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

  Enjoy!

  Jaune opened his eyes to darkness. He was getting tired of waking up to pain and agony, but this time he just felt sluggish and drowsy. He was lying on a comfortable bed and covered in a bedsheet. He could tell that he was in some form of bedroom, but the darkness wasn’t helping. Jaune stared at the ceiling for a moment before trying to move.

  ‘Nope. Can’t move a muscle.’ Jaune sighed audibly at that. Movement from the side caught his attention. He moved his eyes slightly to the right to find a figure rising from another bed next to him. He couldn’t tell much in the darkness, but the figure was on the shorter side, and as he watched them stretch their body with a feminine groan, Jaune guessed it was a girl. The girl finished stretching and moved closer to him, her lime green eyes shining in the dark, strangely familiar. She stared at him unblinkingly as he stared right back at her. After a whole minute of silent staring, Jaune decided to break the silence.

  “Hello.” He rasped out, his voice did gain a rasp and a bit of a baritone from his ordeal. Not using it for a few days made it slightly difficult to speak.

  “… Hello.” The girl replied in a soft voice that betrayed her youth.

  “Were you the one who saved me?”

  The girl nodded, her eyes shining in the dark, “Me and Sara. Your horse also helped.”

  Jaune chuckled at that, “Arthur helped, huh? That old nag did have some use after all.”

  “His name is Arthur, then? He’s a very loyal horse. The day we found him, he kept trying to lead us toward the mountains. He could feel you, it seems.”

  The girl’s voice was incredibly monotone, but Jaune felt a bit of emotion as she spoke of his horse. Almost respect. “Well, I owe you and your friend my life. May I know the name of my savior?”

  “… Fie. And you are Jaune Arc.” She stated simply. Jaune was confused about how she knew his name, but he was tired of talking to the darkness.

  “Could you turn on the lights? I would like to see you properly.” He saw the girl’s head bobbing in another nod before she turned on the bedside mp. It took Jaune a moment to get used to the sudden bright light, but he could now look at his savior.

  She was a young girl with stark white neck-length hair and lime green eyes. At least two years younger than him. She was also short, at about five feet short, but he could be mistaken from his sleeping position. Fie was wearing a simple hot short and green sports bra as sleepwear, showing off a slender and toned body.

  There was no denying at all that she was a fighter with the way she carried herself. Even as she stood in apparent nonchance, her muscles were tense and ready for any sudden action. Then there was a knife tied around her right thigh, where her right hand was never too far away from it.

  His fledgling Aura Sense told him of her emanating Aura which felt like the wind. Her fwless skin was proof that her Aura was strong enough to heal any scars or protect her from injuries, yet he could tell it was on the smaller side. Which wasn’t saying much, when everyone's Aura was dwarfed by his own. Only his mother and grandfather could rival him and that was before he had his reserves expanded even more.

  Regardless, despite Fie obviously screaming danger, Jaune felt a strange urge awaken inside him to hold this girl and protect her from the dangers of the world as he beheld her lithe form standing over him. He vaguely noticed her long white tail sticking out of her tailbone suspiciously close to another knife strapped to her left ankle, but only one thing came to his still sleep-addled mind as he looked at the girl.

  “You’re adorable.”

  She just stared at him at that decration with a completely impassive face. “You’re not too bad yourself.” Came the monotone reply. Jaune wasn’t sure if she was actually complimenting him or messing with him. He did notice her rexing her muscles slightly.

  “How long was I out?” He already knew, but it would be strange if he didn’t ask.

  “Three days now since we discovered you killing that Nevermore. You do need a better nding strategy, by the way.”

  Suddenly, Jaune remembered from where he saw those eyes, “You really were the one who saved me. I remember your eyes.”

  Fie nodded her head, “That’s what I said.”

  Jaune waited for her to say more, but apparently, she was a girl of few words. “What time is it?”

  “Nearly dawn.”

  “Date?”

  “Monday, July 3rd, 1204.”

