A.N.: well, Here I am again! Ser Arc is basically my practice fic, so that I can learn writing by trial and error. Here's another try, which I hope you will like. I will keep updating this until my style meets the standards,after which I will start work on a serious fic.

My other "works" have been small ficlets that are styled as crossover battles. Very soon...I will learn to write stories!

Please leave all advice, criticism, and complaints at the reviews. I'll take tips from whoever will give some

In it's thousands of years, Remnant has seen countless civilizations fall and rise, and fall again. Some fall to war, some to famine, drought and conflict, but most are lost to the Grimm. However, even in this harsh and cruel world, four kingdoms have survived the test of time. They are, Vale, Vacuo, Atlas and Mistral.

These four kingdoms have survived due to many protections, both natural and manmade. Mistral jas it's vast, uncountable populace for armies and industry spread along the largest territory for any kingdom, making it difficult for an losses to faze them. Vacuo has hardened tribal armies and inhospitable lands. Vale has it's Huntsman armies, larger than any in the world, along with mountain ranges and water bodies. And finally, Atlas's robotic armies, technology, and inexhaustible Dust mines, all protected by cold, lifeless mountains and frozen lands. As they were, they could have loved in peace and prosperity for centuries without a need to fear the Grimm.

But like all men, they had conflict and differences. The greatest of which was the Great War of eighty years ago, fought between Vacuo and Vale on one side and Mistral and Atlas, then Mantle, on the other. It was a clash between the vast armies Mantle and Mistral could field, against the Knights of Vale and the tribes of Vacuo. The war raged without end for five years of bloodshed and destruction, spawning Grimm that took any lands left unprotected. With their kings waging a war that would lead to inevitable destruction for all, humanity seems destined for destruction, as great and terrible Grimm laid waste to all they could. But when all seemed lost, the Warrior-King of Vale himself took to the field. With just a sword and a scepter in his hands, he laid waste to entire armies, causing massive storms and untold destruction to his ally, Vacuo. His seven greatest Knights, the Seven Seats, meanwhile traveled the world, saving friend and foe alike from the Grimm, as they each became humanity's greatest lights of hope.

Within no time, the other three kingdoms were so terrified by his power, and their people unwilling to face the heroes that had done so much for them, that they offered him their thrones along with their surrender.

He accepted.

But rather than solidify his power, he instead used it to create a Parliament of the kingdoms, based in Vale. It would take an equal number of representatives from all four kingdoms and rule Remnant harmoniously.

To ensure that humanity would never suffer from the lack of troops to hold off the Grimm as during the war, Huntsman Academies were established, training elite warriors for the task of battling the Grimm to protect humanity. One each in the four kingdoms, presided by a Headmaster who was beyond the law of the Kingdoms, just like the Huntsmen, who were under no obligations to obey any law as long as they fought the Grimm and protected the Kingdoms and humanity.

Along with the newly established Knights, these defences could ensure the survival of humanity for a long, long time.

At least in theory. For as long, as they stand together against the Dark…..they are powerful. And will last only that long.

But when they inevitably fall apart due to their differences, then they shall joined their predecessors in the dust. And the cycle shall continue.

Night had fallen over the western fringe of the Forever Falls, in the region referred to as Shadow Flame for the beautiful vista of the great cliffs casting massive shadows upon the blood red foliage. Even Grimm didn't inhabit the area due to the lack of any humans to attract the Dark Beasts. It was a calm and pleasant night of fall. The only sound that could be heard was coming from a distance, in the shape of a great train that was hurtling into the heart of Vale, carrying inside it Dust for the city and Academy to use. Over two kilometres long from end to end.

Therefore, it was discomfiting to see the figures crawling on top of the train.

There were a dozen and a half in full. Men and women in white clothes and white masks, with a dash of red thrown in on the masks that were twisted into the shape of animals. No, not animals. Even in imitation, no animals could ever have a visage of such malevolent hatred as the mere masks portrayed. Even on mortal faces, the implications were clear. Whoever was wearing these masks intended to inspire but one emotional response.

Fear.

These fearsome figures were scurrying into every single car, checking for the crates of Dust, shouting orders and information at their comrades, occasionally shooting inside the cars and handing some crates to their brethren, who passed the crates back unmindful of the rushing train. A large burly figure with a mask that resembled a beetle silently stood vigil over them, only occasionally shouting an order over the clunkering of thousands of tons of metal to his subordinates. The transfer of crates appeared to be going smoothly enough.

So busy were all of them, that they didn't even notice the dark figure effortlessly keeping pace with the train on foot. Grey eyes narrowed at the figures on the train, as a rope attached to a blade was flung with abnormal force at the wall of the carriage. With a simple tug, he was attached to the train, and began crawling to the front of the carriages. He reached the top, only to meet five gun wielding masked figures. For a moment, both sides looked at each other. Then the pale young man grinned with audacity and gave a mock salute.

" So, guys and girls, are you going to jump overboard or do we dance?" From his expression, one would think Medraut Du was challenging friends to an embarrassing dare.

The terrorists raised their guns.

"Got it, dancing." His grey eyes lit up feverishly.

Five guns erupted in a spray of bullets, alerting every other terrorist on the train. In the front, two dark figures in black, one wielding a long sword, stopped their argument to give anxious looks to the back. They were just in time to see the cloaked figure jump into the air.

Medraut jumped clean over the bullets, calculating the speed of the train and adjusting his leap against it. It was just enough to carry him beyond four and just on top of the rear one. The hapless terrorist was crushed below his legs, crumpling to the roof of the train as Medraut leapt back in a summersault, landing clear of both the other two's shots and those of the half dozen more terrorists that had joined them. Then he moved to attack.

With three slashes of the rope-dagger, three men were summarily defeated, their bodies sliding off the train. The fourth was barely able to squeak before the blade was pressed to his throat and he was pushed forward, stopping the reinforcements from firing.

Not that it did them any good.

