Arc I, Chapter I

The Ranger


It was a relatively cool day out, a common occurrence for the northeastern region of the Saunan continent. The early light of dawn was just beginning to rise to the east, showering the nearby forest with a brilliant light glow. A cacophony of various chirps and cries echoed throughout the wooded area, the sound traversing deep throughout. The morning June air was cool and refreshing.

On a well-traveled road, a young man slowly trekked southbound, heading towards the City of Vale.

Stopping in his tracks for a few moments, the boy took a slow and deep inhale of the fresh forest air. He admired the luminescent glow of the forestry around him, awed with its wonderful display of warm hues. Letting a small smile grace his face, he continued his long trek towards the Capital.

'I really should've tried to hitch a ride down to Vale. This road is pretty safe from the Grimm, but still…' He thought to himself. While the creatures of Grimm weren't a huge problem from such an often-used roadway, there was just no way to be completely sure or predict what the Grimm would do. They were creatures of chaos and pandemonium, simple as that. While it would've seemed prudent to have taken his vehicle from home, he was paranoid of his parent's superhuman senses. Sneaking out was something he became very talented at given the large size of his estate and the numerous escapades his sisters pulled him along for.

Taking a short glance behind his back, he wondered if what he was doing was really what he wanted to. Was he really prepared to go to Beacon Academy?

A quick moment later and his resolve was steeled. Once he left, he knew there was no turning back. He made a vow to himself. He wouldn't return home until he had proved to himself and the world that he could be a hero. The faces of his parents flashed across his mind for a scant second, but he quickly pushed the thought away. He couldn't afford to do anything else but move forward now.

His parents, Artorian and Morrigan Arc were legendary world-class huntsmen. His father was revered as a warrior who was built of nothing but sheer will. He was a natural-born leader who had led entire armies in Raids against the Grimm. It was a terrifying thought, if he were to be honest. While Grimm hordes were dangerous, they could be handled quite efficiently by third and fourth-year "rookie" teams from the major Huntsmen Academies.

Raids, on the other hand, were considered the "frontlines" of the war against the Grimm. Seeing as the mindless creatures didn't have anything that would a resemble a base of operations, or even a nest for that matter, they often congregated in the Unknown Regions of the continents and slowly pushed their way to major population centers. Raids were operations that consisted of a multinational coalition of troops and Huntsmen that culled these massive congregations of hordes, or at least attempted to divert them to a more advantageous position.

While he may lack in superb combat skill, Jaune Arc certainly did not lack in knowledge and strategy. It was something he gave a lot of credit towards his mother for.

Morrigan Arc, as Jaune had come to learn over the past seventeen years of his existence, was either your best friend, or was the devil incarnate who came to watch you burn. There was only one thing that terrified Jaune more than the Grimm, and that was his mother scorned.

His mother grew up in the Wildlands. They were areas that were too far to consider for settlement, but too close to label as the Unknown Regions. Morrigan was rather quiet about her past, but Jaune knew better than to pry about it. He had often been more enthralled by her tales of exploit that she and his father shared in their younger days.

While not as enrapturing as their tales of exploit, Jaune did like the tales of how his parents founded the settlement of Arkend, Jaune's hometown. It was a massive coastal trade hub that resided along the northeastern coast of Sanus, some sixty to eighty odd miles north of the Capital. It was there where Jaune and his seven sisters lived for all their lives. Well, until some of his sisters grown up and moved out. That was something he was quite thankful for, but he'd never admit it aloud.

Continuing down the path, he thought back to the last time he was in the City of Vale, which coincidentally was also the same time that he got his hands on a set of forged transcripts to enroll in Beacon Academy. They were crucial as he had never attended a preliminary combat school, let alone had any sort formal training from his parents.


Vale was usually busy, especially in the southern end of the commercial district along the northern river, where Jaune found himself at. Large warehouse-like buildings littered the main waterway, one of two that ran straight through the city. He had been attempting to follow up some leads on where he could obtain some… "documents" and was subsequently directed to a place only known as Junior's. Rumors on the streets led him to infer that Juniors, as it were, was quite the wretched hive of scum and villainy.

