Ch 3

"Argh!!!!" Jaune Arc, the leader of team JNPR, charged at Cardin. Cardin of team Cardinal.

Cardin simply dodged Jaune's attack. He laughed at Jaune.

"Come on..." Jaune mumbled to himself. He charged at Cardin again. Cardin blocked it with his mace.

"This is the part where you lose." Cardin smirked.

"Over my dead—" Jaune got kicked in the stomach.

As Cardin was about to hit him with his mace the buzzer went off.

"Cardin, that's enough." Glynda interrupted their fight. "Students as you can see Mr. Arc's aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament style duel, this would indicate Jaune is no longer fit for battle and that the official may call the match."

"Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now please try to refer to your scroll during combat." Glynda said to Jaune. "Gauging your aura will help you to decide when it is appropriate to attack or when it's better to move to a more... defensive strategy. We wouldn't want you to be gobble up by a Beowolf, now would we?"

"Speak for yourself..." Cardin scoffed at Jaune before walking of stage.

"Remember everyone! The Vytal Festival is only a few months away it won't be long before students from other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale." Glynda ended with that.

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

"So there we were...in the middle of the night..." Nora of team JNPR said.

"It was day." Ren of team JNPR corrected Nora.

"We were surrounded by Ursa."

"They were Beowolves."

"DOZENS OF THEM!!"

"Two of'em..."

"But they were no match and in the end...Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!" Nora exclaimed.

"Ah...She's been having this reoccurring dream for nearly a month now..." Ren sighed in frustration.

"Well at least it wasn't real." Ray appeared next to them.

They all jumped. "When did you get here!?"

"I've been here since the beginning." Ray shrugged as she ate her food.

There was a long silence before Phhyra of team JNPR asked Jaune a question. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Jaune looked surprised at the sudden question. "Oh, Yeah! Why?"

"It's just that you seem a little...not okay..." Ruby said worriedly.

"Eh, guys, I'm fine...Seriously, look!" He laughed nervously giving them a thumbs up before looking over at Cardin. Cardin was picking on Velvet again.

"Jaune, Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school." Pyrrha exclaimed worriedly.

"Who? Cardin Win-" Jaune was interrupted by a loud boom.

The loud boom came over from where Cardin was. When they looked over at Cardin they gasped in surprise.

"When did Ray get over there?" Yang blinked. Weiss looked at the place Ray was and where she was before.

"Cardin Winchester, I thought i

I told you to back of my friends." Ray glared at Cardin.

He shivered in fear, paralyzed of speaking.

"Ray, it's okay!" Velvet managed to calm Ray down, but she still glared at Cardin.

"I don't give 3rd chances Cardin." Ray growled at Cardin. He gulped as he nodded.

Velvet grabbed Ray's hand and hurriedly walked/ran away from Cardin's team.

Ray sat down back at team JNPR AND RWBY's table. She had a grumpy face on. She turned to Jaune.

"Hey Jaune." Ray called out to the blonde knight.

"Huh? Yes!!?" Jaune exclaimed in surprise.

"If Cardin bothers you tell me. I'll kill him for you." Ray emitted a dark aura. Velvet chuckled nervously from

behind.

"KILL HIM!?!?!?!"

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

"Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, more popularly know as the Faunus War," Professor Obleck zoomed across the room.

"Human kind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagrie." He zoomed again taking a sip of his coffe.

Jaune could be seen snoring in the front of the class. Though most couldn't even keep up with Obleck. Ray just stared at the ceiling not even bother to follow along.

"Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events!" Obleck zoomed to the other side of the room.

"Why the repercussions of the uprising can be seen to this day!" Obleck pushed his glasses up. "Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of you Faunus heritage?"

A few students Faunus raised their hands, but from the corner of Fay's eyes she could see Velvet raise her. Which made Ray angry, but she controlled herself.

"Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember ,students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence!" Obleck exclaimed.

" I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to The White Fang!"

Ray could see Blake's bow twitch in the corner of her eyes. She smirked.

"Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year of the war?" Obleck zoomed over to the front.

Weiss's hand shot up.

"Yes!" Obleck gestured to Weiss.

"The battle at Fort Castle!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?" Obleck looked around the classroom.

Cardin flicked a paper at Jaune's head making him wake up. "Hey!"

"Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! excellent!" Obleck zoomed in front of Jaune. "What is the answer?"

"Uhhh... the answer...." Jaune panicked not knowing what to say. "The advantage...of the Faunus...had over that guy's stuff."

Pyrrha tried to make hand signs, she made googles trying to tell him the answer.

"Um, B-binoculars!!" Jaune stuttered. The students laughed at Jaune. Pyrrha face palmed herself. Cardin laughed, but he immediately shut up when Ray glared at him.

"Very funny, Mr. Arc. Cardin! Perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject!" Obleck sipped his coffee.

"Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier." Ray emitted a deadly aura.

"You're not the most open-minded of i individuals, are you, Cardin?" Pyrrha questioned aloud. Ray snickered.

"What? You got a problem?" Cardin questioned not even feeling the deadly aura from Ray.

"No, I have the answer!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark."

"General Lagune was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep." Blake added to Phhyra's answer.

"His massive army was outmatched, and the General was captured. Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure." The last part pointed at Cardin.

Cardin got ready to get up and charge at Blake. But Obleck stopped him. "Mr. Winchester! Please take your seat."

Cardin clicked his tongue has he sat back down. Ray smirked at Cardin. Although he couldn't see it since she was in the back.

But he could see Jaune laughing in the front including Obleck saw. "You and Mr. Arc can both see me after class for additional readings." Jaune groaned.

"Now! Moving on!"

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

Later that Night

Ray was going out for some fresh air when she sat Jaune and Pyrrha talking on the roof. She instinctively hid.

"Pyrrha, I know that I'm going through a hard time right now, but I'm not...THAT depressed." Jaune said. "I can always be a farmer or something.."

"N-no!!" Pyrrha stuttered her face tinted very slightly red. "That's not why I brought you up here! Jaune, I know you're having a difficult time in class. And that you're still not the strongest of fighters, so..."

"I want to help you!!" Pyrrha exclaimed.

'Oh, so Pyrrha Nikkos has a crush on Mr. Arc.' Ray thought with a smirk on her face.

"W-what?" Jaune stuttered surprised.

"We can train up here after class where no one bothers us!" Pyrrha exclaimed.

"You think I need help?"

"N-no! That's not what I meant." Pyrrha stuttered trying to explain.

"But you just said it." Ray faced palmed herself at Jaune's stupidity.

"Jaune, everybody needs a little push from tie to time." Pyrrha voice softened. "It doesn't make you any different from the rest of us. You made it to Beacon, that speaks volumes of the hat you're capable of!"

"You're wron-" Ray intercepted their conversation the second she heard those words come out.

"I have to disagree with that, Jaune." They turned around to see Ray.

"Ray..." Jaune mumbled.

"I'm sorry to eves drop. But allow me to say something." Ray paused. "Everyone needs a little push at the beginning or when they are stuck, Jaune. Even me and I'm sure Pyrrha too."

Jaune looked down at the ground. "I don't belong in Beacon."

"Jaune!!"

"I wasn't really accepted into Beacon." Jaune confessed.

"W-what do you mean!?" Pyrrha exclaimed.

"I mean, I didn't go to Combat School! I didn't pass any tests! I didn't earn my spot at this Academy! I lied! I got my hands on some fake transcripts and I lied." Jaune ranted on.

"What? But, wh-" Pyrrha's questions for interrupted by Ray's snort. They turned to her to see her on the ground laughing.

"Huh?" Jaune blinked at Ray's state.

"Sorry, sorry." Ray calmed her laughter down. "...so you really think that you don't belong in Beacon."

"I lied! Of course not!!"

Ray sighed. "Jaune, Ozpin's an asshole."

"...what does tha-" Jaune tried to ask.

"Ok, that has nothing to do with this but anyways..." Ray paused for a minute to pick her words. "This is Ozpin we're talking about here. Do you really think he wouldn't know?"

This question made them all freeze. "He wouldn't allow someone he finds not capable into this school, called Beacon. I mean he even let Ruby in and she's 2 years younger than you."

"Now tell me, did you really think he let you in without knowing?" Jaune didn't speak. "Anyways I need to get back, see you around!"

"Huh!? Hey wait! What do you mean that he knows!?" Jaune called out to Ray.

Ray turned around and looked at Jaune like he was dumb. "I mean this is Ozpin we're talking about."