I am crossposting this story from other sites, but I suggest hopping on Questionable Questing if you would like to see some character portraits. Or join me on Discord, server code is vN7sTYhEp6

  I will be posting four chapters daily on this site until it catches up with other sites.

  One day earlier (July 2nd)

  It was a warm summer evening in a small hamlet on the outskirts of Celdic. The settlement was rustic and small in popution but famous for their apple orchards. The sun had set and sank beyond the horizon, yet its dying light still illuminated the nd. Two children, a boy and a girl, were on their way home from gathering fruits as they chatted happily about their day.

  “These apples are so juicy!” The girl bit into one of the fruits in question.

  “Hey, we aren’t supposed to be eating them, Tuni. We need them for granny’s pies.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about it Jas. We still have a lot more left.” She nodded at her basket filled with apples. “Go on, try some. I know you want to.”

  The boy, Jas, was hesitant. The wooden walls of the settlement were barely a couple of hundred feet ahead, and granny’s pies were heavenly! But he was hungry. “Oh, alright. Just the one.”

  Just as he bit into an apple, something struck him in the back, sending him sprawling to the ground and spilling the contents of his basket everywhere. Jas heard his friend’s scream get cut off as it turned into a pained groan.

  Before he could even think to move, someone straddled his back and bound his limbs in a sticky substance.

  “HELP! HE-”

  Something smacked his head, causing him to bite his tongue, and before Jas knew it, his mouth was gagged, and all he could do was moan.

  “Stupid brat. Nearly ruined everything,” a female voice came from above, “Get the girl. We need to move before we’re spotted.”

  “Hey, don’t order me around bitch!” It was a man’s voice, but it was high and sharp, like a squeal. “You’re the one who took her time choosing the bait. Besides, there ain’t no guards here. Without those Huntsmen, those losers from town won’t know what hit’em. Gehahaha!”

  Jas felt fear and terror get a hold of him. Was he getting kidnapped? And Tuni? Why? Was it because he was a Faunus? He hid his features, what else should he do? Who were these people? Bait for what?

  So many questions ran through his mind, fueling his anxiety and fear. He looked around frantically for Tuni only to find her unconscious form bound up by a tall, nky man with too many piercings and bright pink hair.

  The man noticed him staring, “Hey, knock the brat out. We don’t want Grimm swarming us on the way back.”

  Jas turned his head to see his kidnapper and only glimpsed gray hair before a sharp pain at the back of his head and then darkness.

  Morning, July 3rd,

  Sara was losing patience with the old dulrd talking at her. Yep, at her. Not to her. The man hadn’t bothered looking her in the eyes since the conversation started, preferring to stare at her cleavage instead. Normally, she would be fttered, especially since she funted her babies for a reason, but even she had her limits. And to think she scolded the young Arc for straying his eyes only twice. Yet, he was still a boy and showed impressive self-restraint.

  It must have been half an hour since Sara arrived here, and the pompous sourpuss still hadn’t gotten to the point of her assignment. Instead, he was too busy touting his horn, not so subtly insulting her profession, and at one point, implied heavily that she was nothing more than an immoral mercenary.

  ‘Well, she was technically a mercenary, but immoral? Not in the ways he imagines, heh.’

  The less he talked about his glorious family history, the better. When he started puffing up his elite troops; she pointedly looked at the Lieutenant of the Dragoons who accompanied them, much to the annoyance of the Captain.

  “As I was saying, Valestein. My troops will be more than enough to assure the safety of Celdic, Grand Market or not. However, due to the insistence of my Dragoon Lieutenant,” said Lieutenant, Donovan Brocket, stared straight ahead as they walked. Sara noticed him frowning at the Guard Captain, however, “You and your… pet will be allowed to accompany us on today’s patrol. However, I must insist that you stay out of our way and let us do our jobs. You are only here because the mayor insisted on having a Huntsman for emergencies. It doesn’t help that you aren’t even a proper Huntress. We all know how you Adventurers make a living, now, don’t we?”

