Beacon Bound

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Beacon's promised support came continuously and quickly, with an influx of Hunters and guards of the living and mechanical varieties, enough that the militia's numbers waned once again, many returning to their preferred jobs as hunters, farmers, traders, smiths and even miners.

This brought life back to the settlement, and the retirement of so many who dreaded fighting brought a boost to morale and happiness both. A vibrancy of life that echoed around the town, which was then further increased and colored by the steady presence of Hunters and trainees on Beacon assignment to the little town, keeping the woods clear of Grimm enough that the banditry wandered off for fear of Hunter intervention against them directly. The Huntresses particularly, young and older alike, always served as idols to frontier children, one young woman even going so far as rigging up her chaingun and letting youngsters test fire it under her incredibly strict supervision and control.

The Hunters' wisdom, the trainees' eagerness and excitement about the future, and the populace's new hope and sense of safety. All colored the Force like the late evening sun glinting off water and casting it in a thousand shades of pink, red and everything else. It was wonderful, to feel and see when he sat down to meditate or slipped into the Force while he trained his body.

In exchange, he let Miss Goodwitch run a blood test to confirm who he was - for Vale, not any of them, she trusted the Arcs to know their own - and even began running the paperwork to have his certificate of death annulled. Not a very easy process to go through, she'd told him when he voiced a complaint, even if she was handling most of it for him so he'd get done in time. Then, he signed his name on the early enrollment papers, essentially enlisting in the military life that was training to be a formal Hunter. He chafed at the loss of freedom after so long trapped underground, but had to remind himself that it was worth it in the end. For Ansel and his dreams he'd trade essentially any one or any thing.

And besides, to be a Hunter meant attending an Academy, one of the four. And between the frozen Atlas, distant Mistral, and Vacuo with its seas of sand, he knew which he preferred. And if he could attend for free, and gain something for his family along with it? All the better, to his mind.

After that it was a year of study and training, spending his time split between Ansel where his father drilled him to the bone every day, and Vale where his mother worked his fingers to the bone on homework every day out of the week. Not to mention his sisters, stealing him away at every single chance they found, smuggling him treats, and giving pouty eyes to his parents whenever they wanted to play and he had work to do. It was slowing him down, often enough to impact his grades, and generally frustrating to his plans for the future.

But of course, he indulged them every chance he got, and some he at least technically didn't, sneaking off with them and dealing with the chiding he received later.

The year went quickly, more so than he'd ever thought possible, but he was happy through it all. In a way that already made his suffering and hardship worth more than gold or Dust, and he knew more was to come.

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"I'll be fine, Saph." He assured her for the thousandth time in the last week, standing in his armor and leaning against the window of the mass transit airship Beacon used to collect its students from Vale and the surrounding, more difficult to reach or leave, settlements. "Yes, I made it to Vale on time, and yes I got on the airship to Beacon. It wasn't even that hard a travel, I had a Hunter for a third of the distance. And my saber carried me the rest of the way."

"Did you run into any Grimm?"

"Only a couple Beowolves, and you know what I can do to that low class trash." He left out, of course, the Ursai, Alphas, and the Nevermore he'd had to deal with. A small enough one, of course, that came close enough for him to leap to and behead it. A younger Grimm meant a dumber one, after all, hurling itself into each fight with reckless abandon. "I'm fine. Barely even worked up a sweat against them."

"Well, I guess you know how to handle yourself, so I won't dwell on it." He knew she would, only that she'd do so quietly, but let it go. He didn't want to fight with her about it, it was a waste of valuable time. "How are you feeling? Starting Beacon, I mean."

"Fine enough, Saph." Nervous to finally be starting, anxious to get underway and settled in, upset to be separated from his family again. Though, he pointed out to himself again, his youngest sisters and mother still stayed in Vale, for their education and so a parent was present respectively. So most he could see on a fairly regular basis, if he wanted to. "I'll be okay, once things get going, I just… Really don't like flying."

"Motion sickness?"

"No, no, the Force keeps my stomach steady. As long as I maintain it, at least." And thank the Force for that, too, he'd hate to be retching his way to Beacon… Not a good first showing, to say the least, to be stuck doing that in front of his new classmates. "How are you dong, though?"

"M'fine. It tingles sometimes, and the prosthetic from Atlas itches a little, sometimes." She sounded strained when she said it, likely knowing where the conversation could go from here and dreading it. For that reason, he guessed, she went on to cut the discussion off before it could really start, "I'm fine, Jaune. Really. It wasn't the most expensive thing in the world, but it works well enough. You can stop worrying about me."

"Okay, Saph. I will." He wouldn't, of course. Or rather, he couldn't. But for her sake, he'd let the issue lie, and wait to see if she needed anything later. Not that he could do much, but still, he had no other real option. "How's Terra doing, now she isn't stuck as a guardswoman, by the way? She enjoying her work again?"