  Jaune didn’t ask for the year, but he appreciated the concise answer nonetheless. He left home on the first of June and still had over a month before Beacon opened for its entrance exams.

  He tried to move his body again with more success and decided he had stayed in bed long enough. If the day was just starting, then he might as well got up. As he slowly sat up from bed, his bedsheets fell off, exposing his naked body.

  “…”

  “… Why am I naked?” Jaune quickly bundled the sheets to cover himself. He wasn’t some shy maiden who would freak out at someone seeing his privates. He had to rough it out a lot whenever his grandfather took him on patrol with other adventurers and huntsmen. Still, he wasn’t an exhibitionist either.

  “To better clean you.” Came a voice from across the room, causing Jaune to flinch. He hadn’t even noticed the other person sitting on an armchair by the window. She was probably sleeping, and the light, as well as their voices, woke her up.

  She was a young woman, most likely in her twenties, with amber eyes and long cerise hair that fell to her waist. As she stood up and stretched, Jaune couldn’t avert his eyes as he stared at her buxom body with half her cleavage nearly spilling from her long-sleeved yellow and bck mini-dress with how rge her chest was. Jaune idly noticed she was barefoot but could see a pair of brown thigh-high leather boots pced next to the chair. He didn’t even know boots could go so high.

  Her words caught up with him, “Clean me?”

  “Yep,” the woman replied as she stalked towards him, a sly grin on her face, “Fie here was responsible for taking care of you for the past two days, while I went on patrol. That included washing you, feeding you, and cleaning after your bowel movements.”

  Jaune blushed in extreme embarrassment at that. He turned towards the young girl, who continued to stare at him, but Jaune would like to imagine that her eyes shone a little brighter. She did not say a thing, but she pointedly stared at his abs, looked him straight in the eyes, then slowly dropped her eyes to his covered groin. Then, she gave him a thumbs-up in that bnk face of hers. Jaune groaned in shame.

  The woman stopped next to Fie, and Jaune could tell she was on the taller side for a woman. He guessed she was about 5’9”, and just like Fie, she had a toned build and was gorgeous as hell with her hourgss figure. There were only two types of females in the world who would be both strong and beautiful.

  “You are both either Huntresses or Adventurers. Considering Fie’s young age, I would guess Adventurers. Am I right?”

  “Correct. Sara Valestein, A-rank Adventurer at your service. This is Fie, my apprentice and protégé. C-ranked adventurer. And you, Jaune Arc, are a long way from home.”

  “Let me guess, you looked through my belongings and found my ID? Maybe my Adventurer Card?”

  “Nah, those were destroyed from whatever situation you were in. We had to check your Scroll for other credentials. For future records, do not have your Scroll’s security set to your fingerprints. It would be incredibly easy to access it if you are unconscious. Don’t worry, though, I promise we only looked at your ID and Adventurer's Card. D-rank adventurer is not bad for someone your age, but knowing the Colonel, he probably worked you to the bone regardless considering the date you received the card. Smart of you to lock your files behind password-protected folders by the way. What wasn't smart is locking your contacts as well. If I didn't recognize your name we would have been lost on what to do if something happened to you.” She pulled out his scroll from her cleavage and handed it to him.

  Jaune huffed in bemusement as he held his still-warm Scroll. He checked the device, finding it fully charged. He might have been a bit miffed at them looking through his Scroll, but he could understand their need to know who he was, and decided to let it go.

  “I'll keep in mind to have my emergency contacts avaible. Incidentally, you didn't call my family did you?”

  “Nope. Didn't have a signal for the day it took us to get here. Apparently, the repeater tower nearby is undergoing repairs and your family is too far away to contact using Beacon’s signal alone. Once we were sure you were on the way to recovery, we decided to wait until you woke up to question you first. Besides, I’m pretty sure the Colonel would Scold me for wasting his time when you were already getting better.”

  Jaune had a feeling she had another meaning when she said Scold, but he couldn’t think of anything at that moment. He filed away the remark about the Colonel, figuring that as a high-ranking adventurer, Sara would be well acquainted with his grandfather.