  Sara easily ignored the jab at her precious Fie, she had heard this song and dance dozens of times before and learned to ignore it to an extent. Instead, she gave the man a noncommittal shrug, “If you insist, Captain Montgomery, I am sure I will fit right in well with the Dragoons. Just give us a holler if you find yourself in a pickle; we will be sure to back you and your elite troops up.” She threw a wink at Brocket, who kept a straight face, but she could have sworn his lips twitched a little.

  Montgomery bristled at that, his white mustache twitching in annoyance, but she didn’t say anything he himself hadn’t already said. He harrumphed and walked away after a haphazard farewell.

  “I apologize for Captain Montgomery’s attitude. I assure you he did not mean to insult with his comments,” Brocket motioned for her to follow him inside the barracks proper.

  “I can recognize an insult and hot air, and he gave both. He’s old and prideful. A bad combination for a military man, but that is just my opinion.” Sara followed the man into the communication room. It was mostly empty, aside from a single comms officer who looked bored as he stared bnkly at the silent communication system. He stood and saluted the Lieutenant once he saw them, a simple wave from the Dragoon had him at ease.

  “Any news on our errant Huntsmen?”

  “No sir, Beacon has only replied with ‘Too busy. Await update’. This has never happened before, sir. What could possibly have caused an emergency that Beacon would be unable to reply with a status update?”

  The Lieutenant sighed tiredly, “It’s not our pce to question higher command, soldier. You sent them another message this morning, correct? Good. Stand by until they reply.” He waved the comm-man back to his duties.

  “Yes, sir!”

  They were still on bckout, and the garrison’s only communication source with Vale was Morse code via a ndline. Sara had learned that the garrison was promised a Bullhead months ago, but Vale had not delivered yet. At least then, they could just fly out of the mountains’ interference zone and contact Beacon from the skies. Or even just fly to Vale in an hour to deliver their messages. They supposedly also had an ancient phone system as well, but it was neglected for too long and currently y broken in storage. The Celdic region’s geography of being in a massive valley is starting to bite them in the back.

  Lieutenant Brocket turned back to Sara, “This is not good, Valestein. We were expecting two Huntsmen to help us prepare for the Grand Market for the better part of a week now. Beacon has never gone silent on us like this. Something big must have happened.”

  Sara offered a sympathetic smile to the clearly stressed-out officer. ‘Older man, graying hair, fit and strong. Me likey~ so much~. Too bad he’s married, and I’m no homewrecker.’ She gnced at his left ring finger, where a wedding ring was worn.

  “Regardless, you acquitted yourself well yesterday when you accompanied me escorting the repair crew. Today, we have two objectives for our patrol.” He brought out a map of the surrounding area, and marked on it where the many settlements connected to Celdic, along with the Repeater Tower and other locations. “We will be escorting a supply truck to the tower. We received a rider during the night, chased by a pack of Beowolves. The repair crew estimates they will have the tower fully operational by noon tomorrow at the earliest, but the guards require more ammo and reinforcement as the Grimm have not given them a moment of respite. In addition to the truck, we will be escorting twenty guards to reinforce the twenty already on site. This will leave us thin here, and my Dragoons will be busy patrolling the roads. The settlements should be capable of defending themselves with their sheriffs and deputies, and I will ask the mayor to call in more minutemen. Hopefully, nothing else will happen, but it still leaves the town undermanned. If only the Huntsmen we were supposed to get were here…” The Lieutenant clenched his fist tightly on the table before rexing with a sigh.

  Sara nodded seriously, the situation wasn’t too bad right now, but they could certainly have a worst-case scenario on their hands if the Grimm attacked Celdic itself while they were away. They still haven’t found out who damaged the tower in the first pce.

  “You mentioned two objectives, the second one?”

  Brocket rubbed his tired brown eyes, “Captain Montgomery has demanded that we find out where the Grimm are attacking the tower from. After we escort the reinforcements to the tower, you and your partner shall accompany me and nine of my Dragoons to scout out where the Grimm are concentrated in.”