"Oh she's loving planning the upgrades to the town and managing repairs to the mining infrastructure, she comes home exhausted and ranting about it all the time." He smiled, even if it was still weird to consider his sister with someone. He'd never even considered some of his family growing up in that way, but as long as she was happy… "She's about to head out, actually, so I need to go soon. Want to spend some time with her before work."

"That's fine. I think I see Beacon in the distance, too, so I would have hopped off myself inside a couple minutes." He'd known it would be a short call regardless, so he wasn't too aggrieved by it ending. Smiling and uncaring of any of the people around hearing him, he added a gentle, "Love you, Saph."

"You too, baby brother. Be safe at Initiation, I hear Beacon's is… Rougher than some like, usually." She chuckled on the other end at something he didn't see and then the call ended, the blond warrior sighing tiredly and clicking his Scroll closed.

It he clicked into place on the inside of his left forearm, a heavy metal bracer added to his setup in the year since he'd gotten it. It wasn't much armor, but it was made of a metal found only in Atlas' northern mountains, that only really had advantages in the heaviest airships they built. It could resist high heat and disperse it evenly across the material which meant, and he'd tested it, that his saber couldn't melt through it like paper. Eventually, the plain, flat little black thing would start to heat up and then melt, but for now it meant he was a bit less likely to hurt himself in training or fighting. And moderately protected from melee attacks besides, mixed as it was with plainer steel to add to its strength and lower the cost.

Beacon probably regretted his 'equipment stipend' now, he supposed.

With some more of it, he'd made a proper harness for his weapons. Two long tubes of hard, dark lacquered wood capped in steel rings wide enough to hold his weapons and open on either side. The staff and blade sat almost perfectly vertically on his back, angled only slightly to his right to avoid problems with turning his head. It would make a natural draw harder, he'd been told, but he had his 'Semblance' to use if he needed to draw it that fast, and could tilt it with his off hand to draw normally besides.

Gently, he tugged his hood lower around his shoulder length shock of blonde hair and leaned against the hull of the ship, watching the forest below pass by idly. It and his beard, which got him grief from Hunters for its length and the braid he put it in to hang to his collar safely, had been thankfully trimmed to look good by Saphron before he left Ansel.

And if it looked a bit choppy with her less than stellar prosthetic? He didn't care, much.

"Hm." He sensed a presence approaching him and turned, a woman with long, red hair's hand pausing halfway to reaching out to him. Quashing instinctive suspicion ingrained into him - Sith training was not a 'trust building' experience, even if his Jedi training balanced it a bit - he asked the bronze-armored woman, "What's wrong, ma'am? Do you need something?"

"O-Oh, no." She shook her head, gloved hand falling at her side and a polite, if strained, smile forcing its way onto her face. It was the kind of smile he would place on people involved in politics, looking nice but meaning little, even if her eyes spoke of a spark of… Hope? "I just… Wanted to introduce myself, I suppose. You looked rather lonely over here, you see."

"Did I?" He turned, looking around himself at the other occupants, and noted with some amusement the several feet in any direction from him. Like they were avoiding him. And he, leaning here with his hood up, might have in fact looked lonely. "Ah. I see. I wasn't, but thank you for coming over on the assumption I was. Miss…?"

"A-Ah. Yes, of course." She seemed surprised by his asking for whatever reason, but recovered quickly. Resting a hand on her chest she bowed her head slightly and spoke in formal enough a tone, he guessed she was Atlesian. "My name is Pyrrha Nikos, and it is a pleasure to meet you. You're... Jaune Arc, if I have things right."

"I… Yes, I am Jaune Arc." Was he that well known? Well, he knew that his return had been mentioned in some papers and on television, 'the boy who survived being hunted by Grimm and made his way home' and all that. Smiling he hoped to deflect from that though and added in a faux-bravado filled voice, "Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue and the ladies love it."

"Aha... Do they, truly?" She smiled and visibly, as well as mentally if the Force around her told the truth, relaxed at the joke. Laughing quietly with the hand from her chest and bow now covering her mouth politely, stepping to the side so she could watch the crowd and speak to him more.

"My mother says so." He shrugged, earning another small, half-polite half-amused laugh from the woman. She was surprised, he guessed, at how friendly he was… Which got him thinking. "Am I really that scary, or something?"

"Hm? O-Oh..." She blinked once and he did too, realizing he'd spoken out loud and internally chiding himself but standing there silently, not knowing what to do. A habit he had done much to curtail, but not yet broken since his time in the Temple, and one he bit his cheek for now. "A-Ah, no, not… Scary or frightening, or anything of the sort. Only… Intimidating, and odd, for your story, I suppose."

"Hm." Not everyone walked out of the forest after vanishing with Grimm behind them, he supposed, and the Guard had talked about his fight on the walls at Ansel.

He was powerful, and known to be now, and he was equally weak when he vanished. A young child vanishes, and then years later returns with incredible power that he displays by annihilating Grimm? That was not normal, to say the least. And even if the story had somewhat lost its new shine in the last year, many would still remember it.

