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.

  “…And that’s when you found me.” A waitress had come a while ago and cleaned their table. As he talked, Jaune watched the two's features closely. Both women were good listeners, only interrupting him when they needed something crified, which was rare. He also subtly felt out Fie and Sara’s Aura levels as he trained his Aura Sense. Fie, he already knew, but Sara had more than twice the amount of Aura that Fie had, yet his own still dwarfed hers by at least five times. Sara's Aura also felt electrifying for some reason.

  Both women were staring intently at him once he was done, slight shock on their faces. Jaune thought they believed him, all things considered, but they may yet ask for proof. Proof that he wasn’t sure he trusted them enough to provide.

  Still, he couldn’t help the slight smugness he felt to have been able to impress the two skilled and pretty Adventurers. Who knows? Maybe he would–

  “Were you out of your damn mind? Who in their right mind would walk all the way to Vale alone? And from Esmeralda? That’s five hundred miles from here! And another five hundred miles through the Emerald Forest!!” Came Sara’s instant rebuke.

  “…dummy.” Fie nodded her head along.

  Jaune was speechless. Even you, kitty? Such betrayal! That’s what grabbed their attention out of his story? That was an hour ago! “I had no choice, you know! I missed the st train, and the next one was deyed for who knows how long because the SDC was throwing a hissy fit about an unauthorized shipment or something regarding the Hyperion Corporation. Stupid corporate politics, I only had enough Lien on me to stay a few more days, and there was no way I would have been able to afford a flight to Vale. Airbuses aren't cheap, you know.”

  Sara shook her head in dismay, “You’re a D-ranked Adventurer. It would have been beyond simple to take a few missions for a week until the train was ready. You’re telling me that you couldn’t have taken a sewer mission? Or even a fishing mission?”

  Sewer was a designation for cleaning the sewers from Grimm infestations. Fishing was the same but for the docks from aquatic Grimm. Both of them were very common in a coastal city like Esmeralda. Jaune did not want to confess that he had thought of it but got lost in the rge city trying to find the Adventurer’s Guild. It didn’t help that he had already made up his mind to go on an adventure.

  “Alright, alright, you made your point. It was my mistake. I was just rushing to get to Vale and bored out of my mind. It all ended well enough anyway.” Jaune crossed his arms and frowned petuntly.

  Sara narrowed her eyes in a deadpan expression which looked weird on her normally expressive face. Combined with Fie’s natural deadpan right next to her, it made for an amusing yet weird sight. Eventually, Sara sighed and slumped back in the booth, “Forget it, kid. It doesn’t matter anymore. You did well surviving, all things considered. You Arcs always make life interesting, if nothing else. Makes me wonder if I should have taken up the Colonel’s offer a year ago.”

  That caught Jaune’s attention, “What offer?”

  Sara waved her hand dismissively, “Yeah, about a year ago, I was in Massalia. Saw you get your ass handed to you by the Colonel in a spar, who ter asked me to take you in as an apprentice. I refused because I had just taken in Fie and had all my hands busy raising one brat, let alone two. Despite my fears, Fie was a wonder to work with, weren’t you, sweetie?” Sara smiled warmly at Fie and lovingly patted her head. For some reason, Jaune expected the girl to shy away from the touch, but surprisingly, she moved closer to Sara and appeared to enjoy her touch very much, if her glinting eyes and slight smile were any indication. It was obvious that both of them were very close to each other.

  'Adorable. Give me a turn.'

  Fie and Sara stared at him, and he suddenly realized he had said that out loud. “Hear that Fie? Wanna have him take a turn petting and caressing that fluffy hair of yours?”

  The younger girl stared bnkly at the older woman who had intensified her petting before she turned her gaze to the young man across from her. She kept gazing at Jaune for so long that he started fidgeting in his seat from embarrassment. The girl narrowed her eyes slightly at Jaune, as if honestly contempting it and assessing the guy’s ability to give good pets before she seemingly lost interest and turned to look out of the window.

  Eventually, even Sara felt awkward and decided to change the topic. “You know, kid, I don't mind getting appreciative stares. I'm sexy, and I know it, I would have to be blind and dumb not to notice it. But many women would not be impressed with that attitude of yours.”

  Jaune flushed in shame and embarrassment, “S-sorry. I've been traveling alone for so long, I must have forgotten my manners. Please forgive me.” The young man lowered his head in apology.