Thanks to the premeditated distractions his lovely sisters provided for him, (which he most certainly would owe them greatly for later) he had given his family the slip around an hour ago. Promptly after leaving, he made his way east along the riverbank to the raucous club known as Junior's. He didn't have to be a genius to note that the men in black suits with red ties were for more than just bouncer duty. The dull and repetitive thud of a bass beat reverberated from the building, reaching as far as his location across the street. Straightening his back and pushing his hair out of his eyes, he proceeded through the front doors to the establishment. The guards at the door spared him a short glance, but he paid them no mind.

The sound of the thudding bass he heard from across the street had intensified tenfold, near-rattling his bones. The club had a rather monotone theme. The dance floor was lit with black and white neon tiles, and the lights overhead strobed about, projecting the same two contrasting colors. Quickly adjusting to the somewhat familiar scene, as he was no stranger to clubs before, he walked over to the bar. He had a fleeting suspicion that the one man whose uniform was much different than that of the "security" would be the man he was looking for.

Leaning against the counter, he shrugged his jacket it off, resting it on the back of the chair. Turning towards the bartender, he gave a lazy two-fingered wave to the bartender, grabbing his attention. The man, with his gruff black beard and short-trimmed hair towered over him at what had to be the lower end of seven feet tall. In two strides the man came to stand in front of Jaune, giving him a somewhat cursory glance.

"Aren't you a little bit on the young side to be here, kid?" The man questioned in a neutral tone.

Jaune shrugged at the man. "A paying customer is a paying customer, aren't they?" He threw back.

The man scoffed and gave a small grin towards the younger boy. "I suppose there's a bit of truth in that, isn't there? What'll it be then, kid?"

Leaning to the side a bit to see past the hulking man, Jaune took a short glance at the large and assorted menu.

"How about a Vale Scotch, neat?" Jaune asked. He fished in his back pocket for his wallet, before grabbing a suitable lien chip to pay with.

Snorting out a chuckle, the man went to work grabbing Jaune's drink. Speaking from over his shoulder, he called out to the young man, "Not one for those fancy sugar-bombs, are we now?"

"I guess there's no such thing as an appreciation for the classics anymore, apparently," Jaune bantered back.

A new voice resonated from behind Jaune, drawing his attention away from the bartender. "I don't know about you, Junior, but I think you got a real gentleman at your bar. Finally, a change from the all sleazebags that stroll through this dump."

Turning his head fully, Jaune expected to see another average Joe like himself. As if the man was born to defy said expectation, the first thing Jaune took note of was the man's flamboyant dress, from the golden buttons on his single-breasted, pristine white coat, the grey scarf tied around his neck, to the black and red-striped bowler hat on his head. This man, with his candle-flame orange hair simply screamed, "Look at me, I'm fabulous and at the center of attention, and you? You're not."

It clicked then.

This was Roman Torchwick.

He was ranked a Ranger, Tier Eight by the Huntsman Lodge.

This was a Class-SS criminal.

This was the same man who defeated a team of eight Master Huntsmen in less than four minutes.

I don't even have aura… this guy would kill me in half a second flat if I mess this up. Everything I say or do has to be played exactly right, or I won't be walking out of here.

Without missing a beat, Junior shot back at the man, "Well if it isn't Roman Torchwick, drag queen extraordinaire." Junior didn't bother turning around, instead moving to grab a second glass and filling it up with what Jaune assumed was the same drink as his.

Settling into the seat next to him, Roman took off his hat and rested it on the counter. Junior shortly turned around and place Jaune and Roman's drink down in front of them, confirming his suspicion that they were indeed the same drink.

Jaune cast a sideways glance at the man next to him. "Well, drag queen or not, anyone who can appreciate the classics is fine by me." Roman took a quick sip of his drink before letting out a short laugh.

"See Junior? I told you! A gentleman!" Roman exclaimed, giving Jaune a friendly pat on the shoulder. Jaune smiled, giving a small shrug at the praise. He took a healthy sip of his drink, enjoying the refreshing taste of it.

"You know kid, I come by these parts a lot, and I've got to say that I haven't ever seen you around here before. You new in town? If so, you sure picked a hell of a dump to start wasting your life away at." Roman said, smirking when he noticed the agitated look on Junior's face.

"Nah," Jaune started, taking a quick sip of his drink before continuing, "Family is visiting the City from our hometown up in Arkend. I gave them the slip a little while ago as I had some… business to attend to while we were here."

"Well, if you're looking to conduct business, there's no two better men in Vale to know than us. Need a hand finding something, Mister…" Junior trailed off, prompting Jaune to formally introduce himself.