The terrorist screamed as he felt his feet leave the ground , launched towards his comrades by a kick to his stomach. While they maintained their balance despite the collision, they were shortly faced by a greater threat, namely a silver blade that darted in and out with blinding speed, taking out three in as many seconds. The rest continued the barrage against their assailant, still disciplined.

The killer weaved his dagger in the wind with the speed of lightning. Three rifles worth of bullets were effortlessly deflected as he reached them in an instant. He neatly pirouetted twice, kicking both off the roof to join their comrades on the ground. Four more figures came, two crouching to shoot and two raising their swords to defend their comrades.

Medraut grinned.

Camlann turned into a blur of black and silver, the rapid blade work deflecting the shots coming straight at him. The dagger was so quick that even two different lines of attack were insufficient to bypass the protective blade that was repelling the slugs.

Right until he reached them.

The two moved at once, one sword moving to stab while the other slashed at his legs, even as the shooters readied their own blades. None for this was sufficient when Medraut Du simply crouched low and swept the swordsmen's legs away in a graceful movement. The shooters had barely a moment before the dagger extended to hit one in the forehead and then swept back in a smooth circular motion timed perfectly with Medraut's jump as he jumped nearly fifteen feet over him into the air, the blade hitting the shooter's skull and sweeping back to it's master. He landed neatly on his toes, calmly righting his clothes and adjusting his collar. There were no more thugs waiting.

The night was silent and peaceful except for the din of the train and the loosened crates. No more terrorist troops were in sight.

Medraut Du took the moment of quiet for what it was and began to wipe his knife on his trouser legs. That done, he sheathed it, and began to march forward towards the driver's compartment. The Dust trains the SDC used to ferry their wares had a special function that locked the crew behind special security gates. All he had to do was tell them that they were safe and he could go back to tuck in for the night. Maybe even see if those brats could joi-

His instincts screamed at him right as he jumped clear of the place he was standing in, and not a moment too soon. A figure landed with a crash at the spot he had held but a moment earlier, a long sword drawn and ready. A moment later, and it would have removed his head from his shoulders. He growled as he faced the new threat that hadn't the grace to inform him of an attack. He paused as he saw him, or rather, her.

The attacker was a lithe, feminine figure, barely tall enough to reach his chin. The silver blade gleamed in the moonlight, the single edged blade withdrawing into the metallic sheath with a whine as the figure crouched with a hand at the hilt. A bone white mask shaped like a snake's skull with eyes like cinders glaring from the eye sockets of the snake stood out in the pitch black apparel. Deadliness and skill poured out of her in waves, her stance confident and well worn. Lethality was in every tensed muscle of her sinuous frame. Murder was in her very demeanor.

Almost unconsciously, Medraut held Camlann up, his fist tightening in preparation for combat.

" I don't think you're going to surrender peacefully, right?" No harm in trying diplomacy. The snake masked woman responded by holding up her sheath towards him, parallel to the ground with the tip towards him. He blinked in surprise. She wasn't really surrendering, was she?

Then the shot rang out.

Camlann slashed through the air, deflecting the bullet. Her trick having failed, the snake masked swordswoman flipped the gun sheath, withdrawing her sword in a smooth motion as she surged forward at him.

He flicked the dagger towards her, the sword neatly deflecting the rope dagger as he pulled it back, a moment too late as she reached him in an instant. The sword surged towards his throat….only to be met with his knee, to the paradoxical sound of metal on metal rather than flesh, as Medraut jumped back from danger in a swift motion. Camlann pulled back into his hands as he landed and launched himself at his opponent with a speed that would put a bullet to shame.

But if he was as fast as a bullet, her defence was as if she were his own shadow. Sword met dagger, then disengaged only for another parry, and another. Medraut was slashing the air with clean, fast blows, changing the angle every time to find a hole in her guard. That failing, he pirouetted to launch a kick at her side, only to miss by a whisker as the terrorist summersaulted back, landing on her feet to shoot at him again, the shots bouncing off his dagger as he closed in to tackle her, only for the lithe warrior to jump out of his grasp. Undeterred, he used the momentum of his move to spin his entire body in a triple summersault to deliver a kick to her waist that she barely blocked with a slash of her sword. Spying that she was off guard at that moment, he sent a mighty haymaker towards her face, clipping her mask and catching the slightest touch to his arm that raised a shower of sparks.

The woman jumped back from him, her masked face pointed at his arm, or rather what pretended to be his arm. Beneath the black leather glove, even if the slash had only grazed the top off without actually hurting his Aura, the clothe and "flesh" had fallen apart with contemptuous ease to reveal the dark form of a metallic arm.

Medraut Du raised his hand and gave a friendly wave at her. "Yeah, that's a thing"

Then with renewed speed, he surged at her, Camlann at the ready. She braced for another furious attack….

Before he jumped into the air, pirouetting with such inhuman speeds that his features blurred, ascending thirty feet into the air. Then, like a falling star, he descended upon the roof of the train. Surprised and with little time to dodge, the swordswoman held her sword defensively with a palm to the flat part to steady it ahead of her before he landed. And with a blast that dwarfed a cannon, the two foes met, the metallic leg meeting the sword in a clash of metal to metal.

The roof , built to survive even a Nevermore attack, was shredded like paper as the warriors clashed. The two fell into the compartment, rapidly attacking each other before they disengaged to jump clear onto the carriages on both sides, glaring at each other. Medraut cursed silently. His foe was more difficult than he had bargained for. He would have enjoyed the challenge if capturing the high ranked officer wasn't a big deal. All he could do for now….was try to win anyway. She was weak on the defence but a good attacker and evader. If he kept at her, she would inevitably slip up.

So focused was he on the woman in front of him that he didn't notice another shadow appearing behind her, hidden by the darkness. Amber eyes analysed the situation as Blake Belladonna came up with a quick it could be timed just right…yes!

Right then, Medraut leapt towards her for the third time. Without wasting a second, Blake jumped into the air and right on top of the swordswoman, surprising him for a brief, brief instant. But that instant was all it took for her clone to jump in. The enemy ran into her shadow, disoriented for just long enough that the long sword of Evelyn Black landed a clean slash on him. The paralysing power of her Semblance overtook him as he lost his balance, tumbling off the train to the ground below.