  Technically, Maximilian was retired from the military, but when you live as long as Arcs do, it’s impossible to retire from anything due to the sheer boredom of doing nothing yet retaining the energy of your youth. His grandfather held the rank of Admiral in Vale and Ats also granted him the rank of Colonel, though he was not sure about the specifics. Something to do with the Faunus War, and old borders if he had to guess. It at least gave him an idea on Sara’s origins.

  Fie, on the other hand… he turned his gaze to her, and she met his eyes unflinchingly. C-rank adventurer at what he guessed was fifteen was not unheard of but still incredibly rare. What sort of life did she grow up in to warrant such strength at a young age?

  Adventurers range from F-Rank to A-Rank with S-Rank reserved for those special ones who were simply above and beyond the standard. There were less than ten S-Rank adventurers in the world but he only knew of two. His grandfather and Headmaster Theodore of Shade. Promotion to D-Rank can be easily gained with time and hard work, he should know as he managed it in a year completing many missions (read chores) and patrols.

  To be promoted to C-Rank and beyond, however, required a higher ranked Adventurer to vouch for you. That was not easy, as any crime or mistake you commit would directly affect the adventurer who vouched for you, especially with adventurers losing influence in the kingdoms to Huntsmen in recent years. This prevented many powerful adventurers from advancing in the ranks, but it did stop corruption from spreading. The higher ranked missions paid very well but were also a lot more difficult. The guilds also provided services and discounts through the towns and cities they were affiliated with, the higher your rank the better the benefits.

  The only way for lower ranked Adventurers to take higher ranked missions was to be part of a higher ranked Adventurer's team. Jaune knew that was intentional by design to encourage teams to be formed under a single high ranked adventurer. It was not a perfect system by any means, as usually the higher ranked adventurer would get the lion’s share of the payments. In fact, Jaune believed it was deeply fwed and one of the reasons he opted to become a Huntsman in addition to being an Adventurer.

  Jaune looked between Sara and Fie, accurately guessing how Fie gained her promotion. Still, as his gaze returned to Fie, his newly found brotherly instincts fred. As the youngest of eight siblings, he never got the joy (though he’s sure his sisters would call it misery) of caring for a younger sibling, so he didn’t really understand this strange feeling in him.

  He broke eye contact with the young girl and looked around the small and cozy room. Two beds, a wardrobe, a clothes hanger that held two coats, a dining table by the wall with a mini fridge and microwave nearby, and an open door that led to a bathroom. There were two armchairs next to the window with a coffee table nearby. He betedly figured out that he was occupying Sara's bed considering she had to sleep on the armchair.

  He saw his damaged bag, and what remained of his belongings on the dining table with Crocea Mors set next to it, newly sheathed in a standard sword belt.

  “Where am I anyway?” Jaune appreciated the patience both women gave him as he gathered his thoughts and took in his surroundings.

  “You, young man, are enjoying the hospitality of the Weathercock Inn in the town of Celdic. The local doctor treated you for the Deathstalker venom and recommended you not do any strenuous activity for another week from the moment you awaken. That doesn't take Aura into account, however. If you can stand though, we will leave you to get dressed, and we can move downstairs for breakfast. Or I could have the proprietress bring food over instead. I’m sure you are starving, as we were only able to feed you water and honey for the past three days.”

  Jaune’s stomach rumbled loudly at the mention of food. He and Sara chuckled while Fie had a tiny smile on her face. Barely an upturn of her lip. “I’ll get dressed if you have any clothes. I fear I destroyed the st of my outfits.”

  “No worries.” Fie moved to the wardrobe and brought him a change of clothes. Jaune could not help but notice how graceful and completely silent the girl was in her movements. ‘Just like a cat,’ he thought wryly, guessing what kind of Faunus she was.