  “It's alright, kiddo, I don't mind you staring. Really, I don’t. I like to see confidence in men.” She grinned slyly, “Just don’t go around ogling every hot bird you see, cause not every gal is cool like me.”

  Jaune chuckled awkwardly, while cursing himself inwardly. Sara appeared cool about the whole thing but he wasn’t naive nor dumb. He needs to watch himself from now on.

  He perked up as he recalled Sara's earlier words. It brought up a memory from this morning. 'So she was the one gramps considered as a mentor?' If so, then all the more reason he could trust her. Still, there was one st thing he needed to confirm to fully trust her.

  “Earlier, you cimed to have been offered a position as my mentor. Do you think you could have taught me better than my grandfather?” Jaune challenged back.

  Sara frowned at that and looked deep in thought. “Probably not. I would have taken you to the Southnds where we adventurers are most active along the narrow sea. An entirely different experience from what you would have gotten in Vytal, where you learned how to deal with Grimm and civilized folks. The Southnds are not for the faint of heart, you would be dealing with more man-made problems than Grimm, for starters.”

  That confirmed it for Jaune. If she was the one whom Gramps was willing to have him apprentice under, there was no doubt in his mind he could trust her with his life. Maximilian Arc was slow to trust and befriend others, but when you gained his trust, you gained his friendship for life.

  “Now, back to the topic at hand. You said you had to fight a mutant in the mountains. Did you get any pictures of it? As you know, any mutated Grimm is an extreme hazard that must be reported. Our greatest advantage against the Grimm is our knowledge of them, after all.”

  It was Jaune’s turn to frown. He knew this was coming, and he had to make a choice now. He had avoided telling them about the Dust though he did allude to it. Jaune had also downpyed the amount of Grimm to avoid scrutiny. He didn’t even tell them how he made his way out of the cave. Nevertheless, he had already confirmed Sara’s trustworthiness. Fie clearly followed her lead in everything as well.

  ‘Forget it. I won’t hesitate. Trust it is, then.’

  Jaune pulled out his scroll and asked them to give him theirs. Sara cocked an eyebrow but didn’t hesitate to give him hers, with Fie following her lead. He transferred the two videos to both scrolls using the infrared feature and handed them back.

  “Both videos are about an hour long combined. I would ask you to watch them in private, away from prying eyes or ears. They include everything that happened to me inside the mountains.”

  ‘Except for Krystal, obviously.’

  “And I will warn you that what I found there is a big deal. Big enough that I need to contact Gramps or my father as soon as possible.” Jaune informed them in a low voice and with as serious a look as he could muster. The Inn was slowly emptying as the farmers made their way to their fields and the merchants to their stalls. Their voices would easily echo in the emptier room.

  Sara hummed noncommittally, “That might be a problem. The Repeater Tower is damaged, and I just escorted the repair crew yesterday. They aren’t sure of the extent of the damage, but they are positive that it was man-made. In order to properly assess the damage, they had to set up camp there, with a rge contingent of the garrison here assigned as guards. I didn’t stay long enough to learn when they will finish, but I do know they will try to finish before the next train to Vale comes, so they can return home. Nevertheless, our only reliable means of long-distance communication is the ancient ndline in the Barracks that is connected to Beacon, and it only delivers Morse codes. Beacon's CCT still delivers, but the static and low signal makes it unreliable. You can bme the surrounding mountains for that. Our only mode of local communication is the old radio tower by the train station, as well as the short-range communication feature of our Scrolls.”

  Jaune sighed in disappointment. He would have rather contacted his father as soon as he awoke, but fate had other pns, it seemed. There appeared to be more problems with this region than meets the eye.

  He was brought out of his musings when Sara motioned for him to hand over his scroll. Jaune mirrored her earlier expression and cocked an eyebrow before acquiescing. She typed something on it, and took a selfie with a sultry smile and a wink, with Fie's surprised face in the background, before giving the scroll to Fie. Quicker than him on the uptake, Fie did the same, only her selfie was a peace sign with her usual impassive face, her mouth hidden behind her scarf. Sara mirrored Fie with another peace sign by her eye in the background. Jaune smiled at Fie as she handed his scroll back, seeing that they had both added their contacts to his scroll. He sent them a message with a greeting, only to flinch when a camera fsh hit him. Jaune looked up to see both dies with their Scrolls out and typing something on them. Probably saving his contacts.

