Untitled 004 - Incomplete Story

Everyone was staring.

That was to be expected. Jaune was new blood; how often did the academies get new students midway through a semester? Not only that but he wasn’t just another huntress-in-training. He was a boy; a young man. He was one of only a few men on campus capable of using aura. It meant that he stood out like a sore thumb. The fact that he was assigned to a first year squad made it even more newsworthy, if it were possible. It didn’t take long for the entire school to know of his attendance.

He was surrounded by a sea of beautiful, fit women – and every single one of them was looking his way.

Now completely awake, Yang walked with an arrogant swagger by his side. She met their curious looks with a challenging one of her own, daring them to make a move. A number of them looked keen on taking her up on it, only to be talked down by their more sensible teammates. Weiss just shook her head like a disappointed older sister, yet that didn’t stop her from preening beneath their envious looks. Head held high, she walked as if she owned the very ground upon which they walked.

As much as the pair liked to argue and butt heads, Jaune thought they were more alike than they were willing to admit.

“You’ve certainly made a splash,” Blake said with amusement, bumping his shoulder with her own. Her smile was sly. “Don’t let your guard down. These girls won’t hesitate to make a move if they think they’ll get away with it.”

Jaune did his best to not meet any of their eyes, keeping focused on the back of Ruby’s head as she skipped ahead of them, leading the way with an obliviousness that was endearing. He felt like a piece of meat being paraded in front of a pride of lions. Not an unusual feeling, not with the way men were treated in the wider world – but these women were training to fight Grimm, and thus were at the top of the ladder; the queens of their world. Even if many of the women in the world had aura and rudimentary training, huntresses were a different breed. They weren’t the type of women to not get what they wanted.

Blake was right. He needed to be careful.

When they entered the amphitheater, heads turned to watch them as they took their seats. He was seated between Weiss and Blake, with Yang and Ruby seated on the other side of their partners. Eyes lingered on them and whispers broke out, some even going so far as to point. Jaune did his best to ignore all the attention, playing with his scroll and going through all the information the school had provided.

Even so, he kept an eye on his surroundings.

“Did you see all those thirsty bitches?” Yang combed her fingers through her long gorgeous hair, the strands sliding through her hands like silk. “If they think just because we are first years that they can mess with our man, they’ve got another thing coming.”

“If they worked harder at their studies and become stronger, then maybe the school would have assigned Jaune to them. They can ‘thirst’ all they want and grovel in the dirt for all I care.” Weiss said ruthlessly. “He is a sign that we are greater than them. They should learn their place.”

His team was quite possessive of him already, even though they had known him for only a short time. He couldn’t say that he disliked it.

“They wouldn’t dare try anything if he was on Pyrrha’s team,” Ruby said gloomily, showing that perhaps she wasn’t so oblivious after all. Jaune perked up at the familiar name.

“Pyrrha?” he asked.

Blake was the one that answered, “Pyrrha Nikos. She is a member of Team JNPR.”

“...and now that I look around, who seem to be missing,” Weiss said in surprise, glancing around at her classmates. Yang and Blake also looked around, searching for the subject of their conversation.

“You’re right,” Blake said after a moment, perplexed. “They are usually the first ones here. Where do you suppose they are?”

Jaune also looked around but he wasn’t looking for Pyrrha Nikos. Eyes scanning the various teams of girls seated around them, he was unable to find who he was looking for.

“Jaune?” Ruby asked. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he said, giving her a quick smile to reassure her. “I’m fine.”

Everyone quieted down as the sound of heels thundered around the room as Glynda Goodwitch appeared on stage, commanding their attention effortlessly. Her stern eyes surveyed her gathered students, briefing pausing on him before moving on.

“Good morning,” she greeted them, voice strong. It carried effortlessly. “As you are no doubt aware by now, we have a new student with us today,” she gestured his way. “Please allow me to introduce him. Jaune Arc, please rise.”

Jaune stood. The intensity of their looks was much greater than before now that he was being singled out, on full display for all of them to see. The whispers were louder, as well.

“He will be joining us from today onwards and has been assigned to Team RWBY as their supporter,” Goodwitch continued. “He is to be afforded all the courtesies of a student of this prestigious academy. Please welcome him.”

“Welcome to Beacon,” the entire class intoned.