"I-I am sorry if I offended you, the Headmaster mentioned what happened with you and I thought-" She shook her head and he stiffened, feeling the Force ripple around her as her emotions swayed suddenly," I'm so sorry to have upset you, Jau-"

"You did no such thing, Nikos." He cut her off without thinking, grimacing when she flinched at the tone. He'd only meant to stop her apologizing, able to sense her anxiety and urge to run "I am sorry, I… Just didn't want you to assume I was angry with you, or anything, Miss Nikos. And I didn't mean to snap, I… Get impatient, I guess. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. After what you went through, I… Understand it." She gave him a small, hesitant smile then and he turned to the window again, leaning against the railing that surrounded the observation deck they were on. For a few moments, as Beacon loomed closer, they stood in silence, Jaune watching the forest and nature outside the thing and she watching him curiously. Finally, she asked, "Why do you carry two weapons?"

"One is for people, the other is for Grimm." He shrugged, the woman leaning into his peripheral vision so he could see her raised eyebrow. With a sigh, he elaborated, "My staff has two plasmic blades, so to speak, that sear and cut through almost anything that it hits. Even through Aura it can burn, so I carry the bladed staff to fight people."

"So you don't accidentally kill anyone. Correct?" She guessed, Jaune nodding and trying to suppress the pang of guilt he felt at that. The woman, though, simply nodded understandingly. Either accepting the decision or, equally possible, knowing the casualties he'd inflicted on the Guard when he lost his cool and not wanting to prod the wound. "A wise decision, I suppose, with a weapon that dangerous. I shall have to watch it if we ever spar."

"I suppose you will, Nikos." And like that they were agreed, the woman smiling to acknowledge the fact. They'd spar, at least once and likely more, when they reached Beacon.

"Please, call me Pyrrha." She asked, offering a hand for him to shake. He did and she nodded, asking politely, "If possible… Would you like to become partners?"

"Perhaps, perhaps...." He grinned, nodding approvingly at the question even as he considered it more deeply. She'd be a decent partner, and they seemed to get along, so the choice would not be a poor one. Only… "Assuming, of course, Beacon selects partners in such a way as we can affect."

"We shall see. You're right to point out we may be unable to partner given however Beacon does their partnering, though." She nodded her head back, towards the passenger compartments behind them, "I'm going to check on my things, make sure everything is in proper order before we disembark. I hope to speak to you later."

"You too." He nodded, watching the woman turn and stride away from him, an odd… Satisfaction rolling off her, Light tinged with something Dark at whatever she felt. With a shrug, he grunted simply, "Odd."

Not bad in any way, though.

Just odd.

With that thought he turned to follow after her, and make sure his own bags were gathered and packed properly. Better now while everyone was fawning over the view than later, when the halls were crowded and choked by rushing student-hopefuls, after all. Not to mention, he wanted the time to think and gather his thoughts, to control his emotions before they arrived. Because now, nearly six years in the working to get there and with more sacrificed than he'd ever dared imaged, he was at Beacon Academy.

And the Force flushed with his excitement at that knowledge.

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He'd never personally met Ozpin, even in the year since his early enrollment and agreement to come to Beacon in exchange for the man's help. Something he'd at first chalked up to the man simply being busy at the time and later to being busy in general, that he'd eventually get around to it when he had the time to spare. To him. Four months into the year before his actual, technical enrollment he began to suspect when he or those working for him did show it would be to check on their investment. Ensure that he wasn't lazing about, intending to be ousted from Beacon after taking their assets to help Ansel, or maybe even just check that their droids and Hunters were being managed properly.

But over the months, no one came or asked about what was happening.

Why?

It made no sense, even now looking back with hindsight and trying to piece together more than he could at the time. The man made a great effort to get him into Beacon, but then turned around and ignored him and Ansel both. Maybe having an Arc in Beacon, and helping Ansel revitalize as well, were simply political, then? He could see an angle there, between the old, Hunter name and the charity of helping a struggling legacy family recover.

But something felt wrong regardless, when the man had spoken. And his presence, the way the Force reacted to it was strange…

"Uh, h-hello?" He felt a hand on his shoulder and his eyes blinked open in the fluorescents of the locker room they'd had to change in, the young Force user glancing up at a young looking girl with bright, silver eyes standing anxiously beside him.

She tucked her cloak around her and swallowed anxiously, reeking of anxiety and fear, but covered by a need to… Do something, in regards to him. "A-Are you okay? The, um, the alarm for the students to head to the cliff went off a minute ago…"

"I was meditating." He grunted the half-truth and stood, only pulling back a scant second before using the Force to do it. Rolling his shoulders in a pantomime of stretching, using the Force to limber him up with the motions instead, he asked in a quiet voice. "Did you turn back to check on me, miss…?"

"R-Ruby. Ruby Rose." She squeaked, hand hovering over her weapon's handle at her waist almost frighteningly. But he sensed comfort in the act, not threat. Like she was huddling a security blanket close, only this one could ostensibly kill monsters. She shuffled awkwardly regardless of the minor comfort it brought and looked up at him, "And, uh, yeah. I didn't want you to be late and get in trouble. You know?"