  Sara had moved back to her armchair and put on her socks and boots. “We’ll wait for you downstairs, we have much to discuss.” She strapped a utility belt around her dress that held an oversized pistol and sword that were the color of her hair, along with plenty of pouches. Then she put on a steel-blue overcoat, which was hanging on the hanger, that had many pockets with several white belts and left it open. Finally, she tied her hair in a messy bun before moving towards the door. “Fie. Give the kid some privacy but stay within earshot in case he needs help.”

  As Jaune was distracted ogling Sara, he didn’t notice that Fie had already dressed. She wore a short bck coat, the other one that was on the hanger, which she left unbuttoned over a green crop top that left her stomach bare and gray shorts along with olive boots and bck socks. Fie also favored a long green scarf falling to her waist, that covered her neck with enough fabric to cover her mouth if needed. She wore a pair of goggles over her head and had utility belts around her waist and thighs, and her coat was also full of pockets. Girls must really love pockets.

  Fie gave him a peace sign, as she turned towards the door. Her coat fluttered enough to show her tail swinging freely side to side. Jaune also noted the pair of what appeared to be a combination of a gun and a dagger (Gundaggers?) strapped to her back. He felt her attempts at levity endearing despite her impassive face. Or was that a resting bitch face? No, not with a face that adorable.

  Once the door was closed, Jaune slowly got off the bed only to falter as his legs felt incredibly weak. ‘Must be from overboosting my AGL’. He retrieved his underwear from his belongings and started dressing up. It took some time, but he finally managed to dress in a simple pair of jeans and a white shirt. His sneakers didn’t survive his ordeal, unfortunately. He could vaguely remember them being destroyed when he dodged the Drake’s tail, but the two women were kind enough to provide him with a pair of sandals. Which was nice.

  Jaune made his way to the bathroom to wash up. It seemed Fie really did clean him up as he didn’t feel dirty or sticky. He did NOT want to think about the fact that she probably washed him thoroughly considering he felt clean everywhere. After washing his face, he looked in the mirror to see himself for the first time in a long while.

  His hair had gotten long, nearing his neck. Not long enough to tie it into a wolftail like his grandfather's, but still long enough to warrant a cut soon. He had a stubble, but he knew he had to shave it off. It looked more like dirt than a beard. His past attempts at growing a beard had been disastrous for him as well as hirious… for others at least. He found a razor and shaved it away with soap.

  With his face clean, his features were more visible. He looked more on the gaunt side, but Jaune wasn’t sure if that was from traveling or his ordeal in the cave. Regardless, this was a chance for him to rest and recuperate.

  He looked at his scars. Jaune lifted his shirt and looked at where the Deathstalker stabbed him. A small scar from the puncture wound was all the evidence of it right above his navel. He still had Aura at the time, and it must have healed him then. His left forearm had slight burn marks from the Drake's acid, but he was confident he would fully heal once he had access to his Aura. The same could be partially said for the scars on his right side. Already, his body’s natural healing had hidden most of the scars on his right arm.

  He was not too confident about the rest, however, as he checked his thigh and saw the brand from the Dust crystal on his skin. Jaune sighed before moving on. Once his Aura returned in a couple of hours, Jaune was certain he would fully recover his stats before the day ended. Aura really was a cheat, his especially.

  ‘Chicks dig scars, Jaune. Just remember, be confident but not a showoff. Be smooth, but not slick.’ Jaune huffed as he remembered his father’s words. He shivered as he remembered the st time he tried to introduce himself with that catchphrase he came up with his Dad. Never again.

  Jaune finished freshening up, and turned to the table holding his belongings. His tent and camping supplies were missing, and he couldn't recall where he lost them. Half his wallet was burned, and he could only recover 200 Lien from it. His Medkit was intact and so were his portable stove and fshlight. Nothing else survived it seemed, aside from a pair of white socks which he already wore. The inert crystal id next to Crocea Mors and Jaune tried not to think about it. He couldn’t understand how it still existed as Dust returns to dust once it's used. The crystal remained intact though, almost mocking him for his recklessness.