  Sara stared at the man bnkly, “He wants us to go on a wild goose chase? Is this some political power move between you two that I’m getting dragged into?”

  Brocket chuckled, “Not at all. While we do have our issues, I can assure you that this has to do with the rider’s report.” His smile died out and his eyes hardened. “There was a kidnapping st night from a hamlet close to the tower. Two young adolescents, Jasper and Petunia, were st seen returning from gathering fruits from their settlement’s orchards.”

  Sara mirrored his look, “The Grimm would kill on sight, if there are no remains, then it has to be human action. Bandits? Outnders? No, the outnders wouldn’t dare raid across the Vale mountains lest they risk the full wrath of Beacon. Ozpin has no patience for their sving ways. Besides, they are too busy killing each other in the Southnds anyway.”

  “There haven’t been any blood or corpses. Just the sign of struggle and their dropped fruit baskets. The witness was an old farmer who was walking his dog and heard the disturbance but was too te to see the kidnappers. He managed to contact our nearby patrol, who returned this morning with the report.”

  Brocket paused for a moment as he pointed out where the hamlet was on the map and his patrol’s route back to Celdic.

  “Both children were orphans who were taken in by the settlement. The residents cared for them as a community and are all worried about them. I’m not sure of the specifics, but I was told that both kids are also Faunus, but their traits are easy to hide. Whether this is relevant to why they were kidnapped or not, I do not know.” Brocket had a scowl on his face as he collected his thoughts, “What I do know is that whoever the kidnappers were, they had every opportunity to kidnap older people. Men for bor, or women for…”

  Sara nodded her understanding, opting for the Lieutenant to carry on, “they specifically targeted young children. Children who would be terrified of their situation and unable to control their emotions.”

  Sara’s blood froze at that before she nearly snarled two words that she detested with a passion. “Grimm Bait?!”

  The Lieutenant nodded grimly, “It is certainly a possibility. It could even be the White Fang, for all we know. It is still more likely that the kidnappers are bandits who are replenishing their numbers by indoctrinating young impressionable children. I know of a few bandit groups operating within a hundred miles from here that have eluded our patrols. Their crimes were petty enough not to warrant attention from Vale, and unfortunately, most of them are run by former Adventurers, which expins the captain’s animosity towards you.”

  Sara grimaced at that. It was the sad reality that anyone could become an Adventurer as it is a way to give people second chances. Some people tended to spit on that chance and return to their vile ways. Others simply become disillusioned with their stagnation in the lower ranks as well as the ckluster support from the Kingdoms. Regardless, It was a fact that some Adventurers and even Huntsmen turn to lives of crime.

  Brocket continued, “It is distasteful to admit, but we have kept correspondence with some of the more… civilized bandit cns. They are not too dissimir to the feudal lords of old, and they do offer protection to the remote vilges outside of Celdic’s influence. Vilges and settlements that have been neglected by the kingdoms. I have not heard from them in a while, so I had a few of my Dragoons detour on their patrol routes to check on them. Better the evil you know and what not.”

  Sara shrugged, “You gotta do what you gotta do. I have met my fair share of bandits and civilized folks, and you would be surprised at how much they have in common. At the end of the day, we are all trying to survive against the Grimm. Even if some people can be worse than the most monstrous of Grimm.” The Lieutenant grimaced at that, “Keep me updated on what your men find about those bandit groups, would you?”

  Brocket nodded, “Of course. Regardless, with the increased Grimm activity, there are simply too many possibilities for us to guess from where the Grimm are attacking the tower. ”

  Sara sighed at that, “Do we at least have an idea of where to go? I would rather not go in the opposite direction and return to find the town burned down. With the kidnapping, we might need to scout out two locations instead of one as well.”