"Jaune. Jaune Arc." He offered his more armored off hand since she was on that side and, nervous, the girl took it gingerly. He gave it a gentle shake and released the tiny hand, the girl letting it flop to her side unsurely. "Thank you for checking on me, Miss Rose. I was lost in thought, meditating ahead of the coming test."

"Yeah, uh…" She was nervous, he could feel it waft off her in the Force.

"Let's just head to the Initiation, hm?" He prodded gently, gesturing at the far door with a hand. "Please, helpful young ladies first."

"S-Sure." She nodded, turning to bounce away towards the door excitedly, previous anxiety gone. Oddly enough, it seemed, at the chance for combat. An odd girl… Who he followed readily enough, without much more consideration, when she called back, peeking around the door frame curiously, "You comin'?"

Thoughts of Ozpin could wait until later, assuming he let his Sith paranoia run wild the way he had been so far. That point was a good enough reason to cut the thoughts off there, though. No need to let the Dark Side hook him any more than was strictly necessary, of course, lest he disrupt the Balance. Down that road lay problems, he decided, pushing the thoughts and Ozpin's odd Force presence off for now to focus on more important matters.

"S-So, uh..." The girl started as they walked, some way behind the herd of other student hopefuls, still visible down the halls to be followed. Even if he couldn't sense their anxiety, sheer apprehension, false confidence and every other that blended together under the young fighters' minds. With a flourish, she pulled out her weapon, the scythe expanding smoothly in her hands while she grinned, "T-This is my baby!"

"Ah." He glanced it over once, then twice, and guessed, based on what he could see. "Combat scythe with a concussive ordinance oriented sniper chamber and mid-range marksman scope. High impact or low?"

"O-Oh, it's high. H-High impact, I mean, not… High high." She seemed surprised at his analysis, but recovered quickly enough, collapsing it into rifle form in another show of what it was. "It's high impact to stagger Grimm that take the hits, and help me maneuver, since I'm so small."

"You fire and the recoil sends you flying. Faster if you hit something next to you, I'm guessing, since that concussive force would add to the propulsion." Not unlike when he used Force Slam, hurling himself down with a blast of Force and using another to damped the blow and cause a reactive explosion.

"Yes!" She nodded, smiling widely either at his quick understanding or something else he couldn't place, petals falling from her cloak as they walked now. As though in reaction. A Semblance, he decided quickly, electing to ignore it. "I like to, you know, be fast. Grimm never see me coming!"

"I bet."

"What about yours?" She asked, innocent eyes landing on him again over a small smile.

"My… Ah." He nodded, reaching up with both hands to retrieve his weapons, holding one up as he explained them. "This is my kind of glaive-"

"That's a light falx, Mistralian design. The blade is thinner so it can be longer without messing with the weight, and straightened it looks like, too. So maybe less a light falx and more a short-spear, or staff-saber." She corrected automatically, blinking and blushing when she realized she'd interrupted him and pulling her hood over her head tightly. "'M sorry… I shouldn't have interrupted."

"You like weapons quite a lot." He observed, the girl returning to shyness now and simply nodding at his question. "I don't know the names of things like that, never been interested, so I'll take your word. I only carry it so I can fight people without hurting them."

"The other, then?" She looked at the staff saber in his hands, eyes looking for any sign of mecha-shift or anything else to explain its function.

"It sears and incinerates, hotter than anything can take. Even Aura can't handle it, so using it against people carries a high risk of maiming them." Or killing them outright, more likely, with how he'd been trained to fight. Against some, he was sure, that would be useful, but not against the common thief or sparring opponent. "We'll be fighting Grimm, so maybe you'll see what it can do."

"I hope so!" She bounced, shyness gone again as he returned his weapons to their holsters and she did the same, rambling on about how she fought Grimm while he listened patiently and tried to keep up with her. Finally quieting, she grew somber and almost whispered, "I just want to do well, so I can get my license and help people."

"Ah." She was so innocent, he could sense it in her words and the way the Light Side wrapped around her, when she was calm enough not to whip up a tempest of emotions. It cocooned her protectively, as though magnetized to her very being. Quietly, he promised, "You'll pass and go on to help people. I know it."

"Really?" He nodded and she smiled, wide and innocent like his younger sisters. Then it vanished into anxiety once again, "I'm nervous, though, you know? I'm two years ahead… W-What if a Grimm gets me, you know?"

"Is that scary enough for you to back down?"

"Of course not, that'd be silly." She snapped, as much as she seemed able to snap at anyone. Even as weak and lacking heat as it had, she still smiled sheepishly and offered, "I'm sorry, that was mean."

"The Grimm won't get you." He promised, mouth moving before his brain, her innocence and anxiety so like his sisters that he acted on protective instinct. She gave him a confused look and, trapped now, he elaborated, "I'll protect you, Ruby. I promise. As much as I am able, at least, I'll try and protect you, if you need it."