“And as you may have noticed, he is the twin brother of Joan Arc,” Ruby, Blake, Weiss and Yang gave him startled looks. “Which leads me to the next point; Team JNPR’s absence is noted and accounted for. They will be exempt from classes for the foreseeable future as they take on a mission for the academy and will return once their task is complete. They were requested specifically by the client.”

Chatter erupted all around him, no longer contained to whispers.

“Joan’s brother,” some girl squealed down in the front row, craning her neck to stare at him unabashedly.

“Damn – we’re only in our first year and Team JNPR is already being scouted by clients,” he heard another say. “They really are something else.”

“I don’t care if he is Joan’s brother, I’m going to gobble him up,” a rather brazen girl a few seats back promised her team.

Weiss seized his wrist and pulled him back down into his seat.

“You didn’t tell us you were Joan’s brother,” she hissed in his ear.

Jaune had honestly forgotten to mention it, though he was surprised they hadn’t pieced it together after hearing his name.

“Joan never said anything about her brother having aura, either,” Yang mused.

“She doesn’t know,” he said. “Um – she didn’t even know I was coming here. It was meant to be a surprise.”

Blake made a sound of understanding. “Ah – you only unlocked your aura very recently.”

Jaune nodded. “She was already at Beacon when it happened and my parents thought it best not to worry her about the attack. It would only upset her and distract her from her studies. I was hoping to surprise her but I guess she isn’t even here.”

“Hm,” Ruby inspected him closely, leaning in around Weiss. “You really do look like her. No wonder you’re so handsome.”

He was her twin, after all. They had the same crystal blue eyes and the same blonde hair, though while his was messy and short, her hair flowed down her back like a golden sheet of impeccable silk.

“Joan is a beautiful young woman,” Weiss agreed. “It is no surprise that her brother is just as attractive. Excellent. Our families are just as compatible as we are.”

“Slow down, girl,” Yang said in amusement. “Beacon first, wedding later, okay?”

A loud crack cut through the voices and at once, everyone stopped what they were doing and faced forward. Jaune blinked, staring at the leather riding crop Professor Goodwitch held in hand. That was an unusual tool for a classroom.

“That is enough,” she said coolly. “Now then – as we have a new student with us, I thought we could show him just why Beacon Academy is considered the premier huntress school in the world. Do I have any volunteers?”

Yang’s hand nearly flew through the roof, she raised it that fast.

“Yang Xiao Long,” Goodwitch pointed to her with her riding crop. “Go get changed – and your opponent will be Sky Lark,” she then pointed at a tall girl with long dark blue hair. “We will be waiting.”

“Hell yeah,” Yang pumped her fist. “You better watch closely, Jaune. You are about to see the best Beacon has to offer.”

Weiss scoffed but much to his surprise, she didn’t say anything as Yang sauntered off to get ready for her bout. Sky took a moment to observe their interaction before rolling her eyes, stomping off after Yang.

“What was that about?”

“Sky and Yang have a bit of a thing going on,” Ruby gave him a look that only a little sister could achieve, telling him that she thought the whole thing was stupid. “Some guy that Sky liked was more interested in Yang. It caused a whole scene.”

“It was your sister’s fault,” Weiss chimed in. “Once she started waving that chest of hers under the poor boys nose, what else was meant to happen? Men are a slave to their base instincts. When a stronger, more apt mate comes along, they can do nothing more than submit – isn’t that so?”

That is what a lot of women liked to believe. It wasn’t that far off the truth, either. Men didn’t have aura. They didn’t have the luxury of choice, a lot of the time. If some guy had Yang coming for them, what else could he do but give in?

“Sky called her some rather unsavory things first,” Blake explained to him. “Yang gets a lot of attention because of how she acts, so a lot of the girls here can get pretty jealous. So Yang decided that since Sky was calling her a slut, she was going to snatch away any man Sky had her sights on. It was... messy.”

“Yang was being a bitch,” Weiss said ruthlessly. “But Sky deserved it after the things she said about her; serves her right for talking down to her betters.”

“What happened to the guy?” Jaune asked, curious and a little concerned.

Ruby shrugged. “He was kinda confused about the whole thing. He didn’t even know Sky liked him and just thought Yang was coming onto him. I felt bad for him -- so did Yang, afterwards, so she took him out on a date to make up for it. She made sure to tell him it was just as friends so he wouldn’t, like – fall in love with her or anything, but it didn’t work.”

