruby came into view, slowly folding her scythe back into its portable form - the one or two Grimm that remained seemed to have been cleaned up by her. 

Before she could thank the girl, Ruby started speaking. 

"Ahh sorry. I knew you had it,” Ruby said apologetically before grinning, “I just wanted a chance to get up close and personal.”

It made things a bit awkward to be misunderstood like that, and she paused for a moment trying to find tactful words before realizing what she should actually be doing. 

She lent a hand to a dazed Jaune and helped hoist him up. 

“Hey,” Weiss said shyly, “Thanks for blocking that blow and s-saving me.”

“Ha. No problem. If there’s one thing I can do, it’s take a beating,” Jaune laughed, patting his chest with his fist. 

His casualness brought a smile to her face, and it was nice to see another somewhat normal person in their group of three. Their companionable silence lasted for a moment before it was broken by Jaune. 

“Ruby, why’d you fight long-range?” Jaune turned his head and asked confusedly, “I thought you’re a pretty good scythe wielder.”

Ruby lightly kicked a pebble on the ground as she frowned and grimaced, “I don’t want to be levitated out the Admin Tower by my foot again.”

Huh?

“For messing up another collaboration. Like umm... I use a scythe. I hit very wide, and you two fight in melee range and we’ve never fought together,” Ruby animatedly swung her hands to mimic her motions before finishing, “so things could get really bad, and Glynda said if I ever fought like that again, she’l-”  

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!” 

Pyrrha finally appeared. 

---

Pyrrha and Jaune went their separate ways, having rejected their offer to travel together. When she asked Ruby about it, Ruby simply said, “I think we’ll be surprised by Jaune when we meet him again.”

As she said this, the girl rubbed her cheek against her weapon as if drawing comfort from it. It was oddly familiar, and she remembered her doing the same back when the girl was with Headmaster Ozpin at orientation.  

“You really like your weapon, don’t you?” Weiss teased. 

“Crescent Rose,” she closed her eyes and didn’t stop hugging her weapon, “She’s the promise of the life I want to live.”

Weiss shut her mouth. 

What could she say to that?

“You haven’t maintained your own weapon yourself for a long time, have you?”

The other girl’s expression was soft, and when paired with the almost loving expression she had for her own weapon, her words seemed more patient and guiding instead of accusatory. In fact, ever since their fight against the Beowolves, Ruby seemed less standoffish with her as if...

...she finally earned the other girl’s approval.  

“You’re right,” Weiss admitted, deciding that she didn’t want to harm their fledgling relationship with fake blustering. Ruby’s right. She left it to someone she thought an expert. “How could you tell?”

Ruby held her hand out, and she knew what she wanted and handed Myrtenaster over to her. 

“What’s your weapon’s name?”

“Myrtenaster...?” Uhh. Why’d Ruby want to know?  

“Myrtenaster,” she nodded her head before saying, “Myrtenaster’s cylinder kept moving less smoothly during your fight, and it’s been throwing you off. You don’t trust in Myrtenaster’s mechanism anymore.”

Like what she was doing before with Crescent Rose, Ruby held the weapon’s guard against her cheek. Weiss couldn’t help but feel astonished.  

How good was Ruby’s eye of discernment to notice that small detail while they were all fighting? 

“So you keep using your eyes to check what dust color you’re using,” Ruby continued, her hand slowly turning the Myrtenaster’s cylinder, “And you’ve gotten so used to it that you don’t think it’s a problem anymore, except that the lapse in your attention nearly got you hurt today. 

“I think Myrtenaster would be sad if that happened, even more than your lack of trust in it,” Ruby opened her eyes sorrowfully before holding the weapon, hilt out, back to her, which she graciously accepted. 

“Whoever your expert is is probably remedying the quirk with a good amount of oil, which solves the smoothness but not the unreliability,” she sighed, “Myrtenaster must’ve taken a very nasty blow to the blade in the past, which probably misaligned the cylinder column. You probably only noticed it after you’ve used it for a while - a detail your expert probably wouldn’t have noticed because they don’t actually wield your weapon.”

Weiss recalled a phantom pain against her scarred eye, a Giant Armor’s fist crashing against both her and Myrtenaster. She had the blade itself repaired, but Ruby was right - she never noticed the cylinder’s problems until recently, and her expert kept saying it was in perfect condition despite her concerns.

“I get what you’re saying. I’ll maintain my weapon on my own from now on,” Weiss acquiesced.

“I’m sure Myrtenaster would like that,” she smiled, genuine happiness on her face once more before slight awkwardness returned to it, “Uhh. Hmm. Come on. Let’s get the chess pieces and finish up this Initiation. Maybe we can fight something along the way!”

Ruby already started dashing through the forest, and Weiss gave chase. 

Weiss couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden switch in demeanor.

What a strange girl. 

[wu-sisyphus-gang]

Motion Sickness Chapter 29

pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq

(Weiss POV)

Jaune approached me with a backflip.

He flew across the ground, sword and shield in hand, reversed, floating tractionless, and backflipped at me.

Whatever machinations he had in his mind led him to using the shield with a longsword rather than the titanic broadsword. His shield was a giant lowercase 't' shape as he flew about.

I waved my weapon through the air and pinpricks of light followed it. The light hovering in place before it flickered out in a projectile at him.

He flipped past the projectiles without blocking them and slashed at me twice with the straight blade, it was a little over three feet long. I had to engage him with Myrtnaster directly. My own weapon was shorter than his. In a battle of straight range I'd lose.

I tried to fence at him but he was strong enough to shove my weapon out of the way and send me spinning. I didn't fight the motion, I wanted the space from him. I summoned part of my knight. Just the right arm and his sword, I grunted with the exertion of the summoning.

Jaune caught the massive sword on his shield. He had to brace with both hands behind his shield, but he held. It was his turn to grunt with exertion. He spent his semblance, and threw the blade off of him. He looked visibly upset about spending his semblance on a defensive manner. His face was dark and scrunched in a scowl. He had to take physical steps on his next assault against me.

Imagine.

Jaune wasn't like he used to be. That much was obvious from even our little chats. His and Yang's fight just drew it out and this, our sparring match, was icing on the cake. He had a strategic mind second to none of us and his instincts were sharp and finely tuned towards the Grimm according to Ruby. He'd read the Knuckelavee with little more to go on than footprints. It wasn't his experience with the Grimm but a preternatural sixth sense about where it would go, how it would fight. A true hunter's sense.

Now with his semblance and strength he had the power to back that up. He was a threat. A real honest to Gods threat.

He met me again but without his Limit Break he wasn't fast enough to out-spar me. I fenced him with thrusts that met his shield and he tried to counter attack from behind it with a strike that I blocked but sent my teeth ringing. I couldn't imagine trying to block constantly like Yang had when his semblance was active. He was unearthly strong even without it and it only made him stronger while active by an order of magnitude, according to Ruby.

I couldn't believe that Ruby had found a boyfriend before I did. It was unbelievable! And she'd had sex-

Jaune hammered me like a nail with his shield. Then he clipped me with his weapon.

I'd gotten distracted.

I gathered a glyph behind me and in front of me behind Jaune then darted between it Jaune and the next glyph then I summoned another, and another. I tore into his aura, ripping into it as I darted from one glyph to the next. I did damage until I activated his own semblance. Then he reached out and tried to grab me by his shield hand.

I'd seen that before and dodged it but I had to back off. I summoned my knight, this time I had enough spare breaths to call forth the entire body of the knight. Jaune stared it down with a growl and rolled his shield wrist, checking both of our aura instead of focusing on the fight at hand.

The nerve!

The knight paced forward and tried to crush Jaune but he flew out of the way, low to the ground. He jumped and slammed his shield into my knight's chest. It rocked the silver specter. My knight fell right to its knees but it punched Jaune center of mass with a fist nearly as large as he was.

He rolled with it.

Could he just stay down?

He met the blue and white figure again which was slow to rise unlike Jaune who became a blue blur. He hit my knight with a five hit attack that held Jaune in mid-air while he slashed and carved blue calligraphy into the knight. It collapsed into dissolving white light and I fell with it. My aura was nearly exhausted. I leaned on Myrtnaster which had been stabbed into the ground. Jaune came falling down on me with both hands on his sword in a massive overhead strike. He faltered when he saw I'd fallen and he nearly fell on his face in his attempt to cancel the attack he already had momentum behind.

Maybe he was still a little clumsy.

"You out?" He asked like he didn't already know. Ruby had insisted we hook up our scrolls to Jaune's so he could monitor us in a real fight.

I panted and nodded up at him and he offered me his shield hand. He easily pulled me to my feet.

"Thanks."

"No problem," he dismissed.

"About you and Ruby…”

He grinned. It was a quiet proud grin. Like he was proud of what she and him were. I wondered if Neptune had ever grinned like that about me. I rather doubted it. “What about us?” He asked.

“Have you two really, you know…?”

“A couple times. She let me take her.”

“Just like that?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t think for her it was some big decision. You know what I mean? I think… I could be mistaken… but I think some girls put a lot of stock into their first time. And I don’t think she was like that. I think she wanted the intimacy. Why? Did you and Neptune ever do anything?”

"You defeated me, well done." I tried to change the subject.

"Just today. Tomorrow will be different."

"Plus I was out of practice," I justified.

"Of course," he said to my excuse without a hint of sarcasm. "You probably didn't have the time to practice while in Atlas."

Well, not against another opponent. All I had to work on was my semblance. Even that seemed to pale in comparison to the work he had done on himself.

He'd had real opponents. I told myself. He saw actual combat.

"Jaune you fought Salem's agents, correct?"

"Just the one, but yeah. I did."

"What was he like?"

"He was a faunus. A scorpion faunus." He clarified, thinking. He put a hand on his chin. "He fought with his tail. He was fast and cruel. We only beat him because Ruby snuck up on him while he was playing with me."

"Playing with you how?"

"He was torturing me with his weapons, that’s how I got hurt. He wanted to hurt me before he wanted me to die." Jaune reached down to pull up his shirt and revealed a set of bifurcating scars on his chest and stomach. "We cut off his tail. Sent him packing." Hard muscle rippled beneath the orange scars leading up to a broad well-defined chest.

I stared and shook my head. The scars went deep, were jagged, and brutal looking. This was when he self harmed. It was important to remember that.

"So he was murderous." I went on.

Jaune gave me a strained look. He broke eye contact with me and dropped his shirt. I watched the fabric fall over him.

"He was… he was more than murderous. He liked what he was doing. He introduced himself as Tyrian but I've just been calling him 'The Scorpion.'"

"Tyrian." I murmured. "Was that before or after you and Ruby got together."

"A little after." He answered without hesitation. He didn't even seem to think the question was odd.

"What's it like?"

"What's what like?" He gave me a look of pure Jaune confusion.

"Being with Ruby."

"Oh. Uh… it's mostly the same. We hang out. Talk about our feelings. That sort of thing."

"Except you also…" I trailed off.

"We also kiss. Yes."

Buffoon. He knew I was talking about sex.

"You don't need to worry though," he cut in.

"Why would I be worried?" I wondered, a little offended.

"Well she's your partner. I wanted you to know I had no intention of taking that from you." He hesitated a moment. "Or her." He added.

"Oh. I see."

"Isn't that what you were worried about. Seemed like something was bothering you." He squinted his eyebrows at me.