"Jaune, Jaune Arc." Jaune introduced, giving a firm handshake to both Junior and Roman before returning to his drink.

"In truth, my business actually led me to your place. Word was that you might be able to help me with what I'm looking for, Mister Junior." Jaune spoke, again taking another sip of his drink.

Junior gave a dismissive wave towards Jaune. "None of that formality with me. Just Hei or Junior is fine with me. Now, what was it exactly that you were looking for that led you to here? You seem like a guy that has a bit of common sense about him, so you obviously know that I'm not your typical businessman."

Jaune hesitated for a moment, taking another sip out of his glass before continuing. "Well, I'm stuck in a bit of a rut. To be honest with you, I was looking to get into Beacon Academy this upcoming semester, but circumstances have left me… woefully unprepared. I need... assistance in obtaining a set of transcripts so that I could have a shot at becoming a student there."

Roman took this as his moment to intervene. "Well, forging a set of transcripts is hardly a big deal but…" he trailed off, giving a thoughtful look to the wall before continuing, "Why is it that you want to go to Beacon?"

Jaune wavered under his gaze for a moment, looking away for a few seconds before returning the older man's stare. "I want to do something with my life, you know? I want to be able to live up to this ridiculous legacy that my parents and grandparents have left for me. I don't want to grow old and have nothing to show for it. As naive as it may sound, I want to be a hero. Someone who helps others and protects his own. I don't even have to a great hero, let alone a good one." Jaune paused, downing the rest of his drink before sliding it towards Junior.

"But another part of me wants to spite my parents. To spit in their faces and tell them that even without their training, I still made it on my own, and I don't need them. I want to become strong on my own. I want them to see me, and I want them to be ashamed for what they did to me. I don't want to be weak anymore." He committed, his voice growing steadier and more resolute as he spoke. Junior placed another glass in front of him, and he had gladly taken a more-than-healthy sip from it.

Roman continued to stare at Jaune, his face neutral, before he closed his eyes and sighed to himself.

"I'll let you in on a bit of a secret, kid," Roman started, pausing to take a sip from his drink, "Back in the day, I went and graduated from Beacon myself. Obviously, things are a lot different nowadays then they were back in my day, what with that corrupt council dragging this Kingdom into ruin, but I'm letting myself get off topic" Roman trailed off, taking a larger sip from his drink and turning back to Jaune.

Roman reached over to Jaune, giving a firm poke to his chest. He gave Jaune a hard look before continuing,

"You've got a certain mentality and fire to you. Something that you don't see in your babied generation. Something you saw back in my day, back when tensions were high from the war, and people had to be tough. You hang on to that conviction, because when everything and everyone leaves you behind, you will have nothing left. Your privilege will be the dirt beneath your shoes, your entitlement the pain you endure. When darkness finds you, and it most certainly will, you will face it. The only thing that will ensure your survival is yourself.

Jaune sat silently, mulling over Roman's words in his mind on repeat. Taking a few moments to process the sudden talk he'd been given. He fumbled with his words, before deciding on what he'd wanted to say.

"I'll be sure to be sure to remember this, then." He said, a small smile growing on his face. Never in a million years would he have expected to get such advice from a Huntsman Ranger, even if he was a mastermind criminal. It was at this point where Jaune knew that his decision to walk on his own path was that much more justified and right.

Roman's voice pulled him out of thoughts, "I'll get you those transcripts without a problem, kid." Reaching into the inside of his coat pocket, he grabbed a small red Scroll and handed it to Jaune, "I'll give you a call in a couple days when I've got the transcripts and I'll forward the data for you to deal with." He finished, taking another sip from his drink.

Jaune went fishing in his wallet for what would be a suitable amount of money for the transcripts, but Roman's hand waving him off caught his attention.

"Don't worry about payment. Consider yourself in my favor now, Jaune Arc." Roman said.

"Well, Thank you, I-"

"Don't thank me, kid. If you're thankful, make the most of this gift. You're an old soul, kid, one that you don't see often in your generation. I've got a feeling that you're going to bring about some serious change to this miserable Kingdom, and that's more than enough of a fair investment for me."