  Focusing on the sword, Jaune did not believe he would need it, and by all rights, he should not have a reason to carry it in town. Yet seeing the two women geared for battle when they were simply going for breakfast made him want to do the same. He grabbed the sword and tied it around his waist, as usual, its weight was always perfect for him to easily carry despite how others would cim of its heavy weight. Jaune carefully made his way out of the room, his muscles aching terribly and his breathing already harsh from the small effort he made. Food sounded like bliss right now.

  Jaune opened the door to the Inn proper to find Fie leaning on the guardrail waiting for him. Now that he was standing in front of her, he could tell he towered over the girl by an entire head and shoulders. He had to resist the urge to pat her head and nodded to her instead. She nodded back and locked the door behind him, as he moved next to her and took a look around him.

  The Inn had a rge main room on the ground floor with many tables in the middle. There were booths along one wall with windows overlooking the town outside. There was also a stage by another wall and a long bar right across from the entrance. He could even see a jukebox and a piano in one corner. The second floor was an open balcony with many doors that he guessed led to the rented rooms. The balcony went around the main room with two staircases next to the double doors of the Inn that led outside.

  A rge old-fashioned grandfather clock along the wall just struck six, making a melodic chime. Despite it being dawn, it was quite lively down there. He could see Sara talking to whom he assumed was the proprietress while gesticuting towards one of the rge kegs of beer behind the bar. The proprietress simply shook her head with an amused smile while motioning towards a coffee pot on the stove in the rge kitchen behind her, much to Sara’s dismay.

  All in all, the Inn looked exactly as he would imagine a frontier town's saloon would look like. All that was missing were gunslingers pying poker.

  Spread around the barroom were plenty of what looked like farmers and borers. He could also see the occasional merchant or businessman from Vale sticking out like sore thumbs with their more modern outfits compared to the locals dressed in rough clothing.

  The Valemen threw cautious gnces at Sara by the bar, gnces that Jaune knew were common for the citizenry to throw at what were essentially superhumans who could rip a regur human apart with their bare hands. Despite how crucial they were to society, Huntsmen and Adventurers were generally treated with cautious respect at best and suspicious fear at worst by civilians due to their insane powers.

  'As they should be, the weak should fear and respect the strong but the strong are obligated to protect and nurture the weak. For it is through that protection that the weak support the strong in the eversting fight against the Grimm. And so, the cycle continues.' Jaune recalled his grandfather's philosophy and how he himself felt conflicted about it. He could have supported the strong, and there was absolutely no shame in that. But he refused to be weak and mediocre, and thus he was responsible for the protection of all these people.

  'Or die trying.'

  'Then again… They could simply be checking Sara's ass out,' Jaune thought with an inward chuckle, dispelling the dark thoughts that just pgued his mind. She was leaning along the bar quite provocatively and even through her coat, her glorious behind was a sight to behold. Despite only knowing her for a few minutes, Jaune could tell that Sara was a vivacious flirt. He held no illusion that she did not know the effect of what she was doing.

  “Ready to go?”

  Jaune nodded and Fie led the way down the stairs. She walked slowly as he followed her, leaning heavily on the guardrail in case he fell. It was a good thing she was in front of him as once they started going down the steps he lost his bance and would have fallen down the stairs if not for her surprisingly strong grip. Fie simply pced his left hand on her shoulder and gave him another nod.

  “Thanks.” Jaune didn’t feel too macho right now, and gdly leaned heavily on her offered shoulder, noticing that her coat had what felt like metal ptes sewn in them. ‘Brigandine? Or maybe scale mail?’ He wondered if Sara’s coat was the same? It gave him a smidgen of an idea for his future armor.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sara had left the bar and headed to a booth with a cart of food. Eventually, they made it to Sara who had spread enough food for six people on the table, with more on the cart. The cart also had a portable stove where a coffee pot was kept warm.

  “Hey, you made it. Good job Fie.” Sara waved her hand as he sat down across from her while Fie agilely maneuvered herself to Sara's right, by the window. He and Sara unbuckled their main weapons and pced them within hand's reach. Fie did not, and sat ramrod straight as she kept an eye on her surroundings before turning to Sara with the first true smile Jaune had seen her make.