Well yes. It was that my little immature partner was already having sex with her boyfriend, but I was hardly going to get into that with said boyfriend. Then again she was seventeen. Not at all too young for that kind of thing, besides Ruby actively saw combat. It wasn't like I could honestly say it was a step too far for her. It was just odd then, that I hadn't. Hadn't really considered it, even.

Sure Neptune had been good looking but it wasn't like my thoughts had been on that. Well, maybe occasionally. I just had never trusted him enough. He'd flirt with me then run around and flirt with someone else. I suppose Ruby just trusted Jaune and why not? It sounded like he'd regularly put his life on the line for her. Compared to that, sex seemed small.

It wasn't, of course. My whole team stuck our necks out for each other and we were hardly all… well. I suppose it took an extra special something. An attraction as well as trust and Ruby and Jaune had always been close and gotten along well. Maybe it was just inevitable.

"I was just curious. That's all. The timeline."

He seemed content with that. He nodded along, head bobbing at the words.

"I wanted to talk to you a bit more about Cinder." He’d grown silent earlier when we discussed his revenge.

"Please Weiss, I don't want to talk or think anymore about that."

"Would you rather talk to Ruby about it?"

"Maybe." He hedged, but he continued anyway. "I'm just not ready to let go. Letting go of Pyrrha is just too much to ask of me. I want to be able to, even. I want to live without this burning ache. Not even Ruby has been able to dissuade me of what I must do when Cinder and I cross paths." He repeated softly. "What I must do."

"I don't understand. Don't you care about what you and Ruby have?"

"Of course I do." He said flatly.

"You'll lose it."

"Stop it. I already know that." His tone terse.

"Do you? Don't you know how much she cares about you? We all do."

"Please." I found him begging. Begging. For someone who had grown so strong to actually beg for me to stop as though my words were daggers came as a shock. "I'm not ready to let Pyrrha go. I'm not."

I frowned down my nose at him. I sighed off to one side. "Then let us help you. Let Ruby help you."

"She already is. I'll get there, I promise. I just need more time. Look, just because I'm not ready now doesn't mean I won't ever be. Believe me when I say I want to. I want to be that for Ruby. For all of you."

I looked at Jaune and the realization struck me that he had really been through the ringer but maybe he was actually getting better. He'd said he used to be more depressed and Ruby had helped him through that. Maybe I just had to let her. She'd helped me too.

"You'll talk to Ruby more about it?" I half asked, half demanded.

"I will," he vowed.

"Hey!" Yang harassed. "You two done flirting?"

I sputtered slightly, unable to get my words out at the same time Jaune shouted, "fucking maybe! What's it to you?"

"It's getting on dinner time is what it is," Yang bounced back. "Come on in."

"Fair enough." Jaune sighed. "I am hungry."

"I could eat. I suppose." My stomach betrayed me. Nearly a full day of sparring had left me famished, it was natural. Organic even. Nothing to be embarrassed about.

Jaune smiled down at me, he had nearly a whole head and a half of height on me. "Don't worry. I'll never tell. It’s our little secret.”

Heat crept up my neck a little at that.

pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq

Dinner was fish and grilled vegetables. Ren had cooked the flank of salmon up over the course of the afternoon. He was no professional chef but he was good. Grilled broccoli, steamed cauliflower, and salmon steak made a stark contrast to our first dinner here.

It was no less delicious than the soup and noodles the night before.

"Yaaaang stop it."

"But look at how much you've grown." Jaune snuck a peak over at where Yang poked Ruby's sides and took a long, long drink.

I wasn't sure who else noticed it but I sure did. I guess Ren and Nora might already know and whatnot. Then only Qrow mattered to Ruby's plans and Yang was too distracted to see the looks Jaune was giving out.

"You've gained a couple inches too, unlike the Ice Queen."

"Hey," I protested around my own drink. "I've grown plenty. At least as much as Ruby did."

"Not where, well, you know," Yang disagreed.

Jaune actively choked and Nora slapped him on the back. Several hard thumps later and he was back to breathing. I glared around the table daring anyone to agree with Yang, none of them did.

I turned my nose up at Yang, though.

"Soon you'll be just like your big sister." Yang went on in Ruby's direction.

Ruby blanched. Somewhere between a gag and a sigh, I was glad she was at least somewhat on my side. "I certainly hope not."

"What's that mean? I thought you wanted to grow up just like me."

"Yeah when I was like six. When was the last time you were in a stable relationship."

Now it was Yang's turn on the backfoot. "Well…"

"I mean you had the occasional fling back at Signal but at Beacon even Weiss got more action than you."

"What do you mean 'even' me." I sort of already knew the answer.

"Neptune." Ruby replied, intentionally missing the point, I was sure.

"Weiss aside, I got plenty of action."

"The only person you danced with at the dance was Blake. Your own partner. She danced with Sun, too, though."

"I was busy, Blake was in a depression. The whitefang and all that." Yang defended. She huffed and looked around the table but nobody else said anything. Jaune had his head down in his food and Nora was suspiciously quiet. Stones and glass houses and all that.

"So, about this mission." I had to wonder. Changing the subject was just a pleasant bonus. "Isn't about time somebody made some decisions about it."

"Well Jaune was intentionally keeping things free in case somebody had some ideas about it." Ruby explained. "But yeah. No sense in delaying the inevitable."

"I was thinking Ren and I case the joint first." Jaune took a bite of salmon steak. "Get a layout of the interior. Then we wait and slip you girls in when the good Don makes a stop by."

"We could always ambush him when he's coming and going," Ruby returned.

"I thought we'd rather keep the fighting in the streets to a minimum," Jaune disagreed.

"But on the inside, won't they know we don't work there?" I cut in. We couldn't just walk in and pretend to be one of the girls. There was no way it was that simple.

"Maybe. It depends on what kind of outfits you are wearing. From my understanding all the girls wear these bee outfits. Hence the name, Honey Bee Inn." Jaune explained. At Ruby's look he went on. "Qrow told me. I have uh-yet to be inside the establishment."

"We just need to get our hands on a set of those then," Nora slammed her fork on the table. "Preferably more than one."

"This seems ripe for disaster," I chipped in. The entire heist my friends were planning was fit to collapse if just one of a thousand things went wrong.

"Which is why whoever goes in will wear a wire. Qrow and I have been rigging something up," Jaune went on.

"Is there an alternative? We need to get those keys," Yang wondered at me. "We'll just threaten to rip his dick off. That'll make him comply."

"The problem isn't that. It's getting in position to do that," I disagreed. "If it was so easy to threaten and bully him, the Malachites would have done it."

"We need information, then." Ruby concluded. "Jaune, why don't you see what else you can find out about the Don with Qrow. Then the rest of us will have Ren check out the inn and see if we can't smuggle ourselves in. If we can get in once, we can get in twice. Preferably with those costumes the second time."

Ren sighed and Jaune leaned back. "I bet I can find a few people who'll tell me something about him. I'm not sure how much I want to know about his proclivities, though."

"You're not one of the ones getting close to the guy who frequents the brothel." Yang pointed her fork at him. Jaune raised his hands in surrender. "I'm the one getting close to those proclivities."

Gross. Maybe Yang was right about me being prudish and maybe I shouldn't fight her on it. I certainly wanted to be nowhere near the man but I had the feeling I'd be getting closer than I liked to the despicable Don. 

pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq

-WG

[razorblade180]

Revving up

It was a stormy day in Patch, typical for this time of year. Storm clouds rolling over heads and thick mud under their feet. Normal people would stay inside to avoid such messy weather. Jaune Arc unfortunately wasn’t in the category known as normal people, or at least his family wasn’t. The man walked down a dirt road in a drenched rain coat with a tightly sealed boxed lunch. Each muddy foot step brought him closer to bright white-ish flames that blazed a little ways away. Being a supportive father wasn’t that hard of a job, but he really wished his darling daughter Yujin wouldn’t get such insane ideas on how to train. Preparing for Beacon entrance exams was important, but using a downpour as an excuse to push her limits with fire moves was ridiculous! Jaune was thankful though. At least he was walking to a warm place. A lucky game of Rock Paper Scissors sent Tai in the opposite direction towards endless lightning strikes. Dealing with Tenzen while wearing armor was not a thing Jaune wanted to go through, again.

Finally, Jaune reached the area where cracklings flames and the heat was the most intense. “Yujin has to be somewhere over here. With this much fire she has to be having a ball fighting something.”

“Woooohooo! Come and get some!!!” Yujin shouted from several feet away, the loud noise of roaring coming from behind some shrubbery.

“Called it.” Jaune poked his head through to find a forest clearing transformed into what looked like a gladiator arena set on fire from a fierce battle. In the middle was the girl of the hour herself, and she wasn’t alone. Five huge Ursas circled her among countless disappearing smaller grimm of various types. Immense steam radiated off of her glowing hair and sword that was set ablaze. Even her trench coat sizzled the water off of her body except for the drops that made contact with her face. Yujin didn’t look worried about her odds. In fact, she was smiling the same way Yang did in a fight like this. Right now, Yujin was in her element.

“None of you want to pounce? Fine, guess I will!” Yujin unleashes a circle of flames with a spin attack to ignite the beasts’ fur. She then ran directly to the one in front of her. “I’ll start with you!” The Ursa rose up on its hind legs to slash her but Yujin stabbed Tempered Steel right into the paw. She then slid it through its arm as the sword remained ablazed, going all the way up the body then finally out through the shoulder; a short lived moment of freedom for the Ursa before Yujin’s blade took its head off. The entire body seemed to burn away by the pale flames. The ground began to shake as the second Ursa charge at incredible speed. Yujin turned around to see it was already lunging at her, it’s mouth wide open to crunch down on her entire body. Long, sharp teeth tried to force their way through tender flesh, but didn’t. It couldn’t. Instead, the predator's teeth cracked and crumbled, causing the Ursa to reel back in pain.

Jaune nearly had a heart attack for a second watching it happen. For years, Jaune tried to get Yujin to learn to use a shield but it never took. Who would’ve thought her semblance would’ve fixed that by numbing and fortifying Yujin’s body? Now she was the shield herself! To top it all off, the transition from blue eye to lilac was beyond heartwarming to him.

Yujin put the Ursa straight out of its misery taking her blade and stabbing straight down into the skull. The added weight in this form was still a little off putting to her but man did it do a great job to adding more umph to her attacks. The remaining three took a different approach from their fallen brethren by attacking all at once, charging from three different sides. “Teamwork? That’s new” Tempered Steel’s blade retracted into its hilt then split in half. Each band of metal wrapped around her wrist that she flexed to engage them. Gauntlet time. Yujin took her right fist and punched straight down into the ground. An infusion of her aura and fire dust erupt up like geysers of flames. One Ursa was unfortunate enough to be right on top of them, getting a whole burned right through its body. The second one was trapped by the ground caving in by the impact and the grimm’s weight. The third was unaffected and kept barreling toward Yujin. The girl quickly acted to dispose of the trapped one before its backup came. She ran it with her semblance off to get as much speed as possible before leaping into the air over it. Yujin did one midair front flip to position herself directly with her right leg raised to the sky for an axe kick. The reactivation of her semblance sent her falling like a brick, plunging her heel right into the Ursas face.

The impact kicked up debris and the loud snap Jaune heard made it clear that Ursa’s bone armor stood no chance. He watched Yujin roll out of her attack towards the final grimm and spring upwards into an uppercut that launched her opponent sky high with her. Yujin then set off a flurry of blows to the exposed underside to keep it juggled in the air higher, then grabbed it. Yujin rotated it to be on its back as it fell. She used it as a platform to jump higher while sending it crashing to the ground like a meteor.