Disrupting the moment, a new figure roughly stumbled into the seat to the right of Jaune. Before Jaune could move to speak to the new person, she abruptly raised her one hand at him, effectively silencing him. Pointing to Junior, she lowered her arm, took a deep breath, raised it again, and said with a ludicrous amount of exasperation, "Strawberry Sunrise, no ice, and please for the love of all that's good in this world, make it a kicker"

Not being one to let a lady down, Junior turned around and went diligently to work.

Turning towards Jaune now, the girl, with her wild mane of shining blonde hair, and lightly tinted lavender eyes gave him a look which seemed to say, "Go ahead, I permit you to speak now."

Jaune nervously scratched the back of his head, an age-old habit he'd had whenever he was put into a less-than-comfortable situation.

"Looks like you're having an absolutely fantastic day," Jaune chuckled, speaking with no undue amount of sarcasm in his voice.

That was a good conversation starter, right?

Right?

The girl, who he assumed to be around his age, lightly laughed at his poor attempt to start a conversation. "I think that would be a little bit of an understatement, to be honest."

Junior returned and had placed a neon-pink drink in front of the girl, who happily and quickly took it.

She then proceeded down the entire thing in one go.

Jaune nervously chuckled at her antics, seeing that she was most definitely correct when she mentioned that what he said was a complete understatement. Taking a sip of his own drink, he waited for the girl to continue.

"Sorry, I don't think I introduced myself. My name is Yang, Yang Xiao Long, but you can call me sometime if you're lucky." She said, adding a flirtatious wink at the end of it.

Before Jaune could even move to make a witty comeback, he heard an uncouth snort and deep rumble of laughter from behind him, who he could only assume to be Roman.

"Excuse him, he's not completely house trained yet." Jaune said nodding his head back towards Roman, who was violently sputtering out his drink. Junior had slammed his hand down on the counter and was boisterously laughing at Roman's unfortunate expense.

"My name's Jaune Arc. It's sweet, short, rolls of the tongue, ladies love it. I'd offer you my number, but my seven sisters would probably want to interrogate you. I do have a Shutterchat if you're still interested in keeping things on the down-low, though." He said, failing to hide the grin on his face.

Yang let her mouth hang open for a moment, before curling over herself in raucous laughter. Jaune joined in shortly after, their laughter drawing the attention of some patrons on the dance floor.

Yang collected herself for a short moment, before speaking up, "You know, I've been to at least a dozen different bars today and that honestly has to be the most ridiculous and original things I have heard all day.

"Well, you must've had a hell of a day if you've hit up that many bars." Jaune replied, finishing up the rest of his drink before sliding it to Junior once more.

Unintentionally letting her smile turn into a small frown she sat quiet for a few moments. "Well, you're right, there. I'm trying to track a… distant relative down, and I've had the worst luck with it." She sullenly said. Fishing a small Scroll out of her pocket, she opened it up and swiped through a few things before she presented the bright screen towards Jaune.

A gentle, yet hopeful expression graced Yang's face. "You wouldn't have happened to see this woman anywhere before, have you?" She asked, hopeful look ever present on her face.

Said woman looked almost identical to Yang, save for the dark ruby eyes, black hair, and the wicked odachi strapped to her waist.

"I'm sorry, honestly can't say I have. Junior or Roman here might have seen her before, you might try asking them." Jaune said, pointing to the two men behind him.

Junior, the ever-diligent bartender that he was had returned with Jaune's drink. Setting it down on the counter he nodded at Yang, extending his hand to take her Scroll. Taking the Scroll from her, he studied the picture for a moment, before shaking his head. Pausing for a moment, he took a step over to Roman, handing him the Scroll.

Taking the Scroll into his hands, he reached for his drink, only to spit it out across the bar counter. Junior let out an aggravated sigh and rolled his eyes, reaching to his waist to grab the towel hanging from it.

Yang shot out of her seat like a rocket, grabbing Roman by the shoulder. She turned his chair around so fast that Jaune assumed he'd get whiplash. Grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket, she tugged upwards on them. Jaune took a moment to notice the two yellow bracelets that sat on her wrists.

'So, she's a Huntress. This is either going to get really good, or really bad, really quick.' Jaune thought to himself.

"You've seen her before? How do you know her? Where did you las-" She was blasted off. In what had to be less than the blink of an eye, Yang ended up on the floor, the barrel-end of a cane pushing against her throat. A distinctive click reverberated throughout the bar, and Jaune knew that things just went really bad, really quick.