Jaune couldn’t blame the guy. Yang was a total bombshell; she was beautiful, had an amazing hourglass figure and a bright, outgoing personality. She was also a huntress-in-training. What wasn’t there to love? Especially to someone who more than likely would get paired off without a choice.

“Sky hasn’t forgiven her,” Blake continued. “You can bet this spar is going to be a lot more than just a friendly fight for her.”

When they returned, Sky and Yang couldn’t have been any more different. While Yang walked with a carefree air about her, smiling and giving them a little wave when she spotted them, Sky was all business, clutching her halberd in a white knuckled grip. She was dressed in a simple set of steel armor, her boots thudding audibly as she stomped up onto stage. In comparison, Yang looked underdressed in her small pair of black spandex shorts, tan jacket and yellow crop top. Around her wrists were a set of golden yellow gauntlets while her hands were covered in black fingerless gloves.

This was the first time he was going to see one of his teammates fight. Excitement bubbled up and it mirrored the atmosphere of the rest of the class, everyone leaning forward in their seats as Yang and Sky took their places on either side of the stage. Above their heads, a holographic screen lit up with both of their names. Underneath their names was a bar, measuring their aura.

“The fight ends when one of the combatants falls into the yellow,” Professor Goodwitch announced, though Jaune thought it was for his benefit alone. Everyone else knew the drill. “No ring out. Obey my commands at all times, do I make myself clear?”

“Sure thing, teach~!” Yang gave a thumbs up.

Sky nodded, glaring across at her opponent.

Goodwitch held up her arm.

“Three, two, one,” she brought her arm down swiftly. “Begin.”

Sky wasted no time, exploding from her spot in a furious charge. The tall girl moved much faster than Jaune was expecting, covering the distance within the blink of an eye. She wielded her halberd with great skill, twirling the weapon before bringing it around in a vicious slash. It looked like her swift attack was going to hit but then it passed over Yang’s head as she ducked effortlessly, her gauntlets mecha-shifting to cover her fists as she countered with a picture perfect hook to the body, her hips and legs generating pure power as her body snapped up from her crouch.

A picture perfect punch, executed flawlessly – if only it connected.

Sky used the momentum of her swing and spun around Yang’s fist, sparks flying as her covered knuckles scraped around Sky’s armored torso. Adjusting her grip upon her weapon, Sky brought it back in a reverse strike, attempting to smash Yang in the side of her head with the blunt end of the shaft. It was a punishing blow, a clear knockout strike if it landed, yet Yang avoided it get again. Jaune watched in amazement as Yang moved her head aside at the last moment, the attack sailing by her face by the barest of margins.

“Got ya~!” Yang shouted in triumph, leaning back and planting her hand on the stage. In an impressive feat of dexterity, she balanced on her hand and brought her leg up and around in a furious, arcing kick. It slammed into Sky’s forehead and snapped her head back from the force, sending the taller girl sprawling. Yang continued over and flipped onto her feet, looking very pleased with herself.

To her credit, Sky kept hold of her weapon but she was clearly dazed. She floundered to regain her footing and Yang was on her in an instant, a flurry of punches slamming into her. Sky reeled under the assault but managed to parry a few before returning fire with short, quick slashes that forced Yang to retreat.

“Still got some fight left in ya, huh?” Yang swiped her nose with her thumb, grinning cockily. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Sky didn’t say a word, simply resetting her stance before charging once more. This time she was more cautious, prodding at Yang’s defenses in search of an opening. Steel clanged against steel as Yang blocked one of her strikes, hand darting down to curl around the shaft. Caught in her hold, Yang launched a kick at Sky’s midsection. The only way she could avoid the blow was to release her weapon, though it would mean losing it.

Instead, the tall girl tanked the kick, grunting as Yang’s shin slammed into her side, the force blunted by armor and aura. Before her leg could retreat, however, Sky wrapped one of her arms around it, trapping it to her side and locking Yang in a compromised position. Lilac eyes widened as Sky launched a kick of her own, a low strike aimed at her weight baring knee that destroyed her stability as it connected. Yang yelped as she fell, golden yellow aura flaring as she slammed into the ground.