From above, Yujin clicked her wrist together, reconnecting the metal bands back into a hilt. The blade reappeared in all it’s glory. The metal reignited as Yujin spun downward in a pinwheel of flames that was aiming right at the Ursa. A combo attack that perfectly drew from the skills and fighting styles of both her parents. If it wasn’t for the roaring of the grimm and flames, Jaune might’ve been bales to hear the words his daughter uttered as she went in for the kill.

“Dragonslayer…”

The attack landed right on the mark and the biggest pillar of flames yet was created, shooting upwards past the trees. The spin on the move didn’t just add force. It was to get out of the blast zone. The attack ricocheted off the ground and a rapidly spinning Yujin was hurled to safety. Another midair flip set her upright and sliding backwards on her feet and one hand. Just like that, no more grimm. Yujin stood up and let out a sigh while her hair and sword finally flickered out. That was rough! She was tired and her ribs hurt from the bite she was now completely feeling. “Phew! Talk about a workout!” She boasted.

“I’ll say!” Jaune chimed in, revealing his position to her. “You were literally on fire. If that isn’t entrance exam worthy then I don’t know what is.”

A red blush of embarrassment came over the young girl. If she knew she didn’t realize her dad was watching at all! She started scratching her head. “Oh, you saw all that? Like...all of it.” Her father happily nodded. Yujin started to laugh nervously. “Wow, really glad it wasn’t the attempt where I spun out like a race car.”

“Is that why there’s all this extra fire?”

“That’s why there’s still flames burning in general! I was trying a few things out and missed a lot, like, a lot. Really glad it’s the rainy season and all the way out here.” For once, being a country girl with plenty of unclaimed land was rewarding. Yujin noticed the box in her dad’s hands and extended her own. “Food?”

“Yes fatty, food. But how about we call it for now and you eat at home? Food tastes better dry.”

“Hmmm, fair point. Not really comfortable with leaving this fire though. The flames contain them but a few I actually have to put-” Jaune handed Yujin her lunch and pulled out Crocea Mor. Yujin watched him point the sword to the sky as his aura ran through it to make it glow white. Jaune jumped back and slashed the air horizontally. A strong pressure came of the attack that swept the area and snuffed out the flames. Yujin was more than a little shocked as she finished her sentence. “Out…”

Jaune put his sword away and took back the lunch to keep it as dry as possible. “Okay, let’s go! I’m sure your grandpa is trying to get Tenzen to come back too. We’ll all eat together.”

Yujin slowly started moving, still amazed by her dad. Now she had a goal beyond exam training. Next time, she’ll make her flames harder to snuff.

xxxx

On the other side of the forest was an equally impressive light show. A full pack of beowulves howled to the shattered moon in constant agony as electricity ran through their veins; their body wrapped in orange and pink aura. Tai followed the wispy flow of it all the way back to its source, Tenzen. The boy stood on a tree limb, his eyes a semblance activated orange with pink hair dripping wet. His body was crackling with lightning of the same color. Tenzen’s right hand clenched tight and he raised in the air. The sound of thunder started growing louder and the energy in the air started to build. Tai wasn’t sure why, but he felt like he should say something before Tenzen continued.

“Uuuuummmmm, Tenzen?”

The boy looked down to see Tai on the ground. Tenzen’s eyes got really big with concern that didn’t make Tai feel safe. Good, because he definitely wasn’t. Being on the ground was the last place Tai needed to be. “Mr. Xiao Long!? Uhh, why are you here!?”

“Is that really the thing we should be talking about right now!?” He shouted. The sight of Tenzen’s hand sparking wasn’t a calming sight. “Do I need to move-”

A flash of lightning came crashing down on Tenzen. The massive strike traveled around him, changing to the color of his aura as it raised down the tree. Each trapped grimm was immediately fried as the volts went through his aura. Tai barely saw the attack coming at him. He jumped up as high as he could in an attempt to avoid it.

“Hey, Catch!” Tenzen said, pulling out his father’s dagger and throwing it at the tree near Tai.

It was fortunately in range for Tai to grab and he stabbed the tree in order to hang safely out of reach from the light show happening on the floor. “Phew! Thanks kid.”

“I’m sorry!” Tenzen frantically said as he bowed. “I should've told you what kind of training I was doing!”

Tai laughed and waved off the apology. “It’s fine.” He couldn’t help but notice the slight burns on Tenzen’s hand. His eyes and hair turned back to their normal color and he hunched over. The lightning finally stopped and Tai dropped to the ground. “You okay?”

Tenzen hopped down and stumbled forward. “Just a little crispy.” He noticed the boxed lunch. “I hope whatever is in that is also crispy?”

“Hehe, why don’t we go back to the house and find out? I bet Jaune and Yujin will be there.”

Tenzen smiled and nodded. “Then What are we waiting for? Let’s mosey on over!” He said, marching with renewed energy.

Tai didn’t bother to mention how beaten up Tenzen actually looked. Oh well, Yujin will definitely get on him about it. Yes indeed, just another rainy day in Patch. However, not once did the budding heroes and guardians think it possible of a storm outside of their own. Far far away, another storm downpoured with its own hero taking their steps to greatness.

xxxx

No matter how harsh the weather, Menagerie would always have it harshest. The raindrops were heavy and unrelenting on the desert plains. Wind howled and blew fast enough to cut skin. Sand was turned to mud. Paradise turned into a natural disaster, and yet despite all that, Jael remained untouched. The Oasis itself was untouched. A pocket of relief shot through the storm towards the dazzling star scattered sky, shining down on the peaceful blade. The moon light radiated Jael’s poised blade and glistening body as three tiered warriors stood before her. A less than energetic Sun Wukong breathed heavily with gun-chucks tightly in hand on Jael’s left. The warrior on the right was none other than her own sister, Sienna, who let fatigue finally overcome her knees, dropping to the ground. Blake Belladonna stood in the middle proudly. Even she was catching her breath as her gun was trained on Jael and the many drops of water that orbited around her.

Jacquelyn watched from the roof, analyzing everything. The way Jael's hand shook, the struggling rise and fall of her chest as her weak heart tried its best to beat normally. Most importantly, the absolute cold stare in her eyes that fixated itself on Gamble Shroud. It had to be at least four hours since training started. Any longer and Jael was liable to drop dead. But she trained anyway. One more go around. One more try. Extreme conditioning for a person with an extreme condition. Jael loved it, craved it. She was going to be the best no matter what.

“Close it…” she uttered to her mother. Jacquelyn reaches at the hole in the sky and closes her fit in tandem with the clouds that made the eye of the storm. Light once again dwindled slowly into nothing, Illuminating faunus eyes in a world where the only sense that mattered was instinct. Darkness came once again with the promise of a rageful storm to dull all senses. And the sound of raining bullets. Yes, another day of training.

[pilot-boi]

Five Injuries Hidden: Chapter One

A little look into the extents that Jaune would go for his team, his friends, his family. Did he maybe go a little too far at times? Maybe. Is it really necessary for him to get medical attention and actually heal his injuries? Probably. Will he ever stop gladly throwing himself on top of the wire to protect even one of them? Definitely not.

Maybe he should actually let them help him when he goes too far and gets hurt in their stead. But for that to happen, they’d have to know about the hits that he keeps taking for them, which they don’t and never will. And what they don’t know won’t kill them.

But… It might kill him if he isn’t careful.

((I keep forgetting Aura is a thing, so don’t mind me giving him injuries that he shouldn't really be able to get. Set vaguely between V5 and V6.))

Oscar

Jaune’s never had a baby brother before, so he can be forgiven for being just a little bit more protective than he really needs to be, right?

AO3 LINK

It was pouring

Not an innocent little sprinkle either, oh no. It was a torrential downpour.

The water kept getting in his hair and washing it down into his face. Who needs eyesight anyway? That wasn’t necessary, right?

And to think, he had been having such a nice day, too.

A wild shout snapped Jaune out of his thoughts, and he snapped up his sword to block the clumsy swipe of the Ursa’s paw, the resounding clang leaving a faint ringing in his ears. A grin made its way onto the  soaked knight’s face as he batted the offending limb away with his shield and slashed across with his blade to decapitate it.

Whipping his head around, Jaune quickly scanned the impromptu battle field for his friends. His family. A voice that sounded suspiciously like Yang’s joked in the back of his head about counting heads like a teacher on a field trip, but he paid it no mind.

Relief swept through him as he saw that they all had their battles well in hand. Yang and Nora even seemed to be making a game out of it, shouting out the number of kills to each, both trying to one up the other. Their partners were taking it more seriously, but Jaune could see Blake smiling in amusement and hear the laugh tinging Ren’s words.

Ruby and Weiss were dashing around each other, working like a perfectly oiled machine. Glyphs would appear for Ruby to run on, perfectly timed for her to take out a truly obscene amount of Grimm with one strike. As he watched, he even saw Oscar take out a Beowulf singlehanded.

Jaune couldn’t help the swell of pride in his chest.

Shaking his sopping wet out of his eyes -in vain, apparently, as it simply slid right back after he swept it away for the millionth time- a movement in the trees caught his eye by complete chance. Red glowing eyes and feathers flickered from branch to branch. 

Whipping his head around, Jaune zeroed in on a hidden Nevermore. It must have been drawn by the strife of the combat. With a screech it launched itself from the trees and reared back its wings to launch its feathers like throwing daggers.

Aiming directly at Oscar. Oscar, who still had trouble remembering to keep his Aura up. His brother. His baby brother.

Everything seemed to slow as his mind’s eye worked out just what he was seeing. He quietly pushed away the rage that bubbled up, and sought the cool planning mindset that had saved him and his friends time and again. Jaune would have time for anger later -because how dare that monster even think of laying a feather on Oscar Pine- because he had more immediate problems.

For one, and most immediately, that he would not be able to warn Oscar in time. No, the stupid bird was already locked and loaded onto Oscar, and by the time he warned him, there could be a feather a foot long skewered through his chest.

So, that brought his options down to only one. One acceptable solution. If that arrow was going to hit anyone, it was going to be him.

As he came to that conclusion, everything rushed back into full motion.

The Nevermore loosed its feathers like a hailstorm.

Oscar heard the noise and turned to see what was flying towards him.

Their friends yelled out in warning. Weiss threw up a wall a moment too late. Ruby jumped into a cloud of petals.

And Jaune slammed Oscar -his little brother, dammit stupid bird would pay for that- out of the way, his momentum carrying them both mostly out of the path of the barrage. Mostly.

Jaune was never so happy to have a soaking wet red sash tied around his middle than at that moment. It hid injuries quite well.

Hiding a grimace of pain as something just short of agony raced across his lower ribs, Jaune quickly checked over Oscar for injuries. His Aura flared up in his hands, liquid light pouring down into any possible imaginary injuries the boy could have. “Are you okay?! It didn’t get you, did it?”

Oscar shook himself out of his shocked stupor, blinking dazedly. “N-no. I’m fine. Thanks Jaune.”

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief, shoulders slumping, before they raised back up rigidly and his shield spiraled back out to cover them both. “Wait, what about the Nevermore?!”

Ren laid a calming hand on Jaune’s shoulder. “Not to worry. Ruby and Weiss are taking care of it. Are you alright, Jaune?”