"Now blondie, I know that walking into this fine establishment here, you knew what to expect. I also know that this gorgeous face has been quite naughty with the press lately, so I'm fully aware you know who I am." Roman begin, his words coated in sarcasm.

"Furthermore…" He continued, pushing what had to be his weapon further against Yang's throat, "I can assume that you haven't done anything about it because you know that I'm more than capable of taking down entire Huntsmen teams, let alone," his cane trailed off her neck, rapping the hard steel of her bracelets "Huntsmen-in-training teams."

Yang moved to get up, but found herself pinned back to the floor when the cane quickly moved to rest on her forehead.

"I swear, all you Branwens are either dangerously confident, or you're absolutely bat-shit insane and need to be institutionalized for the safety of the Kingdom."

Roman gave Yang a pointed look before pulling his cane off of her, using it to clasp his hands over and lean against.

"If the resemblance is anything to go by, I would take a good guess and say that you're the brat that Raven dumped with Taiyang. Now, why I know this isn't relevant, but I'm going to go out on quite the hunch here and say that little parakeet here is having some mommy-issues now, which means that you most likely want to know where she is."

Yang quickly rose to her feet, eyes flaring red, but held her ground a fair space away from Roman.

"Since your partner in crime here put me in a rather cheerful mood tonight, I'll cut you a deal. I'll tell you who and where mother dearest is, but in return I'm going to need you to do me a favor and deliver a little something to her. It's quite the win-win! I get my supplies delivered, crazy-bird gets them and a daughter who doesn't seem to have a filter between thinking and acting."

"Though," he drawled the word out, "if you don't want to do any of that, my lovely associate down the counter there would be more than happy to permanently fix that problem for you, absolutely free of charge as well." He nodded to a sole female sitting on the far end of the bar. She had an interesting mix of multi-colored hair and a rather short stature. The umbrella resting against the counter however, was most likely a weapon, because it seems everyday items are all weapons now, and Jaune most certainly did not want to see her use it. The girl blew a kiss and a wink towards Yang, an impressive cheshire grin on her face.

Yang grumbled out what only could hopefully be translated to a "fine" and went to go sit back down. Before she could move though, Roman began once more.

"Let this be a lesson to you both. Whether you're a Huntsman, a student, or a civilian, the world is harsh, unforgiving, and there is nothing kind to it. It will kick you when you're down, and it will never let you back up, no matter how hard you try to claw your way to that little light at the end of the tunnel. The only things that will ever help you survive out in this Kingdom are deception, deceit, and misdirection. Do not let this little rant of mine think you were safe or in the clear either. I would've had no sleep lost over disposing of you. I suggest you put some forethought into your actions next time, parakeet." With that, Roman curtly nodded, dismissing Yang.

Jaune let out a long and shaky breath, quickly downing his drink and thanking whatever deities that be for not getting him killed.

With that, Yang returned to her seat next to Jaune, a Strawberry Sunrise waiting for her.

"I think it's redundant saying this, but that was pretty reckless." Jaune said, casually looking at Yang from the corner of his eyes.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to add that encounter to the ongoing steak then," she bit back, quickly tipping her glass back and slamming it down on the counter.

"And suddenly, I have an onset of soul-crushing regret for ever wanting to go to Beacon." Jaune spoke, resting his forehead against the sticky counter.

"I'm actually going to Beacon too," Yang perked up, "we should keep in touch, yeah?"

Jaune raised his head, looking over to Yang. Fishing his Scroll out of his pocket, he handed it to Yang. "Sure, add your number and your socials. Just no crazy contact names, I already get enough grief from my sisters." She laughed at that, taking the phone and briefly fiddling with it before handing it back to him.

Glancing down at his screen, it read "hottest blonde i know".

His forehead quickly became re-acquainted with the sticky bar top.


Jaune dismissed the strangely fond memory, returning his focus to the journey ahead of him, continuing his steady pace down the road. He'd been traveling for a few steady hours now, with short breaks here and there to rest his legs.

'I'll give it a few more miles before I take another break.' He thought to himself.

A crisp breeze blew by, and with it, the unmistakable sound of voices. Stopping dead in his tracks, he paused and surveyed the area around him.

For some time since he was a child, he often heard faint whispers or sounds on the far edges of his mind, but he had simply chalked that up to one of his sister's or parent's Semblances unintentionally affecting him. Though he had no idea what most of his sisters or parents Semblances were with complete accuracy, he ventured to say that was probably the cause.