  ‘Yes. Scored two girls’ numbers. And they’re not even reted to me!’

  “We’ll take a look at those videos ter. For now, unless you are still hungry, I feel like a change of scenery would do nicely. I have an important meeting with the Guard Captain soon. It has to do with the patrols I mentioned.” Sara stood up from her booth, Jaune and Fie following her. “I already paid for breakfast, but don’t get too used to it, please. An adventurer’s sary isn’t the best.” Sara joked as Jaune and Fie moved to stand next to her.

  Jaune also stood up before he was reminded of something, “Oh yeah. I can’t believe I forgot.” He turned towards them both and stood firmly with his hands on his sides, much to their confusion. “I did not thank you for saving me. I owe you both my life and ask you to never hesitate if you ever need a favor from me in the future. From here on, you can always depend on me in your time of need.”

  Jaune gave them both a formal bow in the style of the Atlesian nobility that his grandmother taught him. His left foot was slightly bent and behind his right foot, his left hand forming a fist over his heart while his right hand held out palm open, with his head lowered but his eyes staring directly at theirs. If his guess was correct, and Sara was Atlesian, then she would take his hand into a handshake and thus acknowledging his debt to her. It also meant that he saw them as friends and expected the same from them.

  It was quite tedious and formal if Jaune had to be honest, but it was the first thing that came to his mind. His honor demanded that he return the favor of saving him in any way possible. If it weren’t for them, his journey would have been cut short before he could accomplish any of his ambitions.

  On the other hand, It's likely that Sara could be from Mantle and has no idea what this is about.

  Sara gently smiled, accepting his open palm with her hand and turning it into a firm handshake, much to Jaune’s happiness. “Don’t worry, kid. Just another day in the life of an adventurer. Your offering of favor does bring up something else I wanted to discuss. Let’s move outside. I'm sure you want to check on your horse.”

  After letting go of his hand, Sara led the way out of the Inn. Jaune followed with Fie next to him. She looked ready to offer a shoulder again in case he needed help. Instead, the young man offered her a handshake, basically telling her that he also owed her. He was slightly surprised when she accepted, even giving him a slight smile. Barely an upturn of her lips, but her eyes twinkled in amusement.

  “Will you need a hand?” She said softly, as she hadn't released his hand.

  Jaune smiled at her offer and shook his head. He won’t be needing her help as he could already feel energy trickling into his system.

  His Aura was back!

  “Celdic is a rge town of five thousand residents. It's the only real town in the region and is considered a free-town. Meaning that it does not pay taxes to Vale nor owe its allegiance to any specific kingdom. At least on paper. In reality, however, they pay to have the Vale military station a base here, which makes them a colony of Vale in all but name.”

  Sara was expining to him about the town he found himself in. They had just exited the Weathercock Inn, which was situated on the east side of town close to its rge gates. In the distance from the open gates, Jaune could see the Vale mountains, which were quite close to the town, surrounding it from every direction except west. He noticed that the town had high stone walls to protect it from Grimm attacks, but Jaune felt the wooden gates were an obvious weakness. Especially with how wide they were and the ck of a moat or even gun turrets.

  “Celdic itself has a militia, but they are specifically used for guarding the market and warehouses with the local Sheriff and his posse. They are rarely called upon for other reasons due to the decades of peacetime, as well as the presence of the military and Huntsmen.”

  That brought Jaune’s attention, “If they’re so close to Vale, then how come they called two Adventurers like yourselves for a mission?”

  Sara smiled, “good question and the answer is simple. They didn’t. Or rather, they hadn’t intended to hire us, but Beacon was shorthanded and Celdic’s original request for a Student Team plus a Veteran Huntsmen duo was rejected. Instead, Beacon promised two Huntsmen and forwarded the request for backup to the Guild in Esmeralda. Ozpin had been trying to foster better retions with the Guild in recent years, so this was a good opportunity for him.”

  Jaune nodded as Sara continued. “The entire region is sandwiched by the Vale Mountains and the Emerald forest. There are scores of homesteads, dozens of vilges, and a few smaller towns in a fifty-mile radius from Celdic. They are all connected by road, and three times a year, they gather here for Celdic’s Grand Market, where they trade their products and purchase finished goods from the visiting Vale merchants. Naturally, it turns into a festival that is essential for morale in this frontier town. It gets quite jam-packed as well, as you had noticed when we had to make do with a smaller bedroom. Such numbers are nothing compared to a city, of course, even one of the smaller ones; yet Celdic is vital for all those vilges for it has something even more important than the market. A railway station.”