  Brocket nodded, “Point. One of my men found tracks that led deeper into the mountains. We shall be following those tracks today and see where they lead us. I know you will not like this, but we are not going to assault anything, as we are too shorthanded. Instead, it will be purely a scouting mission before we reconvene here to reassess. Do I make myself clear, Valestein?”

  Sara was not pleased, oh no, not all. Nevertheless, she still understood where the Lieutenant was coming from and nodded, “Very well, but know that if there is an opportunity to save those kids, then I’m taking it. Whether you want to help or not, that will be up to you.”

  The Lieutenant frowned at this, but he ultimately acquiesced with a sigh, “Very well. We will need to–”

  “Morse incoming!”

  Beep-beep-bep-beeep-bep—

  All three occupants in the room were silent. Sara and Donovan stared patiently at the comms officer as he deciphered the incoming message. Once he was done transcribing it, he handed the paper to the Lieutenant, who scowled as he read the response from Beacon.

  “It seems we shall not be getting our Huntsmen after all.” He handed Sara the paper to read it herself.

  “Oh my, this is bad news.” she raised her eyebrows at the details of why the Huntsmen will be absent, “It does say that they will send backup as soon as they can. On the other hand, we didn’t really pn our moves with them in mind. If they weren’t here days ago, then they were never gonna make it.”

  She id the paper on the table and frowned in thought. “Fie would have been a godsend for any tracking mission, but I could have her stay in town for today, might as well give her a day off for a change.” Sara thought out loud, “It’s a good opportunity to brush up on my tracking skills, Ats doesn’t really cover that in css. I’ve been abusing that girl when it comes to that.” She smiled slightly at the thought, “Besides, she seems to have taken a shine to that stray we picked up off the road.” Sara chuckled, causing the Lieutenant to give a tight smile.

  “Our mission remains the same. We depart once the supply truck and Montgomery’s men are ready to go. Give it two or three more hours or so. I would have preferred we had left by dawn, but…”

  Sara gave him a sympathetic look. Here was a competent and dutiful soldier who was cursed with a not-so-competent superior officer. At least she clearly had an ally in him, the alternative would not be fun at all.

  Nevertheless, she was still a professional, and with the change in circumstances, she would need to bring up an unwelcome discussion. “With the absence of two Huntsmen, this mission has now exceeded the parameters that were agreed upon with the Adventurer’s guild. My apprentice and I were supposed to provide backup to the Huntsmen duo, not take charge of the operation ourselves. I hope you understand what I’m trying to say here, Lieutenant Brocket.”

  “We will renegotiate your terms of employment.” The older man replied curtly, “Meet me at the mayor’s manor in an hour, and I’ll bring Montgomery over.” The Lieutenant stated with finality as he waited for her to acknowledge the unsaid dismissal.

  “Will do.” Sara left the building and made her way back to the street. Even with better pay, this mission is shaping up to be a clusterfudge waiting to happen. She will have to be on her A-game, especially with Fie staying behind today.

  ‘There might be a different opportunity to be had,’ her thoughts were on a certain blonde and his earlier offer.

  “Oh, you cleaned my horse? You, kids, are so nice to me.”

  Jaune and Fie were storing the cleaning equipment when Sara called out behind them. “You sure took your time. Any problem with the troopers?”

  Sara shook her head and motioned for them to follow her outside. “Don’t worry about it. Just what you would expect from military types. That Dragoon Lieutenant was quite the charmer, though. More importantly, I notice you got your Aura back, you never expined what happened to it.”

  The younger duo washed their hands using a faucet before following Sara, “I overused my Sembnce, and a side effect of it is disabling my Aura recovery. It's getting better now, and I expect a full recovery within a few days.”

  “That’s good to hear. I was worried you hurt yourself or something. Would have defeated the purpose of asking for your help ter on.”

  ‘Help?’ Jaune wondered but decided to wait until Sara eborated further. He already promised them his aid and would not go back on his word. An Arc held to his oath seriously. For good or evil, a broken oath shall follow you to the ends of the world.