A sharp sting lanced across his ribs. Couldn’t spare Aura for an injury he didn’t know the extent of. What if he needed to heal someone? “Yeah, sure, I’m fine! Do you think you could check over Oscar to make sure that it really missed him?”

Ren tilted his head to one side in confusion and crouched down beside them both. “I saw you using your Semblance, but it you’re sure-”

“Guys, I’m fine! Not even bruised anymore thanks to you,” Oscar reassured him.

“You got him to the ground before the others even took off after the rest of the Grimm,” Ren reminded Jaune, ignoring the knight’s skeptical expression. “You did well, Jaune.”

“My ‘good enough’ almost wasn’t good enough.” Jaune slumped tiredly, resisting the urge to sling his arm across his torso to cover the angry welt he could feel. “I’m just relieved I saw it in time.”

Oscar punched him lightly in the arm, and then shook out his fingers from punching his metal armor. Jaune didn’t even notice the hit, but he noticed the reprimand. “Come on, stop that. Please! You saved me, you made it. I’m right here, on the ground, safe and sound.”

“Yeah, what he said!” Ruby called as she waded through the semi-dense brush, the tell tale smoke of dead Grimm dripping and seeping off the scythe leaning on her shoulder.

Good. The thing was dead. Jaune tried not to feel so satisfied about that.

Nora bounced out from behind her and slung an arm across Jaune’s shoulders, unknowingly aggravating Jaune’s side. “C’mon fearless leader, cheer up! Everything turned out a-okay. Now, what do ya say we all finish up here and go get something to eat, huh?”

Jaune heartily agreed, and soon they were all back in Mistral proper. Qrow, slung across the couch with one arm covering his eyes, grumbled when their troop stomped inside covered in mud and shouting to each other. 

Excusing himself with the plea of exhaustion, Jaune snagged the first-aid kit from the kitchen and sequestered himself into his and Oscar’s shared room. And with a wince, he finally took in the extent of the damage.

The less said about the torturous removing of his armor and soaked through clothing, the better.

A long, angry red mark was gouged across his side, right under his rib cage, and a dark, grim looking bruise covered from just above the severe laceration all the way down to the top of his hip. 

He stared at it for several long seconds, debating whether to heal it or not. Who knows what they’d be doing over the next couple days. Could he afford to leave it? Or could he afford to siphon off precious Aura to heal himself, when he might need it for the others?

After far too long, he settled on cleaning it out first and figuring it out later.

Biting back the few curse words he knew, mostly from Yang, he quickly balled up the cleanest, least muddy piece of his shirt before biting down on it, effectively blocking any yelps that would be sure to somehow slip past the firm barrier he had paced against them.

Taking a deep breath in through his nose, his side protesting fiercely, and gathering up all his courage, Jaune tore open a sterile package and applied the large antiseptic patch found within.

The world whited out.

Suddenly, in some part of his brain that was untouched by overwhelming agony, he was very, very glad that he had taken the precautions to stop anyone from seeing or hearing him. Locking the door behind him had been an afterthought born from years of sibling life, but now he was so very glad that he took the second to do so.

After all, he couldn’t have someone walking in on him feeling like he was dying, now could he?

He used to like rainy days.

Somehow pulling himself back together out of the sheer force of will, he finished cleaning out the gash. He channeled a sliver of Aura into the injury and watched as it stitched himself up into a barely healed slash, still surrounded by bruising. Just enough to stop the bleeding.

Taking a moment to center himself, he spit his shirt out of his mouth and finished up by wrapping a loop of gauze around his middle and over the still extremely tender wound.

Finished. Now he could die in peace. Didn’t they say that death was eternal rest? Yeah. He could go for an eternal nap right about now.

Sadly, that wasn’t in the cards for Jaune at the moment. Briefly mourning the fact that he couldn’t stay seated on his bedroom floor with stray medical supplies strewn about forever, Jaune mentally shook himself off and begrudgingly started cleaning up any evidence of this little escapade. 

His dirty shirt got tossed right into the laundry, along with the bloody soaked and slightly-more-tattered sash. Hopefully nobody would notice the extra holes in the latter.

That done, and knowing that Oscar at the very least would undoubtedly be coming by soon, Jaune quickly pulled a new shirt over his head to hide the remaining evidence, i.e. his injury. 

It was quick for him, but really he walked slowly with shuffling steps, as his side strongly rebelled against the thought of doing anything fast other than sleeping. So he shucked off his soaking wet jeans, tossed them into the pile with his shirt and sash, tugged on a pair of sweatpants, and collapsed painfully into his bed.

No training tonight. Sorry, Pyrrha, but he didn’t think he’d manage to wake up to his alarm no matter how loud he set it. And setting it loud enough to wake the others was a no-go. Jaune felt so exhausted that he doubted even his nightmares would be enough to wake him.

Don’t get him wrong, Jaune didn’t regret what he did. He never would. You could scour his soul for eternity, and you would never find even a slightest shade of remorse for doing what he had done to save Oscar, the little brother he’d never had. 

This result was the optimal one. That’s what he did, he crunched the numbers. And the numbers would always come to this result, without question. Jaune would gladly relive this entire horrible, muddy, rainy day a million times if it meant that Oscar would come out of it uninjured. 

In fact, he would willingly do this for any of his friends, his family, the family he’d found and made and cobbled together. This family that was a little damaged and cracked, but that had dragged him out of the darkest time in his life without a second thought and without asking for anything in return. 

A debt that Jaune could never begin to repay. Not that he’d ever stop trying. He hadn’t been grateful enough when they’d been doing it, so he was doubly grateful for them sticking with it and not giving up on him like he’d so dearly wanted them to.

So he’d do anything for them. Anything at all. With absolutely no hesitation at all. If any of their lives were on the line, there were really no numbers to be crunched. This decision was a no-brainer.

Hands down, no questions asked.

[spahhzy]

No Title: Chapter 3. Priorities.

*Dimension 63 OG*

"So I bet your wondering 'what's happening to Jaune?' and normally I'd say nothing! but...well that would make me a liar"

.

.

"You...done the right thing" Ironwood said to Penny as he put his hand on her shoulder to which Penny eyed the ground for a split second.

"I have..." Penny said before disappearing only to reappear in her place as Emerald.

"Feels weird" She said before backflipping and kicking James square in the chin making him loose his weapon. Emerald caught the weapon before vanishing.

.

.

"The idea between Jaune and Ruby was to have Penny open the vault thinking that maybe whatever that was in their could help in saving Mantle, its people and Penny...so with a little help from Winter they devised a 2 part plan"

.

.

.

"Raaaah!" Jaune rushed in swiping his sword left and right missing with each swing as Ironwood skillfully dodged the knight before finally grabbing his right hand as he prepared to punch with his right metal prosthetic.

Ironwoods hand met the shield to which Jaune knew or thought he knew , as his shield was supposed to propulse Ironwood back with the gravity dust infused...so to Jaunes shock when Ironwood didn't fly back but kept striking him enough for Ironwood to get a grip on his shield and with his grip still on his other hand managed to flip Jaune onto his back.

.

.

"This...was not supposed to happen it was supposed to be a well choreographed strikes from Oscar, then Ren and finally Winter but something changed..."

.

.

.

"Jaune!" Shouted Ren as he dashed forward to save his friend only for Ironwood to dodge the bullets with ease, knowing full well that boy wouldn't risk friendly fire. Ironwood returned his gaze back to Jaune who was still delirious from being flipped onto his back.

"I'm sorry it came to this" Spoke Ironwood as as he stood over the arc before raising the metal fist and began to bring it down onto the Arc.

"Jaune!" Shouted Nora, Oscar and Ren as finally Jaune regained his bearings just in time to see the fist come barreling down towards him. He closed his eyes tightly hoping his aura would somewhat reduced the pain to come but unbeknownst his left hand rose up and met ironwoods surging fist.

The result created a mini shockwave and a small crater in Jaunes shape.

Ironwood looked down in shock as his fist was stopped by Jaunes hand.

Jaune after feeling nothing opened his eyes to see Ironwoods look of disbelief. Jaune's eye's widened in shock at seeing his hand stopping ironwoods as well.

"Jaune!" Shouted Ren who managed to wrap Stormflower around Ironwoods ankle and drag him away. Jaune got to one knee before looking at his left hand still confused but shook his head...

"Must have been the adrenaline" He said to himself before he collected his sword and shield before he saw Winter in one slash wiping out Ironwoods aura to which knocked him out.

.

.

"Then...everything went as was supposed to...and things moved to phase two which was getting Penny to the vault and meeting a rather 'interesting' character...Ambriosius"

"I swear the guy can be so....intricate in his creations...my fault really: but that is neither here nor their"

"All you need to know is...Penny was a real girl...not that she wasn't already... but she was finally made flesh"

"Team RWBY had then let Ambrosius construct a portal through to Vacuo and it worked Jaune and his team were helping all of mantles citizens escape...all seem to be going according to plan for Team RWBY...but a little gremlin with a certain lamp was about to throw a monkey wrench into their plan"

"Teamwork makes the dream work they say after all"

"Oh yeah and what part of 'Don't Fall' was so hard to understand?"

.

.

"How did she know?" Came the mocking voice of Cinder Fall as she stood against RWBY dual blades in hand.

"I'm going to take the staff from you but the staff is third...to what I really want" she said as she started searching around as a random citizen crept closer to Ruby

"All you need to know is I started to finally see the value in teamwork...and if you want to win you simply can't do it alone!"

.

.

"Neopolitian had agreed to let Cinder use the lamp in exchange to kill Ruby"

" so Cinder used the lamp to find out what Ruby and everyone was planning giving her the info and what she needed to form a plan...and that should have been the end...however"

.

.

"That's the plan, I get the staff and you get Ruby...win win" Cinder told Neo who agreed and Arthur who just scoffed at the plan much to Cinder's ire

"I mean if you have a better idea Watts I'm listening" Cinder said with arms cross too which Watts was about to retort before suddenly Cinders grimm arm started to violently flail about surprising Cinder and everyone else.

"Get a hold of yourself woman!" Shouted Arthur

"Its not me! It's reacting on its own" She said in before finally it calmed down.

"What the he-" "Cinder" Cinder was cut off as she recognized the voice, it was the voice of her master.

"Master Salem where...where are you" She asked looking around her but seeing no signs of the grimm queen.

"Do not worry about that...I see you've figured out what miss Rose is planning yes?" Said Salem and Cinder nodded.

"And your plan?"

"Disrupt communications, and blend in with all the refugees with Neo here and cause chaos" She couldn't see but she could feel Salems gaze peirce her very soul.

"Then steal the Staff while killing off the last Silver eyed descendant and take the winter maidens power" she said nervously beads of sweat rolled down her forehead.

For a moment it was quiet, and Cinder wondered if she had made Salem angry...which wouldn't bode well for her bu-

"Very good Cinder" A sigh of instant relief washed over her.

"However" Salem said which made Cinder wince a bit.

"Your priorities are going to be tweaked, yes the staff and Maiden powers are important and I want them in our possession" Salem said to her and all Cinder could do was feel her masters anger and hate intensify

"And I do want the silver eyed descendant all but extinguished...but" Suddenly as if without warning all those intense feelings of anger and hatred had vanished...and in its place where feelings that Cinder couldn't place.

"Your top priority is one of recovery" Recovery? As in rescue?