  They walked on the side pavement next to the dirt-packed road toward the other side of town, where the communal stables were. Celdic had fully adopted automobile ws, Sara was saying, so stables and horses have gone down in popurity. It had nothing to do with people driving cars, which were considered a luxury here, and everything to do with how modern the farming sector is here. Tractors, trucks, and harvesters drove up and down the wide main road in and out of town constantly.

  There was only one stable in the entire town, and it was mostly used by the military base for their archaic cavalry unit, the Dragoons. It only takes twenty minutes to walk from the East gate to the West one, so the distance wasn’t a real issue for Jaune.

  “The Grand Market is a festival held every mid-spring, mid-summer, and mid-autumn. It should be ready to officially open in a couple of days, but there are plenty of open vendors already if you want to buy or sell something. Incidentally, Celdic is renowned for its many windmills and Rye beer. We can get a mug or three ter tonight.” Sara grinned at the prospect of beer, while Fie was not amused.

  “Please don’t get pstered again, Sara. I’m the one who has to carry you, and my nose can’t stand it anymore.”

  “Oh, don’t you worry, sweetie, I have a strong knight who I’m sure would gdly carry a dy to bed at night.” Jaune groaned as Sara spped his shoulder. Growing up with eight older women, he had his fair share of handling drunk women. They were a complete nightmare, suffice it to say.

  He decided to ignore the woman as they approached a crossroads. To the south was the entrance to the Marketpce, while to the north led to the train station. The station and tracks themselves were constructed outside of town, with the entire building connected via a small gate that could be shut and sealed in case of an attack. It was a smart defensible option, although it left the station itself vulnerable to attack.

  They stopped for a moment as they noticed the holo-screen show that the next and only train would be the SDC train heading to Vale from Esmeralda.

  “Why aren’t there more trains coming here? You would think they could have daily trains from Esmeralda to Vale.”

  “That’s because there is a direct route already.” Came Sara’s reply as she moved on down the road, Jaune and Fie following her. Hecould see rge warehouses with whom he assumed were militia guarding it as well as the entrance to the Market Square, where the festival was held, but they walked past it. “It's along the coast and passes by Forever Fall forest. Don’t be upset that you didn’t notice it, you wouldn’t have been capable of affording it anyway. It's aimed at the rich who prefer the scenic route instead of flying. Much safer as well, with no Nevermores or other flying Grimm to worry about. The SDC uses that route as well for their Dust shipments, but they still make the trip through the Celdic line. Deys are common, and schedules are sporadic. The thousand-mile ride would only take a day with the only stop being Celdic, but the demand isn’t enough for the SDC to fully commit a dedicated route through it.”

  There were plenty of residential houses along the road, but one of them caught his attention as it looked more like a mansion than a house. Fie told him that was Mayor Otto’s house, who is also known as the Market Manager. Close to it was a rge building with a sign “Odvin’s Dust Factory”, which Jaune assumed was the town’s Dust shop. He might need to swing by it soon.

  Jaune focused back on Sara, “There is only one train from Esmeralda to Vale that passes by Celdic, and it can usually be counted on to appear at least once a week. It already came by two days ago, if you’re wondering, with most of the Vale merchants who would set up shop for the Market. The SDC train carries minerals and Dust shipments from the mines north of Esmeralda to Vale. Some of these Dust shipments are vital for the farming communities of Celdic as they provide the newly discovered fertilizer Dust that has become popur in the st decade. Once the Grand Market begins, you will find plenty of farmers and merchants trading it for their products to prepare for the next festival in Autumn. This new Dust is so effective that it quite literally cuts the growing season by half. The food sector in Vale has crashed as a result, and after plenty of compints from Vale’s own farmers as well as strikes and acts of violence, an agreement was reached with Celdic’s farmers to switch to mostly cash crops instead. Thornfield is a prime example with its vender fields. I know there is another vilge that grows cotton while another started growing grapes and other fruits for wine and jam. Celdic still retains the right to grow grains for their beer though and has kept an extensive system of windmills and farmnds for it.”