Blake turned to her partner. " Eve, we have to get out of here. Quick, before he gets back up."

The snake masked woman turned her face to look at her. Even if the mask hid her features, the aggression in her posture was unmistakable. She didn't want to leave until he was dead.

Blake took a deep breathe to calm herself for the inevitable dispute. They had no time for this. "Look, there's only one Huntsman right now, but reinforcements could be on their way if he tipped off the authorities. We can't carry the Dust ourselves now that the others are gone. We can't even rescue the others, if they are even alive, due to how far we've moved from the original position in this time. But if we escape, we can arrange another strike, report the mission going wrong and prevent capture. And Ad-Ser Adam will not be pleased if we got captured just because of your grudge!"

The last line seemed to have done the job for her, if the sudden flinch was proof. With a reluctant growl, Eve turned and hopped off the train alongside Blake. They ran into the forests to disappear. Adam won't be pleased, but nothing could be done about that now.

Watching from a great distance, still moving sluggishly on the grassy ground with his four prosthetic limbs the only parts of him that could fully move, Medraut watched them leave. A metallic arm lifted…and punched the earth in impotent rage. He would remember this shame. They would die in agony. He felt a pit open in his stomach.

Ser Jaune would not be pleased.

The deer raised it's head nervously, turning it's head to assess the barely sensed threat. Its ears flicked to catch the hidden sounds that warned of a predator, but heard nothing. And yet, the barest phantom of a sound warned it that something was still here, just outside its senses.

Suddenly, it jumped up into the air, hearing a sound from it's right. But it was too late, and it fell over from the arrow it had heard coming for it's heart. It was dead before it fell.

From the bushes a few feet away, a black haired young man with pink eyes emerged and approached the corpse to ascertain the kill. After confirming that the kill was clean, he flung the large stag over his shoulder with an ease unbefitting his lean frame and started walking towards the east at a brisk pace, as if the weight was insignificant to him. After an hour or so of walking, Lie Ren reached the village he was currently residing in.

"RENNY!"

Along with her, of course. His stoic face cracked into a small but heartfelt smile as his oldest friend and only living family came into view. Nora Valkyrie was a small girl of five feet in height, though her strength and appetite were both out of proportion to that. Her massive Warhammer, Magnihild, was slung over her shoulder , meaning she had probably fought off some Grimm while he was gone.

"Ren! Did you hear? The guy who came to fight the bandits got to fight the White Fang, yesterday. And I got to fight some really big Ursa, and then I had pancakes that Mrs. Patch gave me, but they weren't as good as your pancakes, of course, but they were still totally great, and then the Ursa I was fighting disappeared, so there I was, in the middle of the forest, thinking about pancakes, and then I remembered that you would be back by now! And then I came back too and ate those pancakes, and oh did I tell you that, Renny? Yeah, I did! So there I was with my pancakes and thinking about how we'll get pancakes in Beacon or not-"

He smiled at his friend's chatter. Nora simply had too much energy in her. Perhaps to make up for her childhood, where he was the one who had to coax her into talking and she barely said a word. Or maybe to make up for his lack of energy. But either way, it was not a bad way to spend time, listening to Nora chattering happily.

They walked to the centre of the village where he deposited the stag with the local butcher and took the money. With the money they got from hunting Grimm, the money from his hunts and the stipends from Vale prep, they had enough to tide them over for a few months. And with Beacon just a week away, they could afford to splurge a little.

He noted a sudden lull in Nora's flow, and looked enquiringly down at her. Nora was fidgeting with her fingers and digging into the ground with the toe of her shoe, looking intently at the nearby tree.

"Ren?" she asked in a uncharacteristically quiet voice, instantly gaining his attention. " Do you- Would you like to come with me to the spot outside the East gate? The sun will be setting soon, and I was thinking.. Maybe we could watch it? The sunset? Together? I really want to do it, and you look free, and-and…..what about it?"

He opened his smooth to reply that yes ,of course he would watch it, when a loud voice hailed them.

From the gates, the tall, gaunt, black covered form of Medraut Du. The grey eyed boy had met them just as they had arrived here and had soon struck up a quick familiarity with them, always stopping by to talk in the two days he had known them. As far as Ren knew, he was also working freelance like them, though he was affiliated with a noble house from Vale. His company was welcome, if a little trying at times due to his tendency to begin talking about his adventures. But since Nora seemed to love them, it kind of worked out.

"Ren! Nora! Here!" he waved energetically at them, his mouth in a wide grin that made him look like a dog. Nora let out a growl at having her moment ruined.

The boy sprinted up to them and thumped Ren on the back, making him cough.

"Good evening Medraut." Ren politely greeted, long inured to energetic greetings from his time around Nora. The redhead in question reacted to her new friend arriving with a pointed look and a strange cough. When Medraut ignored that, she tried again, to equal success.

Finally, she simply removed her hammer from her back. That got his attention.

"Well, hello, Med. Sorry but we can't wait and talk because we have a sunset to watch! Together!" Nora stage whispered the last part for some reason. Odd, since neither of the boys would understand for different reasons.

Medraut looked warily at Magnihild, then cautiously took out a brochure from his pocket and held it into the air. Nora's eyes nearly fell out while Ren sighed.

"In case you are wondering, no , this isn't a dream. This is the advertisement to an Eat All You Can buffet of Waffles, Pancakes and other assorted sweetbreads. Just on the nearby restaurant and valid until midnight. All you have to do is buy some exclusive tickets to a lottery…or save the store from some crooks." He brandished three tickets into the air, right above Nora's hungry face. " Guess which one I did?"

Nora didn't reply. Because inside her head, a furious battle was raging.

We have to watch the sunset with Renny!

But Pancakes and Waffles!

We wouldn't get another chance for a while!

We wouldn't get this chance tomorrow!