  They left the stables and headed back down the streets. Jaune noticed a training yard attached to the barracks where soldiers were practicing their marksmanship skills with their old bolt-action rifles. There was the occasional Dragoon using newer lever-action rifles, but even that style is old compared to the more common assault rifles, let alone Ats’ ser guns.

  It reminded him of his pn to buy a gun, but if the guards couldn’t afford any modern arms, he shouldn’t get his hopes up. A visit to the Market could solve that problem. He still had all the Dust he had collected sitting in his Storage Space. A mental check assured him that he could access it without even needing Aura.

  They were approaching the Mayor's mansion when a sudden thought struck Jaune.

  “Hang on, shouldn’t you have met with the Mayor first rather than the guard captain? Isn’t he responsible for the Grand Market as its Market Manager? Yesterday, I mean.” Jaune wasn’t certain about the protocols and hierarchy structure here. He was too used to Vytal where an Arc’s word was highly respected. He would have to acclimate better to his new environment.

  “Already done, kiddo. First thing I did once we arrived here. Didn’t say much really, other than to keep our noses clean and not make trouble in the market, that we are only here as support for the Huntsmen.” For a moment, Sara stayed silent, and Jaune had the impression she wanted to say more before the moment passed. “You know, the usual stuff civvies like to talk about when they think they’re in a position of power. I’m sure he will be changing his tune when we meet ter.”

  Jaune was quick to notice the slight derision in her tone, which surprised him considering her usual bubbly and kind attitude. She probably didn’t like authority figures a lot, it seemed, and for some reason, it felt like she was talking about someone else other than the Mayor.

  “I see. On a side note, I need a few things to buy but I’m short on Lien. Would you happen to know someone here who would be interested in purchasing unrefined Dust? The highest quality, I assure you.”

  Both Sara and Fie stopped and stared at him bewildered, “What are you talking about? We checked your belongings, and only found that white crystal. While it looks beautiful, I have no idea who would want to buy it.”

  Jaune looked around and found an empty park. He made his way toward an empty bench under a rge tree, waving for the other two to follow him. He did not take a seat, instead, he stood under the tree with his back to it, and both women covered him from the front. From an outsider’s perspective, it would look like he was selling them drugs or something, Jaune nearly chuckled at the thought.

  He gave one st discreet look around before he spoke in a low voice, “This is what I’m talking about.”

  The blonde flicked his hand, and a fist-sized Earth Dust crystal appeared on his palm, to the shock of both women.

  Sara stared incredulously in silence. Jaune wore a short-sleeve shirt, so he couldn’t have been hiding the crystal under his sleeves. She did not sense him using any kind of Aura technique to make her think if this was his Sembnce either.

  “… how?” Fie was simirly shocked but was quicker to recover than Sara.

  Jaune gave a cheeky grin, “Magic!”

  Sara chuckled at that, “All right then, keep your secrets.”

  Jaune was surprised at that, “That’s it? No questions at all on how I did that? Not curious one bit?” He honestly expected an interrogation about this. Advertising his magical abilities was a huge risk, but Krystal never told him he shouldn’t do it. On the contrary, by telling him he could bless others with magic, Krystal implied that Jaune shouldn’t be shy about his powers. At least, he thought so, Krystal was incredibly neutral and vague about how Jaune did things.

  Correct. I did not once tell you how to live your life, Jaune. Only recommend actions. Everything you do is up to you, but remember to take heed of the potential consequences. I am, above all else, merely a guide, not a gospel.

  ‘Appreciate the confidence, Krystal.’

  He turned back to Sara as she began to speak, “Of course I’m curious, but everyone has their secrets, kiddo. You chose to trust me when you sent those recordings. I trust the Colonel, and considering you spent over a year under his tutege, I have also decided to trust you. I’m sure you would tell me if I need to know, anyway.”

  Jaune breathed a sigh of relief, “Okay, that’s good to hear. So, any idea if I can find a buyer?”