"I-I… Thanks." She nodded, smiling at him and shrugging like it didn't matter, though he knew for fact it had soothed her fears to even be offered it. "But it's okay, I'm gonna find my big sis and she'll help me as much as I need. N-Not that I need it, or anything! B-But, just saying, if I do…"

"I understand." He nodded, waving a hand to dismiss the line of thought and chiding himself for not thinking before speaking. "Now you were… Talking about your rifle? Crescent Rose, hm?"

Deep down, he hoped sincerely not to face any powerful Grimm out there… His power was, as yet, too unwieldy to use wantonly. If they faced anything great or numerous, he would be forced to give himself to the Force to protect those behind him. A hero didn't let the weak fall when he could protect them, after all, even if it was risky to defend them. So sincerely, he hoped the Force would guide him so that he faced only normal Grimm and small numbers, where his saber would be all he needed.

A sense overtook him though, a flash of fear and red when he blinked, and he got the feeling that was a hope that would leave him very, very disappointed.

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"The platforms you stand upon now will, at the end of a timer, catapult you out over the Emerald Forest. There you will face Grimm of a caliber that would have a village calling for a team of Hunters. It is imperative that you find your partner and make your way to the objectives, you get no credit for Grimm slain. Or for dying, for that matter." Ozpin explained, some of the more nervous students exchanging wary glances at that while Jaune stood, hands clasping his wrists in front of him comfortably. Ozpin looked them over in the brief moment before he continued to speak, eyes narrowing slightly on Jaune's cool demeanor. "Remember that, in the Emerald Forest, enemies are everywhere. Focus on surviving, not winning."

"Now then, on the topic of partners, I know some of you have been wondering how you will be assigned partners. The truth is… You will not." Confused, the students exchanged glances and even Jaune would admit to his eyes narrowing at the statement. "Your partner will be the first potential student whose eyes you meet. Good luck, and that will be all."

"Lunacy…" He murmured, the man's smile curling more when he heard the words. Beside him, he sensed Ruby's panic and trepidation spike, now knowing she couldn't simply select her sister as her partner. Gently, he pushed the Force around her, enveloping her in the Light Side and subtly directing her eyes to him. He smiled as their eyes met and the Force's influence calmed her, "You will be fine, Ruby. May the Force guide you."

"O-Okay?" She seemed confused, but he didn't explain it, instead kneeling on the platform as the ticking started. Distantly to his left, he heard the first cathunk of a catapult kicking a student into the air with a howl of adrenaline. Voice quiet, like she was scared she'd get detention for speaking in class, she asked, "W-What does that mean?"

"Meet me after Initiation, maybe I'll explain it." He let his eyes close then, letting the Force wash through his mind. Like cool water tempering hot steel, his nerves cooled and breathing slowed, the world around him lighting up like a world made electric. "I'm ready… I am one with the Force. The Force is with me."

With a loud whir and thunk, he was hurtled into the air at missile speed, wind whistling by him while he tried to regain his center of gravity. Arms and legs splayed, he let his fear course, adrenaline and the Force surging with it and giving him power as his arc reached its end and he began to fall to Remnant far below, behind rows of trees like jagged teeth in his way. With a howl lost to the wind he reached an arm back and shot it forward, the Force cracking in front of him like a scythe, crushing several trees in his path as he descended. Seeing the forest floor, he curled into a ball and rolled, feet pointed at the ground when he went spread eagle again and used the Force to slow his descent.

He hit the ground harder than he'd hoped and turned it into a roll, landing on his shoulder and coming up in a jog that carried him a couple feet before he came to a stop, leaning on a tree to catch his breath. With a grunt, he repeated, "Lunacy…"

And then began walking, making his way through the forest in search of a partner. A search which didn't take long, it turned out, rounding a bend in a natural path from clearing to clearing and blinking in surprise at the close proximity of the red-haired woman. Pyrrha staggered back, sword half-raising in instinctive defense before she relaxed and smiled, nodding a greeting to him.

"I suppose we're partners then." He could sense her satisfaction at his words, and smiled in return. Either because of her infective happiness at the news or his own, he wasn't sure, and in the end it wouldn't matter. Turning as he sensed movement, and not a person's Force presence to accompany it, he sighed and grunted, "Grimm."

"I don't see anythin-" She cut herself off at the sound of wood snapping and beasts snarling, not questioning him and instead stepping between the sound and her new partner, legs bowed and shield raised to protect them. Without even a thought for herself, he noted, calling his saber-staff forth with the Force. "Stay behind me, Jaune, I'll take the first charge. Then you select your target and-"

"I have a better idea, Pyr." He rested a hand on her shoulder and stepped in front of her, twin blades of scarlet plasma hissing to life at the end of the staff held horizontally before him. "I'll take the first charge, and show you what your partner can do."

She didn't get a chance to argue, a plateless Beowolf crashing through the underbrush awkwardly, half-falling and snapping at them pitiably. With a roll of his eyes he turned and pushed his hand forward, a concussive blast of Force hurling the monster back and into a tree where its bones shattered and it sagged. The next two were older, lightly armored and knowing how to stop a rush without stumbling, instead conserving their momentum and force into charging leaps. He leapt as well, using the Force to spin and holding his staff across his chest, turning him into a spinning top of death, slicing the Grimm to ribbons as he sailed between them, rolling as he had in the air previous to land. A fourth emerged, this one mature and armored to match, and his saber sizzled as his feet met its shoulders and the bottom blade cut down through its head and into its neck.