Seeing that his friend was obviously in no state to answer, Ren sighed and nodded to Medraut, thinking Nora would probably prefer this unique chance to eat her favorite food as compared to watching a sunset. He knew how excitable she was, and didn't think that she would like such a long and tedious activity. Besides, it would be pleasant for her to talk to Medraut's stories. He was an amusing conversationalist and seemed to love telling them about his adventures. As compared to the silence she would have to stand with him, going with Medraut was a better idea.

Besides, it was never a good idea to turn down free food.

Medraut immediately pulled them both to the restaurant (Nora was still paralyzed) and it was only when he had gathered several plates to pacify Nora's rage that he started to talk.

"…and then this-this- brat suddenly jumps in, and kicks me off the train! Can you believe it? I was about to stop the biggest raid on Dust in recorded history, save hundreds of thousands of tones of Dust and kill a high ranking Fang officer, and I'm stopped by some little girl playing revolutionary! The Brothers have a sadistic sense if humour if they allow these things to happen! What have I ever done to deserve this?!" Medraut had gone from telling them the story of a raid on a train that ended with the train saved but the terrorists escaping, to bemoaning about poor luck and how he would have totally beaten them.

Ren wasn't so sure. If Medraut was correct (and he had no reason to embellish his enemy) then he was facing a woman as good as himself and another powerful warrior. Those were not good odds for any fight.

However, pointing that out to their host wouldn't earn any favour, so might as well concentrate on his meal ( boiled vegetables and some juice). Meanwhile, Nora seemed to have gotten out of her eating frenzy to suddenly hug Medraut, all earlier enmity forgotten.

"Thank you! ThankYouThankYouThankYou! I always wanted to eat waffles in a buffet with Renny! You're my BFF forever! Well, second BFF. Does Ren count as first BFF or is he just my childhood friend? How does the BFF thing work? Renny! We need a manual!"

The gray eyed boy gasped as his breath left him, with Nora happily thanking him. Ren saw with amusement that Nora had lifted the much taller boy cleanly off his chair. He went to help with a chuckle.

By the time Nora was successfully pried off him with pancakes and Medraut had regained his breath, the sun had set. The shadows slowly fell over the forests and mountains as they creeped over that land like a dark cloak. Nora yawned despite it still being hours before it was time to sleep. Medraut leant back in his chair broodingly.

"So" he continued " I let a couple of criminals escape and didn't find out anything interesting about the Fang. Except that they cheat." He sounded like a pouting child at the last sentence.

" Will you get into trouble for failing?" Nora asked, sympathetically leaning forward.

Ren looked enquiringly as well. He didn't really want Medraut to suffer punishment for his failure, even if he was very careless in fighting and didn't admit his mistakes. Those things had caused this fiasco for him.

The gaunt boy shrugged.

" I don't really know. It wasn't a part of my mission. But enough about that!" he leant back to look at them " Let's talk about you two! You've been selected for Beacon right? What's your plan to handle the initiation? I heard they launch you into a forest filled with Grimm and tell you to survive there."

Nora seemed downright excited at the idea, but Ren shook his head at his ridiculous lies.

" We have been planning to partner up at Beacon, and then let the chips fall as they may. As long as we're together, it doesn't really matter who we end with. We shall manage. Like always" He replied, making Nora smile at him. Medraut's face took on a speculative expression.

" So tell me" he stirred three sugar cubes into his tea slowly " what would you say to joining up with a guy I know? The kid's strong, nice, dependable and smart. Kid of naïve though. He could do with some friends. " He looked enquiringly at them. Nora nodded cheerfully, clearly happy to make new friends but Ren demurred.

" We would like to meet him ourselves before making that decision. Joining a team is a lifelong decision, and not one to be made lightly. While we are experienced with working with each other, we don't really have much experience in fighting with other people. We have lived with only each other for a very long time. Our synergy is not something that we are sure we can match with others. This would also have huge repercussions for our entire school life, not to mention our future careers when we graduate. If we can set up a working relationship with him, then of course we shall ask him to join us. But only then. I hope you understand." He stated diplomatically.

It wasn't that they didn't want to make friends. It was just that they had fought and lived together for so long that they interacted better with each other more than with other people. It would be a problem if the person Medraut was recommending couldn't work with his quiet nature and Nora's energy. Most people couldn't, and there was no reason to assume, yet, that this person was an exception.

Medraut scowled but dropped the subject. After a few minutes of talking about various topics(or rather, Nora talked and the two boys listened) they got up from the restaurant.

While walking back to the inn, Nora pulled at his sleeve to draw his attention. He looked down to see a pensive look on her face.

"Ren." His name, meaning she was serious. " Beacon is going to be a good place for us, right?"

Ren blinked at her strange line of questioning.

"Of course it will be, Nora. We can make more friends there, learn to become Hunters and will be safe there. It will be like home for us." He assured his friend.

"But….." she stopped suddenly, as if she didn't know what to say. He blinked again, perplexed , before her meaning became clear to him.

" You are worried about what I said there? About how we will have difficulty in working with other people?" He had stated it otherwise, but Nora could read between the lines easily enough. For all her occasional (or perennial) airheaded nature, she was no fool. Her familiarity with him also helped.

Not that he thought Medraut hadn't understood his meaning either.

They were near the outskirts of the village, right near the small markets that supplied this village. The place was empty except for some loiterers. The villagers usually slept early and woke up before the dawn. This meant that the two were all but completely alone. Maybe the reason why Nora had mentioned this here, rather than in the inn or in the restaurant.

He shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"I don't really know, Nora. We have never needed to work in a team before. We usually just travel together and work together. I'm not sure if we can fit in with the other students of Beacon. But even off we don't" he smiled at her, as her face lit up " we still have each other to rely on. So it can't get too bad even if we can't fit with the rest of the crowd."

Nora beamed up at him and continued to walk in silence. They soon reached the inn and met up with the old innkeeper. The tough old woman , after chastising them for being late, gave them the keys to their houses, with a reminder that dinner would be set in an hour and that she hoped that they hadn't been eating out(Nora suppressed a burp nervously).