  “I've heard of that, actually. The Hyperion Corporation was the one to discover the manufacturing of Fertilizer Dust. They usually manufacture aircraft and weapons, but according to Dad, in recent years, they have begun dabbling in Dust mining and manufacturing. At first, they were trying to come up with a new kind of explosive munitions but discovered Fertilizer instead. Safe to say, the SDC was not amused, and considering the train and rail track from Esmeralda are owned by them, you can guess how convoluted the whole situation had become. At least both companies have their own docks in Esmeralda.”

  Sara turned her head back to Jaune as he talked, “Yeah, your dad would know all about that. The Lichter family were the founders of Hyperion. It was quite the scandal, and I wasn't even born back then when their heir Lucas eloped with the Lance Maiden, who was nine years his senior and abandoned his company duties. Do they still call him the White Knight?”

  Jaune burst out ughing at his dad's old nickname, “Nah, that's ancient history. Dad had mended his retions with his family and now works closely with his younger brother. Also, call him that to his face for what he did, and he will spend two hours lecturing you about the wisdom of marrying a woman who will still look in her thirties when he is old and decrepit. That is, if he doesn't shoot you in the face, he's still an Ats graduate and one of the finest marksmen I've ever met.”

  It was Sara's turn to ugh now, and they continued walking in companionable silence, though Jaune noticed Fie kept an alert eye on the people on the streets. It was only now that Jaune noticed the stares they were getting. Many of them were kind and in awe, especially as he noticed Sara greeting and waving at random townsfolk. But there was still the occasional wary look that he was worried about when the common person was confronted with monsters in human form. Jaune absentmindedly rested his hand on his sword, getting a side gnce from Fie for his wariness.

  “So, have you been here before, Sara? Adventurers don't usually operate so close to Vale anymore. I also couldn't help but notice the people knowing you.”

  Sara shot him a grin, “Nope, my first time here. I'm just a delight to be around. Who knows, kiddo? You might learn a thing or two if you stick with me.”

  Jaune stared at her before turning to Fie, who huffed at her partner. “First night here, while I was busy caring for you, she bought a round of beer for the whole Inn before challenging anyone who would dare to drink her under the table. Suffice to say, she made thrice what she paid in bet winnings and risked emptying the Inn's stockpile of beer before the festival could even start. People loved her for it. I hated how I had to carry her drunk ass upstairs.”

  This was the longest Jaune had heard Fie talk, and looked on in bemusement as Sara ughed even harder at Fie's compints. He had a strong feeling that there was a lesson to be learned here.

  As a future Huntsman, he must endure the suspicious and fearful stares he will get from civilians. This was essential due to the Grimm’s ability to sense negative emotions. If the people you are trying to protect don’t trust you and let fear control them, then you will have a hard time keeping the Grimm focused on you. What Sara did was quite ingenious, as she ingratiated herself with an unknown people who suddenly looked at her as a friend and reliable protector instead of a suspicious stranger. It does help that she had a fun and charming personality, not to mention her good looks. Jaune may yet learn from his once-possible mentor after all.

  They passed by the town’s hospital as they neared the West gate, and Jaune could see that this one looked more formidable than its eastern counterpart. It was still made from wood, probably from the Emerald Forest that he could see in the distance from the open gates. There were multiple guard towers with machine gun nests along the wall, and he could see soldiers patrolling along it with binocurs and radio sets nearby. Jaune assumed that the town invested most of its defense on the obvious threat coming from the west instead of spreading themselves thin protecting the entire wall. Whether that was wise or not remains to be seen.

  Sara saw his gaze and answered his unasked question, “The Emerald Forest is considered Beacon’s backyard, and they intentionally leave its Grimm popution high for the students to train against. The downside of that is towns like Celdic, that are a throwing distance from the forest, have a constant Grimm threat. Especially during summer, when most of the students return to their homes and the Academy is shorthanded. It’s why there is always a veteran Huntsman or a team of Trainee-Huntsmen here at all times, with more ready to be sent in emergencies according to their agreement with Beacon. Theoretically, the Huntsmen, in addition to the military base, should suffice for any Grimm attacks, but due to the long peace and over-reliance on Huntsmen, the garrison here had become x and zy. Their gear hasn't had an upgrade in a long time, either.”

  Just as Sara was saying that she stopped to stare at a barracks building. It… was not a very impressive sight. Its paint was coming off in pces, there were cracks in the ground, and the vegetation was crawling up the walls, allowing any infiltrator an easy time sneaking in. The two guards by the gates did not inspire confidence with how ckadaisical they sat in their post, pying cards on a barrel. Jaune could even recognize the bolt-action rifles they were carrying to be over 120 years old! That was before Dust rounds were a thing.