"Switch!" He called, kicking off the Grimm with the Force and sailing away from the next two.

Pyrrha must have understood his intention, for her spear bit deep into one's chest while she sailed into the other, her shield slamming into its throat rim first and turning its snarl into a choke. As though pulled by the Force, her spear returned to her hand and she knelt, leaping and using the force to thrust through the Grimm's neck. Her leap carried her through it, ichor splashing across her arm as she went through, and rolled in the air, sending her shield biting into the Alpha's shoulder with a crack of bone plating shattering that sounded like a gunshot.

But he sensed her panic, her realization that the Grimm had survived unharmed enough to fight and could strike back at her in her position. Claws whistling, the beast made to take advantage of that opening, the woman in the air and unable to dodge. His hands rose then, saber flicking off to avoid cutting himself in his focus on his power, his partner and the Grimm. One grabbed Pyrrha and yanked her back sharp enough she cried out once and then twice when she landed behind him with a flare of cushioning Aura and had to roll to rise steadily. The other sent a fist of Force power into the monster's stomach and legs, sweeping them and breaking bone in one powerful attack.

Spinning on his heel and igniting his sabers in the same moment, he sent his staff hissing through the air like a red buzzsaw, severing an arm as the monster slid to the side on wounded legs, trying to dodge and only managing to survive the attack. At least for a moment, before he recalled the weapon to him, and it melted through the monster on its path.

"Forgive me, I didn't check the rank of the Grimm before I attacked." He nodded, accepting the apology on its face, and she added in a more jovial tone, "But I would say that was an impressive start to the test. Would you not?"

"Test is just to get the Relics." He pointed out quietly, using the Force to clean his staff in a burst of fur, bone shards and ichor in a whump of pressure. Smiling, he offered a hand to her, "Though I do agree we did well… Shall I clean off your arm?"

"Hm?" She glanced to her sword hand and grimaced, noticing only now the same mess as had coated one side of his staff covering the top of her arm. "Ah, I see… A combat hazard of fighting the Grimm, I suppose."

Lost in the fight, she'd not notice, likely because it wasn't important at the time. Accepting his offer, she held her hand out and he took it, channeling the Force around her and between the mess of Grimm and her arm before hurling it up and to the side with a whump. Impressed, she turned her arm over in front of her and hummed, giving him a look and nod before he stepped past her.

"Now," he grunted, "which way to find the Relics, do you think?"

They ran into several small packs of Grimm like those, from Ursai and Beowolves to Creeps and even juvenile Nevermore swarms that tried to peck their eyes out. Nothing problematic came, though, and they made good time in their exploration as a result. From the early morning launch to noon, they walked, fought, snuck and sometimes even talked idly when it was safe to. It was enjoyable, if he was honest, just talking idly with someone that didn't dwell on what had happened to him, or ask about it, instead seeming to respect his privacy completely and not prying.

"So you're not Atlesian?" He finally asked, pushing a branch crossing their path out of the way gently, so as not to damage the leaves or the tree unduly.

"Ah, no." She laughed quietly, hand covering her mouth again as she ducked under his arm and the branch both. Watching the path forward and only raising her voice the fraction needed to compensate for him being behind her, she continued. "No, Jaune, I'm Mistralian, of the Nikos family line. A tournament fighter, over there."

"I would bet a pretty penny that you did fairly well." He guessed, the woman's emotions shifting for a moment, the ripples barely discernible but easily read when they were the only ones in the waters for him to feel. From calm and comfortable to tense and anxious for a moment, before snapping back to the former.

"I did fairly well, yes." She nodded simply, giving him a searching look over a shoulder and adding, "I came here for a… Change of pace, you could say. In Mistral, my names are known, my personal one and surname both. I hoped here would be different, and in most cases was disappointed. You, though, have not disappointed me. Thank you for that, even if it was unintended"

"I see." He could sympathize with the plight and decision, more than others maybe. Many looked at him and saw the story first, the power second, and Jaune somewhere else further down the line yet. Unsure now of what to say, he simply gestured ahead of them with an awkward wave that earned an amused smile, "Shall we?"

"We shall." She nodded, leading him now for her turn on point, shield ready to snap up at the barest hint of danger.

She certainly was an odd one, and he'd need to look her up later. Find out what was really going on with her, if he could manage it. A good distraction from Ozpin's strangeness, he decided, staff in hand as he followed her.

XxX----XxX----XxX

"I see ruins ahead, and people waiting there." He called out after another hour's journey, stopping at the edge of a wide, clear swathe of grass that stretched for at least a hundred yards from where he stood opposite the ruins, and twenty yards wide from the middle. Turning to look at the only mildly worn woman, he added with a wide, satisfied smile. "I believe we've finally found what we're looking for, Pyr."