After a few hours, when they were preparing to sleep in their shared bed (the innkeeper had been scandalized, but they couldn't really afford two) Nora nudged him into his side.

Ren sleepily turned to look at her. She was wearing a content smile on her face. He had the odd realization that she really looked quite beautiful sometimes, before he turned his mind away from such thoughts. He wouldn't think of his oldest and only friend in that way.

Nora seemed impervious to his thoughts as she drew closer and cuddled up to him, her warm body close to his and her face at his neck. He ,on the other hand, felt like he was burning up.

"Nora?" he whispered.

"We won't be alone, Renny." She said, her voice trailing off in sleep. " I know that well find some friends there. There's lot of nice people in Beacon. And Huntsmen are pretty cool. They'll be nice to us as well."

Even in his half asleep state, he could still remember it. A white cloak flying in the wind as the three heroes carved their way through the monsters. Two small children who had barely survived another Grimm attack, watching as the heroes finished off the wave if the monsters like a scythe through wheat.

He closed his eyes, feeling sleep coming to him.

"Yeah" he muttered " they're cool."

As both the friends drifted off to sleep, the wind sang through the trees, and stars twinkled in the sky. A calm silence came over the entire valley, broken only by crickets and the wind.

And the gears continued to move.

In the east edge of the City State of Vale, on the great cliffs and accessible only by air, loomed the towering form of a shining, beautiful castle with great spires and expansive grounds. Waterfalls thundered constantly with never ending cascades of water, the only sound that dominated the currently empty academy , due to term still being a few weeks away.

Despite this, the tall figure of a girl could still be seen walking out of the tallest tower. She had a head of hair red like flame,a physique hardened by clear signs of physical activity. She was wearing clothes that were both clearly fashionable yet undeniably not for the purpose of standing out. Even her demeanour was the same, proud and straight backed and confident, but still with the strange undertone of nervousness. If a sufficiently astute person were to wonder, then they would be confused by this paradoxical girl until they realised who she was.

Pyrrha Nikos. The Champion of Mistral. The Invincible Girl. The greatest and mightiest of her generation. The girl who was known by every Huntsman, noble and every child who was interested in the saviours of humanity. She had about five sponsorships, four championship trophies, eighteen requests for paid public appearances and more awards from Sanctum than she could be bothered to count.

She was also currently alone.

Pyrrha, not willing to sit down when she was already so nervous after her meeting with Ser Ozpin, simply started to pace in the grounds. Her application to transfer to Beacon was still being considered. While she was sure that no school would let someone as talented and unique as her off, she still couldn't stop the harsh beating if her heart. Improbable but horrible thoughts kept coming to her, as horrible thoughts always did when you were nervous.

What if Ozpin didn't care about her qualifications? What if there was a rule that she couldn't study in foreign schools? What if he told Sanctum, and they told her to come back? What if he simply thought she was doing this for publicity (she was, but not for more) and decided to have nothing to do with her?

She knew none of this was possible. She was the best of her age in the entire world. She knew some Vacuan students in Sanctum and Haven. Sanctum had no authority over her until she was apprenticed. And as for her being thought of as a glory seeker…there was nothing that could be done about that. She'd manage.

She would have to. Her pace quickened as she left the grounds and started roaming through the corridors. She had offers form Atlas and Shade, if she was rejected here. It wasn't due to quality that she had chosen Vale, though Vale had a reputation as the single best Huntsman Academy due to having the First Seat of the Knights as its headmaster. She knew that the other schools could train her as well.

But it wasn't the schools that she was worried about, it was her!

She stopped pacing to lift the golden locket from her throat. It was a golden piece of red gold, with her symbol on it on one side and the lamp of Mistral on the other. A single word was emblazoned on it, right around the corner of the rim.

Nikos

Her name. The name granted to her family after their many victories in war, from the Great War before the Warrior King burned their armies and Mistral knelt to her father and mother. A tradition of great and revered warriors that went back even before they gained this prize from the old king, back to when Aenas fled the Scourge of Anemone and settled down in what would soon become Mistral over three centuries ago.

And she was all that remains of this name. The last Nikos. It was the burden that she would have to bear. The path that she would walk and the they she would discover her destiny.

If only it wasn't such a lonely path!

She was alone, always had been. She was marked for greatness from the moment she had defeated her first opponent in the Mistral regionals, a famous fighter two years her senior. Or maybe before that, from the moment she was born. She was blessed with power and talent, both of which she had honed to her very limits by never ending hours of practice and training. She was revered as a great prodigy, and from the moment she had won her second tournament, everyone knew it across Mistral. The looks of admiration and awe had encouraged her at first, made her feel proud of herself.

She had been a fool.

It ad come slowly to her. The grins and cheers turning to hushed awe and mindless adoration. The friends she had slowly drifting away from her to get out of her limelight. It had all co e to her, the price of her success, when she had celebrated her sixteenth birthday alone.

She had been told ever since she was a child of the tales of her ancestors. Of flame and war, glory and sacrifice. Of great warriors who fought even when their doom was sealed. She had never been told how stifling it would be. To stand as a paragon of virtue and glory that stood above all.

She needed to go to Beacon, she thought feverishly as her pace doubled in her agitation. Here, she was an unknown. Here, she would be among the greatest of the world. People who even she could not outshine. People who would see her as just another talented student.

So engrossed was she in her thoughts that she failed to notice the person coming through the corner until she collided with him at full pace. Or rather, bounced off him.

Pyrrha nearly let out a yelp as she was rocked back, more like she had run into a steel wall then a man. Taken by surprise by the unusual amount of force, she lost her balance and fell backwards on her back.

"Wait, no!", she heard the man(boy?) Shout as two hands closed in around her waist. The blonde boy had crouched to grab her in an instant. Her fall was broken at once as hands as strong as steel closed around her waist and lifted her up with ease.

Pyrrha gasped as she looked at twin pools of blue looking at her with concern. Her rescuer was a tall blonde boy, dressed in a white tunic that looked expensive. His face was slightly sweaty and furrowed in worry. For her? Pyrrha noted her position, supported only by his arms as she leant back away from him. He was leaning forwards, holding her in his arms like a Knight from the stories she had been told as a young girl by her mother.