"My master if I could ask...a rescue is top priority...but who?" Who could be so important to her Master that she would choose them over the Relics or Maidens?

She felt her master smile almost tenderly before saying

"Jaune Arc"

.

.

"Buckle in folks...things are about to go off the rails...ah welcome mighty pancake slayer...I've made a bunch of pancakes and I have the other one making more...I knew you'd be quiet hungry"

[howlingday]

jaune the wizard au)

neo has advanced to the ultimate stage of any pixy that of a royal pixy. she's now a whopping humongous... ten inches tall!!!!

granted she's only powerful in her territory but as more and more minor spirits gather around her the forest itself grows to be magical as well so she now has unlimited power!

well first things first she's gonna try out her new ten inch body with her dumb dumb maybe she'll even let him stay big while she does?? hmm she has so many options

but after that, that fairy ruby is gonna make up for all she did after she shrinks jaune down too.

she feels like she's forgetting something? ah probably not important.

meanwhile the entire forest is in perpetual bloom and leaking magic like a nuclear reactor because neo has no chill also neo is now in the upper echelons of the fae both the winter and summer courts are trying to convince her to join up .... or they will as soon as the magic she's working calms down there's like a lot of it frank was just turned into a goat with owl wings

Neo was in the best mood she had ever been in her entire life. That's how she felt, anyway. Easily the most powerful fae for over a hundred miles, her power grew exponentially since taking hold of her new charge with both hands. The forest and the sprits with were alive and stronger than they had been in centuries. Plus, she was now ten inches tall, making the pixie stand taller than the tiny, insignificant fairy, Ruby.

Neo was now a royal pixie, and in the forest, she was Queen.

"Uh, Neo?" Her king-consort, Jaune panted next to her, his brow reflecting light with a sheen of sweat. "Don't you think we should work on controlling the magic in the forest?"

Neo reflected on his words, putting a royal finger and thumb to her royal chin. It was true the magic produced by the forest was almost too much without there being any adverse side-effects. Ghira and Sienna had grown to thrice their original sizes, and were rutting almost non-stop. Adam was now knocking over trees, smashing them to splinters as a show of strength, though it was all in vain when new trees grew to adulthood in their place in a matter of minutes. Marrow ran so fast through the forest, he created gusts of wind that knocked anything not properly tethered to the ground to fly up into the air. Malachite and her dragonflies had grown theirweb of bugs to encompass the entire forest and partsbeyond, with her as their ringleader. The Guardian of the Green had changed as well, growing in both height and width, as she was now the tallest, most voluptuous woman the realms had ever seen, as well as the most virile.

"He's right, Neo." Ruby chirped annoyingly from behind a blade of grass. "The forest needs you to keep it's balance."

Judging by her sensing of Ruby's aura suddenly appearing, Neo suspected she just showed up. Neo saw this as the best possibility, because if she did catch Ruby spying on them... Neo fumed at the thought!

"I don't really understand how this conduit business works, but I don't think some of the animals are supposed to do the things they do." He looked up to see a bipedal goat with six wings float above, unmoving. "Like that."

Neo waved them both off. She was royalty, she do whatever, and whoever in Jaune's case, she wanted. She could care less about how nature reacted to her power. What's the worst that could happen?

"Jaune?!" A booming voice thundered, shaking the world around them. It was a deep and heavy voice from the sky. Was it one of the Brothers, the leaders of divines long lost since ancient times?! ...No, it was her. "Jaune?! We need your help!"

"Hang on, Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted to the sky. He turned to his pixie love slash patron, tugging his trousers on. "Neo, boost me up!"

Neo scowled. She didn't like how he ordered her around, or how Ruby nagged over her shoulder, or how that knight eyed her man. She wished the world would just leave her and her contract alone. But she had to help him save the world. That's when he looked best, after all.

With a snap of her fingers, Jaune grew and grew, higher and higher. He was taller than a tree, the second best way she liked him. But she planned ahead to make this experience a close second. She smirked as, right on time, threads drifted around her. The remains of Jaune's trousers, leaving him bare to the world. She silently laughed at the embarrassment he felt, standing nude before the knight.

She was having fun, and no one could stop her.

---------------------------------------------------

The Court of Seasons discuss inviting Neo, or enforcing their will upon her.

"All rise."

The Court of Season all rose as Archfey Oberon, Grand Ruler of All Fey, approached the table with his wife, Titania, Queen of the Faeries. Once he seated himself, he gestured for the others to sit down. He stroked his long, curling beard, looking over the Fey whom served him.

The ruling houses under him that made up most of his kingdom sat in their toadstools. The Royal Sprites, Pixies, and Faeries sat cross-legged, each of the three representing their kingdom's greatest minds of religion, tactics, and art, respectively. The Priestess Sprite wore a conservative robe of mint green over her body. Her nose was upturned and her eyes hawkish, distracting anyone from her enticing body that lay beneath. The General Pixie wore half of a thimble around his head, wearing the rest of it under his rear, making him appear taller and more imposing, if one didn't look beneath him. The Maestro Faerie was dressed in a long robe, with every color dancing across her body in a dizzying, yet tantric pattern.

Across from them, seated one atop the other was a feminine Dryad and a muscular faun beside them. The taller of the two was hoisted over the other, seated perfectly on their shoulders. The Dryad wore a long robe that had to be shifted around to give the faun perfect view, who was wearing only trousers. The faun had a permanent scowl over their face, glancing from member to member.

Next to the couple them, unblinking in their bland robing, was a nymph and nereid duo standing side by side. The androgynous two didn't move, speak, or even seem to breathe. They were in a perfect state of calm. The Court prayed it retained this way.

Next to the Royal houses, or perhaps behind them to be specific, stood the tall, gnarled, and ancient Covenmaster of Hags. Passing as elderly women, the hags served as spies for the Court, delivering messages regarding human and faunus activity alike. With a warted hand she reached into her bearskin robe and pulled out an apple. With a prod of her clawed finger, the apple turned blue, the orange, then red again. She then wrapped her talons around it and cackles as it withered away into a dripping, moldy husk.

Not seated at the tables, but listening in the shadows were the emissaries of the Night Lord himself. Few knew his name, even fewer dared speak it, for doing so summoned the most dangerous of the dangerous creatures of all fey; the Yokai.

"Shall we begin?" Oberon spoke, his voice baritone, like a wise king should. "The Court of Season calls into order. Our first and only discussion is in regards to this."

The Covenmaster threw her hand out, the rotten apple becoming a disgusting mirror in the center. In the murky waters, a young pixie of multi-colored hair appeared with a smirk. Around her, large ripples splashed the vile waters about.

"The is the newest conduit for the Guardian of the Green's forest." Oberron explained. "Her magic has grown exponentially in such short time, causing the forest to become enchanted with something chaotic, violent, maverick, and perhaps even dark in nature."

"And I know who is to blame," cackled the Covenmaster, "but be warned your majesties, for the truth may be too much to bear."

The royal couple looked to each other. Titania nodded, and Oberon returned with his own, both to his Queen and his Covenmaster. With a hoarse cough, she took the phlegm from her mouth and wiped it on her robe. Reaching in, she procured a beating heart the size of her fist. She pricked it with a talon, and the blood dripped into the pool.

The image grew murky once more, causing the girl to disappear. But then the mirror changed. The disgusting water became clear as a summer sky and it's edges like that of a babbling brook's shore. There was a flash of light, and face appeared, shining as bright as the face of the full moon on a black night.

The entire room was silent, save for Titania's tearful sobs. Oberon comforted his wife and swallowed hard, his entire being filling with joy and dread. The Covenmaster began to cackle madly as the rest of the court stared. In the shadows, the Night Lord grinned.

For in the mirror was the smiling face of Jaune Arc, the Prince of the Fey.

[real-jaune-isms]

Volume 7 Chapter 3 Review

My first time with this, it’s probably gonna be longwinded and awkward...

Starting off with 3 scenes basically happening at once is interesting. The airship flying them in to start the mission, Ruby and Jaune getting briefed on it, and the whole crew getting their gear upgrades. The briefing conversation plays over shots of them all getting their personal briefcases of stuff, and of some normal soldiers fighting smaller Grimm in the tundra. The new clothes scene is most important though. We see: Their happy faces, Blake and Jaune both pondering haircuts while Jaune runs his hands over the sash he kept from Pyrrha (ow my heart), Yang attaching her arm upgrade, and Ruby getting at a new cape before Oscar approaches her. Oh, and on the briefing screens RWBY and JNR are registered as civilian Huntsmen. They have their licenses!!!!

Let’s talk about the cape for a sec. Her red cloak has been an heirloom she’s kept for 6 volumes now and about 17 years. The last vestige of her mother. So is it really such a good idea for her to get a new one and just go with it? Is that abandoning the sentimental value and very essence of the original cape? It’s been worn and weathered since Volume 4, so an replacement or a stitch job would be good, but the latter would be ideal. I don’t really mind the new one so much because she asked for it and clearly she had a reason for that. It’s the exact same in every visual way as far as I could see, and she’s keeping the old one. The message is still alive in her wearing it, and times must change. It’s better to get a new one than risk damaging the original any more.

Anyway, after we see the few shots of them prepping for this mission, a very old Geist possessing a bunch of ice and hiding in a Dust mine, the airship doors open and we see the team in all their new glory. They jump out accompanied by the Ace Ops, and all make stylish landings. Ruby only uses her pogo gunshots to slow her descent, and Blake swings her weld fixed Gambol Shroud to Spider-Man swing around the buildings to land. But Weiss and Yang use their semblances to do it, and the aura percentages on Blake’s scroll later represent that accordingly. Good attention to detail. And we hear from Weiss that using your Aura can keep you from freezing, a good reason why they can all wear such stylish clothes and not die of frostbite.

After Clover checks in with all the groups about keeping in contact and keeping an eye on Aura levels, Blake catches Yang staring and they have an adorably awkward exchange about Blake’s haircut and how Yang likes it but doesn’t know how to express that. Marrow seems annoyed he has to watch a high school love story unfolding in front of him, but Harriet teases him about being childish and that shuts him up. They head toward the mine entrance, but Team RWBY hangs back to discuss how uncomfortable they all are with having lied to Ironwood last episode about Salem and the lamp. But Ruby reasons that they don’t know if Ironwood is in the right mindset for that bombshell right now and they WILL tell him soon. Fair enough. A flashback to Oscar’s interruption earlier reveals he’s pretty torn about it too since it’s exactly what they hated Ozpin for doing to them. Either way, they enter the mine and a comment about the path being blocked leads to a chilling realization. This is the mine that caved in and killed Ilia’s parents. This is why her life went so terribly, and it’s a major reminder of the awful relationship between humans and Faunus and how bad things can get. That prompts Weiss to try and apologize for her own bad attitude about it all in Volume 1, and some harsh truths from Marrow about complacency with injustice for the sake of living free of making those hard moral choices. Wise words, a lot to think about with this world and even our own.

