Yeah, I'm terrible. After some deliberation and some advice from fellow RWBY writers that I hold in high regard, I decided to try this one last time. This is the second story I had in mind that may take the place of my RWBY story "A Hero's Ascension" if it is received well. I can only hope you enjoy it. So let's get to it.

Legend:

Bold: TV/Loudspeakers/Scroll information/Scroll Messages sent

Bold Italic: Scroll Messages Received/Radio

Italic: Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks/

Grimm. Since time began, these creatures of darkness roamed the land of Remnant causing nothing but destruction. Man, born from Dust, learned how to harness its power and use it to drive the Grimm back as a means of survival. Having been pushed back to the borders throughout Remnant, the Grimm lurked in the shadows, waiting for the perfect time to strike back.

Jaune Arc sighed after reciting the old legend in his head. He was bored. He should not have been bored, but he was. The chance to stretch his legs and not sit cooped up in a classroom and be presented with another "death by lecture," should have had him excited. Instead, that had all been snuffed out. Why you ask? The answer was simple, really. When you're a Hunter in training and doing a field mission, you should be cutting down Grimm!

He brushed his blonde hair from his eyes and leaned back against the tree he was sitting in front of. And to think this was supposed to be the fun part of being a Hunter. Waiting sucked, and no one knew that better than him and his friends.

Speaking of his friends, the blonde's eyes drifted across the clearing taking in each member of his current group. On a normal circumstance he would be looking at his regular teammates, Ren, Nora and his partner, Pyrrha. However, due to the breach in Vale a week prior and because Ozpin wanted to test out a learning exercise, he had some new faces to look at. Each team of rookies had two of their main members swapped out for substitutes from fellow teams. The idea was to create team cohesion and teach them to accommodate for unexpected changes.

He was still the leader of his temporary team, which now consisted of himself, Ren, Yang, and Blake. To round up the group was the Beacon Academy teacher that supervised them on their mission, and that man happened to be Professor Peter Port. Definitely a motley crew.

With the Vytal Festival coming up and after the breach in Vale, the professors of Beacon felt it best to do more field work to train their students to become more proficient with their skills as fighters and be ready for the unexpected. At the moment, his team was following up on the mission that they put off a week before in favor of reinforcing Team RWBY in Vale to contain the Grimm.

Their job was to clear out Grimm that were roaming the outskirts of a village that Ren was familiar with having grown up nearby it. While they had more fun the first two days of the mission because they were disposing of Grimm left and right, they were in a slump now. No Grimm in sight.

He was broken from his thoughts when someone plopped down beside him. Turning his blue eyes to the right, he could see Yang's golden mane and wide grin. He offered her a small smile and a nod before turning his gaze back front.

"Whatcha' doin' over here, Lady Killer?" Yang smirked.

"Just chilling out," Jaune answered back.

He mentally kicked himself at that response. What kind of lame answer was that? Too late now, the damage was done. He would have to salvage the weak reply with whatever banter he could come up with. It could have been worse, though.

"Gotta' say, you're definitely looking sharper with your fighting. Guess those lessons with P-Money have paid off," Yang continued.

"Definitely," Jaune answered back with more confidence. "I may not be up to her level yet, but I bet I can take on a hundred Grimm now!"

To add to it he flexed his fist which got a laugh from Yang.

"Really now?" She smirked at him.

"No sweat." Jaune waved it aside.

"Let's make it interesting then."

"Okay?"

"For the next group of Grimm we cross, whichever of us takes down the most owes the other a drink."

Jaune instantly regretted opening his mouth. He was just kidding when he said that. Although he was sure that Yang knew that as well, he decided to go with the idea. He was not one to turn down a challenge and he did not go back on his word. His lips curled up in a cocky smirk.

"You're on."

The blonde soon forgot his boredom as he and Yang continued talking. Since neither of them hung out much outside of class with exception of breakfast and lunch, it gave them time to get to know each other a bit more. Their talk then moved on to embarrassing stories which Jaune outclassed Yang in.

"I still can't believe you wore that dress!" Yang held her stomach as she laughed.

"Hey, make any joke you want. I rocked that dress and you know it!" Jaune puffed his chest out.

Their laughter caught the attention of Professor Port who strode over to them with a curious look on his face. The stocky man's hand stroked his thick mustache, his other holding Blunderbuss. They seized their laughter and waited for him to lecture them about not paying attention, but it never came.

"I see you two are making good use of your time," Port said.

"Sorry, Professor. We'll stop," Jaune replied.

"No worries, Mister Arc. It's been a rather slow day, so I can see the merit in passing the time."

"Oh, okay."

"But, I must remind you to remain vigilant! Otherwise you'll leave yourself open for attack!"

Quick as a flash, Port had Blunderbuss tucked to his side. A loud bang resounded around the clearing and a Beowolf tumbled from the tree and landed with a sickening thud at their feet. The color drained from Jaune's and Yang's faces as they looked from the Beowolf to Port who ejected the spent round.

The two blondes got to their feet and hurried to the center of the clearing where Ren and Blake had StormFlower and Gambol Shroud ready to go. Once they stood back to back, Jaune had Crocea Mors in his hand and his eyes inspected each part of the wood for any trace of lurking Grimm. Two clicks came as Yang chambered rounds into Ember Celica.

Snarls and growls met their ears. Red eyes soon surrounded the clearing and began to creep closer. The large horde of Grimm were eying them hungrily.