The soft light of the setting sun framed his face in the dark corridor. Pyrrha was suddenly aware of every line of his face, even as she rested in his arms. His long, hardened face it with the innocent blue eyes. His tall, muscular frame. She usually towered over even most boys in her old school. Of was just another thing that isolated her among her peers even as it made her tower over them. It she could see, even here that the knightly young man was taller than her.

Pyrrha felt a warmth running through her cheeks.

The Knight opened his mouth to speak, and Pyrrha listened with hated breath. Something too quiet for her to heart came out.

"S-sorry?" she felt so stupid saying that that she wanted to hide her face.

He said again, this time louder, in what she suddenly recognised to be a pained whisper, "your foot…..it's hurting me. Please….take it out".

In rising horror, she gazed down at her leg. While falling over, it had naturally flown into the air.

Right between he rescuer's legs,

"I'm sorry!" she yelped out, removing her foot. The boy fell over, clutching his groin. She hurried to his side, unsure of what to do, apologising again and again and again.

"No prob. I'm all right!", he tried to get out. His efforts to calm her were spoilt by his face being contorted with agony and his voice being a little more high pitched than normal. That he was still on the ground clutching his…..wound didn't help.

"No, no. I'm so sorry! Here, I'll take you to the infirmary. Please forgive me!"

And while neither Pyrrha nor Jaune knew it at the time, due to one being too frantic and the other in the worst pain possible for a man, this…..would be the start of a long and beautiful friendship

TWENTY MINUTES LATER

In retrospect, Pyrrha would say that she shouldn't be very happy that she had nearly castrated her newest friend on their very first meeting, much less that she had failed to notice it because she was swooning like some schoolgirl (which many would point out that she was) over the situation. That he hadn't held a grudge over it, and indeed even tried to calm her down when she was almost besides herself while apologising for hurting him, was very much testament to his rather kind nature. Gods, she had been so embarrassed that she had even offered to apply some I've before she realised what she had said. The ensuing embarrassment hadn't helped matters. Her tension over her admission to Beacon had went away in a flash over this rather mundane accident.

Finally, only after assuring his her that his Aura and healing semblance were more than enough that she had stopped apologising. They had picked up a rather awkward conversation after that, which had slowly become more natural.

Her first friend in Vale, the boy she had accidentally kicked in the groin.

However, as she listened to Jaune recount how he was once cast as Little Red Riding Hood in a school performance , she really couldn't care less.

"And there we were, with half our cast in the hospital from food poisoning, the heroine puking her guts out and the skit two days away. Mrs Pine was going nuts, the rest of us were trying to find another girl and it really, really looked like we're doomed!" His hands were animatedly moving along with his words, almost like they had a life of their own. Jaune was not somebody who held his emotions back. Even if he had been recounting just a funny little tale from when he was ten, he still sounded like he was talking of some great battle. He held strategic pauses, asked rhetorical questions and even got excited in the interesting parts.

Pyrrha couldn't help but think that the only reason the story sounded fun to her was because enthusiastic Jaune was being about it. His storytelling was more interesting than the story itself, funny though it may be.

" So we're desperate, right? And we need a girl to play Red Riding Hood. So, Carmen got the brilliant idea of dressing me up as the girl. Something about how I looked the cutest. Well, generally, I would take that as a compliment, but not when I'm being made to-to-skip and sing about taking cakes to my grandmother. I mean, who sings inside a Grimm covered forest? Weirdest thing is how that Beowolf didn't just eat me, that is to say, Red Riding Hood, then and there. What's even the point of dressing up like her Grandma if he wasn't going to eat both of them?! And it was all for nothing anyway, cause the Beowolf forgot his lines and had to improvise, badly. Finally, we had to change the entire script on the spot, and Red was not useful at all. It was like everyone forgot that she's the main protagonist of the story!"

Jaune gave her what was supposed to be a serious look, ruined by how Pyrrha tried to keep a straight face, but her valiant efforts were in vain as a small giggle escaped her. Slowly, her self control snapped and she broke down into peals of laughter that didn't stop for a few seconds.

"Well, at least somebody remembered to let her be the star of her own show. It sounds ridiculous that Red Riding Hood wouldn't pay attention to , well, Little Red Riding Hood! It's in her name, after all" She responded after a moment. Jaune grinned sheepishly at her, scratching the back of his head in what she had noticed was somewhat of a nervous tic with him whenever he was embarrassed.

"Finally someone agrees!" He pointed dramatically at her. " I wore a dress for this thing. The least they could do was give me a larger role in the play!" He snorted, more playfully than out of any real anger.

The sounds of two scrolls ringing at once immediately ruined her mood. It looked like she was out of time. With a frustrated sigh, she checked her message at about the same time he did.

She blinked suddenly. The message was from her mother. It appeared that her application was accepted. Just like that, when she had been talking to Jaune without a care in the world, after worrying about it so much barely a hour ago.

A hint of consternation rose up within her. Had she been so lost in talking to him that she had completely forgotten something so important? What was the matter with her?

So lost was she in her musing that she barely noticed Jaune frowning at his scroll before he pocketed it without a word.

"Sorry, I have to leave. Looks like it's a call from home." Pyrrha smiled apologetically, not quite noting that Jaune's expression was a trifle more tense. He nodded to show his assent, a small smile coming on his face as he watched her go.

As she got up to the bullhead after her mother was done gushing over her admission, Pyrrha suddenly remembered that Jaune had been told her name…and he hadn't reacted at all.

Jaune fondly watched Pyrrha leave, not even bothering to hide a afternoon with her may have started with getting kicked in the jewels by a girl wearing bronze armour, of all things, on her legs, it had ended with him getting to talk with a cute girl and finding a new friend for Beacon. Altogether, not a bad way to spend the day. Ozpin had also deferred him for later due to emergency, so he had the evening and night free in Vale.