But there’s no time for thinking about changing the world’s prejudices, they need to send Blake through a dark opening in the rubble to see if it’s safe for them to blast a hole big enough for everyone or if there’s any nearby Dust they might agitate. I get the whole faunus seeing better in the darker area of the cave thing but... couldn’t Marrow have done it too? Or was he too big and thicc and they had to send the lithe teenager? I tease, I tease. Height and muscle mass may be the legit reasons, plus her weapon is also less bulky. Before she goes in, both Blake and Yang see the SDC logo printed on some discarded boxes, likely a reminded of the last place they saw it: branded on Adam’s face. Not a good memory to recall in a tight situation, but it shows they’re still dealing with that. Good news is, when Blake goes through there’s no Dust on the other side. Bad news, the Geist gives a legitimate jumpscare that literally makes Blake jump back in surprise and pull her weapon to shoot at it. That of course clues the others in that she found something, and we see Harriet’s weapon as she deploys mechanized armor to go over her arms and boost her punching strength. Reminds me of the controls for a mech, fake arms you wear and move in the cockpit to move the real giant ones. But these have plenty of power all on their own and bust open the wall of debris. Makes sense to boost her upper body strength to counterbalance the power in her legs.

They chase the Geist into the mine until they encounter the new Centinel Grimm burrowing up from the ground. Team RWBY gets to show off their weapon upgrades/new moves as they dispose of them: Blake does a lot of slashing and stabbing as usual and Weiss does mostly the same plus shooting ice at the bugs and using glyphs to stop them from lunging. But the real stars seem to be Yang and Ruby. Yang added sticky bombs to her gauntlets’ arsenal, and Ruby can now spin Crescent Rose’s blade 180 degrees to slice a severed centinel half on her backswing. Cool. But Marrow shows off his own party tricks with his rifle that becomes a large blade edged boomerang and the ability to stop two Grimm still with nothing but a snap and the word “stay”. Clearly a reference to dog obedience training and possibly showing the power words can have, a reference to The Boy Who Cried Wolf, which I still believe he’s based on. All that kid had to do was say the word and the entire town came running to face a supposed threat. However, I’ve also heard that his inspiration is actually “A Dog and it’d Shadow”, which might suggest he’s going to go down a bad path for the sake of his own benefit... Regardless, Harriet zooms up and tosses the centinel against a wall, which seems to stop it. They report sighting the target and engaging with further hostiles to the others, who take that as a cue to speed things up. When next we see them, Harriet runs past Weiss and Ruby to take down the last Centinel with a single punch before Ruby had time to even take a shot at it. Instead of being petty about a kill steal, our little rose goes gaga over Harriet having a speed semblance like her, while the Hare of course boasts she seems to be faster based on Ruby’s reaction time. They suddenly hear Clover announce he’s fighting the Geist with Qrow, and when it eludes them too everyone converges in a central cavern.

Now let’s talk about JNR’s section of the mission until they meet up with the others. They make their jump too, Jaune having added Hard Light Dust to his shield and using it like Link’s paraglider in Breath of the Wild to float down gently, and then gravity Dust from the central crest to negate the final impact and bounce into a flip landing. Stylish~ We don’t see how, but Ren and Nora landed fine too. And their accompanying Ace Operatives Vine and Elm give rather indirect compliments, much to Jaune and Nora’s annoyance. As they walk through an ice tunnel and Vine reports its stability and their approximate time of convergence, Nora gushes about how exciting it all is before turning her enthusiasm on Ren. He handles a direct compliment about his new outfit about as well as Ren handles any show of emotion... he does not. He just tries to redirect the topic to the mission. Annoying to all the Renora shippers, absolutely, but also kinda his MO. His semblance, his very nature since the tragedy of Kuroyuri is to not get emotional because that can get them in trouble if it’s at the wrong time. He still needs to learn there are plenty of right times to have emotions, LIKE WHEN YOUR UNOFFICIAL GIRLFRIEND WANTS YOU TO RETURN THE COMPLIMENT!!! He better learn from that mistake... But at least there’s dense as a rock Jaune to compliment Nora instead and miss the point of what she was doing. The good boy is trying his best to be nice.

When they hear RWBY’s squad announce the fighting has started they start booking it and slide down an icy slope that’s revealed to have Centinels emerging at the bottom. Vine uses his semblance to stretch out and grab hold of the walls and Elm uses her’s to root her feet in the ground, both so they can stop moving toward the enemy. But that’s not JNR’s style, so they charge right into the Grimm and take them out quickly. A gravity burst shield bash from Jaune, new grappling hook mode for the blades on Ren’s guns, and Nora just bashes some skulls. This approaches earns another indirect compliment before they took finish the journey to the main mine cavern.

Meanwhile Qrow is with Clover and looking very cool in his new digs. They head in and discuss Qrow’s history of teamwork and how he doesn’t really do that anymore... cue sad STRQ vibes. Also he almost trips and Clover catches him, a perk of having someone at your side. After he gets the rundown from Elm, we don’t hear from thes two until they’re chasing down the Geist. It reaches its icy armored body, and gathers extra pieces from the walls around them. Qrow notices one bit it’s trying to get will pull down a support beam and warns Clover to stay back... just in time. The Geist gets away, but in its wake the two men share a conversation about Semblances. Qrow reveals his misfortune and how it burdens him to solitude or else situations like that one could go way worse. But Clover surprises him with the fact that his own Semblance is, of course... generating good luck.

The look Qrow gives him... a lot of people say it’s gay panic as he falls head over heels for this charming military man who can balance him out. I’ve come to see it a bit differently thanks to another post I saw. It’s regular panic. Panic and self-loathing, because he sees his perfect mirror image. Clover is sober, charismatic, a good leader, doesn’t ruin things with his very presence, and has skill and wisdom beyond anything Qrow has been able to demonstrate. This is everything he wishes he could have been for the kids from Volumes 4-6, the kind of huntsman he wants to have been at Beacon... a version of him who might have been able to keep Team STRQ together. But it might also be him getting a crush on a charming guy who balances him out. Regardless, they call everyone to meet up in the middle.

And meet up they do, the various types of Dust in the large central chamber having such effects as floating the dirt their boots kick up and evaporating a drop of Jaune’s sweat when it hits the ground. Cool set piece, though they need to be careful with how they fight otherwise they could set off the Dust and ruin the Amity Satellite launch site... and kill them. The Geist is hanging from a giant piece of ice jutting from the ceiling, and when the teams spot it the big boy dramatically drops down to fight them. Ruby panics upon seeing it added Dust to it’s body so they’ll have a harder time fighting it safely, but the Ace-Ops kick into action almost immediately. Elm and Vine use their Semblances to keep it in place and expose the Grimm joints between its ice limbs, which Marrow throws his weapon to sever. But that leaves some Dust crystals falling through the air, so the Flash gets the lightning in his eyes and speeds in to catch them before they hit the ground... Oops! I mean Quicksilver does his Days of Future Past thing to move around the falling debris at superspeed and grab the Dust... DAMMIT! I mean Harriet gets the lightning in her eyes and pulls a Days of Future Past to move around the falling debris at superspeed and grab the Dust. But the boomerang cuts another part of the arm and knocks more Dust off out of her reach. Lucky for them, Clover is there to catch it just in time. He passes the crystal to Qrow and jumps into the action.

The Ace-Ops continue to run around the Geist and to distract and disorient it, and they get the other arm off. With a flick of his lucky charm, Clover jumps up and loops his fishing line around the Geist’s mask face, and it actually hooks. What comes next brings a look of astonishment to Team RWBY’s faces. He pulls the Geist out of the ice by its face, and Harriet runs up its torso to give a jumping Shoryuken with her mech fists to kill the Grimm. But that leaves a lot of Dust crystals falling through the air, and the Ace Ops scramble to grab all of them. One remains and Harriet runs to get it... it’s a close call... and Ruby beats her to it. Who’s faster now?~ But much to Ruby’s surprise, upon seeing her in action Harriet claims Ruby’s Semblance is unlike any speed Semblance she’s ever seen, that there’s probably more to it than she realizes... or we do for that matter~ I can’t wait to see what they do with that. Yang points out that Ruby has an awful lot more going on in terms of power than Harriet realizes, earning a grin from Weiss and a very cute giggle from Blake. Regardless, mission accomplished and Qrow and Clover have a little banter over if Ruby’s catch was luck or talent. Glad to see the Atlas MVP’s acknowledge our Team has some skill of their own. Even happier to see Elm effortlessly put Ruby on her shoulder and carry her around to celebrate while Yang and Nora start dancing.

Next thing we know we’re back in Mantle as the police ship drops Forest off. He goes into an alley, where Tyrian suddenly appears under a flickering light to creep us all out and kill a short lived fan favorite character. RIP, good good protest boy. 

And that’s pretty much it. Sorry it took a while.

[rwbyvein]

Firen Lhain:  Chapter 607:  The Conspiracy:  Part III/III

Jaune, Ren, Qrow, and Ilia stood in a garden, surrounded by hard-light Dust screens. "This," Qrow stated, pointing at one of them, "has a herd of Goliaths harassing the outskirts of Mistral, and they are quite eager to stop them from getting any further."

"Aren't Goliaths like ridiculously strong?" Jaune asked.

"Strong, yes," Qrow said, "but that's all they've got. They've got tusks that can gore you, a strong head, and legs that can pound you into mush, but if you keep moving, they are child's play."

"You have great confidence in our abilities." Ren nervously voiced.

"...No..." Jaune stated, "he's right."

"Indeed?" Ren asked.

"Ren and Ilia distractions. Keep moving around. Don't move in unless you see an opening. I'll be overwatch. Qrow," he said, and looked at Qrow, "we can probably trust to do what he always does."

"Which... is?.." Ilia asked.

"Dash in at the last minute and save us with a swipe of his scythe." Jaune said.

Qrow started nodding his head. "That is pretty fun. It also stops my Semblance from hurting someone I care about."

Jaune then turned to Ren and Ilia. "Are you two on board?"

"If you feel it is wise." Ren affirmed, and Ilia looked at Ren questioningly.

"That's all it takes?" Ilia asked.

"Despite appearance, Jaune is far from fearless." Ren voiced, and Jaune developed a sour look, "If he feels we are up to the challenge, then I will follow him."

"That's," Jaune grumbled, "not as much of a compliment as you might think."

"It is a remark on your tactical accumen." Ren said, and bowed, and Jaune sighed.

"So, how do we get there?"

"Like I said, kid," Qrow replied, "they're desperate."

* * *

Jaune, Ren, Qrow, and Ilia sat on the inside of an airship, when Ren looked up, seeming to come to a conclusion. "I have a team name for us."

"Hm?" Jaune asked.

"Team JRQI" (pronounces it Jackie).

Jaune just stared at Ren, unsure of what to say.

"but?.." Ilia asked, "Where's the R?"

"He's pronouncing it like an A." Jaune said, still glaring at Ren, Ren looking contentedly at him in reply.

"He doesn't seem to like it." Ilia voiced.

"That's the face he makes when he personally does not like something, but won't object to it." Ren voiced, and Jaune subtly nodded.

* * *

Jaune stuck his head out of the side door of the airship, looking at the Goliaths below them. They were walking along a road. The left side of the road had a steep cliff going up, the right a steep cliff going down.

One of the pilots stuck his head out of the flight deck, "You going to jump, or you want to set us down?"

"Ilia?" Jaune asked, and she looked at him expectantly, "Are you comfortable jumping?"

Ilia nervously looked about for a moment before looking out the door.

"Drop us over the upper cliff." Jaune said to the pilot. Jaune looked down the lower cliff, and it seemed to lead to a rocky gully. "Don't be afraid to knock them off the cliff. Qrow?"

"Uh... yeah?"

"Take out the rear one and then fly away."

"Do you really think he'll?.." Ilia quietly asked, and Qrow just looked brightly in to Jaune's eyes. "I like you, kid."