  “Margot refused you beer, Sara?”

  “I know, right? How dare she? The audacity of some people!” Sara slumped backwards in disappointment before she started filling her pte.

  Jaune could barely hold himself as he beheld the food in front of him. There were eggs of different variety, soft fluffy omelettes, scrambled eggs and boiled eggs. Waffles and pancakes. Bacon, ham, cheese, yogurt, potatoes, sausages… there was even a river salmon in there and a jug of milk to the side. Fie had id cim to the milk jug and poured herself a gss.

  They all dug in without a word. None of them spoke as they focused on the food, Fie devouring her salmon quickly before moving to the waffles, ‘How stereotypical.’ He gathered that Sara was out on an assignment or something st night and was probably famished as well, noting how she devoured pte after pte. Not like he was one to talk, he must have eaten more than the two women combined. After a while, they were done eating, and they were both nursing their coffee while Fie was drinking her third gss of milk.

  Eventually, Sara leaned forward, resting her heavy boobs on the table and pced her hands on her cheeks with her elbows on the table. She broke the silence and brought up the Goliath in the room.

  “So, Jaune. What brings you so far away from home? Tell us your story. We would love to know how you ended up deep in the Vale mountains, got poisoned by a Deathstalker and bsted a giant Nevermore out of the sky.”

  Jaune slowly sipped on his coffee as he thought about his answer, not realizing his gaze was glued to Sara’s cleavage nor did he notice her smirk. If he was more aware, he would never have dared to ogle a woman who could easily kick his ass in his weakened state. Next to her, Fie was paying close attention, as she finished the st of her milk, while slightly frowning at his gaze.

  Jaune had no reason to hide that he was heading to Beacon, but what about the cave chock-full of Dust crystals and the Moon Rock? That was a very valuable secret, which reminded him that he needed to contact his Dad as soon as possible. Only through his family’s company would they be able to make a fortune out of what could be the rgest Dust discovery in history since Vacuo’s.

  If he told Sara about the Dust, there was a risk that it could be leaked and the st thing the Arc family needed were the Schnees, or as gramps would emphasize, the Gelé punk, breathing down their necks in an attempt to steal that mine from under their nose.

  And yet, he does owe them his life. Not to mention the risk of leaving a potential horde in the making close to Celdic. Jaune might have killed over a thousand Grimm, but he did not delude himself into thinking that he cleared out the entire mountain range of them, especially as nearly the entire horde was composed of young fledglings. That was a task that would take weeks if not months by high-ranking Adventurers and Huntsmen supported by the military. Something that the Arc family might be capable of doing if grandpa pitched in.

  Jaune did a brief look around to make sure no one was listening in. The main room was crowded and noisy. Any conversation they had would be easily drowned out. He saw Sara look at Fie and followed her gaze. Fie simply shook her head and gave a thumbs up, silently stating that no one was listening in.

  Jaune pced his mug on the table and sighed, his decision made. “Well it all started a month ago when…”

  A short chapter for a change. Honestly, this is more like the chapter lengths I try to aim for.

  Jaune becomes acquainted with a pair of interesting adventurers. His brotherly instincts awaken and he must now fight the urge to adopt Fie as a sister/pet. Meanwhile, weeks on the road in solitude had lowered his inhibitions. Will that cause any issues? That remains to be seen.

  We get a glimpse of Jaune’s worldview as a result of looking up to his grandfather. Harsh times breed harsh people, and when people literally have the power to build and destroy the world in their hands then you can bet that there will always be some sort of nobility caste around, regardless of what RT would want to espouse about democracy or liberty or whatever new BS people come up with these days. Violence almost always is the answer, the question is how much?

  Noblesse Oblige is something Jaune will take very seriously.

  The Celdic arc will be connected to the main plot. You will see a couple of characters from the show making an appearance soon.