Vale…..he had never actually been here. His home was kilometres away in what was wilderness and Grimm, so there hadn't been much infrastructure or transport there. Barely a few score villagers and a few homes, from wooden huts to their mansion. It was peaceful in a way. Serene. Beautiful.

But Vale was so alive! He had seen more people there than he had ever seen in his life. Even Vacuo was empty and barely had any land holding people, with only a few nomadic tribes dropping in. Vale, on the other hand, had over ten million people living in an area twice as large as all the fields and valleys back home. He had honestly felt completely overwhelmed when he and mom came over, unused to the din and lights of the city. The crowds and noise, cars and buildings, businesses and homes…..it was humbling to stand there and feel so small in comparison.

And frightening, when he remembered the similar ruined cities he had gone to clear in the past, especially that one in Mistral barely a few months ago, when he fought that Beringel.

He shook himself out of his morose thoughts. That was all in the past. He was here, would go to Beacon, learn how to be a noble Knight that defended people, saved maidens and had songs sung about him. The type that could fight Grimm as big and strong as those things from Vacuo. He had met a new friend named Pyrrha who seemed like a nice girl and was pretty cool to talk to.

And he had to answer a call. That too, he guessed.

He flipped his scroll open and redialed the number. It was picked up so quickly that he was half sure that his friend had been standing right besides it. The unusually contrite face of Medraut Du filled the screen.

"I failed, Jaune." He said glumly.

His grip tightened almost imperceptibly on the scroll. "The village is gone? No survivors? Were you too late?" he wasn't ashamed that his voice had the slightest of tremors near the end. He was no stranger to deaths, but he was nowhere near as iron willed as actual veterans. Thoughts of death still frightened him.

"No!" he relaxed slightly, taking heed of the panic in his BFF's voice. "the village is safe! I got there in time and there were two Huntsman cadets from Mistral to help with the small fry. Nobody in the village died. It was…..the other mission."

He shrugged mentally. What did it matter if nobody died? Medraut, noticing that no reprimand had arrived yet, cautiously began to explain.

Jaune calmly heard his tale of how he had effortlessly thrashed the rank and file troops, before facing that officer. After a few moments of patiently listening to his protests that he could have totally caught here if she hadn't "cheated", Jaune interrupted.

"So in the end, you foiled the robbery, caught half the crooks and nearly caught the leaders until they managed to beat you?" Medraut flushed at the last part, despite no condemnation on Jaune's part.

" I'm….sorry." the words seemed to have been dragged out of him. Despite thoughts of Amethyst's anger at losing a lead on Adam, he couldn't bring himself to further reprimand Med, if he had done so at all.

" Cheer up, Medraut. You did a pretty good job, saving that village and stopping the robbery. " Medraut perked up at his words looking at him hopefully. Jaune didn't spoil the mood by mentioning that Amy would most likely grill him for that. He hadn't got the heart. Instead, he decided to give him a small treat to cheer him up a little.

" Hey, Med? You did a pretty good job, so I'll tell you something. Come up to Vale, and have the evening off. You can file the report tomorrow morning and enjoy the night. You deserve some of it."

Medraut's face lit up at the news. Jaune chuckled as he reminded himself to check up on him later. If Med caused a ruckus, it would all be on him.

Still, Jaune didn't feel like denying him a chance for some fun.

"Sure thing, milord!" he shouted cheekily over the scroll, all angst gone as his pale face stretched into a dog like grin. "I promise you won't regret it! And thanks for not….blaming me" He seemed almost genuinely grateful at the end part, only a small twitch near his eye betraying his enormous relief.

Jaune shook his head. Medraut always behaved as if he would chop off his head for any failures, even though they were always justified or unavoidable. For all of his showiness and arrogance, the man was his own harshest critic.

" Just call me up when you're down, or send a message. I'll be there to pick you up if you're wasted. Don't try to come alone." He added an afterthought. " and don't bring Clarent with you! Camlann will be more than enough to defend yourself in here."

Medraut barely grumbled as he cut off the call, then sent a message to Amethyst.

Might as well tell her now. If she was going to be angry, better not make her think he was keeping it from her.

If there was one thing Amethyst Arc was always sure of, it was that nothing ever went according to plan. Even if you account for every single thing and person, there will always be something you don't know, don't expect, don't hope nor plan for. And that's why the Arc family existed for so long.

From the time when the King of Vale ennobled them over eighty years ago, before the Great War began, the Arc family had been granted the responsibility of being the "Nameless Troops" of the Kingdom of Vale. Funded well to keep a small but elite group of mercenaries led by whoever was the Head of the time, House Arc was engaged in small but crucial operations whenever the kingdom couldn't be seen participating in. The Menagerie revolt that was pacified with great bloodshed by Bianca Arc, the hostage situation in the Vacuo Council that was resolved more efficiently by Argent Arc, and the deaths of the Speaker of the Parliament in the forests of Vale were some of the incidents that had become famous in the moonlit world.

And she, eleventh Head of the family since the War, was in the middle of the next. The affair with the White Fang, and their all but proven patronage by Ser Adam Taurus was an international incident waiting to happen. The attacks by the Fang had skyrocketed in the previous year, as had the latent hatred of the Faunus race. She had been forced to send her own people to ensure that the exact nationality of the terrorists was kept to the ears of the Councils only, to avoid the war against Menagerie that he was trying to provoke. The latest news her brother had given didn't help, since the Hound had failed to capture any notable targets. All they had were a few thugs that would be put down secretly.

And speaking of her brother…..

Three sharp knocks announced the arrival of Jaune's Master. Winter Schnee walked in moments later, the picture of aristocratic poise and composure. The tall white haired Specialist sat down politely at the chair Amethyst gestured to, pulling herself in front of her.

"You called me, Lady Arc?", her face was sporting a polite smile, as close to friendly as possible without being informal. She was weird like that, but Amethyst had no issues with people who stood on ceremony a little.

"It's Amethyst, Winter, and it's nothing that serious. I was just asking about Jaune's readiness for Beacon, if he is so determined to improve himself. Please relax." she held up a small jar that was always kept on her desk. "Cookies? They're chocolate chip with raisins".