"I'll start pumping arrows into the leader."

"Matriarch." Ren stated.

"Really?" Jaune asked, and Ren nodded.

"And... me?.." Ilia nervously asked.

"This is your first hunt?" Jaune said, both strongly, but with a strange warmth, and Ilia nodded.

"I''ve only dealt with... people... before." she nervously stated.

"Then keep your distance." Jaune voiced, "Don't move in until you have an opening. With your weapon, go for the neck and throat. Move out of range once you make an attack, and remember, you are fighting with us. We're here for you. Whatever happens, you can always retreat back to us."

"Especially Jaune," Ren stated, "as he is implaccable."

"Which is a nice way of saying slower than the rest of you." Jaune uttered, and looked out at the approaching ground. He looked to Qrow and nodded his head to the open door. Qrow turned into a crow and flew out. The Goliaths briefly looked at the crow, but to them, it was just a crow, so instead turned their heady gazes to the airship.

The crow flew out passed the Goliaths before slowly turning back around, diving towards them. He reverted long enough to cleave off the rear Goliath's head before turning back into a crow and flying into the air. Jaune jumped off the airship with bow in-hand and drew it the moment he landed.

"If you could please keep the area clear?" Ren asked the pilots, before jumping down as well. Ilia jumped down last and the airship lifted up and away. Ilia nervously stood behind Jaune and Ren as Jaune drew his bow and imbedded an arrow into the Matriarch's considerable skull. The Matriarch stumbled forward, causing the herd to panic. Some looked towards the cliff, others out and away. Jaune saw one looking at him while the one in front was looking away. Jaune then buried an arrow into the one looking at him while Ren leapt down.

The blade of Ren's left StormFlower imbedded into the neck of the Goliath who had been looking away. It's head quickly turned towards Ren as he planted his right palm, sending an Aura shockwave through the Goliath's skull. Unfortunately, it was significanltly stronger than that of a King Taijitu. It was left intact as the Goliath collapsed onto the ground.

"Ilia." Jaune stated, "Whip it."

Ilia breathed in deep and jumped down, and began whipping it with her Lightning Lash. Every strike caused it to roll closer to the cliff. The Goliath who had just received an arrow to the skull recovered enough to look at Jaune only to have another arrow burrowed in it's skull. The Goliath in front of them turned around, only to have the blade of Ren's right StormFlower imbed in the side of it's neck, with his left palm sending an Aura shockwave through the skull. The shockwave was slightly towards the upper cliff, causing the Goliath to flop towards Jaune.

Ilia's Lightning Lash hit one last time, causing her Goliath to topple over the cliff.

The rear Goliath turned around to see what was happening, only to have it's head cut off by Qrow's scythe. The Matriarch turned towards Jaune, and he leapt from the cliff, turning his Black Prince into a bill, held underhanded, cutting all the way through the Matriarch's neck, causing it, too, to vaporize. He then folded it up and put it away. He turned to stare at the next one. The two stared into each other's eyes for a moment.

Ilia found Qrow lifting her up and throwing her up onto the cliff. She panicked for a moment, and then saw a Goliath charging through the space she had just occupied. "What did he say to you, rainbow girl?" he asked her, turning back into a crow.

Jaune and the Goliath charged at each other. It seemed like Jaune was going to try and ram it with his antlers when he draw his sword at the last second. He jumped out of the way, cutting through half of the Goliath's neck. Half wasn't quite good enough, but it did stop it, as it's body used everything it had to regenerate the missing neck.

Ren jumped up to the cliff. "It seems I do not have what it takes to fell them by myself." he quiped, and Ilia looked at him questiongingly. Ren then held out his left hand, "The Humans use it as a sign of trust." Ilia brought her hand to his, and he shook it.

Jaune, now in a better position, cut all the way through the Goliath's head as Qrow took out the rear one, who once again thought it prudent to turn around and look at the nothingness.

So much Grimm mass, or whatever it was they had, was trying to dissipate the same time, that the bodies were now taking time to disappear.

Ren imbeded his blade into another Goliath, used an Aura shockwave to it's head to knock it down. As it fell, Ilia wrapped her Lightning Lash around it's neck and began periodically shocking it. Ren put his weapons away, and stood above the head. Breathing in deep and gathering his Aura. First his right palm and then left and then right and then left, four Aura shockwaves in such close succession destroyed the head. He and Ilia quickly withdrew. There was two left. The rearward one turned around. The forward one was looking out, and Jaune charged it. Ilia jumped into to whip and shock it momentarily before retreating again. When Jaune struck it it was knocked back and down, and he stepped forward, slashing through the neck with his sword as Qrow took out the rearward one.

Jaune jumped up to the cliff, grabbing on. He used his strength and Aura to haul himself up the rest of the way, standing beside Ren and Ilia. A crow spiraled around them, eventually reverting. "Eight, in what, like two minutes?" Qrow asked. "I'll have to say, that's pretty impressive."

"The... terrain... certainly helped..." Jaune voiced.

"Still, pretty damn impressive." Qrow said, and Jaune looked at him.

"You... seem more comfortable swearing now?.." Jaune asked.

"Well, yeah..." Qrow voiced, "I don't have to be a good role-model any more. You guys are adults, and certainly capable of your own choice. Just know that being an asshole like me closes as many doors as it's opens."

"I suppose with a scythe," Ren said with a subtle smile, "you could open a great many doors."

Qrow just stared at him. "Was... that a I joke? I thought he was the depressing one?"

"Freeing oneself form attachment leads you to cherish joy when it occurs." Ren stated, "Not chasing it once it's time has passed."

"Uh... huh?.."

"Translation," Jaune voiced, "he's having a lot more fun than he lets on."

"Indeed." Ren said with a wider smile.

"Rainbow," Qrow said to Ilia, who turned towards him in response. She paused for a moment as she regretted it, "when fighting Grimm, make sure you keep your distance. You're not as durable as the big guy, here."

"Who, me?" Jaune asked.

"Just... just how tall are you with your antlers?" Qrow asked.

Jaune shrugged in reply, "They seem to grow bigger every time they regrow."

"Perhaps it is because of your maturity?" Ren asked, "And not the number of times they fall."

"That would make a lot more sense, yes." Jaune said.

"And the answer," Ren voiced, "is over 7 and a half feet."

"I'm pretty sure that counts as 'Big Guy'." Qrow said with airquotes, as the airship circled back around.

[jauneda1]

RWBY

The New War part 4

Jaune Arc's All Out Attack

Just outside of Shinrah district.

Jaune and Ren had to start traveling by rooftops because of the miasma that is covering most of the streets due to this though Jaune is getting exhausted from all the Aura Jumping. It wouldn't be a problem if he wasn't caring Ren doing so.

Jaune: Talking about me and junk food but your heavy asf.

Ren: Jaune! I don't want to here anything about you being tired from carrying me across rooftops.

Ren: You not only suggested this method, but aren't you the one that caught a speeding car with your body.

Ren: That Torchwick guy escaped but you did something unbelievable.

Jaune: I was in the hospital for a week for three cracked ribs. Not to mention it knocked me unconscious.

Ren: Even more of a reason for you to not be bitching rn.

Jaune: I think I like this Ren get used to me.

The two took cover at the top of they're current building then observed the captured cop and EMS workers. They could hear a man who was obviously a squad leader sporting heavy armor and two large saw swords.

Atlas Elite Oppressor: It's honorable seeing so many of you fighting to protect your kingdom. How come there are no soldier's only law enforcement?

Atlas Elite: I'll tell you why, it's because Ozpin didn't think they where worth sending into the city. That they needed to protect the academy.

Atlas Elite: So in other words your all expendable.

Police officer: Shut your mouth you fucking Terrorist.

Atlas Elite: Terrorist!? Lol where Atlas solider's.

Alvin Marcus: Listen son in all my years alive Atlas would never do something like this. My name is police chief Alvin Marcus.

Alvin: Ironwood would never order an attack against his home kingdom.

Atlas Elite: Well you know what Alvin thank you for having the balls to speak up... Now... Die for it.

And with a lift and a swing the man's head was taken off.

Jaune was finally at his boiling point as he was about to make a split second decision till he felt Rena hand grab his own. Jaune turned and looked Ren in the eyes who had a face seriousness. There was a mutual understanding between the two but Jaune knew if someone else died then he would step in. They both continue to watch on.

Atlas Elite: Well then... He's dead... So who's next?

Atlas Elite: Let's see they're are 40 of you we'll start executing you guys in groups of 10.

Atlas Elite: Okay men begin. Try not to have to much fun.

It was just like that the men and women where gonna be shot and killed. Police officer's and EMS workers who most had families. Jaune couldn't take it anymore so he jumped into action.

Ren: JAUNE!

Jaune: Bastards landed and swung his blade at one of the soldiers and as like nothing the man flew back with a huge slash in his chest and his eyes lifeless. Jaune didn't take it into consideration but the man he just killed didn't have an aura. Which means that most of these guys will go down easily.

(Jaune's mind)

" Is it really a good thing that it's that easy. "

"Ricky: Do what you have to Jaune, to protect the people around you and care about."

The Atlas Elite was surprised to see the young man cut down one of his men so easily. It turned out that's all it took for the police officer's to fight back as now a big battle of attrition had began. So the Elite did the only thing he thought was right and that was to take out this young man. He could already tell that his target was a killer at heart. That Mistress would love for someone like this to join her ranks. No hesitation just calculated swings and focused blocking. He is block bullets and using his aura to defend himself from and oppressor troopers. Now there's a green one huh interesting

Jaune had just took what felt like a hit from Cardin's mace to the side of the head but it was just a shotgun buckshot. He then stuck his blade into the guys knee rotating his wrist and and realizing something this felt odd killing these guys so easily. Whatever he needs to do he'll do it to protect these people. All of a sudden Jaune's senses struck him both physically and mentally as he was then sent five feet and bouncing off the side of a car.

Ren: JAUNE!

Jaune could hear Ren yelling out to him. He was fine he was able to lift his shield up to take the wide and aggressive swing he had very little time to react as he used his sword to slide and redirect a blade that was slashed vertically at him. Jaune then spun out of it and backhanded the attacker with his shield. The difference was that this tall bulky guy with duel wielding saw blades that are atleast half of Jaune's size. Jaune was at 6'3 so these swords where ridiculously big. Obviously this guy over compensating. Shit why did the commander have to be a tall and bulky hulk of a man, why couldn't he just of been cute like Ren.

Then it was a saving grace as A helicopter with Vale soldiers showed up and began to fire upon the enemy this made the guy end his attacks on Jaune and begin to fall back but Jaune wasn't having it as he chased him leaving Ren behind.

Jaune: Oh No You Don't Ass Hole Get Back Here!

One of the retreating soldiers was about to fire on Jaune till Ren pulled the trigger on one of his pistols and blew the guys brains out. Ren was not as shocked as he should of been. He wasn't about to let Jaune get killed so he chased after him as Vale military forces moved in.

Jaune had cornered the man. Then aimed his sword at the man.

Jaune: You'll pay for what you've done. Killing all of those innocent people.

Atlas Elite: Laughing... You got fight in ya kid.

The two stood there reading to see who would swing first. But neither one had to wait as the man rushed at Jaune only for Jaune to smirk as his chest glowed bright blue over his heart and without any warning Jaune sheathe his blade and went to punch the ground with his left hand all of the energy he had built up. This new attack Jaune was saving for whenever him and Yang spared again let alone it be Pyrrha.