"Stay close together and back each other up," Jaune whispered to his teammates. "There's too many for you to fight alone."

"A wise decision, Mister Arc!" Port nodded. "Now watch and learn! You'll see my magnificent strength firsthand!"

The four teens had to resist rolling their eyes at their professor. Sure he was strong, but the way he tried to boast his feats made it hard to take him seriously. They all glanced back at the portly man and were a little taken aback.

Professor Port's brow was furrowed in concentration and a stern look had swallowed his normally jolly face.

"Come get some, foul beasts!" Port readied Blunderbuss.

His taunt got the reaction he was hoping for. The second he said that, five Grimm charged him. Three Beowolves and two Ursi. The eccentric professor's mouth twitched into a mad grin and he pulled the trigger. Just like earlier and with fast hands, he pumped one round after the next and hit each Grimm with pinpoint accuracy.

He then adjusted his grip on Blunderbuss and slashed at the first Ursa that came for him. The large Grimm let out a roar of pain as the arm landed on the ground, but was silenced with another quick slash to the head. Changing his grip once more, another loud crack came from the ax-gun weapon, blowing a hole into the second Ursa's chest.

"No way," Yang said slack jawed.

"I guess he wasn't blowing smoke after all," Blake muttered.

"Come on, you lot! There's plenty of Grimm to go around, so have fun!" Port gestured to the creatures.

They shook their heads as the man continued to lay waste to one Grimm after the next.

"He's mad." Jaune shook his head.

He only got nods of agreement from his friends. Taking their eyes off the wild man, they turned their focus back to the group that closed the gap between them. They shared a quick look with one another and gave a joint cry as they charged the horde.

This was what Jaune had been waiting for. Time to practice once again with improved combat skills by cutting down Grimm. Over the past two days he had done a lot better than his previous encounters throughout the year. He smirked after ducking under an Ursa's arm and plunged his blade deep into its chest, killing it instantly.

"Aw, no fair! That one was mine!" Yang huffed.

"Gotta' be quicker next time." He shrugged. "I'm at ten by the way."

Yang grimaced and without taking her glare off him, punched to her right. Ember Celica let out a loud bang and sent out a slug round dropping a Beowolf. Her grimace turned into a grin and she punched her knuckles together.

"Eleven for me," she answered on the turn of her heel.

The blonde knight rolled his eyes and sidestepped a set of claws from a Beowolf and with a flick of his wrist, lopped its head off. Tied again. Even though he and his friends had the chance of dying in the field with their chosen profession, he learned to enjoy the little things. And this was one of them. A friendly kill count competition with Yang kept him focused and the competitive nature of their game forced him to treat it like a training session with Pyrrha.

He raised his shield and blocked another attack from a Beowolf. Spinning on his heel, he held his blade out for a spin attack and managed to cut the swift Grimm down. He had not heard Yang yell her latest kill, so he could only assumed he was in the lead again with twelve.

"Ah, this is just marvelous!" Port cheered after cutting down another Ursa.

"Maybe mad was the wrong term?" Ren asked appearing beside him.

"More like mad king!" Yang chirped as she cocked Ember Celica.

Jaune tuned out the conversation as Blake rejoined them so they all stood with their backs together. His blue eyes took in the remaining Grimm. Not much were left, possibly ten, maybe more hiding beyond the tree line. Professor Port's onslaught had cut down the majority of them and the man laughed with each swing and shot with Blunderbuss.

"Duck!" Blake yelled.

Jaune was pulled to the ground by Yang and Ren just in time. With a wild swish of her arms, Blake had Gambol Shroud cut through the air. Crunches were heard as the weapon sliced and diced the Grimm that it met, killing them instantly.

Thanks to Blake's last attack, there was only one Grimm left. The lone Beowolf eyed them closely, but had yet to move forward. It was taking its time trying to find an opening.

"Which one of you would like the honors?" Port hoisted Blunderbuss over his shoulder.

"Me!" Yang charged the Beowolf, intent on winning her game against Jaune.

Yang landed in front of the Grimm and brought both of her fists forward in a hard punch. Both gauntlets fired and left a bloody wound on the Grimm's chest. When the Beowolf fell to the ground, Yang flexed her arms in a celebratory jig.

"You owe me a drink, Jaune!" Yang called over her shoulder.

Jaune's eyes widened and he bolted for Yang as fast as he could. She was surprised with his sudden dash, but that soon changed when he shoved her hard. The blonde brawler stumbled away and landed on the forest floor with a dull thump.

Yang growled and glared back at Jaune to give him a piece of her mind, but her words got caught in her throat. Her lilac eyes saw her fellow blonde standing stiff as a board and the supposedly slain Beowolf's jaw clamped down on his shoulder and neck. His eyes were wide with shock and his knees buckled from under him.

"Jaune!"

Talk about a cliff hangar. What'll happen to Jaune? We'll find out soon enough. Also, if that tags have not given it away yet, this will be a JaunexYang story. See you all next time.

RWBY Story Shout Outs:

"Spectrum" by Super Saiyan Cyndaquil: Updated 9/18/15

"Shattered Arc" by ImSoAwesome: Updated 8/17/15

"RWBY: Tomorrow and Never Again" by PaulXion: Updated 8/15/15

"Burning White" by Azure megacyber: Updated 8/15/15

"The King's Heir" by Howard Blake: Updated 8/18/15

"Light of Remnant" by ImSoAwesome: Updated 8/13/15

"The Heat" by wildstraydog: Updated 8/15/15