Sky wasted little time, still holding Yang’s leg as she brought her foot up with the intention of stomping her face. Jaune tensed, almost leaping to his feet in alarm but his worry was for naught. Gauntlets shifting, Sky gave a startled scream as she was blasted back by dual shotgun blasts point blank, aura sizzling. Yang kipped up and chased after her, eyes serious, showing none of the playfulness of earlier.

“Go Yaaaaang~!” Ruby cheered wildly, jumping up and down in her seat. “Come on, Jaune~! Cheer for Yang!”

She wasn’t the only one cheering. Several others were cheering for the blonde, while many more were shouting their support for Sky. The majority were simply clapping and yelling encouragement for neither girl, caught up in the atmosphere of the fight and baying for blood. Jaune felt like he was at some type of sports event. It must have been a common occurance since Professor Goodwitch looked unfazed, allowing the hooting and hollering with a neutral expression.

“Er – go Yang?” he said weakly. Ruby pouted.

“Louder! Come on – like this! Go Yaaaaang~! Woo~!”

Jaune cleared his throat.

“Come on Yang,” he said louder. “Come on! You can do it, Yang!”

His voice was drowned out by the rest of his classmates but somehow, she must have heard him. Shooting him a wink, she pounded her opponent with relentless, punishing strikes that left Sky little room to counter. Whenever she tried to press any sort of attack, Yang confidently met it with even more powerful, bone rattling punches. Large chunks of Sky’s aura was blasted away with every hit, her face twisting into a snarl as she fought against inevitable defeat. Desperation drove her to eat a solid straight right to the jaw, releasing her weapon and attempting to grapple Yang and not allow her to regain distance. Clawing fingers latched onto her jacket and refused to let go, reeling Yang in.

Yang tried to shake her off but she was caught off guard by the sudden move, not expecting the girl to take a potential knockout shot to grab hold of her. One of Sky’s arms wrapped around her head and grabbed a fistful of her long, blonde hair, wrenching her head back roughly. Yang gave a shout of pain before flinching, Sky rearing back and driving her forehead straight into Yang’s face. Aura protected her from most of the damage but the blow was strong.

His team looked unconcerned, though.

“She shouldn’t have done that,” Blake warned.

“This is over,” Weiss said grimly.

“What?” Jaune asked.

“Never pull Yang’s hair,” Ruby explained, cringing.

The next Jaune saw her eyes they were no longer the pretty lilac he had come to expect but a furious blood red. As Sky reared back for another head butt, Yang’s knee shot up and smashed into her crotch. She may not have been a guy and didn’t have balls but even to a girl, getting hit between the legs was a horrible thing. Sky shrieked in pain as she was lifted off the ground, her hold slackening for an instant and that was all Yang needed. The blue haired girls head snapped back as her jaw was rocked by ferocious uppercut, followed by an equally brutal hook to the body.

Sky crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath as Yang advanced but before she could press the attack, she froze in place.

“That is enough,” Goodwitch intoned, riding crop pointed at Yang’s back. The blonde struggled briefly before locking up as a purple haze descended around her. “Calm down or I will put you down, is that clear?”

“What’s that?” Jaune asked as the excitement of the crowd was doused thoroughly.

“Her semblance,” Weiss answered. “Telekinesis.”

The fury in Yang’s eyes took several long moments to abate but when it did, Goodwitch released her from her grasp. Yang stumbled before turning to face their professor, bowing in apology.

“Sky Lark is in the yellow,” their teacher announced. “The winner of this bout is Yang Xiao Long.”

Everyone clapped politely and Yang grinned, waving to the class. Sky rose to her feet on shaky legs, bending over to retrieve her weapon. Scowling, she slammed the end into the floor before turning away and stomping off. Jaune doubted that this was the end of it.

“Undignified in defeat,” Weiss sniffed. “As expected of a low class sow.”

“Weiss,” Ruby groaned. “Don’t be so mean.”

“Anger can motivate us,” Goodwitch addressed the class as a whole, allowing Yang to step off stage. “If correctly utilized, it can push ones self to even greater heights – but anger can also blind us, and swiftly bring about our downfall. It is a double-edged sword – and walking that edge requires discipline. Sky’s greatest strength is her reach advantage, and yet she continued in attempting to fight in close quarters because her anger clouded her judgment. Yang Xiao Long used her anger to great effect to end the fight but as you saw, she was completely consumed by it. A stronger opponent would use that single mindedness against her if given the chance.”