He was half-expecting that either the Grimm were about to jump him, or bandits were. Lowering his hands to the dust-revolvers strapped to his thighs, he quietly and quickly unclasped the holster.

Though for whatever odd reason his parents refused to train him, Jaune did take it upon himself to hang around the local Huntsman lodges, watching them spar and fight. Sometimes, he'd get lucky and a Huntsman or Huntress would show him a few tricks in hand-to-hand combatives or basic weaponry-play. Nothing quite on par with what the entry-level academies taught, but enough to buy him time to "run and live". Over time he did manage to come decently proficient in ranged arms, something he was rather proud of.

When he was positive, or as positive as he could be given his lack of substantial training, he continued walking down the road. He didn't get a scant few feet before the voices returned, along with a deep pounding in his head. Using his free hand to hold his head in pain, he stopped once more, his own legs threatening to give out on him.

Giving the pain a minute or two to subside, he slowly began to walk on the road once more, cautiously looking around all the while.

'Could be someone playing a prank on me, maybe somebody's Semblance. By the Brothers, I hope it's not.' Jaune frantically thought to himself.

When the next set of voices came, they brought no headache with them. This time, it was clear, deep, and held such an authority of command that it unnerved Jaune to no end.

'The decreed hour is come. It is time for you to stand in judgement of your ancestors.'

Jaune drew his guns, holding them out before him. He stood in place, slowly scanning the area around him. Seeing nothing, Jaune took a few steps forward, before he felt what could described as a tug on his mind, leading in towards the forest.

Ignoring this tug, he continued forward, refusing to be distracted by whatever was going on in his head. The tug returned once more, and this time, an image of what appeared to be a marble coffin flashed across his mind. Sparing a second glance at the area of the forest where he felt the tug on his mind, he took a few cautious steps off the road and into the forest.

'Hasten forth, O' Chosen. The Revelation awaits, and with it, no time to squander.' A new voice said. This one was feminine, light and airy- a much improved contrast to the prior.

Continuing his walk through the forestry, Jaune took a moment to think to himself, 'I'm listening to voices in my head, seeing things in my head, and I'm totally walking into a forest because my imagination told me to. It's official, I've gone absolutely nuts.'

He eased into a more even-paced walk, heading what must have been a tenth or quarter of a mile into the dense forest. The overhead canopy was thick, casting the under-story and floor of the forest in heavy shade. Up ahead, he could make out a much brighter area, indicating that there was potentially a clearing in that direction.

Approaching what he correctly assumed was the clearing, he was dumbfounded to see that in the middle of it all was a man-made structure consisting of a large foundation of grey and white stone tiles, with weathered and broken-down pillars scattered about it. In the center of it all was a circular, domed building where the front quarter of it was left open. Placed against the core of that, was a black and gold metal door, with two granite or marble statues placed on either side of it.

"What's something like this doing out in the middle of the forest?" Jaune wondered aloud.

Walking up on the foundation, he took his time examining the architecture of the area before wandering towards the metal door. It was set behind ornate marble stones which framed the door. Overhead rested a small statue of what appeared to be a woman looking to the sky, a full body cloak billowing around her. In front of the small statue set what looked to be an upside-down sword. He turned his attention downward towards the door. Giving it a good look up and down, he noticed the complete and utter lack of a doorknob, keyhole, handle, or anything of the like that would open the door.

'Well, isn't this the most functional door on Remnant?'

Reaching his hand out towards the door, Jaune lightly brushed the metal that the door was constructed out of and pulled his hand back in shock when he found that it was warm to the touch. Hesitantly reaching out once more, he laid his hand flat against the metal. A faint, yet steady pulse of energy radiated from the door. As if calling out to his very soul, the energy settled and rumbled deep within him. It tugged at his being gently, calling him forth.

The door gently rumbled before it parted in the middle, each side of the door going their separate ways. Taking a moment to resolve his nerves, Jaune sheathed his guns and slowly crossed over the threshold. Upon entering the structure, he was met with dark-gray and white marble tiling set up in an intricate and noble-esque fashion. The area was set in a half-circle, with the base of it up against the door wall, and the rest curving in towards the back of the room. Lining the walls with equal spacings were large, marble column with gold outlines. At the base of each column on small raised blocks were dark aquamarine marble statues. Each statue held a large shield in their right arm, while their left hand rested a sword, blade down into the ground.