Jaune: BAHAMET..FURY

With a mighty roar and loud kaboom that sent out a bright blue blaze that can be seen from Beacon Tower. This stunned Ozpin and Glynda who knew who that could of been. Especially since a news chopper caught the attack live. For the world too see, so teams RWBY, CFVY, Nora and Pyrrha saw it.

Ruby: Well guess we know who that would of been for if we had Combat class on yesterday.

All Jokes aside the chopper was waiting for the dust to clear. When it finally did Jaune was now Shirtless and sporting a big gash on his right arm it looks like the guy broke his Aura. Something that everyone at Beacon knew was next to impossible because Jaune is undefeated when it came to combat class. If one doesn't count the draw between him and Pyrrha. The two fought it out until they both fell from exhaustion. But what was about happen now was not a spar where it's fight till your at your max. No this fight was of a higher stake, Jaune's life was on the line.

The man got up and used his blade's to support himself.

The Butcher: Your... One pain in the ass you know that?

The Butcher: They call me The Butcher. That's my name now what's yours?

Jaune stayed quiet for a second because he was honestly still shocked that some one took the full brunt of his shock wave ground smash.

Jaune: Jaune Arc... No relation

The Butcher: A Arc huh? You truly are special.

Without a second passing The Butcher rushed in and Jaune eyes tightened as his vision focused and his mindset locked in. This battle will result in one of them dying. Jaune was able to deflect the The Butcher's swing but his wild style was new to Jaune so he wasn't expecting the second blade to come out of no where and slash his right arm and knocking his blade away leaving another gash if torn flesh and on the underside of Jaune's arm. This was bad he wouldn't be able to put a lot of power behind any punches on this arm. But that was okay Jaune knew what he would have to resort to Jaune then burst forward. Eyes lacking fear but a resolve he slide in grabbing The Butcher by his waist and just like that Ursa in class Jaune German suplexed him, again rolling into it and lifting the man again but this time keeping a two arm bear hug and slammed the guy on his shoulders sideways. Again Jaune rolled into it and lifted the man up and with his feet planted and with raw strength and pure adrenaline running through him Jaune threw the disarmed Butcher into the side of a building where he collided and bounced off of. Jaune was gassed after that display by no means was Butcher a light weight at 8feet tall and weight what felt like a ton it was hard to do what Jaune did. He may have caught a car at top speed but he hadn't been through hell before it. It just happened when he was at full strength.

Jaune felt the hands of someone familiar to him grab him. Ren had grab Jaune and gave him a shot of Adrenaline Ren looked like shit like he had got caught in Jaune's explosion.

Jaune: Dame Ren I'm sorry-

Ren had shut him up with a painful shot of adrenaline to the to the leg.

Jaune: Ow... Sorry .

Ren: You will be if we make it out of this.

Ren: I don't have any aura and my weapons are destroyed thanks to you. But that guy needs to go down.

Jaune: You thinking what I'm thinking then😁.

Ren blushing of embarrassment: Shut up

Jaune: Aww yeah Martial Arc's time.

Ren: ugh

The two ran in at the butcher who had recovered and was not ready to fight a juiced up Jaune and what looks like the ninja from earlier. But what surprised The Butcher more was the Ninja had just vanished and Jaune Arc looked to be throwing something invisible. It didn't click until he felt what was a foot to his jaw and a right hook to his rib cage one so powerful he felt his ribs crunch and shatter with it this dropped him to one knew then a barrage of calculated punches from the ninja and bone breaking bashes from Jaune. When the barrage ceased The Butcher was dumb founded the one eye he could see out off. He saw that Jaune was now casting a bright blue flaming aura and with one touch he turned the emerald ninja next to him glowing a bright green flaming aura as well.

The two locked eyes with The Butcher who was now expressing great fear.

Ren: When did you learn how to do this?

Jaune: I'll tell you later.

The two then lead in like a dance of blue and green as they both went in for punches kicks and one of Jaune's kicked sending The Butcher skyward. Ren Jumped into Jaune's hands and launched forward to meet The Butcher he super kicked him and without any warning Ren felt a burst of power as he flew forward looking back in slow motion to see Jaune winking at him and his chest burning bright blue. That's when Ren realized that Jaune had found a way not only to convert kinetic energy into aura, but he can transfer it to other's. Ren flew forward grabbing The Butcher and throwing him down towards Jaune who had jumped towards The Butcher who was beaten and bloody.

Ren: Jaune please don't kill him.

(Jaune's Mind)

No worries Ren I refused to be the monster that this man is. I will put him in his fucking place though.

Jaune: HAA!

With a discharge of all the energy Jaune knocked The lights out of The Butcher. His head snapping back from the impact but not killing him but mainly knocking him out.

Jaune landed and caught the Butcher to keep him from receiving anymore damage.

Five minutes later

Jaune came back sword in his sheathe, even though it took him a minute to find it. Ren was just standing there back towards Jaune. Jaune walked up and lightly pushed Ren's shoulder.

Jaune: From what I see the military is rounding up the last remaining terrorist and Atlas only General Ironwood is talking with Ozpin that's why there are war ships up above.

Ren: He shows up only now?

Jaune: Yeah but atleast it's over right.

Ren: Hey did you ever actually turn your scrolls distress signal?

Jaune: Yeah about that... Hehe I dropped my scroll when I rushed in to stop those guys earlier. Hehe

Ren: I want to punch you right now but I'm to weak to put any force behind it.

Then something grabbed the two's attention

Nora: Ren! Jaune!

They both turned to see they're teams and Professor Ozpin and Glynda.

But Jaune knew he was in trouble when he saw Yang and Ruby rushed him. Jaune knew he was about to receive the world's strongest hug and beating courtesy of Yang he has ever taken.

(Jaune's mind)

"I die today, this is how I die."

End of part 4

Character analysis

The Butcher: age late thirties maybe early twenties.

Classification: Classified

Huntsman classification: Unknown possibly Vanguard giving his size, weapons, and fighting style

Military experience: Ex Sargent first class.

Semblance: None

[ask-the-cordium-crew]

Youse gonna meets a terrible fates part 2 of 2 (A WKTC story)

Yancy teleported behind Neo and Celine, slashing at them neo quickly getting out of the way, but Celine threw at team JNPR and Jaune hitting her fastly with his sword. 

Celine groaned but quickly stomped her foot into the ground, her eyes closing as a third eye opens on her forehead, and she raised her hand up. A hand made from metal grabbed onto him and slammed him into the ground "MY NAME IS CELINE, AND I AM A SEER CHILDREN YOU HAVE MADE A MISTAKE IN MESSING WITH ME!"

Nora quickly smashed the hand to bits with her hammer and Celine jumped back and threw a crystal ball grenade and fired her shotgun. Yancy groaned gently and soon kicked it back at her exploding and causing her aura to flash. 

She groaned in pain before he opened his mouth, gasping for her "LEAVE ME IN LUXURY!" he teleported again and slashed her in the arm and kicked her to the ground "why try a prison break when hard times totally great?" 

He stomped her again and again before Neo quickly slashed at him and picked Celine up. She groaned then fired her shotgun at Yancy, causing his own aura to flash the two then managed to run off somewhere.

Celine pushed Neo off her as they both ran off Celine then leaned against a wall "go get what you need to I'll wait here I'll be fine dear I have just enough energy to hide if I need to" 

Neo looked worried but then nodded and then became Nora and looked around the corner, seeing them running and went inside a room. Celine panted and relaxed and then, after a few moments, saw Neo run past her with the artifact with JNPR and yancy quickly chasing after. 

She sighed and gulped but soon stepped in front of them pushing them down and threw a grenade down quickly pulling the pin right in front of her she put on a slight smirk as Jaune said: "GET DOWN!" they took for cover and soon Celine was sent flying towards the guards around the corner her aura breaking as she landed.

The team ran over to go catch Neo, but she was with a bunch of guards disguised as a top soldier. The guards then began to chase them. They didn't even stop to see if Celine was okay Neo then grabbed onto her. Celine's head was lightly bleeding, but she was still awake Neo looked worried and quickly looked around then escaped with her and Celine to go find a safe place to hide till Cinder arrived.

Yancy looked at the team JNPR and then looked at the guards. "YOUSE KIDS GET OUTS OF HERE I CAN HOLD THEMS OFF FOR A BIT! DON'T WORRY I'S GOT THIS!" they looked at him, worried Nora speaking up first. 

"No Yancy come on!" he turned around and sighed "no worries I'll find youse and join yeh you just need to get away!" they looked at him one more time and saw the guards before sighing, and Jaune said "good luck don't kill them they don't deserve that" Yancy shrugged smirking "no promises." 

They then ran off quickly, and the guards about 5 of them stopped pointing their guns at Yancy "stop right there and put your weapons down. Where did your friends go?" Yancy shrugged and smirked widely "welp they've up and gots away sorry! but you ain't keeping me here eithers youse know?" 

One of the guards looked at him and smiled, "you know neither you nor your friends will break out of here, right? your coming with us dead or alive."

Yancy's eyes lit up brightly as he pushed his foot backwards "break out? Of this place? But why would anyone" before he finished, he managed to teleport behind them and fire his guns at them, and they fired back as he jumped into the air quickly and kicked the middle one in the face slamming down to the ground.

"wanna break out?" Yancy then charged fastly towards them and slashed one of the guards in the throat-cutting it causing blood to go everywhere "no aura? For shames! what would youse general thinks?" 

He grabbed the slowly dying guard and slammed him into the other two just as he started to run off one of them managed to shoot Yancy in the arm his aura breaking. 

The guard managed to shoot Yancy right thru the top of the arm causing him to scream in pain, but he didn't stop running he quickly threw a grenade from his belt at the guards before running into the training room and closing the door luckily the guards didn't see where he ran so they ran right past it.

Yancy had quite a bit of blood on his shirt from the one guard. He then ripped some fabric from off the bottom and banged himself up and looked at team JNPR "hey there youse are! How are youse doing kiddy's?" he smiled softly.

They looked worried, and Jaune quickly went over and started to try and heal him "jeez, they got you bad, but thanks glad your okay." 

He sighed he did notice the blood Ren was the one who asked about it "I would hope that wasn't because you wanted to harm them" Yancy sighed gently "no I didn't mean to kill any of them, but I barely got away with my owns life! Actually, one of them didn't even have an aura. I swear I was just defenden myself." 

Jaune looked at him upset "hmm you're lucky we're friends or else I wouldn't believe you but try not to let that happen again" Yancy chuckled a bit but groaned gently from the pain "I'll try's kiddo and aww friends youse don't means it does youse?" 

Soon after they made sure the coast was clear, they left, but Oscar left them saying he needed to do something only he could do, and they made it to the ship with the rest of their friends Yancy deciding to join them instead of sticking around. 

Celine was holding onto Neo, and soon Cinder landed, causing Neo to smirk Cinder just snatched the artifact from her.

Causing Neo to look slightly disgusted at her quickly sending a text from her scroll to her, "and do Celine and me not get thanks? She nearly died helping me get this thing" along with three angry face emojis 

Cinder rolled her eyes "yes, fine, thank you. Now we have what we need we'll find Ruby very soon don't worry" Neo rolled her eyes but then turned to Celine who had blacked out while she was waiting for Cinder she did manage to patch her up at least she then sighed a little worried, but she knew Celine would be okay she was tough after all.