Her words were direct and to the point, without a hint of reprimand or disappointment, yet Yang wilted under the matter-of-fact criticism. Even though she had won the fight, their professor was taking the time to teach them a lesson.

“Now then – who wishes to go next?”

Ruby waved her arm frantically. “Me! Me!”

“Ruby Rose – and your opponent will be Claret,” a girl with red-tinted feathers woven through her platinum blonde hair stood a few rows down; some type of bird faunus. “Get changed and return immediately.”

“Good luck,” Jaune said. Ruby beamed at him happily.

“Cheer for me, okay?”

While Ruby ventured off to get ready, Yang returned in her school uniform. She plopped down in her chair and shot him a saucy grin, throwing an arm around Blake’s shoulders. The cat faunus leaned away from her partner the best she could but couldn’t escape entirely.

“You stink,” Blake complained.

“Do not,” Yang scoffed. “I heard you cheering for me. Did I put on a good show for ya?”

“You did,” he nodded. “You looked really strong.”

Jaune had seen huntresses fight before, having grown up with seven sisters, all in various stages of development. He felt like he had a pretty good gauge on the general strength of the average huntress. While Yang hadn’t shown him the full extent of her ability, the clear gulf between her and Sky, another Beacon student, was large enough to give him an idea of just how good Yang was.

She was just as good as Joan, maybe better – though not as strong as his eldest sister, Saphron.

Yang basked in his praise. “I did, didn’t I? Tell me more.”

Jaune laughed. “You looked very intense when she grabbed your hair and your eyes turned red. What was that, anyway?”

“Her barbaric semblance,” Weiss chimed in. “A dreadfully inelegant ability.”

“Oh shut up,” Yang rolled her eyes. “I get stronger the more I get hit – like I absorb the kinetic energy or something, then I can release it back on my opponent. So when I kneed that cunt in the cunt, it was my strength plus the force of her head butt with a little something extra. That’s one way to clam jam somebody, huh?”

Blake snorted.

“See what I mean, Jaune?” Weiss shook her head. “Barbaric.”

“Not all of us have prissy rich girl semblances,” Yang ribbed back.

“You mean elegant and refined?” Weiss replied haughtily. “Yes, I know.”

“What does your semblance do?” Jaune asked Blake as the pair of girls went through their routine bickering. That was something he was beginning to understand, one day into his time with his new team. Yang and Weiss would argue, no matter what – but they were still friends.

“I make clones of myself,” Blake grinned at his interested look.

“That sounds really cool,” he admitted.

“Like the idea of having more than one of me?” Blake arched an eyebrow suggestively. “They aren’t illusions but they aren’t quite solid copies either. It is hard to explain. You can touch them but they feel different from a regular person. I can also infuse them with dust to make them take on different effects. Fire dust explodes, ice can freeze an opponent if they break it, rock becomes solid like a statue – things like that.”

Jaune knew a little about semblances but didn’t realize that some could be utilized with dust in such a way.

“That sounds handy.”

When Ruby returned, she skipped her way up onto the stage with a smile, Claret following a minute later. The resulting fight was even more one sided than what had taken place between Yang and Sky. While Claret was clearly skilled with her firearm and even showed impressive reflexes, Ruby was just too fast. Jaune watched in amazement as Ruby scattered into a multitude of rose petals, resembling nothing but a red streak as she sped around her opponent.

Claret just couldn’t hit her.

“Come on, sis!” Yang hollered.

“Go Ruby!” Jaune followed up, clapping his hands. Blake had somehow materialized a flag and was waving it above head in support of her leader.

Crescent Rose was deadly effective, the scythe peeling away Claret’s aura in great big swaths. Claret really did try her best, even avoiding several cleaving swipes as she tumbled across the ground and laid down suppressing fire but Ruby just darted around it and slammed into the girl again and again until she couldn’t stand any longer, the final blow sending her rag dolling through the air.

“The winner of his bout is Ruby Rose,” Goodwitch announced.

Several more fights followed, each one filled with excitement. Jaune took it all in with hungry eyes, trying to remember as much as he could. After each bout, Professor Goodwitch imparted what advice she deemed appropriate and he did his best to absorb all of her words, knowing that he would need every ounce of help he could get. Jaune knew he could handle himself decently well because of the attention his sisters had paid him but he wasn’t on the level of a huntress-in-training. He’d known that already because of his sisters but seeing it in action only highlighted how much work he needed to do to catch up.