The statues were elevated above him, standing proud and tall. Their heads were tilted down towards the center of the room, or towards him. He couldn't tell, but he had a feeling in his gut that these statues were staring at him. There was a strange sense of familiarity and gentle hum of energy that radiated from them, but he paid them no mind.

Above him was a beautiful gold and glass circular skylight, which resided perfectly at the apex of the building. The sun's illuminated the room brilliantly, giving a warm shine to everything that resided within it. Directly below the skylight was a large, black and gold, ornate slate of marble, supported by a single angled pedestal. The slate itself looked to be a horizontally elongated hexagon, with wide sides and much shorter at the ends. Resting on top of it was a humanoid stone statue, lying flat on its back. It's left arm rested on its chest, while its right arm rest along its waist. Unbelievably, there was a small object hover above the statue.

Walking up to the very edge of the slate of marble that the statue rested on, Jaune took a moment to study it.

"This place seems more like a tomb… Maybe one of nobility? All the plain-looking armed statues that watch over this ornate coffin must hold some sort of symbolism." He wondered aloud.

He drew his gaze upwards towards the small floating object. It was a small black ring with the interior of the band being a dark gold, while face of the ring looked to be a circle. On the upper half of the ring rested an armored figure, its hands coming to rest on top of each other over the center of its chest. Directly beneath that figure, a dazzling gem rested in a thin circular socket. Small black pillars seemed to shoot from the outer socket of the ring directly into small socket that held the gemstone.

The gemstone itself however, caught Jaune's attention the most. It was a deep and dazzling dark blue, and if he squinted, it looked as if there was an entire galaxy of light blues and greens moving beneath it. Reaching out slowly, he made to gently grasp the ring. Before he could, his thoughts were interrupted by the sudden return of voices in his head. This time, it was yet another new voice. One that sounded old, weary, yet wise.

'Take heed. Once you set forth, you cannot turn back…'

Jaune shuddered as he felt a hand rest itself on his shoulder.

'Walk tall, my ...'

Jaune retracted his hand from the ring immediately, rubbing the spot on his shoulder where we were sure that he was touched. Looking around in the empty tomb, Jaune paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. Locking his gaze onto the ring once more, Jaune reached out for it once more, gently allowing his thumb and index finger to grasp it. He sighed in relief when its light weight had settled into his hand.

Bringing it closer to his face, he inspected the ring once more, appreciating the absolute excellence of whoever made it. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. He heard the faint whispers of multiple voices in his head. He took the ring in his left hand, turned it right-side-up, and positioned it over his ring finger.

Looking around, he could feel the presence of dozens upon dozens of people looking at him, as if he were the King of Vale raising his scepter and sword for the first time. Whatever he was about to do, he knew that whatever, or whoever these presences were, they were waiting to see what would happen. The ever-present tug on his soul grew, as if someone were trying to yank it out of his body.

Sucking in a deep breath, Jaune slowly slid the ring onto his finger, giving it a slight tug down to make sure it was secure. He was somewhat surprised when nothing happened, but he then soon felt it. An insurmountable amount of energy and power flowing from the ring towards his body, his soul. The ring shone brightly and cast the tomb in a dazzling and blinding light, forcing Jaune to raise his hand to cover his eyes and look away. A painful burning sensation coursed throughout his body, causing him to gasp and pant in pain.

The ring had poured out more energy, intensifying the burning sensation throughout his body tenfold. Falling to the ground, he clutched at his hand, screaming in agony. His vision began to fade and darken before the blissful embrace of unconsciousness had snared him.


I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of the story! I was rather content with how this turned out. I originally wanted to add the next scene to the end of this, but I figured with Yang and Roman's introductions, it would simply be too much for one chapter.

Also, what could possibly happen now that Yang knows so much about her mother now? I'm obviously not going to tell you, so you'll all just have to wait until Initiation to see!

Update: Several things were changed in this chapter as I did not like how they turned out. I received excellent critiquing and reviewing from a colleague of mine, and some key things were addressed and subsequently changed to reflect said critiques.

Things like "Ranger, Master Huntsman Tier 8, Class SS Criminal, etc" Will be addressed in future chapters when we delve into the Huntsman Lodge Bounty and Ranking system.