  Sara thought for a moment as she held the crystal and felt it out. She passed it to Fie, who looked at it in concentration before shaking her head and handing it back to Jaune, who took it in confusion.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “The crystal is too rge, of high quality, and unrefined to boot. I doubt anyone would purchase it here when they could wait for the SDC train to deliver refined and cheaper Dust instead. Of course, it would be of lower quality, but it would satisfy their needs regardless. As you know, Dust crystals can be ground down to granules or sculpted into specific shapes. On the other hand, it's incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to turn ground Dust back to crystal form. A crystal this size could be very useful as a power source, but it's still more economical for most people to use ground Dust instead due to how rare crystals of this size are.”

  Jaune nodded along before Sara continued. “This crystal has small traces of Fire and Lightning Dust in it, despite it being clearly Earth Dust.” She pointed out the slight discoloration in the crystal that signified the other elements that tainted the crystal. “It will need to be refined, and the other elements filtered out into ground dust form while the crystal would lose some of its mass. It’s still very high quality, and the amount of energy in there is higher than any crystal I’d seen in a regur Dust shop. Unfortunately, while you could probably sell a piece like this for maybe ￡4,000, you will need either a specialty shop or find a private collector. Those two are difficult to find, especially in the boonies like Celdic. Don’t take my word for it, though, Dust prices fluctuate all the time, and I’m no expert.”

  Jaune quickly caught on to what Sara was trying to say. There was potential for making money out of it but not here. Although, with the Grand Market opening soon and Valemen coming for business, he might just make a windfall out of it. He won't be hasty, four grand was a lot of money, and there's no doubt that any sale done here would cost him potential profits than Vale proper. Those merchants would need to return to Vale to make their own profit out of any Dust he sells them. He's already going there, so why not bypass the middleman?

  Jaune would still search for a buyer, though. He only had ￡200 to his name, barely enough for the train ticket plus a meal, and he would rather not depend on the charity of others to survive the coming month in Vale until initiation. There was no way he would ask for money from his family either, his pride wouldn’t let him. He deposited the crystal back into his Storage and frowned in thought, “I take it you wouldn’t be interested in buying them off me?”

  Sara stared at him, “Them? Just how many do you have on you?”

  After a quick mental inquiry, Jaune answered, “A lot more. I got Fire and Lightning as well. Some Wind and Gravity among other kinds.”

  For the second time in the st few minutes, Sara was struck speechless, but Jaune continued on. “They are all unrefined, though, so the same problem. What do you think?”

  “Wind?” Came Fie's question. Jaune brought out a few wind crystals for her to peruse. After focusing on them intently, she chose two of the purest crystals that were the size of his thumb and dumped a wad of ￡300 in his hands.

  “Not pure enough for weaving, but good enough for my Chasers. Just have to grind them down to dust.” Fie brandished her weapons, and Jaune could finally appreciate the lethal-looking pair of gun/dagger hybrids. The bdes looked wickedly sharp and durable, while the gun was a short-barreled pistol clearly designed for suppression rather than lethality.

  There was what appeared to be a gss capsule of green Wind Dust incorporated into each gun, though Jaune had no idea how they would be used as he wasn’t much of a Dust user. Jaune also noted that both weapons had some kind of mechanism on the top of the barrels where he suspected they could be combined to turn into a much rger barrel. Combined with the fact there were two triggers, it may very well be a finishing move of some sort.

  All in all, it was a badass pair of Gundaggers, and he couldn't wait to see them in action.

  “I might need fire and lightning ter when I replenish my babies.” Fie nonchantly opened a couple of pouches on her belt that showed…

  Jaune just stared in shock, “Are these… Grenades? Bombs?”

  Fie nodded seriously, “Portable high-powered explosives. Psticity makes it handy for any espionage work. Every gal has some for emergencies.”

  “No, they don’t! I’ve lived with eight gals, and none of them kept any bombs for emergencies!!” Jaune nearly shouted at the absurdity of this little girl being so bomb happy.