"Then let's collect our relic, so we can head back." She suggested, stepping past him and out of the cool, ever-present shade they'd been under for their trek and into the warm sun of early afternoon. "It's been several hours. I wonder where everyone else is? We're missing several people…"

"Perhaps they came and left, or haven't come yet." He suggested, knowing for some the truth would be rather more unfortunate. The Mistralian must have too, for she fell silent and still, her emotions tinging the Force around her dark. Gently, he laid a hand on her shoulder and added, "Don't dwell on others you can't help. Focus on the now, and-"

"Nora!" He blinked, looking a couple feet past the woman who turned to follow his gaze, watching an Ursa limp weakly out of the trees and collapse, a woman rolling off its back and coming up in a 'T' shaped pose with a grin while another man rushed to catch up with her, panting, "Never. Again. Nora."

"I mean, it's broken, Renny. I can't ride a broken Ursa, can I?" He groaned and shook his head, and the woman glanced ahead of them. "Oh! The things!"

"Nora, don't- And she's gone again." The man sighed, straightened, and then gave them a nod before rushing off after her with an angry yell of, "Nora!"

"They seem... Energetic, to say the least." Pyrrha observed, her head tilted curiously as she lead him through the clearing.

"Hm." He nodded but followed silently, watching either side of the clearing as they walked towards the ruins in case any Grimm were attracted by the noise. Or the aggravation the blonde seemed to feel, judging by the literal explosion of fire that lit her up. Sensing movement high above he blinked and turned, looking up at the familiar presence, "Ruby Rose?"

For a moment, all he saw was the lazily circling Giant Nevermore - which Pyrrha saw too, giving up a warning cry for the others - before he saw the specks on it. Red and white, hanging onto it desperately like ticks on the side of a massive animal. Suddenly, something must have happened, for the red one slipped off and down, falling away rapidly. His eyes widened as he connected the dots and slammed his saber into its sheath, reaching out towards the girl with his hands and the Force both.

"Jaune, what are you-"

"Silence, please, I have to focus or she could die." She was spinning now, trying to control her fall with her scythe and failing for some reason. He felt shame from Pyrrha and chided himself, but could not do anything for it at the moment.

Instead, he took a breath and let the Force flow through him, reaching out to the spinning, flailing girl as panic set in. Thirty feet from the ground, he began to slow her descent, wary of stopping her and turning her insides into Ruby jam. Instead he slowed her steadily and repeatedly, until she finally, more gently, thumped on the ground with a huff and muted whine of bruises taken.

"Ow…" She rolled onto her side and blinked up at him, "Oh hi, Jaune."

"Hi, Ruby." He looked up at the circling Nevermore, kicking side to side haphazardly, and sighed. When he looked back to the girl, she was standing on wobbly legs and smiling sheepishly as he asked, "I suppose your partner is on the big, angry, Grimm bird?"

"M-Maybe..." His brow rose in disbelief and feigned judgement and she waved her hands in front of her anxiously, like she was trying to swat his concerns away. "Weiss just… Has to figure out a way down, like I did."

"You figured out nothing. If I had not caught you, you would have been a smear on the ground." He pointed out dryly, watching the bird continue circling and trying to toss the white-dressed girl off with every turn.

"B-But you did catch me!" She pointed out with a weak, nervous grin, pointing a finger at him like she'd caught him out. When he elected not to respond, instead simply crossing his arms, she nodded in victory and simply added, "She'll be fine."

"Or she'll fall, hoping I'll catch her like I caught you." He offered, watching the little white speck do exactly that, angling towards their cluster of bright colors like a target. Which, set against the unending greens of the forest, was a smart enough decision in the end, he supposed. "Son of a Grimm… Pyr, will you and Ruby collect our relic while I collect Ruby's partner?"

"I don't mind." She nodded, turning and leading the nervous little Rose towards the relic site.

Catching Weiss was merely an act of repetition, but one that he got halfway through before realizing the Nevermore wasn't distracted anymore. Now it didn't have a girl sized hijacker hanging onto it, its circling became more gentle, and its shrieks less annoyed and more predatory.

"Thank you, Jaune Arc, right?" The pale, small woman grunted when he caught her in his arms like a knight might a princess and knelt, letting her stand and dust herself off primly. He nodded and rose, opening his mouth to explain the situation, but she was already speaking again. "I read about your story in Atlas, a year back. You're impressively powerful, and strong willed to have-"

"The Nevermore is screeching for more Grimm, Weiss." He pointed out, pointing a finger towards the heavens and the circling creature with an exasperated sigh. The woman blinked and nodded, flushing slightly as she did. He chalked the mistake up to adrenaline, something Instructor had told him about a dozen times in training, and then moved on without comment. "We need to form up with the others, decide on a course of combat action ahead of the Grimm arriving."

"We should run, head for the extraction point." She argued quickly, turning and walking quickly with him towards the others, all of whom were watching the Nevermore overhead warily. "Killing the Grimm isn't our job, just getting the relics is."