  All in all, he thought that, on first impression, the garrison cked discipline. He could forgive the militia from earlier for that, as they were not career soldiers, but here? It would be simple to repaint the buildings, fix the cracks and clean the ivy. Yet, their unwillingness speaks of procrastination. At least their guns, at first gnce, appeared to be in good condition and were well maintained. He didn’t want to judge them too harshly, and he hoped there might be more than meets the eye.

  There was an old man arguing with a younger yet still middle-aged soldier in the distance. They both dressed differently, possibly from different units, but were clearly high-ranking soldiers considering the surrounding troops saluted them both as they walked past them. Jaune also noted that the majority of the soldiers he saw were male, and the youngest couldn’t be older than twenty. None of them had Aura except for the two officers who noticed Sara and waved her over.

  “The stables are right around the corner. The only thing I could say is impressive about the garrison here is their cavalry unit. It might be archaic, but they do have an old tradition that they follow that is quite impressive. Too bad they only have thirty Dragoons in addition to the hundred Guards in service. Fie, take Jaune to see his horse. I need to discuss my assignments with the guard captain. I’ll catch up to you shortly.” Sara walked in without waiting for a reply. She didn’t look too enthusiastic going in, and Jaune could probably guess why. Huntsmen don’t necessarily get along with Military types. It would be much worse for Adventurers who were seen as mercenaries at best or, in some pces, glorified bandits at worst. Jaune knew of certain Adventurers who had been accused of acts of banditry, but ck of proof allowed them to go free. He could understand the military’s wariness but did not like it.

  Fie motioned for him to follow down the street to a decently sized stable that could likely hold a hundred steeds comfortably. She waved to an old guard lounging on a rickety old rocking chair, who nodded and waved them in. The stench of horse and manure assaulted their noses. Jaune was alright with it, but a look at the Cat-Faunus next to him told him that Fie wasn’t a fan as she moved her scarf to her nose. The scarf shone green for a moment, and Jaune was shocked to see it had Dust weaved into it. Probably Wind Dust from the color as well as what his senses were telling him. That was as impressive as it was extravagant, he had to reevaluate his views on Fie and likely Sara if they could afford to have dust weaved into their outfits. He had no clue how it was made, but he knew it was expensive and time-consuming. It also required the user to have excellent control over their Aura, or else they risked accidental discharges.

  Fie led the way along the stalls, and Jaune could understand why Sara thought the Dragoons here were impressive. These were no ordinary horses. They were massive thoroughbreds made for war. There were fifty of the horses, and twenty of them had their Aura unlocked, matching the amount of active duty Dragoons, though he guessed ten of them must be on patrol. They would be a formidable force on a charge, whether it's against the Grimm or on a fnking maneuver against poorly equipped bandits. His inner Knight Nerd was screaming in joy, but his cynical Adventurer side told him that despite how impressive they were, these horses were obsolete. Even with full barding protecting them, it would not save them from the relentless staccato of machine gun fire. Yet, for their purposes against the Grimm?

  They would do splendidly.

  Out of curiosity, he checked the cost of Observe on them. The cost ranges from 1 AP for those without Aura to 5 AP for those with. He Observed an Aura-unlocked warhorse.

  Warhorse

  Age: 4

  Stats:

  AP: 50/50

  STR: 220

  VIT: 180

  DEX: 90

  AGL: 110

  PER: 60

  INT: 40

  'Nice stats, but I take it they work differently for non-humanoids?'

  Correct. Do not compare them to a human's stats. VIT for a horse works differently than a human's. Humans are blessed with the ability to sweat and cool down. Horses take longer to recover their stamina and would eventually be caught by a stubborn human.

  Jaune hummed at Krystal's words and moved on. It seems Aura protects from his abilities to an extent. It would expin why it cost him almost nothing to Observe the Grimm horde. Then why did it cost so much to Observe Ugur the Drake? Could it be because of its age? Or maybe due to his panic as he just dumped Aura into the ability? Something to be careful of in the future.

  Fie led him past stable boys brushing the horses down and the occasional Dragoon tending to his horse. This time, Jaune was impressed as the Dragoon carried himself well and with dignity compared to the guards he saw by the barracks and even had their Aura unlocked. Nevertheless, theirs were minuscule compared to even Fie, and Jaune was reminded how unfair Aura worked. He didn't bother Observing them with his Aura still in two digits.