It was going to be tough – but Jaune welcomed the challenge.

After Combat Class, they had History with a woman called Professor Oobleck. Doctor Oobleck, actually – something she liked to remind her class of every time someone called her Professor instead. She talked so fast that Jaune often had trouble keeping up, though Weiss was nice enough to allow him to view her notes. How the white haired girl understood what was being said, he didn’t know. She also sped around the room in a caffeine induced high, a blur not dissimilar to Ruby when using her semblance.

Today they were learning about the Great War.

“Mantle abolished the arts and repressed self-expression, all in an effort to curb the Grimm. The event that triggered such extreme measures was the Great Grimm Incursion of 15BW, of which the Kingdom of Mantle suffered massive casualties. It stands as the biggest recorded mass Grimm attack in history. Many believed that its closest ally – Mistral – would object to such measures as they were, far and away, the central power on Remnant when it came to the arts. Dance, music, literature, theater – there was no denying that they were at the forefront of each. However, their trade alliance with Mantle was prosperous, Mantle’s knowledge in settling the harsh northern shores of Anima invaluable – and so, much to the surprise of the other kingdoms, Mistral adopted many of the restrictions Mantle had placed upon its own citizens.”

Oobleck took that moment to sip from her thermos, eyes darting rapidly around the room to ensure everyone was paying attention. Her braid whipped around and nearly smacked her on the nose as she darted across the room, emphatically pointing at a map of Anima. Her finger thumped against the board, loud and clear in the silent classroom.

“Though Mistral applied Mantle’s harsh restrictions, they weren’t applied equally. Only Mistral’s outer territories suffered under these new laws – its central power was unaffected, the seat of their noble elite. While they continued to indulge in human creativity and enlightenment, the common man was reduced to nothing more than a slave. The Kingdom of Vale disliked this new practice and it strained relations between the two kingdoms. No one at the time knew that these were the early signs of war – it wasn’t until Vale and Mistral attempted to settle islands and land between the continents of Sanus and Anima that conflicted erupted between these two nations.”

Jaune knew that his great-great grandfather had fought in many battles during the war, and he had done so wielding Crocea Mors, the very sword he was now using to become a huntsman. Back then, men were still largely capable of using aura. Everyone knew of Vale’s Warrior King, the man many credited for ending the war once and for all. It was the last major conflict fought primarily by men. By the time that the Faunus Rights Revolution rolled around, the amount of men capable of using aura had dropped drastically – fewer than half of Remnant’s males had their aura unlocked. It had only gotten worse since.

Jaune wasn’t a history buff that this was a subject that he had thoroughly investigated. Society as a whole shifted as a result until they arrived at the current day; where men were considered second-class for the most part.

After History was Grimm Studies, a subject that Jaune knew almost nothing about. His only experience with the Grimm were the ones that attacked his village so everything was brand new. Professor Port was easier to understand compared to Doctor Oobleck, but the rotund woman liked to ramble and often got off topic. Unlike the previous two classes, however – she wasn’t content to just let him set and learn.

“Mr. Arc,” she boomed after finishing a rather long winded story about a Beowolf that had snuck into her pantry. “It is an honor to have you with us. It isn’t often that I get to teach a future huntsman! Indeed – I can count the number of huntsman that have passed through my classes on these two hands of mine. Come, come! Retrieve your weapon and show us what you’ve learnt today.”

Nervous energy settled in his stomach as he went to gather his things. Ruby shot him a reassuring smile and it helped, if only a little. When he returned with his sword strapped to his belt, Port waved him over. While he was gone, a large crate had been wheeled into the room. It rattled as something within snarled and shrieked, and he couldn’t help but hesitate a step before forcing his legs to move.

“Excellent!” Port wrapped an arm around his shoulders and reeled him in, mashing his head against the side of her ample breasts. “Now then – Mr. Arc, I know that your experience with Grimm may be limited, but I believe in learning by doing! There is no better way to learn how to slay Grimm than to slay Grimm!”

Every pair of eyes in the room was focused solely on him. They’d been staring all day but now there was more than mere idle curiosity in their gazes. Anticipation filled the air and Jaune knew that he was being tested, in more ways than one. If he were to fail here, he would be judged. Not only that, his team would be judged. He couldn’t let them down.