"If we run, we have to fight in the forest." He pointed out simply, adding after a second to see if she would argue that, "And if too many come, a Bullhead will have difficulty landing on trees."

She didn't argue and, together, they walked as quickly as they could without draining their stamina to the others. Trying to make a plan would be arduous, with so many people he barely knew and so many weapons he didn't know at all. But Instructor had made him learn to plan on the spot, with what he had, and he wasn't about to fail his first live fire test. That would just be… Disappointing.

"Can any of you kill the Nevermore?" He asked as soon as they reached the grip, pointing up at it with a long finger. "Because it's calling Grimm to it right now, and in a minute it will start strafing us with feathers and they'll run into the clearing and see us."

"I can hit it, yeah." Ruby shrugged, the others exchanging glances with each other and the Grimm, circling high above and shrieking once again. "But at that range, even my armor piercing rounds won't punch through. I'm sorry."

"Shotguns and flares, too short range." The blonde woman said with a hand on a cocked hip, lavender eyes watching the Grimm detachedly. As if in after thought, she waved a hand between herself and the silent, dark-clothed woman just behind her and added, "I'm Yang, by the way. This here's Blakey, and she uses a pistol. So she won't be all that much help with it up there either."

"A grenade launcher and personal defence weapons." He noted, not even asking the other two about their ability to reach it. Those weapons wouldn't be able to do anything until it was grounded. "I know your names, Nora and Renny, right? I'm Jaune Arc."

"It's just-"

"Don't interrupt him, Renny. He's planning~" Nora grinned, wrapping one arm around her friend's shoulders and pulling him against her shoulder, here grenade launched held hanging towards the ground in one hand. "If you can get it down, I can smash it."

"Call me Ren, please." He said anyway, the girl pouting bubt not countermanding what he said.

"All right." He knew his partner's weapon couldn't do it either, and so he turned to Weiss who bowed her head in shame, hand tightening on her rapier as she forced out, "I am not suited for this. My Glyphs can support people, but I don't have anything that would help against a Giant Nevermore."

"I'll ground it when it comes in to attack, then." He said simply, turning without waiting for an argument to be made and looking up at where the Relics had been stored. "Weiss, you said that your Glyph ability could support people?"

"Yes."

"Ruby and Weiss, get up on the raised platform. Use the high ground advantage to support all sides of the fight." Her rifle would make quick work of Grimm coming in, and whatever Weiss could do to support them, it would make the fight easier and not spread out their formation too much. "Nora, you can deal a lot of damage? You mentioned smashing, so I'm assuming you're good in melee too?"

"Yep!" With a flick her handle slid back and elongated, a massive war hammer taking form, the heavy head thudding against the ground while the woman leaned a foot on it. Ren seemed to see his chance, and edged a bit away from her, closer to Blake beside Yang. Grinning, the exuberant ginger bragged, "I can smash just 'bout anything with my baby here."

"Pyrrha, you and her are our front line until I ground the Nevermore, and I'll join you then. You take center rank. Good?" The Mistralian nodded simply, understanding without a need for explanation why she'd be in their center line. "Yang, what can you do? You mentioned shotgun?"

"I'm a brawler, my gauntlets are chambered to fire red Dust flares for mid-range and buckshot for close." Almost as though to demonstrate, she slammed her fists forward in a pantomime of how he supposed she fought, bouncing on her feet and cocking the weapons like a shotgun. "Want me up in the front?"

"Yes, yes I do." She nodded and, finally, he turned to the last two. Blake and Ren exchanged looks, holding their weapons slightly to the side and turned so he could see them, in an effort to help him make the plan he guessed. "I'm assuming you two are more… Support fighters? Get in, deal damage, get away kind of situation?"

"Yes." They chorused, both quieter than any of the others. And both, he noted, reeked of a kind of calm that came from experience taking orders.

"Then take second line, in between Weiss and Ruby's and the front." Where they could intercept any Grimm that got through, but also flash into the fight to help wherever a problem arose. "Does anyone have any problem with what I have planned out? Any at all? Speak now, if you do, or-"

Overhead, the Nevermore shrieked, and he grimaced, sighing and finishing, "Speak now, because in a few minutes we won't have time for it."

No one voiced a complaint and, at his nod, they all began to file up the steps, Jaune leading the smallest women up to the platform and sitting to meditate. To focus his Semblance, he answered when Weiss asked what he was doing, and after that only silence and shrieking could be heard while he let himself drift in the ocean of the Force. They didn't have much time before he heard the Pyrrha call out.

"Feathers!" She warned, and true enough he opened his eyes and deflected one up and behind him, so the quill cast him in shade. A dark shadow passed over them as the Grimm made its pass and turned to circle around and come back.

Ahead of them, past the lined up initiates on the stairs, he heard the baying and roaring of Grimm. Not too many to count or discern, but enough that they would all have a hard fight ahead of them. With a small grin, he rolled his neck until it popped and stood, Force flowing down his arms.

"Let's do this, then…"