  Aura only grows with age, and no amount of training would increase it, only refine your control of it as well as improve your recovery. It never stopped growing, but the growth amount differs from person to person. In one of his lessons at home, His father taught him that Aura, and the soul for that matter, were very difficult to study, but the Arcs have managed to learn a few quirks of it over the centuries.

  The average person grows their Aura by 1% every year of living, and it doesn’t matter if you unlock your Aura at age five or fifty, it would still be the same amount with the same growth ratio. Yet, there are obvious outliers. Like the Arcs. The amount you have upon activating tells you how much you will potentially have in your lifetime. Considering Fie’s young age, Jaune had no doubt that she would eventually grow in strength to match Sara in reserves. Yet, Sara will also keep growing in Aura. Ultimately, as his grandfather once told him, it's never about how much Aura you have, but rather how you use it that matters. His Dad, and Kilika, were good examples of that.

  They nodded and greeted whoever noticed them, but they were left alone for the most part. Eventually, they made it to three adjoining stalls, and Jaune immediately made his way to Arthur.

  “Hey, you old nag. I heard you helped save me.” Arthur snorted as Jaune patted his head. Jaune felt out how much it would cost him to Observe the horse. To his surprise, it worked without any cost.

  Arthur, Clydesdale horse

  Age: 22

  Description: An old draft horse with a bad temper. Despite his power, he is not well-bred and unfit for war. Old age was getting to him until his Aura was unlocked by his new master, Jaune Arc. Even with Aura, the horse does not have long to live due to his harsh life. Understands his mortality but refuses to go down without a fight.

  Stats:

  AP: 60/60

  STR: 177

  VIT: 92

  DEX: 71

  AGL: 88

  PER: 39

  INT: 45

  Jaune couldn’t help but choke a gasp at what he read. He knew the horse was old, but even older than him? He must have been one tough sumbitch to reach his twenties as a draft horse.

  Fie next to him seemed to sense his emotions, “Are you okay, Jaune? Is Arthur okay?”

  Jaune turned to her and nodded, “Yeah, Arthur is just old. I just realized that he doesn’t have long to live. If it wasn’t for me unlocking his Aura, he probably would have been mercy killed.”

  Fie approached the horse and patted his nose, “He’s a good horse.” Arthur clearly understood her as he neighed happily at her touch. “I didn’t unlock my horse’s Aura because I know I won’t be able to take him with me on my travels.” Fie turned her gaze towards a gray-dappled horse in the next stall over, “We picked them up in a vilge a few days ago, but I like the idea of having a bonded animal on my side.”

  Jaune and Fie then proceeded to clean and tend to their respective horses before they exercised them in the pens. The stable boys were only responsible for the Dragoons’ horses, after all. When Sara didn’t show up after an hour, they tended to her horse as well before refilling their food and water.

  You didn’t really expect any self-respecting woman to tolerate some brat ogling her so btantly, did you? This ain't a cheap smut story. Good thing Sara is so id-back and cool about it. Now imagine if that was Weiss or Glynda instead.

  Fie isn’t quick to trust. She knows nothing about Jaune or the Arcs, and thus her opinion of Jaune is slow to build. The thing is, both her and Sara’s backgrounds are naturally different from the games. That should have been obvious when I made her a cat-girl, and she is much closer to Sara than in the games.

  Sara already has a good disposition towards Jaune by virtue of his name and retion, regardless of her personal opinion of him. It's why connections are important irl, your name could carry you to many pces. Not using your connections is as dumb as being a lone wolf, no matter how cool it sounds.

  More necessary lore dumps to set up the coming conflict, hopefully, they will be the st. And we get a glimpse of Jaune’s dad and his own family. There’s a pun in this chapter. If you don’t notice it, then I pity your sense of humor, and Yang would be disappointed.

  I know in the show, Jaune’s dad is an Arc by blood, but where’s the fun in that? Besides, there are so many abandoned concepts in the show, and this is fanfiction! I’ll be taking plenty of liberties to make things suit my own world-building. If RT can’t be half-assed to write a proper world, then I won’t be bothered to stick to their canon.

  I like to think that we write fanfictions of media we don’t like rather than ones we like. Unless it’s wish fulfillment or smut, the stories we don’t like but see potential in usually become the best fanfiction. Does that make sense?