  Fie cocked her head to the side, “Are you sure? Did you search their rooms thoroughly?” The way she asked the question so innocently was strangely endearing somehow, despite the weird topic. And now Jaune was beginning to doubt all he knew about women. Did his sisters and mother keep explosives in their makeup kits? The twins worked with Dad on his insane projects, and he had always obsessed with old-era fossil fuels, so maybe—

  Sara's ughter brought him out of his thoughts as she brought out her own weapons, “My Fie is just full of surprises. I’m sure you will get used to it. Anywho, you have any lightning? Simir size to hers, please. For my Joker.” She showed her oversized gun. It… was a strange design. It seemed to have both an oversized magazine that was longer than it was tall and a separate chamber feed. Perhaps it had an alternate fire for different rounds? It also had four Dust containers, two on each side of the barrel. Each container held a different Dust type. Fire, Wind, Water, and Gravity. There was also a much rger container where the gun’s hammer would be. It clearly held Lightning Dust (LD), hence her request.

  Overall, from first impressions, Jaune guessed Sara was a proficient Dust Caster, with emphasis on Lightning Dust, in addition to her more mundane combat skills.

  “You sure do like Lightning, don’t you, Sara?” Jaune pulled out a few Lightning Crystals for her to choose from. He idly noticed how the crystals buzzed in his hands energetically and wondered if it had to do with his newly discovered Lightning Affinity.

  Sara hummed as she made her pick, “Here’s a hint. I call my Sembnce, écir. And no, it has nothing to do with the dessert.”

  Jaune chuckled, “I’m from Vytal, I know what it means. Fsh, huh? So, it’s electric-based? Nice. What kind is it, if you don’t mind me asking? Control? Illusion? Movement? Reinforcement? Enhancement? Emission?”

  “Primarily, Emission. I can generate and turn my aura into electricity and have a very high compatibility with Lightning Dust. I am very resistant to electric shocks, nearly to the point where it energizes me instead if I am careful using it. I can also enhance my body and reflexes, though it does make me sore afterward.” She frowned as she pced a crystal down and checked another.

  “What about your sword?” Jaune asked, having forgotten about Fie for the moment, who pouted slightly.

  Sara waved her sword in zy, distracted arcs with one hand as she checked the crystals with another, “Ace? Nah, he’s been fed already.” She showed him the lone Dust crystal shining a brilliant yellow of more LD. The sword was a bastard one, like Crocea Mors, but that’s where the simirities ended. It looked more like a saber or a cutss rather than his straight sword, and it had two sword-breakers by the hilt, one rger than the other, and was clearly customized for Sara’s style. Then, she shocked Jaune when she flipped the bde to show the other crystal embedded in it. Hard-Light… that was quite rare.

  “I’ll take these two,” Sara held two pieces the size of her forefinger. “￡400 sounds fair?” Jaune nodded and accepted the payment. Suddenly, he was ￡700 richer, with more to come once he hit the market.

  Seeing that Sara had expined her Sembnce, Fie decided she should expin hers as well, “I call mine Sylphid. It’s a combination of movement, speed, and stealth with high compatibility with Wind Dust. I am very sneaky and very fast.”

  Both Sara and Fie looked at Jaune expectantly. Jaune scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, “I actually only just discovered my Sembnce a few days ago in the mountains. I call it Overdrive. It's an enhancement, I think, but there’s still a lot more about it that I have yet to discover. Primarily, It gives me an insane boost to my stats at a cost to my Aura.” He decided he wouldn’t expin Second Wind for now to avoid questions on why he’s not using it. He was sure both women haven’t told him all about their Sembnces either.

  Both girls nodded in understanding. Discovering one’s Sembnce was a major feat to be celebrated. Many people spend their entire lives never discovering it, and those who do, dedicate a lot of their time to figuring out how it works. Expecting someone to know all about his Sembnce within a few days of discovering it was presumptuous to the extreme.

  Jaune stored away the rest of the Dust before he thought of something, “So where would you grind them? Don't you need a special tool for it?”