Jaune took up a position across from the rattling crate and unsheathed his blade. The rasp of steel cut through the excited whispering and silenced them.

“Go Jaune!” Ruby shouted, waving excitedly from her chair.

“Kick its ass!” Yang added, pounding her fist on her desk.

Blake and Weiss didn’t cheer but they both nodded at him in encouragement. Taking a deep breath to calm his rapidly beating heart, he signaled the Professor to begin. Professor Port hefted her weapon – an axe-blunderbuss hybrid – and cleaved the thick lock off the crate effortlessly. The Grimm burst free in an instant, white tusks gleaming dangerously. Four red eyes burned with malice as it spotted him.

He had never seen this type of Grimm before. It was no Beowolf, nor was it an Ursa.

“A Boarbatusk!” Port announced heartily. “How will you deal with this menace, Mr. Arc?”

Jaune supposed it did look like a boar with its cloven-feet, snub snout and tusks. Its face was covered in a bone white mask while a series of white plates ran along its back and thighs. It was stout and sturdy, shorter than a Beowolf but with much more mass. Muscles rippled beneath coarse black fur as it stomped the ground, posturing aggressively. While it was heavily protected by its thick plating, Jaune noticed that its underside was free of any armor.

“Attack its belly!” Ruby screamed between cupped hands.

Jaune laughed. He’d already been thinking along those lines but it was easier said than done.

His laugh was the trigger. The Boarbatusk shrieked, charging furiously as it lowered its head. It was much faster than its bulky frame would suggest, crossing the distance quickly. Getting hit would spell bad news, so Jaune rolled away as it attempted to gore him. Regaining his feet, he deployed his shield and held it at the ready. The Grimm almost slammed into the wall but was able to pull up at the last possible moment, turning to face him with an angry snort.

Then it charged once more.

This time Jaune didn’t move, bracing his body for impact. The face of his shield screamed as thick bone impacted the surface, his muscles screaming as he was rocked by the force of its charge. His shoes slid against the floor until braced his legs, bending his knees and strengthening his frame with aura. Gritting his teeth, he pushed back with all his strength, angling his shield so it slid beneath its chin. With a roar of exertion, he lifted the Grimm up off the floor until only its back legs remain grounded.

“Stab it now!” Weiss screamed.

The Boarbatusk flailed in an attempt to get off his shield but it was too late. Crocea Mors was a silver flash as he buried it through its chest. It screamed in rage and pain as steel pieced skin and flesh, rending muscle and organs until the tip erupted from its back with a spray of dark blood. Twisting the blade to tear its inside apart, he wrenched it free and with a grunt, pushed the Grimm aside. It collapsed to the ground with a crash, spasming weakly as blood poured from the horrible wound.

It was all over in a matter of moments.

“Bravo!” Professor Port clapped and the rest of the class followed her lead, raining down congratulations. Jaune barely heard it, blood roaring in his ears as his heart pounded, almost jumping up into his throat. His hands shook slightly and he clenched his hands to stop it, taking deep, steadying breaths.

He’d done it. It wasn’t the first Grimm he had ever killed, but it was the first since he had unlocked his aura. He wouldn’t have been able to lift the Grimm like that before. He wouldn’t have had the strength for it. The difference in his physical capabilities was clear as day, just from that simple act alone.

Even so, the fight had been shockingly short.

Get cheering on by a class full of pretty girls was nice, though. It was really nice.

“Thank you for the demonstration, Mr. Arc,” Professor Port gave him a kindly smile. “Most impressive, young man. I hope everyone was paying attention! It is the simplest strategies that are often the most effective. He identified its weakness – with the help of Ms. Rose, of course – and acted accordingly to expose it, and then struck decisively. Why, Ms. Schnee – I have never heard you scream so passionately before! I am happy to see that you are taking your duties toward your support so seriously.”

Weiss was blushing furiously as she glared at their teacher, though she didn’t look too displeased about being called out on her unusual behavior. At least, it was unusual for those not on her team. Only they knew the truth of it.

“Please – take your seat. Now then! The mighty Boarbatusk, as you saw, favors powerful charges and attacking with its curved tusks,” the lesson continued as Jaune took his seat, receiving a solid slap on the back from Yang.

All in all, Jaune thought his first day at Beacon was as great as he had always hoped.