For the briefest of moments, Winter's eyes went to the jar. Then she looked back at her, adopting a formal demeanor. Then she gave the slightest of glances at the jar again, from the corner of her eyes. Finally, she relented and took a cookie out, chewing on it appreciatively. Amethyst smiled slightly at her behaviour, even more so when Winter daintily took another with a guilty look on her face. She coughed and began her report.

"Well, he has still to master not overreaching with his sword and disengaging properly. He has, nevertheless, been doing well in Aura strikes and shields. His footwork has improved ever since he started to use dance movements to channel his momentum properly. His raw power is, of course, phenomenal. I can assure you that he is just as skilled as the average Beacon entrée as long as he doesn't use too much strength and go beyond his abilities. He will still have trouble against the better students who can counter his superior strength, but his near impregnable Aura can take care of that. Altogether, he will easily stay near the top students" she finished her appraisal of her Apprentice with barely concealed pride, unconsciously taking another cookie out of the jar and hastily putting it back in when she saw what she had done.

Amethyst nodded, " that puts me at ease concerning him for a while" and it did " but there are other things to deal with as well. Ozpin wasn't there today, so we still have no arrangement about his team and status as a Knight. He may be called for missions during teem or classes. The paperwork and the resulting issues with whatever team he chooses will be challenging. We don't want Jaune to be alone and disconnected from his peers there."

Winter nodded thoughtfully "Perhaps he can inform just his teammates? Or we can ensure that he is on a more understanding team? If we choose a team that has people competent enough to hold their own during a Knight level mission, and can be trusted not to boast nor slip something out…..maybe some students that can be personally trusted by us? The Hound will obviously be a choice. We can select two others."

The implications were clear. She was suggesting that they ask for Ozpin to fix the Initiation to ensure that Jaune landed on a team that was both capable of supporting him in battle and as a person. The latter was even more important considering his personality.

He always needed people to keep him grounded.

"I don't really have any candidates in mind. Martin Bronzewing's son isn't very reliable despite his skill. And I refuse to let Ozpin choose." she was firm on the latter. Ozpin had the best intentions, but he was unpredictable. An unknown. " Perhaps you have someone in mind?"

Winter nodded. This was a topic she had wanted to broach earlier, but better late than never. "My sister Weiss is also starting Beacon this year. She's more than responsible enough for the job, as well as skilled enough to aid him in any missions they leave on."

Amethyst hummed quietly to herself. Then she said a single word.

"No."

Winter blinked.

"No?" She sounded too flabbergasted to be insulted by the blunt refusal.

Amethyst slowly raised her head to look Winter in the eye. Her blue eyes were all to familiar in their coldness. Winter met her gaze with a steely one of her own. Calmly breaking contact, Amethyst took off her glasses to clean. She kept speaking even as she polished them to a shine, her tone dispassionate and clinical.

" A few months after Jaune was knighted, James Ironwood sent you here to mentor Jaune in combat. He was apprenticed the day you came of age at twenty. For eighteen months, you trained him well. You had squabbles with him, but they were smoothened out easily enough."

She paused for a moment. "Then, about an year ago, Jaune went with you to Atlas after a letter came for you on your twenty first birthday, informing you that you were no longer the heiress of the SDC." Winter straightened wordlessly at the casual exposition of her secret. But her face refused to budge.

Amethyst continued easily. " After about three months of stay in Atlas, your father changed his mind and your inheritance was covertly regained without more than a whisper in the highest echelons of the SDC. Only your father, sister, brother and his secretary knew of this flip flop. The secretary died weeks later, but that's another issue. Because a small part of the reason was still available to me."

"Official Atlasian government records showed that Ser Jaune Arc had deposited some classified documents to General Ironwood, followed by both visiting Jacques Schnee a day later. Your inheritance was returned hours after the meeting, and you and Jaune returned. The excuse you gave was a training trip. I had no proof otherwise and Jaune refused to talk about it."

"And now, when Jaune went against the wishes of the entire family to go to Beacon, you were the one to support him. In the same year, incidentally, that your own sister is attending. And now, you're asking for her to join his team and be associated with him for his entire life by proxy. A Knight is a valuable ally to have, especially for a Huntress in Atlas who wishes to command the SDC when she comes of age, alongside her sister."

"Are you accusing me of using Jaune?", Winter, as harsh and cold as her namesake, cut bluntly into Amethyst's rhetoric with all the lack of tact of a soldier.

Amethyst Arc met her gaze silently, not even slightly deterred in the slightest by facing one of the most talented Huntresses of Remnant in a bad mood. She simply put her glasses back on her nose.

"I stated known facts. None of which are subject to debate. I am yet to draw any conclusions."

Winter silently stood up, towering over the seated form of Amethyst. Her face had a cold, metallic fury to it. What seemed like the slightest tinge of blueish light danced at the edges of her frame, not truly visible but impossible to miss all the same. It filled the room with the slightest but yet completely inexorable pressure, as if a breeze of light was moving in the room.

"Then we have nothing to talk about.", She turned on her heel, and was out of the room in an instant. The "pressure" disappearing altogether.

Amethyst Arc watched her go wordlessly. Her hand slipped to her scroll, and she began to type the number of her little brother in Vale.

Outside, the white haired specialist marched outside the gates to stand at a hard concrete wall. Her back to it, she took deep breaths to steady her breathing. A dainty fist rose, and punched the wall in a small and silent burst of emotion.

The wall cracked beneath it, spiderwebs crawling on the surface. Winter Schnee leaned with her back on it, a hand covering her stony face.

Here we are. The third chapter finished, and the plot just about to start. The players have been shown, the games have started, the connections begun to be forged. Let's see where this takes us!

Next time on Ser Arc: Jaune meets Ser Ozpin to talk about Beacon, Medraut goes to The Bar and meets a blonde, Ruby finds a blonde new friend and we get a small hint of why Knights are special.

Cheerio! And have a nice day/night/whatever your time zone is on!