  Sara was storing away her crystal in a special vial before pcing it in one of her belt's pouches. “I think Odvin's have the tool. They are the town's only Dust shop that doubles as a smithy. I'm sure we can rent it for our needs. Come, let’s get this out of the way. I have a meeting with the Mayor in a bit.”

  “Well, that was disappointing.”

  Sara smiled at Jaune as they exited the store, “Tell me about it. Who knew Odvin’s had a contract with the SDC that disallowed him to purchase any Dust except from them? Still, at least he was kind enough to allow us to use his Bullet Assembly Presses to make Dust Rounds (DR). I noticed he also appraised your Dust crystals. High quality indeed. You are essentially walking around with millions worth of Lien in your pockets. Just where did you come upon them anyway?”

  Jaune sighed, swallowing his disappointment at failing to make Lien, “If you watch those videos I sent, you will have an idea.”

  Sara hummed in thought, “Well, I gotta go now, kiddos. Fie, I’m gonna ask you to stay with Jaune for today in case something happens. Keep an eye out for trouble while you’re at it.” She gave Fie a meaningful look.

  Fie narrowed her eyes at Sara before nodding. Sara turned to him next, “Jaune… I know you are still recovering, so take it easy today and enjoy your time with Fie. She may not show it, but she loves all the fun things kids her age would enjoy. Could I ask you to watch over her on her first day off in forever?”

  “Of course, Sara.” Jaune answered without hesitation, “I will definitely make sure Fie and I have as much fun as possible. Isn’t that right, Fie?”

  Fie turned to Jaune and gave him her hand. He could literally see her eyes shining in excitement, and he simply could not deny her rge kitty eyes. It appeared she was finally warming up to him. For the first time in his life, Jaune was beginning to feel like a big brother. It was certainly a surreal experience, and he wondered if any of his own sisters felt the same when he was young?

  ‘Saphron maybe… Definitely not Chloé.’ He nearly shuddered at the thought of his almost sadistic third sister.

  Sara giggled at the sight, “Well, I guess there’s no need for me to worry about you two getting along. Go have fun in the Market or whatever kids do for fun these days. I’ll be te tonight, so don’t bother waiting for me.”

  “Will do. Be safe, Sara. Let’s go Fie, time to do some shopping.”

  They went their separate ways. Sara to the Mayor, while Jaune and Fie headed to the market, Jaune holding Fie’s hand. He noticed she had an extra bounce to her steps, and he could have sworn he saw a smile behind that scarf of hers.

  ‘Adorable.’

  Dust casting and usage have been all over the pce in the show. We have Weiss’ seemingly endless supply of dust in her weapon, which allows her to continuously cast like no tomorrow, yet she always does the same thing with Ice or, rarely, time dition.

  Ruby also uses Dust Rounds in addition to her regur rounds, which I find fascinating and is something that I will definitely explore.

  Suffice to say, I shall be taking some liberty in how Dust works in combat, in other ways than just priming it and using it like bombs.

  Sadly, no action this chapter. Not even the next one. I had wanted to add some action but it felt rushed, plotwise. I can promise that chapter nine’s second half will be all action. So will chapter ten.

  If you haven’t noticed, I have Beacon, Shade, and Ats start in te August, and the Vytal tournament shall be held in early March. Haven is the only academy that begins in Spring as a nod to the Japanese schooling system.

  Naturally, this conflicts with Volume 3, which is set in Autumn. To that, I say fuck it. The show writers were too on the nose to have the Fall Maiden reveal to happen in Fall. Considering the Maiden plot wasn’t even a thing before Volume 3, I’m not going to let this constrain my writing.

  We don’t see Jaune interacting with younger characters much in the show, aside from Ruby. His retionship with Oscar in ter seasons is basically non-existent aside from that tantrum in Argus that was never resolved. Fie offers the opportunity for me to see how he would behave around a younger sister like figure. Would he spoil her? Be stern and responsible with her? Shove a foot in his mouth? Find out next chapter.